“I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.”
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5 comments
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May 17, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Thaddeus
I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking.
I would likely be in the same boat as Carl if I didn’t know about the Book of Mormon. The book’s very existence is evidence of divinity because of its miraculous origins.
The historical record is consistent with the claim that an angel delivered the plates to Joseph Smith and that he translated them with the power of God. Atheists who claim that he wrote it himself rely on an a priori assumption that there is no God, rather than letting the evidence lead to a justifiable conclusion. Accepting the atheist hypothesis for the book’s origin requires a lot more fact-dumping or fact-reinterpreting than the LDS hypothesis.
I haven’t read much from Sagan, but I wonder if he ever looked at the Book of Mormon seriously enough to form an opinion.
May 20, 2009 at 10:19 am
kickyandfun
Hi Thaddeus,
To paraphrase Richard Dawkins, we are all atheists when it comes to 99% of gods, but some of us go one god further. You said that the historical record is consistent with Joseph’s claims of being visited by an angel and translating the gold plates with the power of God. His claims may be on record, as well as other people’s claims, but claims of supernatural events do not prove that supernatural events took place. Could you clarify/build on what you mean by that?
You also said that atheists rely on an a priori assumption that there is no god. The burden of proof is not on the nonbeliever. People who believe in god (any supernatural deity) are asserting a hypothesis. To quote Sagan again, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Joseph Smith may have been visited by an angel and he may have translated the BoM with the power of God. But it’s also possible that Joseph Smith wrote the BoM on his own. As far as I can tell, adding a supernatural element violates Occam’s Razor.
Regarding the challenges leveled by atheists, non-Mormons, and ex-Mormons, I am very interested in your perspective and your answers. For example, I wonder why God spoke to Joseph in King James English. Joseph spoke the English of 19th-century America, yet the BoM is written in the style of the most famous version of the Bible. Also, Joseph translated Egyptian papyri at a time when there were no Egyptologists to check his work. But now, people who can translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics say that his translation was completely wrong. I haven’t read an LDS response to this challenge, and I am (sincerely) interested in hearing it. Another challenge comes from DNA evidence that shows no link between Native Americans and ancient Hebrews. Rather, all DNA evidence suggests that Native Americans are descended from Asians. What is the response to this?
I apologize for the paragraph crammed with what might read as accusations. I don’t intend to come across that way, but I am genuinely interested in your responses to these objections/challenges, which I’ve come across quite frequently. I’ve gotten the ex-Mormon and non-Mormon perspectives on them, but I would very much like to hear yours.
Thanks for another great comment, Thaddeus! Much appreciated, as always.
katie
May 20, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Thaddeus
His claims may be on record, as well as other people’s claims, but claims of supernatural events do not prove that supernatural events took place. Could you clarify/build on what you mean by that?
What would qualify as sufficient evidence? Eyewitness testimony still seems to be accepted in a court of law…
Perhaps Joseph’s testimony alone would be easy to dismiss, but consider the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon: Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer all claimed to have seen plainly with their eyes an angel who showed them the gold plates, the urim and thummim, the sword of Laban, and the liahona.
Not only did they put their reputations on the line with their signed testimony in every Book of Mormon, they defended their angelic visitation throughout their lives, even after all three had left the Church. At this point they had every reason to renounce the Book of Mormon; there was no end to reporters and ministers prodding them to deride the whole thing as a hoax. But even with the animosity between them and the Prophet, they felt compelled to bear testimony of the truth of the book.
Eventually Oliver and Martin returned to membership, but David never did.
This is just one example of supporting evidence (among many; I didn’t mention the eight other witnesses to the Book of Mormon or the many heavenly messengers to Joseph and Sidney Rigdon) that would take some clever manipulation to explain away. I would recommend listening to Daniel C. Peterson on the topic.
The issues you bring up (King James English, Egyptian heiroglyphics, and DNA evidence) are important, and I’ve had my share of questions about them, too. Since I haven’t done the research, the best I could do is parrot what I’ve read, so I’ll just point you to my favorite sites.
You can find a great trove of pro-Mormon responses at jefflindsay.com
The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) has a conference every year discussing critical issues relating to Mormonism. Most of their presentations can be found on youtube.
FAIR also supports a wiki.
May 21, 2009 at 1:23 pm
kickyandfun
Hey Thaddeus — Thanks for the links. I’ve heard of FAIR but haven’t done much research on the foundation. I’ll check out the jefflindsay.com link now, though.
Much appreciated!
May 20, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Thaddeus
*The link under jefflindsay.com should be http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml