Most people would consider scripture to be the sacred writings acknowledge by their chosen religion.  How did those works become acknowledged?  How did they become scripture in the first place?  Scripture is text that is given by God.  It is the record of prophets inspired by God.  Most of the Christian world believes in a closed canon (a body a sacred texts which cannot be added to) of scriptures called The Bible (meaning ‘Library’).  The Bible generally includes the books of the New and Old Testaments.  Some Churches also include in their canon The Apocrypha. The purpose of these scriptures is to testify of Christ and help bring His children unto God (John 5:39).

The earliest text among these refers to the creation of the world, as recorded by Moses (circa 1750 BC).  The book of Genesis reports that God spoke to man in every generation to that point.  It is generally accepted that the books in the New Testament were written some time before 150 AD.  If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, it stands to reason that He would not suddenly cease to speak with His children after over 4,000 years of recorded interaction.  In seemingly endless cycles of apostasy and repentance, He had never once failed to speak.  Why then, with no warning did revelation seem to cease?

I do not believe that it has.  I believe in an open canon of scripture.  I believe that God speaks to man today.  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake” (An Address,” The Complete Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1929), 45).  I have not posted on this blog in over a year.  This is partly because other things in my life began to take precedence.  It is also partly because of a question that I received.  It was not the title of this post.  Noting my numerous references to the Book of Mormon, one reader asked:

“You mention the LDS church. Do you have an opinion regarding the validity of Joesph Smith’s “Book of Mormon” ?”

I never intended to hide my religious associations on this blog, but I did hope to avoid some of the antagonism that I felt would come which might take away the Spirit.  I wanted this to be a place of open discussion of doctrine.  In this case I must openly share that, in addition to the Bible, I believe that the Book of Mormon is a sacred text given by God.  I believe that God also spoke to prophets in the 19th and 20th centuries, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants.  I believe that their are living prophets on the earth today whose revelations are also scripture.  I recently heard a speaker who so eloquently expressed my testimony:

Jeffry R Holland, “Safety for the Soul”

I entreat you to watch this short video.  It encompassed everything upon which my testimony, and therefore the articles posted on ‘One of the Flock’, is based on.