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Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 2"
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The 1839 history of the Church identified the angel who delivered the plates to Joseph as Nephi rather than Moroni. | The 1839 history of the Church identified the angel who delivered the plates to Joseph as Nephi rather than Moroni. | ||
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*Joseph Smith 1839 History | *Joseph Smith 1839 History | ||
*''Millennial Star'', vol. 3, no 12, pp. 53, 71. | *''Millennial Star'', vol. 3, no 12, pp. 53, 71. | ||
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*John C. Whitmer, "The Eight Witnesses," published in Andrew Jenson, HR, Oct. 1888, vol. 7, p. 621." | *John C. Whitmer, "The Eight Witnesses," published in Andrew Jenson, HR, Oct. 1888, vol. 7, p. 621." | ||
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| + | {{:Question: Did Joseph Smith originally identify the angel that visited him as "Nephi" instead of "Moroni"?}} | ||
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Revision as of 11:58, 23 November 2014
- REDIRECTTemplate:Test3
Contents
- 1 Response to claims made in "Chapter 2: And it Came to Pass"
- 1.1 51, 353n2, 354n3 - Some Book of Mormon stories are simply reworked from the Bible or the Apocrypha
- 1.2 The author(s) of Becoming Gods make(s) the following claim:
- 1.3 FAIR's Response
- 1.4 Question: Did Joseph Smith create the story of Nephi and Laban by plagiarizing concepts and phrases from the story of Judith and Holofernes in the Apocrypha?
- 1.5 Question: Did Joseph Smith copy the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha?
- 1.5.3 FAIR's Response
- 1.20.1 The only first-person account—that made by Joseph Smith himself—says that it was Joseph who would be destroyed if he showed the plates to any other person unless commanded to do so by the Lord
- 1.20.2 Primary source: Joseph Smith's own words
- 1.20.3 The idea that God would "strike down" anyone who viewed the plates came from a hostile secondary source
- 1.20.4 Joseph's wife Emma did not recall any specific threat of destruction associated with the unauthorized viewing of the plates
Response to claims made in "Chapter 2: And it Came to Pass"
| Chapter 1 | A FAIR Analysis of: Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism A work by author: Richard Abanes
|
Chapter 3 |
51, 353n2, 354n3 - Some Book of Mormon stories are simply reworked from the Bible or the Apocrypha
The author(s) of Becoming Gods make(s) the following claim:
Some Book of Mormon stories are simply reworked from the Bible or the Apocrypha.Author's sources: Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945), 62-63. ( Index of claims )
FAIR's Response
Question: Did Joseph Smith create the story of Nephi and Laban by plagiarizing concepts and phrases from the story of Judith and Holofernes in the Apocrypha?
Oliver Cowdery purchased a Bible containing the Apocrypha in October 1829, after the Book of Mormon was already at press
In order to support these claims, it would have been necessary for Joseph to have obtained a Bible containing the Apocrypha during the period of translation. It is known that Oliver Cowdery purchased a Bible in October 1829, however, the Book of Mormon was already at press by this time, with the copyright being registered on 11 June 1829.[1] We do know that Joseph had a Bible containing the Apocrypha in 1833 during the time he produced the "Joseph Smith Translation." Doctrine and Covenants Section 91 was given to Joseph specifically in response to his question as to whether or not he ought to revise the Apocrypha.
The story of Judith and Holofernes and the story of Nephi and Laban actually have more dissimilarities than parallels
The two stories actually have more dissimilarities than parallels, with the similarities being very superficial.[2]
| The story of Nephi and Laban | The story of Judith and Holofernes |
|---|---|
| Laban resides in Jerusalem and has possession of the brass plates. | Holofernes is sent by King Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the rebellious Jews. The city of Bethulia is under siege by the Assyrians. |
| Nephi tells his father that he will return to Jerusalem to obtain the Brass plates of Laban. | Judith, a Jewish resident of the city of Bethulia, tells the people that she will deliver them from their oppressors. |
| Nephi enters Jerusalem under cover of darkness. He does not intend to kill Laban. | Judith enters the camp of the Assyrians with the intent to kill Holofernes. |
| Nephi finds Laban drunk and lying in the street. Nephi resists the idea of killing Laban even after he is told to do so. | Judith impresses Holofernes with her charms and gets him drunk. He passes out on his bed. |
| Nephi holds up Laban’s head by the hair and cuts if off with his own sword. | Judith holds up Holofernes’ head by the hair and cuts it off with his own sword. |
| Nephi leaves Laban lying in the street, but takes and puts on his armor and sword. | Judith takes Holofernes’ head with her back to the city to prove what she has done. |
| Nephi obtains the records from Laban’s house and leaves the city. | The Jews, upon learning of the death of Holofernes, leave the city and plunder the Assyrians camp. |
The relationship between the story of Laban and the story of Judith is superficial at best. It has even been pointed out by LDS scholars that if one were to look for potential parallels with the story of Nephi and Laban, that the story of David and Goliath would be a much better fit than the story of Judith.[1]
Question: Did Joseph Smith copy the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha?
