Stand on the Rock of Revelation Part 8

Unprepared to engage Mormon missionaries when they knock on your door. Perhaps the book is 101 will help Mormonism 101. Published by Baker at your favorite Christian bookstore .1 examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 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 edition of viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM were looking at an article in the October 2020 edition of inside magazine. An article by Elder Lawrence E corporate. She was an emeritus member of the 70.

That means that he probably reached the maximum age and was retired from the 70 the quorum of the 70 but it's an article titled stand on the rock of revelation and as we've mentioned in previous broadcasts.

This was a devotional message that Mr. Korb Ridge gave that was titled stand forever. He delivered it at Brigham Young University on January 22, 2019. Now we should go back for the benefit of our listeners and discuss his introduction to this article and why he not only gave this devotional message but eventually it was turned into an article that I'm sure the church feels will benefit those who may be having doubts about what they believe as a Latter Day Saints. He says as part of an assignment I had as a general authority a few years ago I read through a great deal of material antagonistic to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the prophet Joseph Smith. The book of Mormon and the events of the restoration. Since that assignment changed. I have not returned to wallow in that Meyer reading that material. He said always left me with a feeling of gloom and one day. That sense of darkness inspired me to write a partial response to all such antagonistic claims. I would like to share some of the thoughts he says I recorded that day, and although what I wrote was for my benefit. I hope it will help you as well that we should mention we have looked and as far as we know, Mr. Korb Ridge is not published either in print or on the Internet.

This list of antagonistic claims that he feels that he responded to so we don't really know exactly what specifically were those problems.

Although he doesn't give us. I think a hint as to what they were when he talks about his primary questions and secondary questions and the secondary questions. Of course, included things about church history plural marriage, people of African descent not getting the priesthood DNA in the book of Mormon, etc. so those were probably some of the things that he responded to for his own personal benefit. It's ironic though that some of the things in this list are exactly what the church talks about in their gospel topics essays that started coming out in 2013 and ended up coming out periodically for a period of about two years because what obviously were things that bothered church members. These were things he had to look at and it's fascinating to me is the church has responded to those problematic areas and as we set on this program. Their answers didn't really comfort a lot of members.

In fact, it upset a lot of members because the church in being transparent had to agree with many of that's critics, ourselves included in what we had to say about church history on a lot of these topics we were correctly looking to the history we were correctly reporting the history and sometimes when a Latter Day Saints looks at that correct history of their own church. It causes them some doubts and causes them some problems.

And this is what Mr. Korb Ridge no doubt is trying to address here but I read you that introduction because he's going to go back to this alleged gloom that he felt several years ago in order to understand what he's talking about. You have to read the opening portion of this article, but what is he say Eric on page 30, under the heading that which doth not edify. So what was the gloom I felt several years ago while reading antagonistic materials. Some would say that gloom is the product of belief bias, which is the propensity to pick and choose only those things that accord with our assumptions and beliefs. The thought that everything one has believed and been taught may be wrong, particularly with nothing better to take its place is a gloomy and disturbing thought.

Indeed now as he goes on, he's going to exempt himself from what he calls belief bias were to talk about that later, but let's address this right now because I agree that one of the reasons why Latter Day Saints have a problem believing what you as a Christian, tell them, even if it's from their own material is because of this belief bias that Mr. Korb Ridge makes reference to hear a Latter Day Saints hear something.

It could be from their own sources from their own leaders and they did not know about that particular teaching or that saying it causes them trouble because they didn't agree with it and now it kind of upsets their applecart so to speak, and they don't know what to do with this.

I think that's a very real thing. I've seen it in the lives of Latter Day Saints, as I'm having conversations with them. You say something they say all that can't be true, but when you ask him will have you ever read what I'm citing to you well know, but I just know it can't be true there's not even in many cases, the idea that maybe that in their ignorance they ought to check this out before they denounce it as being false. Many times it's interesting they don't do that what you're saying here about the what he calls that gloom is the product of belief bias doesn't the latter-day St. have belief bias because Latter Day Saints only picks and chooses what he or she wants to believe about whatever particular issue, absolutely because they do have this belief bias. It does cause them some problems, but folks we all have belief the highest right all of us do as a Christian if I'm listening to. Let's say an atheist offer.

Some of his arguments as to why Christianity shouldn't be believed, and I've never heard that argument before and it sounds like what they're saying might have some plausibility not cause me a little bit of angst.

Of course it would.

That's why as Christians we need to check these things out. We need to find answers to these perplexing problems even regarding our own Christian faith. We all have belief bias, but what I find amazing is how Mr. Corbett is going to go on and give us the impression he's above all that he doesn't have that problem, but he must recognize that a lot of his fellow members have it. That's what he's addressing it here and I think that is the main reason why a lot of Latter Day Saints will say things to us such as when you bring up something they've never heard before they'll say something to the effect will I don't feel the spirit.

When you talk I've had more than say that to me, even though what I just said comes from their own sources. You would think that if those sources were telling the truth since are coming from an LDS perspective, they should feel the spirit. At the same time. When you think you would think you would think so, but they don't. They somehow feel that I'm either misquoting what I said or just making it up.

But I want to read that last sentence of that paragraph again. The thought that everything one has believed and been taught may be wrong, particularly with nothing better to take his place is a gloomy and disturbing thought and deed and its true statistics say that close to half of all Latter Day Saints who leave the church and up heading toward atheism and agnosticism are nothing at all about 44% and so that is very possible, but I'm in a say a lot of Latter Day Saints who are currently Latter Day Saints don't seriously consider the idea that possibly Christianity could be true they've never really looked into Christianity. Why, because if the church is not true then nothing else is at some mantra that has been going through Mormon churches for many many years and so let many Latter Day Saints say because of the apostasy because of the loss of authority and no priesthood authority that is found in the Christian church that is not real possibility.

I think it's a shame that many Latter Day Saints continue to stay in the church because they really don't feel there is nothing better to take its place and I would also take this as a warning to those of us as evangelicals that when we are talking to our LDS friends and acquaintances. I would certainly hope you're not just knocking the props out from underneath the subject of Mormonism. But while you were doing that you are giving them something to replace right that loss.

I don't want to make them ex-Mormons for nothing. I want them to become ex-Mormons, yes, but I would hope in exchange that I would give them the information and the direction to find Jesus Christ the Jesus of the New Testament as their Savior. One that they can in fact place their complete trust. You will need the LDS church folks all you need is Jesus. He is enough to forgive you of your sins. When he goes on in the next paragraph he says, but the gloom I experienced as I listen to the dark choir of voices raised against the prophet Joseph Smith and the restoration of the church of Jesus Christ is different because different he's not falling into this category of the average member. He's above all that I have the feeling that bit of his arrogance is coming out in this paragraph here. He said that gloom is not belief bias and it is not the fear of being in error. It is the absence of the spirit of God. Oh so what I gather from this is if you bring something up that conflicts with this belief bias that Mr. Korb, Ridge thinks he's above that has to be an absence of the spirit of God, even though what you're saying to the latter-day St. could be absolutely truthful. The history that you're talking about could be absolutely truthful. But if the latter-day St. doesn't agree with it. They're going to assume, as Mr. Corbett seems to do here. They're going to assume that it's the absence of the spirit of God wouldn't really be if the statement that is being said to the Latter Day Saints is based in fact. How would that have an absence of the spirit of God. Remember the Holy Spirit is going to lead you to all truth.

That's very important. The Holy Spirit is not going to lead you into error. So when you're having these conversations with Latter Day Saints in your citing your sources accurately. You're not taking a Bible verse out of context you're not taking the book of Mormon verse out of context. If the individual. Latter Day Saints feels troubled by that wouldn't be right for them to assume there must be an absence of the spirit of God and what you're saying that'll see a connection here. He says it is the condition of man left unto himself. It is the gloom of darkness in the stupor of thought that is mentioned in doctrine and covenants 99 he says in parentheses and tomorrow so working to start by reading what doctrine and covenants nine, eight and 99 has to say thank you for listening.

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