Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Brigham Young on the Importance of Appealing to the Bible to Support Latter-day Saint Theology


While reading the Journal of Discourses today, I came across the following from Brigham Young wherein he affirmed the importance of Latter-day Saints appealing to the Bible in support of our theology (unlike Joseph Fielding McConkie and others who, functionally, had a very low view of the Bible):

I had a conversation recently with a prominent minister of a church in the East and he said, I do not agree with you in your peculiar views. I answered, are you not for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If you are, so am I. How is it possible to get up an argument? I will make a bargain. I will compare my religion with yours. We will start out with the Bible alone taking it as the standard. All that the Bible teaches for doctrine and practice we will take for our guide. If I have an error I will part with it. Will you do the same? If you can find that you have a truth that I have not, and that I have an error, I will trade ten errors if I have them for one truth. Take the religion of Christ from the foundation up, and it is all true and for the benefit of mankind . . . Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test. We preach the Gospel, gather the people of God from all nations tongues and people, and build up the kingdom of God on the earth, and this calls for manual labor, the affections of the heart, and the devotion of all our powers. God bless you. Amen. (JOD 16:43, 46-47 | May 18, 1873)