Episodes
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GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, Chapter 5 of The Church & The Gospel Pages 54 to 61 The Importance of Spiritual GiftsThe Latter-day Saints profess to believe in spiritual gifts. Indeed we say that the true Church of Jesus Christ must have those gifts to be the true church.We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc. (7th Article of Faith)Many spiritual gifts were given to the ancient prophets, apostles and righteous saints. Miracles were performed which were called blessings, gifts, and signs. These gifts and blessings were evidences that God acknowledged them as His people. Even the great high priests of the Sanhedrin acknowledged that Jesus had power to do miracles. They admitted it by saying to Him, “We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” (John 3:2) This was an indication that these miracles were from God, and it was a testimony to the divinity of his Priesthood.Christ performed miracles as foretold by Isaiah (35:5, 6; 42:7), but not to astonish people nor to satisfy their demands and curiosity.
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THE CHANGEABLE CHURCH;
THE UNCHANGEABLE GOSPEL, Chapter 4 of The Church and The Gospel
Pages 37 to 53
Definition of Terms
Before beginning this section, it is important to know the meaning of the two words church and gospel. According to Webster, they are defined as follows:
Church:
a building set apart for public worshipecclesiastical government of a religious groupa religious servicea congregation
Gospel:
good newsteachings of Jesus and His apostlesabsolute truthdoctrines, rules, commandments
From these definitions, it is easy to see how the church can undergo changes in (1) location and facilities, (2) type of government instigated (3) policies and procedures accepted, and (4) numbers and types of members. Whereas the gospel is not so flexible. If the good news, teachings, truth, doctrines, rules and commandments are from God, they are eternal and unchangeable. The church can vote to accept or reject any or all of the gospel, but that doesn’t change the fact that the eternal gospel itself cannot change. A church can be composed of men holding Priesthood authority, but they are ineffective unless they are in obedience to the gospel’s rules and standards. -
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BLESSED ARE THE PERSECUTED, Chapter 3 of The Church and The Gospel
Pages 26 to 36
“Not of the World”
Shortly after Jesus was born, wicked men began to seek His life. And among His first sermons Jesus told His followers that they, too, would be persecuted. In His first recorded sermon Jesus said:
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matt. 5:10-12)
Within three years they had persecuted His disciples and crucified Christ Himself. All of the Apostles were soon killed and many of the disciples were put in prison or slain. These persecutions by the people of the world were expected and even prophesied. It appears that whenever the Lord is teaching His people, the devil is nearby to cause trouble. James wrote:
. . . know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4) -
KEYS OF THE MYSTERIES, Part 2 of Chapter 2 of The Church and The Gospel
Pages 19 to 25
Eternal Progression
We have the blessing of learning and progressing in knowledge not only in this life but also in the next-and for all eternity. Said Brigham Young:
Those persons who strive to gain eternal life, gain that which will produce the increase their hearts will be satisfied with. Nothing less than the privilege of increasing eternally, in every sense of the word, can satisfy the immortal spirits. (JD 1:350)
And again:
. . . if we are striving with all the powers and faculties God has given us to improve upon our talents, to prepare ourselves to dwell in eternal life, and the grave receives our bodies while we are thus engaged, with what disposition will our spirits enter their next state? They will be still striving to do the things of God, only in a much greater degree-learning, increasing, growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. (JD 7:333)
Furthermore, President Young taught that if we do not increase in knowledge, we are bound to retrogress:
. . . there is no such thing as principle, power, wisdom, knowledge, life, position, or anything that can be imagined, that remains stationary-they must increase or decrease. To me, life is increase; death is the opposite. (JD 1:350; also Contributor 5:22)
A few scholars have promoted the concept that it was possible for souls to reach a point where they knew everything and there would be an end to gaining knowledge. A dispute arose over this doctrine between Brigham Young and Orson Pratt in 1852. -
KEYS OF THE MYSTERIES, Chapter 2 of The Church and The Gospel
Pages 12 to 25
Learning the Gospel is not a simple task because it is coupled with serious contemplation and study, followed with the responsibility to live what we learn. We may learn a great deal from books and some from hearing inspired teachers, but we should not overlook another important source: personal inspiration. The more we study and delve into the Gospel, the deeper we enter into what are termed the mysteries. But according to Joseph Smith, this is our calling:
We are called to hold the keys of the mysteries of those things that have been kept hid from the foundations of the world until now. Some have tasted a little of these things, many of which are to be poured down from heaven upon the heads of babes; yea, upon the weak, obscure and despised ones of the earth. (TPJS, p. 137)
It was in the early days of the Church that Joseph Smith gave such restrictions to the missionaries:
Oh, ye elders of Israel, hearken to my voice; and when you are sent into the world to preach, tell those things you are sent to tell; preach and cry aloud, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel.” Declare the first principles, and let mysteries alone, lest ye be overthrown. Never meddle with the visions of beasts and subjects you do not understand. (TPJS, p. 292) -
The Church and the Gospel, Preface and Chapter 1
Pages 5 to 11
PREFACE:
There are volumes and volumes on LDS Church history, but not much has been written on the actual history of its doctrines. Little doubt exists among the Mormon people as to the origin and beginning events of the Church, but there are many diverse opinions on its doctrines.
Mormonism has more than its share of confusion, contradiction, and controversy among its members. For example, about 20 years after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Reorganized LDS Church was born because of disagreements over correct doctrine and authority. Approximately 200 break-offs from the Mormon Church have been created mostly over differences in those two areas.
From dispensation to dispensation, history records that the course of many civilizations and churches is “one eternal round”: (1) pure at its inception from God; (2) gradually changed (“polluted”) by mankind in their efforts to “improve” it; and (3) eventually restored back to its righteous state. The Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days is no exception, as this book will show by tracing the history and evolution of some of its ordinances and doctrines during the 160+ years since its organization in 1830.
This publication can, of course, contain only a very small representation of quotations and references that could be included on the ten doctrines selected to be discussed:
Gifts of the spiritWithout purse or scripThe SeventiesThe gathering of IsraelRe-baptismUnited OrderThe only true GodPlural marriageBlacks and the PriesthoodThe Kingdom of God -
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Chapter 11 of As it is Translated Correctly Part 1
Pages 174 to 188
Conclusion:
Old and New Revelation
No one can deny the inspiration and spiritual help the Bible has been to the nations of the earth. Children sitting upon their mothers’ knees have listened with awe and adoration to the marvelous dealings of God with man; Sunday School teachers have enthralled and persuaded men to a better course through life. In the depths of sorrow and difficult trials, good men continue to turn with hope and faith to the Bible. It has been a fortress against trouble, a comfort in sorrow, and a compass through the darkness of life. The Bible has remained the most important and widely read document of spiritual teaching throughout the history of man.
No one should deny the veracity and divine purity of the revelations originally given to those ancient prophets. Their inspiration, and the prophecies of those scriptures, are beyond the capacity of any man to create. But no serious advocate of the Bible should be so vain or blind in his faith to say that the Bible is “inerrant”, “perfect”, or “without error”. Through centuries of man-handling, the copyists and translators have had to use the wisdom and weakness of man to transmit and publish those scriptures, resulting in inconsistencies and defects within its pages. -
JOSEPH’S INSPIRED TRANSLATION, Chapter 10 of As It Is Translated Correctly Part 2 Episode 710
It is evident that some Bible translators received more divine help or inspiration than others. And it should be no great surprise that the Prophet Joseph Smith should receive more than all the others.
When the Prophet Joseph was only 20 years old, he understood the adverse effects mortal men had had on Bible translations. From the Book of Mormon, he read about the incompleteness and the inaccuracies of the Bible, and why these conditions had occurred;
For behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb, many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have been taken away; and all this have they done, that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord; that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men: wherefore, thou seest that after the book had gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God; and after these plain and precious things were taken away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles. (I Nephi 3:168-172)
It was clear to the Prophet what had happened to those ancient manuscripts and he commented:
From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled. (D.H.C. 1:244)
Because so many uninspired translators had made errors in their work of copying or translating, the Bible had lost some of its original scriptures and books. The Prophet clearly indicated that it was the work of men, not the original prophets, who had made the blunders. -
JOSEPH’S INSPIRED TRANSLATION, Chapter 10 of As It Is Translated Correctly Part 1 Episode 709
Pages 146 to 173
I resumed the translation of the Scriptures, and continued to labor in this branch of my calling…. (D.H.C. 1:238)
For many centuries uninspired men have fractured Christianity into a thousand different, contending sects; and, from out of all these have come many different versions of the Bible. Because of this confusion, the Lord saw the necessity of bringing more enlightenment among men to clarify this atrocious mess.
