The following Announcement was prepared by the restoration scripture committee and read at the Doctrine of Christ Conference in St. George, Utah by Chris Hammill.
I have been asked to post it here:
I have been asked to post it here:
RESTORATION
SCRIPTURES ANNOUNCEMENT
March 18,
2017
Although what is to be announced may be viewed by most people as a
modest achievement, I think history will eventually reflect this as one of the
greatest steps forward after the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum.
What I’m about to announce will generate a considerable number of
questions. To reasonably manage them, we’ve set up an email address where you
can send your questions & suggestions. That address is: RESTORATIONSCRIPTURES2017@GMAIL.COM. Your questions
will be reviewed this evening, and then tomorrow, a number of the major
questions will be answered in front of this body. Any that aren’t answered
immediately will be replied to after the conference ends.
One of the first ways a
dispensation becomes corrupted is by compromising the scriptures used by
believers in that dispensation. Therefore when a new dispensation begins, one
of the first orders of business for believers is to adopt a new set of
scriptures which restore, insofar as it is possible, a correct version of the
material they regard as scripture.
Just like the saints of the New
Testament adopted a new body of teachings, the Book of Mormon people preserved
and added to sacred writings. And while Joseph Smith lived, there were both
corrections to old scripture and new scripture was added. Likewise for us,
there is a need to remove errors, correct texts, and add to the body of
scripture to guide us. This assembly - that is, this worldwide
body of believers - must also decide what we accept as scripture. It is our
right and sacred responsibility to address this need.
To that end, a new edition of the
scriptures is proposed. They are divided into three volumes that have been
produced through a unified effort by two independent bodies of volunteers,
separately driven to approach the scriptures anew.
Initially the members of these two groups felt individually inspired
to revisit the scriptures in an effort to prune away some of the uninspired
alterations of man so that they might have a more correct version of scripture
for their study. Over time, these individuals were led to one another,
combining and harmonizing their efforts. What began as two wholly separate
groups, each forming at the same time, both unknown to one another, resulted in
separate projects that were completed at
the same time, and what was learned from their independent efforts
identified issues that needed to be addressed.
On the last day of 2016, less than 2 weeks after discovering each
other, these two groups held a meeting, facilitated by Denver Snuffer, and
determined to unify their efforts, each bringing to the table differing
components for a greater outcome than either project possessed alone. On the first
day of the new year, the two became one as work began, preparing what would
become this Restoration Edition of
the scriptures.
Moving forward, the united team has worked closely with each other,
with the Lord, and with His servant, to produce a more accurate record that is
true to the Lord’s intent and to the Restoration. We are on His errand, not our
own.
In September 1832, the Saints
were condemned by the Lord and commanded to “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.”
We often see this as the Lord
rebuking the Saints for failing to do
according to that which He had written, yet assume that the Saints had been correctly
saying what He had written. But the
Saints did not say, and have failed
to accurately preserve, what the revelations God provided to them said, because
their texts became corrupted. This means that the first step towards emerging
from condemnation is to try and do exactly what is being accomplished through
this scriptural work now underway. While the full purpose of this project was
initially unknown, it has begun a best effort to “repent and remember the new
covenant.” If done right, we will at least accomplish the first step:
recovering what the Lord provided so we can "say" what He has
revealed. Then the challenges increase as we are called upon "to do
according to that" which God has revealed.
A future conference must then be held with the intent of approving the
final content of the Restoration Edition
and sustaining that edition as canon for this assembly.
The following is a summary of what is contained in this Restoration Edition of the scriptures:
ALL THE
SCRIPTURAL WORKS SHARE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES:
● Verse numbers have been eliminated and
the text has been formatted into paragraphs. This provides greater context for
individual passages and removes the isolation of a statement that is caused by
restricting it to a verse. The only exception to individual numbering is in
Proverbs where each proverb has been numbered.
●
The chapters have been regrouped based on
contextual themes rather than staying as they have existed historically. Our
team recognized that since chapters were originally organized by man and not by
God, we were free to reorganize them. Some paragraphs in some of the books have
been combined or divided as well, based on their context. However, in the Book
of Mormon, chapters were designated by Joseph Smith himself and those have been
preserved.
