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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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====Citation abuse in the original ''Letter to a CES Director''==== | ====Citation abuse in the original ''Letter to a CES Director''==== | ||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Witnesses Concerns & Questions#Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's Ten Years Before the Mast|Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's ''Ten Years Before the Mast'']] {{JRSource|document=Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony|date=April 2013}} | *[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Witnesses Concerns & Questions#Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's Ten Years Before the Mast|Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's ''Ten Years Before the Mast'']] {{JRSource|document=Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony|date=April 2013}} | ||
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*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Witnesses Concerns & Questions#Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power|Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power]] {{JRSource|document=Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony|date=April 2013}} | *[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Witnesses Concerns & Questions#Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power|Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power]] {{JRSource|document=Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony|date=April 2013}} | ||
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==Response to claim: "Joseph Smith, his father, and his brother (Hyrum) had a family business treasure hunting from 1820 – 1827"== | ==Response to claim: "Joseph Smith, his father, and his brother (Hyrum) had a family business treasure hunting from 1820 – 1827"== | ||
{{IndexClaimItemShort | {{IndexClaimItemShort | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith_and_money_digging#Was_.22money_digging.22_Joseph_Smith.27s_primary_source_of_income_during_his_early_years.3F Question: Was "money digging" Joseph Smith, Jr's primary source of income during his early years?] | *[https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith_and_money_digging#Was_.22money_digging.22_Joseph_Smith.27s_primary_source_of_income_during_his_early_years.3F Question: Was "money digging" Joseph Smith, Jr's primary source of income during his early years?] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Joseph was hired by folks like Josiah Stowell, who Joseph mentions in his history"== | ==Response to claim: "Joseph was hired by folks like Josiah Stowell, who Joseph mentions in his history"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith_and_money_digging#Was_Joseph_Smith.27s_participation_in_.22money_digging.22_as_a_youth_a_blot_on_his_character.3F Question: Was Joseph Smith's participation in "money digging" as a youth a blot on his character?] | *[https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith_and_money_digging#Was_Joseph_Smith.27s_participation_in_.22money_digging.22_as_a_youth_a_blot_on_his_character.3F Question: Was Joseph Smith's participation in "money digging" as a youth a blot on his character?] | ||
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==Response to claim: "In 1826, Joseph was arrested and brought to court in Bainbridge, New York, for trial on fraud"== | ==Response to claim: "In 1826, Joseph was arrested and brought to court in Bainbridge, New York, for trial on fraud"== | ||
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*[[Question: What did critics of the Church during Joseph Smith's lifetime think of the 1826 court hearing?]] | *[[Question: What did critics of the Church during Joseph Smith's lifetime think of the 1826 court hearing?]] | ||
*[[Question: What happened to Josiah Stowell? Did he conclude he had been defrauded after the court hearing?]] | *[[Question: What happened to Josiah Stowell? Did he conclude he had been defrauded after the court hearing?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "21st century Mormons...are so confused and bewildered when hearing stuff like Joseph Smith using a peep stone in a hat"== | ==Response to claim: "21st century Mormons...are so confused and bewildered when hearing stuff like Joseph Smith using a peep stone in a hat"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Which method of translation was more "believable": seer stone or Nephite interpreters?]] | *[[Question: Which method of translation was more "believable": seer stone or Nephite interpreters?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "If Oliver Cowdery’s gift was really a divining rod then this tells us that the origins of the Church are much more involved in folk magic and superstition"== | ==Response to claim: "If Oliver Cowdery’s gift was really a divining rod then this tells us that the origins of the Church are much more involved in folk magic and superstition"== | ||
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*[[Dallin H. Oaks (1987): "It should be recognized that such tools as the Urim and Thummim, the Liahona, seerstones, and other articles have been used appropriately in biblical, Book of Mormon, and modern times"]] | *[[Dallin H. Oaks (1987): "It should be recognized that such tools as the Urim and Thummim, the Liahona, seerstones, and other articles have been used appropriately in biblical, Book of Mormon, and modern times"]] | ||
*[[Gospel Topics: "the Bible mentions other physical instruments used to access God’s power: the rod of Aaron, a brass serpent, holy anointing oils, the Ark of the Covenant, and even dirt from the ground mixed with saliva"]] | *[[Gospel Topics: "the Bible mentions other physical instruments used to access God’s power: the rod of Aaron, a brass serpent, holy anointing oils, the Ark of the Covenant, and even dirt from the ground mixed with saliva"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "who all shared a common worldview of second sight, magic, and treasure digging"== | ==Response to claim: "who all shared a common worldview of second sight, magic, and treasure digging"== | ||
