cesletter

---- Title: Letter to a CES Director Author: Jeremy Runnells Date: April 2013 Email: cesletter@gmail.com Web: http://www.ceslettter.com/ Keywords: mormon, lds, ces, book of mormon, anachronisms, book of abraham, fair, farms, faith, science Language: english lang: en XMP: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. ---- ::: header # Letter to a CES Director Jeremy Runnells — April 2013 — **Updated:** March 31, 2015 ------------------------ *To my beautiful young children…that you may one day understand.* ------------------------ To access the digital PDF copy containing the URL links: [www.cesletter.com][CES Letter Homepage] ------------------------ ![Creative Commons Logo][] ![Creative Commons Button][] This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License][CC-by-nc-3.0]. You may share, distribute, alter, and build upon this work so long as you respect the following: > * Do not put my name in your new paper or imply that I support or endorse your new paper in any way. > * Do not sell or offer your new work for profit or commercial purposes. > * Respect the art work by keeping intact its URL links acknowledging its owners. ------------------------ ::: ::: centered > ![President J Reuben Clark][] > > "If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed." > — President J. Reuben Clark — ::: # *Introduction* [Name of CES Director Removed], Thank you for responding to my grandfather's request to answer my concerns and questions and for offering your time with me. I appreciate it. I'm interested in your thoughts and answers as I have been unable to find official answers from the Church for most of these issues. I'm hoping you're going to have better answers than many of the ones given by unofficial apologists such as FAIR and Neal Maxwell Institute (formerly FARMS). I'm just going to be straightforward and blunt in sharing my concerns. Obviously I'm a disaffected member who lost his testimony so it's no secret which side I'm on at the moment. All this information is a result of over a year of intense research and an absolute rabid obsession with Joseph Smith and Church history. With this said, I'd be pretty arrogant and ignorant to say that I have all the information and that you don't have answers. Like you, I put my pants on one leg at a time and I see through a glass darkly. You may have new information and/or a new perspective that I may not have heard or considered before. This is why I'm genuinely interested in what your answers and thoughts are to these troubling problems. I've decided to lay down just about all the major concerns that I have. I went through my notes from my past year of research and compiled them together. It doesn't make sense for me to just lay down 5 concerns while I also have 20 other legitimate concerns that are keeping me from believing the truth claims of the LDS Church. A quick background might be helpful as to where I'm coming from. I was a very active and fully believing member my entire life up until around the summer of 2012. My grandpa already outlined my life events to you in his email so I think you get the idea that I accepted and embraced Mormonism. In February of 2012, I was reading the news online when I came across the following news article: [Mormonism Besieged by the Modern Age][Article: Mormonism Besieged by the Modern Age]. In the article was information about a Q&A meeting at Utah State University that LDS Church Historian and General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen gave in late 2011. He was asked his thoughts regarding the effects of Google on membership and people who are "leaving in droves" over Church history. Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response: > "Maybe since Kirtland, we've never had a period of—I'll call it apostasy, like we're having now; largely over these issues…" This truly shocked me. I didn't understand what was going on or why people would leave "over history." I started doing research and reading books like LDS historian and scholar Richard Bushman's *[Rough Stone Rolling][Book: Rough Stone Rolling]* and many others to try to better understand what was happening. The following issues are among my main concerns: # *Book of Mormon* Concerns & Questions: 1. What are 1769 King James Version edition [errors][Wikipedia: BOM Translation Errors] doing in the Book of Mormon?An ancient text? Errors which are unique to the 1769 edition that Joseph Smith owned? 2. When King James translators were translating the KJV Bible between 1604 and 1611, they would occasionally put in their own words into the text to make the English more readable. We know exactly what these words are because they're italicized in the KJV Bible. What are these 17^th^ century italicized words doing in the Book of Mormon? Word for word? What does this say about the Book of Mormon being an ancient record? Examples: ![BoM Isaiah Comparison][] The above example, 2 Nephi 19:1, dated in the Book of Mormon to be around 550 BC, quotes nearly verbatim from the 1611 AD translation of Isaiah 9:1 KJV—including the translators' italicized words. Additionally, Joseph qualified the sea as the Red Sea. The problem with this is that (a) Christ quoted Isaiah in Matt. 4:14-15 and did not mention the Red Sea, (b) "Red" sea is not found in any source manuscripts, and (c) the Red Sea is 250 miles away. ![BoM Malachi Comparison][] In the above example, the KJV translators added 7 italicized words not found in the source Hebrew manuscripts to its English translation. Why does the Book of Mormon, completed 1,200 years prior, contain the exact identical seven italicized words of 17^th^ century translators? 