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Specific works/An Insider's View of Mormon Origins/Quotes and Responses
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An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
Author: Grant Palmer
Book of Mormon translation
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| Joseph said the Book of Mormon was translated "by the gift and power of God," coming "forth out of the treasure of the heart ... thus bringing forth out of the heart, things new and old." The evidence indicates that the Book of Mormon is in fact an amalgamation of ideas that were inspired by Joseph's own environment (new) and themes from the Bible (old). |
For the work of this example, see the book of Mormon, coming forth out of the treasure of the heart; also the covenants given to the Latter Day Saints: also the translation of the bible: thus bringing forth out of the heart, things new and old: thus answering to three measures of meal, undergoing the purifying touch by a revelation of Jesus Christ, and the ministering of angels... |
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Commentary
- Palmer neglects to note Joseph's inclusion of covenants and the Bible in his statement in order to strengthen his own conclusion that the Book of Mormon came from Joseph's own heart. It is a stretch to interpret this phrase as some sort of admission by the Prophet that he actually created the Book of Mormon from his own mind and experience.
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| Oliver was Joseph's main scribe day after day and perhaps the only one who really knew if a Bible was consulted. Oliver is silent on the matter. In fact, a Bible would have been needed only when quoting long passages; so again, Cowdery may be the only witness who knew about this, and he neglected to mention it. | These were days never to be forgotten; to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, "interpreters," the history or record called "The Book of Mormon." |
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Commentary
- In his zeal to provide supporting evidence for his theory that Joseph Smith consulted a King James Bible during the translation of the Book of Mormon, Palmer attempts to make Oliver Cowdery a "silent witness" for the prosecution by implying that he neglected to mention it! Oliver was far from silent regarding the Book of Mormon translation, and his enthusiasm at being a witness and participant in the translation process is clearly evident. Furthermore, Oliver clearly indicated that the translation was performed using the Urim and Thummin.
Resources
- Book of Mormon plagiarized from Bible?
- Book of Mormon "translation errors" from KJV? [needs work]
- Book of Mormon translation method [needs work]
Treasure hunting
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| Oliver Cowdery came from a similar background. He was a treasure hunter and "rodsman" before he met Joseph Smith in 1829. William Cowdery, his father, was associated with a treasure-seeking group in Vermont, and it is from them, one assumes, that Oliver learned the art of working with a divining rod. | Because Joseph Smith, Sr., and William Cowdery cannot be linked unequivocally to the Vermont money diggers, Frisbie's late account must be approached cautiously. (p.600)...Quinn states, "From 1800 to 1802, Nathaniel Wood's 'use of the rod was mostly as a medium of revelation.'...Thus, a connection between William Cowdery and the Wood Scrape would help to explain why his son Oliver had a rod through which he received revelations" before he met Joseph Smith in April 1829" (1987, 32). Yet, there is no evidence which directly attributes Cowdery's rod to his father. (p. 604) |
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Commentary
- Palmer states that Oliver Cowdery was a "treasure hunter and 'rodsman'" and that his father was associated with the treasure-seeking group as if these were established facts, and uses the Barnes Frisbie account to support this. Yet, Dan Vogel, the editor of the source being used by Palmer, clearly states 1) that "William Cowdery cannot be linked unequivocally to the Vermont money diggers," 2) that the Barnes Frisbee account "must be approached cautiously" and 3) that "there is no evidence which directly attributes Cowdery's rod to his father." Palmer presents his conclusions based upon circumstantial evidence as fact, with the result being the quotation of Palmer's "facts" in other articles. (see the Wikipedia articles "Three Witnesses" and "Oliver Cowdery" for examples of how Palmer's conclusions are considered "facts").
Resources
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| Brigham Young heard from the Smiths and believed all his life that "these treasures that are in the earth are carefully watched; they can be removed from place to place" by the angels. | This chain of mountains has been followed from the north to the south, and its various spurs have been prospected, and what do they find? Just enough to allure them, and to finally lead them from the faith, and at last to make them miserable and poor. Ask the brethren why they do this, and the ready reply will be, "Is it not my privilege to find a gold mine, or a silver mine, as well as others?" As far as I am concerned I would say, "Yes, certainly it is your privilege, if you can find one." But do you know how to find such a mine? No, you do not. These treasures that are in the earth are carefully watched, they can be removed from place to place according to the good pleasure of Him who made them and owns them. He has his messengers at his service, and it is just as easy for an angel to remove the minerals from any part of one of these mountains to another, as it is for you and me to walk up and down this hall. This, however, is not understood by the Christian world, nor by us as a people. There are certain circumstances that a number of my brethren and sisters have heard me relate, that will demonstrate this so positively, that none need doubt the truth of what I say. |
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Commentary
- Palmer takes a quote spoken by Brigham Young in 1877 in which he discourages prospecting for minerals in Utah, and implies that his belief regarding "moving treasure" originated with "the Smiths." Brigham goes on to talk about the difficulty in obtaining treasures from the earth, and relates a story involving Porter Rockwell as well as a story he heard from Oliver Cowdery about how the plates were returned to the angel Moroni. Nowhere in his discourse does Brigham mention "the Smiths."
