Dead Sea Scrolls And Mormonism — Part 2

Looking for a resource written for young people. That explains the Roman religion from a biblical worldview. Only reason 101 pertains when Mormonism research ministries. Johnson addresses basic LDS doctrine while answering important questions such as, is it okay to date my woman friend. This book will help you better understand what can otherwise be a complicated religion. Mormonism 101 pertains available at the Utah lighthouse bookstore in Salt Lake City or purchase online and MRM.org is examined 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 so glad to be with us for this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson, my colleague got MRM the Dead Sea Scrolls the people who lived in the Qumran community that they believe like Mormons. Some Mormons seem to give the impression that they did, while others say no a lot more caution needs to be expressed. We were going to rebook last week, written by man by the name of Charles Abbott.

It's titled immersion in Mormonism and at the end of his book he lists several evidences that he feels supports Mormon theology that he claims can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. A lot of this evidence that he lists in his book is actually taken from another book titled evidences of the church, written by Dennis K. Brown.

It came out in 2008 Dennis K Brown feels that the Dead Sea Scrolls do in fact support Mormon teaching and in his opinion, this gives credence to some of the doctrines of the LDS church prior. I guess you could say to what they would call the great apostasy that Charles Abbott lists five of those points taken from Dennis K. Brown's book and Dennis K Brown. He mentions more of these alleged parallels but Eric you were trying to be very nice in explaining why were not going after all 20 because they just are not that great.

They are so vague in many cases right.

It's not even worth discussing. It may encourage a Mormon who wants to have something that's faith promoting but if you check into this. A lot of his evidence is really powerful at all.

You're right on that and when I was looking through Brown's work and I looked at Abbott's work. I think what Abbott has done is probably take the five best if that's even a word to use in this because I don't think any of these points are that strong.

But, and so I wanted to tackle that using that as an outline and you can go look at the article that was written on this a very long article MRM.org/Dead Sea Scrolls doctrine with hyphens in between each of those words MRN.org/Dead Sea Scrolls doctrine and that you'll see this article and what we do in this article is were going to take the five points used by Abbott that connect with what Brown is also said in order to go through each of those to say, does the Dead Sea Scrolls material support, these things before we go into the five points. Let me just mention that we are also going to be citing Dr. J. Randall, price is the founder and president of world of the Bible ministries.

And yesterday I gave Dr. Price's credentials and if you want to check out his credentials. I would certainly encourage you to go to his website which is world of the Bible.com and you can check them out there, but the reason why we cited Dr. Price's because Dr. Price wrote a book called secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls and in that book, he takes some time to respond to some of these accusations are some of these claims that Mormons have made regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls and he refutes them one of the subtitles is Mormonism in the scrolls found on page 382 of this book. I want to read a portion from that page because it sets up what we are planning to do here. Dr. Price says on page 382 of his book secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls when Dead Sea Scrolls research was first undertaken by Latter Day Saints scholars Brigham Young University assistant professor of religion.

Lewis, M. Rogers suggested a tentative position be adopted by his colleagues.

In this statement came out in 1963 I might mention it goes on in this paragraph to say in a Latter Day Saints publication on archaeology. He wrote an article titled the significance of the scrolls and a word of caution.

This is the portion that Dr. Price cites from Dr. Lewis M. Rogers Latter Day Saints have come to rejoice with other Christians and Jews for the new light and fresh perspective brought to them by the Dead Sea Scrolls, but occasionally they need to be reminded that their hopes and emotions make them vulnerable. It is quite possible that claims for the book of Mormon and for the LDS theology will not be greatly advanced as a consequence of this discovery. So here we have an LDS scholar rightly advising his colleagues and probably any other Mormon that may read this to be very careful about this and not to jump on this bandwagon.

Just because you have heard that the Dead Sea Scrolls may say something that you would like to agree with. He was ahead of his time because in the 1960s. They just didn't know exactly what was inside the Dead Sea Scrolls caves that documents had been hidden by scholars until the 1990s, but I think he was absolutely correct. Well, not all Mormons took that advice. Unfortunately, and I would say that Dennis K. Brown in his book, evidences of the church. I would say Charles Abbott in his book immersion in Mormonism and I would also mention Eugene CH, who also dedicate some time to the Dead Sea Scrolls and in which Randall price critiques in his book, secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are just three and I'm sure there's others who did not take that advice of caution and have gone out there making statements that I don't think are defendable now again as we said we're going to look at the five points that Charles Abbott gave concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls that are in his book immersion in Mormonism was the first one Eric. He references preexistence and also quotes from Jeremiah 15 and this is what he writes on page 105.

It must be noted that in the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are frequent references to pre-earth life.

When we all lived as spirits with our heavenly father.

Well, if that was true.

You could say that is a feather in the Food Latter Day Saints but is it true he also claims that there is a reference regarding the Mormon teaching that it's possible for people to become gods.

This is what he says on page 106 the Dead Sea Scrolls state that we can all progress to eventually become as God. The third point he talks about marriage being eternal and families are forever and he writes on page 107. It is noteworthy that in the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are references to ceilings to spouses and families so that they can be together for eternity. He also claims there are references in the scrolls to the Mormon teaching that priesthood was valid in the New Testament times, but would later be lost.

This is what he says on pages 108 109 the Dead Sea Scrolls referred to a greater and lesser priesthood the lesser of them being after the sons of Aaron. They also refer to a future prophet named Asaph who will restore the priesthood in the last days, and who will be killed by lawless men.

Asaph translated into English is Joseph this is what Mr. Abbott says. And finally, the fifth point that were me talking about this week is that temple ordinances are necessary for eternal life. And on page 109 Abbott wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls speak of the temple as being the center of life and even mention the importance of a new name, keywords, special garments and a sacred oath.

Now if you just had those five points in a Mormon tells you look, the Dead Sea Scrolls supports these unique teachings of Mormonism might make you want to take notice.

I mean certainly would seem to impress me but the fact is we don't find that evidence so bill that first point, let's talk about it here for that for the remainder of our show. It's about preexistence and the question is do the nonbiblical text talk about preexistence now brown Dennis K. Brown is even referring to reference by Abbott.

This is what Brown writes and he says that's the scrolls frequently mentioned a pre-earth life where all mankind lived as spirits with God the father before coming to earth, to my knowledge we are the only church on the earth that preaches this doctrine and what's interesting is that Brown says that the scenes were living in a dispensation of apostasy.

But here's the point if they were living in a period of apostasy the latest. As we mentioned in yesterday's show that they could have ever written any tax or that they were in Qumran would have been 8068.

That's when the Romans came and apparently the Essenes must've escaped and they never returned to their scrolls and so you don't really have an apostasy at that point because you have some of the apostles, at least of Jesus were still living in A.D. 68.

In fact, John doesn't die until close to 8100.

So if there were apostles on the earth, then, is there really an apostasy.

That's the question I think we have to assess what Brown says about that. He says that the fullness of the gospel was given to heavenly father's children.

At the beginning of each dispensation that is to say to Adam Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and to Jesus Christ. Interesting, Moses would have been around 1600 BC. So there's a gap from Moses all the way till Jesus 1600 years later, and then he continues Brown writes after a period of time during each dispensation. The people fell away and lost parts of the gospel. Although Qumran was in one of those periods of apostasy. It is interesting to see many of the doctrines which they believed and taught were remnants of the fullness they had lost before we go on to what Brown says don't you think Eric that Mr. Brown and probably Eugene CH and Charles Abbott assure policing a lot on the scenes in Qumran right I mean you actually having to assume that what you think are parallels or true teachings that these people held.

How do you know that.

Why, because you seem to see a parallel that seems pretty dangerous to me. I think you're right on. That's a great point to make because think about the essay and some of the things I believe and let me point out one a belief they believed in the sovereignty of God.

They believe that God foreordained or there was a predestination that took place. They were very strong on that idea will Mormonism totally rejects that they believe every man is accountable for himself and that you make your own free will choices that's not how the people in Qumran are believing. So why is that not to be something to be considered as something as possibly truthful if you feel that somehow preexistence was in there and all on the latch onto that, but I won't latch on the other that we would call it cherry picking you're looking for something that you think is a parallel and Mormons are notorious for these parallelisms. They do that with archaeology and of course proceeded here as well when it comes to the Dead Sea Scrolls tomorrow were going to continue looking at some of the claims that have been made by some of these Mormon writers in their belief that the Dead Sea Scrolls somehow supports Mormon teaching, so we hope that you'll student tomorrow as we continue looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls in these alleged parallels. Thank you for listening you would like more information and research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research.

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