Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. vs. Soul Sleep

For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no portion anymore to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun . . . All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She'ol, the place to which you are going. (Eccl 9:5-6, 10 New World Translation)

In Response to Douglas V. Pond on Biblical and LDS Anthropology and Eschatology I interact with various arguments by Douglas Pond, a Seventh Day Adventist, and the state of the dead, particularly the SDA belief in "soul sleep" (something other groups hold to, albeit in the more extreme form ["soul death"], including Jehovah's Witnesses and Christadelphians).

Not many LDS have interacted with such a doctrine as most of our critics believe in a conscious intermediate state. Notwithstanding, Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. briefly interacted with the common appeal to Eccl 9:5-6, 10:

The spirits do not “sleep” between death and the resurrection. There is a doctrine prevalent among some sects that would have us believe all spirits rest “as a child falls exhausted into bed at night.” The words quoted from Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10 are misinterpreted and are not opposed to the teaching of Peter [from 1 Pet 3:18-20; 4:6]. The sixth verse makes it clear that the writer is referring to this life only. The dead are forgotten by whom? The living. The writer of Ecclesiastes was not considering the resurrection, or a future life, but was discoursing on the present life. True, there is no learning in the grave, but the spirit, which is eternal, never dies, and is released from the mortal body at death to enter the spirit world preparatory to a future resurrection of the body. “. . . neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun,” (Ecc. 9:6) because it is impossible for them to take worldly goods with them. We are quick to forget the dead, and the writer of Ecclesiastes has so declared. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. Religious Truths Defined: A Comparison of Religious Faiths with the Restored Gospel [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959], 299, comment in square bracket added for clarification)

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. vs. the common abuse of Ephesians to support Sola Fide

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr (son of Joseph Fielding Smith and grandson of Joseph F. Smith, two presidents of the Church) wrote the following in 1959 against the common Protestant abuse of Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians, arguing that Paul is not condemning good works being meritorious when empowered by God’s grace but instead, is arguing against legalism and the works of the Law of Moses:

The words of Paul to the Ephesians are not quoted in enough detail by adherents of the doctrine of faith without works. The tenth verse reads:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Paul was speaking to a class of people who believed that man could not be saved unless he subscribed to the Law of Moses. Such individuals were expected to save themselves, not comprehending the saving power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Essentially, Paul taught the Ephesians that salvation is “by grace through faith,” that “faithless works” of which one can “boast” will not save, and that “good works” which we are “created unto” by the power of Jesus Christ have real saving power.

Paul does not preach salvation without human effort. “We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Genuine faith of the Savior leads to love-inspired works or good works. This faith is “not of ourselves,” but is a “gift of God.” It has come to us through “grace.”

Paul’s epistle to the Romans was written to members of the Church who had already accepted the ordinances and principles of the gospel. He admonished them to continue in their belief, “confessing with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.” One need only to read all Paul’s epistles to realize that he taught a complete gospel of faith and works. He reminded the Romans “of the righteous judgment of God who will render to every man according to his deeds.” (Rom. 2:5-6). He admonished Titus to preach “sound doctrine, .. . . in all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works.” (See Titus 2:1-8). (Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. Religious Truths Defined: A Comparison of Religious Faiths with the Restored Gospel [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959], 267-68)

Interestingly, Eph 2:8-10, instead of supporting sola fide, actually refutes such a doctrine; instead, it teaches baptismal regeneration. As one critic of Protestantism noted:

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

This argument also fails. As I will now show, this argument fails because this verse is specifically talking about the initial grace of receiving water baptism. Water baptism is not a work “of yourselves,” but a sacrament instituted by God. No work you can do can substitute for the power of water baptism. This is said to “save” because it removes man’s original sin and puts him into the initial state of justification. The proof that Ephesians 2:8-9 is actually referring to water baptism is found when one compares the passage to Titus 3:5, and then to 1 Peter 3:20-21:

Look at this:

Ephesians 2:8-9—“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5—“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to the mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice that the two passages are extremely similar. They are talking about the same thing. They both mention being saved, and not of works which we have done. Ephesians 2:8-9 describes this as being saved through “faith”; Titus 3:5 describes it as being saved through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. They are referring to the same thing.

