Posted by:
randyj
(
)
Date: August 28, 2016 07:27PM
I went back inside an LDS chapel for the 3rd time since we resigned from the church in 1998. All three times have been for funerals---my mother, a niece, and last Thursday, one of my older sisters. This chapel is in central Alabama, where my wife and I lived for almost the first five years of our marriage from 1979 to 1984. I was ward mission leader, EQP, and ward clerk at various times in that ward.
As we were walking down the hallway, I noticed this very familiar painting on the wall:
https://www.google.com/search?q=christ+appears+to+the+nephites+painting&tbm=isch&imgil=ZlNv8quZlxg0IM%253A%253BvEZ5H8vea-ZkYM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fvarsinainen.blogspot.com%25252F2010_11_07_archive.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=ZlNv8quZlxg0IM%253A%252CvEZ5H8vea-ZkYM%252C_&usg=__tVI8MeYQTIX94STaeSi8agJYSQI%3D&biw=1680&bih=872&dpr=1&ved=0ahUKEwi8_YOtnOXOAhUGPiYKHYHzB80QyjcIPA&ei=Bm7DV7ziN4b8mAGB55_oDA#imgrc=ZlNv8quZlxg0IM%3A(Sorry if that's a bad link.)
I got a kick out of that painting still being used, for several reasons. The painting depicts the "Nephites" dressed like ancient Mayans, rather than like Hebrews, whom they were supposed to be. This event supposedly took place in 33 AD. Had the Nephite culture and dress been swallowed up by the native Americans by that time?
Also, modern Mopologists assert that the DNA evidence of the "Nephites" has disappeared because of "founder effect" and "genetic drift." So, who are the people in the painting supposed to be? The descendants of the Nephites who came from the Middle East, or are they all Asian-descended people who emigrated to the Americas 12,000+ years ago? Did Jesus even know whom he was visiting? When Jesus arrived, did he tell the Asian-descended people in the crowd to butt out of his promised-people party?
The other funny thing in the painting is the step-type pyramids, which didn't come into vogue until the Mayan classic period beginning around 300 AD.
I realize that TBMs don't know enough about the issues to even be aware of such anachronisms. I just thought it was kinda funny that they still use those paintings.