Friday, Feb 28, 2014, at 09:33 AM
The LDS Essay On The Book Of Mormon And The First Vision
Original Author(s):
Joan
Filed Under:
LDS OFFICIAL ESSAYS
There are many problems with the LDS essay on the First Vision:
https://www.lds.org/topics/first-visi...
And the book of Mormon:
https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mo...
I will start with a few issues that instantly come to mind.
The largest problem, which I see as an extremely deceptive writing tactic, is that they separated the first vision from the book of Mormon/gold plates. By doing this they strategically leave out any incriminating details that might easily link the deception if it were in the same essay.
They also gloss over and omit large amounts of information pertinent to either topic. For example, they mention the very first angel vision as related to Joseph learning about the gold plates, but they don't offer all the accounts.
The First Vision essay does offer various accounts but they leave out the incriminating ones listed below (there are different sites offering the accounts but I'll use this site below):
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
https://mit.irr.org/1835-first-vision...
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
By reading the accounts and the details all together it is easier to spot discrepancies and deception, but that is no doubt why they chose to write about them separately.
An account says it was an 1823 revival that led him to go to his bedroom (not to a sacred grove) and pray "if a Supreme being did exist" and to know that "he was accepted of him." An angel (not a deity) is then reported to have appeared and told him of his forgiveness and of the gold plates. (Messenger and Advocate I, pp. 42, 78).
The above account was of course omitted from both essays.
Joseph's mother, likewise, knew nothing of an 1820 vision. In her unpublished account, she traces the origin of Mormonism to a bedroom visit by an angel. Joseph at the time had been "pondering which of the churches were the true one." The angel told him "there is not a true church on Earth. No not one" (First draft of "Lucy Smith's History," LDS Church Archives).
Furthermore, she tells us that the revival which led her joining the church took place following the death of her son, Alvin. Alvin died Nov. 19, 1823, and following that painful loss she reports that, "about this time there was a great revival in religion and the whole neighborhood was very much aroused to the subject and we among the rest, flocked to the meeting house to see if there was a word of comfort for us that might relieve our over-charged feelings" (p. 55-56).
There is plenty of additional evidence that the revival Lucy Smith refers to did occur during the winter of 1824-25. It was reported in at least a dozen newspapers and religious periodicals. Church records show outstanding increases due to the reception of new converts. The essay downplays this by focusing on data that claims there were revivals in 1820 and earlier and thereby distract the reader from the glaring discrepancies and issues surrounding the first visions and the book of Mormon origin. The essay apologist may try to downplay differing dates by saying it's normal and even commonplace to confuse dates. The problem is that the entire timeline would be inaccurate and impossible to fit in if the first vision happened in 1823 or 1824.
Even Oliver Cowdery recanted the date claiming it happened in 1823 stating that 1820 was a type error. Unfortunately Joseph himself used too many differing dates and data to cause the date error to support any or all story variations, as did Lucy Smith.
1832 Joseph Smith, Jr. began an account of the origin of the Mormon Church (the only one written in his own hand) that contradicts the official First Vision story he dictated some six years later. The account was never finished. (See the text in BYU Studies, Spring 1969, pp. 278ff. and is also included in Dean C. Jessee's The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984, pp. 14ff).)
Joseph writes: "by searching the Scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament (Personal Writings, p. 5).
Six years later, when Joseph set forth his official First Vision account, he changed his story. Instead, he said that the Father and the Son told him that all the churches were wrong and he must join none of them.
An excerpt from the essay:
"The angel charged Joseph Smith to translate the book from the ancient language in which it was written. The young man, however, had very little formal education and was incapable of writing a book on his own, let alone translating an ancient book written from an unknown language, known in the Book of Mormon as "reformed Egyptian." Joseph's wife Emma insisted that, at the time of translation, Joseph "could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon."
Emma apparently had a very different opinion of her husband than he had of himself.
Joseph writes: "by searching the Scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament (Personal Writings, p. 5).
