Fence Sitter wrote:The textual inconsistencies can be written off as the errors of man, but the impossibility of a group of 20 to 40 people newly arrived (12 to 30 years) in an empty land, building a temple similar to the temple of Solomon cannot. I am not dismissing your question, which I agree is a conflict, but it was impossible for them to build such a temple.
I see your point. I agree that it's not probable that a small group could build a temple comparable to Solomon's. But believers can justify almost any scriptural occurrence. Textual errors can indeed be written off, as I have done myself, using that very message from the title page, "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men..." But I think that a bunch of internal textual and storyline discrepancies can be very convincing, especially for the "most correct book." For example, in Alma 60:33, Captain Moroni writes to Pahoran that "the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them." We learn in the following chapter that Pahoran is faithful and is under siege, ie., the governors are not in need of repentance. So the Lord himself gave Moroni bad information.
Here's another, borrowed from a post on another board, regarding the different times that are reported for the start of the dwindling in unbelief following Christ's visit:
- 4 Ne. 1:24-40 mentions a ~44-year period starting in the year 201 in which pride cycle started up again, until in the year 244 the majority of the people dwindled in unbelief and wickedness.
- 4 Ne 1:45 states that after three hundred years both Nephites and Lamanites had become wicked.
- Alma 45:10 states that “in four hundred years” from Christ’s coming, the Nephites would dwindle in unbelief. This could be interpreted to mean within four hundred years, but seems to me to mean after four hundred years.
- Alma 45:12 states that the iniquity shall come before the fourth generation shall all pass away.
- 2 Ne 26:9 states that the people will have peace until three generations have passed away, and many of the fourth generation have passed away in righteousness.
- 1 Ne 12:12 prophesies that many of the fourth generation would pass away in righteousness. (This and the previous two verses lead me to wonder what the duration of a generation is – compare to 4 Ne 1:22, which states that after two hundred years there were a few of the second generation still living.)
- 3 Ne 27:32 states that Jesus sorrows because of the fourth generation from the current one. It says they will be “lead away captive” by him (Satan?), which seems to conflict with previous statements about many of the fourth generation that are righteous.
There are more, but those are the ones that came to mind right now.
I'm also confused by the apparently parallel forms of worship that happen in the Book of Mormon narrative -- namely the Mosaic Law of sacrifices, and the Christ worship that was introduced in the form of a Church around Alma's time (and before). Seems very suspect.