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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Use of sources/Advertising for the Tanners
| Gordon B. Hinckley Understands Doctrine | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods A work by author: Richard Abanes
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The LDS as Mindless Followers |
Chapter 18, Cover-Ups, Conspiracies, and Controversies: Advertising for the Tanners?
The Quote
One Nation under Gods, page 408 (hardback)
Another tactic utilized by Mormon leaders has been to revise Smith's revelations so as to make the church's history more palatable. Some of the most drastic alterations to the authoritative writings--e.g., paragraphs added/deleted, words added/deleted, wording changes to alter a meaning, phrases added/deleted--can be found by comparing sections of Smith's Book of Commandments with the text of the 1835 re-publication of these same revelations as the Doctrine and Covenants (Figure 18.1, 18.2, 18.3). Hundreds of changes were made to these revelations. In response to the discrepancies, famous Mormon scholar Hugh Nibley blithely stated: "Revelations have been revised whenever necessary. That is the nice thing about revelation--it is strictly open-ended."28
The Reference
Endnote 28, page 608
28. Hugh Nibley, letter to Morris L. Reynolds, May 12, 1966. Quoted in Jerald Tanner and Sandra Tanner, Case Against Mormonism (Salt Lake City: ULM, 1967), vol. 1, 132, This three-volume work is available for purchase online from ULM:
The Problems
The author lists a primary source for the citation, in this case personal correspondence between Hugh W. Nibley and Morris L. Reynolds, and then calls the reader's attention to two secondary sources. However, he crowns this endnote with what amounts to an advertisement for three books published by Jerald and Sandra Tanner's anti-Mormon Utah Lighthouse Ministry, only one of which actually contains the quote he mentions. The inclusion of the additional titles in the endnote has nothing whatsoever to do with the citation.
There is nothing wrong with the author's use of personal correspondence as a reference; it's done fairly often. The only drawback for the reader is that it is sometimes difficult to access the original document to check up on the author's sources. However, the author's use of the aforementioned secondary sources cast immediate doubt on whether he actually looked at the original document himself. The author tells the reader that Jerald and Sandra Tanner quote the letter online. The Tanner's website does indeed show the Nibley quote, couched amongst commentary:
Strange as it may seem, Dr. Hugh Nibley, who at one time wrote that Mormon teachings are "FREE OF REVISIONS," has now written a letter in which he admits that Joseph Smith's revelations have been changed, In this letter he stated:
"1. REVELATIONS HAVE BEEN REVISED WHENEVER NECESSARY. That is the nice thing about revelation--it is strictly open-ended."
(Letter from Dr. Hugh Nibley to Morris L, Reynolds, dated May 12, 1966)
The author utilized the same quote and endnote provided by the Tanners—therefore he likely did not view the original document or a copy thereof. It is impossible to determine whether or not the author accessed and read the original source, or if he just cut and pasted it into his book.
Without the entire letter written by Brother Nibley, or a fair portion of it, it is impossible to tell if the author has drawn the quote out of context, or if he merely repeats the Tanner's conclusions. He doesn't provide enough of the letter to make it possible to connect it to the Book of Commandments revisions, if there is any connection to be made. Was Hugh W. Nibley commenting on the Book of Commandments to Morris L. Reynolds, or is this a quote drawn out of thin air by the Tanners first, and then the author, in a vain effort to prop up an argument?
The author has shown is that there were indeed revisions made to the Book of Commandments when it became the Doctrine & Covenants. This information, however, is not only easy to find, but one can also easily obtain a modern printing of the Book of Commandments. One need only visit Church of Christ Temple Lot headquarters in Independence, Missouri, or purchase a reprint of the original version now offered by the Community of Christ and sold through Deseret Books, among other places. There is no conspiracy, no coverup—The cover was blown more than 150 years ago.