How to share the message

Google tells me this blog has had 171,320 views so far in July. Combined with my other blogs, that is over 200,000 views in July 2024 alone.

But that's still far fewer than the millions of people who are interested in the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

I've had many requests to do more social media, such as X, TikTok and Instagram, as well as more YouTube videos. I enjoy discussing these topics in person, in interviews, in presentations, and in writing. However, social media is time-consuming. I'm busy with many other important projects.

Readers email me with comments and questions. Some suggest new ideas and evidence, some point out typos and other corrections, and some relate their own experiences with other Latter-day Saints learning about the evidence that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery told the truth about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

This is an important message that every Latter-day Saint should be aware of. 

But many Latter-day Saints--probably most--remain unaware of both 

(i) what Joseph and Oliver actually taught and 

(ii) what scriptural, prophetic, and extrinsic evidence supports and corroborates what they taught.

It seems obvious to me and many others that, at a minimum, every Latter-day Saint should know what Joseph and Oliver taught. Ideally, they would also know about the corroborative evidence.

But others disagree.  

The elephant in the room is this:

For reasons we've discussed on this blog and elsewhere, prominent LDS scholars and their followers [e.g., the Interpreters and Scripture Central] teach that Joseph and Oliver were wrong about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon. 

These scholars work hard to promote their theories and interpretations, spending millions of dollars on social media, developing apps and publications, making movies, etc. 

[For those new to this blog, if Joseph and Oliver told the truth, then Cumorah/Ramah is in New York and Joseph used the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates to translate the engravings on the plates. IOW, there are not "two Cumorahs" (M2C) and Joseph didn't use a seer stone in the hat (SITH) to produce the text.]

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Evidently, there is a growing demand among Latter-day Saints for alternatives to the SITH and M2C narratives. People are tired of the disinformation that circulates about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

I posted an example here:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2024/07/lucy-mack-smith-and-seer-stones.html

So what is the solution? 

How can the Later-day Saints learn what Joseph and Oliver taught, along with the corroborating evidence?

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Ideally, I'd like to see the prominent LDS scholars (and their donors and followers) embrace what Joseph and Oliver taught. But if they don't, that's fine, too. Everyone can believe whatever they want. Academic freedom, free agency, etc.

Here's what is not fine: these scholars who reject what Joseph and Oliver taught continue to ignore and defy basic academic ethics that should prompt them to at least inform their followers about what Joseph and Oliver taught and the associated corroborating evidence.

E.g., https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/p/aha-historians-standards-of.html

For many years, these scholars and their organizations have declined repeated requests and efforts to collaborate on a comparative resource that would enable Latter-day Saints to employ the FAITH model in the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding to achieve "no more contention."

Facts. Everyone can agree on the actual facts.

Assumptions. Everyone can spell out the assumptions behind their respective interpretations.

Inferences. Everyone can explain the inferences they draw to fill in gaps in the evidence and assumptions.

Theories. Everyone can explain the theories they derive from their respective approaches.

Hypotheses. Everyone can clearly see the respective hypotheses that predict and frame other aspects of the Restoration.

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What do you think? Do you still think it is possible that prominent LDS scholars will someday host, contribute to, and/or encourage an accurate comparison of different faithful approaches to the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon?