Against this ignorant armchair assessment are the facts concerning the witnesses, carefully studied and compiled in Richard LLoyd Anderson's 1981 book Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses. No one can read this book without noticing that, though many of the witnesses became estranged from the church (and were therefore intensely goaded on to deny their printed testimonies in the Book of Mormon), none of them denied those testimonies, not even on their deathbeds.
These plain facts leave the enemies of the Book of Mormon (most of whom have never actually read it from cover to cover) with nothing but a hope for some mass deception. The word "hefted" in the testimony of the eight witnesses would for most people, especially for those open-minded enough to read Anderson's book, mean that the plates were at least a physical reality!
Those who hate the Book of Mormon should at least read it, if for no other reason than to find exactly what, if anything, is wrong with it. To trust in previous ignorant rants and simply renew them is on the same order as those who rant about the Arizona Immigration law without having read it.
Against this ignorant armchair assessment are the facts...
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.
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These plain facts...
Do you REALLY want to deal with FACTS???
Which edition would you recommend?
What is it with Mormons trying to pull the “you are just like liberals” malarkey.
Besides, there are no "ignorant rants" here but substantive arguments against the falsehood that is Mormonism backed with citations and references unlike most LDS supplied arguments such as your "Archaeologist who met a immortal nephite" bit with no citation or links.
And most of us have read the BoM, cover to cover. It along with other LDS doctrine are the most effective of Anti-MormonISM material.
“At about the age of twelve years my mind became Seriously imprest with regard to the all importent concerns for the wellfare of my immortal Soul which led me to Searching the Scriptures believing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God thus applying myself to them ... I discovered that [men] did not ... adorn their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that sacred depository ... thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things ... and by Searching the Scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and liveing faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament.”
3(Joseph Smith, Jr., A History of the Life of Joseph Smith, Jr., Church Archives, Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, pp. 1-2. Transcription published in Dean C. Jessee, Early Accounts of the First Vision)
From the above quote we see that the young Joseph was contemplative, and had sufficient reading skills to seek the Scriptures for answers to spiritual and moral questions. A very revealing quote from Joseph’s mother in her biography of her son and his ancestors further corroborates the fact of Joseph’s biblical astuteness. She mentions a man that was attempting to bring about a union of the warring denominations in their area and remarks:
“This seemed about right to me, and I felt much inclined to join with them; in fact, the most of the family appeared quite disposed to unite with their numbers; but Joseph, from the first, utterly refused even to attend their meetings, saying, ‘Mother, I do not wish to prevent your going to meeting, or any of the rest of the family’s; or your joining any church you please; but, do not ask me to join them. I can take my Bible, and go into the woods, and learn more in two hours, than you can learn at meeting in two years, if you should go all the time.’”
(Lucy Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations. Liverpool, England, 1853, pg. 90. Reprint of the Original 1853 edition.)
Even though he did spend most of his formative years in rural farming communities in New England, that does not mean that he was isolated from the religious and historical ideas of his time. Just from the quotes above, it is easy to see that Joseph was intimately involved in theological issues. These issues that were being debated in the various churches around the area was what supposedly drove Joseph to go to the grove to pray and see what church to join which ultimately produced his “first vision.” Oddly enough these were the same issues that are supposedly answered by revelation from God in the Book of Mormon.
1830 edition of the Book of Mormon with all but the most recent changes marked. This volume is available to any one who wishes to compare the modern editions of the BOM with the original.11
Space prohibits a detailed examination of the many changes, but I think it important to include a few of the more serious doctrinal and historical changes. I do so without comment to show that the above condition is totally in error. (Words in bold type are the added words.)
1 Nephi 11:18 — “Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh” (1830 ed., pg. 25).
1 Nephi 11:18 — “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (1989 ed.).
This mistake was made and rectified in two other places:
1 Nephi 11:21 — “And the angel said to me, behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!” (1830 ed., pg. 25).
1 Nephi 11:21 — “And the angel said to me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” (1989 ed.).
1 Nephi 13:40 — “These last records ... shall make known to all kindreds, tongues and people, that the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father and the Savior” (1830 ed., pg. 32).
1 Nephi 13:40 — “These last records ... shall make known to all kindreds, tongues and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of Eternal Father, and the Savior” (1989 ed.).
And in Mosiah 21:28 (1830 ed. pg. 200), we read about king Benjamin having a gift from God, but since BOM chronology actually has Benjamin dead at that time, it was later changed to king Mosiah having a gift from God.
Again, the changes are too numerous to list here. The facts demonstrate that this condition is not accurate.
Against this ignorant armchair assessment
_____________________________________________________
ROLFBMO
Mormons are such children...
Kid you talk about 2,000 year old men still living...
and talk about Joey Smith’s fictitious smutty book as though the events in it actually happened..
and you give credit to religious fantasy which plaguizes the Bible in parts while condemning the only Word of God in others..
and you demand that we imagine with you antiguities and remains of the participants of civilizations and wars that never existed and that Patten would slap you for lying about...
and then you tell Zilla he is ignorant ?????????????????
“Those who hate the Book of Mormon should at least read it, if for no other reason than to find exactly what, if anything, is wrong with it.”
That is a weak argument. I’ve also not read thousands of other false documents. To know the truth, you need only study what is true. Falsehood, like the mormonic verses, is evident when you know what is true.
It contradicts the Gospel of the Biblical Christ.
They ‘hefted’ a box covered in cloth. They ‘saw’ with their ‘spiritual eyes’.
They never recanted THAT part. But most of them DID recant and say that Smith was either a ‘fallen prophet’ or not a prophet at all.
Finally, Richard LLoyd Anderson’s 1981 book Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses is typical LDS faith promoting history and not considered a serious scholarly work.
Come back and play when you have REAL scholarship to show me.
BTW, I have read the BoM cover to cover at least 15 times (more than most LDS I know).
What is wrong with it is it is a fanciful story (with WAAAAYYY to many ‘and it came to pass’es) that tries to pass itself off as a companion to the Bible and will lead many to Hell.
Let see, that makes me 2 for 2.
Next subject?
BTW, Godzilla has shown he knows more about Mormonism and has studied it in greater depth than most LDS.
But keep trying, you ARE entertaining.