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.
Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Index"
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*[[/Chapter 5|Claims made in "Chapter 5: People of Zion"]] | *[[/Chapter 5|Claims made in "Chapter 5: People of Zion"]] | ||
*[[/Chapter 6|Claims made in "Chapter 6: No rest for the Righteous"]] | *[[/Chapter 6|Claims made in "Chapter 6: No rest for the Righteous"]] | ||
| − | *[[/Chapter 7|Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woes In Ohio" | + | *[[/Chapter 7|Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woes In Ohio"]] |
*[[/Chapter 8|Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"]] | *[[/Chapter 8|Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"]] | ||
*[[/Chapter 9|Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom"]] | *[[/Chapter 9|Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom"]] | ||
Revision as of 11:38, 21 December 2008
| Overview | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods A work by author: Richard Abanes
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Use of sources |
Index to claims made in One Nation Under Gods
This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIRwiki. An effort has been made to provide the author's original sources where possible.
It should be noted that Richard Abanes' response to the list of problems documented by FAIR is that the editing on the hardback edition of One Nation Under Gods was incomplete and that many of the problems were corrected in the paperback edition, published a year later. (This corrected paperback edition bears no markings indicating that it is a second edition or an updated edition; it simply appears as a paperback edition of the original.) Despite the author's statements, many of the problems noted exist in both the hardback and paperback versions. FAIR members are in the process of updating the problems so they address both editions of the book.
In the table below the Hardback is represented by "HB" and the Paperback by "PB."
- Claims made in "Introduction: A Thread of Prophecy"
- Claims made in "Chapter 1: Vagabond Visionaries"
- Claims made in "Chapter 2: Moroni, Magic, and Masonry"
- Claims made in "Chapter 3: From Profit to Prophet"
- Claims made in "Chapter 4: Smith's Golden Book"
- Claims made in "Chapter 5: People of Zion"
- Claims made in "Chapter 6: No rest for the Righteous"
- Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woes In Ohio"
- Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"
- Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom"
- Claims made in "Chapter 10: A New Beginning"
- Claims made in "Chapter 11: Bloody Brigham"
- Claims made in "Chapter 12: Wars and Rumors of Wars"
- Claims made in "Chapter 13: Unholy Matrimony"
- Claims made in "Chapter 14: The Politics of Compromise"
- Claims made in "Chapter 15: Making the Transition"
- Claims made in "Chapter 16: Mormon Racism: Black Is Not Beautiful"
- Claims made in "Chapter 17: Is Mormonism Christian?"
- Claims made in "Chapter 18: Cover-Ups, Conspiracies, and Controversies"
- Claims made in "Notes"
Claims made in "Introduction: A Thread of Prophecy"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| xv, 477n2 (HB) ix, 475n2 (PB) |
"[S]ome of the least reliable reports on Mormon history, especially with regard to its earliest years, are those that have been produced by the LDS church..." | Use of sources: Historical Suppression in the Church |
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| xv, 477n5 (HB) ix, 475n5 (PB) |
LDS leaders "attempt to control depictions of the Mormon past. | Use of sources: Calling All Mormon Scholars |
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| xv-xvi, 477n6 (HB) | "Mormon Scholars too often write history that, if not blatantly, at least tacitly defends the faith." | Use of sources: An Example of Biased Histories |
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| xvii | The "White Horse" prophecy predicts the "transformation of the U.S. government into a Mormon-ruled theocracy. | The White Horse prophecy |
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| xviii, 475n5 (HB) | The "White Horse" prophecy "continues to be a dominant element of the faith espoused by Joseph Smith's followers" because they believe that they will be "officers and administrators" during Christ's millennial reign. | The White Horse prophecy Use of sources: The Mormon Quest for Power |
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| xix | Various Church leaders have reiterated the "White Horse" prophecy. | The White Horse prophecy |
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| xx, 479n10 (HB) xiv, 477n10 |
Mormonism existed as a "radical, immoral, and un-American band of religious zealots" (HB) corrected to Mormonism "was perceived as a radical, immoral, and un-American band of religious zealots" (PB) | Use of sources: Perception and Reality |
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| xx, 479n15 (HB) xiv, 477n15 (PB) |
The Church will rebuild the government and restore economic prosperity in preparation for Jesus Christ setting up a theocracy in Missouri. | Use of sources: Christ Setting up a Theocracy in Missouri |
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| xx, 479n17 (HB) | "Mormons thereafter will reign with Christ, and every American citizen, along with the rest of the world, will be forced to recognize Mormonism as the one true religion." | The White Horse prophecy Use of sources: Destroying Governments and Religions |
