06-03-2008, 01:42 PM | #11 |
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I'm currently reading this book:
http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelatio.../dp/140004006X While I'm just getting started, one thing is clear: there were millions and millions of inhabitants in the Western Hemisphere and virtually the entire face of the land was covered; particuarly below the Rio Grande prior to the Conquistadors beginning their handiwork. They are clearing land in Bolivia and Brazil that is virtually uninhabited now that turns out to be full of canals, mounds and other infrastructure which was used to support hundreds of thousands of people. Who knows what else has yet to be discovered? Multiple cities have been comfortably estimated to have had over 100,000 inhabitants. So theoretically, there could have easily been one or more wars that involved hundreds of thousands of people. I honestly don't know where I weigh in on the limited geography theory or any other theories. Last edited by Indy Coug; 06-03-2008 at 01:44 PM. |
06-03-2008, 01:43 PM | #12 | |
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The subtle and not so subtle details of all the precious history you cling to so dearly changes so frequently you don’t even bother to keep up. You are lost in an orientalist, classics rapture that has rendered you blind. Very recently on this message board new information about human development in the regions of the world that holds your imagination have been discussed: http://www.eurasianet.org/department...v041708a.shtml http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/1410,f...tory-in-turkey You are a peevish deserter of the faith of your fathers who has no more physical evidence to say the book of Mormon is not true than I have to say it is true. Yet I believe as result of some deeply profound personal experiences that I cannot ignore. Solon asks an interesting question. The numbers presented are curious and the subject is worth discussion. |
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06-03-2008, 02:08 PM | #13 | |
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06-03-2008, 02:24 PM | #14 | |
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There will always be people at various points on the literal/non-literal continuum, but if the Church, as an institution, takes a "we don't know if it's historical or not" stance, it's moving toward non-literalness (and is therefore within my discussion above). There are a variety of approaches to Biblical historicity within Christian denominations (although this has sometimes lead to splits), but the issues there are less acute than with the BoM. No one's suggesting that the NT was written in the 19th century and some of the Bible sites have been found. Can you imagine if scholars had verified some BoM sites and the conversation was then left to whether or not the miraculous things said to have happened there really occurred? Mormonism would immediately have a credibility that it does not now have. Leave it to you to ask a great question!
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06-03-2008, 02:26 PM | #15 | |
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"Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; " 1 Thess. 5:21 (NRSV) We all trust our own unorthodoxies. |
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06-03-2008, 02:28 PM | #16 | |
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I agree with your arguments for silent modifications of signifiers and signifieds, because over time almost all but a few would ignore the changes.
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06-03-2008, 02:41 PM | #17 | |
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The missionaries do focus on read, ponder, and pray (as they should), but the BoM is presented as the history of an actual people, Lehi leaving around 600 BC, Joseph translating a history and so on.
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06-03-2008, 02:52 PM | #18 | |
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06-03-2008, 02:54 PM | #19 | |
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I wonder if there's a larger-scale problem at work here. I, for one, feel an intense disconnect between various levels of authority and practice. There's a scriptural level, a GA level, and then a local-institution level that sometimes don't match up. So, we have scriptures/original revelation that tell us one thing, GA's who give modernized versions of the scripture, and local leaders or cultures who implement their own versions. So, we end up with local practices with no scriptural base (white shirts necessary to pass sacrament), or scriptural teachings that are modified for the sake of cultural correctness (such as the roles of women). It's all very confusing.
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06-03-2008, 03:06 PM | #20 | |
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