Click here for the reading schedule for 2023 to see today’s reading, with links to the text and video of the reading.
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Alma 18 has many problems, as I’ve discussed in years past. However, I think it would be good to refresh our memories with some of them:
The Lamanites think Ammon is the Great Spirit? (Alma 18) — even though Ammon is obviously physical and does physical exploits (such as wielding a sword and cutting off people’s arms), for some reason the king still thinks he’s “the Great Spirit”!
Horses and Chariots (Alma 18 & 20) discusses some of the issues surrounding the casual mentions of chariots and horses here in Alma — including that this eliminates from contention certain parts of the Americas as being The BOM lands, because they’re too hilly for chariots to have been practical, even if they had horses to pull them in the first century B.C. [Note: it wouldn’t be a problem if the BOM lands include the entire double-continent of North and South America, or if the BOM lands are just part or all of the United States; but if we’re to understand a Mesoamerican location as the primary or sole location, then certain lands are eliminated from contention.]
Finally, Rabbanah — great king? “being interpreted”? (Alma 18) looks at some of the issues of this chapter calling the high king “Rabbanah”, as well as giving the word in the BOM language and then interpreting it — which is like someone “interpreting” Canadian into English.
TOYBOM: The One Year Book of Mormon 