On January 1, 2016, Book of Mormon Central (http://www.bookofmormoncentral.org/) is going to launch. I think this is a fantastic new approach to consolidating information about the Book of Mormon, with one caveat: they are going to push the disastrous Mesoamerican theory.
One would think they would at least adopt the Church's official position of neutrality about geography issues, but so far, the signs are not good.
- They're using the FARMS-era logo, with the Mayan glyph:
- They appear to be fully integrated with the Interpreter, which has devolved into publishing late-FARMS era rhetoric about Book of Mormon geography issues.
- They have links to the Orwellian FairMormon web page.
- They have links to the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, which is stridently and exclusively Mesoamerican.
I'm hopeful they will at least present an open mind. We'll find out, and I'll comment here on what they come up with.
One would think they would at least adopt the Church's official position of neutrality about geography issues, but so far, the signs are not good.
- They're using the FARMS-era logo, with the Mayan glyph:
- They appear to be fully integrated with the Interpreter, which has devolved into publishing late-FARMS era rhetoric about Book of Mormon geography issues.
- They have links to the Orwellian FairMormon web page.
- They have links to the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, which is stridently and exclusively Mesoamerican.
I'm hopeful they will at least present an open mind. We'll find out, and I'll comment here on what they come up with.
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ReplyDeleteI contacted Kirk Magleby, Exec. Director of Book of Mormon Central this weekend and asked him if they might consider providing external links to some of the Book of Mormon sites that contemplate a North American setting in an effort to demonstrate greater balance. In response to my question he sent me a copy of their official policy.
ReplyDelete"Book of Mormon Central Policy on Book of Mormon Geography – January, 2016
Book of Mormon Central at this time is officially geography neutral. We seek deep understanding of the Book of Mormon text. We hope diligent students work together to achieve working consensus on the geographic correlation issue. Until that happens, our selection of exegetical material is guided by these principles:
• In our hierarchy of evidence, the text itself is primary because it is closest to the divine.
• If profound and compelling location-specific insights shed light on the text, we highlight these regardless of their geographic provenience.
• We favor authors with credentials in their areas of interest.
• We favor formally published works from reputable presses.
We welcome good work from any geographic persuasion that is responsive to these principles. In our collective experience, proposed Book of Mormon correspondences from Mesoamerica tend to satisfy our criteria more consistently than those from other areas."
I asked him how Myan Glyphs as the official logo demonstrated geographical neutrality. I have not heard anything back from him yet.