Myth of Mormon Inspiration

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The Myth of Mormon

Inspiration

Written By

BRODIE CROUCH

Copyright 1968

By Gussie Lambert

Published By

LAMBERT'S BOOK HOUSE

Box 4007

Shreveport, Louisiana 71104


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DEDICATION

To my wife, Ruth, and my children Glenn,

Frances, and Vickie, whose devotion and un-derstanding have made possible the time inwhich such a book as this one might be

produced, this volume is affectionatelydedicated.


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AcknowledgementsThe author is deeply indebted to many persons for assistance,

suggestions, and materials used in the preparation of this volume.I wish to express sincerest thanks to the librarians and other

personnel at the Newberry Library and Chicago Historical Society

Library in Chicago, and to those of the Garrett Biblical Institute

Library in Evanston, Illinois. They were most helpful on many

occasions. The Chicago Historical Society Library provided me with

microfilms of the Messenger and Advocates published by the Mor-

mons during the Kirtland, Ohio, period. The Garrett Biblical Insti-

tute Library allowed me to have their fine set of the Times and

Seasons microfilmed.

I am most happy to acknowledge permission granted by Little,

Brown, and Company of Boston for the use of brief quotations from

the copyrighted work of John Henry Wigmore on Evidence, an

authoritative work in the field of legal evidence. I am grateful to

the American Sunday School Union of Philadelphia for permission

granted to use quotations from George Barton's Archaeology AndThe Bible, and to Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc., of New York for

similarly granting permission for the use of brief quotations from

Isn't One Wife Enough?by Dr. Kimball Young.

Dr. James D. Bales, of Harding College, Searcy, Arkansas, also

rendered valuable aid in assisting with the securing of some ma-

terials and by reading and making suggestions for the improvement

of the manuscript. Some quotations from his work in the field ofMormonism contribute significantly to the value of this work.

Thomas F. Preshaw, of Portland, Oregon, made a number of

valuable materials available to me, and once drove three hundred

miles out of his way to be of assistance to me. Denton M. Neal, of

East Riverdale, Maryland, assisted me by doing some research in

the Library of Congress which I was unable to attend to personally.

To each of these, and many others, the author is indebted. He

trusts that the work will justify the effort going into it, and that it

will result in helping to uphold the truth of God, and give to man-

kind a greater faith in the Book of all books.

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Table of ContentsPage

DEDICATION ..............................................................................................1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................3

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................5

Chapter One: Statement of the Issue .......................................................... 13

Chapter Two: The Inspiration of the Bible ................................................26

Chapter Three: Mormon Inspiration ..........................................................60

Chapter Four: Direct Revelation From God Unnecessary Today...............84

Chapter Five: Revelation Vs. Revelation ...................................................97

Chapter Six: Prophecies of Joseph Smith on Which Mormons

Rely .................................................................................................... 133

Chapter Seven: Prophecies of Joseph Smith Which Were Not

Fulfilled .............................................................................................. 161

Chapter Eight: "Zion" And Mormon Inspiration ................................. 183

Chapter Nine: Skotching the Wagon ........................................................208

Chapter Ten: Polygamy An "Ideal" .....................................................217

Chapter Eleven Divine Inspiration Could Have Helped .................... 226

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 242

APPENDIX: A Catalog of Changes in the Book of Mormon

Since the First Edition ........................................................................248

BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................... 269

INDEX......................................................................................................276


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IntroductionNo apology is needed for presenting to the public a volume deal-

ing with the inspiration which has produced the writings and reve-

lations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It isclaimed that these works are the result of divine inspiration.Though the orgin, history, an doctrines of the Mormons have servedas basis for thousands of volumes during the past century, theinspiration of Mormonism has been all too frequently neglected inthe works of refutation.

The Mormon system is an intricate one. It is filled with com-plexities which make it difficult for those who have studied thesystem but a short time to arrive at conclusions which are fair to

both the Mormons and truth. It is a system which poses as the onlytrue religion of Jesus Christ, and is therefore in direct conflict withacceptance of the Bible as God's complete revelation to mankind forthis dispensation. It deserves a candid and critical examination. Ifits claims be true, all sincere searchers for truth should accept itsteachingsIf they are not true, they should be rejected. This facthas been clearly stated by Orson Pratt, one of the original twelveMormon apostles, with regard to the teachings of the Book of

Mormon:"The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon is such,that if true, no one can possibly be saved and reject it; if false,no one can possibly be saved and recieve it. Therefore, everysoul in all the world is equally interested in ascertaining itstruth or falsity."1

Pratt continued on to assert that an examination should be madeto determine whether the Book of Mormon was from God or frommen. This invitation to investigate critically constituted a chal-lenge to the public which has been many times accepted. Investiga-

tion of the Book of Mormon has been considered by most opponentsof the system to be the primary target of vulnerability in the sys-tem, the Book of Mormon itself being considered the foundation ofthe Mormon system.

Actually the Book of Mormon does not constitute the Alpha andOmega of Mormonism. It does, however, play a vital part in thefaith of all Mormons, and defenders of truth must not relax theirefforts to expose as false its claim to be a collection of Holy Scrip-tures brought forth from the ground. Nevertheless, a proper under-

standing of the place of the Book of Mormon in the Mormon's

1Orson Pratt, A Series Of Pamphlets, R. James, Liverpool, 1851, "DivineAuthenticity Of The Book Of Mormon," p. 1.

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6 THE MYTH OF MORMON INSPIRATION

conception of inspiration helps to explain why refutations of theMormon system, many of which have been scholarly and abun-dantly documented, have failed to shake the faith of the majority ofLatter-day Saints.

The theocratic system of Mormonism does not rest solely, or evenprimarily, upon the Book of Mormon. Instead, it rests upon a seriesof supposed events and an accepted hierarchy, or "priesthood," theauthority of which may well be summed up with the term "con-tinued revelation," or inspiration. Basically it involves several

points:

1. That God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son appeared toJoseph Smith. Jr., in 1820 when he was fifteen years of age,2 for-

bade him to join any of the religious sects of the day, and set thestage for later appearances of divine personages by whom JosephSmith, Jr., was established as a latter-day prophet with divineauthority. If Smith possessed such authority, he had the authorityto speak and teach with God's approval and with legions of angelsto back his commands and uphold his actions. No more could besaid for the writers of the Bible. So long as Joseph Smith, Jr., isthus considered a prophet of God, logical exposure of the falseclaims of the Book of Mormon will not shake the faith of many

staunch Mormons. They will merely continue to hold to their faithin the prophet, with the conviction that his enemies are persecutinghim, and with the belief that he knew more than all his enemiescombined with regard to the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon.

The importance of the position claimed for Joseph Smith in theMormon system is recognized by Latter-day Saint writers. OrsonPratt wrote that if God did not send Joseph Smith, "this churchcannot be the church of God, and the tens of thousands who have

been baptized into this church are yet in their sins."

3

A more recent apostle of the Mormon faith, James E. Talmage,

recognized the importance of Smith's claimed divine calling to thesustaining of Mormonism itself, and admitted the superstructurecould not be stable if the claim be false.4 Therefore it is obviousthat the foundation of the Mormon system is not the Book ofMormon, but the claimed divine ordination of Smith by heavenly

personages.

2. Second in importance to the claim that Joseph Smith, Jr., was

2Pearl Of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:17-20.3Pratt, Op.Cit., "Divine Authority," p. 2.4James E. Talmage, Articles Of Faith, Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-

day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1952, pp. 7, 8.


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INTRODUCTION 7

established by divine personages as an authoritative prophet of Godupon earth is the claim that God intended the miracles of inspira-tion and revelation to continue until the end of the world as ameans of guiding God's faithful in paths of righteousness and truth.

The Mormon prophet himself preached at the Nauvoo Temple Jan-uary 22, 1843 and affirmed that the "rock" of Matthew 16:18 therock upon which Christ promised to build his church wasrevelation.5

Early Mormon writers, as Orson Spencer, declared:

". . . no person ever did partake of the gospel of salvation,or ever will partake of it, without the spirit of revelation dwell-ing in his breast. This is the first and also the last round in theladder that leads to a perfect knowledge of God. Without the

same spirit of revelation that dwelt in the breasts of prophets,patriarchs, and apostles in ancient time, no man can begin toknow God, neither can any man or set of men make any

progress in the knowledge of God, when that spirit is with-drawn from him.6

All understanding of the scriptures, all progress in the knowl-edge of God, and all spiritual blessings were made contingent uponone's possessing the same kind of "spirit of revelation" which theinspired men of biblical times possessed. This concept of continuedrevelation has been so enlarged upon by Mormons since the early

days that it now means not only the divine power of inspirationnecessary to bring forth new messages from God, but also the powerto put new meanings into scriptures already in existence. Writingin The Improvement Era concerning the Doctrine And Covenants,A. C. Lambert declared that the concept of continuous revelationwhich had been early established and clearly taught in the Doctrineand Covenants was significant. He affirmed that this principle maymean the expansion of meanings and applications of scripture aswell as the adding of new units of scripture.7

Fortified with this concept of a power of divine guidance inspir-ing the leaders of the church, the faithful Mormon will not easily

be moved from his conviction that the Book of Mormon is an an-cient record divinely preserved for his benefit. He is assured by"inspired" men that it is the word of God divinely preserved, andit is the charge of uninspired men, or men less inspired, that it isspurious and false.

