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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith/Chapter 10
| Claims made in "Chapter 9: Expulsion from Eden" | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books A work by author: Fawn Brodie
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Claims made in "Chapter 11: Patronage and Punishment" |
Claims made in "Chapter 10: The Army of the Lord"
143
Claim
- Under Hurlbut's "excited prodding," neighbors of Solomon Spalding recalled that the Spalding manuscript that matched "an astonishing number of details" from the Book of Mormon twenty years after they had heard the manuscript read aloud.
Author's source(s) - Author's opinion
- Book of Mormon/Authorship theories/Spalding manuscript
- The Hurlbut affidavits—Spalding manuscript claims and reliability
144
Claim
- The Spalding manuscript bore no resemblance to the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - Spalding manuscript published by the Reorganized Church in 1885 under the title The Manuscript Found, or the Manuscript Story of the late Rev. Solomon Spaulding.
- This is true. Brodie marked the end of the Spaulding theory that had dominated anti-Mormon efforts for most of the nineteenth and part of the twentieth century. Ironically, with the failure of the View of the Hebrews theory, the Spaulding theory is enjoying a resurgence, though with a postulated "second" manuscript.
- Book of Mormon/Authorship theories/Spalding manuscript
144
Claim
- Martin Harris was brought to trial before the High Council because he claimed the Joseph Smith had "drunk too much liquor" while translating the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - Times and Seasons, Vol. VI, p. 992.
- The cited Times and Seasons" entry "HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH" states:
"The council proceeded to investigate certain charges presented by Elder Rigdon against Martin Harris, one was, that he told A. C. Russell, Esq. that Joseph drank too much liquor when he was translating the Book of Mormon, and that he wrestled with many men and threw them, &c.; and that he (Harris) exalted himself above Joseph, in that he said, "Brother Joseph knew not the contents of the Book of Mormon, until it was translated, but that he, himself knew all about it before it was translated. Brother Harris said he did not tell Esq. Russell that Brother Joseph drank too much liquor while translating the Book of Mormon, but this thing occurred previous to the translating of the book; he confessed that his mind was darkened, and that he had said many things inadvertantly [inadvertently], calculated to wound the feelings of his brethren, and promised to do better. The council forgave him, with much good advice."
145
Claim
- Hurlbut's affidavits were published by E.D. Howe in Mormonism Unvailed.
Author's source(s) - Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, OH, 1834). (Affidavits examined)
145
Claim
- Brigham Young stated, before he even met Joseph Smith, that he would follow Joseph even if he were to get "drunk every day of his life, sleep with his neighbor's wife every night," and run horses and gamble.
Author's source(s) - Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 4:77-78.
- Brigham's attitude about Joseph Smith
- See Quote mining—Journal of Discourses 4:77-8 to see how this quote was mined.
147-148
Claim
- It was Sidney Rigdon's suggestion to change the name of the Church from the Church of Christ to the Church of Latter-day Saints in order to avoid the names "Mormon" and "Mormonite".
Author's source(s) - Source not provided.
- Mind reading: author has no way of knowing this.: the author needs a source.
149
Claim
- Joseph found a skeleton of a Lamanite warrior named "Zelf"
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 2:79-80
- "Elder Kimball's Journal," Times and Seasons, Vol. VI, p. 788.