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| xxi | As for other governments and religions, according to Joseph Smith, they "must eventually be destroyed from the earth." | Other governments and religions to be destroyed from the earth? Use of sources: Destroying Governments and Religions |
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| xxiv | The Church refuses to divulge "routine (financial) information that other religions are happy to provide over the phone." |
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| xxiv | Mormons believe that they are "morally, ethically, and spiritually superior to non-Mormons." |
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Claims made in "Chapter 1: Vagabond Visionaries"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | "To most of his contemporaries, Joseph Smith was nothing but a charlatan from a family of illiterate wnderers; a shiftless trouble-maker—albeit a charismatic and imaginative one—with a penchant for superstitions, storytelling, and decision-making based on the occult traditions of ninteteenth century rural folk magic." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Nathaniel Lewis |
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| 9-11 | "[T]he Smiths finally gave up on finding deliverance from their poverty by any means that might be termed legitimate employment. They turned instead to borrowing, fast-talking, and 'money-diffing' through occult divination." | The Hurlbut affidavits |
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| 15 | Local newspapers show no revival occurring in 1820 in the area of Palmyra-Manchester, New York. | Religious revivals in 1820 |
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| 15 | Smith probably incorporated an 1824 revival into his First Vision story. | Conflation of 1824-25 revival? |
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| 15 | Joseph's 1832 First Vision account states that he was 15 rather than 14 years old. | Different age provided in the 1832 text | |
| 15 | Joseph's 1832 account states that he only saw Jesus and doesn't mention God the Father. | Only one Personage appears in the 1832 account | |
| 15 | The main message of the 1832 account was the forgiveness of Joseph's sins. | Motivation in 1832 account is different | |
| 15 | The 1832 account omits information about "God condemning Christian churches as corrupt." | 1832 account doesn't forbid joining a church | |
| 16-17 | Orson Pratt said that the two personages were angels. | Orson Pratt confused about "angel" or Father-Son |
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| 17 | Church historian Andrew Jenson said that "The angel again forbade Joseph to join any of these churches." | Andrew Jenson called personage an "angel" |
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| 18 | John Taylor only calls the Father and Son "two glorious personages" and does not mention "this is my beloved son." | John Taylor's understanding of the First Vision |
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| 18 | The 1824 revival caused Joseph's mother, sister and two brothers to join the Presbyterian church. | Conflation of 1824-25 revival? |
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| 18 | The 1824 revival cause Joseph to join a Baptist church. | Joseph Smith joined other churches |
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| 18 | No publications from the Palmyra or Manchester areas mentioned Joseph's vision. | No reference to First Vision in 1830s publications? |
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| 22, 490 n.78 | The vision of Moroni was the only vision that existed for many years. Lucy Mack Smith said that the first vision was that of a "holy Angel" | Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel" |
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Claims made in "Chapter 2: Moroni, Magic, and Masonry"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | The author claims that "LDS documents are strangely silent about their prophet's activities during the three years immediately following his 1820 First Vision." | Absurd claims |
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| 25 | The angel was originally named "Nephi" instead of "Moroni." | Nephi or Moroni |
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| 26, 492 n.19-20 | Oliver Cowdery said that the First Vision took place in 1823 when Joseph was in his 17th year. | Oliver Cowdery not aware of First Vision in 1834-35 |
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| 26, 492 n.21 | Joseph's brother William associates Moroni's visit with a revival. | William Smith said First Vision was an "angel"? |
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| 27, 493 n.23 | George A. Smith merged the First Vision and Moroni's visit. | George A. Smith said First Vision was an "angel" |
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| 27, 493 n.24 | Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph's mother, said that the First Vision was of the angel in 1823. | Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel" |
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| 27 | Joseph engaged in "ritual magic and divination." | Joseph Smith and the occult |
