The Book of Mormon vs. the LDS church

Feb. 15, 2022, Updated June 12, 2024

“And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon…” —D&C 84:57

In the scriptures, we usually learn about Jesus as being kind and merciful, the epitome of love. He was a teacher and healer. He was a true peacemaker. We must also realize that his love was expressed through calls to repentance. To turn from sin, which produces sorrow, and seek forgiveness and healing. The 84th section of D&C is one of those instances where he chastised his people for not heeding his words. This revelation was given on September 22 and 23, 1832, a little over 2 years after the formation of the church. First, let’s read, then discuss:

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—

55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.

57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written.

For the most part, this is pretty straightforward. If you choose not to heed the Lord’s commandments as taught in the Book of Mormon, then you are condemned. One alternate meaning of the word “condemned” is to have received a curse. That aligns with the curse pronounced by the Lord if we solely put our trust in the arm of flesh. (2 Nephi 28:31) We also learn that this condemnation came due to vanity and unbelief. A vain person thinks highly of themselves, they are prideful. You could surmise that the early church felt they knew better, were more enlightened, or didn’t need to heed all of the teachings and commandments of the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to note that throughout Christ’s ministry, he often quoted scripture, to either show the fulfillment of prophecy, to reinforce future prophecy, or to teach true doctrine. In the Book of Mormon, we have Nephi, Christ, and Moroni all encouraging us to read the prophecies of Isaiah. In reality, the Savior’s gospel is beautiful and simple, he doesn’t introduce new doctrine when he’s already taught it to the people. This flies in the face of the LDS mantras introduced by Ezra Taft Benson: “The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.” “The living prophet is more important than a dead prophet.” These mantras present only fractional truth given what the Savior taught in scripture and grossly misrepresent the role of prophets given what church leaders have done in modern times.

Any time the Lord’s people choose to not follow the Lord’s commandments they will be condemned. So how are we doing today? Have we heeded the commandments and the Lord’s doctrine as taught in the Book of Mormon? Let’s take a look at how the LDS church has or hasn’t aligned itself with the Lord’s former commandments. I present the following comparison not to judge the church, but to teach true doctrine so that we as a people may ascend.

Update / 1.21.24 > I believe the following quote from Joseph Smith about the value of reading and following the scriptures is important. He knew the philosophies of men and their desire to change doctrine for their own pleasures. In the Times & Seasons, Joseph was speaking to the elders serving abroad and wanted to stop the many rumors that were circulating about “spiritual wifery’ (aka polygamy), and the fastest way he could do this was to teach the elders to understand the doctrines as contained in the scriptures. “If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an imposter. You need not write to us to know what you are to do with such men; you have the authority with you.—Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they preach, or teach, or practice contrary to that, disfellowship them; cut them off from among you as useless and dangerous branches, and if they are belonging to any of the quorums in the Church, report them to the president of the quorum to which they belong, and if you cannot find that out, if they are members of an official standing, belonging to Nauvoo, report them to us.” (Keep in mind, at the time of this quote the original D&C 101 was in existence and condemned polygamy, and was subsequently replaced by the current D&C 101. D&C 132 was a later addition by Brigham Young.)

Update / 5.5.24 > I’d like to compare that quote above from Joseph to what was shared in the April 2023 general conference of the LDS church. This comes from Elder Haynie: “President Russell M. Nelson has testified that “God’s long-established pattern of teaching His children through prophets assures us that He will bless each prophet and that He will bless those who heed prophetic counsel.” So the key is to follow the living prophet. Brothers and sisters, unlike vintage comic books and classic cars, prophetic teachings do not become more valuable with age. That is why we should not seek to use the words of past prophets to dismiss the teachings of living prophets.”

It is my opinion that one of the reasons the church expresses such ludicrous statements is they know that modern teachings do not align with past teachings, and that includes—by their own admission—the teachings found in the scriptures. I’m honestly ashamed that such falsehoods are being taught to the members of the LDS faith. Christ invited us to study “past prophets.” It’s no irony that both Isaiah and Moroni condemn the pastors, prophets, and watchmen of the latter days.

