Last Sunday, Elder Gary Stevenson and his wife presented an awesome devotional.

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-05-02/elder-stevenson-worldwide-devotional-balance-vision-212164

Speaking of his own professional career, Elder Stevenson said that vision adjusts with time and experience. This aligns with President Nelson’s teaching that we should be engaged learners instead of lazy learners.

“Vision needs to be adjusted regularly and routinely,” he said. “Starting as a small importer of brass giftware and then growing to become a large provider of fitness products required a lot of luck and adjustment to our vision in between. Abandoning and creating a new plan, reinvention and adjustment is a strength, not a weakness.”

This type of reinvention and adjustment is what I hope we see someday with our M2C and SITH intellectuals, who so far are so invested in their theories they can’t adapt to new information.

Instead of repudiating the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah and the Urim and Thummim, these intellectuals could and should abandon their approach and create a new plan that supports and corroborates the teachings of the prophets.

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Even Twitter knows more about an open mind and the pursuit of truth than our M2C and SITH intellectuals.

Twitter insights about an open mind.

Either you find confirmation or you find the truth. 

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With an open mind you’ll always learn something new.

With a closed mind you’ll always reinforce your false beliefs.

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The best way to build your self esteem is not on what you think you know, or have.

Rather an open mind or being a “learner” as you’re always learning from others.

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Any organization whose very logo decides the outcome of the questions they are supposedly studying is a farce.

If Book of Mormon Central was a legitimate academic endeavor, they would immediately change their M2C logo. 

But they won’t because their are obsessed with 

(i) proving their M2C theory with illusory “correspondences,” 

(ii) convincing people the prophets were wrong about Cumorah, and, lately, 

(iii) persuading people that Joseph Smith didn’t really translate anything but just read words that appeared on the stone in the hat.

Source: About Central America

A year ago, Elder Christofferson taught that “The Book of Mormon is the possession of mankind.“

The Title Page explains that the abridgments of the record of the people of Nephi and the people of Jared was provided “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”

With these principles in mind, we can think of the Book of Mormon as a way to bring all people to Christ, regardless of their current beliefs and affiliations. People of all faiths–and no faith–can appreciate the Book of Mormon for the truths it teaches. 

To the extent we use the Book of Mormon primarily as a missionary tool, we may be building more barriers than bridges. 

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Another approach would be sharing the Book of Mormon on its own merits. No one has to join any church to appreciate what the Book of Mormon teaches and how it brings people closer to Christ. 

Accepting the Book of Mormon for its merits would dissolve much of the disputes, contention and misunderstanding among various groups and individuals.

Because the Book of Mormon is squarely within the Christian tradition, MOBOM has a section on Why Christians need the Book of Mormon.

https://www.mobom.org/why-christians

Recently, I did an interview with an evangelical who is interested in the Restoration movement. You can see it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrZYof4yzzg

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I welcome your feedback. Email me at lostzarahemla@gmail.com and I’ll discuss your feedback in this blog.

Source: Book of Mormon Concensus

People often ask why current LDS intellectuals and apologists are so obsessed with enforcing their own theories as orthodoxy that everyone must accept. Of course, their theories are fake orthodoxy, except in their own minds.

This is a topic in my upcoming book on LDS apologetics. Almost daily now, well-known LDS apologists supply more material. 

Ordinary Latter-day Saints might think that people who are smart and well educated would be open to alternative perspectives and interpretations, but we see exactly the opposite outcome among many LDS intellectuals, particularly LDS historians and self-anointed experts on the Book of Mormon. 

An upcoming book titled The Bias that Divides Us discusses the reason why highly educated people more readily delude themselves into thinking they have “thought their way to their viewpoints” by making informed, objective decisions. 

The reality is that instead, they derive their beliefs from their peers.

The M2C citation cartel is a perfect example of how this works. 

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

For readers of this blog, the two most obvious examples are SITH and M2C. (See the guide to acronyms here: https://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/p/acronyms-used-in-this-blog.html)

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For example, the Church has expressed a position of neutrality regarding Book of Mormon geography. That’s the only viable policy at this point, given that for several decades now LDS intellectuals who repudiated the teachings of the prophets have trained students at BYU and CES to also repudiate those teachings. By now, generations of Latter-day Saints either don’t know what the prophets have taught about Cumorah, or have been persuaded that the prophets were wrong.

Neutrality is anathema to the intellectuals at Book of Mormon Central, the Interpreter, BYU Studies, FAIRLDS, Meridian Magazine, etc. 

Instead, they all insist that only the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory is acceptable. Anyone who dares to question M2C is the target of their criticism, ad hominem attacks, and the other logical and factual fallacies typical of their approach to apologetics. They have a long history of this.

The M2C citation cartel thrives on “lazy learners” who defer to the M2C intellectuals instead of making their own informed decisions.

We’ve seen before that Book of Mormon Central’s very logo is the antithesis of neutrality. It rejects not only the New York Cumorah, but any working hypothesis that involves South America.

In a very real sense, the situation is hopeless with respect to these intellectuals. We can’t hope, let alone expect, that they will ever embrace or even accommodate neutrality. It would require a psychological adjustment they are inherently incapable of.

But that’s okay.

Latter-day Saints have the opportunity and obligation to become “engaged learners” who study these things for ourselves. 

We don’t have to rely on the credentialed class to tell us what to think.

We can all make informed choices when we study the scriptures, the teachings of the prophets, authentic and original Church history documents, and extrinsic evidence that corroborates those teachings.

By contrast, the M2C citation cartel focuses on their own interpretations and any evidence they can find to repudiate the teachings of the prophets. 

Source: About Central America

I’ve been reminded of a video I did a few years ago. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ and search for “watching general conference with BYU professors.”

