Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ
The missionaries came by my place last night (just before FHE) and one of them was distraught.
You see, they had some zealous Catholic guy show them that there were major changes in the BoM that Mormon's don't know about (yes, the rhetoric of the unveiled secret!)
What were the changes?
1 Ne 11: 18, 21, and 32, and 13:40:
The 1837 edition of the BoM added some words to the 1830 edition. I'll put the added words in italics:
11: 18: Behold, the virgin which thou seest is the mother of the Son of God...
11: 21: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!
11: 32: And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God...
13:40: the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world...
The thrust of this position seems to be that in the 1830 BoM, Jesus is God and the Father, but not the Son of the Father or of God. You might be able to empathize with the confused missionary as this is a serious claim.
However, this is a specious claim. As I told the missionaries:
1. On the level of the BoM, you don't have a doctrinal change between the 1830 and 1837 editions. Both editions teach that: Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the Son of the Father, Jesus is God, Jesus is the Father, Jesus is both the Father and the Son, and Jesus has a God and Father who is distinct and seperate. (I can give references for each of these if asked).
2. These teachings are found in all editions of the BoM.
3. Joseph Smith made these changes himself, and made plenty of grammatical changes for the 1837 edition too. If you believe a prophet can change things like this, you don't necessarily have a problem.
4. You can buy the 1830 edition of the BoM from Deseret Book, can get your hands on other additions (at least the texts, if you don't have the $ to buy rare editions), and can make comparisons yourself. The Church isn't hiding anything here.
5. Royal Skousen is part way through a project that compares changes in all the English editions of the BoM. He discusses these changes at length. These changes are well known to many in the Church who have taken the time to investigate them. There's no real secret here.
6. The ambiguities in the BoM can be a strength on these subjects. Explore!
Now lie down for a few minutes, eat something, and wait at least 30 minutes before you go swimming.
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