Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 5


Chapter 4
A FAIR Analysis of:
Criticism of Mormonism/Books
A work by author: Jerald and Sandra Tanner
 Chapter 6

Claims made in Chapter 5: The Book of Mormon

Page Claim Response Author's sources

94
  • Brigham Young claimed that some of the Book of Mormon witnesses doubted that they had ever seen an angel.

94
  • Oliver Cowdery may have had doubts about his testimony.
  • Times and Seasons 1841 vol. 2, p.482

96
  • The witnesses to the Book of Mormon were "very gullible." The story of Hiram Page and his stone is used as an example of their gullibility.
  • History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, vol. 1, pp.109-10

97
  • David Whitmer said that God told him to separate himself from among the Latter Day Saints.
  • An Address to All Believers in Christ, pp. 27-28

97
  • Joseph said that John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris are "too mean to mention."
  • Despite the violent disagreement between Joseph and these apostates, none denied their testimony.
  • Why would Joseph risk angering men who he knew could expose his fraud, unless he knew their witness too strong to deny?
  • Book of Mormon witnesses
  • Eight witnesses
  • History of the Church 3:232

97
  • Joseph said derogatory things about David Whitmer.
  • Despite the violent disagreement between Joseph and David, Whitmer continued bearing his testimony for decades of the Book of Mormon.
  • Why would Joseph risk angering men who he knew could expose his fraud, unless he knew their witness too strong to deny?
  • Book of Mormon witnesses
  • History of the Church 3:228.

97
  • The dissenters received a threatening letter before being driven out of Far West.
  • Senate Document 189, Feb. 15, 1841 pp. 6-9

98
  • Oliver Cowdery was accused of being involved in counterfeiting.
  • Jesus was accused of many crimes too; would the Tanners condemn Him? Historical figures should be innocent until proven guilty.
  • Oliver became a respected and successful lawyer. Why was he not charged for this crime? Why was he respected if suspected of such a crime?
  • This is more ad hominem, and the Tanners never provide the evidence of what the witnesses said and did.
  • Book of Mormon witnesses—None recanted
  • Book of Mormon witnesses
  • History of the Church 3:16
  • A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri From 1836 to 1839, p.146-147

99
  • Oliver Cowdery joined a Methodist church after his excommunication.
  • Oliver never renounced his testimony. A religious Christian, he probably preferred to worship somewhere than nowhere at all. Latter-day Saints believe there is much good in other faiths.
  • Oliver returned to the Church, and continued to affirm his testimony until his death.
  • Book of Mormon witnesses—None recanted
  • Book of Mormon witnesses
  • New Era, Jan. 1969, p. 56

99-100
  • Some of the Book of Mormon witnesses later followed James Strang.
  • The witnesses never born the kind of testimony about Strang as they did about seeing and handling the plates.
  • James Strang
  •  [ATTENTION!]

103
  • Martin Harris changed his religion thirteen times.
  • Harris managed to frustrate many other religious groups by his continued insistence on preaching the Book of Mormon instead of their tenets. He eventually returned to the Church and died in full fellowship.
  • Book of Mormon witnesses—Character
  •  [ATTENTION!]

108
  • Martin Harris said that he saw the plates with his "spiritual eyes."
  •  [ATTENTION!]

108
  • David Whitmer said that he "handled the plates," but that he "did not touch nor handle the plates."
  • Saints Herald, 1882

108
  • Martin Harris said that the eight witnesses never saw the plates.
  • Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Winter, 1972, pp. 83-84

109
  • No visions actually occurred in the Kirtland Temple.
  • The Tanners are again arguing with any evidence.
  •  History unclear or in error: To do this, they must ignore a mound of first person contemporaneous testimony.
  • Kirtland Temple dedication
  • Steven C. Harper, "Pentecost Continued: A Contemporaneous Account of the Kirtland Temple Dedication," Brigham Young University Studies 42 no. 2 (2003), 4–.
  • Milton V. Backman, Jr., The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1983), 309–. ISBN 0877479739 GospeLink
  •  [ATTENTION!]

111
  • Material from the Presbyterian "Westminster Confession" is "probably" the source for Alma 40.
  • Westminster Confession; Alma 40

114
  • Joseph copied the name "Nephi" from the Apocrypha.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

115
  • The story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt was a source for the book of 1 Nephi.
  • Assertion is not an argument. The Tanners need evidence.
  • If this is so, where is the parting the sea? The ten plagues? The earth opening up to swallow the rebellious? Water from a rock? Manna from heaven? Joseph ignored the best, most dramatic parts.
  • Nephi consciously modeled his family on the Israelites, so some parallels are to be expected—only an initial belief that the book is a forgery makes this argument work. It is circular.
  • Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible
  •  [ATTENTION!]

115
  • The Book of Mormon quotes Malachi many years before it was written.

116
  • The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a source for the story of Ammon.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

118
  • The story of Alma was taken from the story of Paul.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

119
  • The Book of Mormon contains material found in the New Testament.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

122
  • In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

123
  • The Greek terms "Alpha" and "Omega" appear in the Book of Mormon.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

124
  • The Book of Mormon contains the Greek name Timothy.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

125
  • Joseph Smith's mother said that he used to entertain them with stories about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent before he translated the Book of Mormon.
  • History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 1954 ed., p.83

127
  • B.H. Roberts concluded that the book View of the Hebrews could have provided a structural foundation for the Book of Mormon.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

127
  • B.H. Roberts listed a number of parallels between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

128
  • The Book of Mormon may have used Josiah Priest's book The Wonders of Nature as a source.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

128-129
  • The Book of Mormon contains changes that altered the original meaning of the text.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

132
  • It was claimed that the during the translation process that the proper spelling of words was given by the Lord.
  •  History unclear or in error: So far as is known, only the first spelling of proper names was controlled in the translation of our current Book of Mormon text.
  • Book of Mormon translation method
  •  [ATTENTION!]

133
  • Members of the Church have claimed that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon in archaeological research.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

139
  • Some Mormon archaeologists have begin to "face the truth" regarding Book of Mormon archeology by declaring that it is a "myth."
  • Dee Green, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1969, pp.76-78

140-141
  • Mormon archaeologist Thomas Stuart Ferguson lost his testimony because he couldn't find any archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
  • Thomas Stuart Ferguson
  • Ferguson was not an archaeologist; he was an amateur with an inaccurate idea of what archaeology could accomplish.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

141-142
  • Lehi would never have written using an Egyptian language. Jewish scriptures could not have been written in Egyptian.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

144
  • None of the characters on the Anthon transcript bear any resemblance to known hieroglypics found in the New World.
  •  [ATTENTION!]
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