Criticism of Mormonism/Books/An Insider's View of Mormon Origins/Index

Main Article: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins

This is an index of claims made in this work and links to responses within the FAIRwiki.

Chapter 1: Joseph Smith as Translator/Revelator

Page	Claim	Response
1	Joseph claimed to translate the Kinderhook plates	Kinderhook Plates
1	Illustrations show Joseph Smith translating the plates directly	Church art and historical accuracy
2	Joseph Smith used a seer stone that he placed in his hat	Joseph Smith and seer stones
2-3	The plates were often not nearby while Joseph translated them	Book of Mormon translation method
6	Oliver attempted to translate using a divining rod	Joseph Smith and the occult#Working with the rod
6	Oliver would ask questions of his divining rod in faith and it would move	Joseph Smith and the occult#Source of the power?
7	Alterations in a different handwriting on the 116 pages would have been readily apparent.
8	Joseph was brought to court three times for stone gazing	Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial
9	After he lost the manuscript, Joseph became more vague regarding the method of translation
9	Joseph altered the Book of Mormon to modify description of God and Jesus to be separate beings
10	Scholars have determined that Joseph consulted an open Bible during translation	Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
10	Joseph copied errors from the King James Bible	Translation Errors from the KJV
11	None of Joseph's changes to the Bible have been supported by manuscript finds	Joseph Smith Translation as a restoration of the original Bible text
11	Some of Joseph's changes to the Bible contradict LDS beliefs
12	Joseph evolved his concept of the Father and Son	Joseph Smith's early conception of God
12	The hieroglyphics next to facsimile 1 state that Hor is the deceased man lying on the altar	Book of Abraham papyri
12	Joseph used this papyrus as his source for Abraham 1 through 2:18	Book of Abraham papyri
13	Near facsimile 3, Hor's name appears at the top and bottom	Book of Abraham papyri
17	Joseph expanded Abraham's curse to include denial of priesthood ordination to blacks	Blacks and the priesthood
17	Joseph got the story for the Book of Abraham from Josephus
19	Joseph's interpretations have been shown by Egyptologists as a mis-reading of the papyri	Book of Abraham papyri
19	A primary source for much of Abraham is Genesis
21	From 1820 to 1834 Joseph believed in one God.
21	The astronomical concepts in Abraham were common in Joseph Smith's environment
22-24	Joseph's theology was influenced by Thomas Dick's Philosophy of a Future State
29	It is easy to identify the Book of Joseph from the papyrus fragments	Book of Abraham papyri
31	Kinderhook plates	Kinderhook Plates
34-35	Joseph translated a Greek psalter
36	Joseph mistranslated a number of documents

Chapter 2: Authorship of the Book of Mormon

Page	Claim	Response
39	The church has encouraged the questioning of Book of Mormon authorship
40	Joseph Smith was intellectually capable of writing the Book of Mormon himself
40	B.H. Roberts wondered if the Book of Mormon stories were just inspirational tales	B.H. Roberts' testimony of the Book of Mormon
41	B.H. Roberts questioned whether it was history or the product of a "pious but immature" mind	B.H. Roberts' testimony of the Book of Mormon
41-42	The story of Zelph	Zelph
42	Joseph reported that the Kinderhook Plates contained a genealogy back to Ham	Kinderhook Plates
42	Joseph gave many descriptions of heroes and their treasures hidden in the New York hills
42	B.H. Roberts concluded that Joseph Smith was capable of writing the Book of Mormon	B.H. Roberts' testimony of the Book of Mormon
46	The Book of Mormon reflects evangelical Protestantism
48	The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is the source of for Alma 19
48	Alma 19 is derived from evangelical conversion experiences common in the 19th century
49	Alma 32 is derived from Jesus's parable of the sower
49	The Book of Mormon was an amalgamation of ideas from Joseph Smith's own environment
50-53	Many Book of Mormon stories are derived from the New Testament
55	The decapitation of Laban parallels the story of Judith in the Apocrypha
57	LDS position is that the Lamanites are the principal ancestors of the American Indians	Search for the Truth DVD:DNA
57	No Hebrew or Egyptian writing has been discovered in the New World	Book of Mormon anachronisms:Reformed Egyptian
57	The Book of Mormon provides too short a time for the disappearance of the Nephite/Lamanite language
57	No indigenous American language has a Hebraic or Egyptian origin.
58	B.H. Roberts thought that View of the Hebrews could be a basis for the Book of Mormon	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews
58	Roberts investigated the possible connection between the two books because he recognized the utility of having a ground plan to work from to contextualize theological issues	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews
58	Roberts concluded that there was a great probability that the Smith family read View of the Hebrews	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews
60	Roberts concluded that a copy of View of the Hebrews could have been supplied by Oliver Cowdery
60-64	B.H. Roberts' parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews
65-66	Joseph Smith received a revelation to send people to Canada to sell the Book of Mormon copyright for $8000. After expenses, the money was to go to the Smith family.
66	The writing of the 116 pages served as an "apprenticeship" to writing the Book of Mormon

