For those members of the LDS Church that have more of an intellectual testimony of the Church, they often say that they believe in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and therefore the LDS Church, because of the assertion that Joseph Smith could not possibly have written the Book of Mormon. How could a young, farm boy with limited education like Joseph have written a fairly long, complex, flawless religious text like the Book of Mormon? If Joseph could not have written the book on his own, then therefore his story of the golden plates and the angel must be true.

________________________________________________________________________

Significant details & problems that most Latter-day Saints probably have not thought about.

Could any mortal have written the Book of Mormon?

Before trying to answer the question of whether or not Joseph could have written the BOM, let’s examine whether anyone could have written such a book. Some LDS assert that no man or woman could have written the BOM without divine intervention.

The first edition of the Book of Mormon

When the BOM was first published in 1830, it looked very different than today. The text was all in paragraph form. The original BOM had the appearance on average of a ‘non-religious’ book. The modern BOM used in the Church looks much more ‘biblical’ as everything has been put into numbered chapters and verses, cross referenced with footnotes, etc.

The first edition of the BOM was riddled with grammatical errors. This alone questions whether the text was written by man or translated divinely. There were also several more significant errors in the early editions of the BOM such as changing the name of King Benjamin to King Mosiah (King Benjamin was already dead at this point) or changing that Mary was the ‘mother of God’ to the ‘mother of the son of God’.

Overall there have been some 3,913 changes to the first edition of Book of Mormon. This is the book Joseph called ‘the most correct book on earth’. For more detail on the changes go to: http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/bomchanges.htm

So when determining whether or not Joseph could have written the Book of Mormon, we should actually be looking at the first edition of the BOM and not the current version we have today which has been altered by people other than Joseph Smith.

How does the Book of Mormon compare to other literary works?

Most non-LDS authors are not all that impressed with the Book of Mormon – certainly no non-LDS authors are so impressed as to even entertain the idea that the book could not have been written by a man.

Mark Twain thought the BOM was extremely boring and referred to it as ‘chloroform in print’.

The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James's translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel -- half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern -- which was about every sentence or two -- he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet. Mark Twain, Roughing It.

For the complete review of the Book of Mormon by Mark Twain: http://www.salamandersociety.com/marktwain/

Even Assistant Church Historian and General Authority B.H. Roberts objectively stated:

" . . . [T]here is a certain lack of perspective in the things the book relates as history that points quite clearly to an undeveloped mind as their origin. The narrative proceeds in characteristic disregard of conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a child, with utter disregard for consistency. . . .

"Is this all sober history . . . or is it a wonder-tale of an immature mind, unconscious of what a test he is laying on human credulity when asking men to accept his narrative as solemn history." (Studies of the Book of Mormon, B.H. Roberts)

Very few objective people would disagree that the Book of Mormon pales in comparison to such literary masterpieces as A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace or any the works of William Shakespeare. Many books are far more complex and difficult to write than the BOM. In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings fiction series, not only are multiple interacting civilizations created, but also their own languages. If William Shakespeare had said that an angel gave him a set of gold plates in which he translated the Book of Mormon, no one would have believed him because everyone knows that Mr. Shakespeare was certainly capable of writing a book like the BOM based on the other impressive works he wrote.

So we think it’s pretty certain that the Book of Mormon is not so spectacular of a book that no one on the planet could have possibly written it without divine intervention. The next question is, could Joseph Smith have produced the book on his own? It’s one thing to say whether or not a trained author could have written the BOM, and quite another to say Joseph Smith could have written it.

Also, it should be noted that when the BOM was first published, he tried to sell the copyright to the BOM to a publishing company just like a regular book. Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery went to Toronto for this purpose, but they failed entirely to sell the copyright, returning without any money. (Comprehensive History of the Church Vol. 1 pp. 162-66). http://www.i4m.com/think/history/sell_BOM_copyright.htm

Also, the first edition of the BOM has on its title page the author listed as Joseph Smith. Subsequent editions changed the term ‘author and proprietor’ to ‘translator’. See photo of first edition here: http://www.inephi.com/1.htm

Reference

http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/3913intro.htm

http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/bomchanges.htm

Joseph’s life as a child.

Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont to Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith. He grew up on a series of farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. Although the LDS church has painted a picture of Joseph Smith as an uneducated farm boy, he was home schooled quite extensively in "reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic," as his mother put it.

Even from an early age, it is apparent that Joseph was not a typical boy, but possessed some qualities and mannerisms that seemed beyond his years. Some Mormons know about Joseph's terrible operation on his leg at age seven. Infected bone was cut from his swollen and infected lower leg without any anesthesia. Joseph's mother reported the incident in her writings:

The principal surgeon, after a moment's conversation, ordered cords to be brought to bind Joseph fast to a bedstead; but to this Joseph objected. The doctor, however, insisted that he must be confined, upon which Joseph said very decidedly, "No, doctor, I will not be bound, for I can bear the operation much better if I have my liberty." "Then," said Dr. Stone, "will you have some brandy?"...

"No," exclaimed Joseph, "I will not touch one particle of liquor, neither will I be tied down; but I will tell you what I will do—I will have my father sit on the bed and hold me in his arms, and then I will do whatever is necessary in order to have the bone taken out." Looking at me, he said, "Mother I want you to leave the room, for I know you cannot bear to suffer so; father can stand it, but you have carried me so much, and watched over me so long, you are almost worn out." Then looking up into my face, his eyes swimming in tears, he continued, "Now, mother, promise me that you will not stay, will you? The Lord will help me, and I shall get through with it." (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith The Prophet, Lucy Mack Smith).

That manner of speech and control is certainly not typical for a seven-year-old child. Even at that tender age, it appears Joseph had the verbal skills and influence over those much older than he. Although Joseph survived the operation quite well, he walked with a limp from that day forward. A few LDS depictions will show Joseph with a limp and occasionally using a cane.

It is very apparent in our studies of Joseph Smith, that he had academic strengths and weaknesses. We would describe Smith as very creative, articulate, and well read. By his early teens, he had quite a thorough knowledge of The Holy Bible and many other books. Although well-read beyond average, he appeared weak in areas such as writing and grammar and, of course, in formal education subjects such as the sciences and mathematics.

Reference

Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith The Prophet, Lucy Mack Smith

http://www.rmwhome.com/Mormons/Documents/background.htm

Joseph’s education.

Joseph Smith did have limited formal education and that’s often heralded as ‘proof’ that he could not have written the BOM. However most people do not know that Joseph’s father, Joseph Smith, Sr., was a school teacher during the off season. Joseph's brother, Hyrum, worked as a school teacher during the off season also. One of his sisters may have also been a teacher at some point in her life. This wasn't a family of illiterates. Education was important to the Smith family, and although Joseph may have only had limited formal education in a typical classroom, his parents undoubtedly schooled him at home. Also Joseph was going to high school when he was 20 years old in Harmony Pa. with the Stowell children.

Joseph was able to read and ponder scriptures. His parents were literate. He had access to books and newspapers. He even held a position as "exhorter" at a local church. Joseph's mother wrote that they did not neglect the education of their children.

In the early 1800s few children were able to have a full education. Most children in rural America worked on farms and often had much of their education done at home. As Joseph Smith Sr. was an actual school teacher at various times in his life, he would be quite capable of teaching general education to his children, including Joseph. Joseph’s mother, Lucy Smith, would undoubtedly help as well. Even Abraham Lincoln had a very limited formal education, and Benjamin Franklin had only one year of formal education.

Even today many people home-school their children. Would anyone say that these home-schooled children are uneducated? It’s true that they do not have a formal education but for the most part, home-schooled children have similar, and in some cases superior, education than traditionally-schooled children.

Religious education
Young Joseph was able to read and ponder scriptures. Joseph also attended many protestant church services and studied the Bible in depth. According to Joseph Smith's mother he told her, back before the BOM came forth that,

"I can take my Bible, and go into the woods, and learn more in two hours, than you can learn at meetings in two years, if you should go all the time." [Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S. W. Richards, 1853), p. 90]

Critic’s comment: If Joseph studied the Bible so well, is it any wonder that the BOM is so similar to the Bible? The LDS Gospel doctrine teachers often say that the BOM was translated from its original language into modern day English. The English used in the 1830s certainly doesn’t match the BOM language. The ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ were obviously put in to make the book sound more like The Holy Bible. One has to wonder why a document translated in the 19^th century uses 17^th century English.

Michael Quinn has made the best case for Joseph Smith’s information environment. Joseph knew the Bible, Camp meetings, American antiquities, strategies of the war of 1812 and earlier American/Indian wars, and the strong anti-Masonic sentiments between 1826-1830 in his environment (Hyrum Smith was a Mason in NY, and belonged to a lodge). In other words, the VERY things that Joseph was most "schooled" in, he had observed from his own backyard so to speak--the VERY things that we find discussed in the Book of Mormon.

The poor grammar in the 1830 BOM shows the lack of formal education that Joseph had. However, lack of education does not mean lack of intelligence or imagination. The original grammar and the errors in the BOM is what would be expected from someone with limited formal education.

An example of Joseph’s writing from before he published the Book of Mormon is in the section below ‘What about Emma Smith?’.

Reference

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Grant Palmer, pp 42-44.

Joseph’s age.

We’ve heard many times that it’s impossible for a young boy to have written the BOM. Many people mistakenly confuse the age of Joseph when he translated the BOM with the age Joseph was when he had the First Vision at age 14 or 15. The first edition of the BOM was published in 1830 when Joseph was 24. So Joseph was in his early to mid twenties when the BOM was translated and not a teenager. Many authors have written very impressive works younger than when Joseph translated the BOM such as Ernest Hemingway. See below for examples of extraordinary accomplishments by people younger than Joseph was when he translated the BOM.

Joseph’s imagination.

Critics often say that young Joseph was known for story-telling and often cite the following account from Joseph’s mother:

During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of travelings, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them. (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith The Prophet, Lucy Mack Smith).

However, as we’re an organization that promotes total fairness, we must point out that although this is a true quote, it is not the complete quote. LDS apologists contend that the knowledge came from Joseph’s encounters with Moroni and not from his imagination.

So we will show the entire account as provided by Assistant Church historian, LDS apologist and General Authority B.H. Roberts who suggests that Joseph could not have learned any of these things from Moroni:

Studies of the Book of Mormon, B.H. Roberts, pp 243-244.

Chapter XIV

THE IMAGINATIVE MIND OF PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH: EVIDENCE OF ITS EXISTENCE—EXAMPLES OF ITS FORCE

One other subject remains to be considered in this division of the “study” here conducted, viz.—was Joseph Smith possessed of a sufficiently vivid and creative imagination as to produce such a work as the Book Mormon from such materials as have been indicated in the preceding chapters—from such common knowledge as was extant in the communities where he lived in his boyhood and young manhood; from the Bible, and more especially from the View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith? That such power of imagination would have to be of a high order is conceded; that Joseph Smith possessed such a gift of mind there can be no question.

The fact of it is first established by the testimony of the mother who bore him, Lucy Smith. Speaking of the days immediately following the revelation making known the existence of the Book of Mormon to her son—the ever memorable 23^rd day of September, 1823—Lucy Smith in her History of the Prophet Joseph Smith, recounts how in the evening of that day, the young prophet sat up late detailing to the family the wonderful conversations he had with the angel; until the elder brother, Alvin, noting how exhausted the youthful prophet was suggested an adjournment of the story being related until the following evening. And this was done. This seems to have been the inauguration of a long series of such evenings according to the History by “Mother Lucy Smith” for she writes:

“From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every night evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth—all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life; he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study….During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.” (History of the Prophet Joseph, 1901 edition, Salt Lake City, Utah. Published under the sanction and direction of the late President Joseph F. Smith).

It must be remembered that the above took place before the young prophet had received the plates of the Book of Mormon: these were the evenings immediately following the first interviews with Moroni. Whence came his knowledge for these recitals of “the dress,” “the mode of the ancient inhabitants of America of traveling,” “the animals on which they rode,” “their cities,” “their buildings,” “their mode of warfare,” “their religious worship”? And all this given “with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them”? Whence indeed, since all this happened before even the second interview with Moroni had taken place, and between three and four years before the translation of the Book of Mormon began.

And yet it must be from that book that he would get his knowledge of the ancient inhabitants of America, unless he has caught suggestions from such common knowledge, or that which was taken for “knowledge,” as existed in the community concerning ancient American civilization, and built by imagination from this and possible contact with Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews his description of the ancient inhabitants of the land, their life, religion and customs. A year later he will be helped by Josiah Priest’s book, The Wonders of Nature and Providence, published only twenty miles away, and it will have much to say about the Hebrew origin of the American Indian, and his advanced culture and civilization. Whence comes the young prophet’s ability to give these descriptions “with as much ease as if he had spent his whole life” with these ancient inhabitants of America? Not from the Book of Mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him; and surely not from Moroni, since he had had but one day and night of interviews with him, during which there had be several interviews, it is true, but these had been occupied with other subject matter than the things enumerated by Lucy Smith. These evening recitals could come from no other source than the vivid, constructive imagination of Joseph Smith, a remarkable power which attended him through all his life. It was as strong and varied as Shakespeare’s and no more to be accounted for than the English Bard’s.

B.H. Roberts Conclusion

In his book Studies of the Book of Mormon, Roberts answers the question as to whether or not Joseph Smith could have produced the Book of Mormon.

He concluded that Joseph Smith had sufficient imagination and was capable of producing the BOM even though he had little formal education. He was, however, prone to made silly mistakes. It is these telling inconsistencies and problems that Roberts lists: 1) evidence of an undeveloped mind, 2) repetition of the same themes, 3) repetition of the same villains, 4) repetition of same battles and wars, 5) conversions typical of 19th century conversions.

"In light of this evidence, there can be no doubt as to the possession of a vividly strong, creative imagination by Joseph Smith, the Prophet. An imagination, it could with reason be urged, which, given the suggestions that are to be found in the 'common knowledge' of accepted American Antiquities of the times, supplemented [sic] by such a work as Ethan Smith's, View of the Hebrews, would make it possible for him to create a book such as the Book of Mormon is. . . .

