View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/An Insider's View of Mormon Origins/Chapter 4

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|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/An Insider's View of Mormon Origins/Chapter 4
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 4: Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon"
|T=[[../../|An Insider's View of Mormon Origins]]
|A=Grant Palmer
|<=[[../Chapter 3|Claims made in "Chapter 3: The Bible in the Book of Mormon"]]
|>=[[../Chapter 5|Claims made in "Chapter 5: Moroni and 'The Golden Pot'"]]
}}
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<onlyinclude>
{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/An Insider's View of Mormon Origins/Index/Chapter 4
|H=Response to claims made in An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, "Chapter 4: Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 95-96, n1-2 - The author claims that elements from Joseph Smith's own life form the basis for a portion of the Book of Mormon
|L2=Response to claim: 96 - The author believes that one would not expect to find "camp meeting" elements among ancient Americans
|L3=Response to claim: 97, n6 - King Benjamin's farewell speech parallels that of Methodist leader Bishop M'Kendree
|L4=Response to claim: 99-100, n7 - The story of King Benjamin’s sermon is similar to a Methodist camp meeting
|L5=Response to claim: 110 - Joseph Smith was an “exhorter” at evening meetings
|L6=Response to claim: 114, n32 - The Book of Mormon includes hundreds of popular phrases from frontier preaching
|L7=Response to claim: 120 - The Book of Mormon teaches that all men are evil as a result of the Fall
|L8=Response to claim: 121-122, n48 - Joseph is claimed to have evolved his view of the Godhead over time
|L9=Response to claim: 124 - The Book of Mormon contains no information about temple ordinances, exaltation or baptism for the dead
|L10=Response to claim: 124, n53 - Brigham Young said, "If the Book of Mormon were now to be re-written, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation"
|L11=Response to claim: 129-130, n64-66 - B.H. Roberts concluded that Joseph Smith created the anti-Christs Sherem, Nehor and Korihor
|L12=Response to claim: 131 - many people believe in the truthfulness of their own religion because of similar confirming experiences
|L13=Response to claim: 132, n68-69 - it is possible to feel "the spirit" even when listening to a hoax, such as Paul H. Dunn's war stories
|L14=Response to claim: 132-133, n71 - the LDS church claims exclusive receipt of the Holy Ghost as a gift
|L15=Response to claim: 133 - "This Spirit of love gives peace, comfort, prompts, and enhances belief in God, but abundant evidence also demonstrates that it is an unreliable means of proving truth"
|L16=Response to claim: 133 - "Nor does the Spirit, which testifies of the Book of Mormon, confirm the historical reality of the book"
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: 95-96, n1-2 - The author claims that elements from Joseph Smith's own life form the basis for a portion of the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The author claims that elements from Joseph Smith's own life form the basis for a portion of the Book of Mormon.
|authorsources=<br>
*Alexander Campbell, Delusions: An Analysis of the Book of Mormon, 19.
*Jason Whitman, "The Book of Mormon," The Unitarian, 1 Jan. 1834,44,47-49.
}}
{{propaganda|This is an explanation that has been put forth by critics for years as a way to account for the Book of Mormon without divine intervention.
}}
{{:Question: What authorship theories are proposed by non-believers to account for the authorship of the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 96 - The author believes that one would not expect to find "camp meeting" elements among ancient Americans==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The author believes that one would not expect to find "camp meeting" elements among ancient Americans.
|authorsources=<br>
#Author’s opinion.
}}
{{misinformation|The same elements that the critics consider 19th century attributes in the Book of Mormon are also evidences of ancient Israelite origin
}}
{{:Question: Why would "camp meeting" elements appear in the story of King Benjamin's temple speech in the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 97, n6 - King Benjamin's farewell speech parallels that of Methodist leader Bishop M'Kendree==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
King Benjamin's farewell speech parallels that of Methodist leader Bishop M'Kendree.
|authorsources=<br>
*Rev. Z. Paddock, Memoir of Rev. Benjamin G. Paddock ,177-81
*"Genesee Conference," Methodist Magazine 9 (Aug. 1826): 313
*George Peck, Early Methodism within the Bounds of the Old Genesee Conference from 1788 to 1828, 509.
*{{s||Mosiah|2|1}}
*{{s||Mosiah|5-7|}}
*{{s||Mosiah|28-30|}}
}}
{{misinformation|The parallels between the Methodist camp meeting at which M'Kendree appeared and King Benjamin's speech are general, sometimes manufactured, and likely coincidental
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Evidences/Kingship and coronation in Book of Mormon|Palmer's claim does nothing to explain the ancient features identified in Benjamin's speech]]
{{:Question: Was Bishop M'Kendree, a Methodist revivalist preacher, the model for King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 99-100, n7 - The story of King Benjamin’s sermon is similar to a Methodist camp meeting==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The story of King Benjamin’s sermon is similar to a Methodist camp meeting.
|authorsources=<br>
#Mark D. Thomas, "Revival Language in the Book of Mormon," Sunstone 8 (May-June 1983): 20.
}}
{{misinformation|The same elements that the critics consider 19th century attributes in the Book of Mormon are also evidences of ancient Israelite origin.
}}
{{:Question: Why would "camp meeting" elements appear in the story of King Benjamin's temple speech in the Book of Mormon?}}
{{:Source:Rediscovering the Book of Mormon:Ch:19:1:Kingship patterns in Mosiah 1-6}}
<!-- ====100-106, n8-12====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=The Book of Mormon is claimed to show the Methodist form of conversion.
}}
|authorsources=<br>
#Brent Lee Metcalfe, unpublished response to Blake T. Ostler, 1987, photocopy of typescript in possession of the author.
*Blake T. Ostler, "The Book of Mormon as a Modern Expansion of an Ancient Source," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 20 (Spring 1987): 66-123.
*George Lane, "Letter from Rev. George Lane," 25 Jan. 1825, Methodist Magazine 8 (Apr. 1825): 159.
*James Porter, An Essay on Camp-Meetings, 37.
*Lorenzo Dow, The Dealings of God, Man and the Devil, As Exemplified in the Life, Experience, and Travels of Lorenzo Dow, 14-16.
*Eleazer Sherman, The Narrative of Eleazer Sherman, 1:11-21.
}} -->
<!-- ====106, n13====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=Alma's conversion parallels that of Darius Williams and Abel Thornton.
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations]]
|authorsources=<br>
#George Peck, The Life and Times of Rev. George Peck, D.D., 108-9.
}} -->
<!-- ====107, n15-17====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=Alma's missions are similar to those of traveling preachers.
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations]]
|authorsources=<br>
#Milton V. Backman Jr., American Religions and the Rise of Mormonism,283-85.
*Backman, American Religions, 283-87; Nathan O. Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity,88.
*{{s||Mosiah|18|24}}
*{{s||Mosiah|24|4-5}}
*{{s||Alma|1|3}}
*{{s||Alma|1|20,26}}
*{{s||Alma|30|32-35}}
*Whitman, "The Book of Mormon," 47.
}} -->

==Response to claim: 110 - Joseph Smith was an “exhorter” at evening meetings==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
Joseph Smith was an “exhorter” at evening meetings.
|authorsources=<br>
#Previously referenced in the chapter.
}}
{{information|This is consistent with Joseph Smith's own history, in which he stated that he became "partial to the Methodist sect" and that he "felt some desire to be united with them."
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith join the Methodists as an "exhorter" years after being told not to join another church during the First Vision?}}

==Response to claim: 114, n32 - The Book of Mormon includes hundreds of popular phrases from frontier preaching==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The Book of Mormon includes hundreds of popular phrases from frontier preaching.
|authorsources=<br>
#The author provides the following equivalents: Alma 5:15=1 Cor. 15:53; 5:24=Matt. 8:11; 5:42=Rom. 6:23; 5:48= John 1:14,29; 5:50=Matt. 3:2; 5:52=Matt. 3:10; 5:54=Matt. 3:8; 5:57=2 Cor. 6:17.	
}}
{{propaganda|It is unsurprising that the Book of Mormon contains themes and phrases used in "frontier preaching, since "frontier preaching" was based upon the ''Bible'', which contains the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why would the Book of Mormon ''not'' contain many equivalent phrases? This is simply another attempt to figure out how Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon without attributing it to an supernatural method. One of the author's examples is shown below:
Alma 5:15
<blockquote>
Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
</blockquote>

1 Corinthians 15:53
<blockquote>
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
</blockquote>

Are we supposed to believe, based upon the author's assertion, that Joseph Smith went through the Bible and extracted short phrases in order to modify them and then incorporate them into the Book of Mormon?
}}
<!-- ====116, n37====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=There are "recognizable evangelical phrases" contained in Amulek's and Alma's preaching.
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations]]	
|authorsources=<br>
#Alma 11:37=Eph. 5:5; 12:3 = Acts 5:4; 12:7=Heb. 4:12; 12:8=Acts 24:15; 12:14=Rev. 6:16; 12:27=Heb. 9:27; 13:8=2 Tim. 1:9; 13: 12=Rom. 15:16; 13:15=Heb. 7:1-2; 13:20=2 Pet. 3:16; 14:28=1 Cor. 10:13; 34:13=Matt. 5:18; 34:23=Acts 13:10; 34:29=Matt. 5:13; 34:31=2 Cor. 6:2; 34:37=Phillip. 2:12; 34:38=John 4:24.
}}-->
<!-- ====118, n42====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
*The Book of Mormon is claimed to be simply "revival literature" cast in a different setting.
*{{AuthorQuote|The biblical and revival elements also help us understand how Joseph could dictate the Book of Mormon in such a short period of time.}}
|authorsources=<br>
#
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations]]
|authorsources=<br>
#John W Welch, "How Long Did It Take Joseph Smith to Translate the Book of Mormon?" Ensign 18 (Jan. 1988): 46-47.	
}} -->

