THE 1st RULE OF BOOK OF MORMON EVIDENCE… THERE IS NO EVIDENCE...
THE REVISED (BUT TRUE) HISTORY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
I love the stories within the Book of Mormon, Samuel the superhero standing upon the wall unable to be touched, Abinadi bravely speaking up against injustice, Nephi setting the example for his stubborn older brothers, the list goes on and on. Now, having said that… There is not an ounce of credible evidence to support the Book of Mormon as being historical, and I’m more than ok with that.
Let me explain my point. As an active and lifetime member we crave validation, proof that our world and our religion is true. We’ve all seen it either in magazines, news articles, or even online blogging these days, how LDS scholars, historians, archeologists, and LDS leadership promote various theories, facts, and emerging information to prove the Book of Mormon is indeed a historical record and proof our religion is real.
These theories and claims always pop up like wildfire only to be extinguished months later along with our hopes and dreams of proving our faith to be valid. From my perspective these groups throw facts and theories at the wall hoping one will eventually stick, sadly none have yet to stick. And while the evidence (or lack thereof) is apparent, it doesn't make the book itself any less enjoyable with it’s superhero like stories, and examples of love.
Part of being a good scholar and student is looking at information in an objective way, without pre-conceived conclusions and determinations, neither optimistic nor pessimistic. As a historian myself, I care not for the overly optimistic pro-LDS claims that bares minimal truth, nor for the pessimistic anti-LDS perspective that equally uses the same tactics to reach their conclusions. I want truth, plain and simple, cold hard facts, and whether they paint the church in a positive or negative way I do not care, I “seek for truth, rejoice in truth”, and want to hear it objectively like it is. Don’t get me wrong, faith is vital to have, but having faith in the right things is even more important.
FACT OR FICTION: LOVE IT OR HATE IT
Whether fan or foe of the Book of Mormon, whether you believe it to be a literal history or a made up fiction, one thing can’t be denied, the book itself feels authentic, it sounds biblical, it’s stories, life lessons, and teachings pull at your heart and inspire open individuals to aspire for more in life, aiming to become more charitable and Godly in action and thought.
Much of history regarding the Book of Mormon has been vastly misunderstood or misstated over the centuries, statements became text books, perceptions became facts, and history continued to be presented in a way that did not accurately portray the factual events that transpired.
Those who believe in the Book of Mormon do so for two primary reasons, first being their prayerful review of the book which lead to feelings of peace on comfort, and secondly the facts about how the book came forth, as given by the church itself.
EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE BOOK OF MORMON
Admittedly, Evidence surrounding the Book of Mormon is not our greatest strength, while the Bible itself contains hundreds of verifiable events, wars, cities, historical figures, and factual stories that we can match up with the worlds history books, the same cannot be said about the Book of Mormon.
When you think about the main arguments for the Books literal existence members typically point to evidence such as:
The marvel of the book itself being proof enough, having the look, sound, and feel of the bible, filled with chiasmus, Hebrew phrases and names, being ancestors to modern day native Americans. Added to these proofs is the testimonies of the 11 Witnesses and their seeing and handling of the plates, along with the fact that the translator of the book was nothing more than a mere teenager with minimal education, who could argue against such a story? Of course modern day finds such as the Hopewell “mound builders”, other metal plates found around the world, the location of “Nahom”, and potential DNA links to the Cherokee Indians, with the cherry on top of the ancient story of the “Bearded white God” appearing in central America.
While much of this information leaves members wanting and craving more proof, it’s at least a starting point. While much of these theories and facts have some validity to them, they are in many ways stretched to the extreme to be used as evidence, either partially being wrong or even incorrect altogether.
So, as requested here’s the Book of Mormon facts and missing evidence as it actually happened.
SUPPORTING BOOK OF MORMON EVIDENCE #1: ARCHAELOGY
When you think of historical proof, archaeology tends to be the foremost details needed to prove a culture or story indeed existed, sadly the Book of Mormon lacks these crucial proofs and evidences.
