long ago ideas

“When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago." - Friedrich Nietzsche. Long ago, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery conquered false claims that the Book of Mormon was fiction or that it came through a stone in a hat. But these old claims have resurfaced in recent years. To conquer them again, we have to return to what Joseph and Oliver taught.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Watching BYU/CES


I frequently hear from students in classes at BYU/CES who tell me their teachers are still promoting M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) without also telling the students what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.

A minimum standard of integrity would require that every BYU/CES teacher tell students what the prophets have taught about Cumorah and then let the students decide whether to believe the prophets or the M2C intellectuals.

This fall we're going to observe what is being taught by BYU/CES, especially the introductory Book of Mormon classes at BYU. If the professors continue to teach M2C without also teaching Letter VII and the other teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah, we'll publicize it.

If the professors want to also tell students that the prophets are wrong, that's on them. But we want students to at least have the option of choosing to follow the prophets or the M2C intellectuals.
_____

This is not merely a problem at BYU/CES.

Letter VII is nowhere to be found in the curriculum. Nor are any of the other teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. The M2C citation cartel has successfully suppressed all of these things in academic writings. The Correlation Department has cooperated by making sure Church artwork, videos, and visitors centers promote M2C.

Lately, revisionist historians in the Church History Department are censoring all mention of the New York Cumorah in the new book Saints. They are actually re-writing Church history by omitting historical references and replacing them with M2C euphemisms.

I think repudiating and censoring the teachings of the prophets will have disastrous consequences in the future. 

The prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah for good reasons. Among them is the historicity of the Book of Mormon itself. The New York Cumorah is not idle speculation; it's a core anchor, a touchstone between the Book of Mormon and the real world.

BYU fantasy map of
the Book of Mormon
Eliminate that, and we end up with the Book of Mormon in a fantasy world, the way it is being taught at BYU/CES right now.

BYU/CES are teaching the youth to believe the Book of Mormon is a true history that took place in a fantasy land. Does anyone really think this will lead to enduring faith?

The answer should be obvious.



No comments:

Post a Comment