Could Nephi Really Build A Ship? [Mormonism Live 196]

Dr. John Lundwall joins RFM and Bill Reel to break down Scripture Central's latest Book of Mormon evidence video claiming Lehi and Family COULD build a boat to travel from the Near East to the Americas.

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[toddgreener]

dr lundwall on mormonism live is the best kind of day

[bobbylon]

Just started the podcast but if John Lundval is on I’m listening. Hands down the best guest of any show. I love lundval! Best laugh, best personality, just the best guy ever.. I will meet this guy, gladly would love to accompany him on any archaeological expedition

[pererau]

I'm only halfway through, but this is serving as such a great companion to John Larsen's classic podcast episode, "How to Build a Transoceanic Vessel" from Mormon Expression. That one was more scripted/poetic but this one fills in a lot of details i had never considered.

At 56:56, I was literally yelling in my car, "THEY COULD ONLY KNOW ABOUT POLYNESIAN CHICKENS THROUGH DNA! SOMEONE NEEDS TO CALL HIM OUT ON THAT!" I'm so glad that you did. It's just another example of "science when it applies to me, but not to thee."

[ConanTheLibrarian-ow]

Nephi story is totally believable. You know what else is totally believable? The story in Ether of Jared and his brother who build 8 submarines which they load up with all kinds of animals, including thousands of bees and spend a year crossing the ocean, bobbing around, sometimes upright and sometimes not. And then all 8 of them arrive at the same time and at the same place. Totally believable. I don't know about you, but I'm going back to Church.

[robertgrey]

"In order to go home, I have to go outside and build a car!" RFM, this was Love it!!! Can't stop laughing!!!

[whitesalamander]

Phone caller Barry deserves his own episode on Mormon Discussions- what a story as a late in life exmormon.

[KRMello]

When the boat hits 88 mph you're going to see some real shit!!! 😂

[erintucker]

I love John Lundwall. His laughing makes me feel so validated... like yes, yes this is all indeed very silly!

[debbieshrubb]

The caller Barry is an absolute hero. He sums up the experience of so many of us and in such an eloquent way!

[greg-opjh]

Awesome video! Love Dr. Lindwall. I love his straightforward opinion. When he agrees he does and when he doesn't he tells you what he believes based on evidence. He is 100% right this is entirely inoculation. It's to keep people from using their critical thinking skills

[TEAM__POSEIDN]

The Book of Mormon does try to provide technical details related to some of the stories in it, such as the reference to Nephi making a bellows and using two stones to make a fire. Unfortunately, such "technical" details never go beyond anything that Joseph Smith, a young man in early 19th century New York, would have known about. Along these lines, I remember way back when thinking it a bit odd that the Jaredite vessels were referred to as "barges" instead of boats or ships (since one doesn't usually think of barges in the context of transoceanic voyages). Subsequently, I learned that the relatively new Erie Canal was a big deal in the time and place where Joseph Smith lived...and of course barges were used on the Erie Canal.

[ginafrancis]

Thank you Bill RFM and Dr Lundwall for continuing to hold the churches proverbial feet to the fire!

Bill, I’m dying! MacGruber!🤣
So true! Thanks for the memory and laugh out loud moment.

Apologetics is so frustratingly awful I need the humor to keep listening.

I often wish Monty Python was still around to do a movie of all the nonsense in the Book of Mormon. The absurdity of it all, for me anyway, would be an absolute riot!😅

[kenny-gee]

They love the science when it has a some tiny amount backing up their claims. Oh but when the science completely destroys their claims. How can we trust science we need faith

[bobbylon]

Lundwall… godamn auto correct. Please bring this guy on whenever you can

[benjamingardea]

These are the best episodes of the show. I love when we get to evaluate the beliefs we held with a rational, open mind and consider how realistic they are. If Nephi could do this, why couldn’t Xenu send humanity to earth in a DC-8?

[whitesalamander]

RFM is visited by Angel Henry Ford who presents blue prints for the gold plated Model A. Bill Reel subsequently looses 116 pages of those prints and RFM thus created the Edsel after which one, Melvin Russell Ballard opens up an Edsel Dealership in the Land of Zion. A modern day Mormon miracle!

[toddgreener]

I feel like the kind of boat Jo was imagining was probably a fairly decently sized ocean going ship of his day, which would have been needed to make the kind of voyage described.

This would be like us today saying “oh yeah, they were fleeing persecution and happened across some aluminum and built an airliner”

[LenaLindroth-gv]

We had swamp-iron in Sweden during our iron-age

[aredesuyo]

I'm reminded of the essay "I, Pencil." Something so seemingly simple as a pencil is still pretty impossible for one person or one family to create. An oceangoing ship? Fugeddaboudit.

[MemyzelphandI]

I was always suprised that Nephi didn't develop a DVT from being tied up and unable to move for four days.😅😅😅