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*[[Question: What did David Whitmer's associates say about his character?]] | *[[Question: What did David Whitmer's associates say about his character?]] | ||
*[[Question: Is someone unreliable because they practiced "treasure hunting" and believed in the use of seer stones to find lost objects?]] | *[[Question: Is someone unreliable because they practiced "treasure hunting" and believed in the use of seer stones to find lost objects?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Martin Harris was anything but a skeptical witness"== | ==Response to claim: "Martin Harris was anything but a skeptical witness"== | ||
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*[[Godfrey: "Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge"]] | *[[Godfrey: "Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge"]] | ||
*[[Question: Did Charles Anthon validate the characters that Martin Harris brought to him that had been copied from the Book of Mormon plates?]] | *[[Question: Did Charles Anthon validate the characters that Martin Harris brought to him that had been copied from the Book of Mormon plates?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "he was known by many of his peers as an unstable, gullible, and superstitious man"== | ==Response to claim: "he was known by many of his peers as an unstable, gullible, and superstitious man"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Is Wikipedia's portrayal of Martin Harris as a gullible, superstitious man accurate?]] | *[[Question: Is Wikipedia's portrayal of Martin Harris as a gullible, superstitious man accurate?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Before Harris became a Mormon, he had already changed his religion at least five times"== | ==Response to claim: "Before Harris became a Mormon, he had already changed his religion at least five times"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Did Martin Harris change his religion five times prior to the Restoration?]] | *[[Question: Did Martin Harris change his religion five times prior to the Restoration?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Harris continued this earlier pattern by joining and leaving 5 more different sects"== | ==Response to claim: "Harris continued this earlier pattern by joining and leaving 5 more different sects"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Does Martin Harris' involvement with other faiths after the Restoration discredit him?]] | *[[Question: Does Martin Harris' involvement with other faiths after the Restoration discredit him?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: Martin Harris “declared repeatedly that he had as much evidence for a Shaker book he had as for the Book of Mormon”== | ==Response to claim: Martin Harris “declared repeatedly that he had as much evidence for a Shaker book he had as for the Book of Mormon”== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Does Martin Harris' involvement with the Shakers undercut his testimony?]] | *[[Question: Does Martin Harris' involvement with the Shakers undercut his testimony?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: Martin Harris "had hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or a handkerchief over them, but he never saw them"== | ==Response to claim: Martin Harris "had hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or a handkerchief over them, but he never saw them"== | ||
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'''Source(s) to Consider:''' | '''Source(s) to Consider:''' | ||
*[[Stephen Burnett on Martin Harris: "But he never saw them only as he saw a city through a mountain"]] | *[[Stephen Burnett on Martin Harris: "But he never saw them only as he saw a city through a mountain"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "I did not see them as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith"== | ==Response to claim: "I did not see them as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith"== | ||
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*[[Question: How did newspaper accounts describe the nature of the witnesses experience?]] | *[[Question: How did newspaper accounts describe the nature of the witnesses experience?]] | ||
*[[Question: How did the apostle Paul describe spiritual experiences?]] | *[[Question: How did the apostle Paul describe spiritual experiences?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Why couldn’t Martin just simply answer 'yes'?"== | ==Response to claim: "Why couldn’t Martin just simply answer 'yes'?"== | ||
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*[[Edward Stevenson (1870): Martin Harris said "my belief is swallowed up in knowledge; for I want to say to you that as the Lord lives I do know that I stood with the Prophet Joseph Smith in the presence of the angel"]] | *[[Edward Stevenson (1870): Martin Harris said "my belief is swallowed up in knowledge; for I want to say to you that as the Lord lives I do know that I stood with the Prophet Joseph Smith in the presence of the angel"]] | ||
*[[George Mantle (1888): Martin Harris said "Do you know that is the sun shining on us? Because as sure as you know that...he translated that book by the power of God"]] | *[[George Mantle (1888): Martin Harris said "Do you know that is the sun shining on us? Because as sure as you know that...he translated that book by the power of God"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Whitmer responded that the angel 'had no appearance or shape'"== | ==Response to claim: "Whitmer responded that the angel 'had no appearance or shape'"== | ||
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*[[David Whitmer (1884): "I saw with these eyes and I heard with these ears"]] | *[[David Whitmer (1884): "I saw with these eyes and I heard with these ears"]] | ||
