Growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints or other sects of JosephISM (Followers of Joseph Smith in any religion), how were you taught how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon?
Curtain Divider
In the AUB (Apostolic United Brethren) I was taught that Joseph sad behind a curtain where no one could see the plates during translation. There are many pictures. I'm sure many are familiar with these pictures that depict that.
Upon more research, I've found, the only people who stated a curtain/sheet was used are those who were not there first hand but heard it from another source.
Non-eyewitnesses: Curtain Mentioned (Source: Fair Mormon.org)
Pomeroy Tucker 1867
John Gilbert 1877
William S. Sayer 1878
Sallie McKune 1880
Frederick G. Mather 1880
Eri B Mullin 1880
There was but one Non-eyewitness that states a Curtain was NOT used.
W.R. Hine 1888
As opposed to the Eyewitnesses who state a Curtain was NOT used.
Martin Harris 1870
Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery 1870
David Whitmer 1870
Emma Smith Bidamon 1879
David Whitmer 1875-1881-1884-1885-1887 (David Whitmer had many versions of his story and they changed over time. We will look more into his stories a little later on.)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "OFFICIAL" Pictures.
No one.. NOT ONE person EVER said they sat at the same table as the plates, uncovered, in full view. Yet, here are two pictures the Mormon Church puts in their manuals, Magazines and other media. Pictures speak very loud. Children look at these every Sunday (And more if the Mormon Family has them in their homes) and they tell a story from them. This is pure propaganda. A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a thousand inaccurate words. These pictures are pure lies.
On the back of the first picture is a statement and a story about it. No where in it does it state how it was translated and leaves the viewer of the Picture to assume this was the manner in how it was translated along with the description stated below. (Source:
LDS.org)
D&C 20:8–11; Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35, 71 footnote
The
Book of Mormon … [proves] to the world that the holy scriptures are
true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in
this age and generation, as well as in generations of old. D&C 20:8, 11
"Three years after Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and
Jesus Christ, the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph and told him there was
a record written on gold plates that gave an account of the ancient
inhabitants of the Americas. Joseph was to translate this record using
two stones fastened to a breastplate, the Urim and Thummim. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35.)
Moroni taught Joseph about the work he was called to do for four more
years and then delivered the plates and the interpreters to him in 1827.
Oliver Cowdery served as a scribe to the Prophet Joseph as he
translated the Book of Mormon. In describing his experience, Oliver
wrote: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a
voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost
gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to
write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as
the Nephites would have said, ‘interpreters,’ the history or record
called ‘The Book of Mormon’ ” (Joseph Smith—History 1:71 footnote).
Summary
When the Prophet Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the angel
Moroni, he studied the strange language written on them. With Heavenly
Father’s help, Joseph translated the writing on the gold plates into
words he could understand. Oliver Cowdery helped Joseph by being his
scribe. As Joseph read out loud from the plates, Oliver wrote down the
words. When the translation into English was completed, the book was
printed. It is called the Book of Mormon.
Pure propaganda.
Leaving the onlooker to decipher the Picture and create their own truth.
Eyewitness accounts
Lets go to the eyewitnesses accounts and paint a picture by those who were with him when he was purportedly translating the Book of Mormon.
Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith
"In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after
day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face
buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour
with nothing between us." (History of the RLDS Church, 8 vols. Herald House, 1951, Volume 3, page 356, "Last Testimony of Sister Emma.")
Martin Harris, one of the witnesses and scribes to the Book of Mormon
"Martin Harris related an incident that occured during
the time that he wrote that portion of the translation of the Book of
Mormon which he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the
Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone,
by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and
Thummim, and for convenience he then used the seer stone, Martin
explained the translation as follows: By aid of the seer stone,
sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by
Martin and when finished he would say "Written," and if correctly
written that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place,
but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the
translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the
language then used." (Edward Stevenson, "One of the Three Witnesses,"
originally Deseret News, Nov. 30, 1881, later in the Millennial Star, Feb. 6, 1882, pp. 86-87. Stevenson would later become a member of the First Council of Seventy).
Isaac Hale, father of Emma Smith
"The manner in which he 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." (Affidavit of Isaac Hale, March 20, 1834,
see Rodger I. Anderson's book Joseph Smith's New York Reputation Reexamined, Signature Books, pp. 126-128)
Michael Morse, Emma Smith's brother-in-law
"When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon [I] had
occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him
engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consisted in
Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his
face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows
upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes —
Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down." (Saints' Herald, June 15, 1879, pp. 190-191).
Joseph Knight, Sr., early Church member, and close friend to Joseph
"Now the way he translated was he put the urim and
thummim into his hat and Darkened his Eyes then he would take a sentance
and it would appear in Brite Roman Letters then he would tell the
writer and he would write it[.] then that would go away the next
sentence would Come and so on But if it was not Spelt rite it would not
go away till it was rite[,] so we see it was marvelous. thus was the hol
[whole] translated." (Joseph Knight, Sr., "Joseph Knight, Sr.,
Reminiscence, circa 1835-1847"; see Dan Vogel's Early Mormon Documents, Volume 4, pp. 17-18.)
David Whitmer, one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon
"I will now give you a description of the manner in
which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer
stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely
around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual
light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would
appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would
appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph
would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal
scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to
see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character
with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was
translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man."
(David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887, p. 12)
See a pattern here?
1: Stone/Seer stone/Urim and Thummim
2: Hat
3: Face in Hat
From these eyewitness accounts, wouldn't these pictures be more fitting and truthful?
What part is okay about of the LDS church misrepresenting the true translations of the Book of Mormon? Are they embarrassed that their founder used a Seer Stone or "peep stone" — a supernatural device that was commonly used by "money
diggers" of the day that purportedly allowed the seer to locate hidden
treasure or to divine other things of a hidden nature. Considering he was arrested and taken to court for 'glass looking' and 'peep-stoning'. Why would they be forthcoming about the true accounts? Joseph, himself, refused to state exactly how because of this court hearings and arrests, knowing the truth would sway anyone from following him. What else is the LDS Church White Washing and Changing?
