In the last five years it has become extremely popular for people to say that part of Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible is copied form Adam Clarke’s biblical commentaries. This argument is ultimately based on the work of a single paper that emerged in 2020. In this article we examine the evidence for this argument and, using the excellent work of Dr. Kent P. Jackson, one of the foremost experts on the JST, prove that this theory is completely bogus.
Tag: Joseph Smith
Jesus Christ Is The Leader of His Church Today
The leader of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Lord Jesus Christ. He leads this church actively and directly. And this isn’t meant in some theoretical or technical sense. It is meant very literally. This is shown in this LDS Classic as President Heber J. Grant recalls a revelatory vision he had of the Lord Jesus Christ deciding to call him to the Apostleship.
27 Questions To Ask Your LDS Friends About The Constitution
Latter-day Saints, Mormons, are often well-known for their love of the American Founding fathers and their devotion to the U.S. Constitution.
But do they know the relationship between the Constitution and their own church?
Here are a list of 27 questions from American history about the relationship between the Latter-day Saints and the U.S. Constitution to see how much your LDS friends and family really know about their own history.
Really test their knowledge of the Constitution, of American history, and the history of their own people!
The Constitution: The Enemy of the the Latter-day Saints
Recently, I was asked to give a talk in church about the ways that the Constitution aided in the Restoration. Though greatly expanded with additional quotes and pictures, this article is fundamentally the talk that I gave. By examining the breadth of early LDS history (form 1830 to roughly 1890), I provided evidence and argument that the Constitution of the United States did nothing to help the Restoration and that it was always on the side of those who brutalized, oppressed, and killed us. The reason the Restoration occurred, and has continued, was the power of Jesus Christ to protect the Saints from annihilation. No law of man gave us any aid. It was God alone who preserved and prospered us against all odds and it is He alone that continues to do so now.
The Ancient Chinese History of Anarchy and Liberty
There is a common error that the ideals of liberty, individualism, limited or no government, and universal inalienable human rights are an invention of Western culture and history. This is not true. In fact, the very opposite is true. The oldest texts to recognize these truths date back almost 2,500 years ago and come from China. This article explores the ancient Chinese history of liberty through the writings of one of history’s greatest and most important philosophers – Lao Tzu, the Old Master.
What It Means To Be Like Jesus
We talk about being Christ-like all the time. Our hymns repeat the refrain and our children sing about how they are “trying to be like Jesus.” But what does that mean? What was Jesus like as a person? And how could we hope to emulate Him? The question may seem impossible to answer and we may feel despondent under the weight of it. We can know Jesus Christ and we can fulfill His commandment to become like Him. This lost LDS Classic explores what character is, what Christ’s character is, and how we can manifest His character in our thoughts, words, and deeds today. This is how we can possibly, happily, joyfully be like Christ!
This Is What It Is Like After You Die
People have been asking the question of what happens after you die for tens of thousands of years, for millions of years. As long as humans have existed. It has been said that if you could bring someone back from the dead and ask them about what, if anything, happens next it would be the most important thing any of us ever could learn.
Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. It has happened. People have died. They have had intimate visions of what happens after death. And they have returned to life to explain what they experienced and what we need to do to prepare in this life for the next. This is just such an account, a vision of the next world as shown by God to Elder Jedidiah M. Grant, Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revealed here is what a modern-day Prophet, Seer, and Revelator saw when he looked beyond the veil of death and into the world of spirits.
This is what happens after you die.
This is what the afterlife is like.
This is what comes next.
The Great Blessings of A Modern Prophet
This article is a talk I was asked to give in church as our ward prepares for the coming General Conference. In it I talk about how the importance of the modern prophets, how they actively receive revelation from God for us right now, the blessings and truth to be gained by following the Prophets and Apostles, and exactly what so many in the world are so threatened by the existence of modern prophets. (Hint: It has to do with their money and power.) I end by sharing a tool that we can use to get the most out of General Conference and the talks of Prophets and Apostles. Come, brothers and sisters, let us listen to the Prophet’s voice and hear the Word of God!
What Can Men Do Against Such Reckless Hate?
I recently finished a rewatch of the Lord of the Rings. As always, I was struck by the drama and courage of Théoden and the Riders of Rohan as they made what seemed like a last stand against the overwhelming might of the armies of Saruman. Instead of surrender or retreat they trusted in the words of Gandalf the White and stood against evil no matter what the cost to them, even if it cost their lives. There is a great lesson for us to learn here about how we should live. Using examples from throughout the scriptures I discuss how we can stand against the reckless hate of the world we live in today.
The Human Side of the Book of Mormon
Why are there so many biblical quotations and allusions in the Book of Mormon? Why are there errors in the Book of Mormon’s grammar, spelling, and language? How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon? How did the Urim and Thummim work? How did the Seer Stone work? Why would Joseph need either in the first place? What impact did the knowledge and mind of Joseph Smith have on the Book of Mormon and its translation? Why would God choose an ignorant ploughboy from upstate New York to be His prophet when much more educated, enlightened, and respectable men existed? What does the answer to these questions say about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?
Professor N.L. Nelson answers all these questions and more in this excellent essay and explains why the answers to those questions should only increase our faith in the Book of Mormon as Christian scripture.