Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Protestant Mariam Mustapha's Claim that the Bible's Candor Proves that it is the Word of God and the Candor in the Doctrine and Covenants

In a book I recently read, one defender of the formal sufficiency of the Bible wrote the following:

 

THE BIBLE’S CANDOR PROVES THAT IT IS THE WORD OF GOD

 

When men write biographies of their heroes, they commonly whitewash their faults; but the Bible exhibits its divine quality by showing man as it is. Not only is the Bible true; it is blunt and candid. Even the best of men described in the Bible are described with all their faults. We are told plainly of Adam’s rebellion, Noah’s drunkenness, David’s adultery, Solomon’s apostasy. Jonah’s pity party, peter’s disavowal of his Master, Paul and Barnabas’ strive. And consider the disciples’ unbelief in the face of Christ’s resurrection. The following is from The Berean Call, January 2005: “Scripture honestly reveals the flaws and sins of the best saints—even when such facts could have been avoided. Such honesty gives the ring of truth to Scripture. One of the strangest accounts concerns the disciples’ unbelief in the face of Christ’s resurrection. In fact, their scepticism and apparent unwillingness to believe, even when Christ met them face to face, seems so unlikely that no fiction writer would have dared to portray it. Christ indicts His disciples with ‘hardness of heart’ (Mk. 16:14). They did not believe, even when Christ appeared to them (Lk. 24:36-38). Yet one of the thieves crucified with Christ believed in His resurrection, or he would not have asked, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom’ (Lk. 23:42). The disciples’ were without excuse in view of the many Messianic prophecies. That they could be so blind to the Scripture, even after being taught personally by Christ over several years, should cause us to re-examine ourselves lest we be guilty of the same.” (Mariam Mustapha, The Bible Alone is the Only True Word of God [Xulon Press, 2014], 227)

 

While I do not believe this to be a particularly good argument, funnily enough, if the apologist (and others who may think this is a good argument) were to be consistent, one would have to accept Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants. As one fellow LDS apologist wrote:

 

In the LDS volume of scripture called the Doctrine and Covenants, almost from the beginning we have a powerful warning about the fallibility of the Prophet Joseph Smith, for in Section 3 he is sorely chastised for his mistake of being tricked into letting the first part of the Book of Mormon--the 116 pages of initial translation--be stolen. Joseph prayerfully made the decision to lend the 116 pages to Martin Harris, but in spite of his prayers, he followed his own will, not the Lord's, and made a mistake that would cost millions of people access to sacred words and details that I imagine could have provided much additional significant evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. This was no minor mistake, but a devastating tragedy for the whole Church, and the fallible Joseph Smith was sorely rebuked by the Lord. Here is an excerpt from Doctrine and Covenants 3:

 

3 Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men;
4 For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him.
5 Behold, you have been entrusted with these things, but how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were made to you, if you did not transgress them.
6 And behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men.
7 For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words--
8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.
9 Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall.

 

Ouch! That's pretty strong language. (And so much for the theory that Joseph Smith was a megalomaniac who felt he could do no wrong. Here he is recording a royal--no, a divine--chewing out that leaves him looking pretty guilty and foolish, and he puts this dressing down near the very beginning of his collection of revelations.) But if Joseph could make a mistake like that, we surely can't expect other mortal leaders to be free of other embarrassing failures. Another prophet, Lorenzo Snow, understood this when he acknowledged the human limitations of Joseph Smith:

 

I can fellowship the President of the Church, if he does not know everything I know. . . . I saw the . . . imperfections in [Joseph Smith]. . . . I thanked God that he would put upon a man who had those imperfections the power and authority he placed upon him . . . for I knew that I myself had weakness[es], and I thought there was a chance for me. . . . I thanked God that I saw these imperfections.
(As cited by Neal A. Maxwell, "Out of Obscurity," Ensign, Nov. 1984, p. 10; also Conference Report, Oct. 1984.)

 

A few sections later in Doctrine and Covenants 10:37, the Lord again points to the limited human abilities of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

 

But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter.

 

Ponder that: God tells the Prophet by revelation just how limited the gift of revelation is. Joseph is not able to always discern who is righteous or wicked, meaning that he can be deceived. Being a prophet does not mean that one gains continuous access to the knowledge of God. That's an utterly unbiblical concept that is also not part of LDS doctrine. (Jeff Lindsay, "Mormon Prophets and Fallibility"; note also D&C 5:12: "And now I command you, my servant Joseph, to repent and walk more uprightly before me, and to yield to the persuasions of men no more")

 

If one believes the Bible’s candor is evidence or proof of its authenticity, being consistent, the Doctrine and Covenants is also the Word of God.