Bob Jones University:
Leveled By An Earthquake?

“Lord God if this school out here [Bob Jones University] ever compromises, send an earthquake and shake these buildings into powder and dust. Don’t ever let it stand here and encumber the earth and curse it by robbing people of faith in the Word of God. Hear us in this prayer and keep us doing all the things we pray in the precious Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (How Shall Ye Believe? – Bob Jones, Sr.)

- Send An Earthquake -
(Download MP3)

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Bob Jones, Sr. (1883–1968), an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday, established Bob Jones College in 1927 near Panama City, Florida. In 1933 the college was moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, and finally to its present location in Greenville, South Carolina in 1947 where it became Bob Jones University (BJU).

Bob Jones University, a non-denominational Protestant university, is the largest private liberal arts university in the state of South Carolina. It has the reputation of being one of the most conservative religious schools in the United States.

In fact Bob Jones University requires the King James Version Bible (KJV) to be used in its services and classrooms, but it does not hold to the belief that the KJV is the only acceptable English translation of God’s Holy Word (AKA “King James Only”). BJU has taken the position that the KJV is a substantially accurate translation, but only the original manuscripts of the Bible written in Hebrew and Greek are infallible and inerrant.

Bob Jones, Jr., who served as BJU president from 1947 to 1971, called the “King James Only” position a “heresy” and “in a very definite sense, a blasphemy.”

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So, that’s what “Jr.” had to say on the “King James Only” subject. But what did his dad (Bob Jones, Sr.) have to say asbout it?

Well, in order to answer that question let’s start off with an excerpt from one of Bob Jones, Sr.’s radio program messages entitled “How Shall Ye Believe”:

Now we are facing great peril more dangerous, more serious, than we’ve ever known. Now Bob Jones University has taken it’s stand for the Bible. That’s the fight today: the Word of God! That’s the battleground right now. Is the Bible the Word of God? It’s essential that every man believes that the Bible is the Word of God if he’s going to be a Christian. Bob Jones University says ‘yes’ and no man is a Christian that doesn’t believe it. He can talk as pious as he pleases. If he tears out the first leaf of the Bible, Jesus said, if you don’t believe earthly things how do you believe heavenly things. When you convince a young fellow that the Bible is wrong in any particulate, you’ve sold his soul down the river and you’ve sent him out on a career in this world that’s hopeless and dark.
Now listen. You put in your Bible a little statement: “Whatever this Bible says is so!” Write it in your Bible there. Put it on the filing. Underscore it for your children. You’ll be saved. A lot of these fellows are half-baked; they just don’t know. They know how to run an organization, but they just don’t know what the Word of God teaches. And you can’t know until you approach it with a spiritual understanding. Then if you believe what’s said about the heavenly things you’ll believe what’s said about the earthly things.
Oh Lord God help us in this day when so much disturbance, and people so upset all over the world, and all this agitation, and people don’t know where they are. No line of demarcation between folks that believe the Bible and folks that don’t believe the Bible. People say, “I believe this” or “I believe that” and “You don’t have to believe that”, and we’re trampling on the Word of God that’s forever settled in Heaven. Lord God keep Bob Jones University true. May we never surrender. Let what come may come. Lord God if this school out here ever compromises, send an earthquake and shake these buildings into powder and dust. Don’t ever let it stand here and encumber the earth and curse it by robbing people of faith in the Word of God. Hear us in this prayer and keep us doing all the things we pray in the precious Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (How Shall Ye Believe?)

- How Shall Ye Believe -
(Download MP3)

So did you get the point of his message? Bob Jones, Sr. believed and preached that in order for anyone to become a real Christian they must believe “whatever the Bible says is so!” And as it applied to the religious institutions of higher learning such as BJU, Bob Jones Sr. adamantly proclaimed, “When you convince a young fellow that the Bible is wrong in any particulate, you’ve sold his soul down the river”… as in down the river to Hell! In fact we can pretty much sum up what Bob Jones, Sr. was preaching through the following Words of Jesus:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15 KJV)

Now with that in mind, it shouldn’t be too awful hard to understand why Bob Jones, Sr. prayed his prayer of sudden destruction on BJU if it ever taught anything other than “whatever the Bible says is so!” – “Lord God if this school out here ever compromises, send an earthquake and shake these buildings into powder and dust.”

