FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Church reaction to the Hofmann forgeries
Contents
Criticism
It is claimed that the Church behaved itself improperly with regard to the Hofmann forgeries. It is claimed that the Church acquired the forgeries with the intent of 'supressing' them, or 'hiding history.'
Source(s) of the Criticism
Response
The historical record is clear that the Church did nothing to hide the Hofmann forgeries, even though they appeared to pose problems for the Church's story of its origins.
- 3 January 1984: President [Gordon B. Hinckley] first saw the [Salamander Letter]. He wrote soon thereafter:
We have nothing to hide. Our enemies will try to make much of this letter, but any fair-minded individual who will read it in terms of the time it was written and the language of the day will not see it as detrimental to the history of those events connected with the restoration of the gospel.
- Gordon B. Hinckley Journal, 10 February 1984.
- April 1985 [Stephen F. Christiansen] purchased the Salamander Letter from Hofmann, and donated to the Church. President Hinckley accepted the donation.
- 28 April 1985 The [Church News] published the full text of the Salamander Letter. The [First Presidency] included a statement, quoting President Hinckley:
No one, of course, can be certain that Martin Harris wrote the document. However, at this point we accept the judgment of the examiner that there is no indication that it is a forgery. This does not preclude the possibility that it may have been forged at a time when the Church had many enemies. It is, however, an interesting document of the times.
- Church News, 28 April 1985
Conclusion
A summary of the argument against the criticism.
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
- Links to related articles in the wiki
FAIR web site
- Links to articles on the FAIR web site; Topical Guide entries go first
External links
- Richard Lloyd Anderson, "The Alvin Smith Story: Fact and Fiction," Ensign, August 1987, 58.
- Anonymous, "Fraudulent Documents from Forger Mark Hofmann Noted," Ensign October 1987, 79: lists Hofmann documents used in Church publications.
- Dallin H. Oaks, "Recent Events Involving Church History and Forged Documents.", Ensign, October 1987, 63.
Printed material
- Richard E. Turley, Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992. ISBN 0252018850