-TurretinFan
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Barker/White Mythology Debate - Parts 1 and 2
I understand that Alpha and Omega Ministries will be offering a higher-quality DVD at a later date. In the meantime, here is the Barker/White mythology debate (which is the second debate between Dr. White and Dan Barker this year).
-TurretinFan
-TurretinFan
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2 comments:
It's great to see the whole debate. Thanks to Dr. White for making this available for free.
I'm surprised by one of Dr. White's responses, though. White claimed that the Joseph Smith's miracle claims about the production of the Book of Mormon were fundamentally different from the Christian miracle stories, but when Barker challenged him, White elaborated by saying something about how the Smith was arrested for working magic. Since Christ was also arrested for making false magical claims, this seems to be a distinction without a difference.
I think the fundamental difference is that the Mormon claims place the miracles right at the historical records which are supposed to prove the historical claims being made. The Christians make historical claims, but they do not claim that the historical documents that prove the claims are themselves miraculous or magic (on the contrary; the historical evidence cited in the New Testament is all common and prosaic). It's telling that much of the non-miraculous historical evidence that the Mormons have adduced in support of their documents have been refuted: eyewitnesses have recanted, archaeological predictions have never been found (or have even been falsified by genetic evidence).
I'd like to point this out to Dr. White, but I don't know how to reach him.
-Wm Tanksley
Addendum/correction to my previous comment: Dr. White provided the same answer I gave regarding the Mormon miracles (only presented much better, of course) during the audience questions at the end of the debate.
-Wm
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