Chapter 6: Witnesses to the Golden Plates
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| Far removed from our own modern empiricism, the world view of the witnesses is difficult for us to grasp. The gold plates they saw and handled disappeared when placed on Cumorah's ground.[54] The witnesses believed that a toad hiding in the stone box became an apparition that struck Joseph on the head.[55] |
Fayette Lapham recalled an interview with Joseph Smith, Sr. forty years before, and noted that something "struck" Joseph on the breast, "always with increasing force." Willard Chase and Benjamin Saunders told the story of the "toad" hiding in the stone box. None of these men actually saw or handled the gold plates, and in all cases were relating second or third-hand information, sometimes many years after the events occurred. |
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History," BYU Studies 17 (Autumn 1976): 30-31; Lucy Smith, History of Joseph Smith, 83-88; Affidavit of Willard Chase, in Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 242; qtd. in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 2:67. [55] Benjamin Saunders, interview by William H. Kelley (an RLDS apostle), 1884, in William H. Kelley Collection, "Miscellany 1795-1948," P19/2:44, RLDS Library-Archives; qtd. in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 2:137; Affidavit of Willard Chase, 11 Dec. 1833, in Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 242; qtd. in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 2:67; Joseph Smith Jr., interview by Joseph and Hiel Lewis, 1828, "Mormon History, A New Chapter about to be Published," Amboy {ILl Journal, 30 Apr. 1879, 1; Joseph Smith Sr., interview by Fayette Lapham, ca. 1830, in "The Mormons," Historical Magazine 7 (May 1870): 305-6; qtd. in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 1:458-59. |
Commentary
- In order to convince the reader that the Three and Eight witnesses had a "magical world view," Palmer promotes individuals who never actually saw or handled the plates to the status of "witnesses," and conflates various second and third-hand accounts of Joseph's attempts to obtain the plates. According to Palmer, anyone who had a story to tell regarding the plates was a "witness." None of the Three or Eight witnesses ever told a story of a toad as "treasure guardian" of the plates, yet, according to Palmer, "The witnesses believed that a toad hiding in the stone box became an apparition that struck Joseph on the head."
Resources
Chapter 7: Priesthood Restoration
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| Finally, on 12 February 1834, Joseph mentioned in public for the first time that his priesthood "office" had "been conferred upon me by the ministering of the Angel of God, by his own will and by the voice of this Church."[25] This is still not an unequivocal assertion of authority by angelic ordination. |
Bro. Joseph then rose and said: I shall now endeavor to set forth before this council, the dignity of the office which has been conferred upon me by the ministring of the Angel of God, by his own will and by the voice of this Church. |
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Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 1:32. |
Commentary
- It is difficult to imagine how much more unequivocal Joseph needed to be in his statement in order to satisfy the author. The prophet clearly states that the office was "conferred" on him by "the ministering Angel of God." The author wishes to make every source quote fit his notion that there was no need for a physical "laying on of hands" to transfer authority.
Chapter 8: The First Vision
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| Oliver Cowdery said the revival that impacted Joseph and his family came in about "the year 1823." He explained: "Mr. Lane, a presiding Elder of the Methodist church, visited Palmyra and vicinity ... Large additions were made to the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches ... [F]rom his discourses on the scriptures, and in common with others, our brother's Joseph's mind became awakened. "[15] |
Oliver begins describing the First Vision in Letter III: ... this history would necessarily embrace the life and character of our esteemed friend and brother, J. Smith JR.... till I come to the 15th year of his life. It is necessary to premise this account by relating the situation of the public mind relative to religion, at this time: One Mr. Lane, a presiding Elder of the Methodist church, visited Palmyra, and vicinity. ... Large additions were made to the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches.... from his discourses on the scriptures, and in common with others, our brother's mind became awakened....In this general strife for followers, his mother, one sister, and two of his natural brothers, were persuaded to unite with the Presbyterians. ...In this situation where could he go? If he went to one he was told they were right, and all others were wrong—If to another, the same was heard from those: All professed to be the true church; and if not they were certainly hypocritical, because, if I am presented with a system of religion, and enquire of my teacher whether it is correct, and he informs me that he is not certain, he acknowledges at once that he is teaching without authority, and acting without a commission! In Letter IV, Oliver, claiming an "error in the type," switches the date to 1823 and then relates to story of Moroni's visit: You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr's, age—that was an error in the type—it should have been in the 17th.—You will please remember this correction, as it will be necessary for the full understanding of what will follow in time. This would bring the date down to the year 1823...On the evening of the 21st of September, 1823, previous to retiring to rest, our brother's mind was unusually wrought up on the subject which had so long agitated his mind—his heart was drawn out in fervent prayer, and his whole soul was so lost to every thing of a temporal nature, that earth, to him, had lost its claims, and all he desired was to be prepared in heart to commune with some kind messenger who could communicate to him the desired information of his acceptance with God...on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a purer and far more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room... |
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Commentary
- In Letter III, Oliver was clearly preparing to tell the story of Joseph Smith's First Vision. He states that Joseph was in his "15th year," which would be 1820. Oliver had access to Joseph's 1832 First Vision account, and the story that he began to tell in Letter III closely follows it. Two months later Letter IV, Oliver inexplicably changed the date to 1823, claiming that he had made an error, and then told the story of Moroni's visit. Oliver was also publicly on record in 1830 as having taught that the Joseph Smith had seen God "personally."[1]
Resources
Endnote
- [note] The Reflector, 2/13 (14 February 1831).
Reviews
- Group, "Statement from the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History (Review of: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins)," FARMS Review 15/2 (2003): 255–256. off-site
- Davis Bitton, "The Charge of a Man with a Broken Lance (But Look What He Doesn't Tell Us) (Review of: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins)," FARMS Review 15/2 (2003): 257–272. off-site
- Steven C. Harper, "Trustworthy History? (Review of: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins)," FARMS Review 15/2 (2003): 273–308. off-site
- Mark Ashurst-McGee, "A One-sided View of Mormon Origins (Review of: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins)," FARMS Review 15/2 (2003): 309–364. off-site