The name “Nephi” may be derived from the names “Nfr” (meaning “good”) or “Nfw,” (meaning “captain”), which are both attested Egyptian names appropriate to the time and place in which Nephi existed
It is certainly possible that Joseph may have encountered the name Nephi as a place name in the King James translation of the Apocrypha (2 Maccabees), however, the Book of Mormon also includes many names that are present in the King James Bible itself. The inclusion of one additional name in this list does not make a significant difference in accusations that Joseph acquired names in the Book of Mormon from other sources. With regard to the name “Nephi,” the important question that must be considered is whether the name “Nephi” is an appropriate name for the time and place to which it is attributed in the Book of Mormon?[3]
Nephi acknowledges an Egyptian connection when he states, “Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.” 1 Nephi 1꞉2
The name “Nephi” may be derived from the names “Nfr” (meaning “good”) or “Nfw,” (meaning “captain”), which are both attested Egyptian names appropriate to the time and place in which Nephi existed.[4] Therefore, the inclusion of the name "Nephi" in the Book of Mormon in the timeframe of 600 B.C. does not constitute an anachronism.
The presence of the name "Nephi" is appropriate for the time and place described by the Book of Mormon. Existing evidence indicates that an Apocrypha was not even available to Joseph Smith at the time that he was translating the Book of Mormon. If anything, the presence of the name "Nephi" in the Apocrypha further validates it as an authentic name in the Book of Mormon.
55, 355n28 - The 1839 history of the Church identified the angel who delivered the plates to Joseph as Nephi rather than Moroni
The author(s) of Becoming Gods make(s) the following claim:
The 1839 history of the Church identified the angel who delivered the plates to Joseph as Nephi rather than Moroni.Author's sources:
- Joseph Smith 1839 History
- Millennial Star, vol. 3, no 12, pp. 53, 71.
- 1851 Pearl of Great Price, "Joseph Smith History," p. 41
- Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for many Generations, p. 79.
- John C. Whitmer, "The Eight Witnesses," published in Andrew Jenson, HR, Oct. 1888, vol. 7, p. 621."
FAIR's Response
Question: Did Joseph Smith originally identify the angel that visited him as "Nephi" instead of "Moroni"?
The text in question
The text in question reads as follows:
- While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in the room which continued to increase untill the room was lighter than at noonday and <when> immediately a personage <appeared> at my bedside standing in the air for his feet did not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond any <thing> earthly I had ever seen, nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceeding[g]ly white and brilliant, His hands were naked and his arms also a little above the wrists. So also were his feet naked as were his legs a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open so that I could see into his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi....(emphasis added)[5]
Orson Pratt would later observe:
- The discrepency in the history … may have occurred through the ignorance or carelessness of the historian or transcriber. It is true, that the history reads as though the Prophet himself recorded [it, that he] was [doing the] writing: but … many events recorded were written by his scribes who undoubtedly trusted too much to their memories, and the items probably were not sufficiently scanned by Bro. Joseph, before they got into print.[6]
The identity of the angel that appeared to Joseph Smith in his room in 1823 was published as "Moroni" for many years prior to the erroneous identification of the angel as "Nephi"
The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Some claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.' One critic even claims that if the angel spoke about the plates being "engraven by Moroni," then he couldn't have been Moroni himself.
