To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here notes see roy w. Aug 12, 2011 we will now argue whether the book of mormon can make such a claimthe claim that the book of mormons translation is erroneous, that joseph smith got it wrong, but that the book of mormon remains nonetheless a legitimate historical record of an ancient civilization. Examining a misapplication of nearest shrunken centroid classification to investigate book of mormon authorship. In light of the growing body of significant insights into the antiquity of the book of mormon, this volume refreshes, updates, and extends the discussion begun sixteen years ago. Ancient myan ruins support the book of mormon my sister and her husband just got back from cancun and had a fabulous time. However, after a fair and candid examination of the evidence, many thousands of honest mormons have discovered that this claim simply is not true. In the last chapter we saw that the bible is reliable, being textually pure and verifiably accurate in many places. May 15, 2010 joseph smith himself at one time state that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth. Martin harris interview, iowa state register, august 1870, as quoted in milton v. The following is an open letter from the smithsonian institution regarding mormon archaeology claims. Modern microfilm company of salt lake city has recently published a work documenting 3,9 changes in the book of mormon since its first printing. The sendup of missionaries from the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is getting a rousing reception. While the bible is written by and about the people in the land of israel and surrounding areas and takes place from the creation of the world until shortly after the death of jesus christ. This fascinating look at the geographical, political, and religious subcultures of the book of mormon shows how nephite christianity fared against the barbaric paganism that dominated that part of the world.
More importantly for me, believing in the book of mormons historical authenticity means that i have to become a partial person and turn off my intellect. Roberts was struggling and searching for ways to justify the inconsistencies found in the book of mormon. Studies of the book of mormon is a collection of essays written at the beginning of the 20th century though not published until 1985 by b. How do mormons reconcile historical fact with the teachings. A book of mistakes, error, and fraud by jon gary williams introduction the mormon church promotes the book of mormon as an inspired writing. How accurate are the songs in the musical, the book of mormon. The conflicts have caused some commentators to conclude that the book of mormon is a human document and was not translated by joseph smith from golden plates given to him by an angel. Presbyterian pastor wesley walters had been researching early mormon history since the. A historical encyclopedia helps readers explore a church that has gone from being an object of ridicule and sometimes violent persecution to a worldwide religion, counting. From the believers side, even the mere denial of the historicity of the book of mormon is considered antimormonism or mormon bashing, even if no personal attacks are made.
The book of mormon record records that there where steel swords in the eastern hemisphere in the year 600 b. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. From the former mormon s side, there generally was a period in their life of trying to rationalize mutually incompatible claims, and once their conclusion was reached. He finds plausible answers to these questions by matching specific data from reliable archaeological and anthropological studies of mesoamerica with the entire spectrum of cultural and historical information from the book of mormon. By the end of the study it is clear that he no longer. He makes the case that the book of mormons historical accuracy is paramount, bc of how joseph smith and the witnesses tesfied of its coming. Let us know if youd like to receive your own digital copy of the book of mormon, andor if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well. The fourth column names the author of each book, ignoring selfnaming statements attributed to the writers or speakers of the sources that the. Generations of mormons grew up with the notion that american indians are descended from a lost tribe from the house of israel, offspring of a book of mormon figure named lehi, who left jerusalem and sailed to the americas around 600 b. Is there evidence for the authenticity of the book of mormon. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the book of mormon was translated. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets.
I guess my real question is, could i affirm the historical accuracy of the book of mormon as a catholic. The book of mormon describes migrations of people from the middle east to central america, and further describes some features of their civilizations in the new world. The book of mormon relates the religious history of the nephite nation for a thousand years until widespread apostasy about 400 ad. Sorenson, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, deseret book, 1985. Archaeological and historical evidence where did the. The book of mormon is the word of god, like the bible. If it is not a genuine record, then mormonism is false. Historical accuracy of the bible revealed to be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate.
From 19891999 the periodical was published under the title of the nauvoo. Book of mormon authorship revisited is a sequel to book of mormon authorship. In my book of mormon class, we have been talking about the war chapters, in. A nonhistorical view of the book of mormon mormon matters. Roberts 18571933, a general authority of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, which examine the validity of the book of mormon as a translation of an ancient american source.
The historical accuracy of the bible revealed inspiks market. There is no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. None of the above problems areas disprove the book of mormon. What evidence do we havesuch as metal plates inscribed with reformed egyptian, or early manuscripts of the book of mormon in the original languagesthat the. A companion to your study of the book of mormon deseret book. An additional criticism of the historical authenticity of the book of mormon concerns linguistics. If the resurrected savior, jesus christ, really did visited the book of mormon people in the americas. Sidney rigdon, a portrait of religious excess, pgs 2829, 3435. Personally, i cant underestimate the importance of.
Covering its historic development, important individuals, and central ideas and issues, this encyclopedia offers broad historical coverage of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. If the book is accurate, archaeologists would expect to find numerous pieces of hard evidence in central america that confirm the presence of these societies. What are the major challenges to book of mormon historicity. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from. Sidney rigdon, a portrait of religious excess, pgs 2728. It appears that the book of mormon had no place in the new world whatsoever. Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. Book of mormon people followed the migrating buffalo between the us and canada and ate them. Book of mormon verses taken from the 1990 independence edition, which is published by the church of christ. Nibleys commentary on the book of mormon is based on transcriptions from classes taught by hugh nibley, and is published with the permission of the neal a. Historical fact changes frequently scientists used to think that the earth was the center of the universe. Having said that, those experiences and all those values dont make the book of mormon a historically authentic book.
The purpose of this important volume is to provide pertinent information on the coming forth of this. Aug 26, 2012 ancient myan ruins support the book of mormon my sister and her husband just got back from cancun and had a fabulous time. The most helpful guide to studying the book of mormon that is now available. That is how several distinguished professors of religion at brigham young university and teachers at seminaries and institutes have described a companion to your study of the book of mormon.
Maxwell institute for religious scholarship and nibley llc. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. If you read the book you can clearly see that this is not the case. Textual and theological evidence implicating rigdon. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of. Backed by scriptural evidence, this book will profoundly change the way you read the book of mormon.
The book of mormon musical is a hilarious and at times ribald broadway musical from the creators of south park and avenue q. Gardner adds additional material and compacts the history so that a reader can get a feel for the real setting behind the book of mormon in a chronological framework. This has caused some mormons to depart from their faith. For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. The book of mormon begins about 600 bc with a small group who fled jerusalem, landed in america, and quickly split into two antagonistic nations, the nephites and the lamanites. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon is a thorough work of scholarship, a book that must be read by. As stated in this book, this does not mean that descendants of book of mormon peoples did not eventually migrate to other parts of the hemisphere and the world during or following book of mormon times. This led to the development of an official statement concerning.
Throughout the history of the church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the church. Book of mormon synonyms, book of mormon pronunciation, book of mormon translation, english dictionary definition of book of mormon. Historical accuracy in lds scriptures mormon heretic. Hemispheric geography theory lds have traditionally interpreted the text hemispherically and assumed a blank continent. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon. The theology of alexander campbell, rigdons mentor, is sprinkled throughout the book of mormon. The book of commandments was the first printed edition of the collected revelations received by joseph smith later to become known as the doctrine and covenants. Sidney rigdon, the real founder of mormonism 1885, pgs 140141.
This 1830, 1st edition book of mormon replica is unique in that it contains an original index, a cross reference to current lds versification, modern day photos of significant book of mormon historical sites, and early revelations that pertain to. From the formermormons side, there generally was a period in their life of trying to rationalize mutually incompatible claims, and once their conclusion was reached. Mormon apologists claim that this book was written so the brethren would know the weaknesses of the book of mormon. The smithsonian institution has received thousands of letters concerning the historical value of the book of mormon. According to hugh nibley, the father of contemporary mormon scriptural and theological scholarship, the book of mormon can and should be tested.
