Who really wrote the book of mormon the critics and. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints view the book of mormon as scripture written by ancient prophets, while critics believe that it is a 19thcentury fraud. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god. This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is. Solomon spalding, who died in 1816, had complained against the latterday saints that the book of mormon was really a plagiarized version of an unpublished novel, manuscript found, which the deceased clergyman had written and circulated among. The historical mystery here makes for a fascinating tale, even for readers who have no interest in religious books and care nothing about mormonism. Unfortunately, hes describing what christianity became by the third century ad. Criticisms related to view of the hebrews and the book of mormon. Lots of answers here with an incredible amount of evidence. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Some also postulate a link between ethan smith and oliver cowdery, since both men lived in poultney, vermont while smith served as the pastor of the church that oliver. Or was the book really derived from solomon spaldings romantic fantasy novel called manuscript found. He is also titular head of the spalding research associates. For nearly two centuries, faithful members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds.
Was the book of mormon given to joseph smith by an angel or created from a work of fiction. The book of mormon is actually a collection of histories passed down from one writer to another. As joseph smith, the founder of the rapidly growing church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon, tells it in official church writings, the. The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of. Davis has made numerous public lecture and media appearances on the subject. There was such a plethora of names, dates, and so forth that it was a little hard to follow sometimes, though because of frequent repetition throughout, i did in the end still get a good grasp of. Craig criddles address at the exmormon foundation october 2009.
Martin quotes 2 corinthians 11 about false ministers with another jesus and other spirit. The culture and beliefs of the book of mormon arent anything like the traditions of ancient native americans maya, aztec, etc. He didnt have the time, education or wherewithal to do this. Who really wrote the book of mormon the critics and their theories. Solomon spalding wrote a document now called the spalding manuscript. Who really wrote the book of mormon the spalding enigma. Apr 10, 2018 opponents to the book of mormon either claim that joeseph wrote the book of mormon or cobbled it together from others like pratt, cowdery, spaulding, or rigdon. The book of mormon is really a clever adaptation of an obscure, unpublished historical novel written during the war of 1812 in conneaut, oh and pittsburgh, pa by a downandout expreacher named solomon spalding, a revolutionary war veteran and bankrupt land speculator who died at amity, washington county, pa in 1816 and lies buried in the. Although ancient prophets wrote it, it did not come to us as the bible did. One argument that mormon apologists frequently employ is the claim that joseph smith was intellectually unequipped to write the book of mormon. And they must explain how joseph smith was able to locate, digest, winnow, and then fashion these materials into a coherent form.
A forum for ex mormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church. Cei bookstore is a retail supplier of bibles, books and other religious materials to the athens community as well as individuals and churches nationwide. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. Response to claims made in who really wrote the book of mormon. Readers will become aware of a fascinating body of evidence that has continued to accumulate over the years and, despite efforts by promormon scholars to deny or dismiss it, has grown to such proportions that it now poses a significant challenge to history itself. The greatest event recorded in the book is the account of jesus christs visit to the americas after his death and resurrection. He was raised in utah in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. According to the book itself, this history and the teachings of jesus were abridged and written on gold plates by the prophet mormon.
As a coauthor of the 1977 work who really wrote the book of mormon. The theory is that a spalding manuscript was stolen by sidney rigdon, who used it in collusion with joseph smith. Having read tens of thousands of pages of material, pro and con, here in a nutshell is my current \best guess\, included with a preface that i don\t care what anyone has to \refute\ my position. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Davis, and arthur vinick, is a stunning indictment of the founders of the lds, and thoroughly destroys the entire foundation of the mormon faith itself. We also compared the writing in the book of mormon with that of joseph smith and his contemporaries, who wrote in the time period when the book of mormon was published. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and founder. In fact, many of the issues highlighted by roberts vanish when a limited geography theory is considered. Who really wrote the book of mormon part 1 youtube.
I\ve read both sides many times over, and i can argue the pro mormon side just as easily as the no mormon side, with the prime diference being. Not from the book of mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him. Criticism of mormonismbookswho really wrote the book of mormon. Mormon claims and the inability to supply sufficent evidence to back up those claims is easily understood after reading this book. Several investigations and studies which set out to prove that joseph wrote the book of mormon have actua.
The few who buy into the thesis that the ultimate source of the book of mormon was a historical romance written by solomon spalding love it. Lest anyone be misled, this is a scholarly undertaking, not a religious work. Ever since the book of mormon was first published in 1830, its origins have been disputed. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Feb 15, 2010 its obvious that it isnt an accurate historical record. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesview of the hebrews. Lds scholars often point out that smith had received a rudimentary education at best, and did not have access to the works needed to research the book. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. According to the book of mormon itself, numerous prophets whose lives cover a period of over a thousand years wrote the book.
In 1975, after teaming up with howard davis and several others to conduct further research, he joined with dr. Apr 22, 2016 not from the book of mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him. Despite the attempts to suppress it, the book, who really wrote the book of mormon. The sorry tale, a 325,000 word book 50,000 words longer than the book of mormon of the life of a parallel christ was written in 108 days, a rate of 3,000 words per evening. So the book of mormon has nothing to do with ancient native americans. Roberts authored a manuscript titled studies of the book of mormon, comparing the content of the book of mormon with view of the hebrews. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from. The first author was the prophet nephi, who left jerusalem with his family in about 600 bc and sailed to the americas. Nephi passed the record to his younger brother jacob, who gave it to his son enos. Nov 01, 2016 critics of the book of mormon now seem forced to follow the agenda set out by brodiethey must locate nineteenthcentury sources for all its contents.
