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Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Book of Mormon > Textual Issues > Changes in the Book of Mormon

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The following are additional topic areas related to Changes in the Book of Mormon. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

"Book of Mormon textual changes," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article examines the textual changes in the Book of Mormon and why they were made.

Royal Skousen, "Changes in the Book of Mormon," FAIR Conference 2002 (2002) Royal Skousen has done the most in-depth study of Book of Mormon changes. Skousen has thoroughly examined all editions of the Book of Mormon published in 1830, all subsequent editions, as well as what remains of the original Book of Mormon manuscript and finally the printer's manuscript. Skousen examines some of the changes and how they occurred, and he examines some of the interesting details which provide evidence that Joseph dictated the manuscript to his scribes.

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

George Horton, "Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, December 1983, 25.

Robert J. Matthews, "Why have changes been made in the printed editions of the Book of Mormon?," Ensign, March 1987, 47.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Michael R. Ash, Changes in the Book of Mormon.

FARMS, "Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: History and Findings of the Critical Text Project," Eds. M. Gerald Bradford and Alison V.P. Coutts (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2002) This 62 page book contains short articles by several LDS researchers. It explores some of the highlights that have been discovered from the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project -- a project that examines how the original Book of Mormon text was produced and the changes that were made in subsequent editions.

Stephen R. Gibson, "Why Were 4,000 Changes Made in The Book of Mormon?," One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers) If the LDS Church really believes the Book of Mormon is the word of God and, as Joseph Smith said, "the most pefect of any book on earth," why have there been more than 4,000 changes in it?

Jeff Lindsay, Changes in the Book of Mormon. A popular charge of anti-Mormons is that the Church is guilty of fraud because of changes in the Book of Mormon, or that the Book of Mormon can't be true and divine because corrections have been made. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with - that's the purpose of this page.

Royal Skousen, "Critical Text of the Book of Mormon," (Provo, Utah: FARMS) Royal Skousen is more familiar with the original Book of Mormon manuscript than probably any other scholar. In this audio presentation, Skousen explorers some of the Book of Mormon changes, why they were made, and if they were accidental or intentional.

W. John Walsh, Robert Matthews and Van Hale; Changes to the Book of Mormon. A compilation of short articles that tackle the accusation that the changes to the Book of Mormon prove that it is not authentic scripture.

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Last Updated August 30, 2009
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