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====113 n. 157==== | ====113 n. 157==== | ||
||The | || | ||
*The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible is claimed to have "altered over 3,400 verses but left the deities singular and in a Trinitarian format." | |||
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*Since the original Bible has no Nicene Trinitarian format, it would be difficult to Joseph to leave it there. | *Since the original Bible has no Nicene Trinitarian format, it would be difficult to Joseph to leave it there. | ||
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====114==== | ====114==== | ||
||" | || | ||
*The author presumes that Joseph "coalesced astronomy, biblical mystery, ancient Egyptian writing, and Masonic ritual into portentous ceremony for his followers." | |||
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*The author presumes that all these were sources for the temple endowment, and that Joseph combined them. | *The author presumes that all these were sources for the temple endowment, and that Joseph combined them. | ||
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====114==== | ====114==== | ||
||" | || | ||
*The author claims that "[t]he spring of 1842 was also the time when John C. Bennett began to separate himself from Smith…." | |||
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*Bennett did not separate himself, Joseph forced Bennett out because of his crimes. | *Bennett did not separate himself, Joseph forced Bennett out because of his crimes. | ||
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====116==== | ====116==== | ||
||Marinda Johnson "met Joseph while he was retranslating the Bible with Sidney Rigdon in her parents' home in 1831." | || | ||
*Marinda Johnson "met Joseph while he was retranslating the Bible with Sidney Rigdon in her parents' home in 1831." | |||
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*The author again does not tell us that Marinda testified against the version of Joseph's mobbing which he pushes on p. 44. | *The author again does not tell us that Marinda testified against the version of Joseph's mobbing which he pushes on p. 44. | ||
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====117-118==== | ====117-118==== | ||
||Orson Hyde "was reportedly 'furious'" with Joseph's plural marriage doctrine. | || | ||
*Orson Hyde "was reportedly 'furious'" with Joseph's plural marriage doctrine. | |||
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*Cites Ann Eliza Young, but fails to tell the reader there are three other versions, each of which is different and hostile. | *Cites Ann Eliza Young, but fails to tell the reader there are three other versions, each of which is different and hostile. | ||
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====119==== | ====119==== | ||
||" | || | ||
*The author assumes censorship when he note that "after John C. Bennett's disagreement with Smith, the record of his celestial marriages was apparently expunged." | |||
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*The author is arguing from negative evidence—he claims that the absence of any record of Bennett's "marriages" is proof that the Church or Joseph suppressed them! | *The author is arguing from negative evidence—he claims that the absence of any record of Bennett's "marriages" is proof that the Church or Joseph suppressed them! | ||
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====119==== | ====119==== | ||
||"Smith told Bennett he could not withdraw from the church because he had been 'disfellowshipped' two weeks before on May 11. This apparent backdating was an attempt to discredit Bennett." | || | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Smith told Bennett he could not withdraw from the church because he had been 'disfellowshipped' two weeks before on May 11. This apparent backdating was an attempt to discredit Bennett."}} | |||
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*The author has mentioned this before. He has now adopted Bennett's version completely, with no hint that there is more to the story. | *The author has mentioned this before. He has now adopted Bennett's version completely, with no hint that there is more to the story. | ||
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====122==== | ====122==== | ||
|| | || | ||
*The author reports that in John C. Bennett's first letter that "he reported that Smith 'attempted to seduce Miss Nany{{cs}} Rigdon,'…." | |||
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*[[Polygamy book/John C. Bennett|John C. Bennett]] | *[[Polygamy book/John C. Bennett|John C. Bennett]] | ||
Line 238: | Line 246: | ||
====123-125==== | ====123-125==== | ||
||Bennett's version of the Sarah Pratt episode | || | ||
*The author recounts John C. Bennett's version of the Sarah Pratt episode. | |||
|| | || | ||
*[[Polygamy book/John C. Bennett|John C. Bennett]] | *[[Polygamy book/John C. Bennett|John C. Bennett]] | ||
Line 247: | Line 256: | ||
====129-134==== | ====129-134==== | ||
||Emma Smith pushing Eliza Snow down the stairs | || | ||
*The story of Emma Smith pushing Eliza Snow down the stairs is mentioned. | |||
|| | || | ||
*[[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|Emma, Eliza, and the stairs]] | *[[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|Emma, Eliza, and the stairs]] | ||
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====131-132==== | ====131-132==== | ||
||"…historian Fawn M. Brodie thought the documentation was strong enough to include it in her biography of Smith." | || | ||
*The author notes that "…historian Fawn M. Brodie thought the documentation was strong enough to include it in her biography of Smith." | |||
|| | || | ||
*Fawn Brodie's evidentiary standard was often depressingly low. She was certain that Oliver Buell was Joseph's son (based on photographic evidence) but DNA evidence has resoundingly refuted her. | *Fawn Brodie's evidentiary standard was often depressingly low. She was certain that Oliver Buell was Joseph's son (based on photographic evidence) but DNA evidence has resoundingly refuted her. | ||
Line 270: | Line 281: | ||
====131 n. 195==== | ====131 n. 195==== | ||
|| | || | ||
*The author cites ''BYU Studies'' on Emma and Eliza, but does not disclose that those authors find that the story is not plausible. | |||
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*[[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|Emma, Eliza, and the stairs]] | *[[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|Emma, Eliza, and the stairs]] | ||
Line 281: | Line 293: | ||
====132==== | ====132==== | ||
|| | || | ||
*The author cites Newel and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'' without acknowledging or engaging their arguments against the story of Emma and Eliza. | |||
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====133==== | ====133==== | ||
||"Most convincing of all is to think that these stories [about Emma] were circulating widely and Eliza never bothered to clarify or refute them." | || | ||
*The author assumes rumors are evidence: "Most convincing of all is to think that these stories [about Emma] were circulating widely and Eliza never bothered to clarify or refute them." | |||
