Why the Book of Mormon is True
“And [God] gave him power from on high, by the means which were before prepared, to translate the Book of Mormon; which contains a record of a fallen people, and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also; which was given by inspiration, and is confirmed to others by the ministering of angels, and is declared unto the world by them—proving to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old; thereby showing that he is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.” -Doctrines of the Saints 2a:8-11
All holy books have truth and wisdom in them; yet we do not accept all holy books as scripture the way we do the Bible and Book of Mormon. We claim the Book of Mormon is “true.” We say that the Gospel is “true.” But what does this mean? What is “truth?”
Taking the Book of Mormon at Its Word
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” -Joel 2:28
We, as Latter Day Saints, claim to be living in the last days. When we look at the life of Joseph Smith Jr., his visions and revelations, it does appear to be the case. Before, during, and after the translation of the Book of Mormon he received numerous dreams, visions, and revelations. And it wasn’t only him. Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other also received dreams, visions, and revelations. Truly the Spirit of God was poured out, and Joel’s prophecy was coming true! (See Joel 2:28)
Lo Here, and Lo There
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt; He said: They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” -Avahr 6:33-36
When Joseph Smith Jr. walked into the grove to pray, after reading James 1:5, he had a miraculous experience. We do not know exactly what occurred, but we do know that he had a revelation. The different versions of this vision or revelation may be studied in Appendix 1 of the Book of Avahr. The thing they all have in common is that he was told not to join any of the denominations he had explored. Why not? And does this revelation mean that all churches were evil? And if they were, are they still today?
The Divine Feminine
Note: This article was originally posted May 12, 2018
“And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me, Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.” -1 Nephi 3:46 RAV, 11:8 OPV
Within the Latter Day Saint movement, there are a number of theologies regarding the nature of God. In the Fellowship, and within Mormon Kabbalah, we accept all of them. It’s about how God reveals Himself, or Themselves, to us as individuals. We build, as it were, our own religions.
Are You “White and Delightsome?”
The following is is from The Mormon Yeshiva, reprinted with permission.
“And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure (white) and a delightsome people.” (2 Nephi 30:6)
It still amazes me at how often this subject comes up. The other day I was talking with a young man who was struggling with certain subjects in regard to the Book of Mormon. He stated that the Book of Mormon was “racist” and as such could never believe in a God who is a racist.
For the Benefit of the Church
The following revelation was given to the prophet David in Long Beach, California on December 5, 2018. In this revelation, the prophet David is told the Lord’s will for the Fellowship in regard to the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants given to Community of Christ from the Lord.
1844 Doctrine & Covenants 109
The following section on marriage was prepared while the original Book of Doctrine and Covenants was being compiled. It was read by W. W. Phelps at the general assembly of August 17, 1835 where the assembly of Saints adopted it unanimously by common consent. It is not a revelation. It was section 101 of the 1835 Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 109 in the 1844 edition. It was cannon for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, included in their version of the Doctrine and Covenants, until removed in 1876. It is still canon for the Reorganized churches as Section 111 of the Community of Chrsit and their offshoots’ Doctrine and Covenants. Their section and verse numbers are after the current verse numbers. Changes made for its use for the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship are in italics.
Revelation through Joesph Smith Jr. to James Strang
The letter and revelation by Joseph Smith Jr. to James Strang. Emma Smith verified that Joseph Smith Jr. write the letter. And, The handwriting was verified by the firm,Tyrell and Doud, who stated: “A brief observation of these four documents indicates that the education and word usage was consistent with the theory that all four documents were authored by one individual” (Shepard, William 1977; James J. Strang: Teachings of a Mormon Prophet. Burlington, WI).
Latter-day Saints’ Doctrine and Covenants 132
The following vision was received by Joseph Smith Jr. July 12, 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois. From the diary of Joseph Smith Jr.: “Wednesday, July 12. Received a Revelation in the office in presence of Hyrum Smith, and William Clayton.”
Latter-day Saints Doctrine and Covenants 137
The following vision was received by Joseph Smith Jr. January 21, 1836 in Kirtland, Ohio, recorded in his September 1835–April 1836 journal on pages 135-139 in the handwriting of Warren Parrish. It was shortened and altered before being included in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Doctrine and Covenants.
