Circle Squared
A Textual Analysis of the Book of Mormon
Chapter 10: "Retro-fitting History"
Chapter Summary:
"Lehi predicts that the Jews will be taken captive by the Babylonians--He tells of the coming among the Jews of a Messiah, a Savior, a Redeemer--Lehi tells also of the coming of the one who should baptize the Lamb of God--Lehi tells of the death and resurrection of the Messiah--He compares the scattering and gathering of Israel to an olive tree--Nephi speaks of the Son of God, of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and of the need for righteousness. About 600–592 B.C."
In keeping with a common theme throughout much of the Book of Mormon, Nephi claims that Lehi accurately predicts events which we (the readers of the future) know happened. In fact, Joseph Smith also knew that these things had already occurred. This is no different in my mind than a fictional character in a modern book set in Ancient Rome predicting the fall of the Roman Empire. How is this retro-fitted prediction impressive in any way? And yet, Mormons will often tout these predictions of the fall of Jerusalem and the coming of Jesus (all things that the average person in Joseph Smith's day would have known about) as notches in the belt of fulfilled prophecies in the Book of Mormon. This is absurd.
Nephi proceeds to lay out several "predictions", including the coming of a "prophet", "messiah" and "savior of the world", namely Jesus Christ, in about 600 years from the time Nephi and his family left Jerusalem. Again, this incredible specificity is easily accounted for by the hypothesis that Joseph Smith retro-fitted the prophecies into his work of fiction. This chapter does include a rather common prediction (which many non-Mormon Christian theologians have predicted for centuries using certain interpretations from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament) that some day in the future the Jews would return to their promised land in Jerusalem. And we all know how well that has worked out since the creation of the state of Israel in the middle of the last century. As Matt Dillahunty of the Atheist Experience has pointed out concerning this prophecy, if one were to order a hamburger and the waiter brings it, is this prophecy? Self-fulfilling prophecy does not impress me.
Nephi continues to "predict" the coming of John the Baptist, the exact location and method of Jesus' baptism, the "dwindling of the Jews in unbelief" (Is Judaism no longer a belief system?), how the Jews will crucify their Messiah due to said unbelief, the scattering of the 12 tribes of Israel and their rejoining together again. Unlike many Christians who, as I noted above, believe that the creation of the State Israel is fulfillment of the Book of Isaiah, Mormons take things a step further. Most active Mormon youth attain a Patriarchal Blessing from a high ranking member of the church. This blessing is a map of their future lives, assuming they stay worthy (there's always a "get out of jail free card" with prophecy, isn't there?) and in this blessing the Patriarch pronounces which house of Israel the youth is either a descendent or has been spiritually adopted into (guess which option is more common...). This is about as shameless and apparent as self-fulfilling prophecy gets. But a prophecy in a coming chapter will far exceed this prophecy in boldness.
Moving forward, in verse 17 Nephi again reinforces the notion that god talks to people:
"...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men."
Mormons interpret this to mean that if you ask god one of the really important questions (i.e. "Is there a god?", "Is the Mormon church true?", etc.), just pray and god will tell you through your "thoughts and feelings". It should be noted that in my teenage years I was taught that if I am confused about an answer to a prayer then I should compare it to what the church teaches. If my answer contradicts the church's stance, then my answer is either wrong or I am interpreting it incorrectly. How wonderfully circular.
One of the things which caused me to question the Mormon church as an adult was the implication made in verse 17 that such a subjective experience based on feelings can be equated with knowledge. Before such a bald assertion of certainty can be made about the supernatural realm, it should first be demonstrated that such a realm exists and that such a method is reliable for making these determinations. Tell me, dear believer, do you pray to know other things, such as answers on a test, or the cure for a terminal illness? If you have, did it work? Evidently not, since we still have terminal illnesses. If you haven't, why not? Surely, this knowledge would be more useful to humanity than the warm and fuzzy notion that god is watching all of this with folded arms.