The Church and Non-Latter Day Saint Materials
The question that I get sa mga post on this page ay na bakit ba may mga gamit ako na Non-Latter Day Saint materials? it is specially when you want to be academic on the study of scripture and doctrine particularly on Hermeneutics and Theology. yours truly also quotes Latter Day Saint authors and sources from the church and on this issue, on how you use it together with your knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel is what matters in the end of the day. the issue here is also some members of the church says it's not credible because the sources are not from church websites which is problematic in many ways as Sola Scriptura is problematic. Latter Day Saint manuals also for example and even church leaders quotes from non-Latter Day Saint sources like Commentaries. what is true remains true! true things remain true regardless sa label!. Latter-day Saint websites do not contain all truth any more than the Bible contains all truth. the same mindset is faulty. Ang isang "church website only" mindset ay walang pinagkaiba fundamentally from the same "Bible only" mindset we so rightfully criticize as Latter Day Saints that believe that truth is not limited to only one particular source. Elder D. Todd Christofferson said that “We believe that all truth of whatever kind — be it moral, spiritual, physical, or natural — comprises one great whole and cannot be inconsistent with itself. And so, whatever its origin or however discerned, we seek after and accept truth.” the following are compilations given on what Church leaders has said on the use of Non-Latter Day Saint materials in studying the Gospel:
Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley:
"There is no clearly defined line of demarcation between the spiritual and the intellectual when the intellectual is cultivated and pursued in balance with the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and strength."(President Hinckley, “Come and See” April 1986 General Conference)
"It is imperative that we as teachers in the seminary and institute of religion program of the Church read constantly the scriptures and other books related directly to the history, the doctrine, and the practices of the Church. *But we ought also to be reading secular history, the great literature that has survived the ages, and the writings of contemporary thinkers and doers.* In so doing we will find inspiration to pass on to our students who will need all the balanced strength they can get as they face the world into which they move"(https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/voice-my-servants/four-imperatives-religious-educators)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks:
“Latter-day Saints know that learned or authoritative commentaries can help us with scriptural interpretation, but we maintain that they must be used with caution. Commentaries are not a substitute for the scriptures any more than a good cookbook is a substitute for food. (When I refer to "commentaries,” I refer to everything that interprets scripture, from the comprehensive book-length commentary to the brief interpretation embodied in a lesson or an article, such as this one.)" (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Scripture Reading and Revelation," Ensign, Jan. 1995, 7)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
"It is far better for us to gain our answers from the scriptures than from something someone else says about them. *It is true that we oftentimes need an inspired interpreter to help us understand what Apostles and prophets have written for us in the standard works.* But it is also true that many explanations given by many people as to the meaning of scriptural passages are somewhat less than true and edifying. We are in a far better position if we are able to drink directly from the scriptural fountain without having the waters muddled by others whose insights are not as great as were those of the prophetic writers who first penned the passages found in the accepted canon of holy writ. *I am not rejecting proper scriptural commentaries;* I know and appreciate their value and have written volumes of them myself; I am simply saying that people with the ability to do it would be far better off to create their own commentaries. There is something sacred and solemn and saving about studying the scriptures themselves." (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, "Guidelines to Gospel Study," in Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 229.)
Pres. Joseph F. Smith:
“We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious denomination [or, I may say, no searcher of truth] in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, truth will endure.” (Gospel Truth : Sermons and Writings of the President Joseph F. Smith [Deseret Book, 1986])
Furthermore, William Berrett pointed out that:
"I want to point out that learned men have done much for this Church…. Men like James E. Talmage and BH Roberts have had a lasting effect on our people. Almost all of the interpretations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that have deeply affected us have come from learned men, scholars, who sought the truth with all their hearts, and with faith prayed to God for understanding. That will always be true. We need scholars to constantly study and interpret to the masses of the Church the meaning of the words we read. It is difficult to read the ancient scriptures…."- William Berrett," (https://benspackman.com/2022/06/tales-from-the-archive-william-berrett-on-scholarship-in-1958/)
Further reading (and watching): Chapter 10: Our Search for Truth (Teachings of the Presidents : Joseph F. Smith [Intellectual Reserve Inc. Salt Lake City Ut., 1988, 2011])
A video where Elder Holland uses a non-Latter Day Saint study Bible
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