|| | || | ||
*Uncorrected rumor or gossip is more convincing than the absence of diary or behavioral evidence for a pregnancy as outlined by Newel and Avery (see [[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|previous]])? | *Uncorrected rumor or gossip is more convincing than the absence of diary or behavioral evidence for a pregnancy as outlined by Newel and Avery (see [[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Emma Smith/Eliza R. Snow and the stairs|previous]])? | ||
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====137==== | ====137==== | ||
|| | || | ||
*Censorship is again implied, when the author notes that the ''History of the Church'' "reports the day's activities…without a hint of a wedding" to Sarah Ann Whitney. | |||
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*[[Censorship_and_revision_of_LDS_history]] | *[[Censorship_and_revision_of_LDS_history]] | ||
Line 316: | Line 331: | ||
====138==== | ====138==== | ||
||"Three weeks after the wedding, Joseph took steps to spend some time with his newest bride." | || | ||
*The author talks about Joseph's letter to the Whitneys ''again'': "Three weeks after the wedding, Joseph took steps to spend some time with his newest bride." | |||
|| | || | ||
*Again, The author fails to acknowledge that Joseph wanted Sarah Ann '''and her parents''' to visit him. | *Again, The author fails to acknowledge that Joseph wanted Sarah Ann '''and her parents''' to visit him. | ||
Line 332: | Line 348: | ||
====139==== | ====139==== | ||
||" | || | ||
*The book claims that in an "extraordinary move, the Nauvoo City Council issued an ordinance limiting the power of state courts and claiming the right to review and dismiss future writs." | |||
|| | || | ||
*[[Nauvoo city charter]] | *[[Nauvoo city charter]] | ||
Line 342: | Line 359: | ||
====142==== | ====142==== | ||
||"It was the ninth night of Joseph's concealment, and Emma had visited him three times, written him several letters, and penned at least one letter on his behalf…For his part, Joseph's private note about his love for Emma was so endearing it found its way into the official church history. In it, he vowed to be hers 'forevermore.' Yet within this context of reassurance and intimacy, a few hours later the same day, even while Joseph was still in grave danger and when secrecy was of the utmost urgency, he made complicated arrangements for a visit from his fifteenth plural wife, Sarah Ann Whitney." | || | ||
*The author really wants readers to understand Joseph's letter to the Whitneys: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
"It was the ninth night of Joseph's concealment, and Emma had visited him three times, written him several letters, and penned at least one letter on his behalf…For his part, Joseph's private note about his love for Emma was so endearing it found its way into the official church history. In it, he vowed to be hers 'forevermore.' Yet within this context of reassurance and intimacy, a few hours later the same day, even while Joseph was still in grave danger and when secrecy was of the utmost urgency, he made complicated arrangements for a visit from his fifteenth plural wife, Sarah Ann Whitney." | |||
</blockquote> | |||
|| | || | ||
*Joseph’s behavior is painted as callous toward Emma and also as evidence of an almost insatiable sexual hunger. | *Joseph’s behavior is painted as callous toward Emma and also as evidence of an almost insatiable sexual hunger. |
Chapter 2 (pp. 53-107) | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books A work by author: George D. Smith
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Chapter 3 |
Page | Claim | Response | Author's sources |
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108 |
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110-111 |
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Egyptian influence? (edit) Environmental explanations (edit) |
111 |
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111 |
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Fallacy of probability (edit) |
110 – 111 n. 150 |
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112 |
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112 |
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{{author is again presuming that studies of ancient Egyptian would have had any relevance for the Book of Mormon records—yet the Book of Mormon explicitly says they would not. |
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112 |
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112 |
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Environmental explanations (edit) |
113 |
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113 n. 157 |
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114 |
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Temple (edit)
Environmental explanations (edit) Egyptian influence? (edit) |
114 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) |
116 |
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Womanizing & romance (edit)
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117-118 |
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119 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) Censorship of Church History (edit) |
119 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) |
122 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) | |
123-125 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) | |
129-134 |
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Emma, Eliza & stairs (edit)
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131-132 |
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Emma, Eliza & stairs (edit)
Presendia Buell (edit)
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131 n. 195 |
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Emma, Eliza & stairs (edit)
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132 |
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Emma, Eliza & stairs (edit)
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133 |
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Emma, Eliza & stairs (edit)
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137 |
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Censorship of Church History (edit) | |
138 |
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Whitney "love letter" (edit) |
139 |
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Nauvoo city charter (edit) | |
142 |
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Whitney "love letter" (edit) |
142-143 |
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Whitney "love letter" (edit) Ages of wives (edit) |
147 |
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Whitney "love letter" (edit) |
147–154 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) | |
149 |
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149 |
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John C. Bennett (edit) | |
149 |
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154 |
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155 |
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Whitney "love letter" (edit) |
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