First Nephi 13:29

And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

Nephi saw in vision that the bible was corrupted from the very beginning. What is clear is that the corruption is not the fault of accidental mis-copying by scribes or mis-translation by scholars. Changes were made deliberately and with malice of forethought by a secret combination with an agenda.

The Bible has been an enormous blessing to Christian believers, but also a stumbling block. People stumble when they are on the path and trying to make progress but then trip over something they do not see or understand. People have stumbled over the Bible for nearly two thousand years. It has brought Christianity to a significant portion of the world, which is obviously a good thing; but it has also been the source of theological and political divisions that have resulted in inquisitions, bigotry, wars, and genocide. How can a book of such holy truth produce such unholy consequences?

The Book of Mormon is the antidote to the poison laced by the great and abominable church between the lines of the beloved Bible. It shines a light into the darkness and makes the stumbling blocks visible. I love the Bible and the many devoted and courageous men and women who risked all and gave their lives to preserve and perpetuate it, as imperfect as it may have been, because it was all they had. I love the Book of Mormon because it upholds and illuminates the wonderful truths of the Bible while clearing away the stumbling blocks of mystery and philosophy. Together they are an unassailable witness for Jesus Christ as the Son of God.