Christmas Book Citations Articles of Faith Part 4

Viewpoint is mainly to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 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 on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM looking at some of the books that the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gave away as Christmas gifts. Between the years 1981 and 2017. It's been kind of a long series Eric but I think it's important because if the leaders of the church felt that these books should be given away as a Christmas gift. Obviously they see some doctrinal value in them. Last week we looked at Jesus the Christ that was given away two times during that time.

Today we continue looking at another book that was given away twice and that is articles of faith. Both books written by the same man Mormon apostle James Talmage. This book came out in 1899 and it follows the outline of the 13 articles of faith that were originally included in what is known as the Wentworth letter a letter written by Joseph Smith to the editor of the Chicago Democrat in 1842 we been looking at what James Talmage has to say regarding the Bible, which of course is taken from article 8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We're going to move on in that chapter. Today we are looking at page 248 when he talks about the New Testament. The New Testament must be accepted for what it claims to be. And though perhaps many precious parts have been suppressed or lost.

While some corruptions of the text may have crept in, and heirs have been inadvertently introduced through the incapacity of translators the volume as a whole must be admitted as authentic and credible, and as an essential part of the holy Scriptures. The last part of that sentence seems to be overlooked by far too many Latter Day Saints the volume as a whole must be admitted as authentic and credible, and as an essential part of the holy Scriptures.

I don't hear very many Latter Day Saints on the streets telling me something like that.

Usually they are more focusing on what they believe are some transmission errors in corruptions that in their mind tends to tell them not to trust anything that thin. The Bible other than perhaps the number of proof text that many Mormons like to use that they think supports their view and bill. Another thing that add on to what you just said the first part of that quote I gave the New Testament must be accepted for what it claims to be what does the New Testament claim to be a claims to be the revealed word of God, and it was very clear that that's what the writers thought they were doing. Paul writes in second Timothy 316, about the importance of Scripture and in second Peter 316, Peter says that the words of Paul were Scripture and so this is something that was compiled very early on in the church and these original manuscripts.

The autographs were capped and then copied over and over and over. That's why we have over 5000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and I think it would be safe to argue that many of those who were involved in copying the tax because they had to be copied by hand, were not really trying to be sinister or devious and to insert may be their own faulty presuppositions. They were trying very hard to be true to the text, just as I feel. Luke was trying to be true to history when he addresses in his gospel as well as the book of acts. The story of Jesus and the story of the early church going back to that sentence that you just read the New Testament must be accepted for what it claims to be. And though per ops notice that little word there. Perhaps many precious parts have been suppressed or lost. While some corruptions of the text may have crept in. Let's examine what he says there perhaps many precious parts, not where does that phrase precious parts come from. It sounds very close to what Mormons will often cite from first Nephi 13 verse 28 in the book of Mormon. It says in the book of Mormon. In verse 28 wherefore thou see asked that after the book hath 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. I don't doubt that Talmage is using that word precious to tell us that he's referring to first Nephi 1328, but let me ask you a question listener, what would it look like for a precious heart to be suppressed or lost. Did you ever think about this now as I mentioned the text were handwritten. We are given the impression by some LDS leaders that there was a sinister movement, as in this case.

In the book of Mormon that somehow through the hands of the great and abominable church. Now the church today. The Mormon church today is very vague as to what the great and abominable church being mentioned here really is Psalm have assumed it was the Roman Catholic Church. But let's just say that that might be true.

Are we to assume that there was some corrupt priest as Joseph Smith talks about because remember he gives us a description to how our Bible came to be what Joseph Smith say this is in the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 327 he says ignorant translators, careless transcribers or designing and corrupt priests have committed many years. First of all, let's look at what Joseph Smith says about ignorant translators be honest what you think the translation would look like if the job was given to an ignorant translator, you'd have a mess. It would be a total disaster.

It wouldn't even be close to what the original was telling us in another language.

