Christmas Book Citations Joseph Smith Part 2

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective 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 are thanks program for that musical introduction welcome to this edition of 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 we continue looking at the books that were given away as Christmas gifts by the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints between the years 1981 and 2017 though if our listeners would like to help our radio ministry out.

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We will send them an electronic copy of your book in their own words, which is a compile relation of LDS leader citations that's close to 400 pages in length person just needs to go to MRM.org go to the donate button on the right side of the top main page and then put in your amount and in the added notes section. If you could put the letters PDF and then provide your radio station call letters or if you listen on podcast mention the state where you live that's going to help us out immensely. Organist send a copy of in their own words within a week and hundred percent of the gifts go to our radio ministry. So we thank you in advance for your help. At this time in one of the reasons why we are covering these books is because as we said before, if the first presidency of the LDS church felt that these books had some kind of theological worth. Then wouldn't you think that they believe what's in those books as well as wanting the people who were going to read these books after they receive it as a Christmas gift they would want them to believe the same things as well and we find that a lot of the doctrines in these books are not just 19th century doctrines or I should say restricted to the 19th century if there given these books out in the late 20th century and early 21st-century that obviously a lot of these teachings are still pertinent within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to this very day. Today we're going to continue looking at one of the books that was given away as a Christmas gift. This one was given away in the year 1991 and its teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The first citation were going to examine can be found on page 327 of teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers, ignorant translators, careless transcribers or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors now as Christians would we say that the text that we have available to us today and there is well over 5000 Greek manuscripts that are in existence today that we can go back and look at would any scholar say that they're all exactly the same. No, they understand that, but notice what Joseph Smith does here. He does the same thing that Bart Herman does when he goes around and talks about how the Bible should not be trusted. Smith is saying that ignorant translators, careless transcribers or designing and corrupt priest of committed many errors. I've often said that this portion of Mormonism is probably one of the greatest conspiracy theories in all the world that somehow, among all the manuscripts that have been gathered in modern times that somehow we can't really figure out what the authors intended, even though none of those manuscripts are autographed copies from the original author. We know that, but through textual criticism, scholars can evaluate and understand what was meant for us today. Even though not all of the manuscripts agree in all areas of a latter-day St. comes up to you and cites Joseph Smith the 13 articles of faith. The eighth article of faith says that they believe the Bible is true as far as it is translated correctly.

How do you answer somebody asked you that kind of a question I've been asked that many times and what I try to explain the latter-day St., as I don't think any New Testament Christian wants a Bible. That's not translated correctly. Of course we all want to correctly translated Bible. But what Joseph Smith is saying here is not really speaking so much to the translation of the text because even Mormon scholars have agreed that the translation is really very good. What we have today is certainly worth believing I think what he's really speaking to any kind of alludes to it here when he uses the expression, careless transcribers in article 8.

I think he's really speaking more to how the various manuscripts were transmitted over time because they were written by hand, and certainly because they're written by hand.

There is a propensity for human error to creep in.

I don't think that they were doing it. As he says, is a designing or a corrupt priest. I don't get that because I think that the early transcribers were wanting to do a very good job of transcribing the Bible all and they could be caught if you go back to the earlier manuscripts to be able to see where those priests came in. But we have to understand when you have these critics of the Bible talking about hundreds of thousands of errors. Well, when there's one discrepancy in in one manuscript and you compare them with all the others that count all of the manuscripts, and so it really is inaccurate and unfair for people to talk about hundreds of thousands of changes yeah the word that's often uses variant and I know Bart Herman likes to make a big issue out of that he'll say there's like over 400,000 variance but yet when you look at the variance that he speaking of, they're not all that serious, and it's easy to discern what should be there for us to learn from but speaking of the Bible.

What is Joseph Smith go on to say on page 310 of teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

He said there are many things in the Bible, which do not, as they now stand accord with the revelations of the Holy Ghost to me. You realize how serious that statement is in fact is we believe that the Bible is been God read that God had a part in the Bible that we have today. If Joseph Smith disagreed with any portion of that and obviously that portion could not have been God free. So here's what a latter-day St. has to do, he has to reject what Christians have believed historically and leave them with the Jews have believed historically regarding the Old Testament, throw all that away and embrace any unique understanding that Joseph Smith may have inserted later on because he says he's attributing this to the revelations of the Holy Ghost that he personally received will that's the million-dollar question. Is it really the holy ghost. That's telling him this or is this not the arrogance the hubris of Joseph Smith himself while he does put himself in a pretty high spot. When he uses the words to me that means that what he doesn't like.

