Smith was held responsible for the failure, and there were widespread defections from the church, including. An account written by the hand of mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of nephi kirtland, ohio. Find out how the book of mormon narrative evolved in joseph smiths mind during its creation. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which is believed to contain writings of ancient prophets who lived on american continent from approx. Joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon is a 1985 book by david persuitte. Gerald smith explores how the book of mormon influenced joseph smith in issues ranging from his organization of the new churchdrawing its formal name of the church of christ from the text 46to shaping its ecclesiastical structure and priesthood offices 18086. The making of a prophet, dan vogel, a former mormon, imagines the scene when joseph cuts out the plates from tin and crafts them into a loosely fashioned book. The refiners fire john brooke examines joseph smiths environment to try and discover why joseph smith accomplished what he did. These laws decimated the financial holdings of the lds church and. The book of mormon joseph smith american moses lyrics. In a times and seasons editorial, october 1, 1842, the prophet joseph smith, after. The book of mormon by joseph smith, paperback barnes.
Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. It provides detailed biographical information about joseph smith and background information about the origin of the book of mormon. In one of the most famous declarations ever made about the book of mormon, the prophet joseph smith declares this sacred record to be the keystone of the restored gospel of jesus christ and the best guide available for drawing nearer to god. Joseph smiths translation and publication of the book of mormon, excerpted by fairmormon. Joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon wikipedia. Learn more about the life, writings, and legacy of joseph smith. Clark, archaeology, relics, and book of mormon belief, journal of book of mormon studies 142 2005. The stone pictured here has long been associated with joseph smith and the book of mormon translation. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible, used by latter day saints.
Engraved golden plates buried circa 500 ad by moroni, who returned as an angel to instruct joseph smith to retrieve and translate them through inspiration. Unfortunately, the literature about joseph smith and the book of mormon is permeated with contradiction and controversy. Smith believed that the figure speaking to him was god so he went out and began this new religion he named mormon. Brigham young was the successor to smith and the second president of the latterday saints church. It seems after reading these posts that the only possible answer is that the book of mormon happened just like joseph and others claim. Mormons believe it was translated by joseph smith through the revelation of god. What did the prophet joseph smith say about the book of mormon. Also smith began the latterday saints church in 1830 in palmyra, new york. Joseph smiths response to skepticism signature books. Ive included this under the joseph smith and the book of mormon references because the two go hand in hand. It is scripture in our day, the story of the book of mormon began on september 21, 1823. Joseph smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and wellworded letter. He was, however, prone to make silly mistakes, such as. In november of 1843 the prophet joseph smith wrote the following to a new member of.
I told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man wold get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. Book of mormon hank smith exam 1 flashcards quizlet. Whether this is so or not makes no difference because in the book of mosiah it is stated definitely that he had authority see mosiah 18. And now we wish to honor you with the story of joseph smith, the american moses well, this is very good, praise christ mormon im going t. I told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. Dear gramps, i would like to know the exact way the prophet joseph translated the book of mormon. For instance, i read that at first he used a seer stone instead of the urim and thummim which he placed in his hat and buried his. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on this earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than any other book. Did joseph smith use a hat during the translation of the book. According to the lds church mormons, how specifically. Joseph smith discovering the book of mormon youtube. Jul 23, 2017 since joseph smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or welleducated as any of you at the time he ed the book of mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester which will give you more time than he had a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. More on joseph smiths plagiarism in the book of mormon. The house of joseph sometimes referred to as the tribe of joseph is a designation applied by members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints to the ancient birthright tribe of the house of israel as spoken of in the old testament, made up of the tribes of ephraim and manasseh.
