Religion and LA Fitness Shooter

I have been reading up on the shooting that happened the other day in PA (for those who have not seen the story--this man went into a gym and fired something like 65 bullets, injured many, and killed something like 3 people and himself) and one thing stuck out to me that I doubt anyone in the press would ever talk about. It comes as no surprise that a man capable of such an act has many twisted thoughts in his mind, but let's take a look at this one.

The shooter's last journal entry was this:

August 3, 2009: I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful. I haven't had a drink since Friday at about 2:30. Total effort needed. Tomorrow is the big day.

Unfortunately I talked to my neighbor today, who is very positive and upbeat. I need to remain focused and absorbed COMPLETELY. Last time I tried this, in January, I chickened out. Lets see how this new approach works.

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

I will try not to add anymore entries because this computer clicking distracts me.

It's a funny twist on the faith/works issue and shows a very fundamental misunderstanding of the atonement. What sticks out to me though, is how at least part of the rationalization and logic of this shooter is not a huge leap from what some people actually teach.

I wonder whether if this understanding of the atonement were corrected, would there have been a different path? I tend to doubt it. But did this man really believe that there were no consequences for his actions because he has faith in Christ? A belief like is immensely dangerous and could lead to a great deal of evil acts. Do you think this type of teaching is being taught, or rather, that it is being taught in a form that easily allows a minor twist to lead to the shooter's conclusion?

I Wonder Who the Pope's Guardian Angel is...

A few weeks ago Catholic Pope Benedict XVI fractured his right wrist when he fell while on vacation. When queried about his misfortune, he stated that “[u]nfortunately, my own guardian angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders.” (See article reported in Breitbart here)

I wonder if he was being coy, or if he truly believes there is some being on the other side of the veil dedicated to his safety and protection. Admittedly, I do not know Catholic doctrine well enough to affirm this. However, I am somewhat versed in Latter-day Saint teachings.

Do Latter-day Saints believe in guardian angels? Is there a spiritual being assigned to each mortal to aid us through mortality? If there is such a thing, could we potentially offend that being and lose any offered protection?

By revelation Joseph Smith learned that “there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it” (D&C 130:5). Thus, Joseph F. Smith observed that:

“When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from among our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. . . . Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh” (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 435-437) (emphasis added).

So, who is it that protects the Pope? A former prophet of the Lord, or maybe a deceased relative?

The scriptures are replete with instances where angels have been marshaled to protect the Saints. One of my favorite instances took place when an army from Syria surrounded the city of Dothan to take Elisha prisoner. Having arisen early, one of Elisha’s young disciples discovered the trap that had been laid for the prophet and feared greatly. Untroubled, Elisha responded:

“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

“And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16-18) (emphasis added).

Nephi and Sam were spared from Laman and Lemuel through the intervention of an angel of the Lord (1 Ne. 3:29); Daniel had an angel as his companion when he was thrown into the lions’ den (Daniel 6:22); Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also enjoyed the company of an angel (Jesus Christ himself) when they were cast into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25); Helaman’s sons, Nephi and Lehi, were protected by fire from those who sought to kill them, “and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them,” before some 300 witnesses (Helaman 5:21-49).

Similar instances have happened in our dispensation, also. On one occasion, Joseph Smith saw Brigham Young in a vision “standing in a strange land in the far South and West in a desert place on a rock in the midst of about a dozen men of color. He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and the angel of God standing above his head, with a drawn sword in his hand, protecting him.” Commenting, Joseph said, “But he did not see it” (History of the Church, 2:381) (emphasis added).

In the April 1973 General Conference of the Church, Pres. Harold B. Lee shared the following experience:

“May I impose upon you for a moment to express appreciation for something that happened to me some time ago, years ago. I was suffering from an ulcer condition that was becoming worse and worse. We had been touring a mission; my wife, Joan, and I were impressed the next morning that we should get home as quickly as possible, although we had planned to stay for some other meetings.

“On the way across the country, we were sitting in the forward section of the airplane. Some of our Church members were in the next section. As we approached a certain point en route, someone laid his hand upon my head. I looked up; I could see no one. That happened again before we arrived home, again with the same experience. Who it was, by what means or what medium, I may never know, except I knew that I was receiving a blessing that I came a few hours later to know I needed most desperately.

