Posted in Book of Mormon Book of Moses language Scripture Witnesses

To Bear Testimony: Insights on a Popular Latter-day Saint Phrase and Its Connections to Modern Scripture and Early Modern English

Latter-day Saints often use the verb “bear” with “testimony” when expressing their religious conviction, as in “I’d like to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ lives and…

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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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Posted in Book of Mormon Media Movies Witnesses

Apple Itunes Features the Witnesses Movie Trailer on the Front Page of their Movie Trailer Site

I just heard that the trailer for the new Witnesses film about the Three Witnesses is being featured on the front page of Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers site. That’s pretty…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Media Movies Origins Witnesses

Witnesses, the Dramatic Movie About Some of the Book of Mormon Witnesses, Premiers on June 2

The powerful drama about the Three Witnesses of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon has now been captured in a movie, Witnesses, that is coming to some theaters…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Scripture Witnesses

A Surprising Non-LDS Witness of the Plates: Lucy Harris

We commonly think of Lucy Harris as a hostile critic who opposed the Church and the Book of Mormon and may have been the cause for the disappearance of the…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Problems Witnesses

A Hypotized Neighhor or Another Non-LDS Witness of the Gold Plates?

Recently I mentioned two unintentional non-LDS witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Michael B. Morse, the non-LDS man who saw Joseph’s translation process underway a number of times, and Josiah…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Translation Witnesses

“A Strange Piece of Work” Poorly Explained by a Non-LDS Witness of the Book of Mormon Translation

Critics of the Book of Mormon like to dismiss the detailed accounts of Book of Mormon witnesses by saying it’s simply impossible to know today what really went on back…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Critics Evidence Family Origins Problems Scholarship Witnesses

Joseph the Amusing Teller of Tall Tales: Lucy Mack Smith’s Puzzling Statement in Perspective

One of the pillars of disbelief for critics of the Book of Mormon is the notion that Joseph Smith was well known as an imaginative story teller. He was allegedly…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Origins Scholarship Translation Witnesses

What Did Joseph Know About the Structure of the Book of Mormon, and When Did He Know It?

The details of the translation process that gave us the Book of Mormon offer a variety of mysteries and challenges, but the greatest challenge is for theories based on Joseph…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence history Witnesses

No, the Strangite Witnesses Are Not Strong Parallels to the Book of Mormon Witnesses

In my last post, Lawyers, Inc. vs. Faith, some folks suggested that the import of the Book of Mormon witnesses is lessened by the imitative adventure of James Strang and…

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