In an early book of scripture brought forth by joseph smith, the creation account consistently refers to the singular when speaking of god and creation. We have actual evidence that joseph smith was lying to mormons when he invented his new scripture the book of abraham. The bible and the book of mormon cannot both contain the fullness of the everlasting gospel as mormons claim, for they are contradictory. A good general source of boa apologetics found here. Among the early book of abraham relatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep. I wonder what loyd would say if the book of mormon did line up with secular truths. The word apologist is often seen by members who are just learning about the issues found on mormonthink.
Mormon and non mormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of abraham gospel topic essays. Joseph smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some egyptian papyri. Hauglid surprisingly cites michael rhodes, john gee, william j. What mormon apologetics are used to mitigate the fact that. As well, the book of abraham i feel is used a lot especially in the. The papyri which joseph smith said he translated the book of abraham from have been exposed to be nothing more than funeral texts from ancient egypt. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies byuorg. The problems encountered here are devastating to the credibility of mormonism. Smith who had claimed to have translated the book of mormon from golden plates that had been inscribed with reformed.
The above donut chart shows percentages of the book of abraham section of letter to a ces director that fairmormon is in agreement, disagreement, and neutral on if one assumes that fairmormons undisputed silence is acceptance of the facts, fairmormon agrees with 90. Jun 11, 2009 thanks especially to the internet, several latterday saint lds, mormon apologetics groups have made it their business to actively defend the historicity of the book of mormon and the book of abraham as well as uphold the integrity of early mormon leaders. The translation was published serially in the times and seasons beginning march 1, 1842, at nauvoo, illinois. Mormons apologists now argue the papyri are later transcriptions and copies of the ancient scrolls written by abraham. Like the claims of the old and new testaments, the mormon scriptures can be checked against the historical. There are many proofs that joseph smith was a false prophet, but mormons typically will not accept them.
Any of the awesome content or the solid opinions expressed, implied or included in mormon discussion incs awesome podcast lineup and production are solely those of mormon discussion inc. It was eventually canonized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints in 1880 as part of the pearl of great price, and 7 years later it continues to serve as a major. Critics point out that joseph smith also translated the book of abraham. Apr 08, 2017 historical background to the book of abraham. Home book of abraham critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9 posted on july 6, 2019 july 6, 2019 by rickb leave a comment critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9. This translation was done by the power of god through special means. Bad book of mormon apologetics lds church is true blog. This december, he and robin jensen, from the church history department, released the joseph smith papers volume dedicated to the book of abraham. Today we explore the book of abraham in radio free mormon style. Although not a part of the book of mormon, the book of abraham has a bearing on the translation of the book of mormon. Thousands of years ago, the prophet nephi learned that one purpose of the book of mormon was to establish the truth of the. You may also be interested in this pearl of great price resource. This is a clear attempt to say that it doesnt matter if the book of abraham is true or not, and insinuating that it might not be. In fact, the book of mormon even teaches there is only one god.
Three difficult questions for mormons catholic answers. Critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9. Credible sources would be nonmormon egyptologists free of confirmation. Rather, they are shaped by social developments such as the expansion of higher education or the advent of the internet. The foundation for ancient research and mormon studies functions as a research and publication center that focuses on scholarly analysis of the book of mormon, the book of abraham, the old testament, the new testament, early christian history, and ancient temples. May 20, 2017 why our church no longer plays bethel or hillsong music, pastor explains false teachings duration. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have created to deal with those. Facsimile 1 from the book of abraham apologetics press.
Chandler came to kirtland to exhibit some egyptian mummies. In addition, the lincoln hypothesis reveals documented evidence that abraham lincoln did, in fact, check out the book of mormon as he struggled with making some of the most critical decisions of his presidency. Smith likes lists with multiple explanatory options. Rather, we should raise the bar and hasten the work in mormon apologetics. These two books were connected by the man who said he was divinely gifted as a translator. The false translation of the book of abraham, therefore, casts serious doubt on the book of mormon as well, forever debilitating josephs claim he was a true, inspired prophet of god. Disproves lds claims that joseph smith received the book of abraham through revelation and proves that joseph smiths source for his translation was a pagan egyptian text, the book of breathings. His statement that the book of abraham is not like the book of mormon because there is no verse in it that says, if you pray about it you can find out if it is true or not is laughable. Mormonism teaches that god the father has a father god and that that father god also had a father god.
