In addition to the usual evidences here are some more I'm discovering:
1) Mormonism claims a unique belief in the atonement occurring in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the crucifixion being the final act of that atonement but not its most significant one. I'm reading "Misquoting Jesus", which has some pretty compelling arguments that the passage of scripture referring to Jesus sweating drops of blood and suffering agony in Gethsemane (as opposed to simply praying) is a later addition to the book inserted by scribes who were seeking to counter arguments from Christian sects that believed Jesus was not actually human but wholly divine and therefore only "seemed" to be human. These verses were inserted to make it clear Jesus was actually human, with blood and flesh and the ability to feel true agony. Huh. That throws our great insight into Jesus' atonement into a tailspin, doesn't it?
2) Joseph Smith taught that Elijah and Elias are two separate beings, with Elias coming first, Elijah coming second and both preparing the way for the Messiah. Throw in some crap about the spirit of Elijah and genealogy. However, it is widely accepted outside of Mormonism that Elias and Elijah are one and the same.
3) The Book of Mormon claims to be written by Hebrews, in a language that is a combination of Hebrew and Egyptian. But in the BoM God reveals to the prophets that the name of the Savior to come is "Christ", which is a Greek word, which would not be known to a Egyptian/Hebrew. The Hebrew word, and the appropriate one to use, would be "Messiah". But perhaps Joseph was not any more aware of that little detail as he was that horses/steel/etc were anachronisms.
Every time I dig deeper I find the pit for my Mormon beliefs just keeps growing!
Thanks for that link, RPackham! I've bookmarked it for my husband to read later.
It's so funny how TBMs will try to tell you to just ignore the evidence b/c it's anti-Mormon nonsense and you can "know" it's true by asking and receiving a spiritual witness. Your analogy about George Washington's journal is spot-on, though, and helps clearly show why wanting the BoM/church to be true does not erase the problems with it. However, you have to be willing to accept that it might NOT be true and you also have to be able to read and understand a few more academic concepts. My grandparents, for example, would never have believed the arguments against the church b/c they were uneducated and not very bright and it would have all been over their heads. Not to say that those who believe are uneducated or not smart, but some of this stuff does take a certain level of intelligence. Most important, though, is that willingness to accept the possibility it's all bogus and many are unwilling to venture anywhere near that territory.
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