==Response to claim: 120 - The Book of Mormon teaches that all men are evil as a result of the Fall==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The Book of Mormon teaches that all men are evil as a result of the Fall.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{s||Mosiah|16|3}}
*{{s||Alma|42|9-10}}
*{{s||Ether|3|2}}	
}}
{{misinformation|The Book of Mormon does not state that all men are evil. It does state that mankind became subject to the influence of evil as the result of the Fall. The Book of Mormon states that the Fall of Adam "was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good." However, this is not the concept of "original sin."
}}
{{:Question: What to Latter-day Saints believe regarding the concept of "original sin"?}}
{{:Question: Is original sin a biblical doctrine?}}
{{:Question: What is the origin of the doctrine of original sin?}}
{{:Question: Is the concept of "original sin" part of all Christian theology?}}

==Response to claim: 121-122, n48 - Joseph is claimed to have evolved his view of the Godhead over time==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
Joseph is claimed to have evolved his view of the Godhead over time.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{s|2|Nephi|31|21}}
*Wilford C. Wood, Joseph Smith Begins His Work: Book of Mormon 1830 First Edition, 1:25-26,32; d. 1 Ne. 11:16, 18,21,32; 13:40, 1981 ed.
}}
{{misinformation|Joseph and the early Saints were not trinitarian, and understood God's embodiment and the identity of the Father and Son as separate beings very early on.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph began his prophetic career with a "trinitarian" idea of God?}}
<!-- ====122, n49====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=The Book of Mormon "vividly" portrays the Father and Son as the same God.
}}
*[[Book of Mormon/Portrays Father and Son as the same God]]{{nw}}
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||Mosiah|7|27}}
*{{s||Mosiah|13|34}}
*{{s||Mosiah|15|1-4}}
*Boyd Kirkland, "An Evolving God," Dialogue 28 (Spring 1995): v-vi. 
*Melodie Moench Charles, "Book of Mormon Christology," in New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology, ed. Brent Lee Metcalfe ,81-114.
*Dan Vogel, "The Earliest Mormon Concept of God," in Line upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine, ed. Gary James Bergera, 17-33.
}} -->

==Response to claim: 124 - The Book of Mormon contains no information about temple ordinances, exaltation or baptism for the dead because "Joseph Smith had not yet embraced these teachings"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The Book of Mormon contains no information about temple ordinances, exaltation or baptism for the dead because "Joseph Smith had not yet embraced these teachings" and this reflects "the limitations of his 1820s understanding."
}}
{{misinformation|The author is basing his statement upon the assumption that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. The principles of the Gospel were revealed to Joseph "line upon line." }}
{{:Question: What does it mean when it is said that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the gospel?"}}
{{:Question: How can the Book of Mormon contain the "fulness of the Gospel" if it does not speak of ordinances such as baptism for the dead or celestial marriage?}}

==Response to claim: 124, n53 - Brigham Young said, "If the Book of Mormon were now to be re-written, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
Brigham Young said, "If the Book of Mormon were now to be re-written, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation." The author presumes that “Young may have had in mind the book's uncomplimentary view of man” since Brigham had recently said that men "naturally love and admire righteousness, justice and truth more than they do evil. ... The natural man is of God."
|authorsources=<br>
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=63|vol=9|start=305}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=64|vol=9|start=311}}
}}
{{misinformation|The author misinterprets the source. Brigham says in JoD 9:311:
<blockquote>
When God speaks to the people, he does it in a manner to suit their circumstances and capacities. He spoke to the children of Jacob through Moses, as a blind, stiff-necked people, and when Jesus and his Apostles came they talked with the Jews as a benighted, wicked, selfish people. They would not receive the Gospel, though presented to them by the Son of God in all its righteousness, beauty and glory. Should the Lord Almighty send an angel to re-write the Bible, it would in many places be very different from what it now is. And I will even venture to say that if the Book of Mormon were now to be re-written, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation. According as people are willing to receive the things of God, so the heavens send forth their blessings. If the people are stiff-necked, the Lord can tell them but little.
</blockquote>

Brigham Young talked about how the scriptures were written based upon people's readiness to receive and accept them, and he includes the Bible in his statement. The author implies with his statement that Brigham disagreed with the way the Book of Mormon was written with regard to what he calls "the book's uncomplimentary view of man." The author's conclusion is not supported by the quote, and he has to bring in a second quote from a different discourse in order to shore up his assumption.
}}

