Namely, the anachronisms and lack of hard archaeological proof. The book of mormon not only teaches the trinity but it also teaches that god the father is a spirit, which is in total contradiction to modern day latterday saint doctrine. Contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf, book of mormon central, or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the anachronism of horses in the book of mormon as. Problems with the historicity of the book of mormon. Is the term christ mentioned in the old testament era of the book of mormon an anachronism. Christ is used 186 times in the book of mormon during the old testament era. Today, the building in which the book of mormon was first published and sold is known as the book of mormon historic publication site. Those who approach the book of mormon with the view of proving it to be essentially what it seems to claim to bea record of the history of ancient americans who lived between 2200 bc and ad 400immediately find themselves having to deal with the problem of anachronisms. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement generally believe that the book of mormon describes ancient historical events in the americas, but historians and archaeologists do not regard it as a work of ancient american history. There are a variety of words and phrases in the book of mormon that are considered anachronistic as their existence in the text of the book of mormon is at odds with known linguistic patterns, archaeological findings, or known historical. Joseph smith 20 polygamy 11 translation 11 book of mormon 9 brigham young 7 god 6.
Horses, cattle, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheels, chariots, wheat, silk, steel, and iron did not exist in precolumbian america during book of mormon times. Please read the introduction post for an explanation. When one looks at the frequency and context of book of mormon anachronisms horses in the bom are often found coupled with either chariots or cattle, both of which are also anachronisms, its hard to imagine any other origin than it being the product of the minds of a 19th century authors. These include portraying a nephite civilization with a metal industry metal swords, breastplates, coinage in mesoamerica despite the fact that the area is known to not have possessed such industry at the time 15. This, in a nutshell, is the deuteroisaiah problem in the book of mormon. Book of mormon anachronisms indicate deception one of the deciding factors in establishing the authenticity of historical writings, is whether or not they contain anachronisms.
The book of mormon chronology accounts for 600 years from the time. Strengthening ones testimony in the face of criticism and doubt an anachronism is something that does not fit the time frame for which it is claimed. In this video were going to be talking about anachronisms in the book of mormon. The list of archeological and historical claims of the book of mormon compared to nonapologetic evidence. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Anachronisms in the book of mormon present a problem for the. It may teach of christ, but it doesnt mean jesus himself authorized it, or that he approves of it. The definition of anachronism is the representation of someone as existing or something as happening. Do anachronisms in the book of mormon cast doubt on its.
Smith said that he then returned the plates to moroni upon the publication of the book. Lds apologists attempt to rationalize away the many anachronisms in the book of mormon, but their efforts are uniformly unsatisfying. Roberts 18571933, a general authority of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, which examine the validity of the book of mormon as a translation of an ancient american source. Mormon challenges are anachronisms in the book of mormon. More recently thomas odey, in 1957, stated, every commentator on the book of mormon has pointed out the many cultural and historical anachronisms, such. Anachronism is used especially in works of imagination that rest on a historical basis.
Coins the term coins is never actually used in the book of mormon text. Animals are far from the only anachronisms in the book of mormon. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Posted in mormon dilemmas, tagged book of mormon anachronisms, book of mormon false gospel, greek in bc era, nephi false prophet on 03032015 leave a comment. However, a close examination of this book shows a long llist of problems, one of which is the presence of anachronisms. The anachronism of horses in the book of mormon as an. The book of mormon mentions horses a few times, even though were not in the americas before the spanish arrived, according to current expert opinion. The list of archaeological and historical claims of the. The sheer number of anachronisms is an insurmountable problem. In this piece i discuss my five main reasons for leaving mormonism. When a clear anachronism is found in any document claiming to be an original historical record, it immediately marks the document as false.
Historical errors in the book of mormon catholic apologetics. In his 1808 book the history of america, congregational clergyman jedidiah morse asserted that many of the large mounds in north america, especially the. A reason for faith was written to do just as the title implies, provide reasons for faith by offering faithful answers to sincere questions. Todd christofferson discussed these issues, and many more, related the historical study of joseph smith. We cannot exercise faith in that which is untrue, nor can doctrinal fiction have normative value in our lives. Excluding the bible and similar writing, can you prove to an atheist or to someone that is agnostic that god exists.
And thomas odea in 1957 stated that, every commentator on the book of mormon has pointed out the many cultural and historical anachronisms, such as the steel sword of laban in 600 b. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon, published in 1830, had been translated from golden plates that contained the accounts of the ancient inhabitants of the american continent. The book of mormon describes concentrated populations of millions of people, spreading across the entire face of the land. Cimiter swords continuing from the last two posts, another issue critics claim is out of place in the historical time framean anachronismis the use of the term cimiter. Are there references in the book of mormon to masonic symbols used in lds temple architecture. The book of mormon as history kindle edition by gardner, brant a download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The website wanted to include a debate on some topic related to mormonism, and asked me to submit a first statement. This is some heavy duty gaslighting and throwing the bom under the bus. That would be as true for the book of mormon as it is for any other text if the book of mormon claimed to be an ancient text, but it does not. In other words, the bom is full of anachronisms, any one of which would betray it as a 19th century work of fiction. This is the second in a series of posts wherein i explain reasons why i do not believe in the book of mormon. Conclusion there is only one explanation that best explains all of the book of mormon anachronisms. Why anachronisms in the book of mormon latterday saints.
Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other denominations of the latter day saint movement believe that it describes ancient historical events in the americas. It is claimed that a number of items or concepts in the book of mormon are not consistent with what is known about ancient american geography, history, or anthropology. It doesnt take long with a timeline to figure out that anything written after the destruction of jerusalem could not have been on the brass plates of laban, which nephi and his brothers seized before the destruction of jerusalem. An anachronism is defined as an event that appears out of time. According to the book of mormon, who is the keeper at heavens gate peter, christ, or joseph smith. Mormon apologists have proposed multiple theories to explain apparent inconsistencies with the archaeological, genetic, linguistic and other records.
A forum for exmormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church. Anachronisms are the surest evidence of the falsity of a fraudulent document that claims to be historical. On the other hand we have the complexity and intricacy of the text itself, the historical record of its production, and the testimonies of. It tells of the jaredites, people from the tower of babel who came to central america but perished because of their own immorality. In the book of mormon antichrist is used 76 years before the birth of christ. In his letter to a ces director, jeremy runnells asks why horses are mentioned in the book of mormon when, supposedly, no horses existed in precolumbian america. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Before the internet, historical and doctrinal questions not addressed in lds church curriculum were mostly found in the scholarly. Anachronisms in the book of mormon present a problem for the truthfulness of joseph smiths statements that a the gold plates existed and b they contained a historical account from the time period it claims. Has the number of book of mormon anachronisms decreased since. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted as scientifically verifiable by the mainstream academic community. There are a number of words and phrases in the book of mormon that are anachronistic their existence in the text of the book of mormon is at odds with known linguistic patterns or archaeological findings. Three big historical challenges to the book of mormon.
Another challenge to the likelihood of the historical reality of the book of mormon comes from the vastness of the populations presented. A nonhistorical view of the book of mormon mormon matters. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical andor the page edithistory. Just one is sufficient to cast doubt on the authen. In the opening chapters of the book of mormon, nephi laments that the prophet jeremiah has been cast into prison, 1 sometime before the 8th year of the reign of zedekiah. There are a variety of words and phrases in the book of mormon that are considered anachronistictheir existence in the text of the book of mormon is at odds with known linguistic patterns, archaeological findings, or known historical events. Criticisms related to animals mentioned in the book of mormon. Mormon church says it was an error in their come follow me manual that there was a curse of dark skin. Studies of the book of mormon is a collection of essays written at the beginning of the 20th century though not published until 1985 by b. Compass, coins, and other miscellaneous some of the supposed book of mormon anachronisms are difficult to categorize, so they are included here. The original version of this essay was written pursuant to an invitation from the website public square, which features online debates on a wide range of topics politics, society, philosophy, religion. Continue your search below with this informative exerpt from michael r.
Articles copied from draft namespace on wikipedia could be seen on the draft namespace of wikipedia and not main one. The book of mormon is clear that it was a literal curse on their skin. Book of mormon anachronisms same chart with live hyperlinks. Join me as i examine the historical claims of the book of mormon against what science has learned about life the precolumbian peoples lives in the western h. If the play julius caesar were purported to be a historical.
Book of mormon anachronisms archives talking to mormons. Serious errors in the book of mormon, by dean brown the tapir whisperer humor from due to inappropriate material found elsewhere on this site, we recommend using caution if browsing off this particular page the book of mormon and the lack of precolumbian wheels mormon. Jerald and sandra tanner have identified over 2,500 verses in the book of mormon copied from the new testament alone. The book of mormon went on sale at the bookstore of e. In one instance, the name jesus christ is used two millennium before he is ever born.
This chart is in response to the fallacious fair mormon chart. The historicity of the book of mormon record is crucial. Anachronisms claimed to exist in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is supposed to be the account of people who came from the middleeast to the americas. If the book of mormon isnt historical, to me its christian fan fiction. Anachronisms in the book of mormon religious studies center. Many have assumed that anachronisms in the book of mormon should similarly prove that it must be false, and it is a modern text only posing as an ancient one. The book of mormon principally describes gods dealings with two c.
Before the internet, historical and doctrinal questions not addressed in lds church curriculum were mostly found in the scholarly articles of academic journals. There are three possible ways to approach this puzzle, dealing with archaeology, ancient cultural practices, and difficulties in translation. An example would be a reference to an event that had not yet occurred, or mention of objects or. This site provides you with an overview of what the book of mormon claims from an archeological or historic viewpoint, and compares it to nonapologetic apologetic meaning speak to defend scientific and historical resources. Archaeological evidence of the book of mormon latterday. The book of mormon puts a number of historical artifacts and cultures in the wrong historical era. This article anachronisms in the book of mormon is from wikipedia. This video discusses what an anachronism is, what can cause them, examples from the bible and book of mormon and most importantly why they need not challenge someones faith. Each of the anachronisms is a word, phrase, artifact, or other concept that critics, historians. Anachronisms claimed to exist in the book of mormon summary. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading traditions of the fathers. Because book of mormon writers and joseph smith himself clearly.
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