Article 1: The Three Witnesses of the Sealed Book, by Sergio De Moura
Article 2: Refutation To Opposing Arguments, by Maurício Berger
Article 3: Invitation To Rationality, by Coriolano Pacheco
Volume 2, Article 1 - July 2019 - (Written by Sergio De Moura)
The Three Witnesses of the Sealed Book
1 Setting aside the accounts of these men is not as simple as some imagine. Serious critics of the Book of Mormon have struggled to counteract the testimonies of the witnesses to the Golden Plates. This, however, is not easy. This may be impossible.
2 In large part, thanks to the meticulous research that has already been shown, we can see and learn a great deal about them and about the time they were devoted followers of Joseph Smith Jr. and after they had been alienated from him and his church for many years, during which they testified of the Book of Mormon.
3 For a long time, those who sought to discredit their testimony accused them of insanity or conspiring to commit fraud. In light of much work and research, however, no charges can be sustained. They were clearly healthy, honest, respectable men in their communities, friends, and family.
4 Recently, the preferred method of disposing of witnesses has been to suggest, quite falsely, that they have never claimed to have literally seen or touched anything at all, or to imply that they were primitive and superstitious fanatics who, unlike us, modern and sophisticated, could hardly distinguish reality from fantasy. Honest, but misdirected.
5 It seems implausible, however, to suppose that the witnesses were removed from everyday reality. They were early nineteenth century farmers who spent their lives rising at sunrise, lifting logs, clearing stones, plowing fields, planting seeds, carefully cultivating crops, herding cattle, milking cows, digging wells, building barns, harvesting food, trading in an economy often without money for what they couldn’t produce, wearing clothes made of plant fibers and skins, eagerly watching the seasons and walking or riding animals under the weather until they retired to their beds shortly after sunset in "a world lit only by fire". The distances traveled by these witnesses of the Book of Mormon was an arduous and often painful task, for they used wagons or even on foot in the midst of snow or extreme heat. Death in the midst of these difficulties was inevitable, yet they did not abandon their testimonies and beliefs.
6 It is especially unbelievable when the claim is made by people whose lives, such as mine, consist of staring at digital screens in artificially air conditioned, artificially lit, synthetic-clad houses and offices, moving between the two enclosed environments in pleasant air-conditioned vehicles while listening to the radio, listening to books (including the Book of Mormon), chatting on their cell phones, and tinkering with their iPods (whose inner workings are largely mysterious to them), who buy their prepackaged food with little or no consideration for weather forecasting or preparation time, through plastic cards and electronic financial transfers from artificially illuminated and air-conditioned supermarkets entangled in international distribution networks of which they know virtually nothing, the rhythms whose daily lives are not affected by sunrise and sunset.
7 Somehow, I suppose the "hallucination" may seem to a skeptic as an attractive way to undermine the testimony of the Three Witnesses, with their divine voice and their angelofania (reports of angel visitations), and their clearly visionary taste.
8 But the experience of the Eight Witnesses is very different. The hallucination does not seem to explain it well.
9 On the other hand, were it not for the spectacularly supernatural character of the experience of the Three Witnesses, a desperate skeptic could dismiss the whole thing as the product of gross deceit. Maybe Joseph Smith or some other strong frontier blacksmith (Oliver Cowdery, maybe, why not?) forged gold props to fool the gullible of that century, after all, wouldn’t that be "easy"?
10 And the three witnesses to the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon, what do we know of these men who "were supposedly chosen by the Lord for this work", their Angelic vision totally transforming their lives and their families? Mine, yours, and your friends? Joni Batista, Valdeci Machado, and Wagner Zeppenfeld
11 Who are they? How do they live? Do their families support them? Are they men of possession? Do they live a "comfortable" life, like the witnesses to the Book of Mormon? After all, those men lived in "comfort", but would these present witnesses be more or less benefited or privileged?
12 They left their lives, cities, friends and family, to follow Maurício A. Berger (or to be alienated from him, as those of the past were with Joseph) after being "convinced" of the truthfulness of the gold plates, or are their testimonies and obligation above any man of this dispensation?
13 Did their Angelic vision make them better men?
14 And if they were not simple people, but industrialists or people with great renown in our society, would it be easier for their testimonies to "appear" to be true?
15 Like the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, they are also very simple men with little or no possessions, men with little secular study, but with overwhelming divine knowledge, with simple families and great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Experienced at work, but with cheerful and happy faces.
16 Men of clear and exceptional knowledge of the scriptures, for the answers to complex questions are always on the tip of the tongue for any question, extraordinary knowledge of the mission of the Savior Jesus Christ, extraordinary faith in the atoning sacrifice, wholehearted and faithful to the covenants made with their God.
17 Extremely generous to others, for I myself have the privilege of participating in events where needy are assisted by their generosity. Men of genuine love for others, charitable and quick to do good. In their families they reflect the love of the Savior.
18 I did not have the privilege of knowing personally any of the 11 witnesses to the Book of Mormon, but our Savior Jesus Christ was generous to me, led me, and allowed me to be with these fantastic men, THE THREE WITNESSES OF THE SEALED BOOK. Their hearts are filled with good feelings, stripped of pride, full of charity, and hope in our loving Savior Jesus Christ, striving to teach us to draw near to the pure love of Christ.
19 It is my privilege to participate in meetings, events, and activities to serve our fellow man, to be with wise men.
20 I can say that these three men can be compared to the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Alma 53:20-21 LDS (Alma 24:76-77 RLDS) And they were all young men, and they were exceeding valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all: they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted; Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.
21 I testify that the THREE WITNESSES OF THE SEALED BOOK (...) are special witnesses who have been chosen for this great work in our midst.
22 I testify that there is much love and charity in the hearts of these great warriors.
23 Brothers, the three witnesses SAW MORONI, they shook hands with an Angel of the Lord.
24 I testify of the countless blessings we have received, by being close to these men who were with Moroni, who were instructed and clothed with power from on high.
25 Have we realized how sacred this work is that these men have testified to the world?
Volume 2, Article 2 - July 2019 - (Written by Maurício Berger)
Refutation To Opposing Arguments
1 "Are the 'sentinel angels' who married women bearing the offspring of giants in the Sealed Book of Moses 4:28 in contradiction to the account of Genesis in Joseph Smith Jr’s Inspired Version (IV) of Bible?"
2 Absolutely not!
3 The question at hand is given by the biblical text of Genesis 6:2 which mentions "the sons of God," which had been corrected by Joseph Smith Jr. in Genesis 8:2 in the Inspired Version translated by him as "the sons of men" (Moses 8:14 LDS).
4 However, who would be "the sons of God" who took to themselves the daughters of men described in the same context of Genesis 8:9 IV? (Moses 8:21 LDS)
5 Why didn’t Joseph change that verse as well?
6 Occasionally, the Bible mentions that angels materialized into human bodies, even coming to eat and drink with men, an example of which is described in Genesis 18 and 19 IV. (Genesis 18:1-22, 19:1-3).
7 On another occasion, human beings, inflamed with fornication, wanted to have sexual relations with the three angels who were with Lot (Genesis 19:1-11 IV; 19:1-7 KJV), which shows that they were physically attractive men. It is very clear that they were able to perform all sorts of human functions, besides eating and drinking, but also walking and talking among us in such a way that they were not identified as angels but as men (Hebrews 13:2).
8 On at least two occasions, Moroni himself, a resurrected being, whose description Joseph gave, is of a being "indescribably glorious, whose countenance was truly like lightning" appears as an earthly man, wiping sweat from his forehead in regard to David Witmer's accounts in the 19th century, as described below:
9 "When I was returning to Fayette with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us, when traveling along in a clear, open place, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon and saluted us with "Good morning; it is very warm," at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and by a sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if he was going our way. But he said very pleasantly, ‘No, I am going to Cumorah.’
10 This name was somewhat new to me, and I did not know what ‘Cumorah’ meant. We all gazed at him and at each other and as I looked inquiringly of Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again." J.F.S.: "Did you notice his appearance?"
