When i was 21 years of age i was working my fathers farm in michigan. In order to truly understand the book of mormon witnesses and the issues with their claims, one must understand the magical worldview of many people in early 19th century new england. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. My dear friend, the book of mormon is a gift from god to you. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 1 mormons in. Ten littleknown facts about the book of mormon meridian. Taken together with the additional witnesses, mentioned especially by paul and in the book of mormon, numerous people bear testimony of the reality of the resurrection of the lord jesus christ. After being challenged by a rival attorney during a trial, cowdery affirms that his written testimony of seeing the golden plates is true. He was excommunicated from the church in 1838 and forced to leave the area.
In this video, i discuss how relying on the published testimony of eight witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was completely natural and physical. In my personal experience, and as a member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints sometimes mistakenly called the mormon church, i have heard it described as everything from interesting, false, uplifting, or contrary to the bible. While this was a late recollection on cannons part, anderson justifies using it by stating that cannon had a remarkable intellect and a. Of the eight witnesses, irr notes, all eight had close personal ties to joseph smiths familyfour were david whitmers brothers, a fifth was married to a whitmer sister, and josephs father and two brothers made up the remaining three. Book of mormon witnesses facts, controversies, and contradictions.
Irr facts on the book of mormon witnesses jole groat. The first edition of the book of mormon featured two testimonials. Book of mormon witnesses, we dont have their signatures. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition by anderson, richard lloyd. By richard packham at the front of every copy of the book of mormon you will find the testimony of three witnesses, as signed by oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies center. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 1 mormons. Here are a few key points from the essays listed above. Mcconkie being a very prominent contributor, having established himself as a student of scripture. Jacob whitmer one of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon, was the second son of peter whitmer, sen.
Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director witnesses. By providing the testimonies of witnesses and including them at the end of the book of mormon, joseph smith was following not only the ancient pattern called for by nephi, but also the guidance and inspiration of the lord. It also contains biographical and historical information relating to the book of mormon. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that joseph smiths translation had been accomplished by the gift and power of god. When i was a missionary, my understanding and impression from looking at the testimony of the three and eight witnesses in the book of mormon was that the signatures and statements were legally binding documents in which the names represented signatures on the original document similar to those you would see on the original us declaration of. For reasons that are not completely clear, smith and cowderys relationship soured. In every copy of the book of mormon is the signed statement by the witnesses. They became the parents of nine children, of whom only two were.
In september, 1878, in company with apostle orson pratt, the writer visited david whitmer, at richmond, ray county, missouri. Faithpromoting material about the book of mormon witnesses like. Love for the book of mormon expands ones love for the bible and vice versa. Documents bearing the signatures of the three witnesses, from left. Martin harris shows signs of being an unstable person in terms of his religious convictions. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ. It is the word of god given through the prophet joseph smith to us today. The testimony of the eight witnesses was first published at the end of the 1830 edition of the book of mormon and has been printed in nearly every edition since, although most subsequent editions moved the statement to the front of the book and included minor grammatical corrections. Cowderys elevated status as second elder and witness to the book of mormon. Chart 1018 lists eighteen recorded appearances of the resurrected christ. It is inconclusive if the witnesses actually saw plates or if they only claimed to see them.
The most significant witnesses are the three witnesses and the eight witnesses, all of whom allowed their names to be used on two separate statements included with the book of mormon. If you read it and pray about its teachings, i promise you it will change your life. Modern mormon spin doctors write all kinds of articles claiming that the witnesses may have denied the mormon church but they never the book of mormon. Further facts in relation to the manuscript of the book of mormon. The book of mormon contains two sets of joint statements written by joseph smith for those who claimed to have seen the gold plates. If you have a testimony of its truthfulness, everything else about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, it must follow, is true also. Their written testimony of three witnesses has been included in all of the almost 100 million copies of the book of mormon the church has published since 1830. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 2 mormons in. The evidence left by the book of mormon witnesses is rich, varied, and. The book of mormon is a witness to the truth of the bible. A discussion of the witnesses of the golden plates of the book of mormon and the implications of their testimony. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 2 mormons. Oliver cowdery testifies in court about the golden plates and book of mormon.
The only visual record the lds church has is the printers copy made by oliver cowdery, all in his handwriting, including the signatures of the three men. The following two essays provide a very good analysis. Scriptures of the restoration do not compete with the bible. Oliver cowdery testifies in court about the golden plates. This is a photomechanical reprint of the first edition 1830 of the book of mormon. Some mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of mormon but came back to deny their denial. Alexander, journal of mormon history january, 2017 continuing the project begun in 1996, dan vogel has published the second collection of documents relating to the early history of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The second video is now available oct 2014 that focuses on the eight witnesses. In studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ. It says the witnesses saw the plates, and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of god. Much has been said about the book of mormon since its first publication in the 1800s. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses book of mormon. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses deseret book.
Richard lloyd anderson presents evidence from original sources on each of the eleven witnesses and concludes. According to david whitmer, each of the three witnesses added their signatures to the original book of mormon manuscript. A frequent claim is that a book of mormon witnesses said that he only handled the plates while they were covered in a tow frock. Book of mormon witnesses, we dont have their signatures references 1 testimony of eight witnesses, june 1829, 2 us declaration of independence, july 1776, library of congress for. One of the best sources of current scholarship on the book of mormon and other lds topics is the new mormon interpreter, a site managed by daniel peterson.
