[George Albert Smith et al., Letter to Rudger Clawson and Members of the Council of Apostles] The sub-committee of the Council of the Apostles appointed to read the manuscript written by Elder B. H. Roberts entitled, THE TRUTH, THE WAY, THE LIFE, makes the following report:
. ... The members of the committee regret to say that there are some objectionable doctrines advanced which are of a speculative nature and appear to be out of harmony with the revelations of the Lord and the fundamental teachings of the Church. Among the outstanding doctrines to which objection is made are: The doctrine that there were races on the earth before Adam; That Adam was a translated being who came to this earth subject to death, and therefore, did not bring death upon himself and his posterity through the fall; That Adam was placed on the earth when the earth was in a desolate condition and before any other life, belonging to the 'dispensation of Adam' was on the earth; That all life preceding Adam was swept off, even to the fishes of the sea, by some great cataclysm so that a new start had to be made; That Go the Father is is still discovering hidden laws and truth which he does not know, but which are eternal.
The members of the committee met with Brother Roberts on two or three occasions and discussed these matters with hm, making the request that he eliminate from his work these objectionable features, but this Brother Roberts has refused to do. At the last interview with hm, he informed the committee that if he could not adjust matters and therefore did not obtain the approval of the committee, he would, perhaps, at some future time publish the work on his own responsibility.
The committee, therefore, recommends to the Council of the Twelve that a report of it findings be laid before the First presidency, with the recommendation that in its present form, the manuscript be not published.
Very respectfully submitted, P.S. a list of objections is here attached. ...
[Source: George Albert Smith et al., Letter to Rudger Clawson and Members of the Council of Apostles, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]
BHR's manuscript was eventually published as noted below:
ReplyDeleteLarson, Stan (1994). The Truth, the Way, the Life. San Francisco: Smith Research Associates.
"That all life [dinosaurs] preceding Adam was swept off ... by some great cataclysm so that a new start had to be made;"
ReplyDeleteThis is the only invalid objection of the 5 listed.
When the 2/3 sealed portion of the BOM plates comes forth from the Choice Seer, the future full-blooded American Indian Moses, then we will have a perfect understanding of these things, as noted below:
ReplyDelete2 Nephi 27:
[7] And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.
[8] Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.
[10] But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
[11] And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.
You could argue that the dinosaurs were swept off in the sense that they were destroyed by a asteroid collision with earth. One could view "swept off" as a literary allusion.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I personally would have preferred his book be published and his line of thought introduced to Latter-day Saints. The anti-scientific approach of JFS (and his son-in-law) have shifted Latter-day Saints towards fundamentalism in regards to science.
I agree. When the 2/3 sealed portion comes forth we will understand perfectly these things - especially the dinosaur period and what exactly caused their complete obliteration.
DeleteThe best is yet to come.
JFS-2 and BRM.
Delete2 Nephi 30:
ReplyDelete[16] Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.
[17] There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.
[18] Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; ...
" ... a new start had to be made".
ReplyDeleteThis seems to agree with the following scriptures (Psalm 104:30; Gen.1:2): Thou [the Lord] sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."