View source for Church reaction to the Hofmann forgeries

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|L=Forgeries related to Mormonism/Mark Hofmann/Church reaction to forgeries
|H=Church reaction to the Hofmann forgeries
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|L1=Question: Did the Church purchase documents such as Mark Hofmann's "Salamander letter" with the intent of hiding and suppressing them?
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{{:Question: Did the Church purchase documents such as Mark Hofmann's "Salamander letter" with the intent of hiding and suppressing them?}}

Mark Hofmann gave anonymous tips to the media,<ref>''Los Angeles Times'' (13 June 1985) Part 1: 3.</ref>informing them that the Church had a hidden "Oliver Cowdery History" in their vaults.<ref>Dawn Tracy, “Hofmann Told Others He Was Shown Secret LDS History,” ''Salt Lake Tribune'' (17 Oct. 1986) :C-13.</ref>  This claim was repeated uncritically.  The Church denied having such a document.<ref>Church Public Communications Department, ''No Oliver Cowdery History Found'', News Release (16 Oct. 1986): 3&ndash;4. The whole document is quoted extensively in {{Ensign|author=Anonymous|article=[http://www.lds.org/ensign/1986/12/news-of-the-church?lang=eng News of the Church: Rumor Concerning Early Oliver Cowdery History Refuted by Church Researchers]|date=December 1986|start=71|end=72}}</ref>  It is, of course, virtually impossible to prove such a negative&mdash;how could the Church prove it didn't have something or didn't destroy it?

Ironically, some modern critics continue to spread Hofmann's lies about his forgeries after he has confessed them.  And, a retired CES teacher, [[Book_of_Mormon_and_the_Golden_Pot|Grant Palmer]], published a book whose explanation of the Book of Mormon's origin derived from material in Hofmann's forgery, twenty years after it was shown to be a fraud.<ref>{{FR-15-2-16}}</ref>

{{ChurchResponseBar
|summary=Some of you may remember hearing about a man named Mark Hofmann, now serving a prison sentence in Utah for murder. He was an expert forger of historical documents. Some of these were tied to U.S. history, but several related to Church history. One was a purported letter from Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps reporting that Joseph Smith found the gold plates led by a spirit who “transfigured himself from a white salamander in the bottom of the hole” where the plates were. Another was a supposed transcript of a blessing given by the Prophet to his son Joseph Smith III in 1844 declaring his son to be his rightful successor as head of the Church. [20]
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Some left the Church when these documents were publicized saying it was clear that Joseph Smith’s testimony concerning his visions was false or that they could no longer consider The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the true Church. Not long afterward these and other documents were shown to be forgeries. I wondered, do those who were so troubled believe again now, and when other questions arise, as they always do, will they leave again? In matters of faith, a spiritual witness is essential if one is to avoid being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” [21] With a Spirit-derived assurance in place, you can go forward in the Lord’s work and continue deepening your relationship with your Heavenly Father while pursuing or awaiting answers. If you determine to sit still, paralyzed until every question is answered and every whisper of doubt resolved, you will never move because in this life there will always be some issue pending or something yet unexplained.
|author=Elder D. Todd Christofferson
|title="The Prophet Joseph Smith"
|publication=Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional
|date=24 September 2013
|link=http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2013_9_24_Christofferson.htm
}}

{{SummaryItem
|link=Forgeries/Mark Hofmann/Church reaction to forgeries/Dallin H. Oaks 6 August 1987 remarks on Hofmann
|subject= Dallin H. Oaks 6 August 1987 remarks on the Mark Hofmann forgeries
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{{To learn more box:forgeries: Mark Hofmann}}


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