5Joseph Smith, Jr., History Of The Church, Vol. V., Deseret Book Co., SaltLake City, Utah, 1958, p. 258.

6Orson Spencer, Letters Exhibiting The Most Prominent Doctrines Of TheChurch Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, George Q. Cannon & Sons, SaltLake City, 1891, p. 34.

7A. C. Lambert, "The Book Of Doctrine And Covenants," Improvement Era,October, 1951, Vol. 54, p. 734.


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Upon the basis of these considerations, the "inspiration" back ofthe Mormon revelations and scriptures which have been produced

by Joseph Smith, Jr., assume gigantic proportions. If he was or-dained of God as a prophet, and if he did possess the power of

divine revelation and inspiration, the writings which he producedas the revelations and testimony of God must bear the marks ofinspiration. They may be subjected to the same kind of criticalexamination to which the works of the biblical writers have beensubjected through the centuries. Moreover, as Orson Pratt issued achallenge to the early opponents of Mormonism to examine theBook of Mormon, so have more recent writers from the ranks ofthe Mormon priesthood issued the same honorable invitation to thesearching-public to apply the acid test of examination to the life and

writings of Joseph Smith, Jr. In 1949, Joseph F. Merrill, of theCouncil of the Twelve, speaking in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City,declared that an honest investigation of the life of Joseph Smith,Jr., from the time of his birth to his death would justify any honest

person in saying that he was at least a marvelous man. However,Merrill continues and affirms that in his own opinion every intelli-gent and honest person ought to feel justified, in the light of Smith'sclaims, to go into a careful study of the Mormon prophet.8

Even if Apostle Merrill had not issued this invitation to investi-gate the life and works of Joseph Smith, Jr., the claims made bySmith and by his followers for him and his claimed revelations war-rant such an examination. The Book of Mormon has already re-ceived extensive consideration by other writers, and has therefore

been only an incidental consideration in this work. Though the onehundred thirty six revelations and the manifesto which make up the

book ofDoctrine and Covenants have been at all times the primaryobject under scrutiny as we have endeavored to examine the in-

spiration which produced them, the very nature of the origin ofMormonism has made it necessary that the claimed vision of 1820be given prominent treatment. It has been necessary to frequentlyrefer to many other Mormon and non-Mormon writings, since anycareful examination of the Doctrine and Covenants must cover theentire range of the origin of Mormon authority and therefore Mor-monism itself. It must be borne in mind, however, that Mormons

believe that every individual is in possession of individual "revela-tion," the spirit of which will guide him into that knowledge and

accuracy necessary for his part of God's work to be carried out. Wetherefore freely admit that many of the Mormon writings quoted

8Joseph F. Merrill, "Freedom Or Monopolistic Domination By SelfishGroups,"Improvement Era,November 1949, Vol. 52, p. 709.


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INTRODUCTION 9

from and referred to are not considered official boohs of Mormonism,but they do serve to show where Mormon "inspiration" has ledcertain faithful Mormons, and therefore serve to explode the con-cept that all good Mormons must have divine guidance of the same

kind which motivated and guided the biblical writers. If it be divineinspiration, the least we can expect of it is that it should lead the

person inspired to speak or write with accuracy.Any endeavor to delve into the concept of Mormon inspiration

brings one into contact with the volumes innumerable which havebeen written both in defense of Mormonism and in efforts to refuteit. Many authors are found to have been careless in their handlingof data, and some have reached conclusions too quickly which havelater served to discredit their works in the judgment of Mormons.Alexander Campbell was one of the first to render a scholarlyreview of the system, and his review was widely circulated. Heconcluded at first that Joseph Smith was the "sole author and pro-

prietor"9 of the Book of Mormon, but he later came to the conclu-sion that Eber D. Howe was correct in maintaining that SidneyRigdon had played an important role in bringing forth the work.

10

Mormon writers still seek to discredit all of Campbell's review bypointing to his change in view concerning its authorship.11

Many errors similarly found their way into the early refutationsof the Mormon system, and were in turn employed by others inopposing Mormonism. These, too, have been employed to advantage

by Mormon writers to make it appear that they have been opposedonly through prejudice, and without just cause. Dr. Wilhelm Wylcites the unfortunate incident of the false statement circulatedrelative to the contents of the ill-fatedNauvoo Expositor:

"There is scarcely any history of Mormonism without thefollowing statement: 'The first issue (June 7th, 1844) contained

the statement of sixteen women, that Joseph Smith or otherMormon leaders had attempted to seduce them under the pleaof heavenly permission to do so.' "12

As Dr. Wyl correctly points out, the single issue of the Expositordid not contain such affidavits, and contained but three affidavits inall, with the promise that more could and would be supplied. This

9Alexander Campbell, "Delusions," TheMillenial Harbinger, Vol. II, p. 93.10Alexander Campbell, "Mormonism Unveiled," The Millenial Harbinger,

Vol. VI, p. 44.11Francis W. Kirkham, A New Witness For Christ In America, Vol. II,

Zion's Printing and Publishing Co., Independence, Mo., 1951, pp. 101-109; 221;336, 337; Brigham H. Roberts, New Witnesses For God, Vol. III, Deseret News,Salt Lake City, Utah, 1951, pp. 347-354.

12Dr. Wilhelm Wyl, Mormon Portraits Or The Truth About Mormon LeadersFrom 1830 To 1886, Tribune Printing And Publishing Co., Salt Lake City,Utah, 1886, pp. 149, 150.


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early claim, however, found its way into wide circulation, and wasstill in use in 1884 when Clark Braden employed it in the Braden-Kelley Debate.13

Another factor which renders care necessary in dealing with the

vast amount of literature dealing with the Mormon system has beenthe attitude of Mormons in particular toward those who have be-come disillusioned and disappointed by the system and later left itto tell their story. Mormons have rejected their testimony almostin full, and even among scholarly modern writers one still finds thetendency to refer to apostates as comparable to political traitors.14

Actually, a man's right to testify against a religious system whichhas disillusioned him is one of the priceless heritages of the Ameri-can system of life, and of right even if it were denied him legally.The truthfulness or untruthfulness of what he testifies must bedetermined by facts, not by slurs and innuendo.

The author has endeavored to maintain throughout a mannerand disposition entirely fair and honorable. Though convinced be-fore undertaking it that the Mormon system is erroneous and itsclaims of divine inspiration false, he has nevertheless likened hiswork to that of an honest district or states attorney whose job itwas to present fairly the conclusive evidence at his command. He

has refrained from making use of many facts known to exist simplybecause some of the writings of those bearing the testimony areknown to be erroneous and because it is felt that this work will bethe more useful if substantiated by facts and knowledge which isadmitted by Mormon authorities. Though this may and does lead toa somewhat warped concept of the origin of Mormonism in somedetails where only a historical record is the objective, it butstrengthens the case against the claim for divine inspiration madefor the writings of Joseph Smith and other Mormon prophets.

We fully agree with Nephi Lowell Morris that the claims ofSmith as a prophet of God have been set up before the public longenough that the proper verdict of time can now be fairlydetermined.15

We disagree as completely with Hugh Ireland, editor of theLiahona The Elders' Journal, in his editorial of August 6, 1918,when he asserted:

"In the ninety eight years that have elapsed since God the

13Clark Braden & E. L. Kelley, Braden-Kelley Debate, Old Paths Book Club,Rosemead, California, 1955, p. 87.

14Kimball Young, Isn't One Wife Enough?, Henry Holt & Co., New York,N.Y., 1954, p. 3.

15Nephi Lowell Morris, Prophecies Of Joseph Smith And Their Fulfillment,Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, 1920, Preface, p. iii.


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INTRODUCTION 11

Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to the boyJoseph Smith, in answer to his earnest prayer for light andguidance, no man has ever given a satisfactory reason for dis-

believing that such a revelation was given to him. In all thoseyears no one has ever advanced a sufficient reason why hisclaims to Divine revelation and authority should be rejected."16

It is not our purpose to set forth the first "sufficient reason" whythe claims of Smith should be rejected, but we do believe that withthe added advantage of the test of time and modern opportunitiesof research, it is now possible to do such a job with fewer errorsand greater force than was true in many earlier attempts.