But moving right along, the following excerpt from Bob Jones, Sr.’s radio program message “What The Bible Say’s Is So” will help us to understand the position he took on Bible translations other than the KJV:

The Bible is a true accurate Book. Now I have most of the translations in my library, and I’ve checked them, and I’ve never checked one translation against another where there was any difference when it comes to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. They’re always as clear as day. Now there may be some kinds of little shade of meaning that might come out of the east, a little shade of meaning that might come out of the west that might not be exactly the same, see. Maybe a little different shade of meaning. But all the fundamental truths of the Bible are just as clear as day. Now what does the Bible say about that? The Bible says that “For ever thy word is settled in heaven.” Now that’s what God said. And God Almighty says in this Book if you take anything away from it He will take something away from you. If you add to it you’ll get some of the curses added to you. You better not tamper with that Bible. Woe be to the man that tampers with the Bible. The Bible claims to have come to us in the Words not which human wisdom teaches but which Divine Wisdom teaches. The very Words themselves, in the original language, are inspired – they’re chosen by the Holy Ghost. Now let’s get that clear, and there can’t be any misunderstanding. (What The Bible Say’s Is So)

- What The Bible Says (Intro) - (Download MP3)

- What The Bible Says - (Download MP3)

According to “What The Bible Says Is So”, Bob Jones, Sr. believed that the various Bible translations were “accurate translations” from the original languages when it came to the “fundamentals of Christian faith”. However, we learn something entirely different from his radio program message “We Speak That We Do Know”:

These translators of the revised Bible that we have, left out ‘only begotten’ in John 3:16. That’s the Devil’s blow with the deity of Christ. That’s the Devil’s method of striking the deity of the Son of God. So He is the “only begotten” Son of God. (We Speak That We Do Know)

So what happened? Bob Jones, Sr. had a change of heart! He discovered that not all Bible translations were accurate translations when it came to the “fundamentals of Christian faith”. I mean, after all, Jesus being the only “begotten” Son of God is one of the major “fundamentals of Christian faith”:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten (G3439) Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV)

Only Begotten (G3439) [mon-og-en-ace] - From G3441 and G1096; only born, that is, sole: - only (begotten, child). (Strong’s Hebrew And Greek Dictionary)

When translated correctly, the Greek word “monogenes” (G3439) means “only begotten” or “only born”. Jesus was the second Person of the Godhead in Heaven – “the Word” – before He became “Flesh” on earth. Jesus was the only Son of God born/begotten through a Virgin Birth in order to take away the sin of the world:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten (G3439) of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-3, 14 KJV)

Jesus is God who became Man – the Messiah – in order to save a lost and dying world from the everlasting fires of Hell! However, many of the modern Bible translations have “revised” this doctrinal truth by deleting just one word – “begotten”. As Bob Jones, Sr. so accurately described it: “the Devil’s blow with the deity of Christ”! In fact here’s how just a few of them did it:

World English Bible (1901)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Hebrew Names Version (Modification of Word English Bible)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Weymouth New Testament (©1912)
“For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may have the Life of Ages.”

Revised Standard Version (©1952)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Bible in Basic English (©1965)
“For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.”

Worldwide English (©1969)
“God loved the world so very, very much that he gave his only Son. Because he did that, everyone who believes in him will not lose his life, but will live for ever.”

New International Version (©1984)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Good News Bible (©1992)
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”

God’s Word (©1995)
“God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.”

New International Reader’s Version (©1996)
“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

Holman Christian Study Bible (©1999)
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Today’s New International Version (©2001)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

English Standard Version (©2001)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Message (©2002)
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”

New Century Version (©2006)
“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”

New Living Translation (©2007)
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

International Standard Version (©2008)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life.”

