Criticism of the Book of Mormon

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Only LDS linguists accept the existence of any language or character set known as "reformed Egyptian" as described in LDS tradition. The only example of reformed Egyptian extant is the "Caractors Document", also known as the "Anthon Transcript", a paper written by Smith with examples of what he claimed to be "reformed Egyptian" characters. See Reformed Egyptian for details and references.

Critics of the Book of Mormon claim that the book was either an original creation of Smith (with or without the assistance of one or more of his associates),[1][2][3][4][5][6] was based on a prior work such as View of the Hebrews,[7][2][3] or was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by Solomon Spalding.[8][9][10] For a few followers of the LDS movement, unresolved issues of the book's historicity and the lack of conclusive archaeological evidence have led them to adopt a compromise position that the Book of Mormon may be the creation of Smith, but that it was nevertheless created through divine inspiration.[11] Most in the LDS movement believe Smith's position that it is a literal historical record.[12]

Contents

Religious significance

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, views the Book of Mormon as an additional witness of Jesus Christ and publishes two versions of the book through its official publishing arm, Herald House.

In 2001, Community of Christ President W. Grant McMurray reflected on increasing questions about the Book of Mormon: "The proper use of the Book of Mormon as sacred scripture has been under wide discussion in the 1970s and beyond, in part because of long-standing questions about its historicity and in part because of perceived theological inadequacies, including matters of race and ethnicity."[13]

At the 2007 Community of Christ World Conference, President Stephen M. Veazey ruled out of order a resolution to "reaffirm the Book of Mormon as a divinely inspired record". He stated that "while the Church affirms the Book of Mormon as scripture, and makes it available for study and use in various languages, we do not attempt to mandate the degree of belief or use. This position is in keeping with our longstanding tradition that belief in the Book of Mormon is not to be used as a test of fellowship or membership in the church."[14]

Historicity

Critics of the historical and scientific claims of the Book of Mormon tend to focus on four main areas:

  • The lack of correlation between locations described in the Book of Mormon and American archaeological sites.[15]

Changes from original 1830 edition

There have been numerous changes to the text of the Book of Mormon between the 1830 edition and modern editions, almost four thousand changes according to one count.[28]

Critics claim that some revisions were systematic attempts to remove evidence that Joseph Smith fabricated the Book of Mormon.[29][30] [31][32] Critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner cite the wording change from "King Benjamin" to "King Mosiah" as an example.[33][1][2][3][4][5][6]

The Book of Mormon itself says on the title page that it may contain errors made by the men who wrote it.[34] Mormon Edward Stevenson's account of Martin Harris's transcription conflicts with the Tanners. He wrote Harris' account as Harris only being able to continue transcription after the previously read aloud sentence was transcribed correctly," so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the language then used."[35] Also, conflicting is Mormon historian B. H. Roberts' conclusion that "the first edition of the Book of Mormon is singularly free from typographical errors."[7]

