Scripture Central - CES Letter - Proof or Propaganda - Scott Gordon

Introduction

Scott Gordon, a teacher at Shasta College and former dean, addresses the "Letter to a CES Director" (CES Letter) and its impact.
Acknowledges the sensitivity of the topic, its polarizing nature, and the struggles of individuals and families affected by it.
Emphasizes love and respect for those wrestling with doubts.
The best way to find truth is through the Book of Mormon. Moroni 10:5: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things"

Why Address the CES Letter?

Scriptural support for seeking wisdom and learning: D&C 109:7 encourages seeking wisdom from the best books and learning by study and faith.
Faith can waver due to various reasons (sin, trials, pride, prosperity).
The CES Letter is presented as an alternate narrative to the truth claims of the Church.
Document creation started in 2013, crowdsourcing questions from like-minded individuals.
Translated into multiple languages, becoming a proselyting tool to draw people away from the Church.
Spreading the "gospel" of the CES Letter through various means (online, in print, spam emails).
Presents old criticisms as new, with unified backing, influencing members, and non-members to question their faith.

Overview of the CES Letter

Consists of 13 chapters and a conclusion.
Contains 77 official questions, with many branching off into side questions and repetitions.
Poses a challenge for readers to have immediate answers, which is often overwhelming.
Each question requires extensive research and time.

Resources on the CES Letter

Fair Mormon website (www.fairmormon.org).
Brian Hale's website: debunkingcesletter.com.
Bamboozled by the CES Letter by Mike Asch.
A Faithful Reply by Jim Bennett.

Core Argument of the CES Letter

The central theme is that the Church has lied about its history and the role of Joseph Smith, which questions the credibility of the church.
It dismisses responses from apologists like Dan Peterson.

Focus on Chapter One

Chapter one has 11 claims related to the translation of the Book of Mormon.

Claim 1: King James Version Errors

The CES Letter asserts that the Book of Mormon contains errors from the 1769 King James Version of the Bible.
Lack of support, explanation, or examples of the book's assertion.
The author asserts that the book of mormon must exactly match the earliest documents to prove that Joseph Smith was a true prophet
Translation between languages is complex and doesn't always allow for exact matches.
Example: Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16, where the word "pictures" is allegedly a mistake.
Different Bible versions use various translations (imagery, works of art, beautiful craft).
Translation variations are common, and determining the "correct" version is subjective.
Conclusion: Translation variations don't provide enough evidence to assess Joseph Smith's prophetic role.

Claim 2: Italicized Words

In the King James Version, italicized words were added to improve readability.
The presence of these words in the Book of Mormon is questioned.
Explanation: Translation requires adding words to make sense in the target language.
Example: German to English translation of "Ich möchte spazieren gehen" requires additional words in English to be readable.
Response: The inclusion of italicized words is expected in English translations and doesn't discredit the Book of Mormon as an ancient record.

Claim 3: Mistranslated Biblical Passages

The Book of Mormon includes mistranslated passages that were later corrected in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST).
The CES Letter suggests the Book of Mormon should align with the inspired JST version.
The JST is explained as inspired corrections, revisions, and additions to the King James Version, not a traditional translation from original manuscripts.
Joseph Smith consulted commentaries and studied scripture as part of the revelatory process (D&C 124, D&C 128:18).
Example: Sermon on the Mount in 3 Nephi 13:25-27 and Matthew 6:25-27.
The CES Letter claims the passages are identical, but Joseph Smith later corrected the Bible, contradicting the Book of Mormon.
Problem 1: The verses are not identical; the Book of Mormon version contains ellipses.
Problem 2: The CES Letter compares different verses in the JST (incorrect chapter and verse).
The passage is found in Matthew 6:28-31 in the Joseph Smith Translation, not Matthew 6:25-27.
Prophets can add to and expound on the word of God.
The CES letter does not properly present an accurate representation of the situation

Claims 4, 5, and 6: DNA, Anachronisms, and Archaeology

Due to time constraints, these claims are not addressed in detail.
Reference to Fair Mormon website and Matt Roper's discussion on anachronisms.
Brief points on each:
- DNA: Vikings in America, but no Viking DNA found among Native Americans.
- Anachronisms: Artifacts of translation, conveying ideas using familiar items.
- Archaeology: Lack of Book of Mormon archaeology in the Cumorah area; scholars propose larger geographical area.

