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{{H1
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 5
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 5: The Book of Mormon"
|T=[[../../]]
|A=Jerald and Sandra Tanner
|<=[[../Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
|>=[[../Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
}}
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<onlyinclude>
{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 5
|H=Response to claims made in The Changing World of Mormonism, "Chapter 5: The Book of Mormon"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 94 - Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel
|L2=Response to claim: 94 - The authors claim that Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony
|L3=Response to claim: 96 - The story of Hiram Page and his stone is used as an example of the witnesses' gullibility
|L4=Response to claim: 97 - David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints
|L5=Response to claim: 97 - Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention"
|L6=Response to claim: 98 - Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting
|L7=Response to claim: 99 - Oliver Cowdery is not a reliable witness because he joined a Methodist church after his excommunication
|L8=Response to claim: 99-100 - Some of the Book of Mormon witnesses later followed James Strang
|L9=Response to claim: 103 - Latter-day Saint author Richard Anderson was "forced to acknowledge that Martin Harris' life shows evidence of 'religious instability'"
|L10=Response to claim: 108 - Martin Harris said that he only saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes"
|L11=Response to claim: 108 - David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates"
|L12=Response to claim: 108 - Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates
|L13=Response to claim: 109 - No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple. William McClellin claimed that there was "no endowment"
|L14=Response to claim: 111 - Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40
|L15=Response to claim: 114 - Joseph is claimed to have copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha
|L16=Response to claim: 115 - The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt is claimed to be the source for the book of 1 Nephi
|L17=Response to claim: 115 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it quotes Malachi many years before it was written
|L18=Response to claim: 116 - The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon
|L19=Response to claim: 118 - The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul
|L20=Response to claim: 119-121 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains material found in the New Testament
|L21=Response to claim: 122 - In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26, rather than Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19
|L22=Response to claim: 123 - The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon, thereby proving that it is not an ancient work
|L23=Response to claim: 124 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains the Greek name Timothy
|L24=Response to claim: 125 - Joseph Smith's mother said that he used to entertain them with stories about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent
|L25=Response to claim: 127 - B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon
|L26=Response to claim: 127 - B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon
|L27=Response to claim: 128 - The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book The Wonders of Nature as a source
|L28=Response to claim: 128-129 - The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text
|L29=Response to claim: 132 - According to Oliver B. Huntington, the proper spelling of words was given by the Lord
|L30=Response to claim: 133 - Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research
|L31=Response to claim: 139 - Some Mormon archaeologists have begun to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth"
|L32=Response to claim: 140-141 - Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon
|L33=Response to claim: 141-142 - Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language
|L34=Response to claim: 144 - There is no such language as "Reformed Egyptian"
}}
</onlyinclude>	

==Response to claim: 94 - Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=26|vol=7|start=164}}
}}
{{misinformation|Brigham is not referring to the Three or the Eight Witnesses:
<blockquote>
Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel. One of the Quorum of the Twelve—a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel, and conversed with him as he would with one of his friends; but after all this, he was left to doubt, and plunged into apostacy, and has continued to contend against this work. There are hundreds in a similar condition.<ref>{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=26|vol=7|start=164}}</ref>
</blockquote>
}}

==Response to claim: 94 - The authors claim that Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
The authors claim that Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony
|authorsources=<br>
#''Times and Seasons'' 1841 vol. 2, p.482
}}
{{misinformation|The authors can only infer this - they have no actual evidence. 
}}
{{:Question: Did Oliver Cowdery ever deny his Book of Mormon witness because he thought that Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet?}}

==Response to claim: 96 - The story of Hiram Page and his stone is used as an example of the witnesses' gullibility==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The witnesses to the Book of Mormon were "very gullible." The story of Hiram Page and his stone is used as an example of their gullibility.	
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of the Church'', by Joseph Smith, vol. 1, pp.109-10
}}
{{propaganda|Tanners stoop to ''ad hominem'', probably hoping we will ignore the evidence and judge the men before hearing them.
}}
{{:Question: Why did Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer accept Hiram Page's seer stone revelations as authoritative?}}

==Response to claim: 97 - David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints.
|authorsources=<br>
#''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', pp. 27-28
}}
{{misinformation|FairMormon doesn't have any problem believing that God told Whitmer to leave Far West. Whitmer had been excommunicated well before God told him to leave.
}}
{{:Question: Did God tell David Whitmer to leave the Church and repudiate Mormonism?}}

==Response to claim: 97 - Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention."
}}
{{information|Despite the violent disagreement between Joseph and these apostates, none denied their testimony. Why would Joseph risk angering men who he knew could expose his fraud, unless he knew their witness too strong to deny?
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of the Church'' 3:232
}}
''History of the Church'' 3:232:
<blockquote>
Is not all manner of evil of every description spoken of us falsely, yea, we say unto you falsely. We have been misrepresented and misunderstood, and belied, and the purity and integrity and uprightness of our hearts have not been known—and it is through ignorance—yea, the very depths of ignorance is the cause of it; and not only ignorance, but on the part of some, gross wickedness and hypocrisy also; for some, by a long face and sanctimonious prayers, and very pious sermons, had power to lead the minds of the ignorant and unwary, and thereby obtain such influence that when we approached their iniquities the devil gained great advantage—would bring great trouble and sorrow upon our heads; and, in fine, we have waded through an ocean of tribulation and mean abuse, practiced upon us by the ill bred and the ignorant, such as Hinkle, Corrill, Phelps, Avard, Reed Peck, Cleminson, and various others, who are so very ignorant that they cannot appear respectable in any decent and civilized society, and whose eyes are full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin. Such characters as McLellin, John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them. Marsh and "another," whose hearts are full of corruption, whose cloak of hypocrisy was not sufficient to shield them or to hold them up in the hour of trouble, who after having escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, became again entangled and overcome—their latter end is worse than the first. But it has happened unto them according to the word of the Scripture: "The dog has returned to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
</blockquote>

<!-- ====97====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title={{check}}
|claim=The dissenters received a threatening letter before being driven out of Far West.
}}
* Despite the violent disagreement between the Church and dissenters, they continued faithful to their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
*[[Book of Mormon/Witnesses/David Whitmer told to leave|Book of Mormon witnesses&mdash;David Whitmer told to leave]]
*[[Book of Mormon/Witnesses/Recant|Book of Mormon witnesses&mdash;None recanted]]
*[[Book of Mormon/Witnesses]]
|authorsources=<br>
#Senate Document 189, Feb. 15, 1841 pp. 6-9
}} -->

==Response to claim: 98 - Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting.
}}
{{propaganda|Oliver was accused of "dishonestly retaining notes after they had been paid," along with a number of other things. "Counterfeiting" makes it sound like he was printing fake currency.
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of the Church'' 3:16
*''A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri From 1836 to 1839'', p.146-147
}}

''History of the Church'' 3:16:
<blockquote>
Charges Against Oliver Cowdery.

Wednesday, April 11,—Elder Seymour Brunson preferred the following charges against Oliver Cowdery, to the High Council at Far West: 1

To the Bishop and Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I prefer the following charges against President Oliver Cowdery.

"First—For persecuting the brethren by urging on vexatious law suits against them, and thus distressing the innocent.

"Second—For seeking to destroy the character of President Joseph Smith, Jun., by falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery.

"Third—For treating the Church with contempt by not attending meetings.

"Fourth—For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority or revelations whatever, in his temporal affairs.

"Fifth—For selling his lands in Jackson county, contrary to the revelations.

"Sixth—For writing and sending an insulting letter to President Thomas B. Marsh, while the latter was on the High Council, attending to the duties of his office as President of the Council, and by insulting the High Council with the contents of said letter.

"Seventh—For leaving his calling to which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law.

Eighth—For disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business, as common report says.

"Ninth—For dishonestly retaining notes after they had been paid; and finally, for leaving and forsaking the cause of God, and returning to the beggarly elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, according to his profession."<ref>''History of the Church'' 3:16</ref>
</blockquote>

==Response to claim: 99 - Oliver Cowdery is not a reliable witness because he joined a Methodist church after his excommunication==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Oliver Cowdery is not a reliable witness because he joined a Methodist church after his excommunication.
}}
{{misinformation|Oliver was a witness of the Book of Mormon, not the Church. Oliver never renounced that testimony even after he joined another Church. A religious Christian, he probably preferred to worship somewhere than nowhere at all.  Latter-day Saints believe there is much good in other faiths. Oliver ultimately returned to the Church, and continued to affirm his testimony until his death.
|authorsources=<br>
#''New Era'', Jan. 1969, p. 56
}}

==Response to claim: 99-100 - Some of the Book of Mormon witnesses later followed James Strang==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Some of the Book of Mormon witnesses later followed James Strang, and, according to the authors, "their testimony is recorded in almost the same way that the testimony of the eleven witnesses is recorded in the Book of Mormon."
|authorsources=<br>
*James Strang, ''Gospel Herald'', January 20, 1848
*William E. McLellin, ''The Ensign of Liberty'', Kirtland, Ohio, April, 1847	
*''John Whitmer's History'', p.23
*''Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star'', vol. 8, pp.124-28
}}
{{misinformation|There were no supernatural elements to the story associated with the Strang plates. There were no witnesses of angelic visits.
}}
{{:Question: What are the differences between the Strangite witnesse statements and those of the Three and Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 103 - Latter-day Saint author Richard Anderson was "forced to acknowledge that Martin Harris' life shows evidence of 'religious instability'"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Martin Harris changed his religion thirteen times. The authors claim that Latter-day Saint author Richard Anderson was "forced to acknowledge that Martin Harris' life shows evidence of 'religious instability'." 
}}
{{propaganda|Martin Harris and the other Book of Mormon witnesses who left the Church continued to seek out something to replace what they had lost. Richard Anderson was never "forced to acknowledge" any sort of "instability" on the part of the witnesses.
|authorsources=<br>
*Richard L. Anderson, ''Improvement Era'', March 1969, p.63
*E. Cecil McGavin, ''The Historical Background for the Doctrine and Covenants'', p.23, as cited in an unpublished manuscript by LaMar Petersen
}}
{{:Question: What did Martin Harris's non-Mormon associates say about his character?}}

==Response to claim: 108 - Martin Harris said that he only saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Martin Harris said that he only saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes."	
|authorsources=<br>
#Marvin S. Hill, ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', Winter, 1972, pp.83-84.
}}
{{misinformation|The authors focus only on the second-hand "spiritual eyes" comment and don't address the many instances in which Martin Harris said that he saw and handled the plates.
}}
{{:Question: Why would Martin Harris use the phrases "eye of faith" or "spiritual eye" to describe his visionary experience?}}

==Response to claim: 108 - David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates."
|authorsources=<br>
#''Saints Herald'', 1882
}}
{{propaganda|The author's deliberately conflate several accounts of Whitmer's words in order to make it appear as if he contradicts himself.
}}
{{:Source:David Whitmer:Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses:86:1:we were in the spirit when we had the view...but we were in the body also}}

==Response to claim: 108 - Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates.
}}
{{propaganda|Harris was not one of the eight.  They can&mdash;and did&mdash;speak for themselves. John Whitmer, who ''was'' one of the Eight Witnesses, said that they ''did'' see the plates.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', Winter, 1972, pp. 83-84
}}
{{:Source:Echoes:Ch2:11:John Whitmer 1876:I have never heard that any one of the three or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony}}
{{:Question: Did Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, every deny having seen the plates?}}
{{:Question: Did Hyrum Smith, one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, every deny having seen the plates?}}
{{:Question: Did Samuel Smith, one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, every deny having seen the plates?}}
{{:Question: Did Christian and Peter Whitmer, two of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, every deny having seen the plates?}}
{{:Question: Did Jacob Whitmer, one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, every deny having seen the plates?}}

==Response to claim: 109 - No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple. William McClellin claimed that there was "no endowment"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple. William McClellin claimed that there was "no endowment."
}}
{{misinformation|The Tanners are again arguing without any evidence. To do this, they must ignore a mound of first person contemporaneous testimony.
|authorsources=<br>
#William McClellin, ''Ensign of Liberty'', Kirtland, Ohio, March 1848, p.69
}}
* {{BYUS1|author=Steven C. Harper|vol=42|num=2|date=2003|article=Pentecost Continued: A Contemporaneous Account of the Kirtland Temple Dedication|start=4&ndash;}}
* {{HeavensResound1| start=309&ndash;}}
{{:Question: Was William McClellin disappointed in the endowment at the Kirtland Temple?}}

==Response to claim: 111 - Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Westminster Confession''; Alma 40
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument.  The Tanners need ''evidence''.
}}
{{:Question: Was the content of Alma Chapter 40 derived from a Presbyterian document called ''The Westminster Confession''?}}

==Response to claim: 114 - Joseph is claimed to have copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph is claimed to have copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha.	
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument.  The Tanners need ''evidence''.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith copy the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha?}}

==Response to claim: 115 - The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt is claimed to be the source for the book of 1 Nephi==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt is claimed to be the source for the book of 1 Nephi.
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument.  The Tanners need ''evidence''. If this is so, where is the parting the sea?  The ten plagues?  The earth opening up to swallow the rebellious?  Water from a rock?  Manna from heaven?  Joseph ignored the best, most dramatic parts. Nephi consciously ''modeled'' his family on the Israelites, so some parallels are to be expected&mdash;only an initial belief that the book is a forgery makes this argument work. It is circular.
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.	
}}

