Tag Archives: Mormon Church

Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville Podcasts

Spirituality, , , , ,

Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville discussed historical ground-breaking material about LDS Church history in two recent Book of Mormon Evidence podcasts. Each discussion was an hour long. (Links Below)

Did you know Benjamin Winchester changed the course of history for the Church? Did you know there were two sets of gold plates for the Book of Mormon? Did you know that Zarahemla is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Ill.? Did you know the Sidon River in the Book of Mormon is the Mississippi? Did you know Zarahemla and Sidon are Phoenician words? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and modern Stylometry reveal the truth, as Jonathan and Rod point out.

Benjamin Winchester

Benjamin Winchester wrote three articles appearing In the Times and Seasons indicating the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. These articles were attributed erroneously to Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph tried to change Benjamin’s mind and couldn’t. Joseph prophesied of Benjamin’s apostasy, and that he would do great harm to the Church. Joseph said Winchester was “rotten at heart.”

Jonathan’s book, The Lost City of Zarahemla, From Iowa to Guatemala—and Back Again, details how Winchester deceived the Church. I share Jonathan’s perspective here: “In 1842, a zealous, committed Mormon [Benjamin Winchester] invented a way to gain more converts. All he had to do was link the Book of Mormon to popular books, including a national bestseller, about Mesoamerica. This proof would be irresistible to the public. Except the prophet disagreed with the tactic. Convinced he was right, he battled Joseph Smith. Formally suspended and silenced, he fought back. He arranged for the publication in the Times and Seasons of articles that specifically linked the Book of Mormon to Mesoamerica. The consequences? Joseph Smith resigned from the paper. The champions of the Mesoamerican theory apostatized from the Church. And the Mesoamerican theory would undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s role as prophet, seer and revelator for the next 174 years. This man’s zeal and subterfuge have remained a secret despite the devoted efforts of historians, educators, and church leaders to uncover the truth. Until now.”

The Lord knows the end from the beginning and can turn bad into good. So, I find it fascinating that the Lord gave Joseph a revelation in March 1841 – “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” (D&C 125:3) These controversial articles in the Times and Seasons came later, and they changed the course of history significantly for the Lord’s Church. Here, the Lord has given a revelation to those paying attention to His word to avoid Winchester’s deceit.

In the infinite wisdom of the Lord, this revelation didn’t say Zarahemla was there for His all-knowing wise purposes. The magnificent ruins in Central and South America caught the eye of many Church leaders and academics in the Church. And most believed the articles in the Times and Seasons, promoting the Mesoamerica model, were attributed to the Prophet Joseph. That model came to be believed by most members of the Church. I believed it, as did Jonathan Neville!

Now, AI and modern stylometry techniques show those articles were written by Benjamin Winchester, and the Church members have been massively deceived. Now, we can prove that North America is where the Book of Mormon took place. The Book of Mormon geography is here in this “Land of Promise”—North America.

Edna Allan’s Major Insight

My wife, Edna, knowing the Lord can turn bad into good, had a major insight. She believes the Lord knowing this deceit turned bad into good. This deceit caused the Church to take the gospel to the people in Central and South America much more than otherwise. Because the Church leaders and members believed the Book of Mormon took place in Central and South America, they focused missionary work in that direction. The blessings to those good people have been enormous. Indeed, the course of history for the Church has changed for the good in spite of the deceit.

Exposing The Deceit

Now, the Lord is exposing that deceit, as the North American Indians (Lamanites) are blossoming as a rose in fulfillment of prophecy. Rod and Jonathan, in their podcasts, document this deceit in detail. They share the history of how this deceit came about.

Also, I am privileged to be part of Book of Mormon Heartland showing where the Book of Mormon really took place. This geography model exposes this deceit.  At the same time, in the above links, I prove the Mesoamerica model false.

Because the Lord turned this deceit into good, there are now 8 million members of the Church in Central and South America combined. Interestingly, there are only 7 million in the United States and Canada combined. The combined membership in Central and South America would be much fewer if this deceit had not occurred. Now, 15 million of the 17 million members of the Church are in the Americas.

