New light on ancient origins, published in 1982 by byus religious studies center and also edited by noel reynolds. Theories that the book of mormon essentially wrote itself with no help from joseph smith grant palmers golden pot theory related to the story of moronis visit critical theories that sidney rigdon was a book of mormon author or coconspirator. Skeptics have put forth several theories of book of mormon authorship that do not. Some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. In this groundbreaking study, larsen and rencher use wordprints, patterns of language using numerous function words to establish the authenticity of. There are three theories as to the origin of that book. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Psychological tests for the authorship of the book of mormon.
Some people believe the book of mormon is a new revelation from god given to joseph smith. A memoir of an american faith, writes about her religion she addresses the. Having first been developed in the 1850s, stylometry seeks to find the wordprint of a text. If that makes you uncomfortable you probely dont want to read it. Some critics of joseph smith mock the fact that part of the book of mormon translation process apparently involved dictating while looking at a stone that hed placed within a hat. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. What authorship theories are proposed by nonbelievers to account for the authorship of the book of mormon. Joannas journey through her faith explores a side of the religion that is rarely put on display. The author leads the reader into her atypical mormon experience. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesview of the hebrews. Yet far from being damaging evidence against his claims and against the book of mormon, this fact may strongly support their plausibility. Mormons recognize it as divinely inspired and equal in authority to the bible, but others have reason to doubt its claims. The book of mormon girl is a story about leaving behind the innocence of childhood belief and embracing the complications and heartbreaks that come to every adult life of faith.
This is a very good book that deals with a lot of ldsmormon religion talk. The book of mormon was not started and completed in a single sitting. A closer look, are available from the webmaster of. The spaldingrigdon theory of book o f mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. The book of mormon is set in north america in the first century. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Examining the book of mormon a christian view probe. Having spent much of the last 25 years as a jew studying and revisiting the hebrew bible, talmud and literally thousands of years of jewishhebrew literature im struck my two thoughts. Many religious mention, praying there are hitman and guns, and talks of alcohol. Sep 29, 2011 i have no idea how to make the image link to the book on goodreads. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of. Miraculous origins theories generally accept joseph smiths own account, that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by mormon, a precolumbian resident of the western hemisphere. I bet theres fanfiction sites for it, though, you should go post your short story. In light of the growing body of significant insights into the antiquity of the book of mormon, this volume refreshes, updates, and extends the.
A very limited number of vernal holleys out of print 3rd edition of book of mormon authorship. Sep 08, 2009 i came across some interesting book of mormon geography theories. Smith translated the text from the writings of ancient prophets, while critics have endlessly recycled inadequate theories of plagiarism or co authorship. The book of mormon narrative is full of absurdities that demonstrate its a work of fiction.
Since the book of mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept joseph smiths account of how it was produced. Psychological tests for the authorship of the book of mormon jstor. Most latterday saints are aware of a minor industry in certain religious circles in the united states devoted to refuting mormonism and to criticizing the book of mormon. Vernal holleys book of mormon authorship annotated 3. Some critics of the book of mormon have claimed that joseph smith wrote the book while under the influence of an epileptic fit, thus perpetuating a fraud without knowing it. View more articles from the american journal of psychology. A closer look, nearly sixteen years ago, his ideas in regard to book of mormon structure, content, and authorship have received widespread notice both within and without the latter day saint community. May 27, 2002 some people believe the book of mormon is a new revelation from god given to joseph smith. One critic of the church even goes so far as to suggest that the church encourages challenging the authorship of the book of mormon. The book of mormon girl, by joanna brooks star tribune. In the case of the book of mormon, only in 1986 did a prophet, ezra taft benson, order that mormons study the book closely the drama of authorship, of the books discovery and its. Notwithstanding much more on the topics discussed in this text have been published since this book, including book of mormon authorship revisited by reynolds from 1997 that build up on many of these issues, this book would make a very good addition to ones lds library. An introduction to the relevance of and a methodology for a study of the proper names of the book of mormon.
Mar 27, 2015 some critics of joseph smith mock the fact that part of the book of mormon translation process apparently involved dictating while looking at a stone that hed placed within a hat. Im wondering your theories of how the book of mormon was. A very limited number of vernal holleys outofprint 3rd edition of book of mormon authorship. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the books.
King james style despite the book of mormon being published in 1830, its narrative attempts to employ the antiquated english style of the early modern era, as though to make it read more like the king james version of the bible published in 1611. Quotes joseph used a peep stone and a hat to translate most of the book of mormon. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982. Be the first to ask a question about the book of mormon girl. Another testament of jesus christ presents itself as a translated record of ancient american peoples detailing their dealings with each other and with god. Its the calling card for thousands of missionaries, and part of the inspiration for a tony awardwinning broadway musical. This video discusses all of the main theories critics try and point to for alternative ways the book of mormon could be produced and how these arguments fall apart when the details are explored. Still, the book of mormon is so permeated with the early 1800s milieuon every single pagethat it seems counterproductive to argue for single authorship in. Since the book of mormon s publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship.
