Refiner's Fire Ministries

What prompted the cafeteria theme was something I read in a booklet by Chip Ingram entitled Finding Truth (Whatever Happened to Right and Wrong?) In it he tells about a man he met who had recently come to know Christ and was growing spiritually. Chip goes on to say, “He then casually told me that he didn’t agree with the ‘no sex before marriage’ part of Scripture, and that he didn’t want that restriction as a part [of] his Christian experience. The rest, though, he was eager to add, he found very helpful.”

I’m only using this as an example of something we are all probably guilty of at some point or another. It could just as well be that we just don’t think it’s necessary to go to church and that we can achieve spiritual growth just by taking a walk in the woods. In other words, pick and choose from the Word of God to suit our own agenda.

That’s what Joseph Smith did on a monumental scale. But badly, because he had no knowledge of the original languages of Scripture, and his ego got in the way of any common sense and rectitude

I don’t have any real idea of the readership of this blog. Since there are no recent comments I am assuming that you either agree with everything I say and go away, or you agree with nothing I say and go away. But I also assume that some of you are searching, and some of you come back, as I did when I stumbled upon Carol’s website http://www.lifeline2rlds.org and then upon this one. So, since I happen to be on this cafeteria kick, the following is just one suggestion where to start looking for some of J. Smith’s errors in his “inspired” version of the Bible.

If you go to Paul Trask’s Book, Partway to Utah, pages 102-112, 175-179, and 183-186 you will find a wealth of information on Smith’s desecration of the Bible to suit his own plan. He was a master at using various passages to justify his church’s existence. He was wrong, but he was very good at being wrong.

Then go to Carol Hansen’s Reorganized Latter Day Saint Church: Is It Christian? and read Chapter 11, beginning on page 195. Both books are downloadable on this site. Both will give you an idea of Joseph Smith’s use of hunks and chunks of Truth, coupled with his out-and-out lies, and the resultant disaster.

Finally, I want to share a little gem I found a couple of months ago while surfing the net. It’s taken from a well known website, Mormons in Transition and the essay is entitled "The Book of Hebrews and the Joseph Smith Translation" by Robert M. Bowman, Jr.* The point being made is in the use of a single word in chapter 6, verse 1a. The word is “leaving” and this is the context: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection. . .”

Here is Joseph Smith’s version: “Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection. . .”

As he wrote: “Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors . . . Look at Hebrews vi.1 for contradictions—“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection.” If a man leaves the principles of the doctrine of Christ, how can he be saved in the principles? This is a contradiction.”

No, Mr. Smith, this is a total misunderstanding on your part. The Greek word aphiemi translates “leaving” which can mean leaving behind, but can also mean building on, or progressing beyond. Dr. Bowman points out that it can be like a teacher telling her class that they will leave addition and move on to subtraction. The interesting point is that both Matthew Henry and John Calvin addressed this very thing in their commentaries. But Smith didn’t have the faintest idea of the meaning of what he was revising, and to say it was an inspired translation is borderline pathetic and an embarrassment.

To continue with Smith’s quote in reference to this verse, notice the use of “I” when referring to the translation: “I don’t believe it. I will render it as it should be—“Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. . .”

By no stretch of the imagination is that inspired. But those who have been immersed in the books of the Latter Day Saints would have no way of knowing that. Unfortunately, Joseph Smith’s arrogance did not allow for questioning that which did not mesh with his template. Generations of unquestioning people have been misguided and lost because of him. If you are questioning, or searching, or if you have a loved one who is still involved in any of the Latter Day Saint churches, you have come to the right place.

If you find any of this confusing or incoherent, I urge you to click on this link and read the article for yourself. It's long and very detailed, but far more interesting believable than the Book of Mormon, which is agonizingly long and excruciatingly detailed.

In His amazing love

Jan

*Robert M. Bowman, Jr. is a very interesting person in his own right. He is a convert from Catholicism and ultra conservative. Since this is not a political blog I recommend that, should you have any curiosity about him, you utilize your search engine of choice. It’s always wise to check out sources, and you may be surprised at what you find.