In 1989, scholars at Brigham Young University began work on a critical text edition of the Book of Mormon. Volumes 1 and 2, published in 2001, contain transcriptions of all the text variants of the English editions of the Book of Mormon, from the original manuscript to the newest editions.[36] Volume 4, which is being published in parts, is a critical analysis of all the text variants. Volume 3, which is not yet published, will describe the history of all the English-language texts from Joseph Smith to today.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1987). Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 91. ISBN 9993074438. 
  2. ^ a b c Brody, Fawn (1971). No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, 2d ed., New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 
  3. ^ a b c Krakauer, Jon (2003). Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. New York: Doubleday. 
  4. ^ a b Abanes, Richard (2003). One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church. Thunder's Mouth Press, 73. ISBN 1568582838. 
  5. ^ a b Beckwith, Francis (2002). The New Mormon Challenge. Zondervan. ISBN 0310231949. 
  6. ^ a b Cowan, Marvin (1997). Mormon Claims Answered. 
  7. ^ a b Roberts, Brigham H. (1992), in Brigham D. Madsen, Studies of the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, ISBN 1560850272
  8. ^ Howe, Eber D (1834), Mormonism Unvailed, Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press
  9. ^ Spaulding, Solomon (1996), in Reeve, Rex C, Manuscript Found: The Complete Original "Spaulding" Manuscript, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University
  10. ^ Roper, Matthew (2005), "The Mythical "Manuscript Found"", FARMS Review 17(2): 7-140 [link accessed 2007-01-31]
  11. ^ Grant H. Palmer. 2002. An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. Salt Lake City, Signature Books.
    Brent Lee Metcalfe, ed. 1993. New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology. Salt Lake City: Signature Books.
  12. ^ “The Life and Ministry of Joseph Smith,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),xxii–25
  13. ^ McMurray, W. Grant, "They "Shall Blossom as the Rose": Native Americans and the Dream of Zion," an address delivered February 17, 2001, accessed on Community of Christ website, September 1, 2006 at http://www.cofchrist.org/docs/NativeAmericanConference/keynote.asp
  14. ^ Andrew M. Shields, "Official Minutes of Business Session, Wednesday March 28, 2007," in 2007 World Conference Thursday Bulletin, March 29, 2007. Community of Christ, 2007
  15. ^ Citing the lack of specific New World geographic locations to search, Michael D. Coe, a prominent Mesoamerican archaeologist and Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University, writes (in a 1973 volume of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought): "As far as I know there is not one professionally trained archaeologist, who is not a Mormon, who sees any scientific justification for believing [the historicity of The Book of Mormon], and I would like to state that there are quite a few Mormon archaeologists who join this group".
  16. ^ Cecil H. Brown. 1999. Lexical Acculturation in Native American Languages. Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics, 20. Oxford
    Paul E. Minnis & Wayne J. Elisens, ed. 2001. Biodiversity and Native America. University of Oklahoma Press.
    Gary Paul Nabhan. 2002. Enduring Seeds: Native American Agriculture and Wild Plant Conservation. University of Arizona Press.
    Stacy Kowtko. 2006. Nature and the Environment in Pre-Columbian American Life. Greenwood Press.
    Douglas H. Ubelaker, ed. 2006. Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 3, Environment, Origins, and Population. Smithsonian Institution.
    Elizabeth P. Benson. 1979. Pre-Columbian Metallurgy of South America. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library.
    R.C. West, ed. 1964. Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 1, Natural Environment & Early Cultures. University of Texas Press.
    G.R. Willey, ed. 1965. Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volumes 2 & 3, Archeology of Southern Mesoamerica. University of Texas Press.
    Gordon Ekholm & Ignacio Bernal, ed. 1971. Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 10 & 11, Archeology of Northern Mesoamerica. University of Texas Press.
  17. ^ 1 Nephi 18:25
    LDS scholars think that this may be a product of reassigning familiar labels to unfamiliar items. For example, the Delaware Indians named the cow after the deer, and the Miami Indians labeled sheep, when they were first seen, "looks-like-a cow."
    John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book Co. ; Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1996 [1985]), 294. ISBN 1573451576
    http://www.mormonfortress.com/cows1.html
  18. ^ a b c 1 Nephi 18:25
  19. ^ "[H]orses became extinct in North America at the end of the Pleistocene..." (Donald K. Grayson. 2006. "Late Pleistocene Faunal Extinctions," Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 3, Environment, Origins and Population. Smithsonian. Pages 208-221. quote on pg 211)
    "The youngest dates on North American fossil horses are about 8150 years ago, although most of the horses were gone around 10,000 years ago" (Donald R. Prothero & Robert M. Schoch. 2002. Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Page 215.)
    "During the Pleistocene both New World continents abounded in [horses] and then, some 8000 years ago, the last wild horses in the Americas became extinct..." (R.J.G. Savage & M.R. Long. 1986. Mammal Evolution: An Illustrated Guide. Facts on File Publications. Page 204.)
  20. ^ Asses and horses are both in the genus Equus so see the footnote concerning horses.
  21. ^ 1 Nephi 18:25
    http://www.irr.org/mit/smithsonian.html paragraph 4
  22. ^ Ether 9:19
  23. ^ Donald K. Grayson. 2006. "Late Pleistocene Faunal Extinctions," Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 3, Environment, Origins and Population. Smithsonian. Pages 208-221. The Pleistocene extinction of the two Proboscidea genera Mammut and Mammuthus are mentioned on pages 209 and 212-213.