“As soon as we arrived home, my wife very anxiously called the doctor. It was now about 11 o’clock at night. He called me to come to the telephone, and he asked me how I was, and I said, ‘Well, I am very tired. I think I will be all right.’ But shortly thereafter, there came massive hemorrhages which, had they occurred while we were in flight, I wouldn’t be here today talking about it” (“Stand Ye in Holy Places,” Ensign, Oct 2008, pp. 44–49) (emphasis added).

Since the passing of my grandfather and mother I have, on at least one occasion, felt a distinct impression from one of them. Specifically, I was prompted to encourage a cousin to serve a mission. The feeling I received was one that my cousin needed to serve a mission so as to prepare himself spiritually to be a worthy husband and father to several children waiting to enter mortality.

I think that when a righteous man or woman dies, they do not cease to love their family still in mortality, they probably don't cease to pray for them, nor labor in their behalf. And in some instances, they may be given the opportunity to serve as “guardian angels” to their estranged loved ones. Elder Charles W. Penrose of the Quorum of the 12 (1911-1925) stated the following:

“As the living are not in their mortal condition, able to see and converse with the dead, so it is rational to believe, the inhabitants of the spiritual domain are, in the normal condition, shut out from intercourse with men in the flesh. By permission of the Lord, persons on either side of the veil may be manifest to those on the other, but this will certainly be by law and according to the order which God has established” (“Masterpieces of Latter-day Saint Leaders,” Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953), pp. 66-67) (emphasis added).

It is comforting to think that my deceased loved ones may be watching over me and, when permitted, protecting me. It only seems rational that those who found joy in their family during mortality will only have those feelings intensified on the other side of the veil. Thus, most of us have likely entertained “guardian angels” unaware.

Thursday Morning Poll - Is Healthcare a Right or a Privilege?

So, Did You Get Your House in Order?

Recent estimates have pegged our National Debt at $11 trillion (that’s the number 11 followed by 12 zeros!). Our interest payment to service this enormous debt now stands at $26 billion…per month. That’s over $300 billion a year that will be sent (mostly overseas) to our creditors instead of being used to upgrade our schools, roads, or national defense. If this were happening in your house, you’d put a stop to it, right? Rational thinking dictates that if it doesn’t work in your house, it won’t work in the White House.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported the following:

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate for job losses for June is 467,000, which means 7.2 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the recession. The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war. The job losses are also now equal to the net job gains over the previous nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth from the previous expansion.” (emphasis added)

Now, our current administration is contemplating yet another trillion dollar stimulus package and the largest tax ever levied upon the American people in the form of Cap and Trade legislation. What is more, we are apparently rushing forward to pass a universal health care plan that will undoubtedly bankrupt our system. Thomas Jefferson once said that “[t]he principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” If that weren’t clear enough, he also said that politicians should consider themselves “unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves…”

What is going on here? The recent and ongoing economic turmoil is taking a visible toll on most everyone. I believe each of us know someone, if not yourself, who has been directly affected by it.

So, were you prepared?

In the October, 1998 General Conference President Hinckley warned us about todays events by admonishing the “older men” concerning “temporal matters.” His talk, entitled “To the Boys and to the Men,” can be found here. As you may recall, a good portion of Genesis 41 was quoted, which treats Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s iconic dream of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Under the direction of Pharaoh, during the seven years of plenty Joseph gathered up food “as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number” (Gen. 41:49).

Thus, heeding the wisdom of an inspired man, Pharaoh undertook an immense preparation for the oncoming storm – in fact, they stored so much food and provisions that they lost count. That same food eventually fed Jacob’s family when they were forced to flee the famine that “was over all the face of the earth” (Gen. 41:56).

Upon concluding Joseph’s story, Pres. Hinckley then uttered these prophetic words:

“Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

“So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings. . . . The economy is a fragile thing. . . . There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed” (emphasis added).

I remember hearing those words. I recently returned from my mission and I was sitting in a chapel in Pleasant Grove, UT, with my father. At the time I had no debt, I was living at home in my parent’s basement, and couldn’t fathom that his counsel would ever affect me.

In my opinion, we eventually saw our symbolic “seven years of plenty” as the U.S. experienced record highs in both the stock and housing markets. Things were looking good up until around the end of 2007, almost 9 years after the prophet counseled us to prepare for this “portent of stormy weather” of which we are currently undergoing.

Our beloved prophet concluded his talk by saying:

“I urge you, brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.

“This is a part of the temporal gospel in which we believe. May the Lord bless you, my beloved brethren, to set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable” (emphasis added).

Clearly, storms are howling about our heads today, and there does not seem to be an end in sight. You may have your job and some sense of security now, but where will you turn if your situation changes and you are left in an unprepared state? Will the government step in? In light of its present actions, one wonders whether the government will have the means to. And if so, at what cost? The uncertainty of how that would work alone is enough of a motivator for me to change my habits. Unfortunately, getting out of debt takes time and discipline.

Are our houses in order? Is it too late to change our current situation, or can we start now and heed an inspired man’s advice and fortify ourselves against this raging storm?

Beer for my Brothers (and Sisters)?

LDS Teachings and the Culture/Doctrine Divide, Part II

In my last post on this topic (see here) I discussed how the line between cultural and doctrinal aspects of the LDS church can often become fuzzy, and such uncertainty may prompt pharisaical behavior. One example used was whether one would violate a commandment by getting a tattoo in light of President Hinckley’s ‘body is a temple’ talk. I personally believe that getting a tattoo would not be breaking a commandment per se; to me the no tattoo rule is simply a cultural position instituted by a wise leader. In fact, in some cultures, tattoos and body piercings are considered not only beautiful, but a sign of devotion to their Creator.

However, as can be expected, many in the Church would be quick to pass judgment on such behavior. As generations pass, they will progressively look at these actions even more negatively because, if for nothing else, they would have been raised to believe that these actions are wrong. This pattern can clearly be seen in the case of caffeinated beverages.

So how does this relate to beer? Well, I submit that this very phenomenon took place with regards to barley-based “mild drinks,” or beer, as outlined in the Word of Wisdom (WoW). In particular, the WoW teaches that “barley,” among other things, should be used “for mild drinks” (D&C 89:17). Mild drinks should be directly contrasted with the prohibited “strong drink” of verse 5, which obviously corresponds to hard liquors as known in 1833.

Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from grains – the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, corn, and rice are also widely used. Interestingly enough, verse 17 does not limit mild drinks to a barley-based platform, but further counsels that “other grain” should also be used to make these “mild drinks.”

At the time of the revelation, it was certainly understood that beer was not a prohibited substance. In fact, as recently as 1901, Apostles Brigham Young, Jr. and John Henry Smith argued that beer was not prohibited by the WoW. See Thomas G. Alexander, “The Word of Wisdom: From Principle to Requirement,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 14:3 (1981) pp. 78–88. In fact, while the original Word of Wisdom as a “principle with promise” was given by revelation, there is no evidence that any Church leader has claimed a separate new revelation, or even a spiritual confirmation, of changing the Word of Wisdom from “a principle with promise” to a commandment. Id.

So, when did drinking beer become a violation of a commandment? In order for any doctrine to be officially binding on the church it must be presented by a unanimous First Presidency and sustained by the body of the church. See D&C 26:2; 107:27-31. It does not appear that this happened for beer.

Instead, it wasn’t until 1921, under the auspices of Pres. Heber J. Grant, that the WoW finally became a test of faith (i.e., temple recommend question). If you know your history, this occurred just after the commencement of the Prohibition movement (circa. 1920-1933). Therefore, one might argue that in the LDS culture beer evolved into a prohibited substance as a byproduct a time when all alcohol was prohibited by law, thereby creating a habit of abstaining from beer and not simply "strong drinks" and creating a situation where that habit was taught as wise counsel. It is notable that even at the end of Prohibition the Saints did not agree that alcohol should be banned. In fact, despite the pleadings of Pres. Grant, Utah became the 36^th state, and final vote, to repeal prohibition.

The point I want to emphasize is that our great-grandparents knew that beer was not doctrinally prohibited, per se, just as we know today that tattoos are not doctrinally prohibited. Nonetheless, both beer and tattoos have eventually become “discouraged” by priesthood leaders. Such admonitions as we have seen, although not specifically defined in any canonized work, eventually become binding on later generations. Will we teach our children the evils of tattoos and multiple piercings until one day it ends up as a temple recommend question?

