Bilingual deception: BMC misinforms and misleads Latter-day Saints in both English and Spanish

This post will be in both English and Spanish

Este post estará en inglés y español

Para obtener más información solo en español, consulte

https://lageografiadellibrodemormon.blogspot.com/

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We’ve previously discussed the way Book of Mormon Central misleads its donors, readers, and followers by claiming, in English, to follow the Church’s policy of neutrality regarding Book of Mormon geography issues, while using its Spanish website to directly and specifically promote its Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs (M2C) ideology.

Recently Book of Mormon Central published an article titled ¿EN DÓNDE ESTÁ CUMORAH? It’s an abbreviated rehash of the M2C arguments. It follows the standard tactic of M2C advocates. They assume M2C and ignore contrary evidence to justify their rejection of the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

https://geografia.centralldm.es/en-donde-esta-cumorah/

Anteriormente hemos discutido la forma en que Central del Libro de Mormón engaña a sus donantes, lectores y seguidores al afirmar, en inglés, seguir la política de neutralidad de la Iglesia con respecto a los problemas geográficos del Libro de Mormón, mientras usa su sitio web en español para promover directa y específicamente su ideología mesoamericana / dos Cumorah (M2C).

Recientemente Central del Libro de Mormón publicó un artículo titulado ¿EN DÓNDE ESTÁ CUMORAH? Es un repaso abreviado de los argumentos M2C. Sigue la táctica común de los defensores de M2C. Asumen M2C e ignoran la evidencia contraria para justificar su rechazo de las enseñanzas de los profetas sobre el Cumorah de Nueva York.

https://geografia.centralldm.es/en-donde-esta-cumorah/

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This article, published in the Spanish language section of Book of Mormon Central, is a good example of the problem faced by Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints.

They don’t have all the facts, so they cannot make informed decisions. And M2C advocates adamantly refuse to provide the facts in Spanish, just as they do in English.

The difference: English readers can access and understand the Joseph Smith Papers and other historical references, but Spanish readers cannot. This leaves Spanish readers at the mercy of the proponents of M2C and SITH for their information.

 

Este artículo, publicado en la sección en español de Central del Libro de Mormón, es un buen ejemplo del problema que enfrentan los Santos de los Últimos Días de habla hispana.

No tienen todos los hechos, por lo que no pueden tomar decisiones informadas. Y los defensores de M2C se niegan a proporcionar los hechos en español, tal como lo hacen en inglés.

La diferencia: los lectores en inglés pueden acceder y entender los Documentos de José Smith y otras referencias históricas, pero los lectores en español no pueden. Esto deja a los lectores españoles a merced de los defensores de M2C y SITH para su información.

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In this case, the author not only doesn’t cite Oliver Cowdery’s statements about Cumorah, he doesn’t even paraphrase (let alone quote) them and doesn’t seem to know much about them.

Whether intentionally or not, the author misleads his readers by

(i) omitting relevant, authoritative sources that contradict his theory, and

(ii) presenting so-called “must have” characteristics for Cumorah that are merely his own circular reasoning; i.e., he assumes a Mesoamerican setting, so he claims Cumorah must have Mesoamerican characteristics.

In the table below, the first column is the original message in Spanish. The second column is the English translation. My notes in both languages appear in red throughout the text.

 

En este caso, el autor no solo falta de citar las declaraciones de Oliver Cowdery sobre Cumorah, ni siquiera las parafrasea (y mucho menos cita) y no parece saber mucho sobre ellas.

Ya sea intencionalmente o no, el autor engaña a sus lectores al

(i) omitir fuentes relevantes y autorizadas que contradigan su teoría, y

(ii) presentar las características "imprescindibles" para Cumorah que son simplemente su propio razonamiento circular; es decir, asume un entorno mesoamericano, por lo que afirma que Cumorah debe tener características mesoamericanas.

En la siguiente tabla, la primera columna es el mensaje original en español. La segunda columna es la traducción al inglés. Mis notas en ambos idiomas aparecen en rojo en todo el texto.