" . . . There is a certain lack of perspective in the things the book relates as history that points quite clearly to an undeveloped mind as their origin, The narrative proceeds in characteristic disregard of conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a child, with utter disregard for consistency. . . .

"Is this all sober history . . . or is it a wonder-tale of an immature mind, unconscious of what a test he is laying on human credulity when asking men to accept his narrative as solemn history."

". . . was Joseph Smith possessed of a sufficiently vivid and creative imagination as to produce such a work as the Book of Mormon from such materials as have been indicated in the preceding chapters . . .? That such power of imagination would have to be of a high order is conceded; that Joseph Smith possessed such a gift of mind there can be no question." B.H. Roberts (Studies, p. 243).

Book of Mormon evidences of other sources.

Joseph’s Father

Joseph Smith Sr. had the following dream when Joseph Smith Jr. was only 5 years old as recounted by his wife Lucy:

"I thought," said he, "I was traveling in an open, desolate field, which appeared to be very barren. As I was thus traveling, the thought suddenly came into my mind that I had better stop and reflect upon what I was doing, before I went any further. So I asked myself, 'What motive can I have in traveling here, and what place can this be?' My guide, who was by my side, as before, said, 'This is the desolate world; but travel on.' The road was so broad and barren that I wondered why I should travel in it; for, said I to myself, 'Broad is the road, and wide is the gate that leads to death, and many there be that walk therein; but narrow is the way, and straight is the gate that leads to everlasting' life, and few there be that go in thereat.'
Traveling a short distance farther, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had traveled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the termination; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope running along the bank of it, about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in which stood a tree such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, 'I can not eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.' Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating, and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed.

While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded.
I presently turned to my guide, and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him, and keep his commandments. He then commanded me to go and bring the rest of my children. I told him that we were all there. 'No,' he replied, 'look yonder, you have two more, and you must bring them also.' Upon raising my eyes, I saw two small children, standing some distance off. I immediately went to them, and brought them to the tree; upon which they commenced eating with the rest, and we all rejoiced together. The more we ate, the more we seemed to desire, until we even got down upon our knees, and scooped it up, eating it by double handfuls.
After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building which I saw. He replied, 'It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God because of their humility.'
I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy."

Critic’s comment: This is the ‘Tree of Life’ story as told in the Book of Mormon starting in 1 Nephi 11:25. Joseph’s father must have told Joseph about this dream many times when Joseph was growing up. Although faithful LDS try to explain this as evidence that Joseph’s father was also inspired, there is another more plausible explanation – Joseph simply incorporated this dream experience, that had such an impact on his father, into the BOM.

The Holy Bible

Many parts of the BOM are identical to the Bible. Entire chapters of the Bible are contained within the BOM. Plagiarism is not difficult for anyone to do.

LDS faithful say that there are a couple of reasons for this. The first one is that the BOM peoples had the Old Testament writings that they had taken with them from Jerusalem so there isn’t a problem in quoting Old Testament prophets like Isaiah as the BOM prophets had the Old Testament. Another reason is that these stories were on the plates because the same experiences that happened in the Americas also happened in Jerusalem. For example, since Christ taught the ‘sermon on the mount’ to the Jews, he would also teach that same exact message to the Nephites as it’s the same gospel..

http://www.lds-mormon.com/bookofmormonquestions.shtml#BOM8

http://www.2think.org/hundredsheep/bom/kjv.shtml
http://www.2think.org/hundredsheep/bom/summary.shtml
http://www.2think.org/hundredsheep/annotated/topics.shtml
http://www.xmission.com/~research/central/isabm1.html

Problems with portions of the Bible in the BOM

The King James version of The Holy Bible has some translation problems with it as stated in the Articles of Faith. These translation errors occurred when the original Greek and Hebrew Bibles were translated into English. Obviously if the BOM used the Old Testament records that the Nephites brought with them from Jerusalem in 600 BC, then they would not have English translation errors made in the Middle Ages.

However the BOM has these same errors. The Bible has some rare errors such as plurals of certain words. The portions of the BOM that appear to quote the Bible have these same errors. Also the term ‘Lucifer’ was translated incorrectly in the Bible and was also used in the same incorrect manner as the in King James Bible.

Some LDS apologists admit that Joseph must have used the King James Bible when bringing forth the Book of Mormon. They explain that translating was hard on Joseph, and when he recognized that parts of the golden plates were identical to the Bible, he used the Bible instead so Joseph would not have to go through the more laborious method of translating the BOM using the seer stones. This apologetic answer really sounds like they are grasping for straws to provide some sort of answer to this problem.

More information on the King James Bible being used in the creation of the BOM can be found here: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/curt_heuvel/bom_bible.html

Christ's Sermon on the Mount in the BOM and the Bible are identical. Yet later on, in the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible, Joseph corrected many of the parts of the Sermon on the Mount. So the question is, if the sermon on the mount was not translated correctly in the Bible, why then, is it the same incorrect translation in the BOM? Why is it not corrected like Joseph later did with his Bible translation?

Of course critics say the obvious answer is that originally Joseph just copied the sermon on the mount out of the Bible. It wasn't until later he came up with the idea to fix the Bible.

‘View of The Hebrews’ by Ethan Smith

View of the Hebrews was a very popular book published in New England in the late 1820s which said that the American Indians are really descended from Hebrews and that they came over here to America and separated into two factions, one civilized and one wild and bloodthirsty, and that there were lots of wars between them, and finally the wild faction wiped out the civilized faction. The book begins with the destruction of Jerusalem, quotes a lot from Isaiah and also mentions a prophet standing on a wall saying "wo" unto the people, and the people shoot arrows at him.

Parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon

There are significant parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon. B.H. Roberts (1857-1933), a prominent LDS scholar and apologist for the Book of Mormon, wrote Book of Mormon Difficulties: A Study, later published as Studies of the Book of Mormon. In a letter to President Heber J. Grant and other church officials, Roberts urged "all the brethren herein addressed becoming familiar with these Book of Mormon problems, and finding the answer for them, as it is a matter that will concern the faith of the Youth of the Church now as also in the future, as well as such casual inquirers as may come to us from the outside world." Roberts discusses elements which he considers to be similar between the two books:

Origin of the inhabitants of the American continents

Roberts states that both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon make the claim that the Hebrews “occupied the whole extent of the American continents.” In addition, Roberts states that Mormon speakers and writers often ignorantly claim that the Book of Mormon was the first book to represent that the American Indians were descendents of Hebrews. He points out that Ethan Smith and many other writers made this claim earlier, and that this idea was “very generally obtained throughout New England.” A number of parallels presented by Roberts require the belief, as Roberts himself believed, that the people described in the Book of Mormon arrived at and populated an empty North and South American continent, and that all people on those continents descended from these people.

Destruction of Jerusalem

Roberts notes that the entire first chapter of View of the Hebrews describes the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. He compares this to information given in first chapters of the Book of Mormon, in which Lehi prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem prior to their leaving the area of the city around 600 B.C.E.

Stories of a “lost book”

An account is given in View of the Hebrews in which “an old Indian” stated that his ancestors “had a book which they had for a long time preserved,” but that “having lost the knowledge of reading it…they buried it with an Indian chief.” This is compared with Joseph Smith’s story of the retrieval of the golden plates from a stone box in the hill Cumorah in New York.

The discovery of what is claimed to be a Jewish phylactery by a “Mr. Merrick” is described in View of the Hebrews. The item was dug out of the ground and “contained four folded leaves of old parchment.” The leaves were described as being “dark yellow” and were said to contain Hebrew writing. Roberts speculates that the “dark yellow” might suggest “gold color” and adds a note: “Query: Could all this have supplied structural work for the Book of Mormon?”

Breastplate and the Urim and Thummim

Ethan Smith describes a breastplate “in resemblance of the Urim and Thummim” made of a white conch shell with two holes in it to which are fastened buckhorn white buttons “as if in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim.” Roberts compares this to the Urim and Thummim which Joseph Smith said that he was given for the purpose of translating the plates.

Egyptian” hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphic paintings found in the area of New Mexico are described in View of the Hebrews. Roberts writes “Was this sufficient to suggest the strange manner of writing the Book of Mormon…in an altered Egyptian?”

Barbarous and civilized people

Ethan Smith was challenged regarding his postulation of a highly civilized society among ancient Americans, which was in contrast with the nomadic lifestyle of the American Indians of his day. Smith supposes that the Hebrews who arrived on the American continent split into two classes, and that “most of them fell into a wandering idle hunting life” but that “more sensible parts of this people associated together to improve their knowledge of the arts.” Smith believed that the more civilized portion of this society separated from the more primitive group, who “lost the knowledge of their having descended from the same family.” As a result of their “tremendous wars,” the civilized group “became extinct.” This situation is compared to the story of the Nephites and Lamanites, who also split into two groups and had frequent wars, which ultimately resulted in the destruction of the more civilized Nephites. It is noted by LDS scholars that in the Book of Mormon, the two groups retained their knowledge of having descended from the same family up until the time that the Nephites were destroyed, contrary to Smith’s supposition in View of the Hebrews that this knowledge was lost.

Isaiah and the scattering and gathering of Israel

Roberts points out that both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon include extensive quotations from Isaiah regarding the scattering and future gathering of Israel. Roberts adds the note “Query: Did the Author of the Book of Mormon follow too closely the course of Ethan Smith in this use of Isaiah would be a legitimate query.” It is noted by LDS scholars that View of the Hebrews includes many scriptural prophecies about the restoration of Israel, including Deuteronomy 30; Isaiah 11, 18, 60, 65; Jeremiah 16, 23, 30-31, 35-37; Zephaniah 3; Amos 9; Hosea and Joel. Of the scriptures cited, only Isaiah 11 appears in the Book of Mormon.

