Mormon Books
From MormonWikia
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) has four books of official scripture, often referred to as “the Standard Works.” The books are The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Doctrine and Covenants. Mormons believe that all four of these books contain the word of God to prophets both ancient and modern.
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[edit] Video: Ezra Taft Benson Testifies of the Book of Mormon
[edit] The Holy Bible
The eighth Article of Faith—Articles of Faith are simple statements of Mormon beliefs—says, “we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” The Mormon Church acknowledges that The Holy Bible has gone through many translations and changes, but does believe that it contains truth. The Bible may be used as scripture in any or all church meetings, and there are often Sunday School classes that focus entirely on The Old Testament or The New Testament for a year at a time. Members of the Church are encouraged to read and know the Bible. There are many instances in The Book of Mormon where the Bible is quoted and expounded upon.
[edit] The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a record of people who left the Middle East before Jerusalem was destroyed. These people came in several different groups, and the Book of Mormon contains the records of their prophets. It begins about 600 B.C. with a family that left Jerusalem, traveled to the sea, and crossed it to the American continent. The Book of Mormon follows their story and the story of their descendants, who either accepted the teachings of God or rejected them. It tells the story of other groups who came to the continent, and ends with the last prophet and last believer on the continent, Moroni, who buried the scriptures, which were engraved on gold plates, in a hill, where Joseph Smith found them in 1823.
The Book of Mormon exists to teach of Jesus Christ and his atonement. In the Bible, Christ teaches his followers, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”(John 10:16). The most crucial and exciting chapters of the Book of Mormon tell the story of Christ’s visitation of his “other sheep,” those descendants of Jacob who were faithful to him on the American continent.
The Book of Mormon gets its name from Mormon, the ancient prophet who abridged many of the records, inspired by God to include the things most relevant to people who live today. Mormons believe that Joseph Smith found these records in the hill where Mormon's son Moroni buried them, and that he translated them by the power of God. Mormons do believe that the Book of Mormon is, as Joseph Smith stated, “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461).
[edit] The Pearl of Great Price
The Pearl of Great Price includes the stories of two great ancient prophets: Abraham and Moses. It also is comprised of the history of Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith’s revelations about corrections to passages in the Book of Matthew, and the Articles of Faith, a collection of simple statements about Mormon beliefs. The title refers to the important truths contained in it that cannot be found in any other books of scripture. It records God calling both Abraham and Moses as prophets, as well as their important trials, revelations, and spiritual experiences. Abraham’s record also includes several pictures found on Egyptian papyri Joseph Smith obtained from a collector. The Pearl of Great Price gives information on pre-mortal existence, fore-ordination, and the City of Enoch not found in other scriptures.
[edit] The Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of some of the revelations given to Joseph Smith concerning the Church and its members. It is a record of the early Church and its organization, and it contains many doctrinal points not clear or not covered in the Bible and Book of Mormon. It is also evidence that prophets today truly do receive revelation from God to guide his Church. God has not favored ages past with prophets only to leave this generation alone and without guidance.
Many of the revelations were given in answer to specific prayers and questions Joseph Smith had made, some of them specific to other people in the Church. These revelations have specific historical backgrounds and settings, and must be interpreted with the culture of the early 1800s and the early restored Church in mind.
The Doctrine and Covenants includes Last Days prophecies, clarification of doctrine, patterns for the exercise of priesthood authority, and directions for the Church. It reports several visions, including one of the kingdoms of heaven (Section 76) and one of the Spirit World (Section 138).