The identity of the angel that appeared to Joseph Smith in his room in 1823 and over the next four years was known and published as "Moroni" for many years prior to the publication of the first identification of the angel as "Nephi" in the Times and Seasons in 1842. Even an anti-Mormon publication, Mormonism Unvailed, identified the angel's name as "Moroni" in 1834—a full eight years earlier. All identifications of the angel as "Nephi" subsequent to the 1842 Times and Seasons article were using the T&S article as a source. These facts have not been hidden; they are readily acknowledged in the History of the Church:
In the original publication of the history in the Times and Seasons at Nauvoo, this name appears as "Nephi," and the Millennial Star perpetuated the error in its republication of the History. That it is an error is evident, and it is so noted in the manuscripts to which access has been had in the preparation of this work. [7]
Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt understood the problem more than a century ago, when they wrote in 1877 to John Taylor:
"The contradictions in regard to the name of the angelic messenger who appeared to Joseph Smith occurred probably through the mistakes of clerks in making or copying documents and we think should be corrected. . . . From careful research we are fully convinced that Moroni is the correct name. This also was the decision of the former historian, George A. Smith." [8]
The following time-line illustrates various sources that refer to the angel, and whether the name "Moroni" or "Nephi" was given to them.
As can be readily seen, the "Nephi" sources all derive from a single manuscript and subsequent copies. On the other hand, a variety of earlier sources (including one hostile source) use the name "Moroni," and these are from a variety of sources.
Details about each source are available below the graphic. Readers aware of other source(s) are encouraged to contact FairMormon so they can be included here.
This is not an example of Joseph Smith changing his story over time, but an example of a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than the Prophet, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph and his enemies—who would have seized upon any inconsistency had they known about it—shows that "Moroni" was the name of the heavenly messenger BEFORE the 1838 and 1839 histories were recorded.
56
Author's source(s)
- D. Michael Quinn, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, revised and enlarged edition, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998), 198-199 ( Index of claims )
Response
- Quotes another author's opinion as if it were fact
56, 357n34
Claim
Joseph used his seer stone to locate the plates.
Author's source(s)
- Martin Harris, Tiffany's Monthly interview, 1859.
- Hosea Stout, On the Mormon Frontier: The Diary of Hosea Stout, Juanita Brooks, ed., vol. 2. p. 593.
Response
56, 357n33
Claim
Joseph Smith's vision of Moroni may have taken place through his seer stone.
Author's source(s)
- Steven C. Walker, "Joseph Smith: 'The Gift of Seeing,'" in Bryan Waterman ed., The Prophet Puzzle, p. 97.
Response
56, 357n35-36
Author's source(s)
- Parley Chase, letter to James T. Cobb, Apr. 3, 1879, in Wilhelm Wyl, Mormon Portraits Volume First: Joseph Smith the Prophet, His Family and Friends (Salt Lake City: Tribune Printing and Publishing Co., 1886), 276. , reprinted in Dan Vogel (editor), Early Mormon Documents (Salt Lake City, Signature Books, 1996–2003), 5 vols, 3:135.
- Hiel Lewis, The Amboy Journal, Apr. 30, 1879, quoted in Wesley P. Walters, "The Mormon Prophet Attempts to Join the Methodists"
Response
- The author's claim is false
- These supposed "early" accounts comes from hostile statements made forty to fifty years later!
- Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki
- Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site
56
Claim
Joseph translated the plates by looking at his seer stone in his hat. The plates were not nearby.
Author's source(s)
- Isaac Hale, "Mormonism," Susquehanna Register, and Northern Pennsylvanian, May 1, 1834, p. 1.
Response
57, 358-9n47
Claim
Each sentence and word in the 1830 Book of Mormon "had supposedly come directly from God."
Author's source(s)
- Joseph F. Smith, quoted by Oliver B. Huntington, Journal of Oliver Huntington, p. 168.
Response
- Author(s) impose(s) own fundamentalism on the Saints
- Book of Mormon/Translation/Method
57-58, 359n49
Claim
A voice from heaven proclaimed that the translation was correct, therefore no further editing should have been required.
Author's source(s)
- History of the Church, vol. 1, pp. 54-55.
Response
- Author(s) impose(s) own fundamentalism on the Saints: a translation may be correct, and yet another way of expressing the idea may be equally (or more) correct. There is no such thing as a perfect or "one true" translation.
- Book of Mormon/Textual changes
58, 359n50-51
Claim
The use of the word "synagogue" in the Book of Mormon is an anachronism.
