A New Bible by D. A. PARSONS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 14, 1909

A New Bible

By D. A. PARSONS

Mormonism—No. 6

A New Bible

D. A. PARSONS

The most interesting event recorded in Mormon Church history under the date of 1833, is that, on “July 2, Joseph Smith, Jr., finished the translation of the Bible.”—“Compendium,” page 307. Although Mr. Smith was ignorant of the original languages, none need fear that he was unable to translate them into English. The title-page of the above work informs us that it was “translated and corrected by the spirit of revelation,” and the “Doctrine and Covenants” aptly calls it the “inspired” bible. After a careful study of this book, we wish to bear witness to the truthfulness of the assertion that it was “inspired,”—inspired by the god of Mormonism, whose whisper in Joseph’s ear could only give a “probable” reason for a future war. But anything inspired by that god of uncertainty is of little or no value, unless it is as a weapon against Mormonism.

If the Mormon leaders have any faith in these so-called “inspired” and “corrected” scriptures, why do they withhold them from the world? Why do they not use them instead of the Authorized Version, which contains many falsehoods,—if judged by their version? Has the Mormon Church forgotten that her god gave the command, “Thou shalt ask and my scripture shall be given as much I have appointed, and they shall be preserved in safety; and it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning them, and not teach them until ye have received them in full. And I give unto you a commandment that then ye shall teach them unto all men; for they shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.”—“Doctrine and Covenants,” sec. 42, 56–58.

The translation of the New Testament was completed on Feb. 2, 1833, and the whole bible on July 2, of the same year. It was then that the Scriptures were “received in full,” and it was then that the church was commanded to teach them to the world. But for more than seventy-five years that command has been violated. How can such disobedience be justified?

It is a fact worthy of notice that, although it was revealed to Joseph Smith that his new bible would “be preserved in safety,” yet the manuscript is not the property of the church to-day. Soon after his death there was a schism among his followers, and, unfortunately, the offshoot from the mother body took the coveted bible with it, and established a new sect known as the Josephites, or Re-organized Church of Latter-day Saints.

It is only just to say that this branch of Mormonism rejects the polygamy of their Utah brethren as a vile and wicked practise. They denounce Brigham Young’s Adam-god, and also the doctrine of human sacrifice, yet they accept Joseph Smith as a true prophet, and his “Book of Mormon” as the word of God. True to their convictions, they publish and use the “corrected” scriptures, which defines their god as the author of sin, and man’s knowledge of good as dependent on his knowledge of wickedness. We quote from these “inspired” scriptures:—

“And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” Gen. 4:11.

The blasphemy of this “inspired” verse is apparent, for it teaches that Adam and Eve could not obey the injunction, “Be fruitful, and multiply,” until they had transgressed. Therefore it charges God with giving a command that necessitated evil, and such an indictment accuses him of being the author of sin among men. It is this god of evil that is the counselor and leader of Mormonism in its various branches.

Both factions have implicit faith in the “Book of Mormon,” despite its false prediction that “the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth, and behold, he shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel.” Alma 7:10.

How any one can believe in the divine nature of such a book, and at the same time believe that Joseph Smith was also inspired at the time when he translated Matt. 2:1 as saying that “Jesus was born at Bethlehem of Judea,” is a mystery to us.

This contradiction reminds us of another. The “Book of Mormon” also contains the following prophecy and record of its fulfilment: “In that day he shall suffer death, the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon, and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead.” “And he said unto me . . . that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days.” Helaman 14:20, 27. “And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days.” 3 Nephi 8:23. But unfortunately Joseph Smith was also “inspired” to bear witness to the falsity of the above prediction, and to the untruthfulness of the record of its fulfilment. This he did by translating Mark 15:33 as saying, “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”

“Can Pick out Elders”

None the less damaging to Mormonism than these “inspired” predictions and their “inspired” refutations is the following proud boast made by Prophet Brigham Young, who spoke with “divine authority,” and whose words were “as the words of God:”—

“I have, many a time, in this stand dared the world to produce as mean devils as we can. We can beat them at anything. We have the greatest and smoothest liars in the world, cunningest and most adroit thieves, and any other shade of character that you can mention. We can pick out elders in Israel right here who can beat the world at gambling, who can handle the cards, can cut and shuffle them with the smoothest rogue on God’s footstool. I can produce elders here who can shave their smartest shavers, and take their money from them. We can beat the world at any game. We can beat them because we have men here that live in the light of the Lord; that have the holy priesthood, and hold the keys of the kingdom of God.”—“Deseret News,” Vol. VI, 291; “Journal of Discourses,” Vol. IV, page 77.

