I have begun following the "Approaching Zion Project" initiated by Sam Brunson at Times and Seasons*. His second post raises a major issue for him, being what he terms: Nibley’s generalizations about people and his mischaracterizations concerning the rich.
For those who share his concerns, I submit that the same charges of generalization and mischaracterization could be levied against every prophet, and even, the Father and the Son, themselves. Isn’t Nibley just déjà vu the scriptures? Has he said anything more than others have said? as in:
THE LORD: And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. (Old Testament Deuteronomy 31:16)This is just a minuscule sample. In addition, we could do a scripture search of the terms: “this people” or “my people” and witness how consistently general, God seems to remain. Why generalizations? Could it be the BIG picture? the unending déjà vu of things? a perpetual warning? a scriptural perspective of predispositions?
ISAIAH: O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 12:5)
ISAIAH: HEAR ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. ... Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (Old Testament Isaiah 48:1, 4)
ISAIAH: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Old Testament Isaiah 53:6)
JEREMIAH: Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (Old Testament Jeremiah 51:17)
JESUS: And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (New Testament Matthew 19:24)
GOD: Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. (New Testament Hebrews 3:10)
JACOB (bro. of Nephi): But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:30)
HELAMAN: AND thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity. ... O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths! Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. (Book of Mormon Helaman 12:1-2, 4-6)
--------------/
* http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2013/05/the-approaching-zion-project-what-is-zion-a-distant-view/ (This déjà vu is an elaboration on my comment #49.)