*[[David Whitmer (1887): "'He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear;' it was no delusion!"]] | *[[David Whitmer (1887): "'He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear;' it was no delusion!"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "James Henry Moyle...went away 'not fully satisfied...It was more spiritual than I anticipated'"== | ==Response to claim: "James Henry Moyle...went away 'not fully satisfied...It was more spiritual than I anticipated'"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: What did James Henry Moyle say about his visit to David Whitmer?]] | *[[Question: What did James Henry Moyle say about his visit to David Whitmer?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "As scribe for the Book of Mormon and cousin to Joseph Smith, there was a serious conflict of interest in Oliver being a witness"== | ==Response to claim: "As scribe for the Book of Mormon and cousin to Joseph Smith, there was a serious conflict of interest in Oliver being a witness"== | ||
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*[[Question: What did Oliver Cowdery say about his witness experience after Joseph died?]] | *[[Question: What did Oliver Cowdery say about his witness experience after Joseph died?]] | ||
*[[Oliver Cowdery: "My eyes saw, my ears heard...It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind—it was real"]] | *[[Oliver Cowdery: "My eyes saw, my ears heard...It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind—it was real"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock"== | ==Response to claim: "I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock"== | ||
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*[[William Smith (1884): "When the plates were brought in they were wrapped up in a tow frock. My father then put them into a pillow case. Father said, 'What, Joseph, can we not see them?'"]] | *[[William Smith (1884): "When the plates were brought in they were wrapped up in a tow frock. My father then put them into a pillow case. Father said, 'What, Joseph, can we not see them?'"]] | ||
*[[William Smith (1893): "I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock and judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds"]] | *[[William Smith (1893): "I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock and judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: James Strang and the Voree Plates Witnesses== | ==Response to claim: James Strang and the Voree Plates Witnesses== | ||
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*[[Question: What are the differences between the Strangite witness statements and those of the Three and Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon?]] | *[[Question: What are the differences between the Strangite witness statements and those of the Three and Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon?]] | ||
*[[Question: Did Joseph Smith's family and other Book of Mormon witnesses support James Strang's movement after Joseph's death?]] | *[[Question: Did Joseph Smith's family and other Book of Mormon witnesses support James Strang's movement after Joseph's death?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "Every witness name on that document is not signed; they are written in Oliver’s own handwriting"== | ==Response to claim: "Every witness name on that document is not signed; they are written in Oliver’s own handwriting"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: What is the Book of Mormon "printer's manuscript" and why is it entirely in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery?]] | *[[Question: What is the Book of Mormon "printer's manuscript" and why is it entirely in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "there is no testimony from any of the witnesses directly attesting to the direct wording and claims of the manuscript or statements in the Book of Mormon"== | ==Response to claim: "there is no testimony from any of the witnesses directly attesting to the direct wording and claims of the manuscript or statements in the Book of Mormon"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Did the Three Witnesses each add their own signature to the original Book of Mormon manuscript?]] | *[[Question: Did the Three Witnesses each add their own signature to the original Book of Mormon manuscript?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "FAIR again misses the point, which is that no original, signed document of the witnesses’ testimonies exists"== | ==Response to claim: "FAIR again misses the point, which is that no original, signed document of the witnesses’ testimonies exists"== | ||
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*[[Question: Did the witnesses make clear statements regarding their testimonies?]] | *[[Question: Did the witnesses make clear statements regarding their testimonies?]] | ||
*[[John Whitmer (1876): "I have never heard that any one of the three or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony that they have borne to the Book as published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon"]] | *[[John Whitmer (1876): "I have never heard that any one of the three or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony that they have borne to the Book as published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon"]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "God Himself spoke to Whitmer 'by his own voice from the heavens' in June 1838 commanding Whitmer to apostatize from the Lord’s one and only true Church"== | ==Response to claim: "God Himself spoke to Whitmer 'by his own voice from the heavens' in June 1838 commanding Whitmer to apostatize from the Lord’s one and only true Church"== | ||
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*[[Question: How can we accept David Whitmer as a valid Book of Mormon witness if God told him to leave the Saints?]] | *[[Question: How can we accept David Whitmer as a valid Book of Mormon witness if God told him to leave the Saints?]] | ||
*[[Question: When did God tell David Whitmer to separate himself from the Latter-day Saints?]] | *[[Question: When did God tell David Whitmer to separate himself from the Latter-day Saints?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer"== | ==Response to claim: "the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer"== | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: Are the Book of Mormon witnesses unreliable because many of them were related?]] | *[[Question: Are the Book of Mormon witnesses unreliable because many of them were related?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "We’re talking about two families which consisted of all believing Mormons...Hardly unbiased and neutral"== | ==Response to claim: "We’re talking about two families which consisted of all believing Mormons...Hardly unbiased and neutral"== | ||
