A few random thoughts on M2C.
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When I read the material published by our M2C Fifth Columnists (meaning the LDS intellectuals who promote the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory), I often think of Jacob's summary of his teachings in Chapter 6:
12 O be wise; what can I say more?
A few verses earlier, Jacob asked this question: "Will ye reject the words of the prophets?"
Every time you read or hear the M2C Fifth Columnists, you can be sure they reject the words of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
It was the prophet Jacob who also said,
28 O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.
That is the single best description of the M2C Fifth Column I've found in the scriptures. That is precisely the attitude that leads these intellectuals to repudiate the prophets' teachings about the New York Cumorah.
But there is hope:
29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
Let's continue to be patient and hope that the M2C intellectuals will someday hearken to what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.
But in the meantime, we need to educate people about Letter VII and the agenda behind M2C. This is especially important for students in CES and at BYU, who are defenseless against the M2C dogma.
If the M2C intellectuals do someday hearken unto the prophets, they can still advocate their Mesoamerican parallels and correspondences.
I'm fine with M, so long as it doesn't include 2C.
Well, I'm fine in the sense that M, on its own, at least doesn't contradict the prophets. I don't think it makes sense for other reasons, but at least it wouldn't be teaching LDS youth and missionaries to disbelieve the prophets.
_____
I think our M2C Fifth Columnists know their M2C theory is not based upon reason or evidence.
Otherwise, they wouldn't continue to refuse to do a side-by-side comparison in their publications.
For that matter, there would be no M2C citation cartel if their theory was based on reason; to the contrary, they would invite articles and presentations by the New York Cumorah proponents so everyone could compare the reasoning and evidence.
But they refuse. Instead, they prevail by suppressing Letter VII, its context and all the evidence that corroborates the consistent and persistent teachings of the prophets.
Russell also exposed how our M2C Fifth Columnists have been "distorting the minds of the young," meaning their students at BYU/CES, by using "education" to persuade these trusting students that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah.
_____
There was a multistake fireside last night in Utah Country, featuring a brother who promotes M2C. It's awesome that you can speak in LDS church buildings so long as you're teaching people to disbelieve the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
He started by asking how many people were familiar with the North American setting, which he called the "Eastern States" setting. About half the audience raised their hands. He asked what is the first indication we have about Book of Mormon geography in Church history. Several people said the Hill Cumorah, but he ignored them and claimed it was the "narrow neck of land."
This was the first clue that the night was not about reality, but instead about promoting M2C by keeping the audience ignorant of inconvenient facts. That's exactly what Russell was describing in the quotation above. No M2C proponent wants people to even know about Letter VII, let alone the consistent, persistent teachings of the prophets that corroborate Letter VII and the New York Cumorah.
So they ignore it.
Then the speaker said there was nothing more about the geography until the 1842 articles in the Times and Seasons by Joseph Smith. He didn't tell his audience that these articles were anonymous, let alone that Joseph had neither the time nor inclination to edit that newspaper. Of course, he didn't tell them anything about Benjamin Winchester, William Smith, the Wasp, etc.
It's somewhat understandable that people thought Joseph wrote or edited these articles for so long. But a moment's reflection shows how irrational that belief is at this point.
The M2C proponents rely entirely on the boilerplate at the end of the Times and Seasons. This claims the newspaper is edited, printed and published by Joseph Smith. And yet, not even M2C proponents claim Joseph spent his time in the print shop, manning the press or setting type. No one can point to a single historical reference of Joseph actually printing or editing the paper.
Joseph signed specific pieces that he wrote for the paper, but not anonymous editorials. Plus, the very issues that contain the anonymous editorials about Central America also contain letters Joseph wrote and sent to the editor for publication.
These M2C intellectuals want us to believe Joseph sent these letters to himself!
So why do they keep insisting that Joseph wrote these anonymous editorials?
Because the editorials themselves are absurd. They cite ruins that postdate the Book of Mormon. By attributing these editorials to Joseph Smith, the M2C intellectuals portray Joseph as confused, ignorant, and speculative.
Joseph Smith therefore needs the M2C intellectuals to come to the rescue!
And they're proud to do it, even when it means repudiating all the prophets who have ever spoken about the New York Cumorah.
_____
These presentations are a thing to behold.
They're like sitting in a Book of Mormon class at BYU, Institute, Seminary, etc., and watching the instructor intentionally mislead the students with these fantasy maps.
Whenever I see presentations such as this, I think of D&C 121:
33 How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
One thing an audience will not get at an M2C presentation is knowledge. You get nothing but propaganda, because the M2C Fifth Columnists know most LDS reject M2C as soon as they learn the truth--that M2C constitutes a repudiation of the prophets.
_____
The M2C presentation last night focused on Izapa Stela 5.
It was an amazing display of confirmation bias.
This pagan stone now supposedly depicts Jacob 5's allegory of the olive tree, the House of Israel, Lehi and his family, the tree of life, and much, much more.
You can read about the interpretations right on this BYU website:
https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-first-nephi-doctrinal-foundation/9-stela-5-izapa-layman-s-consideration-tree
You can see a replica on display in the Salt Lake Valley, as explained here:
http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51404643&itype=CMSID
You used to be able to buy replicas at Deseret Book.
But, if you're an M2C Fifth Columnist, you cannot accept President Cowdery's Letter VII. You cannot accept Brigham Young's explanation that Joseph and Oliver and others actually visited Mormon's depository of records in the Hill Cumorah in New York. And you cannot accept all the prophets who have reaffirmed the New York Cumorah.
It's much better to believe a subjective, confirmation bias interpretation of a pagan stone than to believe the latter-day prophets.
