ATTENTION BOOK OF MORMON BELIEVERS!
Do you realize what some of the testimonies really are of those who were eye-witnesses to the Book of Mormon’s coming forth and its translation?
Martin Harris, the only one outside the Smith family who was a resident of Palmyra and would have been knowledgeable of the work from the very start, declares, “Joseph Smith, Jr., found at Palmyra, N.Y. on the 22nd day of September, 1827, the plates of gold…. Joseph had a stone which was dug from the well of Mason Chase…. IT WAS BY MEANS OF THIS STONE HE FIST DISCOVERED THESES PLATES…Joseph had had this stone for some time. There was a company there in that neighborhood, who were digging for money…. Of this company were…JOSEPH SMITH, JR., AND HIS FATHER, AND HIS BROTHER HIRAM SMITH. THEY DUG FOR MONEY IN PALMYRA, MANCHESTER, ALSO IN PENNSYLVANIA…. The money-diggers claimed that they had as much right to the plates as Joseph had, as they were in company together. They claimed that Joseph had…appropriated to himself that which belonged to them…. These things had all occurred before I talked with Joseph respecting the plates. But I had the account of it from Joseph, his wife, brothers, sisters, his father and 1 mother, I TALKED WITH THEM SEPARATELY, THAT I MIGHT GET THE TRUTH OF THE MATTE…. Joseph…sent…and wished me to come and see him…. I went…and requested him to tell me the story, which he did as follows. He said; ‘An angel had appeared to him, and told him it was God’s work… the ANGEL TOLD HIM HE MUST QUIT THE COMPANY OF THE MONEY-DIGGERS…the angel told him, that the plates must be translated, printed and sent before the world.’”
Martin further states that he went home end prayed about these things and that the Lord “showed me that it was his work…. He showed this to me by the still small voice spoken in the soul.” So Martin pays Joseph’s debts and furnishes him the money to go to his father-in-law’s. This account was taken “down from the lips of Martin Harris, and read the same to him after it was written, that we might be certain of giving his statement to the world…in the latter port of January, 1859.” — Tiffany’s Monthly, Vol. V, No. 1, June 1859, New York, Pages 163170.
In a letter written by S. Burnett (a member of the early church) to Lyman E. Johnson (one of the first twelve apostles chosen in the early church) from Orange Township, Ohio, April 15, 1838, the statement is recorded, “…when I came to hear Martin Harris state in public THAT HE NEVER SAW THE PLATES WITH HIS NATURAL EYES ONLY IN VISION OR IMAGINATION, NEITHER OLIVER NOR DAVID & ALSO THAT THE EIGHT WITNESSES NEVER SAW THEM & HESITATED TO SIGN THAT INSTRUMENT FOR THAT REASON, BUT WERE PERSUADED TO DO IT, THE LAST PEDESTAL GAVE WAY…I therefore three week since in the Stone Chapel…RENOUNCED THE BOOK OF MORMON WITH THE WHOLE SCENE OF LYING AND DECEPTION…I was followed by W. Parish, Luke Johnson, & John Boynton (the last two were also members of the first twelve apostles chosen in the early church) all of who concurred with me, after we were done speaking M. Harris arose & said he was sorry for any man who rejected the Book of Mormon for he knew it was true, he said he had hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or a handkerchief over them, BUT HE NEVER SAW THEM ONLY AS HE SAW A CITY THROUGH A MOUNTAIN. AND SAID THAT HE NEVER SHOULD HAVE TOLD THAT THE TESTIMONY OF THE EIGHT WAS FALSE, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN PICKED OUT OF HIM, BUT SHOULD HAVE LET IT PASSED AS IT WAS…” (From the Joseph Smith Collection of diaries, letter books, correspondence, etc., dating from 1827 to 1844 in the L.D.S. Church Archives, Salt Lake City. Letter book April 20, 1837-Feb. 9, 1843, Pages 64-66.)
David Whitmer, who first met Joseph Smith in June, 1829, was interviewed by Mr. John Murphy of Caldwell County, Missouri, in June, 1880. After the interview was published in “The Hamiltonian, Hamilton, Mo., Jan. 21, 1881”, David Whitmer issued a formal statement naming “one John Murphy of Polo”, to the effect that he had “never at any time denied” his “testimony or any part thereof.” BUT DAVID WHITMER NEVER AT ANYTIME CORRECTED OR CLARIFIED ANY OF HIS ANSWERS TO MR. MURPHY’S QUESTIONS, in the interview appearing in the “Hamiltonian”, Mr. Murphy said, “I have heard that you saw an angel: I never saw one. I want your description of its shape, voice, and brogue…” David Whitmer’s answer was, “IT HAD NO APPEARANCE OR SHAPE.” Mr. Murphy continues, ‘THEN YOU NEITHER SAW NOR HEARD ANYTHING?” “NOTHING IN THE WAY YOU UNDERSTAND IT,” was David’s reply. When David Whitmer published his “Address to Ail Believers in Christ” in 1887, he used the words, “VISION OF THE ANGEL.” — Page 32.
