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: Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon. Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery went to Toronto on this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the copyright, returning without any money. Joseph was at my father's house when they returned. I was there also, and am an eye witness to these facts. Jacob Whitmer and John Whitmer were also present when Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery returned from Canada. | : Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon. Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery went to Toronto on this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the copyright, returning without any money. Joseph was at my father's house when they returned. I was there also, and am an eye witness to these facts. Jacob Whitmer and John Whitmer were also present when Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery returned from Canada. | ||
− | :Well, we were all in great trouble; and we asked Joseph how it was that he had received a revelation from the Lord for some brethren to go to Toronto and sell the copyright, and the brethren had utterly failed in their undertaking. Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: "Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of men: and some revelations are of the devil." So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copyright was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man. | + | :Well, we were all in great trouble; and we asked Joseph how it was that he had received a revelation from the Lord for some brethren to go to Toronto and sell the copyright, and the brethren had utterly failed in their undertaking. Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: ''"Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of men: and some revelations are of the devil."'' So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copyright was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man. |
This passage from Whitmer’s writings has been interpreted to mean that Joseph was attempting to acquire funds for his family, and some even go so far as to suggest that Joseph deliberately attempted to keep Martin Harris from sharing in any of the expected income. | This passage from Whitmer’s writings has been interpreted to mean that Joseph was attempting to acquire funds for his family, and some even go so far as to suggest that Joseph deliberately attempted to keep Martin Harris from sharing in any of the expected income. |
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David Whitmer claimed that Joseph Smith received a revelation and prophesied that Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page should go to Canada where they would find a man willing to buy the copyright to the Book of Mormon. When they failed to sell the copyright, Whitmer states that Joseph admitted that the revelation had not come from God.
This criticism originated with David Whitmer in his 1887 pamphlet An Address to All Believers in Christ. [1] Whitmer wrote this pamphlet very near the end of his life. Although Whitmer is strongly critical of the direction taken by the Church both during the Prophet’s life and after his death, he strongly affirms his testimony as one of the Three Witnesses and his belief in the Book of Mormon—a detail that the critics prefer to ignore when relying upon his writings. Whitmer relates the following story:
This passage from Whitmer’s writings has been interpreted to mean that Joseph was attempting to acquire funds for his family, and some even go so far as to suggest that Joseph deliberately attempted to keep Martin Harris from sharing in any of the expected income.
B.H. Roberts, in A Comprehensive History of the Church, responds this claim by David Whitmer.
Roberts expresses doubt as to the accuracy of the story, and suggests that David Whitmer may not have recalled all of the details correctly, yet he goes on to address the claim anyway.
Roberts even suggests that this may have been an object lesson for the Prophet.
The primary evidence supporting the story comes from David Whitmer, who had left the church many years before. The real question is, if the story is correct, does it mean that Joseph was not a prophet. The answer is best expressed in Elder Roberts’ own response, “Does that circumstance vitiate his claim as a prophet? No; the fact remains that despite this circumstance there exists a long list of events to be dealt with which will establish the fact of divine inspiration operating upon the mind of this man Joseph Smith. The wisdom frequently displayed, the knowledge revealed, the predicted events and the fulfilment thereof, are explicable upon no other theory than of divine inspiration giving guidance to him.” [5]
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