Book of Mormon

Teachings About Lying

Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon teaches that lying is a serious sin. One Book of Mormon prophet states that liars will be thrust down to hell (a place of suffering in the afterlife for those who lived wickedly). The devil, a tempter of human beings and the overseer of hell, is described as the master of sin and the father of all lies. According to the Book of Mormon, the devil not only tempts people to lie but also rules over liars after they die and are banished to hell.

The Book of Mormon makes a distinction between God's true church and other, false churches. One prophecy describes false churches as having lax attitudes toward lying and taking advantage of others, with the implication that honesty should prevail in God's true church. Prophets in the Book of Mormon preach against [Page 89]various deceptive behaviors and also teach that God is incapable of lying.

Several stories in the Book of Mormon suggest that under some circumstances, a just consequence for attempting to deceive people with false religious doctrines is death. In one such story, a preacher named Nehor is put to death for teaching perceived falsehoods (such as the idea that all of humanity will ultimately be granted eternal life). Nehor is executed in compliance with a law written by a God-fearing and well-respected king. In a second story, a vocal atheist named Korihor, who is also described as a deceiver of the public, is struck permanently speechless during a debate with a high priest. Korihor subsequently becomes a beggar and is ultimately run down in the street and killed. The author of the Korihor story ends the tale by noting that Korihor's death is an example of what can happen to those who try to deceive the public with false doctrines.

Claims and Doubts About the Book's Origins

The introductory pages of the Book of Mormon identify the book as a volume of sacred scripture similar to the Bible, written by ancient prophets in the Western Hemisphere. (Later pages describe the events in the Book of Mormon as taking place between 2500 b.c.e. and 400 c.e.) The book's introductory pages also describe how Joseph Smith, a 19th-century American, found the book on a hillside near his home in upstate New York. Smith claimed that he found the original book, a set of inscribed plates of gold, with an angel's guidance. In other documents, some of Smith's associates described Smith as finding the plates not with the help of an angel, but with the help of a special stone that granted Smith private visions.

...