Studying the scriptures in 2021

Me studying the scriptures
on the Isle of Patmos, Greece.

2021 is the year we (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) focus on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history. As the Lord said in Section 1:

37 Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

(Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38)

On this blog (and in the linked podcasts), I'll offer some insights you won't get anywhere else, along with supporting links and references.

I'm sharing things that have helped me better understand the scriptures, and especially the credibility and reliability of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Over a year ago, my publisher challenged me to collect my thoughts about early Church history. We ended up with three books, shown on the side of this blog, all crammed with information and faithful conclusions you've probably never seen. I'll discuss the key points throughout Come Follow Me 2021.

There are innumerable books, articles, web pages, videos, etc. that discuss the scriptures, including the Doctrine and Covenants. There are just as many opinions and interpretations as there are people who read the scriptures. I hope you find what I post here useful, whether you agree or disagree.

If you subscribe, you'll get an email each time I post something. Normally I'll post once for each lesson, but we'll have a few special posts during the year.

Blessings!

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I recommend four tools for scripture study, and I warn against two others. 

Given limited time, you should focus on the scriptures and original sources of history instead of the elaborate theories of intellectuals, LDS or not. Because I'm retired and have examined the work of the credentialed class for decades, I'll point out a few of the problems as we go through the year. More importantly, I'll offer solutions to those problems.

I encourage people to make informed decisions. The awesome tools below help you do that. The unawesome tools below give you only an illusion of good information because the sponsors have specific editorial agendas that drive their presentations. They want you to agree with them, so they don't enable you to make informed decisions. 

Awesome tools:

1. Gospel Library. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/pages/mobileapps/gospellibrary?lang=eng

2. Scripture Notes. https://scripturenotes.com/about-us

3. Wordcruncher (from BYU). https://www.wordcruncher.com/

4. Joseph Smith Papers. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/ (but be careful of the editorial content)

Unawesome tools:

1. ScripturePlus. https://scriptureplus.org/

This could have been an awesome tool, but I recommend against ScripturePlus because the creators have specific editorial agendas that they push throughout the app through videos, links and commentary. The app is designed to entice people away from the Gospel Library. The app was developed by, and is being heavily promoted by, Book of Mormon Central (BMC), which spends millions of dollars annually to promote the theories of certain scholars about Church history, the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, etc. Worse, they censor prophetic teachings that contradict their theories, leaving people unable to make informed decisions. 

Book of Mormon Central is a nonprofit subsidiary of Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (bmaf.org) which has for decades sought to persuade Latter-day Saints that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ignorant speculators who relied on scholarship for answers. While it's natural for scholars to promote scholarship--it's called full employment--the Lord has never required or even endorsed an academic barrier between the prophets and his people. The credentialed class at BMC, like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, put themselves at the forefront. 

I think it's always better to choose the prophets over the scholars.

2. Critical websites. Many Church members and investigators seek "the other side of the story" from websites such as CES Letter and MormonStories. These sites mostly commit the "straw man" fallacy of creating a misleading framework--a straw man--and then they attack that straw man.

Usually the straw man is based on the teachings of LDS intellectuals. These sites are useful in pointing out the logical and factual fallacies in the theories of some LDS intellectuals, such as BMC, but they go one step further to repudiate the overall teachings of the prophets. 

The biggest problem is that they, like BMC, have closed their minds to alternative interpretations of the evidence. They leave their readers/listeners unable to make informed decisions.

The other problem with these sites is they make emotional appeals to people, playing on their frustrations, fears, and feelings to cloud their judgment. I'm all in favor of people making their own decisions--religious beliefs and practices should be completely voluntary--but I don't agree with foisting straw-man fallacies as more "enlightened." 

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Guiding principle for this blog:

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

(John 8:31–32)

 

Dec 28-Jan 3: D&C 1

As the designated preface for the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 1 deserves a great deal of attention. You and I could write an entire post about each verse. 

Time constraints force us to focus. 

The Lord explains that he gave these commandments (a synonym for scriptures in this context) for specific reasons, including this:

That faith also might increase in the earth;

(Doctrine and Covenants 1:21)

In our day, there are innumerable challenges to our faith, both from without and within the Church. There have always been critics who opposed the work, but now we have scholars who are trying to persuade the Latter-day Saints that Joseph Smith never really translated anything, that he never used the plates but instead he merely read words that appeared on a seer stone he put in a hat, etc.  

D&C 1 addresses these attacks on faith directly. It includes two key passages that tell us about:

1. The translation of the Book of Mormon.

2. The truthfulness of the revelations.

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Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.

(Doctrine and Covenants 1:24)

Joseph Smith dictated the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants as the words of the Lord came into his mind. Thus, the revelations are written "after the manner of [Joseph's] language." 

In the same way, the Book of Mormon is a translation of the engravings on the ancient Nephite plates. Joseph drew upon his own "mental language bank" to render the original writings into English that he and his contemporaries understood.

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Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

(Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38)

The revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants speak of Joseph translating the plates with the Urim and Thummim, of two separate sets of plates (the abridged plates from the stone box and the plates of Nephi that Joseph received in Fayette), and of a mission to the Lamanites (the Indians or Native Americans living in New York and Ohio). We will discuss each of these details and more during the year.

The key point to remember is that these commandments (revelations) are true and faithful. We should not be distracted by scholars and intellectuals who say the revelations are wrong, or unreliable.

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