One Evangelical apologist wrote the following:
This just shows that the apologist does not apply the same standards to the Bible and his flavour of (Reformed) Protestantism that he applies to the Book of Mormon and other Latter-day Saint issues; to quote from another Reformed apologist, James White, "inconsistency is the sign of a failed argument." How so? Well, if Joseph Smith's narrative is false due to this miraculous event (is Bowman really implying God cannot shield others in a room from a conversation between Joseph and an angel as well as the glory emanating from the latter?), then the Old Testament fails, too.
And yet, only Elisha saw this army of angelic beings; the two opposing armies in this narrative did not.
Bowman is guilty of a double-standard. I have been told he will be updating his article on Moroni's visitation to respond to 2 Kgs 6:17, so I am willing to give him some props for engaging with LDS apologetics, which is a good step forward on this particular topic.
Update (June 2017): Bowman has not yet updated his article interacting with 2 Kgs 6 and other issues, so his articles discussing this topic reveal that he operates using a blatant double standard. I will let readers conclude what this implies for his intellectual integrity, or properly, lack thereof.
Update (Sept. 2017): Bowman has updated his Moroni article in an attempt to interact with the comment about 2 Kgs 6. I will let the reader to see Bowman's special pleading and double standards, something highlighted by my friend Andrew Sargent in his post Angels, Ad Hocs & Assumptions
- Joseph Smith claimed that in 1823 an angel appeared to him in his bedroom three times during the night, in extremely bright light, each time waking him up and talking with him at length. How could Joseph’s brothers, several of whom slept in the same room and one or two in the same bed as Joseph, have been unaware of Joseph staying up most of the night talking to a brilliantly shining angel?
This just shows that the apologist does not apply the same standards to the Bible and his flavour of (Reformed) Protestantism that he applies to the Book of Mormon and other Latter-day Saint issues; to quote from another Reformed apologist, James White, "inconsistency is the sign of a failed argument." How so? Well, if Joseph Smith's narrative is false due to this miraculous event (is Bowman really implying God cannot shield others in a room from a conversation between Joseph and an angel as well as the glory emanating from the latter?), then the Old Testament fails, too.
Then Elisha prayed: "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots offire round about Elisha. (2 Kgs 6:17 NRSV)
And yet, only Elisha saw this army of angelic beings; the two opposing armies in this narrative did not.
Bowman is guilty of a double-standard. I have been told he will be updating his article on Moroni's visitation to respond to 2 Kgs 6:17, so I am willing to give him some props for engaging with LDS apologetics, which is a good step forward on this particular topic.
Update (June 2017): Bowman has not yet updated his article interacting with 2 Kgs 6 and other issues, so his articles discussing this topic reveal that he operates using a blatant double standard. I will let readers conclude what this implies for his intellectual integrity, or properly, lack thereof.
Update (Sept. 2017): Bowman has updated his Moroni article in an attempt to interact with the comment about 2 Kgs 6. I will let the reader to see Bowman's special pleading and double standards, something highlighted by my friend Andrew Sargent in his post Angels, Ad Hocs & Assumptions