Membership growth curves have changed dramatically over time. Now the membership in Africa is exploding, while the growth is flat in the Americas and in most of the rest of the world. The main cause of that flattening is Satan’s Wokeism and all the secularism that has invaded our education systems. The proven false theories of Darwinian evolution and the Big Bang are pervasive.

If you go to the statistics on the Church’s website, you will notice that there is no Central America. All the Central America countries are lumped in with North America. I had to add up the membership from the individual countries to get a Central America statistic. I did this from the Church’s Wikipedia page.

Unfortunately, the 2024 “Come Follow Me” manual for the Church still shows pictures from Mesoamerica. Even though the Mesoamerica model for Book of Mormon geography has been proven false.

However, we have seen progress. I taught the “Institute of Religion” class for the Moroni Stake in our Church for eleven years. The original Book of Mormon manual for that course of study had many pictures depicting Mesoamerica geography for the Book of Mormon. They made a new manual and took out all of those pictures.  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)

Two Sets of Gold Plates

Most don’t know that there were two sets of gold plates used in translating the Book of Mormon. Jonathan Neville has written an excellent book about this important topic: Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates? He also helped me with a blog article sharing this fascinating dimension for these sacred records coming forth.

Joseph shared that Moroni wrote the Title Page for the Book of Mormon. It was underneath the plates Joseph translated that were given to Joseph from the stone box in the Hill Cumorah. Two-thirds of them were sealed. These are the plates from which Joseph translated the Book of Lehi. The 116 pages of that translation were lost by Martin Harris’s wife, with Satanic designs. He was then instructed by the Lord to translate the Book of Mosiah through and including the Book of Moroni.

Notice the two paragraphs of the Title Page tell us that it is an abridgment of the record of the Nephites and an abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, respectively. These abridgments were made by Mormon and Moroni, respectively. The Title Page mentions nothing of the unabridged portion coming later from the small plates. It is estimated that the large plates taken from the stone box weighed about 60 lbs.

After finishing that translation from the large plates, Joseph was then instructed to give the large plates to a messenger. That messenger took them and put them into the repository in the Hill Cumorah. This is a room of records that was in the Hill Cumorah different from the stone box. As Jonathan points out from his research, that messenger was Nephi, one of the three Nephites. (3 Nephi 28) Nephi then took the small plates from the repository to Joseph Smith in Fayette, NY. Joseph had been instructed to go to Fayette to the Peter and Mary Whitmer home. The Whitmer family were kind supporters of the completion of this sacred work. Joseph then finished the translation from 1 Nephi through and including at least part of the Words of Mormon in the Book of Mormon.

This is a beautiful example of the FIRST shall be LAST, and the LAST shall be FIRST (D&C 29:30). “… the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit.” The last of the Book of Mormon was translated first, and the first part was translated last. “Brother Nephi” showed these small plates to Mary Whitmer, and she said that was how he introduced himself.

After the translation was finished in Fayette, the Three Witnesses were privileged to be shown the large plates by Moroni. They did not handle them but heard the Lord’s voice witnessing of their truth. All three of these witnesses later became disaffected with the Church, but never denied their testimonies. In a court of law, this would be sufficient evidence for the validation of this sacred record.

Again, as Jonathan points out, Joseph then took these plates back to the repository in the Hill Cumorah. These are the plates that Joseph showed to the eight witnesses near Palmyra. These witnesses were privileged to heft and turn the leaves of the small plates. Joseph’s father was one of those witnesses and said the plates weighed about 30 pounds.
No part of these plates was sealed.

John Whitmer, one of the scribes for the translation of the small plates, copied off some of the characters. This is the famous “CARACTERS” document. AI and Stylometry have identified John as the scribe. These characters are not “reformed Egyptian”, but Demotic Egyptian. That was the language used at the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Bryan Nettles verifies this in a blog article. You can see a picture of the “CARACTERS” document in this blog article.