I need to rename it. Instead of BYU professors, it should say M2C intellectuals, because there are lots of BYU professors who still believe what Joseph and Oliver taught.

Plus, not everyone in the M2C citation cartel is a BYU professor.

Source: About Central America

 If you haven’t seen this video, you should watch it.

Back To The Future | Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Source: Book of Mormon Concensus

Most Latter-day Saints accept the Church’s position of neutrality regarding Book of Mormon geography, which recognizes multiple working hypotheses. We think that position best promotes harmony and unity in the Church.

On this blog, we support the Church’s policy. 

We encourage people to make informed decisions by evaluating multiple working hypotheses while we await further knowledge. 

To make informed decisions, we encourage people to become “engaged learners” as they study the scriptures, the teachings of the prophets, authentic Church history, and relevant extrinsic evidence including anthropology, archaeology, etc.

We accept the teachings of the prophets that the hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York. That is one working hypothesis. We recognize that teaching does not determine the locations of any other Book of Mormon events. The New York Cumorah accommodates theories ranging from a limited area around New York to the entire hemisphere and everywhere in between. We think extrinsic evidence supports the New York Cumorah and improves our understanding of the text.

But again, that is only one working hypothesis.

Other Latter-day Saints insist that the only possible setting for the Book of Mormon is in Mesoamerica. They teach that the prophets were wrong about the New York Cumorah because they have decided that the “real Cumorah” of Mormon 6:6 is in Mexico. This is the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C).

We recognize M2C as a working hypothesis and we are fine with people believing M2C if they want to. We hope they are engaged learners and not merely lazy learners whose beliefs are assigned to them by scholars.

M2C believers understand and accept the M2C teaching that the idea of Cumorah in New York was a false tradition that Joseph Smith erroneously adopted, thereby misleading the Church for decades until RLDS scholar L.E. Hills figured out the truth. 

LDS scholars adopted Hills’ theory, taught it at BYU and CES, and through the academic cycle have produced generations of Latter-day Saints who (i) don’t know what the prophets have taught about Cumorah, and/or (ii) reject what the prophets have taught about Cumorah.

The M2C intellectuals formed the M2C citation cartel to aggressively enforce M2C. The biggest promoter of M2C is Book of Mormon Central, which has embedded M2C in its logo. Other members of the citation cartel include the Interpreter, BYU Studies, FAIRLDS, Meridian Magazine, etc. 

On this blog, we respect the scholars and their research and we embrace relevant facts they discover, but we don’t blindly accept their theories. We’re happy for people to believe whatever they want, but we prefer to support the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah and we think the evidence corroborates those teachings. 

The M2C citation cartel could bring about greater unity in the Church by changing course to embrace the Church’s policy of neutrality, recognizing multiple working hypotheses.

A first step would require Book of Mormon Central to change its logo, which explicitly defies the Church’s position of neutrality.

In the meantime, we see this (click to enlarge).

Source: About Central America

The easiest way to understand Book of Mormon historicity and related Church history is to accept what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery said.

Those who reject their teachings about translating the engravings on the plates with the Urim and Thummim and the New York Cumorah embark on a life-long journey of complicated explanations and rationalizations.

I liked this graphic from Twitter:

Source: About Central America

An ad from the 1969 Improvement Era:

Source: About Central America

I’m participating in a blog tour of a wonderful new book by Sharla Goettl titled Spiritual Resilience: Leading our Youth to Go and Do.

The title resonated with me because I’m currently facilitating the Emotional Resilience course in our ward. The concept of resilience is empowering. If widely embraced by Latter-day Saints, resilience will help change the world. I recently discussed this on my How to Zion blog and Sharla Goettl has provided important insights into how to help youth acquire resilience in their lives.

The challenges faced by the youth in the Church today are well known. One of the best ways to help them become resilient is by relating to them by discussing the questions they have. Instead of providing rote answers, we encourage them to develop resilience by answering their questions themselves.

Sharla shows the way to do this by organizing her book with a series of questions that everyone can relate to. For example, Chapter one discusses these two:

How can I spiritually prepare for a future I can’t predict?

How did Nephi’s parents support him in becoming what the Lord needed?

The end of each chapter includes a brief summary and note-taking area that encourages readers to interact with the book. This is similar to the technique used in modern Church curriculum, including the Come Follow Me manuals, that is so effective in helping readers engage with the content and incorporate it into their lives.

Although the book’s subtitle refers to youth, the concepts and examples Sharla includes in Spiritual Resilience are relevant and applicable to everyone. 

I highly recommend this book!

For more information, go to:

Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2NVeZy9

Author’s website: www.sharlagoettl.com

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/authorsharlagoettl

Instagram: @authorsharlagoettl

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/sharlagoettl

Rafflecopter giveaway!

*  EVERYONE can get a FREE gift at www.sharlagoettl.com  Click on the link at the top of the page for “The Goal Maker”.

Past and future participants in the tour.

April 12
http://christymonson.blogspot.com/
April 13
http://www.rachelkirkaldie.blogspot.com
April 14
http://journeyinthejoy.com
April 15
http://www.shannonsymonds.com
April 16
https://theheroinsideme.com/
April 17
http://www.unwillingchild.wordpress.com
April 18
https://bookofmormonconsensus.blogspot.com/

May 1
http://www.the-exponent.com
May 2
http://www.maryannjohnsoncoach.com
May 3
http://www.mybookaday.com
May 4
https://granteagar.blogspot.com
May 5
https://bewarethebookwyrm.wordpress.com
May 6
https://singinglibrarianbooks.com
May 7
http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com
May 8
http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com

Source: Book of Mormon Concensus