Since the problems had not been solved by the scholarship of men, it became necessary for the Lord to send a prophet. So He did–the Prophet Joseph Smith. One of Joseph’s first works was that of a more inspired translation of the Bible.
Most scholars and translators realize the problems of trying to get an authentic copy of the Bible from the manuscripts that were available for translation. A statement from those who worked on the English Revised Version admitted:
We recognized from the first, the responsibility of the undertaking; and through our manifold experience of its abounding difficulties, we have felt more and more, as we went onward, that such a work can never be accomplished by organized efforts of scholarship and criticism, unless assisted by divine help. (Preface to English Revised Version, p. 22) -
BIBLICAL ERRORS, Chapter 9 of As It Is Translated Correctly
Pages 106 to 145
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It is obvious to non-Mormons that there are very few members of the Latter-day Saint Church who can point out errors in the Bible, nor do they know these inconsistencies even exist. As one anti-Mormon publication stated:
Ask the Mormons to show you exactly where the errors (in the Bible) exist. (Mormonism, by “Saints Alive”, p. 2)
The purpose of this chapter, then, is to show that there definitely are Biblical errors and inconsistencies, how they occurred, and what some of them are.
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Ancient prophets usually dwelled among wicked people, as the masses didn’t believe in revelation from God, in visions, or angels. Thus, the common fate of most prophets was excessive persecution and cruelty. Unbelievers sought to destroy the writings of the prophets and if possible tried to kill the prophets themselves. (Our generation has been no different.)
Too often the manuscripts of the prophets were, of necessity, hastily handed down to other believers, few in number and usually uneducated. Many times they had to make copies under dire circumstances and in most unfavorable conditions. Thus, the information on the copies became sporatic and erroneous. Copies of copies had to be made because of the temporary life of the materials upon which original translations had been written. -
APOCRYPHA AND THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE, Chapter 8 of As It Is Translated Correctly
Pages 94 to 105
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Question: Is not the canon of Scriptures full?
Answer (by Joseph Smith): If it is, there is a great defect in the book, or else it would have said so. (D.H.C. 3:30)
The collection of books, letters, and histories compiled within the Bible is called scripture. All those writings that have been selected and accepted as valid are called “The Canon of Scripture”. But different churches accept different books as scripture, resulting in varying canons of the scriptures.
Many of the letters and gospels of the New Testament were read in churches and congregations for nearly two centuries before they were considered as canon scripture. In fact, many other works were also read and accepted as important scriptural material. The term “Closed Canon of Scripture” is a more recent Catholic and Protestant determination, as they consider that the canon is full and complete with nothing more to be added. -
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS, Chapter 7 of As It Is Translated Correctly
Pages 70 to 93
For over a decade, nations suffered through the blood and devastation of World War II; then finally the announcement of peace gave relief to the whole earth. But the thunder and smoke had hardly settled when another worldwide, revolutionary proclamation was made. This was the announcement of one of the greatest discoveries ever made in the field of Biblical archaeology. In 1947, a cave near the Dead Sea offered up a treasure of ancient manuscripts–portions of the Old Testament–predating any others by about 1,000 years. But this was just the beginning of the discovery of hidden caves and ancient manuscripts in that area. -
DIFFERENT BIBLES AND TRANSLATIONS, Chapter 4 of As It Is Translated Correctly
Pages 42 to 52
Our Bible is a collection of books written over a period of 1600 years. It gradually grew until its compilation consisted of 66 books, with the last one being written at the close of the first century A.D. The arrangement of the books has differed through the years, but not necessarily in chronological order.
The twentieth century has seen a surge of new translations of these ancient manuscripts. “All of them have their faults, of course, but some of them are especially good and can be of great help to the Bible reader.” (How We Got the Bible, Lightfoot, p. 116)
Even the most popular and respected King James Bible is not complete and needed revision.
