Updated 11/27/2021
When the “Sealed Book of Mormon,” now titled “The Sealed Book” as the Utah Latter-day Saint church has sued the Project Zion Church for using the word “Mormon,” to which they own the copyright, was published this new sect was honest and admitted what I saw through spiritual eyes when I read the book, that parts were left out. I do not wish to argue the authenticity of the Sealed Book of Mormon. (Note: the website linked was shut down shortly after this article was published, the link will remain as this is the original source, if readers have a suggestion for a new link, please share in the comments below.) Being a nondenominational movement with an open cannon it does not matter if Brother Mauricio Berger actually handled and translated gold plates, which would be far more than what Joseph Smith Jr. was given to do making his experience all the more impressive, or if he made the whole thing up. What does matter is if this new scripture brings souls to Jesus Christ. And, I can testify that it has and it does. So while it is not a part of my personal canon, I respect it and all those that see it as such.
The issue I have is the one the Lord gave to me. By direction of the Holy Spirit, I sent the following email in both English and Portuguese to Brother Berger:
Brother Mauricio,
After talking to Jeff Foli, I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to reach out to you. Jeff recommended I go through Renee, and she let me know this email is going straight to you. I will be using Google translate to ensure this text is available in both English and Portuguese, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will ensure the oneness in Christ of our communications.
The following is my first correspondence with Renee:
I was talking to Jeff today and felt the Holy Spirit telling me to share with him a few things the Lord has told me about the SBoM. The first is that it will not, it cannot, be truly relevant until it is sent out in its fullness. The portions left out that talk about reincarnation, the Divine Feminine, and the rest seem scary to give to a world that may not seem ready. But, the truth is that the world will never be ready. By sharing with the world, we will become ready.
The other things is a reminder that these books are a gift from God to the world. God owns the copyright. There is no reason or need to control the text. These records should either be released under a Creative Commons license or public domain. In Joseph’s day a copyright was needed to protect the text and to ensure that those that loaned money could be paid back.
As the Lord said through his prophet Joseph Smith Jr:
“And behold I also covenanted with those who have assisted him in my work, that I will do unto them even the same, because they have done that which is pleasing in my sight, yea even all save it be one only. Wherefore, be diligent in securing the copyright of my work upon all the face of the earth, of which is known by you unto my servant Joseph, and unto him whom he willeth, according as I shall command him; that the faithful and the righteous may retain the temporal blessing, as well as the spiritual, and also that my work be not destroyed by the workers of iniquity to their own destruction and damnation when they are fully ripe.” -Avahr 36:6-8 http://cjccf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Book-of-Avahr-2019.pdf
Today is different. We have better ways of licensing to protect the integrity of the work while still having the opportunity to sell copies of texts without keeping the treasures of God to ourselves, like dragons guarding their hoard. You will notice that the Book of Avahr is given to the world as a free gift to all Latter Day Saints, regardless of denomination. Anyone may print, sell, or redistribute it provided they do not altar the text. In this was we can work as one body of Christ. It is the spirit of the message, the Spirit of God-that light within us as we read the text, that is most important. And as we work together, we will grow together.
In conclusion, in summary, what I am asking is that the full message of the First Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon be given to the world, and that it be given as a gift with no expectation of earthly reward. Do this, and the Lord will bless your part of the vineyard with living waters that shall flow so abundantly that they will enrich the soil of the greater vineyard to a degree that cannot even be imagined now.
While I never heard from Bother Berger, the groups has continued to pretend that the parts removed from the book were not removed. To ensure the truth is not lost, I will share with you an article from Project Gigantic:
Is The Sealed Book of Mormon Still Sealed?
by Melva Cackler
On March 4, 2018, the first part of the sealed portion was unsealed by Mauricio Berger in the presence of eleven witnesses! They were all astonished to discover that there were two separate sections to the sealed portion—with the greater part remaining sealed. The witnesses to this extraordinary event counted 42 plates in the newly unsealed section of the Book of Mormon plates. But of those 42 plates, only 19 would be translated.
It is very important to understand why only 19 plates were permitted to be translated at this time. In Brother Mauricio’s preface to The Sealed Book of Mormon, he emphasizes that the remaining 23 plates will not be unveiled until “the people of the church are living in accordance with these first teachings revealed”. From the message revealed in the initial 19 plates we can learn how to live in Zion. It is through faith that we learn line upon line and precept upon precept until all things are fulfilled.