Lds scholars often point out that smith had received a rudimentary education at best, and did not have access to the works needed to research the book. Joseph smith, american prophet and founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book of mormon is known as another testament of jesus christ. There is nothing further from gods wishes then holding one sex above the other. Depillis was the first nonmormon to take seriously smiths response to early nineteenthcentury society. Sidney rigdon one of the keys to understanding the early mormon doctrine joseph smith created is to comprehend the. Parody for joseph smiths discovery of the golden plates. Apr 22, 2016 illustration from from darkness unto light. As such, i propose josephs initial study of stephens in the times and seasons in 1842 was the beginning of book of mormon archaeology, and may have even been the first invitation to pursue archaeological investigations of stephens ruins in middle america. The making of a prophet, dan vogel, a former mormon, imagines the scene when joseph cuts out the plates from tin. Joseph smith joseph smith was the first prophet of the restored church. Lots of answers here with an incredible amount of evidence. In 1830, smith published the book of mormon and organized the church of.
Same order, same priesthood, same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings. Joseph smith hold hands like a book to represent the. In addition to joseph smith, the lord provided for eleven others to see. The primary source of smiths latterday revelation is the book of mormon, and to fully understand his role as the founder of the mormon faith, one must also understand the book of mormon and how it came to be. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. The stone joseph smith used in the book of mormon translation effort was often referred to as a chocolatecolored stone with an oval shape.
Prophecies about joseph smith bible references for lds beliefs. Smith translated the writing on the plates into the book of mormon, which. Smith published the book of mormon in 1830 and shortly thereafter organized a small church of his first followers. But mormon women do not believe any of these things. We may conclude that alma held the priesthood before he, with others, became disturbed with king noah. Book of mormon, 1830, page 0 the joseph smith papers. Joseph smith was seventeen, and for the past three years the. How exactly did joseph smith translate the book of mormon. American religious leaders such as joseph smith, jr. And, though i was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, a marvel and a wonder, as much so as to any one else. And the means by which smith claimed to translate the book of mormon has been proved to be fraudulent.
By the time of his death, 14 years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers and founded a religion that continues to the present with millions of global adherents. Brigham young, a carpenter and cabinetmaker, read the book of mormon shortly after joseph smith published it, and he became an enthusiastic member of the new. In our day, the story of the book of mormon began on september 21, 1823. Joseph smith as author of the book of mormon joseph smith was an uneducated boy, and yet he produced the book of mormon in a few short months. Bria 17 1 b the persecution of the mormons constitutional rights. Another testament of jesus christ behold, i am jesus christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world 3 nephi 11. When he was 14 years old he prayed to ask which church he should join, and he had a marvelous visitation from heavenly father and jesus christ, telling him not to join any of the churches because none of them were completely right in their teachings. David persuitte, joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon, p. Joseph smiths contributions to the development of mormons. Sep 11, 20 joseph smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and wellworded letter. This stone passed from joseph smith to oliver cowdery and then to the church through brigham young and. Watch the mormons american experience official site pbs. The salt lake tribune, october 3, 1998 octavo editions give readers a firsthand experience of a milestone text.
Book of mormongeographystatementsnineteenth century. This is a reference to the book of mormon and the bible being companion books that compliment each other. It is a complex portrayal of a thousandyear history of an ancient people. Therefore, he must have had divine aid, as he claims. Joseph smith translated it by the gift and power of god.
Jun 18, 2016 joseph smiths screw ups when he wrote the book of mormon duration. Concerning this record the prophet joseph smith said. Book of mormon translation as you will see from the article, joseph smith apparently alternated between using the urim and thummim which he obtained simultaneously with the plates, and a seer stone that he had owned for some time previously. According to the lds church, is the book of mormon a translation from a foreign language. Members of the mormon church believe two things about the book of mormon 1. But whatever those pages contain, it could not be more important or more fundamental to the purpose of the book of mormon than the teachings of these three prophets recorded on the small plates. Since joseph smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or welleducated as any of you at the time he ed the book of mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester which will give you more time than he had a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Joseph smith was seventeen, and for the past three years the heavens had been silent. One argument that mormon apologists frequently employ is the claim that joseph smith was intellectually unequipped to write the book of mormon. Although gerald smiths primary audience is scholars who study the book of mormon or early latterday saint history and are interested in the role the book played in the formative church, it is also a useful volume in helping anyone who reads the book of mormon appreciate its role in influencing joseph smiths thinking and in developing. Skeptics have put forth several theories of book of.
