Does the Book of Mormon Contain the Doctrines and Concepts in Walter Martins List?
Walter Martin apparently prided himself on his understanding of “Mormonism” and the Book of Mormon. This list, however, betrays his lack of serious study of Mormon scripture. Many of the eighteen items are described, or at least hinted at, in the Book of Mormon. “God has a body of flesh and bones.” Perhaps the Book of Mormon is not as straightforward about this subject as Martin would like. He may have been looking for a statement similar to the one in Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.” While the Book of Mormon lacks such a statement, it does describe the relationship between the physical appearance of men and God. The Genesis account of the creation explains that “God created man in his own image” (1:27). Most Christians would follow this prominent scholar by interpreting “in his own image” as: The likeness to God lies in the mental and moral features of man’s character, such as reason, personality, free will, the capacity fo
