SHOW
YOUR
SHELF

500 faith-affirming questions that we find difficult to answer, or find secular answers unconvincing, so we put them on the ‘shelf’. Show your shelf by adding your questions to the list.

What is a good alternative explanation for the Book of Mormon that accounts for all the evidence? Read more…
Unless he was inspired, how could 23-year-old Joseph Smith dictate all 269,510 words of the Book of Mormon without any notes? Read more…
Unless he was inspired, how could Joseph Smith achieve such incredible and complex internal consistency while dictating the Book of Mormon (120 examples documented here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here)? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith sustain a blistering pace of dictating the whole Book of Mormon in around 60 working days? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith imitate so many different writing styles in the Book of Mormon, and how do we explain the 1 in 15 trillion chance of Nephi and Alma having the same author? Read more…
If Joseph Smith didn’t dictate the Book of Mormon, why are most errors in the original manuscript based on mishearing, and most errors from the printer’s manuscript based on misreading? Read more…
If Joseph Smith creatively dictated the Book of Mormon, why didn’t it need an editor to check for consistency etc? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was reciting the Book of Mormon from memory, why did he not know how to pronounce many of the names? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was reciting the Book of Mormon from memory, why would he be surprised by the content? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was reciting the Book of Mormon from memory, why was its design and structure also a surprise to him? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was reciting the Book of Mormon from memory, why didn’t he recite passages frequently and effortlessly in his discourses? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith manage to avoid correcting himself when dictating the Book of Mormon? Read more…
When translating the Book of Mormon, how did Joseph Smith immediately pick up where he left off? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was creating the Book of Mormon on the fly, wouldn’t he sometimes struggle to know what to say? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had previously written the Book of Mormon in his own time, where are all the drafts? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have afforded all the paper to write drafts of the Book of Mormon when it was so expensive and scarce at the time? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had previously written the Book of Mormon before dictation, where did he find the time? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had previously written the Book of Mormon in his own time, why did no one notice? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had previously written the Book of Mormon before dictation, why would he go through all the effort of pretending to translate day after day? Read more…
What is our evidence that Joseph Smith had amassed a vast frontier library of alleged sources of the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have afforded the money to borrow books from a library? Read more…
Where are all the “try works” of Joseph Smith? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith have written the Book of Mormon if he was “ignorant” and a man of “limited education”? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith create a book of a reading level around the eleventh grade? Read more…
How is Joseph Smith’s ungrammatical 1832 account of the first vision consistent with being the sole author of the Book of Mormon three years earlier? Read more…
How likely is it that a young man of Joseph Smith’s limited education could produce such a lengthy book as a first-time author? Read more…
Why did early critics of Joseph Smith consider him a “blockhead” but later critics consider him a “myth maker of prodigious talents”? If the Book of Mormon is a fraud, then which extreme view of Joseph is true? Read more…
Why would a religious man like Joseph Smith dare to write a fraudulent book which mentions Christ once every 1.7 verses? Read more…
If the Book of Mormon was written by someone else with expertise in Hebraisms, Mesoamerica etc., then who was it and what is our evidence? Read more…
Why would someone with expertise in Hebraisms, Mesoamerica etc. anonymously fabricate a long and complex story, then exclusively share it with a farm boy who isn’t interested in books? Read more…
If someone else wrote the Book of Mormon, why would they go to the effort of also supplying gold plates or require Joseph Smith to source them separately? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had to create the gold plates himself, is it likely he spent potentially 480 hours in a blacksmith shop hammering them out? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have spent around 450 hours engraving the characters on the plates? Read more…
Why would the gold plates be bound by the most efficient ring shape? Read more…
Why has no one ever come forward as the Book of Mormon’s author? Read more…
Why has no descendant of the Book of Mormon’s author ever come forward? Isn’t there money to be made? Read more…
If Joseph Smith knew the Book of Mormon was a hoax, why would he suffer such persecution and trials, such as persecution after the first vision, a mob coming to his house, being scratched with nails like “a mad cat”, being tarred and feathered, an attempted poisoning, being beaten with guns in a wagon, 46 lawsuits, his children dying from exposure to the cold when mobs entered his house, and unjust imprisonment, then die a martyr? Read more…
Wouldn’t Lucy and Emma be the most likely people to know whether or not Joseph Smith could have written the Book of Mormon? Read more…
If Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon through “automatic writing“, where did all the words come from? Read more…
If the Book of Mormon was a hoax, wouldn’t Joseph Smith have been able to still translate when Martin Harris swapped out the seer stone? Read more…
Why couldn’t Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon after a quarrel? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith be comfortable with the gold plates often laying on the table without any attempt at concealment? Read more…
Why did Sally Conrad say that Joseph and Oliver were “exceedingly white and strange” during the translation? Read more…
Why did Joseph try to get others to translate the plates if he had engraved them himself? Read more…
Why would Martin Harris come away convinced after showing Charles Anthon characters from the gold plates? Read more…
Where did W. W. Phelps find out about “ancient shorthand Egyptian“? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to convince 3 witnesses that they had seen an angel? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith convince 8 witnesses that the gold plates, which they held, were genuine? Read more…
How do we also account for the other witnesses of the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why did none of the Book of Mormon witnesses ever recant their testimony? Read more…
Didn’t the six witnesses who left the church and had a personal animus against Joseph Smith have the perfect opportunity to expose him? Read more…
Didn’t the witnesses have the perfect excuse to expose Joseph Smith when their lives were threatened? Read more…
Why has no-one completed Hugh Nibley’s Book of Mormon challenge yet? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith make dictation difficult for himself by including so many editorial promises in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Would we expect Joseph Smith’s first ever book to include editorial previews and summaries? Read more…
If the Book of Mormon was a product of Joseph Smith, would we expect it to be distinguished from other 19th century religious works by using 100 different names for Christ? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith ensure that the Book of Mormon’s use of “remember” and “forget” is “extensive, internally consistent, and strikingly similar – in both frequency and range of meaning – to their use in the Bible”? Read more…