BoM vs LDS

“BoM” > The Book of Mormon
“LDS” > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

⇩⇩⇩

  1. BoM > Don't trust in the arm of flesh unless a witness is given by the power of the Holy Ghost. (2 Nephi 4:19, 34 / 2 Nephi 28:31)
    LDS > Church leaders “cannot lead you astray”, you can “trust them completely”. These are anti-Christian teachings and need to burn in hell where they belong.
    Essays: Infallibility of Prophets / The Parable of the Hand, Foot, and Eye / Trust in Me

  2. BoM > It clearly outlines the doctrine of Christ and the path to salvation. Faith, repentance, baptism of water 💧 and fire 🔥, and enduring to the end. (2 Nephi 31-32, 3 Nephi 11). This simple process for gaining salvation is reiterated by Mormon in Moroni 7:34.
    LDS > They have distorted many doctrines and ordinances and placed men as gatekeepers to salvation. Very little is mentioned of the baptism of fire. Receiving the Second Comforter is discouraged. The temple ordinances have also been hijacked. The temple was intended to help individuals receive their Second Comforter in this life, even being taught by the Lord in the flesh (2 Nephi 32:5-6)
    Essay: Article of Faith #4, Changing Salvation

  3. BoM > We learn that all who die without the law are alive in Christ and return to live with God. Moroni 8:22: “For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law (knowledge of the gospel). For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing— 23 But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.” In the sermon by King Benjamin we learn that Christ atoned “for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.” (Mosiah 3:11, Mosiah 15:22-26)
    LDS > The LDS church teaches that all mankind must have proxy work done (work for the dead) for all who have died without the law or sinned ignorantly. While there is significance to connecting with our ancestors, the temple has largely become a place of dead works.

  4. BoM > Salvation is “free for all men.” The poorest of saints should not pay but are given. (2 Nephi 26:27-29, Mosiah 18 outlines a consecrated society and how to care for others.)
    LDS > If you can't pay rent or buy food, you still need to pay tithing. They have become gatekeepers to the temple and require an improper tithe.
    My essay: Tithe the Poor

  5. BoM > If we seek for riches, it is for the intent to do good—“clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” (Jacob 2:18-19)
    LDS > The LDS church has amassed between $100 - $130 billion and invests billions of dollars in shopping malls, luxury retreats, business complexes, and other real estate investments. About 2% of that amount has been used for humanitarian efforts over the past two decades.

  6. BoM > A man is to have one wife. Polygamy was an abomination. "Secret abominations" often refer to sexual sin and are noted all through the BoM. (Jacob 2, 3 Nephi 16, Mormon 8)
    LDS > "Well... an angel w/ a flaming sword... *cough, cough* yep, I guess it's ok." Joseph never practiced it btw, there was no flaming sword, Brigham and others were the originators of it. D&C 132 directly contradicts Jacob 2 in its justification of David and Solomon.
    Essay: The Crime of Polygamy

  7. BoM > We cannot retain a remission of our sins nor stand blameless before God if there are poor among us. (Mosiah 4:26)
    LDS > The church teaches a partial doctrine with the Law of Consecration. Eyring has stated that the welfare program is the Lord’s way of caring for the poor and is how the church is “consecrated” today. The self-reliance program of the church shifts the responsibility of caring for the poor from the rich to the poor themselves.

  8. BoM > A testimony is gained through feasting upon the word, fasting, and prayer and partaking of those fruits. (1 Nephi 2:10, 2 Nephi 31, Alma 17:2-3, Alma 32) Why is learning how to gain a testimony so important? It is the at the heart of personal revelation, it’s how God communicates to us. It’s our most intimate connection to God. A testimony is gained through a witness of the Holy Ghost to our hearts and minds, it literally purifies us and imparts truth and brings about a mighty change of heart.
    LDS > A testimony is gained in the bearing of it, which essentially means you are bearing a false witness. Testimony meetings often become echo chambers for conditioning the saints.
    Essay: Bearing False Witness

  9. BoM > Recognizing and calling out secret combinations and conspiring organizations. (Ether 8:24) Have we awakened yet to our awful situation?
    LDS > The church is encouraging members to follow corrupt governments, and has aligned itself with many corrupt organizations: United Nations, UNICEF, WHO, GAVI, and Agenda 2030 to name only a few. They also discourage members and leaders from uncovering these secret organizations by telling them not to believe “baseless” conspiracy theories. Joseph felt differently in D&C 123 btw.
    Videos: The Global LDS Church (pt.1) / Unholy Alliance (pt.2)

  10. BoM > The use of herbs (plants and roots) to heal the body (Alma 46:40)
    LDS > They claim vaccines “protect health and preserve life”, this couldn’t be further from the truth. D&C 89 teaches us about conspiring men in the last days, and to use herbs to heal. They don’t even teach their own doctrine.

  11. BoM > Both Nephi and Moroni call out latter-day churches for their fine sanctuaries, corruption of doctrine, and doing so on the back of the poor. (2 Nephi 28, Mormon 8)
    LDS > They spare no expense for temples, the finest of sanctuaries. The story of expensive oils used to anoint Jesus’ feet is often used (and twisted) to justify the exorbitant cost of LDS temples.

  12. BoM > Defending freedom and the right to choose. Moroni’s Title of Liberty. (Alma 46)
    LDS > The church did not fight the pandemic mandates, which include the most basic of rights, that of medical autonomy. They follow all government regulations, which are tyrannical.

