Jonathan Neville’s Rameumptom

Here in the United States, the 2019 Thanksgiving Day holiday is nearly upon us. Jonathan Neville has published a blog post in recognition of this, giving “gratitude for the prophets.”

And, of course, his list of things for which he is grateful are all the usual cudgels he uses to pummel his “M2C”* opponents:

Together [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] wrote the first history of the Church, the eight essays that were published as letters in 1834-5. (This includes Letter VII, of course.)

Together they testified that Joseph translated the plates with the Urim and Thummim, thereby producing the Book of Mormon.

Together they testified of its divine authenticity, including the site of the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6, right in western New York.

All of their faithful contemporaries and successors have reaffirmed their testimony about these topics.

Canonization of Letter VII, rejection of Joseph’s use of seer stones, New York Cumorah—is it possible for him to post anything about the Book of Mormon that’s insightful, inspiring, or new? Something that’s not a self-serving proof-text?

I expect Neville’s next Heartlander-themed Thanksgiving blog post will be something like this:

“We also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of [M2C], which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people.”

I, for one, am thankful for modern prophets—not because they teach things that I agree with, but because they remind me of the importance of repentance and the continual need to be a better follower of Jesus Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving,

—Peter Pan

* “M2C” is Jonathan Neville’s acronym for the theory that the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica and that the hill Cumorah in the Book of Mormon is not the same hill in New York where Joseph Smith received the plates of Mormon.