Online orders can be placed at truth publications, inc. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the books narrative complexities. Roberts concluded that, if one assumed that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon himself, that view of the hebrews could have provided him with a foundation for creating the book. Who really wrote the book of mormon the critics and their. Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. The spalding enigma part 1 did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith the mormon bible, as he claimed. Native americans did not come from jerusalem, they came from siberia. The 90 blocks of words we used were from joseph smith, w. Duh however there is serious head in the sand syndrome over the facts but what the heck some people think star wars was a conflict between hollywood and tv. The historical mystery here makes for a fascinating tale, even for readers who have no interest in religious books and. Pratt, sidney rigdon, solomon spaulding, the article paracletes, excerpts.
Criticism of mormonismbookswho really wrote the book of. Over the next four years, these men secretly conspired to create the book of mormon which was finally published in 1830. The bible was recorded largely on scrolls in the old world as separate books and copied by scribes for centuries. I\ve read both sides many times over, and i can argue the promormon side just as easily as the nomormon side, with the prime diference being.
I am about 8 minutes into this and it strikes me as totally irrelevant. The spalding enigma, our authors set out to accomplish a monumental task. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and. Who really wrote the book of mormon is a great book which gives undeniable evidence to the origin of the book of mormon. Indeed, one of the most notable features of the book of mormon is the fact that its fifteen books, all of which are purportedly historical narratives, are attributed to ancient israelite authors who refer to themselves by name explicitly in the first. Lds scholars should be terrified of this thorough, exhaustive, and downright exhausting examination of the circumstances surrounding joseph smiths discovery.
An american, james adair, wrote a book a history of the american indians in 1775. There were no christians in america before columbus. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Over the next four years, these men secretly conspired. In just one example, mark twain, in roughing it, accuses joseph smith of having smouched from the new testament and then giving no credit in his composing the book of mormon. Martin says it is the responsibility of the christian church to proclaim christ jesus as the savior of the world.
The book reads like investigative history, demonstrating that mormon claims to the supernatural revelation and transcription. D, is a professor and senior fellow, woods institute for the environment, stanford university. Howe suggested, basing himself on witnesses collected by doctor hurlbut, that the book of. Who really wrote the book of mormon the spalding enigma by. Jun 16, 2018 in who really wrote the book of mormon. Davis as a coauthor of the original version of who really wrote the book of mormon. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. Latterday saints believe that the book of mormon contains. The spalding enigma by wayne cowdery, howard davis, and donald scales summary. Howe suggested, basing himself on witnesses collected by doctor hurlbut, that the book of mormon was a revised form of a fictional work written by solomon spalding. It seems after reading these posts that the only possible answer is that the book of mormon happened just like joseph and others claim. By this stage, patience had dispensed with the ouija board, and transmitted her thoughts directly to mrs currans pen. Who wrote the chapter headings in the book of mormon answers. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god, translated an abridgment of those original plates.
Critics claim that joseph smith did not actually translate ancient plates into the book of mormon, but rather wrote the book. As with most scripture, however, claims to historical authenticity remain a central issue. The first author was the prophet nephi, who left jerusalem with. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. It is claimed that a 19th century work by ethan smith, view of the hebrews, provided source material for joseph smiths construction of the book of mormon. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Even though its called who really wrote the book of mormon. It deserves neither unqualified praise nor complete dismissal. Readers will become aware of a fascinating body of evidence that has continued to accumulate over the years and, despite efforts by pro mormon scholars to deny or dismiss it, has grown to such proportions that it now poses a significant challenge to history itself. Feb 14, 2006 demonstrating that mormon claims to the supernatural revelation and transcription of the book of mormon are fraudulent. Its obvious that it isnt an accurate historical record. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the.
From a very early date, the relatives and acquaintances of a retired congregationalist minister, rev. Threeandonehalf centuries after the birth of christ, mormon realized that his writing would soon come to an end, but he was shown in. The evidence for ancient origins, edited by noel b. Mormons believe that the book of mormon contains the fulness of jesus christs gospel see joseph smithhistory 1. It attempted to prove that natives had descended from the ancient israelites.
As joseph smith, the founder of the rapidly growing church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon. The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. The work in question is who really wrote the book of mormon. Roberts concluded, assuming a hemispheric geography theory for the book of mormon, sufficient parallels existed that future critics could claim that view of the hebrews had provided a. The premise of the authors research is that the book of mormon was lifted from a historical novel by solomon spaulding. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1997. Ancient prophets, historians, and leaders engraved their testimonies and history on golden plates. Roberts concluded, assuming a hemispheric geography theory for the book of mormon, sufficient parallels existed that future critics could claim that view of the hebrews had provided a structural foundation for the book of mormon story.
This book attempted to revive the moribund spalding manuscript theory for the book of mormon. Howard davis and arthur vanick, recently published by concordia, the highly respected publishing arm of the lutheran church missouri synod. This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel written by revolutionary war veteran solomon spalding during the war of 1812. Critics of the book of mormon now seem forced to follow the agenda set out by brodiethey must locate nineteenthcentury sources for all its contents.
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