Informed Saints

Abinadi Was Right | Stunning Evidence From Two Ancient Worlds

What is the "east wind" in the Book of Mormon? Why would it have struck terror into King Noah's people? On the surface, Abinadi's warning that the people would "reap the east wind which bringeth immediate destruction" (Mosiah 7:31) sounds almost forgettable. But this detail turns out to be one of the most quietly powerful pieces of evidence for the Book of Mormon's ancient origins. In this episode, Jasmin, Neal, and Stephen unpack a fascinating paper by BYU professor Kerry Hull titled "An East Wind: Old and New World Perspectives," published in the volume Abinadi: He Came Among Them in Disguise (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University). The east wind in the Hebrew Bible is consistently used as an instrument of divine judgment — drying out crops, bringing locusts, parting seas, and famously blighting the wheat in Pharaoh's dream. It's a wind of destruction, even when biblical authors apply it to regions where the geographical direction wouldn't literally make sense. But the real surprise comes when you cross over to the New World. Among the Yucatec, Zeltal, and Zotzil Maya, "evil winds" were believed to be punishments sent by the gods, with the east wind singled out as especially destructive — the Zotzil and Zeltal literally calling it "fiery wind." John Sorensen documented a Zeltal prayer that almost mirrors Abinadi's prophecy: "let no hail come, let no wind come, let no locusts come." That's the exact constellation of calamities listed in Mosiah 12:6. The geography deepens the case. In highland Guatemala; where most Mesoamerican Book of Mormon models place the city of Lehi-Nephi — a hot northeast wind clashing with humid Pacific air actually produces hailstorms, and locusts naturally migrate down from the nearby Motagua River Valley. Jerry Grover has also connected Abinadi's prophecy to Mayan New Year rites, where year bearers were tied to specific cardinal directions and warnings of famine, locusts, war, and the violent death of a ruler were part of the ritual prophetic tradition. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye Subscribe for more deep-dive Book of Mormon scholarship Read the full volume: Abinadi: He Came Among Them in Disguise at the BYU Religious Studies Center Sources discussed: * Kerry Hull, "An East Wind: Old and New World Perspectives" * John Sorensen, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon and Mormon's Codex * Jerry Grover, Evidence of the Nehor Religion in Mesoamerica * John W. Welch, scholarship on Pentecost and Abinadi's trial Further Readings Links: https://rsc.byu.edu/abinadi/east-wind [https://rsc.byu.edu/abinadi/east-wind] https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-did-abinadi-warn-the-people-of-an-east-wind [https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-did-abinadi-warn-the-people-of-an-east-wind] https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/abinadi-andpentecost [https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/abinadi-andpentecost] https://scripturecentral.org/archive/media/chart/did-abinadi-prophesy-against-king-noah-pentecost [https://scripturecentral.org/archive/media/chart/did-abinadi-prophesy-against-king-noah-pentecost] https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/nephite-daykeepers-ritual-specialists-in-mesoamerica-and-the-book-of-mormon [https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/nephite-daykeepers-ritual-specialists-in-mesoamerica-and-the-book-of-mormon] Study deeply. Believe boldly. ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #BookOfMormon #LDS #BrazenSerpent #ComeFollowMe #Numbers21 #BibleStudy #LatterDaySaints #InformedSaints #AncientNearEast #Seraphim #Nehushtan #Isaiah #Nephi #JesusChrist #ScriptureStudy #Mormon #BibleArchaeology #HebrewBible #OldTestament #LDSChurch

