Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Book of Mormon is Objectively True

The Book of Mormon is Objectively True
I'm not completely sure that the title of this post is true, but I think it is. I'm leaning that way. Take out the word, "objective" and I'm certain. It is a very bold claim to make, but if you are reading this then it did its job by being provocative.

What follows is the case for the objective proof of the Book of Mormon. I don't go into much detail about the various evidence and arguments, but I mention the big ones and provide links for you to get more info.

Just like miracles, these proofs are not the faith or spiritual life that comes from a true relationship with God, but they do provide room for it to grow. It's kind of like those sticks that people place next to saplings to help them stay strong in the storm.

If you don't really know the background of the Book of Mormon, here are some preliminary links to help you know the believer's account:

Good summary
http://www.jefflindsay.com/BOMIntro.shtml#1

Long explanation
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1

The evidence:

1. Wordprint studies. These studies show that Joseph Smith and his contemporaries could not have written the Book of Mormon and the book was authored by more than one individual:
Introduction:
http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Wordprint_studies
More detailed analysis:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=41&chapid=189

2. The Witnesses: 11 witnesses claimed to have seen the gold plates and, some of them even saw the angel who gave the plates to Joseph:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=41&chapid=181

3. The Hebrew/near-east character of the Book of Mormon:
a. What is chiasmus? http://www.jefflindsay.com/chiasmus.shtml#intro

b. Hebrew style, names and structure.http://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml#hebraic

The next post will have more.

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