Joseph used a hat to translate because his eyes were tired...

[Themis]

What's the big deal about a hat?

For me it was realizing this was the same technique he used to claim he could find lost treasure. He never found any treasure, and this technique was the same many have used to trick people in his day. I didn't like the idea one would use a method that was so thoroughly used to separate people from their money.

[Themis]

Also do you know how hard it is to make up a coherent, internally consistent story when your head is in a hat?

If one has a good memory and has been creating this narrative for years it would not be hard. His attempt needed a lot of work afterwords to fix mistakes. I also think the head in a hat was a prop meant to promote belief in his followers and entertain. I also tend to think Oliver was probably in on it.

[Doctor Steuss]

Also do you know how hard it is to make up a coherent, internally consistent story when your head is in a hat?

If one has a good memory and has been creating this narrative for years it would not be hard. His attempt needed a lot of work afterwords to fix mistakes. I also think the head in a hat was a prop meant to promote belief in his followers and entertain. I also tend to think Oliver was probably in on it.

John Milton managed it while all was dark as Egypt.

[Sledge]

I imagine it would be exceedingly difficult, which may explain why the Book of Mormon is so incoherent and internally inconsistent.

Wait, you're not arguing that the Book of Mormon is coherent and internally consistent, are you?

Yes, I am going by what the best research on the topic has to say.

[Themis]

I imagine it would be exceedingly difficult, which may explain why the Book of Mormon is so incoherent and internally inconsistent.

Wait, you're not arguing that the Book of Mormon is coherent and internally consistent, are you?

Yes, I am going by what the best research on the topic has to say.

I find this claim of consistency or inconsistency very subjective and in need of real defining to the point one can measure it. Then you would have to find a way to compare with what people are capable of, and how much time does a person have to create a internally consistent story. I'm not sure this can really be done in a very objective way.

[Sledge]

I find this claim of consistency or inconsistency very subjective and in need of real defining to the point one can measure it. Then you would have to find a way to compare with what people are capable of, and how much time does a person have to create a internally consistent story. I'm not sure this can really be done in a very objective way.

Of course you do. It’s convenient for you to have this subjective view.

That’s why I listen to what the scholars and the best research has to say on the matter, not what “Themis” has to say.

[Themis]

I find this claim of consistency or inconsistency very subjective and in need of real defining to the point one can measure it. Then you would have to find a way to compare with what people are capable of, and how much time does a person have to create a internally consistent story. I'm not sure this can really be done in a very objective way.

Of course you do. It’s convenient for you to have this subjective view.

That’s why I listen to what the scholars and the best research has to say on the matter, not what “Themis” has to say.

So you can define it then. Go right ahead. I never made any claim of inconsistency.

[drumdude]

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: Irish novelist John Boyne said he was so wrapped up in this engrossing tale of a boy living through the Holocaust that he wrote the entire thing in two and a half days, barely stopping to eat or sleep throughout the ordeal. He notes that his other novels took months of planning and effort to write, but this story simply could not be slowed.

On The Road: The so-called “beatnik Bible” that inspired an entire generation was penned in only three weeks. Granted, Jack Kerouac spent seven years travelling across America and taking detailed notes the entire time, but the actual fruits of his labor took less than a month to put on paper. It’s worth noting that he typed the entire draft on one 120 foot long piece of teletype paper that he taped together before writing.

A Study In Scarlet: The novel that introduced the famed detective work of Sherlock Holmes to the masses took Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle three weeks to write in 1886. This story was also notable for being the first Sherlock Holmes story to be adapted to the silver screen.

The Gambler: Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote this tale in 26 days while also writing Crime and Punishment. He was heavily in debt and addicted to gambling and saw the semi-autobiographical novella as a good way to help him pay off his debts. He later ended up marrying the young stenographer to whom he dictated the story.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Muriel Spark took only one month to write this novel about a fictionalized version of her teacher, Christiana Kay. She said the story was inspired by a 1960 class assignment: “We were given to write about how we spent our summer holidays, but I wrote about how [my teacher] spent her summer holidays instead. It seemed more fascinating.”

The most published works by one author is 1,084 by L. Ron Hubbard (USA) whose first work was published in February 1934 and the last in March 2006.

This is why the apologist has to switch from "look how miraculously fast the Book of Mormon was written" to "look how a dumb, nearly retarded farm boy wrote a book."

The only way the production of the Book of Mormon can look in any way miraculous, is to claim Joseph was as dumb as a rock. Unfortunately we have records of how intelligent Smith was and how easily he weaved tales and memorized scripture.

[Gadianton]

You need contrasting darkness so that you can see the screen without strain, and especially so if you’ll be working on it for lengthy periods. Otherwise, your eyes will tire and your head will ache.

lol. um, no. It's the exact opposite. Watching TV or movies in the dark is bad for your eyes. working on a computer with the lights off is bad for your eyes. Offices where people are working on computers tend to be nice and bright. There are no eye issues when using a phone outside in daylight. Only he would use a phone in the direct sunlight of July in death valley in order to vindicate Joseph Smith and his hat.

[Sledge]

This is why the apologist has to switch from "look how miraculously fast the Book of Mormon was written" to "look how a dumb, nearly retarded farm boy wrote a book."

The only way the production of the Book of Mormon can look in any way miraculous, is to claim Joseph was as dumb as a rock. Unfortunately we have records of how intelligent Smith was and how easily he weaved tales and memorized scripture.

Please read Morris “A Documentary History of the Book of Mormon” and get back to me.