Some confuse the “CARACTERS” document with the Anthon transcript. It is not. Joseph copied and translated some characters from the large plates, while in Harmony, PA. Martin Harris took these to experts to validate them. This is where we have a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the Book of Mormon: (See Isaiah 29:11-24 and JS-H 63-65)

  • Isa. 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
  • 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

The Found City of Zarahemla

As mentioned, Jonathan Neville wrote the wonderful book, The Lost City of Zarahemla. He later told me, he should have named it, “The Found City of Zarahemla.” I find it fascinating that the Lord gave the revelation to Joseph Smith to name the city across from Nauvoo, Ill, Zarahemla. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord not only did it just before the Mesoamerica, Times and Seasons, deceit problem. The Lord also did not say it was the same site as the city and land so important in Book of Mormon history.

The Lord knew we would find that out later. Which we have after the massive Church’s effort to take the fullness of the gospel to the people in Central and South America. And the Church missionaries have had great success in doing so.

Now we know it is the day when the Lamanites (North American Natives) are blossoming as a rose in preparation for the Lord’s coming. We are learning more and more about the Native Americans. We now know not only where the City and the Land of Zarahemla are. Recent discoveries have shown an amazing, Spotted Bee Balm, an herbal remedy found in that area. It reminds one of the following scripture:

And some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate— (Alma 46:40)

We remember when the saints settled in Nauvoo, they had serious problems with malaria. Now you can go to www.RocktheWorldBotanicals.com and take advantage of this newly discovered herbal blend. Its purest form and greatest abundance is where the Land of Zarahemla was!

Non-member Assistance

It seems that the leadership of our church has taken a neutral stand regarding Book of Mormon geography. Since many of the religion professors at BYU believe in the Mesoamerica model, I am guessing their influence has something to do with why we see Mesoamerica images in the Church’s 2024 “Come Follow Me” program.

Yet, the Lord has set an everlasting decree that whosoever possesses this land shall serve the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. If they do not, they shall be “Swept off.” The people of North America cannot say, if they are destroyed, they didn’t know. (Ether 2:7-12) The Book of Mormon is very clear on the critical need for the people of this “Promised Land” to repent.

I find it fascinating how the Lord has orchestrated with non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Phillip Beale has shown the path of how the Lehites got to North America.  Russell Burrows has found some 4,000 ancient artifacts in the southern Illinois, Indiana area. Many North American Natives are reaching out to assist in sharing that the Book of Mormon is of their ancestry. The DNA of many of the native North Americans have strong Israelite markers. We read in the Title page the Lord’s purpose for the Book of Mormon:

It “is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.” Now the Book of Mormon is in 115 languages, and more are coming.

The printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon in the Divine ratio was a major miracle. I was praying about this miracle. And, the Lord revealed to my mind and heart that these 5,000 copies were printed in the Divine ratio: 7 ½ inches / 4 5/8 inches = 1.62. In honor of this miracle, I had my new book, Time & Eternity, printed in the Divine ratio as well.

David W. Allan

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 3

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 4

Photo:  Permission Granted

The LDS Church and Ensign Peak Investments

Spirituality, ,

This week the Securities Exchange Commission fined the LDS Church and Ensign Peak Investments for apparent misfilings of its holdings.

The Lord has promised those living here in America, “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land;” (2 Nephi 1:20) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become the richest per capita church on the planet. Is this why? Or, is there more to the story—given what just happened with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) imposing a $5,000,000 fine on the Church and its holdings (Ensign Peak Investments)? Many are now leaving the Church, as the Church’s financial handlings are being revealed. It reminds me of when many of the early saints left the Church with the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society.

Statement by the LDS Church

The Church released the following statement on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its affiliated investment manager, Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., have settled a matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Investment managers who oversee a portfolio of public equities above a certain threshold are required to file Forms 13F with the SEC quarterly. These forms publicly disclose the names of the securities and their values.