Joseph claims that he could read and analyze clearly enough to decide that the "Gospel: of Jesus Christ wasn't in existence." This wasn't an uncommon or unusual claim in his era; many other religions arose before Mormonism due to similar observations, but he certainly was coherent whether his ability to write reflected it or not. History is full of countless people who were very intelligent but had poor written skills. For example, the story of Jesus could be used as an example: according to the new testament Jesus was able to read, was a remarkable and charisatic orator but didn't write anything..he had scribes for that. Even a number of his apostles didn't write, but attained Roman or Grecian scribes to write the stories for them.
The authorized and accepted lds first vision states that he also read in the new testament and asked god pertaining to questions that arose after reading and studying. He wasn't college educated and as a farm boy his lack of writing skills were obviously apparent to Emma, but the apologists like to claim that he was a stupid farm boy who couldn't have possibly written the book. Smith may have not been well educated, but he was cunning and clever enough to read, study, ask questions and form a story foundation for a religion. How many people do you know who are that smart and clever? Let us not make the lds mistake of confusing school education with intelligence or cleverness. He was smart enough to surround himself with educated people who could help him in areas where he lacked abilities . Now that is clever!
Orsamus Turner, an apprentice printer in Palmyra until 1822, was in a juvenile debating club with Joseph Smith. He recalled that Joseph, "after catching a spark of Methodism ... became a very passable exhorter in evening meetings" (History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, 1851, p. 214).
Smith's orator skills were good enough to be noted by a local and mentioned in documentation. He may not have been educated to write, thereby securing scribes, but he could verbalize well enough; which verbal stories, leadership skills, organizational abilities and orating skills are further evidenced in his leadership of the Mormon group. The essay omitted this entirely while focusing on the fact that he had little formal education and incapable of writing a book on his own. Lack of writing skills clearly didn't detract from his vivid imagination nor from his ability to organize scribes and financiers to assist him in accomplishing his desires and career pursuits.
The LDS essay attests to his verbal skills when they write, "Of his experience as scribe, Cowdery wrote, "These were days never to be forgotten-to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven." His orator skills were so profound as to cause Cowdery and many others to be utterly smitten; enough to sign affadavits without ever having visually and literally seen the plates. This was not some unintelligent man unable to put two sentences together as this LDS apologetic essay would have the reader believe.
Essay:
"The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or "seer stone." As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture."
Of course he needed a gimmick - he couldn't write! Stones were his gimmick of choice. He had used them previously, therefore it is not surprising he would be "given" one to help convey his book of Mormon story. It's too coincidental that he'd be given the very thing - a stone - to help him form a book when the stones had also assisted him with his treasure hunting forays.
The essay omits the damaging stories that as a young man he was driven from locations for being a fraudulent treasure hunter. They divert the reader by saying "like others in his day". In this way they hope the reader will be led to believe that others did it therefore it was okay. The old phrase, "nothing to see here folks, move along" comes to mind. While it is true that others did it, many Christians viewed it as being in league with the devil.
Furthermore, the manner in which Joseph attempted to convince people that he could find treasure on their land for a fee is NOT something that others in his day did. Taking money and not supplying the promised treasure is not something every other person did. It was not a common career choice. That specific type of activity was a career that was reserved for conmen and hucksters.
The article also doesn't disclose his court case for money digging in 1826. Not just EVERY treasure hunter gets charged for fraudulent treasure hunting. Note the date, 1826. He was involved in scamming and treasure hunting months before he claimed he received the plates. At this point he wasn't just "a young man". He was a 21 year old man. In those days it was common for a boy to be sent to work as a teen and like many others from his era, he had been working for years. The point they fail to make is that not all the "young men" of his era chose fields of work that would claim they could find treasures on your land for a fee; leading up to a court case. That field of work was generally left to conmen, which is why he had a reputation as a conman and was run out of numerous communities and thought of with suspicion. He did not have a trustworthy career or reputation which reflects his character on the whole. At age 21 he was certainly old enough to know better - not a kid playing around and getting into trouble. He was a man.
