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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 5
| Chapter 4 | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books A work by author: Jerald and Sandra Tanner
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Chapter 6 |
Claims made in Chapter 5: The Book of Mormon
94
Claim
- Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel.
Author's source(s) - Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:164.
94
Claim
- Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony.
Author's source(s) - Times and Seasons 1841 vol. 2, p.482
96
Claim
- 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.
Author's source(s) - History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, vol. 1, pp.109-10
- Tanners stoop to ad hominem, probably hoping we will ignore the evidence and judge the men before hearing them.
- Book of Mormon witnesses—Character
97
Claim
- David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints.
Author's source(s) - An Address to All Believers in Christ, pp. 27-28
97
Claim
- Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention."
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 3:232
- 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
97
Claim
- Joseph said derogatory things about David Whitmer.
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 3:228.
- 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
97
Claim
- The dissenters received a threatening letter before being driven out of Far West.
Author's source(s) - Senate Document 189, Feb. 15, 1841 pp. 6-9
- Despite the violent disagreement between the Church and dissenters, they continued faithful to their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
- Book of Mormon witnesses—David Whitmer told to leave
- Book of Mormon witnesses—None recanted
- Book of Mormon/Witnesses
98
Claim
- Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting.
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 3:16
- A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri From 1836 to 1839, p.146-147
- 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
99
Claim
- Oliver Cowdery joined a Methodist church after his excommunication.
Author's source(s) - New Era, Jan. 1969, p. 56
- 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
99-100
Claim
- 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."
Author's source(s) - 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
- The witnesses never bore the kind of testimony about Strang as they did about seeing and handling the plates.
- James Strang
103
Claim
- 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'."
Author's source(s) - 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
- 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
108
Claim
- Martin Harris said that he saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes."
Author's source(s) - Marvin S. Hill, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter, 1972, pp.83-84.
108
Claim
- David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates."
Author's source(s) - Saints Herald, 1882
108
Claim
- Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates.
Author's source(s) - Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter, 1972, pp. 83-84
- Harris was not one of the eight. They can—and did—speak for themselves.
- Eight witnesses
- Book of Mormon witnesses—Recant
109
Claim
- No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple. William McClellin claimed that there was "no endowment."
Author's source(s) - William McClellin, Ensign of Liberty, Kirtland, Ohio, March 1848, p.69
- 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
111
Claim
- Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40.
Author's source(s) - Westminster Confession; Alma 40
- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- Was Alma 40 derived from material contained in The Westminster Confession?
114
Claim
- Joseph is claimed to have copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- Book of Mormon plagiarism accusations—Apocrypha
115
Claim
- The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt is claimed to be the source for the book of 1 Nephi.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- 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/Plagiarism accusations/King James Bible
115
Claim
- The Book of Mormon quotes Malachi many years before it was written.
Author's source(s) Response
116
Claim
- The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations/King James Bible
118
Claim
- The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- Book of Mormon/Plagiarism accusations/King James Bible
119-121
Claim
- The Book of Mormon contains material found in the New Testament.
Author's source(s) - 1 John 1꞉3 compared to 1 Nephi 1꞉18
- John 11꞉50 compared to 1 Nephi 4꞉13
- Romans 5꞉51 - [ATTENTION!] compared to 1 Nephi 11꞉22
- Revelations 7꞉14 compared to 1 Nephi 12꞉11
- 1 Corinthians 3꞉15 compared to 1 Nephi 22꞉17
- Romans 7꞉24 compared to 2 Nephi 4꞉17
- Revelations 20꞉13 compared to 2 Nephi 9꞉12
- Revelations 22꞉11 compared to 2 Nephi 9꞉16
- Hebrews 12꞉2 compared to 2 Nephi 9꞉18
- Romans 8꞉6 compared to 2 Nephi 9꞉39
- Galatians 3꞉28 compared to 2 Nephi 10꞉16
- Acts 4꞉12 compared to 2 Nephi 25꞉20
- John 1꞉29 compared to 1 Nephi 10꞉10 and 2 Nephi 31꞉4
- 1 Corinthians 15꞉58 compared to Mosiah 5꞉15
- 1 Corinthians 15꞉55 compared to Mosiah 16꞉7
- John 5꞉29 compared to Mosiah 16꞉11
- Galatians 5꞉1 compared to Alma 58꞉40
- John 3꞉7 compared to Mosiah 27꞉25
- 2 Corinthians 6꞉17 compared to Alma 5꞉57
- Hebrews 12꞉1 compared to Alma 7꞉15
- Luke 7꞉9 compared to Alma 19꞉10
- John 3꞉14 compared to Helaman 8꞉14
122
Claim
- 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.
Author's source(s) - Deuteronomy 18꞉15, Deuteronomy 18꞉18-19 and Acts 3꞉22-26 compared to 3 Nephi 20꞉23-26
- George B. Arbaugh, Gods, Sex, and Saints, p.36.
123
Claim
- The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon. Bruce R. McConkie says they are used "figuratively."
Author's source(s) - 3 Nephi 9꞉18
- McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.31
124
Claim
- The Book of Mormon contains the Greek name Timothy.
Author's source(s) Response
125
Claim
- 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.
Author's source(s) - History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 1954 ed., p.83
127
Claim
- B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - B.H. Roberts, A Parallel"—The Basis of the Book of Mormon (see Studies of the Book of Mormon)
- B.H. Roberts' testimony of the Book of Mormon
- Roberts was playing "devil's advocate," and showing what a critic might do. He rejected the idea that the Book of Mormon was not divine.
- Book of Mormon/Authorship theories/View of the Hebrews
127
Claim
- B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - B.H. Roberts, A Parallel"—The Basis of the Book of Mormon (see Studies of the Book of Mormon)
- Roberts was playing "devil's advocate," and showing what a critic might do. He rejected the idea that the Book of Mormon was not divine.
- B.H. Roberts' testimony of the Book of Mormon
- Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews—Examples of parallels and differences
128
Claim
- The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book The Wonders of Nature as a source.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
- Book of Mormon plagiarism accusations—The Wonders of Nature
128-129
Claim
- The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text.
Author's source(s) - Authors' opinion.
- Author(s) impose(s) own fundamentalism on the Saints
- The author's claim is false: Book of Mormon/Textual changes
132
Claim
- 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.
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.
Author's source(s)
- "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," p.168 of typed copy at Utah State Historical Society.
Response
- 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
133
Claim
- Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research.
Author's source(s) - 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."
- Such members are ill-informed. The Church has never claimed this.
- Book of Mormon/Archaeology/Smithsonian statement
139
Claim
- Some Mormon archaeologists have begin to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth."
Author's source(s) - Dee Green, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1969, pp.76-78
- Green's article was dated even when the Tanners cited it, but it is now hopelessly out of date.
- Book of Mormon/Archaeology
- The same claim is made in One Nation Under Gods and is responded to here: No BoM archaeology?
140-141
Claim
- Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - Visit by Thomas Stuart Ferguson to the authors on December 2, 1970.
- Thomas Stuart Ferguson
- Ferguson was not an archaeologist; he was an amateur with an inaccurate idea of what archaeology could accomplish.
141-142
Claim
- Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language. Jewish scriptures could not have been written in Egyptian.
Author's source(s) - M.T. Lamb, The Golden Bible, pp.89-91.
- The author's claim is false: Book of Mormon anachronisms—Reformed Egyptian
144
Claim
- 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."
Author's source(s) - Letter from John A. Wilson to Marvin Cowan dated March 16, 1966.
- Letter from Richard A. Parker to Marvin Cowan, dated March 22, 1966).
- 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.
- Book of Mormon/Translation/Anthon transcript