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Here is the quote (Joseph Smith telling us what the angel moroni said to him):

Joseph Smith – History 1:34 wrote:there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.

Moroni told Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon told the story of the source of the inhabitants of the american continent. How do the LGT apologists explain this?

Who Knows wrote:Here is the quote (Joseph Smith telling us what the angel moroni said to him):

Joseph Smith – History 1:34 wrote:there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.

Moroni told Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon told the story of the source of the inhabitants of the american continent. How do the LGT apologists explain this?

Let me channel an apologist:

(I now put my hands on my rear end and begin puffing up my cheeks so as to make my head look bigger)

"Aruighaewwere...donuts...tapirs...martha"

"It seems you are missing the point of this spiritual text. 'This continent' refers to the americas, which means where the americans live, the 'former inhabitants' mentioned. Of course, the inhabitants mean descendants of people from america which describe those individuals who are in the Book of Mormon...duh.

The americas can be many things, as the Book of Mormon describes people leaving to become the islanders of the south pacific. The americas are the people, the american continent where these people dwell."

...context...lying for the lord...peer review....blawaikenodru"

And there we have it. An explanation as good as any mopologist treatise.

VegasRefugee wrote:

Who Knows wrote:Here is the quote (Joseph Smith telling us what the angel moroni said to him):

Joseph Smith – History 1:34 wrote:there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.

Moroni told Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon told the story of the source of the inhabitants of the american continent. How do the LGT apologists explain this?

Let me channel an apologist:

(I now put my hands on my rear end and begin puffing up my cheeks so as to make my head look bigger)

"Aruighaewwere...donuts...tapirs...martha"

"It seems you are missing the point of this spiritual text. 'This continent' refers to the americas, which means where the americans live, the 'former inhabitants' mentioned. Of course, the inhabitants mean descendants of people from america which describe those individuals who are in the Book of Mormon...duh.

The americas can be many things, as the Book of Mormon describes people leaving to become the islanders of the south pacific. The americas are the people, the american continent where these people dwell."

...context...lying for the lord...peer review....blawaikenodru"

And there we have it. An explanation as good as any mopologist treatise.

Very good, however you missed two critical points.

#1. Verbally sigh and tell us that this is an old question and has been repeatedly and sufficiently answered before.
#2. Attack the intelligence and/or motives of the questioner.


Chris <><

I have a comment: When addressing allegory, it really is unnecessary to add explanatory sub-theories. In addition, it is no doubt futile worrying about any internal inconsistency in how the sub-theory relates to the allegory. It is much better to simply appreciate what symbolic truth one can glean from the allegory.

I guess what I'm looking for is this: The LGT basically says that the americas were already populated with millions of people by the time Lehi & co. arrived, and the Book of Mormon covers just a limited portion of the americas.

But, the quote says the Book of Mormon tells the source of the inhabitants of the americas were the Lehites - leaving no room for prior inhabitants.

Any other thoughts?

Who Knows wrote:Here is the quote (Joseph Smith telling us what the angel moroni said to him):

Joseph Smith – History 1:34 wrote:there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.

Moroni told Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon told the story of the source of the inhabitants of the american continent. How do the LGT apologists explain this?

The quote is weakly ambigious. Try instead a phrase from the Introduction to the Book of Mormon: ". . . the Lamanites, and they are the principal inhabitants of the American Indians." Your question could be better asked with that quote.

The answer: The LGT, at least with all of its bells and whistles, is hokum. [There are some aspects which make some sense.] No general authority has ever adopted it in a conference address whereas there are plenty who have said things which would undercut the LGT.


P

Plutarch wrote:The quote is weakly ambigious. Try instead a phrase from the Introduction to the Book of Mormon: ". . . the Lamanites, and they are the principal inhabitants of the American Indians." Your question could be better asked with that quote.

The answer: The LGT, at least with all of its bells and whistles, is hokum. [There are some aspects which make some sense.] No general authority has ever adopted it in a conference address whereas there are plenty who have said things which would undercut the LGT.


P

What? I'm not even sure what you're saying. And your 'quote' from the Book of Mormon intro. is not even right.

Anyways, i've heard enough apologist arguments on that Book of Mormon intro. quote, and how 'principal' doesn't really mean 'principal'.

Anyways Plutarch, which way do you swing? Hemispheric? Or LGT?

The apologists might point out that this seems to be a specific reference to the Nephite civilization. They were "former" inhabitants, a people that was destroyed, and the Book of Mormon gives the origin of their lost civilization. "This continent" seems to mean North America, including Central America, the hypothesized home of the Nephites in LGT-land.

When all else fails, Joseph Smith could simply be misquoting Moroni. "The former inhabitants" should have been rendered "some former inhabitants", since we now know there were many other indigenous people who had nothing to do with the Book of Mormon.

The Dude wrote:The apologists might point out that this seems to be a specific reference to the Nephite civilization. They were "former" inhabitants, a people that was destroyed, and the Book of Mormon gives the origin of their lost civilization. "This continent" seems to mean North America, including Central America, the hypothesized home of the Nephites in LGT-land.

I can see that, but it seems a stretch. Moroni said THE inhabitants, not SOME inhabitants, of THIS continent, not PART OF THIS continent.

When all else fails, Joseph Smith could simply be misquoting Moroni. "The former inhabitants" should have been rendered "some former inhabitants", since we now know there were many other indigenous people who had nothing to do with the Book of Mormon.

Well, it is cannonized - so i expect it to be correct.

Who Knows wrote:

Plutarch wrote:The quote is weakly ambigious. Try instead a phrase from the Introduction to the Book of Mormon: ". . . the Lamanites, and they are the principal inhabitants of the American Indians." Your question could be better asked with that quote.

The answer: The LGT, at least with all of its bells and whistles, is hokum. [There are some aspects which make some sense.] No general authority has ever adopted it in a conference address whereas there are plenty who have said things which would undercut the LGT.


P

What? I'm not even sure what you're saying. And your 'quote' from the Book of Mormon intro. is not even right.

Anyways, i've heard enough apologist arguments on that Book of Mormon intro. quote, and how 'principal' doesn't really mean 'principal'.

Anyways Plutarch, which way do you swing? Hemispheric? Or LGT?

I think VR channeled a much more eloquent apologist than P did...and much more accurately, too.