Chapter 3: The Bible in the Book of Mormon

Page	Claim	Response
70-71	Joseph Smith Sr.'s 1811 dreams are similar to Lehi's "first" vision and his "tree of life" dream	Joseph Smith, Sr.'s dream and Lehi's vision
82	There are no original motifs in 3 Nephi that are not found in the Gospels	Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
82	Joseph had the words of Christ available to him, but "curiously chose not to use them" for at least half the verses in 3 Nephi 11-28.	Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
82	Joseph may have used a blanket to screen his use of the Bible from his scribe
83	Oliver "neglected to mention" the use of a Bible in the translation
83	The Book of Mormon contains twenty-six full chapters from a 1769 edition of the KJV	Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
83	The Sermon at the Temple includes modern errors found in the KJV	Translation Errors from the KJV
90	The Aramaic word "raca" would not have been intelligible to a Nephite
90	The three days of sunlight is not mentioned in the Bible even though North America and Israel are both in the Northern hemisphere.

Chapter 4: Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon

Page	Claim	Response
95	Elements from Joseph Smith's own life form the basis for a portion of the Book of Mormon
96	One would not expect to find "camp meeting" elements among ancient Americans
97	King Benjamin's farewell speech parallels that of Methodist leader "Bishop M'Kendree"
100	King Benjamin's speech includes elements of typical "revival" meetings
106	Alma's conversion parallels that of Darius Williams and Abel Thornton
107	Alma's missions are similar to those of traveling preachers
114	The Book of Mormon includes hundreds of popular phrases from frontier preaching
116	There are "recognizable evangelical phrases" contained in Amulek's and Alma's preaching
118	The Book of Mormon is simply "revival literature" cast in a different setting
120	The Book of Mormon teaches that all men are evil as a result of the Fall
121	Joseph changed his view from human nature being evil to it being "inherently good"
121-122	Joseph evolved his view of the Godhead over time	Joseph Smith's early conception of God
122	The Book of Mormon "vividly" portrays the Father and Son as the same God.
123	The Book of Mormon is closer to Evangelical Protestantism than ancient Jewish or modern LDS beliefs
123	Most of the Book of Mormon's theological issues are of little or no interest to Americans today
124	The Book of Mormon contains no information about temple ordinances, exaltation or baptism for the dead
129-130	B.H. Roberts concluded that Joseph Smith created the anti-Christs Sherem, Nehor and Korihor
131	Feelings attributed to the Holy Ghost are simply edifying feelings	Burning in the bosom
131	Edifying feelings are not sufficient to determine truth	Burning in the bosom
131	Many people believe in the truthfulness of their own religion because of similar confirming experiences
132	It is possible to feel "the sprit" even when listening to a hoax	Burning in the bosom
132	The LDS church claims exclusive receipt of the Holy Ghost as a gift.
133	The Holy Ghost is an unreliable means of proving truth	Burning in the bosom
133	The Spirit does not confirm the historical reality of the Book of Mormon	Burning in the bosom

Chapter 5: Moroni and "The Golden Pot"

Page	Claim	Response
138	The story involves the copying and translation of ancestral records	Book of Mormon and the Golden Pot
139-142	Luman Walters likely informed Joseph Smith about story of "The Golden Pot"	Book of Mormon and the Golden Pot
157	Joseph is told to bring Emma to the hill Cumorah on "the next fall equinox"
157	Joseph's father said that Joseph married Emma in order to ensure success in obtaining the plates
163	Joseph regarded the autumnal equinox as a special day
172	Variants of the Moroni story were told and then standardized after 1830
172	Joseph's later narratives talk about a more biblical-type angel
173	Many of the magical elements of the Moroni story began disappearing around 1830

Chapter 6: Witnesses to the Golden Plates

Page	Claim	Response
175	The witnesses had a "magical mindset" and believed in "second sight"
175-176	The witnesses believed in the ability to see spirits and their dwelling places within the local hills
178	Martin Harris participated in his own "treasure adventures" after meeting Joseph Smith
178	Martin Harris said that he could "see things" in the Hill Cumorah
178	Martin Harris informed Joseph Smith about the gold plates
179	The Whitmers all believed that they could see things with stones and dowsing sticks
179	Oliver Cowdery was a treasure hunter and "rodsman" before he met Joseph Smith
179	William Cowdery (Oliver's father) was associated with a treasure seeking group in Vermont
179	Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris saw the plates in a vision before meeting Joseph Smith
181	David and possibly John Whitmer owned seer stones
186	The Smith's talked about being able to see subterranean chambers in the hills	Joseph Smith and money digging
186	Joseph often told neighbors stories about treasures he found in the earth	Joseph Smith and money digging
188	Joseph claimed to know the location of Captain Kidd's treasure
194	Martin Harris said that marvelous things appeared to Hyrum, Joseph Sr. and Joseph Jr. while they were treasure hunting
194-195	The gold plates that the witnesses saw disappeared when place on the ground at the hill Cumorah
195	The witnesses believed that there was a toad the turned into something else hiding in the box that held the plates
197	The testimony of the Three Witnesses was a vision rather than an actual visit by an angel	Book of Mormon witnesses:Spiritual or literal
197	David Whitmer indicated that the visit of the angel was spiritual rather than real
198	Martin Harris claimed to see the plates with "the eye of faith."	"Eye of Faith"/"Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris
198	Some of the three witnesses claimed that they handled the plates during the angels visit
200	David Whitmer claimed that he handled the plates in vision, but not physically	Book of Mormon witnesses:Spiritual or literal
204	The testimony of the Eight Witnesses does not describe a physical incident	Book of Mormon witnesses:Spiritual or literal
204-205	Martin Harris claimed that none of the witnesses saw or handled the plates
205	Martin Harris claimed that he never saw or handled the plates
206	The Eight Witnesses hesitated to sign their testimony because their experience was not physical
206	The gold plates belong to another world rather than this one
206	The plates were able to sink and glide underground
206-207	Viewing the gold plates "too soon" would cause physical death
207	The declarations of the witnesses "sounded more physical than was intended."	Book of Mormon witnesses:Spiritual or literal
207	Joseph may have fabricated a "plate-like" object to sustain belief in the plates
208	James Strang also produced witnesses to metal plates	Book of Mormon witnesses:Strangite parallels
211	Joseph appointed James Strang as his successor	James Strang
213	All the living witnesses except Oliver Cowdery accepted James Strang's leadership	James Strang

Chapter 7: Priesthood Restoration

Page	Claim	Response
216	The "original" view was the the revelation received through the Urim and Thummin gave Joseph and Oliver the authority to baptize
217	David Whitmer never believed that an angel had given Joseph and Oliver the authority to baptize
219	An angelic ordination to the higher priesthood is not mentioned by Joseph at the time the church was organized	Date of the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood
219	The term "elder" and "apostle" meant the same thing originally
220	Anyone who was ordained an elder was considered an apostle
221	Alma received authority to baptize throught the "Spirit" - not by laying on of hands
222	Authority is received through the "Spirit of the Lord" rather than by laying on of hands
223	The Bible and Book of Commandments do not mention the laying on of hands	Doctrine and Covenants textual changes
223	Early missionaries did not claim that their authority originated with heavenly messengers
225	The Whitmer family and Oliver Cowdery accepted Hiram Pages revelations as authoritative
225-226	D&C 84 does not refer to the physical laying on of hands by an angel
227	The restoration of priesthood from an angel was a spiritual vision rather than a physical event	Priesthood restoration
228	Joseph invented the story of the angel restoring the priesthood to counter Hurlbut's accusations	Priesthood restoration
232	The events surrounding the priesthood ordination were reinterpreted to bolster Joseph's status
232-233	Oliver Cowdery may have added the story about the angel to an 1833 patriarchal blessing

Chapter 8: The First Vision

Page	Claim	Response
235	Joseph Smith's First Vision account was "simplified" and "retrofitted" to make it more authoritative	First Vision accounts
239	The Book of Commandments states that it was the Book of Mormon that constituted Joseph's call to the work
239	Oliver Cowdery claimed that it was Moroni that called Joseph to the work rather than Jesus in the First Vision	Oliver Cowdery not aware of First Vision in 1834-35
239	Joseph viewed his First Vision in "evangelical Protestant fashion" until 1838	Motivation in 1832 account is different
240	Joseph rewrote his personal conversion experience in 1838 to satisfy institutional needs	1838 account modified to offset leadership crisis?
240	The 1820 revival described by Joseph better fits the 1824-25 revival	Religious revivals in 1820
242	Oliver Cowdery said that the revival that affected Joseph came in 1823	Oliver Cowdery not aware of First Vision in 1834-35
245	Joseph was persecuted not for his vision, but because of his treasure digging	1832 account doesn't mention persecution
245	Joseph's vision was similar to other's experiences and no one took notice of it	1832 account doesn't mention persecution
245	In 1838, Joseph shifted his calling from 1823 to 1820 because of apostacy in the Church
248	Joseph wrote his 1838 narrative to secure his position and authority within the church	First Vision fabricated to give "Godly authority"
251	Joseph moved his calling from 1823 to 1820 in order to disassociate himself from the Book of Mormon witnesses, who had left the Church
251-252	Joseph's motive for praying was different in the 1832 account than in the 1838 account	Motivation in 1832 account is different