3. The Book of Mormon includes mistranslated biblical passages that were later changed in Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible. These Book of Mormon verses should match the inspired JST version instead of the KJV version that Joseph later fixed. A typical example of the differences between the KJV, the BOM, and the JST: - [3 Nephi 13:25-27][LDS Scriptures: 3 Nephi 13:25-27]: > 25: …Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? > 26: Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? > 27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? - [Matthew 6:25-27 (from the King James Version Bible—not the JST)][LDS Scriptures: Matt. 6:25-27]: > 25: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? > 26: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? > 27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? The above Sermon on the Mount passages are identical, which is understandable as Christ may have said the same thing to both groups of people in the Old world as well as the New world. Let's look at the JST version of the above identical passages: - [Joseph Smith Translation of the same passages in the LDS Bible for Matthew 6:25-27][LDS Scriptures: JST Matt. 6:25-27]: > 25: And, again, I say unto you, Go ye into the world, and care not for the world: for the world will hate you, and will persecute you, and will turn you out of their synagogues. > 26: Nevertheless, ye shall go forth from house to house, teaching the people; and I will go before you. > 27: And your heavenly Father will provide for you, whatsoever things ye need for food, what ye shall eat; and for raiment, what ye shall wear or put on. Christ's Sermon on the Mount in the Bible and the Book of Mormon are identical. Joseph Smith corrected the Bible. In doing so, he also corrected the same identical passage in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is "the most correct book" and was translated a mere decade before the JST. The Book of Mormon was not corrupted over time and did not need correcting. How is it that the Book of Mormon still has the incorrect passage and does not match the correct JST in the first place? 4. [DNA analysis][Wikipedia: BOM and DNA] has concluded that Native American Indians do not originate from the Middle East or from Israelites but rather from Asia. Why did the Church change the following section of the introduction page in the [2006 edition][Article: Debate Renewed With Change in Book of Mormon Introduction] Book of Mormon shortly after the DNA results were released? > "…the Lamanites, and they are <span class="crimson">the principal</span> ancestors of the American Indians" to > "…the Lamanites, and they are <span class="crimson">among the</span> ancestors of the American Indians" 5. **Anachronisms:** Horses, cattle, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheels, chariots, wheat, silk, steel, and iron [did not exist in pre-Columbian America][Wikipedia: BOM and Archaeological Findings] during Book of Mormon times. Why are these things mentioned in the Book of Mormon as being made available in the Americas between 2200 BC–421 AD? 6. **Archaeology:** There is absolutely [no archaeological evidence][Wikipedia: BOM and Pre-Columbian Archaeology] to directly support the Book of Mormon or the Nephites/Lamanites who numbered in the millions. This is one of the reasons why unofficial apologists are coming up with the [Limited Geography Model][Wikipedia: Limited Geography Model] (it happened in Central or South America) and that the real Hill Cumorah is not in Palmyra, New York but is elsewhere and possibly somewhere down there instead. This is in direct contradiction to what Joseph Smith and other prophets have taught. Never mind that the Church has a visitor's center there in New York and holds annual Hill Cumorah pageants. We read about two major war battles that took place at the Hill Cumorah (Ramah to the Jaredites) that numbered in the deaths of at least 2,000,000 people. No bones, hair, chariots, swords, armor, or any other evidence found whatsoever. Compare this to the Roman occupation of Britain and other countries. There are abundant evidences of their presence during the first 400 years AD such as villas, mosaic floors, public baths, armor, weapons, writings, art, pottery and so on. Even the major road systems used today in some of these occupied countries were built by the Romans. Additionally, there is ample evidence of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations as well as a civilization in current day Texas that dates back 15,000 years. Where are the Nephite or Lamanite buildings, roads, armors, swords, pottery, art, etc.? Latter-day Saint Thomas Stuart Ferguson was BYU's archaeology division (New World Archaeological Funding) founder. NWAF was financed by the Church. NWAF and Ferguson were tasked by BYU and the Church in the 1950s and 1960s to [find archaeological evidence][Wikipedia: BOM and LDS Funded Archaeology] to support the Book of Mormon. This is what Ferguson wrote after 17 years of trying to dig up evidence for the Book of Mormon: > "…you can't set Book of Mormon geography down anywhere—because it is fictional and will never meet the requirements of the dirt-archaeology. I should say—what is in the ground will never conform to what is in the book." > — [Letter dated February 2, 1976][TSF Letter] 7. **Book of Mormon Geography:** Many Book of Mormon names and places are strikingly similar to many local names and places