Difference between revisions of "Mormonism and Wikipedia/Three Witnesses/The Three Witnesses"

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*Grant H. Palmer, ''An Insider's View of Mormon Origins'' (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 175-76.  
 
*Grant H. Palmer, ''An Insider's View of Mormon Origins'' (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 175-76.  
 
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}, although the exact reason for Grant Palmer's Church discipline can only be speculated, since the Church does not release those records to the public.
 
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Critics of Mormonism have also noted that all three witnesses were closely associated with Joseph Smith and that Martin Harris made a significant financial contribution to the movement.
 
Critics of Mormonism have also noted that all three witnesses were closely associated with Joseph Smith and that Martin Harris made a significant financial contribution to the movement.
 
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*Harris financed publication of the Book of Mormon. <nowiki>http://www.irr.org/mit/bomwit1.html Institute for Religious Research website</nowiki>
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*Harris financed publication of the Book of Mormon. <nowiki>[http://www.irr.org/mit/bomwit1.html Institute for Religious Research website]</nowiki> Of course, Mormons also accept that Harris mortgaged (and lost) his farm in order to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon. Richard Bushman, ''Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 80-82
 
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*{{WikipediaNPOV|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=255395856&oldid=255361140}}Why use an anti-Mormon website as a reference? Latter-day Saint sources have always noted that "all three witnesses were closely associated with Joseph Smith and that Martin Harris made a significant financial contribution to the movement." It is well documented in LDS sources that Martin Harris mortgaged his farm in order to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon.
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*{{WikipediaNPOV|editor=John Foxe}}The editor improved this from his previous version by acknowledging in the footnote that LDS sources clearly state the fact that Harris mortgaged his farm in order to finance the Book of Mormon. However, leading the paragraph with "critics of Mormonism" in the main text isn't necessary. Both critics ''and'' Latter-day Saint readily acknowledge that the witnesses were associates of Joseph and that Harris mortgaged his farm, therefore, it seem unnecessary to note the critical claim. Any Latter-day Saint reading this passage will be wondering why critics are even mentioned.  
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*The edit summary by John Foxe states that this edit was made to restore "earlier version before elimination of material unapproved by a new editor with blatant Mormon POV."
 
 
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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[[Oliver Cowdery]] was a school teacher and an early convert to [[Mormonism]] who served as scribe while Joseph Smith dictated what he said was a translation of the [[Book of Mormon]].  Like Smith, who was a distant relative, Cowdery was also a treasure hunter who had used a [[divining rod]] in his youth. Cowdery asked questions of the rod; if it moved, the answer was yes, if not, no.  
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[[Oliver Cowdery]] was a school teacher and an early convert to [[Mormonism]] who served as scribe while Joseph Smith dictated what he said was a translation of the [[Book of Mormon]].  Like Smith, who was a distant relative, Cowdery was also a treasure hunter who had used a [[divining rod]] in his youth. Cowdery asked questions of the rod; if it moved, the answer was yes, if not, no.
 
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*Barnes Frisbie, ''The History of Middletown, Vermont'' (Rutland: Tuttle and Co., 1867) in ''EMD'', 1: 603-05.
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*Palmer, 179: "Oliver Cowdery came from a similar background.  He was a treasure hunter and 'rodsman' before he met Joseph Smith in 1829. William Cowdery, his father, was associated with a treasure-seeking group in Vermont, and it is from them, one assumes that Oliver learned the art of working with a divining rod.  Joseph told Oliver that he knew the 'rod of nature' Oliver used 'has told you many things.'" See Vogel ''EMD'', 1: 599-621.
 
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*{{WikipediaCITE|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=255395856&oldid=255361140}}The wiki editor has abused the source, which does not support the statements in the main text. Barnes Frisbie's account is describing the "Wood Scrape" incident. Frisbie is discussing the leader of a band of rodsmen, a man named Winchell, when he says, "I have been told, was a friend and acquaintance of [William] Cowdery's, but of this I cannot be positive..." The wiki editor has moved far beyond the source in his assertions:
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*The source says nothing about Cowdery being "a distant relative" of Joseph Smith (he was a distant cousin). Moreover, one questions why the wiki author thinks that this is even relevant.
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**The source says nothing about Cowdery being "a distant relative" of Joseph Smith. Moreover, one questions why the wiki author thinks that this is even relevant.
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*{{WikipediaCITE|editor=John Foxe}}The wiki editor is using Grant Palmer as a source, and Palmer uses the Barnes Frisbie account found in ''Early Mormon Documents,'' (*Barnes Frisbie, ''The History of Middletown, Vermont'' (Rutland: Tuttle and Co., 1867) in ''EMD'', 1: 603-05.) which does not support the statements in the main text. The wiki article should note that this is Palmer's opinion and interpretation of the primary source. Instead, Palmer's opinion is presented in the article as fact.
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*{{SeeCriticalWork|author=Grant Palmer|work=An Insider's View of Mormon Origins}}
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*Barnes Frisbie's account is describing the "Wood Scrape" incident. Frisbie is discussing the leader of a band of rodsmen, a man named Winchell, when he says, "I have been told, was a friend and acquaintance of [William] Cowdery's, but of this I cannot be positive..." Palmer moved far beyond the source in his assertions:
 
**The source says nothing about Oliver Cowdery being a "treasure hunter." Grant Palmer states his opinion that Oliver "was a treasure hunter and "rodsman" before he met Joseph Smith in 1829" in ''[[An Insider's View of Mormon Origins]]'' (p. 178), but he does not back it up with a citation other than to note Oliver's father's possible association with the treasure-seeking group from Vermont (based upon the Frisbie account cited above).
 
**The source says nothing about Oliver Cowdery being a "treasure hunter." Grant Palmer states his opinion that Oliver "was a treasure hunter and "rodsman" before he met Joseph Smith in 1829" in ''[[An Insider's View of Mormon Origins]]'' (p. 178), but he does not back it up with a citation other than to note Oliver's father's possible association with the treasure-seeking group from Vermont (based upon the Frisbie account cited above).
 
**The source says nothing about the method by which Oliver might have utilized a divining rod.
 
**The source says nothing about the method by which Oliver might have utilized a divining rod.
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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Cowdery also told Smith that he had seen the Golden Plates in a vision before the two ever met.
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Cowdery also told Smith that he had seen the Golden Plates in a vision before the two ever met.
 
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*Richard Bushman, ''Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 73; Palmer, 179.
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*Palmer, 179; Dean C. Jessee, ed., ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989), I: 10.
 
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*{{WikipediaCITE|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=255395856&oldid=255361140}}Bushman says nothing about Oliver seeing the plates in a vision before the two met.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
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Again I testify to you that while I was alone with Joseph the Prophet, in the attitude of prayer, a light descended from heaven, the glory of which far exceeds the noon-day sun, and in the midst of which a personage appeared who told us that his name was John, formerly called John the Baptist. He ordained first Joseph by laying his hands upon his head, and then he ordained me in the same manner to the Aaronic Priesthood. Later, after having baptized each other according to his instructions, we ordained each other...
 
Again I testify to you that while I was alone with Joseph the Prophet, in the attitude of prayer, a light descended from heaven, the glory of which far exceeds the noon-day sun, and in the midst of which a personage appeared who told us that his name was John, formerly called John the Baptist. He ordained first Joseph by laying his hands upon his head, and then he ordained me in the same manner to the Aaronic Priesthood. Later, after having baptized each other according to his instructions, we ordained each other...
 
