Author: Jonathan Neville

March 26 is a great day to think about the Book of Mormon. It’s an anniversary, of sorts. I posted some observations on the Letter VII blog:

http://www.lettervii.com/2020/03/march-26-1830-and-2020.html
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After my post yesterday, people have wondered about comparison tables.

It seems obvious that anyone interested in the topics of Book of Mormon geography/historicity and the translation of the text would like to see a summary of the original sources and the interpretations of those sources. 

Comparison charts and tables can help people make informed decisions. They are an effective way to organize “good information” as we discussed yesterday.

You might wonder why you have never seen such comparison charts.

I was once in a meeting with some of my M2C friends (people who advocate the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory). The topic of a comparison table or chart came up. While some thought it would be a good idea, the “boss” refused to participate in any such comparison. He said that if members of the Church saw such a comparison chart, most of them would choose the New York/One Cumorah ideas over M2C.

[That will be the new acronym, btw. NY/1C vs. M2C. It’s important to remember that the location of Cumorah, which as been well established by the prophets, says nothing about the location of other Book of Mormon events, as the prophets have also taught.]

It seems axiomatic that most Church members who don’t already have an investment in one theory or another would choose H1C over M2C once they knew what the prophets have taught about the NY Cumorah and have compared the evidence and rationale for each alternative. That’s why you will never see an accurate, complete comparison chart published by the M2C citation cartel (consisting of Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, the Interpreter, Meridian Magazine, BYU Studies, etc.). M2C thrives where people don’t know anything else.

I encourage you to create your own comparison tables

I’ve compiled a few comparison tables in the past. Here are some that compare elements of NY1C with M2C.

1. This post includes a table comparing who has taught the New York Cumorah with who has taught the Mexican Cumorah.

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/05/memorial-day-2019.html

2. This one compares the two narratives and asks which makes the most sense to you.

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/03/which-cumorah-narrative-makes-sense-to.html

3. This post sets out the respective biases so you can see which one is closest to your own biases.

http://bookofmormonconsensus.blogspot.com/2017/07/check-your-biases-updated.html

4. At the end of this one is a table that shows which of Oliver Cowdery’s activities and writings are “okay” and which are not, according to M2C scholars.

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2018/02/getting-real-about-cumorah-part-5b.html

5. This post includes a table comparing M2C to the teachings of the RLDS scholar L.E. Hills:

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/03/the-m2c-hoax-part-4-rlds-won.html

This is a great day to think about the Book of Mormon. It’s an anniversary, of sorts.

On March 26, 1830, the Wayne Sentinel (a newspaper in Palmyra, NY), published an announcement.

It was the full text of the Title Page of the Book of Mormon, followed by this:

BY JOSEPH SMITH JUNIOR, Author and Proprietor.

(Joseph had to label himself as author for copyright reasons.)

The announcement continued with this:

The above work, containing about 600 pages, large Duodecimo, is now for sale, wholesale and retail, at the Palmyra Bookstore, by
                           HOWARD & GRANDIN.
     PALMYRA, March 26, 1830.

You can see a copy of the original newspaper on the BYU Library web page here:

https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/BOMP/id/218

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I’ve always liked the 1830 edition because it is easy to read. Years ago when I taught in the MTC (then the LTM) I used to give each missionary a copy of their favorite Book of Mormon verse from the 1830 edition. Most of them had never seen what the 1830 edition looked like.

If you don’t have a physical copy of the 1830 edition (replica or original), you can read it on several web pages, including the Joseph Smith Papers. Here is a link for 4 early editions.

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/the-papers/revelations-and-translations/jsppr4

If you’re using Wordcruncher, as I strongly recommend, you can purchase the 1830 edition edited by Royal Skousen, which I also strongly recommend. Here’s the link:

https://wordcruncher.com/

The other scripture study tool I recommend is Scripture Notes.

https://scripturenotes.com/

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If you don’t have a physical copy of the 1830 edition, the replica I like best is here:

https://www.cumorahlandpress.com/product-page/1830-book-of-mormon-replica

In 1879, the Church published an edition of the Book of Mormon with the chapters and verses we’re familiar with today. Orson Pratt divided the text this way. For example, he divided the Isaiah chapters so they would exactly resemble the KJV chapters.

The RLDS Church also divided the text into verses, but they retained the original chapters. These chapters were pretty long in some cases, so the RLDS editions have many verses. Some chapters have over 200 verses.

For example, the LDS edition starts the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi with Chapter 12 (equivalent to Isaiah 2). Chapter 13 corresponds to Isaiah 3, and so on.

In the 1830 edition (and the current RLDS/CoC editions), the Isaiah material begins after Jacob’s introduction in 2 Nephi Chapter VIII. Chapter VIII continues all the way through the LDS chapter 16.

Here is a table to convert 1830/RLDS chapter to 1879 and later LDS editions:

http://centerplace.org/hs/bofm/BofM_RLDS-LDSCrossReference.pdf
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There are lots of ways to study the Book of Mormon. 

