Joseph smith wrote the book of mormon

Jan 19, 2020 the painting joseph smith receives the gold plates by artist kenneth riley. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Sep 11, 20 the last nephite prophet in the book of mormon circa a. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august. Nov 01, 2016 as a result, if the book of mormon can be proved to be manmade, then the church is manmade. In just one example, mark twain, in roughing it, accuses joseph smith of having smouched from the new testament and then giving no credit in his composing the book of mormon. Book of mormon central, how can we be strengthened by lucy mack smiths testimony of the book of mormon. He didnt have the time, education or wherewithal to do this. Its followers hold that it is a divinely inspired work revealed to and translated by the founder of their religion, joseph smith. If the book of mormon was joseph smiths creative product, he successfully avoided leaving evidence that would be detected by linguistic lenses. Since that time, this sacred volume has been translated into more than 100 languages, and over 150. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon.

Mormons believe that the book of mormon contains the fulness of jesus christs gospel see joseph smithhistory 1. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the book of mormon. Of course, he was the translator unaided by mortal man. Preface to book of mormon, circa august 1829, page iii. Jan 14, 2012 how joseph created the book of mormon mormonism exposed.

Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. Smith is the only source for a great deal of the story because much of it occurred while he was the only human witness. Why did the book of mormon originally say that joseph smith. Its first edition was published in 1823 and was very popular in the area where joseph smith lived. When he was 24, smith published the book of mormon. The authors contend joseph smith didnt directly plagiarize from the late war, but that he must have read it and had some of the ideas and phrases in his head when he wrote the book of mormon. If you remove quotes from the bible, the book of mormon has about 258k words, compared to 184k words in the new testament, and 77k in.

The authors conclude that cowdery himself likely connected joseph smith with sidney rigdon, and that they, together, crafted what is today known as the book of mormon. Sidney rigdons confession to his son about the book of mormon. In 1823, moroni appeared to joseph smith as an angel and told him where the plates were buried. Nov 27, 2016 the book of mormon was first published in early 1830, prior to the official organization of the church of jesus christ in new york on april 6 of that year. Tolkien who wrote the threevolume work, the lord of the rings. A careful investigation into why joseph smith was called the author and proprietor of the book of mormon reveals a number of important points. There is a monumental difference between writing a. Seven years later, in 1830, this scriptural canon of the latterday saints was published for the world. Sidney rigdons final confession about joseph smith and the origin of the book of mormon.

Had they been unalloyed gold, they would have been too heavy for a. The question of the authenticity of the book of mormon is the basis for any discussion on the truthfulness of the lds church. The coming forth of the book of mormon, foretold by ancient prophets, began with an angelic visitation in 1823 to 17yearold joseph smith. Who was solomon spalding and did he have a connection with joseph smith. Book of mormon wordprint or word pattern studies parent page. Both of these contemporaries of joseph smith authored works of comparable complexity and profundity as the book of mormon. These phrases are identical to the phrases which describe the construction of defensive forts in chapters 4850 and 53 of the book of alma. The book of hebrews and the joseph smith translation. Joseph smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and wellworded letter. Several investigations and studies which set out to prove that joseph wrote the book of mormon have actua.

December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement. Apr 22, 2016 the language in the sections of the book of mormon that correspond to parts of the bible is quite regularly selected by joseph smith, rather than obtained through independent translation. Having been an active mormon for 35 years, and semiactive for another seven, i feel i have a pretty good picture of the lds church, its history, and motives. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of american national standard for information sciencespermanence of paper. The book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith. When did joseph smith write the book of mormon answers. According to some, the simplest explanation is that joseph smith authored the book of mormon himself, without the.

How joseph created the book of mormon mormonism exposed. An explanation of how joseph smith created the book of mormon. 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. The problem with the premise of your question that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon is that. If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, we should be able to see his literary style across the entire book. Oliver cowdery was joseph smith s distant cousin, whose familys minister was ethan smith of poultney, vermont, author of the 1823 view of the hebrews. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of his theories from a manuscript of a novel written by solomon spaulding. Six criteria can demonstrate the presence of similarity or distinctiveness amon.

John sorenson, a retired professor from brigham young university, wrote, r. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god, translated an abridgment of those original plates. 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. Lehis dream of the tree of life is essentially the same dream joseph smith s father had when joseph smith was five years old. Rees, joseph smith, the book of mormon, and us renaissance 3 and their places in this incredibly fertile chapter of american literary history in relation to the mormon prophet and the book with which he.

Why joseph smith wrote the book of mormon by clayton publishing house, st. Ancient prophets, historians, and leaders engraved their testimonies and history on golden plates. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. The sources of inspiration and content essay further discusses joseph smith s grammatic style in the book of mormon dictation. Mormon abridged this record in his plates, and joseph smith translated it, but since it was lost by martin harris, very little is now known about it except what can be inferred from references in other texts brown, pp. So joseph was in his early to mid twenties when the book of mormon was translated and not a teenager. The book is also evidence that joseph smith was a prophet of god and that the savior leads his church today. He was also joseph s counselor, and was a member of the original first presidency for the entire mormon life of joseph smith. Some researchers believe that the book of mormon was partly based on an earlier book view of the hebrews or the tribes of israel in america by ethan smith no relation. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. Joseph smith was called of god to translate the golden plates, resulting in the book of mormon.

The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on this earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than any other book. Joseph smith translated the plates into english by the gift and power of god, and the book of mormon was published in palmyra, new york, in 1830. Rigdon, sidneys son, asks his dad if he wrote the book of mormon or if joseph s story about golden plates is true. Joseph smith, the book of mormon, and the american. After more than a century of speculation about whether lds church founder joseph smith had children with any of his plural wives, a local geneticist said he recently has crossed two such purported descendants off the list of potential candidates. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. In 1837, a new edition of the book of mormon was prepared, and the text was carefully reexamined and compared with the original manuscripts, by elder joseph smith, jr. Bunyan wrote upwards of 60 books, tracts, and pamphlets, including. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. Putnam has argued persuasively that the book of mormon plates that were in joseph smith s hands were of tumbaga. The angel charged joseph smith to translate the book from the ancient language in which it was written. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421.

This year we will be studying the book of mormon as part of the come, follow me curriculum. To ask if joseph smith produced the book of mormon seems unnecessary. According to the prophet joseph smith, the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, which contained the record which has been translated, the language of the whole running the same as all hebrew writing in general. Joseph had never published book or story or anything that we know of. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. Sometimes, reading tolkien, i am reminded of the book of mormon. Mar 31, 2020 book of mormon central, how can we know what to believe about joseph smiths personal character. In 1827, moroni returned as an angel and delivered the gold plates to joseph smith, who translated them through the power of god. This would seem to indicate that someone, perhaps joseph smith, copied parts of adairs book verbatim into the book of mormon.

The very idea that a new york farm boy with limited education might translate an ancient document is so unimaginable that it could only have occurred through, as joseph himself declared, the gift and power of god. The book of alma is one part of the book of mormon. Since 1830 millions of people have read the book of mormon and have joined the church of jesus christ of latterday saints because of the book of mormon s witness of the savior. Joseph smith and the origin of the book of mormon john w.

Absence of joseph smith in the book of mormon religious. Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. Joseph smith stated that the book of mormon was the keystone of our. In this book i explore the real genesis of the book of mormon relying on family documents and published affidavits of people who witnessed firsthand the creation of the book of mormon men and women who knew joseph smith and sidney rigdon personally over their entire lifetime.

According to smiths account and the books narrative, the book of mormon was originally written in otherwise unknown characte. The 1830 edition of the book of mormon named joseph smith as the author and proprietor of the book. Book of mormon central, how can we know what to believe about joseph smiths personal character. If the book of mormon was joseph smith s creative product, he successfully avoided leaving evidence that would be detected by linguistic lenses. The official story, of course, is that smith and cowdery had never met, and that cowdery just happened to get a job teaching school in palmyra and boarded with the smith family. Lds scholars often point out that smith had received a rudimentary education at best, and did not have access to the works needed to research the book. One argument that mormon apologists frequently employ is the claim that joseph smith was intellectually unequipped to write the book of mormon. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august 1829. Since 1830 millions of people have read the book of mormon and have joined the church of jesus christ of latterday saints because of the book of mormons witness of the savior. The translation of the gold plates is called the book of mormon.

Regarded by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as holy scripture detailing gods revelation to joseph smith. Is stylometry the ultimate proof that joseph smith did not. The advent of the computer and the internet allows joseph smith as the author of the book of mormon to be compared to other authors and their books in ways essentially impossible even a couple of decades ago. Sidney rigdons final words about joseph smith and the.

Mar 22, 2019 artwork on the back wall by jorge cocco. Book of mormon central, how can we be strengthened by lucy mack smith s testimony of the book of mormon. 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. This wordprint evidence, made possible through the modern computer, is to me remarkable and greatly appreciated. A young woman reads from the book of mormon while family members follow along. To order this book directly from amazon, click here. How joseph smith faked the book of mormon secret truth. The earliest writers in opposition to the church accepted joseph smith as the author of the book.