==Response to claim: 129-130, n64-66 - B.H. Roberts concluded that Joseph Smith created the anti-Christs Sherem, Nehor and Korihor==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
B.H. Roberts concluded that Joseph Smith created the anti-Christs Sherem, Nehor and Korihor.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{CriticalWork:Roberts:Studies|pages=270-271}}	
}}
{{misinformation|The author does not acknowledge that Roberts was expressing what ''critics'' would say about the Book of Mormon, and that he said that this was not his personal view.
}}
{{:Question: Did B.H. Roberts lose his faith in the Church and the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 131 - many people believe in the truthfulness of their own religion because of similar confirming experiences==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The author claims that many people believe in the truthfulness of their own religion because of similar confirming experiences, and that edifying feelings are not sufficient to determine truth.
|authorsources=<br>
#No source provided.
}}
{{misinformation|This is not a characteristic of many religions.	
}}
{{:Question: Do other religions confirm their beliefs through spiritual witness?}}
{{:Question: How can you know if your answer to prayer, your personal revelation, is true?}}
{{:Question: Do Mormons believe that other religions can be inspired by God?}}
{{:Source:Joseph Smith:History of the Church:1843:I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination}}
{{:Source:Preach My Gospel:many other nations and cultures have been blessed by those who were given that portion}}

==Response to claim: 132, n68-69 - it is possible to feel "the spirit" even when listening to a hoax, such as Paul H. Dunn's war stories==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The author claims that it is possible to feel "the spirit" even when listening to a hoax, such as Paul H. Dunn's war stories.
|authorsources=<br>
*Frank H. Jonas, "The Story of a Political Hoax," in Institute of Government, vol. 8 (Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1966): 1-97.
*"Arizona Paper Alleges Many Stories Were Exaggerated," Deseret News, 16 Feb. 1991, 5; and "Elder Dunn Offers Apology for Errors, Admits Censure," ibid., 27 Oct. 1991, 1.
}}
{{misinformation|Simply receiving a warm feeling about a speech or article is not enough to call it revelation or a confirmation of the spirit.
}}
{{:Question: Who was Paul H. Dunn and what happened to him?}}
{{:Question: Many who listened to Elder Dunn's stories felt the spirit. Why would one feel the spirit upon hearing a story that was fabricated? Doesn't this confirm a lie?}}
{{:Question: Why did Elder Dunn exaggerate elements of these stories?}}

==Response to claim: 132-133, n71 - the LDS church claims exclusive receipt of the Holy Ghost as a gift==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
The author claims that the LDS church claims exclusive receipt of the Holy Ghost as a gift.	
|authorsources=<br>
#George Gallop Jr., "Forty-Three Percent of Americans Admit to Spiritual Experiences," Salt Lake Tribune, 15 May 1985,1-2.
}}
{{misinformation|The Church claims the exclusive ability, through the priesthood, to ''bestow'' the gift of the Holy Ghost. However, one does not need to be a Latter-day Saint to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost.
}}
{{:Question: Do Latter-day Saints discount the spiritual witnesses that members of other religions may receive?}}

==Response to claim: 133 - "This Spirit of love gives peace, comfort, prompts, and enhances belief in God, but abundant evidence also demonstrates that it is an unreliable means of proving truth"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
{{AuthorQuote|I assert that the Holy Ghost does exist, that it does speak to human beings. This Spirit of love gives peace, comfort, prompts, and enhances belief in God, but abundant evidence also demonstrates that it is an unreliable means of proving truth.}}
|authorsources=<br>
#Author’s opinion.
}}
{{misinformation|One should not make decisions regarding through simply through "feelings," but rather through study and prayer.
}}
{{:Question: Is a "burning in the bosom" simply a subjective, emotion-based, unreliable way to practice self-deception?}}
{{:Source:Ulrich:Believest thou:2005 FAIR Conference:How do the goosebumps and tearfulness I experience when someone speaks in a testimony meeting differ}}

==Response to claim: 133 - "Nor does the Spirit, which testifies of the Book of Mormon, confirm the historical reality of the book"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
|claim=
{{AuthorQuote|Nor does the Spirit, which testifies of the Book of Mormon, confirm the historical reality of the book.}}
|authorsources=<br>
#Author’s opinion
}}
{{disinformation|Moroni's promise provides a way to know the ''truthfulness'' of ''doctrine'' taught in the Book of Mormon, not the "historical reality" of the events within it. The "historical reality" of such events will always be dependent upon the accuracy of the original author.
}}
{{:Question: What is Moroni's promise?}}
{{:Question: Is prayer the only element required in the determination of truth?}}
{{:Source:How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit:Preach My Gospel:As you pray for inspiration, you should also confirm your feelings}}
{{:Question: What about those who pray and don't receive a confirmation the Book of Mormon is true?}}

{{endnotes sources}}