The main point, of course, is to use the Book of Mormon to bring you closer to Jesus Christ. Never lose sight of that.

Tomorrow is the 190th anniversary of the first announcement that the Book of Mormon was published and available for sale (which I will discuss tomorrow). This is a good time to consider what sources of information we rely upon as we study the Book of Mormon and the teachings of the prophets.

In his second General Conference talk as President of the Church (April 2018), titled “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” President Nelson said, “I know that good inspiration is based upon good information.“

He modeled that important principle as he explained:

Because I know that good inspiration is based upon good information, I prayerfully met one-on-one with each Apostle. I then sequestered myself in a private room in the temple and sought the Lord’s will. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng

President Nelson went on to explain the importance of unity.

In our meetings, the majority never rules! We listen prayerfully to one another and talk with each other until we are united. Then when we have reached complete accord, the unifying influence of the Holy Ghost is spine-tingling! We experience what the Prophet Joseph Smith knew when he taught, “By union of feeling we obtain power with God.”

This is, or should be, a model for all members of the Church. If we seek unity, we should first obtain good information and then seek good inspiration, through prayer and deliberation with others.

Readers here know that I write often about M2C and SITH. I think these are critical issues to discuss because they both directly pertain to the keystone of our religion, the Book of Mormon. IMO, Church members should be united on these issues, but we all know there are deep differences of opinion.

Many faithful Church members are deeply attached to these ideas. M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory of Book of Mormon geography and historicity) and SITH (the stone-in-the-hat theory of translation) are prevalent among many LDS intellectuals and their followers. They are depicted in Church media, manuals, visitors centers, etc. 

Nevertheless, many faithful members of the Church reject M2C and SITH because they think both theories contradict the teachings of the scriptures and the prophets.

Both sides cite Church history sources, the teachings of the prophets, and extrinsic evidence to support their views. 

How is this possible?

One’s views on M2C and SITH are not a test of faithfulness or intelligence. To a large degree, what one believes about these matters is a function of what one was taught. 

Few people make informed decisions about these theories. Because we can’t be experts in everything, we defer to people we trust. I know I did. When I attended Seminary and BYU, I trusted my teachers and professors.

But that is the opposite of what President Nelson taught. 

He did not say “good inspiration comes from deferring to others.” 

Instead of deferring to my professors, I should have considered their views along with the “good information” that is widely available to anyone who seeks it. It took me a long time to realize my professors had misled me. Hopefully you can learn faster than I did.

I hope we can heed President Nelson’s counsel about good information and good inspiration and thereby, hopefully, we can seek and achieve the unity that we all want as members of the Church.
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How can we find and consider good information?

Here are a few steps to consider.

1. First, check your ego. If studying and discussing these issues makes you angry, defensive, or upset, ask yourself why. Do you have an investment in your preferred theories? You might have a financial, psychological, social, professional, emotional or other investment that is preventing you from thinking clearly.

2. Second, check your sources. If everything you know about Book of Mormon geography/historicity and the translation of the Book of Mormon comes from a source that has an agenda, consider additional sources. Because every source has an agenda, you should consider original sources. Focus on the scriptures (not someone’s interpretation of the scriptures), original documents, and the teachings of the prophets from the beginning through today. When you  seek interpretations of those sources, be sure to get a variety of interpretations.

3. Third, check your thinking. We are all susceptible to bias confirmation, logical fallacies, etc. Here’s a test: if you are unable to articulate a different perspective, you cannot understand that perspective, which means you are merely confirming your own biases. You don’t have to agree with another perspective, but if you can’t understand and articulate that perspective accurately then you are applying a mental filter that leads you to think those who disagree with you are stupid, blind, ignorant, evil, or have some other defect. Such filters prevent you from considering good information.

4. Fourth, check your own intentions. If you seek the truth, regardless of consequences, and you consider good information, you will be able to obtain good inspiration. This is as simple and true as “Seek and ye shall find.” As President Nelson has taught, this is how we receive revelation. Another way to describe this process is making informed decisions. This is how we ultimately achieve unity. 

With respect to M2C and SITH specifically, look for sources that provide references to the teachings of the prophets and original sources. See if they offer detailed comparisons of the various alternatives.
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I would leave it there except we have a serious problem in the Church. I’ve described it as the Academic Cycle. It is merely the latest manifestation of the age-old conflict between prophets and scholars.

We recognize it in the scriptures. Some examples:

2 Nephi 9:28–29 When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

2 Nephi 9:42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches

Alma 10:15 Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession.

Alma 32:23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.

There are several well-known sources of information about M2C and SITH on the Internet that many people are familiar with, including FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central (BMC), CES Letter, and Mormon Stories. Each portrays itself as unbiased and objective, but each has a strong bias that drives their content.

If you consult any of these, be cognizant of their biases. FairMormon and BMC strongly advocate M2C and SITH. CES Letter and Mormon Stories agree with FairMormon and BMC on many issues and share many of the same assumptions, but seek to undermine faith overall.