● Very minor standardization and spelling
correction has taken place. Care was taken to respect the text.
● Punctuation can clarify, but it can also
restrict. Therefore punctuation has been significantly reduced in all of the
volumes in order to free up the text for greater possible interpretation.
INDIVIDUALLY
VOLUME 1 IS THE
OLD TESTAMENT
●
Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible (the JST) is the base text.
●
The Song of Solomon had been removed
since Joseph indicated that it is not an inspired text.
●
Proverbs now includes Proverbs of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Proverbs of Denver Snuffer, Jr.
VOLUME 2 CONSISTS
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE BOOK OF MORMON
●
In a
letter to the “brethren in Zion” on 21 April, 1833, Joseph Smith stated, “...it
is not the will of the Lord to print any of the new translation in the Star, but when it is published it will
all go to the world together in a volume by itself, and the New Testament and The Book of Mormon will be printed
together.”
●
Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible is the base text for the New Testament.
● The 1840 edition of The Book of Mormon is used as the base text and was already
formatted into paragraphs. This version was chosen because it contains
corrections given by Joseph Smith to what was originally published in 1830 and
1837.
VOLUME 3 CONSISTS
OF THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS & PEARLS OF GREAT PRICE
● The new D&C returns the Lectures on Faith to its original place,
along with those sections and revelations identified as coming through Joseph
Smith. These have been painstakingly compared to the manuscripts found in the
Joseph Smith Papers Project:
○ The order of the sections has been
restored to thematic groupings rather than simply being presented
chronologically. These groupings are: Restoration, Organization and Worship,
and Revelations to Individuals.
○
Several LDS sections have been removed
for the following reasons:
■
Sections 2 & 13 are extracts from JS-History and are therefore redundant.
■
Section 20 was written by Oliver Cowdery
and constitutes church articles and covenants used to begin to structure the
early church organization. They no longer apply.
■
Section 101 on Marriage, from the
original 1835 Kirtland Edition, is not being reintroduced because it is not a
product of either Joseph or Hyrum. However, pertinent points are included in
another area.
■ Section 110 is completely unverifiable as
a true revelation/vision. The three individuals with some information about the
section, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and Warren Cowdery, left no statement or
explanation about Section 110. Further, in listing those who visited with them
in their respective testimonies, neither Joseph Smith nor Oliver Cowdery mention
Elijah as having come. Finally throughout the Nauvoo time frame, including a
month before his death, Joseph Smith spoke of Elijah’s return as a future and
not a past event.
■ Section 129 was a struggle. Initially it
was revised by taking the shorthand notes from Joseph Smith’s journal and
fleshing them out with bridge words and phrases to make them into
comprehensible sentences. However, once attempted, that effort was abandoned
and the section was completely removed for the following reasons:
1. The shorthand is just sketchy
enough that some of the bridge wording is clearly debatable.
2. The instruction we have through
the Book of Mormon is sufficient on its own to allow us to discern evil
spirits.
3. This section, if relied upon
alone, is apparently not sufficient to defend against lying spirits.
■ Section 134 is a declaration on laws
& government written by either Oliver Cowdery or Sidney Rigdon, not Joseph
Smith.
■ Section 135 is simply the announcement of
the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum.
■
Section 136 is from Brigham Young.
■
Section 138, Joseph F. Smith’s vision of
the dead, is restricted by copyright and cannot be used.
■
Official Declarations 1 & 2 are
declarations made by a different church.
○
Several LDS sections have been revised
for the following reasons:
■
Section 107 was an amalgamation of
content, with only one portion traceable to a revelation before the 1835
publication of the D&C. That portion has been preserved. The 1835 published
version bears hallmarks of revisions by the hand of man. Therefore only a
portion has been extracted, and then added to by revelation, to explain the establishment of dispensations and
reflect the direction of this current dispensation. It is placed as the last
section in the new D&C.
■
Sections 121, 122 and123 came from a
letter written from Liberty Jail and are presented within the context of the
entire letter written by Joseph Smith.
■
Section 132 on celestial marriage is now
represented as it is posted by Denver Snuffer on his blog, containing the
redactions suggested there to make the document internally consistent and
reflect the earliest descriptions of the original.
