Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: Italian English French

Dear Father Angelo,

A very dear friend of mine is attending a Mormon church, but he has not yet got himself baptized, but he says he will do it very soon. I am Catholic, I go to mass every Sunday, and if I can also on weekdays, and I read the Bible a lot because it is the Word of God and for me it is fundamental. My friend gave me a book of Mormon and told me it’s inspired, that it’s in perfect harmony with the Bible, and I have to read it because it’s a revelation from Jesus Christ. But I don’t like it very much and I would like some advice from you about this. On the cover of the Book of Mormon it says “another testament of Jesus Christ” but this does not seem to me to agree with the Bible, because I have read the passage in Revelation 22:18-19 that says: “I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.” According to the Bible, there cannot be another testament, so in my opinion it cannot be a revelation; but perhaps I could have taken the verse of Revelation too literally and therefore be wrong. He gave me the book for free, but do you think it could be a scam? Or maybe it is one of the devil’s strategies to lead me astray? Or can I read it safely? How should one deal with such things?

Thank you for your willingness to help and I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas 2015.

Dear Son,

1. The Bible has given us a rule for recognizing the true teaching of Our Lord and it is the one expressed by this oath made by Our Lord to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19).

It is from the Tradition, sanctioned by the Church and her Magisterium, that we have received the Sacred Scriptures.

The Magisterium, to which both Scripture and Tradition refer us, is in turn guaranteed by Christ.

Therefore, other revelations are not guaranteed by anyone, including the one proposed by Mormons.

2. The fundamental assumption of Mormons would consist of this: that Jesus would have visited the Native Americans after his resurrection.

The fact is that there is no evidence of that.

And why, if it is such a big event, have those who went to North America in the sixteenth century not heard about it?

3. The founder of this religious movement, Joseph Smith, says he has found a book that makes this claim. This book would have been written by a prophet, Mormon.

This text written on gold plates (which, however, not even the Mormons have found so far) would have been translated from an ancient and unknown language (how to interpret it then?) by Smith into English. He published it in 1830.

4. Mormons are generally good people.

With some of them – who left me their texts – I had dialogue.

What they propose is the development of a personal fantasy, which has no confirmation in reality.

5. How precious instead is the triad of Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium.

The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council says:

“Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. (…).

But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.

This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.

It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls” (DV 10).

I bless you and remember you in prayer to the Lord.

Father Angelo