The Watson Letter fiasco rightly takes the number one spot of the decade for Mopologetic news. It's a sleeper topic for sure, I myself forget about it and then a reference gets dropped now and again bringing it to mind. Every couple of years
(and that could be read as 1.5-3.2) I go back and read the epic thread Professor Scratch linked to on this board from start to finish. For those who haven't read it from beginning to end, I would encourage you to do so. I think what makes it so great is that all the big players reveal their hands on a topic of monumental importance for them and stumble over themselves as they do so. I think it's a window into the broader world of Mopologetics, actually. None of the apologists appear to be interested in the truth of the matter, they make excuses ad hoc as they go along, as critics point out inconsistencies and flaws, and so long as they feel they plausibly answered the latest inconsistency they are perfectly satisfied with where they're at in life. Mopologetics doesn't seem to ever have been interested in figuring out the truth of anything.
The LGT at one time could have been pointed to as a serious proactive endeavor, but now that we've learned it was essentially "borrowed" in complete form from elsewhere, it loses the little credibility it may have had as a serious pursuit of the apologists.
I was struck by two seemingly unrelated pieces of data. The Watson Letter, and the "No slam dunks!" mandate given by Elder Maxwell. One could think of the walk of the Mopologist as one of great faith with only a glimpse or two permitted into the heavenly realm from decade to decade. One would think it shouldn't be so difficult: At any time, the 15 prophets, seers, and revelators could simply tell us about the real geography, and if 15 revelators can't do that, surely they can tell us what the Church's position is on the broader topic of geography models, but even that seems insurmountably difficult.
The implication is clear: The entire career or FARMS and post-FARMS apologetics has been somewhat apostate. Even in the letter to Bradford, the "no slam dunks" instance is cited. Considering their visibility, the fact that they've leaned on these two paltry pieces of data to justify their legitimacy over a 40+ year period itself is evidence that they really aren't very legitimate.
Dr. Moore wrote:What will the 2020s bring? Predictions?
Dr. Scratch alluded to the continued rise of the Fictional theories. As I've indicated elsewhere, I expect the apologists themselves to embrace the Book of Mormon as fiction in the next 10 years. On the whole, I think this will be the decade where faithful interpretations of the Book of Mormon will admit that it isn't history, and it does not come from real historical documents.