Answers to 7 Questions Dallin H. Oaks Part 3

Point is to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism so glad to be with us for this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at RM. What do you say to a spouse who may be having difficulty with LDS Church history and doctrinal issues.

This is what is talked about in an article credited to Alan H. Oaks, who serves in the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This article can be found in the June 2020 edition of enzyme magazine, a monthly publication put out by the church. It's titled answers to seven questions from young married adults. We have been looking at question number five for the past few days and that question reads my spouse has gone in active due to doubts regarding church history and doctrinal issues. How should I go about researching and responding to these issues and the answer that Oaks gives immediately in the first sentence is what Eric I suggest that research is not the answer. I suggest that research is not the answer, but we have to admit in the very next sentence he seems to expand on that and allow for some research by going to do as he suggests the gospel topics essays what is a safe in that second sentence.

References to the church as many helps to answer familiar questions such as the gospel topics essays@churchofjesuschrist.org may help one who is sincerely seeking and we wouldn't have any problem with that at all.

In fact, we as a ministry have often referred Latter Day Saints themselves to the gospel topics essays. Those essays started coming out at the end of 2013 and over a period of a few years they would be released periodically and there's quite a few of them and there's even another set of historical gospel topics essays that we would admit are very valuable in better understanding Mormon church history, but it sounds to us as if talent Oaks is saying to those who are reading this question that if you're going to do research. Stick with approved material in order to find your answers and what we want to talk about today is the fact that there have been leaders in the past who certainly have not held to that view. Now I'm sure they would much rather doubting members go to church sources. First, but they didn't seem to restrict research to only that area and we want to look at some of the quotes that show that Latter Day Saints in order to get their answers have certainly been counseled by leaders of the past to go far beyond what the church itself puts out in order to answer those troublesome questions. For instance, a member of the first presidency.

A man by the name of Hugh B. Brown wrote a book titled the abundant life.

What is he say Eric on page 51 of that book the dauntless in your pursuit of truth and resist all demands for unthinking conformity. No one would have you become mere tape recorders of other people's thoughts be modest and teachable and seek to know the truth by study and also by faith. There have been times when progress was halted by thought control tolerance and truth.

The man that all be heard and that competing ideas be tested against each other so that the best which might not always be your own can prevail. Knowledge is most complete and dependable. When all points of view are heard. Knowledge is most complete and dependable. When all points of view are heard now and yesterday show we read the opinion of Mormon apostle Bruce McConkey where he said that you just do not go. Let's say to the material put out by what he calls professional anti-Mormons Eric how many times have we been having conversations with Latter Day Saints and we felt that a pamphlet would help explain our position and we go to hand a tract to the Latter Day Saints and what's the first thing they do, they flip it over wanting to know who publish this and of course if they see that it's not published by their church. They will often hand the tractor back and even in some cases tear it up in front of us. What does that tell us it sounds like they are following the guidance of people like Bruce McConkey. It could be that there following the guidance of Dell and Oaks. Although we admit that his answer on page 79 of the June 2020 edition of inside doesn't sound quite as firm and sticking only to Mormon answers put out by the church as Bruce McConkey's answer that's for sure, but still we know from what QB Brown is saying is if you want to get an answer given answer doesn't matter where the answer comes from. It seems what is it matter if a person is a quote on quote professional anti-Mormon who's giving you this information. I mean, whether it's from a professional anti-Mormon, whatever that is or it's an amateur or whoever take a look and see what is said instead of making the ad hominem attack insane.

I'm not going to believe anything here because it was written by somebody outside of our church and I think it was that kind of frustration bill that caused me to come up with a new strategy.

My own personal evangelism. When I would go out on the streets at Temple Square or man tied the more miracle pageant. I started to give out a book that was written by an LDS president. The miracle of forgiveness by Spencer W.

Kimball the 13th president of the church and it has worked wonders for me. I've given out over a thousand books and been in thousands of conversations is 2014 because Latter Day Saints are saying. Why am I giving out this book and I say every Latter Day Saints ought to read this book for themselves and then ask yourself the question, are you doing what Spencer Kimball says you're supposed to do and I find that Latter Day Saints are not doing what they're supposed to do. They know what they're supposed to do and I don't do it and so that has worked out wonders because of the frustration of trying to hand them anything else and have them rejected.

