Oh. Should have added one more minor thing. "BoMor" is a contraction preferred by Brent Metcalfe, who edited the book in which this paper appeared, and who likewise does not believe in the historicity of the Book of Mormon -- Metcalfe was exxed I think sometime after the infamous September Six. No big deal, just a stylism that shows which "school" he belongs to. JWR might call it a "Signaturi tatoo" ;-)
"Marc A. Schindler" wrote: > Perhaps this might help. Richley Crapo is an LDS anthropologist at Utah State > (Logan). This is forwarded from Scripture-L with his permission: > > My initial reference is from information provided to me by Lou Midgley at BYU, and > I also have his permission to quote him on Murphy's lack of professional > credentials, relatively speaking (he's the head of anthropology at a small NW > Washington state community college where the only other anthropology instructor is > a part-timer). > > >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 30/11/02 13:19 PM >>> > Perhaps we have a clue as to why a 35-year-old instructor at a community > college has thusfar failed to achieve his PhD., despite having submitted > several theses on various topics. I'll ask you the same thing I asked > Brant, Richley: do you mind if I forward this to a couple of apologetics > lists I'm on? > > Richley Crapo wrote: > > > Brant, > > > > As an anthropologist and Book of Mormon scholar, can you comment on: > > > > http://mormonscripturestudies.com/bomor/twm/lamgen.asp > > ------- > > [Richley] > > I'm not a BoM scholar, but I am an anthropologist. My assessment is > > that the essay does an excellent job as a piece of anthropological > > writing until he reaches the last three paragraphs, when the author > > misconstrues what constitutes a "scientific perspective": > > > > "¶42 From a scientific perspective, the BoMor's origin is best > > situated in early 19th century America, not ancient America. > > ----- > > [Richley] > > So far, so good. > > ----- > > There were no Lamanites prior to c. 1828 and dark skin is not a > > physical trait of God's malediction. Native Americans do not need to > > accept Christianity or the BoMor to know their own history. The BoMor > > emerged from Joseph Smith's own struggles with his God. Mormons need > > to look inward for spiritual validation and cease efforts to remake > > Native Americans in their own image. > > ------- > > [Richley] > > Here, he drops the qualification that made the first sentence okay. > > It's absence makes this part of the paragraph read as an absolute > > assertion, something that science cannot make. So, were I on his > > dissertaion committee (and were this part of his dissertation), I > > would require that he insert the appropriate qualifiers explicitly. > > Scientific methods cannot prove that "there were no Lamanites prior to > > c. 1828." They can merely fail to support the claim that there were. > > So saying that there were none overstates the case. > > > > The assertion that the BoM emerged from JS's mind (which I take > > "struggles with his own God" to mean) is, by its nature, an assertion > > that belongs to the magisterium of religion rather than science, since > > it is a claim that about the truth-value of a *religious* belief > > (i.e., that the BoM account of the origin of the Lamanites is untrue). > > > > The final sentence is a value judgement ("Mormons need to . . .") and > > is, therefore, inherently not a scientific statement. > > ------ > > ¶43 In 1973, after weighing the overwhelming archaeological > > evidence against an ancient origin for the BoMor, Michael Coe > > implored Latter-day Saints: . . ." > > ----- > > [Richley] > > Here, the writer, demonstrates a lack of understanding of the > > epistemology of science. Science does not deal with evidence > > "against" anything. All evidence is "for" something. Scientifically, > > the writer is only entitled to say, "the overwhelming *lack* of > > evidence for an ancient origin of the BoM . . ." > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Jim Cobabe: > > > > Saturday, November 30, 2002 > > > > BY PATTY HENETZ > > THE ASSOCIATED PRESS > > > > A graduate student at the University of Washington says > > he likely will be excommunicated next week for articles he > > has written questioning the validity of the Book of Mormon. > > > > Harold Stuart: > > > > I've actually read this guy's paper. It's sad ... > > > > _______________ > > > > Is there a link to the AP article (or others) or to the paper > > itself? > > > > It is sad, but there will be questions at work this week, > > and I would like to be up to speed on this. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Larry Jackson > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today > > Only $9.95 per month! > > Visit www.juno.com > > > > ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > > /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// > > /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// > > ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > > > > -- > Marc A. Schindler > Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland > > “Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick > himself up and continue on” – Winston Churchill > > Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author > solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer, > nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. > > ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// > /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// > ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > -- Marc A. Schindler Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland “Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on” – Winston Churchill Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer, nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^^=============================================================== This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^^===============================================================