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| 28 | Joseph was a "money digger" | Joseph Smith and money digging |
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| 28 | Joseph used a "peep stone" to search for treasure. | Joseph Smith and seer stones |
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| 29, 494 n.30 | Joseph's father was "a firm believer in witchcraft and other supernatural things; and had brought up his family in the same beief." |
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| 29, 494-5 n.33-34 | Martin Harris said that Joseph was associated with a company of money diggers. | Joseph Smith and money digging |
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| 29, 495 n.36 | Joshua Stafford said that Joseph's family "told marvelous stories about ghosts, hob-goblins, caverns, and verious other mysterious matters." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joshua Stafford |
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| 29-30, 495 n.37 | "Most of the residents" of Palmyra and Manchester considered the Smith family a "close-knit clan of occultists." | Joseph Smith and the occult |
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| 30, 495 n.38 | William Stafford stated that Joseph used a seer stone to see "the spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clotehd in ancient dress." | The Hurlbut affidavits—William Stafford |
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| 30, 495 n.40 | Joseph Capron stated that Joseph encouraged others to participate in money digging in order to obtain wealth. | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joseph Capron |
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| 31, 495 n.41 | Rev. John Sherer said that Joseph Smith was a "juggler" (i.e. a "con-man") |
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| 31, 495 n.42 | William Stafford stated that Joseph believed that the state of the moon determined the best time to obtain treasures. | The Hurlbut affidavits—William Stafford |
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| 31, 495 n.43 | Joseph Smith made animal sacrifices to "appease whatever spirits might be guarding the buried treasure." |
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| 31, 496 n.44 | Hiel Lewis claimed that dogs, cats and other animals were sacrificed. |
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| 33, 495 n.48 | Joshua Stafford said that Joseph showed him a piece of wood from a box of money that had "mysteriously moved back into the hill." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joshua Stafford |
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| 36, 497 n.63 | LDS historian Reed C. Durham stated that "virtually all aspects of the Royal Arch Freemasonry legend of Enoch 'seem transformed into the history of Joseph Smith, so much that even it appears to be a kind of symbolic acting out of Masonic lore.'" |
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| 36 | Joseph Smith adapted Masonic rituals for the temple endowment. | Temple endowment and Freemasonry | |
| 40 | The Book of Mormon denounces Freemasonry by condemning "secret combinations," "secret signs," and "secret oaths." |
Claims made in "Chapter 3: From Profit to Prophet"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41, 500 n.2-4 | Joseph used at least two seer stones. | Joseph Smith and seer stones |
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| 42, 500 n.7 | Issac Hale, Emma's father, disapproved of Joseph because of his money digging activities. | The Hurlbut affidavits—Isaac Hale |
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| 44 | Joseph was pronounced "guilty" of performing illegal activities with the stone. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
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| 46, 503 n.18 | Hugh Nibley said, "If this court recored is authentic, it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
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| 46, 503 n.20 | Francis Kirkham claimed that "If any evidence had been in existence that Joseph Smith had used a seer stone for fraud and deception, and expcially had he made this confession in a court of law as early as 1826, or four years before the Book of Mormon was printed, and this confession was in a court record, it would have been impossible for hism to have organized the resorted Church. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
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| 47, 503 n.22 | Joseph realized that "money-digging alone was bringing in ony about $14 a month, which was not nearly enough to support a family." | Joseph Smith and money digging |
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| 47, 503 n.23 | Joseph initially "attached no religious significance" to the "golden book" that he told people he would be retrieving. He instead "touted it as a book that would 'tell him how to get money that was buried in the ground.'" |
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| 48, 503 n.25 | Joseph decided to convert his book into a saga about America's ancient inhabitants as a money making scheme. |
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| 503 n.25 | Joseph tried to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada. | Did Joseph Smith attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright? |
