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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Index: Difference between revisions
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*Persuitte, 303-304, endnote#19. | *Persuitte, 303-304, endnote#19. | ||
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|55, 506 n.60||Scholars have declared that there is no language called "Reformed Egyptian."|| || | |55, 506 n.60||Scholars have declared that there is no language called "Reformed Egyptian."||[[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Reformed Egyptian|Reformed Egyptian]] || | ||
*John A. Wilson, letter to Marvin Cowan, March 16, 1966 quoted in {{CriticalWork:Tanner:Changing World|pages=144}} | *John A. Wilson, letter to Marvin Cowan, March 16, 1966 quoted in {{CriticalWork:Tanner:Changing World|pages=144}} | ||
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Revision as of 04:43, 16 December 2008
Index to claims made in One Nation Under Gods
This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIRwiki. An effort has been made to provide the author's original sources where possible.
Claims made in "Introduction: A Thread of Prophecy"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| xvii | The "White Horse" prophecy predicts the "transformation of the U.S. government into a Mormon-ruled theocracy. | The White Horse prophecy |
|
| xviii | The "White Horse" prophecy "continues to be a dominant element of the faith espoused by Joseph Smith's followers" because they believe that they will be "officers and administrators" during Christ's millennial reign. | The White Horse prophecy |
|
| xix | Various Church leaders have reiterated the "White Horse" prophecy. | The White Horse prophecy |
|
| xx | "Mormons thereafter will reign with Christ, and every American citizen, along with the rest of the world, will be forced to recognize Mormonism as the one true religion." | The White Horse prophecy |
|
| xxi | As for other governments and religions, according to Joseph Smith, they "must eventually be destroyed from the earth." | Other governments and religions to be destroyed from the earth? |
|
| xxiv | The Church refuses to divulge "routine (financial) information that other religions are happy to provide over the phone." |
| |
| xxiv | Mormons believe that they are "morally, ethically, and spiritually superior to non-Mormons." |
|
Claims made in "Chapter 1: Vagabond Visionaries"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | "To most of his contemporaries, Joseph Smith was nothing but a charlatan from a family of illiterate wnderers; a shiftless trouble-maker—albeit a charismatic and imaginative one—with a penchant for superstitions, storytelling, and decision-making based on the occult traditions of ninteteenth century rural folk magic." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Nathaniel Lewis |
|
| 9-11 | "[T]he Smiths finally gave up on finding deliverance from their poverty by any means that might be termed legitimate employment. They turned instead to borrowing, fast-talking, and 'money-diffing' through occult divination." | The Hurlbut affidavits |
|
| 15 | Local newspapers show no revival occurring in 1820 in the area of Palmyra-Manchester, New York. | Religious revivals in 1820 |
|
| 15 | Smith probably incorporated an 1824 revival into his First Vision story. | Conflation of 1824-25 revival? |
|
| 15 | Joseph's 1832 First Vision account states that he was 15 rather than 14 years old. | Different age provided in the 1832 text | |
| 15 | Joseph's 1832 account states that he only saw Jesus and doesn't mention God the Father. | Only one Personage appears in the 1832 account | |
| 15 | The main message of the 1832 account was the forgiveness of Joseph's sins. | Motivation in 1832 account is different | |
| 15 | The 1832 account omits information about "God condemning Christian churches as corrupt." | 1832 account doesn't forbid joining a church | |
| 16-17 | Orson Pratt said that the two personages were angels. | Orson Pratt confused about "angel" or Father-Son |
|
| 17 | Church historian Andrew Jenson said that "The angel again forbade Joseph to join any of these churches." | Andrew Jenson called personage an "angel" |
|
| 18 | John Taylor only calls the Father and Son "two glorious personages" and does not mention "this is my beloved son." | John Taylor's understanding of the First Vision |
|
| 18 | The 1824 revival caused Joseph's mother, sister and two brothers to join the Presbyterian church. | Conflation of 1824-25 revival? |
|
| 18 | The 1824 revival cause Joseph to join a Baptist church. | Joseph Smith joined other churches |
|
| 18 | No publications from the Palmyra or Manchester areas mentioned Joseph's vision. | No reference to First Vision in 1830s publications? |
|
| 22, 490 n.78 | The vision of Moroni was the only vision that existed for many years. Lucy Mack Smith said that the first vision was that of a "holy Angel" | Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel" |
|
Claims made in "Chapter 2: Moroni, Magic, and Masonry"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | The author claims that "LDS documents are strangely silent about their prophet's activities during the three years immediately following his 1820 First Vision." | Absurd claims |