Claim 7: Similar Names and Places

Many Book of Mormon names and places are similar to local names and places in the region where Joseph Smith lived.
The Book of Mormon contains approximately 345 names, 86 of which are geographic locations.
Vernal Holly's map, suggesting Joseph Smith used local place names, is dismissed because many communities didn't exist at the time.
The CES Letter author pared down the list to about 20 names.
Objection: The map doesn't align with internal comparisons in the Book of Mormon.
The author argues that the geography matches mostly and that there are a striking number of names around where Joseph Smith grew up.
Seven names did not exist in 1830 (Alma, Antioch, Boaz, Jerusalem, Shiloh, Noah Lake, Sodom). These locations are also either too far, or also biblical
Some places might have been used but are unlikely (Ripple Lake, Jacobsburg).
Few names could possibly have been used (Antrim, Jordan, Lebanon, Moraviantown, New Jerusalem).

Claim: the names Qumara and Moroni come from off the Eastern Coast of Mozambique in Africa.

There are problems with this statement because Moroni did not become the capital of Kremora until 1876.
Captain Kidd doesn't mention these places in his stories.
Moroni in the Book of Mormon doesn't seem much like a pirate story with swashbucklers, romance, treasure, and fighting ships.

Claims 8, 9, and 10: Original Source for the Book of Mormon

Arguments that the Book of Mormon was cribbed, stolen, or plagiarized from other books.
Three different books are given as the original source.

Claim 8: View of the Hebrews

There was a book published in 1823 Vermont entitled View of the Hebrews.
The View of the Hebrews contains around 57,000 words, and the Book of Mormon contains around 268,000 words.
The CES Letter author lists parallels between the books, starting with the location of publication.
Windsor County is adjacent to Rutland County.
Joseph Smith never published the book of mormon out of Vermont.
Joseph Smith moved from Sharon, Vermont when he was 10 years old.
The Book of Worm was published in Palmyra, New York by EB Grandin.
Parallels Listed: Destruction of Jerusalem, scattering of Israel, restoration of the ten tribes, Hebrews leaving the old world for the new world.
The books aren't even remotely alike except in the most superficial manner.

Claim 9: The Late War

The Late War between The United States and Great Britain. This book was an 1819 textbook written for New York state schoolchildren.
The researchers put the book into a computer and had the computer find parallel phrases between the two books.
The late war is not like the Book of Mormon.
No religion in the test and in the Book of Mormon, I don't read about any attempts to invade Canada, engage in long naval blockades, burn down the American White House.
Parallels Listed: Objects made partly of brass and partly of iron and were cunningly contrived with curious works likened to a clock as were a large ball.

Claim 10: The First Book of Napoleon

The following is a side by side comparison of selected phrases the Book of Mormon is known for from the beginning portion of the Book of Mormon with the same order in the beginning portion of the first book of Napoleon.
Two books have nothing in common.

Claim 11: Trinitarian View of the Godhead

The Book of Mormon taught and still teaches a Trinitarian view of the godhead.
Response: No, it doesn't.
To get a full understanding of the Trinity and Godhead, we should read all of the various related verses.
Alma 11:44 and 3 Nephi 28:10 and 11 identify and define the distinction between the father, son, and the Holy Ghost.

Review of Claims

Claims 1, 2, and 3 related to translating scripture, italicized words, and the Joseph Smith Translation.
The CES Letter appears to show a lack of understanding of translating between languages of what the Joseph Smith translation is and a pattern of poor and misleading research used to promote his narrative.
Claims 4, 5, and 6: DNA, anachronisms, and archaeology.
The pattern of unsubstantiated or poorly researched claims continues.
Claim 7: Book of Mormon names come from the local area and Captain Kidd novels.
This idea is a big stretch, and additionally, Captain Kidd novels don't mention any Book of Mormon names.
Claims 8, 9, and 10: View of the Hebrews, The Late War, and the Book of Napoleon are clearly not the source of the Book of Mormon.
Finally, Claim 11: the Book of Mormon teaches a Trinitarian view of the godhead.
General membership of the church, the church leadership, as well as all the Christian churches that attack us for being nontrinitarian certainly don't believe the Book of Mormon teaches that.

Conclusion

Based on Chapter One alone, the proof claim is weak at best.
The patterns of poorly supported research and misleading facts used in these first eleven points make me skeptical about his claims in the remainder of the book.
The CES Letters claim of truth in that chapter cannot be supported.
If this is the best that can be given, it reinforces my testimony of the Book of Mormon.
The scared book can also withstand intellectual criticism.