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To see the original article with commentary, along with the side-by-side English translation with commentary, go to this link:

Para ver el artículo original con comentarios, junto con la traducción al inglés en paralelo con comentarios, vaya a este enlace:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tg66yEkpD4x0dzFzysL1Mom4Y8nWK4OR/view?usp=share_link

Algunas de las referencias ignoradas por el autor:	Some of the references ignored by the author:
1. 1823. Moroni le dijo a José que las planchas estaban en el "cerro de Cumorah".	1. 1823. Moroni told Joseph the plates were in the “hill of Cumorah”.
"el registro está en una colina lateral en la colina de Cumorah a 3 millas de este lugar, retire la hierba y el musgo y encontrará una gran piedra plana. Que hace palanca y encontrará el registro debajo de ella sobre 4 pilares de cemento, luego el ángel lo dejó"	“the record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place remove the Grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone pry that up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars of cement— then the angel left him”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41	https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41
2. 1827. José se refirió a la colina como Cumorah antes de recibir las planchas	2. 1827. Joseph referred to the hill as Cumorah before he got the plates
dijo José: "Era el ángel del Señor: al pasar por el monte de Cumorah, donde están las planchas, el ángel del Señor me encontró y me dijo que no me había ocupado lo suficiente en la obra del Señor; que había llegado el momento de que el registro saliera a la luz"	said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to <be> brought forth”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111	https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111
3. 1830. Moroni llamó al cerro "Cumorah" en la antigüedad	3. 1830. Moroni called the hill “Cumorah” anciently
Oliver Cowdery (citado por Parley P. Pratt) durante la misión a los lamanitas (D. y C. 28, 30 y 32).	Oliver Cowdery (quoted by Parley P. Pratt) during the mission to the Lamanites (D&C 28, 30 and 32).
"Este Libro, que contenía estas cosas, fue escondido en la tierra por Moroni, en una colina llamada por él, Cumorah, cuya colina está ahora en el Estado de Nueva York, cerca de la aldea de Palmyra, en el condado de Ontario.	"This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County.
Autobiografía de Parley P. Pratt, página 58 del capítulo VIII.	Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, page 58 of Chapter VIII.
https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofp00prat/page/58/mode/2up	https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofp00prat/page/58/mode/2up
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44896/44896-h/44896-h.htm	http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44896/44896-h/44896-h.htm
4. Moroni dice que el registro fue "escrito y depositado" no lejos de la casa de José	4. Moroni says the record was “written and deposited” not far from Joseph’s home
Él [Moroni] luego procedió y dio un relato general de las promesas hechas a los padres, y también dio una historia de los aborígenes de este país, y dijo que eran descendientes literales de Abraham. Él los representó como un pueblo iluminado e inteligente, que poseía un conocimiento correcto del Evangelio y del plan de restauración y redención. Dijo que esta historia fue escrita y depositada no lejos de ese lugar, y que era privilegio de nuestro hermano, si era obediente a los mandamientos del Señor, obtener y traducir la misma por medio del Urim y Tumim, que fueron depositados para ese propósito con el registro.	He [Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigenes of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightned and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/68	https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/68
5. Es un hecho que la colina en Nueva York es la Cumorah de Mormón 6:6	5. It is a fact that the hill in New York is the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6
Aproximadamente a una milla al oeste se eleva otra cresta de menor altura, que corre paralela a la anterior, dejando un hermoso valle entre ellas. El suelo es de primera calidad para el país, y bajo un estado de cultivo, lo que da una perspectiva a la vez imponente, cuando uno reflexiona sobre el hecho, que aquí, entre estas colinas, todo el poder y la fuerza nacional tanto de los jareditas como de los nefitas fueron destruidos. Al pasar a las páginas 529 y 530 del libro de Mormón120, leerá el relato de Mormón de la última gran lucha de su pueblo, cuando estaban acampados alrededor de esta colina Cumorah.	At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the book of Mormon120 you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah.
[Mormón], por nombramiento divino, abrevió de esos registros, en su propio estilo y lenguaje, un breve relato de los artículos más importantes y prominentes, desde los días de Lehi hasta su propio tiempo, después de lo cual depositó, como él dice, en la página 529, todos los registros en esta misma colina, Cumorah y después dio su pequeño registro a su hijo Moroni, quien, como se desprende del mismo, terminó, después de presenciar la extinción de su pueblo como nación.... Esta colina, por los jareditas, se llamaba Ramá: junto a ella, o alrededor de ella, el famoso ejército de Coriántumr levantaba sus tiendas.	[Mormon], by divine appointment, abridged from those records, in his own style and language, a short account of the more important and prominent items, from the days of Lehi to his own time, after which he deposited, as he says, on the 529th page, all the records in this same hill, Cumorah and after gave his small record to his son Moroni, who, as appears from the same, finished, after witnessing the extinction of his people as a nation. … This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah: by it, or around it pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tents.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90	https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90
6. La primera vez que David Whitmer escuchó la palabra "Cumorah" fue del mensajero divino que tenía las planchas abreviadas de Harmony, Pensilvania.	6. The first time David Whitmer heard the word “Cumorah” was from the divine messenger who had the abridged plates from Harmony, Pennsylvania.
"Cuando regresaba a Fayette con Joseph y Oliver todos nosotros montados en el vagón, Oliver y yo en un antiguo asiento de resorte de madera y Joseph detrás de nosotros, mientras viajamos en un lugar abierto y claro, un anciano muy amable y de aspecto agradable apareció de repente al lado de nuestro carro que nos saludó con, "Buenos días, hace mucho calor", al mismo tiempo que se limpiaba la cara o la frente con la mano. Le devolvimos el saludo, y por una señal de José lo invité a montar si iba por nuestro camino. Pero él dijo muy agradablemente: "No, voy a Cumorah". Este nombre era algo nuevo para mí, no sabía lo que quería decir Cumorah. Todos lo miramos a él y al otro, y mientras miraba a mi alrededor inquisitivamente a José, el anciano desapareció instantáneamente, de modo que no lo volví a ver". INFORME DE LOS ÉLDERES ORSON PRATT Y JOSEPH F. SMITH al presidente John Taylor y al Consejo de los Doce.	"When I was returning to Fayette with Joseph and Oliver all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us, while traveling along in a clear open place, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon who saluted us with, “good morning, it is very warm,” at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and by a sign from Joseph I invited him to ride if he was going our way. But he said very pleasantly, “No, I am going to Cumorah.’ This name was something new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked round enquiringly of Joseph the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again."   REPORT OF ELDERS ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH to President John Taylor and Council of the Twelve.
http://www.lettervii.com/p/trip-to-fayette-references.html	http://www.lettervii.com/p/trip-to-fayette-references.html
https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/dca15baa-a0ac-4fc1-b2ec-7f3cd75e4906/0/44	https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/dca15baa-a0ac-4fc1-b2ec-7f3cd75e4906/0/44