Buildings, Temples & Cities of stone
It’s no secret that from South and Central America, to the hills of Tennessee, to even the very Philippines, Egyptian style temples have been found across the globe, and these very temples would at first glance be good matches to pair with the stories of the Book of Mormon. Sadly, as with much of the evidence found, these temples and cities often either pre-date the Book of Mormon people or originate with cultures stemming from pre-established peoples inhabiting the continent. Nahom is a stretch as well, as the letters NHM were found in the region, such characters can be found around the world…
6,000,000 Dead, So Where Did All The Bodies Go?
One aspect of the Book of Mormon which can’t be ignored is the massive scale of death, I mean between the Jaredite, Lamanite, and Nephite peoples we’re talking 6 million dead (on the low estimate). So, where are the bodies? 6 Million bodies don’t just go missing, even after 2,000 years. Even more disturbing we know the hill Cumorah was the location of the last great battle leaving millions dead, yet… Nothing. Sure, as with all locations an occasional body pops up, but for such a great and bloody battle, nothing in the near vicinity… Many point to the eastern Hopewell mounds as being a plausible candidate, but such mounds cannot account for the grand scale numbers, as well as the fact that they pre-date the Book of Mormon people as well.
Paired with the bodies is the obvious lack of horses having inhabited the continent until the Spaniards invaded. LDS scholars recently provided “proof” that horses had indeed been on the continent before, though again, they failed to point out that this had been nearly 10,000 years ago, again well before the Book of Mormon inhabitants. Instead it is interpreted that the people of the Book of Mormon rode around on either deer or Tapir, a oversized looking ant eater…
Who are the Lamanites & Who Where the Nephites? DNA Connections
The million-dollar question, if the Book of Mormon people are indeed real, who are they? Many guesses have been presented by LDS leadership in the past, ranging from the Book of Mormon itself stating they were the principle ancestors of the modern-day Indians, to them being the central American ancestors, to even the possibility of them being Mayan, Aztec, Inca, or other prestigious tribes of old. All of these of course have been discredited one by one, even the recent speculation of the Cherokee being the ancestors of the people described. Stories like the “bearded white God” who appeared to the central American people were again taken out of context, with the legend occurring well before the Book of Mormon timeframe.
Perhaps the most damaging claims are that the entire land was reserved for the people of the Book of Mormon, and that none else could see or inhabit the land (which we know of course now is entirely inaccurate).
Artifacts
One of the large concerns as far as artifacts go are the lack of comparable coins, you see the Book of Mormon describes in great detail the look and specifics of the large variety of coins used, for such a vast and thriving society these items would have been found after 2000 years and the civilizations spreading across the continent. The same can be said for numerous anachronisms within the book, ranging from chariots to elephants.
BOOK OF MORMON EVIDENCE #2: THE TRANSLATION PROCESS
The Angel Nephi, No… Angel Moroni???
We’ve all heard and read by now that an angel named Moroni appeared to Joseph, instructing him and teaching him about his people and where to find the plates, except that’s not entirely how it happened, in fact for 20 or so years Joseph announced in word, writing, and print that Nephi had been the one who had visited him, such writings can be found in items such as the Joseph Smith papers, The Millennial star & Times and Seasons news paper (Josephs own LDS paper), and even by his mother who Joseph had relayed the story to. Statements such as: “He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi.”, and “the glorious ministry and message of the angel Nephi which has finally opened a new dispensation.” leave little doubt Moroni had not been the messenger.
Reformed Egyptian
Again, yet another example of records, papers, engravings, and a language that supposedly covered the entire land, only to disappear without a trace.
The Plates Weren't Used, Instead Joseph Used A Seer Stone
Consider this, a record painstakingly engraved on plates, over a thousand years old, delivered by Gods last prophet escaping the siege of War so that the message could be preserved, only to be ignored, instead using a stone to translate the scriptures.
