Faithful theories of Book of Abraham from MA&D

[_truth dancer]

Does this whole Book of Abraham fiasco really sound like the God of the Universe was at the helm?

Information so vital to our human path to God that it is official doctrine, even scripture, gets this screwed up?

Really?

I'm pretty sure any creator of this universe could come up with a much better way of disseminating essential information to help us manage this world.

I suppose if one has 27 PhDs one can come up with a way to make the Book of Abraham seem real (in a very convoluted way), what about the rest of humankind? I guess they are stuck with trusting Mormon Scholars who have figured out a way to at least pretend it all "works."

Rather than a divinely inspired document, the Book of Abraham mess sounds to me like a not so great guy making up stuff, and a lot of others trying to defend him.

Just keeping it real... ;-)

~td~

[_zeezrom]

Sucks to be a defender, that is a certainty, left to defend the lies of Joe Smith that he told to cover-up and defend his infidelity, pedophilia, and dishonesty.

One thing is becoming clear to me about Book of Abraham: You can't answer simple questions faithfully. Like "why is the depiction of Osiris used for Abraham?" There is no single sentence answer that can make that work. You have to read many pages of philosophical dialogue and history and arguments about translations and theories and semi-related evidence of other writings to get an answer that still does not sit well.

You still end up in the same spot: You just need to pray about it to know.

Is there anything in this world Joseph Smith claimed that I don't need to pray about?!

[_SoHo]

I never really clued into the story behind the Book of Abraham until in my teens preparing for a mission. I remember being very disturbed by the claim that the writings of Abraham found their way to Joseph Smith via an Egyptian mummy that happened to make its way across the country to Joseph Smith. It shook my faith in Book of Mormon claims - felt too convenient and too fantastic. Being young, I decided to shelf it until later when I investigated further. I guess the explanation I would cling to in the interim was that there was an encoded meaning within the text that Joseph Smith was able to decipher.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

[Guest]

One thing is becoming clear to me about Book of Abraham: You can't answer simple questions faithfully. Like "why is the depiction of Osiris used for Abraham?" There is no single sentence answer that can make that work. You have to read many pages of philosophical dialogue and history and arguments about translations and theories and semi-related evidence of other writings to get an answer that still does not sit well.

It's called circular reasoning. No one question can be answered directly, as the Mormon retort is based upon three other points all lining up. This backs away from the question asked and dilutes the resolution into a cornfusing mess intended to be convoluted.

You still end up in the same spot: You just need to pray about it to know.

Things that are based upon fact don't require prayer to answer. Things cannot be answered with fact need to be replaced with misty water-color feelings to dupe the believer into continuing to believe... but they have to want to believe, or have a motive to believe, as it doesn't make sense.

Is there anything in this world Joseph Smith claimed that I don't need to pray about?!

Nope... after you hear "I know the church is true" 2000 times and something like polygamy/polyandry needs to make sense, then accepting God would wan polygamy and then reject it makes even less sense than the Book of Abraham, so it's the lesser of two evils... or in the case of Joe Smith, the lesser of 20 evils.

[_thews]

oops

[_CaliforniaKid]

lol @ your picture, PP.

[_zzyzx]

Why would any believing Latter Day Saint have any theories at all? Believe what Joseph wrote and said rather than speculating. He got it like he said and all the egyptologists and others are deluded and wrong.

Can't be more simple than that, can it?

[_Paul Osborne]

No, I mean I don't know if he is TBM.

Dr. Bushman is very much a TBM. I was privileged to hear him bear a powerful testimony not very long ago.

Powerful testimony? This is thrown around in Mormonism way too much. Those powerful testimonies are simply phrases that come off the lips of men and women who want to believe something and make it appear as if God told them they are here to enlighten others. Bahh!

I rebuke his so-called powerful testimony as nothing more than an opinion from a religious nut. I do it with uplifted arm raised to the square.

Paul O

[_Brackite]

From http://www.mormonapologetics.org/topic/ ... r-abraham/

There are several faithful theories of the production of the Book of Abraham:

1. The papyri, including but not limited to the Breathing Permit of Hor, accompanying the mummy provided a trigger for revelation of the Book of Abraham quite independent of what the papyri themselves say;

2. The papyri that are presently extant have encoded within their language the Book of Abraham;

3. The papyri are incorrectly translated by modern scholarship; and

4. The extant papyri are fragmentary and badly damaged, and the portions upon which one would find the text of the Book of Abraham have been lost to fire [i.e., the Great Chicago Fire], flood, or mischance.

Does it appear most apologists go with #1? If not, which one?

I've recently heard another theory (similar to #1): that Joseph may have only thought he was translating but really was not.

Hi zeezrom,

The most Popular Book of Abraham theories from your list here are #1 and #4. Nearly all LDS Apologists Proclaim either theory #1 or #4, or some of them Proclaim a combination of both theories #1 and #4.