11 Whitmer: "I should think I did. He was, I should think about 5 feet 8 or 9 inches tall and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave there, but heavier, his face as large, he was dressed in a suit of brown woolen clothes, his hair and beard were white like Brother Pratt’s, but his beard was not so heavy. I also remember that he had on his back a sort of knapsack with something in, shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony. Soon after our arrival home, I saw something which led me to the belief that the plates were placed or concealed in my father’s barn. I frankly asked Joseph if my supposition was right, and he told me it was. Sometime after this, my mother was going to milk the cows, when she was met out near the yard by the same old man (judging by her description of him) who said to her, ‘You have been very faithful and diligent in your labors, but you are tried because of the increase of your toil, it is proper therefore that you should receive a witness that your faith may be strengthened.’ Thereupon he showed her the plates. (...) This circumstance, however, completely removed all such feelings, and nerved her up for her increased responsibilities.” – “Biography of David Whitmer” by H. H. Smith from “Journal of History” vol 3, 1910, page 448 An electronic copy for download can be found here at this link, (page 11): www.latterdaytruth.org/pdf/101040.pdf
12 But even though there is such evidence of this truth that corroborates with the Sealed Book (...), there will always be those who among the Latter-day Saints who place themselves as scholars of the truth, just as the Pharisees in the days of Jesus in the meridian of time, who will from time to time argue about what is written in Matthew 22:29 IV (Matthew 22:30 KJV) stating that such a concept is a "contradiction."
13 However, although angels are spiritual beings, this does not mean that those who were assigned to be on this earth, like the watchers, could not materialize into human forms and enter into marital relationships with human women and thus bring the spirits of demons without bodies to be generated as creatures (Giants) on earth.
14 Therefore, there seems to be no doubt that the "sons of God" described in Genesis 8:9 IV (Moses 8:21 LDS) correspond to the angelic sons of God described in the holy Bible before its correction and which Joseph translated verse 2 for "sons of men" intentionally, only to show that they now lived on earth in bodies similar to the sons of earthly men even though they were the sons of God coming from heaven. (See Genesis 4:12-13 IV, Moses 5:12-13 LDS)
15 The most compelling thing in all of this, therefore, is the fact that not all fallen angels were thrown into prison.
You never wondered why?
16 In the scriptures we have at least two records of apostasy on the part of the angels. The first occurred in heaven with the rebellion of Lucifer, the chief cherub who took one third of the good angels to follow his lead (Ezekiel 28:14-16).
17 The second apostasy is mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 1:6-7, where they abandoned their designated place of residence to invade another which was out of bounds for them. In mentioning these angels in prison in his writings, Judas describes their sin to something that resembles sexual immorality.
18 In this regard, it should be noted that the reference in Jude 1:6, 7 to angels not retaining their original position and abandoning their "own habitation" (referring here certainly to abandoning the spiritual body to live in a physical body) is soon followed by the statement: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner (these angels) giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh (ie, they were in a carnal state), are set forth for an example.” So the combined weight of the biblical evidence indicates a deviation of angels, the performance of acts contrary to their spiritual nature, occurring in the days of Noah.
19 Since the demons who rebelled in heaven could not have physical bodies on earth, nor could they materialize as did the class of watchers, the Sealed Book seems to indicate that the watchers made an agreement with Satan in order to provide the demons without bodies who followed him after the great rebellion, to be born with a physical body among the descendants of Adam, having sexual relations with the daughters of men, in order to bring into the bodies of giants the spirits of demons who were cast out of the heavens into a carnal body in the womb of a human woman on earth.
20 And what more would demons want than to have their own body, since on a certain occasion they took possession of the body of a human being, and begged Christ not to leave them without a body to dwell in, but to send them even if it were to the body of swine? (Mark 5:9-10 IV; Mark 5:12-13 KJV)
21 The weakness of the arguments devised to undermine the reliability of the Sealed Book (...) is the idea that contradicts the logic that ordinary human males marrying ordinary human females will never give rise to a progeny of "giants."
