Criticism of the Book of Mormon

Part of a series on
The Book of Mormon
Origin
Angel Moroni Golden plates Joseph Smith Oliver Cowdery Book of Mormon witnesses Reformed Egyptian
Historical authenticity and criticism
Anachronisms Archaeology Genetics Linguistics Limited geography model
Prophets and People
Jesus Abinadi Ammon Alma the Elder Alma, son of Alma King Benjamin Brother of Jared Samuel the Lamanite Captain Moroni Enos Helaman Lehi Nephi Mormon Moroni

The Book of Mormon, published in 1830 by American religious leader Joseph Smith (who claimed it to be a translation of an ancient Native American record), is the subject of criticism relating to its origin, text, and historical accuracy.

Ancient origin

Critics reject Smith's explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was originally an ancient native-American record written on golden plates, and that God gave him the power to translate it into English. Critics note that there is no physical proof of the existence of golden plates; Smith said that the angel Moroni reclaimed the plates once he had completed the translation. Smith acquired affidavits from 11 men, known as the Book of Mormon witnesses, claiming that they had been shown the plates; their testimony is typically published at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. While none of these men ever retracted their statement^{[dubious – discuss]}, critics nevertheless discount these testimonies for varying reasons, primarily because most of these men were closely interrelated.

Critics deny that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin. They assert that portions of the Book of Mormon were plagiarized from modern publications of Smith's time, including the King James Bible,^[2][3] The Wonders of Nature,^[4][5] View of the Hebrews,^[6][7][8] and an unpublished manuscript written by Solomon Spalding.^[9][10][11] Critics have varying theories about the true authorship of the Book of Mormon, but most conclude that Smith fabricated it himself, or possibly with the aid of Oliver Cowdery.

Text and language

Joseph Smith provided a sample of "reformed Egyptian" characters. Critics assert this language was merely Smith's invention.

Critics view the language patterns, phrases, and names in the Book of Mormon as evidence that it is not authentic.

Joseph Smith claimed that he translated the Book of Mormon from a language called Reformed Egyptian. Archaeologists and Egyptologists^{[citation needed]}, however, have found no evidence that this language ever existed. Furthermore, the Book of Mormon implies that at least some native Americans came from the Jerusalem area; however, Native American linguistic specialists have not found any native American language that appears to be related to languages of the ancient Near East.^{[citation needed]}

Critics^{[citation needed]} claim that language patterns in the Book of Mormon indicate that it is merely a repetition of rhetorical patterns found in the Old Testament. They point out that the Book of Mormon contains many words and phrases that are not consistent with the time frame or location of the stories included in the book. Supporters of the Book of Mormon note its repeated use of chiasmus—a figure of speech utilizing inverted parallelism—and claim it is evidence to support the book's ancient origin. Critics^{[citation needed]} argue that while chiasmus appears in short form within ancient classical works of Rome, the complex stylization of these passages found in the Book of Mormon is more similar to that found in works of the Renaissance and into the 18th/19th centuries.^{[citation needed]}

Some critics theorize that Smith derived the account of the golden plates from treasure-hunting stories of William Kidd. Critics base this theory on the similarity of the names from Smith's account—Moroni and Cumorah—to the location Moroni, Comoros, related to Kidd's hunt for treasure. Apologists argue that it was unlikely that Smith had access to this material.^{[citation needed]}

Historical accuracy

Critics discredit the historical accuracy of the Book of Mormon. They note various issues, including anachronisms, geographical inconsistencies, and lack of genetic evidence.

Anachronisms

Critics point out that the Book of Mormon contains references to various plants and animals (horses, swine, etc.) that did not exist in the Americas at the time of the story. Critics also point out that the Book of Mormon contains references to various technologies (chariots, steel, etc.) that did not exist in the Americas at the time of the story.

Apologists offer varying views on these anachronisms, typically countering them in one of two ways. One claim is that archaeological evidence may exist that has not yet been found. Another is that Joseph Smith used English words in a generic way, sometimes referring to an item other than that which the direct English word would imply.

Geography

Map showing the possible lands and sites of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica (speculative)

Critics point out that there are many inconsistencies and implausibilities in the story of the Israelites coming from the Mid-East to the Americas, and in the geographical descriptions of the lands in the Americas in which the stories take place.

Native Americans and genetics

The Book of Mormon suggests that the Native Americans are descended from people who came to the Americas by boat from the Middle East. However, scientists have used techniques involving genetic markers to conclude that Native American genes are of East Asian, not Middle Eastern in origin. Apologists argue that the Middle Eastern genes in Native Americans may have been diluted beyond what can now be detected; there is currently no way to verify this claim with genetic evidence.

Divine nature of the book

Egyptologists' translations of these fragments of the Joseph Smith Papyri do not coincide with Smith's translation.

Critics reject the belief that the Book of Mormon is of divine origin; they discredit the book's divine origin by discrediting Joseph Smith. Critics point out that Joseph Smith also translated the Book of Abraham. Unlike the Book of Mormon, fragments of the documents from which Smith translated the Book of Abraham are available for inspection; Egyptologists find no resemblance between the original text and Smith's translation, casting doubt on Smith's claimed divine gift of translation.

Critics also discredit the divine origin of the Book of Mormon by noting the numerous revisions that have been made to the text. ^{[6] [7] [12] [13][14][15][16]} Though most changes are small spelling and grammar corrections,^[17] critics claim that even these are significant in light of Smith's claims of divine inspiration.^[18] Critics assert that some of these changes were systematic attempts to hide the book's flaws.^[19][20]

See also

• Criticism of Mormon sacred texts
• Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Criticism of Mormonism
• Book of Mormon anachronisms

References

• Smith, Andrew F. (1971), The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, p. 141, ISBN 978-0-252-02282-1 .
• Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1979), The Changing World of Mormonism, Moody Press, ISBN 0-8024-1234-3  Unknown parameter |link= ignored (help)
• Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1987), Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, ISBN 99930-74-43-8 
• Twain, Mark (1872), Roughing It 
• Wymetal, Wilhelm Ritter von (1886), Joseph Smith, the Prophet, His Family, and His Friends: A Study Based on Facts and Documents, Salt Lake City, UT: Tribune Printing and Publishing Company, pp. 60–61 .

Notes