The Brazen Serpent: The Weirdest Symbol in the Bible — EXPLAINED

Why on earth would looking at a bronze snake on a pole heal someone bitten by a serpent? It's one of the strangest stories in the Old Testament and most readers move past it without a second thought. But ancient Near Eastern artifacts, Israelite seals, and details preserved in the Book of Mormon reveal that the Brazen Serpent (the Nehushtan of Numbers 21) was anything but arbitrary. It was the perfect symbol and Nephi knew exactly why. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye In this episode, the Informed Saints crew break down Neal’s paper which covers: • The Hebrew behind "fiery serpents" (ha-nəḥāšîm ha-śərāphîm) and what seraph actually means • Bronze serpent wands from Egypt and figurines from Megiddo, Hazor, Shechem, Timnah, and Gezer — all associated with healing • The 13th–11th century BC tent shrine at Timna with a bronze serpent inside • The seraphim of Isaiah 6 as winged serpentine guardians of Yahweh's throne • Isaiah 14:29's "fiery flying serpent" as an ancient Jewish Messianic prophecy • Why Nephi adds "flying" to the serpents in 1 Nephi 17:41 • How the Hebrew word nēs (pole / ensign / battle standard) ties Numbers 21 to Isaiah's prophecies • Why this whole web of imagery points unmistakably to Jesus Christ Read Neal's full paper: https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/serpents-of-fire-and-brass-a-contextual-study-of-the-brazen-serpent-tradition-in-the-book-of-mormon [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finterpreterfoundation.org%2Fjournal%2Fserpents-of-fire-and-brass-a-contextual-study-of-the-brazen-serpent-tradition-in-the-book-of-mormon%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExZ2JxcEF5V3pBbjI2VFk0bXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR57hOqStIlj1z6NqswSrWzeX6h9GpyUM244YxAN7EiM9Zq6cJTQJ0OflQwNOA_aem_Xmol5Y6PCkWVqilEgL2mhQ&h=AUAtxHAaojh-X84eDz8wT__iT3TEEZpflAk5rFpUwwNN6IwTvy2ahW7aM-Tilvh2g46XE6yU_lSZWZSLpZygtyC4tY8Bh5qN03xUQhn8z7Lb3QGyUBZQk6SRFSYBaxdMVb9GnaNiN34] Scripture references * Numbers 21:4–9 * 2 Kings 18:4 (the Nehushtan) * Isaiah 6, 14:28–29, 11:12, 13:2 * 1 Nephi 17:41 * 2 Nephi 25:20 * Alma 33:19–22 * Helaman 8:13–15 Scholarly sources mentioned in the episode * James H. Charlesworth, The Good and Evil Serpent: How a Universal Symbol Became Christianized * Karen Randolph Joines, Serpent Symbolism in the Old Testament * Anchor Bible Dictionary, entry on "Nehushtan" * Austin Henry Layard, Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon Related background reading * Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm (on the divine council) * Margaret Barker, The Older Testament (on First Temple theology and the Messiah) Subscribe to Informed Saints for scholarly-grounded discussions of Latter-day Saint scripture, history, and archaeology. Study deeply, believe boldly. ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #BookOfMormon #LDS #BrazenSerpent #ComeFollowMe #Numbers21 #BibleStudy #LatterDaySaints #InformedSaints #AncientNearEast #Seraphim #Nehushtan #Isaiah #Nephi #JesusChrist #ScriptureStudy #Mormon #BibleArchaeology #HebrewBible #OldTestament #LDSChurch

Linguist Finds 1,650 Hebrew Words Hidden in Ancient American Languages

What if the strongest evidence for the Book of Mormon isn't archaeological but linguistic? In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Brian Stubbs, a respected Uto-Aztecan linguist whose foundational comparative dictionary of the language family was praised as a "monumental contribution" by Kenneth Hill in the International Journal of American Linguistics. After decades of work, Stubbs has documented more than 1,650 cognate sets connecting Hebrew, Aramaic, and Egyptian to the Uto-Aztecan language family, which spans from the Utes in the north to the Aztecs in the south and includes more than thirty languages across western North America and Mexico. In this conversation, we cover: * What cognates are and why consistent sound correspondences are the gold standard for establishing a relationship between languages. * Why linguists generally require at least 10% overlap to establish relatedness, and how Stubbs' Semitic and Egyptian data accounts for roughly 60% of the cognates in his Uto-Aztecan dictionary. * Specific cognate examples, including barak/peroq (lightning), bat/pata (daughter), and saba/sipo (star). * How a single Aramaic dialect from northern Palestine matches Uto-Aztecan in a way that points to ancient northern Israel, the region of Manasseh and Ephraim. * The remarkable "lion to mountain lion" sound shift that directly addresses one of the most cited Book of Mormon anachronisms. * The two distinct sound correspondences in Uto-Aztecan (Semitic-P and Semitic-Kw) that suggest two related but distinct language groups merged into one population, an unexpected parallel to the Nephite-Mulekite merger described in the Book of Mormon. * Why language evidence is uniquely unfakable compared to inscriptions and physical artifacts. * Endorsements from David H. Kelley, John Robertson, Dirk Elsinga, Roger Westcott, and other prominent linguists. Brian Stubbs' latest research will appear in a forthcoming volume from the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University entitled "In the Eyes of the Ancient: Historical Perspectives on the Book of Mormon." ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye Further Readings: https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/exploring-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan-languages [https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/exploring-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan-languages] https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/an-american-indian-language-family-with-middle-eastern-loanwords-responding-to-a-recent-critique [https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/an-american-indian-language-family-with-middle-eastern-loanwords-responding-to-a-recent-critique] https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/exploring-the-explanatory-power-of-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan [https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/exploring-the-explanatory-power-of-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan] https://www.velikovsky.info/roger-w-wescott/ [https://www.velikovsky.info/roger-w-wescott/] https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/answering-the-critics-in-44-rebuttal-points [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finterpreterfoundation.org%2Fjournal%2Fanswering-the-critics-in-44-rebuttal-points%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSVdCT1RZUUZCcTg2TW01VXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6e886DULbfn9OtiSYjWcqfsAr3NrSbR_yam31vcpGMUTlpYL_GmOsGyGE4mg_aem_112JUr4TMbgD9xvvwcfYng&h=AT76WYOVwc_IJ5P-KDtL-DWyWKMWT1d1JcgOKcwZ258qsQ3WNt9UJipwW6Ygd35VCDiBVDFqCzhDE0U9YNsUt8840c-Cgk4Pvg1yKlDpLvANTtU97_UekAqjDWDTAgRNT_wnDcTU4Po] https://rsc.byu.edu/book/eyes-ancients [https://rsc.byu.edu/book/eyes-ancients?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExSVdCT1RZUUZCcTg2TW01VXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7ezhCGPrlLzrj7GbfUUqfd4RBMT6gbAHjXMdETrTK2dfIZQJwIGHDB4PE-jQ_aem_AQhNBtZIOIccOT7RQztc2A] Study deeply. Believe boldly. ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Subscribe to Informed Saints for scholarly conversations on the Book of Mormon, Restoration history, and the scriptures. #BookOfMormon #UtoAztecan #BrianStubbs #Hebrew #LDS #ComeFollowMe #BookOfMormonEvidence #Linguistics #AncientAmerica #Apologetics #InformedSaints #FAIRMormon #JosephSmith #Nephite #Mulekite #ChurchHistory #LatterDaySaints #Mormon #NativeAmerican #Egyptian #Aramaic

