Difference between revisions of "Source:Echoes:Ch2:3:Vulcanology in BoM"

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==Detailed and accurate information on volcanoes and earthquakes in the Book of Mormon==
 
==Detailed and accurate information on volcanoes and earthquakes in the Book of Mormon==
 
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In fact, the youthful Joseph does not appear to have been an avid reader at all. His mother recalls that "he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children," and there seems no reason to doubt her word.20 Very few volumes sat on the shelves of the local library, and the Smiths do not appear to have had access to that library in any case.21 Yet the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith somehow produced contains a great deal of information that is unlikely to have emerged out of his own experience.
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The modern scientific disciplines of seismology and vulcanology also have something to contribute to this matter: Joseph Smith lived in an area that was, geologically speaking, very quiet. He never saw a volcano, never experienced an earthquake of any notable magnitude (if, indeed, he ever felt one at all). Yet the Book of Mormon's portrayal of the great New World catastrophes that marked the crucifixion of Christ is remarkably realistic, down to the aftershocks, the choking vapors, and the lightning storms that arise when volcanic particles churn at high velocities in the cloud above an eruption. It seems very likely that 3 Nephi was written either by someone who was an eyewitness to a major volcanic and seismic event (which Joseph never was) or, alternatively, by someone who had read accounts of the Nephite destruction. A third possibility is that someone employed similar accounts from other sources in order to formulate a fictional though deceptively realistic tale. However, it seems extremely unlikely that Joseph Smith had done any vulcanological or seismological research.23<ref>{{Book:Parry Peterson Welch:Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon|pages=[http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1082&index=3 Chapter 2], {{sofr}}|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=Not Joseph's, and Not Modern}}</ref>{{Read more|url=http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1082&index=3}}</blockquote></onlyinclude>
 
 
For example, Joseph Smith never fought in a war. His military experience, such as it was, was limited almost entirely to the parades and drills of the Nauvoo Legion, with all the patriotic panoply of fife and drum that an early-nineteenth-century-American frontier militia could muster. However, in the Book of Mormon's portrayal of the Gadianton robbers we find a detailed, realistic depiction of a prolonged guerrilla struggle—lacking any trace of romanticism, uniforms, glamour, or parades, but matching up remarkably well with the actual conduct of such unconventional conflict. Yet this portrayal was published well over a century before the great guerrilla warfare theorists of the twentieth century (such as Mao Tse Tung, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and Vo Nguyen Giap) put their pens to paper.22<ref>{{Book:Parry Peterson Welch:Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon|pages=[http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1082&index=3 Chapter 2], {{sofr}}|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=Not Joseph's, and Not Modern}}</ref>{{Read more|url=http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1082&index=3}}</blockquote></onlyinclude>
 
  
 
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{{Endnotes sources}}

Revision as of 18:30, 2 September 2014

Detailed and accurate information on volcanoes and earthquakes in the Book of Mormon

Detailed and accurate information on volcanoes and earthquakes in the Book of Mormon

The modern scientific disciplines of seismology and vulcanology also have something to contribute to this matter: Joseph Smith lived in an area that was, geologically speaking, very quiet. He never saw a volcano, never experienced an earthquake of any notable magnitude (if, indeed, he ever felt one at all). Yet the Book of Mormon's portrayal of the great New World catastrophes that marked the crucifixion of Christ is remarkably realistic, down to the aftershocks, the choking vapors, and the lightning storms that arise when volcanic particles churn at high velocities in the cloud above an eruption. It seems very likely that 3 Nephi was written either by someone who was an eyewitness to a major volcanic and seismic event (which Joseph never was) or, alternatively, by someone who had read accounts of the Nephite destruction. A third possibility is that someone employed similar accounts from other sources in order to formulate a fictional though deceptively realistic tale. However, it seems extremely unlikely that Joseph Smith had done any vulcanological or seismological research.23[1]—(Click here to continue)

Notes

  1. Daniel C. Peterson, "Not Joseph's, and Not Modern," in Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, edited by Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and John W. Welch (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2002), Chapter 2, references silently removed—consult original for citations.