Titus 3:5 is without doubt referring to water baptism. as even John Calvin and Martin Luther admitted. Ephesians 2:8-9 is also taking about water baptism is submitting to faith; it’s how one joins the faith, as Jesus makes clear in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19: “Preach the Gospel to every creature . . .Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” Baptism is also described as “faith” in Galatians 3:

Galatians 3:26-27—“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

We see that receiving baptism is synonymous with receiving “faith” in Christ Jesus. To further confirm that Ephesians 2:8-9 is about being saved by baptism, let’s expand the comparison:

Ephesians 2:8-9—“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5—“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to us mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

1 Peter 3:20-21: “ . . . when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saves you also . . .”

This demonstrates that Ephesians 2:8-9 is referring to the initial grace of baptism. Ephesians 2:8-9 is not talking about the ongoing justification of those who have already been baptized, but simply about how people were initially brought out of original sin and given the grace of justification. No work which anyone can do could replace or substitute for water baptism and the grace it grants: the first justification and removal of original sin. But once a person enters the Church through baptism (which is God’s work), his deeds and works indeed become part of the justification process, and a factor which will determine whether he maintains justification. This is made clear from the abundance of passages (e.g., James 2:24) . . . . [Thus] the Protestant argument from Ephesians 2:8-9 is another one which doesn’t hold up to the context of Scripture. (Peter Dimond, The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church [Fillmore, N.Y.: Most Holy Family Monastery, 2009], 67-68; emphasis in original)

Do note that, according to Fielding Smith Jr, faith is a gift from God, which refute the common caricature of "Mormonism" being raw works righteousness and Pelagianism on steroids, etc:

Faith is a gift of God. It is the power which lifts the soul heavenward and always works with God and not against God. It is a progressive principle, and cannot be obtained by inaction, indifference, or through passive belief. A desire for faith will not bring faith without action. It has been said that “practice makes perfect.” Man cannot become like God without active faith. (Fielding Smith Jr., Religious Truths Defined, 264-65)

In other words, LDS theology teaches synergism, something one finds explicitly in the Greek of James 2. On this, see:

Jeff Durbin on Luke 7:35, James 2, and Justification

The People Responding in "One Voice" During King Benjamin's Speech

During King Benjamin's Speech, the people gathered responded at least on two occasions with "one voice":

And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. (Mosiah 4:2)

And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. (Mosiah 5:2)

While the concept of a large congregation would respond with one voice to many, it makes perfect sense within liturgical contexts. In the Old Testament, we find similar occurrences in the following texts:

And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.  (Exo 24:3)

Thus saith the whole congregation of the Lord, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord?  (Josh 22:16)

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord. (1 Chron 16:36)

As many LDS scholars have noted, King Benjamin’s Speech is given as part of a liturgy (e.g., covenant renewal ceremony; Ancient Farewell addresses; Tabernacles). For a book-length study of the speech, including its religious/liturgical context, see:

John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks, eds. King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom”

Be also sure to check out John Tvedtnes, King Benjamin's Speech and the Feast of Tabernacles

"An Introduction to the Book of Abraham" Now Online

John Gee's introduction to the Book of Abraham and controversies relating thereof is now available online:

An Introduction to the Book of Abraham

"Magic" being used by Old and New Testament Figures

It is common for many Evangelical Protestants and other critics to charge Joseph Smith and early Latter-day Saints with being engaged in “magic.” There are many useful resources on such a topic, including:

FairMormon, Response to claims made in "Chapter 2: Moroni, Magic, and Masonry" (response to Richard Abanes' One Nation Under Gods)

William Hamblin, "That Old Black Magic" (review of D. Michael Quinn, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View [rev ed.])

