Trent Horn, author of 20 Answers: Mormonism (Catholic Answers, 2015) (reviewed here) wrote the following on the Catholic Answers blog:
In spite of Trent's claim to be informed about the defenses of the Book of Mormon, this shows how superficial his study of the text truly is.
"Rust" in Joseph Smith's English did not always mean "oxidation"; notice how Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines the term (emphasis added):
Rust
As Jeff Lindsay wrote in 2004 on this issue:
It is unfortunate that Trent Horn repeats the same superficial arguments against the Book of Mormon on this point. Such is further proof that he is out of his depth when he tries to discuss and critique The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For example, some Mormon apologists say that the descriptions of swords in the New World are not anachronistic, even though steel did not exist in the New World prior to Spanish colonization. That's because some New World tribes made swords out of clubs laced with volcanic glass called obsidian. But this doesn’t explain the Book of Mormon’s description of these swords rusting (Mosiah 8:11), which glass cannot do. (source)
In spite of Trent's claim to be informed about the defenses of the Book of Mormon, this shows how superficial his study of the text truly is.
"Rust" in Joseph Smith's English did not always mean "oxidation"; notice how Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines the term (emphasis added):
Rust
RUST, noun [Gr. probably from its color, and allied to ruddy, red, as Latin rubigo is from rubeo. See Ruddy.]
1. The oxyd of a metal; a substance composed of oxygen combined with a metal, and forming a rough coat on its surface. All metals except gold are liable to rust
2. Loss of power by inactivity, as metals lose their brightness and smoothness when not used.
3. Any foul matter contracted; as rust on corn or salted meat.
4. Foul extraneous matter; as sacred truths cleared from the rust of human mixtures.
5. A disease in grain, a kind of dust which gathers on the stalks and leaves.
RUST, verb intransitive
1. To contract rust; to be oxydized and contract a roughness on the surface.
Our armors now may rust
2. To degenerate in idleness; to become dull by inaction.
Must I rust in Egypt?
3. To gather dust or extraneous matter.
RUST, verb transitive
1. To cause to contract rust
Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.
2. To impair by time and inactivity.
As Jeff Lindsay wrote in 2004 on this issue:
On the other hand, most of their swords may have used wood handles and obsidian, but even in that case, the phrase "canker with rust" may be applicable, as John Tvedtnes explained in e-mail I received in 2004:
Most metals oxidize, forming rust or patina. Gold is an exception. It is therefore interesting that James 5:3 reads, "Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you." If there's a problem with the Book of Mormon on this issue, the Bible has the same problem. In addition to reference of oxidized metals, Webster's 1828 dictionary attributes these meanings to the term "rust": "any foul matter contracted; as rust on corn or salted meat," "foul extraneous matter," "a disease in grain, a kind of dust which gathers on the stalks and leaves."
The point is that "rust" need not refer to oxidized iron, but could describe other forms of decay. But I don't have trouble with the reference being to metallic weapons from meteoric iron that at least some of the Jaredites may have had. At the moment, though, I am unaware of evidence for metallic weapons among the Olmecs or others in Mesoamerica at the time of the Jaredites, even though we do know that the Olmecs used meteoric iron.
In 1996, James White wrote an article, "Of Cities and Swords: The Impossible Task of Mormon apologetics," where he revealed his lack of intellectual abilities, resulting in Matthew P. Roper writing a scholarly rebuttal to White's ill-informed piece:
Matthew P. Roper, Review of "Cities and Swords: The Impossible Task of Mormon Apologetics (FARMS Review of Books 9/1 [1997]): 146-58.
Indeed, White's article was so poorly researched that Paul Owen and Carl Mosser wrote:
The article by James White, "Of Cities and Swords: The Impossible Task of Mormon Apologetics," was an attempt to introduce evangelicals to LDS apologetics, to the work of FARMS, and, in the process, critique the group. This article failed on all three points. White's article does not mention a single example of the literature we have presented in this paper. He does not accurately describe the work of FARMS, or of LDS scholarship in general. He gives his readers the mistaken impression that their research is not respected in the broader academic community. We believe that we have demonstrated that this is simply not the case. His attempted critique picks out two of the weakest examples. Not only does he pick weak examples, he does not give even these an adequate critique. This is nothing more than "straw man" argumentation. (source)
