Tag Archives: scribe

One who writes. Oliver Cowdery was Joseph Smith’s scribe.

Why Didn’t Cowdery, Whitmer, or Harris Expose Joseph Smith as a Fraud?

A common apologetic argument in defense of Joseph Smith is that his closest early associates—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris—never outright denounced him as a fraud, even after they left or were cast out of the church. The logic goes: if anyone would have known the “truth” behind the origins of the Book of …

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Joseph Smith’s Twice “Inspired” Translation of Matthew: Two Versions and Considerable Differences

Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet, seer, and revelator—one uniquely gifted by God with the power to translate ancient scripture by divine means. Among his translation projects was the “Joseph Smith Translation” (JST) of the Bible, also known as the Inspired Version. But a close look at this work raises serious questions about the …

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“Joseph Smith translated Matthew 26 twice, each with the help of a different scribe. The translations were done several months apart, and it appears that the Prophet simply forgot that he had translated the chapter already. We studied the duplicate translations carefully, believing that they would help us understand the nature of the JST better. The two new translations are not identical; in fact, there are considerable differences.” - Kent P. Jackson “New Discoveries in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible” By Study and by Faith (Religious Studies Center, BYU, 2009) | wasmormon.org
“Joseph Smith translated Matthew 26 twice, each with the help of a different scribe. The translations were done several months apart, and it appears that the Prophet simply forgot that he had translated the chapter already. We studied the duplicate translations carefully, believing that they would help us understand the nature of the JST better. The two new translations are not identical; in fact, there are considerable differences.” - Kent P. Jackson “New Discoveries in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible” By Study and by Faith (Religious Studies Center, BYU, 2009)
“[Sidney Rigdon's] passion for learning and preaching the word of God took him into the Christian ministry... He soon found himself within the expanding influence of Alexander Campbell’s Reformed Baptist movement... Sidney Rigdon honed his public-speaking skills as a minister of the First Baptist Church... After his own conversion, Rigdon traveled to New York state with his former parishioner Edward Partridge to meet Joseph Smith. Rigdon’s extensive biblical knowledge and powerful preaching helped nurture the young Church. Rigdon also served as a scribe for Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of the Bible and was the subject of several early revelations.” - LDS Website, Church History Topics, Sidney Rigdon | wasmormon.org
“[Sidney Rigdon's] passion for learning and preaching the word of God took him into the Christian ministry... He soon found himself within the expanding influence of Alexander Campbell’s Reformed Baptist movement... Sidney Rigdon honed his public-speaking skills as a minister of the First Baptist Church... After his own conversion, Rigdon traveled to New York state with his former parishioner Edward Partridge to meet Joseph Smith. Rigdon’s extensive biblical knowledge and powerful preaching helped nurture the young Church. Rigdon also served as a scribe for Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of the Bible and was the subject of several early revelations.” - LDS Website, Church History Topics, Sidney Rigdon

Priesthood Restoration Apologetics = Retrofitting and Narrative Engineering

A BYU Studies article, Priesthood Restoration Documents (BYU Studies, Volume 35, Number 4, 1996), attempts to compile and legitimize the historical claims surrounding the restoration of the priesthood in Mormonism. While the compilation appears scholarly on the surface, the conclusion it draws is apologetic rather than academic. The piece says one thing, but the data …

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“Joseph Smith learned about the Aaronic Priesthood after finding mention of baptism for the remission of sins during his translation of the Book of Mormon. On May 15, 1829, Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, went to the woods to pray about what they had read about baptism. In response, John the Baptist descended from heaven and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood, which includes the authority to baptize, upon Joseph and Oliver.” - LDS Website: The Life of Joseph Smith: Restoration of the Priesthood | wasmormon.org
“Joseph Smith learned about the Aaronic Priesthood after finding mention of baptism for the remission of sins during his translation of the Book of Mormon. On May 15, 1829, Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, went to the woods to pray about what they had read about baptism. In response, John the Baptist descended from heaven and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood, which includes the authority to baptize, upon Joseph and Oliver.” - LDS Website: The Life of Joseph Smith: Restoration of the Priesthood

Joseph Smith’s Kinderhook Plates Kinder-Surprise Translation Redaction

In Kinderhook, Illinois, about 50 miles south of Nauvoo, six bell-shaped brass plates were allegedly found when digging up a burial mound on a farmer’s land. He said he’d dreamt about finding treasure in the mound and organized a dig. A couple Mormons were present when some small plates with ancient-looking inscriptions were found and …

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From ‘the Seer Stone a Fiction to Undermine the Validity of Church’ To ‘Such Aids Are Consistent With Accounts in Scripture’

In the year 2000, Deseret Book, the church-owned publishing company, published a joint-written book from two BYU professors, Joseph Fielding McConkie, a BYU Professor of Ancient Scripture, and Craig J. Ostler, a BYU Professor of Church History and Doctrine. The book is titled Revelations of the Restoration, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and …

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New Scripture Translated From Sealed Portion – Jesus visits Macaroni and Condemns Viper Church Leaders of Last Days

A few years ago, Russell M. Nelson revealed how Joseph Smith would translate by using a rock in a hat a few years ago. Suppose, for a moment, that he could know this technique from experience. What if President Russell M. Nelson knew more about the translation process? What if he used the same technique …

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Mormonism and The BITE Model

Determining whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church) qualifies as a cult hinges on various criteria. According to the BITE model, we find evidence that it meets several characteristics associated with cults. Note that the term “cult” carries negative connotations and lacks a universally agreed-upon definition, and …

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Gift of Crisis

The tumult of a faith deconstruction, especially in the Mormon faith, has been termed as a crisis, it’s often referred to as a faith crisis. There are podcasts focused on this, even books written about it. BYU did a study on the social media impact on a faith crisis which defines how the church views …

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President Oaks Fibbing For The Lord Again – Prompt and Public Disavowal of Racism?

The church celebrates its own decision to stop the racially discriminatory practice of banning the priesthood from anyone of African descent in 1978. To show that they are not racist, they wanted to point out that it has now been 40 years since they stopped being racist. There was a big self-congratulatory spectacle planned for …

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I Know The Church Is True

Nearly every speaker in a testimony meeting says “I know the church is true.” This is a nonsensical statement, but considering the Illusory Truth Effect we can see what the church may be after. We know that repetitions don’t make statements any more true, but psychologically we do tend to believe things we’ve heard repeatedly. …

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Bamboozled Long Enough, We Tend to Reject Any Evidence of The Bamboozle

Carl Sagan, an astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, captivated the world with his unparalleled ability to convey the wonders of the cosmos. Renowned for his role in popularizing science, Sagan’s legacy extends beyond academia, leaving an indelible mark on the public’s understanding of the universe. Carl Sagan’s well-known quote about being bamboozled exactly recounts …

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