Quetzalcoatl

Ethan Smith discusses the legends of the “bearded white god” Quetzalcoatl and proposes that this “lawgiver” or “Mexican messiah” was actually Moses. Smith also suggests that this belief held by the people of Mexico at the time of Montezuma allowed the Spanish to easily conquer the country because “the Mexicans mistook the white bearded invaders from the east for the descendents of their long cherished culture-hero Quetzalcoatl.” Roberts note states “The legitimate query: did this character spoken of in the ‘’View of the Hebrews,’’ published five years before the Book of Mormon, furnish the suggestion of the ‘’Christ’’ on the ‘’Western Continent?

Additional parallels include:

the future gathering of Israel and restoration of the Ten Lost Tribes
the peopling of the New World from the Old via a long journey northward which encountered "seas" of "many waters"
a religious motive for the migration
the description of extensive military fortifications with military observatories or "watch towers" overlooking them
a change from monarchy to republican forms of government
the preaching of the gospel in ancient America.
Both tell of prophets in ancient America
Both maintain that the purpose of America in the last days is to gather up the remnants of Israel, bringing them into Christianity, and bringing forth the millennium.

The Golden Pot

LDS historian Grant Palmer cites parallels between the Book of Mormon and a story called ‘The Golden Pot’.

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Palmer Ch 5.

Westminster Confession

http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changech5b.htm

Reference

http://www.centerplace.org/history/misc/jsp.htm#14
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_Hebrews#Parallels_between_View_of_the_Hebrews_and_the_Book_of_Mormon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studies_of_the_Book_of_Mormon#Roberts.E2.80.99_list_of_similarities

http://www.mormonstudies.com/author1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_Hebrews

http://trialsofascension.net/mormon/plagiarism.html

Could others have helped Joseph?

Joseph Smith may simply have had help from someone else to write the Book of Mormon. Someone else may have written the BOM (or most of it) and Joseph was merely the one to deliver it to the world. There are many theories regarding this idea. They generally involve some combination of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon and perhaps an author by the name of Solomon Spalding.

The Spaulding theory often does not get much attention because two of the biggest critics of the LDS Church dismissed it years ago – The Tanners and Fawn Brodie. LDS apologists dismiss is similarly saying that it was refuted long ago. Perhaps they did a disservice to the theory as there is some significant information that supports the theory that is at least worthy of further study.

From Craig Criddle:

The Spalding Theory

In a nutshell, the Spalding-Rigdon Theory proposes that The Book of Mormon is the product of a pious fraud orchestrated by Sidney Rigdon, a popular preacher in the 1820’s Christian Restoration movement. More specifically, it proposes that Rigdon added Restoration doctrines and his own theology to the unpublished narratives of Spalding, then deceased, to create documents that were subsequently compiled and edited to produce the 1830 version of The Book of Mormon. In executing this plan, Rigdon understood that The Book of Mormon would only be accepted as divinely approved if it could be brought to light through means that would appear supernatural. He was also well known for the theology that he had added to The Book of Mormon, and thus needed a way to reveal the book without exposing his own role in its creation. The answer came in the person of Joseph Smith, Jr., a con man and master of the gold digging scam. Smith’s charm and ability to induce belief made him an excellent Revelator. For Smith, the “gold bible business” was a way to make money and to help his family escape poverty. For Rigdon it was the springboard to leadership of a religious movement. In carrying out this plan, however, Rigdon and Smith were concerned that their lack of education and “weakness in writing” would prevent timely completion of the book and its public acceptance. So they secured the editorial assistance of Smith’s distant cousin - Oliver Cowdery, a schoolteacher with editing experience.

Historical evidence connecting Rigdon to Spalding
1. Rigdon shared a post office with Solomon Spalding and evidently frequented a print ship where Spalding had left a manuscript entitled Manuscript Found. For a time, the manuscript disappeared. Spalding reportedly suspected Rigdon had taken it.
2. John Winter reported that Rigdon kept a copy of a Spalding manuscript in his study
3. Witnesses familiar with Spalding’s Manuscript Found testified that it was similar to The Book of Mormon but lacked the religious content
4. Rigdon and Spalding were independently named as authors before anyone was aware of a connection between them.
5. In 1839, Rigdon wrote a letter denying his role in the composition of The Book of Mormon. His letter contained demonstrable falsehoods.
6. In 1888, Walter Sidney Rigdon - Sidney Rigdon’s grandson - said that his grandfather’s role in fabrication of The Book of Mormon was a family secret.

Textual and theological evidence implicating Rigdon
7. The theology of Alexander Campbell, Rigdon’s mentor, is sprinkled throughout The Book of Mormon.
8. On those issues where Rigdon and Campbell disagreed prior to 1830, The Book of Mormon strongly endorses Rigdon’s views.
9. Sections of The Book of Mormon likely added after loss of the first 116 pages in June 1828 describe spiritual rebirth after baptism, consistent with Rigdon’s changed beliefs after meeting with Walter Scott in March 1828.
10. The phrase “children of men” appears with exceptionally high frequency in those parts of The Book of Mormon that contain theological content reflecting Rigdon’s pre-1830 views
11. Rigdon is known to have worked with Smith to produce The Book of Moses. The phrase “children of men” appears with high frequency in those parts of The Book of Moses that contain theological content reflecting Rigdon’s pre-1830 views.

Historical evidence connecting Rigdon to Smith before 1830
12. Prior to 1830, Rigdon reportedly made several statements in which he indicated his foreknowledge of The Book of Mormon and the impending rise of a new religion.
13. At a Reformed Baptist convention in Aug 1830, Rigdon spoke of a fuller revelation about to come forth and the need for a complete restoration of the gospel.
14. Rigdon denied meeting Smith before 1830, but several people reported seeing him at or near the Smith’s prior to that date and Rigdon’s calendar contains gaps at critical time periods when he would have had time to visit Smith.
15. In 1868 Rigdon wrote a letter in which he claimed to know the contents of the sealed portion of The Book of Mormon.
16. James Jeffery, a friend of Rigdon’s, testified that in 1844 he heard Rigdon say that Smith used a Spalding manuscript to fabricate The Book of Mormon.

Historical evidence related to the long-term relationship between Rigdon and Smith
17. Almost immediately after his baptism, Rigdon acted as though he was in charge of the church. As soon as he officially met Smith, they began work on The Book of Moses, a scripture that endorses Rigdon’s 1828 “discovery” of spiritual rebirth after baptism.
18. In March of 1828, the “Revelator” of The Book of Commandments and The Book of Mormon attempted to limit Smith’s role to translation only.
19. In 1863 Rigdon said that Smith was supposed to be the Translator and Ridgon the Gatherer of Israel
20. Rigdon and Smith engaged in a see-saw power struggle that can be understood considering their vulnerabilities and co-dependency.
21. Rigdon and Smith collaborated on joint revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. They collaborated in changing revelations after the fact. They collaborated on illegal financial transactions.
22. In 1844 Sidney Rigdon seized upon the opportunity of Smith’s death, instigating a cynical power grab, threatening to “expose the secrets of the church” and professing new revelations and visions

Statements of the witnesses: http://www.mormonstudies.com/witness.htm

Signed statement of Isaac Butts

I was born in Palmyra, N.Y., near where old Jo Smith settled, January 4, 1807. I attended school with Prophet Jo. His father taught me to mow. I worked with old and young Jo at farming. I have frequently seen old Jo drunk. Young Jo had a forked witch-hazel rod with which he claimed he could locate buried money or hidden things. Later he had a peep-stone which he put into his hat and looked into it. I have seen both. Joshua Stafford, a good citizen, told me that young Jo Smith and himself dug for money in his orchard and elsewhere nights. All the money digging was done nights. I saw the holes in the orchard which were four or five feet square and three or four feet deep. Jo and others dug much about Palmyra and Manchester. I have seen many of the holes. The first thing he claimed to find was gold plates of the "Book of Mormon," which he kept in a pillowcase and would let people lift, but not see. I came to Ohio in 1818, and became acquainted with Sydney Rigdon in 1820. He preached my brother's funeral sermon in Auburn, O., in May, 1822. I returned to Palmyra twice and resided there about two years each time. Many persons whom I knew in New York joined the Mormons and came to Kirtland. They told me they saw Sidney Rigdon much with Jo Smith before they became Mormons, but did not know who he was until they came to Kirtland.
[Signed.] ISAAC BUTTS.
South Newbury, Geauga Co, O.

http://sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/CA/natruths.htm

Cowdery, Ethan Smith and Solomon Spaulding

1) Ethan Smith - the author of A View of the Hebrews was Oliver Cowdery's minister from 1823-1828 - they both are from Poultney, VT. This is also where the book was published.

2) Solomon Spaulding was also a classmate of Ethan Smith and both were graduates of the same religious college. Some people believe that both Ethan and Solomon's works are plagiarized in the Book of Mormon. Read this entire link for more info on this, note reference 34 for the link used here...http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/bomproblems.htm

3) Other potential sources used for the Book of Mormon: http://www.mormonstudies.com/early1.htm

The complete theory

A recent book has come forth entitled Who really Wrote the Book of Mormon – The Spalding Enigma. This volume examines the origins of the Book of Mormon based upon a hypothesis of the Spaulding Enigma. The Pro-Mormon challenge of "supplying a more plausible account" is hereby met.