As we chatted about her vacation she mentioned something that really intrigued my interest. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of the. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. The book of mormon teaches that all are alike unto god, including black and white, bond and free, male and female 2 nephi 26. In 1888, walter sidney rigdon sidney rigdon s grandson said that his grandfathers role in fabrication of the book of mormon was a family secret. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. A historical encyclopedia helps readers explore a church that has gone from being an object of ridicule and sometimes violent persecution to a worldwide religion, counting prominent businesspeople and political leaders among its members including former massachusetts governor and recent presidential candidate mitt romney.
They had gone to visit chitzen itza and i was reminded of the many times that i have heard about the ancient history of mexico that. Analytical and contextual commentary on the book of mormon. Both books contain gods guidance as revealed to prophets, as well as religious histories of different civilizations. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of. Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon. Nov 16, 2019 two ideas are important in answering this question. Two wellknown sleuths of early mormon history have written what might be called their final testamentthe end result of twoandonehalf decades tedious research into mormon origins. Book of mormon people stickily followed the law of moses until the savior visited them and ended the law of moses. A biblical scholar looks at the book of mormon mormons. New light on ancient origins, published in 1982 by byus religious studies center and also edited by noel reynolds. The traditions of mormon samesex marriage advocates encounter boyd k. One of the core convictions of the catholic church is that it is the one true church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it, which completely rules out the idea of a great apostasy. He incorporated much that is available in his six volume work second witness.
Initially, i had not intended to respond publicly to jerry l. It is not sponsored or endorsed by either the maxwell institute or brigham young university, and. Book of mormon definition of book of mormon by the free. Therefore, the mormon can have confidence that the bible is the word of god and that it can be accurately translated. The book of mormon that follows 4 nephi is split into mormon 17, which is credited to the nephite prophet mormon, and mormon 89, which is an appendix to the book credited to his son moroni.
Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates. Ancient myan ruins support the book of mormon blogger. How accurate are the songs in the musical, the book of. Central america does not have the right plants and animals to observe the law of moses. Dont expect proof for any religion or matter of faith, but yes, there are many issues that support the concept that the book of mormon is of ancient origin and not a silly fraud by joseph smith. Ainsworths article about the book of mormons narrow pass. Another testament of jesus christ presents itself as a translated record of ancient american peoples detailing their dealings with each other and with god. One of the sacred books of the mormon church, published in 1830 by joseph smith and considered by mormons to be a historic record of the migration of. According to the text, the nephites and the lamanites initially spoke hebrew 600 bc and might have spoken a modified semitic language until at least 400 ad, when the book of mormon ends. If the book of mormon is really a true history, then i would think that there should be some archaeological evidence that supports the truthfulness of those historical events.
Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and. Archaeological and historical evidence where did the book. This massively popular and critically acclaimed satire, currently showing at the legendary eugene oneill theatre in midtown manhattan, tells the story of two young mormon men who travel to africa to share the teachings of their faith and encounter. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of the book of mormon.
Theories that the book of mormon essentially wrote itself with no help from joseph smith grant palmers golden pot theory related to the story of moronis visit critical theories that sidney rigdon was a book of mormon author or coconspirator. Smith, then 24 years old, claimed that he had not composed the text of the book, but that he had translated it from a set of golden plates which he had dug out of a nearby hill under the. From the believers side, even the mere denial of the historicity of the book of mormon is considered antimormonism or mormonbashing, even if no personal attacks are made. This question is asked by a marketing person, so hopefully hell understand that despite any of my points below, the show maintains a tone that all religions are silly, and benign only insomuch as they dont actually believe anything. Aug 02, 2015 the tony awardwinning musical, the book of mormon, opened in salt lake city last week. Mar 04, 20 the book of mormon teaches that all are alike unto god, including black and white, bond and free, male and female 2 nephi 26. Well, the book of mormon is a migration story, similar to the idea of the book of exodus in the old testament, except there are three migrations involved in this. Archaeological and historical evidence steel utilized as.