glassejaculate

Has anyone checked out Jeff Lindsay's articles concerning archaeological evidence for the BoM, particularly this piece: <a href="http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/smithsonian.shtml?" target="_blank">http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/smithsonian.shtml?</a> I'm not a historian or familiar with archaeology at all, so I have no way of evaluating this, and it seems well-researched. By the way, I'm an atheist, *not* an LDS follower here to win converts.

butswana

It's all bullshit. Joseph Smith was a con man. There was no great Lamanite civilization in North America 2000 years ago.

Boro Nut

Oh yeah? Where do modern lamanite kitchens come from then?

Boro Nut

Kosh

Perhaps the worse part is that it's the fastest
growing religion right now! Did I hear that it
would soon be in the majority? Don't remember
for sure.

Maybe our answer to the typical apologetics
(early Christians wouldn't have believed) should
simply be to point to the Mormons....

On second thought, their welfare system does work
better than the US Govs....

David Bowden

I've done this, and to great effect. It's applicable in so many ways; for instance, both Mormonism and evangelical Xtianity incorporate that "inner witness" to the alleged "truth" of their religion. Since these religions' "truths" are mutually exclusive, it quickly devalues the appeal to personal experience when you point out the parallel. If nothing else, it scores debate points, and knocks them back a bit.

-Wanderer

Vorkosigan

From Tibet. Where else do you find lamas?

Michael

glassejaculate

Hey, can I get a real reply here? I understand you all think Mormonism is a joke, and I'm inclined to agree, but this Lindsay guy has some evidence. Fuck.

Toto

It would help if you outlined what you thought his evidence was, and what it showed.

I did a Google search and found this interesting link, which seems to relate to Lindsay:

<a href="http://www.lds-mormon.com/smithson.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.lds-mormon.com/smithson.shtml</a>

The site appears to be a dissident Mormon site, in spite of the name. It has a page on <a href="http://www.lds-mormon.com/mormon_apologetics.shtml" target="_blank">Mormon apologetics</a>, which appear to be about like other apologetics.

Heleilu

If I recall the Book of Mormon correctly:

1. American Indians are the descendants of the Lamanites.
2. The Lamanites ultimately came from Israel in biblical times.
3. Therefore, the Lamanites' ancestors spoke Hebrew.
4. Therefore, their descendants, the modern-day American Indians, should speak languages descended from Hebrew.
5. Modern-day American Indians speak a bewildering variety of languages, none of which are in the least Semitic.
6. Therefore, the American Indians are not the descendants of the Lamanites, if indeed they ever existed.
7. Therefore, the book of Mormon is false.

I think that's pretty good counter-evidence.

David Bowden

Ah, but maybe these "Lamanites" were fated to repeat the Tower of Babel incident in the Americas...

(Takes off "desperate apologist grasping at straws" costume...)

-Wanderer