In my opinion, none of them accept the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah or the translation of the plates with the Urim and Thummim. You can read their web pages and see for yourself.

Lately, BMC may be the best known to Church members because the organization spends millions of dollars each year to promote its agenda. Many Church members go to BMC or FairMormon to find answers about M2C and SITH. Like most sources, BMC offers good and bad information. As long as you’re aware of the organization’s objectives, you can find a lot of useful information there.

The problem with BMC is it claims to be a repository of information about the Book of Mormon, and it claims to follow the Church’s policy of neutrality, but in reality it’s merely an advocacy group, dedicated to promoting M2C. It raises and spends millions of dollars to pursue enforce M2C.

BMC is not a serious academic institution; it is merely a front for its corporate owner, BMAF, which has been promoting M2C for decades. This is evident in its logo, which incorporates a Mayan glyph to represent the Book of Mormon, in conjunction with with Hebrew (Old Testament), Greek (New Testament) and Egyptian (Pearl of Great Price).

BMC is the intellectual descendant of FARMS, which has been promoting M2C since its inception in 1979. (which is why BMC retained the FARMS logo.)

Like FARMS, BMC is not only uninterested in the pursuit of truth regarding these matters, but it actively opposes and censors good information that contradicts M2C.

Lately, it has also embraced SITH.

Those of us who still believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah and the translation of the plates with the Urim and Thummim have been excluded from any dialog with the scholars at BMC and related organizations. 

Employees and affiliates of BMC actively oppose and seek to censor any discussion of the teachings of the prophets and other original sources that contradict M2C.

Just to be clear, I have no problem with BMC or any other group promoting its message. Advocacy groups are entitled to promote their views, and it is beneficial for everyone to hear various messages.

Just be sure that when you read information, you use discretion to distinguish between advocacy and facts. 

If you’re interested in comparison tables, I’ve posted several that most readers here are already familiar with. You can email me for links, etc.

 A final thought from President Nelson:

We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.

I’ve discussed this before:

https://presidentnelsonspeaks.blogspot.com/2018/11/good-inspiration-and-good-information.html

Utah just experienced a significant earthquake. Because we’re living on a farm near Palmyra, New York, we have only heard about the earthquake from friends and the media. We hope everyone in Utah is fine.

Here’s a map: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uu60363602/map

Here’s a map of aftershocks.

I was just about to post a message about good news, too. Figures.
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Everyone is understandably obsessed with the news about COVID-19. Consequently, I haven’t posted anything for a while.

On the other hand, many people have more time on their hands than usual. This could be a good time to learn more about Church history and the Book of Mormon (as Church leaders have encouraged us to do). Next week I’ll resume posting with some important observations, but for now, I want to mention something about the virus.

Most readers here know that we were living in China last fall. We left January 3 for a trip to Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, but then we returned to China for about 10 days for a conference and tour of southern China.

I mention this because we were about one day ahead of the virus everywhere we went, meaning authorities closed down public places the day after we left. We went to Vietnam, and then Australia, just a day or two before Australia closed to people who had been in China. We spent two weeks in Australia (hence the clean bill of health) before going to Singapore, Bali, New Zealand, and finally the U.S.

Driving in the Northern Territory

While driving through the Outback, I recorded some videos that I’ll post when I get time to edit them.

We attended church regularly the whole time, but never in the same place more than once. Since December, we’ve attended Church in China, Macao, Laos, Sri Lanka, two wards in Australia, one in NZ, one in Utah, one in NY, and one in NJ. We would have attended last week in Oregon except church was cancelled.

All of this has left me with great optimism for the future. President Nelson has also expressed his optimism and confidence. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-message-covid-19
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Regarding the virus specifically, for those interested in positive news, here’s an awesome description of how things will be better on the other side of the emergency:

We visited the Priesthood Restoration Site in Harmony, Pennsylvania, the other day. It is a wonderful site in every respect. I’ve visited many times, starting with the day before the official opening. It’s one of my favorite Church history sites.

Because the site is on a small road far from the main freeway and not well publicized, we assume most visitors are Church members. However, the day I was there, local non-member residents were visiting for the first time.

On this visit, I noticed some new terminology about the translation of the Book of Mormon that I thought readers would be interested in.
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Home in Harmony, PA, where Joseph translated the abridge plates

Background. After Joseph obtained the abridged plates (see the Title Page) from Moroni’s stone box in the hill Cumorah near Palmyra, NY, he and Emma moved to Harmony, PA, where Emma had grown up. There, he translated all of the abridged plates (except the sealed portion) with Martin Harris (the 116 lost pages) and Oliver Cowdery (Mosiah through Moroni) acting as scribes. Before leaving Harmony for Fayette, NY, Joseph gave the plates to a divine messenger.

The messenger took the abridged plates back to the hill Cumorah. He then took the original (unabridged) record of Nephi (see D&C 10) to Fayette, showed them to Mary Whitmer, and gave them to Joseph Smith, who translated the record as 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon.

