Descriptions:
In today’s episode, we’ll explore the theory that the Book of Mormon was not translated by the gift and power of God, but by the gift and power of Joseph Smith’s INCREDIBLE memory. Could he keep all 531 pages stored in his brain somewhere before dictating it to his scribes? Let’s find out!
Video transcript and additional notes here: https://saintsunscripted.com/faith-and-beliefs/the-restoration-of-christs-church/ould-joseph-smith-have-recited-the-book-of-mormon-from-memory/
Error: at 3:30 & 3:42 the reference comes from King Benjamin, not Mosiah. My mistake!
– “Book of Mormon Geographical References: Internal Consistency Taken to a New Level,” by Tyler Griffin: http://bit.ly/2Lh3VKB
– “Geographical Names Listed by Scripture Reference,” By John Welch and Greg Welch: http://bit.ly/2MSKvfg
– “Why Does the Book of Ether Begin with Such a Long Genealogy?” by Book of Mormon Central: http://bit.ly/3pMbMPi
– “Mormon’s Editorial Promises,” by John Sorenson and Melvin Thorne: http://bit.ly/3oMR1l2
– “Complexity, Consistency, Ignorance, and Probabilities,” by Melvin J. Thorne: http://bit.ly/3jqLP5D
– “Flashbacks in the Book of Alma,” by John Welch and Greg Welch: http://bit.ly/3cTALN9
– “Book of Mormon’s consistency, complexity still amaze,” by Daniel C. Peterson: http://bit.ly/3ji3PyQ
– Video on the complexity of the Book of Mormon, by Book of Mormon Central: http://bit.ly/3q65ni4
Notes
-”The Book of Mormon deals with hundreds of individual characters, at least three dating systems, three migrations from the Old World to the New, and a number of subgroups and splinter groups, all without contradiction. It presents complex geographical data that is internally consistent, so that places are always in the same relationship with each other … This intricate structure is much more compatible with the claims in the Book of Mormon itself that the record was made by ancient writers working with written materials over long periods of time.” -“Complexity, Consistency, Ignorance, and Probabilities,” by Melvin J. Thorne.
-”Was it by sheer bluff and luck that 23-year-old Smith dictated to his scribes over seven hundred statements in the scripture that involve geographical matters, while staying consistent in them all?” -“The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record,” by John Sorenson, found in “Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited,” pg. 392.
-John Tvedtnes wrote, “If following through on editorial promises to return to a subject is difficult in writing, it is even harder done in haste with no written record to serve as a reminder of the promises made. … Under these circumstances, if Joseph were the original author, then leaving no gaps in the promised materials would have been a remarkable achievement.”
-In Alma 36:22 Alma references a vision Lehi had 297 pages earlier, at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. But with some additional background this example becomes all the more impressive. The first 116 pages of the original Book of Mormon dictation were stolen from Joseph’s scribe, Martin Harris. But instead of starting over with the dictation using Nephi’s unabridged account on his small plates, Joseph continued where they’d left off in Mosiah, which means that what we have in the beginning of the Book of Mormon was actually the last part of Joseph’s dictation. So in this example Joseph would have had to have included a quick reference in Alma to a past vision he hadn’t even written about yet, but conveniently remembered to include days or weeks later in the dictation.
-Sometimes critics attempt to discredit any quotes from Emma Smith because in one interview she denied that Joseph had ever practices polygamy. I think the topic of polygamy was unique, and singular in many ways. Emma struggled immensely with the practice and had plenty of reasons to deny that it had ever happened. But when it comes to how the Book of Mormon was translated, her testimony agrees with that of others, so I see no reason to believe Emma was being deceptive in this context.
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