Catching up

We've been traveling, but here are some misc. items to discuss.

1. Interpreter. Some people wonder why I'm critical of the Interpreter.

The "Interpreters"

First, the very name reflects the arrogance of the intellectuals behind the Interpreter. In Jesus' day, the scribes and pharisees claimed the right to interpret the scriptures for everyone. They were the "Interpreters." Today, those involved with the Interpreter (and their interlocking affiliates FairMormon and Book of Mormon Central) claim that right. They even claim they are above criticism because they have been hired by the prophets to guide the Church. They brag about their "close relationships" with the Brethren, their financial support, and their overall influence over employees at BYU, CES, and COB (Church Office Building).

In my view, we don't need experts to tell us what the scriptures say or what the Brethren teach.

Especially we don't need experts who tell us that if the prophets/scriptures disagree with their scholarly theories, we should reject the prophets/scriptures and follow the intellectuals.

Second, I've always said that some of what they publish is useful and well done. I can't give a percentage, obviously; you have to decide for yourself on a case-by-case basis.

Mainly because of their uniform and adamant belief in M2C (and the Mesomania of their publishers, editors, peer-reviewers, etc.), many of the articles in the Interpreter are pure propaganda. Other articles merely reflect the M2C groupthink. Although they claim their articles are peer-reviewed, I think many of them are mere peer-approved; i.e., they are carefully screened to sustain and accommodate M2C.

Third, I've reviewed only a few of their articles, usually in response to questions people pose. None of this is personal. I don't care about who wrote an article; I assume every author is awesome, faithful, smart, dedicated, has pure motives, etc. But none of that has anything to do with promoting a specific agenda.

You can see my reviews here:

http://interpreterpeerreviews.blogspot.com/
_____

2. Zelph. Donald Q. Canon's article on Zelph that I discussed on this blog a while back was a good overview of the accounts we have from Church history. I've discussed Zelph a few times. Here's one of the articles that mentioned it:

http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-saints-mole-strikes-again.html

The original link to Brother Canon's article at BYU is broken; i.e., the article was removed.

Thanks to the wayback machine, it's still available here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20180104055710/http://emp.byui.edu/marrottr/341folder/zelph%20revisited%20cannon.html

If anyone wants a copy, email me at lostzarahemla@gmail.com and you'll get it by reply email.
_____

3. Anonymous juveniles on the Internet. Apparently there are some kids playing on keyboards who write nonsense about some of my blogs and the North American setting (which I call Moroni's America for short). I trust readers to recognize the logical and factual fallacies.

There are also some fine young scholars who write similar nonsense on assignment from their M2C employers, but that's what we expect of employees. Apple, Google, Ford, General Mills--all these companies hire PR people to defend and promote their corporate ideas. Book of Mormon Central also hires PR people to defend and promote its M2C dogma. Nothing to be surprised about. Nothing to respond to. It's just PR.

A high percentage of my posts are responses to questions people ask. If anyone has a serious question, comment, or criticism, everyone knows they can email me at lostzarahemla@gmail.com and I'll respond either personally or on this blog, based on what the individual requests.

That's all for now.

:)