Cast Away the Dead Prophets? Part 3

Give your own words a collection of Mormon quotations compiled by women as research ministries Bill McKeever is a valuable resource when wanting to know what Mormon leaders are set on a given topic and pick up your copy you Utah lighthouse bookstore or MRM.org viewpoint on Mormonism is a program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint: Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 is a 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. How do Latter Day Saints receive the divine gift of forgiveness. Welcome to this addition, the 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 MRM where discussing a video a very short video that has an area 70 by the name of Richard Knight soul Holzapfel talking to a couple of young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who have expressed some of their dismay regarding the LDS teaching of repentance and this area 70 says some very interesting things and and as we mentioned so far we don't really feel that he has the authority to criticize something that a prophet of the church has said in the past, even though he is encouraging his listeners to only accept what he calls the prophetic teachings of today.

In this talk, he speaks of an article that was in the February 2021. Addition of the Leah homeowner magazine that was an article written by apostle Neil Anderson and he also mentions the book that was written by Mormon apostle Anderson but he doesn't give the name of the book, the name of the book that Mr. Anderson wrote is titled the divine gift of forgiveness. Now he suggests that people read books like this and then he says in this very short video we don't want to go back to the miracle of forgiveness by Pres. Kimball. He adds, let's drop the dead prophets and embrace the living. That is, to me quote that I think you will really cause a lot of older Latter Day Saints to have a problem because what he is suggesting here is the miracle of forgiveness is not a book that has any authority anymore because we have living prophets, but as were going to show it today show. There's not much new under the sun. And that's the point we want to talk about this book that Mr. Holzapfel recommends the book the divine gift of forgiveness because as you have rightly stated, Eric will you look at some of the things that Neil Anderson says in this book and compare it to what Spencer W.

Kimball said in his book the miracle of forgiveness. Yes, you could say that Neil Anderson writes in a much more nicer tone because Kimball was pretty pretty blunt and some of the things that he said.

But here's what's fascinating. Holzapfel tries to make the case that in Kimball's diary. He had some regrets over some of the things that he said in the miracle of forgiveness as a gift that nullifies the entire book will be careful though. Be careful before you draw that conclusion because when we look at the divine gift of forgiveness by Neil Anderson. He never disses the miracle of forgiveness he cites from the miracle of forgiveness. He quotes Spencer W. Kimball so you want to be careful before you draw that conclusion. And so what we're going to do in this show is we're going to look at what Neil Anderson says in his book the divine gift of forgiveness. If we are going to accept the prophetic teachings of today and apparently this would be one of those. Let's see what it has to say we look at page 207 under the topic of forsaking sin. What is Neil Anderson say on page 207. In the parable Scripture in doctrine and covenants section 58 the Lord emphasizes that along with confessing sins. Those desiring to repent will also forsake their sins bill. Perhaps we ought to read D&C 5842 and 43 behold, he who has repented of his sins. The same is forgiven. And I the Lord remember them no more. By this you may know, if a man repented of his sins, behold, he will confess them and forsake them. But then Eric I think is even more striking because what Anderson says in the very next paragraph is really nothing new from what Kimball taught in his book the miracle of forgiveness. He writes, forsaking a said means we will never repeat it never returned to it.

Not an action or in word or even in our mind forsaking means that the sin is totally in our past to forsake us. Sin will mean more than just feeling the remorse and sadness that has brought to us and to others.

We have hurt. It will mean being certain that we don't put ourselves into the same position that brought the sin before it will mean associating with trusted friends and family who will help us in moving forward. That sounds very similar to what Kimball said regarding the desire or urge to sin will be purged out of your life. It sounds very similar I think to what Anderson is saying here bill on page 354. This is what Kimball writes in his book the miracle of forgiveness. He says it is that the former transgressor must have reached a point of no return to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin where the sin becomes most distasteful to him, and where the desire or urge to sin is cleared out of his life. Notice he's not just saying you have to stop the sin but you have to stop the desire to sin and were not trying to downplay any effort on the part of the member of the church.

