Hi, this is a great link I had to share it.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1_l1xQdDguBM0tpT29MemVtd2s/edit

That is a great link!!! I wish I could share this with my TBM family and have them get out of TSCC.

Nice! Thanks!

Now THAT'S entertainment!

It also made me question something else: If Mesoamerica/North America was already peopled with millions, how do the Lamanites fit in? Were they off by themselves and amazingly never ran into the people who had populated the continent(s) for thousands of years? Or was it a coincidence? In other words, did they happen to be as uncouth as the already-there-for-thousands-of-years residents, or did they influence the nice civilized Mayans (or Aztecs, or Chumash, or Iroqouis, or Tuzigoots, or whoever) to become layabouts and/or heart-ripper-outers? Are were they all "filthy and loathsome" people before the Lehi/Nephites even set sail to the choice land preserved above all others...

There's enough insults to Native Americans for a lifetime or ten....

We who were painlessly liberated from the silly LDS cult by that exposure of the BoA fraud in the 1960's must be disappointed when we took time to click on a thread with not a scrap of Egypt lore anywhere in it.

All we got is a maundering rant by a Prof. Chinchilla:

"Dear Zachary,

I am not familiar with the Book of Mormon, except in a very superficial way. Therefore, I'm not able to evaluate its contents.

However, I always tell my students that the past can be explained in multiple ways, and that there is no point in trying to make compatible diverse explanations that derive from radically different modes of inquiry. 

Sincerely,

Oswaldo Chinchilla"

Post on point sunbeamnotloggedin! We want Book of the Dead Meat!

(though we did like backpack's description of the "heart-ripper-outers").

Subeam, this was a very interesting and worthwhile link. Thank you for posting it. I don't suppose very many TBM's will open up their minds enough to process what this contains, but wouldn't it be nice?

Thanks for sharing this!

I learned something new.
It was common to associate Native Americans with the Lost 10 tribes. Smith certainly gathered a lot of ideas and wrote a belief around it.
More plagiarism?

Sunbeam,

That is a great link. Of all the documents in the compilation of replies, this one is my forever favorite:

Virginia Garrard-Burnett- Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, PhD in History from Tulane University

"From an academic perspective, the Book of Mormon is an interesting historical artifact that is probably the best example ever of the vivid religious imagination of the American people, and especially of Joseph Smith.

All the best,

VGB"

Professor Michael Smith, bottom of page 4, paraphrasing: the BOM does not even register in any credible manner, so it's not worthy of being addressed in any way.

LOL !!!

Most of the writers agree there are no historical artifacts to support the BoM and suggested that the book seems to be a book that is accepted by readers on faith.

The reference was good because it shows how educated scholars who know about history and migrations more than I do view the BoM.

But wait are we not told in the temple that scriptures mixed with philosophy is off the devil? So I guess this article is off the devil!!! But you know what, I found it stimulating to read and ponder. A question came to mind and maybe someone will post an answer. Why did JS not explain, expond, etc on the historical claims in the BoM? Maybe he did and I am not aware of it. You would think with the insight he had he would have tried to explain to the members concepts from the BoM about the animals, the buildings of the cities, etc. found in the BoM.

There is a big disagreement between Virginia Garrard-Burnett (Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin) and the original F.A.R.M.S. manager who is still trying to prove that the BoM true and is still so full of himself. That would be Kirk Magleby, the predominant speaker in this video (don't waste your time watching it). 737 views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrG2CHCyQKk

I watched the presentation in August 2013 when it only had 425 views. (Now, that's barely 200 views in 2 years.) I was flabbergasted and embarrassed by the presentation. At the end it was a self-aggrandizing love-fest between Magleby and Jack Welsh; two guys connected at the hip, still trying to find the location of the BoM who think they are smarter than every one else.

Magleby testifies at the end that the BoM is true “from an ACADEMIC prospective, from a textural prospective, and from a spiritual prospective.” Good grief. Just say it enough and it becomes true? Right?

Sunbeam: Nevertheless, thanks for the link.

The Book of Abraham still is not correctly translated.

What would happen if all of those so called intelligent people judged their own religion the way they judge mormonism ?

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What would happen if all of those so called
> intelligent people judged their own religion the
> way they judge mormonism ?

That depends on how many empirically testable, real-world claims
their religion makes.

This is part one of Charles M. Larson's presentation at the Exmormon Conference. Parts 2, 3, and 4 are easily found.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_xVN3TrAGg

Larson is the author of "By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus," an analysis of the BOA. He was fired from a teaching position in Utah county for his authorship of this book.