Book of Mormon Original Manuscript

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The Cornerstone

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Was the placement of the manuscript in the cornerstone by divine providence of heaven, or of men?

Nauvoo House Cornerstone, LDS Church Archives, 1907 wrote: Image
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God or man?

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Shulem wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:45 pm
Was the placement of the manuscript in the cornerstone by divine providence of heaven, or of men?

I now cite two eyewitnesses who were intimately involved and present at the ceremony involving the placement of the original Book of Mormon Manuscript into the cornerstone. It would be nice to have a statement from President Smith’s counselors, Hyrum Smith and William Law, but I’ve not been able to dig anything up from them. I’m not a historian! Let’s examine closely what the following eyewitnesses say and then it becomes reasonable clear (note the emphasis) whether the idea to place the manuscript into the cornerstone was of heaven or of man.

Warren Foote wrote:Oct. 1st We started out about 2 o’clock in the morning-drove 10 miles and stopped and got breakfast. About sunrise it began to rain as we were passing through Carthage. This place is 18 miles from Nauvoo and is the county seat of Hancock County. It rained all day, and we did not get to Nauvoo until 10 o=clock at night. We stopped with aunt Lowly Richardon, E Allen’s wife mother, and my Father’s Sister.

2nd Conference commenced today. After meeting a deposit was made in the southeast corner stone of the Nauvoo House. A square hole had been chiseled in the large corner stone like a box. Any one had the privilege of putting in any little memento they wished too. I was standing very near the corner stone when Joseph Smith came up with the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and said that he wanted to put that in there, as he had had trouble enough with it. It was the size of common foolscap paper and about three inches thick. There were also deposited the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, a five cent piece, a 10c, a 25c and a 50c and a one dollar all American coin. A close fitting cover of stone had been prepared and was laid in cement and the wall built over it. The day was clear and cool.
Ebenezer Robinson wrote:After the brethren had assembled at the southeast corner of the foundation, where the cornerstone was to be laid, President Joseph Smith said: ‘Wait brethren, I have a document I wish to put in that stone,’ and started for his house, which was only a few rods away, across Main Street. I went with him to the house, and also one or two other brethren. He got a manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon, and brought it into the room where we were standing, and said: ‘I will examine to see if it is all here,’ and as he did so I stood near him, at his left side, and saw distinctively the writing, as he turned up the pages until he hastily went through the book and satisfied himself that it was all there . . . . It was written on foolscap paper, and formed a package, as the sheets lay flat, of about two or two and a half inches thick, I should judge. It was written mostly in Oliver Cowdery’s handwriting, with which I was intimately acquainted, having set many pages of type from his hand-writing in the church printing office at Kirtland, Ohio. Some parts of it were written in other handwriting. He took the manuscript and deposited it in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House, together with other papers and things, including different pieces of Unites States coin.

And, that settles it. It was Joseph Smith’s idea to put the manuscript into the cornerstone. Nobody can blame God for coming up with the idea!

And that, my friends, is a prime example of being uninspired and making foolish decisions. I think Robin Jensen would probably agree with that assessment. It certainly seems fair.
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Re: Book of Mormon Original Manuscript

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My friends, much more is to come.

The Book of Mormon Manuscript serves as a witness that Joseph Smith was ready to bury that chapter of his history and move on to grander things that entail power and prestige. Joseph Smith was ready to take on the world!

I will soon demonstrate and show how the revelation of D&C 124 was given of man and not by God. My reasoning will be clear and unmistakably sound.

Thank you for being here
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Make a solemn proclamation to all nations of the earth and let it be written in the spirit of meekness

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D&C 124 wrote:3 This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.
4 Let it be written in the spirit of meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be in you at the time of the writing of the same;

Joseph Smith claims to be speaking directly for God whereby Smith is commissioned to send an official proclamation to *ALL* leaders of every nation, including present day USA and all the other existing countries. This command is to be executed immediately, without delay: “you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation” (124:2).

This command is given directly TO: Joseph Smith, whereby he is personally commanded by God to fulfill this divine decree in making a proclamation to all the kings of the world and to every leader of every nation.

Furthermore, this proclamation is to be written in the spirit of meekness. What is meekness?

Webster's Dictionary 1828 wrote:MEE'KNESS, noun Softness of temper; mildness; gentleness; forbearance under injuries and provocations.
1. In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance and refractoriness.

God commands two things at the hand of Joseph Smith:
  • Make a solemn proclamation to all nations of the earth
  • Let it be written in the spirit of meekness
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“O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people”

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D&C 124 wrote: 5 For it shall be given you by the Holy Ghost to know my will concerning those kings and authorities, even what shall befall them in a time to come.

Joseph Smith explicitly claims that he will know by revelation through the Spirit at a future time what tragedies will befall kings and leaders who become recipients of his proclamation. This will give Smith an advantage over all the leaders of the earth in knowing their destiny.

D&C 124 wrote: 6 For, behold, I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her.

Smith says that God is going to call upon the leaders of nations through his proclamation to give heed to Zion and the cornerstone being planted and built up in Nauvoo. All roads lead to NAUVOO which is after the similitude of a palace. We learned earlier in this thread that God commanded both the temple and the Nauvoo House to be built in order to facilitate the needs of the saints and accommodate the dignitaries of nations who would come to the cornerstone of Zion: “Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion.”

QUESTION:

How many kings or leaders of nations actually came to Nauvoo in response to the proclamation Smith was commanded to send to *ALL* the nations of the earth?

[ ] Less than 10
[ ] More than 10
[x] None


QUESTION:

Did Smith live to fulfill the commandment given to him of God to send a proclamation to all the kings and leaders of the earth and invite them to come to Nauvoo?

[ ] Yes
[x] No


It seems readily evident that the command to send a proclamation to all the kings and leaders of the earth and to build the Nauvoo House came from JOSEPSH SMITH, not God. Unfortunately for Smith, the proclamations were never sent and neither was the Nauvoo House built. The cornerstone of Zion failed to materialize as did the temple in Jackson County Missouri!
Last edited by Shulem on Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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“Let it be written in the spirit of meekness”

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Shulem wrote:
Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:17 pm
God commands two things at the hand of Joseph Smith:
  • Make a solemn proclamation to all nations of the earth
  • Let it be written in the spirit of meekness

We know that Smith failed to send out a proclamation by swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers (124:26) to all the kings and leaders of the earth. We know that Smith failed to build the Nauvoo House and also the Missouri temple. We also know that kings and leaders of nations did not come to visit the cornerstone of Zion whereby gold and silver was not gifted to Smith’s cause. It might be said that the revelation of Section 124 or a portion therefrom serves as the very proclamation that Smith intended to send to the nations of the earth, via William Law (124:107). A copy of the revelation was buried in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House with the Book of Mormon manuscript. It’s certainly a fair assumption to think the revelation is in keeping with a proclamation, but it’s also clear that the proclamation was not printed and delivered by swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers to all the kings and leaders of foreign countries. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that the revelation of D&C 124 is the proclamation and in keeping with the spirit and message that would emanate from it. Is it written in the spirit of meekness?

Let’s examine the revelation and see just how meek it really is:

D&C 124 wrote: 106 And in all his journeyings let him lift up his voice as with the sound of a trump, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to flee the wrath to come.
107 Let him assist my servant Joseph, and also let my servant William Law assist my servant Joseph, in making a solemn proclamation unto the kings of the earth, even as I have before said unto you.

The spirit of meekness doesn’t seem in harmony with sending swift and chosen messengers to raise a loud voice like the sound of trumpet and warn leaders of nations to flee from the wrath to come! Where is the meekness in that?

D&C 124 wrote: 119 And again, verily I say unto you, let no man pay stock to the quorum of the Nauvoo House unless he shall be a believer in the Book of Mormon, and the revelations I have given unto you, saith the Lord your God;
120 For that which is more or less than this cometh of evil, and shall be attended with cursings and not blessings, saith the Lord your God. Even so. Amen.

Now comes a spirit of threatening and cursing against those who fail to live up to the standards imposed. Earlier in the revelation, Smith called upon the kings of the earth to bring their gold and their silver to help build up the cornerstone of Zion which also includes the Nauvoo House:

11 “Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion.”

26 “And send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your gold, and your silver”

But now Smith forbids anyone to pay stock into the Nauvoo House unless they are a believer in the Book of Mormon and the revelations. So why expect kings and leaders of nations to come and plop gold and silver at his feet when they are not believers? This is a double standard. Other portions of the revelation hardly seem meek but are fitted with threats and curses against those who fail to subject themselves to the will of Joseph Smith. This is not the invitation made by someone who is meek. This is not MEEKNESS! This is breathing out threats and terrible curses against those who refuse to bend the knee to one’s tyrannical orders.

D&C 124 wrote:7 Call ye, therefore, upon them with loud proclamation, and with your testimony, fearing them not, for they are as grass, and all their glory as the flower thereof which soon falleth, that they may be left also without excuse—
8 And that I may visit them in the day of visitation, when I shall unveil the face of my covering, to appoint the portion of the oppressor among hypocrites, where there is gnashing of teeth, if they reject my servants and my testimony which I have revealed unto them.
9 And again, I will visit and soften their hearts, many of them for your good, that ye may find grace in their eyes, that they may come to the light of truth, and the Gentiles to the exaltation or lifting up of Zion.
10 For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people, and refuge for those who shall be left of them?

Folks, the spirit of Joseph Smith’s proclamation is anything but the spirit of meekness. The world is better off because Nauvoo failed. There is no telling what Joseph Smith hoped to achieve in his political aspirations in pushing his agenda on the country and the rest of the world. In my view, the world was a safer place without Joseph Smith. It’s frightening to think what that man was really hoping to achieve.
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Re: Book of Mormon Original Manuscript

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Shulem wrote:
Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:48 pm
QUESTION:

Did Smith live to fulfill the commandment given to him of God to send a proclamation to all the kings and leaders of the earth and invite them to come to Nauvoo?

[ ] Yes
[x] No

It seems readily evident that the command to send a proclamation to all the kings and leaders of the earth and to build the Nauvoo House came from JOSEPSH SMITH, not God. Unfortunately for Smith, the proclamations were never sent and neither was the Nauvoo House built. The cornerstone of Zion failed to materialize as did the temple in Jackson County Missouri!

Recall that the original commandment in D&C 124 to immediately send out a proclamation to the kings of the earth was given on January 19, 1841. What effort did Smith make to fulfill this commandment and accomplish the divine mission he claimed God gave him by direct revelation? Nearly two years later we learn in Smith’s journal that the work remained unfinished.

President Joseph Smith’s Journal wrote: Wednesday Nov— 15— 1843
P.M. at the office. Suggested the Idea
of preparing a grammar of the Egyptian
Language.
Prayer Meeting at the old house.
A. Cutler & wife spoke of Proclamation
to the Kings
.

Let’s review the command given by God to Joseph Smith and note closely that there is something very distinct with regards to a timestamp in the instructions which God gave:

“This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.”

Note that the commandment to immediately make a proclamation was also to be issued to the honorable president-elect, William Henry Harrison, who died April 4, 1841, just 31 days after his inauguration. Was the proclamation taken to president-elect William Henry Harrison?

But wait! :o

President-elect William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia precisely 75 days after the revelation of D&C 124 was given! Nonetheless, God commanded Joseph Smith to “immediately” send a proclamation by swift and chosen messengers to the kings of the earth including the “honorable president-elect”, William Henry Harrison.

Of course, Smith had no way of knowing that the president-elect was going to die before he could formerly serve a proclamation and invite him to come visit Nauvoo. Nonetheless, it seems a gallant effort was made to reach out to the president-elect whereby a letter from Isaac Galland (D&C 124:78,79) while serving a special mission in Philadelphia (published in the Times and Seasons) to Joseph Smith announced the death of President William Henry Harrison. Apparently, Hyrum Smith, Isaac Galland, and Almon Babbitt journeyed to the nation's capital to pursue an audience with the newly elected President. Galland’s letter revealed that they “succeeded in accomplishing a part of our business”, but apparently the death of the President ultimately meant that the mission was a failure. The letter goes on to give God the glory and provide a confession in not understanding why the US President died without being able to serve in the capacity in which he was elected.

It certainly seems that the commandment to send a proclamation to the kings of the earth to come to Nauvoo turned out to be a dismal failure.

Joseph Smith Papers wrote:A 19 January 1841 revelation commanded that a “solemn proclamation of my gospel” be made “to all the kings of the world.” Joseph Smith’s clerk Robert B. Thompson was designated to help write the proclamation. Thompson died in August of the same year, and in spite of recurring discussions about crafting the document, it was not until after Joseph Smith’s death that Parley P. Pratt finally wrote the commanded proclamation. (Book of the Law of the Lord, 3–15; Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841, in Doctrine and Covenants [103]:1, 1844 ed. [D&C 124:2–3]; [Pratt], Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-Day Saints; Brigham Young, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, 26 May 1845, photocopy, CHL.)

Better late than never?
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The Bottom Line

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1. Missouri Temple was never built
2. Nauvoo House never materialized
3. Smith never entertained kings and leaders of the world
4. Smith’s vision was based on personal imagination and egotistic vanity

Book of Mormon scholars such as Robin Jensen and a host of others must be disappointed that Smith, of his own accord and free will, elected to bury the original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon in the cornerstone of the skeletal Nauvoo House. What a disappointment to say the least! The sacred pages of the original revelation were left to rot and molder within the crevice of a long-forgotten rock. This is the result of a short-sighted SEER (one who fails to see the future) or a self-proclaimed prophet (one who thinks he’s above it all) and thus we see that his actions brought about disastrous results for the original manuscript which mirrored the keystone of a new religion.

Is it any wonder why the manuscript was not retrieved by Brigham Young before fleeing Nauvoo and heading west? Well, think about it. The manuscript was buried by the First Presidency consisting of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and William Law during a Church conference that was underway under the direction of Brigham Young who was presiding at a different location. So, Brigham wasn’t privy to the exact details of the ceremony and burial of the records. In 1844, Smith excommunicated William Law and both the Smith brothers were killed at Carthage Jail. The cornerstone and the contents buried deep therein died with them! It’s ironic that the original manuscript was left to rot in the earth as did the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum.

But Brigham Young moved on. No time to recover the manuscript! Perhaps there was simply no need or use for it other than to appeal to future yearnings of people such as Robin Jensen and modern scholars who would love to examine the original work.

The manifestations of Mormonism leads me to believe that it’s entirely the work of man. I’m absolutely convinced that D&C 124 is the work of man consisting entirely of the ideas and ambitions of Joseph Smith who vied for political power, even the office of President of the United States.
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“trouble enough”

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Let’s recall the journal entry made by a faithful member of the Church who accompanied Joseph Smith in the ceremonious event of burying the original manuscript in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House. His statement is quite revealing:

Warren Foote Autobiography wrote:Joseph Smith came up with the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and said that he wanted to put that in there, as he had had trouble enough with it.

And so, this certainly seems to imply that Smith had had “enough” of lugging around the manuscript and it was time to get rid of it, dump it off to for a worthy cause. The manuscript was “trouble” and what better opportunity to get rid of it and place it in the cornerstone and be done with it? What else could the use of the word “trouble” possibly imply other than the negative connotation that the manuscript was a burden and it was time to unload that burden and simply be done with it.

It makes perfect sense that Smith wanted to get rid of his troubles and the manuscript was apparently one of them. One would think that he would have expressed a positive attitude about getting rid of his manuscript and in doing so, Foote might have heard him say:

Joseph Smith came up with the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and said that he wanted to put that in there, as he had had blessings enough with it.

But that was not the case. The manuscript was not a blessing but “trouble”, and Smith had had trouble enough with it. It was time to get rid of it!
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