Last month Concerned Christians began celebrating the 30 years we have been in ministry. It started when Judy and I left Mormonism and soon realized that many people were being deceived, just as we were, into believing that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the only true church on the face of the earth. We were convinced that all other denominations were evil and an abomination in the sight of God.
Word quickly got out that there was a couple who were willing to talk about Mormonism. The calls soon followed asking us to come to a Bible study or a Sunday School class or a church congregational meeting to teach about Mormonism. This was in 1973 and little was really known about the real teachings of Mormonism because it was believed that few ever left Mormonism. If they did, they would never talk about it out of fear. We've been kept busy ever since.
Our home quickly became an office and meeting place. Each Thursday night we would hold a meeting for those leaving Mormonism. It was a support group meeting much like AA is to the alcoholic. It is very difficult and traumatic to leave the Mormon church and people need to be able to share with others who have or are going through the same trauma that they are experiencing.
Almost every day during the week I was involved in counseling an individual or couple. Then at night I'd be out teaching somewhere. We functioned like this for almost 27 years, but it finally became apparent that we had no life of our own and also needed to find a place with more room. At that time we had grown to 2½ spare bedrooms that we converted into office space because our children were grown and out on their own. The decision was made to find a permanent place for an office and to accommodate the large inventory of research books and the bookstore.
That's when we found and purchased our office at 525 E. Broadway in Mesa, right behind the Mormon Temple. There's another story about this that will have to come later. That brings me to the point of this article. I want to acknowledge all the workers and volunteers that have participated to make this ministry so successful. First, I want to acknowledge some pastors that have been a part since the beginning; Pastors Charles Cook, John Hendee, David Schultz and Jim Baugh. Our staff members Bob Betts and Cheri Billingsley. Our volunteer teachers are Cheri, Duane Strohmeyer, Andy Poland, Lloyd Sharp (our web master), Steve Lee (producer of our newsletter), and Rob Roy Nelson. Board members are: Garth Lamb, Jim Baugh, Duane Strohmeyer, Bob Betts, Cheri Billingsley, Joe Cross, and Judy & me. Our media person, Don Jones; our office equipment people Randy Miller and George Thibault and our property beautification person Sam Hartzler are all greatly appreciated.
We want to recognize our office in Tucson, Arizona with Dan & LaVern Eck and in our new office in Flagstaff, Arizona with Brad & Jennifer Melton. And we have such a long list of volunteers, please forgive me for not naming all of you, who have been so instrumental in the success of Concerned Christians. It would take up a complete page to name you all. You know who you are and so does God. We want to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for all the hard work you have and are doing on behalf of Concerned Christians. May God continue to bless this ministry and all who are a part of it.
Jim Robertson
What joy to return from Chile with so many positive and exciting experiences. Thanks to all of you who prayed for us while we were gone and all who helped make this trip possible. We stayed healthy and even had an unplanned rest one day in the middle of the itinerary. We sorely needed it.
We had the joy of teaching through our delightful Chilean translator, Ellie. And best of all, we enjoyed interacting with the Chilean people who blessed us immensely with their warmth and love.
When our plane landed in Santiago, Chile, after a day and half of travel, I was told I would speak at a women's conference that afternoon-jet lag and all. The schedule continued with teaching in many churches, two talks at a Bible Institute, a news conference, an hour-long radio broadcast, and an eleven p.m. talk at a church on Halloween. The response everywhere was positive even at the last seminar on Friday night when there was no power. Jim and Ellie didn't flinch even without lights or microphones. People remained although they could barely see. And then about nine p.m., two cars were moved in positions opposite of each other in the hall providing headlights for the remainder of the seminar. We have been invited back again.
What we didn't expect was the great idea conceived by John Hendee, the missionary who invited us, and by the Chilean people. We are opening a Concerned Christians office in Chile and the plans are already underway to begin the training.
I was also able to make a positive contact with a Spanish publishing house to publish Out of Mormonism and Understanding My Mormon Friends' Faith and Mine in the Spanish language.
We want to thank a young man by the name of Shawn Russer, who volunteered to raise his own funds to go with us. He assisted us greatly in the work we had to do.
Lastly, we spent valuable quality time with our long-time friend John Hendee who gave us creative ideas concerning future plans for Jim, me and Concerned Christians.
What more could we ask? Even though some plans for our time there fell through, other, even more far-reaching events for the Kingdom of God were planned that will continue for decades in Chile, Latin America and the USA. Man's plans may fail, but God's prevail.
"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Thanks again to all of you for remembering us daily in prayer. We would never have made it through without it. We came home tired but very happy about all the events that occurred in Chile. Keep the Chileans in your prayers also.
Article 8: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."