In attempting to expose the revelations of Mormonism as but thewritings of men not divinely inspired, we have but the highest re-

gard for and the profoundest faith in the Bible as God's divinelyinspired will to mankind. We stedfastly maintain that the churchof Christ described in the New Testament, promised by Jesus beforehis death17 and frequently alluded to in the scriptures thereafter asa reality,18 is the body of Christ, his church, and will be eternallysaved by him if faithful in his service. We cannot agree withwriters such as J. H. Beadle who imply that the origin of Mormon-ism can supply rules by which the origin of other religions may be

judged19 unless the "other religions" under consideration are also

of human origin and without divine sanction. We cannot agree withwriters such as George Arbaugh that the efforts of Alexander Camp-

bell and others to return to primitive Christianity was but an ex-pounding of the theology of John Locke,20 but we are not set for thedefense of Campbell or any other man save to the extent they ad-vance only the teachings of the word of God.

We fully concur with Elder Orson F. Whitney, in a discoursedelivered April 19, 1885 in the Tabernacle at Salt Lake City:

". . . and there can be, in the very nature of things, only one

true plan of eternal life, for if there were two they must neces-sarily differ, since no two things can be exactly alike, and if oneof these two things is perfect, that which differs from it must

be imperfect. Of a necessityGod is the author of perfection;His works are not deficient in any respect; and what He ordainsfor the salvation of man is the only way for man to be saved."21

Believing this to be true, there can be no harmony between the

16Hugh Ireland, "Editorial,"Liahona The Elders' Journal, Vol. 16, p. 922.17Matthew 16:18.18Acts 2:47; 8:1; Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:23.19J. H. Beadle, Polygamy, Or The Mysteries And Crimes Of Mormonism,

Cincinnati Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1882, p. 18.20George Bartholomew Arbaugh, Revelation In Mormonism, University of

Chicago Press, Chicago, 111., 1932, p. 217.21Liahona The Elders' Journal, Vol. 15, p. 147.


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concept that the Bible is God's authoritative word to mankind andJoseph Smith's assertion that he wanted the liberty of thinking and

believing as he pleased since erring in doctrine did not prove a manto be not a good man.22 We challenge the claim he made in declar-

ing that there was no error in the revelations which he had taught.23We courteously accept the challenge which he issued to the worldin a letter to James Arlington Bennett, dated November 13, 1843,

but appearing; in the Times And Seasons bearing the earlier date ofNovember 1, 1843:

"The boldness of my plans and measures can readily betested by the touchstone of all schemes, systems, projects, andadventures truth; for truth is a matter of fact.''

24

Though Smith penned these words in defense of his claim to hav-ing translated the Book of Mormon from metal plates divinely pre-served, his is a "challenge to apply the test of truth to his "plans andmeasures." To do so is but to reveal that his "schemes, systems,

projects, and adventures" will not stand the touchstone of truth,and in falling reveal the absence of God's divine inspiration in theirorigin.

22Smith, Op. Cit, Vol. V, p. 340.23Ibid., Vol. VI, p. 366.24Times And Seasons, Vol. 4, pp. 372, 373, November 1, 1843. See also

History of the Church, Vol. VI, p. 74.


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CHAPTER ONE

Statement of the IssueIt is recognized by all Bible believers that there must be divineauthority for all we do in religion. No man or group of men havethe right to bind their views, opinions, or practices upon the faithof others unless divinelyauthorized by the great Creator of theuniverse. Unless God has spoken to mankind, man has no right toact in His Name, or to make promises of a spiritual or eternalnature. No church has the right to abrogate to itself the right tocontrol the lives of men, determine morals, nor to pretend to berepresentative of God upon earth. All these are the prerogative ofGod, and must be left to His direction and control.

This necessity for divine authority in religious matters has beenabundantly recognized by Mormon teachers and writers. ApostleJames E. Talmage wrote:

"Now, in this day of whirl and swirl, when things are incommotion, and men's hearts are failing them, is there no sureanchorage for our individual barks? Is there no haven of safetyto the great ocean of unrest? Thank God, we find it in HisWord; for all that the Lord has foretold shall come to passliterally and in fulness. To regulate the things of God, to ad-minister in the ordinances of heaven, requires a power higherthan that any man can originate or abrogate to himself. I doubtif any man would challenge me to serious debate upon that

proposition."1

Though many of us would take issue with Mr. Talmage on someof the details in his proposition when it comes to the application ofthem, basically he has declared a biblical truth in affirming thatthere must be divine authority to "administer the ordinances of

heaven." Apostle Talmage made his statement in efforts to refutethe claim of he Reorganized Church of the Latter-day Saints thatit had been necessary to "reorganize" things divine. What he sayswith regard to the reorganized Church is equally true of the UtahChurch or any church. Man has no right to assume for himselfreligious authority. Only where God has authorized it do men havethe right to function in religious matters with God's approval. To dootherwise is to incur the displeasure of God while acting upon theauthority of men not divinely inspired. These basic facts are recog-nized by all who recognize the Bible to be God's authoritative word.

1James E. Talmage, "God's Word And Authority The Only Sure Anchor-age,"Liahona The Elders' Journal, Vol. 16, p. 1359.

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The question involved is: what constitutes divine authority in reli-gion, and in what manner does such authority come to us?

It is a basic tenet of doctrine with Latter-day Saints that divineauthority essential. in religious matters. They have contended for

more than a century that all other religious groups are wrong be-cause they do not have the authoritative priesthood which theMormons contend was restored through Joseph Smith. They claimthat only they have the authority to baptize to offer the assuranceof forgiveness of sins to baptized believers, or to observe the com-munion instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ.2 This claim is basedupon their claim that the authority of the priesthood was restored

by the laying on of the hands of John the Baptist upon JosephSmith and Oliver Cowdery, May 15, 1829.3 It is to be noted thatApostle Talmage affirmed that the "haven of safety" in the "oceanof unrest" is found in the word of God. Herein lies the primary dis-tinction between Mormon teaching and Bible teaching. Mormons donot actually believe that divine authority comes to us through theword of G o d a n d i n no other way, but contend that it must behanded down from one person to another through a direct layingon of hands. They thus create an authoritative priesthood separateand apart from all authority coming to us through God's word.

1.In What Ways Could Divine Authority Come To Us?(a). Directly. For man to have revelation and instruction fromGod, it is essential that at some time God must have directly re-vealed His will to man. God is a spirit,4 man is physical.. Had Godnot revealed His will to mankind directly at some time. it; would beimpossible for His will to be made known to us in either of theother ways in which divine authority can come to us. In disagreeingwith the doctrines and practices of the Latter-day Saints it is notthe intention of this writer to take issue with their conviction that

God has in time past spoken to mankind. God spoke in earlier dis-pensations through the prophets, and he speaks to us in thisChristian age through His Son, Jesus Christ.5

The Old Testament is filled with incidents and records of God'sspeaking directly to particular individuals and nations at sundrytimes. The Old Testament looks forward to the coming of Christ,foretells his advent into the world and sets forth certain incidentalswith regard to his coming which makes it possible to know with

2James E. Talmage, Articles Of Faith, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1952, pp. 174, 207; Matthew 28:18-20;26:26-29.

3Doctrine and Covenants 13.4John 4: 24.5Hebrews 1:1, 2.


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STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE 15

certainty the t r u t h that he was the prophet foretold. He was to behorn of the descendants of Abraham,6 of the tribe of Judah.7 andwould be a prophet like unto Moses.'' These prophecies were ful-filled in the coming of Christ, and it was he of whom Jehovah said

to Moses:"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,

like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and heshall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And itshall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto mywords which he shall speak in my name, I will require it ofhim."9

Mormons recognize that God has spoken to mankind throughChrist, and that Christ is the savior of mankind. Despite the claims

that have been made for Joseph Smith, thus far sincere Mormonshave not made the claim that he has replaced Christ, though someof the claims, made for him in effect nullify the position of Christ.Apostle Talmage. in the appendix to The Articles of Faith, quotesCassell's Bible Dictionary concerning Christ as "The AnnointedOne,"10 and cites the teaching of President John Taylor concerningChrist as "The Author of Our Salvation."11

The point of issue, therefore, in this study is not whether Godhas revealed His will to mankind directly, but whether God still

continues to so reveal His will to men today directly as is claimedby the Latter-day Saints. Ours is not an effort to destroy the faithof men that God has spoken His will to mankind, for that He has isa definite declaration of scripture. But has that will been declaredonce for all to mankind, or does God continue to speak throughinspired men today? Careful analysis of the claimed revelations andinspired works of Mormon writers will prove them to be the productof ordinary inspiration, rather than by the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit which motivated the biblical writers and guided them in their

work.(b). Divine revelation could come to mankind through teaching

some men and supplying them with confirming evidence that theymay teach others. This is sometimes spoken of as mediated revela-tion in contrast with immediate or direct revelation. God has in boththe Old and the New Testaments employed this method of supplyingauthority for men to do His will. Moses was given authority to leadthe Israelites out of Egypt, and God supplied him with the miracu-

6Genesis 12:1-3.7Genesis 49:10.8Deuteronomy 18:18. 19.9Ibid., Acts 3:22. 23; 7:37.