How come the writers of the small plates followed meticulously the instructions of Nephi? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith have quoted each of the farewell speeches from the small plates in Moroni’s “verbal curtain call”? Read more…
Would we expect approximately 1,500 shifts in author or source throughout the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith not get confused while dictating the Book of Mormon when the storyline started to include flashbacks within flashbacks? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith maintain consistency while dictating the Book of Mormon when using multiple calendar systems? Read more…
Would we expect Joseph Smith to maintain a mathematically consistent chronology throughout the Book of Mormon? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, why make it so long? Excluding Bible quotes it has 258,000 words (compared to 184,000 words in the New Testament). Why wouldn’t Joseph just write a much shorter book and take fewer chances of being exposed? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, why would he make it so structurally complex? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith (while dictating) manage to list a lengthy genealogy in Ether 1 and then discuss each person in reverse order throughout the rest of the book? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith not make the mistake of saying the priests fasted on the day that Alma was struck dumb? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith find time to maintain a chronological order of events in different parts of the book, such as Mormon’s letter to Moroni? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith compose the sacrament prayers using the wording Christ used 80 pages previously? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith go to the effort of Nephi covering Lehi’s story to compensate for the lost 116 pages? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to create three accounts of Alma’s conversion which are consistent with their having been written by a single individual, but in different settings and at different stages of his life? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith include 68 sermons in the Book of Mormon if he had never given a sermon in his life? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have been able to write Nephi’s Psalm? Read more…
What experience would Joseph Smith have had with “prophetic lawsuits“? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith not include the “without a cause” part of Matthew 5:22? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon associate being prideful with being “high” in the air? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have noticed the significance of the phrase “this day” from reading the Bible? Read more…
How should we account for what Hugh Nibley thinks is the most convincing evidence yet brought forth for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon (the Year-Rite)? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned all about the nature and importance of Jewish oaths? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that Laman and Lemuel beat Nephi and Sam with a rod rather than using their fists? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith make Nephi’s description of Laban authentic and realistic? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon imply that a new bow would be understood as a political statement? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea of slippery treasures? Read more…
Why do traditions of “Messiah ben Joseph” show remarkable parallels to Joseph Smith’s own life? Read more…
Why is the Book of Mormon’s claim that Moses was translated backed up by non-biblical Jewish and Samaritan traditions? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have read all about the traditions of ancient covenant renewals? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have probably thought coronations of kings would take place at a palace rather than the temple? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea of shining stones? Read more…
Would we expect Lehi’s poetic couplet to match several features of desert poetry used by the ancient Bedouin of Arabia? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have said the mountains were strong rather than the valley? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was copying from the Bible, wouldn’t have he said “the city of Jerusalem” rather than “the land of Jerusalem“? Read more…
Is it by chance that there are meaningful similarities between the stone box containing the Nephite relics, and the Israelite Ark of the Covenant? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon mention veiled reference of seers who “saw and heard”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have said Lehi was of the tribe of Joseph if they were scattered by the Assyrians? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon describe baptism as a covenant if New Testament scholarship has only recently brought this to light? Read more…
Why do other ancient documents support the Book of Mormon’s idea that the ancient Joseph prophesied of Moses and Aaron? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith risk mentioning the building of temples outside of Jerusalem before the discovery of the Jewish community at Elephantine? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on saying John the apostle didn’t die? Read more…
Why would the name Sidon appear in the Book of Mormon, but not Tyre? Read more…
What are the odds that the symbol of the tree of life is supported by many other evidences from other ancient Near Eastern cultures, including Mesopotamia and Egypt? Read more…
Was Laban’s “fifty” just a random number? Read more…
Why think it is just a coincidence that Moroni delivered the plates to Joseph Smith during the Feast of Trumpets? Read more…
Is it a coincidence that the Nephite interpreters are so similar to the Urim and Thummim? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, wouldn’t we expect his use of the brazen serpent symbol to be stagnant? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, wouldn’t we expect prayers before eating, rather than after? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith get the types of ancient Israelite sacrifice and offerings correct? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have probably avoided likening Christ to a serpent? Read more…
What would Joseph Smith have known about the likely difference between men’s and women’s rights in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself would we expect to see in 1 Nephi two authentically preexilic religious symbols (Asherah and Wisdom)? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon describe the ferocious Gaddianton robbers as wearing lamb-skin? Would we expect this rich symbolism if Joseph Smith wrote the book himself? Read more…
Why is the Near Eastern custom of chopping down the tree after a hanging in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why think it is a coincidence that ancient Near Eastern traditions (not found in the Bible) agree with the Book of Mormon that a remnant of Joseph’s coat survived? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith subtly use white/light so consistently and in line with ancient tradition? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have avoided saying Nephi was a Jew? Read more…
Why is the Book of Mormon using ancient calendrical patterns? Read more…
Why does King Benjamin’s speech in the Book of Mormon contain nearly all the elements of ancient farewell addresses? Read more…
How do we explain Joseph Smith’s use of primordial monsters in Jacob’s personification of death and hell? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about the names, relative amounts and functions of ancient weights and measurements? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon seem to know about Christopher Columbus’s self-described motivation for voyaging to the Americas? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know there were many prophets in Jerusalem when Lehi was preaching? Read more…
Why is there a curious pattern of time used in 4 Nephi when nothing is reported to have happened? Read more…
Why do ancient texts agree with the Book of Mormon that angels ministered to Adam and Eve? Read more…
What are the odds that Nephi described his family travelling through the only survivable route through Arabia? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was a clever multilingual researcher, then wouldn’t his descriptions of Arabia have been wrong because contemporary expertise of his day was wrong? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith mention an oasis in the Arabian peninsula that was believed to be nothing but desert? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith think Lehi would name places which likely already had a name? Read more…
Was the name of NHM (Nahom) just a lucky guess? Read more…
What were the odds that there was an Ishmael, buried near the Nihm tribal region, around the 6th century BC? Read more…
What are the odds that Nahom is the only place you can actually turn eastward on the incense trail? Read more…
Is it a coincidence that Nephi reminded his brothers of the “flying fiery serpents” sent by the Lord to chastise the children of Israel for their murmuring in regions believed to be infested by flying serpents? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take the risk in mentioning a river that continually flows into the Red Sea? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith know so much about ancient Arabia if there were no library books available to him on the subject? Read more…
What experience would Joseph Smith have had of desert travelers eating meat raw? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have thought that all “rivers” have water? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon seem to know that the image of the olive tree was well known and significant in ancient Israel? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know so much about olive horticulture? Read more…
What experience would Joseph Smith have had with steel bows and wooden arrows? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say a bow of “fine steel” would break? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith choose to include a steel sword in Jerusalem if it was thought to be anachronistic in the 1820s? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on saying an ancient book was written on metal plates? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith introduce roughly 200 names not found in the Bible ? Read more…
Why do none of the 188 names that are unique to the Book of Mormon include consonants that do not exist in Hebrew? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to violate all the rules for choosing fictional names? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, wouldn’t we expect some characters to have surnames? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about compound names? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon not contain any names compounded with the theophoric Baal element? Read more…
If Joseph Smith was copying from the Bible, why would he use patristic names in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have thought it odd to include Greek names in the Book of Mormon such as Timothy? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to choose appropriate names for Lehi’s sons? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to pick a pair of pendant names for Laman and Lemuel? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have realized that the most common name heard in the Egypt of Lehi’s day was the most common name heard among the Nephites? Read more…
Unless Joseph Smith was a “religious genius”, how could he include attested Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why are there Hittite names in the Book of Mormon (in just the right proportion)? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith use “Alma” as a male name in the Book of Mormon when it is traditionally female? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith use “Sariah” as a female name? Read more…
What were the chances that “Aha” was in use long before Lehi’s day? Read more…
How do we account for all the other attested names in the Book of Mormon (which are not found in the Bible), such as Akish, Alma, Ammon, Ammonihah, Chemish, Cumorah, Gidgiddoni, Gidgiddonah, Gidianhi, Hagoth, Helaman, Hem, Himni, Isabel, Jarom, Jershon, Josh, Kish, Kishkumen, Korihor, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Lachoneus, Laman, Lemuel, Lehi, Luram, Manti, Mathoni, Mathonihah, Mosiah, Mulek, Muloki, Nephi, Paanchi, Pahoran, Pacumeni, Pachus, Sam, Seantum, Shiblum, Zarahemla, and Zenoch? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon seem aware of the huge cultural impact of Egypt on Israel in 600 BC? Read more…
What are the odds that the name “Liahona” would be a good fit for the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith “have hardly picked a better name” for “Shazer”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take the risk in saying that Irreantum means “many waters”? Read more…
What were the odds that an ancient Egyptian term very similar to “deseret” was associated with the honeybee? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith be able to create a wordplay on “Abish”? Read more…
Is the wordplay on the name “Alma” just a coincidence? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Aminadab“? Read more…
Is the wordplay on the name “Antion” a coincidence? Read more…
Why would King Benjamin talk about themes related to the meaning of his own name? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Cain” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have been able to create a “masterpiece” in the book of Enos which includes multiple wordplays? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned how to create a wordplay on the name “Ephraim”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith use the expression “a garb of secrecy”? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have taken the time to create a wordplay on the name “Heshlon”? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the meaning of the name “Ishmael”? Read more…
Why would Jacob be the only person in the Book of Mormon to use the word “protector” (the meaning of his name)? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Jared”? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have needed an understanding of Hebrew to include wordplays such as “Jershon”? Read more…
Is the wordplay on the name “Joseph” just a coincidence? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith learn how to create a wordplay on the words “joy” and “boasting”? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on “Judah/Jews” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon associate the name “Laman” with invitations to be “faithful”? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to create a wordplay on the word “law”? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Nephi”? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith be able to dictate a wordplay on the name “Noah”? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Onidah”? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith learn how to create a wordplay on the name “Shilom”? Read more…
Why is there a wordplay on the name “Zarahemla” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon continually refer to the Zoramites being “lifted up”? Read more…
Why are there so many other possible Hebrew (and other) wordplays in the Book of Mormon such as Ammon, cast out and give place, Gideon, iron rod, Liahona, Mary, Mormon, Moronihah, Mosiah, Nahom, obscurity and dust, Paanchi, and Zeezrom? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain so many subordinate clauses which wouldn’t be expected in English? Read more…
Why do we see a repetition of the definite article throughout the Book of Mormon (like we would expect in Hebrew)? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith repeat possessive pronouns? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon contain the emphatic pronoun? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about Gezera Shawa? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon include examples of anapodoton? Read more…
Why are there so many prepositional phrases rather than adverbs in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain examples of nouns missing after numbers? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain so many cognates that wouldn’t be expected in English? Read more…
