View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 3

{{FairMormon}}  
{{H1
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 3
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 3: Thus Saith Joseph"
|T=[[../../|Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism]]
|A=Richard Abanes
|<=[[../Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|>=[[../Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
}}
{{ChartBecomingGodsCh3}}
<onlyinclude>
{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 3
|H=Response to claims made in Becoming Gods, "Chapter 3: Thus Saith Joseph"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 84, 370n9-11 - The revelations in the Book of Commandments were modified because they were "showing their age"
|L2=Response to claim: 85, 371n14 - Mormons view divine truth as "not absolute or fixed; it is changeable, flexible"
|L3=Response to claim: 87, 370n23 - Joseph received a "false revelation" through his seer stone to go to Toronto, Canada to sell the Book of Mormon copyright
|L4=Response to claim: 89, 372n28 - After translating the Book of Mormon he was not supposed to become a prophet or organize a Church
|L5=Response to claim: 89, 372n29-30 - Joseph modified what is now D&C 8:6-9 to hide Oliver Cowdery's use of a divining rod
|L6=Response to claim: 90, 372n34, 375n35 - Apostle William E. McLellin left the Church because he was "shaken by the changes made in the revelations"
|L7=Response to claim: 94 - Joseph Smith turned the "Book of Breathings" into the "Book of Abraham"
|L8=Response to claim: 94-98 - The restoration of the missing portions of Facsimile 1 were "terribly wrong"
|L9=Response to claim: 99 - LDS apologists' main purpose is to explain away "any and all criticisms that might damage the validity of Smith's writings"
|L10=Response to claim: 100 - One or two words in Egyptian were expanded to entire paragraphs in English
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: 84, 370n9-11 - The revelations in the ''Book of Commandments'' were modified because they were "showing their age"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The revelations in the ''Book of Commandments'' were modified because they were "showing their age," "contained outdated information," "included erroneous statements" and "abandoned doctrines." Some of the revelations "revealed too much information about LDS beliefs."
|authorsources=<br>
#Karl F. Best, "Changes in the Revelations, 1833-1835," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' (Spring 1992), vol. 25, no. 1, p. 90.
*H. Michael Marquardt, ''The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary'', p. 17.
}}
{{propaganda|The revelations were "showing their age" between 1833 and 1835? They "revealed too much information about LDS beliefs"? The arguments put forth by the author are absurd.
}}

==Response to claim: 85, 371n14 - Mormons view divine truth as "not absolute or fixed; it is changeable, flexible"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Mormons view divine truth as "not absolute or fixed; it is changeable, flexible."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{CriticalWork:Ostling:Mormon America|pages=249}}
}}
{{propaganda|Latter-day Saints realize that their understanding of divine truth may grow and be enhanced, but this does not mean that the truth is changeable or flexible. Once again, only a hostile author is cited; there are no quotes from LDS sources used to explore their supposed view.
}}

==Response to claim: 87, 370n23 - Joseph received a "false revelation" through his seer stone to go to Toronto, Canada to sell the Book of Mormon copyright==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Joseph received a "false revelation" through his seer stone to go to Toronto, Canada to sell the Book of Mormon copyright.
|authorsources=<br>
#David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ''.
}}
{{misinformation|David Whitmer, a non-participant in the trip to Canada, claimed many years later that the revelation was false. Newer data, however, has shown that the participants in the effort did not consider the revelation to be false.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith receive a revelation instructing him to to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon in Canada and later claim that the revelation was false?}}

<!-- ====87, 371n25====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=Some of the modified revelations had their meanings "reversed."
}}
*[[Doctrine and Covenants/Textual changes]]
|authorsources=<br>
#{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Mormon Hierarchy|pages=5}}
}} -->

==Response to claim: 89, 372n28 - After translating the Book of Mormon he was not supposed to become a prophet or organize a Church==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Joseph modified the revelation now found in D&C 5:4 to add additional gifts. After translating the Book of Mormon he was not supposed to become a prophet or organize a Church.
|authorsources=<br>
#Karl F. Best, "Changes in the Revelations, 1833-1835," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (Spring 1992), vol. 25, no.1, p. 98.
}}
{{propaganda|The author's conclusion is ridiculous. The revelations were modified as new revelation was received "line upon line."
}}
{{:Question: What are the reasons for the changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?}}

==Response to claim: 89, 372n29-30 - Joseph modified what is now D&C 8:6-9 to hide Oliver Cowdery's use of a divining rod==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Joseph modified what is now D&C 8:6-9 to hide Oliver Cowdery's use of a divining rod.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Magic World View|pages=206}}
*H. Michael Marquardt, ''The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary'', pp. 14-15.
}}
{{misinformation|It appears that Sidney Rigdon was responsible for the initial alteration of this text, with the entire First Presidency involved in the next revision.
}}
{{:Source:Revelations in Context on history.lds.org:Oliver Cowdery's Gift:Cowdery was among those who believed in and used a divining rod}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith attempt to "cover up" Oliver Cowdery's work with a divining rod by changing this revelation?}}
{{:Question: How was the wording of the "rod of nature" revelation that became Doctrine and Coveants 8:6–8 altered over time?}}

