Backyard Professor Accepts Challenge of New Mormon Apologetic on the Book of Abraham

[huckelberry]

Philo, I enjoyed your easter presentation on the subject but it may have gotten close to my time limits for the subject. However the time interest or willingness to devote may vary greatly with different people.

I am not sure what you are referring to as a new approach. Inspiration catalyst is not very new but may need shoring up before it becomes popular. I remember reading Nibley's article in the (was it called the Era?) church magazine at my parents home about 1968 (give or take a year) when he proposed there was some secret code containing Abraham's words which scribes passed on unaware of and we cannot actually see. ??

I may not quite be able to express how hard that hit me. The most absurd flim flam I had ever heard. It was clear that the Abraham papyrus were a real problem, a big real problem, to call forth such desperate(comically desperate) speculation.

I suppose saying Joseph Smith received it by inspiration might make it work for some people. It is a bad book to start with with its racist foundation for the policy about Africans and the priesthood.

[Philo Sofee]

Philo, I enjoyed your easter presentation on the subject but it may have gotten close to my time limits for the subject. However the time interest or willingness to devote may vary greatly with different people.

I am not sure what you are referring to as a new approach. Inspiration catalyst is not very new but may need shoring up before it becomes popular. I remember reading Nibley's article in the (was it called the Era?) church magazine at my parents home about 1968 (give or take a year) when he proposed there was some secret code containing Abraham's words which scribes passed on unaware of and we cannot actually see. ??

I may not quite be able to express how hard that hit me. The most absurd flim flam I had ever heard. It was clear that the Abraham papyrus were a real problem, a big real problem, to call forth such desperate(comically desperate) speculation.

I suppose saying Joseph Smith received it by inspiration might make it work for some people.It is a bad book to start with with its racist foundation for the policy about Africans and the priesthood.

You make good points Huck, as usual, and I appreciate them. I entirely agree the theme of inspiration from God to Joseph in a book proclaiming racism is indeed problematic. I will enjoy when I get to it, discussing the amazing and outrageous ramifications of that.