  13. BoM > The Lord invites ALL people to come unto Him and denies none. That includes those with black or white skin, bond or free, male or female. (2 Nephi 26:33) The story of the Lamanites is a clear example of a people once cursed with dark skin for their wickedness, yet were found to be more righteous than the Nephites at times. It was never about a person’s blood or the color of their skin, but the desire and intent of their heart.
    LDS > They misunderstood the curse of Cain and withheld blessings from people of African descent, even going so far as to say Blacks could only attain servanthood in the Celestial Kingdom. The church later rescinded this doctrine.

  14. BoM > Christ’s atonement is infinite. (2 Nephi 9 and 25, Alma 34)
    LDS > Brigham taught blood atonement, that certain sins could not be forgiven in this life and required the shedding of a person's blood.

  15. BoM > The book of Ether specifically calls out Satanic blood oaths being made by Akish in the name of God, and that these oaths were handed down from Cain. (Ether 8:13-15) This same principle was taught by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Thou shalt not forswear thyself… Swear not at all… Neither shalt thou swear by thy head.” We should never covenant to kill ourselves or take the life of another for divulging “secret” oaths or information.
    LDS > From the time of Brigham Young, blood oaths, nearly identical to the ones made by Akish, were part of the LDS temple rites. They were changed slightly in early 1920, and the verbiage was removed in 1989. Most members have no idea that the hand signs come from the blood oaths. (The scythe slitting your throat and belly, and hand cupped) They are still in the temple to this day.

  16. BoM > Wine used for the sacrament (Moroni 5, Moroni 6:6, D&C 89). It also beautifully outlines the covenant and commitment of baptism and how we are to stand as witnesses of Christ at all times and care for those in need.
    LDS > Wine was removed during the prohibition movement and changed to water (I get it, D&C says water is ok, but the church used wine for 90 years after that.) This isn’t a major deviation, as the food and liquid eaten are symbolic, but there’s a more visceral experience of drinking wine or grape juice over water. As far as baptism, members must also obey (aka “sustain”) leaders, and commit to giving and incorrect tithe, among other things.

  17. BoM > Meetings conducted after the working of the Spirit (Moroni 6:9)
    LDS > Not a huge deviation, but why all the scripted general conference talks, teleprompters, speechwriters, everything is approved, and little is off the cuff. You'll notice church leaders get into trouble when they speak openly.

  18. BoM > Presents clear examples of a prophet as one who simply prophesies in the name of the Lord. The book is replete with examples of men who received inspiration and a directive to preach and prophecy. The sons of Mosiah were given the spirit of prophecy and revelation through study, fasting, and prayer. Samuel broke all modern stereotypes. Mormon tells us in 3 Nephi 5:13 that he was called by the Lord, and in Moroni 7:3 that grace, God’s will, and the gift of the Lord are all that qualify him to teach the truth. (See also Moroni 7:24)
    LDS > Only those called through succession can prophesy and speak for the church. Three of the apostles recently taught the youth they can seek revelation, but it must never contradict a church leader’s revelation.

  19. BoM > God calls his servants and gives them His commission directly and then are ordained or consecrated to various offices or callings. (2 Nephi 6:2)
    LDS > Priesthood ordinations are essentially based on age. Turn 12, 14, or 16 years of age, and you are ordained. (Ordinations should only occur when the recipient receives a personal charge or witness by the Spirit or other heavenly manifestation and is called to the work.)

  20. BoM > There are several instances in the Book of Mormon where the latter-day saints (the Lord’s covenant people) are chastised for not living the fullness of the gospel. It was prophesied that the church would fall into apostasy after the restoration and before the final work of the Father commences, which is the final gathering of Israel. The Lord will also take this gift from the Gentiles and give it to the House of Israel. (3 Nephi 16:10-11, Ether 12:35, Mormon 8)
    LDS > The church teaches that the LDS faith will not fall into apostasy before the Savior’s return. They mostly cite D&C where it says the fullness of the gospel will not be taken from the earth. That doesn’t mean the LDS church will be the ones sanctioned by the Lord. The scriptures above clearly present an apostasy and reshuffling of the responsibility of gathering.

  21. BoM > The “kingdom of God” is an inheritance for all who truly seek Jesus and who have a broken heart and contrite spirit. Those who have had His image engraved upon their countenance. (2 Nephi 25:13, 2 Nephi 31:21, Mosiah 27:26, Alma 9:12, Alma 12:8, Alma 39:9, 3 Nephi 9:22, 4 Nephi 1:17—there are over 40 references to God’s kingdom in the Book of Mormon)
    LDS > They teach that the LDS church IS the kingdom of God on the earth. Nephi clearly prophesied that there are but two churches. The church of the Lamb and the church of the Devil. Only those who repent and come unto Christ are parts of God’s kingdom. As noted in my essays, the “church” is not God’s kingdom on earth when they violate his laws and doctrines.