Translation. Because Harmony is such an important location for the translation of the Book of Mormon, you might think that visitors would learn all about what Joseph and Oliver said about the translation.

You would be wrong.

You might also think that Joseph Smith translated the Nephite records with the Urim and Thummim that Moroni put in the stone box with the abridged plates. This would be understandable; that is what Joseph reported in Joseph Smith-History 1:35, 42, 52, 59 and 62. Oliver Cowdery was a second witness of these events, as he described in Note 1.

If you grew up in the Church before about a decade ago, this is what you learned. (It’s still what you learn if you actually read the scriptures.)

You might also remember Joseph’s 1842 letter titled Church History, better known as the Wentworth Letter. (Remember, if you want to read the full Wentworth Letter you need to go to this link or the Joseph Smith Papers, because the manual Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith actually deleted key passages from the original letter.) Here is what Joseph taught about the translation in the Wentworth letter.

With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rims of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.
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Now for the take-away lesson from the visitors center at the Priesthood Restoration Site.

Forget whatever you thought you knew about the Urim and Thummim. That idea, as they say, is now apparently the “old” history. 

In the revised history, Joseph used “translation instruments,” mainly (or exclusively) a seer or “peep” stone that he put into a hat. This is SITH, for the “stone-in-the-hat” theory. 
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Here is the exhibit on the translation at the Priesthood Restoration Site.

If you look closely, this exhibit about the translation doesn’t even use the words Urim and Thummim. The phrase has apparently been de-correlated.

In fact, the exhibit never quotes the teachings of Joseph Smith or Oliver Cowdery about the translation.

Instead of quoting Joseph or Oliver, the exhibit quotes David Whitmer!

Why? Because David described the seer or “peep” stone:

“oval-shaped, chocolate-colored stone, about the size of an egg, only more flat”

Look at the entire quotation in context.

By fervent prayer and by otherwise humbling himself, the prophet, however, again found favor, and was presented with a strange oval-shaped, chocolate-colored stone, about the size of an egg, only more flat, which, it was promised, should serve the same purpose as the missing urim and thummim (the latter was a pair of transparent stones set in a bow-shaped frame and very much resembled a pair of spectacles). With this stone all of the present Book of Mormon was translated.*

When read in context, the Whitmer quotation from the Priesthood Restoration Site Visitors Center directly contradicts the claim of the exhibit that Joseph used multiple “translation instruments” to translate the plates.

David claimed the entire Book of Mormon was translated with SITH.

Actually, all the statements cited to support SITH claim Joseph did not use the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon we have today. Yet we keep being told in exhibits such as this, as well as in the Saints book, volume 1, that Joseph used both “translation instruments,” a version of events that is supported by no historical sources.

Here’s how the placard in the Visitors Center, to the left of the photo of the seer stone, explains the translation.

Joseph Smith was inspired by God in his effort to translate the ancient record. At times when exercising the gift of revelation, Joseph used sacred physical objects to translate. He used the translation instruments buried with the record. And at other times, he used a seer stone, which he placed inside a hat to block out light.

At first Joseph copied characters from the plates before trying to translate them. Over time he often worked without referring to the plates, which were covered or hidden close by.

The much different alternative version is found in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith-History 1:62. For example, Joseph did not merely “try” to translate the characters. He did translate them.

By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following.

It seems to me that a historical display about the translation would be more accurate and informative if, instead of the revisionist historians’ interpretation of the claims of critics, it quoted the scriptures and other teachings by Joseph and Oliver.

But that’s just me.
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We’ve discussed before that the historical record shows that SITH was an explicit alternative to the Urim and Thummim narrative taught by Joseph and Oliver. Until recently, there was always a clear distinction between what Joseph and Oliver taught (the Urim and Thummim) and what critics claimed (SITH).

And yet now, our own visitors centers not only don’t teach what Joseph and Oliver taught, but they teach what only the critics used to claim.

To see how this issue was handled in the late 1800s, when David Whitmer’s statement first surfaced, read the 1888 article below.*

In my view, that article is a far more persuasive explanation of the various accounts than the narrative provided by the revisionist Church historians.

(For those interested, I’ve provided much more detail in my book, A Man that Can Translate.)

One more thing to notice. To support SITH, the exhibit also includes excepts from a statement from Lucy Mack Smith involving Joseph’s activities before he got the plates, as if that is relevant to the translation.

More later.

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*The references for this statement include “Mormon Relics,” The Sunday Inter-Ocean, Vol. 15, No. 207 (Chicago, Illinois, 17 Oct. 1886), and Saints’ Herald 33 (13 November 1886).

See, e.g., https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/note-on-seer-stone-images

Let’s look at what the 1888 Saints’ Herald had to say about David Whitmer’s SITH claim.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo., Feb. 12th. 

