Posted by rpcman on March 11, 1999 at 11:02:28:
In Reply to: John Sorenson's "An Ancient American Setting" posted by Bryce on March 10, 1999 at 21:36:25:
: I'm wondering if there is a worthwhile rebuttal out there someplace.
I've read parts of it but not the whole thing. The root of the problems that Sorenson (and other apologists) create is one of methodology.
Sorenson first assumes the Book of Mormon is true. Then he tries to rearrange the facts to make them fit his conclusion. A better method would be to look at the facts and see which theory best fits them. He doesn't do this as he is defending a faith rather than looking for the most plausible reality.
One item that comes to mind is his horses really means deer supposition. If this was the case one would expect the fictional animals like Cureloms and Cumoms to have been called something 'close to' llamas or turkeys rather than some made up name.
Another item is Sorenson's geography which is in direct contradiction to portions of the Book of Mormon text itself and is certainly in vast conflict with the geography Joseph Smith described. I believe New Approaches to the Book of Mormon addresses this.