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| 48, 503-4 n.29-32 | One of Joseph's early descriptions of Moroni was of a bloody ghost with his throat cut. |
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| 50-51, n.34-36 | "The Smiths eventually changed Joseph's 'dream' of a ghost to a 'vision' of a spirit (but not yet an angel)...A 'toad-like' creature 'assumed the appearance of a man' and struck Joseph on the side of his head, telling him that it was not yet time to retrieve the plates." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Willard Chase |
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| 51 | "A subsequent version of Smith's ever-changing tale..." |
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| 51 | "Until well into the late 1800s it was widely understood that Smith found the golden plates not by a dream, or a ghost, or a vision—but by looking into his peep-stone and seeing where they had been deposited. | Absurd claims |
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| 51 | "all of the religious aspects of Smith's adventures came much later." |
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| 52 | Joseph Smith claimed that the moon was inhabited. | Joseph Smith and moonmen |
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| 52 | Joseph taught the doctrine of "Caucasians advancing to godhood" |
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| 52 | Joseph taught the notion that "Blacks, Indians, and other people of color are cursed spirits." | Lamanite curse |
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| 53, 505-506n47 (HB) 53, 503-504n47 (PB) |
"After all, no one had actually seen the plates, nor would anyoneever see them" | Absurd claims Use of sources: Seeing the Plates |
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| 505 n.47 | The witnesses only saw the plates through "visionary experiences." | ||
| 505 n.47 | The eight witnesses only saw the plates as long as they were covered with a cloth of some kind. |
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| 505 n.47 | Martin Harris said that none of the eight witnesses ever saw the plates, and that he only handled them in a box or under a cloth. |
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| 505 n.47 | Joseph Smith claimed that the Three Witnesses saw the plates in a vision. |
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| 505 n.47 | David Whitmer "agreed that neither he, nor the other Three Witnesses, ever physically saw or handled the plates. |
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| 508 n.59 | "Mormons often try to discredit Anthon by pointing out an alleged discrepancy between his letters, but there exists no such discrepancy. |
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| 55, 508n60 (HB) 55, 506n60 (PB) |
Scholars have declared that there is no language called "Reformed Egyptian." | Reformed Egyptian Use of sources: Reformed Egyptian |
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| 55, 508 n.62 | Joseph used his "peep-stone" to translate the Book of Mormon. | Book of Mormon translation method |
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| 56, 508 n.63-65 | Emma Smith and David Whitmer said that Joseph translated using his seer stone in a hat. | Book of Mormon translation method |
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Claims made in "Chapter 4: Smith's Golden Book"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | "This story would prove to be one of Smith's best tales." |
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| 64, 511n24 (HB) | Joseph Smith's "amusing recitals" of ancient American inhabitants. |
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| 72, 514n61 (HB) | The name "Lemuel" may have been derived from the name of the Smith's landlord, Lemuel Durfee. |
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Claims made in "Chapter 5: People of Zion"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95, 522n74 (HB) | Martin Harris stated that "all temporal and spiritual power would be given over to The Prophet Joseph Smith." | Those Power-Hungry Mormons |
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Claims made in "Chapter 6: No Rest for the Righteous"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woe In Ohio"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 171, 542n1 (HB) | "I combat the errors of the ages;...I solve mathematical problems of universities, with truth--diamond truth; and God is my 'right hand man.'...[God] will make me be God to you in his stead,...and if you don't like it, you must lump it....I have more to boast of than ever any man had....I boast that no man ever did such a work as I." | Use of sources: Joseph Smith's Narcissism |
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| 175, 543n21 (HB) | Joseph Smith is considered "as important to their spirituality as Jesus Christ." | Use of sources: Thou Shalt Not Raise a False Report |
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| 177, 544n29 (HB) | Joseph Smith declared: "I am the only man that has been able to keep the whole church together....Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it." | Did Joseph Smith 'boast' of keeping the Church intact Use of sources: Joseph's "Grandiose Sense of Self Importance" |
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| 178, 544n34 (HB) | Joseph claimed: "I wrestled with William Wall, the most expert wrestler in Ramus, and threw him." | Use of sources: The Wrestling Prophet |
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| 179, 544n36 (HB) | "Smith fought and boasted again of his strength, saying: 'I feel as strong as a giant....I pulled up with one hand the strongest man that could be found. Then two men tried, but they could not pull me up.'" | Use of sources: America's Fighting Prophet |
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Claims made in "Chapter 10: A New Beginning"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 220, 553n77 (HB) | Brigham "proudly admitted" "'I have been your dictator for twenty-seven years--over a quarter of a century I have dictated this people.'" | Use of sources: Brigham, the Dictator |
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| 222, 554n88 (HB) | Brigham asserted that God's kingdom had already come. "[T]hat Kingdom is actually organized, and the inhabitants of earth do not [even] know it," | Use of sources: Brigham and the Kingdom of God |
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| 222, 554n89 (HB) | Brigham said: "[W]e will roll on the Kingdom of our God, gather out the seed of Abraham, build the cities and temples of Zion, and establish the Kingdom of God to bear rule over all the earth." | Use of sources: Ruling Over the Earth |
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Claims made in "Chapter 11: Bloody Brigham"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 236-237, 563n53 (HB) | "Apostates certainly were viewed as the worst of sinners, although every reprobate received the same penalty. As Brigham instructed his flock: 'If any miserable scoundrels come here, cut their throats.'" | Use of sources: Brigham Says to "Cut Their Throats" |
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| 244-245, 566n82 (HB) | "...as the wagon-train traversed the southern route, conflict erupted between the emigrants and the Mormons, who refused to sell badly needed food and supplies to the travelers. Such conduct was unthinkable to the Baker-Fancher company. They had no idea that the refusals were in obedience to Brigham's prohibition on trading with the Gentiles." | Use of sources: Orders to Starve Gentiles |
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Claims made in "Chapter 12: Wars and Rumors of Wars"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 13: Unholy Matrimony"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 289, 578n51 (HB) | "According to the late BYU scholar Eugene England, Mormon women literally are to become 'birth machines' so Mormon males can continue creating and populating various worlds without end." | Use of sources: LDS "Birth Machines" |
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Claims made in "Chapter 14: The Politics of Compromise"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
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Claims made in "Chapter 15: Making the Transition"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
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Claims made in "Chapter 16: Mormon Racism: Black Is Not Beautiful"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
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Claims made in "Chapter 17: Is Mormonism Christian"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 389, 603n45 (HB) | Gordon B. Hinckley said: "None of you need worry because you read something that was incompletely reported. You need not worry that I do not understand some matters of doctrine. I think I understand them thoroughly." | Use of sources: Gordon B. Hinckley Understands Doctrine |
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Claims made in "Chapter 18: Cover-Ups, Conspiracies, and Controversies"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 408, 608n28 (HB) | "Another tactic utilized by Mormon leaders has been to revise Smith's revelations so as to make the church's history more palatable." | Use of sources: Advertising for the Tanners |
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| 413-414, 609-610n39 (HB) | "Some of the most disturbing instructions about blind obedience came from LDS president Ezra Taft Benson in his 'Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet' speech. His fundamentals for living a righteous Mormon life left little room for independent thought." | Use of sources: The LDS as Mindless Followers |
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Claims made in "Appendix C: Abrahams Book?"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Appendix D: Failed Joseph Smith Prophecies"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
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Claims made in "Notes, Abbreviations"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 475 | AOF: The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements that outline the more socially acceptable Mormon beliefs, usually discussed openly by Latter-day Saints when explaining Mormonism to potential converts. None of the articles deal with any doctrines that might be viewed as offensive or controversial to non-Mormons. The Articles of Faith are contained in modern LDS editions of the Pearl of Great Price, one of the Standard Works of the Mormon church. The AOF are on-line at http://www.exmormon.org/fourteen.htm. | Use of sources: The Anti-Mormon Articles of Faith |
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