22 In fact, both the text of 2 Peter 2:4-5 and that of Jude 1:6-7 correlate these events with Sodom and Gomorrah with regard to the sin of fornication of these cities. This imprisonment in chains until the day of judgment gives us yet a broader view showing that these angels in chains are not there because of the fall of the devil and his demons, but because of the sins of some angels on earth. If the sin mentioned in 2 Peter were the original fall of the angels which occurred in heaven, then all angels of evil would be in chains, and not just some. This means that Satan and all his angels would be imprisoned and not be active today. Obviously, this is not what we see, indicating that it was another class of angels, for there are countless different creatures described in heaven.
23 Therefore, if these "sons of God" were only men, as the opponents of the Sealed Book argue, the question arises: Why mention your marriages with the daughters of men as something special? After all, we must remember here that marriages and having children in these marriages had already occurred with the sons of men in the time of Noah for at least some 1,500 years by then.
24 In addition, the Sealed Book (...) view of the watcher angels marrying human females has a strong contextual, cultural, and historical basis in other religions, indicating that this concept is not limited only to Hebrew and Christian cultures, but almost all ancient civilizations have legends and myths of heavenly visitations, Giants, and the Flood.
25 Most of the ancient rabbinical sources and translators of the Septuagint in the third century BC confirm this view. While we should not let traditions be the final word in doctrinal matters, can we question the real reasons why these Bible translators consider this view?
26 In addition, other sacred writings speak of the relationships between heavenly beings and the women of the Earth. The Nihongi, of Japan, describes divine beings who descended from heaven on celestial ships to join the daughters of men.
27 An ancient record of Nepal, called Bundhasvamin Brihat Katha Shlokasanigraha, tells tales of divine beings descending from the sky, seducing women and warring in their flying carriages.
28 In India, the Rig Veda tells stories about celestial beings who came to Earth to love women or make war. The same theme can be found in the Ramayana, also of India, for it mentions carnal conjunctions of celestial beings with human women.
29 The examples are innumerable in the records of many ancient civilizations, where some virgins were almost always destined for these celestial beings, whose origins were of the skies or, at least, superhuman. The question, however, that must be asked here is whether all these stories were just legends of various nations, or a reflection of a distorted history of what actually occurred with the sons of God in relation to the daughters of men?
30 While the title "sons of God" is used in the passage from Genesis 8:1 IV to distinguish the righteous sons of Noah, we read in Genesis 8:9 IV, the term "sons of God" an expression used by the men who took for themselves the daughters of men, as it is written in Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7, used exclusively to describe angels.
31 In this regard, if we consider the expression of the text in question: “have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men?”, we realize that this is a statement that leaves no doubt whatsoever, whose context clearly distinguishes between “the sons of God” (Hebrew Bene Elohim) in relation to the daughters of men (Hebrew Benote Adam - daughters of Adam). While the former were descendants of the Divine, women were distinctly natural descendants of the human race. Logically, only this natural occurrence of the combination of a species superior to man (angels) cohabiting with the daughters of men (human females) can in fact result in an offspring that are called "giants".
32 There are a number of relevant questions that contribute to the Sealed Book’s narrative that need to be examined in the light of the scriptures, to make it clear to the sincere reader who seeks the truth that Joseph Smith Jr used "sons of men" in the previous text to clarify that angels were transmuted into the likeness of men.
Volume 2, Article 3 - July 2019 - (Written by Coriolano Pacheco)
Invitation To Rationality
1 Two amazing things are happening right now in the world. The first is that a Brazilian, Mauricio Berger, claims to have received from the angel Moroni the plates of the Book of Mormon for the translation of one of the sealed parts through the Interpreters. In the presence of eight North American and three Brazilian witnesses, he removed the seal from the plates and everyone present examined them and found them to be true, which was confirmed by the strong and unmistakable manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The testimonies of these brothers have been written and are available on the Internet. All of them of impeccable reputation in their respective churches, branches of the original Mormon Church, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Upon returning to the United States, the North American brethren testified to more than four hundred people at a conference held for that purpose. The Sealed Book (...), the result of the translation of 19 of the 42 plates from which Mauricio removed the seals, was published in Portuguese and English, and is available free of charge in Brazil and at cost in the United States.