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==Response to claim: "the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer"== | ==Response to claim: "the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer"== | ||
{{IndexClaimItemShort | {{IndexClaimItemShort | ||
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==Response to claim: "The Shakers and Ann Lee"== | ==Response to claim: "The Shakers and Ann Lee"== | ||
{{IndexClaimItemShort | {{IndexClaimItemShort | ||
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'''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | '''Longer response(s) to criticism:''' | ||
*[[Question: How do the witnesses of the Book of Mormon compare to the witnesses of Philemon Stewart's ''A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book; From the Lord God of Heaven, to the Inhabitants of Earth''?]] | *[[Question: How do the witnesses of the Book of Mormon compare to the witnesses of Philemon Stewart's ''A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book; From the Lord God of Heaven, to the Inhabitants of Earth''?]] | ||
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==Response to claim: "The mistake that is made by 21st century Mormons is that they’re seeing the Book of Mormon Witnesses as empirical, rational, nineteenth-century men"== | ==Response to claim: "The mistake that is made by 21st century Mormons is that they’re seeing the Book of Mormon Witnesses as empirical, rational, nineteenth-century men"== | ||
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*[[Question: Is a man unreliable because he lived in the 19th-Century?]] | *[[Question: Is a man unreliable because he lived in the 19th-Century?]] | ||
*[[Peterson (2014): "It’s rather like someone to ascribe early Christian belief to the resurrection of Jesus to the supposed fact that ancient people, unlike us, hadn’t yet realized that dead people tend to stay dead"]] | *[[Peterson (2014): "It’s rather like someone to ascribe early Christian belief to the resurrection of Jesus to the supposed fact that ancient people, unlike us, hadn’t yet realized that dead people tend to stay dead"]] | ||
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*[[Question: Why were the gold plates needed at all if they weren't used directly during the translation process?]] | *[[Question: Why were the gold plates needed at all if they weren't used directly during the translation process?]] | ||
*[[Question: How do Church members assume that Joseph would have "used the plates" during translation?]] | *[[Question: How do Church members assume that Joseph would have "used the plates" during translation?]] | ||
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===Brian Hales: CES Letter 50 to 65 Three Witnesses Including a Rebuttal of Dan Vogel's Claims.=== | ===Brian Hales: CES Letter 50 to 65 Three Witnesses Including a Rebuttal of Dan Vogel's Claims.=== | ||
<embedvideo service="youtube">sMICt8V2C8w</embedvideo> | <embedvideo service="youtube">sMICt8V2C8w</embedvideo> | ||
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===Brian Hales: CES Letter 50 to 65 Witnesses Continued=== | ===Brian Hales: CES Letter 50 to 65 Witnesses Continued=== | ||
<embedvideo service="youtube">XatMd7zYIvw</embedvideo> | <embedvideo service="youtube">XatMd7zYIvw</embedvideo> | ||
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==LDS Truth Claims: The Witnesses== | ==LDS Truth Claims: The Witnesses== | ||
<embedvideo service="youtube">00WU-UziEvY</embedvideo> | <embedvideo service="youtube">00WU-UziEvY</embedvideo> | ||
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<embedvideo service="youtube">-K6Tuw9I7xs</embedvideo> | <embedvideo service="youtube">-K6Tuw9I7xs</embedvideo> | ||
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==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's ''Ten Years Before the Mast''== | ==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Anthony Metcalf's ''Ten Years Before the Mast''== | ||
{{CESLetterCitationAbuse | {{CESLetterCitationAbuse | ||
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{{:CitationAbuse:CES Letter:Metcalf Ten Years Before the Mast}} | {{:CitationAbuse:CES Letter:Metcalf Ten Years Before the Mast}} | ||
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==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Stephen Burnett to Br. Johnson== | ==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: Stephen Burnett to Br. Johnson== | ||
{{CESLetterCitationAbuse | {{CESLetterCitationAbuse | ||
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{{:CitationAbuse:CES Letter:Stephen Burnett to Br. Johnson}} | {{:CitationAbuse:CES Letter:Stephen Burnett to Br. Johnson}} | ||
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==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power== | ==Citation abuse in the original Letter to a CES Director: John Whitmer states that he saw the plates by a supernatural power== | ||
{{CESLetterCitationAbuse | {{CESLetterCitationAbuse |
[[../Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions|Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions]] | A FAIR Analysis of: [[../|Letter to a CES Director]], a work by author: Jeremy Runnells
|
[[../Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions|Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions]] |
Summary: Regarding the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, the author states, "At the end of the day? It all doesn’t matter. The Book of Mormon Witnesses and their testimonies of the gold plates are irrelevant. It does not matter whether eleven 19th century treasure diggers with magical worldviews saw some gold plates or not. It doesn’t matter because of this one simple fact: Joseph did not use the gold plates for translating the Book of Mormon."
