
FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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− | |claim= | + | |claim=The author states that "If Oliver Cowdery’s gift was really a divining rod then this tells us that the origins of the Church are much more involved in folk magic and superstition than we’ve been led to believe by the LDS Church’s whitewashing of its origins and history." |
− | | | + | |answer= |
− | |link= | + | *Oliver did use a divining rod. This is discussed on the Church History website ''Revelations in Context'': |
− | |subject= | + | <blockquote> |
− | |summary= | + | Oliver Cowdery lived in a culture steeped in biblical ideas, language and practices. The revelation’s reference to Moses likely resonated with him. The Old Testament account of Moses and his brother Aaron recounted several instances of using rods to manifest God’s will (see Ex. 7:9-12; Num. 17:8). Many Christians in Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery's day similarly believed in divining rods as an instrument for revelation. Cowdery was among those who believed in and used a divining rod.<br>Jeffrey G. Cannon, "Oliver Cowdery's Gift," history.lds.org {{link|url=http://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-oliver-cowdery?lang=eng}} |
+ | </blockquote> | ||
+ | |link=Doctrine and Covenants/Oliver Cowdery and the "rod of nature" | ||
+ | |subject=Oliver Cowdery and the "rod of nature" | ||
+ | |summary=Critics claim that a revelation received by Joseph praised Oliver Cowdery's gift of using divining talents. It is claimed that the revelation was published in the Book of Commandments in its original form, then subsequently modified in the Doctrine and Covenants in order to hide the reference to the "rod of nature." Therefore, Joseph attempted to "cover up" Oliver Cowdery's work with a divining rod by changing a revelation. | ||
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A FAIR Analysis of:
[[../|Letter to a CES Director]] |
The positions that the online article A Letter to A CES Director section "Witnesses Concerns & Questions" appears to take are the following:
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