Collisions
To Test or Not to Test
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1, KJV
Dallin H. Oaks taught young Mormon couples how to address faith challenging questions. He said, “I suggest that research is not the answer” (Dallin H Oaks. “President Oaks Advice to Young Married Couples on how to Tackle Faith Threatening Questions”, Chicago: Church News, 2019). Testing every spirit demands that we compare the direction given by John and Oaks. If one or both are apostles, would it follow that their messages would align?
Should one or both men be true apostles, testing will prove their faithfulness. If one is a fraud, testing will reveal the deception and lies. We must also examine the theological conflict between Brigham Young and Oaks.
John might be right while Oaks is in error. Or, Oaks may be correct while John is mistaken. Or, they may both be wrong together. Likewise, Oaks may be correct while Brigham Young is in error or vice versa. Since they teach contrary principles, they cannot all be prophets and apostles of God.
Pause and Ponder
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
If God does not author confusion, how do you explain the conflict between John, Brigham Young and Dallin H. Oaks?
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls discovery spanned a decade beginning in 1946. Archaeologists found them in the Qumran Caves near the northern shore of the Dead Sea. They included every Old Testament book except Esther. Centuries of degradation had fragmented some scrolls. Others were more complete. Most notable was the Great Isaiah Scroll, which remained virtually intact.
A sect of pious Jews left the greater community because of corrupted temple worship. This community’s origins date back to the third century B.C. It continued to thrive until A.D. 70, when the Roman general, Titus, invaded Israel.
The Dead Sea Scrolls date back several centuries before the birth of Christ. They remained in use until well after His crucifixion. So, they were in use during the lifetime of Jesus. They are a faithful representation of the scriptures mentioned in the Book of Mormon. According to Joseph Smith, these records contained “the fulness of the gospel” (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 13:24).
The Dead Sea Scrolls presented a fascinating opportunity for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Variations between these scrolls and modern Bibles would support claims of corruption. Such corruption would shatter the Christian belief in the Bible’s authority.
Much was at stake. An examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls promised to prove the faithfulness of Christianity or Mormonism. There would be one clear winner and an undisputed loser. The world held its collective breath while biblical experts did their painstaking work.
Dr. Patrick Zukeran wrote, “The Dead Sea Scrolls play a crucial role in assessing the accurate preservation of the Old Testament. With its hundreds of manuscripts from every book except Esther, detailed comparisons can be made with more recent texts.” Zukeran continued, “After years of careful study, it has been concluded that the Dead Sea Scrolls give substantial confirmation that our Old Testament has been accurately preserved. The scrolls were found to be almost identical with the Masoretic text”(Zukeran, Patrick Dr. The Dead Sea Scrolls Shed Light on the Accuracy of our Bible. 2006. url: https://probe.org/the-dead-sea-scrolls/).
The Mormon church’s search for biblical corruption proved fruitless. Instead, the research verified a preserved biblical text. As these facts came to light, Mormon leaders rushed to build a bulwark of damage control.
Each Bible published by the Mormon church includes an attached Bible Dictionary. In a section entitled “Bible,” we read, “The Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which are believed to be as early as the 2nd century B.C., give evidence that the Old Testament text was corrupted at least by that time.”
The Book of Mormon, in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, did not stand. Mormonism claims that the Old Testament text in Jesus’ lifetime contained the gospel in purity. The Bible Dictionary rejects Mormon claims and insists biblical corruption occurred centuries earlier. The Dead Sea Scrolls match modern Bible translations. This fact establishes that no biblical changes occurred between 300 B.C. and today.
My dear LDS family, friends, and neighbors. John urged us to test every spirit to protect ourselves from false prophets (1 John 4:1). And, so we have.
Pause and Ponder
In this chapter, we have tested the spirit of the Book of Mormon and discovered troubling facts.
- Since the Book of Mormon and Bible Dictionary cannot be true together, which one will you believe?
- If the Bible Dictionary is true, is Joseph Smith a false prophet and the Book of Mormon false scripture?
The Mormon prophet Moroni instructed you to test the Book of Mormon in another way. He directed you to pray about it “with a sincere heart, with real intent”(Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4-5). He promised the truth would be manifest if you followed his direction. Mormon scripture states, “I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right”(Doctrine and Covenants, 9:8). A strong feeling and an emotional reaction are the means by which the Mormon people seek truth. They call this the burning in your bosom.
In a contrary voice, the Bible warns against trusting only the feelings of our hearts.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9, KJV
13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15, KJV
Pause and Ponder
The Burning Bosom
- If the heart is wicked, how can you trust your eternity to it alone?
- Have you applied the biblical standards of testing to your prophets and apostles?
- Is it possible that false prophets or Satan, masquerading as an angel of light caused your bosom to burn? And if not, why not?
Test the Author
Doubts and Lingering Discomfort
As our discussion wound down, I tried to judge the collective mood of my seven young friends. They struggled with realities that challenged all they believed. They were unwilling or unable to answer my questions, and it shook them visibly. Powerful emotions churned inside their young hearts. They tried to hide it, but their eyes revealed enough. Grasping for something, anything at all, they found nothing.
These young Mormons wore troubled expressions and resisted looking me in the eye. Their faces failed to conceal what they could not fully mask. Good, I thought. Questions without answers pressed down on them.
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