==Response to claim: 90, 372n34, 375n35 - Apostle William E. McLellin left the Church because he was "shaken by the changes made in the revelations"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Apostle William E. McLellin left the Church because he was "shaken by the changes made in the revelations."
|authorsources=<br>
*"The Early History of the Saints and Their Enemies," Sept. 28, 1875, ''Salt Lake Daily Tribune'', Dec. 5, 1878 <!-- www.lavazone2.com/dbroadhu/UT/tribune1.htm -->
*William McLellin, ''Saint's Herald'', vol. 17, pp. 556-557.
}}
{{misinformation|McLellin had previously been excommunicated for spending time with "a certain harlot" while on a mission. His claim that he left because of changes in the revelations came long after the fact. This explanation (as shown by the dates of the material cited) came long after the fact.  The author does not tell us that McLellin said at his excommunication hearing that:
<blockquote>
he said he had no confidence in the presidency of the Church; consequently, he had quit praying and keeping the commandments of the Lord, and indulged himself in his sinful lusts. It was from what he had heard that he believed the presidency had got out of the way, and not from anything that he had seen himself.<ref name="mcclellin">{{MS1|article=History of William E. McLellin|vol=26|date=1864|start=808}}; see also {{HoC1|vol=3|start=31}}</ref>
</blockquote>
McLellin had previously been excommunicated for spending time with "a certain harlot" while on a mission.<ref>{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Mormon Hierarchy|pages=44}}</ref>  He had also been out of fellowship for "writing a letter which "cast…censure upon the [first] presidency."<ref name="mcclellin">{{MS1|article=History of William E. McLellin|vol=26|date=1864|start=808}}; see also {{HoC1|vol=3|start=31}}</ref>
}}

<!-- ====90====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
Mormons claim that Biblical writers modified revelations, but cannot provide data to support this. This is an "argument from silence."
|authorsources=<br>
#Stephen W. Gibson, ''One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Question'', p. 82
}} -->

==Response to claim: 94 - Joseph Smith turned the "Book of Breathings" into the "Book of Abraham"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Joseph Smith turned the "Book of Breathings" into the "Book of Abraham." Joseph claimed that the "Book of the Dead" had been written by Joseph of Egypt.
|authorsources=<br>
#No source provided.
}}
{{propaganda|The Church discussed the nature of the papyri back in 1968.
}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham:Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham}}
{{:Question: What is the relationship of the Joseph Smith Papyri to the Book of Abraham?}}
{{:Question: What happened to the papyri after Joseph's death?}}
{{:Question: What do the Joseph Smith papyri fragments consist of?}}

==Response to claim: 94-98 - The restoration of the missing portions of Facsimile 1 were "terribly wrong"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The restoration of the missing portions of Facsimile 1 were "terribly wrong."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{CriticalWork:Larson:By His Own Hand|pages=}}
}}
{{misinformation|The Charles Larson "restoration" of Facsimile 1 is "terribly wrong."
}}
{{:Question: Does Facsimile 1 show a hand? Or does it show the wing of a second bird?}}
{{:Source:Lanny Bell:the Mormon Book of Abraham:the questionable traces above the head of the Osiris figure are actually the remains of his right hand}}
{{:Question: Should the restoration of Facsimile 1 include a phallus?}}
{{:Source:Lanny Bell:there would not be enough available space to restore the hand of Anubis, the erect phallus of the Osiris, and the body and wings of Isis}}
{{:Question: Was the original head of the priest in Facsimile 1 actually the jackal head of Anubis?}}

==Response to claim: 99 - LDS apologists' main purpose is to explain away "any and all criticisms that might damage the validity of Smith's writings"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
LDS apologists' main purpose is to explain away "any and all criticisms that might damage the validity of Smith's writings."
|authorsources=<br>
#Author's opinion.
}}
{{propaganda|This is simply the author's opinion.
}}

==Response to claim: 100 - One or two words in Egyptian were expanded to entire paragraphs in English==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Documents show how the hieroglyphs from the papyri were matched to the Book of Abraham text. One or two words in Egyptian were expanded to entire paragraphs in English.
|authorsources=<br>
#Richard L. Bushman, "Joseph Smith as Translator'', in Waterman, p. 81.
}}
{{misinformation|The author assumes that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers were created prior to the dictation of the Book of Abraham, when the opposite is actually true.
}}
{{:Question: In the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, why is each Egyptian character matched to an entire paragraph of English text?}}

{{endnotes sources}}



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