10Talmage, Op. Cit., p. 516.11Ibid., p. 477.


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lous power to convert his rod into a serpent,12 and later the powerto bring ten plagues upon Egypt13 that Pharaoh might recognizehim as a spokesman for God and allow the people to go forth. Danielwas empowered to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar,14 God

thereby confirming Daniel as a servant of God to the king.The personal ministry of Jesus upon earth served this same pur-

pose. By the miracles and signs and_ wonders performed by himwhile upon earth he was shown to be the Son of God.15 The apostlesand other disciples who were taught by him therefore recognizedthat his teaching constituted the will of God. His claim to possessall authority, or all power, in heaven and on earth was recognized

by the apostles to be a legitimate claim, and they never entertaineddoubt thereafter but that such authority belonged to him. His com-

mand to them to "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel toevery creature"16 gave to them a delegated authority to go forth and

preach in his name. Those" to whom the apostles and' Other disciplescame in their teaching did not receive the word, or revelation, ofGod directly as the apostles had, but they received God's will andmessage nonetheless. They received it from men who had receivedit directly, and it was confirmed to them by the performance ofsigns and miracles in such a manner as to remove all reasonabledoubt but that the message they were accepting came to them fromGod.17

Mormon writers and teachers agree that Christ did commissionhis apostles and send them forth to proclaim his word to the nationsof earth. There is therefore no issue involved in this study as towhether Christ did establish his church and by sending forth in-spired men to preach the gospel, the seed of the kingdom of God,

18

provide for the perpetuation of the gospel and the kingdom, whichis the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.19 The issue involved iswhether Latter-day Saints in these modern times have been com-missioned by the same authority by which the Christians of thefirst century were commissioned, and whether the teachings whichthey advance to the world have been confirmed in the same un-deniable manner in which the teachings of the New Testamentapostles have been confirmed.

(c). Divine revelation can come to mankind through written mes-

12Exodus 4:4.13Exodus 9-12.14Daniel 2:36-45.15Acts 2:22.16Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16.17Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4.18Matthew 13:3-23; Luke 8:11.19Ephesians 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18.


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sages adequately confirmed to be of divine origin. It is agreed by allwho admit the Bible to be God's inspired _word that through it Godhas delivered a message to mankind. The hooks of the Bible werewritten by men who were guided by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

and were by that power directed into the fulness of God's truth.20By His power and direction they taught, and by that power theyasserted that their teaching was in the words of God's wisdom andnot in those of man's wisdom.21

It is admitted by all intellectual beings that a message writtendown in terms of understanding contains the same message whichthe same words spoken would contain. The word "scripture" signi-fies anything that is "written." Recognition of the Bible as divine

"scriptures is a recognition that its contents originated with God,and are intended by Him to be accepted as the authoritative wordof God by mankind. Latter-day Saints recognize the Bible to be sucha product of God's inspiration, and therefore to contain words ofintellectual significance intended by God for mankind. MormonApostle James E. Talmage admits that the Latter-day Saints acceptthe Holy Bible as the foremost of standard works of inspirationwhich have been proclaimed as written guides in faith and doctrinefor the church. He further affirms that Latter-day Saints regard the

Bible as do "Christian denominations in general."22 but differ inthat they regard other writing to he scripture, equally as authenticand holy.

Thus the Bible is admitted to be a "written guide in faith anddoctrine." There is therefore no issue between this author andLatter-day Saints as to whether a written message can serve as anagent to bring to us God's authoritative word. The issue lies inwhether it is necessary that God continue to make His will known

to men in the "direct" manner, or by the proclamation of men whohave themselves received "direct" revelation from God.

Mormon teachers are dedicated to the premise that such con-tinuation of the direct manner of revealing God's truth is essentialin order for men to know the will of God. They are dedicated to the

premise that authority received through the Bible to baptize,preach the word, observe the Lord's supper, and other acts ofreligious service actually constitutes no authority at all. It is there-fore significant that Apostle Talmage admits that the Bible doesconstitute a "written guide." and therefore this third avenue by

20John 14:26; 16:13, 14.211 Corinthians 1:20 25; 2:13.22Talmage, Op. Cit.,p. 236.


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which authority can come is recognized by Latter-day Saints as wellas by other Bible believers.

That the basic issue in this study may be more distinctly setForth, let us note the following, stated by Elder Orson F. Whitney,

in a discourse at the eighty seventh semi-annual conference at SaltLake City:

"No book presides over this Church, and no book lies at itsfoundation. You cannot pile up books enough to take the placeof God's Priesthood, inspired by the power of the Holy Ghost.That is the constitution of the Church of Christ. If we usewater instead of wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, itis because Christ has so commanded. Divine revelation adaptsitself to the circumstances and conditions of men, and changeupon change ensues as God's progressive work goes on to its

destiny. There is no book big enough or great enough to presideover this Church.

In saying this I speak with all due reverence of the writtenword of God, that which is printed in the books, part of whichmay be obsolete, having fulfilled its purpose and been laid uponthe shell, while the other part is virile, full of life, and appli-cable to our present state our present degree of development.But even this must be interpreted aright. No man ought tocontend for what is in the books, in the face of God's mouth-

piece, who speaks for Him and interprets His word. To so con-tend is to-defer to the dead letter in preference to the livingoracle, which is always a false position."23

Whitney thus asserts, and Talmage would agree, that the Bibledoes not constitute a "written guide in faith and doctrine" to berecognized and submitted to in all matters religious. The continuedinspiration of the Mormon hierarchy system, or Priesthood, is evermade the medium of divine authority by which all scripture must beinterpreted, or to be cast aside if it conflicts with what is spoken bythe Mormon "living oracle." The issue therefore is whether theMormon inspiration of modern times is divinely authoritative,whether it comes to us with the same undeniable confirmation bywhich the New Testament and the Old Testament have become souniversally accepted as the product of supernatural inspiration. Itis not a question as to whether a written message can carry author-ity for one person to act in the name of another, for that principleis universally recognized "My all mankind. Business managers sendinstructions by letter, cablegram, telegram, or other written meansauthorizing their subordinates to proceed with matters of greatest

importance. Latter-day Saints recognize that the Bible contains God'sword, and they also make for the Book of Mormon the book ofDoctrine and Covenants, and the other authoritative writings of

23Liahona The Elders' Journal, Vol. 14, p. 736.


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the Mormon prophets the claim that they are binding upon us, andthat without them we cannot come to know God perfectly. Hence,they recognize that a written message can carry authority, but theydeny that the Bible does constitute an authoritative and complete

revelation of God's will to us.In the early days of Mormonism the first group of Mormon apos-

tles sent out a letter to all of the churches advising,

"Be careful that you teach not for the word of God the com-mandments of men, nor the doctrines of men, nor the ordi-nances of men, inasmuch as you are God's messengers. Studythe word of God, and preach it and not your opinions, for noman's opinion is worth a straw. Advance no principle but whatyou can prove, for one scripture proof is worth ten thousand

opinions.24

Thus Brigham Young. Heber C. Kimball, John E. Page, WilfordWoodruff, John Taylor, and George A. Smith reveal that in the earlydays of the system Mormon inspired men recognized the weight ofscriptural authority. We fully concur with them in the conclusionthat "one scriptural proof is worth ten thousand opinions." Mor-mons err, therefore, in concluding that we are without divineauthority when we reject the prophecies and claimed revelations ofSmith and other Mormon prophets and simply accept the authorityof God's word the Bible.

2. Characteristic Features of Divine Inspiration.The very nature of this study requires that we have before us a

reasonable conception as to what characteristic features will bepresent when we do have before us works that are divinely inspired.It is possible to set forth some simple characteristics which all be-lievers in "divine inspiration" at any time under any conditionswill agree to be trustworthy in efforts to identify works of divineorigin:

(a). Divine inspiration must be supernatural in origin, and be-fore any work can safely be accepted as divinely inspired it must beconfirmed to be not of ordinary human inspiration. Any writing,

precept, or teaching which can be shown to have originated by manand within the capacity of ordinary human intelligence is recognized

by all to have a human origin and not a divine origin. This principlehas long been recognized by Mormon teachers. Many volumes have

been devoted to efforts to establish that the Book of Mormon andthe claimed revelations of Joseph Smith could not have originated

without the supernatural inspiration of God. Here is the real issue:do the claimed revelations and other Mormon scriptures prove to be

24Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, Deseret News, Salt Lake City,Utah, 1905, Vol. III, pp. 395, 396.


