The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

The Interpreter Foundation Podcast
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The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

The Interpreter Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization focused on the scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the Bible, and the Doctrine and Covenants), early LDS history, and related subjects. All publications in its journal, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, are peer-reviewed and made available as free internet downloads or through at-cost print-on-demand services. Other posts on the website are not necessarily peer-reviewed, but are approved by Interpreter’s Executive Board. Our goal is to increase understanding of scripture through careful scholarly investigation and analysis of the insights provided by a wide range of ancillary disciplines, including language, history, archaeology, literature, culture, ethnohistory, art, geography, law, politics, philosophy, statistics, etc. Interpreter will also publish articles advocating the authenticity and historicity of LDS scripture and the Restoration, along with scholarly responses to critics of the LDS faith. We hope to illuminate, by study and faith, the eternal spiritual message of the scriptures—that Jesus is the Christ. Although the Board fully supports the goals and teachings of the Church, The Interpreter Foundation is an independent entity and is not owned, controlled by, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or with Brigham Young University. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of their respective authors, and should not be interpreted as the opinions of the Board nor as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief, or practice.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Interpreter Radio Show — December 8, 2024: Discussion

    The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

    53 min

  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    Interpreter Radio Show — December 8, 2024

    In the December 8, 2024 episode of The Interpreter Radio Show, our hosts are Bruce Webster, Mark Johnson, and Kevin Christensen. They discuss Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson 1, the new versions of the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the validity of the Book of Mormon. You can listen to or download the December 8th broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show below. These audio tracks are also included in our podcast feed (https://interpreterfoundation.org/feeds/podcast). The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com. Original air date: December 8, 2024. These recordings have been edited to remove commercial breaks. Doctrine & Covenants in Context Lesson 1: The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Podcast: Download Discussion: The new versions of the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the validity of the Book of Mormon Podcast: Download The Interpreter Radio Show is a weekly discussion of matters of interest to the hosts, guests, and callers of the show. The views expressed on the Interpreter Radio Show are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Interpreter Foundation, nor should statements made on the show be construed as official doctrinal statements of the Church.

    53 min

  3. DEC 13

    Finding Nephi’s Ore

    Abstract: Khor Kharfot and Wadi Sayq are in the region that has become the premiere candidate for Nephi’s Old-World Bountiful. Out of the several matching criteria that has led to this opinion, the one that may be the weakest has been the identification of readily available ore in the area that Nephi could have used to manufacture the tools necessary to build his ship. This This investigation, conducted in February 2023, found several distinct examples of iron ores suitable for ”smelting” in the form of float, all pointing to deposits yet to be located. Additionally, I review the investigation of Dr. Revell Phillips, who headed a group from BYU in 2000, that found two locations north of Khor Kharfot apparently containing significant deposits of iron ore. However, one site turned out to be problematic and the other site is too distant for Nephi to have been able to access it. Nonetheless, their efforts are reviewed as a backdrop for this current study. Also presented are findings regarding heretofore unrecognized features of Wadi Sayq and Khor Kharfot and the likely conditions that produced them, going back into the Pleistocene era. In recent years, Khor Kharfot has been generally accepted as the location that best corresponds to Nephi’s Old World Bountiful. The promise of this site was first identified by Warren Aston after an exhaustive five-year survey and reconnaissance of the south to eastern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula in 1987–1992. In 2022, George Potter published an article promoting Khor Rori, which is located 38 miles (61 km) east of Salalah and about 95 miles (153 km) up the coast from Khor Kharfot, as the most likely Bountiful site (see figure 1).1 [Page 298]However, a more recent publication from Warren Aston provides a detailed comparison between Khor Kharfot and Khor Rori and shows the deficiencies of Khor Rori as a candidate for Nephi’s Bountiful.2 Aston’s description of his investigation and their results is found in his book Lehi and Sariah in Arabia.3 Aston identifies twelve criteria garnered from Nephi’s description of the land of Bountiful that must be met for a site to be considered as Bountiful with any reasonable certainty. After presenting all the possible sites he found along the seacoasts of Dhofar (southwest Oman province) and Mahra (northeast Yemen province), he then demonstrated how Khor Kharfot is, by far, the best candidate. It closely matches eleven of the twelve criteria. There is one of Aston’s criteria that, up to this point, has not been sufficiently verified or identified—the presence of the ore that Nephi was directed to obtain to make tools to build a ship. Infrequent patches of so-called iron-concretions have been identified in the limestones of the Khor Kharfot region, but these are quite wispy and unsubstantial and wholly inadequate to concen...

    49 min

  4. DEC 9

    Interpreter Radio Show — December 1, 2024: Discussion

    The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

    53 min

  5. DEC 9

    Interpreter Radio Show — December 1, 2024

    In the December 1, 2024 episode of The Interpreter Radio Show, our hosts are Martin Tanner, Brent Schmidt, and Hales Swift. They discuss Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon lesson 52 and Christmas. You can listen to or download the December 1st broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show below. These audio tracks are also included in our podcast feed (https://interpreterfoundation.org/feeds/podcast). The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com. Original air date: December 1, 2024. These recordings have been edited to remove commercial breaks. The Book of Mormon in Context Lesson 52: “He Shall Come into the World to Redeem His People” Podcast: Download Discussion: Christmas Puzzles and the Savior and our Potential Godhood. Podcast: Download The Interpreter Radio Show is a weekly discussion of matters of interest to the hosts, guests, and callers of the show. The views expressed on the Interpreter Radio Show are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Interpreter Foundation, nor should statements made on the show be construed as official doctrinal statements of the Church.