Egyptologists Got Facsimile 3 WRONG (New Research Reveals Why)

Is Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham really just a standard Egyptian funerary scene, as critics often claim? New research suggests the answer is far more complicated and far more interesting. In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Quinten Barney, whose master's thesis at BYU represents the most thorough comparative study of Facsimile 3 ever conducted. Barney has examined every known copy of the Book of Breathings (only 33 exist in the world) to see whether Facsimile 3 really matches the standard Egyptian corpus, and the results are striking. In this conversation, we cover: * Why Facsimile 3 has been the most neglected of the three facsimiles and what that means for the current debate. * The significant differences between Facsimile 3 and the judgment scene from the Book of the Dead (chapter 125) that most critics compare it to. * Why the identification of the figure as Anubis has real Egyptological problems, including missing hieroglyphs, wrong clothing, wrong posture, and a missing headdress. * How Joseph Smith's identification of "Isis as Pharaoh" actually has grounds in the Greco-Roman Egyptian evidence. * Why only two Egyptologists have ever attempted to fully translate the hieroglyphic captions (Robert Ritner and Michael Rhodes) and what their translations disagree on. * The unique presence of stars above the figures in Facsimile 3 — a feature not found in any other Book of Breathings vignette — and how it ties to the astronomy theme. * The more than half dozen ancient extra-biblical sources describing Abraham teaching astronomy to Egyptians, most of which were unavailable to Joseph Smith. * Why the possible role of W.W. Phelps as editor matters for understanding the published explanations. Quinten Barney's thesis is available free as a PDF from the BYU Scholars Archive for readers who want to go deeper into the technical details. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7598/ If you think Facsimile 3 has already been "solved" by Egyptologists, this episode will challenge that assumption with the receipts to back it up. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye Further Readings: Quinten Barney's Master's Thesis (Free PDF Download) https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7598/ [https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7598/]  Gustav Seyffarth Description of Joseph Smith Papyri at St. Louis Museum (1856) https://bhroberts.org/records/0ueBOW-0Wur88/gs_mentions_js_papyri_in_st_louis_museum_describes_them_and_their_content [https://bhroberts.org/records/0ueBOW-0Wur88/gs_mentions_js_papyri_in_st_louis_museum_describes_them_and_their_content] Michael Rhodes, "Facsimiles from the Book of Abraham," Encyclopedia of Mormonism https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5528 [https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5528] The Egyptian Book of the Dead Overview https://exploreluxor.org/egyptian-book-of-the-dead/ [https://exploreluxor.org/egyptian-book-of-the-dead/] John Gee, "Facsimile 3 and Book of the Dead 125" https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/facsimile-3-and-book-dead-125 [https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/facsimile-3-and-book-dead-125] "Isis the Pharaoh: Facsimile 3, Figure 2," BYU Studies https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/isis-the-pharaoh-facsimile-3-figure-2 [https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/isis-the-pharaoh-facsimile-3-figure-2] Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos A, Joseph Smith Papers https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1 [https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1] Joseph Smith Journal, February 23, 1842 (Reuben Hedlock Reference) https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/53 [https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/53] Joseph Smith Journal, March 1, 1842 (Correcting the First Plate) https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/55 [https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/55] Book of Abraham Facsimile 3 Official Text https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/abr/fac-3?lang=eng [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/abr/fac-3?lang=eng] Pearl of Great Price Central, Book of Abraham Insight on Facsimile 3 https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/the-meaning-of-the-book-of-abraham-facsimiles/ [https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/the-meaning-of-the-book-of-abraham-facsimiles/] Robert Ritner, "The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition" https://signaturebookslibrary.org/the-joseph-smith-egyptian-papyri/ [https://signaturebookslibrary.org/the-joseph-smith-egyptian-papyri/] Kerry Muhlestein, "The Book of Abraham, Revelation, and You" https://rsc.byu.edu/let-us-reason-together/book-abraham-revelation-you [https://rsc.byu.edu/let-us-reason-together/book-abraham-revelation-you] Bruce Van Orden, "We'll Sing and We'll Shout: The Life and Times of W. W. Phelps" https://rsc.byu.edu/well-sing-well-shout [https://rsc.byu.edu/well-sing-well-shout] FAIR Book of Abraham Resource Page https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Abraham [https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Abraham] Pearl of Great Price Central https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/ [https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/] ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Study deeply. Believe boldly. Subscribe to Informed Saints for scholarly conversations on the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, Restoration history, and the scriptures. #BookOfAbraham #Facsimile3 #JosephSmith #LDS #ComeFollowMe #PearlOfGreatPrice #Apologetics #Egyptology #InformedSaints #FAIRMormon #QuintenBarney #BookOfBreathings #Abraham #Anubis #Isis #ChurchHistory #LatterDaySaints #Mormon #AncientScripture

Is the Evidence for Gold Plates STRONGER Than the Resurrection?

What if the historical evidence for the gold plates is as strong as the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Josh Gailey, an ordained evangelist in the Church of Jesus Christ (headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania) and author of "Witnessing Miracles: Historical Evidence for the Resurrection and Book of Mormon." Josh applies the minimal facts argument pioneered by Gary Habermas of Liberty University to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The result is a rigorous historical case that treats the stone box in the Hill Cumorah as the "empty tomb" of the Book of Mormon — an observable historical artifact that locals, enemies, and unlikely witnesses all confirmed. In this conversation, we cover: * The PET analysis for historical claims: Proximity, Enemies, and Unlikely Testimonies. * Why Lorenzo Saunders, a lifelong critic of Joseph Smith, accidentally corroborated the 1823 excavation. * How Josiah Stowell's courtroom testimony gives us a physical description of the plates. * The 16 historical sources describing the hole in the hill on the west side of Cumorah. * Why the Three Witnesses' independent attestation of the angel and the plates is historically significant. * How Isaac Hale, Martin Harris, Emma Smith, and others interacted with the plates as unlikely witnesses. * Why the attempts of Palmyra money diggers to steal the plates function as enemy attestation. * The problems with the "ten plates" theory and other alternative explanations. If you take the Resurrection seriously on historical grounds, this episode argues you have every reason to take the gold plates seriously on the same grounds. Josh Gailey's book "Witnessing Miracles" and his companion article in the new FAIR volume "Defending the Book of Mormon" are both available for readers who want to go deeper. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye Further Readings: https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/witnessing-miracles-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-and-book-of-mormon/ [https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/witnessing-miracles-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-and-book-of-mormon/] https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Book-Mormon-Proceedings-Conference/dp/B0FWH1TCJB [https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Book-Mormon-Proceedings-Conference/dp/B0FWH1TCJB] https://www.bookofmormonhistory.com/ [https://www.bookofmormonhistory.com/] https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/a-new-look-at-the-miracles-of-the-resurrection-and-the-book-of-mormon/ [https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/a-new-look-at-the-miracles-of-the-resurrection-and-the-book-of-mormon/] https://ses.edu/minimal-facts-on-the-resurrection-that-even-skeptics-accept/ [https://ses.edu/minimal-facts-on-the-resurrection-that-even-skeptics-accept/] https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-empty-stone-box [https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-empty-stone-box] https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/stone-box-in-new-york [https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/stone-box-in-new-york] https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/other-witnesses/josiah-stowell/statements/ [https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/other-witnesses/josiah-stowell/statements/] https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-composition-of-the-plates [https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-composition-of-the-plates] https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/ [https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/witnesses-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/witnesses-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng] https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-4-testimony-of-three-witnesses-late-june-1829/1 [https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-4-testimony-of-three-witnesses-late-june-1829/1] ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #BookOfMormon #GoldPlates #JosephSmith #LDS #ComeFollowMe #Restoration #ChurchHistory #Apologetics #Resurrection #InformedSaints #FAIRMormon #JoshGailey #StoneBox #HillCumorah #ThreeWitnesses #EightWitnesses #MinimalFacts #GaryHabermas #LatterDaySaints #Mormon #Christianity #BiblicalApologetics #HistoricalEvidence