Jump to details:
Joseph Smith, his father, and his brother (Hyrum) had a family business treasure hunting from 1820 – 1827
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Joseph was hired by folks like Josiah Stowell [to search for treasure], who Joseph mentions in his history
Longer response(s) to criticism:
In 1826, Joseph was arrested and brought to court in Bainbridge, New York, for trial on fraud. He was arrested on the complaint of Stowell’s nephew who accused Joseph of being a “disorderly person and an imposter”
Longer response(s) to criticism:
This is one of the reasons why 21st century Mormons, once including myself, are so confused and bewildered when hearing stuff like Joseph Smith using a peep stone in a hat or Oliver Cowdery using a divining rod or dowsing rod
Longer response(s) to criticism:
If Oliver Cowdery’s gift was really a divining rod then this tells us that the origins of the Church are much more involved in folk magic and superstition than we’ve been led to believe by the LDS Church’s whitewashing of its origins and history.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
We are told that the witnesses never disavowed their testimonies, but we have not come to know these men or investigated what else they said about their experiences. They are 11 individuals: Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Hiram Page, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer Jr., Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith, and Joseph Smith Sr. – who all shared a common worldview of second sight, magic, and treasure digging – which is what drew them together in 1829.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Martin Harris was anything but a skeptical witness.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
[Martin Harris] was known by many of his peers as an unstable, gullible, and superstitious man.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Before Harris became a Mormon, he had already changed his religion at least five times.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Harris continued this earlier pattern by joining and leaving 5 more different sects
Longer response(s) to criticism:
It has been reported that Martin Harris “declared repeatedly that he had as much evidence for a Shaker book he had as for the Book of Mormon”Author's sources:
- The Braden and Kelly Debate, p.173
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Martin Harris:“…he said he had hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or a handkerchief over them, but he never saw them…” – Letter from Stephen Burnett to “Br. Johnson,” April 15, 1838, in Joseph Smith Letter Book, p. 2....There is a difference between saying you “beheld and saw the plates and the engravings thereon” and saying you “hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or a handkerchief over them”...If these witnesses literally really saw the plates like everyone else on the planet sees tangible objects…why strange statements like, “I never saw them only as I see a city through a mountain”? What does that even mean? I’ve never seen a city through a mountain. Have you?
Source(s) to Consider:
Martin Harris: “I did not see them as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith; I saw them just as distinctly as I see anything around me, though at the time they were covered over with a cloth.”– Origin and History of the Mormonites, p. 406
There is a difference between saying you “beheld and saw the plates and the engravings thereon” and saying...that the plates “were covered over with a cloth” and that you “saw them with a spiritual eye”.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
John H. Gilbert, the typesetter for most of the Book of Mormon, said that he had asked Harris, “Martin, did you see those plates with your naked eyes?” According to Gilbert, Harris “looked down for an instant, raised his eyes up, and said, ‘No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.” – EMD 2:548....Why couldn’t Martin just simply answer “yes”?"
Source(s) to consider:
In 1880, David Whitmer was asked [by John Murphy] for a description of the angel who showed him the plates. Whitmer responded that the angel “had no appearance or shape.” When asked by the interviewer how he then could bear testimony that he had seen and heard an angel, Whitmer replied, “Have you never had impressions?” To which the interviewer responded, “Then you had impressions as the Quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?” “Just so,” replied Whitmer. – Interview with John Murphy, June 1880, EMD 5:63
Longer response(s) to criticism:
A young Mormon lawyer, James Henry Moyle, who interviewed Whitmer in 1885, asked if there was any possibility that Whitmer had been deceived. "His answer was uneuqivocal...that he saw the plates and heard the angel with unmistakable clearness." But Moyle went away "not fully satisfied...It was more spiritual than I anticipated." — Moyle diary, June 28, 1885, EMD 5:141
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Oliver Cowdery was not an objective and independent witness. As scribe for the Book of Mormon and cousin to Joseph Smith, there was a serious conflict of interest in Oliver being a witness.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
William Smith said, with regard to the gold plates, “I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock.” – EMD 1:497 (April 2013 revision)
This claim was subsequently retracted by the author of the CES Letter. (October 2014 revision)
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Every single living Book of Mormon witness besides Oliver Cowdery accepted Strang’s prophetic claim of being Joseph’s true successor and joined him and his church. Additionally, every single member of Joseph Smith’s family except for Hyrum’s widow also endorsed, joined, and sustained James Strang as “Prophet, Seer, and Revelator”. What does this say about the credibility of the Book of Mormon witnesses if they were so easily duped by James Strang and his claims of being a prophet called of God to bring forth new scripture from ancient plates only to later turn out to be a fraud?....James Strang’s claims and Voree Plates Witnesses are distinctive and more impressive compared to the Book of Mormon Witnesses" and that none of Strang's witnesses recanted "even after they were excommunicated from the church and estranged from Strang.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
The closest thing we have in existence to an original document of the testimonies of the witnesses is a printer’s manuscript written by Oliver Cowdery. Every witness name on that document is not signed; they are written in Oliver’s own handwriting...According to the above manuscript that Oliver took to the printer for the Book of Mormon, they were not signatures. Since there is no evidence of any document whatsoever with the signatures of the witnesses, the only real testimonies we have from the witnesses are later interviews given by them and eyewitness accounts/affidavits made by others, as shown previously....From a legal perspective, the statements of the testimonies of the Three and Eight witnesses hold no credibility or weight in a court of law...
