Book of Mormon
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Thursday, February 17, 2022
[Introduction] Detailed Response to the "CES Letter" from a believing Latter-day Saint
Sometime after I had published my Overview of the "Letter to a CES Director" it came to my attention that Jeremy Runnells had updated it, and so some of my responses were out of date for the current document. But I decided to leave it alone, since there wasn't a ton of changes, and it was only intended to be a surface-level response, and if that is what you are looking for, then go back and read that one.
This one, I decided to flesh out my thoughts more with an in-depth response. Many others have written their own responses, and I still recommend reading them. For some of their answers, I felt like I would answer differently than they did, but even where it is the same, I wanted to add my voice. Here are links to other responses:
The CES Letter is probably best described as a Gish gallop meaning that it is easier to bring up criticisms than to actually answer them. Jeremy thinks that is an unfair attack given that there's no time limit. However, the term also applies to written debates too, since most people aren't going to dedicate the amount of time required and will get overwhelmed—and that's what makes it is a Gish gallop. But I am not being dismissive, I decided to take the time to go in and respond to everything. And I recommend that if there's anything you question, you don't have to take my word or Jeremy's word for it—you can research it for yourself.
And that's one thing I love about the gospel of Jesus Christ. No one forces you to believe anything you don't want to, and we all have access to revelation from Heavenly Father. With that in mind, let's jump in.
This one, I decided to flesh out my thoughts more with an in-depth response. Many others have written their own responses, and I still recommend reading them. For some of their answers, I felt like I would answer differently than they did, but even where it is the same, I wanted to add my voice. Here are links to other responses:
- In-depth replies from:
- In-depth positive evidence using a similar style that also addresses many criticisms
- Shorter analyses from:
- churchistrue
- Neal Rappleye (and part 2)
- Kevin Christensen (plus follow-up)
- Good observations on its approach rather than its content
The purpose of this post is for those who have read the CES Letter and wonder how a faithful Latter-day Saint responds to the concerns Jeremy brings up. I can't speak for everyone, but these are my own thoughts.
The CES Letter is probably best described as a Gish gallop meaning that it is easier to bring up criticisms than to actually answer them. Jeremy thinks that is an unfair attack given that there's no time limit. However, the term also applies to written debates too, since most people aren't going to dedicate the amount of time required and will get overwhelmed—and that's what makes it is a Gish gallop. But I am not being dismissive, I decided to take the time to go in and respond to everything. And I recommend that if there's anything you question, you don't have to take my word or Jeremy's word for it—you can research it for yourself.
And that's one thing I love about the gospel of Jesus Christ. No one forces you to believe anything you don't want to, and we all have access to revelation from Heavenly Father. With that in mind, let's jump in.
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