tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6063106.post8124133742118852413..comments2024-01-22T08:27:40.801-08:00Comments on project mayhem: Apologetics and Friendly Firethe narratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10774503436545764912noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6063106.post-61771259039324045592010-06-05T22:54:16.849-07:002010-06-05T22:54:16.849-07:00Loyd, just got around to reading this. A few rand...Loyd, just got around to reading this. A few random thoughts.<br /><br />1) When BY says, "I will even venture to say that if the Book of Mormon were now to be re-written, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation," I'm not convinced that he's talking about re<i>translation</i> of the BoM text rather than re<i>composition</i>. The context seems to suggest composition, as in the preceding statement about the Bible: "Should the Lord Almighty send an angel to re-write the Bible, it would in many places be very different from what it now is." <br /><br />2) Sure, some apologists are accepting the possibly-mistaken assumptions that the BoM accurately describes historical events, and that these historical events can be empirically verified, and that the BoM is a reliable translation. But not <i>all</i> of them are accepting all of these assumptions, and even those who <i>do</i> often express some reservations about them. Doesn't it make sense to try out many different sets of assumptions and see which can be the most informative? Or do believers need to maintain some kind of methodological agnosticism about these things? (That would dramatically limit the kinds of questions they could ask, by the way.)<br /><br />3) You quoted Phillips as saying, "Spiritual matters can only be resolved spiritually." But this assumes that there is no epistemological overlap between spiritual and empirical things. That may be true for some religious claims and worldviews-- especially if you're a believer in an ontological matter-spirit dualism. But there are many religious claims that have an empirical component, and it seems to me that Mormonism has a particular tendency to merge spirit and matter. So I'm not sure how far I'm really willing to go with Phillips in that regard. (Of course, this is the consummate rational empiricist speaking, so take what I say with a grain of salt!)Christopher Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09539170598198122642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6063106.post-3164182782284550642010-05-17T15:31:28.612-07:002010-05-17T15:31:28.612-07:00Thanks for posting, I'll check it out soon.Thanks for posting, I'll check it out soon.BHodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751807169882645742noreply@blogger.com