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Well, during this visit to Joseph Smith, the angel/slash/spirit "Moroni" told Joseph where the gold plates--that would become the Book of Mormon--were buried. Again, from the Mormon church:
The angel directed Joseph to go to the hill, which was nearby, and told him many important things about the Lord’s work in the latter days. He told Joseph that when he obtained the plates, he was not to show them to any person unless the Lord commanded him to do so. Moroni returned to Joseph two more times that night and once again the next day. Each time he repeated his important message and provided additional information. (6)
So Joseph went to where these gold plates were supposedly hidden, pried the rock from over top of the hole, and BEHOLD—the golden plates! And something else, that is referred to as the Urim and Thummim, “which was used by prophets anciently and which Joseph was to use to translate the record.” But this Moroni, he was a tease. He told Joseph he couldn’t have the plates yet, he’d have to come back to the same spot, at the same time next year.
Well, Joseph came back, but he still couldn’t have the plates. He’d have to come back next year. And the year after that. Have you ever seen someone tease a dog with a treat, and then not give it to him? Pretty soon, the dog starts wanting that treat so bad, that it’s almost beholden to that person. Well, that’s what happened with Joseph and these “golden plates.” Satan kept dangling them in front of his face, and throwing a few passages of Scripture at him, twisting them in a way that appealed to Joseph’s overdeveloped ego, and pulled him in.
And after 4 years of dangling that carrot, Satan, disguised as an angel named Moroni, finally allowed Joseph Smith to have those plates. And listen to the stipulation that was made:
Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken…I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. (7)
Hmmmm. So, Satan has told him not to join any church. He has appealed to Joseph's ego by telling him he is to restore the “plain and precious truths” of the Bible. And he has dazzled a known treasure seeker with tales of golden plates, and doesn’t want anybody to see them. Wonder why? In fact, no one, other than Joseph Smith, has ever seen these plates.
In 1827, using these plates, and the Urim and Thummim--these “seer stones”--Joseph Smith set out to translate the Book of Mormon. The “Book of Mormon” is actually a collection of “books”, much like the Old and New Testaments. It begins with the books of 1st and 2nd Nephi, and it ends with the books of Mormon, Ether, and Moroni. All these “books” tell the story of a family of Jews who left Israel and sailed all the way to what we now call The Americas. Which part of the Americas they lived in has been a source of embarrassment for the Mormon Church over the years. You see, for many years, the LDS church taught that when the whole Book of Mormon took place all throughout North, and Central, and South America. And that the final battle took place on the hill called “Cumorah,” which was located in an area of Upstate New York where a certain boy named Joseph would eventually reside. However, lately the LDS church has sais that the final battle took place in Central America. Now, if Moroni buried the plates in a hill in Central America, how did thye find their way to upstate New York?
Now, how did Joseph translate the Book of Mormon? Well, the Mormon Church claims that he used the Urim and Thummim, which his mother, Lucy Smith, is quoted as saying were,
“…two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows, which were connected with each other in much the same way as old fashioned spectacles.” (8)
However, according to Mormon historian B. H. Roberts, Joseph used a “seer stone.” Did I mention that Joseph used to dabble in the occult? Well, this is how Mr. Roberts described this “seer stone”:
“…a chocolate-colored, somewhat egg-shaped stone which the Prophet found while digging a well in the company of his brother Hyrum, for a Mr. Clark Chase, near Palmyra, N.Y…by means of it…as well as…the Interpreters found with the Nephite record, Joseph was able to translate the characters engraven on the plates.” (9)
David Whitmer, one of the “Three Witnesses” to the Book of Mormon, described how Joseph would “translate”:
I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph 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. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. (10)
Now, listen to the words of Isaac Hale, Joseph Smith’s father-in-law, as recorded in the Susquehanna Register, in May of 1834:
“I first became acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr. in November, 1825. He was at that time in the employ of a set of men who were called "money-diggers;" and his occupation was that of seeing, or pretending to see by means of a stone placed in his hat, and his hat closed over his face. In this way he pretended to discover minerals and hidden treasure… Smith, and his father with several other "money-diggers" boarded at my house while they were employed in digging for a mine that they supposed had been opened and worked by the Spaniards…
Smith stated to me, that he had given up what he called "glass-looking," and that he expected to work hard for a living, and was willing to do so… Soon after this, I was informed they had brought a wonderful book of Plates down with them… The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods!” (11)
So, what kind of characters were on those plates? Well, since the people that wrote them were Jewish, you would expect them to write in Hebrew, no? Now, I'll give you that parts of the book of Daniel were written in Chaldean. But the record written on these plates was written in a language called…Reformed Egyptian. Never heard of it? It was completely unknown to the world until, oh, about 1827.
Now, here is where the story kinda picks up a little bit. And after much rejection, Joseph Smith finally began to build a following. Later, after stopovers in Kirtland, Ohio, and Jackson County, Missouri, they wound up in Nauvoo, Illinois. Here, Joseph set himself up as mayor and Lt. Gen. of the “Nauvoo Legion.” He filled the city council and the courts with his friends, and established a sort of theocracy. Anyone who opposed them could be arrested, or if they came to city hall with a complaint, they'd be ignored. It was during this time that Joseph Smith began teaching the doctrine of polygamy. And when some in the LDS camp opposed this teaching, they began publishing a newspaper called The Nauvoo Expositor to expose this heresy. And of course, Joseph Smith, being the open-minded man that he was, ordered the printing press destroyed.
Eventually, Joseph Smith declared martial law, after which he and his brother Hyrum were put in jail for treason. On the night of June 27th, 1844, they were attacked by a mob, and were killed. (12)
Well, let me speed things up here a bit. Brigham Young took over as leader of the Mormons, led them out to Salt Lake City, they broke ground for the temple on February 14, 1853, and completed the building in April of 1893.
Now, I know some of this stuff may seem kinda dry and dull and boring—but there’s a very important reason I’m telling you all this stuff. Because Mormonism is built upon the foundation of Joseph Smith’s “first vision” and his being a “prophet of GOD.” It’s built upon the reliability and validity of the Book of Mormon being “Another testament of Jesus Christ,” which it isn't! Don’t believe the commercials! And if these things are found to be untrue, then Mormonism falls apart, it structure completely crumbles to the ground, and it is exposed as a false religion.
Next time we’re going to look at what Mormons believe about GOD, and how we can become a “God” ourselves. After that, we’ll look at what they consider to be “Scripture,” and some of their other unbiblical beliefs.
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1) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Our Heritage"
2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Book of Mormon, Testimony of Joseph Smith.
3) Lucy Smith. Utah Lighthouse Ministries. Salt Lake Messenger. Issue #95 (April 1999).
4) B. H. Roberts. Utah Lighthouse Ministries. Salt Lake Messenger. Issue #95 (April 1999).
10) Isaac Hale. Utah Lighthouse Ministries. Salt Lake Messenger. Issue #95 (April 1999).
11) David Whitmer. Utah Lighthouse Ministries. Salt Lake Messenger. Issue #95 (April 1999).
12) Utah Lighthouse Ministries. The Death of Joseph Smith.
