This is a presentation given at the conference entitled 2015 Exploring the Complexities in the English Language of the Book of Mormon, which took place on 14 March 2015 in Provo, Utah.
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First, I would like to thank the contributors to Interpreter for all of their scholastic work. Ms. Martin’s presentation was very compelling.
My question: Wouldn’t the 16th century scriptural debates of reformers be the key differences between 18th century denominations within Christianity? Wouldn’t the differences between Tyndale and More be still relevant in the 18th century? The debate would have just gotten larger and more political, not less.
I am no historian, but I see how this 1:1 personal debate would naturally extrapolate into groups of Christianity over time with denominations taking a particular ‘side’. Hence, the topics discussed were still relevant in Joseph Smith’s day, even though they had a longer history of development.