An interesting video about the Book of Mormon was linked on LDS Freedom Forum. This is not one of those sanitized "I Am A Mormon" videos that are featured on Mormon.org and are weighted towards celebrities. This video is from an ordinary, unassuming, slightly geeky Latter-day Saint man who merely wanted to share his testimony of the Book of Mormon in a logical and scholarly manner. His baby daughter is cute and it looks like she tries to share her own testimony in her own inimitable fashion at certain points on the video. Don't laugh -- babies were with our Heavenly Father much more recently than the rest of us, and the veil between them and the spirit world is still somewhat translucent. The video is entitled "30 Things You Should Know About The Book of Mormon":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHx9cs0syyQ
I watched the first 10 minutes of this nearly-20 minute video, and that was enough to impress me, although I don't intend to list all 30 things he cites. One of the strongest arguments he uses to advance the Book of Mormon is geography, which he characterizes as plausible, accurate, and consistent. Details about Arabian geography cited in the Book of Mormon, which were personally unknown to Joseph Smith at the time, have since been further validated by scientific research. In addition, geographical references are consistent throughout the entire Book of Mormon -- the narrow neck of land, the narrow pass, seas East and West. He uses language from the Book of Mormon to support his advocacy of the Mesoamerican Theory, noting that nowhere in the Book of Mormon is snow mentioned while it does document instances of extreme heat during the winter (which does not take place in more northern climes). The LDS Church takes no official theological position as to the location of the Book of Mormon lands. The videographer also inserts helpful supporting references and links throughout the video. My October 2009 post entitled "A Brief Overview Of The Primary Book Of Mormon Geography Theories: Why The Case For The Tehuantepec Mesoamerica Theory Appears Strongest" discusses this and other prevailing theories.
The videographer also addresses the video on his own personal blog, Gently Hew Stone. He also launched a discussion on the Debating Christianity & Religion forum, but it was not well-received because there is considerable anti-Mormon bias on that forum. Nevertheless, for someone who does not profess to be a professional intellectual, the videographer did a fine job of defending the Book of Mormon, effectively balancing the intellectual with the spiritual. He even mentioned that there was evidence of correspondence between the Jaredites and the Olmecs -- something I didn't know.
But I suspect the real star of the video was that cute baby girl. LOL!
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