Jeff Lindsay praises John Gee's book “Introduction to the Book of Abraham” as a tool to save his testimony

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Shulem
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Re: “Mormonism IN ITS TRUE LIGHT”

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Shulem wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:12 pm
Joseph Smith wrote:
Several of the most widely circulated papers are beginning to exhibit Mormonism in its true light The first cut of a Fac simile from the Book of Abraham, has been republished both in the New York Herald, and in the Dollar Weekly Bostonian, as well as in the Boston Daily Ledger, Edited by Mr. Bartlett; together with the translation from the Book of Abraham.


There you have it! The publication of the Book of Abraham in newspapers from New York to Boston is Smith’s idea of “Mormonism IN ITS TRUE LIGHT” which certainly implies that it’s Mormon scripture being revealed to the world as the word of God.

Thus, the publication of the Book of Abraham in the Times and Seasons and other papers from New York to Boston is Smith’s idea of Mormonism “in its true light” = true light in Mormonism. Let’s examine this “true light” within context of the definition given by God where we learn that the Book of Abraham *is* scripture or the true light of God, the very word of God.

D&C 93:10 wrote:And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;
D&C 88:50 wrote:Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.

I conclude that the true light of God (Book of Abraham) was published in 1842 and the same true light was later canonized in 1880 by President John Taylor because according to Mormonism that was God’s will.

There, MG, I rest my case on this point.
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Shulem
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Kirtland Egyptian Papers

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Jeff Lindsay | Nov 10, 2017 wrote: wrote: Gee, however, is more restrained and focuses rather on explaining to broad audiences the basic of the Book of Abraham and some of the fascinating connections to the ancient world, including hints of evidences for authenticity without making too much of the evidence. This is not an primer for apologists, but one that defenders of the faith will definitely want to study.

There were many other sections that I felt are especially important. His discussion on the so-called “Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language” a.k.a. the Kirtland Papers was clear and helpful (pp. 32-39). He ably demonstrates that this was not the tool Joseph used to translate the Book of Mormon, but appears to be an attempt by others after the translation was done to make sense of Egyptian.

Jeff,

The Kirtland Egyptian Papers include the Egyptian Alphabet which was very important to Joseph Smith.

1) It was not discarded in Kirtland.
2) It was not discarded in Nauvoo.

It was preserved by surviving Church leaders and taken west and safely kept in the First Presidency’s vault. But in spite of this, your website slams Smith’s Alphabet repeatedly and treats it as if it was a thing of naught. You trample all over that work as if Joseph Smith did not set his own seal of authority on it. The prophet, seer, revelator, and TRANSLATOR was a title given to one MAN in the entire Church of the Latter-day Saints: namely, Joseph Smith. Yes, he ordained and set apart scribes to assist him in his work and used his right arm man, the Second Elder of the Church, Oliver Cowdery to assist him as he did in translating the gold plates of the Book of Mormon. Yes, the Egyptian Alphabet is written in the handwriting of several men of Kirtland including Cowdery, Phelps, Parish, Richards, and Williams, BUT most importantly also in the handwriting of the MAN himself, the prophet Joseph Smith. I refer specifically to Egyptian Alphabet, circa Early July–circa November 1835–A. That content is the work of Joseph Smith who set his pen to ink and paper. It goes to show that Smith couldn’t just sit idly by constantly dictating but felt a need to write with his own hand as well. Nobody (not even Jeff Lindsay) can deny that he wrote those things and believed those things! With that comes many questions and problems for the apologists.

Regrettably, critics have focused too much energy on trying to explain or describe the workings and content of the whole work rather than just focus on a single page. That is where I come in and with laser sharp ability, I use that single page to connect and associate the entire Alphabet to Joseph Smith as a work of revelation he supported as explained in his diary and other testimonials.

That is the only page of the Alphabet that I will bring up in this thread. It’s Joseph Smith’s PAGE! I find those things therein to be on par with the fictitious content of the Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 and do believe I can prove it. It’s ironic how you condemn Smith’s Alphabet while at the same time you praise him as a translator of Egyptian whether it be reformed or conventional. I, however, defend Smith’s Egyptian Alphabet as his work in which he presided over while translating the Book of Abraham and use that as proof that he couldn’t translate Egyptian of any kind.

Shall we discuss this? I’m afraid that all of this has gone over your head and I’m here to help you understand. Forget about what Nibley and Gee have said. Come talk to me.
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