Yeah, I think the big flaw in McConkey's admonition to stay away from what he calls professional anti-Mormons and I like the way you said whatever that is because that that phrase has all sorts of different meanings. We certainly don't like the phrase that all but the fact remains, is there trying to keep you away from what could be a possibly good answer which, as you just read earlier, an answer that. QB Brown says might not always be your own and and that's a great point that QB Brown brings out but there's another quote by Hubie Brown and this is from his book continuing the quest page 201.

He writes now I have mention freedom to express your thoughts, but I caution you that your thoughts and expressions must meet competition in the marketplace of thought and in that competition. Truth will emerge triumphant. Only air needs to fear, freedom of expression seek truth in all fields and in that search, you will need at least three virtues, courage, zest and modesty, while what a statement, especially in America's claimant.

Currently, the freedom to express your thoughts sadly that's being taken away. You're not allowed to express your thoughts and if you do, you're going to be crushed and shamed for bringing up something that that the new oppressors don't want you to believe.

But still, he says, seek truth in all fields and in that search, you will need at least three virtues, courage, zest and modesty, but feel free to express your thoughts.

QB Brown. I don't often agree with Mormon leaders, but this is certainly an area in which I have full agreement, but J. Reuben Clark, who was a member of the first presidency in the LDS church.

In fact, the BYU law school named after J.

Reuben Clark. He made an interesting statement in this is found in the book that was edited by D. Michael Quinn titled J. Reuben Clark, the church years Provo what he say on page 24 of that book if we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation if we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed and I would totally agree with that. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not believe that it honors God to believe something that is false, and that's why I will often asked that very question of a latter-day St., wondering if he agrees with me. Do you think it honors God to believe something that is false. For instance, if there was no revival in 1820.

That led to Joseph Smith allegedly going to the sacred Grove and praying to God as to which church is true, would it be honoring God to incest that there was a revival in 1820 when there's no evidence to support that there was a revival that Smith describes in 1820. I would say no, it certainly does not honor God. Earlier this week, I brought up the issue of Joseph Smith's wives 30 to 40 according to the gospel topics essay and before 2013 many Latter Day Saints were telling me that they didn't believe that Joseph Smith had that many wise that he just had one wife. Shouldn't the latter-day St. be grateful that I'm giving them information to fix the error that they had because now the church is come out and so now the latter-day St. will say well yes he did have 30 to 40 wise, but they were say no before, was it not true. Before that he had 30 to 40 wives.

Why shouldn't the person be grateful for the information and be able to say well okay I fixed that and then whatever they want to say about that many wives that's fine they can they can do what they want, but at the same time, the fact remains, Joseph Smith was married to multiple women and you would think that that truth would not change in and saying that Eric you remind me of a statement by John Witt. So who was also a Mormon apostle in the LDS church. He wrote a book titled rational theology.

He wrote this book way back in 1915 on page 10. This is what he said. He said two different truths cannot be parallel with respect to the same thing. The final philosophy of life must be based on your revocable truth that which is true must always remain true though the applications may change greatly from generation to generation.

I've often said one truth that does seem to change our the truth regarding statistics. Obviously a statistic today may not be true tomorrow, but when he makes the comment that which is true must always remain true. I would agree with that because things such as who is God what is God like what is the means for salvation of an individual. If the LDS church is teaching something regarding that shouldn't always be the same but we don't see that pattern in many areas of Mormon theology. And certainly we see this pattern being contradicted when the church tries to put out an explanation of history that isn't quite as accurate as it should be. That's why it should be challenged. I think with so is making a very good point here, and this is a point that we have made for years in this ministry that if certain claims made by Mormon leaders about things that should not change have in fact been changed or something wrong there Bill this is from an Eldon Tanner. He was a member of the first presidency and he gave a conference message that was reported in the inside magazine, November 1978, page 46 he said, no matter how sincere one's belief may be in an air it will not change the air into truth. Thank you for listening.

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