I also find his tactics to be very inconsistent as well. He says how Joseph Smith had a revealed geography of the BOM, but doesn't address the many times JS said it happened in North America. In personal conversation, he said that Joseph Smith had differing beliefs of where it happened, yet, 10 minutes prior, he was telling someone else that Joseph Smith had it revealed to him that it happened in North America. I don't think that is right. But, like I said, I like Rod and am sure he can offer something to the scholarly community, but he needs to abide the unwritten law of scholastics. He needs to be able to accept criticism and not think it is a personal attack (which I think is the biggest issue), and not portray the same people that are indirectly employed by the Church, are good friends with First Presidency and the Twelve, some of them help write the Manuals for the Church, etc... as apostates. It is not in very good form to do something like that.
Personally, I believe that there were migrations of Nephites "Northward" who made it to Ohio. The Book of Mormon tells us of tens of thousands of people going northward, whether by sea or by land. Interestingly, we have archaeological evidence of migrations from Mesoamerica up the Mississippi, up to Ohio. I think that Joseph Smith was correct in what he said about Zelph. One must wonder if Onandugus was a great Prophet known from the Rocky Mountains to the East Sea, he would have been at least mentioned in the BOM. But he is not. Why? Because Moroni and Mormon had no idea he existed, because he was part of a satellite culture of Nephites in North America.
So I think he can offer something to scholarship in The Book of Mormon, but believe he is doing it in the wrong way by coming out of the gate swinging, calling the scholars of the Church apostate and leading us astray, mis-representing information, and twisting words of our leaders to make a point. If he would have followed what should have been done, there would not be the need for FAIR to review his information.
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