I have often wondered why the LDS do not use the Inspired Version created by Joseph Smith? I know the RLDS have in the past, not sure why the LDS have stayed away from doing so? Any thoughts on that, Todd?
God bless,
gloria
Actually, we do use it to some extent. The Pearl of Great Price includes two extended excerpts from the JST/IV, and teaching materials in the church frequently make reference to individual verses. And, of course, the version of the Bible printed by the church has numerous annotations referring to the JST/IV.
In the past, the Church didn’t use the JST/IV at least partly because of copyright issues (the copyright was held by the Smith family and later the Reorganized Church, now called the Community of Christ). However, copyright on the the JST/IV has long since expired, and the LDS church could legally print its own version of it wanted to.
I suspect one reason it doesn’t is because Joseph Smith never completed his work. More importantly, I suspect, the present arrangement of using a footnoted KJV works just fine.
By the way, the Community of Christ still publishes and uses Joseph Smith’s Bible, which it calls the Inspired Version. It also uses modern translations of the Bible, particularly the NRSV.
Gloria, to be honest with you, I think that LDS scholarship is divided on the valuableness of the JST.
And I think it just plain easier for an LDS layman to focus on religious coherence without carrying a JST around.
Jesus in Idaho Falls 
I have often wondered why the LDS do not use the Inspired Version created by Joseph Smith? I know the RLDS have in the past, not sure why the LDS have stayed away from doing so? Any thoughts on that, Todd?
God bless,
gloria
Actually, we do use it to some extent. The Pearl of Great Price includes two extended excerpts from the JST/IV, and teaching materials in the church frequently make reference to individual verses. And, of course, the version of the Bible printed by the church has numerous annotations referring to the JST/IV.
In the past, the Church didn’t use the JST/IV at least partly because of copyright issues (the copyright was held by the Smith family and later the Reorganized Church, now called the Community of Christ). However, copyright on the the JST/IV has long since expired, and the LDS church could legally print its own version of it wanted to.
I suspect one reason it doesn’t is because Joseph Smith never completed his work. More importantly, I suspect, the present arrangement of using a footnoted KJV works just fine.
By the way, the Community of Christ still publishes and uses Joseph Smith’s Bible, which it calls the Inspired Version. It also uses modern translations of the Bible, particularly the NRSV.
Gloria, to be honest with you, I think that LDS scholarship is divided on the valuableness of the JST.
And I think it just plain easier for an LDS layman to focus on religious coherence without carrying a JST around.