No man in the Mormon Church was better qualified than Brigham Young to know whether that church harbored such characters, and he bears positive witness that it did. We do not deny the truthfulness of his statement, but we protest against the impious assertion that Mormon elders can beat the world at lying, thieving, and gambling “because” they “live in the light of the Lord,” “and hold the keys of the kingdom of God.” Such an assertion is a dishonor to the divine Being. It is a proof that Mormonism is not of Christ, who said, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity,” and who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil.” We hold him up as a contrast to all false teachers. He is our personal Saviour,” able also to

save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” But this Holy One is denied, and this precious truth is set at naught, by Mormonism, which teaches:—

“It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall of those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit. . . . There are sins that can be atoned for by an offering upon an altar, as in ancient days; and there are sins that the blood of a lamb, a calf, or turtle-dove can not remit, but they must be atoned for by the blood of man.”—Brigham Young, in “Journal of Discourses,” Vol. IV, pages 53, 54.

“My Bowie-Knife”

Unlike the preceding quotation, the following one has no bearing on the infamous doctrine of human sacrifice. The threats it contains to murder were made against apostates, not because the Mormons loved these neighbors as themselves; not because it was “necessary to spill their blood on the earth in order that they might be saved,” but to wreak out vengeance on a few men and women who were denouncing the evil doctrines of Mormonism.

Some Mormon writers have tried to excuse these threats and the viciousness they reveal, by saying that they were directed against mobs that had threatened them with destruction. But the dishonesty of such a subterfuge is only equaled by some of their officially published falsehoods about the practise of polygamy. The whole sermon was a tirade against a few apostates who dared to stand on the street corner of a Mormon town, and revile the doctrines and practises of Mormonism!

To excite contempt for these apostates, the “prophet” related a dream in which he saw two ruffians insult one of his many wives, and heard these apostates extol them for their villainy. Then the “man of God” incidentally tells how, in his dream, he fought the ruffians with his big bowie-knife, and “cut one of their throats from ear to ear, saying, ‘Go to hell across lots.’” The other he “seized by the hair of the head, and bringing him down, cut his throat, and sent him after his comrade.” “At this,” says the “prophet,” “I awoke” (and we should think he would awake). Immediately after relating this dream, Brigham Young exclaimed: “I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will unsheath my bowie-knife and conquer or die. [Great commotion in the congregation, and a simultaneous burst of feeling, assenting to the declaration.] Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be put to the line, and righteousness to the plummet. [Voices, generally, ‘Go it, go it!’] If you say it is right, raise your hands. [All hands up.] Let us call upon the Lord to assist us in this, and every good work. . . . We are on the Lord’s side, and we have the tools to work with.”—“Journal of Discourses,” Vol. I, pages 83, 84.

These threats are in harmony with the teachings and whole spirit of Mormonism, but they are not in harmony with the meek and lowly Jesus. They are the logical outcome of the doctrine of human sacrifice; for if it is right to murder a man, “in order that he may be saved,” why would it not be right to murder an apostate? Such were the teachings of the Mormon leaders, and all their people said, “Go it, go it!”

It is not necessary to give further proof that Mormonism is not Christian in any sense of the word. Its blood atonement finds its counterpart in the human sacrifices offered to Moloch: its Adam-god theory is akin to ancient ancestor-worship among the Egyptians, and to the worship of Nimrod by the Assyrians. Its work for the dead is not only antagonistic to the Scriptures, but savors of ancient sorcery; and it denies the divinity of Christ, asserting that “he was not begotten of the Holy Ghost,” but born of human parents.

Asheville, N. C.