Book of mormon written out of a hat

Adapting a practice from folk magic, he placed a seer stone in the bottom of an upturned hat, held his face to the hat to block out light, and then proceeded to dictate the book of mormon to a. Book of mormontranslationlocation of the plates fairmormon. According to latter day saint theology, seer stones were believed to have been used by. He informed joseph that there was a book deposited, written upon gold. In essence, the challenge states that the critic should produce a text of like character to the book of mormon, before he assumes that smith could have been the sole author. The book of mormon, written by the creators of south park, is broadways smash hit. Entire books are written on the positive things one can get out of the book of mormon. Aug 05, 2015 cmon good mormon people give this post some serious objective, critical thinking. Jun 18, 2015 when i first started investigating how the book of mormon was written, i thought this theory was compelling. This by itself is a massive problem for the book of mormons claim to authenticity, as it contradicts the narrative that joseph smith translated the book of mormon by putting his seer stone in a hat, sticking his head fully inside to block out light, and then writing down the words that appeared from the stone. So, if you can come up with additional points of your own to show that joseph could not have written the book of mormon himself, please share them with us in your comments.

See more ideas about book of mormon, read a thon and scripture study. A seer stone and a hat translating the book of mormon. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. Book of mormon title page markings i like this method of enhancing your study.

War horse, book of mormon, anything goes, normal heart win. These are the only words that joseph smith himself used to describe the. Book of mormontranslationthe interpreters, seer stone, hat and the gift and power of god book of mormon. There have been thousands of subsequent alterations to gods original words.

The book of mormon, the profane, comic, heartfelt musical about earnest religious missionaries, and war horse, a puppetdriven tale of an english boy following his. What evidence suggests that the book of mormon is of. The book of mormon shall stand as a testimony against the world, ether 5. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which joseph smith said he translated the book of mormon. This person really loves the book of mormon things to write on the title pg of my book of mormon scripture marking 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.

The books in the book of mormon were written by ancient prophets in the americas. To overcome clear evidence that joseph smith translated the entire book of mormon with a seer stone in a hat instead of the official story about spectacles attached to a breastplate, apologist roger nicholson has argued that smith alternated between instruments even after the loss of the 116 pagesthat he often put the spectacles into his hat. The book of mormon follows two mormon missionaries as they attempt to preach the mormon religion to the inhabitants of a remote ugandan village. Joseph did not need the plates physically present to translate, since the translation was done by revelation. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. No doubt they understand that most people would balk in accepting the book of mormon if it was known to have been translated by using a magical rock and a hat. The only eyewitnesses to the process said smith translated the plates, not by looking at them, but by looking at a seer stone in the bottom of his hat. The book of mormon, like the bible, contains a record of gods dealings with a part of the house of israel. The book of mormon was written for the intent that we may believe the bible, morm. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates.

And i will even venture to say that if the book of mormon were now to be rewritten, in many instances it would materially differ from the present translation. The tonywinning, nationally touring broadway musical the book of mormon on tuesday canceled its denver dates amid a crosscountry shutdown. Cmon good mormon people give this post some serious objective, critical thinking. David wittmer one of the three witnesses of the book of mormon writes in his book addressed to all believers in christ telling us how joseph smith placed the seer stone into a hat to translate the book of mormon. Scholars can figure out down to the year when it was written because some of the predictions of things which had already occurred are accurate and some predictions of things to come are not. The bible, part 3 book of mormonsouth park fan animation. Third, the translation of the book of mormon appears more like a man pulling something out of his brain while looking at a rock in his hat than looking at actual written records on gold plates. What is one positive thing you can get out of reading the. They basically were in 2 groups, the nephites and lamanites. She never attended school and was homeschooled only when there was time after work in the family salvage. Why did the book of mormon come forth as a miracle. What year was the book of mormon written, and was it. More insight into the book of mormon translation process might come from the original book of commandments. The golden plates were the written record of the people living in ancient america.

Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of mormon. Mormons react to firstever photograph of joseph smiths seer stone. It includes multiple versions of the text, formatting with subheadings, red lettering to highlight words of deity, authorspeaker identification, questions and answers, quotations from general authorities and reliable scholars, charts, images, and book of. I just watched the south park episode all about the mormons and i dont think ive ever laughed so hard. The church granted a license to book of mormon central in 2016 to build this mobile app. Smith is the only source for a great deal of the story because much of it occurred while he was the only human witness. Check out the book of mormon in a city near you as the national tour starts soon.

Book of mormontranslationthe interpreters, seer stone, hat. Fourth, the historical inaccuracies are all over the place including, but. Parker and stone later carried over many themes from the episode for their musical the book of mormon, which opened on broadway in 2011. Feb 15, 2018 tara westover was raised by fundamentalist mormon survivalists in the mountains of idaho. All about mormons was released on dvd along with the rest of the seventh season on march 21, 2006. Ill leave to others to discuss the transendent beauty of 3 nephi 11 and on and fo. Did joseph smith translate the book of mormon with a rock. David whitmer said, joseph smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his. Mormons believe that joseph smith translated the book of mormon from an ancient record. The book of mormon came into the world through a series of miraculous events.

Septemberoctober 1999 evidence is continuing to surface that joseph smith, founder of mormonism, had built quite a reputation as a local magician in rural new york prior to his supposed discovery of the golden plates and the translation of them to the book of mormon. Do mormons really believe joseph smith read the book of mormon out of a hat. Parkers vision of smith pulling a translation out of hat. When he came to a break in the text, he had his scribe write chapter. Book of mormon written through a peep stone in a hat. Book of mormon written through a peep stone in a hat issue date. Tara westover on survivalism and brigham young time. First published in 1829 by a penniless joseph smith jr. Joseph smithseer stonesrock in hat used for book of mormon translation. Roger nicholson, the spectacles, the stone, the hat, and the book. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ. The points it makes are probably not all inclusive.

A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. But joseph smith used a variety of methods to effect the translation, including. Hello toni, the church recently released an essay summarizing what we know about the process of translating the book of mormon. The church later admitted these facts in its october 2015 ensign, where they include a photograph of the actual rock that joseph smith used to place in his hat for the book of mormon translation. David whitmer said, regarding smiths translation of the book of mormon. Gifted a book of mormon catholic living catholic answers. In conclusion, we feel that the move away from the actual facts of the translation process of the book of mormon demonstrates a lack of credibility on the part of lds leaders. The book of mormon contains the teachings of ancient prophets that were written on gold plates and preserved to come forth in our day. The church later admitted these facts in its october 2015 ensign, where they include a photograph of the actual rock that joseph smith used to place in his hat for the book of mormon. The book of mormons old testament portion bmot quotes heavily from the new testament of the bible. However, we do have the original text for the book of mormon that joseph smith claimed god revealed to him, word by word, on a pebble in his hat. It was this stone that joseph used to translate the book of mormon.

While the translation of the book of mormon may come directly from god, this does not preclude the role that joseph would play in adapting the language of the book of mormon to a cultural and linguistic framework that would both establish that the text was authentic and inspired while also communicating the book s message clearly. Joseph smith put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light. In fact, faith is magical, so i have no problem with. As the bible is a record of gods dealings with the inhabitants of the eastern hemisphere, the book of mormon tells of a people who were led by god from jerusalem to the western hemisphere 600 years prior to the birth of the savior. Mormon apologists will immediately recognize this as the counterpart to the socalled book of mormon challenge. There are no firsthand original texts of anything found in the bible, therefore nothing is remotely reliable. A twentyfirst century believers view of the book of mormon translation, interpreter. Mormon was the chief abridger and editor of the full book of mormon. Smith dictated the text of the book of mormon, claiming that it was a translation of the plates. Seer stones and the translation of the book of mormon. I am intrigued, as you are, with the process joseph smith used to translate the book of mormon, which he said was done through the gift and power of god.

The book of mormon teaches about god and jesus christ. Do mormons really believe joseph smith read the book of. By the modern lds churchs own admission, this eggshaped stone below was the primary tool that smith used to conjure up the book of mormon imagine this stone placed in smiths hat and magical parchment appearing out of the darkness within it. Joseph smith used a rock in a hat for translating the book of mormon. The earnest young men are challenged by the lack of interest from the locals, who are distracted by more pressing issues such as. In fact, because the original printers manuscript of the book of mormon, which we have today, is entirely in the handwriting of oliver cowdery, if any man had written the book of mormon, it stands to reason that oliver would have made such a thing known when, during his high council trial, he was asked to make the case and defend his position that joseph smith was a fallen prophet.

Jun 26, 2012 its intent is to show how impossible it was for joseph to write the book of mormon himself, thus confirming its divinity. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. Mar 06, 2019 the book of mormon text contains logical impossibilities. The rest of the book was written by mormon and moroni, who lived in the forth century ad after their written language had been significantly modified. This is an early demo song from book of mormon, what would eventually become the all american prophet. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. A seer stone and a hat translating the book of mormon by bill mckeever and eric johnson the founder of the lds church, joseph smith, claimed an angel named moroni visited him in.

The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Book of mormon translation lds church is true blog. Joseph smith translates the book of mormon using a hat in a 2003 south park episode. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The prophet at the time, mormon had abridged all the records into one book.

The book of mormon is a marvel to all of us who have the blessing of reading it. The question of the authenticity of the book of mormon is the basis for any discussion on the truthfulness of the lds church. Seer stones and the translation of the book of mormon youtube. Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. When lds artists depict the translation of the book of mormon, it doesnt look like william smiths description of joseph placing the interpreters, or the seer stone, in a hat and holding it to his face to block out. In this article i discuss what the original manuscript of. In that paradigm, the book of mormon seems to fit right in with other pseudepigrapha. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth. What is the original language of the book of mormon. It is a record of their lives over about 600 years.

These facts are now officially confirmed in the churchs december 20 book of mormon translation essay. Joseph smithseer stonesrock in hat used for book of. So its not a light or trivial fact that, when he went to write his personal history, joseph knight sr. Book of mormon witnesses, seer stones, and a hat eve out. Skeptics and most archeologists believe that the book of mormon is a hoax, and that it was written in the early 19th century by joseph smith or some other individuals. Periodically, he added editorial commentaries of his own that were skillfully woven into the texts of the primary authors in that record. It was written in an ancient language on gold plates by prophets in ancient america. Joseph smithseer stonesrock in hat used for book of mormon. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been written in otherwise unknown characters referred to as reformed egyptian engraved on golden plates.

Even joseph himself noted that he was sought out by josiah stowell stoal to. Book of mormon cancels 2020 denver performance dates. Smith placed the stone in a hat, buried his face in it to eliminate all outside light, and peered into the. Mormon also wrote two books within the book of mormon that bear his name the words of mormon and the book of mormon. He arranged for them to be published as the book of mormon. The angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a hill near his home in. Thus the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god, and not by. Many of you are experienced in the difficult task of translating written text from one language to another. Ive always been fascinated with the seer stones maybe i just want to believe in magic. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Joseph smith put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing. Did joseph smith use a hat during the translation of the book. Brother joseph would read off the english to oliver cowdery, who was his. Their screens are very difficult to read out in the sunlight and need to be shaded.

Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. God has said that he will reveal his word to everyone, not just one part of the world or one kind of people. How the book of mormon was translated let us reason. Royal skousen is professor of english at brigham young university and since 1988 has served as the editor of the book of mormon critical text project. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear. The book of mormon resembles the bible in its length and complexity and in its division into books named for individual prophets. The book of mormon mistakenly has jesus including peters appended comments as if they were part of moses words in deuteronomy. The church has done much in just two years to become open on this topic.

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. It is important to remember that what we do know for certain is that the translation of the book of mormon was carried out by the gift and power of god. I know nothing about mormonism and i know south park tends to exaggerate and twist things, so i just want to make sure that this is accurate. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. I want to address joseph smiths seer stone, his hat, the three witnesses, emma smiths witness and elizabeth ann whitmer cowderys witness. Mason allred and mark ashurstmcgee discuss the various historical accounts of the book of mormon translation process, including accounts of joseph smith using a. The book of mormon is a record written by such prophets in the new world, covering with one more ancient exception a time span of 600 b. This tutorial shows the historical facts about the way that joseph smith translated the book of mormon.

This claim, as well as all claims to historical authenticity of the book of mormon, are rejected by nonlatter day saint historians and scientists. I was taught that the seer stones helped translate the golden plates but i never heard anything about a hat. The first part of the book of mormon, down to the book of mosiah, was translated directly from the writings of nephi and jacob, with brief entries by others down to sometime between 279 and bc. Book of mormontranslationthe interpreters, seer stone. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. Why is some of the book of mormon identical to the bible. The process of translation was witnessed by several people as was.

The research is interesting, but it looks like theres a. 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 relates the history of a group of hebrews who migrated from jerusalem to america about 600 bce, led by a prophet, lehi. I will now give you a description of the manner in which the book of mormon was translated. He translated much of the book of mormon by placing the seer stone in a hat to block out the ambient light, then proceeded to simply recite. Translating the book of mormon, proceedings of the 2011 fair conference august 2011. Smith published the translation in 1830 as the book of mormon. Thus the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god, and. Mason allred and mark ashurstmcgee discuss the various historical accounts of the book of mormon translation process. Amazingly, except for a few pages, the translation of the entire book of mormon as we have it todaya text which ended up as more than 500 pages in lengthtook place between april 7 and june 30, 1829. 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 600 bc to ad 421. Yet, the author of the book of mormon unquestionably was relying on acts 3.

He would read it off and oliver cowdery would write it down. Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. If you look at the very beginning of the book of mormon there is an explanation of whatwho the book of mormon is about and its origin. Part of the research includes a wordprint study that attempts to show which chapters in the book of mormon were likely written by rigdon, cowdery, spalding, or parley p.

Much is made of the fact that joseph used a seer stone, which he placed in a hat, to dictate the text of the book of mormon without viewing the plates directly. Eventually, even joseph smith used urim and thummim indiscriminately as labels generically representing either the book of mormon interpreters or the seer stone used during translation. 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. Brigham believed that the translation of the book of mormon was a miracle, but not that it was an infallible translation that could never be changed.