Royal Skousen spent 30 years studying the original Book of Mormon manuscript, of which we only have a third of the text because the rest was water-damaged when it was stored away - and the still-complete Printer's Manuscript, which Oliver Cowdery made for the printer so that there would be two copies, in case one was lost. What did he find? The errors found on the Printer's Manuscript are typical manuscript copying errors, but the errors in the original manuscript are errors typically made when a text is dictated. An awesome finding that further demonstrates that The Book of Mormon was not copied from any other book or document, but was dictated orally just as the Prophet Joseph and others testified.

@tiffanyseavy565

10 ай бұрын

I love it. Thank you for sharing

@mikeballou7598

6 ай бұрын

With all due respect, but how do you or anyone know whether or not JS copied from another book? Could be that he liked what he saw in the NT and the Lord agreed. To make assumptions means we may be over stepping what we don't know to be true. The truth of the BoM lies in its content not the word order. Does it get one closer to Christ if one studies it with pure intent as it claims to do? To me, the answer is yes, it does. Therefore it is true. Are there clerical mistakes do to ancient words not translating perfectly into English? Quite possibly. English is a difficult and ever changing language. Words change meanings. The word computer is a good example. Is it a noun or a verb? Different meanings for either one. When the word first appeared the modern computers did not exist.

@ericbyers235

2 ай бұрын

@@mikeballou7598 Ah, this is a whole different discussion. Based on your question, you might want to check out the recent book about how the Book of Mormon actually came about by Lars Nielsen. Rather fascinating and it includes Kircher and some really great connections. Also talks about how Nephi is not a new name, how the balls of curious workmanship which had writing on them and spindles, were actually made by Kircher and spoken about in his writings. Ya, its a fascinating read.

But no one bats an eye when a new version of the Bible rolls out 🤷‍♀️ Great video!

@christopherb.2986

Ай бұрын

yeah because these are (at least partially new) translations; the (hebrew) original doesnt change.

Awesome video. Thorough and concise, and accurate. Well done. Read a copy of the first edition of the Book of Mormon! Available at Deseret Book. I did this, and was blown away by how consistent it is with the current edition. As you read you immediately see why grammar and spelling changes were made, but none of this takes away from the power and inspiration of the Book or the content of the verses we are so familiar with. It's a remarkable exercise that will strengthen your testimony.

@HonesE57

2 жыл бұрын

I just purchased an 1830 copy to read. I have never read the Book of Mormon. I also purchased a newer one to see if there are any changes because I wanted to see if what is claimed about it is true. I am sincere in my desire, and I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you. 🙂

@michaelpeterson6174

2 жыл бұрын

@@HonesE57 That's awesome. I hope you have a feast in that book. Years ago a great scholar in the Church (and in the world for that matter) was Dr. Hugh Nibley, and when he taught Book of Mormon religion classes at BYU he made the students use the first edition. I thought that was telling. I'll show you something else you can do that's really cool. Online you can find the 1828 Webster's dictionary. You can look up words there, to see what they would mean to the population in 1830. There's also an app for that. I hope you include pondering and prayer in your approach - Moroni 10:3-5 (last chapter of the Book of Mormon).

@HonesE57

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelpeterson6174 Thanks for the dictionary tip! I have a very old three volume dictionary set from late 1910. should be fun to do a comparison. As for the prayer...I do nothing in my life without that most important communication! Blessings! 😊

Great video! Thanks for getting this information out there in an accessible format that's easy to share and understand!

About the Mosiah-Benjamin thing: more than what you’ve mentioned, the timeline of events makes sense. The people who wanted to find the Limhites renew their petitions when a new king takes the throne, which Mosiah grants when they make enough of an uproar in anger of another king potentially denying them (likely for safety concerns) and the Lord, in recognition of the Limhites’ condition, gives the okay also. At this time Benjamin has taken a back seat to advising his son while still keeping and going through the old spiritual records; the Jaredite records are found when he was alive, and Ammon’s mission happened then also; so when they all returned to Zarahemla he felt their importance he kept them and advised his son, who was to be the new priesthood leader, in translating them, a potential first landmark task. The involved overlaps are not given clear mention but is obvious when the possibilities are considered in regard to genuine human experience. Moroni, who wrote the Book of Ether while on the run, felt his own weakness in writing, and included mention of his concern and included a prayer against that and a caution to the reader in the main text. I find no coincidence the two are close together. My own supposition is he felt something was amiss and he didn’t realize where it was because all this was obvious history to him, and while at first it might seem obscure it’s a little more obvious to us when due consideration is given the text and answers are sought with faith.