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Further, there is no testimony from any of the witnesses directly attesting to the direct wording and claims of the manuscript or statements in the Book of Mormon... (April 2013 revision)See also the followup(s) to this claim from "Debunking FAIR’s Debunking" (20 July 2014 revision):
Further, there is no testimony from any of the witnesses, with the exception of David Whitmer, directly attesting to the direct wording and claims of the manuscript or statements in the Book of Mormon... (October 2014 revision)
Response to claim: "FAIR again misses the point, which is that no original, signed document of the witnesses’ testimonies exists"
Response to claim: "God Himself spoke to Whitmer 'by his own voice from the heavens' in June 1838 commanding Whitmer to apostatize from the Lord’s one and only true Church"
Thus, the "goal post" has been moved by the author.
Longer response(s) to criticism:
FAIR again misses the point, which is that no original, signed document of the witnesses’ testimonies exists. We do not have an actual document of actual signatures of the Book of Mormon witnesses. We just have a document, in Oliver’s own handwriting, of the names of the Witnesses. We have a claim that there was a document of actual signatures and a claim that this document was “placed in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House” and that it was “destroyed by water damage” years later.
The author then attempts to discredit Whitmer by using his statement from An Address to All Believers in Christ: "If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon; if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens and told me to 'separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints, for as they sought to do unto me, so it should be done unto them.’" However, as stated in the subsequent section, this message came to Whitmer after he had already been excommunicated, and there was a possibility that he could have been harmed. We have no problem accepting the idea that God told Whitmer to leave the area in order to preserve one of the Book of Mormon witnesses so that he could continue to testify.
However,
Longer response(s) to criticism:
If David Whitmer is a credible witness, why are we only using his testimony of the Book of Mormon while ignoring his other testimony claiming that God Himself spoke to Whitmer “by his own voice from the heavens” in June 1838 commanding Whitmer to apostatize from the Lord’s one and only true Church? FAIR must admit that Whitmer was less than credible on this occasion. Why couldn’t he have been less than credible when he testified of the Book of Mormon?
Longer response(s) to criticism:
the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer.See also the followup(s) to this claim from "Debunking FAIR’s Debunking" (20 July 2014 revision):
Response to claim: "We’re talking about two families which consisted of all believing Mormons...Hardly unbiased and neutral"
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Indeed, is it easier to run a scam or fraud with two well-connected families or with 11 independent and unrelated individuals? We’re not just talking about two well-connected families. We’re talking about two families which consisted of all believing Mormons who prior to this event already held a belief in the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s calling as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Hardly unbiased and neutral.
the fact that all of the Book of Mormon Witnesses – except Martin Harris – were related to either Joseph Smith or David Whitmer.See also the followup(s) to this claim from "Debunking FAIR’s Debunking" (20 July 2014 revision):
Response to claim: "We’re talking about two families which consisted of all believing Mormons...Hardly unbiased and neutral"
The Shakers felt that “Christ has made his second appearance on earth, in a chosen female known by the name of Ann Lee, and acknowledged by us as our Blessed Mother in the work of redemption." The Shakers had a sacred book entitled A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book; From the Lord God of Heaven, to the Inhabitants of Earth. More than 60 individuals gave testimony to the Sacred Roll and Book, which was published in 1843. Although not all of them mention angels appearing, some of them tell of many angels visiting them. One woman told of eight different visions.
Here is the testimony statement (page 304 of Sacred Roll and Book):We, the undersigned, hereby testify, that we saw the holy Angel standing upon the house-top, as mentioned in the foregoing declaration, holding the Roll and Book.