Since 2000, Ensign Peak has received and relied upon legal counsel regarding how to comply with its reporting obligations while attempting to maintain the privacy of the portfolio. As a result, Ensign Peak established separate companies (LLCs) that each filed Forms 13F instead of a single aggregated filing. Ensign Peak and the Church believe that all securities required to be reported were included in the filings by the separate companies.

In June 2019, the SEC first expressed concern about Ensign Peak’s reporting approach. Ensign Peak adjusted its approach and began filing a single aggregated report. Since that time, 13 quarterly reports have been filed in full accordance with SEC requirements.

This settlement relates to how the forms were filed previously. Ensign Peak and the Church have cooperated with the government over a period of time as we sought resolution.

We affirm our commitment to comply with the law, regret the mistakes made, and now consider this matter closed.”

As I look at the Church’s portfolio, it appears to be about making money, which they have been very successful in doing, and not about principles. I wonder if they had followed Alma’s counsel to his son Helaman, they would have avoided the problems that have arisen, ” Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;” (Alma 37:37) We have the great statement from the Prophet Joseph Smith on how he governed  the Church members, “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.”

Two Men of Principle

Nathan Eldon Tanner, who was one of our favorite general authorities—brilliant and with impeccable integrity. He had been a member of the Canadian legislature and had a major impact on their infrastructure helping to bring about many improvements. Our youngest son, Nathan, was named after Nathan Eldon Tanner who also demonstrates impeccable integrity.

Tanner was called an Apostle in 1960 and went on to be a counselor in the First Presidency for four different presidents of the Church. During that time, he helped improve the Church’s financial structure, which he was gifted to do.

Nathan Eldon Tanner is a descendant of John Tanner, who joined the Church in 1832.  John also came with wonderful gifts.  John’s conversion, healing, and perfectly timed contributions saved the Kirtland Temple; he used his wealth to build the kingdom and gave the sum of about $50,000 to the Church.

I highly recommend you watch, The John Tanner story on YouTube. The 22-minute video tells his remarkable and inspiring story of “Coming Unto Christ”: “Treasure in Heaven; the John Tanner Story.” John lost all his wealth with the financial crash of the Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) and he was left to beg for bread for his family.

Rather than being bitter and leaving the organization, he accepted a mission call because of his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Joseph Smith promised John, “Your children shall never again beg for bread.” We are greatly blessed to this day because of the faithfulness of John Tanner and Nathan Eldon Tanner. Their successes came because of following correct principles and adhering to “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”

What is Happening Now

What is happening now reminds me of what happened when many left the Church after the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society.  Perhaps we should follow the example of John Tanner, which is to move forward in the gospel of Jesus Christ as he did.  We need to understand the differences between the Church organization and the Kingdom of God, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is Christ, not the Church that saves us. The organization is simply the vehicle to bring us to Christ. Not knowing the differences, I am concerned that many may be “throwing out the baby with the bathwater.” Let us look at the big picture from the Lord’s perspective as best we can and where we are in God’s timetable.

1.  The Church is simply an organized corporation to Interface with the world in its goal to bring souls to Christ.

The organization is an inspired model for all other Christian churches in providing fellowship, a feeling of community, opportunities to serve, learning from one another truths of eternal life, and how to be true Christians.

Because of mortality, the Church is made up of imperfect people helping imperfect people to perfection. And it works, because it is Christ who perfects those who come unto Him (Moroni 10:32-33).

We cannot expect perfection of the Church’s membership or leadership since we are not perfect as well. The only perfect Christian is Christ. Our focus is to trust in the Lord and not the arm of the flesh.

2.  Christ said, His kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is not the same as the Church. The Lord’s prayer gives us guidance, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is perfectly organized. The Lord is asking us to pray so that the Kingdom of God on earth will also be perfect like the Kingdom of Heaven, as we truly come unto Him.

D&C 65:1-6 – Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. Yea, a voice crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom. Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, and make known his wonderful works among the people. Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord shared through the Prophet Daniel that His Kingdom was to be set up in the latter days, ”and it shall stand forever” “And filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:44-45, 33)

Again, the gospel is separate from the Church and from the Kingdom of God, as well. It is best defined in Third Nephi 27:13-22. As Apostle John saw in vision this Everlasting gospel will go to the ends of the earth. (Rev. 14:6-7).