Our thoughts: We don’t necessarily support the Spalding theory; however there is more evidence to support the theory than we initially thought. If this theory is true then it neatly answers many of the concerns that faithful members have who question the Church based on other problematic issues such as the temple ceremony and Book of Abraham translation issues but still don’t think that Joseph could have come up with the Book of Mormon on his own. Many people currently support the theory. It may or may not be true, but it’s worthy of further study.

References

http://mormonstudies.com/criddle/rigdon.htm

http://i4m.com/think/history/Book-of-Mormon.pdf

http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs2/vernP3.htm#pg6061

Who Really Wrote The Book of Mormon? - The Spalding Enigma

Audio Presentation – Art Vanick, Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?: http://exmormonfoundation.org/2007ConferenceReport

Translating speed of the Book of Mormon.

Faithful LDS often say that Joseph translated the BOM in only about 90 days or so. If this is true, then this would lend credibility that Joseph came up with the whole BOM in such a relatively short period of time.

From Apostle Neal A. Maxwell in 1997:

"One marvel is the very rapidity with which Joseph was translating—at an estimated average rate of eight of our printed pages per day! The total translation time was about 65 working days. (See “How long did it take Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon?” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 47.) By comparison, one able LDS translator in Japan, surrounded by reference books, language dictionaries, and translator colleagues ready to help if needed, indicated that he considered an output of one careful, final page a day to be productive. And he is retranslating from earlier Japanese to modern Japanese! More than 50 able English scholars labored for seven years, using previous translations, to produce the King James Version of the Bible, averaging about one precious page per day."

"The Prophet Joseph Smith would sometimes produce 10 pages per day!"

The writing of the first one hundred and sixteen pages was "painfully slow . . . for Joseph had yet to learn how to write," a long and difficult process at best. Yet less than a year later we find him tossing off a 275,000 word manuscript in three months. [This three month's translation feat is something Nibley and other apologists frequently flaunt as 'proof' of the Book of Mormon's authenticity. I heard Nibley claim on another occasion that it took only 60 days to write the entire Book of Mormon. The methodology used in computing the time is seriously flawed. The lost 116 pages according to the text of the Book of Mormon itself is essentially duplicated in the subsequent version which we now have as first and second Nephi. That takes up a significant amount of the 275,000 words. The first 116 pages took months to create alone. During the interim period, after the manuscript was lost, of about a year (which Nibley and others don't include in the calculation) Joseph wasn't doing much of anything. He didn't have a job. He could have easily been coming up with text for the book. Joseph Smith's mother stated that Joseph was telling stories about the Indians from the time he was young. The plot and narrative could have been worked on for two or three years or more. Nibley's assertion that it was done in only two or three months is pure speculation at best. Considering that the content of the Book of Mormon is largely borrowed and adapted from the KJV of the Bible, the time involved to 'translate' need not be significant anyway.]

Per LDS Historian Grant Palmer

The following is a plausible scenario for how the Book of Mormon came to be. After Joseph’s marriage to Emma Hale in January 1827, he promised his father-in-law that he would give up treasure hunting. Influenced by the revival fervor and by his mother’s piety, his mind began to fill with impressions that blended his familiarity with Indian lore and his conviction of biblical promises. Perhaps the outline of a book began to form sometime before Martin Harris became his scribe in April 1828. He had already experimented with seer stones, and perhaps he thought that through greater faith and concentrations, God would open to his mind a vision of the secrets of the artifacts being discovered in upstate New York. The dictation proceeded, and after Martin lost the first 116 pages of transcription in mid-1828, this may have been fortuitous. An apprenticeship had been served, and the vision that was unfolding in Joseph’s mind may have become more clear. The dictation probably progressed haltingly at first, perhaps as a kind of stream-of-consciousness narrative. Before Oliver Cowdery became his new scribe in April 1829, the prophet had had nine months to ponder the details of the plots and subplots and to flesh out the timeline. Given his familiarity with the Bible and with American antiquities, it would have become progressively easier for him to put form to vision. He dictated the final manuscript in about ninety days.⁵⁰ Over the next eight months, before the book was published in March 1830, he had the opportunity to make textual refinements.⁵¹ He thus had three years to develop, write, and refine the book—six years from the time he told his family about the project.

50. John W. Welch, “How Long Did It Take Joseph Smith to Translate the Book of Mormon?” Ensign 18 (Jan. 1988): pp 46-47.

51. Royal Skousen, “Piecing Together the Original Manuscript,” BYU Today 46 (May 1992): p 22.

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Grant Palmer, pp 66-67.

It should also take into consideration the fact that Joseph Smith had years to come up with text and plot. There are tons of books, far superior in writing style and story line, that didn't take nearly as long as the Book of Mormon did to complete. It may have been dictated in 90 days but he had been working on it, if only in his head, for years.

References

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Grant Palmer, pp 66-67.

http://www.lds-mormon.com/nibley4.shtml#time

What about Emma Smith?

When answering critics about if Joseph could h