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*{{Detail|Priesthood/Restoration}}
 
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By 1838, Cowdery and Smith had engaged in a number of disagreements that included doctrinal differences about the role of faith and works,
 
By 1838, Cowdery and Smith had engaged in a number of disagreements that included doctrinal differences about the role of faith and works,
 
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*Cowdery and Smith publicly argued about the wording of what is now Doctrine & Covenants Section 20:37. The dispute arose partially in part because as Second Elder in the Church of Christ, Cowdery had received parts of the revelation and was part author of the D&C 20. (see [[Articles of the Church of Christ]]). Cowdery's version of the revelation was worded differently than the version that was prepared for publication in 1835. Smith's version reads: "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church." Cowdery's version reads: "Now therefore whosoever repenteth & humbleth himself before me & desireth to be baptized in my name shall ye baptize them...if it so be that he repenteth & is baptized in my name then shall ye receive him & shall minister unto him of my flesh & blood but if he repenteth not he shall not be numbered among my people that he may not destroy my people." The discussion of how works and faith are intertwined in the repentance process proved to be a dividing factor between Smith and Cowdery during the printing of the Book of Commandments and later the Doctrine and Covenants.
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*Cowdery and Smith publicly argued about the wording of what is now Doctrine & Covenants Section 20:37. The dispute arose partially in part because as Second Elder in the Church of Christ, Cowdery had received parts of the revelation and was part author of the D&C 20. (see [[Articles of the Church of Christ]]). Cowdery's version of the revelation was worded differently than the version that was prepared for publication in 1835. Smith's version reads: "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church." Cowdery's version reads: "Now therefore whosoever repenteth & humbleth himself before me & desireth to be baptized in my name shall ye baptize them...if it so be that he repenteth & is baptized in my name then shall ye receive him & shall minister unto him of my flesh & blood but if he repenteth not he shall not be numbered among my people that he may not destroy my people." The discussion of how works and faith are intertwined in the repentance process proved to be a dividing factor between Smith and Cowdery during the printing of the Book of Commandments and later the Doctrine and Covenants. Bushman, 323, 347-48.
 
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*{{WikipediaCITE}}The original citation was Bushman, 323, 347-48, but it has been removed, most likely by accident.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
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and what Cowdery called Smith's "dirty, nasty, filthy affair" with [[Fanny Alger]].
 
and what Cowdery called Smith's "dirty, nasty, filthy affair" with [[Fanny Alger]].
 
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*B.H. Roberts, ''New Witnesses for God'', 2: 308-9; ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' "Book of Mormon Witnesses"; Oliver Cowdery and ''History of the Church'', 3: 14-17  
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*Brodie, 182. The Cowdery quotation is from a letter to his brother. "B.H. Roberts, ''New Witnesses for God'', 2: 308-9; ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' "Book of Mormon Witnesses"; Oliver Cowdery and ''History of the Church'', 3: 14-17
 
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*{{WikipediaCITE}}The phrase "dirty, nasty, filthy affair" does not appear in ''any'' of the three reference works cited.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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*The citation actually comes from Bushman, ''Rough Stone Rolling'' p. 323, citing Oliver Cowdery to Warren A. Cowdery, Jan. 21, 1838, Cowdery Letter Book. The citation to Bushman was originally added by editor [[John Foxe]], however, it was subsequently removed (likely by accident).
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*{{SeeCriticalWork|Fawn Brodie|work=No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith}}
 
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Smith's growing reliance on [[Sidney Rigdon]] as his first counselor,
 
Smith's growing reliance on [[Sidney Rigdon]] as his first counselor,
 
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*Although Rigdon was Smith's counselor in the First Presidency, Cowdery was still an "associate president" or "assistant president" of the Church and had more authority than Rigdon. However, David Whitmer was President of the Church in Zion, and Smith led the [[First Presidency]] and was president of the Church outside of Zion. It is apparent that Cowdery had a difficult time with the rising influence of Rigdon, and authority of Whitmer. ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', "Cowdery, Oliver"; D. Michael Quinn, ''BYU Studies'', 16: 193  
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*Although Rigdon was Smith's counselor in the First Presidency, Cowdery was still an "associate president" or "assistant president" of the Church and had more authority than Rigdon. However, David Whitmer was President of the Church in Zion, and Smith led the [[First Presidency]] and was president of the Church outside of Zion. It is apparent that Cowdery had a difficult time with the rising influence of Rigdon, and authority of Whitmer. ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', "Cowdery, Oliver"; D. Michael Quinn, ''BYU Studies'', 16: 193
 
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*From the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'':
 
*From the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'':
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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land purchases and other economic details during the gathering of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County and Kirtland
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differences over the management of finances during the gathering of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County and Kirtland
 
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*''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', "Cowdery, Oliver"
 
*''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', "Cowdery, Oliver"
 
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*{{WikipediaCITE}}There is no mention of "land purchases" in the cited source.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
*From the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'',
 
*From the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'',
 
<blockquote>
 
<blockquote>
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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After Cowdery's excommunication on April 12, 1838, he taught school, practiced law, and was involved in Ohio political affairs. Until 1848, Cowdery put the Latter Day Saint church behind him. There is even the possibility, though no direct evidence, that he may have briefly denied his testimony regarding the [[Golden Plates]].
+
After Cowdery's excommunication on April 12, 1838, he taught school, practiced law, and became involved in Ohio political affairs. Until 1848, Cowdery put the Latter Day Saint church behind him. He joined the Methodist church in [[Tiffin, Ohio]], and, according to a lay leader of that church, publicly declared that he was "ashamed of his connection with Mormonism."
 
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*The following verse was published in ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' (1841), [http://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v2n18.htm 2: 482]:"Or does it prove there is no time,/Because some watches will not go?/...Or prove that Christ was not the Lord/Because that Peter cursed and swore?/Or Book of Mormon not His word/Because denied, by Oliver?"
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*The following verse was published in ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' (1841), [http://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v2n18.htm 2: 482]:"Or does it prove there is no time,/Because some watches will not go?/...Or prove that Christ was not the Lord/Because that Peter cursed and swore?/Or Book of Mormon not His word/Because denied, by Oliver?" In 1881 both Cowdery’s law partner and his adopted daughter testified that that Cowdery had joined the Methodist Church in Tiffin, Ohio in 1841 or 1842.  In 1844, Cowdery was chosen secretary of “a meeting of Male Members of the Methodist Protestant Church of Tiffin, Ohio.”  One G. J. Keen, a lay leader in that church, said that when joining the Methodist Church, Cowdery “arose and addressed the audience present, admitted his error and implored forgiveness, and said he was sorry and ashamed of his connection with Mormonism.  He continued his membership while he resided in Tiffin and became superintendent of the Sabbath-school, and led an exemplary life while he resided with us.” Charles Augustus Shook, [http://books.google.com/books?id=k7kUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=Cowdery+%22denied+by+Oliver%22&source=bl&ots=MAkFPftG0w&sig=IsPZtkl5UL8sBQZtWKCPGVHiICw&hl=en&ei=Sx9uS4vHHoSVtge3oLmIBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CCsQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Cowdery%20%22denied%20by%20Oliver%22&f=false ''The True Origin of the Book of Mormon''] (Cincinnati: Standard Publishing Co., 1914), 54-61.
 
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*{{WikipediaOR}}The wiki editor is referencing a primary source and adding "[t]here is even the possibility, though no direct evidence..." The use of this poem by critics of the Church to imply that Oliver denied his testimony (despite Oliver's repeated well documented assertions to the contrary) is well known. If the wiki editor wishes to draw this conclusion, per Wikipedia rules, he must find a ''secondary'' source that states it.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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*Note that this poem published in the ''Times and Seasons'' is often used by critics of the Church to imply that Oliver denied his testimony (despite Oliver's repeated well documented assertions to the contrary).  
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*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Witnesses/Recant}}
 
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Following his relocation to [[Tiffin, Ohio]] in 1840, Cowdery reaffirmed his role in the establishment of Mormonism even though the confession cost him the editorship of a newspaper. In 1848, after Joseph Smith's assassination, Cowdery reaffirmed his witness to the [[Golden Plates]] and asked to be readmitted to the church. He never held another high office in the church, in part because he died sixteen months after his rebaptism.
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Later Cowdery reaffirmed his role in the establishment of Mormonism even though that confession cost him the editorship of a newspaper. In 1848, after Joseph Smith's assassination, Cowdery reaffirmed his witness to the [[Golden Plates]] and asked to be readmitted to the church. He never held another high office in the church, in part because he died sixteen months after his rebaptism.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Randall Cluff, "Cowdery, Oliver" [http://www.anb.org/articles/08/08-02307.html American National Biography Online Feb. 2000].
 
