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Dan Peterson takes questions from callers who both support and oppose the Church on this live interview with Mills Crenshaw that appeared on K-Talk radio on July 31, 2012, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Brother Peterson answers questions about the Book of Abraham and a variety of questions about the Book of Mormon, including ones pertaining to DNA studies, Mesoamerican and Near-Eastern archaeology, and Joseph Smith’s production of the Book of Mormon.
A native of southern California, Daniel C. Peterson received a bachelor’s degree in Greek and philosophy from Brigham Young University (BYU) and, after several years of study in Jerusalem and Cairo, earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Peterson is a professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at BYU and founder and the editor-in-chief of the University’s Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI). He is a past chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) and, until very recently, served as Director of Advancement for its successor organization, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. From 1988, when he founded it, through mid-June of 2012, he edited the FARMS Review, which was renamed the Mormon Studies Review in late 2011. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on Islamic and Latter-day Saint topics, including a biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Eerdmans, 2007). A former bishop, Dr. Peterson served in the Switzerland Zürich Mission, and, for approximately eight years, on the Gospel Doctrine writing committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He currently serves as a Gospel Doctrine teacher in his home ward. He is married to the former Deborah Stephens, of Lakewood, Colorado, and they are the parents of three sons.
This recording is posted here by permission of K-Talk Radio. The opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily represent the views of FAIR or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Just wanted to add, every time Nephi’s family left Jerusalem they went in haste because of the danger to their lives. It makes sense that they would flee to a safe distance. First Lehi’s preaching angered the Jews putting them in immediate danger without having time to get the plates, after they received the plates they were guilty of killing a powerful man and it makes sense that they wouldn’t have time to meet up with friends and convince them to come with them.
The distance may have been incredible but when you understand that they were in danger for their lives it makes a lot more sense. It is a good example of a story in the BOM that at first glance seems ridiculous but once you take a closer look, seems like a natural way for the characters to react in the situation.
That distance information that the caller brought out is very interesting and sheds a lot of light on the reluctance of Nephi’s brothers to make the trip. And on top of that, that they didn’t want to return to the wilderness camp… it was just too far. If any one had explained to them just how far they would have to travel and how many times they’d have to do it over, they (the brothers) wouldn’t have left in the first place.
Seeing the rest of the trip was going to be even more arduous than that first part, they needed to get the belligerence knocked out of them early in the journey or they (the brothers) wouldn’t have made it at all. And they had to go.
Listening to the arguments of Carl demonstrate the nonsense of the criticism, and the pointlessness of arguing on their level to convince the critics. Some honest people may change their mind based on the evidence, but most critics have their minds made up and don’t want to be confused by the facts.
The real proof of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling is the words that he gave us in the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures. These words are supernal. The Spirit speaks through them to the convincing honest seekers of their truth.