If you are a mormon, please dont allow the title to stop you from watching this documentary, please watch the facts in this documentary and investigate further for yourself if what you are. During the 60s my mother was curator of the carthage museum and thereby learned much about the early mormon history. Sep 11, 20 the last nephite prophet in the book of mormon circa a. Born on december 23, 1805, in sharon, vermont, to joseph and lucy mack smith, joseph smith jr. President joseph fielding smith president of the lds church in the early 1970s stated. The lds church considers joseph smith, who founded mormonism, a prophet. Smith also asserted that john the baptist appeared to him while he was translating the book of mormon and instructed him to restore the. The book was written by ancient prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Certain groups who entertain a north american setting for the book of mormon claim that joseph knew where book of mormon events took place. Book of mormon sets new record for most expensive manuscript. A collection of such revelations in a book called doctrine and covenants is viewed by mormons as scripture.
This is one of the most disturbing things i discovered in our research of the church. The theory was there advanced that joseph smith had had a silent partner in his work. However, the title page of the first edition of the book of mormon published in 1830 identifies the prophet as the author and proprietor of the. Joseph smiths toleration of homoeroticism in the mormon churchs highest leadership circles and charges against smith of committing immoral acts with men the first known instance of homoerotic behavior in the mormon church first presidency involved john c. Be familiar with the prophet joseph smith s famous statement about the book of mormon quoted in the introduction. When smith was 14, he said he received a vision from god and jesus that told him not to join any christian denominational. They must also explain why people today claim, just as joseph smith did, that they receive information through scrying. Joseph smith, the founder of mormonism, and a provocative, even controversial figure in history, declared that he had been given the authority to restore the true church in the latter days. The signature of joseph smith in the book of mormon.
How joseph smith and the early mormons challenged american democracy. The 1830 edition of the book of mormon named joseph smith as the author and proprietor of the book. The challenge of the book of mormon if one scoffs at the explanation of the book of mormon, he is in so many words claiming it to be false. From the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834, nearly all antimormon books have drawn their material. The book of mormon is a true volume of scripture, prophesied in the bible, and brought forth by god. Extracts from the history of joseph smith, the prophet. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible, used by latter day saints.
Unfortunately, the literature about joseph smith and the book of mormon is permeated with contradiction and controversy. His father later moved the family to western new york near the town of palmyra. Joseph smith had been told there were people in canada willing to buy the s to useful books. The mormons claim to be the true church and lay claim to the legal succession of the church presidency which was bestowed upon josephs son by joseph smith himself. Book of mormongeographystatementsnineteenth century.
Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. The question of the authenticity of the book of mormon is the basis for any discussion on the truthfulness of the lds church. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the book of mormon. Second, the book of mormon contains none of the key mormon doctrines. Joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon, 2d ed. The mormon religion was officially founded in 1830 when the book of. So the question of all questions deals with the truthfulness of book of mormon. During the next six years, smith dictated an english translation of this text to his wife and other scribes, and in 1830 the book of mormon was published. The coming forth of the book of mormon, foretold by ancient prophets, began with an angelic visitation in 1823 to 17yearold joseph smith. Joseph smith, the founder and leader of the mormon religion, is murdered along with his brother hyrum when an antimormon mob breaks into a jail where they are being held in carthage, illinois.
If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet. The false lds joseph smith and the real historical. In 1844, charles francis adams and his cousin josiah quincy, jr. Smith produced a written revelation in 1832 that condemned the whole church for treating the book of mormon lightly. This book is much more entertaining if you read it as a historical novel rather than trying to read it as a religious text. While were at it, lets divorce wwii and the holocaust from history. It was revealed to joe that the church was in apostasy and he was the chosen one to launch a new dispensation. The official mormon history has been heavily rewritten. As first prophet and founder of the mormon church, he traveled the united states and canada preaching the restored gospel of jesus christ. As you will read under the heading church, joseph smith sequestered the holy book of mormon to his church, thus, preventing it from going freely to the public. According to mormon writings pearl of great price, joseph smith history 1. Joseph smith, the book of mormon, and the american. Early mormons understood the book of mormon to be a religious history of the indigenous peoples of the. W hen joseph smith, founder of the mormon church, received a revelation in.
A statue of joseph smith and his first wife, emma, at temple square in salt. It is a record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas. Honestly, because of the sheer volume of anachronistic errors contained in joseph smith s book, even trying to read it as a novel is taxing. Joseph smiths contribution to the history of american creativity has been neglected. Anachronisms claimed to exist in the book of mormon summary. Regarded by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as holy scripture detailing gods revelation to joseph smith. Second edition and joseph smiths 18281843 revelations.
For example, when dictating his own history, he wrote. First, it utterly lacks historical or archaeological support, and there is overwhelming empirical evidence that refutes it. Choose from 500 different sets of theology history mormons flashcards on quizlet. A new book, kingdom of nauvoo, examines joseph smiths. Later visions instructed smith to translate a history of ancient inhabitants of north. Smith was born in vermont in 1805, and his family moved to new york in 1817. While there they met with joseph smith, the founder of mormonism. An account written by the hand of mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Mormons confront uncomfortable history of church founders.
Joseph smith and the beginning of book of mormon archaeology did the prophet joseph smith in 1842 locate book of mormon lands in middle america. Garth norman posted by permission of ancient america foundation and the author. Latterday saints are accustomed to speaking of joseph smith as the inspired translator of the book of mormon. Joseph smith, the founder and leader of the mormon religion, is murdered along with his brother hyrum when an antimormon mob breaks into a jail where. Lds leaders who admit mormonism isnt true life after ministry. Palmyra collectors edition 1830 book of mormon replica by. A great page about real mormon truths with a great deal of documentation, facts, peoples stories, and even fun and humor. The test of faith was not adherence to a certain confession of faith but belief that christ was resurrected, that joseph smith saw god, that the book of mormon was true history and not philosophy, and. The mormon prophet joseph smith history of mormonism.
Truth about joseph smiths beliefs on geography of the. The process of translating the book of mormon was an education for joseph smith, and the book was central to the prophets understanding of the doctrines of the gospel and of his role in the restoration. Messenger of the restoration joseph smith translates the gold plates another testament of jesus christ. Most all of the current text of the book of mormon was dictated to a scribe over a period of somewhere between a total of 60 and 90 days, interspersed with other daily activities that sometimes would take joseph smith and oliver cowdery away from. Careless writers in their enmity of joseph smith have said for a century or more that joseph smith was helped in the writing of the book by mortal men. Could joseph smith have authored the book of mormon. Second edition of the book of mormon, 1837, in contemporary sheep book of mormon smith, joseph. On april 6, 1830, joseph smith organized the church of jesus christ of.
That was a dark time in human history, best we divulge ourselves from it. The book of mormon was translated and published in 1830. Coming soon is a report of grant palmers meeting with a ga who admitted he doesnt believe the church is true. He examined egyptian characters copied from book of mormon and said they were true characters. Joseph smith said he was ordered by an angel to adopt polygamy and.
Joseph smiths lack of formal education manifested itself through his struggles with grammar and syntax, which was typical of the poorer classes in new england. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. To the inside front cover are affixed four clippings of descriptions of different versions of first edition copies of the book of mormon and of an 1854 edition of the doctrine and covenants, along with a clipping describing the origin of the text of the book of mormon and a bookplate of the shepard book company of salt lake city, utah. Oct 05, 2009 the history of joseph smith, the 19thcentury prophet and founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Joseph smith joseph smith was born in sharon, vermont, on december 23, 1805. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. The page lists statements related to book of mormon geography that are attributed to joseph smith. Joseph smith and other early latterday saints also greeted these central american discoveries with enthusiasm, in large part because of their potential relevance to the book of mormon. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. Mormons confront uncomfortable history of church founders polygamy. None contains a holographic signature of joseph smith.
The primary source of smiths latterday revelation is the book of mormon, and to fully understand his role as the founder of the mormon faith, one must also understand the book of mormon and how it came to be. Erfahren sie mehr uber joseph smiths beeindruckende erste vision. Nov 11, 2014 the church made the disclosure about joseph smith to show transparency about its history at a time when some members have been feeling doubtful. Ive included this under the joseph smith and the book of mormon references because the two go hand in hand.
Book of mormon, 1830, page i the joseph smith papers. Most, but not all, mormons hold the books connection to ancient american history as an article of their faith. Joseph smith 18051844, the mormon prophet, was born in vermont and raised in new york. Having caught my mothers love of history, i have for a number of years made a study of the early happenings involving joseph smith, brigham young and the mormon church. Smith published the book of mormon in 1830 and shortly thereafter organized a small church of his first followers. The history of mormonism begins with joseph smith jr.
The real story about joseph smith and his death i always felt it was interesting about the two faces of joseph smith. Joseph and the book of mormon mormon open blog medium. The lord jesus christ called joseph smith as a prophet to prepare the way for his coming in glory. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of god to me, and that his name was moroni. It should be noted, however, that the history of the church version was created by amalgamating the journal entries of several people. The book of mormon is set in north america in the first century. When he was 24, smith published the book of mormon. How joseph smith and the early mormons challenged american.
Can mormonism, the book of mormon, and joseph smith, be divorced from history. If joseph smith was a prophet, then the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is the same church that christ established while he was on the earth. Learn theology history mormons with free interactive flashcards. Jul, 2011 we are convinced that joseph smith read a number of books and articles about the indians especially books equating them with the ancient israelites. And the book of mormon, the product of a semieducated, upstate new. Joseph smith, american prophet and founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Written by prophets to a people who lived in america long before white people ever came, some believe they were the beginnings of some native indian tribes. If devout latterday saints reject the modern use of scrying, they must explain why joseph smith was able to use that method for revelations and translating the book of mormon. The joseph smith papers project is an ambitious undertaking my scholars, archivists, and editors employed by the church history library of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints to provide a complete and accurate publication of all known surviving papers of. Scholars today have varying theories about the true authorship of the book of mormon, but most conclude that smith composed the book himself, possibly with the help of oliver cowdery and sidney rigdon, drawing from information and publications available in his time, including the king james bible, the wonders of nature, and view of the hebrews.