○
More than 40 new sections have been added
for the following reasons:
■
Nearly all of these new sections are
verified revelations given through Joseph Smith that simply were never
sustained as scripture.
■
Restoration Edition Section 98 is
President Hyrum Smith’s epistle to the church.
○
The new D&C also includes an insert in the Appendix called A
PROPHET’S PREROGATIVE, an example of an extremely valuable method of comparative
study that can significantly help your understanding. The example used is
Isaiah 29, and includes an introductory explanation.
●
The Pearl of Great Price - has had its
name changed to Pearls of Great Price,
reflecting and implying further expansion, and the following portions have been
removed, revised or added for the following reasons:
○
(A Proposed Set of) Governing Principles is a rewritten statement of principles and
practices - similar to LDS Section 20 - that reflects this assembly’s efforts
to preserve the Restoration. This statement is not yet completed. It requires
additional inspired input from you.
○
The Articles of Faith have been
replaced by The Wentworth Letter that
they were copied from, in order to provide context to those articles.
○
Joseph Smith - History has been
slightly expanded to the same extent as it was originally published in the Times and Seasons.
○
The Book of Moses and Joseph Smith - Matthew have been removed
because they already exist in the New Translation of the Bible and are
redundant.
○
The Book of Abraham remains as is.
○
The Revelation of the Testimony of St. John - as given through Denver Snuffer, Jr. - has been added. It will not
replace the existing Testimony of St.
John found in the New Testament, but will stand as it’s own book.
○
Continuing Revelation - is a section
which consists of visions and revelations given through Denver Snuffer, Jr. to
be made public. This portion of the Pearls
of Great Price is expected to be the place where new revelation will be
added as it is received, which, you will see, has already happened.
○
A Glossary
of Fundamental Terms is at the end of the final volume. Currently it’s
blank, except for a single sample definition. We encourage all of you to
consider emailing us terms for the glossary using the following criteria:
1.
The definition must be scriptural, not
your opinion.
2. The terms need to be those that
are critical to seeing things correctly. LDS and Christian culture have so
skewed many religious terms as to render them not just wrong, but spiritually
dangerous in that they point people in the wrong direction. This will not
become a “bible dictionary,” but is an attempt to explain words as the Lord has
intended, not “Gospel speak” or Mormonese.
Given that this body must declare to the Lord what records they intend
to hold sacred, a Preview copy of these volumes of the Restoration Edition are available as of right now for download, in
PDF, ebook and other requested formats, from www.scriptures.info, an online library that has been established for materials pertinent
to the Restoration. There are a number of interesting tools and features that
have been developed for this site, but now is not the time to go into them.
However, I will say that scriptures.info is specifically
built with tools to aid in comparative study. That’s why the Isaiah 29
example is at the back of the D&C - to kickstart you. So take a tour of
that important site on your own. Those of you who may have content pertinent to
the scriptures that you wish to contribute, those of you who are looking for
research material or tools, and those of you who are just curious, be sure to
visit the ABOUT page on that site for direction.
A hard copy of each volume is already available for purchase on
Amazon.com and Amazon Europe. Search Restoration
Scriptures Preview or the title of each work and you should find Vol. 1, 2
and 3. This copy is NOT formatted completely - it still has minor flaws in it.
In fact, if you are happy to use the electronic copies that are available, you
may want to wait until the scriptures have been sustained and scrubbed before
buying a copy, as they may change. A final version will be produced that
incorporates any changes sustained by this assembly and has been scrubbed of
formatting errors.
Additionally, since Amazon won’t allow us to sell the copies at cost,
the minimal royalties from the copies sold will be donated to the temple fund.
A quick side note: The reason the Creative Commons copyright for these
scriptures is in my name is only because I am acting as the public face of this
project. There are dozens of people that have contributed to it besides me.
A Research version of these scriptures is partially completed and
available for download on www.scriptures.info as well.
Unlike the printed scriptures, this Research version will remain in electronic
form - at least for now - and will differ in the following ways from the print
copies:
●
Though retaining the new chapter
groupings, all of the books have LDS chapter and verse numbers inserted to
allow for easier research and for comparison with other versions of scripture.
