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View Poll Results: What is your opinion of FARMS? | |||
Den of liars and cheats | 3 | 15.00% | |
Perfect acronym; I think of a funny farm | 2 | 10.00% | |
High powered academics doing ground breaking work | 1 | 5.00% | |
Honest advocates | 9 | 45.00% | |
Option 1 & 2 | 5 | 25.00% | |
Option 3 & 4 | 0 | 0% | |
Voters: 20. You may not vote on this poll |
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07-22-2007, 09:11 PM | #51 |
Senior Member
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Location: Happy Valley, PA
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In the sense it's dressed up as scholarship, yes. Just my opinion, but an opinion I consider to be informed. Like any who write apology, FARMS' research is hobbled by the belief that the BoM is "true." It's like a math problem, where they know the right answer and are now trying to "show their work" justifying their response.
I don't condemn individual contributors, since they're all over the place. I personally find Sorenson's work to be nearly ridiculous, but Peterson (who I have met numerous times) is a very good Islamic scholar (not the ancient world, either, I might note). Welch, who I used to know quite well, seemed disenchanted with some of the Foundation's choices of projects, and, IMO, when the program began accepting funding from the BYU it lost whatever possibility it had for acceptance as legitimate scholarship. Regardless of the quality of the work, the association with the BY robs it of any semblance of independent voice.
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07-22-2007, 09:13 PM | #52 |
Charon
Join Date: Jan 2006
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I can't. I haven't read Brodie's book yet.
You didn't answer my question.
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07-22-2007, 09:15 PM | #53 | |
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Quote:
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07-22-2007, 09:22 PM | #54 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 10,665
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That's precisely what I'm doing. I'm aware of none, and am quite convinced there are none, so given the impossbility of proving a negative I am asking the rhetorical question and asking others such as yourselves to prove me wrong. My conclusion that this work has not been undertaken because it has not been thought worthwhile to undertake is a reasoable inference to be drawn from the evidence. Why don't universities study intelligent design? Is it circular to say none do because it's on its face not science?
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster Last edited by SeattleUte; 07-22-2007 at 09:43 PM. |
07-22-2007, 09:23 PM | #55 | |
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Quote:
It's not about advancement or rank (for me, at least), but about people pulling the BoM into the academic ring. IMO, despite the most ardent efforts of FARMS, the BoM would be hard-pressed to withstand attacks from secular, scholarly literary, historical, and archaeological critics. Sure, FARMS finds some interesting tidbits to discuss, but I think the scholarly evidence is overwhelmingly against the BoM being written in the Americas between 600 BC and AD 400. I'm not saying it's true or untrue - that's a matter of faith and personal opinion - but FARMS' publications on the BoM are picking a fight they can't win. Again, if they want to do it, then they should be able to. But it's disingenuous to their LDS readers who are interested in the ancient world.
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I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free. - Epitaph of Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) |
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07-22-2007, 09:24 PM | #56 | |
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Quote:
But you have, and you and I both know he didn't purport to address whether the Book of Mormon is an ancient record.
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster |
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07-22-2007, 09:38 PM | #57 | |
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Location: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster |
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07-22-2007, 09:43 PM | #58 | |
Assistant to the Regional Manager
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Quote:
Truth, to quote a tired axiom, is in the eye of the beholder. Without apologetics, one would not have Augustine, Aquinas, Spinoza, Ghazali, Avicenna, Averro and many others. Truth is important, I submit, even to the apologist, it's just a different flavor, not always the pure empirical flavor, you inted to cherish.
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07-22-2007, 09:44 PM | #59 | ||
Senior Member
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Quote:
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I give you Thomas Finley, an expert in Northwest Semitic languages, specifically Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian; he wrote a chapter in the book, The New Mormon Challenge, arguing that the Book of Mormon cannot be a Near Eastern work. I suppose you will disqualify him because he also wrote articles on the Bible, and is thus not credible? Any number of articles on the Book of Mormon and DNA should be sufficient for you, too. Start with Ellen Levy-Coffman, "A Mosaic of People: The Jewish Story and a Reassessment of the DNA Evidence," Journal of Genetic Genealogy, 2005, 1:12-33. Finally, Coe, Michael D (Summer 1973). "Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Let me know what the next version of the question is. Maybe I'll still feel like playing your games.
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07-22-2007, 09:44 PM | #60 |
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Location: Seattle, WA
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Absolutely, it's utter garbage and harmful. See my prior post on this.
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster |
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