 

 

 

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Ramah, Cumorah, and military strongholds

We can gain insights about Cumorah by considering the name Ramah. 

The term corroborates what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery always taught about Cumorah in New York; i.e., that it was the site of military battles and was, as the text says, a "hill" and not a mountain.

This was certainly not some mountain somewhere in southern Mexico.

This explains why Mormon moved the records from the hill Shim to the hill Cumorah. He knew the Jaredites had a military stronghold there that he could use to fight the Lamanites and conceal the repository of Nephite records as he continued the abridgment. 

This also explains why Moroni told Joseph Smith that the abridgment was "written and deposited" not far from his home near Palmyra, NY. As Orson Pratt explained, there were two departments in the hill: one for the repository of records, and one for the stone box built by Moroni to contain the abridged record that Joseph would translate in Harmony, Pennsylvania.

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Ramah was the name used in Ether for the Hill Cumorah.

11 And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.

(Ether 15:11)

The onomasticon gives the following explanation for Ramah, including the possibility it is a Jaredite word or a Jaredite word translated into Nephite or otherwise related to a Semitic language:

Etymology

Until possible language affinities for JAREDITE names can be determined, all suggestions for etymologies of JAREDITE names must remain more speculative than substantive. With that caveat, the onomasticon does offer etymologies for some JAREDITE names, especially if it is possible that some JAREDITE names were translated into NEPHITE, or were otherwise related to one or more Semitic languages.

RAMAH is given in Ether 15:11 as the name of the hill where CORIANTUMR encamped before his final battle as well as the name of the place where MORMON hid the sacred records. Given the close association of the location with both events, the name RAMAH may well be of NEPHITE, rather than JAREDITE, origin, and may be derived from the HEBREW rāmāh, "elevation, height;" cf. HALOT. RAMAH was also called CUMORAH by the NEPHITES (Mormon 6:6).

https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/RAMAH

Another possibility is that Joseph transliterated or translated the term on the plates (whether it was Jaredite or Nephite) as Ramah because the Bible uses the term for military strongholds.

While the onomasticon suggests the Hebrew Raman means "elevation, height," Biblical commentaries explain it has a military connection.

Ramah is the name of several different cities in the Bible.... Ramah means “height” or “high” and is often applied to military strongholds. ...

Ramah of Benjamin appears again during the divided monarchy and the rival kingdoms of Israel and Judah. King Baasha of Israel built a fortress at Ramah in Benjamin to stop people from entering or leaving Judah. 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Ramah-in-the-Bible.html

Ramah means "high, lofty place" or "the height" in Hebrew. Because high places are easily defended and make good lookouts, Ramah also means "military stronghold or watchtower." There are four towns in the Bible with this name. 