Bro. Blair:-In Herald for February 11th is an article from the Richmond Democrat concerning the death and testimony of David Whitmer, is the following: “The result of this vision was a proclamation setting forth the facts enumerated. The “urim and thummim,” mentioned in the account of the vision were a pair of transparent stone spectacles, Smith would put on the spectacles, when a few words of the text of the Book of Mormon would appear on the lenses. When these were correctly transcribed by Cowdery, who acted as his amanuensis, these words would disappear and others take their place. 

When one hundred and sixteen pages were completed, Smith entrusted them to Martin Harris, to take to his home with a view to convert his family to the new faith. They were placed at night in a bureau drawer and next morning were missing, having been stolen. They were never found and never replaced, so that the Book of Mormon to-day is short that number of pages of the original matter.

As a chastisement for his carelessness [in losing the 116 pages], the urim and thummim was taken from Smith. But by humbling himself, he again found favor with the Lord, and was presented with a strange oval shaped, chocolate colored stone, about the size of an egg, but more flat, which it was promised should answer the same purpose. 

With this stone all the present book was translated. The prophet would place the stone in a hat, then put his face in the hat and read the words that appeared thereon. This stone is the only relic of the prophet’s work in existence which is not in possession of Mr. Whitmer. It was confided to Oliver Cowdery and preserved by him until his death in 1852. After that event Phineas Young succeeded in getting it from Cowdery’s widow and it is now among the sacred relics preserved at Salt Lake City.” 

Now there must be a mistake somewhere, for history informs us that about April or May, in 1828, Martin Harris took the manuscript home to his family and they were lost, and Joseph lost the gift of translation for a time.

We find on pages 34 and 35 Life of Joseph the Prophet, that the gift of translation was restored to Joseph, and that in April, 1829, he had a revelation to Oliver Cowerdy, through the Urim and Thummim; also history informs us that through the Urim and Thummim several revelations were given, among them the revelation concerning John the beloved, (Doc. Cov. Sec. 6), and the revelation to Hyrum Smith, May 1829, (Doc. Cov. Sec. 10). 

All this happened before any of the Whitmer’s joined the church, for Hyrum Smith, David Whitmer and Peter Whitmer, were baptized the same day in June, 1829. 

This article purports to come from David Whitmer, and it states that Joseph did not have the Urim and Thummin restored to him at all, but that in its stead a strange oval shaped chocolate colored stone, about the size of an egg was given him. 

For one I would like to know which is correct.” 

I would like that some one through the columns of the Herald would give us the straight of this matter, also if there is any truth in the statement. Is that strange, oval shaped, chocolate colored stone in Salt Lake City ? R. MAY. 

Replying to the above we have to say that, David Whitmer was not a competent witness in respect to the Urim and Thummim having been taked from Joseph the Seer, for he was not personally acquainted with the facts, and could have no knowledge of them except by hearsay, as he did not meet with Joseph the Seer till in June, 1829, whereas it was in June, 1828, —one year before—that the Urim and Thummim was taken because Joseph had suffered the one hundred and sixteen pages of the manuscript to be lost through the importunities and carelessness of Martin Harris. 

Joseph the Seer, in his “History,” informs us that the Urim and Thummim was restored to him, and that he not only translated with it, but that he also obtained many revelations through it. 

And Oliver Cowdery, who became Joseph’s scribe to write the Book of Mormon April 7th, 1829, about two months before David Whitmer first visited Joseph, states in his letters written to the Messenger and Advocate in 1834, as follows: 

“Near the time of the setting of the sun, Sabbath evening, April 5th, 1829, my natural eyes, for the first time beheld this brother. He then re sided in Harmony, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. On Monday, the 6th, I assisted him in arranging some business of a temporal nature, and on Tuesday, the 7th, commenced to write the Book of Mormon. 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, uninterruptedly 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.”—Letters of Oliver Cowdery, Page 2. 

Joseph the Seer states in the Times and Seasons, March 1842, vol. 3, p. 707, in reply to a letter written him by John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, as follows: “With the record [plates. Ed.], was found a curious instrument which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.” 

Whoever will now turn to the Book of Mormon and read the following passages will learn clearly how the Lord provided “means” for the translation of the Book of Mormon: Mosiah 5: 10, 11; 12: 3; Book of Mormon 4: 2, 8. These texts show what “means” God had prepared “for the interpretation” of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. 

The testimony of these texts and that of Joseph the Seer and Oliver Cowdery harmonize, therefore we endorse it instead of that which purports to be the testimony of David Whitmer. 

David Whitmer, we repeat, was not a competent witness as to the “means” used by the Seer in translating the Book of Mormon. He did not meet Joseph the Seer until at least two months after Oliver Cowdery had been writing the Book of Mormon as the Seer translated it. 

David Whitmer never wrote a line of the Book of Mormon; and there is no evidence at hand to prove that the Seer ever showed him the “means” by which he translated. 

The purported testimony of David Whitmer as to the “means” by which the Book of Mormon was translated, is that of a man who had no direct hand in that translation, being neither translator nor scribe, but simply a “witness” after its translation, while, on the other hand, the testimony of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery is that of men who were the immediate agents in the translation, the first being the translator, and the other the one who wrote it, word by word, as dictatated [sic] by the translator. 

