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Book of Abraham/Astronomy/Revolution Time/Further Reading
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Further reading
Further reading
FAIR Wiki
Mormonism and science
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- Mormonism and the determination of truth
- The Mormon view of the creation of the earth
- Latter-day Saint approaches to science
- Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
- Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
- The Book of Mormon and DNA evidence
- Latter-day Saint attitudes toward science
- Mormonism and science/Global or local flood
Mormonism and the determination of truth
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- Are Mormonism and science compatible?
- The "burning in the bosom" in Mormonism as a method of determining truth
Latter-day Saint approaches to science
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- Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
- The Book of Mormon and DNA evidence
- Mormonism and the reconciliation of the Flood of Noah with scripture and Church teachings
The Mormon view of the creation of the earth
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- Doctrine & Covenants 77:6 refers to "this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance"
- Death before the Fall
- Belief in a literal Adam and Eve
- Fall of Adam and Eve
- Mormonism and the reconciliation of the Flood of Noah with scripture and Church teachings
- The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
- Mormonism and the theory of evolution
Doctrine & Covenants 77:6 refers to "this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance"
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- Question: How do we reconcile the actual age of the earth to the "seven thousand years of its continuance" mentioned in D&C 77:6?
- Brigham Young (1871): "whether the Lord...made it in six days or in as many millions of years, is and will remain a matter of speculation in the minds of men unless he give revelation on the subject"
- John S. Lewis: "Considering that Doctrine and Covenants 77:6 refers to “…this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence,” what led Phelps to speak of Earth as 2,555 million years old?"
- Improvement Era 1909 regards an ancient earth as consistent with scripture
- John A. Widtsoe in Improvement Era 1909 on the age of the earth
- Charles W. Penrose in Improvement Era 1909 on the age of the earth
- James E. Talmage, a geologist, spoke of the earth forming from other bodies
- Question: Was Brigham Young a "young earth creationist"?
- Question: How do dinosaurs fit into God's plan?
Mormon perspectives on the concept of death on the entire earth before the Fall of Adam
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- Question: What does the Church teach on the subject of death before the Fall of Adam?
- Question: Was there no death on the entire earth before the Fall?
- Question: What was the state of things on the Earth prior to the placement of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?
- Question: What changes have been made to the Gospel Principles manual regarding the question of death on the earth before the Fall of Adam?
- Question: Is the concept of no death before the fall on the entire earth Church doctrine?
- Question: Did procreation exist before the Fall of Adam?
- Question: How does the Church explain the existence of human-like beings on the earth prior to Adam?
- First Presidency statement (1931): "Leave geology, biology, archaeology and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research"
Belief in a literal Adam and Eve
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Can Latter-day Saints have a non-literal view of the creation story, or have a somewhat more mythic view of the first five books of Moses given the Church's teaching of a historical Adam?
- Question: What is the Church's position on Adam and Eve?
- First Presidency statement (1931): "Leave geology, biology, archaeology and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research"
- Question: How does the Church explain the existence of human-like beings on the earth prior to Adam?
Fall of Adam and Eve
Summary: If it was God's plan for Eve to eat the fruit, then why did God forbid it? Why did God not simply create Adam and Eve as mortals?
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- Question: If God intended the Fall of Adam and Eve, why did he forbid the fruit? Why did he not simply create them as mortals?
- Question: If "the wages of sin is death" as described in Romans 6:23, and the fall of Adam and Eve was a transgression rather than a sin, then why did it introduce death into the world?
- Question: How did the transgression of Adam and Eve introduce sin into the world?
- Question: If the transgression of Adam and Eve was actually a blessing for them, then why did they feel guilty and afraid when God approached them in the Garden of Eden after they committed their transgression?
- Question: If the transgression of Adam and Eve resulted in physical and spiritual death, then why are we only subject to spiritual death for eternity if we do not repent?
Mormonism and the reconciliation of the Flood of Noah with scripture and Church teachings
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: How do Latter-day Saints reconcile scriptural accounts of the Flood of Noah with scientific evidence of continuous human habitation on the earth?
- John A. Widtsoe (1943): "The Old Testament records a flood that was just over fifteen cubits (sometimes assumed to be about twenty-six feet) deep and covered the entire landscape"
- Question: Why does the Church teach that the flood was a global event?
- Question: Are Church members required to believe in a global flood?
- Question: How could the Garden of Eden have been in Missouri if the Flood was local?
- Question: Doesn't the Bible say that the continents were divided immediately after the Flood?
- Question: How did ancient people of the Old and New Worlds view the "the world"?
- Question: How can one properly view events in Ether scientifically?
The Mormon view of "Creatio ex nihilo"
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- Question: How did the mainstream Christian view that God created the universe out of nothing originate?
- Question: What were the early Christian beliefs about the creation?
- Question: How was the doctrine of creation altered to "creatio ex nihilo"?
- Question: Does Colossians 1:16 teach that Jesus created all things out of nothing?
- Question: Does what Joseph Smith taught about the creation of spirits contradict the scriptures?
- LDS doctrine rejects Neo-Plantonic accretions, but this does not make them automatically false
- Mormons and creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing)
- "Smith would have held his own in debating with" Neo-Platonists, Gnostics, and early Christian theologians
- Augustine's views about matter are perhaps less coherent than Joseph Smith's
- Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation
- Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
Mormonism and the theory of evolution
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Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
Summary: The Book of Abraham makes several references to astronomy which draw criticism. These articles address specific issues related to Book of Abraham astronomical concepts.
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Book of Abraham/Astronomy/Revolution Time/Further Reading
Latter-day Saint attitudes toward science
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- Joseph Fielding Smith's statements that men would never walk on the moon
- Brigham Young's beliefs related to science and education
- Mormonism and education: Modern perspectives
- Utah statistical claims and charges
Joseph Fielding Smith's statements that men would never walk on the moon
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- Question: Did Joseph Fielding Smith state that man would never visit the moon?
- Question: Was Joseph Fielding Smith issuing a prophecy when he said that men would never walk on the moon?
- Question: Did Joseph Fielding Smith acknowledge that he was wrong when he said that Man would never walk on the Moon?
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- Question: Did Brigham Young actually teach that the sun and the moon were inhabited?
- Question: Did Brigham Young claim that too much education was damaging to children?
Mormonism and education: Modern perspectives
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Does increasing education among Mormons lead to decreased faith or religious practice?
- Question: Does the Church forbid the reading of "anti-Mormon" criticisms, or discourage its members from considering such matters?
Utah statistical claims and charges
Summary: This page indexes attacks and criticism of the Church based upon statistical analysis.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Why does Utah lead the United States in subscriptions to online adult entertainment?
- Question: Is the fact that Salt Lake City has many plastic surgeons indicative of Mormon vanity and concern with appearance?
- Question: Is it true that Utah has the highest personal bankruptcy rate in the United States?
- Question: Is the suicide rate in Utah higher than the national average?
- Question: Is the rate of antidepressant use in Utah much higher among Mormons than the general population?
- Question: In Utah, are more people leaving the Church than are joining the Church?
Mormonism and science/Nature of Flood
Book of Abraham
Summary: Latter-day Saints consider the Book of Abraham to be sacred text.
Video published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Origin of the Book of Abraham
- The Joseph Smith Papyri
- The Kirtland Egyptian Papers
- Book of Abraham plagiarism accusations
- Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
- Doctrinal issues related to the Book of Abraham
- Evidences that support the Book of Abraham
- Alleged anachronisms in the Book of Abraham
- Listing of Publications on Controversies Surrounding the Book of Abraham from Official, Semi-Official, and Extra-Official Venues
The Book of Abraham. An inspired translation of the writings of Abraham. Joseph Smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some Egyptian papyri. The translation was published serially in the Times and Seasons beginning March 1, 1842, at Nauvoo, Illinois.
—Introduction, Pearl of Great Price (2013 edition). off-site
Origin of the Book of Abraham
Jump to Subtopic:
- The method by which Joseph Smith produced the Book of Abraham
- The Book of Abraham written by Abraham's "own hand upon papyrus"
- Timeline of events related to the Book of Abraham and Kirtland Egyptian Papers
- Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri?
The Joseph Smith Papyri
Summary: Joseph Smith had in his possession three or four long scrolls, plus a hypocephalus (Facsimile 2). Of these original materials, only a handful of fragments were recovered at the Metropolitan Museum. The majority of the papyri remains lost, and has likely been destroyed. There are a number of criticisms related to the recovered fragments of the Joseph Smith papyri. These criticisms are addressed below. [1]
Video published by the Church History Department.
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- Online source documents
- The Joseph Smith Papyri: Source Quotes
- Identity and nature of the papyrus in the Church's possession
- When did the Church disclose that the Joseph Smith Papyri were an Egyptian funerary text?
- Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri?
- The facsimiles in the Book of Abraham
- Preservation of the Ancient Core of the Book of Abraham
The Kirtland Egyptian Papers
Summary: Among the early Book-of-Abraham-related-manuscripts that have survived from the days of Joseph Smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" (KEP). These pages were written while the Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio, and were recorded in the general time frame that Joseph was translating the Book of Abraham. They are in the same handwriting of several of Joseph's scribes.
