How do the anti-Mormons explain these things? http://www.bookofmormononline.org/evidence.html?

Question

1. from start to finish, it took Joseph Smith only two months to translate te plates.

2. Things Joseph Smith could not have possibly known about:
a. earthquakes and volcanic activity (3 Nephi)
b. textbook case of guerilla warfare (Gadianton robbers, Helaman and 3 Nephi)
c. discovery of the path that Lehi and his family most likely took from Jerusalem to Bountiful, where they built their ship o the New World, as described in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi).
d. two ancient records (Amarna lettes and DSS) that seem to vindicate Alma 7:10 (Bethlehem being in "the land of Jerusalem")
e. allegory of the Olive tree in Jacob.

There are other things in the article. These are just a few.

stakekawa, it comes down to, how do you interpret the Bible, and how do we interpret the Bible. We have not changed the meaning of the Bible, we just don't see it exactly the same way you do. Are we right, or are you? Who knows? All we can do is what we beleive God wants us to do.

From all the non-answers I'm getting from non-Mormons, I must believe that they can't explain iti at all so, they just refuse to see.

Answer 1

1) Only 2 months to translate what plates? If they never existed, then the 2 month thing don't exist either. Quit being so gullible. Oh an angel took them up to Heaven? My first grader could have thought up something better then that one!
Ding Dong!

2a) Earthquakes and volcanic activity didn't exist in Smiths time? I think any first grader could tell you that earthquakes and volcanic activity did exist for thousands of years. Maybe that's how Smith could have known about it.
Ding Dong!

2b) My 4th grader showed me his history book about the Revolutionary war in 1776. Lots of Guerrilla tactics were used to fight off the British Redcoats. Smith couldn't have known about that?
Ding Dong!

2c) Bountiful never existed, Lehi never existed, their ship never existed, the BOM is total fiction and never happened, so how could a path they might have taken have been discovered?
Ding Dong!

2d) Jerusalem is a city and not a land.
Ding Dong!

The LDS Church is truly an inspiration to me. I think I will go have a Ding Dong!

Answer 2

I'm not an anti-mormon, since I'm an active member of the Church, but here's how they generally explain it:

1. They say Rigdon and Smith had already prepared a script from View of the Hebrews (which Smith had easy access to) and Manuscript Found/Manuscript Story (which Rigdon was accused of stealing) when Smith started translating. Because no one physically saw the plates while he was translating them, they seem to think that he could have simply read the script to his scribes for 60 days rather than translating the book. He had the plates for long enough to have written a whole novel if he had wanted to, before he officially started translating them. Since Rigdon and Smith met casually on several occasions before Rigdon's conversion in Ohio, it makes sense to them.

2.
a) These exist on every continent fairly frequently, not just the Americas
b) Many nomadic peoples (such as the American Indians) engaged in guerilla warfare
c) They call this one circumstantial evidence, and many of them would say that with enough of a stretch, you could make Australia fit too
d) This is a common thing. For instance, I told my family I was "in Toronto" for a week, even though I was at Deerhurst Resort 2 1/2 hours North of Toronto. Letters or not, either a 23-year-old Joseph OR a 35-year-old Nephi might have called it that.
e) This one's probably a little tougher, except that there is a slightly similar (albeit much more condensed) version in the NT, known as the Evil Husbandmen.


I really like articles about LDS studies, particularly as it pertains to the BoM, but you have to remember that none of these are official Church doctrines; they are just the personal opinions of those doing the research. Hard evidence has yet to be found, so it is a lot safer to base our testimonies on faith rather than hard facts, especially since at the moment, many would say that the facts are stacked twice as high against the BoM as they are FOR it. Christ can offer a much better testimony than any archaeologist, biologist, linguicist, or geologist.

Answer 3

Your Prophet is responsible for the information you get is that right? If so, then would you not be better to wait for him to give that information when the time is right? I am not a Mormon. But to JWs what constitutes falling away would being outspoken with unusual ideas that have not been published by the Governing Body. I would guess LDS would view similarly. It's not about intellectual discussion it's about discretion. Why would anyone raise unusual ideas say in the middle of the congregation? Would you do that? If not why?

Answer 4

Smashing article!

This is a classic case of "he who hath ears let him hear". So many people say "oh, well, if the plates exist then produce them." But there were a lot of people who saw, touched and talked to Christ, but still didn't believe. There were ancient Jews who said "well, if we had prophets like Moses, then we'd believe." But a lot of Moses' followers did not follow.