of the region Joseph Smith lived. The following two maps show Book of Mormon geography compared to Joseph Smith's geography: ![Book of Mormon Geography][] **Book of Mormon Geography** ![Joseph Smith's Geography][] **Joseph Smith's Geography** (Northeast United States & Southeast Canada) The first map is the "proposed map," constructed from internal comparisons in the Book of Mormon. Throughout the Book of Mormon we read of such features as "The Narrow Neck of Land" which was a day and a half's journey (roughly 30 miles) separating two great seas. We read much of the Hill Onidah and the Hill Ramah—all place names in the land of Joseph Smith's youth. We read in the Book of Mormon of the Land of Desolation named for a warrior named Teancum who helped General Moroni fight in the Land of Desolation. In Smith's era, an Indian Chief named [Tecumseh][Wikipedia: Tecumseh] fought and died near the narrow neck of land helping the British in the War of 1812. Today, the city [Tecumseh][Google Map Search: Tecumseh] (near the narrow neck of land) is named after him. We see the Book of Mormon city Kishkumen located near an area named, on modern maps, as [Kiskiminetas][Wikipedia: Kiskiminetas River]. There are more than a dozen Book of Mormon names that are the same as or nearly the same as modern geographical locations. | Actual Place Names | Book of Mormon Place Names | | -------------------- | -------------------------- | | Alma/Alma, Valley of | Antrim Antum | | Antioch | Ani-Anti | | Boaz | Boaz | | Hellam | Helam | | Jacobsburg | Jacobugath | | Jerusalem | Jerusalem | | Jordan | Jordan | | Kishkiminetas | Kishkumen | | Lehigh | Lehi | | Mantua | Manti | | Moraviantown | Morianton | | Noah Lakes | Noah, Land of | | Oneida | Onidah | | Oneida Castle | Onidah, Hill | | Rama | Ramah | | Ripple Lake | Ripliancum, Waters of | | Sodom | Sidom | | Shiloh | Shilom | | Sherbrooke | Shurr |  ->Source: **Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look,** Vernal Holley<-  Why are there so many names similar to Book of Mormon names in the region where Joseph Smith lived? This is all just a coincidence? **Hill Cumorah:** Off the eastern coast of Mozambique in Africa is an island country called "[Comoros][Wikipedia: Comoros]." Prior to its French occupation in 1841, the islands were known by its Arabic name, "Camora." There is an 1808 map of Africa that refers to the islands as "Camora." ![1808 Map of Africa][] Camora is near center in the above [1808 Map of Africa][1808 Map of Africa Link] The largest city and capital of Comoros (formerly "Camora")? [Moroni][Wikipedia: Moroni, Comoros]. "Camora" and settlement "Moroni" were common names in pirate and treasure hunting stories involving Captain William Kidd (a pirate and treasure hunter) which many 19^th^ century New Englanders—especially treasure hunters—were familiar with. In fact, the uniform spelling for Hill Cumorah in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon is spelled as "[Camorah][Joseph Smith Papers: Original Book of Mormon, pg. 535]." Pomeroy Tucker was born in Palmyra, New York in 1802, three years before Joseph Smith. He is considered to be a contemporary source. This is what he said about Joseph Smith: > "Joseph…had learned to read comprehensively…[reading] works of fiction and records of criminality, such for instance as would be classed with the 'dime novels' of the present day. The stories of Stephen Buroughs and Captain Kidd, and the like, presented the highest charms for his expanding mental perceptions." > — [Mormonism: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress, p.17][Mormonism: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress, p.17] Some apologists say that Tucker's [Mormonism: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress][Book: Mormonism: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress] is anti-Mormonand thus anything in the book cannot be trusted. The problem with this premise is that LDS scholar and Church history compiler B.H. Roberts quoted Tucker for background information on Joseph and FairMormon has an [article][FAIR: Joseph Smith's History Confirmed] where they quoted Tucker 4 times from his book as support for Joseph and even referred to Tucker as an "eye witness" to Joseph and his family. Is Tucker's peripheral information only useful and accurate when it shows Joseph and the Church in a positive and favorable light? > "We are sorry to observe, even in this enlightened age, so prevalent a disposition to credit the accounts of the marvellous. Even the frightful stories of money being hid under the surface of the earth, and enchanted by the Devil or Robert Kidd (Captain Kidd), are received by many of our respectable fellow citizens as truths." > — [Wayne Sentinel, Palmyra, New York, February 16, 1825][Article: Wayne Sentinel 1825-02-16] Notice that this is considered "prevalent" and "received by many of our respectable fellow citizens as truths." The above contemporary 1825 Palmyra, New York newspaper quote was not tainted by any desire to damage Joseph Smith. This article provides a snapshot of the worldview of 1825 New England. Hill Cumorah and Moroni have absolutely nothing to do with Camora and Moroni from Captain Kidd stories? Stories that Joseph and his treasure hunting family and buddies were familiar with? The original 1830 Book of Mormon uniform "Camorah" spelling? This is all just a mere coincidence? 