The Washington herald., 1918-02-10

WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE TO BE
| THE WORD OF GOD, AS FAR AS
! 1T is TRANSLATED CORRECTLY.
WE ALSO BELIEVE THE BOOK OF
MORMON TO BE THE WORD OF
GOD. (Artcles of Faith, No. s.
The Church OF Jesus Christ OF Lat
ter-day Saints accepts the Holy Bible
for just what it purports to be, moth
ing less, nothing more. Taken as a
whole the Holy Bible is a collection of
sacred and historical writings, depict
ing though incompletely the Divine
dealings with mankind on the Eastern
Hemisphere from the creation down
to about the close of the first century
after Christ. The Old Testament con-
tains a brief record of pre-Mosaic
time, and is largely a history of the
Semitic people or Hebrews, as they
lived under the Law of Moses. The
New Testament is distinctively the
Scripture of the Gospel as contrasted
with the Law. and is devoted to the
earthly ministry OF the Savior and
to the growth of His Church under
apostolic administration. The COM
pilation as it now stands is the work
of men. and our modern translations
from the original Hebrew of the Old
Testament and Greek OF the New have
been made by skilled linguists and
learned theologians.
But the wisdom of even the, wisest
OF men may be faulty, and the under
standing of the prudent may be biased
and dangerously imperfect. (See lisa.
9:14; Cor. 1:19. The many revisions
and successive versions OF the Bible,
/ mazda a tho M oorIiar
tons became strikingly apparent, tes-
tify to the unreliability of scholarship
in the translation of sacred writ
! Moreover, it is an indisputable fact
that the compilation Of books consti-
tuting our present version is incom-
plete; for within the Bible itself more
than a score Of books, epistles, or
other writings not included are men,
toned, and generally in such a way as
to show that those lost scriptures were
considered authentic and genuine.
Furthermore. numerous Biblical pas
sages are tnged with what scholars
call "gloss"-that is wording intended
to convey the private Interpretation
Of the translator.
The Latter-day Saints openly pro-
claim their reservation as to incorrect
translation. We are in harmony with
all able and earnest students of the
Scriptures in accepting the Bible as
the Word Of God. only so far as it is
translated correctly.
But we hold that there are now ex-
tant other Scriptures, Of equal valid
ity with those of the Holy Bible. and
in no sense in conflict Herewith nor
substitute therefor. For nearly six
| centuries before and about four CEN
turies after the birth OF Christ, the
American continent was inhabited by
detached body of Israelites, who de-
veloped into powerful nations. Their
existence was unknown to the people
OF the East Is 1t unreasonable to
believe that unto the western fold
God sent His shepherds, and that
prophets officiated amongst them by
Divine appointment? Their records
declare that Jesus Christ visited them
in person shortly after His resurrec-
tion. that He ordained twelve disciples
to be special witnesses of His min
istry, and commissioner them to build
up His Church in America The Book
OF Mormon is a compilation of the
Scriptures Of the West even as the
Holy Bible Is q similar record of the
East.
That the Book Of Mormon would he
rejected by many on the specious and
untenable claim that they already had
Bible and that there could be no
other Scriptures. the Lord foretoId by
the mouth Of the prophet Nephi:
And because my words shall hiss
iortn. many OF the Gentiles shall say,