Thank you for your great research and sharing it!

Always learning a lot from this source. 🙏🙂

“And it came to pass”…. thank you for the clarification. 😊

Don't forget about the 62 changes in the BM from the 2013 printed version and the approved digital changes later that year. There have been additional changes since then.

Sooo good!!

If, hypothetically, Book of Mormon scholars discovered that there were significant changes to one or more doctrinal points like the ones dismissed in the video, would that be a sufficient reason to doubt the authenticity of the rest of the book?

@CalledtoShare

3 жыл бұрын

The Book of Mormon changes lives and brings you closer to God. That is authentic.

@seans5289

3 жыл бұрын

@@CalledtoShare: Are you saying it doesn’t matter if it’s true, as long as it has a net positive effect on people?

@sampowell8241

3 жыл бұрын

I guess it depends on who you ask. Based on other problematic truths claims by the church (such as the book of Abraham) , apologists are willing to move the goal post. I think it's safe to assume that whatever problems could be discovered about the BOM, there would always be some members that would find a way to excuse it. Their lives are too invested in it, so I understand why they would.

@seans5289

3 жыл бұрын

@@sampowell8241: I personally think acknowledging bias is one of the most important steps in filtering truth from falsehood

@sampowell8241

3 жыл бұрын

@@seans5289 l 100% agree.

Amazing video as always! Thank you a lot for these videos! 🙂

You can find the first printing online in pdf for free. I prefer the bom without all the stuff the church added to it to make it look like the bible. I prefer it in novel form

Is Royal Skousen related to Cleon Skousen?

Still haven’t seen anything as impressive as the BoM in other religion… started looking at some Seven Day writings which seems much simpler in content so far. Still learning, more knowledge makes the BoM more impressive so far.

@haydenmills9836

3 жыл бұрын

😂

like a boss, great insight!

Yes, but there seems to be an issue with the statement that "there might be errors that have crept in, but that doesn't change the message" because this is exactly the same argument made for the bible. If the both the Bible and Book of Mormon have the same issues when it comes to errors, transmissions, etc. then there is basically no point or benefit of having one as the guide to the other, since they are both in the same position (relatively speaking). The claim of the BOM being the "most perfect book" seems to be a bit problematic if we are to use it as a standard against the bible. Am I wrong?

Of course, King Benjamin also has the records his father Mosiah 1 had from Coriantumr, which detailed the Jaredite story also.

Didn’t Joseph smiths scribe read each and every sentence back to Joseph smith before going into the next next part? How could there be so many mistakes then?

The Book of Mormon was written by ancient Prophets, condensed by another and then translated by Joseph Smith. Then there were scribes and the publisher. That's why it's only the "most correct book" and not the "only perfect book".

Can you do one on the changes in the Bible?

@kz6fittycent

10 ай бұрын

Billions and billions…😂

The Bible has made far more changes. The Book of Mormon has mostly grammatical errors only. However, the Bible has many completely different Bibles that are far more different than the other. Which Bible is correct? Only one book of Mormon exists. Many different and separate Bibles are sold all over the place.

@rspsfreakify

3 жыл бұрын

The Latin Vulgate is the correct bible

@paulgregersen3570

3 жыл бұрын

@@rspsfreakify How can you determine this?

@paulgregersen3570

3 жыл бұрын

@@jayakron3076 Many translations from the Greek are wrong. Example: The Lords prayer says to the father, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." Obviously God does not lead you into temptation??? Satan does. Joseph retranslated the Bible to say " Suffer " us not to go into temptation but deliver us from evil. There are hundreds of such examples where the wrong words were translated and many were completely left out. Also, there were 12 apostles and the Catholic church only aloud 4 of the 12 to go into the Bible. Where is the apostle Bartholemew and Thomas and many others? They were all to be special witnesses of Christ where they gave up their lives to testify of. Then, they never got to witness to the world because somebody didn't like what they taught such as baptism for the dead or eternal marriage or other doctrines. That's why Peter prophesied the restoration of all things before Christ returns in Acts. That's why Paul said the falling away happened. There were many other books the Bible itself refers you to go back to that are lost forever. Watch my video on KZread titled "Book of Abraham part 7" And part 9 for the list and Bible references to prove this. Click my name to get you there.