It's a matter of faith, and most of these people just don't have the faith. They misunderstand, misinterpret, misdirect. They read these "historical" things about Joseph Smith and decide "oh, schizophrenic", even though there is no evidence to support that. They read "oh he was translating Egyptian embalming instructions" and while that might be what is on the papyrus, what is the vision he had? These are people who can't understand or abide visions and modern-day miracles. It's too bad, because they too are entitled to visions, and seeing great and wonderful things, but refuse because they believe that the Heavens are closed. How sad.

Answer 5

Just a little insight for stakekawa. The Book of Revelation was not the last book written in the Bible, it was just put at the end in the compilation. Following that scripture, we wouldn't have a lot of the New Testament. There is a similar scripture in one of the books of Moses (I think in Leviticus). It means that things shouldn't be deleted, twisted, or changed from the Gospel. And the literal translation of Gospel is not Bible. Bible comes from a word many many books, or library.

Answer 6

They can't. They just rant and rave about other misconceptions. When they have all been proven wrong, they just start making up stuff. That's been my experience. The problem is, they will never understand the gospel until they lay their pride aside and start studying to really know if it is true or not. The spirit can't testify to them when they are in that frame of mind.

Edit
Just like the weak arguments below.
If they really wanted to know the truth about God's gospel, they would have to study it and pray about it. I could post a counter-scripture to each one already posted that seems contradictory. I do not however believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts itself. Our interpretations certainly can contradict. That is what has been manifested here.

As for Smarterthanthou's comments,
Neither has the altar that Adam built to worship God after being thrust out of the Garden been found, but I believe that it happened.
The funerary text has been proven to not be what was translated to the Book of Abraham.
As for the quotes from the New Testament in the Book of Mormon, the Old Testament prophecies what will happen and what will be said in the New Testament too. Is it possible the OT was written after the NT? No. Like I said God's gospel doesn't change. Prophets prophecy. Which is just what you see happening in the OT and the BOM.

Scott, it's in Deuteronomy.

Answer 7

Besides Joseph Smith there were eleven witnesses who saw the plates, and even though some of them left the Church none of them took back their testimonies. It's in the front of the Book of Mormon.

Answer 8

Your examples are pretty weak as offering proof.

The book "Oahspe" was written by John Ballou Newbrough by a spiritualistic method known as "automatic writing". Joesph Smith's family was extremely religious and spiritual, and there were several contemporaries who claimed either to see or be christ. Smith could had just as well done similarly with his dictations. Newbrough also completed this book in short order, but used the recently invented typewriter.

The Urantia Book is a spiritual and philosophical book that discusses God, science, religion, history, philosophy, and destiny. The author is not known but written about 1924.

The commonality of all these books were the short time in which they were written, and the virtually ponderous, repetitive and occasionally unintelligible text. All of the claim to be the Word of God or some supreme being, and has a 'message for mankind'

Smith didn't do anything new or monumental. No one actually saw the plates (except with their 'spiritual eyes'), and Smith himself was a likable if not argumentative person.

As far as shipbuilding, I ask you to read the Book of Ether and reflect on how god would engineer a piece of unseaworthy crap.

Answer 9

You cite direct evidences of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and I agree with you. The real test, however, comes in obtaining a personal witness from God, through the Holy Ghost. By prayer with a contrite heart, sincere study, and honest inquiry, God will reveal the truth of the Book of Mormon to anyone who asks of him.

Answer 10

Hey Blondie: Joseph Smith is a PROVEN FRAUD. He committed adultury while legally married to Emma and whips out the "Polygamy Revelation" only when he could no longer hide his crime. (Adultury was a crime back then) Find 1 non LDS archaeologist who will endorse the BOM as an ancient record. NONE!!!! Several LDS Archaeologists and Historians have been excommunicated for telling the truth that Joey was a fraud. Book of Abraham, Joey purchased mummies from a circus along with their burial scrolls and ran around telling people he could read Egyptian. NOT! If Joseph Smith were around today he would be sharing a cell with Warren Jeffs, the other "Pedophile Prophet" from Utah for all the fraudulent schemes he pulled on people. (Kirtland Bank, Adultury, Smashing printing presses, Book of Abraham) Then some big, bad, prisoner would become a polygamist because he would have 2 of his own wimpy wives to share his prison cell with.

"Oh Lord we thank thee for a Prophet....."

P.S. Read AZ_M's answer below. How does it feel to be dumber than a 4th grader?