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Book of Abraham plagiarism accusations
Summary: It is claimed that contemporary sources were used by Joseph Smith as sources for the Book of Abraham.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Evaluating Plagiarism Accusations of Scripture
- Did Joseph Smith plagiarize Thomas Dick's book The Philosophy of a Future State?
- Did Joseph Smith plagiarize a patriarchal blessing compiled by Oliver Cowdery?
- Did Joseph Smith plagiarize Genesis?
- Was Joseph Smith influenced by Thomas Taylor's translation of The Six Books of Proclus on the Theology of Plato?
Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
Summary: The Book of Abraham makes several references to astronomy which draw criticism. These articles address specific issues related to Book of Abraham astronomical concepts.
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Evidences that support the Book of Abraham
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Alleged anachronisms in the Book of Abraham
Summary: Critics claim that a number of anachronisms present themselves in the text. These articles address such claims.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Why would the Book of Abraham contain anachronisms?
- Question: Is the mention of "Ur of the Chaldees" in the Book of Abraham an anachronism?
- Paul Hoskisson (1991): "I will suggest an alternate location for the Ur of the Chaldees in the story of Abraham"
- John Gee: "If Oylum Hoyuk is Olishem, the Ur of the Chaldees should be one of the dozens of Middle Bronze II sites in the Kilis plain"
- Stephen O. Smoot (2017): "The added geographical (Olishem/Ulišum) and cultural details (an Egyptian presence at Abraham’s homeland) in the Book of Abraham make a northern location for Ur essentially inescapable."
- Question: Are the scenes contained in the facsimiles anachronistic to the time of Abraham?
- Question: Is the name "Pharaoh" anachronistic to the time of Abraham?
- Question: Is the mention of Egyptus anachronistic to the time Abraham?
- Question: Why does the age when Abraham left Haran in the Book of Abraham differ from the Bible
- Question: What is the Documentary Hypothesis and what do critics of Mormonism claim about it as it regards restoration scripture?
- Question: Is the mention of "Potiphar's Hill" an anachronism for the Book of Abraham?
- Question: Are chariots an anachronism for the Book of Abraham?
Listing of Publications on Controversies Surrounding the Book of Abraham from Official, Semi-Official, and Extra-Official Venues
Summary: The claim is sometimes made by critics that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has hidden critical information on The Book of Abraham. The following chronological database demonstrates conclusively that this is simply not the case. The various claims about the Book of Abraham have been widely acknowledged in official, semi-official, and outside sources from the late 19th through 21st centuries.
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- LDS-Authored Publications (1879-1968)
- LDS-Authored Publications (1969-1978)
- LDS-Authored Publications (1979-1983)
- LDS-Authored Publications (1984-1989)
- LDS-Authored Publications (1990-1997)
- LDS-Authored Publications (1998-2003)
- LDS-Authored Publications (2004-Present)
FAIR Wiki
| Mormonism and science FairMormon articles on-line |
- Scott Gordon, Education, Scholarship, and Mormonism
Video
| The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon, D. Jeffrey Meldrum and Trent D. Stephens, 2003 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
- Part 2: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
- Part 3: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
- Part 4: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
- Part 5: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
- Part 6: The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon
| The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions, Blake Ostler, 2005 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
- Part 2: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
- Part 3: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
- Part 4: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
- Part 5: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
- Part 6: The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
On-line articles
| Mormonism and science on-line articles |
- David H. Bailey, Papers by David H. Bailey on the subject of Mormonism and science. (PDF files are available at this site)
- Jeff Lindsay, Science and Mormon Teachings: "Mormons Answers" to Frequent Questions
- Science and Religion in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Print works
| Mormonism and science printed works |
- Henry Eyring, Reflections of a Scientist (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983), 1–.
- ↑ Criticisms regarding the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith papyri are raised in the following publications: “Universalism in Ohio,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate (Utica, New York) (12 September 1835): 291. off-site; Edward H. Ashment, The Use of Egyptian Magical Papyri to Authenticate the Book of Abraham: A Critical Review (Salt Lake City: Resource Communications, 1993), 1–.; Charles M. Larson, By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 1992), 1–.; Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Solving the Mystery of the Joseph Smith Papyri," Salt Lake City Messenger 82 (September 1992): 1–12.; Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Moody Press, 1979), Chapter 11.( Index of claims ); Watchman Fellowship, The Watchman Expositor (Page 3)