I recently learned that Song of Solomon, which is included in Jewish and Christian Old Testament canons, is not considered divinely inspired by the Latter Day Saints (colloquially known as Mormons). As it is described on the LDS website :
> A book in the Old Testament. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the Song of Solomon is not an inspired writing.
However, it is included in the "Scripture" section of that same website, as well as included in LDS Bibles.
**My question is, if Song of Solomon is not counted as inspired by Mormons, how *do* they use it?** I don't mean "how" in an incredulous way here - I mean: What is it used for? In practice, in what ways is it treated differently from the divinely inspired Scriptures?
This reminds me somewhat of Protestant attitudes towards the Apocryphal works (Tobit, Ben Sirach etc.), which are not considered inspired but may be considered instructive or historically valuable. However, it is different in some important respects: Protestants do not list these books among Scripture and very seldom print them in our Bibles.
Asked by Dark Malthorp
(6797 rep)
Feb 10, 2026, 06:32 AM
Last activity: Feb 10, 2026, 07:29 AM
Last activity: Feb 10, 2026, 07:29 AM