8. There was a book published in 1825 Vermont entitled *[View of the Hebrews][Book: View of the Hebrews]*. *View of the Hebrews* compared to [The Book of Mormon][LDS Scriptures: Book of Mormon]: | | View of the Hebrews | Book of Mormon | | --------- | :------------------: | :-------------: | | Published | 1823, first edition<br>1825, second edition | 1830, first edition | | Location | Vermont<br>Poultney, Rutland County<div style="text-align:left;"><small>Note: Oliver Cowdery, one of the Book of Mormon witnesses, lived in Poultney when "View of the Hebrews"was published.</small></div> | Vermont<br>Sharon, Windsor County<div style="text-align:left;"><small>Note: Windsor County is adjacent to Rutland County.</small></div> | | The destruction of Jerusalem | ✔ | ✔ | | The scattering of Israel | ✔ | ✔ | | The restoration of the Ten Tribes | ✔ | ✔ | | Hebrews leave the Old World for the New World | ✔ | ✔ | | Religion a motivating factor | ✔ | ✔ | | Migrations a long journey | ✔ | ✔ | | Encounter "seas" of "many waters" | ✔ | ✔ | | The Americas an uninhabited land | ✔ | ✔ | | Settlers journey northward | ✔ | ✔ | | Encounter a valley of a great river | ✔ | ✔ | | A unity of race (Hebrew) settle the land and are the ancestral origin of American Indians | ✔ | ✔ | | Hebrew the origin of Indian language | ✔ | ✔ | | Egyptian hieroglyphics | ✔ | ✔ | | Lost Indian records | ✔<div style="text-align:left;">A set of "yellow leaves" buried in Indian hill. Elder B.H. Roberts noted the "leaves" may be gold.</div> | ✔<div style="text-align:left;">Joseph Smith claimed the gold plates were buried in Hil Cumorah.</div> | | Breastplate, Urim & Thummim | ✔ | ✔ | | A man standing on a wall warning the people saying, "Wo, wo to this city…to this people" while subsequently being attacked. | ✔<div style="text-align:left;">Jesus, son of Ananus, stood on the wall saying "Wo, wo to this city, this temple, and this people."<ul><li>Came to preach for many days</li><li>Went upon a wall</li><li>Cried with a loud voice</li><li>Preached of destruction of Jerusalem</li><li>Had stones cast at him</li></ul> <small>Source: [View of Hebrews, p.20][View of the Hebrews, p.20]</small></div> | ✔<div style="text-align:left;">Samuel the Lamanite stood on the wall saying "Wo, wo to this city" or "this people".<ul><li>Came to preach for many days</li><li>Went upon a wall</li><li>Cried with a loud voice</li><li>Preached of destruction of Nephites</li><li>Had stones cast at him</li></ul> <small>Source: [Helaman 13-16][LDS Scriptures: Hel. 13-16]</small></div> | | Prophets, spiritually gifted men transmit generational records | ✔ | ✔ | | The Gospel preached in the Americas | ✔ | ✔ | | Quotes whole chapters of Isaiah | ✔ | ✔ | | Good and bad are a necessary opposition | ✔ | ✔ | | Pride denounced | ✔ | ✔ | | Polygamy denounced | ✔ | ✔ | | Sacred towers and high places | ✔ | ✔ | | Messiah visits the Americas | ✔<div style="text-align:left;">Quetzalcoatl, the white bearded "Mexican Messiah"</div> | ✔ | | Idolatry and human sacrifice | ✔ | ✔ | | Hebrews divide into two classes, civilized and barbarous | ✔ | ✔ | | Civilized thrive in art, written language, metallurgy, navigation | ✔ | ✔ | | Government changes from monarchy to republic | ✔ | ✔ | | Civil and ecclesiastical power is united in the same person | ✔ | ✔ | | Long wars break out between the civilized and barbarous | ✔ | ✔ | | Extensive military fortifications, observations, "watch towers" | ✔ | ✔ | | Barbarous exterminate the civilized | ✔ | ✔ | | Discusses the United States | ✔ | ✔ | | Ethan/Ether | <div style="text-align:left;">Elder B.H. Roberts noted: "Ethan is prominently connected with the recording of the matter in the one case and Ether in the other."</div> ||  Source: B.H. Roberts, [Studies of the Book of Mormon][Book: Studies of the Book of Mormon], p.240-242,324-344 Reverend Ethan Smith was the author of *View of the Hebrews.* Ethan Smith was a pastor in Poultney, Vermont when he wrote and published the book. Oliver Cowdery—also a Poultney, Vermont resident—was a [member of Ethan's congregation][Wikipedia: BOM and View of the Hebrews Controversy] during this time and before he went to New York to join his [cousin][Wikipedia: origin of the BOM: The View of the Hebrews Theory] Joseph Smith. As you know, Oliver Cowdery played an instrumental role in bringing forth the Book of Mormon. LDS General Authority and scholar [Elder B.H. Roberts][Wikipedia: B.H. Roberts] privately researched the link between the Book of Mormon, the *View of the Hebrews,* Joseph's father having the same dream in 1811 as Lehi's dream, etc. that were available to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and others before the publication of the Book of Mormon. Elder Roberts' private research was meant only for the eyes of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve and was never intended to be available to the public. Roberts' work was [later published in 1985][Wikipedia: BOM and 1985 Publication] as *[Studies of the Book of Mormon][Book: Studies of the Book of Mormon].