When the tribes of Israel received their inheritance, the tribe of Benjamin received a town called Ramah that was five miles north of Jerusalem on the edge of their territory along the border with Ephraim (Joshua 18:25). The tribe of Simeon received a town called Ramah in the south known as Ramah of the Negev (Joshua 19:8). Both Asher and Naphtali also received a town named Ramah, although it is possible those Ramahs may have been the same town on the border the two tribes shared (Joshua 19:29, 36). It is the Ramah of Benjamin in the hill country of Ephraim that plays a significant role in Scripture. ....

Being a fortified city on the border, Ramah in Benjamin was also the site of some military battles.

https://www.compellingtruth.org/Ramah-in-the-Bible.html

The biblical sites called Ramah are strategically located on hills or borders, which makes sense for a military stronghold. 

Nothing about the term connotes a mountain.

There's more info about all of this, but for purposes of this post, it's useful to think of Ramah as a military stronghold on a high place.

Or, as Oliver Cowdery described it, 

I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the notice of the traveller as he passes by.

At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

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Some additional useful information about Hazael, king of Syria, whose army injured king Joram at Ramah.

28 ¶ And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth-gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

 29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

(2 Kings 8:28–29)

From https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Hazael

HAZAEL hā zĭ’ əl (חֲזָאֵ֛ל, חֲזָהאֵ֗ל; Assyr. haz’ilu). One of the most powerful of the kings of Syria (Aram), ruling from c. 843 b.c. to c. 796 b.c. He reigned contemporaneously with Jehoram (the last few years), Jehu, and Jehoahaz, kings of Israel; and Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash, kings of Judah. He is first mentioned in 1 Kings 19:15-17, where Elijah at Mount Horeb was told by God that he would anoint Hazael king over Syria. At this time he was a high officer in the court of Ben-hadad II, king of Syria (2 Kings 8:7-9), for a short time later his sick sovereign sent him to inquire of the prophet Elisha, who was then in Damascus, whether or not he would recover from his illness. To this question Elisha replied that the illness of his master was not fatal, but that he would nevertheless die; and he added that Hazael himself was to become king of Syria and would be the perpetrator of monstrous cruelties against the children of Israel. The day after Hazael reported to the king the results of his interview with Elisha he killed him by smothering him with a wet cloth; and Hazael became king in his stead (8:7-15).

Soon after, Hazael fought against the combined forces of Jehoram and Ahaziah at Ramoth-gilead (8:28, 29; 9:14, 15). He frequently defeated Jehu in battle, devastating all his country E of the Jordan from the Arnon in the S to Bashan in the N (10:32, 33). During the reign of Jehoahaz, Jehu’s successor, he repeatedly encroached upon the territory of Israel, which was kept from complete destruction only by God’s mercy (13:3, 22, 23). Hazael also moved into SW Pal., taking Gath; he compelled the king of Judah to pay a heavy bribe for sparing Jerusalem (12:17, 18; 2 Chron 24:23, 24). It was not until the death of Hazael that Israel was able successfully to check the aggression of Syria under Benhadad III, the son of Hazael (2 Kings 13:24, 25).

Cuneiform inscrs. show that Hazael played a large role in some of the campaigns of Shalmaneser III. In a pavement slab from Calah, Shalmaneser records that in 842 b.c. he joined battle with Hazael. He recorded that the Syrian king was defeated, losing 6,000 warriors, 1,121 chariots, and 470 horsemen, together with his stores, and that although he did not capture Damascus, he overran the Hauran and all the territory back to the Mediterranean Sea. Among his tributary kings he mentioned the name of Jehu son of Omri.

In another inscr. Shalmaneser refers to Hazael as the “son of a nobody,” and mentions the fact that Hazael had “seized the throne.”

Among the spoils taken from Damascus by Assyria, and found by archeologists at Arslan Tash (Hadathah) were an ivory inlay from the side of a bed, with the words engraved on it, “Bar Ama to our Lord Hazael in the year....,” and another ivory tablet, possibly a part of the same bed, showing in relief a god or king in Phoenician-Aramaean style, which some scholars believe is actually a portrait of Hazael himself.

Bibliography E. Kraeling, Aram and Israel (1918); M. F. Unger, Israel and the Aramaeans of Damascus (1957), 75-82, 160-163; I. M. Price, O. R. Sellers, E. L. Carlson, The Monuments and the Old Testament (1958), 239-241, 245, 347-349; D. W. Thomas (ed.), Documents from OT Times (1958), 46-52, 242-250; M. Avi-Yonah, Views of the Biblical World, II (1960), 248, 264, 273.