Why are there hundreds of examples of the construct state in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith remember to include so many compound prepositions when dictating? Read more…
Why do lists in the Book of Mormon repeat conjunctions? Read more…
Would we expect Joseph Smith to have conjunctions rather than the word “but”? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain examples of using conjunctions for parentheses? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon use the Hebraism “and also”? Read more…
Why are there Hebraic conditionals (if/and) in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, would we expect to see the archaic rhetorical device of enallages? Read more…
Was Joseph Smith aware of all the repetitive resumption (Epanalepsis) in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why do we see evidence of antenantiosis in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain the classical rhetorical device of merismus? Read more…
Why is there gradation in the Book of Mormon just like the Old and New Testaments? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain examples of janus parallelism? Read more…
Would we expect “prophetic perfect” in the Book of Mormon if Joseph Smith wrote it himself? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that Moroni waved the “rent” of his garment? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned to include polysemy in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph know about the idiom of “calling” names? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the Book of Mormon should include simile curses like in the ancient Near East? Read more…
If the Book of Mormon were really engraved on metal plates, why is it so wordy? Read more…
Why would 1 Nephi 1:6 say the pillar of fire “dwelt” on the rock, rather than sat or rested? Read more…
Why would Alma 49:22 curiously say that arrows were “thrown”? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain examples of plural amplification? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith consistently dictate the Book of Mormon without using any punctuation? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith remember to use the expression “and now” to mark a new chapter in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
What are extrapositional nouns and pronouns doing in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have known the Bible so well to use the same verbs (and additional like terminology) to describe the purges of priests? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith use the expression “we might have enjoyed” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith correct mistakes by simply restating the point? Read more…
Why do the authors in the Book of Mormon have different improvisation pattern signatures? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon use so many English words to describe what could have simply been translated as “the law”? Read more…
Why would there be deflected agreement (the grammatical phenomenon found in Semitic languages) in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith appropriately make use of the phrase “and behold” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Would we expect to see hal-clauses in the Book of Mormon if Joseph Smith created it himself? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith consistently describe going “up” while moving toward Jerusalem, and going “down” while moving away from Jerusalem (exactly as the Hebrews and Egyptians did)? Read more…
Would we expect paired tricola in the Book of Mormon if Joseph Smith wrote it himself? Read more…
What knowledge would Joseph Smith have had of colophons (used extensively in Egyptian documents)? Read more…
What would have made Joseph Smith think of putting the Book of Mormon’s title page at the back, rather than the front? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, would we expect to see examples of subscriptio in the text? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith dictate “Ramath” instead of the usual “Ramah” the Book of Mormon version of Isaiah 10:29? Read more…
Why doesn’t the Book of Mormon include “Ariel” when quoting Isaiah 29:7? Read more…
Is it a coincidence that 1 Nephi 7:11 confuses the words “how” and “what” just like in 1 Samuel 12:24? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon seem to understand the word “Rameumptom” has Hebrew roots meaning a high/holy stand? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith be so confident to give the interpretation of the word Rabbanah? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon wouldn’t he have probably used the phrase “sorrows of death” rather than “bands of death”? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon seem to know that “let his face shine” is a Hebrew idiom for “smile”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have spoken of “flying” fiery serpents? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon demonstrate the nuances of meaning contained within the Hebrew word “netzach”? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain unusual word meanings and phrasing that are completely unattested in either Joseph Smith’s time or in the eighteenth century, yet can be commonly found in the centuries before that time? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain such sophisticated and principled command syntax? Read more…
Why do we see examples of the dative impersonal in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith frequently use the “periphrastic did” in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have dictated the phrase “the more part of”? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, why are there other deep syntactic patterns that match the sixteenth century and are a poor fit for either the English of King James Bible or for eighteenth- and nineteenth-century imitations of biblical style? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, why would he use the “plural was“? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon contain complex finite cause syntax which is utterly different from what we encounter in the King James Bible and pseudo-archaic texts? Read more…
Wouldn’t it have been too difficult for Joseph Smith to consciously manipulate relative pronoun usage in a sustained manner? Read more…
Would Joseph Smith have noticed a couple of rare usages of the word “require” in the Bible? Read more…
Why would the Book of Mormon use the biblical and archaic meaning of “prolong”? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know about the phrase “for the multitude”? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the archaic expression “understood of” if it only appears once in the Bible? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to avoid creating a name phonoprint, yet J.R.R. Tolkien couldn’t? Read more…
How come Joseph Smith knew so much about Exodus 21:13 and Biblical law to make the story of Nephi killing Laban legally justifiable? Read more…
How was Joseph Smith so educated on Israelite law and justice in the case of Seantum’s confession? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have been educated on ancient warfare, including military exemptions? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith be so well versed in guerrilla warfare? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have taken a chance on including total warfare in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about Mesoamerican watchtowers, fortifications and strongholds? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith include cimeters in the Book of Mormon if they were thought to be anachronistic? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the difference between arrows and darts? Read more…
What would make Joseph Smith think of describing armies in 10,000s? Read more…
Wouldn’t it have been easy for Joseph Smith to mistakenly include descriptions of armor consistent with the Bible or Rome (such as helmets)? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith guess that ancient Mesoamerican warriors wore heavy clothing as armor? Read more…
