BibleAsk Team

Does the Book of Mormon contradict the Bible?

Topic: Bible

The Book of Mormon contains numerous passages that contradict what the Bible says. The following examples are some of these contradictions:

  1. The Book of Mormon teaches that the fall of man was a necessary step of God’s plan (2 Nephi 2:23-25). But the Bible teaches that Adam’s transgression was a violation of God’s plan (Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 5:12-14; 8:20-21).
  2. The Book of Mormon teaches that children are born without any sin (Moroni 8:8). But the Bible teaches that children are born with original sin (Psalm 51:5).
  3. The Book of Mormon teaches that salvation is by both grace and works (1 Nephi 25:23). But the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8,9).
  4. The Book of Mormon teaches that black skin is a sign of God’s curse (2 Nephi 5:21). In contrast, the Bible teaches that God “made of one blood all nations of men” (Acts 17:26), there is no distinction between people (Galatians 3:28), and that God condemns favoritism (James 2:1).
  5. The Book of Mormon says that at the tower of Babel the language of Jared, the brother of the first jaredite prophet and family members “were not confounded” (Ether 1:33-37). But the Bible says that God confused “the language of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9).
  6. The book of Mormon says that the priesthood did not need to be Levites (2 Nephi 5:26). But the Bible says the priesthood could only be carried through the lineage of Aaron, a Levite (Numbers 3:9,10).
  7. The Book of Mormon teaches that about 600 years before Christ, a Nephite prophet predicted that “many plain and precious parts” (1 Nephi 13:26-28) would be removed from the Bible. In contrast, Jesus exhibited full confidence in the scripture’s completeness and preservation down to His time (Mark 13:31; Matthew 5:18).
  8. The biblical terms used to describe the Old Testament priesthood, temple, and appointed feasts are entirely missing in the Book of Mormon. These are crucial to understanding the plan of salvation as it was illustrated by the temple services.
  9. The Book of Mormon teaches that there were many high priests serving at the same time (Mosiah 11:11; Alma 13:9-10; 46:6,38; Helaman 3:25). But the Bible teaches that only one individual at a time occupied the office of high priest which represented Christ (Leviticus 21:10; Matthew 26:3; Hebrews 8:6-7).
  10. The Book of Mormon teaches that there were multiple temples (Alma 16:13; 23:2; 26:29). In contrast, the Old Testament teaches that God commanded Israel to build only one temple (Deuteronomy 12:5,13-14; 16:5-6) in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:13,32,36; 14:21; 2 Kings 21:7; 23:27).
  11. The Book of Mormon states that Jesus was born in “Jerusalem” (Alma 7:10). But the Bible prophecy concerning the Lord’s birth predicted that the Messiah would be born in “Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2) and the fulfillment of that prophecy is found in Matthew 2:1.
  12. The Book of Mormon (Helaman 14:27) says that at the time of Christ’s crucifixion “darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days.” In contrast, the New Testament teaches that there was darkness for only three hours while Jesus was on the cross (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44).
  13. The Book of Mormon says that the church began in 147 BC (Mosiah 18:17). But the Bible says that the church began in 33 AD (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2).
  14. The Book of Mormon, supposedly written in 73 BC refers, to Nephites as Christians. The Bible says that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch in 40 AD (Acts 11:26).

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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