Jonathan Neville has it completely backwards
In his February 22, 2021, blog post, “Oliver, Joseph, and scribes and Pharisees,” Jonathan Neville asserts:
According to Neville, scholars within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who do not believe as Heartlanders do regarding Book of Mormon geography and translation are “scribes and Pharisees.” He does’t explain why this comparison is accurate and appropriate.
The reality, however, is exactly the opposite: It is Jonathan Neville and his Heartlander colleagues who are modern-day equivalents of the scribes and Pharisees of the New Testament:
Truly, if there are modern-day scribes and Pharisees, they are found among the advocates for the “Heartland” hoax who promote conspiracy theories and stir up dissension and contention through their false accusations against faithful Latter-day Saint scholars, Church employees, and Church leaders.
Jonathan Neville’s comparison is completely backwards.
—Peter Pan
The question of Cumorah boils down to whether people believe what Joseph and Oliver said, or whether people believe our latter-day scribes and Pharisees.
It’s a clear choice.
Once you decide whom to believe, you can confirm your choice with a corresponding interpretation of the scriptures and the relevant external evidence.
According to Neville, scholars within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who do not believe as Heartlanders do regarding Book of Mormon geography and translation are “scribes and Pharisees.” He does’t explain why this comparison is accurate and appropriate.The reality, however, is exactly the opposite: It is Jonathan Neville and his Heartlander colleagues who are modern-day equivalents of the scribes and Pharisees of the New Testament:
- The scribes and Pharisees rejected the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles, preferring instead to cling to old traditions that the living Son of God and his living prophets had declared void, as well as to their unique but false interpretations of scripture (e.g., Mark 7:9–13).
- The scribes and Pharisees revered dead prophets (“ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous” —Matthew 23:29) and rejected the teachings of living prophets.
- The scribes and Pharisees ignored the broader principles of the gospel (“[ye] have omitted the weightier matters of the law” —Matthew 23:23) and instead focused intently on a handful of minor issues, which caused them to believe extraordinary falsehoods (“[ye] strain [out] a gnat, and swallow a camel” —Matthew 23:24).
Truly, if there are modern-day scribes and Pharisees, they are found among the advocates for the “Heartland” hoax who promote conspiracy theories and stir up dissension and contention through their false accusations against faithful Latter-day Saint scholars, Church employees, and Church leaders.
Jonathan Neville’s comparison is completely backwards.
—Peter Pan
Posts
In my religion class today we studied D&C 28 regarding Hiram Page and his revelations as well as instructions to Oliver Cowdery regarding them and also the revelations Cowdery himself would receive. It struck me that Heartlanders are doing what the Lord told Oliver -not- to do, that he (Oliver) would receive revelation, but was not to give these revelations by way of commandment. vs. 8.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a personal CFM2021 study guide (just the readings), and came across a resource on the Church website. I wonder how they'll feel abut distances on this Palmyra-to-Colesville map being marked FIRST in KM, THEN in (miles)? Those dastardly scholars and their globalist agenda!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/doctrine-and-covenants-historical-resources/historic-places-new-york-pa?lang=eng¶=4#title4
It's sad how much Johnathan throws around terms like that. Such language can have an enormous impact, and should not be used indiscriminately.
ReplyDeleteSide question, what is this obsession of his with the Urim and Thummim/ "seer stone" debate? Why is it so hard to believe many different accounts that Joseph used a seer stone to translate, AND that he put it in a hat? This story has never bothered me, and since we have multiple accounts of it I don't think it's beyond belief.
Neville, the Stoddards, and other Heartlanders reject any claims that Joseph Smith used a seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon.
DeleteTheir basis for this is that Joseph Fielding Smith, back in the 1950s, asserted that Joseph only used the Nephite interpreters and that the eyewitness accounts from David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Emma Smith are unreliable. Because Joseph Fielding Smith can’t be wrong (according to Heartlanders in this camp), they have followed his assertion and tried to come up ways to explain away the eyewitness statements.
Jonathan Neville spends a lot of time condemning what he calls “SITH” (stone-in-the-hat). See:
https://www.nevillenevilleland.com/search/label/Seer%20stones
Ah good link, thanks. You are obviously keyed into the leadership of FIRM (or whatever they call themselves now) more than most.
DeleteWell going by the same logic here, it was also Joseph Fielding Smith that claimed in the early 60's that man would never go to space or the moon. Obviously this was his opinion.
https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mormonism_and_science/Joseph_Fielding_Smith_claimed_that_man_would_never_walk_on_the_Moon
I LOVE his response to the reporter in 1970: "Well, I was wrong, wasn't I." If the great J.F.S. could have been wrong with his opinion on this, I don't think it's wrong to assume he could have been wrong about the interpreters.