book of mormon origin and translation

Joseph Smith claimed to have found and translated ancient golden plates. Several witnesses observed Smith dictating the text that eventually became the Book of Mormon. Skeptics ask several questions: whether Joseph Smith actually had gold plates; whether the Book of Mormon was divinely inspired; whether it was written by Smith or an associate; and whether the book was based on prior works, such as the View of the Hebrews, the Spalding Manuscript, or the King James Version of the Bible.The church has recently admitted that Joseph used a peep stone buried in his hat to translate the writing, bringing more questions such as if the plates were not used, why were they preserved and given to Joseph, why did the church hide the fact that Joseph didn't use the Urim and Thummim as they earlier claimed. Many members struggled to continue believing in the church once the stories they had long been told and shown in video and artwork were clearly misrepresentations of the translation.

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