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Claim
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Response
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Author's sources
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94
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- Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel.
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94
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- Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony.
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- Times and Seasons 1841 vol. 2, p.482
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96
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- The witnesses to the Book of Mormon were "very gullible." The story of Hiram Page and his stone is used as an example of their gullibility.
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- History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, vol. 1, pp.109-10
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97
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- David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints.
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- An Address to All Believers in Christ, pp. 27-28
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97
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- Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention."
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- Despite the violent disagreement between Joseph and these apostates, none denied their testimony.
- Why would Joseph risk angering men who he knew could expose his fraud, unless he knew their witness too strong to deny?
- Book of Mormon witnesses
- Eight witnesses
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- History of the Church 3:232
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97
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- Joseph said derogatory things about David Whitmer.
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- Despite the violent disagreement between Joseph and David, Whitmer continued bearing his testimony for decades of the Book of Mormon.
- Why would Joseph risk angering men who he knew could expose his fraud, unless he knew their witness too strong to deny?
- Book of Mormon witnesses
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- History of the Church 3:228.
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97
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- The dissenters received a threatening letter before being driven out of Far West.
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- Senate Document 189, Feb. 15, 1841 pp. 6-9
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98
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- Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting.
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- Jesus was accused of many crimes too; would the Tanners condemn Him? Historical figures should be innocent until proven guilty.
- Oliver became a respected and successful lawyer. Why was he not charged for this crime? Why was he respected if suspected of such a crime?
- This is more ad hominem, and the Tanners never provide the evidence of what the witnesses said and did.
- Book of Mormon witnesses—None recanted
- Book of Mormon witnesses
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- History of the Church 3:16
- A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri From 1836 to 1839, p.146-147
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99
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- Oliver Cowdery joined a Methodist church after his excommunication.
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- Oliver never renounced his testimony. A religious Christian, he probably preferred to worship somewhere than nowhere at all. Latter-day Saints believe there is much good in other faiths.
- Oliver returned to the Church, and continued to affirm his testimony until his death.
- Book of Mormon witnesses—None recanted
- Book of Mormon witnesses
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- New Era, Jan. 1969, p. 56
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99-100
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- Some of the Book of Mormon witnesses later followed James Strang, and, according to the authors, "their testimony is recorded in almost the same way that the testimony of the eleven witnesses is recorded in the Book of Mormon."
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- The witnesses never bore the kind of testimony about Strang as they did about seeing and handling the plates.
- James Strang
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- James Strang, Gospel Herald, January 20, 1848
- William E. McLellin, The Ensign of Liberty, Kirtland, Ohio, April, 1847
- John Whitmer's History, p.23
- Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, vol. 8, pp.124-28
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103
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- Martin Harris changed his religion thirteen times. The authors claim that Richard Anderson was "forced to acknowledge that Martin Harris' life shows evidence of 'religious instability'."
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- Harris managed to frustrate many other religious groups by his continued insistence on preaching the Book of Mormon instead of their tenets. He eventually returned to the Church and died in full fellowship.
- Book of Mormon witnesses—Character
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- Richard L. Anderson, Improvement Era, March 1969, p.63
- E. Cecil McGavin, The Historical Background for the Doctrine and Covenants, p.23, as cited in an unpublished manuscript by LaMar Petersen
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108
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- Martin Harris said that he saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes."
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- Marvin S. Hill, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter, 1972, pp.83-84.
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108
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- David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates."
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108
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- Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates.
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- Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter, 1972, pp. 83-84
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109
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- No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple. William McClellin claimed that there was "no endowment."
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- The Tanners are again arguing without any evidence.
- History unclear or in error: To do this, they must ignore a mound of first person contemporaneous testimony.
- Kirtland Temple dedication
- Steven C. Harper, "Pentecost Continued: A Contemporaneous Account of the Kirtland Temple Dedication," Brigham Young University Studies 42 no. 2 (2003), 4–.
- Milton V. Backman, Jr., The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1983), 309–. ISBN 0877479739 GospeLink
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- William McClellin, Ensign of Liberty, Kirtland, Ohio, March 1848, p.69
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111
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- Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40.
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- Westminster Confession; Alma 40
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114
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- Joseph copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha.
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115
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- The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt was a source for the book of 1 Nephi.
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- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- If this is so, where is the parting the sea? The ten plagues? The earth opening up to swallow the rebellious? Water from a rock? Manna from heaven? Joseph ignored the best, most dramatic parts.
- Nephi consciously modeled his family on the Israelites, so some parallels are to be expected—only an initial belief that the book is a forgery makes this argument work. It is circular.
- Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
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115
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- The Book of Mormon quotes Malachi many years before it was written.
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116
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- The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon.
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118
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- The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul.
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119-121
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- The Book of Mormon contains material found in the New Testament.
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122
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- In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26, rather than Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19.
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123
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- The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon. Bruce R. McConkie says they are used "figuratively."
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124
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- The Book of Mormon contains the Greek name Timothy.
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125
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- Joseph Smith's mother said that he used to entertain them with stories about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent before he translated the Book of Mormon.
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- History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 1954 ed., p.83
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127
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- B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon.
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127
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- B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon.
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128
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- The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book The Wonders of Nature as a source.
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128-129
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- The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text.
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132
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- According to Oliver B. Huntington, the proper spelling of words was given by the Lord. The authors quote from Huntington's journal as follows:
Saturday Feb.25, 1881, I went to Provo to a quarterly Stake Conference. Heard Joseph F. Smith describe the manner of translating the Book of Mormon ... Joseph did not render the writing on the gold plates into the English language in his own style of language as many people believe, but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God.... The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in the book to appear on the stones in short sentences or words, and when Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there was a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stones would remain there.... and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.
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- History unclear or in error: So far as is known, only the first spelling of proper names was controlled in the translation of our current Book of Mormon text.
- Book of Mormon translation method
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- "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," p.168 of typed copy at Utah State Historical Society.
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133
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- Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research.
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- Letter written by Earnest L. English on May 3, 1936, that the authors claim "distributed to LDS church members by leaders (local) in Cleveland, Ohio in 1959."
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139
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- Some Mormon archaeologists have begin to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth."
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- Dee Green, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1969, pp.76-78
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140-141
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- Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
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- Thomas Stuart Ferguson
- Ferguson was not an archaeologist; he was an amateur with an inaccurate idea of what archaeology could accomplish.
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- Visit by Thomas Stuart Ferguson to the authors on December 2, 1970.
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141-142
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- Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language. Jewish scriptures could not have been written in Egyptian.
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- M.T. Lamb, The Golden Bible, pp.89-91.
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144
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- None of the characters on the Anthon transcript bear any resemblance to known hieroglyphics found in the New World. There is not such language as "Reformed Egyptian."
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- Note that the Book of Mormon does not claim that the language was called "Reformed Egyptian," but rather that the unnamed language was a form of "reformed" Egyptian.
- Anthon transcript
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- Letter from John A. Wilson to Marvin Cowan dated March 16, 1966.
- Letter from Richard A. Parker to Marvin Cowan, dated March 22, 1966).
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