by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 5, 2019 |
At its most basic definition, "parallelomania refers to a phenomenon (mania) where authors perceive apparent similarities and construct parallels and analogies allegedly without historical basis." In literary criticism, including biblical criticism, parallelomania has been described as "that extravagance among scholars which first overdoes the supposed similarity in passages and then proceeds to describe source and derivation as if implying literary connection flowing in an inevitable or predetermined direction."...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 5, 2019 |
The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon (AEBOM) appeals to the geographical footnotes added by Orson Pratt in the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon as evidence for the Heartland model. Similarly, the editors of the AEBOM repeat the claim that Zarahemla is known by revelation to be on the Iowa side of the Mississippi river opposite of Nauvoo, Illinois....
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 4, 2019 |
On April 8, 1844 during a Church conference the Prophet Joseph Smith announced a revelation that all America was Zion. The Manuscript History of Joseph Smith records the following......
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 3, 2019 |
Latter-day Saints who accept the historicity of the Book of Mormon have long sought external archaeological verification for ancient Nephites and Lamanites....
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | May 21, 2019 |
When we were young, my wife Kathleen and I were — and still are — different in so many ways. I grew up in a large family of sometimes very noisy siblings; she grew up in a quiet home with one brother. I love camping; she got more than her fill of camping as a small...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Apr 15, 2019 |
While working on a recent project, I asked Rodrigue Kabuya Kabamba, a member of the Church in Kinshasa, DR Congo, to help me on some graphic designs. This isn’t the first time he has bailed me and others out — his work has been an important part of several other...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Jan 1, 2019 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[1] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Dec 18, 2018 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[1] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Dec 10, 2018 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[1] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Dec 3, 2018 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[i] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 5, 2019 |
It would be no exaggeration to say that Zelph—or, more properly, the incident involving the recovery and identification of his remains—is an important tentpole in arguments attempting to situate the Book of Mormon in the "heartland." ...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 5, 2019 |
In addition to restricting the location of the Book of Mormon's "choice land" to the United States, the Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon attempts to erase or diminish the Lamanite identity of indigenous American populations outside of the "heartland."...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 4, 2019 |
The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormonquotes nineteenth century Latter-day Saint sources speaking of “this land,” “this country,” or “this continent” of America being the location of Book of Mormon events. The obvious aim of this endeavor is to create the impression that these statements can only be referring to the “heartland” of the United States, and not possibly Central or South America. ...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Jun 3, 2019 |
Review of David R. Hocking and Rodney L. Meldrum, eds., Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah: Digital Legend Publishing, 2018). 583 pp. $69.95 (hardcover).
...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | May 9, 2019 |
In this segment, we trace the unusual courtship of Athanase Ngandu and Jocy Katukumbani and the extraordinary conversion story of Athanase’s parents Souzane BIDILUFIKA and Paul KASONGA — both stories culminating in temple sealings. A Tale of Two Sealings (English,...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Feb 12, 2019 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[1] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Dec 24, 2018 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[1] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Dec 15, 2018 |
Eric Huntsman, Becoming the Beloved Disciple: Coming Unto Christ through the Gospel of John (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2018). $19.99 print. Professor Eric Huntsman of Brigham Young University has released a new book exploring how the characters in the...
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by Stephen O. Smoot | Dec 4, 2018 |
Review of Thomas A. Wayment, trans., The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints: A Study Bible (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2018). $29.99 print. $17.00 digital. 491 pp. In a sermon delivered in Salt Lake City, Utah on...
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by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw | Nov 19, 2018 |
In a presentation at the 2018 FairMormon Conference,[i] I shared stories of some of the faithful Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In this series of presentations, I would like to speak from a more personal perspective, reflecting on the...
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