Posted on 06/29/2010 8:28:07 AM PDT by Colofornian
Quite reasonably, the current “Introduction” to the Book of Mormon begins, “The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible.”...
Yet...we are likely to point out some significant differences as well...
...The Bible is more of a library than a single book, and there are tremendous differences in genre...
At first glance, the contents of the Book of Mormon appear to be similarly diverse...On closer inspection... the Book of Mormon turns to be entirely narrative. The whole book takes the form of a story told by narrators...but we know who is responsible for every word in the Book of Mormon. It’s either Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, or Moroni (plus a few minor authors...). This means that the Book of Mormon, as a whole, is a much more integrated and deliberately constructed volume than the Bible.
...the Book of Mormon operates by very different literary principles than the Bible. Consider the characteristics of Old Testament narrators as described by Shimon Bar-Efrat, formerly of Hebrew University at Jerusalem:
“The narrator in most biblical narratives appears to be omniscient”
“Biblical narrators do not usually mention themselves”
“Biblical narrators [generally] make no reference to their activity in writing the narratives”
“The narrators do not...address their audience directly”
“Outside the books of Kings there are very few instances in which the narrator passes judgment”
How many of these statements are true of the Book of Mormon? None of them.
Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni are...often...participants in the stories...They interrupt their narratives regularly to tell us about their lives, their testimonies, and their desires. They worry about their “weakness in writing” (Eth. 12:23, 40; cf. 2 Ne. 33:1, 4). And they do not hesitate to address readers directly to explain their intentions,...editorial techniques,...emotional responses to...events...
(Excerpt) Read more at ldsmag.com ...
The mormons were over in Germany telling Hitler he was right to have a “Final Solution” for the Jews...
Part of the mormon doctrine is that the mormons replace the Jews as the nation of Israel...
I could quote from the Bible, too, and twist the words and take them out of context to suit my own agenda,
_______________________________________________________
Too late kid...
Some guy named Joey Smith was ahead of you in line...
and he already did that...
Thanks for playing...
Better luck next time...
Lol...all references to Israel and Zion were banned from Mormon religious practice in Nazi Germany...all Mormon foreign missionaries were pulled out in 1939 ... are you saying that the Mormon Church believed the extermination of the Jews was a good thing because it helped the Mormon’s fulfill their own proper destiny??
Sandy have you read the BoM?
Is Jesus a created being?
Did God have a god?
Was God once a man?
Ok, that’s funny.
lds proclaim the Bible is not translated correctly, yet quote from it much of the time. lds are masters of twisting what they do quote from the Bible, at the same time saying its not translated correctly. (oh the spin, I may swoon!)
In the 1930-40s the mormons still had that “white and delightsome” Aryan Nation thingy going in their mormon doctrines...
placemarker
I know there are many aspects of Mormon theology which are downright bizarre and contradictory to Biblical scripture but I usually don't go out of my way to hit Mormons over the head about them. Many of these more oddball beliefs are kept quiet by the Mormons themselves. I know what I believe and can adequately defend those beliefs, but faith is a very personal matter and I think some of the rhetoric used in the religious slug fests that occasionally break out here at FR just get peoples' backs up and lead nowhere.
What? Mormons believe that smoking peyote or something more -- if done under a religious conviction -- is a "privilege" unto man and that God sanctions people "worship[ing] how...or what...may"???
Does that include Manasseh & others engaging in child sacrifice in the OT? Or what about prostitutes @ some of the pagan temples?
This is a god who sanctions that as an endorsement to the point He's will to build an "article of faith" around it?
Wow! Sandra. (Mormons are pretty liberal, after all)
The next time a head-hunting, head-shrinker or voodoo thread comes up, I'll be sure to ping ya, Saundra, so you can come "bless" that with your "article of faith" endorsement, too.
Saundra waht about the factual errors. Horses being present 500 years before the Spanish broguth them over. Corn before it was brought over.
"the most precious steel" in 1 Nephi 4:9, which supposedly occurred in 600 BC.
The same goes with the mention of "crucifixion" in 2 Nephi 10:3. There was no such term at that time; if the prophecy was true it would have described someone hanging on a tree with nails or something of the sort, but would not have used the word. In Alma 46:15, believers are called "Christians" in about 73 BC, which contradicts both common sense and Acts 11:26. And 1 Nephi 22:15 quotes from Malachi 4:1 even though Malachi wasn't written until about 160 years after the events of that chapter.
The awkward part for the Mormon church is the total lack of historical and archaeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon. For example, after the cataclysmic last battle fought between the Nephites and Lamanites, there was no one left to clean up the mess. Hundreds of thousands of men and beasts allegedly perished in that battle, and the ground was strewn with weapons and armor.
Keep in mind that A.D. 421 is just yesterday in archaeological terms. It should be easy to locate and retrieve copious evidence of such a battle, and there hasn’t been enough time for the weapons and armor to turn to dust. The Bible tells of similar battles that have been documented by archaeology, battles which took place long before A.D. 421.
I used to live near Palmyra if all these bodies and all their weapons were left strewn about then where are they?
Understood and I do read your posts with interest. We were told to look out for false prophets and to not follow them so Smith, Rev. Moon, Mohammed, and the rest were and are to be expected. I pray that sooner rather than later a lot of people will see the truth and maybe I’m just softer than some in how I try to turn on the light. That, and I worry more about and feel an urgent need to first take care of the beam in my eye.
This parable was about the foolishness of criticizing someone yet failing to understand our own faults.
We are commanded to evaluate a person's character IE false prophet.
We are commanded to test everything against the Word of God.
lds teaching falls short of the Glory / Word of God.
“But not as much as I wonder what on earth could be the attraction of Islam”
The desire to keep one’s head on one’s neck. You don’t leave Islam without a fight.
So, your research proves that the Book of Mormon is a fraud. Nevermind that you are laboring under false assumptions.
A couple of years ago when the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit was in San Diego, we drove there. A scroll was found that mentioned “Alma son of Judah” which is the first time the man’s name “Alma” appears in ancient writings. Furthermore, we saw a brass plate on which were written letters. It was very well preserved.
I am not a scholar but BYU has many and they are very wise and learned men who believe that the Book of Mormon is true and accurate. Why don’t you take it up with them.
You also seem to believe that my Bible is different from yours but you are mistaken. My Bible (King James Version) is exactly the same as yours. There are a few footnotes in which Joseph Smith had something to say regarding the translation. But the Bible - Old and New Testaments - are in tact.
I don’t know why I bother, though. A made-up mind is a dangerous thing.
“because I received some kind of feeling. “
We don’t go by feelings but it’s nice to have a confirmation.
No problem and thanks for the support... I knew that I was going to get flamed by getting all the anti’s panties in a twist. I get them worked up and smile when they try to defend an undefendable position. Round 2 will start shortly after I post this so get your popcorn and maybe they will try to defile A Temple or two!
Well it is clear that you don't go by much else then. Bom consistently demonstrated to be an academic fraud as it relates to history in the new world. Are you going to answer my earlier question - are you correct or is smith?
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