  22. BoM > We read extensively the words of Isaiah in the BoM. Both Christ and Moroni invite us to study his words. A close study of Isaiah prophesies the condemnation of prideful, greedy, and wicked church leaders in the last days.
    LDS > The church has intentionally misled members about who Isaiah is speaking about. As an example, Isaiah 56:9-12 speaks of watchmen as “dumb dogs”, who are not raising a warning voice as the beasts come to devour the harvest. They are greedy and have an “all is well” attitude. The following is what the church added to the footnote: “Here begins a short rebuke to the wicked of the time (vv. 9–12).” They’ve intentionally excluded themselves. Regardless of how applicable these words were to the people of his time, Isaiah most certainly had latter-day church leaders in mind.

  23. BoM > Moroni teaches toward the end of his writings that, “by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5) If that is the case, is there any philosophy the world may throw at you that could not be validated through the workings of the Spirit? No! What this means is the ability to receive personal revelation is of utmost importance. (See 2 Nephi 28:31, a curse follows those who trust the arm of flesh without a witness of the Holy Ghost.)
    LDS > The leaders actively encourage members not to discuss their doubts, and that you should not counsel with people whose beliefs differ. If the leaders truly believed in the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, they would not corral the minds of the saints but teach that they can question all things. By telling members to only listen to them, they are showing an utter lack of confidence in the member’s ability to discern through the Spirit.

    ———
    There are also a handful of teachings that get misinterpreted or skewed in LDS culture:

    BoM > Who are the Gentiles spoken of in 3 Nephi 16, and Ether 12? What happens to them?

    BoM > Condemning the poor and not allowing them to enter the house of worship. (Alma 31, 32–Zoramites)

    BoM > Calls out the pride and hypocrisy of latter-day leaders. (Mormon 8)

    BoM > A close study of the latter part of Jacob 5 presents the idea of an apostasy, branches overcoming the root, but this right before the Lord calls his servant(s)—OMAS / 144k?—for the gathering after the tribulations. I’d highly suggest comparing the servants in the latter part of Jacob 5 with the servants in D&C 101 and the parable of the tower and hedge.

As an interesting footnote to all of this, the LDS Topical Guide lists topics and associated scriptures for study. When you search for the word “condemnation”, D&C 84 is not listed as scripture for this topic. “The most powerful form of a lie is the omission.” –George Orwell

So, what do you think? Has the LDS church overcome the “unbelief” referred to in D&C 84? Some of the listed items are more subtle than others, but there are a handful of doctrines in the Book of Mormon that clearly contradict LDS culture and dogma today. There are a few of these that are deal-breakers for me and would prevent me from ever feeling comfortable in the LDS church. 1) Telling me that man cannot lead us astray and to trust them completely. Especially knowing what they have done in the past, and what they are encouraging us to do today. 2) Requiring tithing from the poor and using it as a litmus test to enter the temple. 3) Modifying Christ’s doctrine of salvation and introducing satanic oaths and tokens to the temple. Others could be added as well.

Many of you may be familiar with a talk by Ezra Taft Benson given on April 5, 1986, titled, “Cleansing the Inner Vessel”. In this talk, he specifically references D&C 84 and the Lord’s condemnation. What I find so interesting is that he only focused on 2 things: Sexual purity and Pride. That was it. He went on to give another talk entitled “14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet” which I briefly referenced in the intro. That talk contradicts the Book of Mormon up, down, and sideways. It was one of the most misleading talks I can think of. He concluded that talk by stating that our salvation “hangs” on following these 14 fundamentals. What irony for Benson to point out the pride of the saints, yet he supported one of the most prideful theological ideologies since the beginning of time, that God won’t allow men to lead you astray, and that you can put your complete trust in them. The infallibility doctrine is the epitome of pride and is being celebrated by church leaders today.

Whew! That was a lot. In reality, I hope that someday I can remove most of the items on this list. I hope that we realign ourselves with pure doctrine. I hope that we come to understand the beautiful simplicity of Christ’s doctrine and the path we must follow. I encourage each of you to study the scriptures for yourself, and not rely solely upon the interpretation of others. And yes, that includes everything I’ve written here.

Shalom

Below is my video series on the Book of Mormon vs. the LDS Church where I go much more in-depth into each of the points of doctrine, teachings, and traditions.

Disclaimer: Only a small portion of my thoughts and feelings are contained within this essay. It is nearly impossible to condense a lifetime of study, thoughts, and impressions, into a few paragraphs. I value and encourage the need for altering perspective as new light and knowledge is acquired. One of the best ways to know a person’s heart is to sit down and talk face-to-face, perhaps while consuming a mild barley drink.