2 The other amazing thing that is happening, is that there are those who feel ashamed to pray about it because they feel unfaithful and weak when they dare to ask God about a matter about which there should be no doubt in their minds. There are those who read the Sealed Book predisposed to find defects, with the seed of contempt already planted in their hearts. There are those who read with a doubtful heart, but with a certain respect. There are those who are plagued by doubts and hold a constant supplication in their hearts, and as they read the Book, a ray of light changes the course of their lives. There are those who are faithless, apathetic, disillusioned and something suddenly happens that completely changes the situation. There are those who decide to read the book to challenge those who believe in it, to throw "in their face" some untruths and contradictions and finish reading with the book "stuck" in their throat amid the dilemma of not being able to deny it. In short, there are as many experiences as there are people who face this Work.
3 I acknowledge that we are faced with an overpowering, extremely complex, challenging fact that moves our emotional structures, the pillars of our faith. It is not without reason that the things of God, traditionally, are considered follies to the common man. Now imagine the non-traditional, unorthodox things, as is the case for Moroni appearing to a simple Brazilian and delivering the plates and Interpreters for the translation of the Sealed Book, passing by a powerful and rich Church, born in the cradle of the richest and most powerful country in the world, run by men of extreme and proven ability, a church that is adorning the planet with majestic and imposing temples, where families are sealed for eternity! A real absurdity is the counterpoint that comes from the South of Brazil! Only a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, so as not to leave the slightest shadow of doubt, has the power to break through all this and make us engage in this new Work. Nothing less than the touch of the Holy Spirit, in a clear and unmistakable way, something like the demonstrations of power that God promoted in the liberation of his people from Egypt. While the work of God is not manifested in all its fullness, it seems really crazy to believe in the Zion Project.
4 Those who are happy in the Church, serve in some position with dedication; they frequent the Temple; they have a family that has everything to be exalted; they do not live with doubts about the Church; they do not know the history of the Church in depth; they live by articles of the Liahona and pronouncements of general authorities in the conferences, with nothing or almost nothing to question; they intend to send children on mission and see them married in the Temple; they find it natural and even are proud of the billion dollar investments the Church is making in the business world; they believe that everything, in fact, is going well in Zion, of course they have no reason to want to read the Sealed Book (...). It would be for them, in a way, to deny the faith and challenge God!
5 Now, those who dared to investigate the history of the Church on their own, and discovered that something very serious happened after Joseph's death; that the Heavens were closed, and another Church appeared fragmented and based on the precepts of men, with changes in the Ordinances and Order of the Priesthood, in the Doctrine and in the Laws of the Kingdom of God, and there the picture changes! Those who take notice of these important changes and the change in course of the Church and insist on not believing or closing their eyes, are not a question of faith, but of cognitive dissonance! (1). Not wanting to believe what you see! One very important thing that I learned from reading the Sealed Book is that GOD NEVER CHANGES in relation to what He established since before the foundation of the world in regard to the Laws and Ordinances of the Gospel! What was delivered in Eden to Adam and Eve is in force to this day— UNALTERED! Everything that God has established, in the smallest details, has deep meaning. It was not random, thoughtless, or merely symbolic! Therefore they should not be changed without the EXPRESS manifestation of God!
6 In addition to the effects of cognitive dissonance easily identifiable to me in my attempts to spread the Sealed Book, there is yet another, more serious factor: Although Elder Uchtdorf has stated in a courageous statement that having doubts about the history of the Church is not a sin (2), there are indications that members continue to be ashamed of having doubts in the Church, afraid to consider themselves and be considered unfaithful, weak, hesitant, and sinful! It's incredible, but it's the truth! Brigham Young feared this would happen one day when he made the following statement: "I have ... fear that these people will have so much confidence in their leaders that they will stop asking God for themselves whether they are being led by Him. I fear they will settle into a blind attitude of individual security. ... Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking the way which the Lord commands" (3).
