Fake Book of Mormon Geography -- holes in the script

[Craig Paxton]

Here is a hole in the script for 2 Nephi 5

7 And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after we had journeyed for the space of many days we did pitch our tents.

8 And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.

HOLE IN THE SCRIPT:

Nephi indicates that he and his followers collected everything they could carry and took off into the wilderness. This was supposed to be a separation from the Lamanites where more or less they were fleeing to assume a separate existence away from their enemies. The text should NOT have said “for the space of many days”, but a properly documented record in this respect would have listed the days traveled in order to calculate distance and location to maintain a strategic and tactical accounting to protect themselves from their enemy. Not keeping track of the distance and time is a sure sign that the story isn’t being told by a real person facing real circumstances. It’s just a make-believe story being written by Smith who failed to realize the absolute importance of real circumstances in that Nephi would have taken care to know his surroundings and circumstances with regards to the location and proximity of potential mortal enemies.

You are aware that the Book of Mormon is a work of fiction right?

[Shulem]

In the manner of could be meaning purpose and function. It could have been much smaller made of wood and adobe.

But that's not what the record claims and Smith made no allusion to such things. The after the manner is clearly a pattern in showing what kind of "construction" they undertook in duplicating the temple of Jerusalem -- it's shell, size, height, and fortitude. Smith knew well enough to leave the precious materials out of the story for obvious reasons.

Brick or mud are inferior material for the LORD'S house which is built of stone. Nephi constructed it after the manner of Solomon's house -- "construction was like unto the temple of Solomon." Thus, it was constructed of stone just like Solomon's temple.

16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

Moments earlier, Nephi gave the pattern by which one may clearly discern what he means when he says, "after the manner of":

"And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords"

[Shulem]

"And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon"

Later in the Book of Mormon, Smith yet again, brings up the concept of "after the manner" to prove his claim that construction of a particular item, whether a temple or a sword, is being duplicated and fashioned after the master or original.

16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord.

As you can see above, barges were built after the manner prescribed by the Lord and other barges were built after the manner of the first barges. It was a duplication process just like duplicating one sword from another.

[Shulem]

"And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon"

Later in the Book of Mormon, Smith yet again, brings up the concept of "after the manner" to prove his claim that construction of a particular item, whether a temple or a sword, is being duplicated and fashioned after the master or original.

Case in point:

13 And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews.

Notice that Smith claimed the Nephites were actually building Jewish sanctuaries that were after the manner of the Jews. This is one instance when Smith refers to temples in the plural, "temples", as if there were more than one: City of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Bountiful; plural also in Alma 23:2, 26:29.

[Tator]

Paul, do you have any plans to cover the smelting and processing of steel to equip a huge army? I remember our own trixy/Beastie did some fantasy research on the subject. In a quick scan I have failed to come up with a link, it is not in the archives. It is excellent work and I hope I have it saved somewhere.

[Shulem]

Paul, do you have any plans to cover the smelting and processing of steel to equip a huge army? I remember our own trixy/Beastie did some fantasy research on the subject. In a quick scan I have failed to come up with a link, it is not in the archives. It is excellent work and I hope I have it saved somewhere.

Thanks for asking but that is another direction in which I wasn't going to undertake or work on at this time. The thing about the Book of Mormon is that there is so much wrong with it we could spend a lifetime talking about it! You're welcome, Tator, to bring up and discuss anything you want on this thread even if it gets derailed. Or you could start a thread on that subject. I'm letting the chips fly where they will and I have something special in mind. I specialize in Book of Mormon geography on a different level than most scholars do. I want to pull a little of that magic out of my hat if I can and make a splash.

Prepare to be intertained!

I'm having fun at the expense of silly Mormonism.

[Shulem]

Some 400 years later we are given to believe that the temple of Nephi in the original land of Nephi still stands as would any mighty edifice of that stature and durability. But it would require upkeep and regular maintenance. The well built shell of a building set in stone (such as Solomon's temple) can last hundreds of years. The city of Nephi had already reached nation state status under Zeniff, perhaps even more so when his wicked son Noah assumed the throne. And it's this Noah who went to work on the temple with repairs and upgrades:

10 And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.

Walls of the temple? The same walls that Nephi, did build a temple; and did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon? Those walls, after the manner of the construction that was like unto the temple of Solomon? Yep, it seems it was those walls! And king Noah was going to decorate them to his personal liking. Noah could line the walls with an elaborate spread of wood and of whatever he wanted because he could afford it and lots of precious things were found upon the land.

8 And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;

9 And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things.

[Chap]

Paul, do you have any plans to cover the smelting and processing of steel to equip a huge army? I remember our own trixy/Beastie did some fantasy research on the subject. In a quick scan I have failed to come up with a link, it is not in the archives. It is excellent work and I hope I have it saved somewhere.

You can't 'smelt' steel with premodern western technology, at least not if by 'smelting' you mean producing quantities of molten steel from a furnace. You can start with a soft mass of impure iron from a bloomery furnace, then beat out the voids and the slag by hammering it and reheating continually, then beat carbon into the parts that are to be hardened to form the cutting blade.

You need a lot of very skilled people to produce steel blades in quantity. I doubt very much that there was anybody in Lehi's party who had the necessary skills and was able to transmit them to trained successors.

It's all just part of Smith's fantasy world ...

[Shulem]

In the manner of could be meaning purpose and function. It could have been much smaller made of wood and adobe.

These are undoubtedly polystyrene foam blocks for the latest and greatest church production. At least they aren't trying to shy away from real stone as if Smith's Book of Mormon temple was made of mud.



Nephites working on the temple




I'm afraid Nephi's miniature doors don't compare with the massive doors of Solomon's temple entrance!

[Shulem]

What the Book of Mormon Teaches Us About the Temple

Near the beginning of the book, Nephi related that one of the actions of his new community was to build a temple in the city of Nephi. This temple in the Land of Nephi was built to look and function like the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.

How did that little band of people cut, hew, and transport all that stone as well as everything else they had to do just to survive?