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Detailed response to CES Letter, Prophets: Difference between revisions
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{{Epigraph|A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine. There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find.<br><br>The leaders of the Church are honest but imperfect men. Remember the words of Moroni: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father … ; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” ({{s||Ether|12|6}}).<br><br> — {{Ensign|author=Elder Neil L. Anderson|article=[https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng Trial of Your Faith]|date=November 2012}}}} | {{Epigraph|A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine. There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find.<br><br>The leaders of the Church are honest but imperfect men. Remember the words of Moroni: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father … ; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” ({{s||Ether|12|6}}).<br><br> — {{Ensign|author=Elder Neil L. Anderson|article=[https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng Trial of Your Faith]|date=November 2012}}}} | ||
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|claim= | |claim=The author states, "President Brigham Young taught what is now known as “Adam-God theory”. He taught that Adam is “our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do”. Young not only taught this doctrine over the pulpit at the 1852 and 1854 General Conferences but he also introduced this doctrine as the Lecture at the Veil in the endowment ceremony of the Temple." | ||
|answer= | |answer= | ||
|link= | *Brigham Young appears to have believed and taught Adam-God, but he never developed the teaching into something that could be reconciled with LDS scripture and presented as official doctrine. Therefore, we simply don't know what Brigham Young meant, and modern leaders have warned us about accepting traditional explanations of Adam-God. Since the Church has rejected it, we won't be able to answer the question until the Lord sees fit to reveal more about it. | ||
|subject= | |quote= | ||
|summary= | *BYU professor Stephen E. Robinson wrote: | ||
<blockquote> | |||
Yet another way in which anti-Mormon critics often misrepresent LDS doctrine is in the presentation of anomalies as though they were the doctrine of the Church. Anomalies occur in every field of human endeavor, even in science. An anomaly is something unexpected that cannot be explained by the existing laws or theories, but which does not constitute evidence for changing the laws and theories. An anomaly is a glitch.... A classic example of an anomaly in the LDS tradition is the so-called "Adam-God theory." During the latter half of the nineteenth century Brigham Young made some remarks about the relationship between Adam and God that the Latter-day Saints have never been able to understand. The reported statements conflict with LDS teachings before and after Brigham Young, as well as with statements of President Young himself during the same period of time. So how do Latter-day Saints deal with the phenomenon? We don't; we simply set it aside. It is an anomaly. On occasion my colleagues and I at Brigham Young University have tried to figure out what Brigham Young might have actually said and what it might have meant, but the attempts have always failed. The reported statements simply do not compute—we cannot make sense out of them. This is not a matter of believing it or disbelieving it; we simply don't know what "it" is. If Brigham Young were here we could ask him what he actually said and what he meant by it, but he is not here.... For the Latter-day Saints, however, the point is moot, since whatever Brigham Young said, true or false, was never presented to the Church for a sustaining vote. It was not then and is not now a doctrine of the Church, and...the Church has merely set the phenomenon aside as an anomaly. | |||
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|link=Mormonism and doctrine/Repudiated concepts/Adam-God theory | |||
|subject=Adam-God theory | |||
|summary=Brigham Young taught that Adam, the first man, was God the Father. Since this teaching runs counter to the story told in Genesis and commonly accepted by Christians, critics accuse Brigham of being a false prophet. Also, because modern Latter-day Saints do not believe Brigham's "Adam-God" teachings, critics accuse Mormons of either changing their teachings or rejecting teachings of prophets they find uncomfortable or unsupportable. | |||
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|claim= | |claim=The author states, "Along with Adam-God, Young taught a doctrine known as “Blood Atonement” where a person’s blood had to be shed to atone for their own sins as it was beyond the atonement of Jesus Christ." | ||
|answer= | |answer= | ||
|link= | *Critics commonly claim that during the administration of Brigham Young apostates were secretly put to death. They claim this is in line with the teachings of LDS leaders at the time that apostasy was the unforgivable sin, and that the only thing an apostate could do to redeem himself was to give his own life, willingly or unwillingly. | ||
|subject= | *In response to a letter "received at the office of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in 1912, Charles W. Penrose of the First Presidency wrote: | ||
|summary= | <blockquote> | ||
'''Question 9''': Do you believe in "blood-atonement," or in other words, do you accept and believe in the principles taught in Brigham Young's sermon of 8th of February, 1857, Journal of Discourses, volume 4, pages 219, 220?<br><br> | |||