Author's source(s)
- Book of Mormon, 1830 edition, p. 268
- Alma 16꞉13
- The New International Dictionary of the Bible, p. 972
Response
58, 359n52-53
Claim
There are references to cows, oxen, horses, and goats in the New World hundreds of years before Christ.
Author's source(s)
- 1 Nephi 18꞉25
- Thomas D.S. Key, ""A Biologist Looks at the Book of Mormon,"" Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, June 1985, XXX-VIII, p. 3."
Response
58, 359n53
Claim
"LDS apologist John Sorenson has suggested that Smith mistranslated numerous words" from the gold plates and that "cattle and oxen should have been rendered deer and bison," and that "horses should also have been translated deer."
Author's source(s)
- John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 191-276, 299.
Response
- The author's claim is false: Sorenson does not say they are a mistranslation. He says that linguistic patterns of naming new animals show us that the name of a familiar animal is often used to name a new animal that has only passing resemblance to the familiar creature.
- Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Animals
58, 359n54
Claim
The Book of Mormon "is simply a rehashing" of the speculation in the 19th century regarding Indian origins due to the presence of burial mounds "dotting the land."
Author's source(s)
- Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945), 34. ( Index of claims )
Response
60, 360n58
Claim
Joseph Smith incorporated text from Josiah Priest's The Wonders of Nature into the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s)
- Josiah Priest, The Wonders of Nature, 1825
- Abanes, p. 69
- The Tanners are the source of this comparison, although it is not explicitly stated by the author. The author does mention that the Tanners demonstrate that a copy of the book was available in the Manchester library."
Response
60-61, 360n59-63
Claim
Joseph Smith plagiarized Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews.
Author's source(s)
- Ethan Smith, View of the Hebrews, 1825
- David Persuitte, p. 107, 122
- Sandra Tanner, "Where Did Joseph Smith Get His Ideas for the Book of Mormon?"
Response
61 - Anyone who looked on the gold plates would die
The author(s) of Becoming Gods make(s) the following claim:
Anyone who looked on the gold plates would die.Author's sources: Martin Harris, Tiffany's Monthly interview, 1859.
FAIR's Response
Question: Did Joseph Smith say that viewing the gold plates would result in death?
The only first-person account—that made by Joseph Smith himself—says that it was Joseph who would be destroyed if he showed the plates to any other person unless commanded to do so by the Lord
It is claimed that Joseph Smith said that the penalty for viewing the gold plates was death, and that this was just a way for Joseph to hide the fact that the plates really didn't exist. However, the only first-person account—that made by Joseph Smith himself—says that it was Joseph who would be destroyed if he showed the plates to any other person unless commanded to do so by the Lord. Many accounts attributed to Joseph in which he is supposed to have claimed that anyone else who viewed the plates would die originated with people who were hostile to Joseph and the Church. Significantly, Emma's statement makes no mention of the alleged penalty associated with the unauthorized viewing of the plates.
Primary source: Joseph Smith's own words
Joseph Smith-History 1:42 describes the conditions under which Joseph was to handle the plates:
Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when I visited it. (emphasis added)
According to this, it was Joseph who risked destruction if he showed the plates to anyone unless explicitly commanded to do so by the Lord, not the person to whom he showed them.
Of course, we also have the testimony of the Three and Eight witnesses, who all viewed the plates without any threat of destruction.
The idea that God would "strike down" anyone who viewed the plates came from a hostile secondary source
Fawn Brodie claimed that Joseph told Martin Harris that God's wrath would strike him down if he examined the plates or looked at him while he was translating. This is supported by a second-hand source: Charles Anthon's statement regarding the visit of Martin Harris in Eber D. Howe's anti-Mormon book Mormonism Unvailed. Anthon stated:
I adverted once more to the roguery which had been in my opinion practised upon [Harris], and asked him what had become of the gold plates. He informed me that they were in a trunk with the large pair of spectacles. I advised him to go to a magistrate and have the trunk examined. He said the "curse of God" would come upon him should he do this. [9]
In the critical bookMormonism Unvailed, Peter Ingersoll and Sophia Lewis claimed that Joseph told them that anyone who viewed the plates would perish.