In addition to the 23 plates that were not translated, there are numerous places within The Sealed Book of Mormon where information was excluded. We have been denied access to greater spiritual insight in more than 50 places in this recently translated sacred book! The missing information is indicated by a dash. An example is on page 21, verse 23 in the “Words of Moroni” and is in the middle of a sentence! The very last dash is between two sentences near the end of “Acts of the Three Nephites” on page 197 in Chapter 14, verse 59.
At the beginning of the readings during the First Study Group I was allowing myself to be distracted by these dashes. They looked like “formatting errors”! However, once I understood the significance of them, they suddenly took on a completely new character. They are like “admonishing miracles”—we are not spiritually ready for the information! Similar to the situation with the untranslated 23 plates, God in His mercy has spared us from the responsibility of being accountable for this additional light.
An unexpected—but added—source of knowledge are the references. All of the references were obtained through the Seer Stones! Brother Mauricio says (in an email statement translated from Portuguese): “The stones made it possible for me to have the images that appeared in my eyes while I translated the references in the book. These references always corresponded to the scriptural content that I had in my mind of the LDS. Already the texts of the [inspired] version of the Bible and the book of Tobias, these were projected to me in another corner of my mind, as information that I did not know.”
Many people within the Restoration Movement have been eager to read this newly translated part of the sealed portion. However, there are quite a number of reports from saints who are extremely disappointed with what they have read. Even people who believed the reports coming from Brazil and the testimonies of the witnesses have read parts or even all of the book and have been disappointed. They have made comments such as: there’s nothing in it to warrant it having been sealed; it’s just a repeat of other scriptures; it contradicts the scriptures we already have, etc.
How can this happen? Many other people read the book and marvel at the message and insight that it contains! We have been counseled to approach the reading of this sacred book with preparation through prayer and to seek light and understanding from the Lord. Just as we should not try to rush into the presence of the Lord, we need to take time to prepare for the reading of His word.
There is a tendency to pass over any information in the front matter of books! But please take the time to study the words the translator has written in the preface. Along with explanations of unique aspects of this translation, you will find a challenge similar to that in the Book of Mormon: “And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things” (RLDS/ LDS Moroni 10:5).
So in a very real way, The Sealed Book of Mormon is still sealed! I believe that the varied and opposing responses of so many people actually prove the validity of this statement. The truths and mysteries of God contained in this sacred book are not readily available to everyone. Those truths and mysteries can only be opened to the understanding of our hearts and minds through spiritual preparation, our faith in the power of God, and our acceptance of God’s awesome power. May we always take sufficient time to prepare ourselves in order to receive an understanding of the greater light and mysteries of our God that are hidden, or sealed, within this sacred record.
To reiterate, for those studying the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon, Sister Cackler said, “there are numerous places within The Sealed Book of Mormon where information was excluded. We have been denied access to greater spiritual insight in more than 50 places in this recently translated sacred book! The missing information is indicated by a dash.” These missing sections are easy to find. Here are the examples she shared:
I have tried to keep this discussion private, but the dishonesty from this group is quite troubling. And, I tire of re-explaining this every time I speak to members of the Project Zion Church (their spirit of contention is another issue that troubles me, but it is, unfortunately, quite common in the Latter Day Saint movement). Therefore, I will, going forward, send a link to anyone wishing to argue or deceive with this declaration: As soon as I have completed the task the Lord has given me of translating the Five Books of Moses in the Plates of Brass, I will be going through the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon and pointing out where things were removed and what was removed. I will not give the exact text, as it is not mine to give. But I will go over the context that is missing.
At that time, the Project Zion Church will have 4 options: 1. ignore this, 2. publish what was left out, 3. lie and put out something else, 4. continue to lie and say nothing is missing. Which they choose is between them that the Lord. But those that know the truth will know that the Lord has shared this truth with me and at that time will be required to choose the Lord or a lie, if the Project Zion Church continues in their deception. I do not do this to call out this group or the text. I do this because the Lord wishes those that see this book as scripture to have everything in it that they might gain further light and knowledge. It is my prayer that Brother Berger and his new sect, the Project Zion Church, will join us in the Church without walls.
