via The battle for truth in Bible translation
In some ways, the Conservative Bible Project reflects an ancient debate over Scripture. The Bible as it's known today more or less took final shape in the 4th century after hundreds of years of debate over which books were canonical.The debate flared up again during the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther fruitlessly yearned to cut the Book of James because of its fairly explicit contradiction of his belief that salvation could be attained by faith alone.
"People have always done this with the Bible," said Philip Jenkins, a professor of history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University. "Virtually everyone in a mainstream Protestant or Roman Catholic church in the United States is reading a doctored version of the Bible."
The idea that the Bible was somehow lowered on a string from heaven and compiled into one book all at once (even across thousands of years) has never made sense to me.
Schlafly's project is distinctive, though, because non-experts collaborate Wiki-style on the Internet to produce their version.Perhaps that is why the following does make sense."The best of the public is better than a group of experts," said Schlafly...
Jones says the project is a misguided effort to read contemporary politics back into the text.
"Ironically, there's a long tradition of the liberal twisting of scripture," Jones said. "Scholars have rightly deemed those translations illegitimate, and this conservative Bible is every bit as illegitimate."
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.And this:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1/8#8
God didn't just create Jews and Christians in the Middle East. He created ALL mankind. He caused the Jews to be scattered into the crowds of the Gentiles. So did He just write those scattered Jews off as "unsaved" just because they had lost access to the scriptures due to their initial disobedience? Is there no balm in Gilead for them as well? Or was it just for people living in and around Jerusalem and in the area of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation?THE SECOND BOOK OF NEPHICHAPTER 29Many gentiles shall reject the Book of Mormon—They shall say: We need no more Bible—The Lord speaks to many nations—He will judge the world out of the books thus written. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/29/1-14#1
Did not Christ Himself state "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."?
It just makes sense to me that God saw this coming and so prepared a miraculous second witness (The Book of Mormon) to identify and confirm the lost or twisted truths of the first. I don't think He wanted us to have to take some professors' or the public's word for it as to which translation is correct. Some Christians seem to refuse to believe God is powerful enough to speak again through prophets, though. I just don't understand it.
After describing the depravity of the world in the last days, Nephi then pronounces a series of "Wo's" on certain classes of people. One of those classes are those who refuse to hear more of God's word because they believe God does not speak anymore:
ReplyDelete"Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!" (2Ne 28:27)
Nephi then dedicates the next 22 verses, including all of chapter 29, discussing this phenomenon.
I like the common sense approach to this by the Prophet, when he said the following:
"We have what we have, and the Bible contains what it does contain; but to say that God never said anything more to man than is there recorded, would be saying at once that we have at last received a revelation: for it must require one to advance thus far, because it is nowhere said in that volume by the mouth of God, that He would not, after giving what is there contained, speak again; and if any man has found out for a fact that the Bible contains all that God ever revealed to man he has ascertained it by an immediate revelation, other than has been previously written by the prophets and apostles." (TPJS, p.61).
Very true, Anon. Thanks for sharing that awesome quote! I knew it existed but couldn't pull together enough keywords in my brain to find it. Glad for contributors like you who are more on top of things. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother case in point is found here: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=801238
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely convinced that the Book of Mormon fulfilled the prophecy of 2 Nephi 29. See my blog post: Why I Believe the Plates of Brass Are Next
ReplyDelete@ldsanarchy I'm not entirely sure I understand the thrust of your post's thesis, so I'm hoping you'll clarify a bit more. Are you (in that post and with your blog in general) coming from the viewpoint that the modern LDS church has, for lack of a better way to say it, fallen from grace and/or no longer has God's guidance as in the days of Joseph Smith? That the Brass Plates coming forth will re-restore that church?
ReplyDeleteOr, are you simply stating that even though the church is still true, the members in it are just as apt to reject new revelation/scripture as the Gentiles in Joseph Smith's day rejected the Book of Mormon, mistaking it for a replacement Bible and not the supplement/second witness it really is?
Just trying to get a feel for where you're coming from in general before I respond further.