Essay:
"Apparently for convenience, Joseph often translated with the single seer stone rather than the two stones bound together to form the interpreters."
The previous paragraph in the essay tried to make him seem like an unintelligent person who couldn't write his name much less a book. Now they say he was such a good and clever translator that he didn't need the two stones, but managed with one stone.
The lds apologists continue to mislead people by trying to convince them that smith was not intelligent enough to write, or was too young, and therefore could never write the book of Mormon. They try to make him out like every other "young" man. He was not acting and behaving like every other man. Oh, he was extremely intelligent and clever - he just wasn't taught to write due to a farm environment producing an absence of school education. History is full of people who got grade 3 educations and went on to be brilliant in specific fields. It happens that Smiths field was that of conning people with storytelling. He didn't need to write to do that; which is why he secured a scribe. All he needed was a fantastic imagination and charisma, and he had that in spades. He had enough intelligence to secure influential people who could assist him in areas he needed help with regarding his career. The transition point of his career was in using stones and stories to dig for treasure on farmers land vs stones and stories to present a book which he would use to get money from in various ways.
Essay:
"Some people have balked at this claim of physical instruments used in the divine translation process, but such aids to facilitate the communication of God's power and inspiration are consistent with accounts in scripture. In addition to the Urim and Thummim, the Bible mentions other physical instruments used to access God's power: the rod of Aaron, a brass serpent, holy anointing oils, the Ark of the Covenant, and even dirt from the ground mixed with saliva to heal the eyes of a blind man."
It's not the physical instruments that most people balk at. It's all the many issues surrounding it that we balk at. As the essay even mentions that the stones were just an unnecessary prop, which he had used all along in his career. Once he saw that his audience was trusting and believing he wouldn't have a need for such props, and the essay states that he indeed didn't use them even though they were there for the specific purpose of helping him read this bizarre language on the plates.
The writer pulls out one situation that can be correlated with bible stories and uses it to verify that smith was authentic. This is a clever tactic to omit big issues surrounding the translation event and divert the reader to associate the translation event with other bible references, even though the majority of the comparison is completely invalid and doesn't pertain fully to the example they are referencing. In other words, they take snippets of things that can be referenced, such as the case of the bible examples and hope that the reader will focus on that, rather than the many details they've purposely left out.
Now they've offered the reader a few pertinent details, while leaving out big details.
Essay:
"In the preface to the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith wrote: "I would inform you that I translated [the book], by the gift and power of God." When pressed for specifics about the process of translation, Joseph repeated on several occasions that it had been done "by the gift and power of God" and once added, "It was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon."
Essay:
"Nevertheless, the scribes and others who observed the translation left numerous accounts that give insight into the process. Some accounts indicate that Joseph studied the characters on the plates. Most of the accounts speak of Joseph's use of the Urim and Thummim (either the interpreters or the seer stone), and many accounts refer to his use of a single stone. According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument. The process as described brings to mind a passage from the Book of Mormon that speaks of God preparing "a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light."
Nobody ever saw the plates with their physical eyes. They saw an object under a cloth and were told it was plates. There was a blanket in place between Smith and the scribe during many of the sessions until Smith learned that his audience trusted him explicitly and had courage to take down the blanket. A list of the people who believed him is either colleagues from Masonry, relatives, or gullible folks like Martin Harris. The rest of the people denounced him as a fraud and conman and ran him out of their community and spoke or wrote articles that reflected their complete disbelief in these stories.
When you put your face in a hat you begin to use up oxygen in the hat. Loss of oxygen is called hypoxia. What happens to the mind when oxygen is low?
http://journal.sjdm.org/12/12306/jdm1...
