Theofrak
Scholar
- Joined
- May 3, 2012
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- 77
http://www.theofrak.com/2012/06/romneys-religion-sumerian-submarines.html
In an earlier post, I inquired into the core beliefs that Mitt Romney probably has as a “true believing Mormon.” There is considerable evidence that Mitt Romney is a true believer, and I will not rehash them here.
Religious beliefs should be important to voters, as should any other superstitious or otherwise irrational beliefs. If I were hiring a lawyer, for instance, I would not want one who believes his courtroom skills depend on astrological events. His job performance could very likely be compromised by his superstition.
Likewise, if Romney denied the holocaust, people would wonder how a Harvard graduate could harbor such a nonsensical idea. A quick visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., should provide all of the evidence that a reasonable person needs to accept that Hitler killed over 6 million Jews. People would rightfully question whether Romney could make good Middle Eastern policy with such an extreme view.
I think the evidence against the Book of Mormon is just as clear. Anyone who thoughtfully considers the laughable claims of the Book of Mormon should come away with the attitude of B.H. Roberts, a Mormon leader and historian who later wrote in his critical analysis of the Book of Mormon: “The narrative proceeds in characteristic disregard of conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a child, with utter disregard for consistency."
As the story goes, Jared and his brother, Mahonri Moriancumer, lived around 200 years after the Flood. Yes. I’m talking about Noah’s flood. Already, I have probably convinced a majority of readers that the Book of Mormon is so obviously false that discussing it is a waste of time. Please continue, gentle reader, because it gets worse -- laughably worse.
Jared lived near the Tower of Babel (yes, the Tower of Bable from the Book of Genesis), which probably places the initial events of the Book of Mormon in Sumer circa 3000 B.C.
If you went to Sunday school as a child, you will recall that the people decided to build a tower that reached “Heaven” and thereby reverse the effects of Adam's fall. It is not surprising that this group of people would attempt such a foolhardy enterprise when you consider that Noah's family probably lacked sufficient genetic diversity and they were the product two centuries of inbreeding.
God was obviously displeased that people were trying to evade the death sentence pronounced on Adam's posterity, so he devised a fiendishly clever plan: he would confound the language of the people making it impossible for them to communicate. According to the Bible, this is why people speak different languages.
Jared asked Mahonri to beg the Lord not to confound his family's language so that they could all stay together. (see Ether chapter 1 verses 33-37.) The Brother of Jared heard the voice of Jesus telling him that they needed to leave the area and take animals "both male and female, of all kinds" (sounds like another Noah’s ark story) and journey to a new land that God had prepared and set apart for them, which happened to be in America. (see Ether Chapter 1 verses 38-43.)
They gathered up "flocks and herds," as well as insects (honey bees are specifically mentioned, which is odd, since the first bees in America were brought by Dutch immigrants in the late 1700s).
Jesus revealed an unusual ship design that the Jaredites were to use. It was in the shape of a football, had no windows, and it had a hole in both the top and the bottom that could be plugged with a wooden cork. According to Jesus, this was done because storms might arise and turn the ships upside down. (see Ether Chapter 2 verses 16-21.) The ships were designed to be “tight like unto a dish.” Jesus told them that "You shall be as a whale, going to the depths of the sea." (see Ether Chapter 2 verses 22-25.) In other words, the ships were the first submarines.
Evidently, the lack of windows bothered Mahonri, so he prayed to Jesus about how to light the submersibles. Rather than answer him directly, Jesus asked Mahonri what he should do. Jesus helpfully noted that there could not be “windows” because they would be “dashed to pieces.” This anachronism is problematic because dashable (glass) windows would not be invented for thousands of years. I can hear Mahonri asking, “What is a window, Lord?” Jesus, ever the master of the obvious, also noted that fire would not be prudent in a wooden submarine.
According to Book of Mormon, Mahonri laid out sixteen rocks (2 for each football . . . err, submersible) and prayed to Jesus and asked him to touch the rocks so that they might glow with divine light and thereby provide the necessary illumination for the journey. Because of his faith, Christ appears to him in spiritual form (he won't be born in Bethlehem for 3,000 years) and touches the stones, magically filling them with light. (see Ether Chapter 3 verses 1-6.)
The boats had no means of propulsion. The Book of Mormon states that "they were driven before the winds for 344 days." According to the Book of Mormon, they spent a significant amount of time underwater, where they were attacked by whales and other "monsters of the sea," but no harm could befall them. (see Ether Chapter 6 verses 5-11.)
All you have to do at this point is visualize one of these airtight crafts turning upside down in a storm with its cargo of “flocks and herds,” and the obvious hilarity that would ensue -- cows on their backs, animal feces dropping from the "ceiling." Perhaps Jesus magically prevented cow flatulence (over 200 liters per day).
Any reasonable person at this point must ask how any intelligent, believing Mormon can accept the Book of Mormon as a historical record. Unlike liberal Christians, Mormons do not have the "out" that these stories are allegorical, mistranslated, or otherwise not historically accurate. The Book of Mormon was allegedly written by eyewitnesses (people like Jared and Mahonri) on metal plates.
The plates were "translated" by Joseph Smith circa 1827-1828. According to accounts of his scribes, Joseph would put a magic (seer) stone, which he had previously used in his treasure hunting business, in a hat. When Joseph placed his head in the hat, shielding his eyes from light, words would appear on the stone. Joseph dictated the words to a scribe. When published, the words became the Book of Mormon, which he proclaimed to be the "most correct book on Earth and the keystone of our religion." Interestingly, Joseph did not need to be in proximity to the plates while translating, which makes many people wonder why they were necessary in the first place.
