Crib notes in a hat. You REALLY want to stick with that? For the whole Book of Mormon? For the whole translation process?
Regards,
MG
Well, the iStone method of information transmission does appeal to my sense of humor. I am tempted to believe that all the "It came to pass" phrases appeared on the tiny iStone seer screen. Seems reasonable that repetitive phrases could be received from a distant galaxy and appear on the tiny rock matrix screen in order to supplement the crib notes.
MG, do you ever feel the need to shine Heisenberg compensators on an Occam's razor view of the translation process?
Crib notes in a hat. You REALLY want to stick with that? For the whole Book of Mormon? For the whole translation process?
No, MG. This is what I said:
Shulem wrote:The base of the Book of Mormon was pure storytelling. Smith relied on markers and certain information to meld segments of his stories together and used cheat sheets for that purpose. I don't think the cheat sheets contained massive amounts of information but simple notes to keep track of things. A note can be replaced very easily by sleight of hand and using a diversion or simply when the scribe isn't looking.
What a con. All this preparation and then he sticks it all on sticky notes in the bottom of a hat. Genius.
Why did I never SEE this?
Joseph Smith was a bit of a genius, I'd say. He knew how to work his mojo and did it with props to include:
Hat
Stone
Plates under a cloth
Magic rock wrote:
I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock I am an island
Now, shall we discuss geography? How about that narrow neck? Where is it, MG? Which of all the narrow necks is true? have you prayed about it? Has God answered your prayer?
Now, shall we discuss geography? How about that narrow neck? Where is it, MG? Which of all the narrow necks is true? have you prayed about it? Has God answered your prayer?
Do tell.
Book of Mormon geography can be knocked around until the cows come home and thereafter, but if you aren’t able to get through the barrier of Book of Mormon translation and witnesses to that translation process your ‘narrow neck’ side trips have little or no consequence in the larger scheme of things.
If the best folks like RFM can do is chalk up the Book of Mormon to cheap magic tricks using a white hat with a false bottom you’ve got a real problem.
Now, shall we discuss geography? How about that narrow neck? Where is it, MG? Which of all the narrow necks is true? have you prayed about it? Has God answered your prayer?
Do tell.
Book of Mormon geography can be knocked around until the cows come home and thereafter, but if you aren’t able to get through the barrier of Book of Mormon translation and witnesses to that translation process your ‘narrow neck’ side trips have little or no consequence in the larger scheme of things.
If the best folks like RFM can do is chalk up the Book of Mormon to cheap magic tricks using a white hat with a false bottom you’ve got a real problem.
It sure can. But not so with the Bible. We know where all the locations are as described therein. I could produce a long list of geographical features described and named in the Bible and then show you on the map exactly where they are.
Try doing that with the Book of Mormon! It's like cows jumping over the moon -- all fantasy.
President Hinckley openly declared in General Conference that either Joseph Smith saw the Father and Son in the sacred grove or he did not. And if he didn't then the Church is a fraud.
Likewise, either there is a narrow neck in the Book of Mormon or there is not. If there isn't than what then?
Show me the neck! Then I can believe. I need a sign.
Seeing is believing. I don't walk by faith, I walk by sight. Show me the neck on the map.
Okay I’m going to try my hand at a joke
When is an isthmus not an isthmus?
When the cartographer forgets to finish drawing a peninsula.
(I know, I know, it needs some work…)
Isthmus vs. Peninsula. That is the crux. I've made my case for the Peninsula using the text of the Book of Mormon and it works. Unfortunately, for the believers it's an axe being swung at the trunk of the tree. I'm hacking away at it! And it's fun.