The Plates Took 60–75 days To Translate! Well, Sort of…
2 Months to translate such a miraculous work is indeed a feat very few could accomplish, it is however one that should be noted in large bold parenthesis. While yes, the translation itself was achieved in only 2 months time, that translation days took place over a 5 year timeframe… Let’s evaluate the claim, Joseph claimed to see the angel Nephi in September of 1823, and the Translation of the book itself didn't wrap up until the simmer of 1829, and to play devils advocate here, that’s just shy of 6 long years Joseph would have had to theoretically create and perfect his story…
Translation was word for word, letter for letter, So Why All The Errors?
David Whitmer and Emma Smith made it perfectly clear that Joseph translated the book word for word, letter for letter exactly what was written. Despite this over 3000 meanings, words, and grammatical errors were corrected.
Chiasmus
Let’s be straight forward here, yes the Book of Mormon has Chiasmus, but so do most literary works, specially in that day and age, as well as scriptural times, and when we compare the amount of Chiasmus to modern day writings and writings in Josephs time, it is clear that this was a skill used by most talented writers. This will be discussed later as well.
Every Story Needs a Witness
One of the facts that in my mind would solidify the validity of any piece of literature is the testimony of others having seen the real thing, If only the Book of Mormon had the same… Not only were the 3 witnesses the same men who helped in the Books creation process, but the other 8 all consisted of close family members. Perhaps the biggest weapon critics have is the fact these witnesses never physically saw the plates as stated in the book, they saw with “spiritual sight”.
You see Joseph gathered the 8 together, having promised to reveal the plates upon completion, slowly opening the box, and removing the cloth within the box, only to reveal!… Nothing… Joseph then went on to criticize the men, rebuking them for not having the faith to see the plates, commanding them then to pray for hours until they had all “seen” the plates spiritually.
CONTROVERSIAL & CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION WITHIN THE BOOK OF MORMON
While there are a multitude of conflicts within the text itself, 3 come to mind for most critics who argue the text contradicts current and past teachings.
Firstly, the teachings of the trinity, there can be little doubt that based off of Josephs multiple first vision accounts, and the trinitarian scriptures found in the 1830 version of the book that the nature of God was singular, that God, Christ, and the Holy spirit were one, not just in spirit, but in body as well…
Scriptures such as:
1 Nephi 3 pg. 25 “And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, even the Eternal Father!”
1 Nephi 11:18 and “the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!”
2 Nephi 26:12 “And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus in the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God”.
Alma 38"Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father? 39 And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last”.
Alma 11:26–28
“And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God. And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No.”
There is no question that Joseph himself as well as the book taught early on the trinitarian philosophies, which begs the question, if he saw God in his “first vision”, why did he not understand the true nature of the Godhead since it obviously changed over time in both his vision, in teachings, and in the very Book of Mormon itself.
Secondly, the issues of blatant racism… 21 “And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them”.
And last but not least, the issue of Mosiah 21:28 King Benjamin who was dead, was mistakenly inserted into the later portions of Mosiah (even though the translations were word for word as claimed by the translators seer stone). “King Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings…”. This was later changed to King Mosiah.
SUPPORTING BOOK OF MORMON EVIDENCE #3: JOSPEH SMITH AS AN INDIVIDUAL
Before I proceed don’t get me wrong, Joseph Smith did some amazing things, miraculous things even, that is not to also say though that he didn't also do some incredibly terrible and unethical things as well.
JOSEPH SMITH EDUCATION & INTELLIGENCE
Emma reported early in their marriage that Joseph “could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon”. It is clear in his early writing that scholarly Joseph struggled with writing, family, friends, and close associates all testify of this weakness as proof that he could in no way compose such a grand novel. Now in contrast compare his spiritual education and writing ability, compared side by side it is like night and day. Though young, Joseph was a spiritual giant, and could both recite from memory scripture as well as use spiritual wording in his journal and other writings.
JOSEPH GOES ON TRIAL FOR “GLASS LOOKING”
Admittedly, this was a very dark time in Josephs young teenage life, digging for buried treasure as work, which ultimately led to joseph being accused as deceiving the public by claiming to be able to locate treasure via his seeing stones and divining rods. You see, magic to the Smith family was all too common, in fact Joseph even wore his Jupiter talisman until the day he died due to his superstitious nature.
Emma Smith’s father Issac compared the 1826 Bainbridge court trial to Josephs Book of Mormon translation stating: “The manner in which he (joseph) pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with a stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods”.
JOSEPH THE STORY TELLER
There is little argument that Joseph had a vast and ever expanding imagination, Josephs Mother made it clear of this stating: “During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of travelings, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them”.
JOSEPHS TENDENCIES TO STRETCH THE TRUTH
It’s no secret Joseph had an eye for the spotlight, whether it be religious attention, stretching the truth with his story telling, or even the need to run for U.S. president, Joseph craved attention. Mixed with this desire for success and his persuasive abilities, Joseph could talk his way through most situations.
Josephs need for attention at times put his credibility and reputation in jeopardy, and even today has proven to damage the reputation of the church as a whole.
Whether it was his deceit in claiming the Book of Abraham to be authentic scrolls and translation, or being duped into translating the “Kinderhook plates” that were delivered to him to expose him as a fraud, which he stated cam from the lineage of Ham, but were in fact carved by the same men who delivered him, whether it was his laundry list of failed revelations in the Doctrine & Covenants, the necessity to lie about his involvement with polygamy to the public and even his own wife, or of course his “old reliable” statement that an angel had commanded him, to persuade women to marry him in a polygamous union, Joseph could talk his way through about any roadblock.
ADDRESSING THE BOOK OF MORMON CRITICS CLAIMS OF PLAGIARISM
The elephant in the room, part of being an honest scholar and historian means facing the hard facts, no matter how hard they are to acknowledge. Primary church historian Richard Bushman went so far to acknowledge that we can no longer pretend that Joseph Smith pulled from other sources than just the plates themselves. There are of course various other sources Joseph could have theoretically pulled from, but these are the key sources critics often point to:
JOSEPH SMITH SR’s DREAM (Source of Lehi’s dream)
Who’d have though that years before the creation of the Book of Mormon, that Joseph Smith Sr. would have a dream identical to that of Lehi, the said dream is as follows:
“I thought I was travelling in an open, desolate field, which appeared to be very barren. As I was thus travelling, the thought suddenly came into my mind that I had better stop and reflect upon what I was doing, before I went any further. So I asked myself, ‘What motive can I have in travelling here, and what place can this be?’ My guide, who was by my side, as before, said, ‘This is the desolate world; but travel on.’ The road was so broad and barren that I wondered why I should travel in it; for, said I to myself, ‘Broad is the road, and wide is the gate that leads to death, and many there be that walk therein; but narrow is the way, and straight is the gate that leads to everlasting life, and few there be that go in thereat.’ Travelling a short distance further, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had travelled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the termination; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it, about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in which stood a tree such as I, had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so, the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near, and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’ Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating, and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed. While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were all filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded. I presently turned to my guide, and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him, and keep his commandments. He then commanded me to go and bring the rest of my children. I told him that we were all there. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘look yonder, you have two more, and you must bring them also.’ Upon raising my eyes, I saw two small children, standing some distance off. I immediately went to them, and brought them to the tree; upon which they commenced eating with the rest, and we all rejoiced together. The more we eat, the more we seemed to desire, until we even got down upon our knees, and scooped it up, eating it by double handfulls. After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building which I saw. He replied, ‘It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God, because of their humility.’ I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy.”
Let’s be real, THIS IS THE SOURCE OF LEHI’S DREAM.
VIEW OF THE HEBREWS (Potential source of the structure of the book itself)
Published in 1823 by the pastor of Oliver Cowdery, the View of the Hebrews may not parallel the Book of Mormon paragraph by paragraph, but it’s structure and plot are nearly identical, consisting of a group of Jews fleeing to the America’s only to have large battles and wars amongst themselves, having one side righteous, and the other having fallen away into apostasy, filled with wars, secret combinations, the bearded white God visiting the Americas, and finally one group triumphing over the other, there are numerous other parallels and similarities, but these are the core comparisons.