* At the conclusion of his research, Elder B.H. Roberts came to the following conclusion: ![BH Roberts Quote][] 9. ***[The Late War Between the United States and Great Britain][Book: The Late War]:*** This was an 1819 textbook written in King James Version style language for New York state school children, one of them very likely being Joseph Smith. The [first chapter][The Late War, pg. 9] alone is *stunning* as it reads incredibly like the Book of Mormon: > 1. Now it came to pass, in the one thousand eight hundred and twelfth year of the christian era, and in the thirty and sixth year after the people of the provinces of Columbia had declared themselves a free and independent nation; > > 2. That in the sixth month of the same year, on the first day of the month, the chief Governor, whom the people had chosen to rule over the land of Columbia; > > 3. Even James, whose sir-name was Madison, delivered a written paper to the Great Sannhedrim of the people, who were assembled together. > > 4. And the name of the city where the people were gathered together was called after the name of the chief captain of the land of Columbia, whose fame extendeth to the uttermost parts of the earth; albeit, he had slept with his fathers… Along with the above KJV language style presence throughout the book, what are the following Book of Mormon phrases, verbatim, themes, and storylines doing in a children's school textbook that was used in Joseph Smith's own time and backyard? A mere decade before the publication of the Book of Mormon? * Devices of "curious workmanship" in relation to boats and weapons. * A "stripling" soldier "with his weapon of war in his hand." * "A certain chief captain…was given in trust a band of more than two thousand chosen men, to go forth to battle" and who "all gave their services freely for the good of their country." * Fortifications: "the people began to fortify themselves and entrench the high Places round about the city." * Objects made "partly of brass and partly of iron, and were cunningly contrived with curious works, like unto a clock; and as it were a large ball." * "Their polished steels of fine workmanship." * "Nevertheless, it was so that the freeman came to the defence of the city, built strong holds and forts and raised up fortifications in abundance." * Three Indian Prophets. * "Rod of iron." * War between the wicked and righteous. * Maintaining the standard of liberty with righteousness. * Righteous Indians vs. savage Indians. * False Indian prophets. * Conversion of Indians. * Bands of robbers/pirates marauding the righteous protagonists. * Brass plates. * "And it came to pass, that a great multitude flocked to the banners of the great Sanhedrim" compared to Alma 62:5: "And it came to pass that thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in defense of their freedom…" * Worthiness of Christopher Columbus. * Ships crossing the ocean. * A battle at a fort where righteous white protagonists are attacked by an army made up of dark-skinned natives driven by a white military leader. White protagonists are prepared for battle and slaughter their opponents to such an extent that they fill the trenches surrounding the fort with dead bodies. The surviving elements flee into the wilderness/forest. * Cataclysmic earthquake followed by great darkness. * Elephants/mammoths in America. * Literary Hebraisms/Chiasmus. * Boats and barges built from trees after the fashion of the ark. * A bunch of *"it came to pass"* * Many, many more [parallels][WordTree Foundation: The Late War]. The staggering parallels and similarities to the Book of Mormon are astounding. This outstanding [website][WordTree Foundation: The Late War] outlines very clearly and simply just how devastating the Late War is to the Book of Mormon and its claims. Rick Grunder [states][Mormon Parallels, pg.724-772] in his paper: > "The presence of Hebraisms and other striking parallels in a popular children's textbook (Late War), on the other hand—so close to Joseph Smith in his youth—must sober our perspective." — p.770 10. Another fascinating book published in 1809, *[The First Book of Napoleon][Book: The First Book of Napoleon],* is shocking. The [first chapter][The First Book of Napoleon, pg. 9]: > 1. And behold it came to pass, in these latter days, that an evil spirit arose on the face of the earth, and greatly troubled the sons of men. > 2. And this spirit seized upon, and spread amongst the people who dwell in the land of Gaul. > 3. Now, in this people the fear of the Lord had not been for many generations, and they had become a corrupt and perverse people; and their chief priests, and the nobles of the land, and the learned men thereof, had become wicked in the imagines of their hearts, and in the practices of their lives. > 4. And the evil spirit went abroad amongst the people, and they raged like unto the heathen, and they rose up against their lawful king, and slew him, and his queen also, and the prince their son; yea, verily, with a cruel and bloody death. > 5. And they moreover smote, with mighty wrath, the king's guards, and banished the priests, and nobles of the land, and seized upon, and took unto themselves, their inheritances, their gold and silver, corn and oil, and whatsoever belonged unto them. > 6. Now it came to pass, that the nation of the Gauls continued to be sorely troubled and vexed, and the evil spirit whispered unto the people, even unto the meanest and vilest thereof… > > …and it continues on. It's like reading from the Book of Mormon. When I first read this along with other passages from *The First Book of Napoleon,* I was floored. Here we have two early 19^th^ century contemporary books written at least a decade before the Book of Mormon that not only read and sound like the Book of Mormon but which also carry so many of its parallels and themes as well. The following are a side-by-side comparison of the beginning of *The First Book of Napoleon* with the beginning of the Book of Mormon: *The First Book of Napoleon:* > Condemn not the (writing)…an account…the First Book of Napoleon…upon the face of the earth…it came to pass…the land…their inheritances their gold and silver and…the commandments of the Lord…the foolish imaginations of their hearts…small in stature…Jerusalem…because of the perverse wickedness of the people. Book of Mormon: > Condemn not the (writing)…an account…the First Book of Nephi…upon the face of the earth…it came to pass…the land…his inheritance and his gold and his silver and…the commandments of the Lord…the foolish imaginations of his heart…large in stature…Jerusalem…because of the wickedness of the people. 11. The Book of Mormon taught and still teaches a Trinitarian view of the Godhead. Joseph Smith's early theology also held this view. As part of the over [100,000 changes][Wikipedia: BOM Textual Changes] to the Book of Mormon, there were major changes made to reflect Joseph's evolved view of the Godhead. **Examples:** | | Original 1830 Edition Text | Current, Altered Text | | ----------------------------- | -------------------------: | --------------------: | | The Mother of God | [1 Nephi 3 (p.25)][Joseph Smith Papers: Original Book of Mormon, pg. 25]:<div style="text-align:left;">And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest, is <u>the mother of God,</u> after the manner of the flesh.</div> | [1 Nephi 11:18][LDS Scriptures: 1 Nephi 11:18]:<div style="text-align:left;">And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is <u>the mother of **the Son of** God,</u> after the manner of the flesh.</div> | | The Eternal Father | [1 Nephi 3 (p.25)][Joseph Smith Papers: Original Book of Mormon, pg. 25]:<div style="text-align:left;">And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, yea, even <u>the Eternal Father!</u></div> | [1 Nephi 11:21][LDS Scriptures: 1 Nephi 11:21]:<div style="text-align:left;">And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even <u>**the Son of** the Eternal Father!</u></div> | | The Everlasting God | [1 Nephi 3 (p.26)][Joseph Smith Papers: Original Book of Mormon, pg. 26]:<div style="text-align:left;">And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, <u>the Everlasting God,</u> was judged of the world;</div> | [1 Nephi 11:32][LDS Scriptures: 1 Nephi 11:32]:<div style="text-align:left;">And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, <u>**the Son of the** everlasting God</u> was judged of the world;</div> | | The Eternal Father and Savior | [1 Nephi 3 (p.32)][Joseph Smith Papers: Original Book of Mormon, pg. 32]:<div style="text-align:left;">These last records…shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is <u>the Eternal Father and the Savior of the world;</u></div> | [1 Nephi 13:40][LDS Scriptures: 1 Nephi 13:40]:<div style="text-align:left;">These last records…shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is <u>**the Son of** the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world;</u></div> |  The following verses are among many verses *still* in the Book of Mormon that hold a Trinitarian view of the Godhead: > ## [Alma 11:38-39][LDS Scriptures: Alma 11:38-39]: > 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; > ## [Mosiah 15:1-4][LDS Scriptures: Mosiah 15:1-4]: > 1: And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. > 2: And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son — > 3: The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son — > 4: And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. > ## [Ether 3:14-15][LDS Scriptures: Ether 3:14-15]: > 14: Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. **Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son.** In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. > 15: And never have I showed myself unto man whom **I have created,** for never has man believed in me as thou hast. **Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.** > (Emphasis added). > ## [Mosiah 16:15][LDS Scriptures: Mosiah 16:15]: > 15: Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen." LDS scholar, Boyd Kirkland, made the following observation: > "The Book of Mormon and early revelations of Joseph Smith do indeed vividly portray a picture of the Father and Son as the same God…why is it that the Book of Mormon not only doesn't clear up questions about the Godhead which have raged in Christianity for centuries, but on the contrary just adds to the confusion? This seems particularly ironic, since a major avowed purpose of the book was to restore lost truths and end doctrinal controversies caused by the "great and abominable Church's" corruption of the Bible…In later years he [Joseph] reversed his earlier efforts to completely 'monotheise' the godhead and instead 'tritheised' it." > — LDS scholar, Boyd Kirkland, "An Evolving God" Assuming that the official [1838 First Vision account][LDS Scriptures: JS-H 1:18] is truthful and accurate, why would Joseph Smith hold a Trinitarian view of the Godhead if he personally saw God the Father and Jesus Christ as separate and embodied beings a few years earlier in the Sacred Grove? # *Book of Mormon Translation* Concerns & Questions: Unlike the story I've been taught in Sunday School, Priesthood, General Conferences, Seminary, EFY, Ensigns, Church history tour, Missionary Training Center, and BYU…Joseph Smith [used a rock in a hat for translating][Wikipedia: Seer Stone] the Book of Mormon. In other words, he used the same "Ouija Board" that he used in his days treasure hunting where he would put in a rock—or a peep stone—in his hat and put his face in the hat to tell his customers the location of buried treasure. He used the exact same method while the gold plates were covered or put in another room or buried in the woods during translating the Book of Mormon. These facts are not only confirmed in *Rough Stone Rolling* (p. 71-72), by FairMormon [here][FAIR: Joseph the Seer or Why Did He Translate With a Rock In His Hat] and [here][FAIR: Rock in hat used for Book of Mormon translation], by [Neal Maxwell Institute][FARMS: How Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon] (FARMS), but also in an obscure [1992 talk given by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles][Article: A Treasured Testament]. December 2013 Update: Church's [new essay][LDS Essay: Book of Mormon Translation] admits this. Book of Mormon translation that the Church portrays to its members: ::: pictureGroup One [![LDS BoM Translation Image 1][]][Children's D&C Scripture Stories] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 2][]][Article: Ensign Magazine, Oct 2011] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 3][]][Article: Ensign Magazine, Oct 2011] ::: ::: pictureGroup Two [![LDS BoM Translation Image 4][]][Children's D&C Scripture Stories] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 5][]][Children's D&C Scripture Stories] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 6][]][Broken: Image Source] ::: ::: pictureGroup Three [![LDS BoM Translation Image 7][]][Children's Book of Mormon Scripture Stories] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 8][]][Article: Ensign Magazine, Oct 2011] [![LDS BoM Translation Image 9][]][Broken: Image Source] ::: The above nine images are copyrighted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click on each respective picture to be linked to its original source. Book of Mormon translation as it actually happened: ::: pictureGroup Four [![Actual BoM Translation Image 1][]][Article: Translation or Divination] [![Actual BoM Translation Image 3][]][Images of the Restoration: Joseph Smith Translating the Golden Plates] ::: ::: pictureGroup Five [![Actual BoM Translation Image 2][]][Wikipedia: Image of Joseph Smith Translating] [![Actual BoM Translation Image 4][]][Article: Translation or Divination] ::: Why is the Church not being honest and transparent to its members about how Joseph Smith really translated the Book of Mormon? How am I supposed to be okay with this deception?  # *First Vision* Concerns & Questions: > "Our whole strength rests on the validity of that [First] vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens." > — Gordon B. Hinckley, [The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith][Article: The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith] 1. There are at least 4 different First Vision accounts by Joseph Smith: * [1832 account][FAIR: Primary Source - Joseph's First Vision 1832] * [Two 1835 accounts][FAIR: Primary Source - Joseph's First Vision 1835] * [1838 account (official version)][LDS Scriptures: JS-H 1] * [1842 account][Article: The Wentworth Letter] 2. No one—including Joseph Smith's family members and the Saints—had ever heard about the First Vision for twelve to twenty-two years after it supposedly occurred. The first and earliest written account of the First Vision in Joseph Smith's journal was written 12 years after the spring of 1820. There is absolutely no record of a First Vision prior to 1832. 3. In the [1832 account][FAIR: Primary Source - Joseph's First Vision 1832], Joseph said that before praying he knew that there was no true or living faith or denomination upon the earth as built by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. His primary purpose in going to prayer was to seek forgiveness of his sins. 4. In the official [1838 account][LDS Scriptures: JS-H 1:18], Joseph said his "object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join"…"(for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)." This is in direct contradiction to his 1832 First Vision account. 5. Other problems: * The dates / his ages: The 1832 account states Joseph was 15 years old when he had the vision in 1821 while the other accounts state he was 14 years old in 1820 when he had the vision. * The reason or motive for seeking divine help – Bible reading and conviction of sins, a revival, a desire to know if God exists, wanting to know which church to join – are not reported the same in each account * Who appears to him—a spirit, an angel, two angels, Jesus, many angels, the Father and the Son—are all over the place. * The historical record shows that there was no revival in Palmyra in 1820. There was one in 1817 and there was another in 1824. There are records from his brother, William Smith, and his mother Lucy Mack Smith, both stating that the family joined Presbyterianism after Alvin's death in November 1823 despite Joseph Smith claiming in the official [1838 account][LDS Scriptures: JS-H 1:7] that they joined in 1820; 3 years before Alvin Smith's death. * Why did Joseph hold a Trinitarian view of the Godhead, as shown previously with the Book of Mormon, if he clearly saw that the Father and Son were separate embodied beings in the official First Vision? Like the rock in the hat story, I did not know there were multiple First Vision accounts. I did not know its contradictions or that the Church members didn't know about a First Vision until 22 years after it supposedly happened. I was unaware of these omissions in the mission field as I was never taught or trained in the Missionary Training Center to teach investigators these facts. [![Joseph Smith's First Vision Infographic][]][Mormon Infographics: Joseph Smith's First Vision] # *Book of Abraham* Concerns & Questions: 1. Despite Joseph's claim that this record was written by Abraham "[by his own hand, upon papyrus,][LDS Scriptures: Abraham]" scholars have found