Aug 28, 2017 in october 1835, mormon prophet, joseph smith, claimed to have translated the book of abraham from an ancient egyptian papyrus containing hieroglyphics which he had previously purchased a few months prior. I found something which was refreshing to read from an lds member, dr. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. Egyptologists find no resemblance between the original text and smiths translation. Farms fair shields mormon apologetics farms and fair and shields apologize for the book of mormon and the book of abraham. An essay on the churchs website, titled translation and historicity of the book of abraham, explains. Thu the abrahamic covenant in the book of mormon fri the abrahamic covenant in the new testament and today also a publication worth reading. Once again, the book of mormon fails the test of truth. This section offers an overarching narrative of book of mormon historicity debates from 1830 to the present, meant to underscore that these debates do not occur in a vacuum. Smith once called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion smith, 1902, 4. Imo they would have been better of just talking about what is in the book of abraham text then engaging in poor apologetics and how it was translated. Second, the critics do not deal with the issues arising from the book of abraham that latterday saints care about. Book of mormon central have done various blog posts and videos that promoted what they saw as very impressive results of this study. Was the book of mormon a key factor in lincolns success and the healing of a nation.
Mormons hoped the rediscovery and retranslation would validate the book of abraham and josephs ability to translate the book of mormon. But those are really the hor scroll and the book of breathing scroll. A portion of the papyri used by joseph smith as the source of the book of abraham. Bill reel once again joins us and we proceed to lay out the following. See mormonthinks thorough overview of the book of abraham.
This progression of gods continues to go back forever thus they believe in an infinite amount of gods. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. Hauglids essay, i would like to note here that i appreciate mr. Mormonism and many gods youth apologetics training. There has been a fair bit written hereabouts about the missing scroll hypothesis. Such is the modern subtitle of the book of mormon, a book first published in 1830 but purporting to be a translation of an ancient scripture penned in the western hemisphere between 600 b. Matt roper and paul fields did a study on book of mormon wordprint patterns, ie computer statistical analysis of word pattern to determine authorship and other attributes of the book. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of mormonism. Critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9 gospel.
Index of articles on mormons, mormonism,the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, joseph smith, book of mormon, book of abraham, modern revelation, archeology, science, history, faith, christianity, judaism, apologetics, nature of god, council of gods, faith, dna and the book of mormon, cataclysm of 3rd nephi, signs in the sky. The bible is the new frontier in mormon apologetics. They are as busy as bees with this mission impossible task. An immediate response from many of them is that it is a word with negative connotationsthat people are apologizing for the church. The book of abraham missing scrolls, catalyst theories, and bad apologetics part 2. 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. According to joseph smiths introductory comments in the translation, abraham wrote the book himself, by his own hand, upon papyrus smith, 1842, 93. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient evidence. Unlike the book of mormon, fragments of the documents from which smith translated the book of abraham are available for inspection. None of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned abraham s name or any of the events recorded in the book of abraham. An inspired translation of the writings of abraham. Nibley s method was essentially a comparative approach, ransacking ancient literature far and wide for parallels to the book of mormon.
Robert ritners epic takedown of the lds churchs book of abraham essay. Find out about its teachings of men becoming gods, temples, the book of mormon, and joseph smith who claimed to have seen god the father. But, we have essentially, what joseph said was the entire book of abraham, the entire book of joseph. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based. What if the book of mormon was not full of anachronisms but instead laid out truths. What mormon apologetics are used to mitigate the fact that joseph smith referenced facsimile no. Fairmormon is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing welldocumented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have created to deal with those criticisms why those workarounds are dead ends evidences apologists share why those. In the last chapter, we saw some of the problems mormonism faces with the book of mormon and archaeology. Jul 06, 2019 home book of abraham critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9 posted on july 6, 2019 july 6, 2019 by rickb leave a comment critiquing book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9. An introduction to the book of abraham, by john gee. Contemporary book of mormon apologetics really began with two lengthy series of articles from 1950 to 1952 by nibley on the book of mormon, published in 1952 as the book lehi in the desert and the world of the jaredites. Thanks especially to the internet, several latterday saint lds, mormon apologetics groups have made it their business to actively defend the historicity of the book of mormon and the book of abraham as well as uphold the integrity of early mormon leaders.
The book of mormon fails every attempt to evaluate it objectively. Joseph smith later translated those plates into what is now known as the book of mormon. In the introduction of the book of mormon, smith states that it is the record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas, which also contains the fullness of the everlasting. Contemporary book of mormon apologetics really began with two lengthy series of articles from 1950 to 1952 by nibley on the book of mormon, published in. The amount of scholarship in mormon studies increased after world war ii. See my linebyline debunking of apologetics in the book of abraham section of debunking fairmormon. Nov 10, 2015 weak apologetics injure church doctrine. The book of abraham is part of the pearl of great price, which mormons consider scripture. What if the hill of cumorah was full of steel swords, chariots, coins and bones.
