The Book of Mormon, Christmas, and Abortion
As I've discussed before, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm a Mormon, to use the common parlance. I'd like to share with you a story about Christmas from The Book of Mormon and tell you what it has to do with abortion. Odd, I know, but stick with me.
Three Mormon Beliefs to Understand
To grasp what I have to share, you must first be aware of two important beliefs of Mormons.
First, Mormons believe that God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Ghost are three separate, distinct beings. We do not believe in the "trinity" that larger Christianity believes in.
Second, Mormons believe that The Book of Mormon is scripture. The Word of God, just like the Holy Bible. Moreover, it is a history book. If the Bible is a history book of God's dealings with the people in what we now call Israel and its surrounding area, The Book of Mormon is a history book of God's dealing with people who live in what we now call the Americas. No one knows precisely where in the Americas, though most Mormon scholars contend it to be Mesoamerica. Please note that I'm not here to debate the historicity of the book itself. You just need to understand that this is the belief of church members.
The final thing to understand about the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that abortion is a grievous sin, tantamount to murder. They allow for exceptions due to rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. Outside of those circumstances, it is as serious a sin as you could possibly commit.
Christmas in The Book of Mormon
Even if you've not read the Bible, you're likely aware of the Christmas tale via cultural osmosis. But you may not know what is happening concurrently in The Book of Mormon. The opposite side of the planet from the Bible. I'll tell you a very abbreviated version of the story.
There are a group of believers. People who believe that Jesus Christ is coming soon. A savior, to be born in a land far away. There is also a group of non-believers. They hate the believers. Hate them to the point of violence.
Previously in the Book of Mormon, prophets have foretold of the birth of Christ. They've predicted signs and wonders to lead up to and accompany His birth. One prophet named Samuel foretold that the night of Christ's birth would be shown with a massive sign. A day, a night, and a day would pass with no darkness. The sun would set, but there would be no darkness. The whole night will be as bright as day.
The non-believers hatch a plan to eliminate the believers (and to get the larger populace on board with this extermination). They pick a day on the calendar. They declare that if the sign of Christ's birth has not been given by that day, they will round up the believers and execute them all.
The day before this, a prophet named Nephi spends all day in prayer. He pleads with God to spare the people. They will all die tomorrow without divine intervention. After many hours of prayer, he hears a response from Jesus Christ Himself, which is quoted in part below:
Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world. (3 Nephi 1:13)
That night, the sun goes down, but there is no darkness. The night is as bright as day. A new star appears. On the other side of the planet, Jesus Christ is born to the virgin Mary. The believers are spared, and many non-believers are converted.
What does this story have to do with abortion?
Note the climax of the tale. Jesus Christ speaks directly to Nephi. He says "on the morrow come I into the world." This isn't God the Father saying "on the morrow, my Son will come into the world." This isn't the Holy Ghost saying "on the morrow, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will come into the world." Remember that church members believe these to be 3 distinct, separate beings. Jesus Himself is speaking directly to Nephi mere hours before He is born.
So.... where is Jesus at this time? Is He in the womb of Mary? Is He a nearly-born child, communicating across the globe from the womb?
To me, there is a much more reasonable answer. Jesus has not yet entered His physical body. He is not in the womb. His future body is, but He is not. He is in heaven, communicating with Nephi.
If true, this implies that Jesus enters His own physical body when he is born. His own spirit does not reside within the unborn child.
If true, it is reasonable to assume that this holds true for all children. If you are a pregnant woman, the growing infant inside of you is lifeless until birth. A spirit will not enter into the body until birth. It is not alive while in your womb. Ergo, abortion is not killing a living thing.
What's your point, Boxman?
If you're a member of the Church, I invite you to read 3 Nephi 1 and ponder what I've written here. Consider it with an open heart. Ask yourself if abortion is truly a sin. Ask God. Search, ponder, and pray as we've been taught.
If you're not a member of the Church, I hope this was at least interesting to you. And if you have a friend, family member, or acquaintance who is a member and they ever say something critical of someone undergoing abortion, ask them about this. Ask them how they feel about this scripture. Ask them how they square this Christmas story with their view of abortion.
And please, have a wonderful Christmas. I hope 2026 brings wonderful things to you and your loved ones.