"Driven back"

True confession: I read this post from Stisa with considerable relish. He carefully demonstrates how a critic gets lost in the subtle details of the Book of Mosiah in the midst of trying to claim it is riddled with inconsistencies.

I privately commended him for not linking the anti-material on this blog, but I also asked for the link so I could review.  It's pretty bad, and many of it's claims could be refuted, but I don't think it would be worth my time, so I'll just refute the first inaccuracy I found.

I didn't get very far (four paragraphs in, to be precise) before I read this:

King Benjamin gave the "ball or director," which guided Lehi's group, to Mosiah II and stated: "Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions" (Mosiah 1:17). The text does describe an incident in which Nephi was unable to obtain food, because he had broken his bow, but it does not state that the group was driven back.

In other words, the critic is claiming:

1. As King Benjamin is giving the Liahona to his son Mosiah, he reminds Mosiah that their fathers were at one point "driven back" along their journey.
2. The Book of Mormon never tells us that Nephi's group was driven back.
3. Therefore, the Book of Mormon contains a narrative inconsistency.

This claim is weak to the point of being demonstrably false.  Point #2 above is a highly testable one.  A search of the Book of Mormon text for the words "driven back" reveals three instances in 1 Nephi 18. 

(Notice how when things are going well, the ship is "driven forth" and after things go awry, the words "driven back" are used three times.)

8 And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land.
9 And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, ...
12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
13 Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me.
14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof.

Oversight? Deception? Whatever the case, this claim is wrong.