    54 min

  6. DEC 6

    What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About the Literary Skills Needed to Dictate a Text Like the Book of Mormon?

    Abstract: The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate a book like the Book of Mormon. Fifteen skills are common in the responses from the eleven chatbots, which are compiled into a list. The list is then validated by appealing to experts in the field of literary composition. Next, his documentable 1829 skills are cross-referenced to the list. The historical reality is that none of Joseph’s personal acquaintances describe him as accomplished with the skills that AI calculated would be needed. This AI “fail” deserves additional investigation. If eyewitnesses accurately reported he lacked the predicted skills, what skills did AI miss and what skills enabled him to dictate the Book of Mormon? .block-indent {margin: 0 0 1em 3em;} .head {text-indent: 0 !important;} .vert-th {padding: 0 !important;vertical-align: bottom !important;} .vert {writing-mode: vertical-lr; transform: rotate(180deg); width: 30px;} .vert-img-th {vertical-align: bottom; padding: 7px 2px 7px 0 !important;} .vert-img {padding: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; border: 0 !important;} For nearly three months in 1829, Joseph Smith dictated a 269,320-word manuscript that became the 1830 Book of Mormon.1 He [Page 258]attributed his ability to produce the words to supernatural assistance—the “gift and power of God.”2 Predictably, most secular observers reject these claims. Some postulate Joseph Smith received outside help from collaborators or a preexisting manuscript. Others hypothesize that mental illness, trances, or hallucinogens enhanced his cognitive abilities. Most of those theories have been debunked, and skeptics have moved on to other speculations.3 Currently, the most popular secular theory describes how Joseph Smith’s natural ...

    58 min

  7. DEC 2

    Interpreter Radio Show — November 24, 2024: Come, Follow Me

    The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

    55 min

  8. NOV 29

    What Happened to Nephi at the Camp of the Broken Bow? A Book of Mormon Mystery

    Abstract: Nephi started as the youngest son of Lehi and Sariah and ended up as the king or king-like leader of the Nephite nation. While he, in some sense, obviously grew into the role over time, there was likely some key time or event when the transition from the leadership guidance of the prophet Lehi transferred to the restrained leadership guidance of his son, Nephi. A low-key leadership style was necessitated by the absolute imperative that the group be held together. This article briefly discusses four possible time frames for that transition but favors the idea that it happened in an area often called “the Camp of the Broken Bow.” This choice is based on (1) the symbolic meaning of Nephi breaking his bow, (2) the importance of Lehi murmuring “against his God,” (3) Nephi’s ascension to the “top of a mountain,” and (4) the subsequent near disappearance of Lehi from the narrative. These four critical events all occurred at the Camp of the Broken Bow. Evidence appears to suggest that it may have been at that time that there was a replacement of Lehi’s tenure, not as a prophet, but as the recognized leader of the expedition. There have been several recent publications concerning the journey of the Lehites through the Arabian Peninsula and into Bountiful.1 Recent research has identified 1) the Wadi Tayyib al-Ism as the Valley of Lemuel, 2) the likely setting of Shazer, 3) the burial area of [Page 204]Nahom and 4) the location of Bountiful in the Dhofar region of southern Oman—most likely at Khor Kharfot.2 However, there is another Lehite camping halt about which we know much less. Yet, it may prove to be of immense importance and a major turning point in Nephite social and political history. It concerns the location and events where Nephi’s steel bow failed. At the surface level, Nephi’s account of the events at what is often called the “Camp of the Broken Bow” are simple and well known.3 In brief, the exiles follow Lehi to a rest area to replenish the food supply. Then Nephi’s bow catastrophically breaks, leaving the family with no food. Nephi then constructs a new bow, asks his father where he should go for food, and returns with “beasts which I had slain” (1 Nephi 16:32). They then move on. As is often true of scripture, there may be multiple layers of meaning below that surface story. The typical lesson that is drawn from their stay at the Camp of the Broken Bow is that of Nephi’s example of humble submission to his father’s prophetic and parental authority. Even though his father, the great prophet Lehi, had startlingly joined with the others in murmuring (“all . . .

    2h 15m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

The Interpreter Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization focused on the scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the Bible, and the Doctrine and Covenants), early LDS history, and related subjects. All publications in its journal, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, are peer-reviewed and made available as free internet downloads or through at-cost print-on-demand services. Other posts on the website are not necessarily peer-reviewed, but are approved by Interpreter’s Executive Board. Our goal is to increase understanding of scripture through careful scholarly investigation and analysis of the insights provided by a wide range of ancillary disciplines, including language, history, archaeology, literature, culture, ethnohistory, art, geography, law, politics, philosophy, statistics, etc. Interpreter will also publish articles advocating the authenticity and historicity of LDS scripture and the Restoration, along with scholarly responses to critics of the LDS faith. We hope to illuminate, by study and faith, the eternal spiritual message of the scriptures—that Jesus is the Christ. Although the Board fully supports the goals and teachings of the Church, The Interpreter Foundation is an independent entity and is not owned, controlled by, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or with Brigham Young University. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of their respective authors, and should not be interpreted as the opinions of the Board nor as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief, or practice.

Information

  • Creator
    The Interpreter Foundation Podcast
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    84
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2019 The Interpreter Foundation. Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 Unported license.
  • Show Website
    The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

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