BETSEY BOOTHE.
LOUISA CHAMBERLAIN.
CATY DE WITT.
LAURA ANN JACOBS.
SARAH MARIA LEWIS.
SARAH ANN SPENCER.
LUCINDA MCDONIELS.
MARIA HEDRICK.
Joseph Smith only had three witnesses who claimed to see an angel. The Shakers, however, had a large number of witnesses who claimed they saw angels and the Sacred Roll and Book. There are over a hundred pages of testimony from “Living Witnesses"...
Why should we believe the Book of Mormon Witnesses but not the Shakers witnesses?
Longer response(s) to criticism:
The mistake that is made by 21st century Mormons is that they’re seeing the Book of Mormon Witnesses as empirical, rational, twenty-first century men instead of the nineteenth-century magical-thinking men they were. (April 2013)
The mistake that is made by 21st century Mormons is that they’re seeing the Book of Mormon Witnesses as empirical, rational, nineteenth-century men instead of the nineteenth-century magical thinking, superstitious, and treasure digging men they were. (October 2013)
It seems implausible to assume that the witnesses, early nineteenth-century farmers who spent their lives rising at sunrise, pulling up stumps, clearing rocks, plowing fields, sowing seeds, carefully nurturing crops, herding livestock, milking cows, digging wells, building cabins, raising barns, harvesting food, bartering, in an often cashless economy, for what they could not produce themselves, wearing clothes made from plant fibers and skins, anxiously watching the seasons, and walking or riding animals out under the weather until they retired to their beds shortly after sunset in “a world lit only by fire,” that they were estranged from everyday reality.
It’s especially unbelievable when the claim is made by people whose lives, like mine, consist to a large extent of staring at digital screens in artificially air-conditioned and artificially lit homes and offices, clothed in synthetic fibers, commuting between the two in enclosed and air-conditioned mechanical vehicles while they listen to the radio, chat on their cell phones, and fiddle with their iPods, whose inner workings are largely mysterious to them, who buy their prepackaged food (with little or no regard for the time or the season) by means of plastic cards and electronic financial transfers from artificially illuminated and air-conditioned supermarkets enmeshed in international distribution networks of which they know virtually nothing, the rhythms of whose daily lives are largely unaffected by the rising and setting of the sun. Somehow the current generation seems ill-positioned to accuse the witnesses’ generation of being out of touch with reality.
—Daniel C. Peterson, "Some Reflections on That Letter to a CES Director," 2014 FairMormon Conference
Longer response(s) to criticism:
It doesn’t matter because of this one simple fact: Joseph did not use the gold plates for translating the Book of Mormon.
Daniel C. Peterson said:
A knowledgeable academic friend who does not believe in the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon once asked me, since it seems that the plates were not actually necessary to the translation process and were sometimes not even present in the room, what purpose they served. I responded that I did not know, exactly, except for one thing: They are an indigestible lump in the throats of people like him who contend that there were no Nephites but that Joseph Smith was nonetheless an inspired prophet. If the plates really existed, somebody made them. And if no Nephites existed to make them, then either Joseph Smith, or God, or somebody else seems to have been engaged in simple fraud. The testimony of the witnesses exists, I think, to force a dichotomous choice: true or false? [1]
Longer response(s) to criticism:
Oliver Cowdery’s failure to expose the Priesthood restoration fraud during his excommunication proceedings and after his excommunication from the Church. Why not expose the fraud? Why stick with the false story? Many possible reasons exist:
1. By exposing Joseph Smith and the fraud, Oliver would likewise be exposing himself as the co-conspirator and co-founder of the Church.2.Oliver Cowdery competed with Joseph Smith for leadership in the Church and wanted to maintain his credibility as a potential future leader among the Church membership. Indeed, Oliver remained in Far West for a few months after his excommunication (until he feared for his life and left) and was known as a “dissenter.”
3. Any person (even an honest person) hates to admit that he was flummoxed, or that he lied under oath, or that he has contributed to the deception of thousands of trusting people. It is easier and it causes less trouble by just sticking by the original story.
4.He did not want to disillusion or destroy the faith of those who were converted to the Book of Mormon because of his testimony.
5.He may have retained a special feeling and regard for the Book of Mormon because of its many Biblical passages and Christ-centered teachings.
6.Since his declaration is stated in the name of “the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” he would not only be guilty of perjury, but his credibility would be suspect and ruined for the rest of his life. This is especially true for Oliver as his most important currency and asset in his careers – law and politics – was his perceived honor, integrity, and reputation with non-Mormons.
