A Direct Hit? Or Just Coincidence?

[_Who Knows]

This past Saturday, the most anticipated college football game of the year was played in Ohio. The game featured #1 ranked Ohio State vs. #2 ranked Michigan. Needless to say, all eyes in the country were on this game.

It was a great game, with Ohio State winning the game with a final score of 42-39.

Interestingly, that same night, just 1/2 hour after the game was over, the lotto numbers in Ohio were drawn. What were the 4 random lotto numbers? 4-2-3-9! The odds of those 4 numbers showing up is 10,000 to 1. The odds of those 4 numbers showing up in that exact order is much higher than that (I don't know exactly, but i'm sure it's in the millions to one range).

So here are the facts:

The game was played in Ohio
The lotto drawing was the exact same day as the game (1/2 hour after the game)
The final score of the football game was 42-39
The exact order of the lotto numbers was 4239

Direct hit on location (game was in Ohio, lotto was in Ohio)
Direct hit on timing (lotto was 1/2 hour after game)
Direct hit on the numbers (same numbers, same order)

So what do you all think? Was this a 'direct hit'? Or just mere coincidence?

Yes, this is a spin-off of the FAIR threads about Nahom and coincidence. What are the facts about the Nahom Book of Mormon 'hit'?

NHM could mean Nahom
Nahom could be the same location as NHM
NHM existed around 600bc

So, what do you all think? Is Nahom a 'direct hit'? Or just mere coincidence?

[_Runtu]

Here's the problem.

For believers, NHM is a direct hit, whereas the parallels between Lehi's journey and the story of Hiram Abiff are just coincidence. The presence of possibly Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon is a direct hit, but place names from the New York/Penn/Ohio area are just coincidental.

It's a matter of perspective, I guess.

Oh, and I vote coincidence. 3 letters do not prove much, do they?

[_MormonMendacity]

Here's the problem.

For believers, NHM is a direct hit, whereas the parallels between Lehi's journey and the story of Hiram Abiff are just coincidence. The presence of possibly Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon is a direct hit, but place names from the New York/Penn/Ohio area are just coincidental.

It's a matter of perspective, I guess.

Oh, and I vote coincidence. 3 letters do not prove much, do they?

Not only do they not prove much, but they are dwarfed by the poorly explained tsunami of problems with the Book of Mormon. I am surprised they can also so easily dismiss 176 years of prophets declaring who the "principle" ancestors of the American Indians are...but stand all amazed at irrefutable "hints" to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

I, too, stand all amazed.

[_moksha]

Lehi and company would not have stood a chance against Ohio State or Michigan. Therefore, the odds of them winning must be calculated via the infinite probability matrix. When all is said and done, I think it eguals the number of wives of Joseph Smith times those of Brigham Young, squared. The result the be the number to one against their winning the game.

Hope that helps...

[_asbestosman]

Isn't part of the difference a priori vs a posteriori probability. A posteriori I can come up with anything. However, in the case of NHM we at least had a story of things to look for before we found them. Can the same be said about the lottery/football game connection?

by the way, I don't put much stock in NHM either. I simply have no idea how to even begin calculating how likely or unlikely it is for a coincidence.

[_Dr. Shades]

So, what do you all think? Is Nahom a 'direct hit'? Or just mere coincidence?

Oh, I'd say Nahom is as much of a "direct hit" as Camora/Moroni.

[_Who Knows]

Isn't part of the difference a priori vs a posteriori probability.

Of course.

This was just my attempt at showing why taking the Nahom thing seriously is a little silly.

But the lotto numbers are quite freaky!

[_Tal Bachman]

One thing no one's mentioned is that "Nahum" is a book of the Bible. If anything, then, the presence of "Nahom" in the Book of Mormon is a "direct hit" for the theory that Joseph Smith was very much reliant on the Bible for phraseology, story lines, themes, and names - NOT for the theory that he put on a giant armour breastplate and spontaneous language-decoding spectacles, and then read Egyptian off of plates of gold!

[_asbestosman]

One thing no one's mentioned is that "Nahum" is a book of the Bible. If anything, then, the presence of "Nahom" in the Book of Mormon is a "direct hit" for the theory that Joseph Smith was very much reliant on the Bible for phraseology, story lines, themes, and names - NOT for the theory that he put on a giant armour breastplate and spontaneous language-decoding spectacles, and then read Egyptian off of plates of gold!

On the contrary. It may be evidence that the authors of the Book of Mormon were quite familiar with Hebrew. Besides, even the Book of Mormon itself admits a knowledge of the Old Testament. Specifically the Books of Moses, Isaiah, and part of Jeremiah as well as Samuel/Kings because of David and Solomon.