And with that in mind, it’s now time to uncover some of the details of this “revised” Bible that Bob Jones, Sr. so adamantly opposed. Because you see the “Revised Version” of 1881 was the first official attempt to update (pervert) the “(Authorized) King James Version Bible” in a major way… but there were many others to follow! In fact there were actually six (6) “revised” translations “begotten/born” from that original 1981 abomination called the “Revised Version”:

“Revised Version” And It’s Derivatives

So which one was it? Which one of those “revised” Bibles did Bob Jones, Sr. discover to be the blasphemous mis-translation of God’s Holy Word?

Well, the facts are as follows:

1.) Bob Jones, Sr. recorded his radio program messages from 1927 until 1962. The message “We Speak That We Do Know”, in which he criticized the “revised” Bible, was one of those radio program messages. Because of the time limitations, the “revised” Bible had to be the “RV”, “ASV”, or “RSV”.

2.) The “Revised Version” and the “American Standard Version” both included “begotten” in their translation of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (RV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (ASV)

3.) The “Revised Standard Version” of 1952 did not include “begotten” in it’s translation of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (RSV)

4.) Following the 1952 publication of the“Revised Standard Version”, large numbers of fundamentalists and evangelicals accused the translators of deliberately tampering with the Scriptures in order to deny the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Jesus. This “RSV” controversy helped reignite the “King James Only” movement within the Independent Baptist and Pentecostal churches. The “King James Only” movement was initially formed in protest to the “RV” and “ASV” publications, but remained low-key due to the versions' lack of popularity.

So with those four (4) facts in mind, it is abundantly obvious that Bob Jones, Sr. joined hands with his “fundamental/evangelical” Brothers in Christ to protest the “Revised Standard Version” and it’s demonic ability to “convince a young fellow that the Bible is wrong in any particulate”.

But that’s only the beginning! There’s much more to this story! And the following from “Wikipedia” will help us get started:

The Revised Version (or English Revised Version) of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain. American scholars were invited to cooperate, by correspondence. The New Testament was published in 1881, the Old Testament in 1885, and the Apocrypha in 1895. The best known of the translation committee members were Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort…

You see it was “in the beginning” of these “revised” Bibles that the infamous team of “Westcott and Hort” were involved – infecting God’s Holy Word with their deadly satanic spirit. In fact what better proof of their evil spirit than a few verses from the 1881 “Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament” from which so many perverted versions of God’s Holy Word have been created. And in order to make this as simple as possible, we’ll use the “Texus Receptus Greek New Testament” from which the King James Version of the Bible was translated as a comparison (note: the red text in the “Texus Receptus Greek New Testament” denotes the Greek text that’s missing in the “Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament”):

Now for all those who don’t read Greek, the following is what the comparison looks like in English (note: the red text in the “KJV” denotes the text that’s missing in the “RV”, “ASV”, “RSV”, “NASB”, “NRSV”, “ESV”, and “WEB” [the last three are not shown for brevity]):

John 16:16

King James Version: A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Revised Version: A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.

American Standard Version: A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.

Revised Standard Version: "A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me."

New American Standard Bible: "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."

 

Ephesians 3:9

King James Version: And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Revised Version: and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which from all ages hath been hid in God who created all things;

American Standard Version: and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;

Revised Standard Version: and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;

New American Standard Bible: and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

 

1 John 5:6-8

King James Version: This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Revised Version: This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.

American Standard Version: This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.

Revised Standard Version: This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.

New American Standard Bible: This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ”:

So, with that in mind, let’s get back to what Bob Jones, Sr. had to say about those “other translations”:

The Bible is a true accurate Book. Now I have most of the translations in my library, and I’ve checked them, and I’ve never checked one translation against another where there was any difference when it comes to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. (What The Bible Say’s Is So)

That was what Bob Jones, Sr. had to say on the “other Bible translations” until he read the “Revised Standard Version” with it’s mis-translation of the Greek word “monogenes” (G3439) in John 3:16:

These translators of the revised Bible that we have, left out ‘only begotten’ in John 3:16. That’s the Devil’s blow with the deity of Christ. That’s the Devil’s method of striking the deity of the Son of God. (We Speak That We Do Know)

Now the Greek word “monogenes” was included in the “Westcott-Hort Grrek New Testament”… however, it was mis-translated in the “Revised Standard Version” in order to take away from the deity of Christ. So, if Bob Jones, Sr. got up in arms about the missing “begotten” word in the “Revised Standard Version”, what do you think he had to say about all the missing “Words of God” in John 16:16, Ephesians 3:9, and 1 John 5:6-8 that substantiate the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost)?

Well, it’s quite obvious that Bob Jones, Sr. would have never endorsed the “Westcott-Hort Grrek New Testament” as being “God’s Word” from the “original manuscripts”. No way! But yet we find the following truth about BJU from their pre 1986 publication “Position of the Bible Department of Bob Jones University on the Scripture”:

The dominating concern for all Bible-related courses, from English Bible to Theology and Ethics, in Bob Jones University is what the Bible teaches. This is of paramount importance to us because we believe in the verbal inspiration and absolute inerrancy of the Bible. We believe, as Fundamentalists have always believed, that this inspiration refers to the original manuscripts. "The record for whose inspiration we contend is the original record -- the autographs or parchments of Moses, David, Daniel, Matthew, Peter, or Paul as the case may be and not any particular translation or translations of them whatever" (The Fundamentals, "Inspiration of the Bible," p. 127).
When we teach the content of the Bible, we naturally study a passage in the Greek Testament. To aid the students in understanding that passage, we will take to class the King James Bible, which often gives an exact rendering of the Greek. Sometimes we will consult some other conservative translation, such as the American Standard Version of 1901 or the New American Standard Bible (not the liberal R[evised] S[tandard] V[ersion]), which at times gives the most accurate rendering of the Greek… Because we believe in the inspiration of the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, it is important that we have a Greek Testament that will be as close to the readings of the original as possible. Through the carelessness of scribes who copied manuscripts, many varying readings have crept into them. But God in His providence has preserved for us the original reading through the large number of manuscripts in existence that witness to the text of the New Testament. Today there are two Greek texts available. One is the Received Text, edited by [a] Roman Catholic scholar, Erasmus, in the sixteenth century and based on manuscripts of the late Middle Ages. It is often called the "Byzantine" or the "majority text." The other is the Greek Testament, edited by Westcott and Hort in the nineteenth century and based upon the manuscripts of the fourth century, usually called the "Alexandrian text." The King James Version was based upon the "Received Text"; the American Standard Version was based upon the text of Westcott and Hort. We do not believe that either of these texts is "liberal" or "conservative." (Read the entire positional statement.)

Amazing… wouldn’t you say? For Bob Jones University to consider the American Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible to be “conservative translations” and the Revised Standard Version to be a “liberal translation” is nothing but outright “heresy” to say the least! They are all “revised” Bibles – products of “Westcott and Hort” – and nothing less that an “abomination” in the Eyes of God! But yet the following “Statement about Bible Translations” is what you’ll find on the BJU Web site as of the 29th of October 2010:

[http://www.bju.edu/welcome/who-we-are/translation-position.php]

So, what’s going on? Who was the scallywag that propped open the Bob Jones University back door and allowed Satan to come in with his perverted Bibles?

Well, it all goes back to Bob Jones, Jr. who took the reins from Bob Jones, Sr. and served as the BJU president from 1947 to 1971. I mean, after all, it was “Jr.” who called the “King James Only” position a “heresy” and “in a very definite sense, a blasphemy.”

And with all that in mind, the following question needs to be asked:

“When will the Lord God Almighty answer Bob Jones, Sr.’s prayer? When will He send that earthquake to shake the Bob Jones University buildings into powder and dust?”

(For more on this subject see “New Age Bible Versions” and “Bob Jones University (BJU) – A Bastion of Bible Christianity?”.)

