LDS Scholar says J S "Skillfully wove" Bible texts into Book of Mormon

[_Physics Guy]

Is the Book of Mormon really so impressive as a text, independent of however it may have gotten composed? I admit that I haven't read all that much of it but this is because every attempt turned me off. The language struck me strongly as phony from the beginning and the content was repulsive, with God personally telling Nephi to decapitate a drunk guy over some genealogical records. Somebody told me that the appearance of Jesus in 3 Nephi was a great highlight and it was appalling.

I have read more than those bits, but only scattered patches. I'm afraid this random sampling has failed to turn up any things that impressed me. At this point I don't see all that much skill on Smith's part. Have I really just been unlucky? If so, what's the best thing I've missed?

[_Philo Sofee]

Is the Book of Mormon really so impressive as a text, independent of however it may have gotten composed? I admit that I haven't read all that much of it but this is because every attempt turned me off. The language struck me strongly as phony from the beginning and the content was repulsive, with God personally telling Nephi to decapitate a drunk guy over some genealogical records. Somebody told me that the appearance of Jesus in 3 Nephi was a great highlight and it was appalling.

I have read more than those bits, but only scattered patches. I'm afraid this random sampling has failed to turn up any things that impressed me. At this point I don't see all that much skill on Smith's part. Have I really just been unlucky? If so, what's the best thing I've missed?

The Jaredite barges, you definitely have missed the best part, the Jaredite barges in the book called Ether. DrW has bore fervent testimony of its reliability and actual scientific realism more times than I can count.

[_Physics Guy]

The Jaredite barges were the one thing that rang a bell for me when I started getting interested in Mormonism a few years ago. I realized that the story of the Jaredites was the weird thing that I had seen in a sort of comic book leaflet, in a doctor's office or something, many years before, as a kid. At the time I remember thinking that it looked kind of like a Bible story—we got comic style leaflets like that in Sunday school—except I already knew there were no voyages to the Americas in the Bible. It seemed like nonsense even then but it was in a doctor's waiting room and I had an idea that doctors were supposed to put out good educational stuff for their patients. So the thing stuck in my mind for decades as a mystery. It was quite satisfying to resolve what that old comic had been.

In my memory the barges were drawn as squat wooden cylinders like massive dim sum boxes. Cool as round floating forts but it was hard to see how they were supposed to get anywhere.

[_SteelHead]

I like how liahona is "interpreted" into a word for which their language could not have - compass, as compasses had not been invented.

[_SteelHead]

I like how liahona is "interpreted" into a word for which their language could not have - compass, as compasses had not been invented.
Alma 37:38
And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director-or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.

[_Dr Moore]

When was the compass invented? It appears term is anachronistic, based on the fact this is an internal dialogue between Book of Mormon characters, hundreds of years BC, interpreting the meaning of Liahona as a compass.

Prior to its invention, was it all done with stars and geographical objects?

[_SteelHead]

The compass as a pointing/directional device was invented around 200 bc in China.

[_fetchface]

The compass as a pointing/directional device was invented around 200 bc in China.

And Alma 37 took place in 74BC, plenty of time for the Chinese to tell the white Native American Alma all about it. Checkmate, atheists!

[_Dr Moore]

Double checkmate.

It was the Chinese who merged populations with the Lamanites, and brought compass technology with them.

DNA theories resolved.
Compass anachronism solved.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Double checkmate.

It was the Chinese who merged populations with the Lamanites, and brought compass technology with them.

DNA theories resolved.
Compass anachronism solved.

Oh, boy. You like fanfiction. Do I have a treat for you!

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- Doc