This YouTube video does an excellent job explaining and debunking the story of the Jaredites. Watch it and ask yourself a belief that these events actually occurred is fundamentally different from believing in astrology or denying the Holocaust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vytYxTjTmyo
In an earlier post, I inquired into the core beliefs that Mitt Romney probably has as a “true believing Mormon.” There is considerable evidence that Mitt Romney is a true believer, and I will not rehash them here.
Religious beliefs should be important to voters, as should any other superstitious or otherwise irrational beliefs. If I were hiring a lawyer, for instance, I would not want one who believes his courtroom skills depend on astrological events. His job performance could very likely be compromised by his superstition.
Likewise, if Romney denied the holocaust, people would wonder how a Harvard graduate could harbor such a nonsensical idea. A quick visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., should provide all of the evidence that a reasonable person needs to accept that Hitler killed over 6 million Jews. People would rightfully question whether Romney could make good Middle Eastern policy with such an extreme view.
I think the evidence against the Book of Mormon is just as clear. Anyone who thoughtfully considers the laughable claims of the Book of Mormon should come away with the attitude of B.H. Roberts, a Mormon leader and historian who later wrote in his critical analysis of the Book of Mormon: “The narrative proceeds in characteristic disregard of conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a child, with utter disregard for consistency."
As the story goes, Jared and his brother, Mahonri Moriancumer, lived around 200 years after the Flood. Yes. I’m talking about Noah’s flood. Already, I have probably convinced a majority of readers that the Book of Mormon is so obviously false that discussing it is a waste of time. Please continue, gentle reader, because it gets worse -- laughably worse.
Jared lived near the Tower of Babel (yes, the Tower of Bable from the Book of Genesis), which probably places the initial events of the Book of Mormon in Sumer circa 3000 B.C.
If you went to Sunday school as a child, you will recall that the people decided to build a tower that reached “Heaven” and thereby reverse the effects of Adam's fall. It is not surprising that this group of people would attempt such a foolhardy enterprise when you consider that Noah's family probably lacked sufficient genetic diversity and they were the product two centuries of inbreeding.
God was obviously displeased that people were trying to evade the death sentence pronounced on Adam's posterity, so he devised a fiendishly clever plan: he would confound the language of the people making it impossible for them to communicate. According to the Bible, this is why people speak different languages.
Jared asked Mahonri to beg the Lord not to confound his family's language so that they could all stay together. (see Ether chapter 1 verses 33-37.) The Brother of Jared heard the voice of Jesus telling him that they needed to leave the area and take animals "both male and female, of all kinds" (sounds like another Noah’s ark story) and journey to a new land that God had prepared and set apart for them, which happened to be in America. (see Ether Chapter 1 verses 38-43.)
They gathered up "flocks and herds," as well as insects (honey bees are specifically mentioned, which is odd, since the first bees in America were brought by Dutch immigrants in the late 1700s).
Jesus revealed an unusual ship design that the Jaredites were to use. It was in the shape of a football, had no windows, and it had a hole in both the top and the bottom that could be plugged with a wooden cork. According to Jesus, this was done because storms might arise and turn the ships upside down. (see Ether Chapter 2 verses 16-21.) The ships were designed to be “tight like unto a dish.” Jesus told them that "You shall be as a whale, going to the depths of the sea." (see Ether Chapter 2 verses 22-25.) In other words, the ships were the first submarines.
Evidently, the lack of windows bothered Mahonri, so he prayed to Jesus about how to light the submersibles. Rather than answer him directly, Jesus asked Mahonri what he should do. Jesus helpfully noted that there could not be “windows” because they would be “dashed to pieces.” This anachronism is problematic because dashable (glass) windows would not be invented for thousands of years. I can hear Mahonri asking, “What is a window, Lord?” Jesus, ever the master of the obvious, also noted that fire would not be prudent in a wooden submarine.
According to Book of Mormon, Mahonri laid out sixteen rocks (2 for each football . . . err, submersible) and prayed to Jesus and asked him to touch the rocks so that they might glow with divine light and thereby provide the necessary illumination for the journey. Because of his faith, Christ appears to him in spiritual form (he won't be born in Bethlehem for 3,000 years) and touches the stones, magically filling them with light. (see Ether Chapter 3 verses 1-6.)
The boats had no means of propulsion. The Book of Mormon states that "they were driven before the winds for 344 days." According to the Book of Mormon, they spent a significant amount of time underwater, where they were attacked by whales and other "monsters of the sea," but no harm could befall them. (see Ether Chapter 6 verses 5-11.)
All you have to do at this point is visualize one of these airtight crafts turning upside down in a storm with its cargo of “flocks and herds,” and the obvious hilarity that would ensue -- cows on their backs, animal feces dropping from the "ceiling." Perhaps Jesus magically prevented cow flatulence (over 200 liters per day).
Any reasonable person at this point must ask how any intelligent, believing Mormon can accept the Book of Mormon as a historical record. Unlike liberal Christians, Mormons do not have the "out" that these stories are allegorical, mistranslated, or otherwise not historically accurate. The Book of Mormon was allegedly written by eyewitnesses (people like Jared and Mahonri) on metal plates.
The plates were "translated" by Joseph Smith circa 1827-1828. According to accounts of his scribes, Joseph would put a magic (seer) stone, which he had previously used in his treasure hunting business, in a hat. When Joseph placed his head in the hat, shielding his eyes from light, words would appear on the stone. Joseph dictated the words to a scribe. When published, the words became the Book of Mormon, which he proclaimed to be the "most correct book on Earth and the keystone of our religion." Interestingly, Joseph did not need to be in proximity to the plates while translating, which makes many people wonder why they were necessary in the first place.
This YouTube video does an excellent job explaining and debunking the story of the Jaredites. Watch it and ask yourself a belief that these events actually occurred is fundamentally different from believing in astrology or denying the Holocaust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vytYxTjTmyo
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