As we all know, LDS Church leaders today teach that the consumption of any form of alcohol, including beer, is a manifest violation of the WoW. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Body Is Sacred,” New Era, Nov. 2006, pp. 2–5. As members of the Church, can we accept this as doctrine based on modern revelation which teaches us that “[w]hether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38)? Or do we note an apparent conflict between the permissive language of the WoW (barley for mild drinks is acceptable), and current doctrine and heed subsequent teachings from church leaders stating that: if something a person says contradicts the scriptures, then we may know that it is false. See “The Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,” in Charge to Religious Educators, p. 111; see also “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Harold B. Lee” at 66. However, the facts/history listed above raises the question: could someone consume beer and then honestly assert in a temple recommend interview that he/she adheres to the WoW?

In sum, I am not going to change my “no alcohol” policy any time soon (and I hope readers won’t use this as fodder for rationalization). Clearly, the LDS are better off for not consuming alcohol as can be proven by several scientific measures and just plain common sense. I’d be interested in reader’s comments on this topic (e.g. beer, or the broader topic of cultural expectations vs. commandments). Another interesting occurrence that happens as a result of these doctrinal evolutions is that it creates situations where we could possibly judge someone for doing something that is not necessarily contrary to commandments (i.e. pharisee-behavior). Do we run this risk when we give a member or new convert a hard time when we see them struggle with something like drinking beer?

End Note: I'd like to thank Jeremy for his considerable contributions and editing of this post.

Predictions of Globalization of the Church

A few days ago, or as President Monson would begin a talk, "Many years ago...", I was chatting with Jeremy over IM at work about random thoughts that we were having. Such occasions are what helped start The Seer Stone. This post is a product of some of the ideas generated during that discussion.

Jeremy and I were discussing some cultural norms about the church and even the LDS blogosphere, where a majority of participants are within a small geographical area. I think that being in Texas as we are makes us a minority in a way. This is even more true when one heads south of Texas and abroad. I think that the church's history can be roughly divided into two parts: 1) The foundational period, roughly 1820-1890, which includes the Restoration as well as an attitude of seclusion from the outside world; 2) includes the modern period (1890 to present) where the church as a whole decided to participate in society and has helped us to a certain extent become mainstream. I understand that I am oversimplifying but it you want to make it easy, then I suggest these dates.

I believe that at some point, it may have happened already or may yet arrive, we will hit stage 3, massive globalization. Yes, I know that numbers of members in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa have grown exponentially recently, but ultimately have we seen the influence of this boom yet? I think overall the answer is no. Yes, we did have our first 70 called from Kenya recently, and there are many 70's from Latin America, yet the overall feeling I get is that is that we are still an Anglo-American organization whose cultural norms (not doctrine) still clash with the background of many of our converts from successful conversion areas.

Let me highlight a few conclusions I have come to. Some of these thoughts were sparked by a T&S post recently but I apologize as I don't remember when or by whom. Acknowledgement is appropriate but I unfortunately don't know who to provide it to.

1) Whether we like it or not, we are a de minimus Protestant religion. Yes, we are unique and did not break off from any other sect thus making us Protestant in the conventional way, but the young church inherited Protestant cultural baggage and ideas that existed in the 1800's. We still see them today. Common justifications for the priesthood ban were very much in line with Protestant ideas at that time. What instruments do you hear in church? The piano, harp, flute, etc. You don't hear drums or sacred instruments of an indigenous tribe of the Amazon, right? Our depiction of Jesus is the stereotypical fair skinned Caucasian. Obedient LDS males dress as if they are on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Men should be clean shaven; even the leaders of the church who are foreign are those who appear the most Western/American. (President Uctdorf is almost more American than me sometimes. I swear he told a story about being a young boy on a farm in South Eastern Idaho...). Politically we line up as a whole with Evangelical Christians to a large extent.