The link data describes light headedness in similar situations as physical exertion. Consider that many ancient tribes purposely traumatize themselves to create states of stress and shock to help the body and mind induce visionary states. Traditionally these states are often induced and called Dream Quests, or Vision Quests. These deprivation stimulation techniques are still practiced in eastern culture today. Could Smith have experienced a form of hypoxia causing endorphins and other chemical hormones to activate and assist him with his visionary abilities? It is a far more probable explanation than to convince me that it was a gift from God and "It was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon."
Essay:
"The process as described brings to mind a passage from the Book of Mormon that speaks of God preparing "a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light."
The writer of this LDS essay has been taught that Joseph Smith did not create the book of Mormon story, but that it was real, therefore the comment of the stone from the book of Mormon is an ancient revelation foretelling Smith and his peepstone shining in the dark hat.
Non-mormons would recognize that the book of Mormon was fabricated by Smith's creative imagination, based on his past creative imaginative stories and he inserted the stone story in the book of Mormon as he imagined and created the story. I can see it now.. Harris says, "Joe, you've taken the blanket down. I can see your head is in a hat. Why is your head in a hat?" Joe lifts his head out of the hat as his next `translation' is, "God will prepare a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light." From then on the stone went directly into the hat. Why would he say he put a stone in a hat if the essay also says that he didn't have to use a stone but received his ability through a gift of God?
Essay:
"According to Emma, the plates "often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth."
Why didn't Emma look under the cloth and make a statement that she physically and literally saw the plates? Instead the affidavits are written by friends and relatives who didn't physically see the plates.
How reliable is Emma, his wife?
The date Smith first claimed to receive the plates is 1827. I will remind you that in 1826, he was brought before a court in Chenango County, New York, for "glass-looking", or pretending to find lost treasure. The result of the proceeding remains unclear, as different first-hand accounts of the trial report various conflicting outcomes. For a survey of the primary sources, see Dan Vogel, "Rethinking the 1826 Judicial Decision", Mormon Scripture Studies.) At this time there was NO mention in this trial data of Smith finding gold plates. Certainly it is suspicious that he wouldn't defend himself in the trial by saying that he already found gold plates and was continuing to treasure hunt due to his previous success. It is even more suspicious that the court wouldn't have known about such an acquisition of previously finding gold plates. This alerts me to suspect that he never did find gold plates and corroborates that his story is made up much later and events and dates inserted back in time.
In 1826, while boarding at the Hale house in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Smith met Emma Hale and began courting her. When Smith asked for Emma's hand in marriage, her father, Isaac Hale, objected because Smith was "a stranger" and had no means of supporting his daughter other than money digging. There is no mention of Joseph telling her parents that he wasn't just a money digger, but he had dug up a treasure in the Hill Cumorah, on instruction from an angel. Surely this would have been noteworthy information that would not have escaped Isaac Hale should he have heard about it. Instead Isaac Hale is concerned that Joseph has no reputable means of supporting his daughter other than that of money digging. Joseph obviously had to find a career and a means of making money in a more reputable fashion than money digging. He showed the steps he took to secure a more acceptable career by starting a new religion. But he couldn't be a minister founder of a new religion, oh no, he had to be a prophet. His career was always out of the normal no matter which way he pursued it. His money digging segued into an opportunity to develop a religion as he saw the ideal backdrop for a new religion. After he claimed to dig up the gold plates he no longer had any need for treasure digging and his past imaginative skills for story telling took the foreground as he established the basis for his new religion.
On January 18, 1827, Smith and Emma eloped to marry, and the couple began boarding with Smith's parents in Manchester. On September 22, 1827, Smith made his last annual visit to the hill, taking Emma with him. This time, he said, he retrieved the plates and placed them in a locked chest, which he had Willard Chase make for him in advance. He said the angel commanded him not to show the plates to anyone else but to publish their translation, reputed to be the religious record of indigenous Americans, which the book of Mormon refers to as Lamanites. (Quinn (1998, pp. 163-64) Smith had presumably learned from his stone that Emma was the key to obtaining the plates; Bushman (2005, p. 54) (noting accounts stating that Emma was the key).
It's impossible to believe that he would not have previously told Emma, Emma's parents, with the hope that he would find favor in their eyes and not have to elope. He would have told the court in his treasure seeking hearing of March 20 1826; but no, one and a half years after his court hearing Smith takes his new bride, Emma, to the hill where he retrieves the plates. Emma does not mention that Smith previously told her about the plates during their courtship which would have corroborated the story happening previous to 1827. Instead Smith said that God told him not to show the plates and not to tell. However, he could now tell Emma. He could also now tell other people in the hope of financially securing money for his future endeavors. How strange it is that God would have went to all that work, provided angels to instruct him, had an ancient man put gold plates in a hill for joseph to find. That God would declare this the most important book and religion - the most true and correct book and religion - on the face of the earth, but God wouldn't have had the forethought to ensure that additional gold was put in the stone box, along with the stones, so Joseph could sell the gold and financially be provided for as this true book and true religion was being organized. It simply does not make sense.
Smith later told Emma's parents that his treasure-seeking days were behind him. Although Smith had left his treasure hunting company, his former associates believed he had double-crossed them by taking for himself what they considered joint property. They ransacked places where a competing treasure-seer said the plates were hidden, which caused Smith to decide to move from Palmyra.
I suspect the phrase "Emma was the key" is another way of saying that marrying Emma was the root of his motives. My theory that his desperate need to provide an income and a more acceptable career as a husband caused him to stretch his imagination a little further, and make a jump from a treasure hunter to "treasure hunter extraordinare". Which is why 1827 is the magic year for him, the year of his marriage and why the stories were confused and contradictory.. ..they were back inserted later hobbled together with inaccurate dates and details because it didn't really happen.
The Mormon final story is that on 22nd of Sept. 1823 the angel showed JS the plates, and instruments, meaning the urimm and thummim stones. The stones are another recurring part of his life. He couldn't get them in 1823, but apparently had them up until 1826 to treasure hunt when he was charged in court as a `glass looker'. How could he have stones in 1826 to find treasure when he was not allowed to take the box and treasure until 1827 when his wife was pregnant with their first son? This man surely did have the use of stones in his life.
I posit that his family knew nothing of the plates because it was an invention born out of desperation from his 1827 marriage.
Family secrets aside, it is noteworthy that both Emma and his past associates knew nothing of the gold plate treasure even though his mother Lucy knew enough of Joseph's spiritual endeavors. In the story as it appears in Mormon scripture, Joseph says that in 1823, three years after the 1820 First Vision, he was visited by an angel Moroni or nephi. The angel tells Joseph about the gold plates but says he must wait four years before obtaining them. Is it coincidence that the 4th year coincides nicely with Joseph's marriage to Emma? If Emma was the key why didn't he get the plates in 1826 when he first met Emma?
My connect-the-dots theory make rational sense that Smith needed money and a career that would be more honorable than a treasure-seeker who was taken to court. He needed to impress Emma Hale's parents if he was to win her hand in marriage. This is why they eloped. This is also why the entire story came after the book of Mormon was written. He needed a backdrop for the plates that represented his new religion, of which he was the preacher and prophet orator. Where does a young man with debate and orator skills go to make money to impress his in-laws and have a viable career for his new wife? For Joseph, who was enthralled with religion, his choice was to start his own religion. Later Joseph shows this same trait when he didn't want to join another men's club - the Masons, he wanted to start his own, which he did in the form of the Mormon temple. He didn't want to be a preacher for another man's religion, he wanted to start his own and be a prophet no less, which he did with Mormonism. Now the desperate scheme to obtain money and a career began through a different approach.
Yes, I think his marriage to Emma was the key, but his desperation to attempt to turn over a new leaf was impossible as he still used conman schemes and approaches applying them within the Mormon organization.
This is where the plot becomes more desperate....
In October 1827, Smith and his pregnant wife moved from Palmyra to Harmony. Their first child, Alvin, was born June 15, 1828. A little math indicates that Emma was pregnant around September 1827, one month before they moved.
Desperation indeed!
Eight months after he elopes with Emma he retrieves the plates on September, 1827 - the same month he discovers Emma is pregnant with their first child. In this case the phrase: Desperation is the mother of invention, couldn't be more applicable. How does a conman with no basic skills, but a creative vivid imagination and good oral skills secure an income to impress his in-laws and provide for his family while making a living that suits his history and style? In this case vperhaps Emma wasn't the key, but rather his new found discovery that she was pregnant; which would require money and a job to appease his in-laws. This also explains why he got on the plate interpretation story after he met Emma. I don't think Emma was the key at all, I think his nervousness of discovering Emma was pregnant and being a first time father was the key that got the ball rolling, or as Bushman might say, "got the stone rolling. "
They left Palmyra aided by money from a comparatively prosperous neighbor, Martin Harris. The Martin Harris relationship tells of stories communicated by Smith in desperation to secure money. Harris's wife was suspicious and wanted to catch Smith in his lies. Unfortunately Harris was a rather gullible man who wasn't easily dissuaded from parting with his money.
With a financial benefactor in the form of Martin Harris, a pregnant wife, and a new career, Smith moves near his in-laws.
His character didn't seem to be too concerned about honesty or obedience. Consider his lies to Harris when attempting to acquire a source of money income....
Remember, Smith needed income and some type of job to support his wife and child on the way, not to mention appease his in-laws. But he couldn't just create a branch-off sect like the Quakers, or the Campbellites, or Mennonites, no in true Smith Grandeur he had to be involved in something spectacular; just as he couldn't make a living as a farmhand or other reputable incomes, he had to be a treasure hunter with a looking glass. He had a penchant for the spectacular and dramatic, which shows in his encounters with Harris.
The following account of Harris to Reverend Clark contains many similarities to Harris 1859 testimony:
In the month of June, 1827, Joseph Smith, Sen. related the first known story to Willard Chase. (5 months after he and Emma eloped.) Was Smith desperate for money necessitating people as a staged backdrop for his story? Willard states that Joseph approached Martin Harris, a man with money, to say that God has given Joseph a commandment that Harris is the one God wants to assist financially in producing the Book of Mormon. The father knew the story l and spoke of it to Willard in 1827, but if he had known the story in 1823 why didn't he speak of anyone about it until 1827, when his son was now married and desperate for an income and more reputable career than treasure hunting.
An interesting part of the account:
"He (Joseph Jr) again opened the box, and in it saw the book, and attempted to take it out, but was hindered. He saw in the box something like toad, which soon assumed the appearance of a man, and struck him on the side of his head. - Not being discouraged at trifles, he again stooped down and strove to take the book, when the spirit struck him again, and knocked him three or four rods, and hurt him prodigiously. After recovering from his fright, he inquired why he could not obtain the plates; to which the spirit made reply, because you have not obeyed your orders."
Joseph Jr or Sr weren't concerned about asking the spirit why he had transformed from a toad. This didn't appear to be of concern to Joe who considered it a trifle! He did describe concern at being struck and sent flying and hurt; but after he recovered from his fright at being knocked down he didn't ask why he had seen a toad, or what the angel did this for, instead he asked why he couldn't obtain the plates? To which the spirit replied, because you have not obeyed your orders.
This is a convenient reference to Harris' requirement for obeying orders, recalling that God has given Joseph a commandment that Harris is the one God wants to assist financially in producing the Book of Mormon. Establishing the tactic of fear and obedience to God was widely used in establishing Mormon doctrine and is still used among Mormons when teaching doctrines. If enough people could believe that God told Harris to obey a doctrine then the fear and obedience to that commandment might be established more easily. Fear and obedience is now and has always been a powerful driving force within Mormonism.
"...In the fore part of September, (I believe,) 1827, the Prophet [Joseph Smith] requested me to make him a chest, informing me that he designed to move back to Pennsylvania, and expecting soon to get his gold book, he wanted a chest to lock it up, giving me to understand at the same time, that if I would make the chest he would give me a share in the book.
..."A few weeks after this conversation, he came to my house and related the following story: That on the 22nd of September, he arose early in the morning, and took a one horse wagon, of someone that had stayed over night at their house, without leave or license; and, together with his wife, repaired to the hill which contained the book. He left his wife in the wagon, by the road, and went alone to the hill, a distance of thirty or forty rods from the road; he said he took the book out of the ground and hid it in a tree top, and returned home. . He then observed that if it had not been for that stone [Joseph's money-digging seer stone], (which he acknowledged belonged to me,) he would not have obtained the book. A few days afterwards, he told one of my neighbors that he had not got any such book, nor never had such an one; but that he had told the story to deceive the d-d fool, (meaning me,) to get him to make a chest. His neighbors having become disgusted with his foolish stories, he determined to go back toPennsylvania, to avoid what he called persecution. His wits were now put to the task to contrive how he should get money to bear his expenses. He met one day in the streets of Palmyra, a rich man, whose name was Martin Harris, and addressed him thus; `I have a commandment from God to ask the first man I meet in the street to give me fifty dollars, to assist me in doing the work of the Lord by translating the Golden Bible.' Martin being naturally a credulous man, hands Joseph the money."
Note the date he was asked to make the chest was in the autumn of 1827.
https://mit.irr.org/changing-first-vi...
Fueled by Harris' money and support Smith transcribed some characters which he said were engraved on the plates, and then dictated a translation to his wife.
Smith continued to dictate to Harris until mid-June 1828, until Harris began having doubts about the project, fueled in part by his wife's skepticism. Harris convinced Smith to let him take the existing 116 pages of manuscript to Palmyra to show a few family members, including his wife. Harris lost the manuscript-of which there was no copy.-at about the same time as Smith's wife Emma gave birth to a stillborn son. Their firstborn, Alvin, didn't live through the day of June 15, 1828. He was born with un-described birth defects.
Smith said that as punishment for losing the manuscript the angel took away the plates and revoked his ability to translate until September 22, 1828, when Smith said that the plates were given back to him. ((Phelps 1833, sec. 2:4-5) (revelation dictated by Smith stating that his gift to translate was temporarily revoked); Smith (1832, p. 5) (stating that the angel had taken away the plates and the Urim and Thumim stone); Smith (1853, p. 126).)
They worked full time on the manuscript between April and early June 1829, and then moved to Fayette, New York, where they continued to work at the home of Cowdery's friend Peter Whitmer. When the narrative described an institutional church and a requirement for baptism, Smith and Cowdery baptized each other. Dictation was completed around July 1, 1829. (Bushman, p.78)
Smith did not earnestly resume dictation again until April 1829, when he met Oliver Cowdery, who replaced Harris as Smith's scribe.
These men, and more, assisted Smith in the book of Mormon.
Dictation started somewhere around autumn of 1827 and ended July 1829, taking around 2 years to complete.
According to Smith, the angel Moroni took back the plates after Smith was finished using them.
Essay:
"The principal scribe, Oliver Cowdery, testified under oath in 1831 that Joseph Smith "found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraven on the plates." In the fall of 1830, Cowdery visited Union Village, Ohio, and spoke about the translation of the Book of Mormon. Soon thereafter, a village resident reported that the translation was accomplished by means of "two transparent stones in the form of spectacles thro which the translator looked on the engraving."
Oliver Cowdery left Mormonism and denounced the DandC. By denouncing Mormonism he was able to put a gap between him and Mormonism in his new social circles. He didn't denounce the book of Mormon however. To do so could have meant his lynching, at the worst, or ostracizing at the very least. If he held onto his belief in the book of Mormon people might only think him under the spell of a conman, deluded and gullible, much like non-mormons think of Mormons today. Denouncing it as a scam would have been another story altogether, since he had signed an affidavit stating its authenticity. To denounce it would have been potentially dangerous in an era when a man's word was his honor and a scammer could get linched. Oliver was no fool. Neither were the other friends and family members who signed the original affidavit claiming the book of Mormon was real while having never actually seen it with their physical eyes; rather they had a spiritual vision of it. Harris was an example of a man under the charismatic spell ofa leader and this is documented. It becomes easy to see how much power Smith had on his relatives and friends and why they couldn't denounce their original affidavit even though they would leave the religion.
Essay:
" Joseph Smith consistently testified that he translated the Book of Mormon by the "gift and power of God." His scribes shared that testimony."
We are supposed to believe this and not the other contradictory comments that Smith and his followers shared? Parsing out the lies becomes a tedious affair. Essay:
"The angel who brought news of an ancient record on metal plates buried in a hillside and the divine instruments prepared especially for Joseph Smith to translate were all part of what Joseph and his scribes viewed as the miracle of translation."
Smith Translated without the instruments. Again, the divine instruments are given and prepared yet Smith doesn't even need them? Why would they have been prepared anciently in prophesy that Smith would need them to translate if Smith didn't use them?
Essay:
"When he sat down in 1832 to write his own history for the first time, he began by promising to include "an account of his marvelous experience."
If his own story was so important why didn't he finish it and why did he tell conflicting stories. The contradictions are very serious even though the lds try to downplay them.
Essay:
"The truth of the Book of Mormon and its divine source can be known today. God invites each of us to read the book, remember the mercies of the Lord and ponder them in our hearts, "and ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true." God promises that "if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."
The essay ends with a testimony that claims it is true. It asks the reader to ask God if these things are NOT true? I asked and asked and I was given answer and data upon data. These things are NOT true. I am continually manifested of the truth vs the deception and again this essay bears witness to me of yet another on-going deception in the name of God.
Let's make a modern day comparison. If a man told you that he could pull gold coins out of your ear, and proceeded to do it, claiming it was by the gift and power of God, would you believe him? Let's say you can't figure out how he gets gold coins to come out of your ear. People press him and want to find out what his trick is? How does he do it? He says, "I'm not supposed to tell the world all the details of how it's done." If he adds, "God told me NOT to tell the world details of how it's done" would you believe him? If he adds to that, "you must have faith and believe that the coins came out of your ear by the power and gift of God and will know eventually if God deems it right for you to know." What would be your response? Are people still this gullible and stupid that this type of thing is still used in an article and can still work on people in the 21st century? Apparently the writer of this essay thinks so and includes it in an attempt to convince the reader. No wonder Joseph Smith was considered a Charlatan by non Mormons then and now as well!
Essay:
"Joseph Smith testified repeatedly that he experienced a remarkable vision of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Neither the truth of the First Vision nor the arguments against it can be proven by historical research alone. Knowing the truth of Joseph Smith's testimony requires each earnest seeker of truth to study the record and then exercise sufficient faith in Christ to ask God in sincere, humble prayer whether the record is true. If the seeker asks with the real intent to act upon the answer revealed by the Holy Ghost, the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's vision will be manifest. In this way, every person can know that Joseph Smith spoke honestly when he declared, "I had seen a vision, I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."
They already assume that every person is going to get an answer to know that Joseph Smith spoke honestly. They have qualified the answer by inserting their own outcome. This is a programming trick that has worked on innocent minded people in the past and they hope it will continue to work in the future. The purpose is to tell the person that research isn't going to work, but rather that the person needs to pray and find out that Smith was honest and that it was true. It states that Joseph Smith spoke honestly. This approach sets the outcome in your mind. If you already have an allegiance to your Mormon family, or if you have something to gain by associating with Mormons, or if you will somehow benefit by joining mormonism, you very well may be the type of candidate who can pray and get the answer they tell you to get. The final paragraph is a type of hypnotic suggestion method. If you were to practice the art of hypnotism you would find that the hypnotic suggestions are implemented in a similar way, by presenting the final outcome that they want you to have. Your mind may be more conducive to believe it and accommodate by accepting the pre-suggested outcome.