Next time I talk to some missionaries, I'd like to ask them "How accurate is the translation of the Book of Mormon?" Followed up by "How would you know?" A little later I'd ask about "horses" in America.

Anyone care to predict how their answers might run?

The Book of Mormon is the most correct ever written and the missionaries will so testify!

If, and they won’t agree to concede, there were no horses in the America’s, then the word translated as horses was for domesticated deer. Easy-peasy for ghawd’s street soldiers.

I used to be a missionary, How I would have answered that question:

It's the most perfect book in the world.
How would I know? I read it and prayed about it.
Horses in America? Just because there's no archaeological evidence, doesn't mean they didn't exist. Maybe we just have not looked hard enough yet.

https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/hard-evidence-ancient-american-horses

Seems like there are a lot tougher questions for missionaries to answer, like, "How do you reconcile the fact that Joseph Smith had multiple marriages to his followers wives, with God's commandment in the 10 Commandments condemning that practice as adultery?"

Even better, you can ask them how the BoM was translated. If they answer "Urim and Thummim" then you can ask them how they know.

The idea is to get them to testify that they KNOW by the power of the Horny Ghost in the name of JC that the U&T was used to translate.

Then spring the rock in a hat on them, either by the church essay or Nelson's 7/93 Ensign article. Hammer away that the HG bore false witness to them, that they in turn testified falsely to you, and therefore prayer and the HG have zero reliability.

Then smile and send them on their way.

Just so you know, horses originated in North America about 4 million years ago. Most migrated out and the ones remaining were wiped out at the end of the pleistocene era, long before Nephi and company arrived.

Domesticated horses were introduced to North America with the Spanish conquest.

If you're going to argue facts with Mormons, make sure you do some research, but remember that facts don't mean anything to TBMs. If you're going to argue emotions, faith and fantasy, you will become very frustrated. Why bother?

You can’t argue with magical thinking. So I don’t even try.
But, planting a few seeds is always good.

Just tell them that you love the book of mormon. It makes a great ant trap as long as you smother the pages with peanut butter and borax.

Missionaries are too young (unless you mean the couple missionaries) to debate intelligently. Remember, we don't achieve maximum brain development until well into our 20's and these people are barely out of their teens. They have a testimony because their parents told them so. They also have very limited education and life experience.

They will go with the easiest answer which is that problems like you mentioned come up so God can test your faith. Next question. Same answer.

They may also still be using the "That's not the question you should be asking" retort. Bednar is fond of that tactic. God tells him what questions you can and cannot ask him. Heaven help the poor sod that asks a question he doesn't want to answer.

One question to ask is simple. Do you honestly believe American Indians came from Israelites?

I asked them last week what excited them about the celestial kingdom. Because sitting on thrones, and streets paved with gold sounds too clean and boring to me.

I prefer dirt and manure and chainsaws.....

They said you can be with family and progress.

I said you won't have time for family because you will be in meetings. They asked where I heard that. I said if you have to sit in meetings to qualify for the CK, surely more meetings will be your reward.

And I asked why we wouldn't be able to be with family in the lower kingdoms, or why my relatives in the CK can't come down from snob hill and visit me in the TK.

They said they'd research that.

As for progression, I said I'm currently learning to butcher cows.

They agreed that I was doing well, and offered to come help cut up beef, which I might have them do. I sure would have liked that on my mission.

Q: How do you know the Book of Mormon is true?
A: I prayed about it and received a spiritual witness.

Q: How is your experience different from someone who prayed about the Quran, or the Bhagavad Gita, or any other religious book and received a spiritual witness?

We'd tracted out a lady who said, "Sure, I do want to hear more about your church! Come back tonight, when my husband is home."

Sweet! A small miracle! My greenie was beside himself with joyous fervor.

Upon our return, we were introduced to her husband and their pentecostal minister. Wheee! Within five minutes my greenie and the minister are scripture-chasing like mad! My greenie's limited Spanish gives him a severe handicap, but his trained bible helps him make up for it. He was doing okay!

I was allocated a rocking chair and so I was all relaxed, watching the fairly tame fireworks, and silently gathering myself for "Senior Companion Show Time!!", brought to you by modern revelation!!!

But about two minutes before I was going to stand up to bear my goshing great testimony, the pentecostal minister makes the leap! He stands up and he bears a perfectly crafted mormon-style testimony!

"I want you to young men to know that I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that ..."

Both our jaws dropped! He did a great job of it!

When he finished, I stood up, motioned to my greenie that we were going, and we politely took our leave.

On the walk home I defended my failure to offer a riposte to the pentecostal minister by citing the lack of originality; The guy had given a standard mormon testimony, with a pentecostal twist, so all I would have been doing was saying, "Oh yeah, well..."

Lame!

I was already out, mentally. Judging from things I've seen on the internet, that junior companion was not affected by what he witnessed that evening: he is still faithful to the max.

Hi Elders, do you really, honestly believe American Indians are really Israelites?