Whitewashing in the new Joseph Smith Manual?

[_asbestosman]

With the Holy Ghost most gospel topics are incredibly stimulating. Without it, they fall short.

I guess the universal manifestation of being stimulated by the HG is to lean forward, put your head between your hands, and close your eyes. You know, the Mormon "pondering" pose.

That's what I do when I'm constipated.

[_Phaedrus Ut]

Another question becomes who is more likely to know a true history of the people in the Book of Mormon?

Joseph was visited annually by not only Moroni but according to Joseph and other early church leaders he was also visited by Nephi, Alma, and Mormon. The Wentworth letter says:

The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands

He knew enough of the history of the people of the America's to entertain his family with their stories. According to his mother he would share stories from his angelic instruction:

From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same…. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them(Smith, Lucy Mack. History of Joseph Smith)

Joseph then translated the Plates of Lehi and then the same story over from the Plates of Nephi. With all these resources there seems to be a growing need for some in the Church to hide or avoid what Joseph taught rather clearly in the Wentworth letter and numerous other places.

Is it reasonable to think that the man who was tutored personally by at least 4 Book of Mormon prophets, who translated the text of their arrival from two different perspectives, and who did this all by direct inspiration and revelation somehow can't even get the most basic details right?


Phaedrus

//xposted @MAD

[_Mister Scratch]

I agree with everyone else here, Who Knows. . . GREAT CATCH! This is huge, in my opinion. Yet more proof that FARMS is guiding church doctrine, not the prophets, seers, and revelators.

Well, didn't DCP say he was on the curriculum committee?

Yes, he did. I believe he also mentioned being on the committee that produced the erroneous and whitewashed BY manual. The Good Professor stated that he found the lack of mention of BY's polygamy to be "unaccountable." I guess, in his lexicon, "unaccountable" = "we whitewashed it out."

[_BishopRic]

Another question becomes who is more likely to know a true history of the people in the Book of Mormon?

Joseph was visited annually by not only Moroni but according to Joseph and other early church leaders he was also visited by Nephi, Alma, and Mormon.

Well, remember that "Moroni" was originally "Nephi." After Moroni made better sense, poof, history changes!

[_SatanWasSetUp]

Another question becomes who is more likely to know a true history of the people in the Book of Mormon?

Joseph was visited annually by not only Moroni but according to Joseph and other early church leaders he was also visited by Nephi, Alma, and Mormon. The Wentworth letter says:

The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands

He knew enough of the history of the people of the America's to entertain his family with their stories.

Are you saying that Moroni, Nephi, Alma, etc. would know more about Book of Mormon history than Peterson and Sorensen? I don't think any of those guys had a PHd.

[_Who Knows]

Posted by consiglieri at mad:

When a lengthy document such as the Wentworth letter is quoted in its entirety, except for one paragraph, it is reasonable to conclude that the excised portion was excised for a particular purpose.

The question then becomes, What is the purpose?

It seems obvious, given the nature of the excised portion, that the purpose is to hide the fact that Joseph Smith understood the Book of Mormon as teaching that there were no others in the Americas when the Jaredites arrived; that there were still no others present when the Nephites took their place; and that the modern day "Indians" are the direct descendants of the Nephites.

DNA studies likely played a part in this editorial decision.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

I cannot say that I am completely comfortable with the correlation committee hiding information from the general membership.

But I suppose this would not be the first time for that little exercise.

--Consiglieri

A TBM telling it like it is - without feeling the need to defend Joseph Smith and the church in EVERY instance (even when they're obviously wrong). Very rare indeed. Props bro.