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the work of men divinely inspired, or could they have been pro-duced by men empowered with only ordinary human inspiration?

Mormon authorities recognize that if they were of divine origin,the indication of their supernatural nature will be evident. Speak-

ing of Joseph Smith, Charles W. Penrose, of the first presidency,said:

"Not that he was more than a man, but the tokens of hisinspiration, the truths which he brought forth and the workwhich he accomplished, were above the capacities of any mortalunaided by higher power. His prophetic gifts are proven bythe events of history. His seership was unexcelled in any age.Uneducated, he confounded the learning of the world, and thesystem he brought forth is to unbelievers the unsolved problemof the times."25

Thus Mormon teachers recognize that the. Bible is indeed ofdivine origin, and careful examination confirms that fact. The truthor falsity of Penrose's claims regarding similar evidences of divineinspiration for the "scriptures" resulting from Mormon inspirationconstitutes the issue before us. The evidence should be allowed tospeak for itself.

(b). Works of divine inspiration must be infallibly dependableand freeof error. There can be no harmony between recognizederror and imperfection and divine inspiration. If it be a message

brought from God it will be accurate. It will contain that which is,and "only that which it is God's will that man recieve. Mormonauthor Nephi Lowell Morris admits the force of this conclusionwhen in the Preface to his book, The Prophecies Of Joseph Smithand Their Fulfilment, he cities a quotation from Thomas H. Horneto the effect that "prophecy is a miracle of knowledge," and "con-stitutes the highest evidence that can be given of supernatural com-munion with the Deity, and the truth of a revelation from God."26

We are dealing therefore with that which, if divinely inspired, issuperhuman and divine. It must, therefore, be as accurate and asinfallible as it would be if uttered by the very mouth of JehovahGOD. That which is said regarding prophecy in regard to thingsfuture must be applicable also to those things pertaining to the

present, the past, or even the most distant past if an inspiredspokesman for God sees fit to speak or write concerning them.Should God speak today from the heavens concerning events whichoccurred thousands of years ago, no believer in God doubts but that

He would speak accurately and understandably His words would25Charles W. Penrose, "Why I Am A Mormon," Liahona The Elders' Journal,

Vol. 15, p. 20.26Nephi Lowell Morris. The Prophecies of Joseph Smith and Their Fulfill-

ment, Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, 1920, Preface, p. iv.


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be directed to those for whom they were intended, and would besuch as those for whom the message was intended could intelli-gently and accurately, comprehend. Even the presence of parablesand difficult passages of prophecy in the Bible does not alter this

conclusion since Jesus makes clear that the use of parables was tomake the gospel apparent to those of his disciples while concealingit from his enemies, and prophecies of the Old Testament aredefinitely said to have been intended to be beyond man's under-standing until the time of fulfillment.27 It is noteworthy, however,that in the case or biblical prophets and inspired men we do notsee the prophets of one generation explaining a prophecy one wayand in another generation in a different way. They simply did notunderstand until the time of understanding arrived. It naturallyfollows that there can be no surer exposure of a claimed "inspired"spokesman for God than to show that he has erred in that which hehas stated.

The recognition of this principle has been one of the greatestforces in obtaining for the Bible the nearly-universal recognition ithas come to enjoy as an expression of God's will to man. The

puerile attempts of skeptics and unbelievers to discredit it havebeen more than offset by the ever-increasing evidence of the ac-

curacy of its records and prophetic declarations which continue tobe uncovered by the passing years and archaeological research. Hadevidence been discovered that the biblical writers erred by em-

ploying the pseudo-scientific concepts of their day. or by errone-ously recording the facts of history with which they dealt in

periods when the gathering of data was extremely difficult, the Biblewould have been rejected as a work of divine origin long ago.

(c). Any work of divine origin must be so well confirmed to be ofsuch origin that a reasonable, honest examination leaves no room

for doubt. There are standards by which any work of antiquity canbe examined, and effort made to determine whether it be of theorigin which is claimed for it. Any sincere searcher for the truth ofGod is under no further obligation than to examine carefully andhonestly the evidence presented to give him faith. To deal unfairlywith oneself or with the word of God is indeed dangerous, and willlead to the eternal destruction of many who have rejected the re-vealed will of God. The works of the biblical writers stand abun-dantly confirmed as writings produced by men divinely inspired.

Mormon teachers and authorities admit this fact. They agree thatthe Bible is the word of God. and speak of it as a "written guide infaith and. doctrine." They fail to recognize that a written message

27Matthew 13:10 17; Luke 10:23, 24; 1 Peter 1:12.


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can provide all the information necessary for man's salvation, or toauthorize men to preach the word of God, baptize those whom theyhave taught, and otherwise to officiate in the worship and serviceof God as taught by the apostles in the first century.28

3.How The Bible Supplies Authority.The Bible, God's divinely inspired word, can teach and supply

authority for men to act on God's behalf in a clear and unmistak-able manner by:

(a). Divine precept or commandment. Christ taught His apostlesto go forth and preach the word. He commands those who hear theword to repent of their sins and be baptized for remission of theirsins.29 In instituting the Lord's supper, the Lord commanded hisdisciples to observe the memorial feast.30 Latter-day Saints, and

even the writings of Mormon inspiration admit that God's com-mandments are authoritative when found in the written word. Thevery first "revelation" in the Doctrine and Covenants is supposedto be

". . . mine authority, and the authority of my servants, andmy preface unto the book of my commandments, which I havegiven them to publish unto you, O inhabitants of the earth."31

(b). The Word of God authorizes through apostolic example.When the disciples of Christ in Troas met together on the first day

of the week to break bread,32 the example thus approved by the in-spired writer sets before us the acceptable time for the observationof that memorial feast of the Lord. Again Latter-day Saints admitthe force of approved apostolic example, for they never cease to de-light in making the charge that any church which does not todayhave apostles, and prophets as the New Testament church did inapostolic days cannot be the true church of Christ.33

(c). Authority is also given through inference that is necessary

and unavoidable. This is not to argue that man may infer what hemay desire from the written word and thus produce authority forthat which he champions. But inference that is necessary and un-avoidable provides authority as definite as a specific command.When Jesus commanded his apostles to "go" into all the world to

preach the gospel he specified no method of transportation. Yet ameans of transportation is as essential a part of the going as is amessage to be preached when they get to the points of destination

28

Matthew 28:18 20; 2 Timothy 2:2.29Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 2:38; 22:16.30Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23 26.31Doctrine and Covenants 1:6. See also Sec. 42:59.

32Acts 20:7.33Talmage, Op. Cit.,p. 199.


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embraced in the wide-sweeping command. To argue that Christauthorized no means of transportation is absurd. He authorized anymeans of transportation man may choose to employ. Latter-daySaints recognize that such necessary and unavoidable inference

from the. scriptures does constitute authority and approval for theuse of any means of transportation man may employ in carryingout the commission of Christ.

Since Mormons do recognize the Bible to be God's word, andthey staunchly defend the scripturalness and acceptability to Godof the Christian religion as it existed in the first century, we con-clude that the scriptures still afford us an infallible religious guidein morals and doctrine. The only manner in which this conclusioncan be upset is by the establishment of the Mormon claim that"latter-day prophets" have spoken by diving inspiration. Until thisclaim be established Mormon testimony that the Bible is inaccurate,or beyond the understanding of man, or incomplete, remains weight-less. Inevitably, facing the issue brings us back to the inspiration

back of the claimed revelation of Joseph Smith and other Mormonprophets.4.Mormons Claim Continued Revelation Is Essential.