How come the accounts of war in the Book of Mormon occur at the exact seasonal times we would expect? Read more…
Why are there so many named geographical references in the Book of Mormon (170)? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith keep track of at least 151 unique geographical relationships in the Book of Mormon? Wouldn’t we expect around 28 mistakes if Joseph tried to go into that much detail? Read more…
Why are the works of Shakespeare, Tolkien, and Rowling used to explain away the Book of Mormon, when none of those authors claimed to dictate their work, use their first draft or that their book was true scripture? Read more…
How was Joseph Smith so meticulous in the usage of sacred numbers such as Lehi’s seven tribes? Read more…
How do we explain the Book of Mormon’s usage of the number 24 in relation to judgement? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to seamlessly use the symbolic number 10 while dictating? Read more…
Why are there no complex numeric forms in the Book of Mormon, like biblical Hebrew? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, wouldn’t he have been caught out by Benford’s law? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have thought to repeatedly mention “stretching forth one’s hand” before an important speech? Read more…
Why would no speech ever be mentioned when stretching forth one’s hand to exert supernatural power? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to only speak of the Lord’s “arm(s)” of mercy? Read more…
Why do some nonbiblical sources agree with the Book of Mormon that Moses “smote” the Red Sea? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to use biblical content with such sophistication such as Isaiah and Micah in 3 Nephi? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith write church administration instructions similar to an early Christian document (Didache)? Read more…
What were the odds that the only bow-wood obtainable in all Arabia only grows in the very region where Nephi’s broken bow incident would have occurred? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith, a patriotic American, frame the American revolution in the Book of Mormon as a story of deliverance rather than of resistance? Read more…
Why is the large and complex system of government and judges in the Book of Mormon so un-American and so far removed from Joseph Smith’s own experience? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, wouldn’t we expect it to be less favorable to kingship like the political climate in early 19th century America? Read more…
Why are Nephite and Jaredite courtships in the Book of Mormon so far removed from 19th century American notions of romantic love? Read more…
Why are we finding Ancient Near Eastern books resembling the Book of Mormon (Narrative of Zosimus)? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to include verbal irony in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know that writing in Hebrew would take up more space than writing in Egyptian? Read more…
What are the odds that there would be numerous examples of modified (or reformed) Egyptian characters being used to write non-Egyptian languages? Read more…
Why do we keep finding evidence that makes the Book of Mormon even more plausible and realistic such as figurines of crossings from the Old World, Mesoamerican traditions of crossings from the Old World, Mesopotamian traditions comparable with elements of the Jaredite story, metal money, brass objects, Mesoamerican temples, priestly records, prophecies on metal plates, historical accounts of war on copper plates, genealogies on ancient metal plates, historical information on copper plates, metal plates comparable in length to the Book of Mormon, plates filled with ritual content, religious people burying sacred records, codices in stone boxes, secret records, the use of iron, thrones, the Seal of Mulek, Near Eastern texts beginning similar to “I, Nephi”, descriptions of human sacrifices and cannibalism, mentioning a three-day journey before Lehi’s sacrificial offering, reading out long scriptural texts in a public setting, the supporting evidence from the Lachish Letters, records being doubled, sealed and witnessed? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on mentioning barley in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith mention bees in the Book of Mormon if it would only make readers skeptical? Read more…
Wouldn’t mentioning elephants in the Book of Mormon be an unnecessary risk for Joseph Smith? Read more…
Why is the list of purported anachronisms in the Book of Mormon continually getting smaller? If it was written by Joseph Smith, wouldn’t it look clumsier over time rather than being proved stronger? Read more…
How come the Book of Mormon doesn’t commit a blunder when referring to thieves and robbers? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned to dictate chiasmus? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith manage to use conceptual parallels rather than repeated words in chiasmus? Read more…
Why are there examples of parallelism of numbers (a fortiori) in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to dictate contrasting ideas parallelisms in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How did the literary parallelism known as “progression” find its way into the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith dictate regular repetition throughout the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith use beginning and ending repetitions while dictating the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Would we expect Joseph Smith to naturally include synonymous parallelisms while dictating the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith struggle to use synonymous words throughout the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Wouldn’t it have been difficult for Joseph Smith to use antithetical parallelisms while dictating the Book of Mormon? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know about alternate parallelisms? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to dictate chiasmus as part of a historical summary? Read more…
If Joseph Smith took the time to deliberately include potentially over 430 instances of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon (30 of which are at least 6 levels deep), why wouldn’t he ensure that someone noticed them? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on saying that Shiz could walk around beheaded? Read more…
What were the odds that Joseph Smith would pick the right time length for the Jaredites to cross the ocean? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith go to such effort to make realistic ancient items such as the Sword of Laban and the Liahona? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have been so consistent in using the word “nation” for the Jaredites but not for the Lamanites or Nephites? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to hit the bullseye with the city of “Lamanai“? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have guessed about native leaders being incorporated in power structure after subjugation? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea about hereditary priests (which were the opposite of frontier priests)? Read more…
How likely is it that Joseph Smith would know the importance of belonging to a leading patrilineage, purely from reading the Bible? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have guessed the importance of tracing one’s genealogy to a prominent ancestor (in democratic frontier America in the early 1800s)? Read more…
Would we expect the Book of Mormon to use the word “seating” to mean accession to political power? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that subservient peoples “possess” the land while ruled by a dominant power? Read more…
Do we know of any contemporary practice or model in Joseph’s Smith’s world that put such emphasis on priests keeping a careful, written, long-term record of one’s ancestors, a record handed down over centuries? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have guessed that the ancient Mesoamericans had strong elements of Christianity in their religious practices? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith guess that covenants between God and man existed among ancient Mesoamerican Indians when in the conventional Christianity of Joseph’s day, the importance of covenants was very much downplayed if not absent altogether? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that the ancient inhabitants of Mesoamerica had fine fabrics, textiles and elaborate clothing when the Indians of Joseph Smith’s time and place wore clothing made primarily of animal skins? Read more…
Why does the Book of Mormon pay attention to small details such as descriptions of highways being “cast up”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith think to say Nephi had a tower in his garden? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea of writing histories on large stones? Read more…
Why are there myths of gods visiting ancient America? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know even the basic facts about the exotic modes of social and economic organization that prevailed in Mesoamerican civilization? Read more…
How come the Book of Mormon speaks of a written “language of the fathers” which was not the common language? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith think that Mesoamerican Indians had writing at all, when none of the Indian tribes known to Joseph Smith had it? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith think Mesoamerican Indians had entire repositories of books? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith mistakenly mention diamonds, rubies, and pearls when referring to “precious stones”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that the ancient inhabitants of America had chief marketplaces when the Indians of his day didn’t have marketplaces at all? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about infant baptism in Mesoamerica? Read more…
Why are there Mesoamerican traditions of darkness and seismic events when Christ died? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith risk saying there were millions of people living in Mesoamerica? Read more…
Is it a coincidence that the imagery of planting a tree in your heart has deep Mesoamerican roots? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have found out about execution practices of North and Central American cultures going back to pre-Columbian times? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on mentioning the “great spirit” if it was believed to be anachronistic? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, would we expect the four Mayan functions of “and it came to pass” to all appear in the text? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, then would we expect even mundane details such as volcanic eruptions to be so detailed and accurate? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have guessed those in the Book of Mormon would have such detailed astronomical knowledge? Read more…
How was Joseph Smith able to be specific and detailed as to the ornamentation and costly excess for the thrones, palaces, etc., without going overboard? Read more…
Why do many of Friar Diego de Landa’s observations of the Yucatan resemble the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Why is there evidence of great destruction in the land northward at the time of Christ’s death? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say there were swine in ancient America? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on mentioning wine in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Is it coincidence that population size and fluctuations in the Book of Mormon resemble patterns of known historical populations? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith have found out about sheum? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith include the use of cement in ancient America? If he was trying to win over a 19th century audience, wouldn’t he have maintained the status quo? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith go even further to say they were “exceedingly expert” in working cement? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith include silk in the Book of Mormon? Read more…
Do descriptions of the gold plates just coincidentally match materials used in ancient America? Read more…
If it was a fraud, would we expect the work of Joseph Smith to be one of the most translated and published books ever written? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith manage to write the fourth most influential book in America? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, would we expect it to be so spiritually impactful for millions of people? Read more…
What are we to make of all the people who sincerely claim a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true? Read more…
How do we explain the fulfilled prophecies written in the Old Testament? Were they all just lucky despite the outrageous odds? Read more…
Weren’t the New Testament accounts recorded much sooner than many other ancient historical events (which are assumed to be accurate)? Read more…
Why hasn’t Dr Habermas found any good responses to the minimal facts argument after 35 years? Read more…
Isn’t the New Testament too embarrassing (for the disciples) to be false? Read more…
Why would the disciples write embarrassing things about Jesus? Read more…
What reason do we have to disbelieve the 30+ miracles that Jesus performed? Read more…
Isn’t it true that “One of the most certain facts of history is that Jesus was crucified on orders of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate”? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith claim to have been visited by so many angels? Such as God the Father and Jesus in the grove, Moroni’s first visit at Joseph’s home, Moroni’s second visit at Joseph’s home, Moroni’s third visit at Joseph’s home, Moroni’s fourth visit outside in the field, yearly visits from Moroni, Moroni giving back the Urim and Thummim, Adam, Abraham, Seth, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Raphael, Gabriel (Noah), Nephi, Mormon, Alma, the Three Nephites, John the Beloved, and a heavenly messenger. Isn’t every claim just one more opportunity to expose him as a fraud? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith claim to have heard so many voices of angels? Read more…
How about Joseph Smith’s visions experienced with other people? Such as the angel with the Book of Mormon – with Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and David Whitmer, John the Baptist – with Oliver Cowdery, Peter, James and John – with Oliver Cowdery, Jesus at the Kirtland Temple – with Oliver Cowdery, Moses at the Kirtland Temple – with Oliver Cowdery, Elias at the Kirtland Temple – with Oliver Cowdery, Elijah at the Kirtland Temple – with Oliver Cowdery, Adam and Eve – with Oliver Cowdery and Zebedee Coltrin, the vision of the degrees of glory – with Sidney Rigdon, the plans for the Kirtland temple – with Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, John the Beloved – with Oliver Cowdery and others, a heavenly vision of the Savior – with the School of the Prophets, and Jesus – with Zebedee Coltrin and others. Were they all hallucinating or all lying together? Read more…
How do we account for the visions experienced by others, such as Newel Knight’s vision of the Savior, and Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde’s vision of the infernal world? Read more…
Why did witnesses remark that Sidney Rigdon was exhausted after seeing the vision of D&C 76 whereas Joseph Smith wasn’t? Read more…
How do we explain visions seen by hundreds of people? Read more…
Why think that none of the experiences of the three Nephites are genuine? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith cast out devils? Read more…
Why did the early Saints believe Joseph Smith was a seer? How do we account for him knowing his parents were coming (when within three-quarters of a mile from his house), having an impression to come out of the well and meet Emma not far from his house, knowing the exact time David Whitmer would arrive, knowing the Whitneys prayed for Joseph to come to Kirtland, being able to see the safety of the plates using the Urim and Thummim, knowing Bishop Whitney’s travel the next day, seeing those who died in Zion’s Camp, knowing the Lord would send him deliverance from debt, knowing a sermon would be preached in Jackson county before the close of 1838, knowing a Quaker man was an adulterer, seeing the plot of the city of Kirtland in a vision, having the plan of the Kirtland temple given by the Lord, seeing in vision the pattern of the Nauvoo temple, and knowing the Lord would put it into the heart of somebody to send Joseph money for Zion’s camp? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith manage to heal the sick? Read more…
