harmony wrote:How would a person with a similiar educational background to yourself but without the faith in Joseph as a prophet view the same information? Would that person find a connection between the Book of Abraham and ancient Near Eastern concepts mentioned above?
This person would miss out.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
Enuma Elish wrote:That's a fair summary of my position, though I would also add that I believe that the Book of Abraham provides a genuine channel of access to views regarding the divine (not just ancient) world, even though I'm convinced that Joseph did not have a literal book of Abraham in his possession.
Somehow, in a way that I don't for a moment pretend to fully understand, I believe that by pondering over those ancient Egyptian funerary texts, the Prophet gained access to profound religious truths regarding human deification, enthronement, temple ritual, and the divine council of deities.
I find the connection forged between the Book of Abraham and ancient Near Eastern concepts concerning these precise issues really quite extraordinary.
What of JSjrs fascination with hermetic material? - for example his earlier occultic activities and the Jupiter talisman which he supposedly carried. I think one could find at least as many parellels with alchemy, hermetics, and occult myths.
For example, I find very many parallels between the caractors of the Anthon transcript and astrological symbols. In this sense, linking back to the OP, the cosmological explanations God gives to Abraham may be JSjrs interpretation of alchemic/hermetic myth situating mankind within the universe.
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Last edited by _Danna on Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
From the notes: An early version of this essay was presented at the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City on August 9, 2007, and it derives from material for a book in preparation on early Mormon death culture and theology, tentatively titled In Heaven as it Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Conquest of Death.
Enuma Elish wrote:However, anyone who claims that whether right or wrong, Joseph Smith’s religious convictions were not the driving influence behind his efforts to restore the biblical practice rather than an excessive libido is unfamiliar with the historical record.
Don't you find it even a little bit suspicious that of all the biblical practices he could've restored--animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, the feast of passover, marrying your brother's wife to raise up seed unto him after he has died, etc.--the one biblical practice he chooses to reinstate just so happens to be the one that will net him the most extramarital sex?
"Finally, for your rather strange idea that miracles are somehow linked to the amount of gay sexual gratification that is taking place would require that primitive Christianity was launched by gay sex, would it not?"
He is not saying that the Book of Abraham contains statements that are true from the point of view of modern astronomy, and that the text is therefore validated.
Okay, I really understand this statement; He's not saying Astronomical facts are facts, but the text is validated..... Okay... I get it. No, I just need to get a couple stiff Jack Daniels in my system. So I can understand.
Enuma Elish wrote:However, anyone who claims that whether right or wrong, Joseph Smith’s religious convictions were not the driving influence behind his efforts to restore the biblical practice rather than an excessive libido is unfamiliar with the historical record.
Don't you find it even a little bit suspicious that of all the biblical practices he could've restored--animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, the feast of passover, marrying your brother's wife to raise up seed unto him after he has died, etc.--the one biblical practice he chooses to reinstate just so happens to be the one that will net him the most extramarital sex?
This ignores the restoration of Temple worship, consecration, the idea of Zion, and Priesthood. He restored more then one biblical practice.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
Enuma Elish wrote:However, anyone who claims that whether right or wrong, Joseph Smith’s religious convictions were not the driving influence behind his efforts to restore the biblical practice rather than an excessive libido is unfamiliar with the historical record.
Don't you find it even a little bit suspicious that of all the biblical practices he could've restored--animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, the feast of passover, marrying your brother's wife to raise up seed unto him after he has died, etc.--the one biblical practice he chooses to reinstate just so happens to be the one that will net him the most extramarital sex?
I find it a little bit suspicious that Smith didn't restore the law of circumcision. Circumcision was, like polygamy, pre-Mosaic.
Dr. Shades wrote:Don't you find it even a little bit suspicious that of all the biblical practices he could've restored--animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, the feast of passover, marrying your brother's wife to raise up seed unto him after he has died, etc.--the one biblical practice he chooses to reinstate just so happens to be the one that will net him the most extramarital sex?
His restoration of animal sacrifice is less well-known, but apparently real nonetheless. There is some evidence that at least one such sacrifice was actually performed in the Kirtland Temple, and early plans for the Salt Lake Temple included a sacrifice room that was dropped from later versions. (Just another aspect of the Salt Lake Mormon apostasy from the True Restored Gospel™, no doubt.)
The Nehor wrote:This ignores the restoration of Temple worship,
Since what Joseph restored is quite different from what ancient temple worship was, I don't think this qualifies.
consecration,
Hardly a concept that needed restoring.
the idea of Zion,
this concept didn't need restoring, since the Jews already had it.
and Priesthood.
Do you think he'd never heard of Catholics?
He restored more then one biblical practice.
He restored at least one too many.
(Nevo, Jan 23) And the Melchizedek Priesthood may not have been restored until the summer of 1830, several months after the organization of the Church.