the original papyrus Joseph translated and have dated it in 1^st^ century CE, nearly 2,000 years after Abraham could have written it. 2. Egyptologists have found the source material for the Book of Abraham to be nothing more than a common pagan Egyptian funerary text for a deceased man named "Hor" in 1^st^ century CE. In other words, it was a common Breathing Permit that the Egyptians buried with their dead. It has absolutely nothing to do with Abraham or anything Joseph claimed in his translation for the Book of Abraham. **Facsimile 1:** The bottom left shows the rediscovered papyrus and what was penciled in by Joseph Smith and his associates. The right is the final draft that's included in the canonized Book of Abraham. ![JS Papyrus][] ![Abraham Facsimile 1][] The following image is what Facsimile 1 is really supposed to look like, based on Egyptology and the same scene discovered elsewhere in Egypt: ->![Reconstructed Facsimile][]<-  The following is a side-by-side comparison of what Joseph Smith translated in Facsimile 1 versus what it actually says according to Egyptologists and modern Egyptology: [![BoA Facsimile 1 Infographic][]][Mormon Infographics: Abraham Facsimile 1] Figure #3 is supposed to be the jackal-headed Egyptian god of mummification and afterlife, [Anubis][Wikipedia: Anubis]; not a human. The following images show similar funerary scenes which have been discovered elsewhere in Egypt. Notice that the jackal-headed Egyptian god of death and afterlife Anubis is consistent in every funerary scene. ->![Examples of Anubis][]<-  **Facsimile 2:** The following is a side-by-side comparison of what Joseph Smith translated in Facsimile 2 versus what it actually says according to Egyptologists and modern Egyptology: [![BoA Facsimile 2 Infographic][]][Mormon Infographics: Abraham Facsimile 2] One of the most disturbing facts I discovered in my research of Facsimile 2 is figure #7. Joseph Smith said that this is "God sitting on his throne…" It's actually [Min][Wikipedia: Min], the pagan Egyptian god of fertility or sex. Min is sitting on a throne with an erect penis (which can be seen in the figure). In other words, Joseph Smith is saying that this figure with an erect penis is Heavenly Father sitting on His throne. **Facsimile 3:** The following is a side-by-side comparison of what Joseph Smith translated in Facsimile 3 versus what it actually says according to Egyptologists and modern Egyptology: [![BoA Facsimile 3 Infographic][]][Mormon Infographics: Abraham Facsimile 3] 3. Egyptologists state that Joseph Smith's translation of the papyri and facsimiles are gibberish and have absolutely nothing to do with what the papyri and facsimiles actually are and what they actually say. Nothing in each and every facsimile is correct to what Joseph Smith claimed they said. * **Facsimile 1:** 1. The names are wrong. 2. The Abraham scene is wrong. 3. He names gods that are not part of the Egyptian belief system; of any known mythology or belief system. * **Facsimile 2:** 1. Joseph translated 11 figures on this facsimile. None of the names are correct as each one of these gods does not even exist in Egyptian religion or any recorded mythology. 2. Joseph misidentifies every god in this facsimile. * **Facsimile 3:** 1. Joseph misidentifies the Egyptian god [Osiris][Wikipedia: Osiris] as Abraham. 2. Misidentifies the Egyptian god [Isis][Wikipedia: Isis] as the Pharaoh. 3. Misidentifies the Egyptian god [Maat][Wikipedia: Maat] as the Prince of the Pharaoh. 4. Misidentifies the Egyptian god [Anubis][Wikipedia: Anubis] as a slave. 5. Misidentifies the dead Hor as a waiter. 6. Joseph misidentifies—twice—a female as a male. 4. The Book of Abraham teaches a Newtonian view of the universe. Its Newtonian astronomy concepts, mechanics, and models of the universe have been discredited by 20^th^ century Einsteinian physics. What we find in Abraham 3 and the official scriptures of the LDS Church regarding science reflects a Newtonian world concept. The Catholic Church's Ptolemaic cosmology was displaced by the new Copernican and Newtonian world model, just as the nineteenth-century, canonized, Newtonian world view is challenged by Einstein's twentieth-century science. Keith Norman, an LDS scholar, has written that for the LDS Church, "It is no longer possible to pretend there is no conflict." Norman continues: "Scientific cosmology began its leap forward just when Mormon doctrine was becoming stabilized. The revolution in twentieth-century physics precipitated by Einstein dethroned Newtonian physics as the ultimate explanation of the way the universe works. Relativity theory and quantum mechanics, combined with advances in astronomy, have established a vastly different picture of how the universe began, how it is structured and operates, and the nature of matter and energy. This new scientific cosmology poses a serious challenge to the Mormon version of the universe." Many of the astronomical and cosmological ideas found in both Joseph Smith's environment and in the Book of Abraham have become out of vogue, and some of these Newtonian concepts are scientific relics. The evidence suggests that the Book of Abraham reflects concepts of Joseph Smith's time and place rather than those of an ancient world. <span class="smaller">— Grant Palmer, *An Insider's View of Mormon Origins,* p.25</span> 5. 86% of Book of Abraham chapters 2, 4, and 5 are King James Version Genesis chapters 1, 2, 11, and 12. Sixty-six out of seventy-seven verses are quotations or close paraphrases of King James Version wording. <span class="smaller">—