The testimony of Joseph and Oliver was given in the first years of the church, while these matters were fresh in the minds of these chief actors and the Saints; while that which purports to come from David Whitmer was given when he had became feeble with infirmities and multi plied years. One is the testimony of men who knew; the other is of one who did not personally know.

We can see no reason why Joseph and Oliver should say the translation was done by “means” of the Urim and Thummim— the “interpreters”—if in fact it was done by means of a “stone.” 

In either case it would be miraculous, and nothing special to be gained by alleging that it was translated by the Urim and Thummim if it was not. 

Whatever David Whitmer may or may not have said on this point, it should be remembered that he had little or nothing to do with the Church and its history since the spring of 1838—fifty long years—and it is not difficult, from this fact, to account for errors in memory and defects in judgment which have been painfully apparent of late. The fact that David Whitmer remained idle, comparatively, in ministerial matters, for about fifty years, should be accepted as clear proof that the Lord did not call him of late to set in order and correct either the history, the doctrine, the organization, or the government of the Church. 

And not having been called to that work, it is both vexatious, misleading, and dangerous to give heed to what purports to be his efforts in that direction. It is unpleasant to reply to inquiries coming to us relative to what David Whitmer has said or done; but when pertinent, proper inquiries are made, we must lay aside our personal preferences and attend on the duties of a vigilant, faithful “watchman.” Rumor has it that the “stone” in question went into the hands of Phineas Young.

M2C has made significant inroads. Adapted for commentary from https://www.toonsmag.com/corona-virus/

The corona virus (COVID 19) is a good metaphor for the way M2C has infected the Church.

[For those new here, M2C is the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory promoted by certain intellectuals. The basic claims are that (i) the prophets have been wrong about the New York Cumorah, and (ii) the “real” Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is somewhere in southern Mexico.]

Every time you read a story about the corona virus, consider how that story also applies to M2C. It is spread by close contact with infected people, and it is fatal for some individuals, but not everyone.

Many people are taking precautions by wearing masks, washing hands, etc. Some are buying provisions, taking inventory and rebuilding their food storage, etc.

What are you doing to protect yourself against the spread of M2C?

You can start by reviewing what the prophets have taught about Cumorah, such as the references here:

http://www.lettervii.com/p/byu-packet-on-cumorah.html
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Another aspect of M2C is reflected by this excerpt from an editorial in the WSJ:

An entire generation of American adults are too young to remember the suffering socialism caused during the 20th century. Collective historical ignorance is becoming a real threat. Those of us who remember have a responsibility to educate young Americans about the poverty and tyranny that inevitably follows socialism.

We can paraphrase that this way:

An entire generation of Latter-day Saint adults are too young to remember the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. Collective historical ignorance is becoming a real threat.

Those of us who remember have a responsibility to educate young Latter-day Saints about the inevitable slide into believing the Book of Mormon is fiction that comes from learning the geography from the writings of the M2C intellectuals and the CES/BYU fantasy maps that put Cumorah somewhere in southern Mexico.

Since January 3, I’ve been on 27 airline flights and visited 10 countries. I attended church and/or visited with members and missionaries in five of those countries. I regularly hear from members from around the world.

One issue that frequently arises is the nature of the translation of the Book of Mormon, especially with respect to the stone-in-the-hat vs. the Urim and Thummim. Because there are always new readers of this blog, I’m going to provide a brief overview today.

Here’s my bias: I still believe what Joseph and Oliver taught. But apparently fewer and fewer other people do.
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The SITH (stone-in-the-hat theory) was set out in the book Mormonism Unvailed in 1834.

I call this the “Rise of the SITH.”

The author of Mormonism Unvailed sought to discredit Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I’ve discussed this book before, such as here.

Mormonism Unvailed explained that there were two alternative explanations for the translation of the Book of Mormon: SITH and the Urim and Thummim (U&T).

SITH. According to Mormonism Unvailed, one explanation was that Joseph Smith used a “peep” stone that he found in a well years before he obtained the plates from the hill in New York. Joseph placed the stone into a hat. Words appeared on the stone. He put his face in the hat to block the light and read the words to his scribes (primarily Martin Harris for the 116 pages and Oliver Cowdery for the Book of Mormon we have today).

U&T. According to Mormonism Unvailed, the alternative account held that Joseph Smith used the Urim and Thummim that Moroni provided along with the plates themselves in the stone box on the Hill Cumorah. This is the explanation that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery gave. They set it out in a series of essays about Church history, published in response to Mormonism Unvailed as letters in 1834-5 and republished many times since. Portions of Letter I are contained in the Pearl of Great Price as a note to Joseph Smith-History. In that History, Joseph explains that he used the Urim and Thummim to translate (see the verses at the end of this post).

When Joseph wrote the Wentworth letter in 1842, he reiterated his testimony. “With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rims of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.”