How do we account for the miracles experienced or performed by the early Saints, such as Sidney Gilbert not being shot, David Whitmer’s fields being plowed, J. and Margaret Shamp’s deaf daughter being healed, Amanda Barnes saving her son, Mary Fielding Smith’s ox being healed, Don Carlos and George A. Smith healing the sick, Elizabeth Crook and the dried meat, Ephraim Hanks’s miracles, Ella Jensen called back from the dead, Henry Ballard and the Newbury Weekly News, Louisa Mellor Clark’s pie, the miracle of the quail, Sophronia Stoddard healing, Lucy Mack Smith being cured of blindness, Newel K. Whitney healing Joseph after being poisoned, Joseph Smith’s most bitter enemies not recognizing him or his companions in Colesville, and Wilford Woodruff healing twin children? Read more…
Was it luck that Dr. Smith (who saved Joseph Smith’s leg and potentially his life) was likely the only physician in the United States in 1813 who had the expertise to successfully deal with Joseph Smith’s bone disease? Read more…
Why would someone try to assassinate Joseph Smith shortly before the first vision? Read more…
If Joseph Smith knew the Book of Mormon was a fraud, why did he and Hyrum in their greatest (and last) hour of need find solace in a book which would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? Read more…
What were the odds that Joseph Smith’s name would be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, and that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people? Read more…
What were the odds that the church would fill the earth? Read more…
How was Joseph Smith so specific in predicting the American Civil War nearly 30 years before it happened? Read more…
Why believe it was a lucky guess when Joseph Smith said the Saints would be driven to the Rocky Mountains and become a mighty people? Read more…
How do we account for the Stephen A. Douglas prophecy? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith correctly prophecy the saints would escape their enemies in 5 years? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know about the destruction in Jackson county? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith correctly predict the 1833 Meteor Storm? Read more…
What are we to make of Joseph Smith’s other fulfilled prophecies such as the Liberty jail prophecies, Word of wisdom prophecy, genealogy prophecy, stakes in Boston prophecy, prophesying his own death, prophesying Dan Jones’s mission to Wales, Steven Markham prophecy, Olmstead Johnson prophecy, prophesying that Brigham Young would preside over the church, prophesying that the Bishopric would never be taken away from Newel K. Whitney, prophesying that Anson Call would go and assist in building up cities from one end of the country to the other, prophesying that Judge Douglas and no other judge of the Circuit Court would ever set aside a law of the city council, prophesying that Governor Boggs would die a violent death, prophesying that sickness would enter into the houses of the mob and vex them until they repent, prophesying that the devil would handle Sidney Rigdon as one man handles another, and prophesying that he would not live to see forty more years? Read more…
Would we expect the man responsible for the biggest fraud in history to preach a sermon on forgiveness after being tarred and feathered? Read more…
How do we account for the testimony of the twelve apostles relating to the Doctrine and Covenants? Read more…
How would 26 year old Joseph Smith know to use the word “unjust” rather than “damnation” in D&C 76:17? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the meaning of “Lord of Sabaoth”? Read more…
Why could no one else write a revelation for the Doctrine and Covenants like Joseph Smith? Read more…
Why did Joseph Smith’s family believe his story? Wouldn’t they be the first to see through the lies? Read more…
How come we also find chiasmus in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith include synonymous parallelism in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take the time to include synthetic parallelism in the Book of Moses? Read more…
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Moses himself would we expect to see other Hebraisms such as relative clauses? Read more…
Why does the Book of Moses contain a repetition of possessive pronouns? Read more…
Like the Book of Mormon, would we expect to see resumptive repetition in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith include figures of speech in the Book of Moses, such as antenantiosis? Read more…
Would we expect to see litotes in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith go to the effort of including polysyndeton in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why are there compound prepositions in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Wouldn’t Joseph Smith have bolstered his case for the authenticity of the Book of Moses by including the relevant verses about Enoch from Jude (which quote from 1 Enoch)? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea that Enoch made “rivers turn from their course“? Read more…
Was it a lucky guess that the Book of Moses claims Enoch was a “lad” at 65? Read more…
Why does the Book of Enoch support the Book of Moses claim that Enoch was given the right to God’s throne? Read more…
Why do we find other sources agreeing with the Book of Moses that Satan conspired with Cain? Read more…
Why are the six characteristic features of the Old Testament narrative call pattern shown in the commissioning of Joseph Smith’s Enoch? Read more…
Why do ancient texts (unavailable to Joseph Smith) agree with the Book of Moses claim that Enoch was clothed with glory? Read more…
Why do other ancient texts agree with the Book of Moses in its use of the “son of man”? Read more…
Why do ancient texts translated long after the Book of Moses agree that Enoch wept for the wickedness of mankind? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have read that not only Enoch but his whole city were translated? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith have specifically differentiated the “giants” from Enoch’s other adversaries? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith correctly guess Mahijuah/Mahujah? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith guess Mahijah was sent to Enoch? Read more…
Is it luck that the Book of Moses describes Enoch’s home as a land of righteousness? Read more…
What would make Joseph Smith think that Enoch’s vision occurred by the sea? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith get the idea that Enoch kept a book of remembrance? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have found out that the book Enoch kept put fear into the people? Read more…
Why do the Book of Moses and Book of Giants both mention that the wicked people of Enoch’s day conceived their children in sin? Read more…
What would make Joseph Smith think that Enoch defeated his enemies? Read more…
Why would the Book of Moses and Book of Giants both specifically mention roaring beasts following the battle of Enoch? Read more…
Why do other sources agree that Enoch was shown all generations? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith say that the Lord’s House shall be called Jerusalem? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea that Enoch was in possession of Adam’s Book? Read more…
Is it a coincidence that the Book of Enoch also claims (like the Book of Moses) that Enoch’s book was to be restored? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have gotten the idea that Enoch saw the saints arise? Read more…
Why do other books also claim that Enoch saw the return of Zion from Heaven? Read more…
Was it a lucky guess by Joseph Smith that Enoch saw the chains of Satan? Read more…
Is it luck that Joseph’s Smith account of Enoch ends on a note of hope? Read more…
Why is there a “blatant pun” on the name Moses in the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible, before the Egyptian meaning of Moses’s name was known to scholars? Read more…