==Response to claim: 115 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it quotes Malachi many years before it was written==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Book of Mormon is proven false because it quotes Malachi many years before it was written.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{b||Malachi|4|1}}
*{{s|1|Nephi|22|15}}
}}
{{misinformation|The Book of Mormon does not attribute the words to Malachi.
}}
{{:Question: How can 1 Nephi 22:15 in the Book of Mormon quote Malachi 4:1 hundreds of years before Malachi was written?}}

==Response to claim: 116 - The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon.
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument.  The Tanners need ''evidence''.
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.
}}

==Response to claim: 118 - The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul.
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument.  The Tanners need ''evidence''.		
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.
}}

==Response to claim: 119-121 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains material found in the New Testament==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains material found in the New Testament.		
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s|1|John|1|3}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|1|18}}
*{{s||John|11|50}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|4|13}}
*{{s||Romans|5|51}} - {{attn}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|11|22}}
*{{s||Revelations|7|14}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|12|11}}
*{{s|1|Corinthians|3|15}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|22|17}}
*{{s||Romans|7|24}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|4|17}}
*{{s||Revelations|20|13}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|9|12}}
*{{s||Revelations|22|11}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|9|16}}
*{{s||Hebrews|12|2}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|9|18}}
*{{s||Romans|8|6}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|9|39}}
*{{s||Galatians|3|28}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|10|16}}
*{{s||Acts|4|12}} compared to {{s|2|Nephi|25|20}}
*{{s||John|1|29}} compared to {{s|1|Nephi|10|10}} and {{s|2|Nephi|31|4}}
*{{s|1|Corinthians|15|58}} compared to {{s||Mosiah|5|15}}
*{{s|1|Corinthians|15|55}} compared to {{s||Mosiah|16|7}}
*{{s||John|5|29}} compared to {{s||Mosiah|16|11}}
*{{s||Galatians|5|1}} compared to {{s||Alma|58|40}}
*{{s||John|3|7}} compared to {{s||Mosiah|27|25}}
*{{s|2|Corinthians|6|17}} compared to {{s||Alma|5|57}}
*{{s||Hebrews|12|1}} compared to {{s||Alma|7|15}}
*{{s||Luke|7|9}} compared to {{s||Alma|19|10}}
*{{s||John|3|14}} compared to {{s||Helaman|8|14}}
}}
{{propaganda|One would expect many teachings in the Gospel to be the same - they would not be unique to the New Testament.
}}
{{:Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/New Testament text/Specific examples}}

==Response to claim: 122 - In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26, rather than Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26, rather than Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{s||Deuteronomy|18|15}}, {{s||Deuteronomy|18|18-19}} and {{s||Acts|3|22-26}} compared to {{s|3|Nephi|20|23-26}}
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Gods, Sex, and Saints'', p.36.
}}
{{propaganda|All these parallels demonstrate is that: 1) the Book of Mormon translation language is closely based in KJV English; and 2) that King James phrases were exceedingly common in the speech and writing of Joseph's day. Neither of these is news, and neither can tell us much but that the Book of Mormon was translated in the nineteenth century.
}}
{{:Question: How can text from the New Testament appear in the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 123 - The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon, thereby proving that it is not an ancient work==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon, thereby proving that it is not an ancient work. Bruce R. McConkie says they are used "figuratively."		
|authorsources=<br>
*{{s|3|Nephi|9|18}}
*McConkie, ''Mormon Doctrine'', 1966, p.31
}}
{{propaganda|Only if we presume that the Book of Mormon is a fraud at the outset is this proof of anything. If we assume that it is a translation, then the use of Bible language tells us merely that Joseph used biblical language.
}}
{{:Question: Is the Book of Mormon not an ancient work because it contains "Greek words" such as "alpha and omega" or "Christ"?}}

==Response to claim: 124 - The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains the Greek name Timothy==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
The Book of Mormon is proven false because it contains the Greek name Timothy.		
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s|3|Nephi|19|4}}
}}
{{misinformation|It would not be unusual for Lehi's group to be familiar with Greek names.
}}
{{:Source:Nibley:CW06:Ch22:8:Greek Names}}
{{:Source:Nibley:Teachings of the Book of Mormon:Vol1:430:in Lehi's day Palestine was swarming with Greeks}}

==Response to claim: 125 - Joseph Smith's mother said that he used to entertain them with stories about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph Smith's mother said that he used to entertain them with stories about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent before he translated the Book of Mormon.
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of Joseph Smith by His Mother'', 1954 ed., p.83	
}}
{{propaganda|This is typically represented as Joseph being a teller of "tall tales" before the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. These stories, however, were Joseph's reports of his interviews with the angel Moroni.
}}
{{:Question: Was the young Joseph Smith a teller of "tall tales"?}}

