The Fallible Infallible Calendar
[Another Book of Mormon Error]

Note: The Maya and Aztec calendars have been wondered at, as they are among the most accurate calendars produced by man. ~ drh

    The working with and the marking of time is one of the most frustrating things as it never can be absolutely accurate and thus always in error even if it is to the slightest degree.

"AND now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleased every whit from his iniquity—And now it came to pass, if there was not mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;" ~ 3 Nephi 8:1-2

Here in a nutshell is expressed the concept of perfection and imperfection and the inherent fallible nature of man in keeping such as the record of the word of God. Now this man, cleansed every whit from his iniquity, and thus in a relative state of 'perfection'; even then was this man subject to the errors and inaccuracy of something as common and 'easy' as the reckoning of time.

In the matter of maintaining a calendar there is always the matter of what are the presumptions upon which the calendar is based. The old Israelite calendar was based upon the cycles of the moon and the beginning and/or relavant endings of months, which were determined at the sighting noting of the 'sliver' of appearance of the light of the moon after a new moon. At which appearance each lunar month was so marked as to its beginning and/or end. And then since the lunar cycles eventually did not match the seasonal solar cycles of the earth's orbit about the sun, a 'make up month/week' would have to come into play to reconcile the lunar calendar with the solar calendar in order to keep some relativity of correctness of seasons in proper tow.

But even the earth's orbit about the Sun is not as simple as having the exact integer counted time in days, that is the earth's orbit about the sun during a year, is not precisely measured in exact integer number of days. Even our calendar today has its leap year every fourth year to make up for a portion of that inconsistancy. And still that is not the end of it. And thus there are and ever will be such things, which are inherently prone to 'error'. And for as many 'calendar adjustments' and determinations and redeterminations, who is to say even what is the accuracy of the time we keep? Yet some will so openly express in their boldest and most self assured demeanor exactly what is and what is not according to their own determinied calendar datings of time. And not only in time, but in the false 'prideful' position of 'knowing' of any such thing for sure when in fact they do not and can not.

In this it becomes a man to be humble and admit to doing the best he can while still realizing that he is absolutely not perfect in his ways and walk in life. There are many a wise saying which also conveys such ideas, from 'those who live in glass houses ought not throw stones' to the Bibles truism, that 'he who says he is without sin, the truth is not in him.' And thus it is with the scriptures and scriptural production and maintenance. The word of God is perfect and correct but it is by its very nature a fact that all that the hand of man touches will be subject to some degree of error. And so much for the infallible Bible or any scriptural text. As it is conveyed by way of the hands of men, there will be errors in them as expressed by the title page of the Book of Mormon.

"And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ." ~ Book of Mormon Title Page

And thus I do plainly state, yes there are errors, the errors of men, to be found in the Book of Mormon as there are also such to be found in the Bible as well. Yet there is not fault or error to be found in the things of God, for in that any such are to be attributed unto the hand of man and not of God.

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