@paulgregersen3570

3 жыл бұрын

@@jayakron3076 That is part 7 about lost Bible books listed. 7

@paulgregersen3570

3 жыл бұрын

@@jayakron3076 Peter prophesied that Christ would not come unless there be a restoration of ALL THINGS. NOT some things. That points to a complete falling away of everything needing to be restored. Thereby, a restoration of ALL ThINGS not some things was needed. The Bible declares that the "unlearned man" says Isaiah, comes in the latterdays to receave a book of scripture from the ground. This book would cause today's blind Christian's to see the truth. God himself declares this book will teach them God's true doctrine. This 2nd Bible shows up in modern times and cannot be the Bible. Obviously a second Bible was needed to do his work today. The Bible is missing many many things. To see these Bible verses and the list of lost books watch my video titled "Book of Abraham part 7."

Spelling mistakes are reasonable to change so there is no argument there. But the book is supposed to be a translation from an ancient text. Then how could theological changes happen that cannot be attributed to a misprint. Specially when the text was buried. It doesn't matter if the changes don't change much. But how can the book be changed if it was translated not inspired? Specially names changed from the original. Original: Mosiah 9, p. 200 - … King Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings Altered: Mosiah 21:28 - … King Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings …

what chages have 1965 is same as 2020

But, according to Smith himself, the text would supposedly appear to him as he looked into the hat (note: not actually translating or even looking at the plates) one line at a time. Then, the text would disappear and be replaced with the next line only after Smith had dictated it to his scribe, the scribe had wrote it down and repeated it back to Smith. Plus, Smith repeatedly said that it was the most correct book of all time. So, considering all of the significant changes (or, more than grammatical changes), how can anyone reasonable person have any faith in a book which claims perfection and yet falls woefully short?

@brettmajeske3525

3 жыл бұрын

You are misquoting Joseph, or at least ignoring the context of his statement. David mentioned that the errors are consistent with transcription errors. Plus the most correct book statement was about doctrine and principles, not typography.

@sampowell8241

3 жыл бұрын

@@brettmajeske3525 But segments pertaining to doctrine were changed.

@mrs.therapist6122

3 жыл бұрын

As an author i can tell you that any bible scholar could write the book of mormon with todays technology. But as an author I have to have an outline and write it then edit it a million times. There would be proof of his editing. Think about it. He didnt even own a pencil and an eraser. No internet. Emma and witnesses never saw him pull out notes You can't write a complex book without edits. Even if he was a genius... even einstein kept notes and did edits.

@BrendonKing

3 жыл бұрын

And yet no one addressed the elephant in the room. He would dictate a line, it would be written down and read back in confirmation, only then allowed to move on to the next line.

@mrs.therapist6122

3 жыл бұрын

@@BrendonKing i dont do edits line by line. You have to form a storyline and plot and have it match up to the bible and scriptures that were not even in existence like the summarization of the Book of Enoch which was lost for years then shows up later in the Dead Sea Scrolls. He had to have notes and modify more than a line. He would need to modify plot and flow and characters and places. You just cant do it without an outline and notes and major edits. Emma would have known. She didnt believe in polygamy and was fed up with Joseph but still formed the rlds church with that book. I just think she would have just left the whole faith business if she knew he had notes.

there are no copies of any new testament texts that are exactly alike. none

I've read the BofM 3 times, but recently heard from a dear friend that the BofM was purchased by Joseph from a traveling salesman as a storyline that he (Joseph) built upon and then published. Does anyone know where this information derived?

@scottbrandon9390

2 жыл бұрын

More urban folklore about JS. You need to think critically, look at all the information and decide for yourself if the BM is true. That's why the Holy Ghost will reveal all things to us (Moroni 10:5).

@alejandromartin8347

2 жыл бұрын

View of the Hebrews.

@jonahhammond2438

3 күн бұрын

People come up with basically any crazy theory someone can possibly think of because it sounds too impossible for it to actually be the work or God

We’re the verses that changed Dotrince a mistake ?

@brettmajeske3525

3 жыл бұрын

None of the verses changed doctrine.

@coalhouse1981

3 жыл бұрын

@@brettmajeske3525 not true

@Hamann9631

3 жыл бұрын

@@coalhouse1981 A better refutation would be to tell us what change altered doctrine. You didn't because there isn't one and Brett Majeske is right.

I know you tend to keep your videos shorter, but you should make an attempt to steel man the critic’s arguments. I personally find the ‘son of’ additions to 1st Nephi pretty damning when you consider the timeline and context of Joseph’s beliefs. Consider in conjunction the fact that in Joseph’s 1832 first vision account he mentions only seeing the Lord. Also, in the lectures of faith he teaches that the father is a personage of spirit while Christ is the personage of tabernacle, a very trinitarian view. There is a lot of evidence to support that Joseph’s theology of the godhead evolved between the start and end of the 1830’s, and these BOM changes are an indication of that. Why he didn’t make similar changes to other parts in the BOM that describe Christ as the eternal father, idk. Could be multiple reasons. But the church claiming that the changes in 1st Nephi were for clarification seems like a very poor explanation as it just makes the rest of the BOM even more confusing.

