Ok, this article about DNA and The Book of Mormon was front page LATimes today. A part of me is tempted to address this article and its relevance to the Mo church & culture.
But the other part of me is strongly resisting that urge. Instead I will tell you that I have a really bad cut on my middle toe that’s infected and oozy. I’ll spare you the picture and just let you imagine it. Not a pretty sight. When you’ve got so few toes to start with, even the tiniest cut on one of them hurts really bad.
And I’ll also tell you that I just ate a block of marinated tofu. Plain, cold, tofu. Yum. Yay for companies that make protein so palatable and digestible.
So by juxtaposing my comments about toesores and tofu I am in no way saying that the Lamanite DNA problem is anything like my sore toe–that will fester for awhile and eventually heal after I pour lots of apologetics (I mean hydrogen peroxide) on it. Nor am I saying that reading the Book of Mormon is much more palatable when it is processed into bite-size flavored curds.
:)
4 comments
I’m still not sure if this entry was a metaphorical tour de force or simply an artifact of a casual hour in the kitchen.
I hope that your toe gets better soon- and that you don’t neglect to get it looked at if necessary before the weekend.
For a non-Mormon with a background in biology the side of scriptural literalism is somewhat baffling. Yet
human beings may not be understood without consulting both the abacus and the rose. The two kinds of thought my be ultimately reconciliable, just as soy curd and nigari are reconciled into tofu.
Gray:
Like you, I am mystified by scripture literalism. I was raised with the understanding that scriptures are chock-full of metaphors (parables, etc) and errors (because they are the writings of men, not God). I don’t believe in a God who condones murder and genocide. So I have to believe that the Bible and BOM texts are fallible/muddled/flawed.
The BOM DNA stuff makes me sad (and a bit angry) because many people feel hurt and betrayed by it. For me, it’s just another reason not to interpret scriptures as ABSOLUTE TRUTH. But I’m a heretic in Mo circles for saying so.
I think much the same way- from a Presbyterian/Unitarian perspective anyway. Yet it’s a delicate matter to comment on another religion without the risk of becomming a boorish and unwelcome guest.
Your murder and genocide comment reminds me of the satirical button and bumper sticker that says, “What would Jesus bomb?”
I like that one–I always held up the “Who Would Jesus Bomb” sign at anti-war protests.
Jana, maybe an extension of your metaphor would be if you constantly stubbed your toe on the same piece of favorite furniture.