Let us begin by dealing with the first sentence of this Article. It is true that only an accurate translation of the ancient Biblical manuscripts can truly represent the word of God in another language. However, there is no such thing as a perfect translation. Considering the different methods of translation and the countless differences between hundreds of languages, even the LDS church will not claim to have a perfect translation of the Book of Mormon from English to another language.
Joseph Smith did claim "that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon) This is an amazing claim when we consider that the language Joseph Smith allegedly translated, known as reformed Egyptian (Mormon 9:32, Book of Mormon), does not exist. There is NO evidence that such a language ever existed. There have also been almost 4,000 changes made in the current Book of Mormon, yet Joseph Smith said the original was the most correct. Also worth noting is that if such a language did exist, the only known copy of this language has vanished. Thus we must trust in the word of Joseph Smith alone for the accuracy of this translation.
Since the original gold plates the book was allegedly written on are nowhere to be found, all copies of the Book of Mormon written in foreign languages are translated from the current English version. Thus all translations of the Book of Mormon other than the English translation are literally a translation of a translation. If these golden plates ever really existed (and we contend they did not), a great deal is undoubtedly lost in these second hand translations.
In contrast, the Bible is translated from copies of the original manuscript. These manuscripts are available for study now and the languages they are written in can be studied for the most accurate translation possible.
The Eighth Article is not limited to translation alone, and therefore misrepresents the LDS view of the Bible. Mormonism teaches that the Bible is missing many "plain and precious things." (1 Nephi 13:38, Book of Mormon) "Many insertions were made [to the Biblical manuscripts], some of them 'slanted' for selfish purposes, while at times deliberate falsification and fabrications were perpetrated." (LDS Apostle Mark E. Petersen, As Translated Correctly, p. 4, insert added) According to one BYU professor, the New Testament was corrupted "by the end of the first century, and continued in the second and third centuries A.D. [to be corrupted]" (Robert J. Matthews, What the Book of Mormon Tells Us About the Bible, BYU, 26th October 1991, insert added)
This argument questions the transmission not the translation of the texts. "Transmission refers to how the [Biblical] manuscripts were copied and handed down through the centuries." (Bill McKeever & Eric Johnson, Mormonism 101, p. 101, insert added)
Since we do not have the original writings of the various books of the Bible, we must rely on the accuracy of the copies. Christian scholars Norman Geisler and William Nix explain that "the New Testament text is preserved in some 5, 366 partial and complete manuscript portions that were copied by hand from the second through the fifteenth centuries.... if there were no biblical manuscripts available today, the entire New Testament could be reconstructed from the writings of the church Fathers of the first three centuries with the exception of eleven verses." (Geisler & Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, pp. 409, 466)
While there are minor differences (also known as variants) between the thousands of texts, none affect essential Christian doctrine. This is best seen when we look at the evidence supporting the reliability of the Old Testament. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, scholars learned that they dated back to and before the time of Christ. One scroll held the entire book of Isaiah. This scroll is 99% the same as the next closest copy, which is 1,000 years older and dates to about 900 A.D. (Ron Rhodes, Reasoning From the Scriptures With the Mormons, pp. 170-171)
When we compare this evidence to evidence of other ancient writings we see how amazing the preservation of the Bible is. Homer's Iliad has the next highest number of manuscript copies compared to the New Testament with 643 copies. Caesar's Gallic Wars has a mere ten copies, with a thousand year gap between the time it was written and the earliest copies were found. The Book of Mormon has absolutely zero copies before Joseph Smith allegedly translated it. There is also a 2,400-year gap between the time the first book was allegedly written in the Book of Mormon to the time it was allegedly translated by Joseph Smith.
In contrast the Bible has literally thousands of ancient manuscripts from which to work with. In the case of the New Testament we have copies within 100 years of when they were written. When all the evidence is considered we see that the Biblical manuscripts are more accurate and more abundant than any other ancient text on Earth.
ERRANCY
Joseph Smith was originally "inspired" to proclaim, "We believe in the Word
of God recorded in the Bible;…" (Eighth Article of Faith). Sometime after that,
a different LDS leader was "inspired" to change it to, "We believe the Bible
to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly." Aside from this
change calling into question the prophetic calling on Joseph Smith, this second
version of the article attacks the very reliability of the Bible. From a practical
LDS viewpoint, any biblical words or passages, which disagree with their current
teachings and doctrines, it follows, must be mistranslated. But, this explanation
for the massive discrepancies between current LDS theology and traditional biblical
theology, leaves the Bible substantially discredited and holding little authority.
The late LDS apostle, Orson Pratt, gave his low opinion of the Bible in his
1853 book, The Seer, p. 213, "…almost every verse has been corrupted
and mutilated to that degree that scarcely any two of them read alike. The original
manuscripts of the books of the Old and New Testaments are no where to be found;
all we have left are mutilated copies containing an incredible number of contradictory
readings."
