Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Books Communism Evidence freedom government MIssionary work politics Scholarship Scripture Social Issues Society War

Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon, Part 4: Modern Scholarship and First-hand Sources on the Workings of Secret Combinations

  “And it [the Book of Mormon] shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of…

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Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Evidence freedom government Scholarship Scripture Secret Combinations Society War

Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon, Part 3: Circumstantial Evidence of Further Secret Combinations

  In Part 1, we considered the question of why secret combinations, one of the most prolific themes in the Book of Mormon, are so rarely discussed. In Part 2,…

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Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Books Evidence government politics Scholarship Secret Combinations Social Issues Society War

Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon, Part 2: Identified Secret Combinations

In Part 1 of this series (available at Meridian Magazine and in my recent post here), we considered why secret combinations, one of the most pervasive themes in the Book…

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Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Books Communism Evidence government politics Scholarship Secret Combinations Social Issues Society War

A Practical Guide to Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon, Part 1: Conspiracy Theories vs. Corruption Reality and Our Unjustified Reluctance to Apply the Book of Mormon

This post provides Part 1 of a four-part series for Meridian Magazine (https://latterdaysaintmag.com/) on secret combinations in the Book of Mormon. The series is based on a recent post here at…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Early Modern English Evidence language Scholarship Translation

Possible Benefits of the Broad Early Modern English Elements in the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon as dictated by Joseph Smith contains a wide spectrum of Early Modern English (EModE) elements that distinguish it from the language of the King James Bible…

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Posted in Antiquity Apologetics Arabian Peninsula Book of Mormon Book of Moses chiasmus Critics Evidence Hebrew language literature MIssionary work Origins poetry Problems Scholarship Witnesses wordplays

Speaking at the Independence, Missouri Stake Center on Thursday Afternoon, the Fourth of July

On Thursday, the Fourth of July, I’ll be attending a luncheon at the Independence, Missouri Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered by the Hill…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Antiquity Arabia Arabian Peninsula Book of Mormon Evidence Faith Problems Scholarship

Further Thoughts on Nephi’s Three-Day Journey: Going the Distance with Google Earth

My recent post on Nephi’s three-day journey, the leg of Lehi’s Trail that reaches the River Laman in the Valley of Lemuel, discussed the significance of Exodus themes in Nephi’s…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Mormon Book of Moses Evidence Scholarship Scripture Videos

An Overlooked Example of the Book of Mormon’s Surprising Use of Book of Moses Material

While Noel Reynolds and I felt like we had pretty well mined all the relevant connections between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon when we published our list of nearly 100 connections, there’s an important one that we missed. Missing the connection may have been easy to do since the related Book of Mormon verse uses different wording that succinctly summarizes a longer Book of Moses passage, and at first glance appears to just be referring to a familiar story from Genesis. This connection involves Satan’s influencing Cain to slay Abel in Helaman 6:27 and Moses 5:25.

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Lehi-and-Sariah
Posted in Arabian Peninsula Book of Mormon Books Evidence Media Scholarship

A Key Book to Understand Nahom and Bountiful is Now Free Online: Warren Aston’s Lehi and Sariah in Arabia

A thorough and valuable book on Lehi’s Trail and the Arabian Peninsula evidence for the Book of Mormon is now available free online, thanks to the generosity of the author,…

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arise from the dust
Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Book of Mormon covenants dust Evidence Jesus Christ Origins Scholarship Videos Witnesses

A Tough Question: What’s the Single Most Impressive Evidence for the Book of Mormon?

A critic recently asked me a tough question: what’s the single most impressive piece of evidence for the Book of Mormon? I think he wasn’t looking for evidence that might change open his mind, but perhaps was looking to simplify his goal of attacking the Book of Mormon. But for those who really want to understand more, what evidence is most important and impressive? Here I offer a few thoughts and several possibilities for the “one best” issue to consider.

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