Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hellenistic Ports

One of the criticisms of the Book of Mormon concerns the claim that Nephi built a ship and sailed to the American continents. The critics claim the Jewish people in 600 BC didn't have the knowledge or skills to build ocean-going ships.

Archeologists recently discovered ancient ports dating to the Hellenistic period (300  BC). These ports are on the coast of Israel. This shows the ancient people of that era did have sophistic knowledge of ships and shipping. Critics ignore these discoveries by noting the ports are dated to the Hellenistic period and not to 600 BC. It is important that believers in the Book of Mormon know that this discrepancy in dates exists, but the fact that the knowledge of these ports was recently discovered shows that not all knowledge of ancient peoples is currently known by archeologists, and that our argument is valid that additional knowledge will come forth that will strengthen our belief in the Book of Mormon.

The critics say that even if ancients ports and ships are discovered that date back to 600 BC, those artifacts won't prove the ancient Israelites had the knowledge and skills for transocean migrations, because peoples of that era sailed and traded in the Mediterranean area. These critics ignore the statement that Nephi was instructed by the Lord in ship building. Certainly, the Lord had sufficient knowledge and skills to build ships capable of crossing oceans.
Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men (1 Nephi 18:2).
I believe in the Book of Mormon and am content to wait for the Lord to bring forth additional knowledge about peoples in 600 BC and later.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dating and Courtship

Dating and courtship are part of social relationships that may lead to marriage. However, the practices of dating and courtship vary with the customs of the people. In some groups, the choices of marriage partners are made by parents or others not part of the marriage, and the bride and groom accept the decision made, even though they may not have love for each other. In other societies, dating and courtship give people opportunities to make their own choices of marriage-partners.

Dating was a time for people to get to know each other. Dating was a time for them to have fun in a social context. It was common for people to have a lot of dates with others, because no serious relationships were established. Eventually, people began to have greater interest in certain persons, and they began to think about the other person as one with whom they might want to spend their life in marriage. As their interest grew in a particular person, they entered the courtship phase in which they got to know more about each other. During courtship, they stopped dating others and focused on developing a serious relationship with the other person. If the results of their courtship were positive, they culminated their relationship with engagement, a promise of marriage, and marriage followed engagement. In marriage, they entered a life-long relationship devoted to the companionship and love of their marriage-partner.

However, social customs have changed during recent decades. Dating has almost disappeared, and people are now "going steady" almost from the time they meet someone. That is, they meet someone and soon enter a courtship phase with that person. It is normal for people to become infatuated with a person they have recently met, but as they develop their relationship together, they may find they no longer have a serious interest in the other person. They may find they don't really want to have a close relationship with the other person for the rest of their lives. They stop serious contacts with the other person, and if their relationship had developed into marriage, they terminate the marriage with divorce or sometimes just abandonment. As might be expected, divorce rates have risen as dating has been phased out and going steady and courtships have become the norm for social interactions between people.