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− | {{FairMormon}}
| + | #REDIRECT[[Alleged false prophecies of Joseph Smith#Alleged false prophecies by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] |
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− | ==Question: How can a Latter-day Saint reconcile alleged failed prophecies made by prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?==
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− | {{UnderConstructionSuggestions}}
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− | ===Introduction to Question===
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− | Many critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assert that its past presidents (men that Latter-day Saints consider prophets) have made failed prophecies and that this either proves or provides evidence for the claim that they aren't true prophets receiving revelation from God.
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− | Critics from other sects of Christianity in particular cite Deuteronomy 18:20–22 as proof of a scriptural requirement that we reject someone's claims to prophethood if they make a false prophecy. That scripture states:
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− | <blockquote>
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− | 20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
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− | 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
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− | 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
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− | </blockquote>
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− | Other articles on the FAIR wiki discuss how to reconcile failed prophecies from patriarchal blessings.
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− | {{Seealso|Question: How can one reconcile unfulfilled promises in patriarchal blessings?|Question: How can one reconcile alleged unfulfilled prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Second Coming given in patriarchal blessings?}}
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− | A set of article on the FAIR wiki discuss claims of Joseph Smith making false prophecies.
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− | {{Seealso|Joseph Smith/Alleged false prophecies}}
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− | Yet another article talks about how to reconcile failed personal spiritual impressions.
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− | {{Seealso|Question: Why might someone not be able to see their spiritual impressions come to successful, obvious, and/or beautiful fruition?}}
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− | This article will outline principles and procedures that a faithful Latter-day Saint can remember and follow when encountering claims of false prophecies made by past presidents of the Church. This article draws on the work of Matthew Roper and John Tvedtnes in formulating said principles and procedures.<ref name="tvedtnes">John A. Tvedtnes, "The Nature of Prophets and Prophecy," ''FAIR Publications'', accessed November 3, 2022, https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/the-nature-of-prophets-and-prophecy-2.</ref> We strongly encourage reading the cited piece. It is thorough, enlightening commentary on this issue.
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− | These principles can be used to evaluate the prophecies of both modern and ancient prophets. We hope that this article will be helpful for all claims of false prophecies.
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− | ===Response to Question===
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− | ====1. The Two Models of Prophecy: Film Reel and Weather Forecast====
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− | Some religious people have a film reel model of prophecy. This is where the future is already planned out and God, like an old-timey projectionist, can unfurl the reel and see what happens further on in the movie of life, come back to the present, and reveal that will to his children.
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− | Others have more of a weather forecast model of prophecy. This is a model where God makes the best prediction of the future based off of present circumstances. If present circumstances change, then the prophecy does not have to reach fulfillment. God’s formula in scripture seems to be one set up on conditional statements. For instance, God can state that if A, B, C, and D happen then E will happen. Who knows how A, B, C, and D, as the pre-requisite conditions for E to happen, might not obtain? We may make choices right now that change the outcome of the prophecy.
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− | ====2. God's Foreknowledge May Not be Absolute====
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− | A more speculative option (and one that is likely to be much more objectionable for some) but still possible is that God does not have exhaustive foreknowledge of the future. The Church does not take an official position as to how members view God's foreknowledge.<ref>James E. Faulconer, "[https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Foreknowledge_of_God Foreknowledge of God]," in ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism,'' ed. Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1992; 2007), 2:521–22.</ref> They can choose to believe that God has knowledge of all things that will actually happen in the future or that he only has knowledge of a certain amount or degree of future events.
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− | ====3. Commentary on Deuteronomy 18====
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− | If the critics used their own standards, then they'd condemn the Bible as inauthentic.
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− | John Tvedtnes wrote:
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− | <blockquote>Based on the false premise that “all you need is one false prophecy to have a false prophet,” some critics have ignored many of Joseph Smith’s prophecies and have zeroed in on ones they consider to be false. But they typically identify unfulfilled commandments, opinions, and counsel as “false prophecies.” In doing so, they forsake the rules laid out in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, ignoring the fact that the passage defines a false prophecy as one uttered in the name of the Lord which does not come to pass.
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− | <br>
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− | The main problem is that the critics do not apply these same standards to biblical prophecies. And when we try to show that, by these standards, many of the biblical prophets fail the tests they have set up for Joseph Smith, we are accused of “Bible-slamming.” To those who ascribe more divinity to the Bible than to God, such a “sin” is worse than blasphemy itself. Honesty, however, impels us to submit the biblical prophets to the same tests as those applied to Joseph Smith.