He was trying to reach that state in their life. The question of course becomes will any individual really reach that state and you can understand the banks that these two young people in the video who are expressing their desire to want to know what repentance really is and why they don't feel like they can achieve it in their life they still seem to have this doubt, this young lady Jill in the video is expressing this angst and you can't help but have compassion for her and the young man who sitting next to her in this meeting, but when you have Holzapfel make it appear that what they're holding onto his old Mormonism. We need to get rid of this old stuff dropped the dead prophets embrace the living he said we should accept the prophetic teachings of today what we just read you from the very book that Holzapfel suggests the divine gift of forgiveness and we find Neil Anderson really saying nothing different than what Spencer Kimball has said before, even though it was Holzapfel who said in this talk we don't want to go back to the miracle of forgiveness on the very next page on 208 of the divine gift of forgiveness. This is what Anderson says.

He says we never want to return to the sins of our past. But then he does this in the next paragraph he says repentance. Of course, is never a wasted effort. A person who has repented for being angry may unfortunately become angry again or a person who has repented of speaking ill of someone may unfortunately speak ill of someone else. Pres. Lorenzo Snow said, quote do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed be better today than you were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you are today. The temptations that perhaps partially overcome us today. Let them not over, so far tomorrow thus continued to be a little better day by day." Here's a problem with that quotation. Eric according to what Mr. Holzapfel says that Lorenzo Snow, as far as I know it was a dead prophet is he not yes Lorenzo Snow died a long time ago and yet we find a dead prophet being cited in this book the divine gift of forgiveness. You see, this is the dilemma for the Latter Day Saints who argues like Mr. Holzapfel does, we want to drop the dead prophets and embrace the living. Here you have a book that he recommends quoting dead prophets and he does that. A number of times in this book. Now let's go on to see what Anderson has to say on page 208 pieces the Lord desires that we constantly strengthen ourselves and become better trying not to repeat even the small sins of the past key speaking of God. Quoting now from doctrine and covenants section 1.

He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. He has however promised quote. Nevertheless, he that repentance and does the commandments of the Lord shall be for given the Lord loves to bestow his mercy and forgiveness upon us as we truly repent. Notice Anderson is using the same buzzwords that old Mormon leaders have used when discussing the subject of repentance. It can't just merely be a desire to repent, it has to be put into action. You have to succeed in putting away your past sins and never repeat them again as Harold Beasley, who I admit is a dead prophet said in one sentence. Repentance means turning from that which we have done wrong in the sight of the Lord and never repeating that mistake again. But yet at the top of page 208. Anderson says we never want to return to the sins of our past. How is that any different than what Harold Beasley said how is that any different from some of the things that Spencer W.

Kimball said in his book the miracle of forgiveness go. I wrote an article on our website. It's a book review, and it looks at the divine gift of forgiveness by apostle Neil L. Anderson, and it actually takes the miracle of forgiveness and puts the two together and everything that you're talking about here today is shown in this book, using lots of quote, you can go to our website MRM.org/divine forgiveness with the hyphen between divine and forgiveness and thinking to be surprised how closely related that Kimball book in the Anderson book is will let me go back to what we had cited earlier on page 207 Eric were Anderson says forsaking the sin means we will never repeat it never returned to it. Not an action or in word or even in our mind.

That is a pull quote on the same page you have that also emphasized in a box on page 207.

But here's another fascinating statement that Mr. Anderson makes in this is under the subheading of knowing when sins have been forgiven.

This is found on page 211 where that subheading is turn the page and what is Mr. Anderson do. He cites another dead prophet.

Heber J. Grant what did he say Heber J. Grant taught quote. There is no teaching of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, which is plainer than that laid down by him to the effect that there will be none of our past sins held against us provided we repent and forsake them in the future, laboring diligently for the right."

Provided we repent and forsake them how many must we forsake though. Well, Mormon leaders have been very clear on this, we must forsake all of them. That is what true repentance is all about. But then we have on page 214 of the divine gift of forgiveness again. Remember, this is the book that Richard Neitzel Holzapfel has recommended for his audience listening to this talk that he is given Wally's questioning these two young people on page 214 Anderson rights when the sin has been confessed and forsaken. We go forward trusting in the power of the Savior's atonement as the Lord's servant. I give you my humble assurance that as you truly forsake your sins you will be forgiven.

The dilemma the young lady named Jill. In this video had. She's hoping maybe she's misunderstanding and she's realizes that she's not going to meet that qualification that is not only a dilemma faced by young people in the LDS church. I find it to be a dilemma that a lot of Latter Day Saints face and I don't think that siding apostle Anderson is helping in any way, because what he's teaching is that all you need to do is just forsake the sin thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org you can request your free newsletter is a research we hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint on Mormonism