@michiganabigail

3 жыл бұрын

I have a question for you, and please don’t take it the wrong way: if you saw God and Jesus when you were 14, then just said you saw God when you were 27, would that make you a liar? Would that take away from the experience at all? Oftentimes, we’re so blown away by what we witnessed that we don’t explain everything perfectly. We assume we’ve clarified certain parts or mentioned certain things, but later, people point out to us that we never actually spoke that out loud. Maybe it’s hard to relate to that. I understand in part because of a personal experience I had, but that might be hard to explain to someone who’s never had a relatable experience. You don’t have to like the Book of Mormon, but that’s a pretty flimsy argument against belief in the book.

@mrs.therapist6122

3 жыл бұрын

I have to agree. The whole Godhead Trinity stuff looks not so good.. could you please invite an apologetic on your show when you want to combat exmormon talking points.

@michaelpeterson6174

3 жыл бұрын

I invite anyone who supposes that the Prophet's view of the Trinity evolved or that the Book of Mormon in any part teaches or even hints at the traditional Trinity to watch Brother Halverson's examination of this issue, from last year's online Book of Mormon "Come Follow Me" course on KZread. It's a brilliant exposition of Mosiah 15: 1-5. You can find the discussion in the following link, at 8:04 in this video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aIFqpqiypbXVYbg.html

@sampowell8241

3 жыл бұрын

@@michiganabigail Thank you for your comment. With all due respect, you have actually misrepresented my argument. My post was about Joseph's changing theology (and BOM changes to match) being an issue for the thruthfulness of the BOM, not that he omitted God the Father from his 1832 account. All of those are ample pieces of evidence that Joseph's theology changed. As for the topic of omitting the Father from his 1832 account, I suppose it's possible that Joseph forgot to mention God the Father in a vision for 18 years, but I find hard to believe that he apparently forgot to mention it to anyone, as there are no historical accounts from any of his contemporaries that match the 2 being claim, before 1838. Also visitations from God were very common in Joseph's day. Thank you again for commenting and being respectful. :)

@christopherrandallnicholson

3 жыл бұрын

The differences in the text actually don't make them any more or less Trinitarian, since virtually every Trinitarian in the world would agree with the statement that Jesus is the Son of God.

Hey, I love your videos. Quick question, are you in the olympics? You’re great at mental gymnastics!

@DavidNellTheHarbinger

3 жыл бұрын

Prickish for the kickish

@michiganabigail

3 жыл бұрын

Ohhhh, ho ho! You’re so clever! I think you misinterpreted what he’s saying. It’s easy for someone with a lazy mind to assume activity of any type is gymnastics, but thinking shouldn’t be made analogous to “mental gymnastics.”

@DavidNellTheHarbinger

3 жыл бұрын

@@michiganabigail bingo

@michaelpeterson6174

3 жыл бұрын

@@michiganabigail Dead on, I agree. Going to have to do more than wordplay to dismiss out of hand the talent and spirit and knowledge and integrity of David Snell.

@christopherrandallnicholson

3 жыл бұрын

What you saw him doing there is actually what's known as "critical thinking". You should give it a try sometime.

(Former member) Nice presentation, I liked it. I would love to see a presentation on the grammar. Some of the grammar in the original book was terrible, & I have a hard time imagining that God would reveal the story in that terrible grammar, even if that terrible grammar was used by some (the less educated) in Joseph's day. To me, the terrible grammar strongly suggests that the story was produced by Joseph, not by the Creator of all language. The video suggested that a video on the grammar may be produced, I look forward to it. Thanks.

@brettmajeske3525

3 жыл бұрын

It is surprising how often what is "bad grammar" in English become correct grammar in Hebrew or Arabic.

To who ever reads this Pray the our father every day. and a few pslams on ur knees to god. every night. and he will shepherd you Do this every night and you will know the truth You must walk with God with prayer and fasting as Daniel did only vegan And prayer of the our father and psalms You will get closer to God. Closer than anyone. You will understand Nkjv Bible only un un adulterated ... Wisdom is known by her own children

yah when we talk about it, we are referring to the huge doctrine changes from 1830 to 1838 where he changes away from a traditional trinitarian view.