●
The JST and D&C include both
strikethroughs and additions visible in their original manuscripts.
●
The Book of Mormon footnotes all
significant changes from the editions that were published during Joseph Smith’s
lifetime. Any editions after his death were not approved by him and therefore
have been ignored.
●
Items removed from the printed copy can
be preserved in this copy for research purposes, including, for example,
section 129.
●
Items of historical or educational
significance deemed helpful may be added to this version. Recognize that the
Research version is intended to expand details of the sustained scriptures, not
supplant them.
We do have plans for a fancier set of scriptures being produced with
bible stock paper, leather or faux leather covers, and so forth. That process
is already underway, but anyone familiar with the process is invited to email
us and lend a hand. I’m not sure of a time frame other than we’d like to have
those available by the end of the year. But we won’t print any until after the
sustaining conference.
For those who honestly can’t afford around $40 to purchase a set of
these scriptures and can’t use electronic copies for now, if you have a local
fellowship you meet with, ask them if they can provide you with a set. If they
can’t meet your need, please use the email address given to request a set. We have several free sets available
for the truly needy that are here at the conference. If there are those in need
who could not attend, but would like a copy, please place a request at that
same email address and a copy can be sent to you or your local fellowship.
THE NEXT CONFERENCE, which has been mentioned during this announcement,
will be held in Boise, ID, Labor Day weekend, September 2-3, with the intent of
approving the final content for the Restoration Edition of the scriptures and
sustaining that edition as canon for this assembly. Today is the “open to
public view” step of the process. Our team simply got the ball rolling. You
will now have approximately 6 months to digest, critique and react to what the
Lord has offered.
Please carefully consider what is being offered to us. Zion is the Lord's work. So
getting it will not depend on the goodness or desires of men and women, but on
their submission to the Lord, who intends to accomplish it. WE can't force it,
cause it, bring it, or hope it into existence. What we can do is submit to the
Lord in a way that encourages Him to continue to use us for His purposes. There is no need for an
immediate, knee-jerk reaction to this announcement. You will have time to
consider all of it before making a decision.
No sustaining or debate of the scriptures will take place during this
conference. But your input is necessary and required. An email address has been
provided specifically for that purpose. Please use RESTORATIONSCRIPTURES2017@GMAIL.COM to send in questions you have about what has been announced and
provided. There likely won’t be enough time tomorrow to answer all the
questions that get sent in, but any that aren’t addressed during tomorrow’s
Q&A session will be replied to. But there’s no rush. If you have an immediate,
burning question, please send it in quickly so that we have time this evening
to prepare responses for tomorrow. Also, this same email address will be used
over the next 6 months for additional questions and ongoing feedback in
preparation for a sustaining conference. So if you don’t have a question or
suggestion until June, you can still submit it and it will be addressed. But
please refrain from pointing out formatting issues unless it is alarming. We
will be combing through the books again to find them all.
If there’s a
particular issue in these scriptures that is critical, in your opinion, email
your concern and your reasoning to support your argument. It will be posted for
others to view and consider. If you think that there is something else that
belongs in this edition, feel free to email that suggestion as well. For
example you might feel inspired about a principle that needs to be added to the
Governing Principles statement. However, realize that what this edition now
contains has been under the Lord’s direction for the past year and a half and
He has provided, at times, direct input. And there is a rigorous set of
questions to assist you in determining whether you should submit new material.
The PRELIMINARY
SUBMISSION & CRITIQUE PROCESS works like this:
1.
Questions, suggestions, criticism and
requests get submitted to restorationscriptures2017@gmail.com.
2.
From the end of the St. George conference
until the 4th of July, a SUBMISSIONS list will be maintained on www.scriptures.info.
a.
The items on the list will come from
emails submitted.
b.
That document will list the specific
items that have been pointed out as concerns to be removed, modified or added
to the Restoration Edition. The
points made by the submitter will also be given. Please be aware that your
reasoning will be significantly refined if you submit a long explanation, so
keep things brief. And make sure that what you submit is scriptural, not simply
personal opinion.
c.