Peter Ingersoll was a hostile source. Here is what he claims that Joseph said to him:
...On my entering the house, I found the family at the table eating dinner. They were all anxious to know the contents of my frock. At that moment, I happened to think of what I had heard about a history found in Canada, called the golden Bible; so I very gravely told them it was the golden Bible. To my surprise, they were credulous enough to believe what I said. Accordingly I told them that I had received a commandment to let no one see it, for, says I, no man can see it with the naked eye and live. However, I offered to take out the book and show it to them, but they refuse to see it, and left the room." Now, said Jo, "I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun." Notwithstanding, he told me he had no such book, and believed there never was any such book....(emphasis added)[10]
Here we have a statement alleged to have been made by Joseph Smith that "no man can see it with the naked eye and live." However, we also see that, according to Peter Ingersoll, Joseph came up with the entire idea of the "golden bible" on the spur of the moment as a way to have "fun." Then he claims that Joseph confided to him that the plates didn't actually exist at all. There are so many inconsistencies between this story and the statements of numerous other witnesses that one wonders if Peter Ingersoll was the one who was having some "fun" with his audience. Ingersoll can also be discredited on his claim that Joseph made the story up on the spot, because Joseph was telling various people about his Moroni visits well before recovering the plates (see for example various Knight family recollections).
Examining the testimony of Sophia Lewis we find:
SOPHIA LEWIS, certifies that she "heard a conversation between Joseph Smith, Jr., and the Rev. James B. Roach, in which Smith called Mr. R. a d-----d fool. Smith also said in the same conversation that he (Smith) was as good as Jesus Christ;" and that she "has frequently heard Smith use profane language. She states that she heard Smith say "the Book of Plates could not be opened under penalty of death by any other person but his (Smith's) first-born, which was to be a male." She says she "was present at the birth of this child, and that it was still-born and very much deformed."(emphasis added)[11]
Here we find that not only could the plates not be viewed by another person, but that the only person who could "open" them would be Joseph's first-born child. Sophia Lewis's testimony is suspicious however. Hezekiah M'Kune, Levi Lewis and Sophia Lewis went together to make their depositions before the justice. Their testimonies bear a remarkable similarity and contain the unique claim that Joseph claimed to be "as good as Jesus Christ." This claim is not related by any other individuals who knew the Prophet, suggesting that these three individuals planned and coordinated their story before giving their depositions. [12]
Joseph's wife Emma did not recall any specific threat of destruction associated with the unauthorized viewing of the plates
It is interesting to note that Emma Smith, admittedly much closer to her husband Joseph than the hostile sources previously quoted, never mentioned a penalty for viewing the plates. In fact, in an interview with her son Joseph Smith III in 1879, the following conversation was recorded:
[Joseph Smith III} Q: I should suppose that you would have uncovered the plates and examined them?
[Emma Smith Bidamon] A. I did not attempt to handle the plates, other than I have told you, nor uncover them to look at them. I was satisfied that it was the work of God, and therefore did not feel it to be necessary to do so.
Major Bidamon here suggested: Did Mr. Smith forbid your examining the plates?
[Emma] A. I do not think he did. I knew that he had them, and was not specially curious about them. I moved them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary in doing my work.
[JS III] Q. Mother, what is your belief about the authenticity, or origin, of the Book of Mormon?
[Emma] A. My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity - I have not the slightest doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he could at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.(emphasis added)[13]
Emma, therefore, did not recall any specific threat of destruction associated with the unauthorized viewing of the plates.
62, 361n69-72
Claim
The witnesses never actually physically saw the plates - they only saw them in visions.
Author's source(s)
- Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002) 175-176. ( Index of claims )
Response
- The author's claim is false
- Book of Mormon/Witnesses/Spiritual or literal
64
Claim
Martin Harris said that he never saw the plates with his "natural eyes."
Author's source(s)
- LDS apostle Stephen Burnett, letter to Lyman E. Johnson, April 15, 1838 reprinted in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents 2:291
Response
- Misrepresentation of source
- Book of Mormon/Witnesses/"Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris
64, 362n81-82
Claim
Cowdery, Whitmer and Harris's statements that they actually saw the plates only refer to times that the plates were either covered with a cloth or in a wooden box.
Author's source(s)
- Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002) 198-199. ( Index of claims )
- Harris, Tiffany's Monthly interview, 1859."
