[bobjam]

Yeah, but you have to look at the facts. One can go to Israel and look at all the places named in the Bible- from Abraham's well to the Mount of Olives. The people in the Bible are actual historical people in actual historical places- certifiable by both archeology and pagan historians. The Book of Mormon is entirely different. Those people and places only appear in that book. Nowhere else.

[drstevej]

Right, Paul stakes the validity of Christianity on the historical event of the ressurrection. He says boldly if Christ did not exit the grave then our faith is foolish.

If the historeical foundations of Joseph Smith's religion are fictional, he is a false prophet. His credibility rises and falls with that of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. LDS try to evade this by saying that the truth of the BoM is verified by a "burning bosom" experience. If the BoM is factually bogus then one's burning bosom is heartburn and the LDS "faith" is a damning fantasy -- spiritual poison.