Difference between revisions of "Detailed response to CES Letter, Witnesses"

Revision as of 22:26, 21 June 2013

[[../Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions|Priesthood Restoration Concerns & Questions]]

A FAIR Analysis of:
[[../|Letter to a CES Director]]

[[../Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions|Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions]]

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 |claim=The author quotes several "spiritual eye" statements that are attributed to Martin Harris.
 |answer=
+*When Martin Harris said that he had seen the angel and the plates with his "spiritual eyes" or with an "eye of faith" he may have simply been employing some scriptural language that he was familiar with. Such statements do not mean that the angel and the plates were imaginary, hallucinatory, or just an inner mental image—the earliest accounts of Martin Harris' testimony makes the literal nature of the experience unmistakable.
+*Rather than being hallucinatory or "merely" spiritual, Martin claimed that the plates and angel were seen by physical eyes that had been enhanced by the power of God to view more objects than a mortal could normally see (cf. DC 76:12; DC 67:10-13).
+*Critics who claim otherwise do not provide their readers with all of Martin's statements, distorting the historical record. Note that "A Letter to a CES Director" falls into this category - none of Martin's definitive statements about seeing the plates are included.
 |link=Book of Mormon/Witnesses/"Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris
 |subject="Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris