ATTENTION BOOK OF MORMON BELIEVERS!

DO YOU REALIZE THAT THE METHOD OF TRANSLATING THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS BY A STONE IN A HAT INTO WHICH JOSEPH SMITH PUT HIS FACE. THEN FROM THIS POSITION HE DICTATED WORD AFTER WORD TO HIS SCRIBE? At no time did he read from the plates which he claimed were given to him for that purpose.

In this article we are listing the descriptions of the method of translating which the EYE-WITNESSES have recorded for us. These testimonies come from THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE — THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW. They are not “hear-say” witnesses. EITHER THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH OR ELSE THEY ARE A BUNCH OF LIARS!

Martin Harris the only one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon who lived in Palmyra, N.Y., at the time Joseph Smith claimed to have found the plates, states: “JOSEPH HAD A STONE WHICH WAS DUG FROM THE WELL OF MASON CHASE…IT WAS BY MEANS OF THE STONE HE FIRST DISCOVERED THESE PLATES…. I talked with Joseph, his wife, brothers, sisters, his father and mother. I talked with them separately, THAT I MIGHT GET THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER.” (Tiffany’s Monthly, Vol, V, No. 1, June 1859, New York, Pages 163-170). Martin, writing concerning the time he acted as scribe for the translation says, “…he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed A SEER STONE, BY WHICH HE WAS INABLED TO TRANSLATE AS WELL AS FROM THE URIM AND THUMMIM, AND FOR CONVENIENCE HE THEN USED THE SEER STONE…the seer stone differed in appearance from the Urim and Thummin.” (Millenial Star, Vol. 44, No. 6, Pages 86-87 also Saints’ Herald, Nov. 15, 1962, Pages 14-33).

Emma Smith, the wife of Joseph Smith, who also served as scribe during some of the translation, writes in a letter to a women by the name of Pilgrim, “Now the first that my husband translated, was translated by the use of the Urim and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost,AFTER THAT HE USED A SMALL STONE, NOT EXACTLY BLACK BUT WAS RATHER A DARK COLOR.” (This letter is in the RLDS Church archives). Telling her son, Joseph Smith III about the translation she said, “In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, after sitting by 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.” (Saints’ Herald, May 19, 1888 Page 310).

David Whitmer supports this statement about the change in the means of translating after the loss of the 116 pages. He further enlightens us by revealing a reason for the change. He states that as punishment for Joseph Smith’s carelessness which allowed the pages to be lost, “the Lord took from the Prophet the Urim and Thummim.” When he was again allowed to translate he “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. With this stone all of the present Book of Mormon was translated.” (Chicago Inter-Ocean, Oct. 17, 1886). In David Whitmer’s “Address to All Believers in Christ” published in 1887, he explained how Joseph used the stone to translate, “Joseph Smith would put the SEER STONE INTO A HAT, DRAWING IT CLOSELY AROUND HIS FACE TO EXCLUDE THE LIGHT…one character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English…would read off the English to his scribe.” (Page 13).

William Smith, a brother to Joseph Smith, states, “The manner in which this was done by LOOKING IN THE URIM AND THUMMIM, WHICH WAS PLACED IN A HAT TO EXCLUDE THE LIGHT (THE PLATES LYING NEARBY COVERED UP), AND READING OFF THE TRANSLATION, WHICH APPEARED IN THE STONE BY THE POWER OF GOD.” William further states, “And that the statements given in the preceding lines concerning…the translation of the record…is also TRUE, AND IN NO OTHER WAY DID JOSEPH SMITH COMPILE, OR COMPOSE THE BOOK OF MORMON ONLY AS STATED….” (William Smith on Mormonism, Lamoni, Iowa, 1833, Pages 11&28).

Isaac Hale, Emma’s father, who was present during some of the early translation, writes on March 20, 1834, “The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, WAS THE SAME AS WHICH 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.” (The Susquehanna Register, May 1, 1834).

Michael Morse who married Emma’s sister Trial Hale, was present at the time of translation. He told 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 A HAT, SO AS TO ENTIRELY COVER HIS FACE…THEN DICTATING WORD AFTER WORD WHILE THE SCRIBE…WROTE IT DOWN.” (Saints’ Herald, June 15, 1879, Pages 190-191).

There can be no doubt that Joseph Smith’s posture while translating the so-called record of the Nephites was one of burying his face into a hat into which he had placed a stone. Further the testimonies witness to the belief or understanding that the actual words were appearing on the stone. Everyone of these eye-witnesses was led to believe that this was the means of interpretation that God was using to bring forth these so-called ancient scriptures.

This may appear rather harmless to you today until one realizes that evidence has been found which shows that JOSEPH SMITH WAS KNOWN AS A “GLASS-LOOKER” long before he claimed he received the plates to the Book of Mormon. Two original court bills involving Joseph Smith were found in July, 1971 in the basement of the Chenango County, New York Sheriff’s office. THESE TWO BILLS ARE DATED MARCH 20, 1826 and IDENTIFY JOSEPH SMITH AS A “GLASS-LOOKER”. THEY LIST THE COST OF BRINGING JOSEPH SMITH TO TRIAL FOR THE CASE AGAINST HIM. A CASE IN WHICH HE IS CALLED A “GLASS-LOOKER”.

Early articles in newspapers, also testimonies and works by those who disbelieved in Joseph Smith’s claims to be a prophet of God, tried to make known his money-digging activities; they tried to reveal his pretended ability to discern things by the use of a stone in a hat. They tried to show his followers that he pretended to find treasures by the same means he was now claiming to translate the so-called Nephite record. Believers in the divine mission of Joseph Smith have stoutly denied these anti-Mormon claims, charging they originated after the Book of Mormon came forth and were lies. The finding of these two bills gives us an accurate date as to these activities — EIGHTEEN MONTHS BEFORE THE BOOK OF MORMON. MAY WE BE ABLE TO DISCERN THE TRUTH FROM THE FALSE. God will never bring forth His word by a means which has been used to divine for money.

May we all build upon the “FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES (the twelve Christ chose) AND PROPHETS (the Old Testament prophets), JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE”. (Eph. 2:20).