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A great number of problems with the historicity of the Book of Mormon could be apologetically dealt with in a single triumph if the NAMIRS/FAIR could accomplish the Gadianton Turn--the acceptance of the fictional nature of the Book of Mormon, a good even divine inspired book 'to live by', but placed in a fictional setting.

NAMIRS has laid some of the initial, foundational ground work for this 'Gadianton Turn', extolling the virtues of the Book of Mormon as credible literature in its own right. (Never mind that one of the best authors of the last 200 years referred to the Book of Mormon as chloroform in print.)

Now, if NAMIRS can get itself one of those Carla Ogden faxes, one to budge the door of possibility open even if just ever so slightly. Maybe Matt Roper could be tasked with providing some text to Ms Ogden for her to put in one of her faxes back to NAMIRS. A 3rd Watson Letter, if you will.

NAMIRS/FAIR could keep this pretty well on the sly, wait out the passing of another aging generation of FP/12 members, and slowly introduce through correlated materials and the talks of younger GAs at GCs about the Book of Mormon, just focusing on the spiritual messages of the Book of Mormon, not talking so much about the characters, particularly by name.

I suppose that I have started this thread to ask if anyone has spotted any steps taken recently towards the advancing of the Gadianton Turn. It would, after all, be the master stroke of mopologetics if accomplished.

I'm conflicted about Mark Twain's book reviews, SP.

Look what he said about Jane Austen:

“Every time I read Pride and Prejudice, I want to dig Jane Austen up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”

That said, I think he is at least complementing her somewhat. Just because a work annoys someone, doesn't mean it's poor workmanship. Why didn't MT say something similar about Joseph Smith? "Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I want to dig...." No, he didn't even go that far.

zeezrom wrote:Why didn't MT say something similar about Joseph Smith? "Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I want to dig...." No, he didn't even go that far.

Because there was nothing to dig up?

The Gadianton turn of which you speak, would take a generation of subtle shifts to accomplish. The "Book of Mormon is fiction" stance can only be claimed when none of the living General Authorities have stated explicitly that the Book of Mormon is true to what it claims to be - a historic record of the (some of the) ancestors of the Native Americans.

The General Authorites would have to stop bearing explicit testimony of the Book of Mormon now, wait for themselves to all die and be replaced by men (women? gay men?) who haven't uttered 'the Book of Mormon is true' speech. At that point the Church can throw the previous incumbants under the bus by exclaiming they were only speaking as men. The Church then moves on with the inspired fiction position.

I'm not sure I should be giving the Church this game plan for free, perhaps I should copyright it and gain royalties when it happens...

Eventually the saints will see the Book of Mormon as nothing more than inspired writings given to the world as a gift to help people live better lives. But even then, members will know that the Isaiah stuff was lifted from the KJV and the rest of the book is plastic.

The days of the church are numbered. How long can the latter days continue? Will it still be the Church of the latter days when a thousand years have expired? Or will the church simply change its name via another revelation? How about:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Living-saints

How about:

The Book of Mormon, another Testament that talks of Christ

Paul O