The mormons joseph smith bible?

Question

Is it true that the founder of the mormon church translated his own bible. My source told me that along with the book of mormon they have a seceret bible. But publicly they use the king james version. Why?

Answer 1

They use the KJV with footnotes of Joseph Smith's bible added in, too. Although not many do. You'd think the LDS would use the official Joseph Smith Translation Version instead of slipping it in unawares into real bibles. So, what's to be ashamed of mormons?:



1. Smith inserts himself into prophecy numerous times, eventually making himself out to be the savior of the world as he went further and further into "re-translating" the bits God got "wrong".

2. Smith inserts whatever he wants into the bible, causing most mormons to be severely unable to explain these inserts to people rolling around on the floor laughing uncontrollably at such utter nonsense, all the while compounding the situation---because they themselves are the only ones who fail to realize this fact. A double hoot!

3. Smith died screaming in terror at meeting His REAL Maker, and the only ones asking why are NON-mormons. Why?



Why do they use the KJV publically? Because it so perfectly matches their book of mormon, copied out of the exact same. Almost to the letter in every instance.



Other than where Joseph Smith inserts himself. Of course.

Answer 2

Mormons study and teach from the king James bible. However, Joseph Smith was involved in translating the bible but was killed and the Joseph Smith version never became official. Members of the church sometimes refer to LDS published bible foot notes referencing Joseph Smith translations.

Answer 3

For those who are saying that the Joseph Smith or Inspired Translation of the Bible is under copyright of the Reorganized Church have forgotten that at the time of Joseph Smith's death, the copyright for unpublished works ended seventy years after the death of the author. This would have been 1914. I too learned it was due to copyright issues that did not allow the church to adopt this work, but as I am no where near as old as 1914, there must be some other reason they hide this from the church.

Answer 4

Joseph Smith claimed that an angel, Moroni, directed him to the location where there were golden plates inscribed in an ancient Egyptian language. Smith claims this happened on 22 September 1827. He says that he was able to translate some of the characters by means of the Urim and Thummim, also deposited with the plates. The verdict of a Professor Charles Anthon was that the Egyptian characters Smith had translated were correct and the others were Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic. Smith and his friend Oliver Cowdery worked on translating everything. Three witnesses testified to seeing the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated but the plates were taken away and never seen again.



Now, because Smith was convinced that the existing Bible was corrupted, he produced his own version. This is used internally by some Mormons, but the majority just use the King James Version. Needless to say, Smith's revised Bible is very much at odds with the original Bible on some critical points. That is why one of the Mormon articles of faith professes belief in the Bible insofar as it is correctly translated. The Book of Mormon is declared to be the word of God, with no provisos attached. That's Article 8.



Because Mormons have been trying for many decades to be accepted as just another, legitimate denomination of Christianity, they have downplayed their real views about the Bible. They have even tried to give the impression that they believe the orthodox Trinity doctrine, but they do not. They have a distorted version, just as they have a distorted version of the Bible. They believe themselves to be the sole repository of God's truth today, which is based on the Book of Mormon and they only use the Bible to the extent that it can be made to appear to back their Mormonism up.



EDIT - complaints about my answer; Yes, Mormons have always declared their proviso about the Bible. The point is that they have no such proviso with their BoM proving that the BoM is their authority and not the Bible! And when they're trying to convince the public that they are Christians, they quote from the Bible much more than they do the BoM, and only from the BoM where it can be shown to agree with the Bible. That is duplicitous.



Further, on this R&S site, there used to be constant Mormon answers declaring that they did, indeed, believe the Trinity doctrine - until people like me started objecting and now we no longer see this false claim. I've been on this site for 7 years, and my experience is that the Mormons will try to convince those who don't know better that they're just like all other Christians, until this is publicly exposed. That is duplicitous.

And another answerer has proved my claims about Smith's 'modified' version of the KJV.

Answer 5

I think you are speaking of the Joseph Smith Translation. He did begin to translate the Bible, adding phrases which had be removed and removing phrases which had been added. But, he never completed that bible before his death. When the Church split, after Joseph's death, the church which remained in Nauvoo kept that Bible. As far as I know the RLDS, now known as the Community of Christ Church, has the copyright of the JST, though I know that the LDS Church has tried to get the copyright now that it is no longer known as RLDS. The LDS Church does have bits and pieces of the JST and you can find them in the footnotes in the KJV used. Those footnotes also refer to other scripture and give translations of some of the words from the Greek and Latin sources. But as with footnotes in other books, it is up to the reader whether to use them or not.

Answer 6

Oh my! The secondary title of the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, not unlike the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, written though for another people at another time. Not only is it not the Bible, there is in existance a Joseph Smith Translation of the KJV which was never finished .So secret yeah secret my eye!



http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/bible/jst_eom.htm

Answer 7

http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/default.htm



Copyright is the answer to your question.



THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints does not have the copyright to the Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible.



After Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob, there was a lot of chaos. While Joseph Smith's death did give the Latter Day Saints a reprieve for a short time from being mass murdered, it did not nor would it not satiate the blood lust of the Preacher-enraged mobs...



who were just itching to kill every Mormon there was and mass murder all the Mormons.



The Mississippi River froze solid and because of that, the Latter Day Saints were able to escape Nauvoo Illinois by riding their wagons over the Mississippi River.