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Position of the Bible Department of Bob Jones University on the Scripture
- Bob Jones University Bible Department - Stewart Custer, Marshall Neal -
[http://www.wholesomewords.org/bjubible.html]

 

The dominating concern for all Bible-related courses, from English Bible to Theology and Ethics, in Bob Jones University is what the Bible teaches. This is of paramount importance to us because we believe in the verbal inspiration and absolute inerrancy of the Bible. We believe, as Fundamentalists have always believed, that this inspiration refers to the original manuscripts. "The record for whose inspiration we contend is the original record -- the autographs or parchments of Moses, David, Daniel, Matthew, Peter, or Paul as the case may be and not any particular translation or translations of them whatever" (The Fundamentals, "Inspiration of the Bible," p. 127).

When we teach the content of the Bible, we naturally study a passage in the Greek Testament. To aid the students in understanding that passage, we will take to class the King James Bible, which often gives an exact rendering of the Greek. Sometimes we will consult some other conservative translation, such as the American Standard Version of 1901 or the New American Standard Bible (not the liberal R[evised] S[tandard] V[ersion]), which at times gives the most accurate rendering of the Greek. We are always trying to help the students grasp the exact meaning of the original Greek text. There are a few passages in which the delicate shades of meaning in the Greek are missed by all English translations, in which cases we must explain from the Greek text itself those fine shades of meaning. We would not use a liberal paraphrase in class except as an illustration of a mistranslation, which we would at once correct by a true translation. We have no sympathy with any version of the Bible that is not faithful to the Greek text.

Because we believe in the inspiration of the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, it is important that we have a Greek Testament that will be as close to the readings of the original as possible. Through the carelessness of scribes who copied manuscripts, many varying readings have crept into them. But God in His providence has preserved for us the original reading through the large number of manuscripts in existence that witness to the text of the New Testament. Today there are two Greek texts available. One is the Received Text, edited by [a] Roman Catholic scholar, Erasmus, in the sixteenth century and based on manuscripts of the late Middle Ages. It is often called the "Byzantine" or the "majority text." The other is the Greek Testament, edited by Westcott and Hort in the nineteenth century and based upon the manuscripts of the fourth century, usually called the "Alexandrian text." The King James Version was based upon the "Received Text"; the American Standard Version was based upon the text of Westcott and Hort. We do not believe that either of these texts is "liberal" or "conservative." Not only Erasmus but also Westcott and Hort were seeking to present a close copy of the original text. We are interested in which one is closer to the original text of the New Testament.

Because (1) the Alexandrian manuscripts are much older and closer to the time the originals were written, (2) a careful comparison of these manuscripts with those of the Middle Ages has convinced us that a more accurate and careful job of copying was done by the Alexandrian scribes, and (3) Erasmus had to work in haste and with limited resources, it is our conviction that these Alexandrian manuscripts, which were not known to Erasmus, are, as a rule, the more accurate manuscripts to follow. Therefore, along with the great majority of conservative scholars, we believe that the text based upon the Alexandrian manuscripts is, as a whole, superior to the text based upon manuscripts of the Middle Ages.

The portion of the New Testament that has any substantial variation between the various manuscripts is only about one word in a thousand. These variations in no way change the teaching of the New Testament on any doctrine. Therefore, we consider this not an issue of modernism versus conservatism but a matter of individual judgment on the part of Fundamental Christians. Christians should be free to choose and use either of these texts and still work together in harmony to teach and preach the Word of God to those who are without it.

Source: Bob Jones University. "Position of the Bible Department of Bob Jones University on the Scripture" (mimeograph). Office of the President, no date. Printed in Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University by Daniel L. Turner. Greenville, S.C.: Bob Jones University Press, c1997. Appendix D., p. 322-323.In addition, "...both the Chancellor and the President issued statements to clarify the school's position." p. 244. And "in keeping with the University's commitment to balance, it is interesting to note that among the Bob Jones University graduate school Bible faculty, there are some who hold to the superiority of the Majority Text and others who hold to the Westcott and Hort Alexandrian Text. None of the Bible faculty accepts the Textus Receptus of Erasmus as superior to either the Majority or Alexandrian texts." p. 245.

Although no date is given for the above document, it was published by "The Flaming Torch" in 1985, indicating that it was written in 1985 or before. This document was also included as an attachment to a letter written by Thurmon Wisdom, dated October 4, 1989. ”:

(Return to article.)

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