On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:15:25 -0700 (PDT) Chris Doss
<lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> writes:
> The myths of catholicism are few in number (there are only three,
> IIRC) and impossible to empirically disprove (Jesus rose from the
> grave -- you can't really prove that statement false unless you have
> a time machine). "Native Americans are Hebrews" is on a whole other
> level; religious philosophers in the Middle Ages and before spent
> lots of time interpreting similar statements in the Bible or Koran
> metaphorically, because taken literally they are obviously
> ridiculous, and these people weren't stupid.
>
Well the noted Mormon historian Leonard J. Arrington, seems to have subscribed to such a view in which the more incredible statements of the Book of Mormon would be taken metaphorically rather than literally. See his article, "Why I am a Believer," (http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/mormonleaders/arrington/ahtm1.htm)
Also see David Bryon Davis's NY Review article, "Secrets of the Mormons." http://www.nybooks.com/articles/5380
Perhaps not too surprisingly, Arrington eventually ran afoul of the top leadership of the Mormon Church, who unceremoniously dumped him from his position as official Church Historian.
Jim F.
>
> --- On Sat, 9/19/09, RicardoStarkey at aol.com <RicardoStarkey at aol.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Yes, age has a lot to do with it. It's one
> > thing for ancient, cherished
> > myths to be passed down and modified century after
> > century. It's quite
> > another to fabricate an entire book out of whole
> > cloth, claiming that an angel
> > pointed you to some ancient plates that you managed
> > to translate with the
> > aid of some magical instruments. Of course,
> > none of it makes much sense,
> > but at least Catholics can admire a long history of
> > myth-making, which
> > started back when the term "myth" didn't have the
> > connotation of being
> > anti-Enlightenment, anti-rational. What's to admire
> > in the myths of the Mormon
> > church, which were invented by a small handful of
> > Anglo-American men within the
> > last couple of hundred years? (Not to mention
> > the bit about the
> > indigenous peoples of the Americas being cursed with
> > dark pigmentation because of
> > their wickedness.)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ___________________________________
> > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
>
>
>
>
> ___________________________________
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>
>
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