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− | For this reason, following the logic of the critics, we would have to conclude that Moses-to whom the revelation in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 is ascribed-was a false prophet. In Numbers 25:13, he said, in the name of the Lord, that Phinehas, his grand nephew, would hold the priesthood eternally. But if Hebrews 7:11-12 is correct, the Aaronic priesthood is not eternal. In this particular example, Moses fills the requirement for the test of Deuteronomy much more closely than does Joseph Smith in most of the examples of “false prophecies” cited by the critics. How, then, can Latter-day Saints accept both Joseph Smith and Moses as true prophets, regarding their prophecies as divinely-inspired? The answer lies in the fact that prophecy is typically conditional.<ref name="tvedtnes"></ref></blockquote>
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− | ====<span style=''color:black''>4. Ensure that the account of the prophecy does not misrepresent or misinterpret what the prophet actually said.</span>====
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− | There are several things you can do to not misrepresent or misinterpret what a prophet actually said.
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− | #'''Check sources:''' One of the most obvious things you can do is revisit the source of the prophecy to see if there is any context you may be missing for your interpretation.
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− | #'''Check interpretation:''' Another thing you can do is check for alternative interpretations of the source. See if there are other Latter-day Saint or Christian authors who have examined the prophecy in question (whether in the scriptures or not) and see what they have said about it. Have they offered alternative interpretations? Is there only one possible interpretation that is compelled by the source or are there multiple possible interpretations, each of which may have its own possibility of being correct?
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− | #'''Vision or prophecy:''' John Tvedtnes insightfully wrote that "Visions are often highly symbolic and hence require interpretation. They cannot, therefore, necessarily be taken as “prophecy” in the sense of predictions of precise future events. As an example, we may consider Joseph Smith’s vision of the celestial kingdom (History of the Church 2:380-381). It has been highly criticized because in it he saw the twelve apostles of his day in the celestial kingdom. Of the twelve, however, five were excommunicated and never returned to the Church. This, the critics say, is evidence of a false prophecy. More likely, it is an indication of what the Lord intended for them, had they all remained faithful. If Joseph Smith is to be condemned as a false prophet on the basis of this vision, then we must condemn Jesus as a false prophet for similar reasons. Christ promised his twelve apostles that, when he returned to reign in glory, they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). And yet Judas, who was one of the twelve at the time, later fell away and, losing his place as an apostle, was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:15-26).12 If we take Jesus’ words literally, then either Judas will receive the reward (which makes the account in Acts wrong), or Jesus lied. On the other hand, if we do not hold Jesus to every word, should we not extend the same courtesy to Joseph Smith who, after all, was far less perfect than the Savior?"<ref name="tvedtnes"></ref>
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− | #'''Check to see if the prophecy can be fulfilled in multiple ways:''' One of the best tools a Latter-day Saint can use to defend a particular prophecy is to see if it can be fulfilled in multiple different ways. One of the main differences that Latter-day Saints hold with Jews is that Latter-day Saints (and other Christians) believe in the concept of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_fulfillment dual fulfillment]. That is: prophecies can be fulfilled in multiple ways. Check to see if that's the case with past prophecies.
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− | #'''Check to see if there is a set timeframe for fulfillment of the prophecy''': Often, prophecies do not have a set timeframe for when they will be fulfilled. Sometimes they use language that's equivocal. For instance, prophecies may state that God will "soon" act in a certain way in the world. But, as many know, our "soon" and God's "soon" may not be the same "soon". Be sure to not impose your own view of timeframe onto God's. If there isn't a specified timeframe, then a resolution may be to simply be patient until the fulfillment of that prophecy comes. John Tvedtnes lays out much more detailed commentary on this in his article on the issue.<ref name="tvedtnes"></ref>
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− | #'''Prophetic language:'''
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− | ====5. Ensure that the account of the prophecy is authentic and is not based on hearsay====
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− | ====6. Verify that the source claims that the prophecy came by revelation from God====
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− | A prophet is not always a prophet
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− | ====7. Remember that most prophecies are contingent on conditions being met—even if that contingency is not made clear by the explicit text of the prophecy====
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− | Are there any possible unstated conditions to the prophecy?
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− | Are there any stated conditions to the prophecy?
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− | ====8. Remember the commandment "shall" and the predictive "shall"====
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− | One mistake people make in interpreting prophecies is that they mistake a commandment for a prophecy. That is because both use "shall" in their wording often. There's obviously a difference between "thou shall not kill" and "thou shall be in Arizona in four months". One option to consider when confronted with a "failed prophecy" is to see if it was actually a commandment.
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− | ====9. Make sure that there aren't other circumstances that fulfilled the prophecy====
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− | ====10. Make sure to note whether or not the prophecy has a definite timeframe for when it is supposed to be fulfilled====
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− | ====11. There are perhaps little to no prophecies that can be considered "unreasonable"====
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− | ===Conclusion===
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− | If one keeps all of these considerations and questions in mind, one should be able to resolve every question about each prophecy.
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− | </onlyinclude>
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− | {{endnotes sources}}
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