Scripture is a horrible source to prove historical accuracy.
History is skewed. All history. Each historical account we read was written by someone. That someone wrote only what they recollected or what they saw or what they researched. But there will always be elements they didn’t recall or they didn’t see or they didn’t research.
As such, all historical accounts are biased. The only way to overcome that bias is to consult multiple accounts of the same events. This will theoretically provide us with a broader, more representative, more accurate view of the event.
The problem with scripture in this regard is that it often is the only account. As such, it is told through limited perspectives, often just one perspective.
Let’s assume that the events told in the Book of Mormon actually happened. (This can equally apply to biblical narratives, too.)
Let’s assume Lehi took his family into the wilderness. Let’s assume that what Nephi said happened actually did happen. But what about the things Nephi didn’t tell us? What events occurred that we never read about because Nephi forgot about them or chose to not include them? What would our understanding of those events look like if we also had access to the perspectives of Sariah, Lehi, and Laman? What would our doctrinal understanding look like if we had the complete writings of Zenock, Neum, and Zenos, for example, rather than only Nephi’s passing mention of them? How would our understanding change if we had access to the writings that Mormon chose not to summarize or include? What would the war chapters of Alma look like if we had the Lamanite perspectives available to us?
It’s one thing to turn to scripture for spiritual guidance. It’s quite another to turn to it as a source of historical accuracy, something it fails at.
I can readily agree that truly objective history is nonexistent for many of the reasons you mention. So to read scripture as history can be problematic, even if the events are historical as you say.
But most people don’t read scripture for its history. The bible contains many genres : historical narrative, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, preaching or legal codes. Some readers appreciate these different genre’s with little thought of history. Scripture can be read through a variety of lenses too. Some look for truth, for wisdom, for daily guidance, for comfort, for faith, for universal truth, or doctrine, to prove your point, to justify some practice, or to condemn some “other”, etc.
I am quite interested in scripture and how we should read it. One thing that dismays me is a lack of scriptural literacy among North American society generally (because that is what I know) and even among Latter Day Saints. Most don’t know enough about scripture generally to be careful readers. For example if you understand that Matthew quotes Isaiah a lot then what you know about Isaiah helps you understand what Matthew’s point might be. That in turn might help you understand what Isaiah was getting at. You also have a book like Romans which is notoriously difficult to read let alone reach a consensus about what it means. Many of us are so affected by what Martin Luther said Romans was about it is hard to read it in any other way. Mormons love the Reformation but they often have anti-Lutheran interpretations and conflict with many traditional readings.. So what is the real truth Paul was trying to convey?
Often we assume we know what scripture is saying without giving it a second thought because we read it through a particular doctrinal lense. We think we know the answer before we begin reading.
Sometimes we find in Jesus a nice man with lovely sayings so we miss some of his difficult sayings, especially about self righteousness, wealth, poverty, oppression of the poor, etc.
I can agree that there are definitely certain ways we should not read scripture (proof texting is my favorite abomination) but there are some healthy and constructive ways to read scripture. It is a difficult task… a task of a lifetime if you want to get it right but I am convinced that learning to read scripture correctly is a worthwhile task…
Thanks for your thoughts. I agree that there can be value in scripture—as a moral guideline for one’s life, for example.