Joseph Smith Alone?

[_Polygamy-Porter]

The 116 pages of the Manuscript(Found) did not make it into any book because they knew that the original author and his family would easily lay claim that it was stolen.

The whole "missing 116 pages" was nothing more than a BS story to explain why the first book was not published..

[_xolotl]

I don't find the S/R theory very convincing, in my opinion it requires too much coincidental evidence that may or may not have actually happened and quite the absence of reasonable evidence to pin down the coincidences that possible could have happened, but are not known to have occurred. uhhhhhg.

Smith was very capable of writing the text himself, just take a look at his writings, sermons and purported revelations. I vote for the Smith alone, with the help of his trusty little Bible and learned religious superstitions and theories.

[_MCB]

Smith was very capable of writing the text himself, just take a look at his writings, sermons and purported revelations. I vote for the Smith alone, with the help of his trusty little Bible and learned religious superstitions and theories.

He had help with much of that, too. His rift with Sidney Rigdon was complete when he delivered the Follett Discourse. Take a look at that!! And he was much better educated at that point!

[_harmony]

He got by with a little help from his friends.

[_Inconceivable]

Did anyone but BC read my initial comment?

or should I ask:

Has anyone here read the Book of Mormon???

How can anyone that is actually familiar with the content of the Book of Mormon spend so much time theorizing on whether Smith (and even his inner circle) had anything to do with it's composition at all??

I seriously don't think many of you have done much more than skim the actual book.

[_Wiki Wonka]

Smith was very capable of writing the text himself, just take a look at his writings, sermons and purported revelations. I vote for the Smith alone, with the help of his trusty little Bible and learned religious superstitions and theories.

Well, here's a fragment of the history that Joseph wrote himself in 1832 (with original spelling), two years after the Book of Mormon was published. I have a 1830 Book of Mormon replica which includes all original spelling errors and I've read it, and it reads better than this. No wonder he needed a scribe. His literacy obviously improved as time moved forward.

I was born in the town of Charon [Sharon] in the State of vermont North America on the twenty third day of December AD 1805 of goodly Parents who spared no pains to instructing me in the christian religion at the age of about ten years my Father Joseph Smith Siegnior moved to Palmyra Ontario County in the State of New York and being in indigent circumstances were obliged to labour hard for the support of a large Family having nine chilldren and as it required the exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the Family therefore we were deprived of the bennifit of an education suffice it to say I was mearly instructid in reading and writing and the ground rules of Arithmatic which constuted my whole literary acquirements. At about the age of twelve years my mind become seriously imprest
with regard to the all importent concerns of for the wellfare of my immortal Soul which led me to searching the scriptures believeing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God thus applying myself to them and my intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations led me to marvel excedingly for I discovered that they did not adorn instead of adorning their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that sacred depository this was a grief to my Soul thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind the contentions and divi[si]ons the wicke[d]ness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the of the minds of mankind my mind become excedingly distressed for I become convicted of my sins and by searching the scriptures I found that mand mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and liveing faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament and I felt to mourn for my own sins and for the sins of the world for I learned in the scriptures that God was the same yesterday to day and forever that he was no respecter to persons for he was God for I looked upon the sun the glorious luminary of the earth and also the moon rolling in their magesty through the heavens and also the stars shining in their courses and the earth also upon which I stood and the beast of the field and the fowls of heaven and the fish of the waters and also man walking forth upon the face of the earth in magesty and in the strength of beauty whose power and intiligence in governing the things which are so exceding great and
marvilous even in the likeness of him who created him them and when I considered upon these things my heart exclaimed well hath the wise man said the it is a fool that saith in his heart there is no God my heart exclaimed all all these bear testimony and bespeak an omnipotant and omnipreasant power a being who makith Laws and decreeeth and bindeth all things in their bounds who filleth Eternity who was and is and will be from all Eternity to Eternity and when I, considered all these things and that that being seeketh such to worship him as worship him in spirit and in truth therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy and the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in the attitude of calling upon the Lord in the 16th year of my age a piller of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying Joseph my son thy sins are forgiven thee. go thy way walk in my statutes and keep my commandments behold I am the Lord of glory I was crucifyed for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life behold the world lieth in Sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not my commandments they draw near to me with their lips while their hearts are far from me and mine anger is kindling against the inhabitants of the earth to visit them acording to th[e]ir ungodliness and to bring to pass that which hath been spoken by the mouth of the prophets and Ap[o]stles behold and lo I come quickly as it [is] written of me in the cloud clothed in the glory of my Father and my soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great Joy and the Lord was with me but [I] could find none that would believe the hevnly vision nevertheless I pondered these things in my heart...

A History of the Life of Joseph Smith (1832)

WW

[_Brackite]

Unless He authorized it (vs. 30)

Silly bcspace, Jacob Chapter two, verse 30 doesn't authorize the Lord God commanding Polygamy. Do we need to go over this again?