Mormonism and Wikipedia/Golden plates/Finding

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An analysis of the Wikipedia article "Golden plates"  Updated 9/21/2011

Reviews of previous revisions of this section

December 2009

Summary: A review of this section as it appeared in Wikipedia in December 2009.

From the Wikipedia article:
According to Smith, he found the plates after he was directed to them by a heavenly messenger

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith referred to the visitor as an "angel of the Lord" at least as early as 1832 Smith (1832) , p. 4, and possibly as early as 1829 (Early Mormon Documents 1:151-152). Some early accounts related by non-Mormons described this angel as a "spirit" (Hadley (1829) ; Harris (1833) , p. 253; Chase (1833) , p. 242) or a "ghost" Burnett (1831) ; see also Lewis (Lewis) , p. 1 (a later-published account using the "ghost" terminology). In 1838, however, Smith later said that the "angel" was a man who had been "dead, and raised again therefrom" Smith (1838b) , pp. 42–43.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
whom he later identified as the angel Moroni.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (Cowdery) , p. 180; Smith (1838b) , pp. 42–43. In distinction from his other accounts, Smith's 1838 autobiography said that the angel's name was Nephi Smith (1838a) , p. 4; nevertheless, modern historians and Latter Day Saints generally refer to the angel as Moroni.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
According to the story, the angel first visited Smith's bedroom late at night, on September 22

Wikipedia footnotes:

• September 22 was listed in a local almanac as the autumnal equinox, which has led D. Michael Quinn to argue that the date had astrological significance in Smith's worldview (Quinn (1998) , p. 144; however, this ostensible astrological significance is never mentioned by Smith or his contemporaries.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
in 1822 or 1823.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith's first mention of the angel in later histories is an appearance on the eve of September 22, 1823 Smith (1838a) , p. 4; however, other accounts say or imply that the angel may have appeared a year earlier in 1822. Smith's first history in 1832 said the angel's first visit was on September 22, 1822, although he also said he was "seventeen years of age" Smith (1832) , p. 3, which would have made the year 1823 (he turned 17 in December 1822). In 1835, after Oliver Cowdery initially dated the angel's visit to the "15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr's, age", Cowdery changed the statement to read the 17th year of his age (16 years old, or 1822)—but he said this visit in Smith's "17th year" occurred in 1823 Cowdery (1835a) , p. 78. Smith's father is quoted by an inquirer who visited his house in 1830 as saying that the first visit by the angel took place in 1822 but that he did not learn about it until 1823 Lapham (1870) , p. 305. A Smith neighbor who said Smith told him the story in 1823 said the angel appeared "a year or two before" the death of Joseph's brother Alvin in November 1823.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Moroni told Smith that the plates could be found buried in a prominent hill near his home, later called Cumorah, a name taken from the Book of Mormon.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1838a) , p. 4 (identifying the hill, but not referring to it by a name); Cowdery (1835b) , p. 196 (referring to the hill as Cumorah).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Before dawn, Moroni reappeared two more times and repeated the information.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1832) , p. 7; Smith (1842) , p. 707.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
But the angel would not allow Smith to take the plates until he obeyed certain "commandments".

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1838a) , p. 6 (saying the angel told him to obey his charge concerning the plates, "otherwise I could not get them"); Clark (1842) , pp. 225–26 (the angel "told him that he must follow implicitly the divine direction, or he would draw down upon him the wrath of heaven"); Smith (1853) , p. 83 (characterizing the angel's requirements as "commandments of God", and saying Smith could receive the plates "not only until he was willing, but able" to keep those commandments).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith recorded some of these commandments, and contemporaries to whom he told the story said there were others, all of which are relevant to the modern debate about whether, or how closely, events of early Mormonism were related to the practice of contemporary folk magic.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• See, e.g., Quinn (1998) .

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith's writings say that the angel required at least the following: (1) that he have no thought of using the plates for monetary gain,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1832) , p. 5 (saying he was commanded to "have an eye single to the glory of God"); Smith (1838a) , p. 6 (saying the angel commanded him to "have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God".)

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
(2) that he tell his father about the vision,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith's mother Lucy Mack Smith said he was commanded to tell his father during the third vision Smith (1853) , p. 81, but he disobeyed because he didn't think his father would believe him, and the angel appeared a fourth time to rebuke him and reiterate the commandment (82). Joseph Smith and his sister Katharine said the angel gave him the commandment in his fourth visit, but did not say whether he had received the commandment earlier that night (Smith (1838a) , p. 7; Salisbury (1895) , p. 12). Smith's father is quoted by a skeptical interviewer to say that in 1830, Smith delayed telling his father about the vision for about a year Lapham (1870) , p. 305. Smith's brother William, who was 11 at the time, said the angel commanded him to tell his entire family Smith (1883) , p. 9, although he may have been remembering Smith tell the story that night after he visited the hill, according to their mother's recollection Smith (1853) , p. 83.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
and (3) that he never show the plates to any unauthorized person.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Hadley (1829) ; Smith (1838a) , p. 6.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith's contemporaries who heard the story—both sympathetic and unsympathetic—generally agreed that Smith mentioned the following additional commandments: (4) that Smith take the plates and leave the site where they had been buried without looking back,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• This commandment is described in the account of Joseph Knight, Sr., a loyal Latter Day Saint friend of Smith's Knight (1833) , p. 2, and Willard Chase, an associate of Smith's in Palmyra during the 1820s Chase (1833) , p. 242. Both Knight and Chase were treasure seekers, but while Knight remained a loyal follower until his death, Chase was a critic of Smith's by the early 1830s.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
and (5) that the plates never directly touch the ground until safe at home in a locked chest.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• There is agreement on this commandment by Smith's mother Smith (1853) , pp. 85–86 and sister Salisbury (1895) , p. 14 and by two non-Mormons (Chase (1833) , p. 242; Lapham (1870) , p. 305).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Some unsympathetic listeners who heard the story from Smith or his father recalled that Smith had said the angel required him (6) to wear "black clothes" to the place where the plates were buried,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Chase (1833) , p. 242 (an affidavit of Willard Chase, a non-Latter Day Saint treasure seeker who believed Smith wrongly appropriated his seer stone). Chase said he heard the story from Smith's father in 1827. Fayette Lapham, who traveled to Palmyra in 1830 to inquire about the Latter Day Saint movement and heard the story from Joseph Smith, Sr., said Smith was told to wear an "old-fashioned suit of clothes, of the same color as those worn by the angel", but Lapham did not specify what color of clothing the angel was wearing Lapham (1870) , p. 305.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
(7) to ride a "black horse with a switchtail",

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Chase (1833) , p. 242 (affidavit of Willard Chase, relating story heard from Smith's father in 1827). A friendly but non-believing Palmyra neighbor, Lorenzo Saunders, heard the story in 1823 from Joseph Smith, Jr., and also said Smith was to required to ride a black horse to the hill Saunders (1884b) .

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
(8) to call for the plates by a certain name,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Chase (1833) , p. 242 (affidavit of the skeptical Willard Chase).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
and (9) to "give thanks to God."

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Saunders (1893) (statement of Orson Saunders of Palmyra, who heard the story from Benjamin Saunders, who heard the story from Joseph Smith).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
In the morning, Smith began work as usual and did not mention the visions to his father

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1838a) , p. 7

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
because, he said, he did not think his father would believe him.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1853) , p. 82; Salisbury (1895) , p. 12 (stating that Smith told the angel during the fourth visit that he was afraid his Father would not believe him).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith said he then fainted because he had been awake all night, and while unconscious, the angel appeared a fourth time and chastised him for failing to tell the visions to his father.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1853) , p. 82; Smith (1838a) , p. 6.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
When Smith then told all to his father, he believed his son and encouraged him to obey the angel's commands.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1853) , p. 82; Smith (1838a) , p. 7. Smith's brother William, who was 11 at the time, said he also told the rest of his family that day prior to visiting the hill Smith:1883 , pp. 9–10, although he may have been remembering Smith tell the story the night after he visited the hill, according to their mother's recollection Smith (1853) , p. 83. Smith's sister Katharine said that Joseph told his father and the two oldest brothers Alvin and Hyrum the morning prior to visiting the hill, but Katharine was too young (10 years old) to understand what they were talking about Salisbury (1895) , p. 13.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith then set off to visit the hill, later stating that he used his seer stone to locate the place where the plates were buried

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Harris (1833) , p. 252 (statement by Henry Harris, a non-Mormon Palmyra resident); Harris (1859) , p. 163 (statement by Martin Harris, a Latter Day Saint who became one of the Three Witnesses of the Golden Plates). According to one hearer of the account, Smith used the seer stone to follow a sequence of landmarks by horse and on foot until he arrived at the place the plates were buried.Lapham (1870) , p. 305.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
but that he "knew the place the instant that [he] arrived there."

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1838a) , pp. 6–7.

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith said he saw a large stone covering a box made of stone (or possibly iron).

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Most accounts, including those written by Smith, say the plates were found in a stone box (Cowdery (1835b) , p. 196; Smith (1838a) , pp. 15–16; Whitmer (1875) , calling it a "stone casket", and stating that Smith had to dig down for the box "two and a half or three feet"); according to two non-believing witnesses, however, Smith said they were buried in an iron box (Bennett (1831) , p. 7; Lewis (Lewis) , p. 1).

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Using a stick to remove dirt from the edges of the stone cover, and prying it up with a lever,

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Salisbury (1895) , p. 13

FAIR's analysis:

From the Wikipedia article:
Smith saw the plates inside the box, together with other artifacts.

Wikipedia footnotes:

• Smith (1838a) , pp. 15–16. According to various accounts, these artifacts may have included a breastplate (Cowdery (1835b) , p. 196; Smith (1838a) , p. 16; Salisbury (1895) , p. 13, saying it was the "breast-plate of Laban"), a set of large spectacles made of seer stones (Chase (1833) , p. 243; Smith (1838a) , p. 16; Salisbury (1895) , p. 13), the Liahona, the sword of Laban (Lapham (1870) , pp. 306, 308; Salisbury (1895) , p. 13), the brass plates of Laban Salisbury (1895) , p. 13, the vessel in which the gold was melted, a rolling machine for gold plates, and three balls of gold as large as a fist Harris (1833) , p. 253.

FAIR's analysis:

Notes

References

Wikipedia references for "Golden Plates"

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• Cole, Abner, Gold Bible, No. 6 off-site .
• Cook, Lyndon W., (1991), David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness Grandin .
• Cowdery, Oliver, (1834), Letter [I] off-site .
• Cowdery, Oliver, (1834b), Letter III off-site .
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• Crystal, David, (1997), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language Cambridge University Press .
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• Givens, Terryl L., (2003), By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion Oxford University Press .
• Grandin, E.B., Editor's note off-site .
• Hadley, Jonathan A., Golden Bible off-site .
• Hale, Isaac, Howe, Eber Dudley (editor) (1834), Mormonism Unvailed , Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press off-site .
• Hamblin, William J., (2007), Sacred Writing on Metal Plates in the Ancient Mediterranean off-site .
• Harris, Abigail, Howe, Eber Dudley (editor) (1833), Mormonism Unvailed , Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press off-site .
• Harris, Henry, Howe, Eber Dudley (editor) (1833), Mormonism Unvailed , Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press off-site .
• Harris, Martin, (1859), Mormonism, No. II off-site .
• Howe, Eber Dudley, (1834), Mormonism Unvailed Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press off-site .
• Knight, Joseph, Sr., Jessee, Dean (editor) (1833), Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History off-site .
• Lapham, [La]Fayette, (1870), Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty years Ago. His Account of the Finding of the Sacred Plates off-site .
• Mormon History off-site .
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• Packer, J. Cameron, (2004), Cumorah's Cave Maxwell Institute off-site .
• Palmer, Grant H., (2002), An Insider's View of Mormon Origins Signature Books .
• Parrish, Warren, (1838), Letter from W. Parrish, Kirtland The Evangelist off-site , republished in Vogel, Dan (editor) (1999), Early Mormon Documents , Salt Lake City: Signature Books .
• Phelps, , (1833), A Book of Commandments, for the Government of the Church of Christ Zion: William Wines Phelps & Co. off-site .
• Poulson, P. Wilhelm, Letter to the editor. .
• Pratt, Orson, (1856), The Faith and Visions of the Ancient Saints—The Same Great Blessing to be Enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints off-site .
• Pratt, Orson, (1859), Evidences of the Bible and Book of Mormon Compared off-site .
• Pratt, Orson, (1877), King Limhi's Enquiry, from the Book of Mormon' off-site .
• Putnam, Read H., Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga? off-site .
• Quinn, D. Michael, (1998), Early Mormonism and the Magic World View , Salt Lake City: Signature Books .
• Riley, I. Woodbridge, (1903), The Founder of Mormonism: A Psychological Study of Joseph Smith, Jr. , New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. off-site
• Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1902), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
• Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1905), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
• Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1908), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
• Robinson, Andrew, (2002), Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts McGraw Hill .
• Salisbury, Katharine Smith, Walker, Kyle R. (editor) Katharine Smith Salisbury's Recollections of Joseph's Meetings with Moroni off-site .
• Saunders, Benjamin, Vogel, Dan (editor) (1884a), Early Mormon Documents , Salt Lake City: Signature Books .
• Saunders, Lorenzo, Vogel, Dan (editor) (1884b), Early Mormon Documents , Salt Lake City: Signature Books .
• Saunders, Orson, Bennett, James Gordon, Jr. (editor) Mormon Leaders at Their Mecca off-site .
• Smith, Joseph III, last Testimony of Sister Emma off-site .
• Smith, Joseph, Jr., (1830), The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, Upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi , Palmyra, New York: E. B. Grandin off-site .
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Further reading

FAIR Answers—back to home page

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

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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	Mormonism and Wikipedia Martin Harris—analysis of wikipedia treatment Oliver Cowdery—analysis of wikipedia treatment First Vision—analysis of wikipedia treatment Joseph Smith—analysis of wikipedia treatment Golden plates—analysis of wikipedia treatment Three Witnesses—analysis of wikipedia treatment
Online	"Wiki Wars: In battle to define beliefs, Mormons and foes wage battle on Wikipedia", Michael De Groote, Deseret News, January 30, 2011. "Wiki Wars: In battle to define beliefs, Mormons and foes wage battle on Wikipedia", Michael De Groote, Mormon Times, January 31, 2011. "Something Wiki This Way Comes: How collaborative editing is changing the face of online LDS apologetics", R. Scott Lloyd, Church News, August 8, 2011. Something Wiki This Way Comes: How Collaborative Editing is Changing the Face of Online LDS Apologetics. A close look at the challenges and history of editing LDS topics in a Wikipedia. This is a 2011 FAIR conference presentation by Roger Nicholson, in PDF format.
Navigators	Table of contents Abuse Bible Book of Abraham Book of Mormon CES Letter Church history Church finances Doctrine and Covenants First Vision Joseph Smith Latter-day Saint temples Mountain Meadows Massacre Plural marriage Prophets and leaders Scripture Brigham Young Anti-Mormon literature

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