The Lord’s promise is:  For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ. (D&C 90:11)

Mistakes Are Made

Have our Church leaders made some mistakes?  Yes!  They are members of the imperfect human family. I know that while I was serving as a Bishop and Stake President, I made mistakes.  Many wonderful people around me lovingly compensated for errors, and we moved the Lord’s work forward in spite of my weaknesses and mistakes.

It is easy for people to find fault. For us, we should be watchmen on the tower (D&C 101:12) and to treasure up His word that we be not deceived (JS_M 37). It is not our job to fix an imperfect Church. The Lord will do that in His own time (D&C 85:7)

Why I Stay A Member

I enjoy fellowship with the Saints and do my best to use my time and talents to serve Heavenly Father’s children. I cannot do anything about mistakes that may have been made by our Church leaders or their investment advisors. Letting these things bother me, makes me unproductive in things that are much more important—helping to do the work of the Father (Moses 1:39) and helping bring souls to Christ. (John 15:8)

In spite of its imperfections, the Church is the Lord’s. For a person to bail out is short-sighted, because, as I explain in my book, Time & Eternity; the End-Times & Beyond Revealed, the events yet to unfold are greater than anything the world has seen.  A Zion, pure in heart people, will come out of the Church’s membership, who are living celestial lives.
We want to be part of this ideal society that is coming motivated by the pure love of Christ

Our Greatest Opportunity

It is the greatest opportunity in our mortal journey to live and share this “Message of Gladness,” which is the fullness of the gospel. As the Savior so profoundly said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bring for much fruit; then are ye my disciples” (John 15:8) Then are we true disciples of Christ.

Finding fault and creating contention are tools of the devil and are not the way of the Lord. Many are leaving the Church and losing faith because they don’t understand how important their mission is in living and sharing this “message of gladness.”

Circumstances Change Quickly

Regarding the Church, the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually–” (D&C 1:30) Then only ten months later the Lord said,

And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. (D&C 84:54-58)

Condemnation Remains

I was in the Tabernacle at General Conference and heard President Benson say that the condemnation has not been lifted. The key then is to do as Moroni counsels the world, as he summarizes the message of “The Everlasting Gospel”.

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.” (Moroni 10:32-33)

We Live in Exciting Times

In looking at the Lord’s timing, as I share in both of my books, we live in that exciting time where the Lord is bringing the FIRST (ISRAEL) to be LAST, as we come to the end of the LAST (GENTILES) becoming first with the restoration.

We will see a ZION—pure in heart people—come forth in this epoch, as the FIRST becomes the LAST. And we can be part of it as we look continually to Christ.

As Zenos shares in his allegory in Jacob Chapter 5:66-67 “For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard. And the branches of the natural tree [true Israelites who have put their hand in the hand of the Lord] will I graft in again into the natural tree;”

Notice, the pruning will be top to bottom. The key is to be Christ-centered — true Israelites–putting our hand in the hand of the Lord! In this epoch, we will see one “Mighty and Strong” “to set in order the house of God.” (D&C 85:7) If things were in order, that would not be needed. Trust in the Lord and not the arm of flesh.

I pray that we may also follow this counsel from Doctrine and Covenants 29:

  • 1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;
  • 2 Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer.

David W. Allan

Photo: CC Investment – Flicker

 

 

Why are Mormons Leaving Their Church?

Spirituality, ,

This is close to my heart because someone near and dear was one of them.  She is a very devoted Christian and very bright.  She and her husband have raised a beautiful family.  She served a mission for our church and married in the temple, but has chosen to reject Mormonism.

What Are Some Of The Causes of Discontent?

She recently shared with me the details of why she left the Church.  I felt the sincerity of her heart as she shared how hard that decision came.  I am deeply grateful she was willing to openly share these feelings with me.

