Do DCP and the Mopologists Understand Atheism?

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Brethren, Adieu

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Brethren, Adieu

I've heard that one used but while I think it illustrates Smith's love of mixing up languages and thinking it makes him sound smart. In the Book of Jacob's case, I think it was just meant to be a more formal send-off. But your mileage may vary. There are so many other instances of Smith making linguistic hash.

The "Adamic" stuff though is just so laughable. It's obviously ripped off Hebrew and then also mixed up with English. "Son Ahman" supposedly meaning "Son of God." But somehow the English word is tacked onto an "Adamic" word.

On that point, here's my favorite excerpt from a Q&A which didn't make it into the D&C's supernatural bestiary about detecting angels and demons:

Q. What are Angels called in pure language.
A. Awmen Angls-men

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper ... transcript

And of course, there's the "More Good" which, as I recall, didn't DCP approve of a non-profit that was named after Joseph Smith's backwoods etymology of "Mormon?"

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Indeed, the "More Good" foundation funnels money from LDC Inc to apologists.

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More Good Foundation FAQ
How Did the Foundation Get Its Name?
The name More Good Foundation has its roots in a statement made by Joseph Smith in a letter to the editor of the Times and Seasons newspaper, in which he explained that the literal translation of the word Mormon means “more good.” (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 299-300.) This concept was elaborated on by Gordon B. Hinckley in an October 1990 address entitled “Mormon Should Mean ‘More Good.”

What is the More Good Foundation?
More Good Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share their beliefs on the Internet. We operate websites and social media platforms in over 15 languages and provide tools and training at universities and institutes, as well as through firesides. More Good Foundation was created in 2005 as a solution to the overwhelming need for accurate information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Internet. Employees along with many volunteers help to operate the Foundation.

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More Good Foundation FAQ
How Did the Foundation Get Its Name?
The name More Good Foundation has its roots in a statement made by Joseph Smith in a letter to the editor of the Times and Seasons newspaper, in which he explained that the literal translation of the word Mormon means “more good.” (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 299-300.) This concept was elaborated on by Gordon B. Hinckley in an October 1990 address entitled “Mormon Should Mean ‘More Good.”

Ah yes. It is amusing that the LDS seem unaware that "More Good" is actually a strike against Joseph Smith's claims to be a translator. They are inadvertently naming a propaganda operation about an anecdote which undermines Smith.

In that 1843 letter, Smith claimed that in ancient Egyptian, the word for "good" was "mon." This was shortly after the publication of the Book of Abraham so presumably, God had revealed the word to Joseph Smith among many others. The incorrect Egyptian glyph translations are very damning for Smith's prophetic claims, but this letter with its fictional transliteration is as well.

I'm not an ancient Egyptian scholar, but from the dictionaries I've found online, the word for "good" transliterates to "nfr." So no similarity whatsoever to "mon" or "mn."

One can hypothesize quite readily that if there were an ancient Egyptian word for "good" that transliterated anywhere close to "mon" or "mn," that it would become the new "Nahom."

So Smith invented a fake Egyptian word for "good" and then put an English word on the front of it and claimed it was a real translation.

Maybe this is why Russ Nelson doesn't want to draw attention to the word "Mormon." It's embarrassing!

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I imagine it's like "Metcalfe is Butthead," just yet another stupid inside joke that is more important to apologists than academic integrity.