The Book of Abraham Papyri and Joseph Smith. By Matt Slick There are many proofs that Joseph Smith was a false prophet, but Mormons typically will not accept them. From the biblical evidence that contradicts Mormon theology, to the contradictions within its own history and doctrine, proofs abound. But Mormons, completely dedicated to their religion and their testimony, cannot and will not see the evidence. They rely not on biblical evidence, not on historical evidence, but rather trust a 'testimony' that Mormonism is the restored church and Joseph Smith its true prophet.
One of the tests of whether or not a belief is grounded in reality is whether or not it can be proven to be true or false. If someone says, "I don't care what evidence you show me, I will always believe," then that person's faith is not rooted in reality. And since Christianity is a religion of history, crucifixion, resurrection, an empty tomb, etc., it is a religion rooted in reality. The Book of Abraham The Papyri are found What do the Experts say? Facsimile No. 1. The Book Of Abraham – Mormon Pearl of Great Price.
The Lost Book of Abraham (full video, low quality) Book of Abraham. A portion of the papyri considered by some to be source of the Book of Abraham. The difference between Egyptologists' translation and Joseph Smith's interpretations have caused considerable controversy. The Book of Abraham is an 1835 work produced by Joseph Smith[1] that he said was based on Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. According to Smith, the book was "a translation of some ancient records ... purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus".[2] Smith's translation of the papyri describes a story of Abraham's early life, including a vision of the cosmos. The Book of Abraham papyri were thought lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. However, in 1966 several fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and in the LDS Church archives.
They are now referred to as the Joseph Smith Papyri. Origin[edit] Content[edit] Decrypting the Mormon Book of Abraham. Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith allegedly translated the adventures of Abraham in Egypt. By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast Episode 168, August 25, 2009 Today we're going to point our skeptical eye at one of the supposedly ancient scriptures of the Mormon Church, the Book of Abraham. In 1835 the Church came into possession of some Egyptian papyri, said to have been translated with divine guidance by their prophet, Joseph Smith. Smith reported that the papyri were "the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus. " In the book, Jehovah reveals to Abraham the nature of the universe and the order of all things, in a personal conversation, including knowledge of the planet Kolob, which is close to where God lives. Sometime in the early 1800's, an antiquities dealer named Antonio Lebolo returned from Egypt with eleven mummies and other artifacts, including papyri, from the region around Thebes.
FRONTLINE + American Experience: Mormons. Funding for FRONTLINE and American Experience is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Additional funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The Park Foundation. Additional funding for "The Mormons" is provided by Edward D. Smith, Steven J. and Kalleen Lund, Mr. and Mrs.
Blake M. Introduction | Watch Online | Join the Discussion | Historical Map | Interviews | Frequently Asked Questions | History | ThemesProducer's Chat | Readings & Links | DVD & Transcript | Credits | Press Reaction | Site MapTeacher's Guide: History | Teacher's Guide: Church & State | Privacy Policy | Journalistic GuidelinesAmerican Experience Series Home | FRONTLINE Series Home | WGBH | PBS. History of the Latter Day Saint movement. Richard Packham's Home Page. The Book Of Abraham – Mormon Pearl of Great Price. The Journal of Discourses.
The Mountain Meadows massacre of over 120 men, women and children — Blood Atonement and Other "Peculiar Institutions" Lt John Gunnison More than any other federal representative who spent any time in Utah, the actions of Lt. John Gunnison, a surveyor with the U.S. Army, led to what would later be called the Mountain Meadows massacre. Zachary Taylor sent Gunnison to Utah to perform the first survey of the new territory that had been surrendered by Mexico.
He arrived in Salt Lake City with a small troop of men, but found a particularly hostile reception. I hear from various sources that our survey is regarded with great jealousy, he wrote in his diary. Gunnison was a particularly strong diplomat who managed to convince Young that his purpose was not to survey the Mormon territory for the purpose of taking land, although the surveyor reported later that the treatment he received from his hosts warmed only to mere rudeness by the time his mission was completed. What captured the attention of the Americans was Gunnisons description of two Mormon practices. But the Mormons took blood atonement even further. Bruce McConkie's Letter of Rebuke to Professor Eugene England | Mormonism Research Ministry. Introduction The following is a letter written by LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie and sent to a BYU Professor by the name of Eugene England. The purpose of McConkie's letter was to let Dr. England know that he was very displeased with certain ideas he was espousing publicly.
