False Manuscript Evidence
Under the heading of science, we will look at two issues; (1) linguistics (the language the book of Mormon was translated from) and (2) bibliographic (the method by which that language was translated into English). Joseph Smith is the writer of the Book of Mormon and founder of the Mormon Church. He claims that God gave him the task of leading the true church of God because all other denominations have become an “abomination.” Consequently, the Bible could not be trusted because it too had been corrupted over the centuries and God re-wrote His communication to man through Joseph Smith and the New World translation of the Bible he wrote. Joseph Smith claims that God revealed to him a book of golden tablets written in “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics and from them J. Smith translated them into English; the result was the Book of Mormon as the “most correct book” ever written.[ref] An additional so-called sacred writing, The Book of Abraham, was said to be translated by Joseph Smith from an Egyptian papyri, but proven false. See Sandra Tanner clip from The John Ankerberg Show at bottom of page.[/ref]
In order to create credibility for his story, Smith lied to the public by stating that Professor Charles Anthon (pictured left), a literary scholar at Columbia University, said of Smith’s translation as “correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from Egyptian…and said they [the “hieroglyphics”] were true characters.”
Two insurmountable problems immediately arise: (a) there is no such language or writing as “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics (b) Professor Anthon never endorsed Smith’s translation. A contemporary of Joseph Smith’s, a Mr. E.D. Howe, learned of Smith’s claim and wrote Professor Anthon personally to verify Smith’s claim. The following are excerpts from the letter Professor Anthon wrote to Mr. Howe in response on Feb. 17, 1834:
I received this morning your favor of the 9th instant, and lose no time in making a reply. The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics is perfectly false….Upon examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all a trick, perhaps a hoax….
The letter continues to recount Professor Anthon’s recollection of the events introducing him to the writings to which he refers. A farmer had brought the paper to Professor Anthon as a precaution before deciding to sell his farm and give the proceeds toward the publishing of the Book of Mormon. Professor Anthon continues:
The farmer added, that he had been requested to contribute a sum of money towards the publication of the ‘golden book’…So urgent had been these solicitation, that he intended selling his farm and handing over the amount received to those who wished to publish the plates. As a last precautionary step, however, he had resolved to come to New York, and obtain the opinion of the learned about the meaning of the paper which he brought with him, and which had been given him as a part of the contents of the book…On hearing this odd story, I changed my opinion about the paper, and instead of viewing it any longer as a hoax upon the learned, I began to regard it as a part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I communicated my suspicions to him, warning him to beware of rogues….and well remember that the paper contained anything else but “Egyptian Hieroglyphics”….I have thus given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin of Mormonism, and must beg you, as a personal favor, to publish this letter immediately should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched fanatics.
Yours respectfully, Charles Anthon, LL.D, Columbia University
This evidence is devastating to anyone attempting to demonstrate the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. After all, how could God’s prophet, Joseph Smith, be the conduit of truth if the circumstances that under gird his entire religious movement are based on an outright fabrication? But this is not the end of the problems facing the Book of Mormon.
The method of translating the Book of Mormon from the “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics are damning to any Mormon’s trust in the Book of Mormon. According to David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the writing of the Book of Mormon,
One character at a time would appear and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Smith would read off the English to Oliver Cowdry, who was his principle scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus, the book of Mormon was translated by the gift and the power of God and not by the power of man.
Oliver B. Huntington wrote in his journal that J.F. Smith, the 6th President of the Mormon Church, taught that the Lord gave Joseph Smith the exact English wording and spelling from God when he translated from the “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics,[ref] See video below from 19:05 to 19:46.[/ref]
Saturday Feb.25, 1881…heard J.F. Smith describe the manner of translating the book of Mormon…Joseph did not render…in his own style of writing…but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God…Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there were a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stone would remain there…and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.” After the translation was completed, Joseph Smith claimed he heard a voice from out of the bright light say, “These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct.
Two contradictory methods of translating the Book of Mormon; (Left) the method detailed by eyewitnesses; (Right) method presently asserted by Mormon Church
There’s an important reason why I chose to so clearly present their account of the translation of the Book of Mormon; there have been approximately 4,000 changes to the Book of Mormon from the original edition in 1830 to the one printed in the mid-1970’s. Concerning these changes, the Mormon magazine The Ensign states, “Most changes correct typographical errors, misspellings, matters of grammar or style-such as changing singular to plural and incorporate corrections made by the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
Now remember what their own testimony is concerning the method of translation: they said Joseph Smith received a letter for letter, word for word, translation by the power of God, and J. Smith could not even continue to the next character or letter until it was written down correctly! Then in their own publications they admit to approximately 4,000 changes to “the most correct of any book on earth” from the first edition to the mid-1970s! The obvious fact to everyone except devoted Mormons is the willful deception woven throughout this sect that claims to posses the truth. So undeniable are these facts that Steve Benson, grandson of former Church President Ezra Taft Benson, wrote,
Troubling to us is the pathological unwillingness of the Mormon Church to deal forthrightly with its doctrine and history. Our personal study revealed that the church canon, history, and scripture had been surreptitiously altered, skewed, contradicted, and deleted. The Arizona Republic May 22, 1994 p.C1[ref] For more on changing revelation see video below from 31:35 to the end.[/ref]
No Archaeological Evidence
Archaeology is no friend of Mormonism either.[ref] See video below from 26:03 to 31:35 on Book of Abraham and Kinderhook plates forgeries.[/ref] In the Book of Mormon 6:9-15, it claims that massive and thriving civilizations such as Nehite, and Lamanite warred in 348 AD near present day New York State. Such a claim, if it were true, would produce a wealth of archaeological evidence to keep a battalion of diggers busy for years. But according to the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC: “Smithsonian archaeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book of Mormon.” In addition, the Book of Mormon claims that Israelites migrated from Israel to America through the south east United States and Mexico, but according to Bureau of American Ethnology “There is no evidence whatever of any migration from Israel to America, and likewise no evidence that pre-Columbian Indians had any knowledge of Christianity or the Bible.” This statement agrees with National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC which says,
Reports of findings of ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, and other Old World writings in the New World in pre-Columbian contexts have frequently appeared in newspapers, magazines, and sensational books. None have been shown to have occurred in any part of the Americas before 1492 except for a Norse rune stones which have been found in Greenland.
More damaging statements arise from, Ray Matheny, professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University: published article in National Geographic magazine on his dig at El Mirador,
While some people choose to make claims for the book of Mormon through archaeological evidence, to me they are made prematurely, and without sufficient knowledge…I believe the authors are making cases out of too little evidence and do not adequately address the problems that archaeology and the book of Mormon present….Simply put, there is not enough of a science base to make a case. Speculation, such as practiced so far by Mormon authors, has not given church members credibility.
Rob Bowman, a writer for the Christian Research Institute, sums up the problems archaeology creates for Mormonism this way,
In every way the evidence for the basic authenticity of the Bible is direct, tangible, and undisputed even by knowledgeable unbelievers. By contrast, the alleged evidence of the book of Mormon is all indirect, hypothetical, and convincing only to Mormons.
False Predictive Prophecy
Since the archeological evidence against, and the lack of archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon is so compelling, I will only cite two examples of prophetic errors.[ref] See video below from 12:48 to 16:45 for additional failed predictions.[/ref] In 1835, Joseph Smith predicted the return of Jesus to earth in 1891. Of course, that did not happen. But what did happen was Joseph Smith’s false “revelation” he received that instructed him to send companions to Canada seeking financial support for the publication of the Book of Mormon. Smith looked into the same hat, with the same stone inside used to translate the Book of Mormon, and according to eyewitness David Whitmer, “Joseph looked into the hat…and received revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon.” Unfortunately, the mission failed and Smith was asked what went wrong, Smith replied, “Some revelations are from God; some revelations are of man; and some revelations are of the devil.”[ref] See video below from 19:46 to 21:33.[/ref] David Whitmer concluded, based on Smith’s reply, “So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copy-right was not of God, but was of the devil or the heart of man.” This revelation is difficult for Mormons to reconcile with their doctrine. Notice that J. Smith used the same hat he used to translate the Book of Mormon into English from “Reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics, and instead of getting “God’s revelation”, he got Satan’s instead! Yet again, it’s further proof that the Book of Mormon did not originate from God.
See Sandra Tanner, head of Utah Lighthouse Ministry (www.utlm.org) message: “Prophet, Seer, Revelator in the Mormon Church”
See Sandra Tanner on The John Ankerberg Show discussing the Book of Abraham