There can be no denying Joseph was fully aware of the book and it’s content, fully quoting two full paragraphs years later in his news paper “The Times & Seasons” on June 1, 1842.
THE LATE WAR Between the United States and Great Britain
For those who boast the book of Mormon to be stocked full of Chiasms, they may want to read The Late War before they reach any conclusions… The Late War, or as I like to put it “The original source of the Book of Mormon war chapters” is a fictional war story about Britain and America engaging in War, packed full of Chiasms and Hebraism.
There was a reference to View of the Hebrews within Joseph Smith’s lifetime coming from the prophet himself. In an article published in the Times and Seasons on June 1, 1842, Joseph quoted View of the Hebrews in support of the Book of Mormon:
The First Book of Napoleon, the Tyrant of the Earth
As far as critique goes, if one was to compare anything to the Book of Mormon this would be the book, perhaps the most literal matches sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, and most of all it reads and sounds exactly like the Book of Mormon. Again, yet another form of literature Joseph was both familiar with, and that matches the tone and language of the book itself.
One need only read the first chapter to see the precise comparisons, the book itself can be viewed for free at: https://archive.org/stream/firstbooknapole00gruagoog#page/n19
Adam Clarke’s Bible Translation (Likely source of Joseph’s Bible translation)
This is a rather recent development, recently BYU students Haley Wilson & Thomas Wayment published a paper comparing the 90% similarities between Adam Clarkes bible translation and that of Josephs, needless to say, but this was yet another source composed just before Joseph, and definitely accessible to him given the proximity. Needless to say the paper has since been removed by the University, but the damage has been done, and the translation can be with certainty proclaimed as nothing more than plagiarism to its fullest extent.
The Masonic Legend of Enoch
For the sake of time, we won’t divulge into this comparison, but it’s worth it’s weight in gold to compare, given Josephs involvement in Masonry.
THE FRANKENSTEIN BOOK OF MORMON
With all the comparisons and sources evaluated there can be little doubt that the Book of Mormon is at least in some ways a compilation of various sources, ideas, literature, and bits and pieces of history as well. Statistical WordPress analysis’s are still too early to reach conclusions, but early indications are that multiple sources were used in the books creation, so the likelihood that Joseph was the sole source is very unlikely.
Apostle B.H. Roberts has even conceded that Josephs ability to create such a marvelous book was evident, “that Joseph Smith possessed such a gift of mind there can be no question”.
THE EMPTY BOOK OF MORMON MUSEUM
With all this having been said, it can’t be understated that todays defense model for the Book of Mormon is to throw out a statement or proclamation and hope it holds up under scrutiny. The problem with the defense of the book is there is no defense, there is no physical evidence, there is no plausible location, former cities, bodies to verify the historicity that this book is not that of fiction. The problem is it comes from a man who while admirable, had a history of both stretching the truth and at times blatantly lying.
Again, having said all this, the Book of Mormon may not be a work of fact or even history, it may not be a supporting document endorsing the validity of our religion, but do I still enjoy it? Well yes, I enjoy reading about Abinadi sticking up for what he believed in despite the whole world being against him, and Alma furthering his cause, I enjoy visualizing Samuel untouchable on the wall like a superhero promoting change, I value the message of an entire nation putting down their weapons and choosing not to fight, and of Nephi setting the example his older brothers can not. The Book of Mormon may be fiction in many ways, but that's not to say its message should be discarded entirely. It doesn't have to be a literal history to enjoy it, but lets stop pretending it’s real history.
Even President Nelson has go so far as to state ”There some things that the Book of Mormon is not. It is not a text of history, although some history is found within its pages. It is not a definitive work on ancient American agriculture or politics. It is not a record of all former inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, but only of particular groups of people”. The Book of Mormon may not be what it claims to be, and that’s ok with me, life moves on.
