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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 6

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Part 6: Alma 26-Alma 38

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the Zoramite mission and Alma’s words to his sons.

39. Alma 26:27 and Alma 17:10-11 — “the Lord comforted us”

Ammon reflects on the early phase of their mission, saying

Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. (Alma 26:27)

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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 5

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Part 5: Alma 9 – Alma 25

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah and a flashback to the mission of the sons of Mosiah. As usual there are many examples within these chapters of subtle details that are referenced elsewhere and therefore demonstrate the careful detail that went into producing the text.

29. Alma 9:18, 10:22-23 and Alma 16:2-3 — the destruction of Ammonihah

Alma prophecies of the destruction of Ammonihah while preaching there, first in Alma 9:18

But behold, I say unto you that if ye persist in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord.

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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 4

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Part 4: Mosiah 25-Alma 8

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

In this part, we will be covering the rest of Mosiah and the first part of Alma and the beginning of the reign of the judges. As usual, there are multiple internal references that display the complexity of the Book of Mormon. Eleven examples will be discussed.

18. Mosiah 25:2 and Helaman 6:10 — “Mulek”

In Mosiah 25:2, we read

Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the people of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness.

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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 3

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Part Three: Mosiah 11-24

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

In this part, we continue with examples from the Book of Mosiah.

11. Mosiah 11:12 and Mosiah 19:5-6 — a “tower” overlooking “the land of Shemlon”

We learn from Mosiah 11:12

And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon

This tower is not mentioned again until Mosiah 19:5-6 [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 3

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 2

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Part Two: Mosiah 7-10

If you have not read Part 1 yet, find it here.

In Part 2, we will continue with the Book of Mosiah, which is arguably the most complex book in the entire Book of Mormon in terms of internal consistency.

We find various groups of people interacting in various ways over several generations, as well as several sudden shifts in perspective and even jumps in time between chapters. Many of these events are also referenced later in other books of the Book of Mormon.

We start out with several examples in Mosiah 7. This is an interesting chapter because it describes several details of a story that is later repeated. The second telling gives additional background and context.

5.     Mosiah 7:10 and Mosiah 21:19 — Detail about guards

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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text

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Part One: Introduction and examples of internal consistency

One fact regarding the Book of Mormon is beyond dispute — its text is in our possession.  Aside from that, perhaps every other aspect of the book is debated, including how we got the text.

The purpose of this series is to highlight one particular feature of the Book of Mormon– its internal consistency. Regardless of one’s beliefs about how the text came into existence, it is important to recognize the extent of internally consistent details, which range from geography to timeline to editorial promises.

Our attempt to create a comprehensive list of these details serves to illustrate that the text was carefully prepared rather than the product of some spontaneous process. In other words, the author had notes and time to carefully construct this complex, internally-consistent narrative. [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text

Book Review – The Voice of the People: Political Rhetoric in the Book of Mormon

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Available from the FairMormon Bookstore

The Voice of the People: Political Rhetoric in the Book of Mormon is the final volume in the Groundwork: Studies in Scripture and Theology series published by the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU. The book also represents the culmination of twenty years of study and thought by its author, David Charles Gore. Dr. Gore is an associate professor and department head in the Department of Communication at University of Minnesota Duluth. A good portion of his academic career has been spent in study and teaching about the history and theory of rhetoric. 

As he states in a blog post published on the Maxwell Institute blog, “[o]ne of the aims of The Voice of the People is to search for an implicit theory of rhetoric in the Book of Mormon.”[1] He aims to show how figures in the Book of Mormon engaged with their audiences and their ideas, and in what ways they were able to reach them. As he states, “Arguing with another person, making arguments rather than having an argument, appealing to their reason and emotion as well as to their historical situation, is a sign of great respect.”[2] [Read more…] about Book Review – The Voice of the People: Political Rhetoric in the Book of Mormon

Book Review – First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins

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book cover
Available in the FairMormon Bookstore

First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins by Steven C. Harper is the latest entry into the fascinating scholarship focused around what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refer to as Joseph Smith’s First Vision. However, as discussed by Harper in this latest volume, the First Vision wasn’t always styled as such. Nor did the young boy prophet’s theophany always occupy its present prominent place in the faith’s founding narrative.

Dr. Harper is not a newcomer to his subject and has published and presented on the First Vision before in a number of Latter-day Saint scholarly venues.[1] He is comfortable with the scholarship and historiography of his subject, and is able to present his research extremely clearly to his readers as a result. This volume: [Read more…] about Book Review – First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins

Book Review – Your Sister in the Gospel: The Life of Jane Manning James, A Nineteenth-Century Black Mormon

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Available in the FairMormon Bookstore

Quincy D. Newell’s new book Your Sister in the Gospel: The Life of Jane Manning James, A Nineteenth-Century Black Mormon is a unique and valuable addition to the fields of both Mormon Studies and nineteenth-century American History.

As Newell points out in her introduction, Jane Manning James’s story is “important because it troubles the waters” and “expands our understanding of nineteenth-century African American history beyond the standard narratives.”[1] That story is not as well-known as it should have been, and has been neglected by many scholars, perhaps, as Newell speculates, because Jane’s “membership in the LDS Church leads many scholars to see her as a dupe or a victim.”[2] Her narrative seems to move in a separate direction than many of the others. Instead of moving from “slavery to freedom”, Jane goes from being born free into a church that “treats her as a second-class citizen.”[3]

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Jim Bennett: Standing My Ground

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[Jim Bennett is the author of “A Faithful Reply to the CES Letter from a Former CES Employee“]

So it’s been a few days since Bill Reel published our twelve hours of recorded conversations we had for his Mormon Discussions podcast. And since then, I’ve been wading through the comments and finding that the consensus seems to be that in our Historic Podcast Battle for Church Trueness, Bill won handily, and I, and the Church, lost.

That assessment comes from the regular audience for Bill Reel’s podcast, which I’d be willing to bet includes far more disaffected or former church members than it does active Latter-day Saints. I expected their reaction to what I said to be interpreted through a far more skeptical lens than my own, and it doesn’t surprise me to see them giving the victory to “their guy” instead of me. Even so, I don’t think their interpretation is a fair or objective assessment of the discussion that took place.

I did not know Bill Reel prior to these podcasts, but a mutual friend thought it would be fun to see the two of us go “toe to toe” about the response I’d written to the CES Letter. My reply, perhaps naively, was that I was happy to speak to anyone about it, but I wasn’t interested in a debate so much as a discussion. Bill agreed to that, and we had the first of six early-morning recording sessions a few weeks ago. I thought the exchanges were respectful; I thought Bill gave me ample opportunity to represent my position, and I was overall pleased with the conversation as a whole.

Then they were published, and comments like the following started rolling in:

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