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Mormonism and Wikipedia/Golden plates/Sealed portion
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An analysis of claims made in the Wikipedia article "Golden plates" - "Sealed" portion
| Described composition and weight | A FAIR Analysis of: Wikipedia article "Golden plates", a work by author: Various
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Claimed engravings |
An analysis of claims made in the Wikipedia article "Golden plates" - "Sealed" portion
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.Section review
"Sealed" portion
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
According to Joseph Smith and others, the book of Golden Plates contained a "sealed" portionAuthor's sources: *Smith (1842) , p. 707
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
containing "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof."Author's sources: Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:7. The "sealing" of apocalyptic revelations in a book has precedents in the Bible. See, for example, Isaiah 29:11, Daniel 12:4, and Revelation 5:1–5. The Book of Mormon states that this vision was originally given to the Brother of Jared, recorded by Ether on a set of 24 plates later found by Limhi, and then "sealed up". Book of Mormon, Ether 1:2. According to this account, Moroni copied the plates of Limhi onto the sealed portion of the Golden Plates.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
Smith never described the nature of the seal, and the language of the Book of Mormon may be interpreted to describe a sealing that was spiritual, metaphorical,
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
physical, or a combination of these elements.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
The Book of Mormon refers to other documents and plates as being "sealed" to be revealed at some future time. For example, the Book of Mormon says the entire set of plates was "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord"Author's sources: *Smith (1830)
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
and that separate records of John the Apostle were "sealed up to come forth in their purity" in the end times.Author's sources: *Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:26
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
One set of plates to which the Book of Mormon refers was "sealed up" in the sense that they were written in a language that could not be read.Author's sources: *Book of Mormon, Ether 3:22.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
Smith may have understood the sealing to be a supernatural or spiritual sealing "by the power of God" (2 Nephi 27:10),Author's sources: *Quinn (1998) , pp. 195–196.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
an idea supported by a reference in the Book of Mormon to the "interpreters" (Urim and Thummim) with which Smith said they were buried or "sealed."Author's sources: *Book of Mormon, Ether 4:5. According to Martin Harris, anyone who looked into the "interpreters", "except by the command of God", would "perish" Harris (1859) , p. 166.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
Oliver Cowdery also stated that when Smith visited the hill, he was stricken by a supernatural force because the plates were "sealed by the prayer of faith."Author's sources: *Cowdery (1835b) , p. 198.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
Several witnesses described a physical sealing placed on part of the plates by Mormon or Moroni. David Whitmer said that when an angel showed him the plates in 1829, "a large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them,"Author's sources: *David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in David Whitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221. Near the end of his life, Whitmer said that one section of the book was "loose, in plates, the other solid". Storey (1881) .
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
that the "sealed" part of the plates were held together as a solid mass "stationary and immovable,"Author's sources: *Cole (1831)
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
"as solid to my view as wood,"Author's sources: *Poulson (1878) .
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
and that there were "perceptible marks where the plates appeared to be sealed"Author's sources: *Storey (1881)
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
with leaves "so securely bound that it was impossible to separate them."Author's sources: *Whitmer (1888) . Orson Pratt, who said he had spoken with many witnesses of the plates,Pratt (1859) , p. 30, assumed that Joseph Smith could "break the seal" if only he had been "permitted" Pratt (1877) , pp. 211–12.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
In 1842, Lucy Mack Smith said that some of the plates were "sealed together" while others were "loose."Author's sources: *Smith (1842b) , p. 27.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
The account of the Eight Witnesses says they saw the plates in 1829 and handled "as many of the leaves as [Joseph] Smith has translated," implying that they did not examine untranslated parts, such as the sealed portion.Author's sources: *Smith (1830)
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
In one interview, David Whitmer said that "about half" the book was unsealed;Author's sources: *Cole (1831) ; Poulson (1878) .
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
in 1881, he said "about one-third" was unsealed.Author's sources: *Storey (1881)
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
Whitmer's 1881 statement is consistent with an 1856 statement by Orson Pratt, an associate of Smith's who never saw the plates himself but who had spoken with witnesses,Author's sources: *Pratt (1859) , p. 30.
FAIR's Response
The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:
that "about two-thirds" of the plates were "sealed up".Author's sources: *Pratt (1856) , p. 347.
FAIR's Response
References
| Wikipedia references for "Golden Plates" |
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Further reading
Mormonism and Wikipedia
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.
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:
- Update each Wikipedia passage and its associated footnotes.
- Examine the use of sources and determine whether or not the passage accurately represents the source used.
- Provide links to response articles within the FairMormon Answers Wiki.
- 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.
- 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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