Have you ever honestly considered the statements concerning the way the Book of Mormon was translated by those who were witnesses to the process?
EMMA SMITH, who was present during most of the translation of the book and acted as a scribe for some of it stated, “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.” When Joseph Smith III asked her, “Had he not a book or manuscript from which to read…?” — Emma answered, “He had neither manuscript nor book to read from.” (Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1, 1879, page 289). Also when Emma was questioned about the translation by a Sister Pilgrim, she wrote, “…he (Joseph) USED A SMALL STONE NOT EXACTLY BLACK, BUT WAS RATHER A DARK COLOR.” (This letter is in the R.L.D.S. archives, although it is not available to researchers. It is quoted in the Saints’ Herald, Nov. 15, 1962, page 799).
DAVID WHITMER, who was an eye witness to the process of translating the Book of Mormon wrote, “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, end on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English…” (Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887, page 12). He also stated that the Lord took the Urim and Thummim from Joseph Smith after the loss of the 116 pages, and Joseph was then “PRESENTED WITH A STRANGE, OVAL-SHAPED, CHOCOLATE-COLORED STONE, ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN EGG, ONLY MORE FLAT…WITH THIS STONE ALL OF THE PRESENT BOOK OF MORMON WAS TRANSLATED.” (Chicago Inter-Ocean, Oct. 17, 1886). David further stated, “HE DID NOT USE THE PLATES IN THE TRANSLATION, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light.” (Kansas City Journal, June 5, 1881).
MARTIN HARRIS claimed that Joseph had a seer stone as well as the Urim and Thummim, but “FOR CONVENIENCE HE THEN USED THE SEER STONE.” His account of the translation as recorded late in his life, follows, “BY AID OF THE SEER STONE, SENTENCES WOULD APPEAR AND WERE READ BY THE PROPHET AND WRITTIN BY MARTIN…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…” (Millennial Star, Feb. 6, 1882, pages 86-87). By the way, Martin also says it “WAS BY MEANS OF THIS STONE HE (JOSEPH) FIRST DISCOVERED THESE PLATES.” (Tiffany’s Monthly, 1859, page 163).
WILLIAM SMITH writes that the manner of translation, “…was by looking into the Urim and Thummim, which was PLACED IN A HAT TO EXCLUDE THE LIGHT, (THE PLATES LYING NEAR BY COVERED UP), AND READING OFF THE TRANSLATION, WHICH APPEARED IN THE STONE BY THE POWER OF GOD.” (William Smith on Mormonism, 1883, page 11).
MICHAEL MORSE, Emma Smith’s brother-in-law, stated to W.W. Blair in 1879, “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, end then dictating, WORD AFTER WORD WHILE THE SCRIBE — Emma, John Whitmer, 0. Cowdery, or some other, wrote it down. Mr. Morse said he had occasion more than once to go into the immediate presence of Joseph while he was engaged at his work of translation. (Saints’ Herald, June 15, 1879, pages 190-191).
ISAAC HALE, Emma’s father, wrote, “The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, WITH THE STONE IN HIS HAT, AND HIS HAT OVER HIS FACE, WHILE THE BOOK OF PLATES WERE AT THE SAME TIME HID IN THE WOODS.” Most of the translation was done at the Hale farm. (The Susquehanna Register, Montrose, Pa., May 1, 1834, page 1).
When Joseph Smith was asked (at a conference in Oct. 25, 1831) by Hyrum Smith to tell the conference about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, “Brother Joseph Smith, Jr., said THAT IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO TELL THE WORLD ALL THE PARTICULARS OF THE COMING FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON; and also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things.” (Far West Record, page 13. This record is in the possession of the Utah L.D.S. Church, but a film of the record is in the archives of the R.L.D.S. Church).
If the plates were not used in the translation, why were they given to Joseph Smith? Why did the Nephites spend hours engraving on metal plates to reveal their history and their scriptures, if God was going to finally do it through a stone and a hat, without the use of the plates at all? May God help us to be honest in our searching for truth.
Why would Joseph Smith not want to tell about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? Did he have something to hide?
If the testimonies of the scribes and eye-witnesses are true, why do the Book of Mormon churches not believe them?
If their testimonies are not true and therefore to be disregarded, does this not prove that your dilemma is really a delusion caused by the falsification of your beginning?Who is lying, the witnesses or your so-called prophet?
“PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD.” “GOD WHO…SPAKE IN TIME PAST UNTO THE FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS, HATH IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS SON…” “Beloved, believe not every spirit, BUT TRY THE SPIRITS WHETHER THEY ARE OF GOD: BECAUSE MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE GONE OUT INTO THE WORLD.” And remember “that NO LIE IS OF THE TRUTH.” (1 Thess. 5:21, Heb. 1:1-2, 1 John 4:1 and 1 John 2:21).
May God help us all to see that Jesus Christ alone is THE LIFE, THE TRUTH AND THE WAY. May we “BE FOUND IN HIM, NOT HAVING” OUR “OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS OF THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST…” (John 14:6 and Phil 3:9)