Response
- The author's claim is false
- Book of Mormon/Witnesses/Spiritual or literal
64, 362n83-84
Claim
Martin Harris said that none of the eight witnesses had seen or handled the plates.
Author's source(s)
- Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002) 204-206. ( Index of claims )
Response
- Book of Mormon/Witnesses/Spiritual or literal
- Eight witnesses
- John Whitmer: shown_to_me_by_a_supernatural_power
65
Claim
The Book of Mormon "can hardly be considered unique" since James Strang produced a set of plates that were seen by witnesses.
Author's source(s)
- Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002) 208-212. ( Index of claims )
Response
- The author fails to tell us that the Strangite witnesses only testified about how the plates were found, and some of these witnesses (unlike the Book of Mormon witnesses) recanted later.
65, 362n87
Claim
LDS defenders (apologists) have redefined many of the terms that Joseph Smith used in the Book of Mormon text: steel means iron, horses are deer, tents are huts, etc.
Author's source(s)
- Dan Vogel, Brent Metcalfe, American Apocrypha, p. xiii.
Response
- Quotes another author's opinion as if it were fact: the author quotes no "apologists," but only two critics.
- The author's claim is false: LDS defenders argue that such terms have more than one meaning, and that ancient linguistic conventions sometimes apply old terms to new concepts. This version is a straw man and caricature of the argument, which the author has either not understood or misrepresented.
- Book of Mormon/Anachronisms
66, 362n88
Claim
LDS scholars such as Dee F. Green have stated that Book of Mormon archaeology is a "myth."
Author's source(s)
- Dee F. Green, "Book of Mormon Archaeology: The Myths and the Alternatives," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 4 no. 3 (Summer 1969), 72-80.
Response
- Misrepresentation of source: Green argued—in 1969—that the requisite work had not been done.
- Dee F. Green on Book of Mormon archaeology
- It is telling that the author must resort to a source that is at least 35 years old. A more current assessment is available:
- John E. Clark, "'Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief'," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005). [38–49] link
- Book of Mormon/Archaeology
66, 362n89
Claim
Dr. Michael Coe stated that there was no Book of Mormon archaeology.
Author's source(s)
- Michael Coe, "Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (Winter 1973), vol. 8, p. 44.
Response
66, 363n92
Claim
LDS scholar Terryl L. Givens "admitted" that no connection has been made between the Book of Mormon and cultures or civilizations in the Western hemisphere.
Author's source(s)
- Terryl L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon, p. 155.
Response
- The author acknowledges in his endnote that Givens "however, also quoted BYU professor Daniel Peterson, who made a statement in support of the BOM's unique character."
- See Daniel C. Peterson, "Editor's Introduction: By What Measure Shall We Mete? (Review of Hodgson's Test)," FARMS Review of Books 2/1 (1990): vii–vii. off-site
- Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians/Maya and Olmec
67, 363n95-96
Claim
The limited geography theory "cannot bear rigorous scrutiny" and "does violence" to the text of the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s)
- Vogel and Metcalfe, American Apocrypha, pp. viii-ix.
- Deanne G. Matheny, "Does the Shoe Fit? A critique of the Limited tehuantepec Geography," in New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology.
Response
- Double standard: On p. 66, the author cited Green's opinion from 1969. Green argues that a limited geography should be given serious consideration, and that seeing all Amerindians as only Lamanites is a mistake not supported by the text. But, the author will not accept Green's view of this matter.
- Book of Mormon/Geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory
67, 363n99
Claim
Apologists have suggested that "not a single early Mormon, including Joseph Smith, ever bothered reading the Book of Mormon 'closely enough to grasp the fact' " that the plates were not buried in the hill where the final Nephite battle occurred.
Author's source(s)
- John L. Sorenson and Matthew Roper, "Before DNA," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/1 (2003). [6–23] link, p. 10.
Response
- The author omits the line preceding the quoted phrase, where Sorenson and Roper indicate that "there is no evidence that in the early years any detailed thought was given to geography. Actually, the Book of Mormon was little referred to or used among church members in the first decades except as a confirming witness of the Bible. The writings or preaching of some of the best-informed church leaders of that day show that they did not read the text carefully on matters other than doctrine."
