How joseph wrote book of mormon

Those who believe that joseph smith translated it by the gift and power of god naturally have accepted that its source texts were written by multiple ancient prophets. Joseph smith and his scribes wrote of two instruments used in translating the book of mormon. 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. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, joseph smith stated, and the keystone of our religion. 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. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. Brodie wrote, unwilling to credit joseph smith with either learning or talent, detractors of the mormons within a few years declared that the book of mormon must have been written by someone else no man knows my history. Several investigations and studies which set out to prove that joseph wrote the book of mormon have actua. Many concepts from the book of mormon are present in this book notably 2000 stripling warriors, a liahonalike description of a metal device, the freeman movement, rod of iron, standard of liberty, brass plates, cataclysmic earthquakes followed by great darkness, chiasmus, and many, many more. 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. Dec 12, 2017 since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. 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. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon.

Udv4 crip how joseph smith wrote the book of mormon how joseph smith came up with mormonism anti mormon lds byu flds kbyu jesus christ lord master savior messiah king bible cult scam fraud lies. The bible was recorded largely on scrolls in the old world as separate books and copied by scribes for centuries. Absence of joseph smith in the book of mormon religious. Aug 15, 2019 i think the reason we have the book of mormon is as the title page explains to convince people that jesus is the christ, manifesting himself unto all nations. For nearly two centuries, faithful members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints lds have claimed that joseph smith translated the. 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. Preface to book of mormon, circa august 1829, page iii. The coming forth of the book of mormon, foretold by ancient prophets, began with an angelic visitation in 1823 to 17yearold joseph smith. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets.

Latterday saints believe that the book of mormon contains. Mormons believe that the book of mormon contains the fulness of jesus christs gospel see joseph smithhistory 1. Joseph smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and wellworded letter. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesautomatic writing.

The record gives an account of two great civilizations. An american, james adair, wrote a book a history of the american indians in 1775. No contemporary critic of joseph smith and the book of mormon pointed out the supposedly obvious connection to the view of the hebrews and the book of mormon. Overview of book of mormon geography and church history. Thomas donofrio has written early american influences on the book of mormon and book of mormon tories, showing how american patriotic literature is reflected in book of mormon. He didnt have the time, education or wherewithal to do this. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. If, as i assert, the book of mormon is an actual history of real people, then the only explanation for it is what joseph and oliver said. Pre1830 works that possibly influenced the book of mormon a list of books available in joseph smiths time written about topics present in the book of mormon.

The book of mormon an account written by the hand of. This year we will be studying the book of mormon as part of the come, follow me curriculum. My response generated other responses, one of which indicated joseph was a fraud and wrote the book of mormon himself, which was an easy task to do. The sorry tale, a 325,000 word book 50,000 words longer than the book of mormon of the life of a parallel christ was written in 108 days, a rate of 3,000 words per evening. Rigdon, the son of sydney rigdon visited utah and spent the winter among the mormons.

Apr 03, 2009 udv4 crip how joseph smith wrote the book of mormon how joseph smith came up with mormonism anti mormon lds byu flds kbyu jesus christ lord master savior messiah king bible cult scam fraud lies. Seven years later, in 1830, this scriptural canon of the latterday saints was published for the world. The founder of mormonism said the book of mormon was the most correct book of any book, including the bible history of the church, vol. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written the. A young woman reads from the book of mormon while family members follow along. Yet, essential mormon doctrines arent even found in it. Lucy mack smith 17751856, mother of the prophet joseph smith, was a committed believer in her sons divine calling. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to see distinct writing styles among each different author.

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. Although ancient prophets wrote it, it did not come to us as the bible did. From the approximate book of mormon translation timeline. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone first staged in 2011, the play is a satirical examination of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints beliefs and practices that ultimately endorses the positive power of love and service. Which scribes worked on which portions in the book of mormon.

Joseph smith wrote the book of mormon unaided by mortal man. Theories of multiple authors posit collaboration with. Sidney rigdons confession to his son about the book of mormon. The book of mormon lexicon or vocabulary and complexity of writing style is that of an elizabethan era scholar of the early 17th century 200 years before joseph smith. The book of mormon an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of neph by smith, joseph a copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. It seems after reading these posts that the only possible answer is that the book of mormon happened just like joseph and others claim. It is also unthinkable that with all of the information joseph received from these visitors from book of mormon history that he wouldnt know where the core of nephite and jaredite history took place. Joseph smith was only 23 years old when he dictated the book of mormon, and had about 7 years of formal education, with almost all of that homeschooled. Some critics of the book of mormon have claimed that joseph smith wrote the book while under the influence of an epileptic fit, thus perpetuating a fraud without knowing it. In this post, i make a few notes on the title page. Its followers hold that it is a divinely inspired work revealed to and translated by the founder of their religion, joseph smith. When he was 24, smith published the book of mormon. Jan 16, 2018 these statistical results provide striking support for the book of mormons internal claims about its authorship. The first gathering of the book of mormon, including this preface, was likely printed by mid.

Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. One argument that mormon apologists frequently employ is the claim that joseph smith was intellectually unequipped to write the book of mormon. Since we are approaching t he beginning of the book of mormon come, follow me study curriculum and the first lesson is on the introduction and witnesses statements, i plan to make some posts covering this part. 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. It attempted to prove that natives had descended from the ancient israelites. Jan 19, 2020 the painting joseph smith receives the gold plates by artist kenneth riley. Oct 31, 2012 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. In my opinion, the evidence points to joseph smith being the sole author of the book of mormon. Moroni revealed that smith had been selected to translate the book of mormon, a sacred text that was written around the 4th century and named after moronis father, mormon. According to witnesses of the translation, when joseph looked. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. How joseph created the book of mormon mormonism exposed. A few years ago i responded to a news article in which the author stated that joseph was a polygamist. The book of mormon was not started and completed in a single sitting.

Former false prophet andy poland talks about mormonism and feelings. 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. For example, when joseph translated the text that is now in 1 nephi. Joseph could neither have written nor directly translated the. In fact, there is no proof presented in this book that rigdon wrote the book of mormon. 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.

The book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. Some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. Bunyan wrote upwards of 60 books, tracts, and pamphlets, including. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. By this stage, patience had dispensed with the ouija board, and transmitted her thoughts directly to mrs currans pen. He was, however, prone to make silly mistakes, such as. Howard davis and arthur vanick, recently published by concordia, the highly respected publishing arm of the lutheran church missouri synod.

Rigdon, sidneys son, asks his dad if he wrote the book of mormon or if joseph s story about golden plates is true. Having been an active mormon for 35 years, and semiactive for another seven. 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. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the book. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to. But perhaps the most glaring problem with this book is that the title claims i wrote the book of mormon, and calls it a confession of sidney rigdonand there is no confession from rigdon at allnot in any way, shape, or formpresented in this book. If he copied from someone, we should see that authors writing style likewise. Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. Others, however, have assumed that joseph smith or one of his associates wrote it.

The 1830 edition of the book of mormon named joseph smith as the author and proprietor of the book. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and founder. Towards the end of her life, and not long after the deaths of her sons joseph, hyrum, and samuel in 1844, lucy, perhaps in part as a salve to her grief, and at the behest of the quorum of the twelve, began recording her familys story. 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. The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. Hope of israel 1652 by ben israel translated into english in 1652, this book is about the scattering of the 12. If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, and if he was a. Critics claim that joseph smith did not actually translate ancient plates into the book of mormon, but rather wrote the book. Lots of answers here with an incredible amount of evidence.

Explorations in critical methodology, edited by brent lee metcalf. More important, the book of mormon bears evidence of being an orally composed document rather than a traditionally edited one, and joseph is known to have been a skilled storyteller. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Many reject joseph smiths claims that he received and translated the book of mormon through divine direction and assistance. Jun 26, 2012 a few years ago i responded to a news article in which the author stated that joseph was a polygamist. 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. Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a. Joseph smith stated that the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the. Apr 22, 2016 more important, the book of mormon bears evidence of being an orally composed document rather than a traditionally edited one, and joseph is known to have been a skilled storyteller. Emma hale smith, and perhaps her brother reuben hale, help as scribes for a portion of the book. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement.

Parker and stone were best known for creating the animated comedy south park. The earliest writers in opposition to the church accepted joseph smith as the author of the book. The life of joseph smith, the mormon prophet new york. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of his theories from a manuscript of a novel written by solomon spaulding. Sidney rigdons final confession about joseph smith and the origin of the book of mormon. 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 war of 1812. Jan 14, 2012 how joseph created the book of mormon mormonism exposed.

Solomon spalding wrote a document now called the spalding manuscript. Joseph smith as the sole author, without intentional assistance, possibly reflecting smiths own life events. Joseph smith translates some of the characters himself. 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. When using the mosian priority to analyze the book of mormon, words drift consistently from mosiah to moroni, and then back to 1 nephi through words of mormon as would be expected if a single author had written the book of mormon. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god, translated an abridgment of those original plates. Ancient prophets, historians, and leaders engraved their testimonies and history on golden plates. However, such a story is baseless and incongruent with any document of his life. Joseph smith stated that the book of mormon was the keystone of our.

According to this reasoning, one would conclude that the title page must have been written after about a. Why did the book of mormon originally say that joseph. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophethistorian named mormon. The work in question is who really wrote the book of mormon. To the point, joseph smith could not have written the book of mormon for at least the following seven literary reasons. Lest anyone be misled, this is a scholarly undertaking, not a religious work. 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. The greatest event recorded in the book is the account of jesus christs visit to the americas after his death and resurrection. I sense that your question is sincere, and that youre befuddled by the seeming contradictions that arise from the various explanations offered by those who just cant bring themselves to seriously consider that joseph smith could have been a prop. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. Freeman, new york, 1987 about the same length as the book of mormon but not as complex. If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, we should be able to see his literary style across the entire book. For example, publishing the title page in two paragraphs and adding the word moroni in some editions undoubtedly influenced virtually all early students of the book of mormon to conclude that moroni was the only author of the title page. After examining the long shelves of books on mormonism, a wearisome and thankless task, there is but one conclusion.