Mormonism - Part III

In today’s article we begin a look at contradictions between Mormon Scriptures and the Bible. If the Mormon documents are inspired as Mormons claim, they should agree with the Bible which is inspired by God.

The first area of contradiction involves temple worship and the priesthood consecrated to officiate at the temple. The law of Moses designated the descendants of Aaron serve as priests at God’s alter. Moses records the Lord in Exodus 40:13-15 giving the priesthood to Aaron, his sons and their descendants. Moses recorded,

And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

During the wilderness wandering this arrangement was challenged Korah and 250 princes in Israel. Korah was a Levite and as such he was privileged to assist the Priests in their duties at the tabernacle and later the temple. This challenge was resolved when God answered by fire consuming the 250 challengers to God’s ordained order (Numbers 16:35). God clearly did not approve of anyone other than Aaron and his family serving at the tabernacle or temple. So fixed was this law of God that even Jesus while on earth could not serve as priest at the temple, Hebrews 7:12-14.

The book of Mormon informs us the Jews who fled to the Americas built a temple and ordained priests who were descendants of Jacob (I Nephi 5:14,16), not Aaron. "And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon. . ." ( 2 Nephi 5:16). For this temple Nephi ordained priests, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people" (2 Nephi 5:26). This took place 30 years after leaving Jerusalem (2 Nephi 5:28) in 529 B. C. according to the footnote on 2 Nephi 5:29. They could not plead ignorance concerning the God’s consecration of Aaron and his sons for ever for they had the Law of Moses engraven on the brass plates (I Nephi 5:11).

If these descendants of Jews in America were to please God, they needed Aaron’s descendants to serve at God’s altar, not Jacob’s. The Mormon documents clearly show the people under Nephi’s leadership disobeying God.