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Revision as of 19:14, 15 May 2010

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Chapter 2
A FAIR Analysis of:
Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism
A work by author: Richard Abanes
 Chapter 4

Claims made in "Chapter 3: Thus Saith Joseph"

84, 370n9-11

Claim
The revelations in the Book of Commandments were modified because they were "showing their age," "contained outdated information," "included erroneous statements" and "abandoned doctrines." Some of the revelations "revealed too much information about LDS beliefs."

Author's source(s)

  • Karl F. Best, "Changes in the Revelations, 1833-1835," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (Spring 1992), vol. 25, no. 1, p. 90.
  • H. Michael Marquardt, The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary, p. 17.

Response


85, 371n14

Claim
Mormons view divine truth as "not absolute or fixed; it is changeable, flexible."

Author's source(s)

Response

  •  The author's claim is false: Latter-day Saints realize that their understanding of divine truth may grow and be enhanced, but this does not mean that the truth is changeable or flexible.
  •  Quotes another author's opinion as if it were fact: once again, only a hostile author is cited; there are no quotes from LDS sources used to explore their supposed view.
  • Church doctrine/Changing


87, 370n23

Claim
Joseph received a "false revelation" through his seer stone to go to Toronto, Canada to sell the Book of Mormon copyright.

Author's source(s)

  • David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ.

Response


87, 371n25

Claim
Some of the modified revelations had their meanings "reversed."

Author's source(s)

Response


89, 372n28

Claim
Joseph modified the revelation now found in D&C 5:4 to add additional gifts. After translating the Book of Mormon he was not supposed to become a prophet or organize a Church.

Author's source(s)

  • Karl F. Best, "Changes in the Revelations, 1833-1835," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (Spring 1992), vol. 25, no.1, p. 98.

Response


89, 372n29-30

Claim
Joseph modified what is now D&C 8:6-9 to hide Oliver Cowdery's use of a divining rod.

Author's source(s)

Response


90, 372n34, 375n35

Claim
Apostle William E. McLellin left the Church because he was "shaken by the changes made in the revelations."

Author's source(s)

  • "The Early History of the Saints and Their Enemies," Sept. 28, 1875, Salt Lake Daily Tribune, Dec. 5, 1878
  • William McLellin, Saint's Herald, vol. 17, pp. 556-557.

Response

  • This explanation (as shown by the dates of the material cited) came long after the fact. The author does not tell us that McLellin said at his excommunication hearing that:
he said he had no confidence in the presidency of the Church; consequently, he had quit praying and keeping the commandments of the Lord, and indulged himself in his sinful lusts. It was from what he had heard that he believed the presidency had got out of the way, and not from anything that he had seen himself.[1]


90

Claim
Mormons claim that Biblical writers modified revelations, but cannot provide data to support this. This is an "argument from silence."

Author's source(s)

  • Stephen W. Gibson, One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Question, p. 82

Response


94

Claim
Joseph Smith turned the "Book of Breathings" into the "Book of Abraham." Joseph claimed that the "Book of the Dead" had been written by Joseph of Egypt.

Author's source(s)

  • No source provided.

Response


94-98

Claim
The restoration of the missing portions of Facsimile 1 were "terribly wrong."

Author's source(s)

  • Charles M. Larson, By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 1992), .

Response


99

Claim
LDS apologists' main purpose is to explain away "any and all criticisms that might damage the validity of Smith's writings."

Author's source(s)

  • Author's opinion.

Response


100

Claim
Documents show how the hieroglyphs from the papyri were matched to the Book of Abraham text. One or two words in Egyptian were expanded to entire paragraphs in English.

Author's source(s)

  • Richard L. Bushman, "Joseph Smith as Translator, in Waterman, p. 81.

Response


== Notes ==

  1. [note]  "History of William E. McLellin," Millennial Star 26 (1864), 808.; see also Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 3:31. Volume 3 link
  2. [note]  D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power (Signature Books, 1994), 44.
  3. [note]  "History of William E. McLellin," Millennial Star 26 (1864), 808.; see also Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 3:31. Volume 3 link
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