Book of Mormon Theology

            Latter-day Saints believe the Book of Mormon to be a true history of some of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.  However, they don’t believe the theology it teaches, and many of them don’t even realize it.  The Book of Mormon reflects the kinds of doctrines Joseph Smith heard and taught in the 1830’s, such as the existence of only one God (Alma 11:28-31) and his immutability (Moroni 8:18).  It teaches that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are the same God (2 Nephi 31:21), and that the Son is an incarnation of the Father, they being the same person (Mosiah 15:2-4).  It teaches that there is no repentance after death (Alma 34:32-35).  It teaches that white people become black-skinned and unattractive when they are disobedient (2 Nephi 5:21), and black people become white and delightsome when they repent (Jacob 3:8, 3 Nephi 2:15).  Joseph Smith taught these doctrines in the 1830’s, but no Latter-day Saint believes them today.