Historical evidence has led many people to question the authenticity of the book of mormon and the credibility of joseph smiths story. For instance, all 11 witnesses to the book of mormon shared a common worldview of second sight, magic, and treasure digging. There are many statements given by the witnesses that indicate they only saw the angel and the plates in a visionary experience. For a huge array of resources, talks, articles, videos, and so forth, go to or.
Ancient documents often needed the signatures of witnesses in order to be considered authentic or legally binding. These men signed statements declaring the book of mormon was true, and that. Additional information on the individual witnesses and their statements are available in the maxwell institutes digital collection. The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. Cowderys elevated status as second elder and witness to the book of mormon was eventually lost amid accusations of adultery and theft.
Book of mormonwitnessessignatures on their testimonies. That means 37% of them can be considered as credible by virtue of not being excommunicated. Faithpromoting material about the book of mormon witnesses like cowdery claims. The author, richard lloyd anderson, gives many historical details about the statements of such critics and the sources and background of their statements. Statements clearly traced to the witnesses verify the testimonies printed in the book of mormon. Did book of mormon witnesses simply see the golden plates with. What we have for footnotes in the standard works today is the result of many lifetimes worth of diligent scripture study, and thousands of hours work completed as part of a huge effort led by the apostles thomas s. Bofm witnesses presentation provides a spiritual and temporal witness of the realities of the book of mormon.
In the introductory pages of the book of mormon, there is a page that contains. Witnesses to the golden plates mormon facts youtube. Book of mormon witnesses pt 1 the three dan vogel duration. Many critics of the book of mormon witnesses say that the witnesses of the book of mormon denied their written testimonies in statements to different people over the years. Those who would defend traditional beliefs about mormon origins often turn to the testimonies of 11 men. The methodological errors in thinking book of mormon locations ought to be identified today are thoroughly and insightfully addressed in a 1993 article by william hamblin, entitled basic methodological problems with the antimormon approach to the geography and archaeology of the book of mormon journal of book of mormon studies 21 spring. The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the book of mormon. All of the living book of mormon witnesses, except oliver cowdery, later accepted james strangs prophetic claim of being josephs true successor and joined his church. One of the most amazing facts about the book of mormon is that it took joseph smith only about sixtyfive working days to translate a book that, in the current edition, is 531 pages long. Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. He removed with his parents to new york state when a boy, and married elizabeth schott, september 29, 1825. In fact, david whitmer, one of the initial three witnesses, could easily have been addressing todays skeptics when he declared i was not under.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading investigating the book of mormon witnesses. Welch, foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that joseph smiths translation had been accomplished. Three witnesses the three witnesses are david whitmer, oliver cowdery, and martin harris, who mortgaged his farm to finance the first printing of the book of mormon. Vogels main treatments of this subject are in his early mormon documents, 3.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The book of mormon contains the fullness of the gospel of jesus christ. Richard anderson investigating the book of mormon witnesses, 1981 admits the third handnature of this account, but still uses it as evidence, attributing its most accurate telling to george q. The original manuscript of the book of mormon, which supposedly contained the original signatures, was placed by smith in the cornerstone of the nauvoo house in 1841. The three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon.
While joseph was still translating the book of mormon. As noted earlier, money digging and treasure seeking were generally accompanied by. The historical narrative surrounding the book of mormon witnesses presents a. Also see the vast body of scholarship in past and current publications at the maxwell institute. Where do exmomons believe the book of mormon came from. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses, three men who were allowed to see an angel and the physical gold. Additional book of mormon witnesses journey of faith films. Additional book of mormon witnesses posted by ben on sep, 2012 in book of mormon witnesses 0 comments. How long did it take joseph smith to translate the book of. David whitmer, one of the book of mormons three witnesses, said if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon. In this carefully researched, thoughtprovoking book, dr. The key to knowing whether the book of mormon is a true record of the saviors dealings with an ancient people is to read the book with an open mind and follow the steps outlined by the book of mormon prophet moroni near the end of the book which reads. None of the signatures promoted by the church were penned by the witnesses.
In most cases, the time and place of the appearance are known, and specific. His 1981 book investigating the book of mormon witnesses explores the lives and characters of the witnesses in great detail, but nothing is said about their propensities for visionary experience. The witnesses experiences may have only been visionary in nature. The united states declaration of independence signatures. The united states declaration of independence signatures versus the book of mormon testimony of three and eight witnesses signatures. The 1841 liverpool edition was the first edition to move the witness page to the front. These are people who believed in folk magic, divining rods, visions, second sight, peep stones in hats, treasure hunting money digging or glass looking, and so on. Richard lloyd anderson, personal writings of the book of mormon witnesses, in book of mormon authorship revisited. Teachings of the seventies the bible is one witness of jesus christ. Book of mormon witnesses consistently reaffirmed their testimony since there is no evidence of any document whatsoever with the signatures of all of the witnesses, the only real testimonies we have from the witnesses are later interviews given by them and eyewitness accountsaffidavits made by others, some of which are shown previously. It is claimed that no document exists of the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses which contain their actual signatures, and that this somehow invalidates their testimonies as printed in the book of mormon, and that the witnesses statements in the book of mormon manuscript are written and signed only by oliver cowdery. The testimonies of the witnesses printed in the book of mormon offer compelling. However, this report is from william smith, one of josephs brothers who was not a book of mormon witness.
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