Lmao this is the most perfect book on earth. As quoted by Joseph smith. Joseph smith would turn over in his grave if he saw this video. Why did the Mormons make all these “corrections” I mean 1000’s of corrections to the most perfect book??? Because it’s false???hmm. Now You Know.

@haydonc5256

2 жыл бұрын

You don't even know what quote you're referring to. Allow me: "The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on this Earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than any other book." Catch that? He did not say "The Book of Mormon is a perfect book." He said it's the "most correct of any book on this Earth". There is a difference between being the most correct and being perfect. A book can be the most correct and still have errors. The title page for the Book of Mormon even says "If there are faults they are the mistakes of men: Wherefore. condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgement-seat of Christ". "Why did the Mormons make all these “corrections” I mean 1000’s of corrections to the most perfect book??? Because it’s false???hmm. Now You Know." No, it's because the person translating it was a human being whose capable of making mistakes. I'd like to see you try to translate an ancient text without any experience and see how far you get without making a mistake. I Guarantee you wouldn't last a sentence.

@MisMissie

9 ай бұрын

Just curious, so if it’s the most “correct book” on earth is it still changing as the church body is progressing or is that just to the doctrine & covenants? The Bible was also written by man, inspired by God, so what is the difference? The Bible was also written by ancient prophets written in their language (Hebrew, Greek, etc that can be historically translated). There is also the Dead Sea Scrolls & the Scroll of Isaiah to compare the scriptures too. So there is plenty of evidence of the biblical scriptures & validating them. I have yet to see that for the B of M. I would only think a loving God who truly thought we are all following a false religion would make SURE if anything to leave the golden templates for all nations to read, study & know. I guess it’s a thing with the LDS church to keep things hidden as their god sets the example of.

@thatonedude.8440

5 ай бұрын

Gramatical and clarifying changes to the Book of Mormon is nothing compared to the Bible’s incoherencies, including its translations of ancient versions of multiple languages, thousands of interpretations, and missing context all contributing to a very easily misunderstood compilation of historical texts. The Book of Mormon on the other hand has one translation given by the gift and power of God himself. That’s very loving. To know the truth of the Book of Mormon, you need to know God.

I agree with you this time. So many changes and so many meaningless nothings. I'm amazed that this is still even thrown out there by detractors. There are only four or five substantive changes that mean anything, and those are in 1 Nephi where Christ is made into the son of God whereas he was originally God in the flesh. Still something to consider and wonder why the doctrinal change, especially when it actually fits better with the doctrine of who God is in the rest of the Book of Mormon.

@elliot7761

2 ай бұрын

Lol 2 Nephi chapter 5 has been completed changed. You're in a cult

@2:50 Calling someone God is something different from calling someone the Son of God. They are significant doctrinal changes.

@elderinisrael

Жыл бұрын

Not really. Christians consider that Jesus is God (part of the Trinity), So, Joseph Smith could have left it and it would mean the same thing.

@Noah.06

Жыл бұрын

​​@@elderinisrael But LDS church members don't belive on the Trinity, they're all separated from their perspective...

@thatonedude.8440

5 ай бұрын

Well, as stated in the video, the Book of Mormon still has passages referring to Jesus by other titles, which brings up the question of why wouldn’t he change all of those as well?

Joseph Smith patently switched from God and Jesus are one to God and Jesus is separate and you wanna just sweep it under the rug. The first vision changed because his views-if he ever believed-changed.

@thatonedude.8440

5 ай бұрын

Or, here me out, for the sake of integrity, the changes were made for clarification of the meaning. The first vision account varies depending on the context of his telling. Also, JS had a human brain with a memory of such as well.

“Changes highlight consistency…” yeah, okay! So dumb.

Same argument people make about the bible

@seans5289

3 жыл бұрын

Is it possible that the Bible is false, but the Book of Mormon is still true?

@mrs.therapist6122

3 жыл бұрын

@@seans5289 the old testament is in question with me. If you study the annanoki of sumeria their texts parallel the book of genesis and talk of abraham and the flood. These were summerians not hebrews. So why are they writing about it? Plus the sumerian king lists lists names of sumerian kings that go back 26,000 years ago. How is that possible? Yep sumeria has me confused. Did Hebrews take from them or did sumerians take from Hebrews when forming their religiion.? Hmmm

@rspsfreakify

3 жыл бұрын

@@seans5289 lol no way

@seans5289

3 жыл бұрын

@@rspsfreakify: Do you believe that the Bible is “true?” As in, is the Bible an accurate account of god’s interactions with humanity?

@ndjarnag

3 жыл бұрын

@@seans5289 Yes that is possible. I haven't read the book of Mormon.