Forgive me for reposting this, but I wanted to have this up on the blog so that I could refer to it in future posts.<\/p>\n
So here I\u2019m continuing my posts<\/a> arguing that Joseph Smith was onto something in embracing the ancient theology<\/a>, or larger truth in addition to the Bible.<\/p>\n While the Bible in certainly important in Mormon theology and historical conceptions, Mormonism rejects Protestant sola scriptura. We do so not only in have additional scripture, God goes so far as to tell Nephi in his strident rejection of sola scriptua \u201cI shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.\u201d (29:12). I like Alma 29:8 also: “For behold, the Lord doth\u00a0grant\u00a0unto\u00a0all\u00a0nations, of their own nation and\u00a0tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he\u00a0seeth fit that they should have.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here we have a declaration of what is often term religious perennialism<\/a>, or the idea that there is similar religious truth all over the world. Most who ascribe to that idea say it\u2019s because of either truth spreading from a common historical source (Adam, Noah, Moses) or God giving revelation to all nations. That Book of Mormon clearly stated the revelatory position as did the First Presidency statement from 1978: \u201cThe great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God\u2019s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n I like the reference to Plato and his teacher Socrates and would argue that such a statement makes it okay for 1) \u00a0JS to have drawn on such sources and 2) Mormon doctrine to line up with Platonic themes like the plan of salvation.<\/p>\n But the other point I want to suggest is that such statements, I\u2019m going to argue, put Mormonism in a good position when the evidence indicates the historical problems of the Old Testament. Like I said in other posts, I often see evangelical and Mormons having faith crises over such scholarship, but I\u2019ll be arguing here that we don\u2019t need to either 1) reject human learning in the name of faith, or 2) reject belief in God in the name of human learning.<\/p>\n I think the two CAN go together despite the challenges and will be arguing that the theme of perennialism in Mormonism helps with all this.<\/p>\n My next posts will be on a few books I\u2019ve read about the Old Testament indicating it\u2019s historical problems. I don\u2019t do so to attack belief in God, but to note the evidence that is out there.<\/p>\n As Joseph Smith said in the King Follett Sermon, \u201cI suppose that I am not allowed to go into an investigation of anything that is not in the Bible\u2014you would cry treason\u201d (Words of Joseph Smith<\/em>, 385). I think the Protestant mentality being so pervasive in our society has tended to make us Mormons want to be really biblical in order to \u201cfit in.\u201d But the Prophet wanted to also look at truth outside the Bible.<\/p>\n