There is no way to prove that reformed Egyptian is a real thing or NOT a real thing at this moment.
There's no way to prove that Jesus didn't open up a soft-serve ice cream shop in Galilee, either, but that doesn't mean anyone should take that idea seriously. Reformed Egyptian is not an idea that any serious, non-LDS linguist takes seriously. At all.
Just last week I got a book in the mail called
Coptic: A Grammar of Its Six Major Dialects by James P. Allen, professor of Egyptology at Brown University and also author of
A Grammar of Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, vol. 1: Unis. Both books were published by Eisenbrauns, a serious academic publisher unaffiliated with any religion. I think it's safe to say that Professor Allen probably knows a thing or two about the languages of Egypt and the Egyptians. At no point in this work is the existence of anything known as 'Reformed Egyptian' even so much as hinted at, which is strange since it makes references to other stages of Egyptian where appropriate throughout the work (I didn't realize when I ordered it that it is actually a pedagogical grammar, intended to teach the language itself rather than be a deep dive on its history, so the bibliography is not quite as big as I had expected). Same thing can be said of other works in my modest library of Coptic language material. Heck, my own master's thesis (which I would not ever present as being a professional-level academic resource, as due to family problems I was never able to go back to it and edit/rewrite it for publication, so it is very raw and severely lacking in some areas of analysis), which dealt with Coptic as well, had a bibliography of something like 13 pages since I referenced dozens and dozens of works (it took me 1.5 years just to write the thesis, and this was a good chunk of that time), and not one of
those works mentioned anything about 'Reformed Egyptian', either, despite the fact that many of them didn't just deal with Coptic but with all known stages and varieties of Egyptian.
I don't want to be arrogant, but my point is that if a literature review going back to before the beginning of your religion (I believe the chronologically earliest work in English that I consulted dated back to around 1810, though I'd have to double check to be sure) doesn't find any mention of 'Reformed Egyptian', and no books today that are not published with the involvement of BYU/FARMS mention it either, at what point can we say that for all intents and purposes that we can treat it as a non-entity
as regards scientific research? I believe we are long past that point by now, and any further waiting -- whether done by Mormon or non-Mormon (surprise: science doesn't care what religion you are) -- is not at all likely to produce anything beneficial or revelatory.
I believe it will be proven to be a real thing.
And you can still believe that. That's fine. I'm not here to tell you what you can and cannot believe. I'm just saying scientifically, when it comes to the work of linguists who work with Egyptian, it is a non-entity. There's nothing to present as being 'Reformed Egyptian'. It doesn't exist, and there's nothing we have seen so far that suggests it ever did. And also that if LDS 'scholars' working in this area have any evidence, then they need to submit it to the wider scientific community so that it can be scrutinized. That they don't do that is
very telling. Personally I think they know that there is no evidence now and no evidence forthcoming (they'd have to, if they were educated outside the LDS system as many were; UCLA or wherever would not be awarding hacks like , but I can understand why they wouldn't want to be so blunt about it.
Baptism for the dead was practiced in ancient times and was acknowledged by Paul as an acceptable practice:
(New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:29)
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
The answer to Paul's question is that there is a resurrection and baptism is a necessary ordinance for everyone who sinned to be forgiven.
Don't make me go get St. John Chrysostom again. The only groups in early Christianity who took that verse in a proto-Mormon manner were gnostic heretics who the Church rejected on the basis of their false beliefs and practices, no differently than why we continue to reject Mormonism today.
The doctrine of LOVE is NOT wrong and will never be wrong.
I don't see how love is a doctrine, but okay. I'm not against love, though I personally think that your constant evoking of it in contexts where we're not talking about that really cheapens it. Love is a wonderful thing (to accidentally quote Michael Bolton...), but responding to questions about specific points of Mormon or Christian doctrine with "What about LOVE; you guys are forgetting LOVE" or some such really does seem like a dodge. That's not a good thing to do with love.
Neither is our specific doctrine wrong, nor does it disagree with the Bible.
That's as you see it, of course, but I believe that the Christians of this messageboard have
shown that it is wrong, and it does disagree with the Bible. You simply refusing to acknowledge that there is anything wrong with Mormonism isn't an answer to their/our refutations.
Jesus Christ pointed out that EVERYONE who keeps the commandments of LOVE will be saved no mater what. There is NO other criteria for salvation:
(Old Testament | Ecclesiastes 12:10 - 14)
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
(New Testament | Luke 10:25 - 28)
25 ¶ And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
These are things that Christ said concerning a summation of
the Law (of Moses), and are of course perfect and unspoiled as is everything Christ said and did. They are not the only things He said
period, however. These other things Christ said and did are not believed in by Mormonism. For instance, I don't think any Mormon could affirm Christ's divinity as was shown to His beloved in the Transfiguration (since you guys don't hold to Christian theology, so you do not have a correct understanding of what that event 'means', theologically), or possess a correct understanding of what He means when He says "I and the Father are one" (again, because your theology is off).