==Response to claim: 127 - B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon.		
|authorsources=<br>
#B.H. Roberts, ''A Parallel"—The Basis of the Book of Mormon'' (see ''[[Studies of the Book of Mormon]]'')
}}
{{misinformation|Roberts concluded that ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon would assert that ''View of the Hebrews'' could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon. Roberts was careful to state that these were not his own conclusion.
}}
{{:Question: What did B.H. Roberts say about ''View of the Hebrews'' and the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 127 - B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between ''View of the Hebrews'' and the Book of Mormon.	
|authorsources=<br>
#B.H. Roberts, ''A Parallel"—The Basis of the Book of Mormon'' (see ''[[Studies of the Book of Mormon]]'')
}}
{{information|Roberts listed a number of parallels, which were only valid if a hemispheric model of the Book of Mormon was assumed.
}}
{{:Question: What did B.H. Roberts say about ''View of the Hebrews'' and the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: 128 - The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book ''The Wonders of Nature'' as a source==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book ''The Wonders of Nature'' as a source. 
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.
}}
{{propaganda|Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need ''evidence''.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith plagiarize Josiah Priest's ''The Wonders of Nature and Providence Displayed''?}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith plagiarize Shakespeare?}}

==Response to claim: 128-129 - The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text.
|authorsources=<br>
#Authors' opinion.
}}
{{disinformation|The changes did not alter the original meaning of the text.
}}
{{:Question: Why were textual changes made to the Book of Mormon over the years after it was first published?}}

==Response to claim: 132 - According to Oliver B. Huntington, the proper spelling of words was given by the Lord==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
According to Oliver B. Huntington, the proper spelling of words was given by the Lord. The authors quote from Huntington's journal as follows:
<blockquote>
Saturday Feb.25, 1881, I went to Provo to a quarterly Stake Conference. Heard Joseph F. Smith describe the manner of translating the Book of Mormon ... Joseph did not render the writing on the gold plates into the English language in his own style of language as many people believe, but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God.... The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in the book to appear on the stones in short sentences or words, and when Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there was a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stones would remain there.... and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.
</blockquote>
}}
{{information|So far as is known, only the first spelling of proper names was controlled in the translation of our current Book of Mormon text.
|authorsources=<br>
#"Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," p.168 of typed copy at Utah State Historical Society.
}}

==Response to claim: 133 - Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research.
|authorsources=<br>
#Letter written by Earnest L. English on May 3, 1936, that the authors claim "distributed to LDS church members by leaders (local) in Cleveland, Ohio in 1959."	
}}
{{information|Such members are ill-informed.  The Church has never claimed this.
}}
{{:Question: Does the Smithsonian Institution send out a letter regarding the use of the Book of Mormon as a guide for archaeological research?}}

==Response to claim: 139 - Some Mormon archaeologists have begun to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Some Mormon archaeologists have begun to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth."
|authorsources=<br>
#Dee Green, ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', Summer 1969, pp.76-78
}}
{{propaganda|Green's article was dated even when the Tanners cited it, but it is now hopelessly out of date.
}}
{{:Question: Did Dee F. Green say that there is no such thing as Book of Mormon archaeology?}}

==Response to claim: 140-141 - Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
|authorsources=<br>
#Visit by Thomas Stuart Ferguson to the authors on December 2, 1970.
}}
{{misinformation|Ferguson was not an archaeologist.
}}
{{:Question: Was Thomas Stuart Ferguson an archaeologist?}}
{{:Source:Peterson and Roper:FR 16:1:We know of no one who cites Ferguson as an authority, except countercultists}}

==Response to claim: 141-142 - Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=
Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language. Jewish scriptures could not have been written in Egyptian.
|authorsources=<br>
#M.T. Lamb, ''The Golden Bible'', pp.89-91.
}}
{{misinformation|The authors' assumption is incorrect.
}}
{{:Question: Would an Israelite use Egyptian?}}

==Response to claim: 144 - There is no such language as "Reformed Egyptian"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
None of the characters on the Anthon transcript bear any resemblance to known hieroglyphics found in the New World. There is no such language as "Reformed Egyptian."
}}
{{misinformation|The Book of Mormon does not claim that the language was called "Reformed Egyptian," but rather that the unnamed language was a form of "reformed" Egyptian.
*[[Book of Mormon/Translation/Anthon transcript]]	
|authorsources=<br>
*Letter from John A. Wilson to Marvin Cowan dated March 16, 1966.
*Letter from Richard A. Parker to Marvin Cowan, dated March 22, 1966).
}}

{{endnotes sources}}