7. He enjoyed the celebrity status of being a witness and founding member of a rapidly growing religion. In time, he continued to embellish and persevere in his story.
8.Oliver would appear sinister, conniving, deceptive, and untrustworthy telling people that what he testified to and allowed to appear in print, was just one big hoax and lie. The price in loss of respect and reputation was perhaps a price Oliver was simply unwilling to pay.
The logic presented by the author is absurd and is an exercise in "mental gymnastics." He has to come up with some reason...any reason...to explain why Oliver was both dishonest and yet never denied his witness. The one possibility that the author never grants is that Oliver was actually telling the truth about the priesthood restoration.
"Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast and Early Mormon Documents 2:346–47"
The Letter to a CES Director presents two quotes and two sources to demonstrate that Martin Harris did not actually see the gold plates and the angel Moroni:
“While praying I passed into a state of entrancement, and in that state I saw the angel and the plates.” – Martin Harris, (Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast, n.d., microfilm copy, p. 70-71)
“I never saw the gold plates, only in a visionary or entranced state.” – EMD 2:346-47
The Letter presents these two quotes as coming from two different sources: 1) Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast and 2) Early Mormon Documents (EMD) 2:346-347. An examination of the two sources, however, demonstrates that both came from the same source. The first quote, the one attributed to Metcalf, is found in EMD 2:346. The second quote is found in EMD 2:347. The combined citation for both quotes is EMD 2:346-347. The Letter, however, only assigns this citation to the second quote. The author of the Letter also reverses the order in which the two phrases appear in the quote.
Anthony Metcalf interviewed Martin Harris in the 1873 or 1874 timeframe. Note that Metcalf considered Joseph Smith a "pretended prophet" and was therefore relating Harris's claims from a skeptical perspective. Here is the complete quote with the portions that were extracted and presented separately by the author of the Letter to a CES Director highlighted in blue:
Following is the history as related to me, including all his connections with Joseph Smith, the pretended prophet and the founder of the Mormon church: He told me all about the translating of the Book of Mormon, and said he had give $5,000 towards its publication. He said "I never saw the golden plates, only in a visionary or entranced state. I wrote a great deal of the Book of Mormon myself, as Joseph Smith translated or spelled the words out in English. Sometimes the plates would be on a table in the room in which Smith did the translating, covered over with cloth. I was told by Joseph Smith that God would strike him dead if he attempted to look at them, and I believed it. When the time came for the three witnesses to see the plates, Joseph Smith, myself, David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery, went into the woods to pray. When they had all engaged in prayer, they failed at that time to see the plates or the angel who should have been on hand to exhibit them. They all believed it was because I was not good enough, or, in other words, not sufficiently sanctified. I withdrew. As soon as I had gone away, the three others saw the angel and the plates. In about three days I went into the woods to pray that I might see the plates. While praying I passed into a state of entrancement, and in that state I saw the angel and the plates." [2]
"Letter from Stephen Burnett to “Br. Johnson,” April 15, 1838, in Joseph Smith Letter Book"
Jump to details:
"History of the Church Vol. 3, Ch. 21, p. 307-308"
The original Letter to a CES Director presents the following quote from John Whitmer, one of the Eight Witnesses, in order to demonstrate the Whitmer did not actually see the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated:
“They were shown to me by a supernatural power” – History of the Church Vol. 3, Ch. 21, p. 307-308
This quote from John Whitmer actually confirms that he saw and handled the plates. All we have to do is look at the very same source. Whitmer states:
‘I now say, I handled those plates; there were fine engravings on both sides. I handled them;’ and he described how they were hung [on rings]
The portion extracted by the author of the Letter is highlighted in blue. The portion that he ignored is highlighted in red:
“[Theodore] Turley said, ‘Gentlemen, I presume there are men here who have heard [John] Corrill say, that Mormonism was true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and inspired of God. I now call upon you, John Whitmer: you say Corrill is a moral and a good man; do you believe him when he says the Book of Mormon is true, or when he says it is not true? There are many things published that they say are true, and again turn around and say they are false.’ Whitmer asked, ‘Do you hint at me?’ Turley replied, ‘If the cap fits you, wear it; all I know is that you have published to the world that an angel did present those plates to Joseph Smith.’ Whitmer replied: ‘I now say, I handled those plates; there were fine engravings on both sides. I handled them;’ and he described how they were hung [on rings], and [said] ‘they were shown to me by a supernatural power;’ he acknowledged all.” [3]
Notes
[[../Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions|Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions]] | A FAIR Analysis of: [[../|Letter to a CES Director]] A work by author: Jeremy Runnells
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[[../Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions|Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions]] |
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