If the church continues to grow, and we know it will, I predict that this model will be unsustainable. Yes, there are already many members in these countries, but their influence is minuscule to what Western LDS cultural is producing. What if in a country wearing a white shirt is not considered respectful but disrespectful? It's as if we force converts to confirm to an American standard for church, which is cultural, when they are already conforming to gospel doctrines, which is spiritual. What if the wearing of facial hair is part of the cultural norm as is common in many places? Are priesthood holders who wear something that would be considered business casual going to become the norm when LDS in the US are vastly outnumbered?

2) I predict that it will take more time that when General Authorities are called from other countries that will really begin to influence the globalized church's norms. This leads me to believe that many of our current practices are as they are because it reflects the ideas of our current leaders. It just seems that the leadership doesn't reflect the make up of the membership...yet. I don't mean this as a criticism, just as an observation. When the time comes that 5 apostles are Latino, 1 is Philippino, 1 African and the remainder have never lived in Utah, I think that a global LDS culture will strongly be in place. We will focus less on the handcarts of American ancestors and more on the pioneers in Ecuador, Mongolia, and other places that reflect the true composition of the church and the sacrifices of all and not just the original pioneers.

Will this mean that I can wear a blue shirt without feeling guilty? Will this mean that a member of the bishopric can wear a beard without "special" Stake President approval? I don't know. But I do know, or at least predict, that what Joseph Smith said about the babe on its mother's lap and not knowing anything about our destiny has not come to pass yet, though sometimes we like to think so. In 50 years, the make up of the church will be so vastly different and diverse, that we cannot comprehend it now and it will influence the way that we think as a whole, instead of as Conservative Western Americans, speaking as a whole generally.

One final note, this is not a criticism of leadership, just a commentary on where culture, not doctrine, dictates our practices. I whole-heartedly support the Brethren and believe the Lord guides them to lead us appropriately. I do recognize, however, that sometimes their personal views can seep into our cultural understanding of Orthodox Mormonism, and that is what I expect to see change. Yes, I was referring to Elder McConkie.

The handlbar mustache could make a comeback, no?

Using the "Priesthood" to Cast Out Homosexuality?

Breitbart reported today that a non-LDS church (thank-you Serendipity) in Connecticut posted a video to YouTube showing an attempt to cast homosexuality out of a 16 (or possibly 18) year old male. Does this seem odd to anyone else?

Now, I admit upfront that I do not understand the underpinnings to homosexuality. I don't think anyone "knows" for certain whether homosexuality is something you are born with or that it can be "acquired" somehow through societal elements, nor do I think it matters in this case. The issue here, in my opinion, is how Christ would have us use His priesthood.

Attempting to cast out homosexuality by means of the priesthood seems akin to using the priesthood to root out sin from an individual instead of helping that individual acheive the required change of heart. If Christ wanted it this way, why did He continually exhort His followers to "Go and sin no more"? He could have just cast out the evil adultery spirits from the woman, or cast out the evil hardened heart of the Pharisees.

Removing sin and/or faults from our lives is not as easy as calling the Elders of the Church and having them lay hands upon us. Repentance is a gift! Although difficult, and sometimes long, the repentance process refines us and makes us better. Without repentance, we would never be able to correctly channel the Atonement into our lives, whithout which, exaltation would be impossible.

In a situation like the one reported in Breitbart, to what extent can the Lord's priesthood bless the lives of others? Is the priesthood supposed to be used to tie the hands of the adversary? If not, then what is the point of dedicating a home by the power of the priesthood?

Fatherhood

I stumbled by this video on LDS.org today while I was preparing a lesson. It is a story of a simple person that is a clear example of what all men should be striving to be.

Apparently, the church has its own youtube channel where it puts out short, decently well-produced vidoes (see the website here). I thought I'd point it out to everyone because I found this (and some of the other videos on this site) to be a video that I could easily share with some of my non-mormon friends.

I am a father of 2 children. I hope they can someday speak of me how the daughter of this video speaks of her father. I lost my dad more than 8 years ago. He was an amazing example in many ways. He had many faults, but the amazing part is that he knew them all. This made him humble, non-judgmental, and very forgiving. As a result of his example I feel that I have gained, at least in part, some of these attributes.

