Actually, my observation is that your personal testimony is more in line with Joseph Smith and his visions and revelations than the current apologetic perspective.
I must confess my ignorance about what the current apologetic perspectives are. I have always avoided apologetics, partly because I do not like the word. It seems to derive from the word apology. Whether I am a Christian, Restoration Saint, Disciple of Christ... I feel I have nothing to apologize for about my beliefs if they are right and true. The truth does not need to be defended. It is simply shared, like seeds being broadcast upon the ground. They either take root or they do not.
Some apologists argue that one must believe the historical, factual accuracy of the Book of Mormon, yet these same people discount Joseph Smith and dismiss his teachings regarding the location, story, and facts of the Book of Mormon. They "reinterpret" the Book of Mormon to mean something other than what Joseph Smith wrote/translated, in my opinion.
Again, I don't really know what "they" are saying these days, but I do know this: We are instructed to bring the gospel to all people, and we were instructed by Christ in the D&C not to speak of tenets. I know of very few churches, and no branch of Mormonism, which has been obedient to this command. We are not instructed to convert people to a book, or a church, but unto Christ. If the Book of Mormon is just another testimony of Christ, and I believe it is somewhat more than that, but in any case... it is not Christ Himself, but a witness of Christ.
Unfortunately, I have witnessed many people who confess Joseph Smith to be a prophet, who either do not know what he has said, or if they do know, go on holding opinions and theories about certain things without regard to what the Lord showed him. For example, that the Book of Mormon lands are in North America.
Up until a certain point in our nation's history, I think few ever really did much research into the archaeological evidence, and few believers cared. At some point Bible archeology began to bloom, and common people began to gravitate more towards a desire for scientific evidences. The more subtle and unknown evidence in N America remained mostly unseen, while the sudden, more phenomenal and romantic archaeological discovery of "lost cities" in Central America (in the last century) began to surface, invoking the imaginations of Mormons. "Ah-ha! These must be these great cities of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon!"
I do believe some of the people's who populated Central and South America in the past may have been a lost tribe, led there by the Lord, but there story is different than the Nephites. No where does it say the Nephites built Pyramids. It describes earth works with wooden walls, etc. And there is much evidence of that here in N America, along with copper mines, etc.
However, the Book of Mormon cannot be proven true through archaeological evidence anymore than the Bible can be. It remains largely a matter of faith.
Would you like to share your recent discoveries that have given you your testimony of the HGT?
My conviction of the Book of Mormon is firmly, solidly planted in the witness of the Holy Ghost unto me, and the fruit it bares in my life. However, it was an LDS Mormon who blew my mind away with actual physical evidences of North America being the land of the Nephites. It very much confirmed and made even more solid, if it were possibly, my convictions about the book. His name is Wayne May. He came to Kansas City area, and spoke in an RLDS branch. I was invited by a friend, and his presentation absolutely blew me away.
It's hard to explain. I never doubted the Book of Mormon, but I never felt comfortable with the images of pyramids, glyphs, and other archaeological evidences from Central America. It all seemed somehow foreign...
So, I went on with my belief in the Book of Mormon in faith, simply setting aside the archeology...until I saw Wayne May's presentation. It was a little like always believing in God all your life, but then dying and actually meeting Him.
It was awesome.
If you search his name on Google, I'm sure he has a website. I know he has a magazine and some books. Best of all, in my opinion, would be to ask him to come to your branch and present what he has. No sense in me trying to share so poorly something that cannot be understood without all the details and photos and maps.
I'm curious if you think the LDS church is moving away from its teachings and some long held beliefs?
I am not LDS, nor an expert on all things LDS. I couldn't begin to speculate.
But there are just a couple of things about the LDS I do know, that the Lord has shared with me.
Not that I am a prophet.
What I feel I can share and believe to be true with all my heart is this: That God really loves them, and He is about to do something that will bring many of them out of a form of bondage, which many of them are in, (those who will), and draw them into a much closer relationship with Himself.
It is similar to what I experienced when I left that community I was living in. I left religion for relationship with God.
And this is all a part of the work of the Father... where he will draw all that are His into ONE, even the lost tribes of Israel. Zion!
God bless!!!!