On the other hand, Mormons insist that God has sent prophets in

these "latter-days" with inspired testimony that Christ's gospel waslong ago corrupted, and with authority to "restore" the church ofthe New Testament.34 They affirm that the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints constitutes the restored church and apart fromit the true church of Christ is not to be found upon the earth. Theyaffirm that "continued revelation" the continuation of the divine

power of inspiration is necessary today in order to receive newtruths from God, for God will not ever cease to speak to His peopledirectly as well as through the written word so long as the earth

stands in its present state. That which is spoken to the livingprophets must ever be considered as more immediately applicablein determining man's duty than that which was written by prophetsin any previous age. Such inspiration is needed to understand andinterpret the written scriptures, because the New Testament is in-sufficient to give the fulness of Christ's gospel. This gift, or powerof inspiration is declared to be the very foundation of the church.35

Clarity of the issue requires that the reader continually bear inmind the weight and importance of the writings of Mormon leaders

on the subjects which hear on the topic of divine inspiration asfound in Mormon "scriptures." The basic claim for divine inspira-

341 Nephi 13:26 29;Doctrine and Covenants 1:17-24, 29, 30.35Smith, Op. Cit., Vol. V, p. 258.


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lion, or "revelation," is not made for the prophets only. Instead itis forcibly and repeatedly affirmed to be a gift that belongs to

faithful Latter-day Saint. Former president and prophet WilfordWoodruff wrote:

"Every man or woman that has ever entered into theChurch of God and been baptized for the remission of sins, hasa right to revelation, has a right to the Spirit of God, to assistthem in their labors, in their administrations to their children,in counselling their children and those over whom they arecalled to preside. The Holy Ghost is not restricted to men, norto apostles or prophets; it belongs to every faithful man andwoman, and to every child who is old enough to receive thegospel of Christ."36

Much more recently G. Homer Durham, head of the Department

of Biblical Science at. the University of Utah affirmed the "priest-hood of all believers" as a living reality in the restored church, andstated that in a real sense it could be maintained that the inspira-tion of God is to all men and women in the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints.37

Since therefore, Mormon inspiration, "the spirit of revelation,"38

is said to be present in every faithful Latter-day Saint, and thispower of revelation is designed to guide one in the proper under-

standing of the scriptures, we may rightfully expect that in theexamination of the attempts of Mormons to both explain the scrip-tures and their own "revelations" we may observe Mormon inspira-tion at work. We fully realize that according to Mormon doctrineno writing is considered inspired as a directive for the wholechurch unless it is received through the president of the church,and is then approved by the church in conference as a revelation.39

However, if every Mormon has the gift of inspiration even to theextent of being divinely guided in matters pertaining hut to the

privacy of his own soul, that which he understands as the result ofsuch guidance must first of all be accurate. When he chooses tospeak or write concerning those matters, we are then able toexamine them not as writings binding and authoritative upon thewhole church but as the product of Mormon inspiration.

In view of these considerations it is evident that the fundamentaland primary issue involved concerning Mormonism is whetherJoseph Smith, Jr.. was a man divinely inspired of God and sent

36

Liahona The Elders'Journal, Vol. 15, p. 820.37G. Homer Durham, "Authoritarianism And Democracy," Improvement EraAugust, 1949, Vol. 52, p. 500.

38Orson Spencer, Letters, Geo. Q. Cannon & Sons, Salt Lake City, Utah1891, p. 34.

39Doctrine and Covenants 28:2, 7; 107:91, 92; 132:7.


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forth to teach doctrines as revolutionary in his day as were theteachings of Jesus Christ while on earth. The claim of imperfectionfor the Bible rests on no historical evidence, but solely on the claimof Mormon writings, "revelations," and the Book of Mormon. The

reliability of these testimonies rests in turn upon Mormon testimonyall of which are said to be the product of a subtle, intangible some-thing termed variously "the spirit of revelation." "inspiration,""divine guidance," or some other term designed to convey the ideathat each person possessing it is under the direct guiding hand ofGod. We may sum up these terms briefly in the simple phrase

Mormon inspiration.With the issue thus clearly before us it becomes increasingly

more obvious that not only do the Mormon "scriptures" play a vital

role in the overall subject of Mormon inspiration, but equally asimportant are the prophecies of Joseph Smith, the historical move-ments of the early Mormons as directed by Mormon revelations, thevast array of Mormon apostates which include the three witnessesto the genuineness of the Book of Mormon and the prophet JosephSmith's own wife, as well as sundry efforts of Mormon teachers tostigmatize as apostate the Reorganized Church and other segments

of the Smith followers. These were all factors in developing thesystem of Mormonism of today, and reveal to us Mormon inspiration

as it led men and women into trial, hardship, persecution, internalconflict, dissension, and ultimately faction. These were the men andwomen who supposedly received through Joseph Smith, Jr., the giftof divine revelation to guide them into the fulness of the gospel, toa proper understanding of God's will, and to the proper appoint-ment and ordination of the right men whom God desired to functionin -the all-important priesthood. It is impossible to separate theseinfluences of Mormon inspiration from the inspiration itself. So longas the Mormon system rests upon the claim of "revelation" forevery faithful Latter-day Saint we shall be able to make comparison

between the wisdom and fruits of Mormon inspiration and theflawless precepts, prophecy, and general admonition contained inthe Bible which has weathered the attacks of skeptics for nearlytwo thousand years and stands today more solidly entrenched thanever as God's inspired word.


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CHAPTER TWO

The Inspiration of

The BibleAs stated in the preceding chapter, the issue before us in this

examination of the inspiration which produced the Mormon revela-tions and the Book of Mormon is not that of whether God has atsome time revealed Himself and His will to mankind through di-vinely inspired scriptures. We entertain no doubt but that the

historically accepted sixty six books of the Bible were divinelyinspired, and that in them we have the will of God to man complete.To believe them to be of divine origin is to believe they will befound to bear the marks of divine inspiration, that they will endurethe test of examination and trial. They will be found to differ fromthe ordinary writings of men. They will be easily distinguishedfrom the spurious "scriptures" produced by men lacking divine in-spiration for advancing their creeds and cults. They will be foundeasily distinguishable from the writings of Joseph Smith, Jr., unless

the revelations of Smith are indeed found to be the product ofdivine inspiration.

To say there will be differences between the writings of divineinspiration and those of uninspired men is not to imply that thesedifferences may be so minute as to be confused with the slightvariations in style and expression which may be found even in theBible by comparing the writings of Peter and Paul, or those ofDavid and Isaiah. To concede the point that the Spirit of God hasdirected men in the writing of God's revelation to mankind is toadmit that the Spirit is capable of directing men to write in theirown particular style and within the framework of the knowledgeGod has granted to them.

"But still it must be conceded that if the Spirit of God exer-cised any direction over the selection of these men of theirwords, their modes of expression, or the matter of their narra-tions, it is but natural to suppose that we may find traces ofthe fact in characteristics which the writings would not other-wise possess characteristics by which they may be distin-

guished as inspired writings."1

Abundant evidence does exist by which the divine origin of the

1J. W. McGarvey, Sermon on "Inspiration," Sermons, Standard PublishingCompany, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1893, p. 3.

26


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THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE 27

biblical scriptures is established. This truth is admitted by Mormonauthorities, so would not necessarily require establishing. The Mor-mon prophet himself, in his letter to John Wentworth, written in1842, a portion of which was later adopted officially as the articles

of faith of the Mormon Church says simply:"We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is

translated correctly."2In fairness to truth we prefer to give consideration to some of

the evidences which establish the truth of the Bible's divine origin,rather than merely point out the shortcomings of the Mormon scrip-tures. As Albert Barnes stated concerning the objections by skepticsto the divine origin of the New Testament:

"The same principles of historical criticism must be appliedto the books of the New Testament as to other books: nosharper, no more lax; no more severe, no more indulgent. Nofavor should be shown them because they claim to. sacred

books; nor should they be approached with any prejudice, orany suspicion, on that account. The question is not what the

bookis about; it is whether it is true."3

Believing that the Bible is of divine origin, and that the revela-tions of Joseph Smith are not, we shall set forth reasons for soconcluding. We shall not attempt a full-scale examination of such

evidences. That would require a larger volume than this entirevolume is intended to be. Since the Bible is recognized by Mormonscholarship to be of divine origin, and is accepted as a standardwork of the church, we shall examine only a few of the areas ofevidence for its divine origin which serve to show in contrast thelack of such evidence for the writings of Joseph Smith, Jr.A. The Bible's Claim For Inspiration

Outstandingly significant in any consideration of the inspirationof the Bible is the absence of ordinary human testimonials such as

the "Testimony of the Three Witnesses" and the "Testimony of theEight Witnesses" found in each copy of the Book of Mormon. If a

prophet of God, endowed with the miraculous and supernaturalpowers of heaven, speaks forth or writes for the benefit of mankind,the weight of his testimony cannot be increased by the endorsementof men less gifted and of less authority. Though Jesus Christ taughtwith "authority"4 and not as the scribes who felt impelled alwaysto substantiate their teachings with scriptural authority, not one ofthe inspired writers selected to record the events of his life and

2Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, Vol. IV, Deseret News, Salt LakeCity, Utah, 1908, p. 541.

3Albert Barnes, Lectures On The Evidences Of Christianity In The Nine-teenthCentury, Harper & Brothers, New York City, New York, 1868, p. 64.

4Matthew 7:29.