When Oliver Cowdery rejoined the Church, he reiterated his witness and again refuted the teachings of Mormonism Unvailed, as quoted by President Hinckley in General Conference.

“My name is Cowdery—Oliver Cowdery. In the history of the Church I stood … in her councils. Not because I was better than other men was I called … to fill the purposes of God. He called me to a high and holy calling. I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and he translated it by the power and gift of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by that book, ‘Holy Interpreter.’
“I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. … That book is true, Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet. …

(1989, April, Gordon B. Hinckley, ‘Magnify Your Calling,’ Ensign, May 1989, ¶ 26–27)

The clear, unambiguous teachings of Joseph and Oliver were, as Oliver explained, based on fact. The translation with the Urim and Thummim was taught and re-taught in General Conference and throughout the Church.

Historians and Church leaders were well aware of the claims made in Mormonism Unvailed and other sources, including the “Last Testimony” attributed to Emma Smith and the statements of David Whitmer.

Nevertheless, Church leaders repeatedly reaffirmed the testimonies of Joseph and Oliver.

For over 150 years, LDS Church leaders reaffirmed what Joseph and Oliver taught, over and over.

Until recently.
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In recent years, SITH has made a comeback.

We can think of it as “The revenge of the SITH.” Why?

Back in 1834, Mormonism Unvailed used SITH as a tool to oppose and defeat Joseph Smith. 

The SITH has the same impact today.

The slowing growth of the Church in recent years is well known. The decline started in the late 1990s, but has gotten worse since about 2003.

There are many factors to consider, but one of the most obvious is the Revenge of the SITH. After all, if people can be convinced that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery misled the world about the translation of the Book of Mormon (as well as the location of Cumorah), how credible are the rest of their claims?

Revenge of the SITH: Church growth vs world population growth

Remember the essays, published as letters in 1834-5, that Oliver and Joseph wrote in response to Mormonism Unvailed?

Today, those essays are largely unknown to members of the Church. They are disbelieved by our revisionist Church historians and M2C intellectuals.

Groups such as Book of Mormon Central actively teach Church members to disregard the essays.
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We can’t say we have not been warned about the Revenge of the SITH.

In October General Conference in 2003, Elder Robert D. Hales reaffirmed the testimony of Joseph and Oliver, referring to Joseph Smith-History 1:66-67.

After four years of continued obedience, Joseph received the plates on September 22, 1827, at the age of 21. He also received an ancient instrument for translating them, called the Urim and Thummim. Using this sacred interpreter, along with the Holy Ghost, Joseph began the work of translation in December of that year. In time he was joined by a schoolteacher named Oliver Cowdery, who acted as his scribe.
(2003, October, Robert D. Hales, ‘Receiving a Testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ,’ Ensign, November 2003, ¶ 22)

South Park introduces SITH

The next month, on November 19, 2003, an episode of South Park brought SITH to the attention of the world.

Had Church members heeded what Elder Hales taught, they would not have been misled by South Park.
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Sometimes Joseph translated by looking through the interpreters and reading in English the characters on the plates. Often he found a single seer stone to be more convenient. He would put the seer stone in his hat, place his face into the hat to block out the light, and peer at the stone. Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated as Oliver rapidly copied them down.

The Come Follow Me manual describes it like this:

How was the Book of Mormon translated?
The Book of Mormon was translated “by the gift and power of God.” We don’t know many details about the miraculous translation process, but we do know that Joseph Smith was a seer, aided by instruments that God had prepared: two transparent stones called the Urim and Thummim and another stone called a seer stone. Joseph saw in these stones the English interpretation of the characters on the plates, and he read the translation aloud while a scribe recorded it. Each of Joseph’s scribes testified that God’s power was manifest in the translation of this sacred work.

The January Ensign says this:

The “interpreters” used by Joseph during the translation process included the “two stones in
silver bows” that were deposited by Moroni with the plates (see Joseph Smith—History 1:35.) In
addition to these two seer stones, Joseph used at least one other seer stone that the Lord had
provided. 

My favorite explanation, in terms of obfuscation, is in the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation.

Apparently for convenience, Joseph often translated with the single seer stone rather than the two stones bound together to form the interpreters. These two instruments—the interpreters and the seer stone—were apparently interchangeable and worked in much the same way such that, in the course of time, Joseph Smith and his associates often used the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer to the single stone as well as the interpreters.21 … Latter-day Saints later understood the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer exclusively to the interpreters. Joseph Smith and others, however, seem to have understood the term more as a descriptive category of instruments for obtaining divine revelations and less as the name of a specific instrument.

Of course, we can all read what Joseph and Oliver taught and see for ourselves that they never said anything like this. They always said Joseph translated with the Urim and Thummim. So did their peers and successors, all of whom were perfectly familiar with Mormonism Unvailed.

The mixture of the two theories makes no sense because those who claimed Joseph used SITH also said he never used the Urim and Thummim after the 116 pages were lost.

Even Mormonism Unvailed recognized that the two theories were alternative explanations.