*Randall Cluff, "Cowdery, Oliver" [http://www.anb.org/articles/08/08-02307.html American National Biography Online Feb. 2000].
 
|response=
 
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*{{WikipediaNPOV}}Oliver "reaffirmed his witness" is technically correct&mdash;he never denied it&mdash;however, placing this statement after the preceding statement that Oliver ''may'' have denied his witness is disingenuous on the part of the wiki editor.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*[[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]] was a respected farmer in the Palmyra area who had changed his religion at least five times before he became a Mormon.Harris had been a Quaker, a Universalist, a Restorationist, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, and perhaps a Methodist.  
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[[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]] was a respected farmer in the Palmyra area who had changed his religion at least five times before he became a Mormon.  
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
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*[[Ronald W. Walker]], "Martin Harris: Mormonism's Early Convert," ''[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]'' 19 (Winter 1986):30-33).  
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*Harris had been a Quaker, a Universalist, a Restorationist, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, and perhaps a Methodist. [[Ronald W. Walker]], "Martin Harris: Mormonism's Early Convert," ''[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]'' 19 (Winter 1986):30-33).  
 
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*A biographer wrote that his "imagination was excitable and fecund." One letter says that Harris thought that a candle sputtering was the work of the devil
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A biographer wrote that his "imagination was excitable and fecund." One letter says that Harris thought that a candle sputtering was the work of the devil
 
|authorsources=
 
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*Walker, 34: "Once while reading scripture, he reportedly mistook a candle's sputtering as a sign that the devil desired to stop him."  
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*Walker, 34: "Once while reading scripture, he reportedly mistook a candle's sputtering as a sign that the devil desired to stop him."
 
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*and that he had met Jesus in the shape of a deer and walked and talked with him for two or three miles.
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and that he had met Jesus in the shape of a deer and walked and talked with him for two or three miles.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
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*John A. Clark letter, August 31, 1840 in ''EMD'', 2: 271.  
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*John A. Clark letter, August 31, 1840 in ''EMD'', 2: 271.
 
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*From the cited source,
 
*From the cited source,
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*The local Presbyterian minister called him "a visionary fanatic."
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The local Presbyterian minister called him "a visionary fanatic."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Walker, 34-35.  
 
*Walker, 34-35.  
 
|response=
 
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
 
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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*This would be unsurprising coming from a Presbyterian minister, considering Martin's well-known association with Mormonism and his testimony of having seen an angel.
 
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*Another friend said, "Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks."
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A friend, who praised Harris as "universally esteemed as an honest man" but disagreed with his religious affiliation, declared that Harris's mind "was overbalanced by 'marvellousness'" and that his belief in earthly visitations of angels and ghosts gave him the local reputation of being crazy.
 +
|authorsources=
 +
Pomroy Tucker Reminiscence, 1858 in ''Early Mormon Documents'' 3: 71.
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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}}
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Another friend said, "Martin was a good citizen. Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Lorenzo Saunders Interview, November 12, 1884, ''Early Mormon Documents'' 2: 149.
 
*Lorenzo Saunders Interview, November 12, 1884, ''Early Mormon Documents'' 2: 149.
 
|response=
 
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*{{WikipediaNPOV}}Why include Saunders' comment about "spooks" without mentioning that Martin was a "good citizen?"
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*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
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*The quote in context,
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*Again, this is not surprising considering Martin's claim of having seen an angel as one of the witnesses to the gold plates.
 +
*From the cited source,
 
<blockquote>
 
<blockquote>
 
Martin was a good citizen. Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks & believed in all these things. I never knew or heard Martin talk infidelity. They claimed that he was an infidel; but I never heard him talk infidelity on matters of Religion  or anything of that. He was a hard working man, & if he had staid where he already lived he would have been the richest man in that part of the country. But after Mormonism came up he seemed to talk of that and nothing else & he was running the streets & talking everything. And sometimes he would seem as though he was beside himself. There cant anybody say a word against Martin Harris.
 
Martin was a good citizen. Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks & believed in all these things. I never knew or heard Martin talk infidelity. They claimed that he was an infidel; but I never heard him talk infidelity on matters of Religion  or anything of that. He was a hard working man, & if he had staid where he already lived he would have been the richest man in that part of the country. But after Mormonism came up he seemed to talk of that and nothing else & he was running the streets & talking everything. And sometimes he would seem as though he was beside himself. There cant anybody say a word against Martin Harris.
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*During the early years, Harris "seems to have repeatedly admitted the internal, subjective nature of his visionary experience."
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During the early years, Harris "seems to have repeatedly admitted the internal, subjective nature of his visionary experience."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Vogel, ''EMD'', 2: 255.  
 
*Vogel, ''EMD'', 2: 255.  
 
|response=
 
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*This is Vogel's opinion.  
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*This is Vogel's critical opinion.  
 
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Witnesses/"Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris}}
 
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Witnesses/"Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris}}
 
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*The foreman in the Palmyra printing office that produced the first Book of Mormon said that Harris "used to practice a good deal of his characteristic jargon and 'seeing with the spiritual eye,' and the like."  
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The foreman in the Palmyra printing office that produced the first Book of Mormon said that Harris "used to practice a good deal of his characteristic jargon and 'seeing with the spiritual eye,' and the like."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*[[Pomeroy Tucker]], ''Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism'' (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1867), 71 in ''EMD'', 3: 122.  
 
*[[Pomeroy Tucker]], ''Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism'' (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1867), 71 in ''EMD'', 3: 122.  
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
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*John H. Gilbert, the typesetter for most of the book, 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."
+
John H. Gilbert, the typesetter for most of the book, 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."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*John H. Gilbert, "Memorandum," 8 September 1892, in ''EMD'', 2: 548.  
 
*John H. Gilbert, "Memorandum," 8 September 1892, in ''EMD'', 2: 548.  
Line 291: Line 307:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Two other Palmyra residents said that Harris told them that he had seen the plates with "the eye of faith" or "spiritual eyes."  
+
Two other Palmyra residents said that Harris told them that he had seen the plates with "the eye of faith" or "spiritual eyes."  
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Martin Harris interviews with John A. Clark, 1827 & 1828 in ''EMD'', 2: 270; Jesse Townsend to Phineas Stiles, 24 December 1833, in ''EMD'', 3: 22.  
 
*Martin Harris interviews with John A. Clark, 1827 & 1828 in ''EMD'', 2: 270; Jesse Townsend to Phineas Stiles, 24 December 1833, in ''EMD'', 3: 22.  
Line 301: Line 317:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In 1838, Harris is said to have told an Ohio congregation that "he never saw the plates with his natural eyes, only in vision or imagination."
+
In 1838, Harris is said to have told an Ohio congregation that "he never saw the plates with his natural eyes, only in vision or imagination."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Stephen Burnett to Lyman E. Johnson, 15 April 1838 in ''EMD'', 2: 291.
 
*Stephen Burnett to Lyman E. Johnson, 15 April 1838 in ''EMD'', 2: 291.
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*A neighbor of Harris in Kirtland, Ohio, said that Harris "never claimed to have seen [the plates] with his natural eyes, only spiritual vision."  
+
A neighbor of Harris in Kirtland, Ohio, said that Harris "never claimed to have seen [the plates] with his natural eyes, only spiritual vision."  
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Reuben P. Harmon statement, c. 1885, in ''EMD'', 2: 385.
 
*Reuben P. Harmon statement, c. 1885, in ''EMD'', 2: 385.
Line 330: Line 346:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*One account states that in March 1838, Martin Harris publicly denied that either he or the other Witnesses to the Book of Mormon had literally seen the golden plates—although, of course, he had not been present when Whitmer and Cowdery first claimed to have viewed them. This account says that Harris's recantation, made during a period of crisis in early Mormonism, induced five influential members, including three Apostles, to leave the Church.
+
One account states that in March 1838, Martin Harris publicly denied that either he or the other Witnesses to the Book of Mormon had literally seen the golden plates—although, of course, he had not been present when Whitmer and Cowdery first claimed to have viewed them. This account says that Harris's recantation, made during a period of crisis in early Mormonism, induced five influential members, including three Apostles, to leave the Church.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
−
*Stephen Burnett to Luke S. Johnson, 15 April 1838, in Joseph Smith's Letterbook, ''Early Mormon Documents'' 2: 290-92.  
+
*Stephen Burnett to Luke S. Johnson, 15 April 1838, in Joseph Smith's Letterbook, ''Early Mormon Documents'' 2: 290-92.
 
|response=
 
|response=
 
*From the cited source,
 
*From the cited source,
Line 347: Line 363:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Later in life, Harris strongly denied that he ever made this statement.
+
Later in life, Harris strongly denied that he ever made this statement.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
−
*Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in ''EMD'', 2: 338. See also Richard Lloyd Anderson, ''Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses,'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1981), 118.  
+
*Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in ''EMD'', 2: 338. See also Richard Lloyd Anderson, ''Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses,'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1981), 118. Nevertheless, some years later, even [[Brigham Young]] referred to "witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, [but who] were afterward left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel." ''Journal of Discourses'' (1860), 7:164
 
|response=
 
|response=
 
*{{WikipediaNPOV}}Notice how every one of Harris' statements regarding seeing the plates in a vision is quoted, yet the wiki editor chooses ''not'' to quote Harris's strong denial that he ever denied the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon until the ''end'' of the section.
 
*{{WikipediaNPOV}}Notice how every one of Harris' statements regarding seeing the plates in a vision is quoted, yet the wiki editor chooses ''not'' to quote Harris's strong denial that he ever denied the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon until the ''end'' of the section.
 +
*{{Wikipedia|SYN|editor=John Foxe}}It cannot be determined if Brigham's quote relates specifically to Martin Harris. He is talking about a "young man" who was one of the Quorum of the Twelve.
 +
<blockquote>
 +
Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel. One of the Quorum of the Twelve—a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel, and conversed with him as he would with one of his friends; but after all this, he was left to doubt, and plunged into apostacy, and has continued to contend against this work. There are hundreds in a similar condition.
 +
</blockquote>
 +
*See {{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=7|disc=26|start=164}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Nevertheless, some years later, even [[Brigham Young]] referred to "witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, [but who] were afterward left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel."
+
In 1837, Harris joined dissenters, led by [[Warren Parrish]], in an attempt to reform the Mormon church. But Parrish rejected the Book of Mormon, and Harris continued to believe in it. By 1840, Harris had returned to Smith's church.  Following Smith's assassination, Harris accepted [[James J. Strang]] as a new prophet, and Strang also claimed to have been divinely led to an ancient record engraved upon [[Voree Plates|metal plates]]. By 1847, Harris had broken with Strang and had accepted the leadership of fellow Book of Mormon witness, [[David Whitmer]]. Harris then left Whitmer for another Mormon factional leader, [[Gladden Bishop]]. In 1855, Harris joined with the last surviving brother of Joseph Smith Jr., [[William Smith (Mormonism)|William Smith]], and declared that William was Joseph's true successor.
−
|authorsources=
 
−
*''Journal of Discourses'' (1860), 7:164
 
−
|response=
 
−
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=7|disc=26|start=164}}
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
===== =====
 
−
{{WikipediaPassage
 
−
|claim=
 
−
*In 1837, Harris joined dissenters, led by [[Warren Parrish]], in an attempt to reform the Mormon church. But Parrish rejected the Book of Mormon, and Harris continued to believe in it. By 1840, Harris had returned to Smith's church.  Following Smith's assassination, Harris accepted [[James J. Strang]] as a new prophet, and Strang also claimed to have been divinely led to an ancient record engraved upon [[Voree Plates|metal plates]]. By 1847, Harris had broken with Strang and had accepted the leadership of fellow Book of Mormon witness, [[David Whitmer]]. Harris then left Whitmer for another Mormon factional leader, [[Gladden Bishop]]. In 1855, Harris joined with the last surviving brother of Joseph Smith Jr., [[William Smith (Mormonism)|William Smith]], and declared that William was Joseph's true successor.
 
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*''EMD'', 2: 258.  
 
*''EMD'', 2: 258.  
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In 1856 Harris's second wife left him to gather with the Mormons in Utah. Harris remained in [[Kirtland, Ohio]] and, as caretaker of the temple there, gave tours to interested visitors.
+
"In 1856 Harris's wife left him to gather with the Mormons in Utah. Harris remained in Kirtland and, as caretaker of the temple, gave tours to interested visitors."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*''EMD'', 2: 258
 
*''EMD'', 2: 258
 
|response=
 
|response=
−
*{{WikipediaCITE|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=108857424&oldid=108855156}}Vogel's words are used almost verbatim (with the exception of the word "there") without being properly quoted. (John "Foxe" is a real-life historian&mdash;he knows better than to do this.)
+
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
−
*From the cited source,
 
−
<blockquote>
 
−
In 1856 Harris's wife left him to gather with the Mormons in Utah. Harris remained in Kirtland and, as caretaker of the temple, gave tours to interested visitors.
 
−
</blockquote>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 394: Line 401:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Despite his earlier statements regarding the spiritual nature of his experience, in 1853, Harris told one David Dille that he had held the forty- to sixty-pound plates on his knee for "an hour-and-a-half" and handled them "plate after plate."
+
Despite his earlier statements regarding the spiritual nature of his experience, in 1853, Harris told one David Dille that he had held the forty- to sixty-pound plates on his knee for "an hour-and-a-half" and handled them "plate after plate."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Martin Harris interview with David B. Dille, 15 September 1853 in ''EMD'' 2: 296-97.  
 
*Martin Harris interview with David B. Dille, 15 September 1853 in ''EMD'' 2: 296-97.  
 
|response=
 
|response=
−
*{{WikipediaCITE|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=94119612&oldid=94088714}} The wiki editor has abused the cited source by conflating Harris's experience with the angel as a witness to the plates with a ''different'' occasion upon which he helped Joseph hide the plates. The source being quoted makes this clear.
+
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}
−
*It should also be noted that the source says nothing about the weight of the plates.
+
*It should be noted that the source says nothing about the weight of the plates.
 
*Here is Martin's 1853 statement from his interview with David B. Dille in context,
 
*Here is Martin's 1853 statement from his interview with David B. Dille in context,
 
<blockquote>
 
<blockquote>
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Even later, Harris affirmed that he had seen the plates and the angel with his natural eyes: "Gentlemen," holding out his hand, "do you see that hand?  Are you sure you see it? Or are your eyes playing you a trick or something? No. Well, as sure as you see my hand so sure did I see the Angel and the plates."
+
Even later, Harris affirmed that he had seen the plates and the angel with his natural eyes: "Gentlemen," holding out his hand, "do you see that hand?  Are you sure you see it? Or are your eyes playing you a trick or something? No. Well, as sure as you see my hand so sure did I see the Angel and the plates."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Martin Harris interview with Robert Barter, c. 1870 in ''EMD'', 2: 390.
 
*Martin Harris interview with Robert Barter, c. 1870 in ''EMD'', 2: 390.
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{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In 1870, at the age of 87, Harris accepted an invitation to live in Utah, where he was rebaptized and spent his remaining years with relatives in [[Cache County, Utah|Cache County]]. As an old man, Harris bore fervent testimony to the authenticity of the plates, although a contemporary critic of the Church speculated that his sympathy for the Utah church may have been tenuous.
+
In 1870, at the age of 87, Harris accepted an invitation to live in Utah, where he was rebaptized and spent his remaining years with relatives in [[Cache County, Utah|Cache County]]. As an old man, Harris bore fervent testimony to the authenticity of the plates, although a contemporary critic of the Church speculated that his sympathy for the Utah church may have been tenuous.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
−
*In an interview with ex-Mormon Anthony Metcalf, Metcalf asked him why, if he did not believe that polygamy, baptism for the dead, or temple endowments were part of Mormonism, he had taken the endowment when he arrived in Salt Lake City.  Harris replied "to see what was going on in there." Martin Harris interview with Anthony Metcalf, c. 1873-74 in ''EMD'', 2: 348.  
+
*In an interview with ex-Mormon Anthony Metcalf, Metcalf asked him why, if he did not believe that polygamy, baptism for the dead, or temple endowments were part of Mormonism, he had taken the endowment when he arrived in Salt Lake City.  Harris replied "to see what was going on in there." Martin Harris interview with Anthony Metcalf, c. 1873-74 in ''EMD'', 2: 348.
 
|response=
 
|response=
 
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}The interviewer, Anthony Metcalf, begins by stating: "Following is the history as related to me, including all [Martin Harris'] connections with Joseph Smith, the pretended prophet and the founder of the Mormon Church."
 
*{{WikipediaCorrect}}The interviewer, Anthony Metcalf, begins by stating: "Following is the history as related to me, including all [Martin Harris'] connections with Joseph Smith, the pretended prophet and the founder of the Mormon Church."
Line 438: Line 445:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In a letter of 1870, Harris swore, "[N]o man ever heard me in any way deny the truth of the Book of Mormon, the administration of the angel that showed me the plates, nor the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the administration of Joseph Smith, Jun., the prophet whom the Lord raised up for that purpose in these the latter days, that he may show forth his power and glory."
+
In a letter of 1870, Harris swore, "[N]o man ever heard me in any way deny the truth of the Book of Mormon, the administration of the angel that showed me the plates, nor the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the administration of Joseph Smith, Jun., the prophet whom the Lord raised up for that purpose in these the latter days, that he may show forth his power and glory."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in ''EMD'', 2: 338. See also [[Richard Lloyd Anderson]], ''Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses,'' (Salt Lake City: [[Deseret Book Company]], 1981), 118.
 
*Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in ''EMD'', 2: 338. See also [[Richard Lloyd Anderson]], ''Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses,'' (Salt Lake City: [[Deseret Book Company]], 1981), 118.
Line 450: Line 457:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*[[David Whitmer]] first became involved with Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates through his friend Oliver Cowdery; and because of his longevity, Whitmer became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses.  Whitmer gave various versions of his experience in viewing the Golden Plates.  Although less credulous than Harris, Whitmer had his own visionary predilections and owned a seer stone.
+
[[David Whitmer]] first became involved with Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates through his friend Oliver Cowdery; and because of his longevity, Whitmer became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses.  Whitmer gave various versions of his experience in viewing the Golden Plates.  Although less credulous than Harris, Whitmer had his own visionary predilections and owned a seer stone.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
−
*Palmer, 180-81.
+
*Palmer, 180-81, 193-94, 197-99.  
 
|response=
 
|response=
−
*{{WikipediaOpinion|editor=John Foxe|wikipedialink=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Witnesses&diff=95288390&oldid=95283869}}The cited source states nothing about Whitmer giving "various versions of his experience in viewing the Golden Plates," nor does it say anything about Whitmer being "less credulous than Harris."
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
===== =====
 
===== =====
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In 1829, before testifying to the truth of the Golden Plates, Whitmer reported that when traveling with Smith to his father's farm in Fayette, New York, they had seen a [[Nephite]] on the road who suddenly disappeared. Then when they arrived at his father's house, they were "impressed" that the same Nephite was under the shed.
+
In 1829, before testifying to the truth of the Golden Plates, Whitmer reported that when traveling with Smith to his father's farm in Fayette, New York, they had seen a [[Nephite]] on the road who suddenly disappeared. Then when they arrived at his father's house, they were "impressed" that the same Nephite was under the shed.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*''EMD'', 5: 10-11, Whitmer interview with Edward Stevenson, December 1877, ''EMD'' 5: 30-31.
 
*''EMD'', 5: 10-11, Whitmer interview with Edward Stevenson, December 1877, ''EMD'' 5: 30-31.
Line 472: Line 478:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Recounting the vision to [[Orson Pratt]] in 1878, Whitmer claimed to have seen not only the Golden Plates but the "Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world....the sword of Laban, the Directors (i.e. the ball which [[Lehi]] had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed...."
+
Recounting the vision to [[Orson Pratt]] in 1878, Whitmer claimed to have seen not only the Golden Plates but the "Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world....the sword of Laban, the Directors (i.e. the ball which [[Lehi]] had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed...."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
−
*David Whitmer interview with Orson Pratt, September 1878, in ''EMD'', 5: 43.  
+
*David Whitmer interview with Orson Pratt, September 1878, in ''EMD'', 5: 43.
 
|response=
 
|response=
 
*From the cited source,
 
*From the cited source,
Line 486: Line 492:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*On other occasions, Whitmer's vision of the plates seemed far less corporeal. When asked in 1880 for a description of the angel who showed him the plates, Whitmer replied that the angel "had no appearance or shape." 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.
+
On other occasions, Whitmer's vision of the plates seemed far less corporeal. When asked in 1880 for a description of the angel who showed him the plates, Whitmer replied that the angel "had no appearance or shape." 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.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Whitmer interview with John Murphy, June 1880, in ''EMD'' 5: 63.
 
*Whitmer interview with John Murphy, June 1880, in ''EMD'' 5: 63.
Line 515: Line 521:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*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 unequivocal....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."
+
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 unequivocal....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."
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Moyle diary, June 28, 1885 in ''EMD'' 5: 141.
 
*Moyle diary, June 28, 1885 in ''EMD'' 5: 141.
Line 532: Line 538:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*In 1831, Whitmer moved with early Mormon believers to Kirtland, Ohio where he briefly supported a woman named Hubble, who professed to be prophetess and used a seer stone. In 1832 he followed the church to Jackson County, Missouri, and was named Smith's successor even though he had criticized Smith's more recent innovations. By December 1837, a movement led by [[Warren Parrish]] plotted to overthrow Smith and replace him with Whitmer. After the Kirtland Bank fiasco, confrontation grew between the dissenters and those loyal to Joseph Smith. Whitmer, his brother John, Oliver Cowdery, and others were harassed by the [[Danites]], a secret group of Mormon vigilantes, and were warned to leave the county. Whitmer was formally excommunicated on April 13, 1838 and never rejoined the church.
+
In 1831, Whitmer moved with early Mormon believers to Kirtland, Ohio where he briefly supported a woman named Hubble, who professed to be prophetess and used a seer stone. In 1832 he followed the church to Jackson County, Missouri, and was named Smith's successor even though he had criticized Smith's more recent innovations. By December 1837, a movement led by [[Warren Parrish]] plotted to overthrow Smith and replace him with Whitmer. After the Kirtland Bank fiasco, confrontation grew between the dissenters and those loyal to Joseph Smith. Whitmer, his brother John, Oliver Cowdery, and others were harassed by the [[Danites]], a secret group of Mormon vigilantes, and were warned to leave the county. Whitmer was formally excommunicated on April 13, 1838 and never rejoined the church.
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
*Michael J. Latzer, "Whitmer, David" [http://www.anb.org/articles/08/08-01645.html ''American National Biography Online'' Feb. 2000].
 
*Michael J. Latzer, "Whitmer, David" [http://www.anb.org/articles/08/08-01645.html ''American National Biography Online'' Feb. 2000].
Line 544: Line 550:
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
{{WikipediaPassage
 
|claim=
 
|claim=
−
*Whitmer then moved to Richmond, Missouri, where he ran a livery stable and became a civic leader.  After Smith's assassination, Whitmer, like Martin Harris, briefly followed [[James Strang]], who had his own set of supernatural metal plates. Later Whitmer organized his own splinter group based on his authority as one of the Three Witnesses and even later supported another group headed by his brother John. In his pamphlet, "An Address to All Believers in Christ" (1887), Whitmer reaffirmed his witness to the Golden Plates,
+
Whitmer then moved to Richmond, Missouri, where he ran a livery stable and became a civic leader.  After Smith's assassination, Whitmer, like Martin Harris, briefly followed [[James Strang]], who had his own set of supernatural metal plates. Later Whitmer organized his own splinter group based on his authority as one of the Three Witnesses and even later supported another group headed by his brother John. In his pamphlet, "An Address to All Believers in Christ" (1887), Whitmer reaffirmed his witness to the Golden Plates
 
|authorsources=
 
|authorsources=
 
* "I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this public statement: 'That I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that Book, as one of the three witnesses. Those who know me best, will know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of my statements, as then made and published." [http://www.thethreewitnesses.org/wst_page3.html ThreeWitness.org website].  
 
* "I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this public statement: 'That I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that Book, as one of the three witnesses. Those who know me best, will know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of my statements, as then made and published." [http://www.thethreewitnesses.org/wst_page3.html ThreeWitness.org website].  

Revision as of 22:22, 11 March 2010


Testimony of the Three Witnesses
A FairMormon Analysis of Wikipedia: Mormonism and Wikipedia/Three Witnesses
 A work by a collaboration of authors (Link to Wikipedia article here) 		Importance
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The Three Witnesses  Updated 3/11/2010

From the Wikipedia article:
Some modern interpreters of Mormonism have argued, as did some of the witnesses' contemporaries, that the Three Witnesses had a magical worldview. One of these, Grant Palmer, a former director of LDS Institutes of Religion who was disfellowshipped by the LDS Church in 2004 for his book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, argued that moderns "tend to read into their testimonies a rationalist perspective rather than a nineteenth-century magical mindset....They shared a common world view, and this is what drew them together in 1829."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 175-76.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Critics of Mormonism have also noted that all three witnesses were closely associated with Joseph Smith and that Martin Harris made a significant financial contribution to the movement.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Harris financed publication of the Book of Mormon. [http://www.irr.org/mit/bomwit1.html Institute for Religious Research website] Of course, Mormons also accept that Harris mortgaged (and lost) his farm in order to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon. Richard Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 80-82

FAIR's analysis:


Oliver Cowdery

From the Wikipedia article:
Oliver Cowdery was a school teacher and an early convert to Mormonism who served as scribe while Joseph Smith dictated what he said was a translation of the Book of Mormon. Like Smith, who was a distant relative, Cowdery was also a treasure hunter who had used a divining rod in his youth. Cowdery asked questions of the rod; if it moved, the answer was yes, if not, no.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Palmer, 179: "Oliver Cowdery came from a similar background. He was a treasure hunter and 'rodsman' before he met Joseph Smith in 1829. William Cowdery, his father, was associated with a treasure-seeking group in Vermont, and it is from them, one assumes that Oliver learned the art of working with a divining rod. Joseph told Oliver that he knew the 'rod of nature' Oliver used 'has told you many things.'" See Vogel EMD, 1: 599-621.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Cowdery also told Smith that he had seen the Golden Plates in a vision before the two ever met.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Palmer, 179; Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989), I: 10.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Before Cowdery served as one of the Three Witnesses, he had already experienced two other important visions. Cowdery said that he and Smith had received the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist in May 1829 after which they had baptized each other in the Susquehanna River.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Messenger and Advocate (October 1834), 14-16; Bushman, 74-75.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Cowdery said that he and Smith had later gone into the forest and prayed "until a glorious light encircled us, and as we arose on account of the light, three persons stood before us dressed in white, their faces beaming with glory." One of the three announced that he was the Apostle Peter and named the others as the Apostles James and John.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Charles M. Nielsen to Heber Grant, February 10, 1898, in Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998), 2: 476.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
By 1838, Cowdery and Smith had engaged in a number of disagreements that included doctrinal differences about the role of faith and works,

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Cowdery and Smith publicly argued about the wording of what is now Doctrine & Covenants Section 20:37. The dispute arose partially in part because as Second Elder in the Church of Christ, Cowdery had received parts of the revelation and was part author of the D&C 20. (see Articles of the Church of Christ). Cowdery's version of the revelation was worded differently than the version that was prepared for publication in 1835. Smith's version reads: "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church." Cowdery's version reads: "Now therefore whosoever repenteth & humbleth himself before me & desireth to be baptized in my name shall ye baptize them...if it so be that he repenteth & is baptized in my name then shall ye receive him & shall minister unto him of my flesh & blood but if he repenteth not he shall not be numbered among my people that he may not destroy my people." The discussion of how works and faith are intertwined in the repentance process proved to be a dividing factor between Smith and Cowdery during the printing of the Book of Commandments and later the Doctrine and Covenants. Bushman, 323, 347-48.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
the Kirtland Safety Society fiasco,

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • See excommunication charges against Cowdery in History of the Church, 3: 16

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
and what Cowdery called Smith's "dirty, nasty, filthy affair" with Fanny Alger.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Brodie, 182. The Cowdery quotation is from a letter to his brother. "B.H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, 2: 308-9; Encyclopedia of Mormonism "Book of Mormon Witnesses"; Oliver Cowdery and History of the Church, 3: 14-17

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Smith's growing reliance on Sidney Rigdon as his first counselor,

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Although Rigdon was Smith's counselor in the First Presidency, Cowdery was still an "associate president" or "assistant president" of the Church and had more authority than Rigdon. However, David Whitmer was President of the Church in Zion, and Smith led the First Presidency and was president of the Church outside of Zion. It is apparent that Cowdery had a difficult time with the rising influence of Rigdon, and authority of Whitmer. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, "Cowdery, Oliver"; D. Michael Quinn, BYU Studies, 16: 193

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
differences over the management of finances during the gathering of the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County and Kirtland

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Encyclopedia of Mormonism, "Cowdery, Oliver"

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
ultimately led to Cowdery's excommunication in April.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • History of the Church 3: 16: "Wednesday, April 11, [1838]--Elder Seymour Brunson preferred the following charges against Oliver Cowdery, to the High Council at Far West: To the Bishop and Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I prefer the following charges against President Oliver Cowdery. "First--For persecuting the brethren by urging on vexatious law suits against them, and thus distressing the innocent. Second--For seeking to destroy the character of President Joseph Smith, Jun., by falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery. "Third--For treating the Church with contempt by not attending meetings. "Fourth--For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority or revelations whatever, in his temporal affairs. "Fifth--For selling his lands in Jackson county, contrary to the revelations. "Sixth--For writing and sending an insulting letter to President Thomas B. Marsh, while the latter was on the High Council, attending to the duties of his office as President of the Council, and by insulting the High Council with the contents of said letter. "Seventh--For leaving his calling to which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law. "Eighth--For disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business, as common report says. "Ninth--For dishonestly retaining notes after they had been paid; and finally, for leaving and forsaking the cause of God, and returning to the beggarly elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, according to his profession."

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Cowdery also refused to obey a high council decision not to sell lands on which he hoped to make a profit, "[D]eclaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority nor Revelation whatever in his temporal affairs."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Bushman, 323, 347-48.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
After Cowdery's excommunication on April 12, 1838, he taught school, practiced law, and became involved in Ohio political affairs. Until 1848, Cowdery put the Latter Day Saint church behind him. He joined the Methodist church in Tiffin, Ohio, and, according to a lay leader of that church, publicly declared that he was "ashamed of his connection with Mormonism."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • The following verse was published in Times and Seasons (1841), 2: 482:"Or does it prove there is no time,/Because some watches will not go?/...Or prove that Christ was not the Lord/Because that Peter cursed and swore?/Or Book of Mormon not His word/Because denied, by Oliver?" In 1881 both Cowdery’s law partner and his adopted daughter testified that that Cowdery had joined the Methodist Church in Tiffin, Ohio in 1841 or 1842. In 1844, Cowdery was chosen secretary of “a meeting of Male Members of the Methodist Protestant Church of Tiffin, Ohio.” One G. J. Keen, a lay leader in that church, said that when joining the Methodist Church, Cowdery “arose and addressed the audience present, admitted his error and implored forgiveness, and said he was sorry and ashamed of his connection with Mormonism. He continued his membership while he resided in Tiffin and became superintendent of the Sabbath-school, and led an exemplary life while he resided with us.” Charles Augustus Shook, The True Origin of the Book of Mormon (Cincinnati: Standard Publishing Co., 1914), 54-61.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Later Cowdery reaffirmed his role in the establishment of Mormonism even though that confession cost him the editorship of a newspaper. In 1848, after Joseph Smith's assassination, Cowdery reaffirmed his witness to the Golden Plates and asked to be readmitted to the church. He never held another high office in the church, in part because he died sixteen months after his rebaptism.

Wikipedia footnotes:

FAIR's analysis:


Martin Harris

From the Wikipedia article:
Martin Harris was a respected farmer in the Palmyra area who had changed his religion at least five times before he became a Mormon.

Wikipedia footnotes:

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
A biographer wrote that his "imagination was excitable and fecund." One letter says that Harris thought that a candle sputtering was the work of the devil

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Walker, 34: "Once while reading scripture, he reportedly mistook a candle's sputtering as a sign that the devil desired to stop him."

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
and that he had met Jesus in the shape of a deer and walked and talked with him for two or three miles.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • John A. Clark letter, August 31, 1840 in EMD, 2: 271.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
The local Presbyterian minister called him "a visionary fanatic."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Walker, 34-35.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
  • A friend, who praised Harris as "universally esteemed as an honest man" but disagreed with his religious affiliation, declared that Harris's mind "was overbalanced by 'marvellousness'" and that his belief in earthly visitations of angels and ghosts gave him the local reputation of being crazy.

Wikipedia footnotes:
  • Pomroy Tucker Reminiscence, 1858 in Early Mormon Documents 3: 71.
FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
A friend, who praised Harris as "universally esteemed as an honest man" but disagreed with his religious affiliation, declared that Harris's mind "was overbalanced by 'marvellousness'" and that his belief in earthly visitations of angels and ghosts gave him the local reputation of being crazy.

Wikipedia footnotes:
Pomroy Tucker Reminiscence, 1858 in Early Mormon Documents 3: 71.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Another friend said, "Martin was a good citizen. Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Lorenzo Saunders Interview, November 12, 1884, Early Mormon Documents 2: 149.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
During the early years, Harris "seems to have repeatedly admitted the internal, subjective nature of his visionary experience."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Vogel, EMD, 2: 255.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
The foreman in the Palmyra printing office that produced the first Book of Mormon said that Harris "used to practice a good deal of his characteristic jargon and 'seeing with the spiritual eye,' and the like."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1867), 71 in EMD, 3: 122.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
John H. Gilbert, the typesetter for most of the book, 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."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • John H. Gilbert, "Memorandum," 8 September 1892, in EMD, 2: 548.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Two other Palmyra residents said that Harris told them that he had seen the plates with "the eye of faith" or "spiritual eyes."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Martin Harris interviews with John A. Clark, 1827 & 1828 in EMD, 2: 270; Jesse Townsend to Phineas Stiles, 24 December 1833, in EMD, 3: 22.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In 1838, Harris is said to have told an Ohio congregation that "he never saw the plates with his natural eyes, only in vision or imagination."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Stephen Burnett to Lyman E. Johnson, 15 April 1838 in EMD, 2: 291.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
A neighbor of Harris in Kirtland, Ohio, said that Harris "never claimed to have seen [the plates] with his natural eyes, only spiritual vision."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Reuben P. Harmon statement, c. 1885, in EMD, 2: 385.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
One account states that in March 1838, Martin Harris publicly denied that either he or the other Witnesses to the Book of Mormon had literally seen the golden plates—although, of course, he had not been present when Whitmer and Cowdery first claimed to have viewed them. This account says that Harris's recantation, made during a period of crisis in early Mormonism, induced five influential members, including three Apostles, to leave the Church.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Stephen Burnett to Luke S. Johnson, 15 April 1838, in Joseph Smith's Letterbook, Early Mormon Documents 2: 290-92.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Later in life, Harris strongly denied that he ever made this statement.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in EMD, 2: 338. See also Richard Lloyd Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1981), 118. Nevertheless, some years later, even Brigham Young referred to "witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, [but who] were afterward left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel." Journal of Discourses (1860), 7:164

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In 1837, Harris joined dissenters, led by Warren Parrish, in an attempt to reform the Mormon church. But Parrish rejected the Book of Mormon, and Harris continued to believe in it. By 1840, Harris had returned to Smith's church. Following Smith's assassination, Harris accepted James J. Strang as a new prophet, and Strang also claimed to have been divinely led to an ancient record engraved upon metal plates. By 1847, Harris had broken with Strang and had accepted the leadership of fellow Book of Mormon witness, David Whitmer. Harris then left Whitmer for another Mormon factional leader, Gladden Bishop. In 1855, Harris joined with the last surviving brother of Joseph Smith Jr., William Smith, and declared that William was Joseph's true successor.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • EMD, 2: 258.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
"In 1856 Harris's wife left him to gather with the Mormons in Utah. Harris remained in Kirtland and, as caretaker of the temple, gave tours to interested visitors."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • EMD, 2: 258

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Despite his earlier statements regarding the spiritual nature of his experience, in 1853, Harris told one David Dille that he had held the forty- to sixty-pound plates on his knee for "an hour-and-a-half" and handled them "plate after plate."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Martin Harris interview with David B. Dille, 15 September 1853 in EMD 2: 296-97.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Even later, Harris affirmed that he had seen the plates and the angel with his natural eyes: "Gentlemen," holding out his hand, "do you see that hand? Are you sure you see it? Or are your eyes playing you a trick or something? No. Well, as sure as you see my hand so sure did I see the Angel and the plates."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Martin Harris interview with Robert Barter, c. 1870 in EMD, 2: 390.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In 1870, at the age of 87, Harris accepted an invitation to live in Utah, where he was rebaptized and spent his remaining years with relatives in Cache County. As an old man, Harris bore fervent testimony to the authenticity of the plates, although a contemporary critic of the Church speculated that his sympathy for the Utah church may have been tenuous.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • In an interview with ex-Mormon Anthony Metcalf, Metcalf asked him why, if he did not believe that polygamy, baptism for the dead, or temple endowments were part of Mormonism, he had taken the endowment when he arrived in Salt Lake City. Harris replied "to see what was going on in there." Martin Harris interview with Anthony Metcalf, c. 1873-74 in EMD, 2: 348.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In a letter of 1870, Harris swore, "[N]o man ever heard me in any way deny the truth of the Book of Mormon, the administration of the angel that showed me the plates, nor the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the administration of Joseph Smith, Jun., the prophet whom the Lord raised up for that purpose in these the latter days, that he may show forth his power and glory."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Letter of Martin Harris, Sr., to Hanna B. Emerson, January 1871, Smithfield, Utah Territory, in EMD, 2: 338. See also Richard Lloyd Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1981), 118.

FAIR's analysis:


David Whitmer

From the Wikipedia article:
David Whitmer first became involved with Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates through his friend Oliver Cowdery; and because of his longevity, Whitmer became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses. Whitmer gave various versions of his experience in viewing the Golden Plates. Although less credulous than Harris, Whitmer had his own visionary predilections and owned a seer stone.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Palmer, 180-81, 193-94, 197-99.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In 1829, before testifying to the truth of the Golden Plates, Whitmer reported that when traveling with Smith to his father's farm in Fayette, New York, they had seen a Nephite on the road who suddenly disappeared. Then when they arrived at his father's house, they were "impressed" that the same Nephite was under the shed.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • EMD, 5: 10-11, Whitmer interview with Edward Stevenson, December 1877, EMD 5: 30-31.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Recounting the vision to Orson Pratt in 1878, Whitmer claimed to have seen not only the Golden Plates but the "Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world....the sword of Laban, the Directors (i.e. the ball which Lehi had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed...."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • David Whitmer interview with Orson Pratt, September 1878, in EMD, 5: 43.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
On other occasions, Whitmer's vision of the plates seemed far less corporeal. When asked in 1880 for a description of the angel who showed him the plates, Whitmer replied that the angel "had no appearance or shape." 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.

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Whitmer interview with John Murphy, June 1880, in EMD 5: 63.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
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 unequivocal....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."

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • Moyle diary, June 28, 1885 in EMD 5: 141.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
In 1831, Whitmer moved with early Mormon believers to Kirtland, Ohio where he briefly supported a woman named Hubble, who professed to be prophetess and used a seer stone. In 1832 he followed the church to Jackson County, Missouri, and was named Smith's successor even though he had criticized Smith's more recent innovations. By December 1837, a movement led by Warren Parrish plotted to overthrow Smith and replace him with Whitmer. After the Kirtland Bank fiasco, confrontation grew between the dissenters and those loyal to Joseph Smith. Whitmer, his brother John, Oliver Cowdery, and others were harassed by the Danites, a secret group of Mormon vigilantes, and were warned to leave the county. Whitmer was formally excommunicated on April 13, 1838 and never rejoined the church.

Wikipedia footnotes:

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
Whitmer then moved to Richmond, Missouri, where he ran a livery stable and became a civic leader. After Smith's assassination, Whitmer, like Martin Harris, briefly followed James Strang, who had his own set of supernatural metal plates. Later Whitmer organized his own splinter group based on his authority as one of the Three Witnesses and even later supported another group headed by his brother John. In his pamphlet, "An Address to All Believers in Christ" (1887), Whitmer reaffirmed his witness to the Golden Plates

Wikipedia footnotes:

  • "I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this public statement: 'That I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that Book, as one of the three witnesses. Those who know me best, will know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of my statements, as then made and published." ThreeWitness.org website.

FAIR's analysis:


From the Wikipedia article:
  • but he also criticized what he viewed as the errors of Joseph Smith, including his introduction of plural marriage. "If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon, if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice," wrote Whitmer,"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....'"

Wikipedia footnotes:
  • "An Address," 27, in EMD, 5: 194.
FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
  • Nevertheless, Whitmer is regarded by Mormons as an "enduring witness to the genuineness of the prophet Joseph Smith and his message.

Wikipedia footnotes:
FAIR's analysis:

Archive

Further reading

Contents

Mormonism and Wikipedia



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FairMormon's approach to Wikipedia articles

FairMormon regularly receives queries about specific LDS-themed Wikipedia articles with requests that we somehow "fix" them. Although some individual members of FAIR may choose to edit Wikipedia articles, FairMormon as an organization does not. Controversial Wikipedia articles require constant maintenance and a significant amount of time. We prefer instead to respond to claims in the FAIR Wiki rather than fight the ongoing battle that LDS Wikipedia articles sometimes invite. From FAIR’s perspective, assertions made in LDS-themed Wikipedia articles are therefore treated just like any other critical (or, if one prefers, "anti-Mormon") work. As those articles are revised and updated, we will periodically update our reviews to match.

Who can edit Wikipedia articles?

Editors who wish to participate in editing LDS-themed Wikipedia articles can access the project page here: Wikipedia:WikiProject Latter Day Saint movement. You are not required to be LDS in order to participate—there are a number of good non-LDS editors who have made valuable contributions to these articles.

Recommendations when editing Wikipedia articles

FAIR does not advocate removing any references from Wikipedia articles. The best approach to editing Wikipedia is to locate solid references to back up your position and add them rather than attempting to remove information. Individuals who intend to edit should be aware that posting information related to the real-world identities of Wikipedia editors will result in their being banned from editing Wikipedia. Attacking editors and attempting to "out" them on Wikipedia is considered very bad form. The best approach is to treat all Wikipedia editors, whether or not you agree or disagree with their approach, with respect and civility. An argumentative approach is not constructive to achieving a positive result, and will simply result in what is called an "edit war." Unfortunately, not all Wikipedia editors exhibit good faith toward other editors (see, for example, the comment above from "Duke53" or comments within these reviews made by John Foxe's sockpuppet "Hi540," both of whom repeatedly mocked LDS beliefs and LDS editors prior to their being banned.)

Do LDS editors control Wikipedia?

Although there exist editors on Wikipedia who openly declare their affiliation with the Church, they do not control Wikipedia. Ironically, some critics of the Church periodically falsely accuse Wikipedia editors of being LDS simply because they do not accept the critics' desired spin on a particular article.

Do "anti-Mormons" control Wikipedia?

Again, the answer is no. The truth is that Wikipedia is generally self-policing. Highly contentious articles do tend to draw the most passionate supporters and critics.

Why do certain LDS articles seem to be so negative?

Although some LDS-related Wikipedia articles may appear to have a negative tone, they are in reality quite a bit more balanced than certain critical works such as One Nation Under Gods. Although many critical editors often accuse LDS-related Wikipedia articles of being "faith promoting" or claim that they are just an extension of the Sunday School manual, this is rarely the case. Few, if any, Latter-day Saints would find Wikipedia articles to be "faith promoting." Generally, the believers think that the articles are too negative and the critics believe that the articles are too positive. LDS Wikipedia articles should be informative without being overtly faith promoting. However, most of the primary sources, including the words of Joseph Smith himself, are "faith promoting." This presents a dilemma for Wikipedia editors who want to remain neutral. The unfortunate consequence is that Joseph's words are rewritten and intermixed with contradictory sources, resulting in boring and confusing prose.

FairMormon's analysis of LDS-related Wikipedia articles

We examine selected Wikipedia articles and examine them on a "claim-by-claim" basis, with links to responses in the FairMormon Answers Wiki. Wikipedia articles are constantly evolving. As a result, the analysis of each article will be updated periodically in order to bring it more into line with the current version of the article. The latest revision date may be viewed at the top of each individual section. The process by which Wikipedia articles are reviewed is the following:

  1. Update each Wikipedia passage and its associated footnotes.
  2. Examine the use of sources and determine whether or not the passage accurately represents the source used.
  3. Provide links to response articles within the FairMormon Answers Wiki.
  4. If violation of Wikipedia rules is discovered, identify which Wikipedia editor (by pseudonym) made the edit, provide a description of the rule violated and a link to the Wikipedia "diff" showing the actual edit.
  5. If a violated rule is later corrected in a subsequent revision, the violation is removed and a notation is added that the passage is correct per cited sources. This doesn't mean that FAIR necessarily agrees with the passage—only that it is correct based upon the source used.

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, "Mormonism and Wikipedia: The Church History That “Anyone Can Edit”"

Roger Nicholson,  Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, (2012)
The ability to quickly and easily access literature critical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been made significantly easier through the advent of the Internet. One of the primary sites that dominates search engine results is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that “anyone can edit.” Wikipedia contains a large number of articles related to Mormonism that are edited by believers, critics, and neutral parties. The reliability of information regarding the Church and its history is subject to the biases of the editors who choose to modify those articles. Even if a wiki article is thoroughly sourced, editors sometimes employ source material in a manner that supports their bias. This essay explores the dynamics behind the creation of Wikipedia articles about the Church, the role that believers and critics play in that process, and the reliability of the information produced in the resulting wiki articles.

Click here to view the complete article

Wikipedia and anti-Mormon literature
Key sources
  • Roger Nicholson, "Mormonism and Wikipedia: The Church History That 'Anyone Can Edit'," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 1/8 (14 September 2012). [151–190] link
Wiki links
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