Books of Mormon, Abraham, Moses as Inspired Fiction

[Sledge]

Let us suppose that, hypothetically, the church publishes a new proclamation that states the Books of Mormon, Abraham and Moses are all inspired, prophetic, and true--but they're fiction. Included in this proclamation is also a statement that the Old Testament is inspired fiction.

Does that solve all y'all's problems? See you in church on Sunday?

[Philo Sofee]

Let us suppose that, hypothetically, the church publishes a new proclamation that states the Books of Mormon, Abraham and Moses are all inspired, prophetic, and true--but they're fiction. Included in this proclamation is also a statement that the Old Testament is inspired fiction.

Does that solve all y'all's problems? See you in church on Sunday?

Why on earth would that even follow?! Attending church would be irrelevant. How come you connect the two?

[drumdude]

I think this shows some naiveté, as some events and places in the Old Testament (particularly the later ones) are actually corroborated with secular historical evidence.

The Book of Mormon and the Old Testament are not both of the same category. One was made up entirely and has no historical evidence, the other was a collaboration over centuries and integrated both myths and history.

[Sledge]

So forget about the Old Testament part.

You good?

[drumdude]

This would require that the church leadership is actually knowledgeable and accepting of modern biblical criticism, along with everything that implies. It would completely transform the doctrine of the church.

We have a great example of what that looks like already. It looks like the Community of Christ. Take a glance at how that worked out for them, it decimated their congregations. It turns out that Mormonism and progressivism are like oil and water, they just don't mix.

[Sledge]

It’s hypothetical.

So you good?

[drumdude]

It's not hypothetical, it happened in the Community of Christ already.

I'm not a member of the Community of Christ, either. This would turn into a thread about why many (likely most) ex-Mormons leave religion altogether, with notable exceptions like Grant Palmer and the Tanners.

[Sledge]

The OP is hypothetical.

So would you be good with that

[drumdude]

The OP is hypothetical.

So would you be good with that

I would not come back to church, no. There are a laundry list of other problems which are bigger than that one, in my opinion. Church leadership is at the very top of that list. I would go as far as to say that the Book of Mormon is not even the defining feature of the religion - it's leadership and corporate organization is.

[Shulem]

Let us suppose that, hypothetically, the church publishes a new proclamation that states the Books of Mormon, Abraham and Moses are all inspired, prophetic, and true--but they're fiction. Included in this proclamation is also a statement that the Old Testament is inspired fiction.

Does that solve all y'all's problems? See you in church on Sunday?

I could give a rat's ass what today's Mormon church has to say about anything. Today's Mormon church is nothing more than a song and a dance.

All I care about is *WHAT* Joseph Smith said. *THAT* is Mormonism. The church today is a nothing more than a joke and a skeleton of the old church.