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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)

[Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 6

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.

[Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 5

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.

[Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 4

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

[Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 2

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

FairMormon Conference Podcast #58 – Elder Bruce C. and Sister Marie K. Hafen, “Faith is Not Blind”

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Podcast: Download (89.7MB)

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This podcast series features past FairMormon Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2019 conference. If you would like to watch the presentations from our 2019 conference, you can still purchase the video streaming. (Use coupon SPRING2020 and get the entire conference for $10!) We are also now selling tickets to the 2020 (Virtual) FairMormon Conference!

Elder Bruce C. and Sister Marie K. Hafen, Faith is Not Blind

Their book by the same name is available from the FairMormon Bookstore. This presentation will also be featured in a Facebook video stream this Sunday, May 24, at noon MDT.

Bruce Hafen grew up in St. George, Utah. After serving a mission to Germany, he met Marie Kartchner from Bountiful, Utah at BYU. They were married in 1964.

Elder Hafen received a bachelor’s degree from BYU and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah. After practicing law in Salt Lake City, he went to BYU as a member of the original faculty of BYU’s Law School. He taught family law and constitutional law.

He served as the President of BYU-Idaho from 1978 to 1985. Then he was Dean of the BYU Law School and later served as the Provost—the second in command—at BYU. He was called as a full-time General Authority in 1996, serving in area presidencies in Australia, North America, and Europe. He also served at Church headquarters as an adviser to the Priesthood Department, the general auxiliary presidencies, Church History, and the Temple Department. He became an Emeritus General Authority in 2010 then served as president of the St. George Temple. More recently he served as Chairman of the Utah LDS Corrections Committee, overseeing the Church branches in Utah’s state prisons and county jails. He is the author of several books on gospel topics, including the biography of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, and books on marriage, the temple, and the Atonement—including The Broken Heart and Covenant Hearts.

Marie K. Hafen is a homemaker and teacher. She has a Master’s Degree in English from BYU and has taught Shakespeare, freshman writing, and Book of Mormon at BYU-Idaho, the University of Utah, and BYU. She was also on the Young Women General Board, the Board of Directors of the Deseret News, and was matron of the St. George Temple. She has edited and co-authored books with her husband, including The Contrite Spirit and, most recently, Faith Is Not Blind.

The Hafens have seven children and 46 grandchildren.

Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses

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2020 Interpreter Foundation Conference

 

Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses

September 18-19, 2020
Brigham Young University, Tanner Building, Room 251
(If temporary COVID-19 restrictions preclude gathering on campus, we will hold the conference virtually. For late-breaking news, watch this website.)

Presented by
The Interpreter Foundation
Brigham Young University Department of Ancient Scripture
Book of Mormon Central
FairMormon

Because we believe that the Book of Moses includes authentic history, the possibility of evidence for that belief interests us as scholars. Although the primary intent of Joseph Smith’s translations is to meet the needs of modern readers, not to provide precise matches to texts from other times, we consider significant patterns of resemblance to ancient manuscripts that the Prophet could not have known and of unexpected conformance to conditions imposed by an archaic setting as potential indicators of antiquity that are best explained when the essential element of divine revelation is acknowledged. [Read more…] about Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses

FairMormon Conference Podcast #53 – Matthew Bowen, “Laman and Nephi as Key-Words: An Etymological, Narratological, and Rhetorical Approach to Understanding Lamanites and Nephites as Religious, Political, and Cultural Descriptors”

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Podcast: Download (119.2MB)

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This podcast series features past FairMormon Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2019 conference. If you would like to watch the presentations from our 2019 conference, you can still purchase the video streaming.

Matthew Bowen, Laman and Nephi as Key-Words: An Etymological, Narratological, and Rhetorical Approach to Understanding Lamanites and Nephites as Religious, Political, and Cultural Descriptors

Transcript available here.

Matthew L. Bowen is an assistant professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University–Hawaii where he has taught since 2012. He holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he also earned an M.A (Biblical Studies). He previously earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Classical Studies (Greek emphasis) from Brigham Young University (Provo) and subsequently pursued post-Baccalaureate studies in Semitic languages, Egyptian, and Latin there. In addition to having taught at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, he has previously taught at the Catholic University of America and at Brigham Young University. Bowen is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles on scripture- and temple-related topics as well as the recent book Name as Key-Word: Collected Essays on Onomastic Wordplay and the Temple in Mormon Scripture. Bowen grew up in Orem, Utah, and served a two-year mission in the California Roseville Mission. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Blattberg, are the parents of three children, Zachariah, Nathan, and Adele.

Audio Copyright © 2019 The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. Any reproduction or transcription of this material without prior express written permission is prohibited.

FairMormon Conference Podcast #50 – Matt Roper/Kirk Magleby, “Time Vindicates the Prophet”

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Podcast: Download (90.7MB)

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This podcast series features past FairMormon Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2019 conference. If you would like to watch the presentations from our 2019 conference, you can still purchase the video streaming.

Matt Roper/Kirk Magleby, Time Vindicates the Prophet

Transcript available here.

Matthew P. Roper (M.S. in Sociology, Brigham Young University) was a resident scholar and research assistant for the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Studies at Brigham Young University. He is now a Research Associate at Book of Mormon Central.

Kirk Alder Magleby is the Executive Director of Book of Mormon Central.

Audio Copyright © 2019 The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. Any reproduction or transcription of this material without prior express written permission is prohibited.