Young joseph smith swore, steinberg writes, that late one night in the fall of 1823, a spirit, barefoot. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Joseph smith s bestial myth is a strikingly alternative pastoral. Smith, then 24 years old, claimed that he had not composed the text of the book, but that he had translated it from a set of golden plates which he had dug out of a nearby hill under the. If the primary purpose of the book of mormon were to function as a sign as tangible evidence that joseph smith was a true prophet of god that mission could have been page 180 accomplished much more concisely a longer tome might be more impressive to some, but it would put off other. How joseph smith and the early mormons challenged american democracy.
Mormons have long sought to verify scientifically the book of mormon story. Several investigations and studies which set out to prove that joseph wrote the book of mormon have actua. Many of the worlds leading science fiction authors appeared, but one. Short description of book the book of mormon is a volume of scripture comparable to the bible. The solomon spalding manuscript 1812 by solomon spalding this unpublished manuscript was a work of fiction created by a retired minister, solomon spalding who died in 1816 before being able to publish his work. The book of mormon also spoke of sprawling ancient cities, none of which had been identified in the united states. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. In joseph smith, he employs his keen insight and rich storytelling gift to explore one of the periods major figures.
He essentially invented a whole fantasy world in the book of mormonat least thats. Supposing further, that melville was aware of mid19th century attributions of book of mormon authorship to solomon spalding rather than joseph smith, melvilles adoption of the name in his story may have been done with a wink and a nod to the then current claims that an illiterate joseph smith was not the creator of the mormon books story. Moronimoroni delivering the book of mormon to joseph smith. The theology of the book of mormon an introduction to the. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints fast facts cnn. In his book studies of the book of mormon, roberts concluded that joseph smith had sufficient imagination and was capable of producing the book of mormon even though he had little formal education. By taking an evidential approach to christian and mormon scripture, i confirmed the veracity of christianity and guarded myself from the falsity of mormonism. The 1830 edition of the book of mormon named joseph smith as the author. The point i was trying to emphasize was the honestydishonesty of joseph smith about the origins of the book of mormon. The book of mormon with biographical introduction kindle edition by smith, joseph, smith, joseph. Smith family history shows that this dedication was intended to honor alvins commitment to. Joseph smiths bestial myth is a strikingly alternative pastoral.
Cs lewiss trilemma applied to joseph smith the book. Particularly, he emphasized his belief that the city of zarahemla was directly across the river from nauvoos present location. In nauvoo, illinois, smith established a theocracy, ran for president, and tested the limits of religious freedom. I look at the book of mormon as joseph smiths first novel, and he. May 30, 2019 he views the book of mormon as an amalgamation of the rumors and myths, and understandings about native americans existing at the time. On april 6, 1830, joseph smith organized the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and became its first president. How joseph smith faked the book of mormon secret truth revealed at last. Occult context of joseph smith s 1823 discovery of gold plates dan vogel duration. Book of mormon is a sacred text of the socalled later day saint movement mormons that was first published in the first half of the nineteenth century by joseph smith. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. When he was 24, smith published the book of mormon. Why is the book of mormons historical authenticity so important.
From the smithpettit foundation, an eightvolume revision of joseph smiths original history of the church from 1838 to 1844. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. History of joseph smith and the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book of mormon by joseph smith pdf book download. Joseph smith claimed to have translated the book of mormon from ancient records that included authentic names, which he was not at liberty to change. The result, the book of mormon, begins as the record of a jewish family. John whitmer historical association best documentary book award. Robert reminis work on the jacksonian epoch has won him acclaim as well as the national book award.
Jul 22, 2018 how joseph smith faked the book of mormon secret truth revealed at last. Joseph smiths translation and publication of the book of mormon, excerpted by fairmormon. The book of mormon kindle edition by smith, joseph. How did joseph smith come up with the book of mormon. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. He views the book of mormon as an amalgamation of the rumors and myths, and understandings about native americans existing at the time. That the mormons had a book of their own counted for almost as much as what the book of mormon said. Joseph smith was first named the translator of the book of mormon on the title page in the. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who. An account written byt he hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Laurie mafflykipp, phd, is the archer alexander distinguished professor at the. This knowhy explores the question of why joseph could be both the. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon.
The eleven witnesses admitted that they gazed upon and handled the golden plates in the same way that they saw spectacular treasures in. If he believed the product he produced was a cocreative effort with inspiration from god, then it cant be blatant dishonesty on his part. Coe states that the book of mormon was in the air when it was published. In turn, a sheet in memory of alvin smith was inserted as the flyleaf of the first volume of joseph smith s 1838 manuscript history, which began with careful reports of the prophets early visions and the translation of the book of mormon. The story of the golden plates consists of how, according to joseph smith and his contemporaries, the plates were found, received from the angel moroni, translated, and returned to the angel before the publication of the book of mormon. Another testament of jesus christ behold, i am jesus christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world 3 nephi 11. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. A sacred text of the latter day saint movement, first published in 1830 by joseph smith, jr.
At one point they claimed that the smithsonian institution used the book of mormon as a guide to almost all of the major archeological discoveries in the western hemisphere. The book of mormon ebook by joseph smith rakuten kobo. Sep 06, 2018 the point i was trying to emphasize was the honestydishonesty of joseph smith about the origins of the book of mormon. The possibility of the book of mormon as inspired fiction. Smith, then 24 years old, claimed that he had not composed the text of the book, but that he had translated it from a set of golden plates which he had dug out of a nearby hill under the direction of. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement. Some critics maintain that the book of mormon is fiction and that joseph invented the names in the same way many authors of fiction do. Proof the book of mormon isnt true the book of mormon contradicts the bible and was actually a work of fiction written by joseph smith in the 1800s, who copied much of it from the king james version, trying to make it look like an ancient manuscript. Not because the spirit tells me so or because the book. It would be interesting to study this topic in more depth. Smith was the founding prophet and first president of the church. The book of mormon is most definitely a work of fiction written by joseph smith.
First, the historical evidence shows that joseph smith, jr. The mormon religion is based upon the story and religious teachings of joseph smith. Jul 12, 2017 was the book of mormon a great american novel. Overwhelming evidence has accumulated indicating that the story is pure fiction. Now the text, first published in 1830 and once derided as a fiction of. The book of mormon contains doctrinal and philosophical teachings on a wide range of topics, from basic themes of christianity and judaism to political and ideological teachings. That the myth that is readable in the book of mormon written by joseph smith and we now know that not only is there no evidence that. This medallion commemorates this spectacular vision. Ambrosiana in this illustration, joseph smith reads the book of mormon to his first followers. So my first answer also answers this second question about honesty. Translation, pseudotranslation, and the book of mormon, in the. In turn, a sheet in memory of alvin smith was inserted as the flyleaf of the first volume of joseph smiths 1838 manuscript history, which began with careful reports of the prophets early visions and the translation of the book of mormon.
Skeptics have put forth several theories of book of. Restorationists believed that the protestant reformation, though a. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. Considering josephs limited formal education, it is. If there is data supporting the texts, we can calculate whether the book of mormon should be considered to be based on fact or simply a good fiction story. When joseph smith dictated the book of mormon, his religious beliefs were rather typical of restorationist thinking within englishspeaking protestantism. We have searched the internet for many of the available electronic books that are of priceless value to latterday saints. Side two displays the salt lake lds temple with joseph smiths account of the first vision. Fits perfectly with optional coin capsulecase or tin giftcollectors box. The book of mormon bom was first published in palmyra, new york, in 1830, its title page giving the name joseph smith, jun. Occult context of joseph smiths 1823 discovery of gold plates dan vogel. Joseph smith, the book of mormon, and the american. Josephs story about the gold plates simply cannot be divorced from. Get book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the.
I actually dealt with this topic in another answer how could joseph smith write the book of mormon. Coe suggests, the only model joseph smith might conceivably have heard about for control of subjugated peoples was the roman one, which was the opposite of the system used among the maya, and also the opposite of the system used in the book of mormon. This high relief coin incorporates on side one the young joseph smith surrounded by light in the sacred grove. The calculation supports that the probability of the book of mormon being true is less than 8 chances in 100 billion, billion 8. If a socalled holy book is not a myth, then we will find that the names of cities, people, and other unique details will be supported by archaeological evidence. Mormon origins is created to make available historical information andor documents relating to the beginnings of mormonism in america. Smith is the only source for a great deal of the story because much of it occurred while he was the only human witness. Many reject joseph smiths claims that he received and translated the book of mormon through divine direction and assistance. He was, however, prone to make silly mistakes, such as. I consider joseph smith to be the urscience fiction writer of mormonism. The calculation conservatively supports the book of mormon is fictional. This is a followup to my article, joseph smith and the american renaissance, published in dialogue.
The most important reformer and innovator in american religious history, joseph smith has remained a fascinating enigma to many both inside and outside the. We have free ebooks available in pdf, kindle, epub, html and many other formats. This extract offers a taste of a powerful, beautiful and extremely unusual novel of animal life. Taurus is the psychologically unnerving and viscerally detailed story of a bull. Popular mormon fiction books meet your next favorite book. Is the book of mormon an authentic ancient history of ancient american peoples, or a work of 19th century religious fiction. The book of mormon is an account of the former inhabitants of this continent that contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Well, if so, how did joseph smith avoid breathing in so much bad air. A depiction of joseph smith s description of receiving the golden plates from the angel moroni at the hill cumorah.
Why is it impossible for joseph smith to have been the. It is a record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains, as does the bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of mormon with biographical introduction. However, givens argues that the book of mormons intimate connection with smith disallows one from accepting the book as inspired while rejecting smiths claims about the gold plates. The book of mormon by church of jesus christ of latterday. The book of mormon by joseph smith, paperback barnes. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers and founded a religion that continues to the present with millions of global adherents. Parker and stone were best known for creating the animated comedy south park. Another proponent of the inspired fiction theory for the book of mormon has claimed that joseph smith utilized vast amounts of reworked. The wellpublicized story of joseph smiths first vision is not a true account of the origin of the latterday saint movement. He didnt have the time, education or wherewithal to do this.