The One where I conform...sort of...

The version that I actually turned in...everything written in red is the how I would have answered the questions while under the influence of sarcasm...check back later to see how I turn this into an essay.

FIRST ARTICLE

What is the topic of your FIRST article?  (Eight words or less.)
For example: “The First Vision” or “The Joseph Smith Translation”

Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt  That one time that Abraham went to Egypt and lied about his wifey

What was the main thesis of this article?  (One sentence – three lines maximum.)

That by collating various sources of information about Abraham’s time in Egypt we can better understand not only Abraham himself, but also resolve seeming conflicts in his moral character such as when Abraham “lies” and calls Sarah his sister. That if you have the good sense to allow yourself to accept the Gospel as taught in the LDS Church you will quickly realize that we have access to better scriptures which clearly explain that everything Abraham did was an express commandment of God, even if your mother told you that lying is ALWAYS bad.

Summarize the top four points of this article.  (One sentence [two lines maximum] per bullet.)

·         The story of Abraham’s journey into Egypt as recorded in the Book of Abraham appears to predate all other accounts of the story. The version of Abraham's story as recorded in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price is not only the most correct translation, but also (if you need science on your side) the oldest and therefore the most correct. ·         Because of the above and the fact that the Book of Abraham records that God commanded Abraham to lie to Pharaoh, we can absolve Abraham of all wrong-doing.  Considering that  God commanded Abraham  to lie, as recorded in the Book of Abraham (the most correct of all records of Abraham) Abraham might still be a good guy. ·         While in Egypt Abraham used the Priesthood to heal Pharaoh, and because Pharaoh wanted the power and knowledge Abraham had he attempted to trade his throne for these. There's a random couple of paragraphs devoted to Abraham, the Priesthood, and whether or not Abraham taught the Egyptians astronomy.  ·         Many sources conclude that Sarah was, in some sense of the word, already Abraham’s “sister” and therefore telling this to Pharaoh was not a false statement. Even if you ignore the fact that Abraham was commanded to tell Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister, Sarah was in fact (by some definitions) his sister, so this was less of a lie and more ok.

Explain: (1) how this particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price, and (2) why you selected this article.  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

This particular article is directly connected to the Pearl of Great Price not only because it examines a story found there but the author also uses it as a direct source for his commentary. I selected this article because it met the minimum requirements established and the title caught my interest. This article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price because it talks about the Pearl of Great Price. I selected this article because it was the first one on the list when I searched for articles.

What was something new you learned from this article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

Something new that I learned from this article is that some ancient peoples has a process whereby a man’s wife could also become his sister. **This question I actually liked, I just wish I had more room to expound on the topic.**

What could the author do to extend the research for this article?
How could it improve the article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

As a method to extend his research for the article the author could have consulted other versions of the story of Abraham. This would improve the robustness of the article and it might improve the validity of the research among non-LDS circles, because currently the article almost summarily dismisses all records that do not agree with the Pearl of Great Price. If the author was any sort of real researcher he would have provided actual evidence for the things he was claiming instead of basing his claims on the word of so-and-so, as if we can trust him. This would improve the article hy making it actually a legitimate research article, instead of just giving it the appearance of one.

SECOND ARTICLE

What is the topic of your SECOND article? (Eight words or less.) 
For example: “The First Vision” or “The Joseph Smith Translation”

Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Abraham Is Joseph Smith a crazy man who has duped millions of people? (part 394,752,168)

What was the main thesis of this article?  (One sentence – three lines maximum.)

There are many questions to be asked about the Book of Abraham, but usually when the non-Mormon critics take a look at the matter they base their analysis on many false assumptions and use “facts” that have no or little credible base. Hugh Nibley believed that most people who criticize the Book of Abraham ought to just read the book and pray about it where they would discover that it was in fact true, accept that we don't know everything yet, and continue on their merry way doing useful things in life.

Summarize the top four points of this article.  (One sentence [two lines maximum] per bullet.)

·         When non-LDS scholars attempt to discredit the Pearl of Great Price, they often do so in ambiguous language and with poor understanding of true Church doctrine. Hugh Nibley believes that before you go around making accusations you ought to have all of your facts straight, especially when the Church has Hugh Nibley on its side. ·         Commonly among Egyptians any document that contained the words of Abraham would be considered an “original” and “by Abraham” regardless of who physically wrote on it. Hugh Nibley believes you ought to not get your knickers in a twist over the fact that the first manuscript says "original" and "by Abraham" those things have many meanings.  ·         Those attempting to discredit the Pearl of Great Price have recently begun to employ more sound arguments, however the Church maintains that we don’t know everything. Hugh Nibley applauds people that have recently gotten smarter and are using actual evidence in their attempts to prove the Pearl of Great Price wrong. ·         Furthermore, these arguments continue to be shrouded in misinformation in an attempt to sway the public against the Pearl of Great Price. Hugh Nibley believes that although some people have gotten smarter the Church still doesn't claim to know everything and so most of these arguments are invalid.

Explain: (1) how this particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price, and (2) why you selected this article.  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

This particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price because the article centers on the argument of non-LDS scholars against the validity of the Book of Abraham. I selected this article because I am interested in attempts to discredit the Pearl of Great Price, and I was particularly interested to discover how Hugh Nibley addressed the topic. This article is related to the Pearl of Great Price because it talks about the validity of the Pearl of Great Price. I selected this article because it was the first one the list by Hugh Nibley, and who wouldn't want to read a Hugh Nibley article?

What was something new you learned from this article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

Something new that I learned from this article is how ancient Egyptian and Hebrew ideas of authorship differ, and are similar, to modern ideas of authorship. Anciently any copy of a work that was either physically written or commissioned by a person remained the “original” and “by the hand” of the first person, which is similar to current ideas of “copyright”. **See the above**

What could the author do to extend the research for this article?
How could it improve the article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

To extend the research for this article the author could use more recently available articles that have more thoroughly investigated the origin of the Joseph Smith papyri. This would improve the article because it would provide a better base from which to disprove those attempting to discredit the Pearl of Great Price. Because Hugh Nibley has since passed away he now has access to all knowledge and could speak with authority on the subject. This would improve the article because who (in their right mind) is going to argue with an angel?