Brant Gardner, Joseph the Seer—or Why Did He Translate With a Rock in His Hat?

Interestingly, taking the approach (often informed by ethnocentricism and presentism) by many, one would also have to charge the biblical prophets, Christ included, of being engaged in “magic.” As one recent atheistic critic of the Bible and claims to the supernatural wrote:

In the earliest texts of the Old Testament (the Torah), folk magic coexists with grand supernatural events attributed to the God of Abraham, Yahweh. In the New Testament nativity stories, the signs and wonders surrounding the birth of Jesus are of a sort that would have been familiar to people of the time. Similarly, the miracles attributed to the adult Jesus in the gospels are mostly of a sort commonly attributed to priests, sorcerers, god-men, and minor deities . . . Here are just a few examples.

Divination—In Genesis (44:5), Joseph has a silver drinking cup, which he uses for divining. The passage likely refers to the practice of scrying, in which a vessel is filled with water and the fortuneteller gazes into it, similar to the technique reportedly used by Nostradamus. Exodus (28:30) refers two diving objects, the Urim and Thummim, perhaps two flat stones, that the High Priest consults to determine the will of God. In other passages, lots, meaning marked pieces of wood or stone like dice, are used by ore ordinary people for a similar purpose (Numbers 26:55; Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 18:18). In the book of Daniel, the protagonist—a Hebrew prophet—is employed for a number of years by the King of Babylon as the manager of his “magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners” (Daniel 5:11).

Jumping ahead to the New Testament book of Matthew, a visit from three foreign astrologers known as the three magi or wise men gives credence to the divinity of Jesus. They bring gifts that portend later events in his life. Today, some Christians engage in a form of divination known as bibliomancy—seeking messages from God by opening the Bible to a random page and putting a finger on a random verse. Bibliomancy dates back to at least the 11^th Century.

Potions—In Genesis, Rachel, the wife of Jacob, acquires magical mandrake roots to assist her in getting pregnant (Genesis 30:14-22). These may have been eaten in small bits or ground into a potion. The book of Numbers tells how a priest can make a magic potion that will cause a woman to abort any fetus she is carrying, but only if she had been unfaithful to her husband (Numbers 5:12-31). The potion is to be administered while the priest pronounces a curse.

Conjuring—When King Saul finds himself floundering in a war with the Philistines and can’t get God’s advice through his priests and prophets, he disguises himself, visits a witch and asks her to call up the spirit of Samuel, which she does. The spirit appears. (1 Samuel 28:11-15).

Numerology—Ancient peoples often attributed special meaning or significance to some numbers, and this pattern can be seen in the Bible. The number 12 (also significant in Babylonian, Zoroastrian, and classical Greek religions) stand out. Thin of the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus. The book of Revelation speaks of 12 pearls, 12 angels, 12x12 (144) righteous virgin men who will reach paradise, and 12 foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, which has walls that are 12x12 stadia, 12 gates, and a size o 12,000 furlongs. Still today, some Jews and Christians analyse the numbers in the Bible for special hidden meanings.

Spellcasting and curses—in the book of Genesis (30:31-43), Jacob gets his father-in-law to agree that he can keep any spotted sheep and goats, which are uncommon. He then puts spotted sticks in front of the animals whenever they are breeding, causing them to have spotted offspring—ultimately building great flocks and becoming wealthy. In modern times, a breed of piebald sheep in England are called Jacob sheep, after the story.

Although the Bible specifically prohibits sorcery—casting spells to harm people (see, especially, Deuteronomy 18:10-11)—some of God’s messengers do just that, and they seem to do so with God’s approval. In the Hebrew book of 2 Kings (2:23-25), for example, the Prophet Elisha calls down a black magic curse on 42 boys who are taunting him, and they are killed by a bear. In the New Testament book of Acts, Paul similarly kills two people by cursing them (Acts 5:9-10) and, in another story, makes one go blind (Acts 13:6-12). Jesus himself curses a fig tree so that it withers and dies (Mark 11:12-25).

