Newly Returned Missionary & the Papyri

[_Fence Sitter]

One of my son's friends returned from his mission last Thursday. He is a life long member. My wife invited him over for dinner and afterwards we talked and shared missionary experiences. He, like me, had served in a Spanish speaking mission.

My in-laws were also there and my MIL asked if she could borrow more of my Improvement Eras that I collect. I have a few dozen IE that date back into 1898 and she enjoys reading them. I also have 11 of 12 issues from 1968. I brought out the box of magazines so my MIL could choose which ones she wanted to borrow and the returned missionary started browsing also. Eventually he picked up the Feb 1968 issue because he liked the Einstein cover, and stumbled across the first, and only, pictures the Church has ever published of the papyri. "What is this?" he asked. I told him that these were sepia pictures of some of the papyri Joseph Smith had in his possession when he translated the Book of Abraham. "Who owns them?" he asked. I said they have been in the possession of the Church since the 1960's and asked him if he had ever seen them before? "No" was his reply, "I did not know the Church had these."

One anecdote does not make a pattern, but I continue to encounter members who are unaware of many of the items in the Church possession and it seems the younger they are the less likely they are to know about the papyri, seer stones, the staff of Oliver, the KEP, and so on. One has to wonder that if the Church had in its possession the 10 commandments tablet, whether or not they would even talk about it.

[_DarkHelmet]

One anecdote does not make a pattern, but I continue to encounter members who are unaware of many of the items in the Church possession and it seems the younger they are the less likely they are to know about the papyri, seer stones, the staff of Oliver, the KEP, and so on. One has to wonder that if the Church had in its possession the 10 commandments tablet, whether or not they would even talk about it.

I wonder if the Big 15 sometimes get stuff out of the vault to play with. Like the seer stone. I wonder if they take turns playing "rock in the hat".

[_Fence Sitter]

I wonder if the Big 15 sometimes get stuff out of the vault to play with. Like the seer stone. I wonder if they take turns playing "rock in the hat".

I can't remember the verse but I think playing "rock in the hat" is forbidden by death for everyone but the prophet.

[_Cicero]

This young man is clearly lazy and stupid. It's his own darn fault that he is ignorant of such basic facts of church history.

[_3sheets2thewind]

This young man is clearly lazy and stupid. It's his own darn fault that he is ignorant of such basic facts of church history.

percisely, for a person born in 1992 to not know what was published in 1968, is clear undeniable demonstratably fact of how intellectually lazy, and disobedient he is. True Saints, know all about this stuff.

[_Drifting]

This young man is clearly lazy and stupid. It's his own darn fault that he is ignorant of such basic facts of church history.

percisely, for a person born in 1992 to not know what was published in 1968, is clear undeniable demonstratably fact of how intellectually lazy, and disobedient he is. True Saints, know all about this stuff.

The Church talks about thus stuff all the time so he must not have been reading or studying during his mission...

[_Sethbag]

Apparently the church was very excited initially by the rediscovery of the papyri, believing that they would finally vindicate Joseph Smith's prophetic calling and work.

Little did they know that this was just going to be another disappointment for the home team.

What I would like to know is what Nibley was thinking as it began to come to light that in fact the papyri were not the Book of Abraham at all. Did he experience that sinking feeling? Did he feel any sense of dread, or fear? Or did he just immediately kick into Mopologist mode and start cranking out excuses?

[_Cicero]

The Church talks about thus stuff all the time so he must not have been reading or studying during his mission...

Exactly, what a slob. I mean, it's not as if missionaries are limited in what materials they can study or anything . . .

[_Darth J]

Fence Sitter, do you have the issue of the Improvement Era that explains how the Kinderhook Plates corroborate the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith's prophetic calling?

It would be Vol. VII, No. 5., September 1962.

[_Albion]

Since Nibley's name has been brought up with respect to the papyrus, anyone know what happened to Nelson (J. Nelson I believe) who was the "expert" Nibley brought in to make the initial translation when they were first rediscovered. My understanding is that he renounced Mormonism based on what he discovered.