DiscussMormonism.com

In this blog post, I’ve been engaging with Christian Philosopher and Apologist Randal Rauser. Towards the end, I state:

I think this is the thrust of Gericke’s point, if the God of the modern theologian is so far away (descriptively speaking) from YHVH of the Hebrew Bible, this begins to build a case that socio-political trends play a far more stronger role in shaping God, than revelation from the written word.

SAUCE

Does this argument apply to Mormons? Does modern day Revelation save them? Could a Mormon Apologist use modern day Revelation to defend against attacks between the biblical YHVH and modern day notions of Heavenly Father and Jesus?

That's an interesting thought, Stak. My first reaction to your post was, "What 'modern day revelation'"? The last legit revelation in the LDS Church appears to have been the lifting of the priesthood ban on blacks, and it's extremely hard to make the case that it had nothing to do with socio-political pressure. I suppose someone might argue that something like the PotF counts as "revelation," but I think that's a stretch. (And again, the "Proclamation" is quite obviously political in nature.)

But with the apologists, I would say that their academic training has more of a role in shaping God than either revelation or socio-political forces. (And yes, I realize that you can make a case that socio-political forces are inseparable from the world of academia.) Ultimately, the Mopologists worship intellect, credentials, and the patina of scholarly credibility. They will happily tread all over the teachings of the prophets if it will help out with their academic cachet.

Dr. Rauser responded.

Does this argument apply to Mormons? Does modern day Revelation save them? Could a Mormon Apologist use modern day Revelation to defend against attacks between the biblical YHVH and modern day notions of Heavenly Father and Jesus?

Sure. LDS doctrine is completely consistent with the Bible and is the only Christian doctrine of that kind.

bcspace wrote:Sure. LDS doctrine is completely consistent with the Bible and is the only Christian doctrine of that kind.

Good point. Such doctrine has nothing to do with socio-political trends as long as one's dues in the Tea Party are up to date.