Wordcruncher updates

I'm always encouraging my readers to use WordCruncher. If you're not using it, why not?

Not only is it useful for scripture study, but it also has access to a large library. You can add your own material to it as well.

Here's an announcement about the latest changes/additions:

https://wordcruncher.com/state-of-WCr

Mounds on twitter

Any readers of this blog who use twitter ought to follow this user:

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

In 1891 the Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology issued a series of maps and a catalog of the burial, effigy, linear, midden, stone and shell mounds, and earthworks they had identified. This is their map of Ohio. The black hat-like dots are mound sites. If it was redone today, the bottom half of the state would be nearly covered.

https://twitter.com/DrGregLittle2/status/1627824955642486784/photo/1

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The book he refers to is available here:

https://archive.org/details/catalogueprehis01thomgoog/page/n10/mode/2up

New painting to replace Chichen Itza M2C painting?

Ever since the May 2020 I've wondered why so many chapels we visit around the world still display the anachronous Chichen Itza painting. 

(El Castillo, the stepped pyramid in the background, was built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization between the 8th and 12th centuries AD. I've heard of people wondering if Christ visited Mesoamerica twice: once after his resurrection, and once 8-1200 years later.)

The May 2020 letter from the First Presidency set out guidelines, including 22 wonderful paintings approved for display. The letter did not include the Chichen Itza painting.  

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/reverence-for-savior-in-meetinghouses.pdf

The Chichen Itza painting reflects a Mesoamerican setting, although it could arguably reflect a hemispheric model (with the clouds representing North America). 

A far better painting now is on display in the Conference Center. Let's hope it gets added to the list of approved paintings and promptly replaces the Chichen Itza painting.

h/t to Gary Boatwright 

https://twitter.com/gboatman12/status/1623906057851654145?s=20&t=RCPScgR08j94sswLIux2Yg

More on the new book

There have been two principal narratives about Joseph Smith, both supported by historical evidence. 

One narrative sees him as an ignorant, uneducated farm boy who was plucked from obscurity to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Another sees him as a clever religious manipulator who composed the Book of Mormon and adopted religious ideas from his surroundings.

People can believe whatever they want, and they can usually find some evidence to confirm their biases. 

I find a third narrative more persuasive and better supported by the evidence. In my view, God prepared Joseph Smith for his future role as translator and prophet. His life-threatening leg infection led Joseph to become a young religious seeker. His pursuit made him well-informed and conversant on religious topics, enabling him to become an active translator of the engravings on the plates.

The "religious seeker" narrative not only accommodates all the available historical evidence, but it also addresses most of the anti-Mormon arguments. For example, when critics complain that the Book of Mormon includes anachronistic 19th century terminology and worldviews, the "religious seeker" narrative responds that as an active translator, Joseph necessarily used his own vocabulary and worldview to render the ancient text into English.

This example illustrates one of the problems with SITH (the stone-in-the-hat narrative). 

Some people ask what difference it makes if Joseph Smith used a seer stone instead of the Urim and Thummim to produce the Book of Mormon.

According to SITH, Joseph merely read words that appeared on a stone he put in a hat. The words were provided by a mysterious incognito supernatural translator (MIST) who, presumably, was translating the engravings on the plates so Joseph didn't need to even consult the plates. Left unanswered is why the MIST used the anachronistic 19th century terminology and worldviews.

The SITH narrative rejects Joseph's explanation that he copied and translated the characters (JS-H 1:62) by claiming that Joseph's efforts failed and he had to resort to reading the words off the stone in the hat. The SITH sayers also say that when Joseph said he "translated" the plates, he didn't mean he actually translated them, but instead he relied on the translation provided by the MIST and simply read it out loud. 

The problems with SITH seem so obvious that it's astonishing to see LDS scholars promote SITH the way they do.  

Additional reasons why it's important to distinguish between the Urim and Thummim and SITH include:

(i) SITH contradicts Joseph and Oliver so it undermines their credibility, 

(ii) SITH eliminates the need for the plates so it undermines the plausibility of the founding narratives, 

(iii) SITH presumes an occult origin, 

(iv) SITH was an early anti-Mormon attack that Joseph and Oliver addressed (asked and answered), so it's foolish for LDS scholars to revive SITH, and 

(v) SITH destroys the historicity of the text (detaching it from the plates).