She sent me the link to the book, CES Letter, by Jeremy T. Runnells which she suggested I read giving some of the reasons why she had left the Church.  CES stands for the Church Education System, and he had reached out to them for answers.  I downloaded the book and went through it in quite a bit of detail, as he explains why he left the Church because  they couldn’t, “answer my concerns and questions.”

As I went through the book, I found many miss leading quotes and misinformation.  Unfortunately, many of them were from BYU professors and Church intellectuals that I knew were wrong from my personal research.  A lot of people are leaving the Church because of these confusing and contradictory statements.  For example, Jeremy says there are 100,000 changes in the Book of Mormon since it was first published.  This is incredibly misleading.  I have a copy of the original and have read it, and was thrilled with the consistency with the current edition.

Are There Problems Within Mormonism?

Every church has it problems and Mormonism is not alone.  Several years ago, I was attending a General Conference of the Church in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, when I heard President Benson, the President of our church at the time, say that the condemnation the Lord had placed on the Church had not been lifted, as he quoted from Doctrine & Covenants Section 84:

49 And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.
50 And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin because they come not unto me.
51 For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin.
52 And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me.
53 And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now.
54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.

(Bold is mine)

Today we are seeing the effects of that condemnation as people fall into the clutches of unbelief, vanity, and sin, and do not know the voice of the Savior.  Also, many leave the Church because of so much conflicting information, which dashes their trust in a consistent theology.  Let us look deeper.
 
The Book of Mormon is basic to our religion.  The fundamental purpose of the Book of Mormon is to bring people to Christ and help prepare for His glorious return so that we are not “under the bondage of sin…” and “know the  voice of the Savior.” 51 “For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin.”   The Book of Mormon, as a second witness with the Bible, is designed to help us get out from under that bondage and receive His mercy and grace.  This is fundamental to Mormon theology.

Two Credible Defenders of the Faith and Book of Mormon

There are many credible researchers and defenders of the Book of Mormon, both members and non-members.  I share two examples that come from outside independent sources.

1. Rob Kay, is a good friend of our daughter, McKaylee, and her husband, Scott.  Rob is a Jewish convert, with a strong Hebrew background who at age fifteen, by chance, picked up a copy of the Book of Mormon and immediately recognized it as a Hebrew document.  “This book is written in the manner of the Jews.” Three years later he joined the Church.  He let me put his remarkable conversion story on our website; the link is below.  His profound understanding can be supported by his website posts, and the link is below as well.

He took the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon, which was the last one Joseph Smith was able to edit before he was martyred, and created a three-volume set, called, Voices from the Dust —  showing the Hebrew structure, but in English.  I have read his adaptation three times, and have greatly rejoiced in his insights and the content from this new, but old Hebrew perspective.

One of the things I learned from Rob and from another Jewish convert friend, David Doane, is that the Book of Mormon is full of Hebrew Midrash occurrences. The concept of Jewish Midrash was totally unknown to Joseph at the time he translated the Book of Mormon, yet the Book of Mormon has several profound examples, as Rob Kay has explained.

In Hebrew, there is no punctuation, and Rob has no chapters and verses in his three-volume set, “Voices from the Dust“.  So, I was totally fascinated as I read his adaptation to observe that the sectioning he uses often begins with one of the 1,800 Adamic phrases that I have found in my research.  I was pleased that LDS Living Magazine picked up on this work from an article I wrote.  It is a unique perspective.

2. Jonathan Neville, who, in my opinion, is the best church historian because he is not attached to any church research system subject to correlation. He is “freelance” and a very brilliant researcher, and a retired lawyer, and has found many mistakes in the Church history books – mainly using the Joseph Smith Papers and many other dependable research resources.  I recently reached out to him as a friend.  He was familiar with the Runnells CES Letters book and has written a blog article addressing the question of the accusation that the Book of Mormon was plagiarized, which was one of the concerns of the person mentioned above.

Jonathan shared with me:
“I started a blog responding a while back”  This is a blog written in response to Jeremy Runnells’s letter to the CES director.

Jonathan said: “Recently I responded to FairLDS’ attempt at a response to the CES letter.”