Magical healings—Miracle healings performed by Jesus are in integral part of the gospel stories. Like many other kinds of magic in the Bible, these would have fit patters familiar at the time. From the standpoint of modern trinitarian theology in which Jesus is an avatar of God almighty, he could have eradicated an entire category of malaise like leprosy or blindness. Instead, the Jesus of the gospel writers performs healings on people in front of him. Often, he cures with words or touch. One time he makes mud out of dirt and spit and then pastes it onto the eyes of a blind man (John 9:6). (Valerie Tarico, "Why Do Christians Believe in Miracles?" in John W. Loftus, ed. The Case Against Miracles [Hypatia Press, 2019], 202-27, here, pp. 205-7)

With respect to Joseph of Egypt using divinization, some Evangelical apologists have tried (lamely) to get around this. Writing in response to Norman Geisler ("Scripture" in The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism), Alma Allred wrote:

Geisler claims that "God's servants were forbidden to use physical objects to 'divine' things." As evidence he cites passages forbidding the practices of witches, soothsayers. sorcerers, mediums. spiritists, and interpreters of omens and conjurers or making children pass through fire. None of these restrictions mentions physical objects-nor do they apply to any of the practices of Mormonism or Joseph Smith. This is because God's servants have, in fact used physical objects to obtain the word of God. The clearest example comes from Genesis, where Joseph-a man who previously had given inspired interpretations of dreams-instructed his servant to tell his brothers that he used a silver cup for divination (see Genesis 44:4-5).

Geisler discounts this in a footnote (see p. 48 n. 3), concluding that Joseph lied as part of a ruse to trap his brothers, or. Alternatively that if he had used the cup he too would stand condemned by God. But Geisler's effort results in the unhappy conclusion that Joseph of Egypt was either an occultist or a liar. In leveling this accusation, Geisler should recall that the scripture tells us, "The Lord was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:2 1). Joseph's cup, however, is not the only biblical example of a physical object used in obtaining the words of God. Gideon used a fleece to determine the will of God (see Judges 6), and God's high priests used the Urim and Thummim-the same objects Joseph Smith claimed to use to receive revelation. Additionally, the apostle Paul used handkerchiefs and aprons to heal the sick (see Acts 19:12).

As with many criticisms levelled against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, critics must engage in double standards and even accuse biblical figures of lying(!) as Geisler did.

Eliezer Gonzalez and texts that purportedly teach "heaven going" at the moment of death

Commenting on a minority of texts that, at first blush, may appear to suggest “the immediate ascent of the righteous into the presence of God” (i.e., heaven itself), Eliezer Gonzalez, in a study on the fate of the dead in North African Christianity in the third century wrote:

These include Luke 23:43; Eph 2:6 (cv. Col 2); Heb 12:18-23; Rev 6:9-11. Those who wish to understand these passages as referring to an immediate post-mortem ascent to heaven must also necessarily classify them as exceptions to the explicit majority teachings of Jesus and Paul. Rather, it is far preferable to attempt to understand these references, as with 2 Cor 5:1-8, within the traditional, Pharisaic and Jewish terms of an eschatological resurrection within the context of an essentially monistic anthropology. As an example, Luke 23:43 represents a particularly interesting statement by Jesus to the thief on the cross. However, it should not be decontextualized, in its exegesis, in a way that sets it against Jesus’ explicit teachings on the afterlife, and the balance of the explicit teachings of the New Testament. (Eliezer Gonzalez, The Fate of the Dead in Early Third Century North African Christianity [Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2-14], 51 n. 85, emphasis in original)

Divorce and Remarriage in the Church Fathers and Patristic Era Writers

I came across the following discussion of the patristics and the question of divorce and remarriage. As this issue, of course, has pastoral, not just doctrinal and apologetic value, I think it is apropos to share it here:

Divorce and Remarriage in the Church Fathers and Patristic Era Writers