While the book of mormon has been called everything from fiction and fraud to the product of demonic possession, the current argument against its authenticity seeks to find a middle ground between these claims and what the book of mormon itself claims to beinspired writings of ancient. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been an object of intense controversy and has been subjected to virtually unparalleled critical attacks. Sam harris we must find beliefs that perform well in forums that facilitate thorough evaluation of their evidence. The book of mormon is the reference book for the church, like the bible.
Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Faculty members from the byu religious education department discuss the writings and teachings of the book of mormon prophets in this 63part series. T he book of mormon is a wholly american scripture. In addition he completed intensive study of the book of mormon itself and the historical background and documents associated with it. Its the calling card for thousands of missionaries, and part of the inspiration for a tony awardwinning broadway musical. The topic of debate is whether or not the book of mormon is scripture. Population growth in the book of mormon the book of mormon population growth rate would have to have been more than double that of the roman empire and other peers. Is the book of mormon true notes on the debate book of.
Between may and july 2015, i posted several items on my anxious bench blog concerning historicity and pseudohistory, and in the process, i denied any literal historical or archaeological claims associated with the book of mormon. There is generally no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints purports to be a reboot, if you will, of the divine franchise. In addition to the book of mormon, there are two other main sources of doctrine in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints doctrine and covenants.
According to the book, two of these groups originated from ancient israel. This book was a common household reference in young joseph smiths time and place. The authority of god given to men throughout time has been taken back and restored many, many times. Perhaps the best way to describe mormonism is that its the fourth abrahamic religion, judaism being the first, christianity being the second, islam being the third, and mormonism would be the fourth, with joseph smith playing the role that muhammad played in islam, and the book of mormon playing the role that the quran plays, land added. To find these beliefs we must put reasons to agreedisagree on the same page.
Is the book of mormon a series of parables rather than a. Lds are key lds teachings derived from the book of mormon. A major turning point in book of mormon studies came with the realization that early mormons, including the prophet joseph smith, himself, had misunderstood salient facts of geography, history, and culture embedded in its narrative. Mormon leaders tell us no mormon teachings in the book of. One is therefore not surprised to find christensen referencing kuhn in a manner not unlike supporters of new age religion. From the day the book of mormon rolled off the press in 1830, those who gave it credence asserted that it obviously read like a hebrew text. The book of mormon bom was first published in palmyra, new york, in 1830, its title page giving the name joseph smith, jun. But lately, my faith has been shaken so much i cant honestly say that i do know the book of mormon is the word of god. I dont have much to add to this debate, but i will provide an introduction to help the newbie get oriented. Ultimately, i know that all of those doubts can be resolved through a testimony of the book of mormon. Despite the limited space on the plates, mormonas a historian and military. He began his study of issues surrounding the controversy over dna and the book of mormon in 2003 which lead to questioning the origins of proposed geographical settings of the book of mormon. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate.
Most lds missionaries are wellprepared to argue exactly how the bible should be interpreted on the nature of christ, and the relationship of god to. While i dont agree with everything mcdermott writes, what makes the book worth reading is his. One of the most profound scriptures found in the book of mormon that supports what you and i are discussing states for we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in christ, and to be reconciled to god. I recently accepted a live debate with a mormon at cornerstone church in arizona to have a dialogue about the main differences between christianity and mormonism, a religion founded by joseph. Each of the halfhour episodes covers several chapters from the book of mormon. There are lots of other areas, particularly christological ones, where a biblical debate is needed, but its not as clearcut as you might think. Every comparison to new christian scripture should be made against the old and new testaments, so as to examine the words of past prophets, accepted theology and doctrine, and the beliefs of other believers in jesus christ.
Doctrine and covenants contains 6 revelations from god, many of which are not accepted by the reorganized groupincluding polygamy, the temple lot, etc. Peterson is associate professor of asian and near eastern languages at brigham young university. I told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man. The book of mormon population growth rate would have to have been more than double that of the roman empire and other peers.
My arguments are not adhominem, nor are they subjective, rather in response to your premise. It also means that this more scholarly and heavily footnoted book will be a challenging read for the average evangelical or mormon who simply wants an overview of both religions theology. The debate between critics and defenders of the book of mormon continues today. In this book are a number of future book of mormon names, which appeared within alphabetized lists. The book of mormon gets the literary treatment religion. You can use the reference you gaveespecially seeing there is not one thing in there confirming your witness. In todays politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Recently, hosted a debate between an atheist and a mormon on what faith really means. David padfield and paul meade debate on the book of mormon. An atheist and a mormon debate what faith really means. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics. There was a book published in 1791 by john walker entitled, a key to the classical pronunciation of greek, latin, and scripture proper names.