These included teachings taught in the past by leaders such as Brigham Young. McConkie soundly attacks Young's notion that God is ever progressing in knowledge or that Adam is God. The Letter The Council of Twelve 47 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 February 19, 1981 Mr. Dear Brother England: This may well be the most important letter you have or will receive. In your letter and the article enclosed with it, you set forth the thesis that although God knows all things as pertaining to our sphere of existence, there are nonetheless other spheres beyond ours in which Deity continues to advance and progress in knowledge and truth.
Mr. "This is false -- utterly, totally, and completely. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. A Mormon History of the Americas. Can the history of the American continent as presented in the Book of Mormon be true? By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast Episode 43, May 06, 2007 Join us now as we enter a mysterious building that no outsider has ever visited — a Mormon temple — for today we're studying that most curious of history texts, the Book of Mormon.
The Mormons, formally and properly known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is the same as any other more conventional Christian church, but with the additional element of a belief that after the Resurrection, Jesus also appeared to peoples in the Americas. The story goes that a man in Jerusalem named Lehi built a boat for his family and sailed across the Atlantic to the American continent in about 600 B.C., and they became the forebears of the American Indian people of North and South America. Now the early days of the Mormon church were violent. So what is there about the Mormons to be skeptical of? Brian Dunning. More Wet and Wild Listener Feedback. Another round of listener feedback from the past several months. By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast Episode 68, October 02, 2007 It's been another 35 episodes or so since we did this last time, and it's time again to check in with some of the listener feedback I've received.
I guess I'm just not getting through to some people. Maybe it's because those people don't base their beliefs upon rational understanding of the facts. Gee, can you imagine that? What a world that would be, where people actually clung to irrational beliefs! Case in point, some of those who replied to my episode on the Phoenix Lights, an event in which all the photographic evidence was absolutely consistent with the flares that are known to have been dropped. This is just a piece of junk!!! Yes, Mr. A listener from San Diego, California wrote: My friend worked at the AFB base in that area. Well, that's compelling: Your friend was out of town and so didn't see anything.
Decrypting the Mormon Book of Abraham. q51. Question #51 A. Yes. That was Elder Ezra Taft Benson. Elder Benson was an admirer of The John Birch Society; a right-wing organization which opposed Communism and was popular with ultra-right-wing Americans in the 1959s and early 1960s and still continues today in some quarters. It appears that Elder Benson (ordained an Apostle in 1948) was convinced that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was part of an overall Communist conspiracy; deceiving blacks and out to establish a Communist government in the United States. On Dec. 14, 1963, Elder Benson spoke at a meeting in Logan, Utah, sponsored by the John Birch Society: "LOGAN, UTAH--Former Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson charged Friday night that the civil-rights movement in the South had been 'formatted almost entirely by the Communists.' Elder Benson's views at the time were not shared by other members of the Quorum of the Twelve.
"What are we doing to fight it [communism]? First of all, we must not place blame on the Negroes. Any truth? More Outrageous Listener Feedback. My responses to some of the more "out there" feedback I've received. By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast Episode 91, March 11, 2008 The best part of my day is when I open my Skeptoid email folder. It's like Belloq opening the Ark of the Covenant. He stares inside for a moment as his eyes get wider and wider, and suddenly there's an explosion.
Lightning bolts of illogic. To start with, Tim from Virginia had some thoughts on the organic food myths episode: Wow, very disappointing. Tim, I found your thoughts on organic food fascinating. Barry from Provo, UT had some thoughts on the episode where I pointed out a few of the factual impossibilities depicted in the Book of Mormon. I am a professor at LDS Church-owned BYU and you made some very good points. He is correct. When I was in dental school, I had a night/weekend job doing emergency blood gas analysis at the VA Hospital across the street, and as such was part of the "Code" team. Well, Hallelujah, Nilda!