In his usual fair and insightful way, he deals with plagiarization, misinformation, and relevant questions that have caused members to question their membership in the Church and the Book of Mormon.

Science Vs. Faith

For me, the bigger world problem is all who are turning away from God and assuming science will save them.  In a recent survey, 93% of the leading American scientists believe the Bible is a myth.  In the Book of Mormon, both Nephi (1 Nephi 13:38-41) and Joseph in Egypt (2 Nephi 3:11) prophesied this would happen, and that the Book of Mormon would come forth and validate the Bible.  It is doing that in a major way in  fulfillment of those prophecies, which also validates the Book of Mormon because these prophecies are coming about as we speak, and Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:15-20)

We know religion is a matter of faith, but I believe the following article gives undeniably validation of the scriptures including the Bible, and showing the fingerprint of God and evidence of the Adamic language.  I used the scientific method to validate these findings.

I pray for all our Christian Missionaries who are using the Bible to bring people to Christ and His great gospel plan of happiness and peace in the midst of the storms.  All who believe that gospel will make it into the millennium.  I also pray for our missionaries who are bringing the fullness of the gospel as contained in the Book of Mormon to as many as will.  We know the gospel will go to all before He comes.  Let us join arm-in-arm to get the good news out there – live it and share it. (John 15:8)

My Own Research, Findings, and Testimony

As to Joseph Smith, it is as Jeremy Runnells says, he is either a modern-day prophet or he is the greatest fraud ever.  This reminds me of C. S. Lewis’s comment about the Savior: he said, “There can be only one of two conclusions: 1) He is the greatest deceiver of all time, or 2) He is exactly what and who He said He is: the Son of God and the Redeemer of mankind.” 

Again, Jesus gives us how to know, “By their fruits, ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20)  The information in the following link is adapted from a book about 100 people who knew Joseph intimately.  I would much rather rely on their testimonies than on the many others who did not know him and chose to denigrate him not knowing the facts.  Both the translation of the Book of Mormon as well as the printing were major miracles for anyone who is willing to look at the history with a desire to know the truth.

Another fascinating fingerprint from the Lord  came to me.  At 4:28 (MST) on 20 March 2017) was the moment of the Vernal Equinox. Spring sprung upon us!  The early morning hours are my best time for meditating.  I had the impression that morning that the ratio of the height to width of the first printing of the Book of Mormon was in the divine ratio or the Golden mean.  The divine ratio is ever-present in nature.  Dr. Hugh Nibley, Brigham Young University said, “Measurement is the very essence of creation.”  The Lord has said, “Behold, all things are created and made to bear record of me.” (Moses 6:63) When I got up – having a replica of one of the 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon first printed – I measured it, and found it to be exactly as the Spirit had taught me.  (190 mm high x 117 mm wide; 190/117 = 1.62.  The golden mean is 1.618033989…, an irrational number)  We have more than two thousand books in our library, and I have not found another with the divine ratio.  I thank the Lord for this insight.

I believe we should let each person follow their hearts in terms of their religious beliefs and be happy therein.  As I see it, the confusing teachings that are causing many to leave the Mormon religion are based on misinformation that Satan has put out there. Unfortunately, many have “thrown the baby out with the bathwater” and no longer believe in Christ.  Interestingly, the Lord gave Joseph Smith the name of His Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Indeed, we who follow the teachings of the restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ coming through the Prophet Joseph Smith count ourselves among true Christians, as we come unto Him with full purpose of heart, and hearken to His voice.

My life has grown in light and truth spiritually and temporally mainly because of internalizing the beautiful truths of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is not only the “good news;” it is for me the BEST NEWS!  I believe the success the Lord has given me scientifically is because He knew how I love to share this most important message, and I am so pleased that we have over 70 thousand visits a year to my book’s website www.ItsAboutTimeBook.com from across the globe and increasing.

David W. Allan

links:

Rob Kay’s website:  The Mormon Yeshiva

Rob Kay’s conversion story: “Voices from the Dust.”

Photo:  CC Pixabay