How does the doctrine of christ relate to the ancient. Mormons believe the founder of the church, joseph smith, translated the book from a set of engraved golden plates buried on cumorah hill in manchester, n. The book of mormon by joseph smith, paperback barnes. In this article, we will provide some background on this issue focusing on the scientific issues, followed by a point by point response to various statements made in the essay about the book of mormon. A healthy mormon and christian debate at salt lake temple square with host dave. Is the book of mormon an authentic ancient history of ancient american peoples, or a work of 19th century religious fiction. Actually, all that became obvious was the failure of both believers and unbelievers to cite much specific evidence. This 1892 work shows how the book of mormon was treated in 19th century gazetteers and history books. Indeed mormons do have temples as places of worship. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about the books historicity, geography and the descendants of those chronicled within its pages.
Why is the book of mormon and other lds scripture translatedwritten in 16th century english if joseph smith translated and wrote them in the mid. Those who were not so convinced insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. This insight has shifted the whole debate in recent years. The text of the book of mormon provides enough evidences of ancient origin to prove it is an authentic ancient book of scripture.
Debate on the book of mormon, joseph smith, lds church. Rather, they are shaped by social developments such as the expansion of higher education or the advent of the internet. The book of mormon also makes claims against accepted anthropology and history. Is the book of mormon an authentic ancient scripture. In march 20, the book of mormon premiered in london. The authenticity of the book of mormon has been under attack since before the book was published. Sources of authority in mormonism by david padfield. The plot of the show is essentially as described above. This led to new research on the ancient american setting and complex literary structure of the book of mormon. The best argument against lds mormonism shameless popery.
The authors assume a familiarity with theological terms, christian history and soteriological debates. Second, the primary paradigm debate in book of mormon studies is not between scientific theories, but rather between naturalism and supernaturalism, science and pseudoscience, history and pseudohistory. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. This is a political forum that is nonbiasednonpartisan and treats every persons position on topics equally. Why is the book of mormon written in 16th century english. Critics of the book of mormon have argued that there are words and phrases in the book that are anachronistic with archaeological findings. It is the sacred text for the 15 millionstrong church of jesus christ of latterday saints. My assertions naturally drew forth quite an intense reaction, reflected in numerous comments at. Part 3 presents textual studies that demonstrate the plausibility of the book of mormon as an ancient book, and part 4 updates scholars attempts to understand the ancient cultural and. The change could suggest that more recent scientific data contradict mormon teachings. The conversation ranges from can me become gods to calvinism and predestination. On january 31, 2014, the lds church published an essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies in the gospel topics series on its official website. These relate to artifacts, animal, plant, or technology that critics believe did not exist in the americas during the book of mormon time period before 2500 bc to.
By the late 20th century, academic scholarship began to take seriously the literary quality and religious influence of the book of mormon. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. Its what ezekiel saw in chapter 37 where, the stick of judah the bible and the stick of joseph the book of mormon will become one in the lords hand. This section offers an overarching narrative of book of mormon historicity debates from 1830 to the present, meant to underscore that these debates do not occur in a vacuum. In the fall of 1987 david padfield and paul meade engaged in a debate on wvhi radio in evansville, indiana. Each author, one a mormon, the other an evangelical christian, gave positions, counterpositions, arguments, and even theological accusations. Debate within this category assumes that the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is true. Jeff durbin and james white dialogue with kwaku, a mormon. And, of course, the book that is sealed that isaiah wrote about in isaiah 29 that would come forth in. The book of mormon is barely mentioned, but it shows up in a footnote as an example of how ancient america has been misunderstood historically.
The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an account of three groups of people. This popular two volume work went through dozens of editions before 1920. There is a ton of discussion on the web regarding the archeological and textual evidences for the heavenly or earthly origins of the book of mormon. Everyone may participate in discussions of this category as long as they. Amidst the hundreds of passages of potential geographic significance, alma 22.
In fact, the book of mormon states regarding the bible, the book that thou beholdest is a record of the jews, which contains the covenants of the lord, which he hath made unto the house of israel. Meade, a mormon elder from england, affirmed the proposition that, the book of mormon as translated by joseph smith is the inspired word of god. Please support your claim there is no mormon teachings in the book of mormon. Christian vs mormonism debate contagious christian. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. A dna study by emory university, accepted by the smithsonian, acknowledges that some native americans have ancestry in common with the peoples in modern israel and the mediterranean area.
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