If you have very strong feelings about
any of the items on the list, email us and let us know. If you’re fine with
what has been proposed today or if you don’t care one way or the other about
the items on the list, don’t email us. Only those who are strongly opposed to
an existing item or strongly in favor of adding or amending an item should
email us during those first few months.
d.
The SUBMISSIONS document will be updated
as needed.
3.
As of the 4th of July, a final
SUBMISSIONS list will be posted which also includes the total number of emails
for/against an item. We will then wipe the slate clean.
a.
From then on, no new items will be added
to the list.
b.
People who are strongly advocating or
opposing can again email their vote about the item(s).
4.
That new voting period runs from the 4th
of July to the end of August.
a.
A final tally will then be taken.
b.
If there is no significant number of
emails in opposition of an existing item or advocating a missing item or
amendment, that item will be dropped.
c.
And if you email us 6 times, it still
only counts as one vote for any item.
Benefits of this
process are:
1.
We are using simple, easy to reach
technology. Anyone can go online to do this - even if they have to go to a
library or a friend to do so. And this can be done from anywhere in the world.
2.
By providing the reason why an item is
listed, opposing voices get the chance to be heard and perhaps to persuade.
3.
Doing 2 rounds of voting gives everyone
the chance to be persuaded over time and therefore find confidence of their
final decision.
4.
Everyone gets an opportunity to be
involved if they feel so inclined.
2 CRITICAL
POINTS:
1.
Remember that what is important is the message, not the messenger, so
focus on the content of this gift, not how it’s delivered.
2.
The most important lesson for our group was expressed in the course of
our emailing back and forth. Someone said this: I would rather submit to the decision of the group than insist that my
view be followed. For me harmony between brethren is more important than
getting what I think best to be followed. I believe harmony can lead to much
greater things than can merely enforcement of even a correct view. I know how
difficult it is to have a correct view, because of how often I have been
corrected by the Lord. Sometimes I am humiliated by my foolishness when the
Lord reproves me. Humiliation can lead to humility, but my experience is that
the humiliation is accompanied by shame, whereas humility can proceed with a
clear conscience. My experience with others leads me to conclude that if we can
have one heart first, eventually we can likewise come to have one mind. But if
we insist on having one mind at the outset, we may never obtain one heart
together.
So I make a
request to all of you - from all of us: Kaai sent the team an email 3 weeks ago, just after
we had submitted the final volume to our formatter. We had begun to consider
this next step. So he wrote: One of the
ways to hopefully mitigate the sheer volume of emails will be to encourage
fellowships to meet together and come up with a consolidated list of
questions/suggestions/ concerns/etc... If there are individuals not associated
with a fellowship, then they'll follow the standard process [on their own]. If
they make it a matter of prayer and forethought, first as individuals, then
families, then fellowships, and submit in that manner, we may be able to keep
the volume manageable. It will allow fellowships to meet together for a
directed purpose and importune the Lord for revelation. It will draw them
closer together in the bonds of love as indicated in the General Principles
preamble and make them accountable to each other for the questions raised. I
think it also reinforces the manner in which the Lord would want us to approach
any challenge or issue presented.
Please consider
these points as you consider what you choose to advocate in the scriptures.
Given the experiences many have had with organized
religion, it’s only natural for some people to have an aversion to
"official" scriptures. But these volumes are not set in stone;
rather, they are presented to you in the appropriate manner, and with
sufficient time for the group's collective review, critique, support, and,
possible sustaining. The Lord deals with His people by covenant; accepting these
scriptures as comprising the history, teachings, doctrine, and covenants of our
faith represents another step in our collective journey towards having our
hearts bound together. And this should remain a labor of love and devotion to
God. Those involved in this work do not present these volumes with any other
expectation than that we are to be called to answer to every principle
advanced, and we hope and pray that this continued effort to preserve and honor
the word of the Lord will be accepted by Him, and by you.
In closing, I’d like to read a journal entry from one of
our team members from Feb 18th:
I checked the
scripture email and saw that volume 2 had been formatted and is now ready to
print. Upon opening the file and viewing the document I was filled with joy and
with the Spirit and was given a prophecy by the spirit saying,
“These scriptures
will go to all the world and teach every nation, kindred, tongue, and people,
to bring in the children of Israel from the four corners of the earth.”