No one translation is infallible. With the advance of time it was inevitable that revisions would have to be made of the classic King James Version: (1) its translation was based on manuscripts of late (instead of early) dates; (2) it contained obsolete expressions which were often misleading; and (3) it did not always represent an exact translation of the original tongues. (Ibid., p. 116) -
TRANSLATING AND REVISING SCRIPTURE, Chapter 3 of As It Is Translated Correctly
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Pages 20 to 41
Too often over-zealous and misinformed preachers of today profess to have a Bible without error. However, any honest Christian scholar will admit mistakes and inaccuracies in all Bible translations. Perhaps the erudite scholars of Bible history said it best when they declared:
The need for NT textual criticism results from a combination of three factors: (1) The originals, probably written on papyrus scrolls, have all perished. (2) For over 1,400 years the NT was copied by hand, and the copyists (scribes) made every conceivable error, as well as at time intentionally altering (probably with the idea of “correcting”) the text. Such errors and alterations survived in various ways, with a basic tendency to accumulate (scribes seldom left anything out, lest they omit something inspired). (3) There are now extant, in whole or in part, 5,338 Greek MSS, as well as hundreds of copies of ancient translations (not counting over 8,000 copies of the Latin Vulgate), plus the evidence from the citations of the NT in the writings of the early church fathers. Moreover, no two MSS anywhere in existence are exactly alike. (Biblical Criticism, Harrison, Waltke, Guthrie and Fee, p. 128) -
HISTORY OF BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS, Chapter 2 of As It Is Translated Correctly Episode 701
Pages 12 to 19
Did God write the Bible? Did prophets or apostles write every word of the Bible? Is every word in the Bible inspired of God? The answer to all of these questions is, of course, no. Some of it contains the words of God; some parts are the words of men; sometimes it quotes the devil; and in once place a jackass spoke. Hence, the Bible is a compilation of records from various sources, containing the words of God, men, and the devil.
In every case men who were “inspired” in one way or another, were free to write in the particular style or expression of their own choice. Some were more learned than others and therefore their style of expression was different. There was only one Author but many writers.
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Textual Criticism, Chapter 1 of As it is Translated Correctly Episode 700
Pages 1 to 11
Today we have over a thousand different “Christian” religions, all claiming to be right as they denounce all the others as being wrong. All are preaching different doctrines, yet they hold the same Bible in their hands. Unbelievable as it may seem, they still contend and make war upon each other.
Why so much confusion? There may possibly be several reasons for such a labyrinth of discord and contention: (1) the Bible is being misinterpreted or discarded; (2) it is not written clearly enough for universal understanding; (3) the translators and scribes made errors; (4) many plain and precious truths have been left out; (5) and possibly, it is a combination of all of the above. It is certainly evident that something is wrong. All this contention, confusion, and warring among the Christians, indicate that man has misinterpreted, mistranslated and misunderstood the words of God.
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CONCLUSION, Chapter 20 of Mysteries of Creation Episode 699
Pages 191 to 199
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In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. (Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 349)
The mysteries of creation are similar to the mysteries of the Gospel. They often become entwined with each other. Unfortunately, because of insufficient and conflicting information, many of the details remain unclear. In this book we have presented scriptures and sayings of the prophets to help resolve some of these mysteries. Hopefully, a few more pieces of this masterful puzzle have fit into place.
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ETERNAL DESTINY OF EARTH AND MAN, Chapter 19 of Mysteries of Creation Episode 698
Pages 181 to 190
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Parallels of Earth and Man: The earth, like man, was once in the presence of God, and is a living creation. Brigham Young said, “the earth is a living creature and breathes as much as you and I do.” (Tchgs. of B.Y. 3:241) Like man, the earth also had a spiritual creation or birth before it became temporal or physical.
Then this sphere “fell” from the presence of God, and it, too, must follow the Gospel plan of redemption. Because of its “fallen” condition, an atonement was required to redeem the earth. According to Parley P. Pratt, this atonement for the earth was made by Jesus Christ:
Christ offered himself a sacrifice for this earth, for men, for the animals, for fishes, and the creeping things. Christ died for the earth and for the elements; Christ died for all mankind upon its face. (JD 3:315-316)
Prior to this atonement, however, the earth experienced a baptism by water (at the time of Noah), and it will receive another baptism, of fire, some time in the future. Brigham Young explained:
This earth, in its present condition and situation, is not a fit habitation for the sanctified; but it abides the law of its creation, has been baptized with water, will be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, and by-and-by will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon. (JD 8:83)
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