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We all recognize that there are historical accounts by others to the effect that Joseph used SITH instead of the Urim and Thummim.

One book by Church historians, titled From Darkness unto Light, sought to reconcile the accounts by claiming that when Joseph and Oliver used the term “Urim and Thummim” they actually meant the seer stone. That’s the claim of the Gospel Topics Essay. Of course, that claim flatly ignores the historical context and the distinction made in Mormonism Unvailed. Unsuspecting readers don’t know that, however, because the authors simply omitted facts that contradicted their theory.

Another way to reconcile the accounts is my proposal that Joseph conducted demonstrations with the seer stone because Moroni had forbidden him from showing the plates and the Urim and Thummim to anyone. I explained this in detail in my book, A Man that Can Translate.

Others think there is no need to reconcile the accounts because one or the other is simply a lie.
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Many members think that, because of the lesson manuals and other materials, we’re supposed to believe SITH instead of what Joseph and Oliver taught.

We’re all free to believe whatever we want. As the data above shows, though, it seems that the adoption of SITH, along with the adoption of M2C, are not leading to growth of the Church.

Fortunately, the prophets teach us to rely on the scriptures, not the lesson manuals and the speculations of historians and M2C intellectuals.

Let’s review what the scriptures say. Especially when read together with the other testimonies provided by Joseph and Oliver, it is difficult to imagine how Joseph could have been more clear about this.

Joseph Smith—History 1:35 Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.
42 Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. 
52 Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger.

Some people have wondered why I’m not posting as often lately. We’ve been traveling for six weeks and have more places to go. Hardly enough time to get on the Internet, let alone write blog posts.

We have lots to discuss here once we settle down, though. Plus,, while driving through the outback in Australia, we recorded some videos that we’ll post on youtube soon.

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One place we visited in January was Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Hanoi Hilton, as it’s commonly called (real name Maison Centrale), was a prison originally built by the French to detain and punish Vietnamese rebels against French rule.

During the Vietnam war, the Vietnamese used it as a prison for Americans.

The perspectives of the Vietnamese are quite different from the perspectives of most Americans who lived during that war. (I was a kid in the Philippines who watched B-52s take off every day on bombing missions to Vietnam.)

From the perspective of many (if not most) Vietnamese, they fought any foreign invader that wanted to control their country, whether it was the French or the Americans.

From the perspective of many Americans (unknown how many were for or against the war), they fought that war to prevent the spread of Communism.

Your opinion about the Vietnam war is mostly a function of what you choose to read, watch, and listen to. There are no objective facts that lead to only one “correct” opinion. It’s all a matter of interpretation of the facts, which usually includes selective acceptance of certain facts and rejection of others.

Our guide told us that most Vietnamese have no idea of the difference between communism and capitalism. They just want to make a living for their families and live in peace.

The Hanoi Hilton is a dramatic example of how the same sets of facts can lead to different conclusions. This produces what some call “two movies on one screen.”
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We have a similar situation with the Book of Mormon.

Most people have no idea what the issues are with respect to Book of Mormon historicity, the location of Cumorah, or even what the prophets have taught. They just want to make a living for their families and live in peace. They seek validation for their beliefs, whatever they are (whether they are LDS or not, active or not, etc.).

Some active, faithful LDS look at the facts and see Book of Mormon events taking place in a limited area within Mesoamerica. Others look at the same facts and see Book of Mormon events taking place in North America, essentially east of the Mississippi.* Others see the events taking place in Panama, or Chile, or Peru, or in Africa or Southeast Asia.

Some former LDS and critics look at the same facts and see the Book of Mormon as fiction. Even some active LDS see the Book of Mormon as fiction.

After all, BYU and CES are teaching the Book of Mormon to students using fantasy maps that portray the Book of Mormon in a fictional setting.

The point to consider is that we each think our beliefs are “correct.” Otherwise, we’d change them to adopt another belief.

This is why, IMO, it is so foolish for Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, the Interpreter, and the other M2C advocates to insist that only M2C is a valid option for believers.

I’m still hopeful that the day will come when they will adopt the Church’s policy of neutrality and embrace, or at least accommodate, the beliefs of those members of the Church who still believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

Maybe they’ll even accommodate the beliefs of those members of the Church who still believe Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon…

Based on my years of experience with the LDS M2C intellectuals, I doubt they will ever embrace neutrality, let alone change their minds.

But we are each responsible for our own beliefs, and we are all free to believe whatever we want. I find that most people, when given a choice, seek to make informed decisions.

And most people who make informed decisions about Book of Mormon historicity choose to accept what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.

We’ll be discussing the implications of all of this in upcoming posts.
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*Ignore those M2C proponents who try to confuse the issue by saying Mesoamerica is in North America because all of “Central America” is technically in North America. We call the theory M2C-the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory because the issue is really about the location of Cumorah. It’s either in New York as the prophets have taught, or its in southern Mexico as certain intellectuals have taught.
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More of my photos from the Hanoi Hilton: