Rasmussen wrote:All of these arguments require extensive interaction between Nephi’s family and a local population present in or around Bountiful, a fact on which the text appears silent.
It's not so much that the text appears silent on the issue that Nephi's family interacted with a population that maintained control of the land and the resources but in every manner indicates they truly were alone. Nephi would have been an intruder at worst and a guest at most. If such interaction existed in the story, then the text would have indicated it even if only in the least degree. But as it is, the text makes it clear they were on their own, discovered their own beachfront, named it, and did whatever they wanted.
Rasmussen wrote:All of these arguments require extensive interaction between Nephi’s family and a local population present in or around Bountiful, a fact on which the text appears silent.
It's not so much that the text appears silent on the issue that Nephi's family interacted with a population that maintained control of the land and the resources but in every manner indicates they truly were alone. Nephi would have been an intruder at worst and a guest at most. If such interaction existed in the story, then the text would have indicated it even if only in the least degree. But as it is, the text makes it clear they were on their own, discovered their own beachfront, named it, and did whatever they wanted.
It's not so much that the text appears silent on the issue that Nephi's family interacted with a population that maintained control of the land and the resources but in every manner indicates they truly were alone. Nephi would have been an intruder at worst and a guest at most. If such interaction existed in the story, then the text would have indicated it even if only in the least degree. But as it is, the text makes it clear they were on their own, discovered their own beachfront, named it, and did whatever they wanted.
They were subject to nobody.
They were threatened by nobody.
They were assisted by nobody.
Storytelling is different from writing modern history. I make this point over and over again, and I think it will never sink in. I try in many different ways to get the point across, but my attempts are ignored. Why would Caesar not mention his engineer, Mamurra? Is Caesar's account of building a bridge across the Rhine fictional? A lie? Was it written by Joseph Smith, Jr.?
Rhetorical questions abound!
It just may be that the story of Nephi building a ship was written with other goals in mind than accurately describing how to build a sea-going vessel to those who might find themselves on the run, traveling in the wilderness. Those aspects of the story that are not salient in light of the author's larger purpose are not mentioned.
Ugh.
"I have learned with what evils tyranny infects a state. For it frustrates all the virtues, robs freedom of its lofty mood, and opens a school of fawning and terror, inasmuch as it leaves matters not to the wisdom of the laws, but to the angry whim of those who are in authority.”
If there had been locals or neighbors in the vicinity, there is no doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith would have included that in the story and tell about their fair daughters, some of whom may have elected to join Lehi's band and go with them to the promised land. You'll recall that Zoram went along and later married one of the daughters of Ishmael. So, had there been ANYONE else in Bountiful other than the clan of Lehi and Ishmael, we would have heard about it.
he would. Rittenhouse is completely irresponsible with how he throws around stats. He gives numbers a bad name.
What are the odds there's really a king's name in Facsimile No. 3 but it simply hasn't been discovered yet? is there a number to support that claim?
There's this little thing in calculus called epsilon. It is defined there as a number so close to zero it's virtually indisdinguishable from zero, but technically it's not zero. (Mostly so you can divide by it, which you can't do with zero.)
I give the claim of finding the kings name .... half an epsilon.
If there had been locals or neighbors in the vicinity, there is no doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith would have included that in the story and tell about their fair daughters, some of whom may have elected to join Lehi's band and go with them to the promised land. You'll recall that Zoram went along and later married one of the daughters of Ishmael. So, had there been ANYONE else in Bountiful other than the clan of Lehi and Ishmael, we would have heard about it.
Capish, Kish?
No! That part of the story was over. There was no need to repeat the same element. That would be like sending Nephi and his brothers back to get the tin plates after they had already fetched the brass ones.
"I have learned with what evils tyranny infects a state. For it frustrates all the virtues, robs freedom of its lofty mood, and opens a school of fawning and terror, inasmuch as it leaves matters not to the wisdom of the laws, but to the angry whim of those who are in authority.”
A prophet's responsibility is to call repentance to those in whom they come into contact with and to invite them to come unto Christ. The fact that Smith's story mentions no such thing at Bountiful is all the evidence we need that the prophet did not fill that role at that time. They were alone.
A prophet's responsibility is to call repentance to those in whom they come into contact with and to invite them to come unto Christ. The fact that Smith's story mentions no such thing at Bountiful is all the evidence we need that the prophet did not fill that role at that time. They were alone.
You are making up silly requirements, and that undermines your argument.
"I have learned with what evils tyranny infects a state. For it frustrates all the virtues, robs freedom of its lofty mood, and opens a school of fawning and terror, inasmuch as it leaves matters not to the wisdom of the laws, but to the angry whim of those who are in authority.”
he would. KR is completely irresponsible with how he throws around stats. He gives numbers a bad name.
