Bofm witnesses presentation provides a spiritual and temporal witness of the realities of the book of mormon. Mar 15, 2016 nephi prophesied that there would be multiple groups of people who would see the plates upon which the book of mormon was written. The scripture says that something is established in the mouths of two or three witnesses, but now only joseph smith himself is the remaining witness to the credibility of the book, and now the current lds factions, except the fundamentalist faction, has moved. Dec 10, 2011 to the believers, this is evidence he must have been truthful when he signed the testimony of the three witnesses. Marsh came across oliver and david while traveling in the year 1838, the year they were excommunicated.
Believers in the book of mormon heard the witnesses declare that the plates were real and that the book of mormon was true. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of. Book of mormonwitnesseseye of faith and spiritual eye. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this. When modern latterday saints think of the witnesses to the book of mormon, its likely that the men whose names most commonly come. Janis hutchinson the three witnesses to the gold plates. The testimony of three witnesses, oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. It is recorded in the american cyclopedia and the encyclopedia britannica, that i, david whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the book of mormon. Now that oliver had been removed from the church, he was a man with a reason to expose joseph smith as a fraud. Each of the three had ample reason and opportunity to renounce his testimony if it had been false, or to equivocate on details if any had been inaccurate.
Witnesses to the book of mormon david whitmer general. During one mob attack, david whitmer was threatened with death if he would not admit that the book of mormon was a fraud. I didnt realize there was almost 200 recorded statements having to do with the three witnesses. An account written by the hand of mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of nephi.
I know that the book of mormon is true and that joseph smith was a true prophet of god. To the inside front cover are affixed four clippings of descriptions of different versions of first edition copies of the book of mormon and of an 1854 edition of the doctrine and covenants, along with a clipping describing the origin of the text of the book of mormon and a bookplate of the shepard book company of salt lake city, utah. This book will be convincing to those already certain that the gold plates actually existed and that the eleven witnesses saw them. Book of mormon, 1830, page 188 the joseph smith papers. He removed with his parents to new york state when a boy, and married elizabeth schott, september 29, 1825. Oliver cowdery and joseph smith were third or fourth cousins. Oliver cowdery and martin harris came back humbly seeking membership in the church and both died in full fellowship. The three witnesses remained faithful to their testimonies of the book of mormon. You cannot be a college graduate, in fact, you can have only three years of schooling. Testimony of three witnesses book of mormon youtube. Published in every edition of the book of mormon are the testimonies of eight witnesses who saw the metal plates from which the prophet joseph smith translated the ancient scriptural account and of three witnesses who not only saw the plates but who were shown them by an angel.
Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies center. Did the eleven witnesses actually see the gold plates. The three witnesses monument photo courtesy steve mortensen. The three witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. Eleven men claimed to witness the existence of plates they believed were the source for the book of mormon. In june 1829, in company with three members of the smith family and four of his whitmer inlaws, hiram had the experience with the gold plates that made him one of the official book of mormon witnesses. There david whitmer and his family experienced extreme persecution because of their membership in the church. Imagine the twelve apostles suddenly denying jesus rose from the dead in public, only to ask people to ignore their denials and accept their testimony once again. The book of mormon presents a very different problem for josephs detractors than does the first vision. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses. Basically, because he got uppity with joseph smith following the kirtland antibanking safety society scandal of 1837, in which smith and the other leaders of the kass lost all the savings of many kirtland saints with their undercapitalized nonba. Well, just as plain as you see that chopping block, i saw the plates. The three are part of twelve book of mormon witnesses.
Harmon, made in about 1885, cited in vogel, emd, 2. We can compare the witnesses for the book of mormon to the witnesses of manuscript found. Oliver cowdery mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. For instance, all 11 witnesses to the book of mormon shared a common worldview of second sight, magic, and treasure digging. The world was not left with joseph smiths testimony alone. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce. Oliver was a prominent man in the communities where he lived and did not need the burden of being listed as one of the three witnesses listed in the book of mormon.
Lds witnesses to the book of mormon christian forums. Many critics of the book of mormon witnesses say that the witnesses of the book of mormon denied their written testimonies in statements to different people over the years. With words of soberness book of mormon study notes. President nelson grandfathers visit from the other side of the veil and family history work duration. An earlier group of witnesses who said they had seen. All of the living book of mormon witnesses, except oliver cowdery, later. To the disbeliever, he has to have been a knowing member of the fraud in order to explain his testimony as well as his daytoday observation of the writing of the book of mormon. Each of the three had ample reason and opportunity to renounce his testimony if it had been false, or to. Compilation on the three witnesses of the golden plates.
Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses book of mormon central. All three witness fall away from the church but never deny their testimony regarding the plates c martin harris. Throughout their lives, none of these eleven men ever denied their testimonies. Book of mormon, 1837, page 618 the joseph smith papers. The mormon church, of course, claims that none of the three witnesses ever denied their testimony.
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The three witnesses were oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer, whose joint testimony, in conjunction with a separate statement by eight witnesses, has been printed with every edition of the book of mormon since its first publication in 1830. David whitmer witnesses of the golden plates and book of. They also heard a voice from heaven, declaring the truth of the book of mormons translation. Apr 02, 2020 for a further analysis of the question, how long it took for joseph to translate the book of mormon, see my recent article, timing the translation of the book of mormon. Some mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of mormon but came back to deny their denial. Even under duress whitmer refused to deny his testimony. However, according to the following information, the testimony of the majority of these witnesses is largely invalidated by their actions. Dec 05, 2009 president nelson grandfathers visit from the other side of the veil and family history work duration.
You must write a book with 239 chapters, 54 of them about wars, 21 about history, 55 about prophecy, 71 about doctrine, 17 about missionaries, and 21 about the mission of jesus. Life was far from easy, however, for many early members of the church. Oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer were appointed to be three special witnesses of the book of mormon in june 1829. Each of the first three witnesses saw the plates in a vision for the first time in a different place and time.
Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies. One of the key things i learned was i had grown up and i had been aware of five, six, seven statements made by the three witnesses. The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the book of mormon. Joseph dictates the part of the book of mormon that mentions three special witnesses while all three are there with him. The most significant witnesses are the three witnesses and the eight. All three witnesses eventually broke with smith and were excommunicated from the church. Oxford university press, 2003, 4142, emphasis added. From my experience, bigfoot and mary witnesses are similar. They have no secondary witnesses, nor do they leave obvious historical artifacts that require explanation. The combined testimonies of the three and eight witnesses of the book of mormon provide powerful evidence of the restoration. In fact, many who are puzzled by other inconsistencies and problems with the production of the book of mormon rely on the fact that the witnesses gave their testimony of the book. In studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ.
But though their testimonies are still printed at the beginning of every copy of the book of mormon, all three of these men left the church at some pointonly two. The theology of the book of mormon an introduction to the. These distinctions appear to reflect the three witnesses who saw the plates and the angels, the eight witnesses who saw and handled the plates. As you worked on this project, what did you learn about the book of mormon that you didnt know before.
Smith was very upset with david whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the book of mormon. The story of how it came about is rather fantastic, after all, and the simplest explanation is that the book was a deliberate deception. Johnson reflected the sentiments of the community by writing a poem attempting to reflect the fact that men may be untrue to the truth. Despite fairs rebuttal to the witnesses section of the ces letter, major concerns regarding the credibility of the book of mormon witnesses remain. First, he specifically mention 3 witnesses, then a few, and also as many witnesses as seemeth the lord good. They were all discredited by the mormon church itself. The american scripture that launched a new world religion new york. The following is their testimony that can be found in the first pages of the book of mormon. The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. Perhaps one should not expect that a book about the witnesses to the book of mormon published by deseret book company would be anything other than an attempt to strengthen the readers faith in the book of mormon.
Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition by anderson, richard lloyd. Even if the majority of the witnesses to the book of mormon did not deny their testimony of the book itself, this does little to support mormonism today. The first edition of the book of mormon featured two testimonials. The book of mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated aspects of josephs account. That i have never at any time, denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that book, as one of the three witnesses.
Oliver cowdery was one of the first members of the mormon church and was a key figure in mormon history. The three witnesses said they beheld the angel moroni, who showed them the gold plates and other nephite artifacts. Check out the viewpoint on mormonism podcast series 15 witnesses to the book of mormon part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 february 1518, 2016 joseph smith claimed that in 1823 he was visited by an angel named moroni and that this angel told him that there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the. Why were three key witnesses chosen to testify of the book of mormon. That i have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that book, as one of the three witnesses.
Days and hours never to be forgotten, byu studies quarterly 57 no. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they claimed. The testimony of three witnesses be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. And testimonies almost always wilt under crossexamination or sustained questioning. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition.
They beg joseph to ask god if maybe they arent the ones. Who are the few who were permitted to see the plates. Richard lloyd anderson, personal writings of the book of mormon witnesses, in book of mormon authorship revisited. The forgotten witness of the book of mormon who refused to deny his faith even under threat of death. Oliver served as scribe to joseph smith during the translation of the book of mormon, was the first person to be baptized into the church, was witness to the truthfulness of the book of mormon, and was a leader in the early days of the church. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they. He said, young man, i never did leave the church the church left me. Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. The three witnesses is the collective name for three men connected with the early latter day saint movement who stated that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which joseph smith, jr. Three sisters discipleship, a yearning for home faith and following the lord, bearers of heavenly light follow the light. Tad callister on what it was like to grow up the grandson of.
But, oliver cowdery, according to the mormon publication times and seasons, did deny. They must have known their testimony would be ridiculed by some. Martin harris, quoted in robert aveson, three witnesses to the book of mormon, deseret news, april 2, 1927. The statement of the 3 witnesses for the book of mormon was a single statement signed by all three men. Current mormon doctrine on the nature of god, the priesthood, use of temples, baptism for the dead, and men becoming gods, is nowhere contained in the book of mormon. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director witnesses.
Their written testimony of three witnesses has been included in all of the almost 100 million copies of the book of mormon the church has published since 1830. Modern mormon spin doctors write all kinds of articles claiming that the witnesses may have denied the mormon church but they never the book of mormon. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading investigating the book of mormon witnesses. Additional information on the individual witnesses and their statements are available in the maxwell institutes digital collection. The testimony of the three witnesses to the book of mormon stands forth in great strength, president dallin h. The eight witnesses were one of the two groups of witnesses who made statements stating that they had seen the golden plates which joseph smith jr. Measured against all of these possible objections, the testimony of the three witnesses to the book of mormon stands forth in great strength. It begins with a testimony of three witnesses from brazil who claim to have seen the plates of mormon and the sword of laban, and to have shaken hands with the angel moroni. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates. Many individuals in the mormon church find the witnesses to the book of mormon very compelling evidence. The forgotten witness of the book of mormon who refused to. Joseph smith attacks original book of mormon witnesses.
Mormonism does it pass gods 3 question test for truth. All three special witnesses became estranged and left the church. As the three witnesses conceded, the things they had seen were marvelousastonishing, hard to believe. These elements are what provide such strong support for the book of mormon witnesses, the 3 and the 8. Book of mormon spiritual and temporal witnesses presentation. But the 1830 book of mormon contained 590 pages of text, the most important kind of evidence historians. On 26 mar 2019 a book entitled the sealed book of mormon was published. Not one of the three witnesses ever denied his testimony of the book of mormon. Three of these men admitted the experience was subjective and visionary. Eldin ricks, the case of the book of mormon witnesses, p. Jan 03, 2020 like the witnesses of the book of mormon, we are under obligation to share the things that we know to be true. The author, richard lloyd anderson, gives many historical details about the statements of such critics and the sources and background of their statements. Here are some critics thoughts on that thanks to gary porter and craig criddle for these.
First, its doctrine often agrees with traditional christian beliefs in sometimes surprising ways and at other times undermines the bible and traditional christianity. If the witnesses felt that joseph had perpetuated a scam, they would have. Each copy of the book of mormon contains a record of eleven witnesses who proclaim its truthfulness. I might as well doubt my own existence as to doubt the divine authenticity of the book of mormon or the divine calling of joseph smith. An earlier group of witnesses who said they had seen the plates were called the three witnesses. The three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon. I then concluded, as i now believe, that jealousy and disappointment had soured his soul, but nothing could obliterate his testimony of the divinity of the book of mormon. Oliver is referenced in the times and seasons as denying the book of mormon. The mormon church presents this as evidence that the book of mormon is true. The hearsay accounts show that ones faith in the book of mormon witnesses or lack thereof is based not simply on hearing the witnesses testimonies but on how one chooses to receive and understand their testimonies. When i first encountered the book of mormon, i assumed it was a hoax. Book of mormon the testimony of three witnesses youtube. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses deseret book.
Oaks, first counselor in the first presidency, has said. If you believe my testimony to the book of mormon, if you believe that god spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, wrote whitmer, then i tell you that in june, 1838, god spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens, and told me to separate myself from among the latter day saints, for as they sought to do unto me, should it be done unto them. Yet, all three of the witnesses never denied their testimony of the plates and the angel. In a letter dated december 16, 1838, joseph smith said that john whitmer, david whitmer, oliver cowdery, and martin harris are too mean to mention history of the church, vol. Would you believe something so fantastic if someone you knew said they experienced something. Thats put a spanner in the works about the veracity of the book of mormon. One of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon, was the second son of peter whitmer, sen. Three witnesses mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. Three witnesses of the book of mormon department of.
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