Do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read the Bible or the Book of Mormon? The answer is both. Latter-day Saints regard the Bible as scripture and also read the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ.
The two books are not viewed as competing scriptures. Instead, Latter-day Saints see them as complementary witnesses that teach about God, Jesus Christ, faith, repentance, and discipleship.
Why Do Latter-day Saints Read Multiple Books of Scripture?
The practice of using multiple witnesses has a biblical foundation. In John 8:17–18, Jesus refers to the principle that the testimony of two witnesses establishes truth:
“The testimony of two men is true.”
— John 8:17
The same principle appears in Deuteronomy and is repeated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1:
“In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:1
For Latter-day Saints, this provides a useful framework for understanding why they read both the Bible and the Book of Mormon: each is viewed as a witness of Jesus Christ.
The Bible Is Still Central
Latter-day Saints do not replace the Bible with the Book of Mormon. The Bible remains one of their foundational books of scripture and is regularly studied in Church instruction and personal worship.
The Book of Mormon is considered additional scripture rather than an alternative Bible. Together with other Latter-day Saint scriptures, it forms part of a broader collection of religious texts used for teaching and studying the gospel.
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Jesus Christ?
The Book of Mormon explicitly presents itself as a witness of Jesus Christ. One well-known passage in 2 Nephi 25:26 states:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.”
— 2 Nephi 25:26
This focus is one of the primary reasons Latter-day Saints describe the Book of Mormon as Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Its prophets teach about Christ’s divine identity, His Atonement, His Resurrection, and the importance of following His teachings.
What About the Warning in Revelation?
One common objection to additional scripture comes from Revelation 22:18–19, where John warns against adding to or taking away from “the words of the book of this prophecy.” Some readers interpret this as a prohibition against adding any scripture after Revelation.
However, there is an important distinction to consider: the passage specifically refers to “the book of this prophecy.” In its immediate context, that is the Book of Revelation itself.
The Bible is a collection of individual books rather than a single document written at one time. Similar warnings about adding to God’s words appear elsewhere in Scripture, including Deuteronomy 4:2. Yet the biblical canon contains numerous books that were written after Deuteronomy.
For this reason, Latter-day Saints understand the warning in Revelation as protecting the integrity of John’s revelation rather than as a universal statement that God can never provide additional revelation or scripture.
Why Does the Question of Biblical Additions Matter?
The history of biblical manuscripts illustrates why preserving the wording of Scripture has been important to Christians. Over centuries of copying and transmission, differences can appear between manuscripts and translations.
One frequently discussed example is 1 John 5:7. The longer wording found in the King James Version is not present in the earliest Greek manuscripts of 1 John and is generally understood by modern textual scholarship to have entered the textual tradition later.
This illustrates the distinction between adding words to a particular biblical text and believing that God could provide another independent witness of His truth. Latter-day Saints interpret Revelation 22:18–19 as addressing the former rather than permanently prohibiting the latter.
Do Latter-day Saints Read the Bible and Book of Mormon Equally?
Both are important to Latter-day Saints, although they may be studied at different times and in different contexts. Church study programs can focus on different books of scripture from year to year, giving members opportunities to study the Bible and Book of Mormon in depth.
The goal is not simply to accumulate religious texts. The purpose is to better understand Jesus Christ and apply His teachings.
Why Read Both?
From a Latter-day Saint perspective, reading both books provides multiple perspectives and testimonies about Jesus Christ. The Bible provides the foundational biblical account of God’s dealings with His children and Christ’s mortal ministry, while the Book of Mormon provides another record centered on Him.
Rather than asking whether Latter-day Saints choose the Bible or the Book of Mormon, the more accurate answer is that they read both.
The Bible is scripture. The Book of Mormon is additional scripture. And for Latter-day Saints, both point readers toward the same central message: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