I told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man wold get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. Joseph smith s toleration of homoeroticism in the mormon churchs highest leadership circles and charges against smith of committing immoral acts with men the first known instance of homoerotic behavior in the mormon church first presidency involved john c. The primary source of smiths latterday revelation is the book of mormon, and to fully understand his role as the founder of the mormon faith, one must. The translations were published in 1830 as the book of mormon, which. By 1817, he had moved with his family to the burnedover district of western new york. The challenge of the book of mormon author unknown the evidence for its validity in a world that is prone to demand evidence, lies not in archaeology or anthropology, though these may be helpful to some. Joseph smith continued to issue revelations throughout the rest of his life. Its followers hold that it is a divinely inspired work revealed to and translated by the founder of their religion, joseph smith. Even the official history of the church is only 40% joseph smiths writings when it is still claimed to be 100%.
My response generated other responses, one of which indicated joseph was a fraud and wrote the book of mormon himself, which was an easy task to do. This is a followup to my article, joseph smith and the american renaissance, published in dialogue. Lost civilizations of north america documentary4, deborah bolnick on haplogroup x. Smith was the founding prophet and first president of the church.
Where did joseph smith get his ideas for the book of mormon. Smiths death marked the end of a decisive period in mormon history, one that. The last nephite prophet in the book of mormon circa a. Joseph smith, history siehe auch joseph smith lebensgeschichte 1. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement. Joseph smith and the book of mormon book of mormon facts. Following the visit, joseph smith signed a copy of the book of mormon and gave it to charles francis. The first mormon, was born in salt lake city, earned a masters degree in library science at columbia university, worked at the new york public library, and became an assistant professor and head of the teachers central laboratory at hunter college library, new york. Joseph smith and the criminal justice system wikipedia.
He also said smiths translation was correct, more so than any other he had seen translated from egyptian. Nov 11, 2014 the founder of the mormon church, joseph smith, wed as many as 40 wives, including one as young as 14 years old, the church acknowledged. Joseph smith and the beginnings of mormonism book, 1984. In nauvoo, illinois, smith established a theocracy, ran for president, and tested the limits of religious freedom. Mormon history secrets and the conflicts of mormons christians. One of the claims often made by lds people is that there was no information on the indian ruins in mexico and guatemala available prior to 1830. Joseph smiths own interest and endorsement of the books had a. At age 20, smithdescribed in court records as joseph the glasslookerfaced his first criminal charge, a misdemeanor count of being a disorderly person. In 1823 moroni was sent as a resurrected being to reveal the book of mormon to joseph smith and finally delivered the plates to him in 1827 the guide to the scriptures, moroni, son of mormon, 16768. Joseph smith reportedly found the bones of an individual named zelph, during the zions camp march. This view finds no acceptance outside of mormonism.
The most common version of this story is found in the history of the church. The purpose of mormon pdf web site is to make available files in pdf portable document format. Proof the book of mormon isnt true the book of mormon contradicts the bible and was actually a work of fiction written by joseph smith in the 1800s, who copied much of it from the king james version, trying to make it look like an ancient manuscript. Joseph smith and book of mormon geography why the lds. This is important because the latterday saints make such a point about it containing the fullness of. If you pay close attention, youre sure to hear the distinct clues big changes are on the not too distant horizon for the church. Joseph smith decided this could be an opportunity to relieve some of the financial pressure associated with publishing the book of mormon. Prophecies about joseph smith bible references for lds beliefs. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers and founded a religion that continues to the present with millions of global adherents. Of the 8 chapters in this book, joseph produced all but three, and. Joseph smith and the book of mormon are at the very heart of the lords latterday work. Joseph smith and the origins of the book of mormon 2nd edition and also in kindle david persuitte, a technical writer from virginia, wrote the first edition of this book in 1985.
Why did the book of mormon originally say that joseph. When the great biography of joseph smith appears, wrote daryl chase several years ago, its author will be a firstrate scholar in the field of christian church history and a specialist in the heretical religious movements which have originated in new england. To order this book directly from amazon, click here. Can mormonism, the book of mormon, and joseph smith, be. Mormon origins is created to make available historical information andor documents relating to the beginnings of mormonism in america.
It is claimed that a number of items or concepts in the book of mormon are not consistent with what is known about ancient american geography, history, or anthropology. Smith claimed that on the night of september 21, 1823, when he was only seventeen years old, an angel appeared to. The mormon religion is based upon the story and religious teachings of joseph smith. New york and later unearthed by joseph smith, the founder of mormonism. Many members of the latter day saint movement claim historical authenticity of the book of mormon. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted. This applies even to the letters, the original of only one of whichthe one addressed to bernhiselis around today. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ. Since the book of mormon is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy then joseph smith is indeed a prophet of god.
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