Joseph Smith wrote in his history concerning the time when the three witnesses received their testimony as recorded in the front of the Book of Mormon, that after David and Oliver and himself had received their MANIFESTATION he “went in pursuit of Martin…he had not yet pervailed [sic] with the Lord…we accordingly joined in prayer and ultimately obtained our desires, for …THE SAME VISION WAS OPENED TO OUR VIEW; AT LEAST IT WAS AGAIN TO ME, and I once again beheld and heard the same things…” — Church History, Vol. 1 Pages 46-47.
On October 25, 1831, at a conference of the church held at Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Hyrum Smith suggested that Joseph Smith relate the information concerning the coming forth of the Book of Mormon “to the elders present, that all might know for themselves. BROTHER JOSEPH SMITH, JR., SAID THAT IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO TELL THE WORLD ALL THE PARTICULARS OF THE COMING FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON; AND ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS NOT EXPEDIENT FOR HIM TO RELATE THESE THINGS.” — Far West Record, Page 13. True to this intention Joseph Smith never knowingly revealed and of the details of the method of translation in his writings. But in a revelation which he gave to Oliver Cowdery in April, 1829, he unknowingly told us the details of the way the translation was done. Oliver was supposed to have been given the gift to translate also, but his attempt evidently failed. Through a revelation given by Joseph Smith, God is supposed to explain to Oliver why he failed. God is charged with saying, “…you have not understood; YOU SUPPOSED THAT I WOULD GIVE IT UNTO YOU, when you took NO THOUGHT, save it was to ask me…YOU MUST STUDY IT OUT IN YOUR MIND; then you must ask me if it be right and if it is right, I will cause that YOUR BOSOM SHALL BURN WITHIN YOU…you shall FEEL THAT IT IS RIGHT but if it be not right, you shall have no such feelings, but you shall HAVE A STUPOR OF THOUGHT, THAT SHALL CAUSE YOU TO FORGET the thing which is wrong…IF YOU HAD KNOWN THIS, YOU COULD HAVE TRANSLATED.” — Doctrine and Covenants, Section 9:3. This REVELATION GIVES US THE METHOD BY WHICH JOSEPH SMITH TRANSLATED THE BOOK OF MORMON! All the eye-witnesses, whether scribes or just observers believed the actual “words” were appearing on the stone in the hat when really it was being STUDIED OUT IN JOSEPH’S MIND AND TESTED FOR TRUTH ON WHETHER IT BURNED HIS BOSOM OR CAUSED A STUPOR OR THOUGHT WHICH WOULD CAUSE HIM TO FORGET. What a test for truth!
Emma Smith, Martin Harris, David Whitmer and William Smith, all eye-witnesses to the translation, agree that the method of translating our present Book of Mormon was by a stone in a hat, into which Joseph Smith put his face, so as to exclude the external light. Then he would dictate word after word to his scribe. These witnesses understood that the words he spoke were appearing on the stone under a corresponding character from the plates. See article from the November 15, 1962, Saints’ Herald, Pages 14-33, for the list of references for the above witnesses testimonies.
We were Book of Mormon believers until the finding of two original court bills involving Joseph Smith SHOCKED US INTO RECONSIDERING WHAT WE HAD BEEN TOLD WAS TRUTH. These two bills found in July, 1971, identified Joseph Smith identified Joseph Smith as a “GLASS-LOOKER AS EARLY AS MARCH 20, 1826. EIGHTEEN MONTHS BEFORE HE CLAIMS TO HAVE RECEIVED THE PLATES TO THE BOOK OF MORMON. The bills were found in the basement of the Chenango County, New York, Sheriff’s office. They listed the cost of bringing Joseph Smith to trial for the case against him. A CASE IN WHICH HE IS CALLED A “GLASS-LOOKER”.
May God help all of you who believe the Book of Mormon to consider again and see if the Book of Mormon is what you were taught it was or IF IT IS THE PRODUCT OF STUDYING THINGS OUT IN THE MIND OF ONE WHO TESTED RIGHT WITH WHETHER HIS BOSOM BURNED OR HIS MIND FORGOT IN A STUPOR OF THOUGHT.
“THE LORD IS GOOD: HIS MERCY IS EVERLASTING; AND HIS TRUTH ENDURETH TO ALL GENERATIONS.” (Ps. 100:5). As we search to determine the truth of historical facts may we find Him who is THE TRUTH. BLESSED BE HIS NAME.