He ends up refusing and so he can say well that's not what the original set and so it's based on his word as to what true doctrine to be and what the Bible really did mean before it got changed as he talked about in the previous quote.

Another quote that's given by Joseph Fielding Smith who is the 10th president of the church is one who edited teachings of the proper Joseph Smith.

This is footnote 6 on page 11. He writes the Prophet Joseph Smith translation of the Bible is one of the greatest tangible evidences of his spiritual insight and divine calling. What you say about that bill. I would say that's really true, then why doesn't the LDS church use it as a bound volume. I mean they do cite portions of it in footnotes and endnotes in their King James version of the Bible but they don't use it as a bound text and when he says one of the greatest tangible evidences of his spiritual insight. I would argue that I think even Mormon scholars who were familiar with the Joseph Smith translation wouldn't go that far.

I think the Joseph Smith translation as they call it is." It's not a translation at all to call it. That is, is a misnomer. Joseph Smith merely took a Bible opens it up and starts making alterations wherever he sees fit.

He has no Hebrew. He has no Greek to go to. He just makes it up on the fly. How do we know this will is quite easy to know this because we don't see any ancient manuscripts supporting these unique alterations that is making we most certainly don't see any ancient manuscripts predicting Joseph Smith himself coming on the scene in Genesis chapter 50 as it says in the Joseph Smith translation. How convenient that Joseph Smith would write himself into the biblical text, and sadly if you already believe that he's a prophet of God. I guess that would be easy to swallow as well, but folks that portion out of Genesis 50 is not found in any any ancient manuscript whatsoever, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, which we do have that Genesis 50 in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls and we have nothing there to show that that was there. Bill you have an article called the Joseph Smith translation inspired by him and you go to that article on MRM.org/inspired by home with hyphens between there or just type in the word Joseph Smith translation in our search engine and you'll see many other articles written on this topic. We have covered that many times before on this radio show Bill when it comes of the gospel. This is what Joseph Smith says on page 264 of teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, now taking it for granted that the scriptures say what they mean and mean what they say we have sufficient grounds to go on and proof from the Bible that the gospel has always been the same, and the officers to officiate the same and the signs and fruits resulting from the promises the same. If were going to take for granted that the Scripture say what they mean. I think that's what we do is New Testament Christians, we want to know what the author meant when they penned those particular words. So I think as Christians were very concerned about wanting to know for instance what the apostle John had to say in his gospel, or in his epistles, or what the apostle Paul had to say. Let's say in Galatians, Ephesians, or whatever. We are very concerned about these things and we want very much to know what they meant. This is why knowing the original languages become so important. If anybody is guilty of reading into the text.

I would say that would certainly be not only Joseph Smith but all those that came after Joseph Smith as well, but if he says we have sufficient grounds to go on improve from the Bible that the gospel has always been the same, then why is it that the LDS church. When referring to the gospel often called the restored gospel. He just said if the scriptures say what they mean.

I would take that the believe that the New Testament in this particular case, but yet he has to ignore what the New Testament is actually saying either read into the text or ignore the text or alter the text to get it to say, well, let's go back to the last quote we used he has to get it to conform to the revelations. He said the Holy Ghost gave to him. So it really doesn't matter what the author meant it all goes by how Joseph Smith wants to explain it to his followers if they're going to say that the gospel has always been the same. They're certainly not going to imply that our gospel is the same as their gospel their gospel is the restored gospel. They say, but do they have evidence to show that what they believe as the gospel is really restored. Where in the early church do we find Christians believing a lot of the things that Latter Day Saints believed today. One more thing.

When he says that he can prove from the Bible that the gospel is always been the same. Which Bible are we talking about. We read earlier that the Bible has been corrupted that there been many who have committed many errors in it.

So how can we trust the King James version and then the Joseph Smith translation is not even officially used.

Some would even say that it was never even finished will then perhaps the leaders I want to work on finishing that and giving us the true words of the Bible. Thank you for listening.

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