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details of his teaching saw fit to append human testimonials to theirdivine inspiration. The sacred writings were left to be accepted orrejected by the disciples upon the basis of their content, and uponthe basis of their authors' possessing the admitted credentials of

inspired men.The Bible does however, make a very definite claim to being in-

spired of God. The Old Testament canon had been long recognizedas an accepted body of scriptures when Christ came to the earth. Hespoke of this accepted canon as "in the law of Moses, and in the

prophets, and in the Psalms."5 He also referred to it as "the scrip-tures."6 Paul the apostle spoke of them as "the holy scriptures."7

Jesus very often quoted from the scriptures,8 and referred to themauthoritatively, thus placing his own stamp of approval upon themas God's revealed word. He promised the Holy Spirit to his apostlesas a comforter and guide who would guide them "into all truth."9

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the very words which he em-ployed in teaching were the words of the Holy Spirit rather than ofhuman wisdom.10

The apostle Peter said of the Old Testament prophecies:

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is ofany private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in oldtime by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as theywere moved by the Holy Spirit."11

Despite Roman Catholic claims that some of the books of theBible have been rejected by non-Catholics, and the charges of Mor-mon inspiration that many books of the Bible may have becomelost, there has never been any serious question as to the numberand identity of the New Testament books. The historically-acceptedthirty nine books of the Old Testament are more in accord with thecatalogs of the sacred books supplied by Josephus12 and Eusebius13

than would be true it the apocryphal books were included.14 RomanCatholic author Bertrand L. Conway readily concedes that the Pal-

5Luke 24:44.6Matthew 21:42; John 5:39.72Timothy 3:15.8Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 21:42; Luke 24:27, 45-47; John 7:38.9John 16:13; 14:26.101 Corinthians 2:13.112 Peter 1:20, 21.12The Life And Works Of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston,

The John C. Winston Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 1957, p. 861.13The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus, translated by Christian

Frederick Cruse, Stanford & Swords, New York, New York, 1850, pp. 164,244, 245.

14See also Archibald Alexander, The Canon Of The Old And New Testa-ments Ascertained, Presbyterian Board Of Publication, Philadelphia, Pa., 1851,

pp. 21 35.


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THE INSPIRATION" OF THE BIBLE 29

estinian canon of the early centuries after Christ used by theSemitic speaking Jews of Palestine did not contain the questionable

books, although he says it "probably originally contained them."15

Conway also admits that St. Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate

Bible, recognized as the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church,also denied the canonicity of the apocrypha.16

On the basis of these tacts, there can be no doubt but that theapostolic church came to recognize the sixty six books of the recog-nized biblical text on the basis of its internal evidences of divineinspiration, its authorship and confirming signs wrought by thosein possession of miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. These facts are

both admitted by Mormon writers and teachers, and in accord with

the generally accepted fact that God has revealed His will to man-kind (1) by men; (2) in the language of men; and (3) for mankind'sunderstanding and obedience.

It is very significant that though the Mormon system lays claimto the same evidences of divine inspiration for the Mormon scrip-tures that exist for the books of the Bible, and also lays claim tothe miraculous gift of revelation for every individual Mormon toguide him in the proper interpretation of the scriptures, there hasnever appeared a people in any religious faith more proficient in

signing and displaying affidavits to establish the veracity of theirword.

2. The Language Of Biblical Inspiration

The beautiful, almost flawless language employed by the writersof the Bible, familiar to most readers in the phraseology of the KingJames Version would not alone constitute evidence of divine origin.The works of Shakespeare and many other writers, ancient andmodern, display profound skill in the art of expression. There are,

however, characteristics to be observed in the style of the biblicalwritings which serve to distinguish them from the ordinary writingsof men. In addition to their unerring accuracy, we may list thefollowing three cited by J. W. McGarvey:

(1) "The unexampled impartiality with which they set forththe sins and follies of friends and foes alike."

(2) "The unperturbable calmness with which they describeall events alike."

(3) "The unexampled brevity of the New Testament

narratives."

17

15Bertrand L. Conway, The Question Box, The Paulist Press, New York,New York, 1929. p. 63.

16Ibid., p. 63.17McGarvey, Op. Cit.,pp. 3-5.


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However men may feel with regard to the Bible as a product ofdivine inspiration they can give no other logical explanation lorthese three characteristics of the sacred writings. The fact that they

present the denials of Peter and the treachery of Judas without

hesitation and without reserve in as straightforward manner as theydescribe the cowardice of Pilate serves to convince all of theirhonesty. Their writings do not abound in expressions of persuasionand emotion. The crucifixion of Christ is portrayed without elab-orate detail, and in emotionless manner. In contrast the inspirationof Mormonism is careful to record such details as Joseph Smith be-ing shot after he was dead, the number of balls with which he wasshot, and the claim" "HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD."18

The Herod who slew the babes of Bethlehem is not specially cen-sured by the New Testament writers for his fiendish slaughter.19

But Mormon inspiration, both in the official scriptures, and in theprivate writings of leaders of the church, has not failed to heapvituperation and prophecies of doom upon the citizens of Illinoisand Missouri who were involved in persecution of the Mormons.Even a casual comparison of the gospels of the New Testament withMormon writings dealing with their persecutions reveals the moreimpartial attitude of the former in their restraint of personal feel-

ings when recounting the actions of their enemies.The remarkable brevity of the scriptures is equally outstandingas evidence that the men who wrote the books of the Bible werenot guided by ordinary inspiration. Men love to wax eloquent ingiving expression to their thoughts, and especially in their descrip-tion of notable events. The more outstanding the occasion, the morelavish men become with their words. Yet the biblical writers speakof the virgin birth of Christ and his resurrection from the dead assimple historical facts known and accepted the world over!20 No

elaborate description, and no pretentious phraseology such as Jo-seph Smith's frequent "Thus saith the Lord," borrowed from thelanguage of the prophets of the Old Testament. The ascension isrecorded in Acts 1, but only verse 9 is devoted to the miraculousevent. To say that ordinary men would so write and expect men to

believe their testimony is to depart from all accepted principles oflogic and psychology. Nor would men have believed the teaching inBible times but for the miraculous signs God wrought by the handsof those who preached these truths.21 Yet the last two centuries

have seen more skeptics arise in their conceit and self-esteem to

18Doctrine & Covenants 135:1, 4.19Matthew 2:16.20Matthew 1:18-2:23; Luke 2; 1 Corinthians 15:4-26.21Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4.


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deny the genuineness of the inspired word than all the centuriesbefore them produced. The early centuries after Christ left no scrollnor volume attempting to refute the revelations of the Bible nor thegenuineness of its inspiration from heaven. Certain it is that the

revelations supposedly setting forth God's will regarding the originof Mormonism have not been characterized by such brevity, nor isit characteristic of the Book of Mormon itself.

As a classic example of lack of brevity, note the following:

"And a prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosenman of God, who told them of their wickedness and abomina-tions, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea,even the coming of Christ. And because he said unto them thatChrist was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he

should take upon him the image of man, and it should be theimage after which man was created in the beginning; or inother words, he said that man was created after the image ofGod, and that God should come down among the children ofmen, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon theface of the earth And now, because he said this they did puthim to death; and many more things did they do which broughtdown the wrath of God upon them."

22

Without entering into discussion as to whether Joseph Smith,

Jr., Sidney Rigdon, or some other leading Mormon may have beenthe author of the primary works of Mormon inspiration, theircharacteristics are too different to those of the Bible to have been

produced by the same Holy Spirit of God which produced the Bible.There is some similarity in style between them and the King JamesVersion of the Bible, but there is not the great depth and breadth ofmeaning in almost every verse as the Bible contains. The works ofMormon inspiration are not of the same authorship as the Bible,and actually bear no close resemblance thereto.

3. The Perfect Harmony Of The BibleThough written by about forty different writers over a period of

many centuries, there is perfect harmony and unity throughout theBible. It has not been necessary to revise the work of one writer tomake it agree with that of another, even though they discuss re-lated or identical themes centuries apart. The Bible is free fromcontradiction within itself, and has proved to be in harmony withthe truth known to mankind in the realms of science and historywherever it has recorded the facts of history or ventured within

the reach of scientific research. The nearest one can come to charg-ing the Bible with contradiction is the fact that some writers do notinclude events and facts which we'd normally expect them to relate.

22Mosiah 7:26-28. For additional examples of lack of brevity see Alma 40:1-11; 30:8-11; 14:1-5; Mosiah 29:5 11;Doctrine and Covenants 38:4-21; 60:5.


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For instance, Mark does not include the birth of Jesus in his recordof Christ's life, and John is the only gospel writer who does giveaccount of raising Lazarus from the dead.23 Instead of revealingcontradiction in their writings, this reveals instead the truth that

these men wrote differently to ordinary men that they wereguided by the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit. They presentthose facts necessary to the building of faith in the minds of men.

but they lack the voluminous elaboration and excessive repetitioncommon to the writings of men where several writers produce

biographies of the same person.Skeptics have gone to great length attempting to show discrep-

ancies in the Bible. However, there is not a single apparent dis-crepancy but that has been often examined and thoroughly studied

by men of faith. Instead of serving to destroy faith such investiga-tion invariably has led to increased faith in the Bible as God's word.Logical explanations of the problems involved in such apparentdiscrepancy are numerous in reliable commentaries and are easilyaccessible to the reader.

As example of the type of alleged discrepancy often cited,Thomas Paine gloats over the differences found in the incompletecatalogues of the number of Israelites returning to Jerusalem foundin Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7.24 To meet this charge of alleged dis-

crepancy it is but needful to cite, as the eminent commentator,Adam Clarke, does,25 that if the persons who are included in each

list that are not listed in the other be added to the other, then thetotal for each list will be the same. That will still leave a difference of10,777 between the totals itemized and the grand totals cited in eachrecord, as the number which returned from captivity.26 Closer ex-amination reveals that all of those Israelites actually itemized byfamily listing are found to be of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, andthe priestly tribe, the Levites.27 One has but to examine Ezra 1:5;2:70; 6:17 and 1 Chronicles 9:3 to see that other Israelites, includingsome from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh also returned fromcaptivity with those of the tribes catalogued in detail. We are thusconfronted, not with inaccurate catalogues, but with lists that are

but incomplete. The very fact that the totals cited do not prove to

23 John 11:1-44.24Thomas Paine, The Life And Works Of Thomas Paine, Vol. VIII, The

Age Of Reason, Thomas Paine National Historical Association, New Rochelle,

New York, 1925, pp. 167169.25Adam Clarke, Commentary On The Bible, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press,Nashville, Tenn., Vol. II, p. 732. See also Henry H. Halley, Pocket BibleHandbook, Henry A. Halley, Chicago, Illinois, 1950, p. 214.

26Ezra 2:64; Nehemiah 7:66.27Ezra 1:5; 2:40.


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be the exact sum of the family totals itemized reveals that theauthors knew that other persons were in the caravan. Neitherauthor is fearful to give the exact total of the number coming outof Babylon lest he be accused of contradiction or discrepancy. Thus

the perfect harmony of God's word is undisturbed. Unfortunatelyfor the Mormon system, the revelations produced by her prophetsdo not withstand the test of careful scrutiny as do the books of theBible. Despite the Mormon claim that the Bible is imperfect, we canrest the case on this point with the words of John A. Widtsoe whoadmits that the message of the Bible has been preserved withoutimpairment, and declares that each new translation confirms it.28

4. The Evidence Of MiraclesBoth the Bible and the scriptures of Mormonism abound in rec-

ord of miracles. Many skeptics reject both the Bible and the worksof Mormonism simply because they are dedicated to the rejectionof all that is miraculous. Albert Barnes quotes Strauss as saying:

"We summarily reject all miracles prophecies, narratives ofangels and demons, and the like, as simply impossible andirreconcilable with the known and universal laws which governthe course of events."29

Though this statement constitutes a devastating blow to the posi-tion assumed by Mormon inspiration that miracles must continue in

this age of the world, it is insufficient to show that miracles have neveroccurred. Such rationalization and materialistic conclusion that mir-acles have never occurred because we do not see them occur is toreject the full weight of testimony as a reliable tool in the establish-ing of truth. When Latter-day Saints and others claim that miraclescan be performed today, they place themselves in the positionwhere the sincere student may rightfully request that they eitherdemonstrate such ability or be considered false in their claims: Ifmiracles are to be considered to be taking place in the world today,

then any person who has not actually seen them or the direct evi-dence that they continue to exist may rightfully request such proof.Divine inspiration gives instruction to so "try" the spirits whetherthey are of God.30The point concerning miracles to be determined

by logic and discussion is not whether miracles exist today, butwhether they have ever existed in the past. If they exist today thatis a point which could easily be determined by observation.

That miracles have occurred in the past is both necessary to thetruth that the Bible is God's word and to the conviction that God

28John A. Widtsoe. "Is The Bible Translated Correctly?", Improvement Era,

March 1940, Vol. 43, p. 191.29Barnes, Op. Cit,p. 152.301 John 4:1.


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has ever spoken His will directly to mankind. The very origin ofman on this earth must be conceded to be miraculous. Even thosewho assume that man came into existence by evolutionary processesmust agree that before the first life existed a miracle had to occur.

There is no known law of the universe whereby non-life can pro-duce life. Concerning the necessity for miracles, Alexander Mairsays:

"To those who have any idea of God as a being possessedin some degree of a father's goodness and love, it must appearto be a thing not utterly unlikely, but rather most likely, thatHe should reveal to His children that truth which they sodeeply need, for which they so earnestly cry, and which is of

paramount importance for them to know, but which, as all his-tory proves, they cannot possibly discover for themselves with

any reasonable, degree "of certainty.But, when we think of such a revelation, the question at

once arises, How can it be proved to be really a revelation fromheaven? How can the messenger be sufficiently accredited asan authoritative commissioner from God? The distinct answeris, that it must be mainly by miracles. No doubt, the moralcharacter of the messenger must be of the right kind; but thisof itself is no sufficient authentication; for there have beenmultitudes of the best men who have not been commissionedfrom heaven to reveal truth beyond the reach of human reason.Therefore we say, the special credentials of divine messen-ger must be by miracles."31

By the term "miracle" we do not allude to that which is merelystriking, phenomenal, or to such as the freak accident in whichnear-tragedy is averted by hairline margin. A miracle is that whichis supernatural, above and beyond the universal laws of nature. Thefreezing of water into ice might appear to a native of the tropics to

be a miracle when seeing it for the first time, but there is no ele-ment of the miraculous involved. Thomas H. Horne has well defined

a miracle as:"An effect, or event, contrary to the established constitutionor course of things, or a sensible suspension or controlment of,or deviation from, the known laws of nature, wrought eitherby the immediate act, or by the assistance, or by the permissionof God, and accompanied with a previous notice or declarationthat it is performed according to the purpose and by the powerof God, for the proof or evidence of some particular doctrine,or in attestation of the authority or divine mission of some

particular person."32

Miracles therefore are acts of God designed to confirm or sustain

31Alexander Mair, Studies In The Christian Evidences, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1894, pp. 200, 201.

32Thomas H. Horne, Introduction To The Critical Study And Knowledge OfThe Holy Scriptures, E. Littell, Philadelphia, Pa., 1827, Vol. I, p. 233.


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the messengers and teachings which God has at various times inhistory sent to mankind. As Mair well sums it up in a quotationfrom Butler:

"To sum up with the expression of Butler. 'Revelation is

miraculous, and miracles are the proof of it.'"33The miracles of the Bible were not performed in some isolated

spot where only a few persons were allowed to see them. H. LeoBoles catalogues no less than forty three miracles recorded in theOld Testament, counting the ten Egyptian plagues as but one. Iflisted separately this list becomes a total of fifty two, many of whichwere witnessed by entire nations of people. The same author liststhirty five miracles performed by the Christ.34 Another cataloguelists fifty four Old Testament miracles, forty nine directly and indi-rectly performed by Jesus in establishing his divinity, and twentysix others performed by the Holy Spirit through angels, apostles, andothers.35 Of course if each miracle performed for each individual

person recorded in the Bible were counted separately, the numberwould run into many thousands. These miracles were performedopenly for the most part, and so publicly that had there been fraudor deception involved the enemies of God's messengers in every agemust surely have produced writings of refutation, some few of

which certainly would have been unearthed by modern archaeo-logical excavation.The feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand in the

desert near Galilee36 were events witnessed by thousands. The heal-ing of the sick by Jesus and his apostles were miraculous demon-strations, of supernatural power which brought absolute and com-

plete recovery to all the ill who came to them. The Bible knowsnothing of the disillusionment that has come to so many in moderntimes supposedly cured by some miracle worker only to realize

that the crippling effect of disease was still being felt. The Bibleknows nothing of miracles which required tedious and diligenteffort on the part of the person cured to be able to rise up and walk,or to overcome the impact of disease or death.

When Jesus cured Peter's mother-in-law, she rose up instantlyand ministered to him.37 When Peter and John healed the lame manat the Beautiful Gate of the temple, he rose up, walked, leaped, and

33Mair, Op. Cit,p. 203.34

H. Leo Boles, Boles Bible Questions, Gospel Advocate Co., Nashville,Tenn., 1957, p. 82, 156.

35Supplement in Master Holy Bible, J. Wesley Dickson Co., Chicago, Ill.,1941, pp. 1651-53.

36Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32 39.37Matthew 8:14, 15.


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Myth of Mormon Inspiration