Cast Away the Dead Prophets? Part 5

Answering questions by Bill McKeever during Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors.

It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. We should pick up your copy today that your favorite Christian bookstore 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 so glad to be with us for this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director of Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM today we wrap up our look at a very short video YouTube video that features an area 70 by the name of Richard Neitzel Holzapfel speaking to a couple of young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who appeared to be struggling with the LDS doctrine of repentance. One of the things that this area 70 says is that we should accept the prophetic teaching of today and not go back to the miracle of forgiveness by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball. He also says that we need to drop the dead prophets and embrace the living yet. It's much impossible to read any book written by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that does not quote dead prophets there often citing dead prophets. So it seems to be a subjective adventure for the Latter Day Saints to pick and choose which ones they want, yet at the same time they're not supposed to do things like that I mentioned earlier in the week that Joseph Smith is a dead prophet and yet I've never heard any leader say anything bad about anything that Smith taught me certainly can criticize Jang for some of the things he said and other prophets perhaps, but if you're going to be consistent. I think you have to go across the board and say that none of the previous 16 presence of the church should be listened to. Will, as we mentioned earlier in the week, Eric with Mr. Holzapfel encourages people to read a book, though he doesn't give the name of the book.

The book is divine gift of forgiveness as we pointed out in going through that book. He cites dead prophets often and this is a book that was written by Mormon apostle Neil Anderson but we ended yesterday show and by the way in yesterday show. We were going through a lot of statements by leaders in the church. Some of them in general conference messages and remember when something is said in general conference. We are led to believe by their own church that this is the mind and the will of the Lord given to the people in general conference. We were citing Boyd K.

Packer, who was giving accolades to Pres. Kimball's book the miracle of forgiveness and a manual titled presidents of the church student manual 345, page 209 of this manual was published in 2003.

There's a few more quotations that we like to cite from that book and also the teachers manual, but we cannot ignore the fact that when a quotation is found in a church manual LDS members are led to believe that these manuals are vetted by the first presidency. So you would think that if the first presidency shared the same view regarding the miracle of forgiveness as Richard Holzapfel seems to hold, they would not have included these quotations from the miracle of forgiveness but yet we find some very strong encouraging comments made by various leaders that are cited in these manuals. Let's go to presidents of the church, teacher, manual religion, 345 on page 172. We have this citation that says if available.

Hold up a copy of the miracle of forgiveness and tell students that reading it has helped many people feel the merciful forgiveness of the Lord. If you really feel the merciful forgiveness of the Lord by reading the miracle of forgiveness. Why would an area 70 tell people that they probably should move beyond this particular book.

Then we have this citation from Ezra Taft Benson that Benson became the 13th president when Spencer W. Kimball passed away. He was Kimball's successor. But he also had some kind words to say about the miracle of forgiveness and this can be found in sermons and writings of Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, page 250 and clearing our channels and keeping them clear, we would admonish all of you to read and reread Pres. Spencer W. Kimball's book the miracle of forgiveness. The sooner you can read it. The greater blessing it will be for you but that's not the only time Benson mentions Spencer Kimball's book in sermons and writings of Ezra Taft Benson on page 281. He brings it up again. Repentance was a cry of our latent great profit. Spencer W. Kimball.

This theme permeated his talks in the pages of his writing, such as his marvelous book the miracle of forgiveness and it must be our cry today, both to member and nonmember alike, repent, though I have a question for you. You don't hear too many of the prophets mentioning books by name and yet the miracle of forgiveness. Brief scene here has been mentioned a number of times, including three times a general conference, there must be something special about this book that's an excellent point.

You don't often hear LDS leaders encouraging members to read certain books, but you're absolutely correct. The miracle of forgiveness is been talked about many times, not only in general conference. But in the writings of various leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But not only do they refer to this book.

The miracle of forgiveness. But let's not forget there was a pamphlet that was published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was titled repentance brings forgiveness. Now Eric you like to hand out copies of the miracle of forgiveness to Latter Day Saints who might be interested in reading it.