- Early members' preoccupations and interests were almost entirely doctrinal and theological. Since geography is incidental to the Book of Mormon's message, this is to be expected.
- If Joseph Smith was the author of the Book of Mormon, his ignorance on such points would be astonishing. Since he was only a translator, however, the fact that he was unaware of some of the book's nuances is unsurprising.
70, 365n115
Claim
Joseph Smith said that the angel told him that all American Indians were "literal descendants of Abraham," but DNA has disproved this.
Author's source(s)
- Joseph Smith's 1835 account of the First Vision found in the Ohio Journal—1835-1836, Nov. 9, 1835, reprinted in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, vol. 1, p. 44.
- Joseph Smith, Mar. 1, 1842, letter to John Wentworth, History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 537.
- Meldrum, "Children of Lehi"
Response
- Double standard: On p. 66, the author cited Green's opinion from 1969. Green argues that seeing all Amerindians as only Lamanites is a mistake not supported by the text. But, the author will not accept Green's view of this matter. Further, this is evidence for the position (which the author mocks on p. 67) that Joseph did not know his own book's contents.
- Misrepresentation of source: all Amerindians are descendants of Lehi; they are not just descendants of Lehi:
- Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians
- All Amerindians are descended from Lehi
- Book of Mormon/DNA evidence
71, 365n120
Claim
Joseph Smith founded the "Restored Church" on the belief that all Native Americans were descendants of the Israelites.
Author's source(s)
- Oliver Cowdery's Speech to the Delawares. Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt.
Response
- Misrepresentation of source: all Amerindians are descendants of Lehi; they are not just descendants of Lehi:
- Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians
- All Amerindians are descended from Lehi
72, 366 n.127
Claim
All modern Mormons believed that all inhabitants of the New World were descendants of the Lamanites until "science showed it to be erroneous."
Author's source(s)
- DC 54꞉8—"And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites"
Response
- Internal contradiction: 66: The Green article argued in 1969 that Lehites were not the only source of Amerindian stock.
- The author's claim is false: The Green article proves that "all modern Mormons" did not think this. There are also many other statements which show that this view was not universal:
- Book of Mormon/Geography/Borders of the Lamanites
72, 366n128
Claim
The "updated LDS paradigm" claims that Nephites intermarried with non-Israelite natives, thus diluting their DNA.
Author's source(s)
- Cooper Johnson, DNA and the Book of Mormon, FAIR web site
Response
- While the LDS are not opposed to new insights and concepts in principle, this is not an example of such—statements show that this "updated paradigm" has had advocates for at least one hundred years: Statements about Book of Mormon geography and peoples
- Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians
72, 366n130
Claim
The LDS view has always been that Israelites were the first people to populate the Americas, since the land was "kept from the knowledge of other nations."
Author's source(s)
- 2 Nephi 1꞉6
- J. Reuben Clark, "Prophecies, Penalties, and Blessings," Improvement Era, July 1940, vol. xliii., no. 7 quoted in Bill McKeever, "DNA and the Book of Mormon Record," Mormonism Research Ministry.
Response
- Internal contradiction: 66: The Green article argued in 1969 that Lehites were not the only source of Amerindian stock.
- The author's claim is false: The Green article proves that "all modern Mormons" did not think this. There are also many other statements which show that this view was not universal: Statements about Book of Mormon geography and peoples
- Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Demographics
73, 367n131-135
Claim
Not many Christians actually believe that the world was created around 4000 B.C., or that the flood occurred around 2000 B.C. In fact, "[T]he majority of traditional Christians understand that the world is older than 6000 years," therefore the claim that the DNA argument is fundamentalist "suicide bombing" is false.
Author's source(s)
- No source is provided by the author for his claim that the "majority of Christians" understand that the world is older than 6000 years.
- Daniel C. Peterson, FAIR Conference, untitled lecture, Aug. 8, 2003, author's private notes.
- David Stewart, "DNA and the Book of Mormon"
Response
- The author ignores that many critics who use DNA evidence against the Book of Mormon do belong to denominations that advocate a Young Earth and/or a universal Noachian flood. The criticism is therefore valid as it applies to them.
- Fundamentalist "suicide bombing"
73, 367n136
Claim
The Lamanites were supposed to become "white" once they converted en masse to Mormonism. This was to be accomplished by having LDS men take Indian wives.
