Mormon Codex And Missionary Work

[Stone holm]

Is the publication of the Mormon Codex likely to cause another spate of using archeology as a missionary tool, or have we learned our lesson? Mark Twain once said that the problem with cats and hot stoves is that it causes a cat to avoid both hot and cold stoves. Your profound thoughts about archeology and missionary work welcomed.

[guerreiro9]

What lesson do you feel we ought to have learned?

-guerreiro9

[volgadon]

If you mean that the church will produce videos on archaeology and include it as an integral part of the lessons again, then probably not. Have individual misionaries been using apologetic arguments to answer questions for members and investigators, yes. What else is new?

[mrmcplad]

I doubt that Mormon's Codex will become a major driver among the general membership and most missionaries. Too many of us are now skittish on the subject. "Geography is irrelevant" they say nervously, "I don't need to know that because the Holy Spirit gave me a sure testimony."

 

I think they are either nervous that archaeology has only damning things to say about the book, or suspicious of any claims that some "crackpot" proposes which the brethren don't acknowledge or support. Or they themselves have crackpot theories that Sorenson's model threatens.

 

I do hope his research gets examined by academia. I'd love to see a documentary or some other public forum that takes on the question of the Book of Mormon's historicity and that forces knowledgeable non-Mormons to consider the claim seriously.

[Kenngo1969]

Is the publication of the Mormon Codex likely to cause another spate of using archeology as a missionary tool, or have we learned our lesson? Mark Twain once said that the problem with cats and hot stoves is that it causes a cat to avoid both hot and cold stoves. Your profound thoughts about archeology and missionary work welcomed.

No, and yes, respectively.  The converting power of the Book of Mormon is not found in topography, or cartography, or history, or archaeology, or any other scientific or scholarly discipline.  It is found in the Spirit which it brings into the lives of its readers.  My $0.02, actual value $0.0038190950475.

[Stone holm]

What lesson do you feel we ought to have learned?

-guerreiro9

 

Not sure that we ought to have learned anything which should be obvious if you read the original post carefully.  But I do remember the days of the guy, I think his name was Dan West (could be wrong), who went around with kind of carnival show video that he showed making various claims about Central and South America which included purported photographs of "white" Indians (Nephites) living in the wilds, etc.  That kind of stuff sort ended abruptly, about the same time as Paul H Dunn suddenly disappeared from missionary and youth presentations.  I am a firm believer that we should continue to scour the Americas for sustaining evidence -- but I don't see that being quite so overt in the future.

[guerreiro9]

Not sure that we ought to have learned anything which should be obvious if you read the original post carefully.  But I do remember the days of the guy, I think his name was Dan West (could be wrong), who went around with kind of carnival show video that he showed making various claims about Central and South America which included purported photographs of "white" Indians (Nephites) living in the wilds, etc.  That kind of stuff sort ended abruptly, about the same time as Paul H Dunn suddenly disappeared from missionary and youth presentations.  I am a firm believer that we should continue to scour the Americas for sustaining evidence -- but I don't see that being quite so overt in the future.

 

I have read your original post a number of times and it still appears that you were implying that a lesson should have been learned from our past experiences.  It is difficult to adequately convey meaning on an internet forum as much of our communication is nonverbal.

 

I would hope that our enthusiasm has not waned for archaeological evidence in support of the Book of Mormon, but I would hope that claims are not made which cannot be substantiated.  Having read Mormon's Codex, along with every other piece of literature I can get my hands on, I feel comfortable that the events depicted in the Book of Mormon could have really happened somewhere in the Americas (Mesoamerica in my opinion).

 

Incidentally there is a lot of evidence from Pre-Colombian America that substantial variation in skin pigmentation was in exhibited among the natives.  There are a number of artistic representations that clearly represent differences in skin coloring.  The early Spanish explorers also described a number of native tribes as having light skin like themselves, while others were clearly of a darker hue.  If they had light skin at the time of the Spanish Conquest then their descendants could still have light skin now, although it would be assumed that the lighter complexion was due to the influx of European blood.

 

-guerreiro9 

[Stone holm]

I have read your original post a number of times and it still appears that you were implying that a lesson should have been learned from our past experiences.  It is difficult to adequately convey meaning on an internet forum as much of our communication is nonverbal.

 

I would hope that our enthusiasm has not waned for archaeological evidence in support of the Book of Mormon, but I would hope that claims are not made which cannot be substantiated.  Having read Mormon's Codex, along with every other piece of literature I can get my hands on, I feel comfortable that the events depicted in the Book of Mormon could have really happened somewhere in the Americas (Mesoamerica in my opinion).

 

Incidentally there is a lot of evidence from Pre-Colombian America that substantial variation in skin pigmentation was in exhibited among the natives.  There are a number of artistic representations that clearly represent differences in skin coloring.  The early Spanish explorers also described a number of native tribes as having light skin like themselves, while others were clearly of a darker hue.  If they had light skin at the time of the Spanish Conquest then their descendants could still have light skin now, although it would be assumed that the lighter complexion was due to the influx of European blood.

 

-guerreiro9

What Mark Twain was suggesting is that once you really get burned for going somewhere you have a tendency to quit travelling. In other words the Church might avoid trying to piece together geographical riddle. Or as the wit once said, better to be thought a fool than open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Archeology and racial speculation as to indigenous Americans is a risky business for theChurch.