Isn’t it unexpected that the Book of Moses would contain the expression “Behold I“? Read more…
Would we expect Joseph Smith to include performative indicators in the Book of Moses? Read more…
Why is there chiasmus in the Book of Abraham? Read more…
How do we account for the Egyptianisms in the Book of Abraham? Read more…
Why does the Book of Abraham contain Egyptian wordplays? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith manage to understand facsimiles? Read more…
If Joseph Smith had gotten names in the Book of Abraham from his environment, then why would he choose the name Shulem rather than Shillem? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on disagreeing with creatio ex nihilo? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith go against typical Jewish and Christian beliefs in his day by saying that the creation was the work of a divine council? Read more…
What would have made Joseph Smith think that Abraham wrote a book of scripture if ancient texts supporting this were only discovered later and it is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible? Read more…
Why do ancient texts unavailable to Joseph Smith also claim (like the Book of Abraham does) that Abraham was to be sacrificed? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned the tradition that Abraham was saved by God before being sacrificed? Read more…
Why are there other traditions that agree with the Book of Abraham that Terah sought to kill his son Abraham? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned that Terah repents after trying to kill Abraham? Read more…
Why do ancient texts and the Book of Abraham agree about the pervasive nature of idolatry in Abraham’s day? Read more…
Is it luck that ancient texts claim (like the Book of Abraham) that children were being sacrificed to idols in Abraham’s area? Read more…
Why do the Genesis Apocryphon and the Book of Noah support the Book of Abraham’s claim that Abraham had access to sacred records from the patriarchs? Read more…
Why do ancient texts not available to Joseph Smith agree with the Book of Abraham’s claim that Abraham received the priesthood and was a High Priest? Read more…
Why do ancient texts agree with the Book of Abraham claim that Abraham preached against his fathers’ idolatry? Read more…
Wouldn’t it have been odd for Joseph Smith to think Abraham taught astronomy? Read more…
Why do ninth-century Hebrew documents agree with the Book of Abraham that it was God who taught Abraham astronomy? Read more…
Why do other books support the Book of Abraham’s claim that Abraham was desirous to be one who possesses great knowledge? Read more…
Why does the Genesis Apocryphon from the Dead Sea Scrolls (like the Book of Abraham) claim that God is the one who warns Abraham that the Egyptians will want to kill him to get his wife? Read more…
Why do other books also claim that God showed Abraham the heavens and those in the premortal existence? Read more…
Why do ancient texts support the Book of Abraham’s claim that Abraham was honored by kings – or on a throne? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know that Abraham experienced two famines during his life and not just one? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith have guessed the god Elkenah? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about Libnah? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know about Mahmackrah? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about the god Korash? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith guess an association between a pharaoh contemporary to Abraham and a “crocodile” god? Read more…
How would Joseph Smith know that Abraham possessed the Urim and Thummim? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith take a chance on mentioning chariots in the Book of Abraham? Read more…
Why wouldn’t Joseph Smith just agree with the Bible that Abraham was 75 when he went into the land of Canaan? Read more…
How could Joseph Smith correctly give the meaning of “Shinehah” in Abraham 3:13 (a word that applied during a narrow span of about 6 centuries comprising the likely time of Abraham’s life)? Read more…
Why are we finding Abraham’s name in Egyptian texts, including lion couch scenes? Read more…
Aren’t the chances that Joseph Smith made up a fictional, outlandish place (Olishem) that turned out to be accurate in name, time, and location too astronomical even to be considered? Read more…
Why would the Book of Abraham resemble the inscription of Idrimi translated long afterwards in 1949? Read more…
Why are we finding evidence that makes the Book of Abraham even more plausible and realistic such as ancient Israelites and other Semitic peoples migrating into Egypt, the king of Egypt being a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth, Ur and the “land of the Chaldeans”, the ancient owners of the Joseph Smith papyri, an ancient setting for Kolob, ancient Near Eastern creation myths, the divine foreordination of rulers, patterns of treaties and covenants and Near Eastern myths of the fall of Lucifer? Read more…
Joseph Smith’s claim that he was a prophet was either truthful, deceitful or delusional. Are there any other options? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith manage to restore ordinances from the early Church (such as baptisms for the dead), when no major religions in Joseph’s day believed in this doctrine? Read more…
Where would Joseph Smith have learned about prayer circles? Read more…
How did Joseph Smith manage to restore teachings from the early Church such as premortal life and deification? Read more…
Why are many aspects of contemporary Christian theology significantly converging in Joseph Smith’s direction? Read more…
Why would Joseph Smith publish revelations chastising him? Doesn’t this meet the criterion of embarrassment? Read more…
Why are there over 100 accounts of Brigham Young’s transfiguration of looking and sounding like Joseph Smith at conference in 1844? Read more…
How do we explain the visions of the Latter-day prophets who have seen and spoken with the Savior? Are they lying or deceived? Read more…
How do we account for fulfilled prophecies made by Latter-day prophets? Read more…
What are we to make of the special witnesses of Christ when they testify of Jesus and his divinity? Read more…
Isn’t it an enormous burden to carry, in claiming that every single “perception of God” is untrue? Read more…
If there isn’t already something out there “bigger” than us, then isn’t humanity likely to go extinct? Read more…
If we trust in our own superhuman potential, then shouldn’t we also trust that we have a compassionate creator? Read more…
Aren’t the chances that the universe was fine-tuned for life astronomically high? Read more…
If nothingness doesn’t scientifically exist, then doesn’t that mean there was something before the Big Bang? Read more…
Is every single “miracle” just a lucky coincidence or is at least one partly due to something beyond us? Read more…
How do we explain near-death experiences? Read more…
Why are some of the greatest names in science believers in God? Read more…
Isn’t theism a good bet? Read more…
Aren’t religious people, on balance, happier than non-religious people? Read more…
Why do Latter-day Saints have a “glow“? Read more…
Isn’t the church “true” in a pragmatic sense, such as feeling more attached to communities and neighbors, lower cancer rates, living longer than the general population, being the most likely to marry, have children, and less likely to divorce, having a higher well-being, being more financially stable than the general population, having many more close friends than other Americans , volunteering as much as seven times more than the average American, donating more money to social causes, being significantly more likely than the population overall to have some college education, and having youth with lower rates of delinquent and immoral behavior? Read more…
Why does statistical analysis show a correlation between higher education and loyalty to Latter-day Saint beliefs? If the gospel was a fraud, wouldn’t the scholars and those who are more educated leave first? Read more…
Can there be any valid criticisms of the church? Read more…
Do we even need any evidence that God exists? Read more…

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