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(→Question: Was Martin Harris a gullible witness who would simply believe anything he was told?) |
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[[es:Pregunta: ¿Fue Martin Harris testigo crédulos que simplemente creer cualquier cosa que se le dijo?]] | [[es:Pregunta: ¿Fue Martin Harris testigo crédulos que simplemente creer cualquier cosa que se le dijo?]] | ||
[[pt:Pergunta: Martin Harris era uma testemunha ingênua que simplesmente acreditar em qualquer coisa que foi dito?]] | [[pt:Pergunta: Martin Harris era uma testemunha ingênua que simplesmente acreditar em qualquer coisa que foi dito?]] |
Martin recalled his first discussions with Joseph about the claims regarding plates:
Even in religious matters then, Martin was keenly aware of the risk of mistake and deception.
There are two specific things that Martin did in order to test Joseph.
It is well-known that Martin Harris took copies of the Book of Mormon characters to Charles Anthon and another language expert. While Anthon would later claim (in partially contradictory statements) that he had told Harris that it was all a fraud, Harris came back more convinced than ever that Joseph could actually translate.
During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith often used a small seer stone. On one occasion, Martin Harris switched the stone for another stone of the same appearance. Martin reports what happened:
Once Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge. When the translation resumed, Joseph paused for a long time and then exclaimed, “Martin, what is the matter, all is as dark as Egypt.” Martin then confessed that he wished to “stop the mouths of fools” who told him that the Prophet memorized sentences and merely repeated them. [2]
Here again, Martin conducted a clever "blinded test" of Joseph's ability, and Joseph passed--convincing Martin further.
The story of Martin Harris' desire to take the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript to convince his family and friends that Joseph was a genuine prophet is also well known. Here again, Martin sought to use empirical proof (the manuscript itself) as evidence that Joseph could do what he claimed.
Notes
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