Comments on: RS/MP Lesson 10: “The Scriptures, the Most Valuable Library in the World” (George Albert Smith Manual) http://feastuponthewordblog.org/2012/05/19/rsmp-lesson-10-the-scriptures-the-most-valuable-library-in-the-world-george-albert-smith-manual/ A blog focused on LDS scriptures and teaching Fri, 24 May 2013 02:15:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: hkgrobinson http://feastuponthewordblog.org/2012/05/19/rsmp-lesson-10-the-scriptures-the-most-valuable-library-in-the-world-george-albert-smith-manual/#comment-40133 Sun, 20 May 2012 15:17:36 +0000 http://feastuponthewordblog.org/?p=3947#comment-40133 The lesson includes an ellipse in one quote which may distort Pres. Smith’s meaning. The manual quotes: “all the truth that is…necessary for our salvation, is contained with in the lids of the books that I have already enumerated.” The original actually reads: “all the truth that is advocated in all the teachings of men, necessary for our salvation, is contained within the lids of the books that I have already enumerated.” I think the original reads with quite a different intent than the version in the manual. I find it particularly helpful to look at the Conference Reports themselves when I see such omissions. In fact, in that same address, Pres. Smith did not just quote a few verses of D&C 1; he actually read the entire section. That’s something you don’t hear often in General Conference today!

I also find it very interesting that several of the quotes in this lesson were delivered during the World Wars. In fact, the quote about the “day of trial. This is a day when men’s hearts are failing them with fear…” was delivered in April Conference, 1942. I wonder if he was responding directly to Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) and America’s entrance into World War II. In that case, he is perhaps advocating a position like that of President Benson–to use the scriptures as comfort in times of war.

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