Grew up lds, and recall hearing nibley lecture the year i spent at byu. Smith translated the text from the writings of ancient prophets, while critics have endlessly recycled inadequate theories of plagiarism or coauthorship. The abundance of skeptical theories about who wrote the book of mormon has led many scholars to seek scientific data to discover the answer. Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesautomatic writing.
A longitudinal study the spalding theory of book of mormon authorship. Elders is the name of exmormon ryan mcilvains justpublished novel, about a. One of the earliest theories of book of mormon authorship was that joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the reverend solomon spalding. Im sure there are more theories out there, but here are a few for you to read through. Book of mormon authorship revisited is a sequel to book of mormon authorship. Byu studies, naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of mormon. Pratt as key players in the authorship of the book of. Some of which i was familiar with and a few that were new to me. I came across some interesting book of mormon geography theories. Melchizedek was an old testament king who also appears in the book of mormon. Dan vogel theories of book of mormon authorship mormon stories february, 2019 book of mormon, church history, joseph smith 7 comments we are excited to welcome back preeminent joseph smith historian dan vogel to mormon stories podcast. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. University that identified rigdon as the book of mormon author.
Whereas josephs book of 275,000 words 27,000 of which were lifted directly from the king james bible has been discredited by historians and criticized by linguists. Some also postulate a link between ethan smith and oliver cowdery, since both men lived in poultney, vermont while smith served as the pastor of the church that oliver. Aug 31, 2012 in the book of mormon girl, joanna brooks describes her 1980s southern california mormon childhood in loving and witty detail. There are differing views on the origin of the book of mormon. Many book of mormon research projects have implications for the continuing issues surrounding the authorship of the book of mormon. Scholars today have varying theories about the true authorship of the book of mormon, but most conclude that smith composed the book himself, possibly with the help of oliver cowdery, drawing from information and publications available in his time, including the king james bible, the wonders of nature, and view of the hebrews. I have no idea how to make the image link to the book on goodreads. At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. Website detailing many facets of the book of mormon authorship. Psychological tests for the authorship of the book of mormon is an article from the american journal of psychology, volume 28.
T he book of mormon is a wholly american scripture. Scholars today have varying theories about the true authorship of the book of mormon, but most conclude that smith composed the book himself, possibly with the help of oliver cowdery and sidney rigdon, drawing from information and publications available in his time, including the king james bible, the wonders of nature, and view of the hebrews. A number of different authorship theories have been proposed since the book was first published in 1830. Prior to 2008, no published authorship study results linked sidney rigdon to writing of the book of mormon. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesoverview fairmormon. An overview of secular authorship theories for the book of mormon jump to subtopic.
However, such a story is baseless and incongruent with any document of his life. Mormon apostle orson pratt wrote in 1851, the book of mormon claims to be a divinely inspired record. Criticisms related to view of the hebrews and the book of mormon. An analysis of wordprints, published in book of mormon authorship. Authorship of the book of mormon is an article from the american journal of psychology, volume 30. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. The book of mormon that follows 4 nephi is split into mormon 17, which is credited to the nephite prophet mormon, and mormon 89, which is an appendix to the book credited to his son moroni. Former lds church education system ces teacher grant palmer argues that joseph smith developed his story of visits by moroni and the translation. Wordprint analysis and the book of mormon deseret news. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript.
When joanna brooks, author of the book of mormon girl. A crucial difference is that where fundamentalists lost control of the mainline protestant denominations, orthodox lds leaders and scholars have succeeded at stigmatizing liberal views of book. Variations of this theory only include that the text is a divinely inspired narrative, regardless of its. Nonbelievers produce a variety of theories to explain the existence of the book of mormon. The theory is that a spalding manuscript was stolen by sidney rigdon, who used it in collusion with joseph smith. Multiple authorship of the book of mormon because critics are determined to find any source for the book of mormon other than the one presented by believers, they generally claim that joseph either wrote the book himself or that he plagiarized the text from some other nineteenth century author. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript. Currons book included vivid and compelling descriptions of ancient peoples as well as correct idiom and spelling. Modern supporters of the spalding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the extant spalding manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the book of mormon, that it was an unfinished draft, and that no postulated second manuscript has been discovered. Spaulding theory of book of mormon with bryce blankenagel. Theories about the authorship of the book of mormon have sprouted ever since the rumors of the books existence reached the public in palmyra, new york.
Before i get flamed i would like to point out three of the more glaring anachronistic errors. Terryl givens 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. It is the sacred text for the 15 millionstrong church of jesus christ of latterday saints. In the book of mormon girl, joanna brooks describes her 1980s southern california mormon childhood in loving and witty detail. The fourth column names the author of each book, ignoring selfnaming statements attributed to the writers or speakers of the sources that the. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. D, is a professor and senior fellow, woods institute for the environment, stanford university. The book of mormon gets the literary treatment religion. Struggling with scrupulosity religious ocd as a mormon teenage girl in rexburg. It is claimed that a 19th century work by ethan smith, view of the hebrews, provided source material for joseph smiths construction of the book of mormon.
1296 791 669 1487 1600 211 668 22 1589 268 1172 1585 241 136 530 783 628 929 135 1291 633 1073 1519 1002 673 1010 1347 493 997 689 940 807 1026 562 302 1028 148 269 203