The good news was that the Latter Day Saints survived the bad news was it was very very cold. From there the Latter Day Saints traveled to Utah, while the mob busied themselves to burning down the Temple of Jesus Christ in Nauvoo Illinois.



Desperate times make for desperate measures.



So where was the manuscript of the heretofor unpublished Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible???



The answer is, it was in a box that the wife of the since dearly departed Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, owned.



Emma Smith became part of another Church (long story short) and they had the copyright and they published that book...



The Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible.



Give Emma Smith credit. Say what you will, she did not alter the manuscript. No scholar who has looked at The Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible can see any reason to believe that Emma Smith changed anything that Joseph Smith wrote, or altered anything that Joseph Smith did in any way.



The Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible is truly one of the greatest books in history. It restores the King James Version Of The Bible (in King James Version Of The Bible English), to an utterly remarkable degree.



Whole sections in the Bible are restored, like for example



the section about Enoch and The City Of Enoch and how before the flood tens of thousands of people were saved and came to Zion and came to live a life of peace, love, and happiness.



Where there was no poor, and no war, and where the population of the entire city praised God by keeping the commandments of Jesus Christ, and like the City of Salem, they were taken up to Heaven into outer space...



to a great and wonderful destination. Because those who lived in the City Of Enoch had become so righteous and charitable and filled with the love of Jesus Christ, that they were taken from the Earth, to live in a more Celestial setting, in the starry Heavens above.



And that is just one restoration to the Bible that was lost that Joseph Smith the Prophet restored.



The New Testament alone is worthy of examination by the most serious intellectual who happens to profess a belief in the Bible, and comparing it to the King James Version of The Bible, can yield increased insight into the Bible, and it's inner meaning and doctrines.



Some Mormons have a limited understanding of The Joseph Smith Inspired Translation Of The Bible. They think that the footnotes in their King James Version of the Bible is all that there is to Joseph Smith's Inspired Translation Of The Bible.



But nothing could be further from the truth. Someday, when the copyright has finally been transferred to THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints...



then it will no doubt be recognized as the fifth book of canonized Scripture...



along with the Bible, The Book Of Mormon Another Testament Of Jesus Christ,

The Pearl Of Great Price, and The Doctrine And Covenants.



The other Church that now has the copyright is very poor. THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints is very rich. It is only a matter of time before THE Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints obtains the copyright to The Joseph Smith's Inspired Translation Of The Bible...



which restores the Bible to it's original form to a truly remarkable degree.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tq4ENGuAHw



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0g7cuEiPaY



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGkqCs1Ltt8&feature=relmfu



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1x6x68sKC0



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sP1Aai5GVU



http://Mormon.org Chat.





God bless.

Answer 8

Do your sources consist of anti-ex/Mormon websites? Be careful where you go for information on Mormon doctrine and beliefs. Most anti/ex-Mormons tend to not get it right when they try to tell you what we believe. I might add that Y!A isn't the best place to go either, as we seem to be infested with some of the more out-there anti/ex-Mormons, and you will quickly find that some of the answers to your question are likewise out-there....



We use the Authorized King James Bible, or JKV. There is another book called the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith translated, but it is not a Bible. And as for a secret bible, there is no such thing. But then, if there were, do you think any of use would admit it? :-) :-) :-)



Sasi said "Because Mormons have been trying for many decades to be accepted as just another, legitimate denomination of Christianity, they have downplayed their real views about the Bible."



This is simply not true. We have always publicly declared that we believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We have not backed of of this stand, nor will we. The Bible is the Word of God so far as it is translated correctly. We reject the notion that the Bible is inerrant and perfect, as does just about anyone that is familiar with the history of the Bible. The manuscripts the Bible came from are copies of copies of copies of copies of long lost manuscripts that have been lost for a very long time.



Sasi said "They have even tried to give the impression that they believe the orthodox Trinity doctrine"



Again, this is totally false. We reject the sectarian notion of the trinity, and we always have, and we always will. We will never try to give the impression that we believe this, because we do not.

Answer 9

No, it is not. Mormons believe in the Bible, that the Bible is the word of God.



And, just like what is prophesied in the Bible (Ezekiel specifically) God will also have not only his words come from the tribe of Judah (the bible) but also from the tribe of Joseph (which Mormons assert is the Book of Mormon).



The Bible and Book of Mormon go hand in hand to BOTH testify of Christ.

Answer 10

The "Joseph Smith Translation" is not used as a religious text by the LDS Mormons, though I have read that some other Mormon sects still make use of it. It's really a sort of slightly edited KJV with lots of notes added by Smith.



Here is a sort of modern revision of the JST:

http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/default.htm

Answer 11

They do not. They use the King James Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price. Maybe you mix up the Pearl of Great Price with this mentioned "secret bible". But the Pearl of Great Price is not secret. You can read it online.

http://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp?lang=eng



There you can also notice, that Mormons really use the King James Bible.

Answer 12

What Joseph Smith did was to prayerfully study the Bible and make some changes where the Spirit guided him to understand that the original had not been translated correctly into modern languages. Nothing secret about it.

Answer 13

As far as I know, Joseph Smith was approached by an angel who showed him an ancient Egyptian text of hieroglyphs. The angel gave him special glasses to translate the text, and so he did.