    "T[he] megafauna [of North America] then disappeared from the face of the earth between 12,000 and 9,000 years ago..." (Donald R. Prothero & Robert M. Schoch. 2002. Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Page 176.)
    "In North America three other proboscideans survived the end of the Ice Age--the tundra woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), the woodland American mastodont (Mammut americanum) and the grazing mammoth (Mammuthus jeffersoni). Hunting by early man is the most likely cause of the final extinction..." (R.J.G. Savage & M.R. Long. 1986. Mammal Evolution: An Illustrated Guide. Facts on File Publications. Page 157.)
    "Mammut became extinct only about 10,000 years ago." (Dougal Dixon et al. 1988. The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. Collier Books. Page 244.)
    "M[ammuthus] primigenius survived until about 10,000 years ago." (Dixon et al. 1988, page 245)
  24. ^ 1 Nephi 4:9
  25. ^ Alma 18:9
  26. ^ Lyle Campbell. 1979. "Middle American languages," The Languages of Native America: Historical and Comparative Assessment. Ed. Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun. Austin: University of Texas Press. Pages 902-1000.
    Lyle Campbell. 1997. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford University Press.
    Jorge Súarez. 1983. The Mesoamerican Indian Languages. Cambridge University Press.
  27. ^ The traditional view of the Book of Mormon suggests that Native Americans are principally the descendents of an Israelite migration around 600 BC. However, DNA evidence shows no Near Eastern component in the Native American genetic makeup. For example:
    Simon G. Southerton. 2004. Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church. Signature Books. The entire book is devoted to the specific topic of DNA evidence and the Book of Mormon. "...[T]he DNA lineages of Central America resemble those of other Native American tribes throughout the two continents. Over 99 percent of the lineages found among native groups from this region are clearly of Asian descent. Modern and ancient DNA samples tested from among the Maya generally fall into the major founding lineage classes.... The Mayan Empire has been regarded by Mormons to be the closest to the people of the Book of Mormon because its people were literate and culturally sophisticated. However, leading New World anthropologists, including those specializing in the region, have found the Maya to be similarly related to Asians. Stephen L. Whittington...was not aware of any scientists 'in mainstream anthropology that are trying to prove a Hebrew origin of Native Americans....Archaeologists and physical anthropologists have not found any evidence of Hebrew origins for the people of North, South and Central America.'" (pg 191)
    D. Andrew Merriwether. 2006. "Mitochondrial DNA," Handbook of North American Indians. Smithsonian Institution Press. Pg 817-830. "Kolman, Sambuughin, and Bermingham (1995) and Merriwether et al. (1996) used the presence of A, B, C, and D to argue for Mongolia as the location for the source population of the New World founders. More specifically perhaps, they argued that the present-day Mongolians and present-day Native Americans are both derived from the same ancestral population in Asia, presumably in the Mongolia-Southern Siberia-Lake Baikal region. T.G. Schurr and S.G. Sherry (2004) strongly favor a southern Siberian origin for the majority of lineages found in the New World." (pg 829)
    Tatiana M. Karafet, Stephen L. Zegura, and Michael F. Hammer. 2006. "Y Chromosomes," Handbook of North American Indians. Smithsonian Institution. Pp. 831-839. "Zegura et al. (2004) have presented the following scenario for the early peopling of the Americas based on Y chromosome data: a migration of a single, polymorphic Asian population across Beringia with a potential common source for both North American founding lineages (Q and C) in the Altai Mountains of southwest Siberia. Since all their STR-based SNP lineage divergence dates between the Altai and North Asians versus Native Americans...ranged from 10,100 to 17,200 year ago, they favored a relatively late entry model." (pg. 839)
    Defenders of the book's historicity suggest that the Book of Mormon does not disallow for other people groups to have contributed to the genetic makeup of Native Americans; nevertheless, this is a departure from the traditional view that Israelites are the primary ancestors of Native Americans, and therefore would be expected to present some genetic evidence of Near Eastern origins. A recently announced change in the Book of Mormon's introduction, however, allows for a greater diversity of ancestry of Native Americans. See, for example, the following Deseret News article published on November 9, 2007: Intro Change in Book of Mormon Spurs Discussion
  28. ^ 3913 Changes in The Book of Mormon Jerald and Sandra Tanner
  29. ^ Abanes, Richard (2003). One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church. Thunder's Mouth Press, 59–80. ISBN 1568582838. 
  30. ^ Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1987). Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 50–96. ISBN 9993074438. 
  31. ^ "Criticism of changes to Book of Mormon". http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/3913intro.htm. 
  32. ^ http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2002_Changes_in_the_Book_of_Mormon.html LDS apologetics perspective to changes in versions of the Book of Mormon.
  33. ^ Mosiah 21:28; Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1987). Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 90. ISBN 9993074438. 
  34. ^ Title Page; 1 Nephi 19:6; Jacob 1:2; 7:26; Mormon 8:1, 17; 9:31-33; 3 Nephi 8:2; Ether 5:1
  35. ^ "Translation of the Book of Mormon: Interpreting the Evidence". http://ispart.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=2&id=41. Retrieved on 2009-01-28. 
  36. ^ Skousen May 2001;Skousen January 2001;Skousen March 2001
  37. ^ Skousen 2004;Skousen 2005;Skousen 2006
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