Experienced Missionary (EM): As you remember from last week, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from ancient metal plates, using the Urim and Thummim.
New Missionary (NM): Uh, actually, Joseph didn’t really translate anything.
EM: What do you mean?
NM: He didn’t even use the plates. They were under a cloth the entire time he was dictating.
EM: Elder/Sister, that’s not what we…
NM: Don’t you read the Ensign? Or Book of Mormon Central? Or watch the latest videos? Seriously, Joseph just read words that appeared on a stone he put in a hat.
Friends (looking at EM): Last week you told us Joseph Smith translated the plates.
EM: He did. I mean, that’s what I thought.
NM: That’s what people used to think. But the Church historians have figured out that Joseph never translated anything, after all.
EM: What about the Urim and Thummim?
NM: When Joseph and Oliver Cowdery said he used the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates in Moroni’s stone box, they actually meant Joseph used a seer stone he found in a well years earlier.
EM: Then where did the English translation come from?
NM: Someone from the 15th or 16th century produced it. It’s sort of a “cultural” translation of what was on the plates. At least, that’s our best guess right now.
Friends: Why don’t you come back when you get your story straight? In the meantime, we’ll just consult the Internet.
Source: About Central America
One thought on “Missionary discussions, old and new”
LOL! This is too funny, but so true. Our missionary leaves for Germany in February 2020. He knows that the Prophet of our Dispensation translated the plates by the gift and power of God, not a silly chocolate colored stone found in a well. Genesis stone – $40 (Ebay); Wool top hat – $79.95 (Amazon); White cloth – $5.95 (Walmart); Testimony of the translation of the Book of Mormon – Priceless.
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