Of all the sacred texts of the mormon church, one of the most fascinating is the book of abraham, a fivechapter book that purportedly records the travels of abraham in egypt. Book of abraham learning about the book of abraham. He talks about lds apologetics how lds members defend the book of abraham. Yeah sure, just as soon as mormon apologetics admit that the book of abraham is a fraudyour getting close to doing sobut come on just come clean and admit it. Thousands of mormons left the church as the result of this discovery, while thousands more are completely unaware of this important piece of evidence. It also examines mormon apologetic claims that other scrolls were possible sources for the book of abraham. While their position within mormon studies is debated, mormon apologetics have a tradition dating back to parley p. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate joseph smith as a true prophet of god.
None of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned abrahams name or any of the events recorded in the book of abraham. Unlike controversial and less respected mormon apologists, mr. I think i have proof that mormonism is not true youtube. Nibley 19102005 taught at byu from 1946 until 1994 and produced an astonishing body of scholarship, mostly in defense of the book of mormon, the book of abraham, and lds theology. Christian heimburger and robin scott jensen discuss the process that gave us the book of abraham, giving. Hauglid has acknowledged that most of my concerns and questions presented in the book of abraham section of the ces letter are legitimate questions and concerns. Updated 122395 includes the smithsonian letter on the book of mormon. In 1835, joseph smith acquired a collection of papyrus fragments from a travelling egyptian show. The papyri which joseph smith said he translated the book of abraham from have been exposed to be nothing more than funeral texts from ancient egypt at least eight egyptologists and semitists have studied the papyri and. You may wish to ask your mormon acquaintance to consider the following authoritative statements by their earlier and present prophets. Dan vogel on book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9 gospel tangents. With the resurfacing of the same papyri he used to do his book of abraham translation and the fact that he did not in any way do it correctly should be proof enough that joseph smith lied about his abilities from god.
How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient. The book of abraham now you know mormon life hacker. What if the book of abraham was confirmed by egyptologists. Mormonism also makes a number of historical claims. Lds apologetics and the battle for mormon history 1. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham university of. See david persuitte, joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon, 2nd ed. Peterson as credible sources for supporting the authenticity of the book of abraham. In the second quote, he is referring to the book by his own hand upon papyrus by charles larson, which most mormons would consider an antimormon book. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of abraham. As with the book of mormon and other translation projects that joseph smith worked on, the book of abraham cannot be defended in any way as the result of provable or scientific information about abraham or the ancient world. An audio narration that briefly describes the history of the book of abraham and how it came to be in the pearl of great price.
Theyre mormon apologists whose life mission is to defend mormonism at all costs. Mormonism, also known as the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, claims to be the restoration of the true gospel and a revelation of the true god. Mormon scripture at brigham young university, was the churchs primary apologist for many years. Exformer mormon shows boyd k packers ice cold answer to legit q of book of mormon s lords prayer duration. The history of the book of abraham begins in july of 1835. In this chapter we will examine another book of the mormon scriptures called the book of abraham. The book of abraham issues translation problems mormonthink. Apologetics press facsimile 1 from the book of abraham. Sandy herter, conversation with bill mckeever, 1998. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have created to deal with those criticisms why those.
Critics say it is a work of fiction created by smith, while some mormon apologists defend its authenticity. Additionally, the book of mormon is in opposition to current mormon theology. Fairmormon faithful answers to criticisms of the lds church. He claimed to be able to translate these fragments, and the book of abraham is the result. He has been a prominent book of abraham apologists, publishing in farms and other byu outlets. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia. Lds apologist undermines the book of abraham mormon chronicle. Dec 23, 2015 the false translation of the book of abraham, therefore, casts serious doubt on the book of mormon as well, forever debilitating josephs claim he was a true, inspired prophet of god. The documentary history of the church a mormon record gives the perspective of joseph smith in the following statements. The book of abraham missing scrolls, catalyst theories, and bad apologetics part 1. Lds apologists argued that, because many of the egyptian experts had pointed out that the facsimiles were. Joseph smith claimed that an angel appeared to him and revealed the location of some golden plates on which was written the account of the ancient people of the americas. The concern we have with the lds apologists is that they do not look at the book of abraham issues objectively. Dan vogel on book of abraham apologetics part 9 of 9.
850 1159 129 1358 45 603 582 1066 388 776 710 595 609 821 41 838 749 1457 1303 123 496 1118 559 250 1204 1298 190 1247 429 423 1118 827 1487 701 887 58 1198 114 335 891 907 392 44 51