tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748854314554240432.post7877647528730972725..comments2012-10-31T21:33:25.937-05:00Comments on Es Pura Mentira: Book of Abraham Sounds Like a ShamSoy Yohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11264081185626897923noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748854314554240432.post-46268183527534667062008-03-21T16:49:00.000-05:002008-03-21T16:49:00.000-05:00Thank you Bournefree, I think you make some great ...Thank you Bournefree, I think you make some great points. I think an important point to make regarding the Bible is that according to the Articles of Faith, Mormons only believe in it "as far as it is translated correctly". That leaves it rather open to interpretation while on the flip side, Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon is the "most correct of any book on earth". Which means that if it is what he claimed it to be, would it not be accurate when it come to vegetation and wildlife, the use and type of metals, population growths and other aspects that we can now verify? Or was it the most correct only when there was not enough science to prove it otherwise like when Joseph Smith was alive and made such comments?<br><br>If the Bible is only believed as far as it is translated correctly, shouldn't then the leaders of the LSD church tell us what parts are not correct? I know Joseph made his JST but it is was not completed. That brings me to my next question as to why one of the many prophets since then has not taken up the task to complete the JST so that everyone would not have to guess for themselves which parts of the Bible to believe. Just some random questions I have had for a while but have not found viable answers for.Soy Yohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11264081185626897923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748854314554240432.post-24461210762179513182008-03-21T08:46:00.000-05:002008-03-21T08:46:00.000-05:00"Why stop there?" Indeed. There are so..."Why stop there?" Indeed. There are some people who look at the Bible as something other than an actual history of ancient people. To them, reading the Bible is similar to reading Aesop's Fables. Both are old documents that tell stories in an effort to improve the reader's behavior.<br><br>I can accept the value of the Bible without accepting it as an actual historical text. Do I enjoy reading it? Yes. Can it make me a better person? Yes. Do I really believe Noah put two of every plant and animal on a boat while the entire face of the earth was flooded? No. But that doesn't necessarily effect the value of the story to me.<br><br>One of the many problems with the LDS church is that it has taken the position of an absolute literalist interpretation of the scriptures. On one hand, the Church teaches the fallibility of the Bible while on the other hand, promotes the JST as the true and literal translation. Is the JST infallible? <br><br>Because of this extreme literalist viewpoint, the Church has no wiggle room when it learns about anachronisms or things it preaches that conflict with science (though at the same time it preaches that God is bound by the laws of the universe which he created). <br><br>If, at the beginning, the Church had taken a more flexible position on these things, it wouldn't be facing such problems now. For example, if Joseph had said, "When looking at these Egyptian scrolls, the eyes of mine understanding were opened and I saw the Book of Abraham, which looked something like this," then it wouldn't have been placed in the embarrassing position it is in today.BourneFreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15394018141438948552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748854314554240432.post-70443602652912561832008-03-20T21:58:00.000-05:002008-03-20T21:58:00.000-05:00Here's some counter information to the 150+yea...Here's some counter information to the 150+year old argument Soy Yo has presented to you. Yes, there is another side!<br><br>http://www.boap.org/LDS/critic.html<br><br>I can't wait for the next installment. Pretty soon we'll learn how Joe Smith stole a book's manuscript and copied it and thus came the Book of Mormon. Then we can hear how the animals in the Book of Mormon never existed according to scientists. <br><br>Why stop there. Let's be fair, like you said you want to be, and look at the Bible and see how it couldn't be scientifically possible that man lived for 100's of years as described in Genesis. Or one man, Sampson, could have the strength to do all the things he did. And how only a haircut made him lose his strength. How about Jonah and the whale? How could someone live in the belly of a whale? Scientifically impossible!!<br><br>I believe in the Bible and the Book of Mormon even if some things may not be scientifically possible.Johnny B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09857795839434721348noreply@blogger.com