I've handed out a number of these pamphlets. Repentance brings forgiveness. Repentance brings forgiveness kind of recaps a lot of things that Spencer W.

Kimball says in his book of, for instance, Kimball cites D&C 5843 where it says by this you may know, if a man repented of his sins, behold, he will forsake them. And then Kimball writes, it is best when one stop sinning because he becomes aware of the seriousness of his sin.

The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit making the same mistake again.

It cites a number of the same types of principles that Kimball included in his book the miracle of forgiveness.

But then, let's not forget during the Christmas season in 1998 the LDS church was giving away two employees of the church leather bound copies of the miracle of forgiveness. You would think if this book should not be read, and it's something that we need to move away from why is the church giving copies away as a gift in a leather bound format. That's a great question and actually produced in 1998 you can you can buy this today, but it was not for sale back in 1998. Again, given just at the church employees. These are not only the Scriptures.

In fact, for five times.

They handed out the book of Mormon and the triple and they did the Bible a few times, but they also handed out books like James Talmage is Jesus the Christ articles of faith to set volume of discourses of Gordon B. Hinckley, a number of books written by different quote unquote dead prophets that was with a card.

In fact, the 4 x 5 card was included with every book, every year they did this for over two decades and the one that was given away with the miracle of forgiveness book in 1998, said this Pres. Kimball's enlightening teachings on the atonement of Jesus Christ are a precious treasure for all who would follow the Savior and it was signed by the first presidency said sincerely your brethren. The first presidency who was the first presidency that was Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, along with the future Pres. 16th Pres. Thomas S. Monson and also Henry B. Irene, who is one of the counselors in the first presidency. So these are no slouches who are giving away a book that was just in 1998. That's not that long ago to employees a book that was supposed to have been read. This is where you asked the question doesn't area 70 really have the authority to give this kind of advice when it seems to contradict the accolades from a number of Mormon leaders regarding this book. It seems like Holzapfel, though he may not agree with a lot of things that are written in the miracle of forgiveness. He certainly doesn't seem to have the the authority to give this kind of advice to the membership one more thing I should mention is 1998, is a full 13 years after Kimball had already died. If this idea that dead prophets are not to be believed over the living prophets well that doesn't seem doesn't seem to be the right thing that should have been done. They should not have included this book or any of the other books such as James Talmage's books because you can't believe everything they have to say that earlier in the series you brought up the fact that members were reading a number of manuals put out by the church that were titled teachings of Presidents of the church. One of those books was teachings of Presidents of the church.

Spencer W. Kimball because a number of these manuals which just included quotes from dead prophets. That's really all it had in their one of them was dedicated to Spencer W. Kimball and this was utilizing Sunday school classes in the year 2007. Tell us about that while they cited the miracle of forgiveness 22 times just in one chapter, chapter 4, which was titled the miracle of forgiveness and in the church, manuals, and notes the book is quoted a total of 69 times. I added a dollop 12% of all the citations of anything that was ever said by Spencer W.

Kimball could be found in the miracle of forgiveness. Why would you put together a manual for a and include so many citations of a book that can no longer be trusted, and I need to point this out 2007 is when it was used to Sunday school classes 2006 is when it was printed. The boy and the girl that were in the video were alive at that time know what does the preface to teachings of Presidents of the church.

Spencer W. Kimball say because I think that's very important as well.

It says, in addition to numerous addresses he referring to Kimball authored the book the miracle of forgiveness.

This book arose from Elder Kimball's long experience as an apostle counseling. Those who had yielded to serious transgression in the book. He outlined the Lord's expectations of us are divine potential in the pathway. We must follow to repent and obtain the assurance of complete divine forgiveness. I would think Eric that many people who happen to watch the short video and if they want to see the video. We have a link to it on our website.

Where can they find that they can go to our website MRM.org.

The article is titled throwaway Kimball's the miracle of forgiveness, a response to a Utah area 70 go to MRM.org/I misspelled the name HO L ZAP FEL-speaks. You can listen to this short clip yourself and draw your own conclusions doesn't area authority really have the authority to criticize a book written by a Mormon prophet.

Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry.

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