And your anger betrays you. As if your anti-Mormon sources with their typically sloppy scholarship and accursation-making is somehow more sound than the historical contextualizing and reasoning of LDS scholars, which I notice you make no attempt to answer directly.
As for Clayton’s journal, second hand testimony would never stand up in a court of law, it is heresay. Clayton could well have been speculating and espousing his own opinion. That is backed up by the fact there is no 1st hand comment by JS authenticating the plates. When you have that, then you’ve got something. But there is no comment authenticating these from JS himself. If this were a court, the case would have been thrown out long ago.
Also, the plates left Nauvoo quickly, with no offer nor intent to buy them as happened with the Abraham scrolls. If JS thought them authentic, why was he uninterested in them, why was there no translation of them, why no comment by him whatsoever? You can’t answer.
The fact is, you NEED to believe this incident despite a complete lack of evidence it is real. You just have to believe the Church is false to justify the lifestyle you prefer to lead. You apostates are all alike. And you claim I’m an apologist, as if you’re not one for a position that a guilty conscience requires you to take.
Now let’s hear some factual refutation of the facts I’ve presented including this article, http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/history/kinderhook.htm#ensign
I suggest you read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I defy you to show that an uneducated farm boy could have produced that in a matter of 3 months. And what of the testimony of 3 witnesses who were shown the plates by an angel? What of the 11 who saw and handled them? These are things you need to consider and pray about, not the lies spread by people threatened by the growth of the LDS Church which threatens their livelyhood.
I really have nothing more to say to you. Anger and hatred such as what you express have no place in a discussion on faith. If it’s what drives you, then it tells me what spirit you’re operating under. Any further reply by you will not be read by me, so save your time. You just spout the Mormon hater line which I’ve heard a million times over. To continue to entertain it is a waste of energy by me.
Factual refutation from the Ensign???!!!???
Wow, talk about your unbiased, third-party sources.
DNA? Ruins from the vast civilizations (the Smithsonian doesn’t even recognize any of that)? The list goes on.....
You go ahead and believe what you want - fantasy, fairytale, con job....whatever.
I know the truth. I pray that one day you will as well.
Back to the article:
How do you deal with the lack of archeological/historical evidence for the massive civilizations, cities, battles, etc. in LDS?
And we know without doubt that The Book of Abraham produced by Smith and the Egyptian Grammar produced by Smith are without question, 100% false. They are pure fantasy. 100% made up by Smith.
“As if your anti-Mormon sources with their typically sloppy scholarship and accursation-making is somehow more sound than the historical contextualizing and reasoning of LDS scholars”
The scholars who tell the truth are simply ex-communicated. There’s a whole list of them.