An angel by the name of moroni visited joseph smith in 1823. Feb 18, 2008 members of the mormon church believe two things about the book of mormon. October 1st is the anniversary of a little known event in early church history that i believe, in consequence of significant research progress, now deserves recognition for identifying a region of major book of mormon lands and for initiating book of mormon archaeological historicity research. Joseph smiths screw ups when he wrote the book of mormon duration. One without the other is incapable of achieving our promised greatest eternal reward. Did joseph smith use this newly discovered book to write the. So, joseph smiths statements in the mormon scriptures have been proved to be frauds. Members of the church call him a prophet because, according to the traditional role of prophets recorded in the old and new testaments in the bible, he relied on revelation from god for teaching the people, and not on his own wisdom or learning. The universalist church of america held that all human beings may be saved. They barred polygamists from jury service, voting, or holding office. He then claimed he was visited by god the father and jesus christ, who told him not join any churches.
Honestly, because of the sheer volume of anachronistic errors contained in joseph smith s book, even trying to read it as a novel is taxing. Joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of mormon. In the book, persuitte provides a large number of parallels in support of the idea that joseph smith used an. May 18, 2011 parody for joseph smith s discovery of the golden plates. Visits joseph in his room many times and then once each year up until it is time for joseph to take the plates appears in a white robe tells joseph that he is a messenger sent from god told him of the golden plates and of the urim and thummim tells that the book contains the fullness of the gospel he quoted lots of scripture to joseph. Besides the extensive list of parallels between the bible and the book of mormon, this book examines many other possible sources used to create the text, i. Joseph smith stated that the book of mormon was the keystone of our religion, to which the former lds prophet ezra taft benson added, just as. Book of mormon evidence joseph smith knew duration. The book of mormon is a true volume of scripture, prophesied in the bible, and brought forth by god.
For instance, i read that at first he used a seer stone instead of the urim and thummim which he placed in his hat and buried his face into the hat to block out the light. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. The spalding manuscriptcritics claim that joseph smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by solomon spaulding to write the book of mormon. Book of mormongeographystatementsnineteenth centuryjoseph. And i did tell those people that i knew that joseph smith was a prophet and that i knew that the book of mormon was the word of god and that i knew the church had been restored through joseph smith. The tribes namesakes the two sons of joseph of egypt are first mentioned at. He argues the book of mormon was critical in establishing joseph. The book of mormon is set in north america in the first century.
And, though i was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, a marvel and a wonder, as much so as to. Did joseph smith use a hat during the translation of the. This book is much more entertaining if you read it as a historical novel rather than trying to read it as a religious text. Prophecies about joseph smith bible references for lds. Joseph smith joseph smith is known as a great prophet as well as the founder of the mormon religion. Did joseph smith use this newly discovered book to write. Id thought american history would be easy because dad had taught us. Holding an 1830 first edition of the book of mormon can stir the souls of bibliophiles and believers alike. Nauvoo museum development the book of mormon exploration challenge was not idle. In his book studies of the book of mormon, roberts concluded that joseph smith had sufficient imagination and was capable of producing the book of mormon even though he had little formal education.
The history of joseph smith, the 19thcentury prophet and founder of the. Several years later, while joseph was translating the book of mormon. Feb 15, 2018 the following is an excerpt from the book. At age 14, smith asked god which church he should join. In 1830, joseph smith published the book of mormon. If so, what foreign language manuscripts did joseph smith use to produce the book of mormon. What does it mean to take upon us the name of the son. Be familiar with the prophet joseph smith s famous statement about the book of mormon quoted in the introduction, and note the truefalse question about this statement was highlighted in our first class.
American history was held in an auditorium named for the prophet joseph smith. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement. Tara westover on survivalism and brigham young time. The primary source of smith s latterday revelation is the book of mormon, and to fully understand his role as the founder of the mormon faith, one must also understand the book of mormon and how it came to be. It is a record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas. President joseph fielding smith 18761972 explained that alma had authority to baptize. Honestly, because of the sheer volume of anachronistic errors contained in joseph smiths book, even trying to read it as a novel is taxing.
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