NOM

For Come Follow Me, Lesson 45, Nov 16-22, 2020, Ether 6-11

If I wanted to encourage thought and try to understand devout believers better, I might ask:
“Does the Jaredite voyage strain credulity?”

See the Things to consider for this lesson.

And, here’s a list of some other observations about this lesson’s reading.

Enjoy!
A-Bom

This was one of those shelf items back in 2017. I remember reading the scriptures daily and coming to this part in Ether describing the vessels. Not a part of me suspected that it was untrue. But I inquired with my devout uncle about the terminology, "like a dish" because I was having trouble visualizing what this description meant. Despite my uncle being a spiritual leader to me and a source of information and knowledge, all things theology, I was blown off with a shrugged, "I don't know" as if it were unimportant and I was focusing on the wrong things.

In his library, I also read a bit of Rough Stone Rolling and Lucy Mack Smith's biography of her son, yet he is extremely devout TBM. So, looking back now, I consider his dismissal more in the vein of understanding that the Jaredite vessels and sea voyage were a logistical problem that could potentially lead folks away, and he hoped to dissuade me from delving into it deeper, in order to keep my shelf from breaking.

In a word- YES

Every year I do a little exercise that someone once suggested on NOM.

On New Years Day I think, "Ok the Jaredites are just shoving off for the new world." Then throughout the year I imagine what it would be like on those barges after a month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. Around December 1st I imagine them finally washing up on the shore after being tumbled around in a washing machine for almost a year.

And they all arrived at the same time, same place.

Like you ABoM, I hadn't really considered the door problem. Why not just make window shutters in the same way they made the door? A smaller aperture would be far more resistant to external force. The door would be the real weakness, not the windows.

One thing that often gets overlooked is why Joseph needed the Jaredite story. He was trying to answer all of the big problems about the Americas: who built the mounds and fortifications? Where did the Natives Americans come from? How did they get here? Why is their skin dark? The other big question of debate at the time was how did the plants and animals get repopulated after the flood? Was there another ark? Joseph, not to be outdone, gave us eight arks. So they would have had cows, sure, but also horses, pigs, sheep, and EVERYTHING else that was here when Nephi showed up. And presumably even elephants and two other mysterious beasts of burden. That's why the Jaredites even had honey bees and barrels of fish on board (even the native fresh water fish would have died in the flood).

Stop the presses! I think I figured out both the door problem and the reason they needed bees:
https://youtu.be/V-RAsj6tIVo?t=50

The best apologetics is to view these Book of Mormon stories in much the same way as Mother Goose stories. Plot holes and conundrums can be found in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood. Sure these stories are more appealing than those in the Book of Mormon, but they were put together with the intent to entertain the listener rather than to start a church.

Anyway, we should appreciate the Jaredite story for its imagination, not its accuracy for details. Pretend it was written by someone trying to make his story sound biblical. I think we could all be supportive of that.

moksha wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:47 pm

Anyway, we should appreciate the Jaredite story for its imagination, not its accuracy for details. Pretend it was written by someone trying to make his story sound biblical. I think we could all be supportive of that.

All it needs is a sea monster to boost it from an ok story to pretty good one.

moksha wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:47 pm

The best apologetics is to view these Book of Mormon stories in much the same way as Mother Goose stories. Plot holes and conundrums can be found in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood. Sure these stories are more appealing than those in the Book of Mormon, but they were put together with the intent to entertain the listener rather than to start a church.

Anyway, we should appreciate the Jaredite story for its imagination, not its accuracy for details. Pretend it was written by someone trying to make his story sound biblical. I think we could all be supportive of that.

Amen. I think this is the conclusion most rationally reached using Occam's razor.

Hagoth wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:45 pm

Stop the presses! I think I figured out both the door problem and the reason they needed bees:
https://youtu.be/V-RAsj6tIVo?t=50

Haha! another unlikely story, but the one you offer is very entertaining. I must have seen this as a kid, because it makes me feel very nostalgic.

annotatedbom wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 17, 2020 12:22 pm

Hagoth wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:45 pm

Stop the presses! I think I figured out both the door problem and the reason they needed bees:
https://youtu.be/V-RAsj6tIVo?t=50

Haha! another unlikely story, but the one you offer is very entertaining. I must have seen this as a kid, because it makes me feel very nostalgic.

Mysterious Island. I'm a huge Ray Harryhausen geek.

annotatedbom wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 17, 2020 12:21 pm

I think this is the conclusion most rationally reached using Occam's razor.

Possibly. My favorites are still BIC single blade disposables.

Hagoth wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 17, 2020 12:10 pm

moksha wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:47 pm

Anyway, we should appreciate the Jaredite story for its imagination, not its accuracy for details. Pretend it was written by someone trying to make his story sound biblical. I think we could all be supportive of that.

All it needs is a sea monster to boost it from an ok story to pretty good one.

Elohim via Joesph Smith and his magick rock wrote:Those darn Jaredites have got it way too easy being tossed about in their dish-like submarines, wallowing in human and animal waste amongst their swarms of bees... RELEASE THE KRAK-ONI-HA!!!!

I know I've mentioned this before, but Joseph Smith saw Jaredite Barges routinely travelling along the Erie Canal:

Hey ABoM,

Forget about all of your cynical numbers and calculations, the official church website provides us a schematic of the actual layout of the barges:

wtfluff wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:11 pm

RELEASE THE KRAK-ONI-HA!!!!