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Chapter 17, Is Mormonism Christian?
Gordon B. Hinckley Understands Doctrine
The Quote
One Nation under Gods, page 389
None of you need worry because you read something that was incompletely reported. You need not worry that I
do not understand some matters of doctrine. I think I understand them thoroughly.45
The Reference
Endnote 45, page 603
45. Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1997 General Conference Address. Quoted in Internet Thread article on Hinckley,
online at www.lds-mormon.com/gbh.shtml. In an attempt to cover-up Hinckley's disingenuous answer to Time,
the Mormon church is officially stating that Hinckley was taken out of context. However, a follow-up investigation
and information obtained from both Time magazine and Richard Ostling (the journalist who conducted
Hinckley's interview), reveal that the LDS church president was not taken out of context at all. For the text
of several letters dealing with this issue, see documents reproduced in the Internet article "Dodging and
Dissembling Prophet?," published by the Institute for Religious Research, online at www.irr.org/mit/hinckley.html.
The Problems
It is interesting and instructive that Abanes' documented source in the endnotes is an anti-Mormon
message board. He uses this to document the quote from Hinckley. Why would an author of a "comprehensive," and
"detailed" history, a "scholarly" work (all adjectives used to describe Abanes' book, on the back cover), document
a quote from a Church leader using an anti-Mormon message board, instead of using direct original sources?
I can't think of any honest and forthright reason an author would do so, considering the
widespread availability of this quote. It seems as though Abanes does everything he can to avoid using a
pro-LDS source, while finding every opportunity to lead his readers to anti-Mormon sources, especially the
more easily accessible sources like Web sites. This is not the practice of an honest and objective journalist,
reporter or author.
(Side Note: For a more complete and fair treatment of President Hinckley's comment taken out
of context, go to http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Does_President_Hinckley_Understand_LDS_Doctrine.html.)
Written by J. Cooper Johnson
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