'''Answer''': We believe in "blood atonement" by the sacrifice of the Savior, also that which is declared in {{b||Genesis|9|6|}}. A capital sin committed by a man who has entered into the everlasting covenant merits capital punishment, which is the only atonement he can offer. But the penalty must be executed by an officer legally appointed under the law of the land.<br><br> | |||
Charles W. Penrose, "Peculiar Questions Briefly Answered," ''Improvement Era'' 15 no. 11 (September 1912). | |||
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There is also a man down the street who tried to exhibit the endowments to a party who was here. You will see what becomes of that man. Do not touch him. He has forfeited every right and title to eternal life; but let him alone, and you will see by and by what will become of him. His heart will ache, and so will the heart of every apostate that fights against Zion; they will destroy themselves. It is a mistaken idea that God destroys people, or that the Saints wish to destroy them. It is not so. The seeds of sin which are in them are sufficient to accomplish their destruction.<br><br> - {{JDfairwiki|vol=11|start=262|disc=39|author=Brigham Young}} (12 August 1866). | |||
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|link=Mormonism and doctrine/Repudiated concepts/Blood atonement | |||
|subject=Blood atonement | |||
|summary=Critics claim that during the administration of Brigham Young apostates were secretly put to death. They claim this is in line with the teachings of LDS leaders at the time that apostasy was the unforgivable sin, and that the only thing an apostate could do to redeem himself was to give his own life, willingly or unwillingly. | |||
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|claim= | |claim=The author notes that Brigham Young said, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy." – Journal of Discourses 11:269 | ||
|answer= | |answer= | ||
|link= | *The quote does not include the surrounding text which explains what Brigham Young had in mind on this occasion (text quoted by critics is in <span style="color:blue">blue</span>, '''bold''' emphasis added): | ||
|subject= | <blockquote> | ||
|summary= | We wish to obtain all that father Abraham obtained. I wish here to say to the Elders of Israel, and to all the members of this Church and kingdom, that it is in the hearts of many of them to wish that the doctrine of polygamy was not taught and practiced by us...It is the word of the Lord, and I wish to say to you, and all the world, that if you desire with all your hearts to obtain the blessings which Abraham obtained, '''you will be polygamists at least in your faith''', or you will come short of enjoying the salvation and the glory which Abraham has obtained. This is as true as that God lives. You who wish that there were no such thing in existence, if you have in your hearts to say: "We will pass along in the Church without obeying or submitting to it in our faith or believing this order, because, for aught that we know, this community may be broken up yet, and we may have lucrative offices offered to us; we will not, therefore, be polygamists lest we should fail in obtaining some earthly honor, character and office, etc,"—the man that has that in his heart, and will continue to persist in pursuing that policy, will come short of dwelling in the presence of the Father and the Son, in celestial glory. <span style="color:blue">The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.</span> Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessings offered unto them, and they refused to accept them. | ||
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*There are other remarks by Brigham Young that express the same concept: | |||
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I attended the school of the prophets. Brother John Holeman made a long speech upon the subject of Poligamy. He Contended that no person Could have a Celestial glory unless He had a plurality of wives. Speeches were made By L. E. Harrington O Pratt Erastus Snow, D Evans J. F. Smith Lorenzo Young. '''Presidet Young said there would be men saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God with one wife with Many wives & with No wife at all.''' | |||
</blockquote> | |||
|link=Mormonism and polygamy/Requirement for exaltation | |||
|subject=Requirement for exaltation | |||
|summary=Some Church leaders taught that plural marriage was a requirement for those wishing to enter the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. Because the Church does not currently practice plural marriage, critics claim this means that either the leaders were wrong, or that current members are not destined for exaltation. | |||
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Revision as of 03:33, 4 July 2013
| [[../Polygamy & Polyandry Concerns & Questions|Polygamy/Polyandry Concerns & Questions]] | A FAIR Analysis of:
[[../|Letter to a CES Director]] |
[[../Kinderhook Plates and Translator & Seer Claims Concerns & Questions|Kinderhook Plates and Translator/Seer Claims Concerns & Questions"]] |
A FAIR Analysis of the online document Letter to a CES Director section "Prophets Concerns & Questions"
| This page is still under construction. We welcome any suggestions for improving the content of this FAIR Answers Wiki page. |
A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine. There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find.
The leaders of the Church are honest but imperfect men. Remember the words of Moroni: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father … ; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” (Ether 12꞉6).
— Elder Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith," Ensign (November 2012).