|
| 25 | The angel was originally named "Nephi" instead of "Moroni." | Nephi or Moroni |
|
| 26, 492 n.19-20 | Oliver Cowdery said that the First Vision took place in 1823 when Joseph was in his 17th year. | Oliver Cowdery not aware of First Vision in 1834-35 |
|
| 26, 492 n.21 | Joseph's brother William associates Moroni's visit with a revival. | William Smith said First Vision was an "angel"? |
|
| 27, 493 n.23 | George A. Smith merged the First Vision and Moroni's visit. | George A. Smith said First Vision was an "angel" |
|
| 27, 493 n.24 | Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph's mother, said that the First Vision was of the angel in 1823. | Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel" |
|
| 27 | Joseph engaged in "ritual magic and divination." | Joseph Smith and the occult |
|
| 28 | Joseph was a "money digger" | Joseph Smith and money digging |
|
| 28 | Joseph used a "peep stone" to search for treasure. | Joseph Smith and seer stones |
|
| 29, 494 n.30 | Joseph's father was "a firm believer in witchcraft and other supernatural things; and had brought up his family in the same beief." |
| |
| 29, 494-5 n.33-34 | Martin Harris said that Joseph was associated with a company of money diggers. | Joseph Smith and money digging |
|
| 29, 495 n.36 | Joshua Stafford said that Joseph's family "told marvelous stories about ghosts, hob-goblins, caverns, and verious other mysterious matters." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joshua Stafford |
|
| 29-30, 495 n.37 | "Most of the residents" of Palmyra and Manchester considered the Smith family a "close-knit clan of occultists." | Joseph Smith and the occult |
|
| 30, 495 n.38 | William Stafford stated that Joseph used a seer stone to see "the spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clotehd in ancient dress." | The Hurlbut affidavits—William Stafford |
|
| 30, 495 n.40 | Joseph Capron stated that Joseph encouraged others to participate in money digging in order to obtain wealth. | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joseph Capron |
|
| 31, 495 n.41 | Rev. John Sherer said that Joseph Smith was a "juggler" (i.e. a "con-man") |
| |
| 31, 495 n.42 | William Stafford stated that Joseph believed that the state of the moon determined the best time to obtain treasures. | The Hurlbut affidavits—William Stafford |
|
| 31, 495 n.43 | Joseph Smith made animal sacrifices to "appease whatever spirits might be guarding the buried treasure." |
| |
| 31, 496 n.44 | Hiel Lewis claimed that dogs, cats and other animals were sacrificed. |
| |
| 33, 495 n.48 | Joshua Stafford said that Joseph showed him a piece of wood from a box of money that had "mysteriously moved back into the hill." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Joshua Stafford |
|
| 36, 497 n.63 | LDS historian Reed C. Durham stated that "virtually all aspects of the Royal Arch Freemasonry legend of Enoch 'seem transformed into the history of Joseph Smith, so much that even it appears to be a kind of symbolic acting out of Masonic lore.'" |
| |
| 36 | Joseph Smith adapted Masonic rituals for the temple endowment. | Temple endowment and Freemasonry | |
| 40 | The Book of Mormon denounces Freemasonry by condeming "secret combinations," "secret signs," and "secret oaths." |
Claims made in "Chapter 3: From Profit to Prophet"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41, 500 n.2-4 | Joseph used at least two seer stones. | Joseph Smith and seer stones |
|
| 42, 500 n.7 | Issac Hale, Emma's father, disapproved of Joseph because of his money digging activities. | The Hurlbut affidavits—Isaac Hale |
|
| 44 | Joseph was pronounced "guilty" of performing illegal activities with the stone. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
|
| 46, 503 n.18 | Hugh Nibley said, "If this court recored is authentic, it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
|
| 46, 503 n.20 | Francis Kirkham claimed that "If any evidence had been in existence that Joseph Smith had used a seer stone for fraud and deception, and expcially had he made this confession in a court of law as early as 1826, or four years before the Book of Mormon was printed, and this confession was in a court record, it would have been impossible for hism to have organized the resorted Church. | Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial |
|
| 47, 503 n.22 | Joseph realized that "money-digging alone was bringing in ony about $14 a month, which was not nearly enough to support a family." | Joseph Smith and money digging |
|
| 47, 503 n.23 | Joseph initially "attached no religious significance" to the "golden book" that he told people he would be retrieving. He instead "touted it as a book that would 'tell him how to get money that was buried in the ground.'" |
| |
| 48, 503 n.25 | Joseph decided to convert his book into a saga about America's ancient inhabitants as a money making scheme. |
| |
| 503 n.25 | Joseph tried to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada. | Did Joseph Smith attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright? |
