John Gee – Some Puzzles from the Joseph Smith Papyri

John, author of A Guide to Joseph Smith Papyri,  cleared some things up for me, today, on all the mess of the Joseph Smith Papyri.  He humorously lists LDS members opinions:

– 0.5 % believe that the Book of Abraham was translated from papyrus we have.

– A few more believe that the Book of Abraham was translated from what no longer exists.

 

– Even more believe Joseph did translation work by revelation not from papyrus.

 

– But most LDS, 50%+, don’t care.

I laughed.

I have the notes on all the power point slides he shared . . . quite complicated . . . and seemingly nothing to do with my questions.  But I encourage you to listen to his lecture for yourself.

In conclusion, he shared (I am paraphrasing), “You can not prove they do.  You can not prove they do not.  LDS can trust God for the origins.  Those that trust will have proof.  Those that don’t trust will not.  For Egyptians, hieroglyphics contain the words of God.  The secularists are not looking for a savior [he gives the evidence].  And the sectarians are not looking for a savior [and he gives the statistics among the sectarians for divorce rates, promiscuity, racism, etc.]  Actually, both are looking for a savior that will save them from the Mormons (laughter from the audience).”

Only I wasn’t laughing.  It deeply grieves me—the statistics of the secularists and the sectarians.  America desperately needs to look to the Savior.