I think that phrase is kind of self refuting really. But let's say that they were corrupt. How many corrupt priests would there be the evidence tends to show us that the many manuscripts that we have are in many aspects. In agreement with each other but let's say we had a corrupt priest as Joseph Smith says there this say there's just one among many, and he wants to insert or take out something from the precious text that he doesn't seem to agree with. If there were a lot of other scribes doing the same job on that text wouldn't those texts read differently then this corrupt text from the corrupt priest. Of course it would be easy to spot that you if you have for the New Testament over 5000 Greek manuscripts 24,000 in other languages as well. You'd have to be able to go and find all of those to be able to change everything.

Unless you're going to assume that maybe that the corrupt priest comes right after the original was given and then he takes it and writes the only copy and the Nazis. But there's no proof for this that we know that that's not how it happened.

There were a number of people that were hand writing the text and no doubt because humans were involved or were going to be some errors in the text, but it's not like you can't tell what they are, so to say that we can't trust the Bible because these errors are just all over the place in their changing doctrine everywhere. That's just not the way it is no there's no culpability here. You're going to have to prove that these priests are doing it for deception were trying to gain something. What's again or they get to make money at this early to get popularity are they just going to get everybody to believe something that really was not said when he says careless transcribers. I'm thinking of the Old Testament.

That's not very fair because the transcribers from the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

We have the Dead Sea Scrolls that were discovered in 1947 we have for instance a complete book of Isaiah the great scroll of Isaiah they call it, and the earliest manuscripts that we had before came in the 10th century A.D. thousand years later, in the great scroll of Isaiah was written about 125 BC scholars say what did the 125 BC document save versus the one from the 10th century and you know they found that for the most part there was some differences as far as accent marks in other ways that languages change, but otherwise it said exactly what the 10th century manuscripts had and that's because the master rates were very careful and cautious in how they produce the manuscripts. I think that's just a very unfair thing for Joseph Smith and other latter-day St. leaders to say careless transcribers because they were very careful.

Yeah it was a sacred obligation on their part to copy the text so to assume that there's these corrupt priest in these careless transcribers purposely trying to take things out or insert things it would be easy to spot that it would be difficult. But again, the question I would ask, and I've asked this of Latter Day Saints. Okay, what are those precious parts that were taken out as Talmage says that it been suppressed or lost the best list they could possibly give us would be a comparison between Joseph Smith translation of the Bible and the Bible versions that we have today, but even then we find there's a lot of problems because Smith doesn't get it right all the time that's for sure. He says things that no text ever says if anybody's doing that, folks, it's Joseph Smith he's inserting into the text things that he thinks should be there any not even trying to be as close to the text as it was before. He's inserting words that were never there. There's things in his Bible version that are not in any other Bible version. For instance, only give you an example, the gospel of John in the Joseph Smith translation. This is what Smith said in the beginning was the gospel preached through the son and the gospel was the Word and the Word was with the sun and the sun was with God and the sun was of God. The Greek has nowhere close to that kind of translation at all. I'm just at the top my head bringing out some examples here.

First Corinthians 1540 in the Joseph Smith translation. He has pulsating also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial and bodies to you last deal, but the glory of the celestial one in the terrestrial another in the team last deal. Another latter-day St., can you find any ancient Greek text that has the word celestial in there that is a word unique to Mormonism to speak of the lower level of the three heavens, but when you get things like this being added and that the text. Nowhere shows on any of the manuscripts.

Another one of the Romans chapter 4 verse five.

I mean, Romans four very clearly says what it says. And yet, what does Joseph Smith do to Romans chapter 4 in Romans chapter 4 verse five. This is what Smith has, but to him that seek not to be justified by the law of works but believe a thought in him who justify not the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. He inserts the word not that God justifies not the ungodly folks, if that's true, nobody's going to be justified because were a whole ungodly no Greek manuscript has that word would Joseph Smith not be the corrupt priest.

He talked about. Thank you for listening you would like more information we guarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is sharing your faith with Latter Day Saints helps to know what their church is taught in several basic topics. For this reason, this research ministry has provided its crash course Mormonism crash course, Mormonism includes concise articles highlighting what LDS leaders and church manuals have taught on issues that will probably come up in a typical conversation. You can find these informative articles and crash course Mormonism.com that's crash course Mormonism.com