7 Is this happening in the Church? Are educated, intelligent men and women, many with a high level of education not questioning, not disagreeing, not presenting their points of view, not discussing any issues because they think they have the final word of God through their leaders?
8 The members of the Church in Berea checked the Scriptures for the teachings they received from the apostles (4). Let us be like them!
9 The proselytizing of this work has no pillars in the mental or intellectual conviction of the people, but in the confirmation of the Holy Spirit Himself! And it's not just any feeling, no! It must be something strong, indelible, unmistakable because the challenge is Dantesque! As João Vendemiatti would say, it is not just any "warmth" in the chest, no. I know what made me stay in a state of strong emotion for more than a month. I do not forget the feelings that invaded my heart and the "insights" that exploded in my mind during this period, completely transforming the man that I was!
10 I witnessed with amazement the conversion of Renilde and the consequent healing of his soul, which had been shattered by frustrations and disappointments with the history of the Church. I don’t report these things to impress or anything like that. Even because some say that what happened to me and Renilde was the work of the evil one, darkness disguised as light. In fact, that's what I hear the most from the brothers in the Church. It is the enemy’s thing to destroy the elect. A work to bring down even the chosen ones. I'm getting used to it and waiting to hear it. If the person shows some real and sincere interest, I will continue. If not, I stop immediately. Because it's not about persuading people. Just present the Sealed Book, answer questions if there are any and leave the rest to the discretion of the person, who must resolve the matter by sincere prayer and a desire to know the truth, no matter how destructive of our convictions it may be.
11 I believe that the vast majority of Church members believe that their President and the Apostles talk to Jesus Christ. No matter how much this is denied by any of them, the members continue to believe. This is extremely serious and revealing, I understand why I've been like this before. Only a miracle or a great disillusionment is capable of breaking such beliefs. I'm in the same situation on this side. I firmly believe that Mauricio has contact with Moroni, Peter, John, the three Nephites, that heavenly beings visit him and give instructions! Did you understand? That is why the intervention of the Holy Spirit is necessary because it is about FEELINGS. You and I are dealing with feelings and spiritual experiences! Everything happens on the plane of faith. So the decision needs to be individual, without any influence from anyone. I can influence the presentation of the new fact. But the decision will always be individual and free. Absolutely free.
12 If we are to conduct the matter solely by intellect, Mauricio loses far to Mormon arguments, much as Joseph Smith Jr lost far to Protestant arguments. All the same. It’s only the time that changes the scenario.
13 Every time the Lord manifests Himself after an apostasy, history repeats itself. Confusion, doubts, breaking of paradigms, breaking traditions, conflict of beliefs, breaking family ties, with friends, even death and persecution. Isn’t that right? There is a confrontation with the prevailing religious establishment, so to speak. Now it could not be any different! That is why there is a need for everyone to have their own experience. And that is painful! It's not easy.
14 I make an invitation to rationality to the brethren who are reading or thinking of reading the Sealed Book (...) to get the courage to think for themselves and not only to read but to examine the Book and draw their own conclusions without fear of sinning. Are all perfect idiots who are believing in this work? Did Mauricio manage to fool everyone? Are our people and our land so despicable that it is impossible for such a divine work to happen in Brazil? Was Mauricio a madman swept away who dared to mount a hoax of such magnitude as to deceive people around the World?
15 The invitation to rationality, we repeat, is launched. Those who wish to set forth their doubts and opinions about the Sealed Book (...) and the Zion Project, join us in the telegram group to discuss together. The missionary João Vendemiatti will answer doubts and questions, both regarding the History of the Church and Project Zion. Those interested can contact me through Messenger to be included in the group. This will not make them apostates or our followers.
Long Live Zion! Long live Brazil!
Coriolano Pacheco
References
(1) vozesmormons.org/2016/07/10/entendendo-dissonancia-cognitiva/
(2) Come, Join Us. Conference of October 2013.
(3) www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2013/01/what-is-truth?lang=por
(4) Acts 17:10-11
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