If you wondered why it is so difficult to reach consensus on basic issues such as whether Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, here's a fascinating example.
On another blog I've been discussing the book Producing Ancient Scripture.
http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2020/07/books-to-read-producing-ancient.html
http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2020/07/more-on-producing-ancient-scripture.html
Readers have been debating the book at the FairMormon blog, here:
https://www.fairmormon.org/blog/2020/07/24/qa-with-editors-of-producing-ancient-scripture-joseph-smiths-translation-projects-in-the-development-of-mormon-christianity#comment-96584
The participants are among the most prominent scholars in the Church today, all awesome people, smart, informed, etc.
You can see the range of opinions about the translation, the direction of the Maxwell Institute and other members of the M2C citation cartel, and even the Book of Abraham.
Notice the apparently unanimous agreement that Joseph "translated" with the "seer stone in the hat."
If you follow these issues, you know that people in the debate are essentially defending and promoting ideas they've been advocating for years. They are deeply invested in their ideas; hence the display of bias confirmation.
One lesson I take away from this: people will believe whatever they want (they develop a bias) and then find evidence to confirm their bias while ignoring, disputing, or not even seeing contrary evidence.
The exchange of ideas and facts is productive, even essential. We can only think and do things that we first imagine or conceptualize. After you read an exchange such as this, you are somewhat freer to make informed decisions for yourself.
On another blog I've been discussing the book Producing Ancient Scripture.
http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2020/07/books-to-read-producing-ancient.html
http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2020/07/more-on-producing-ancient-scripture.html
Readers have been debating the book at the FairMormon blog, here:
https://www.fairmormon.org/blog/2020/07/24/qa-with-editors-of-producing-ancient-scripture-joseph-smiths-translation-projects-in-the-development-of-mormon-christianity#comment-96584
The participants are among the most prominent scholars in the Church today, all awesome people, smart, informed, etc.
You can see the range of opinions about the translation, the direction of the Maxwell Institute and other members of the M2C citation cartel, and even the Book of Abraham.
Notice the apparently unanimous agreement that Joseph "translated" with the "seer stone in the hat."
If you follow these issues, you know that people in the debate are essentially defending and promoting ideas they've been advocating for years. They are deeply invested in their ideas; hence the display of bias confirmation.
One lesson I take away from this: people will believe whatever they want (they develop a bias) and then find evidence to confirm their bias while ignoring, disputing, or not even seeing contrary evidence.
The exchange of ideas and facts is productive, even essential. We can only think and do things that we first imagine or conceptualize. After you read an exchange such as this, you are somewhat freer to make informed decisions for yourself.
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