Joseph smith did not sign more than a handful of copies of the book of mormon, said brother fox. Rigdon, the son of sydney rigdon visited utah and spent the winter among the mormons. The original manuscript is in the handwriting of oliver cowdery, who maintained throughout his life that joseph smith dictated it to him. Explorations in critical methodology, edited by brent lee metcalf.

This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel written by revolutionary war veteran solomon spalding during the. Apr 10, 2018 opponents to the book of mormon either claim that joeseph wrote the book of mormon or cobbled it together from others like pratt, cowdery, spaulding, or rigdon. When joseph smith ran for the presidency of the united states, he selected sidney rigdon as his running. I next take a long, hard look at the church which grew from joseph smith. Mormons believe that the book of mormon contains the fulness of jesus christs gospel see joseph smith history 1.

This is staggering when you think about it to claim that joseph smith, who could not write a coherent letter, wrote the book of mormon, with all of its historical complexity and profound doctrinal insights, in a single dictation draft in approximately 65 working days with no notes in front of him and with only minor changes mostly grammatical. These common grammar peculiarities, however, do not indicate a simpleton farm boy, only someone who wrote as he spoke in the dialect of his geographical location. Aug 25, 2019 adams wrote in the book of mormon he received, the above is the autograph of the chief of the mormons who gave me this book at nauvoo on the 15th of may 1844. Truth about joseph smith s beliefs on geography of the book of mormon duration. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, joseph smith stated, and the keystone of our religion. Joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon 2nd edition and also in kindle david persuitte, a technical writer from virginia, wrote the first edition of this book in 1985. On the other hand, if its origin is godgiven, then joseph smith was a prophet, and if he was a prophet, then the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is true. The authors have an impressive command of their sources, and apart from the chapters on cowdery, the book is far from tedious. The young man, however, had very little formal education. There is a monumental difference between writing a book and dictating a book.

Once we have a foundational testimony of the book of mormon, then. The first edition of the book of mormon was published in 1830 when joseph was 24. Members of the church have long held that its joseph smith. Yet, it may be worth while to examine into the widespread theory of anti mormon writers that joseph wrote the book and that he stole his ideas from others. These statistical results provide striking support for the book of mormon s internal claims about its authorship. Devoted members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints honor its founder, joseph smith, with saintlike reverence. The greatest event recorded in the book is the account of jesus christs visit to the americas after his death and resurrection. A version of this book was published in 1980 as mormon answer to skepticism. Rigdon, sidneys son, asks his dad if he wrote the book of mormon or if josephs story about golden plates is true.

Rather, by the gift and power of god book of mormon, title page he translated the writings of many authors who wrote at different times and under various circumstances. Smith supposedly produced these revisions under divine inspiration. Smith also asserted that john the baptist appeared to him while he was translating the book of mormon and instructed him to restore the church by preaching the true gospel. If, as howe asserted, joseph smith was the unacknowledged author of this masterpiece, he was surprisingly skillful at maintaining his anonymity. Book of mormon central, how can we know what to believe about joseph smith s personal character. Joseph smith is often accused of creating the book of mormon by plagiarizing various contemporary sources such as the spalding manuscript or ethan smiths view of the hebrews. If he copied from someone, we should see that authors writing style likewise. When the book of mormon was first published in 1830, it looked very different than today. Emma smiths copy of the book of mormon found joseph smith. Joseph smiths response to skepticism signature books. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written the. Many authors have written very impressive works and were younger than when joseph translated the book of mormon such as ernest hemingway.

The joseph smith translation jst is the king james version of the bible with joseph smith s revisionsmostly in the form of additions, though with some other kinds of changes. It is a complex portrayal of a thousandyear history of an ancient people. Theories that the book of mormon essentially wrote itself with no help from joseph smith grant palmers golden pot theory related to the story of moronis visit critical theories that sidney rigdon was a book of mormon author or coconspirator. Joseph smith stated that the book of mormon was the keystone of our religion, to which the former lds prophet ezra taft benson added, just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed.

The first gathering of the book of mormon, including this preface, was likely printed by mid. This has caused some to wonder if the prophet gave. In 1823 moroni was sent as a resurrected being to reveal the book of mormon to joseph smith and finally delivered the plates to him in 1827 the guide to the scriptures, moroni, son of mormon, 16768. Joseph smith as author of the book of mormon joseph smith was an uneducated boy, and yet he produced the book of mormon in a few short months. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, joseph smith stated, and the keystone 1 of our religion. Joseph smith translated the book of mormon in 1823, moroni appeared to joseph smith as an angel and told him where the plates were buried. He was also blessed by the help of scribes who wrote what he dictated as he translated. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon.