Monday, August 11, 2014

Note on the Liahona

Writing of the Liahona, also called a ball or director, Finley notes that "elsewhere this device was called a 'compass' (1 Nephi 18:12). The principle behind the compass apparently was first discovered in the twelfth century" (p. 362). We were surprised Finley adopted this old canard long used by critics of the Book of Mormon. The objection raised here fails to note that Nephi at no time suggests that this was a magnetic compass! This instrument, used by European mariners only since the twelfth or thirteenth century, derives its name from an English word meaning "round," because of its circular designation of 360 degrees of arc. (The compass we use for drawing circles is certainly not magnetic.) The Liahona was, indeed, a round object (see 1 Nephi 16:10); hence the name compass is perfectly acceptable. That a magnetic compass was not intended is easily demonstrable by Nephi's statement that "the pointers which were in the ball . . . did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them" (1 Nephi 16:28; see also v. 29).


John A. Tvedtnes and Matthew P. Roper, “One Small Step" (review of The New Mormon Challenge) p. 188