Perhaps this might help. Richley Crapo is an LDS anthropologist at Utah State (Logan). This is forwarded from Scripture-L with his permission:
My initial reference is from information provided to me by Lou Midgley at BYU, and I also have his permission to quote him on Murphy's lack of professional credentials, relatively speaking (he's the head of anthropology at a small NW Washington state community college where the only other anthropology instructor is a part-timer). >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 30/11/02 13:19 PM >>> Perhaps we have a clue as to why a 35-year-old instructor at a community college has thusfar failed to achieve his PhD., despite having submitted several theses on various topics. I'll ask you the same thing I asked Brant, Richley: do you mind if I forward this to a couple of apologetics lists I'm on? Richley Crapo wrote: > Brant, > > As an anthropologist and Book of Mormon scholar, can you comment on: > > http://mormonscripturestudies.com/bomor/twm/lamgen.asp > ------- > [Richley] > I'm not a BoM scholar, but I am an anthropologist. My assessment is > that the essay does an excellent job as a piece of anthropological > writing until he reaches the last three paragraphs, when the author > misconstrues what constitutes a "scientific perspective": > > "�42 From a scientific perspective, the BoMor's origin is best > situated in early 19th century America, not ancient America. > ----- > [Richley] > So far, so good. > ----- > There were no Lamanites prior to c. 1828 and dark skin is not a > physical trait of God's malediction. Native Americans do not need to > accept Christianity or the BoMor to know their own history. The BoMor > emerged from Joseph Smith's own struggles with his God. Mormons need > to look inward for spiritual validation and cease efforts to remake > Native Americans in their own image. > ------- > [Richley] > Here, he drops the qualification that made the first sentence okay. > It's absence makes this part of the paragraph read as an absolute > assertion, something that science cannot make. So, were I on his > dissertaion committee (and were this part of his dissertation), I > would require that he insert the appropriate qualifiers explicitly. > Scientific methods cannot prove that "there were no Lamanites prior to > c. 1828." They can merely fail to support the claim that there were. > So saying that there were none overstates the case. > > The assertion that the BoM emerged from JS's mind (which I take > "struggles with his own God" to mean) is, by its nature, an assertion > that belongs to the magisterium of religion rather than science, since > it is a claim that about the truth-value of a *religious* belief > (i.e., that the BoM account of the origin of the Lamanites is untrue). > > The final sentence is a value judgement ("Mormons need to . . .") and > is, therefore, inherently not a scientific statement. > ------ > �43 In 1973, after weighing the overwhelming archaeological > evidence against an ancient origin for the BoMor, Michael Coe > implored Latter-day Saints: . . ." > ----- > [Richley] > Here, the writer, demonstrates a lack of understanding of the > epistemology of science. Science does not deal with evidence > "against" anything. All evidence is "for" something. Scientifically, > the writer is only entitled to say, "the overwhelming *lack* of > evidence for an ancient origin of the BoM . . ." > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Jim Cobabe: > > Saturday, November 30, 2002 > > BY PATTY HENETZ > THE ASSOCIATED PRESS > > A graduate student at the University of Washington says > he likely will be excommunicated next week for articles he > has written questioning the validity of the Book of Mormon. > > Harold Stuart: > > I've actually read this guy's paper. It's sad ... > > _______________ > > Is there a link to the AP article (or others) or to the paper > itself? > > It is sad, but there will be questions at work this week, > and I would like to be up to speed on this. > > Thanks, > > Larry Jackson > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ________________________________________________________________ > Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today > Only $9.95 per month! > Visit www.juno.com > > ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// > /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// > ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > -- Marc A. Schindler Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland �Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on� � Winston Churchill Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author�s employer, nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^^=============================================================== This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^^===============================================================
