<\/p>\n
I ask because the Mormon church has done just that.<\/p>\n
A newly released digital edition<\/a>\u00a0of the four books of LDS or Mormon scripture\u2014the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price\u2014includes editorial changes that reflect a shifting official view on issues like polygamy, the Church\u2019s history of racism, and the historicity of LDS scripture.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most significant is the inclusion of a new heading to precede the now-canonized 1978 announcement of the end of the LDS Church\u2019s ban on black priesthood ordination:<\/p>\n
The Book of Mormon teaches that \u201call are alike unto God,\u201d including \u201cblack and white, bond and free, male and female\u201d (2\u00a0Nephi 26:33<\/a>). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith\u2019s lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer\u00a0W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And we’ve got more changes:<\/p>\n
\nAnother significant change is to the introduction to the\u00a0Pearl of Great Price<\/em>, a book of scripture long presented as a direct translation of Egyptian papyri obtained by Joseph Smith but shown by Egyptologists to have no connection to their source material. The new edition now characterizes the Book of Abraham as an \u201cinspired translation\u201d of the papyri.\u00a0Changes to the introduction to the now-canonized official announcement of the end of institutionally-sanctioned polygamy<\/a>\u00a0also suggest an effort to historicize polygamy and connect it with Book of Mormon teachers that teach monogamy as \u201cGod\u2019s standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are the most significant changes made to Mormon scripture since 1981.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
It’s good that the Mormon scriptures are keeping up with the times. However, if they’re divinely inspired, shouldn’t they have been correct in the first place? Very interesting.<\/p>\n