_____
When I read the material published by our M2C Fifth Columnists (meaning the LDS intellectuals who promote the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory), I often think of Jacob's summary of his teachings in Chapter 6:
12 O be wise; what can I say more?
A few verses earlier, Jacob asked this question: "Will ye reject the words of the prophets?"
Every time you read or hear the M2C Fifth Columnists, you can be sure they reject the words of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
It was the prophet Jacob who also said,
28 O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.
That is the single best description of the M2C Fifth Column I've found in the scriptures. That is precisely the attitude that leads these intellectuals to repudiate the prophets' teachings about the New York Cumorah.
But there is hope:
29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
Let's continue to be patient and hope that the M2C intellectuals will someday hearken to what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.
But in the meantime, we need to educate people about Letter VII and the agenda behind M2C. This is especially important for students in CES and at BYU, who are defenseless against the M2C dogma.
If the M2C intellectuals do someday hearken unto the prophets, they can still advocate their Mesoamerican parallels and correspondences.
I'm fine with M, so long as it doesn't include 2C.
Well, I'm fine in the sense that M, on its own, at least doesn't contradict the prophets. I don't think it makes sense for other reasons, but at least it wouldn't be teaching LDS youth and missionaries to disbelieve the prophets.
_____
Bertrand Russell explained every aspect of the behavior of M2C Fifth Columnists (meaning the LDS intellectuals who promote the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory).
If you think your belief is based upon reason, you will support it by argument rather than by persecution, and will abandon it if the argument goes against you.
But if your belief is based upon faith, you will realize that argument is useless, and will therefore resort to force either in the form of persecution or by stunting or distorting the minds of the young in what is called ‘education.’
- Bertrand Russell
I think our M2C Fifth Columnists know their M2C theory is not based upon reason or evidence.
 |
| BYU puts Book of Mormon in a fantasy land |
For that matter, there would be no M2C citation cartel if their theory was based on reason; to the contrary, they would invite articles and presentations by the New York Cumorah proponents so everyone could compare the reasoning and evidence.
But they refuse. Instead, they prevail by suppressing Letter VII, its context and all the evidence that corroborates the consistent and persistent teachings of the prophets.
Russell also exposed how our M2C Fifth Columnists have been "distorting the minds of the young," meaning their students at BYU/CES, by using "education" to persuade these trusting students that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah.
_____
There was a multistake fireside last night in Utah Country, featuring a brother who promotes M2C. It's awesome that you can speak in LDS church buildings so long as you're teaching people to disbelieve the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
He started by asking how many people were familiar with the North American setting, which he called the "Eastern States" setting. About half the audience raised their hands. He asked what is the first indication we have about Book of Mormon geography in Church history. Several people said the Hill Cumorah, but he ignored them and claimed it was the "narrow neck of land."
This was the first clue that the night was not about reality, but instead about promoting M2C by keeping the audience ignorant of inconvenient facts. That's exactly what Russell was describing in the quotation above. No M2C proponent wants people to even know about Letter VII, let alone the consistent, persistent teachings of the prophets that corroborate Letter VII and the New York Cumorah.So they ignore it.
Then the speaker said there was nothing more about the geography until the 1842 articles in the Times and Seasons by Joseph Smith. He didn't tell his audience that these articles were anonymous, let alone that Joseph had neither the time nor inclination to edit that newspaper. Of course, he didn't tell them anything about Benjamin Winchester, William Smith, the Wasp, etc.
It's somewhat understandable that people thought Joseph wrote or edited these articles for so long. But a moment's reflection shows how irrational that belief is at this point.
Joseph signed specific pieces that he wrote for the paper, but not anonymous editorials. Plus, the very issues that contain the anonymous editorials about Central America also contain letters Joseph wrote and sent to the editor for publication.
These M2C intellectuals want us to believe Joseph sent these letters to himself!
So why do they keep insisting that Joseph wrote these anonymous editorials?
Because the editorials themselves are absurd. They cite ruins that postdate the Book of Mormon. By attributing these editorials to Joseph Smith, the M2C intellectuals portray Joseph as confused, ignorant, and speculative.
Joseph Smith therefore needs the M2C intellectuals to come to the rescue!
And they're proud to do it, even when it means repudiating all the prophets who have ever spoken about the New York Cumorah.
_____
These presentations are a thing to behold.
They're like sitting in a Book of Mormon class at BYU, Institute, Seminary, etc., and watching the instructor intentionally mislead the students with these fantasy maps.
Whenever I see presentations such as this, I think of D&C 121:
33 How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
One thing an audience will not get at an M2C presentation is knowledge. You get nothing but propaganda, because the M2C Fifth Columnists know most LDS reject M2C as soon as they learn the truth--that M2C constitutes a repudiation of the prophets.
_____
It was an amazing display of confirmation bias.
This pagan stone now supposedly depicts Jacob 5's allegory of the olive tree, the House of Israel, Lehi and his family, the tree of life, and much, much more.
You can read about the interpretations right on this BYU website:
https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-first-nephi-doctrinal-foundation/9-stela-5-izapa-layman-s-consideration-tree
You can see a replica on display in the Salt Lake Valley, as explained here:
http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51404643&itype=CMSID
You used to be able to buy replicas at Deseret Book.
But, if you're an M2C Fifth Columnist, you cannot accept President Cowdery's Letter VII. You cannot accept Brigham Young's explanation that Joseph and Oliver and others actually visited Mormon's depository of records in the Hill Cumorah in New York. And you cannot accept all the prophets who have reaffirmed the New York Cumorah.
It's much better to believe a subjective, confirmation bias interpretation of a pagan stone than to believe the latter-day prophets.
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