Author's source(s)
- W.W. Phelps, "Revelation Received West of Jackson County, Missouri, July 17, 1831," reprinted in H. Michael Marquardt, The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary, p. 375.
Response
73, 367n137
Claim
The phrase "white and delightsome" was changed to "pure and delightsome" in the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s)
- 2 Nephi 30꞉6 (pre-1981 edition)
Response
- History unclear or in error: The change was made by Joseph Smith in 1836; it was not made under the influence of science or DNA.
- Book of Mormon/Textual changes/"white" changed to "pure"
73, 367n138
Claim
LDS leaders claimed that the alteration to the Book of Mormon had nothing to do with the Indians physically turning white. LDS leaders taught that the curse would one day be removed.
Author's source(s)
- No source provided.
Response
74
Claim
LDS apologists dismiss Church teachings in order to make Mormonism compatible with scientific findings.
Author's source(s)
- Author's opinion
Response
- The author's claim is false: as shown above, leaders and members have not been of one mind on this issue about which there is no official Church position.
- Misrepresentation of source: The author has failed to account for material in the sources he cites which disprove his claim.
- Mormonism and science
75, 368n142
Claim
LDS apologist B.H. Roberts "reached a shocking conclusion" that that Book of Mormon wasn't authentic.
Author's source(s)
- B.H. Roberts, Studies of the Book of Mormon, p. 271, 243.
Response
- The author's claim is false
- Misrepresentation of source
- Book of Mormon/B.H. Roberts and "Studies of the Book of Mormon"
76, 368n143
Claim
B.H. Roberts "had come to realize that the Book of Mormon was a nonhistorical document."
Author's source(s)
- Wesley P. Lloyd statement at www.lds-mormon.com/bhrlettr.shtml
Response
- The author's claim is false
- Misrepresentation of source
- Book of Mormon/B.H. Roberts' testimony
76
Claim
FARMS claims that Roberts was playing "devils advocate," but have never provided documentation to support this assertion. They only focus on his declarations that he made before he reached his "final conclusion."
Author's source(s)
- Truman G. Madsen, "B.H. Roberts and the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies (Summer 1979), volume 19, pp. 427-445.
Response
- The author's claim is false: there are statements both before and after his conclusion, some within weeks of Roberts' death.
- Book of Mormon/B.H. Roberts' testimony
- Use of sources—Roberts and the Book of Mormon
77 368n145-147
Claim
Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony of the Book of Mormon after failing to find archaeological evidence.
Author's source(s)
- Thomas Stuart Ferguson, One fold and One Shepherd.
- Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Ferguson's Two Faces," Salt Lake City Messenger #69, Sept. 1988, p. 3
- Ferguson letter dated Feb. 9, 1976.
- Ferguson letter dated Feb. 9, 1976.
Response
77 369n150-153
Claim
LDS scholars believe that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ. However, Quetzalcoatl's association with a "feathered serpent" constitutes "snake worship," and is therefore inconsistent with worship of Jesus Christ.
Author's source(s)
- John L. Sorenson, "The Decline of the God Quetzalcoatl, " in Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon, p. 234.
- Joseph Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon.
- Joseph Allen, "The White god Quetzalcoatl," Meridian Magazine, 2003.
- Adela Fernandez, Pre-Hispanic Gods of Mexico, p. 68
- Quetzalcoatl the Myth, www.weber.ucsd.edu.
Response
- The author's claim is false: At best, some LDS scholars see Quetzalcoatl as a cultural memory or corruption of Christ's visit and teachings.
- Other LDS scholars, however, strongly disagree. For example:
- Brant Gardner, "Where Much Is Promised, Less Is Given, A review of Decoding Ancient America: A Guide to the Archaeology of the Book of Mormon by Diane E. Wirth," FARMS Review 20/1 (2008): 15–32. off-site wiki
- Brant Gardner, "A New Chronicler in the Old Style," FARMS Review 19/1 (2007): 13–22. off-site wiki
- Brant Gardner, "The Other Stuff: Reading the Book of Mormon for Cultural Information (Review of: Nephite Culture and Society: Selected Papers)," FARMS Review of Books 13/2 (2001): 21–52. off-site
- Brant A. Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6 Vols. (Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 2007), 4:1–.