I try to imagine what this world would be like if there were better fathers. It is no coincidence that in almost every preisthood session of general conference there is some sort of a "be a man" talk. In fact, I can think of nothing that would have a greater impact on this world for good. We all have the chance to create and mold such men, whether it be by raising our sons, participating in youth/cub scouts/and boy scout activities, or by raising our daughters to expect men to act as such. Hopefully we can think of these responsibilities with an added measure of purpose.

And if we find such men in our lives, let us take the time to thank them--because we all know it isn't easy.

Revolutionize our Sacrament Meetings

I just read about an incredible idea on how we may revolutionize our weekly Sacrament meetings. The idea was presented here by Sixteen Small Stones, and is followed by a fantastic analysis on how it could work and its potential ramifications.

In short, the idea involves issuing a few invitations to each sacrament meeting speaker which may be passed out to the speaker's non-member friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. In essence, it is a less-intrusive way to introduce your acquaintances to the Church. As the article states:

"Real or imagined, inviting someone to church feels awkward. It often doesn’t feel socially comfortable or even appropriate to invite someone to church without an antecedent that indicates some kind of existing interest or disposition. So we wait around forever for the topic to come up and the right opportunity to make the leap.

"But inviting people to come to hear you speak in church is different. It’s about you, not just the church. It’s like inviting people to come hear your band play, or attend a baby shower or your daughter’s dance recital, or to come to a barbecue at your house. There is no reason to wait for conversational queues that might indicate interest or disposition. If they can’t make it or aren’t interested that’s fine."

In my opinion, this is a great way to increase the member-missionary efforts throughout the Church. I, for one, am going to pitch this idea to our Bishopric.

“The Most Correct of ANY Book on Earth”?

In 1842, Joseph Smith wrote a letter to John Wentworth, the editor of the Chicago Democrat, who was asked by an acquaintance, George Barstow, for information about the Saints. Barstow was writing a history of New Hampshire and wanted to include information about the Mormons. In response, the Prophet sent Mr. Wentworth a very brief history including thirteen statements of belief, what we today know as the thirteen Articles of Faith.

The eighth article of faith states that “we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." Since the phrase “as far as it is translated correctly” does not follow our statement of belief in the Book of Mormon, some critics of the Church charge that we believe the Book of Mormon to be perfect.

Do we believe that the Book of Mormon is inerrant? It is no secret that there have been numerous changes to the text of the Book of Mormon between the 1830 edition and modern LDS editions; almost four thousand changes according to the Tanners, Salt Lake City-based Mormon critics.

Sadly, many uninformed LDS do make the inerrancy assumption and back it up with a typically misconstrued passage in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon:

“Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: ‘I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.’” (emphasis added)

The term “correct” in this instance, however, does not necessarily mean perfect. In fact, in 1841 when Joseph uttered these words, the word “correct” meant “set right, made straight,” or “conformable to truth, or conformable to a just standard.” In accordance with this definition, the Book of Mormon indeed is correct.

What is more, the book itself repeatedly feigns inerrancy. Moroni himself acknowledged that “if there are faults they are the mistakes of men” (Book of Mormon, Title Page; see also Mormon 8:17). Similarly, the Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon includes the following statement:

“About this edition: Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith.”

[Now, be honest, did you know this statement was in the Book of Mormon before now? I actually just read that for the first time last week, and I deem myself fairly well-read in the scriptures.]

In other words, the same text-critical concerns that LDS have with the Bible certainly exist with the various Book of Mormon manuscripts. Scripture, including the Book of Mormon, is recorded by fallible men who can and do make mistakes. Therefore, the possibility of mistranslation or misinterpretation of Hebrew and Greek (or reformed Egyptian, for that matter) exists. Undoubtedly, however, the Book of Mormon is much less textually uncertain than the Bible as a result of the shorter and simpler transmission history. Nonetheless, I don’t think anyone can authoritatively state that we believe either text is free from verbal inerrancy in their present form.

What is more, a closer reading of the Prophet’s statement reveals his stress on the “precepts” of the book, and therefore his inference to the correctness of the book’s doctrinal content, not the book itself. Read in this view, the Book of Mormon certainly is correct in the doctrines and principles it teaches, however, it does not claim to contain all truth. Although it may constitute “the most correct of any book on earth,” according to this interpretation, it unmistakably is not comprehensive in its truth.