LOST SCRIPTURES
In addition, it has been taught by LDS leaders that there are numerous lost
scriptures. In his 1966 edition of Mormon Doctrine, p. 453, the late
LDS apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "Only a small part of the recorded revelations
and scriptural writings of the past are now available to men. That great body
of revealed truth which is missing-without question a collection of scripture
far greater than the scriptures now extant-is lost scripture, meaning that it
is lost to the knowledge of men. Many passages and even whole books of scripture
have been lost through the carelessness or wickedness of the record keepers."
THE HOLY BIBLE
If the Bible is as incomplete and corrupted as McConkie and Pratt claimed, then
it would be a misnomer to call it the Holy Bible. Yet, on "The Holy Bible"
page of the official LDS website, no mention is made of the alleged missing
books or the alleged corrupted scriptures. For the Mormons to call the Bible
"Holy," yet teach that it is incomplete and flawed because of men's mishandling
is a misrepresentation of what they truly believe.
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
Who canonized the Bible and is it accurately translated? Rather than name names
or produce evidentiary proof of its accuracy, I recommend you read God's
Word, Final, Infallible and Forever by Floyd McElveen (sold in our bookstore
for $4.00) and New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell (check
your local Christian bookstore). Instead, I'm going to take a different approach.
The answer? "Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit"
(2 Peter 1:21) resulting in our Bible today and, of course it's accurate. Being
sovereign and all-knowing, these scriptures were "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16)
and everything God purposed is included. He accomplished this just as surely
as He created all that is; just as surely as He breathed life into Adam; just
as surely as He etched the Ten Commandments on stone tablets with His finger;
just as surely as He sent Himself, His Word (John 1:1-5) and His Truth (John
14:6) personified; just as surely as He raised Jesus from the dead to sit at
His right hand; just as surely as He sent His chosen apostles, giving them instructions
through the Holy Spirit to continue the spread of His good news worldwide and
does so to this day.
IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD
By faith in the flawless character and sovereign nature of God, we know that
the Bible is precisely what God purposed. Jesus assured us in Matthew's gospel
(5:18) that "…until heaven and earth pass, not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass from the law, until all is accomplished." Jesus also stated in the
parallel verses of Matt. 24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33, "Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." And in Luke 16:17, He put
it this way: "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one
stroke of a letter of the law to fail." Regarding missing books, John gave us
this insight in his gospel (21:25), that Jesus did "…many other things which…if
written…the world itself could not contain the books." The Bible is intact.
Were it not so, our Father God would not be Almighty.
Dear Mrs. Robertson,
I am writing this letter to express my personal thanks to you for the contribution
that you have made in my life. I am 16 years old and I attend a public high
school in Tempe (AZ). Many of my friends are members of the LDS church. I am
blessed to have been born and raised in a Christian family with two positive
parents who have always been exemplary examples of Christians. I take much comfort
in the fact that if/when I have questions about my faith, I can turn to my parents
or one of my siblings for advice.
As I was looking for a book to read, I came across a copy of your book, Out of Mormonism and was instantly captivated by the title. I am fascinated in studying religions and theologies and grabbed your book right off our bookshelf. I asked my Mom where she had gotten it and she told me that our neighbor (also a Christian) had read your book and heard you speak in a book club at her church. To make a long story short, I plowed through your inspiring book in 2-3 hours.
Through reading your text, I was introduced to a deeper insight to the LDS church. A few months ago, my older brother (now 18) had asked some questions to an LDS friend's parents that pertained to fallacies and non-parallels between the LDS doctrine and the Word of God. He was shocked to find that, in many cases, they avoided his questions at all costs, causing him to become more suspicious about Mormonism as a whole.
Another reason that I am writing is to request a copy of your booklet, Witness to Mormons for my own personal study.
I would like to share with you the lyrics of a favorite worship song of mine called Emmanuel.
"You have laid Your hands upon me Let Your love surround me. You are Emmanuel. I was sliding through the darkest night. And then You found me. You are Emmanuel, Emmanuel."
Thanks again for your light that has shone so brightly for others in their time of need. Thank you for the courage to share your story, knowing that you would be ostracized for it. Thank you for providing evidence for your beliefs, a leg to stand on that many people don't have. Thank you for the time, money, and thought that you have put into Concerned Christians. Thank you for rekindling in me a fire that at times does not shine as bright as it could. Thank you for changing my heart. Thank you for changing the world.
Your perseverance, strength, and compassion for the lost inspires me. I first thought, "I want to change the world like her when I grow up." I then realized, "Why wait?" Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
P.S. Could you explain the Mormon view of Polygamy? I tried to research it on their website but, as usual, no explicit answers were given. Thanks!
We pray your Christmas holiday will be blessed and that you have a prosperous, happy and safe New Year.