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1 2 He’s 15 years old (Mormon 1:15 and Mormon 2:2, “in my sixteenth year” means still 15) and takes charge of the armies. I think this is highly unlikely. It seems to me that any fifteen year old, no matter how sober and quick to observe, would be eaten alive by battle-hardened warriors he tried to lead. | |
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4 And it came to pass that we did come to the city of Angola, and we did take possession of the city, and make preparations to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did fortify the city with our might; but notwithstanding all our fortifications the Lamanites did come upon us and did drive us out of the city. | 4 |
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8 But behold, the land was filled with robbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; therefore there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land. | 8 |
9 And now, the Lamanites had a king, and his name was Aaron; and he came against us with an army of forty and four thousand. And behold, I withstood him with forty and two thousand. And it came to pass that I beat him with my army that he fled before me. And behold, all this was done, and three hundred and thirty years had passed away. | 9 |
10 And it came to pass that the Nephites began to repent of their iniquity, and began to cry even as had been prophesied by Samuel the prophet; for behold no man could keep that which was his own, for the thieves, and the robbers, and the murderers, and the magic art, and the witchcraft which was in the land. | 10 1 According to documents apparently from a court hearing about Joseph Smith’s treasure seeking with a seer stone, Jonathan Thompson testified that in one treasure digging led by Joseph, “on account of an enchantment, the trunk kept settling away from under them while digging; that, notwithstanding they continued constantly removing the dirt, yet the trunk kept about the same distance from them” (Fair Mormon, The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith). There seems to be some controversy regarding the authenticity of this documented testimony, but it is uncontested that Joseph was hired on more than one occasion to seek treasure with his seer stone, and it was common folk lore of the time that buried treasure could slip away through the earth. “Getting the treasure was always difficult and harrowing. If not recovered quickly the trove sank into the earth’s depths” (Ronald W. Walker, The Persisting Idea of American Treasure Hunting, BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 24 | Issue 4 Article 4, 1 Oct 1984, p. 432). Which is more likely—that there were ancient Native Americans that were descendants of Hebrews that really experienced such a curse, or that this reflects a 19th century superstition of the author of the book? |
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12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people. | 12 |
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Anachronism 141 The only pre-Columbian weapon I can find that was similar to a sword was the macuahuitl which was made with a plank of wood similar in shape to a cricket bat with obsidian blades mounted on the edges. It is similar enough to a sword that it is often referred to as the Aztec sword. However, the macuahuitl does not seem to fit the Book of Mormon time frame. “Some groups of Central Mexico, principally in the transition between the Early and the Late Post-Classic, probably developed this weapon” (emphasis added, Dr. Marco Antonio Cervera Obregón, “The macuahuitl: an innovative weapon of the Late Post-Classic in Mesoamerica”, Arms & Armour, Vol.3, Nov. 2, 2006, p. 146, article from a research journal). The Post-Classic period is between 900 CE and the Spanish conquest. | |
15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away. | 15 1 This verse contains a strong similarity to a KJV bible verse. Compare this verse with "as dung upon the face of the land" to Jeremiah 16:4 with "as dung upon the face of the earth". Note there are only 4 instances of the phrase "as dung" within the KJV bible, with this verse being the closest match. |
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18 And upon the plates of Nephi I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon these plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man. | 18 |
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23 1 This verse contains elements from two separate verses that are unique within the KJV bible. Compare this verse with "and did urge them with great energy" to Luke 11:53 with "began to urge him vehemently". Note that there are 7 variations of "urge" (see urge+urged+urging+urgeth+urgest) within the KJV bible, but the verse in Luke chapter 11 is the only instance with a modifier used in conjunction with the verb "urge". Also compare this verse with "and fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes" to Nehemiah 4:14 with "and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses". Note that there are only 8 instances of "fight for" within the KJV bible, but the instance in Nehemiah chapter 4 is by far the closest match. Also note that the book of Nehemiah was written well after 600 B.C. | |
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26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren. | 26 1 This verse contains strong parallels to two KJV bible verses. Compare this verse with "that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us" to 1 John 3:24 with "that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us". Note that among the phrase variations "abide in", "abideth in", and "abiding in", only the verse in 1 John chapter 3 utilizes "in us". Also note that it references "the Spirit". Next compare this verse with "therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren" to Judges 16:17 with "and I shall become weak, and be like any other man". Note that there are only 2 instances of the phrase "become weak" in the KJV bible, with the instance in Judges being strongly similar. |
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