|
| 48, 503-4 n.29-32 | One of Joseph's early descriptions of Moroni was of a bloody ghost with his throat cut. |
| |
| 50-51, n.34-36 | "The Smiths eventually changed Joseph's 'dream' of a ghost to a 'vision' of a spirit (but not yet an angel)...A 'toad-like' creature 'assumed the appearance of a man' and struck Joseph on the side of his head, telling him that it was not yet time to retrieve the plates." | The Hurlbut affidavits—Willard Chase |
|
| 51 | "A subsequent version of Smith's ever-changing tale..." |
| |
| 51 | "Until well into the late 1800s it was widely understood that Smith found the golden plates not by a dream, or a ghost, or a vision—but by looking into his peep-stone and seeing where they had been deposited. | Absurd claims |
|
| 51 | "all of the religious aspects of Smith's adventures came much later." |
| |
| 52 | Joseph Smith claimed that the moon was inhabited. | Joseph Smith and moonmen |
|
| 52 | Joseph taught the doctrine of "Caucasians advancing to godhood" |
| |
| 52 | Joseph taught the notion that "Blacks, Indians, and other people of color are cursed spirits." | Lamanite curse |
|
| 53 | "After all, no one had actually seen the plates, nor would anyoneever see them" | Absurd claims |
|
| 505 n.47 | The witnesses only saw the plates through "visionary experiences." | ||
| 505 n.47 | The eight witnesses only saw the plates as long as they were covered with a cloth of some kind. |
| |
| 505 n.47 | Martin Harris said that none of the eight witnesses ever saw the plates, and that he only handled them in a box or under a cloth. |
| |
| 505 n.47 | Joseph Smith claimed that the Three Witnesses saw the plates in a vision. |
| |
| 505 n.47 | David Whitmer "agreed that neither he, nor the other Three Witnesses, ever physically saw or handled the plates. |
| |
| 508 n.59 | "Mormons often try to discredit Anthon by pointing out an alleged discrepancy between his letters, but htere exists no such discrepancy. |
| |
| 55, 506 n.60 | Scholars have declared that there is no language called "Reformed Egyptian." | Reformed Egyptian |
|
| 55, 508 n.62 | Joseph used his "peep-stone" to translate the Book of Mormon. | Book of Mormon translation method |
|
Claims made in "Chapter 4: Smith's Golden Book"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 5: People of Zion"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 6: No Rest for the Righteous"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woe In Ohio"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 10: A New Beginning"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 11: Bloody Brigham"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 12: Wars and Rumors of Wars"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 13: Unholy Matrimony"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 14: The Politics of Compromise"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 15: Making the Transition"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 16: Mormon Racism: Black Is Not Beautiful"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 17: Is Mormonism Christian"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Chapter 18: Cover-Ups, Conspiracies, and Controversies"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Appendix C: Abrahams Book?"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Claims made in "Appendix D: Failed Joseph Smith Prophecies"
| Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
|---|
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
| Template code | Inserts this reference | Click to edit |
|---|---|---|
| {{To learn more box:responses to: 8: The Mormon Proposition}} | To learn more box:responses to: 8: The Mormon Proposition | edit |
| {{To learn more box:''Under the Banner of Heaven''}} | To learn more about responses to: Under the Banner of Heaven | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Robert Price}} | To learn more about responses to: Robert Price | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Ankerberg and Weldon}} | To learn more about responses to: Ankerberg and Weldon | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Ashamed of Joseph}} | To learn more about responses to: Ashamed of Joseph | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Beckwith and Moser}} | To learn more about responses to: Beckwith and Moser | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Beckwith and Parrish}} | To learn more about responses to: Beckwith and Parrish | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Benjamin Park}} | To learn more about responses to: Benjamin Park | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Bible versus Joseph Smith}} | To learn more about responses to: Bible versus Joseph Smith | edit |
| {{To learn more box:responses to: Bible versus Book of Mormon}} | To learn more about responses to: Bible versus Book of Mormon | edit |
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| {{To learn more box:responses to: New Approaches}} | To learn more about responses to: New Approaches to the Book of Mormon | edit |
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