This is an interesting question. I was expecting it to be from Gary/Ray Farmer, but it wasn’t.

Gary is of the opinion that the Book of Mormon teaches that all mankind will go to either heaven or hell after death. He is convinced that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrongly teaches that mankind will be rewarded according to their valiancy and faith with degrees of glory (i.e. 3 kingdoms of heaven). See: Michael Hickenbotham's answer to The Bible speaks of three different heavens. What are we to make of this?

Even though the Book of Mormon does appear to teach an Old Testament concept of heaven and hell, I don’t believe that actually makes it anti-Mormon. I think it just shows the Book of Mormon prophets never had the fullness of the plan of salvation revealed to them. It wasn’t revealed to Old Testament prophets either and most of the Book of Mormon was recorded in Old Testament times.

Shalama Leesen believes the Book of Mormon and early LDS beliefs taught a Trinitarian view of God whereas the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches a social Trinitarian view without the one substance doctrine. I have explained that Lehi left Jerusalem at the end of a Jewish Monotheistic Reform in 600 B.C. Lehi took with him the brass plates which reflected the Deuteronomic revised scriptures including Isaiah’s monotheistic view of God. Had Book of Mormon prophets believed a modern Latter-day Saint view of the Trinity (like the degrees of glory), you would know the Book of Mormon was not authentic. You see revelation in the Bible was often modified by those who were tasked with maintaining the scriptures and that’s what the Deuteronomic Revision was. It removed all traces of the three-being Godhead and substituted the one God concept found in Isaiah. It wasn’t until Joseph Smith came along that the true concept of the Godhead could be revealed once again. The first half of the Book of Mormon, until 3rd Nephi reflects that Old Testament monotheism, but the last half reflects our modern Latter-day Saint Godhead. I see that as proof that Joseph Smith did not produce the Book of Mormon and that it is an authentic ancient work just like the Old Testament. It’s not anti-Mormon.

Many have accused the Book of Mormon of being full of anachronisms like cement, steel, horses, cows, etc. The Bible also contains anachronisms like candles, churches, dragons, etc. Does that mean it is anti-Christian? See Debating the Foundations of Mormonism: The Book of Mormon and Archaeology - FAIR
and this update in 2019: Time Vindicates the Prophet - FAIR

The trend is towards vindication of the Book of Mormon’s anachronisms.

There are other teachings in the Book of Mormon that reflect Old Testament beliefs about Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Tower of Babel, Moses and the Exodus, Joseph in Egypt, etc., but again, this reflects Old Testament views and in many instances, modern LDS beliefs regarding these topics as well.

In our 2022 Come, Follow Me manual—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament it teaches the following:

Thoughts to Keep in Mind: Reading the Old Testament

Divinely Preserved (p. 9)

Don’t expect the Old Testament to present a thorough and precise history of humankind. That’s not what the original authors and compilers were trying to create. Their larger concern was to teach something about God—about His plan for His children, about what it means to be His covenant people, and about how to find redemption when we don’t live up to our covenants. Sometimes they did it by relating historical events as they understood them—including stories from the lives of great prophets. Genesis is an example of this, as are books like Joshua, Judges, and 1 and 2 Kings. But other Old Testament writers did not aim to be historical at all. Instead, they taught through works of art like poetry and literature. The Psalms and the Proverbs fit in this category. And then there are the precious words of prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi, who spoke the word of God to ancient Israel—and, through the miracle of the Bible, still speak to us today.

Did all of these prophets, poets, and compilers know that their words would be read by people all over the world thousands of years later? We don’t know. But we marvel that this is exactly what has happened. Nations rose and fell, cities were conquered, kings lived and died; but the Old Testament outlasted them all, from generation to generation, from scribe to scribe, from translation to translation. Of course some things were lost or modified, and yet somehow so much was miraculously preserved.

Books in the Old Testament

In most Christian versions of the Old Testament, the books are organized differently from how they were arranged when they were first compiled into one collection. So while the Hebrew Bible groups the books into three categories—the law, prophets, and writings—most Christian Bibles arrange the books into four categories: law (Genesis–Deuteronomy), history (Joshua–Esther), poetic books (Job–Song of Solomon), and prophets (Isaiah–Malachi).

Why are these categories important? Because knowing what kind of book you are studying can help you understand how to study it.

Here’s something to keep in mind as you begin reading “the law,” or the first five books of the Old Testament. These books, which are attributed to Moses, probably passed through the hands of numerous scribes and compilers over time. Still, the books of Moses are the inspired word of God, even though they are—like any work of God transmitted through mortals—subject to human imperfections (see Moses 1:41; Articles of Faith 1:8). The words of Moroni, referring to the sacred Book of Mormon record that he helped compile, are helpful here: “If there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God” (title page of the Book of Mormon). In other words, a book of scripture need not be free from human error in order to be the word of God.

If you don’t allow the same flexibility for the Book of Mormon, you’re using a double standard.

Some have asserted that the Book of Mormon contains no new LDS doctrines or beliefs. Although the teachings it contains are quite similar to the Bible, it does contain many doctrines not found in Bible scripture. The Book of Mormon denounces, for example, the belief that God is restricted to a single volume of scripture (2 Nephi 29:7-10).

Gilbert W. Scharffs and other authors have compiled extensive lists of unique LDS doctrines not found in the Bible yet found in the Book of Mormon (The Truth about The God Makers, pp. 49-51). A sample of a few of those unique doctrines follows:

1. "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25)

2. In hell "torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone" (2 Nephi 9:16)

3. "His blood atoneth for the sins of those who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned" (Mosiah 3:11)

4. "The atonement... has been prepared from the foundation of the world" (Mosiah 4:6)

5. God can't save unrepentant sinners because of the law of justice (Mosiah 15:27)

6. Besides faith, it is not wrong to use available remedies to cure sickness (Alma 46:40)

7. Christ's church must bear his name (3 Nephi 27:8)

8. "Wo unto him... that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation" (3 Nephi 29:6)

9. The premortal Jesus had a spirit body that looked like his mortal body (Ether 3:3-15)

10. Exact sacramental prayers are given (Moroni 4 and 5)

11. "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil" Moroni 7:16)

12. "Little children need no repentance, neither baptism... but little children are alive in Christ" (Moroni 8:11-12)

13. "Despair cometh because of iniquity" (Moroni 10:22)

14. The truthfulness of the Book of Mormon may be determined by sincere study, pondering and prayer (Moroni 10:3-5)

To this list Brother Scharff adds many Bible doctrines which are clarified or expanded in the Book of Mormon (Ibid., pp. 52-56).

The Book of Mormon also adds much to our understanding of many fundamental Bible doctrines which have been misinterpreted in our day. It clarifies concepts such as the apostasy (1 Nephi 13; 22; 2 Nephi 26-28); opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11); freedom of choice (2 Nephi 2:27-28; 10:23, Helaman 14:30-31), the nature of the Godhead (2 Nephi 2:28; 3 Nephi 11:10-11, 14; Ether 3:16); Christ's identity and mission (2 Nephi 9; Mosiah 3-4; 3 Nephi 15:4-5; 25:18-19); the need for an infinite atonement (2 Nephi 9:7; Alma 34:10); the importance of baptism (2 Nephi 31:5-13; Alma 7:14-15), the necessity of enduring in righteousness (2 Nephi 31:16; Alma 38:1-2; 3 Nephi 27:19-20), plural marriage (Jacob 2:24-30); being born again (Mosiah 5;27:24-26; Alma 5:12-19); authority (Mosiah 23:17; 3 Nephi 11:25; 12:1; Moroni 2:1-2; 3:1-4); the resurrection (Alma 11:40); forgiveness of serious sins (Alma 39:5-6); why the righteous suffer (Alma 60:13); why miracles may be withheld (Mormon 9:20); and the sacrament (Moroni 4 & 5).

Those who teach that the Book of Mormon does not teach unique LDS doctrines have misunderstood the purpose of the book. It was not given to reveal new latter-day doctrines but rather to serve as another witness that Jesus is the Christ and to lead men to him (Book of Mormon title page). In this regard, Joseph Fielding McConkie has stated that, "The Book of Mormon has no peer in teaching the doctrines of the fall, the atonement, and the need for a redeemer. The clarity with which it testifies that Jesus is the Christ is unmatched in any other scriptural record" (Seeking the Spirit, p. 73). See also Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 259-265. One author noted that, "the Book of Mormon has 476 references to the Lord Jesus Christ by name. With 531 pages in the text of the 1981 LDS edition, that averages nearly one reference per page. Of all the other Christian scriptures, only the Gospels... have more references to him by name." (Charles D. Tate, April 1992 Ensign, p. 63) When all references to Deity are considered in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, we find that the Book of Mormon has more references to the Lord despite the fact that it has 1,349 fewer verses. The same author found that only 30 of 531 pages in the Book of Mormon contain no specific name reference to Deity and the book of Moroni alone contains 215 references to Christ (Ibid.). Truly the Book of Mormon is another witness of Christ.

The Book of Mormon also excels in leading men to Christ in that it provides us with the clearest definition of any scripture of the basics of the Gospel and the plan of salvation (2 Nephi 31; 3 Nephi 11:31-41, 27: 13-22; Moroni 8:24-26; see also Sep 92 Ensign, pp. 7-13). As such it contains the fullness of the Gospel (D&C 20:9; 27:5; 42:12). Many Christians today, though accepting Christ as Savior, still stumble over the basic principles of the gospel because many plain and precious portions of that gospel were kept back (1 Nephi 13:29, 32). The Book of Mormon restores those plain gospel truths (1 Nephi 13:35-36, 40).

Those who believe the restoration was accomplished in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrines and Covenants, or during the time of Joseph Smith don’t realize that the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ is ongoing as changes will increasingly occur. Isaiah in speaking of the word of the Lord to men said it would be given "precept upon precept”..."line upon line”..."here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people.... Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:9-16)

The Book of Mormon affirms: “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.” (2 Nephi 28:30; D&C 98:12). See also: