Mormonism
Part Two—Mormon History, According to Others
A Different Story
The story of Mormonism, as told by Mormons, has seen many changes. The story of Joseph Smith, Jr. in the “sacred grove”, as well as the Book of Mormon itself, has undergone many revisions and reworkings over the years. But, since Mormonism arose in relatively modern times, we would expect that perhaps there were contemporary witnesses who documented its early days. Even though the Mormon Church has sought to purchase various and sundry documents that would embarrass them and lock them away in their vaults, much evidence, contemporary to Smith, has arisen. Especially important is the question as to whether there is any objective way to actually test the truth of Smith’s assertions, rather than relying on a subject “burning” in one’s “bosom” (This refers to a well-known test non-Mormons are encouraged to make!)
Joe Smith’s Early Years
It seems Smith’s story about translating the golden plates by the means of looking through stones was merely a variation of a well-known, howbeit, illegal, activity in his part of New York State. The backwards inhabitants of those parts where convinced that immense treasure lay buried under the hills in their vicinity, and would often resort to using magical means to find it. One of these means was the use of a “seer”, or “peep” stone. A young Joseph Smith had found such a stone while digging in the ground. It was brown in color and about the size of an egg. (It still exists today, locked safely away in the vaults of the Mormon Church.) Soon Smith established a reputation for himself as someone who could locate buried treasure by the means of this stone. His mother, for instance, declared that he “possessed certain means by which he could discern things invisible to the naked eye.” She goes on to relate how Joseph was employed by a Mr. Stoal (sic) to help him in digging for silver. Another witness, W.D. Purple, writes that during 1825 Smith left his home and moved in with a Deacon Isaiah Stowell to assist him in finding hidden treasures through the means of a magic stone. However, in February of 1826, when Smith would have been 20 years old, Stowell’s sons fell out with him for bilking their father and brought about his arrest. He was subsequently convicted and fined.
The Mormon Church has always rejected this account as spurious, even though Smith himself admitted he worked for a Stowell in connection with a silver mine, but never mentioned his arrest. However, on July 28, 1971, two men discovered the records of the judge and constable in office at the time of this incident in the basement of the Chenango County jail. These confirmed the earlier evidence that Smith had indeed been arrested and was found guilty of “glass-looking” on March 20, 1826! This was, of course, during the very time he is supposedly being prepared by the angel Moroni to remove the golden plates from the Hill Cumorah and translate them by the means of the two stones set in a silver bow!
The Origination of the Book of Mormon
Another mystery is the origin of the story line behind the Book of Mormon. Mormons claim it would have been nearly impossible for anyone with Smith’s education (or, rather, lack of it) to have written such an extensive book without assistance. I agree—but I think the assistance was of the human-kind!
From the earliest days of Mormonism, as the Book of Mormon came to be known and read, it was rumored that the basic storyline of Mormonism had been lifted from the pages of a book by a Solomon Spalding. Spalding was educated at Dartmouth and served for a time as a Congreationalist minister in the late 1700s. Due to failing health, he quit preaching and tried his hand at several unsuccessful business ventures. As his health further deteriorated, while in Conneaut, Ohio during 1809-12, he occupied himself writing novels and reading them to his friends. In 1812, he and his wife moved to Pittsburgh in hopes of printing and selling one of his novels, called “Manuscript Found”. They eventually settled in Amity, a small town some 10 miles from Pittsburg, where he and his wife ran a “temperance tavern”. To entertain his guests, he would often read from his manuscripts. His hearers didn’t care much for his compositions or his literary style. He soon received the nickname of “Old Came to Pass” because of his frequent use of the expression, “and it came to pass”. He finally succumbed to his poor health in 1816.
Many, many witnesses claim that his stories centered around the fact of the Indians being the lost tribes of Israel. Later, when the inhabitants of those parts became acquainted with the Book of Mormon and heard the names of Nephi and Lehi, as well as the wars between the Nephites and Lamanites, they immediately recognized them as Spaulding’s creation. His brothers and his wife all affirmed that the Book of Mormon was essentially the same story as Spaulding had written, with some religious content added. In fact, when the Book of Mormon was read during a public meeting in Conneaut in 1832, a friend of Spauding’s, Justice of the Peace Aaron Wright, exclaimed “Old Come to Pass has come to life again!” (Examine Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon for the reason he would say this!)
But how could Spaulding’s story, written in Ohio and left in a printshop for printing in Pittsburgh, ever come into the possession of Joseph Smith in New York? The answer is that none other than one Sydney Rigdon either worked in that printshop or was the close friend of a man who did. At any rate, he was often seen hanging around those premises. Sometime around 1814-15, Spaulding delivered a preface and title page to the printshop in Pittsburg only to learn that his manuscript was missing. Spaulding believed, and stated to others (e.g. to his doctor, Dr. Cecil Dodd and his minister, Rev. Joseph Miller, both of Amity) that Sydney Rigdon had stolen his manuscript.
There are several eyewitness sources that place Rigdon and Smith together during the years of 1827-1829. Recall that, supposedly, Rigdon’s first encounter with Mormonism was when Mormon missionaries journeyed to Kirkland, Ohio, where Rigdon’s congregation was located. This sequence of events may well explain Rigdon’s ready conversion of Mormonism and subsequent baptism in November of 1830, as well as his using his influence to persuade many of his flock to embrace the new faith.
The Book of Abraham
Admittedly, much of the above is quite circumstantial, although compelling. But, one might ask, is there an objective test that one might apply to Smith’s claims? Despite the many locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon, and claims by Mormon missionaries that the National Geographical Society has used the Book of Mormon in excavating archaeological sites in the Americas (by the way, the Soceity drafted a form letter denying this), not one location mentioned in the book has ever been identified. The plates themselves, according to Smith, were taken back to heaven. It would seem that there’s no objective way of ascertaining the truthfulness of Smith’s claims. Well, almost none!
Consider the Book of Mormon itself. Twelve chapters of Isaiah (Isa. 2-14) are found verbatim in II Nephi 12-24, translated in perfect 1611 King James English, including the words in italics! Hundreds of other quotations, from both the Old and New Testament, are cited by the Book of Mormon, again, in 1611 KJV English. The prophet Nephi, living between 600-500 B.C., is somehow able to quote Matthew, Luke, Peter and Paul verbatim centuries before they wrote their Gospels and Epistles. The French word “Adieu” is found in Jacob 7:27, when French didn’t originate until around 700 A.D. These are just a few of the anachronisms found in the pages of the Book of Mormon.
Other evidence, however, does exist. About a year before Smith’s death, much excitement was generated by the discovery of six, bell-shaped brass plates near Kinderhook, Illinois on which were carved strange hieroglyphics. Since Smith supposedly could translate such plates, they were sent to him in Nauvoo and he declared that by revelation he could unravel the writing. In fact, one month before he was killed, he wrote in his diary that he had translated part of them and they they concerned a descendent of Ham. Where his “translation” is, no one knows (it’s probably locked away by the Mormon Church with many other such embarrassing documents!) However, a month after Smith’s death, three men confessed to manufacturing and then burying these plates. They were nothing but cheap forgeries!
As illuminating an incident as the “Kinderhook Plates” is, it doesn’t come close to what is now known in regards to the “Book of Abraham”! This “book” is part of a larger work, “The Pearl of Great Price”, written by Smith supposedly by Divine revelation and considered one of the three inspired Mormon books. The story behind it is quite interesting. In 1835, Smith obtained some two scrolls of papyrii. They were found on an Egyptian mummy displayed by a traveling carnival. After examining the scrolls, Smith declared that they contained the story of Abraham while in Eqypt. Once again, by divine revelation, he supposedly translated the scrolls and the translation comprises that which is found in the “Book of Abraham”. In Smith’s day, no one knew how to translate Egyptian heiroglypics, so no one could dispute his translation.
These papyrii were always thought to have been burned up in the Chicago fire of 1877. However, in 1967, they were discovered in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Although no one knows how they got there, Mormons and non-Mormons alike agree as to their authenticity. Smith’s handwriting can be seen in the notes found in the margins. Eqyptian scholars (including some LDS scholars) have translated these documents and found them to be excerpts from the Egyptian “Book of Breathings”--common, pagan, burial documents! This is one case where Smith’s claims could finally be put to the test, they’ve been found wanting!
Where Do We Stop?
Prominently displayed in every authorized verson of the Book of Mormon is the declaration of the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses. These eleven men all testified that Smith’s story about the plates is true. What is not so prominently displayed is that eight of the eleven either left the Mormon church or were excommunicated from it (including Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris)! Some of these would eventually come back to the church, it is true, but one wonders about such “witnesses”.
Hiram Page, one of the eight witnesses, acquired his own “peep” stone and began to receive his own “revelations”. Both Cowdery and David Whitmer were led astray by Page. Harris declared he “traveled to the moon” in a vision and saw Jesus standing beside Smith in a meeting (no one else, apparently, saw this!) Harris was described as mad, demonic, and deranged at one point. In truth, he flitted about from one religious sect to another. In all, he changed his religious beliefs no less than thirteen times! (Mormonism was about number six on the list!) He eventually joined up with the Shakers, who also claimed the reception of a “Sacred Roll and Book” from an angel standing on a housetop. Harris declared that he had as much evidence for the Shaker Book as for the Book of Mormon. Eventually, just before his death, he reportedly went to Utah and returned to Mormonism. Smith, at one point, called all eight defectors liars and cheats. Not exactly the kind of folks you want to set forth as reliable witnesses, it would seem!
Conclusion
Sometimes it seems there is a confluence of several streams that produce certain movements. Here, it appears, that a combination of wild-eyed religious fanaticism on the American frontier, a disgruntled former Campbellite preacher, and a young flim-flam man all corroborated to produce one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated upon a people! The deception of Mormonism is broad and it is deep. Rarely has this world witnessed a people who so desperately want to believe what is so obviously a lie. Pray that the darkness might be lifted from this people and the scales removed from their eyes!