#11 - Joseph's use of peep stones in the translation of the

Book of Mormon

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“Unlike the story I've been taught in Sunday School, Priesthood, General Conferences, Seminary, EFY, Ensigns, Church history tour, Missionary Training Center, and BYU...Joseph Smith used a rock in a hat for translating the Book of Mormon.

“In other words, he used the same "Ouija Board" that he used in his days treasure hunting where he would put in a rock – or a peep stone – in his hat and put his face in the hat to tell his customers the location of buried treasure. He used the exact same method while the gold plates were covered or put in another room or buried in the woods during translating the Book of Mormon.”

While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22-24.

These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes. (Doctrines of Salvation 3:225-26).

“At the end of the day? It all doesn’t matter. The Book of Mormon Witnesses and their testimonies of the gold plates are irrelevant. It does not matter whether eleven 19th century treasure diggers with magical worldviews saw some gold plates or not. It doesn’t matter because of this one simple fact:

“Joseph did not use the gold plates for translating the Book of Mormon.”

. . . at the time a resurrected personage, conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the priesthood and then required of them that they baptize each other. In the natural order of things, men are baptized before the priesthood is conferred upon them. In this case the order was reversed.

We may conclude quite safely that with the limited knowledge which they had at that time, these two inexperienced young men, had they been guilty of perpetrating a fraud, would not have thought of this. It is most likely that they would have made the claim that the angel first baptized them and then gavethem the priesthood. Had they made such a statement as this it would have been fatal to their story. It is an important fact, shown by direct acts and by implication in all the scriptures, that God has done for men all that men can not do for themselves to secure salvation, but he expects men to do all for themselves that is in their power. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrine of Salvation, 90)

And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. (Alma 37:7)

Brother of jared with the stones

Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it

7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

11 Behold, it was expedient when you commenced; but you feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now;

12 For, do you not behold that I have given unto my servant Joseph sufficient strength, whereby it is made up? And neither of you have I condemned.

Prophet, seer & REVELATORNOT

Prophet, seer & READER

Brother Hyrum Smith said that he thought best that the information of the coming forth of the book of Mormon be related by Joseph himself to the Elders present that all might know for themselves.

Brother Joseph Smith Jr. said that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon, & also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things &c. (Oliver Cowdery, Far West Record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1844, p.23)

David Whitmer

Martin Harris

Emma Hale Smith Bidamon

I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man. . . . He [Joseph Smith] did not use the plates in translation

David Whitmer contradicts David Whitmer

Excommunicated during Kirtland era "If you believe my testimony to the Book

of Mormon, if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens and told me to 'separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints, for as they sought to do unto me, so it should be done unto them.‘” (David Whitmer)

This poor man [William E. McLellin] who professes to be much of a prophet, has no other dumb ass to ride but David Whitmer . . .

Poor ass! Whoever lives to see it, will see him and his rider perish like those who perished in the gain-saying of Korah, or after the same condemnation. Now as for these and the rest of their company, we will not presume to say that the world loves them; but we presume to say they love the world, and we classify them in the error of Balaam, and in the gain-sayings of Korah, and with the company of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. (Joseph Smith)

The same week a young woman who lived with David Witmore[Whitmer] and who pretended to be able to diccover [discover] hidenthings and to prophecy by looking through a certain black stone which She had found— revealed to brother Whitmore and others Some facts which gave them a new Idea of things altogether. the circumstances of this were as follows—

David Whitmore request ed her to look through this stone and tell him what Joseph meant by one third of the church turning against him her answer was that he would fall from his office because of transgressionand eith er he (David Whitmore) or Martin Harris would be app ointedin his place and the one who did not seceed Jos eph in his office would be a councillor to him who did—

Those persons who were disaffected towards Joseph commenced collecting together around this girl as soon as this news came to their ears— they met at Mr Whitmores held <secret> meetingsand When the young Woman who was their instructress was through giving revelations She would Jump and hop over the floor and dance with all her might and boast of her great power and her proselites would rehearse in the most vehement man nerhow pure how holy they were and how Mighty how great and how powerful they were going to be (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, pg. 8-10)

“Such characters as . . . John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin

Harris, are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them.“ Joseph Smith letter, December 16, 1838

Lucy Mack Smith 1838 “Whilst waiting for this boat we had an interview with David Whitmer. He had not confidence to look us in the face, for he had become our enemy . . . ”

Martin Harris related an incident that occurred during the time that he wrote that portion of the translation of the Book of Mormon which he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummim, and for convenience he then used the seer stone,

Martin explained the translation as follows: By aid of the seer stone, sentenceswould appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin and when finished he would say "Written," and if correctly written that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the language then used. (Martin Harris, as recorded by Edward Stevenson 1881)

1837, apostatized in Kirtland with Warren Parish

Accepted James J. Strang

Accepted David Whitmer

Accepted Gladdon Bishop

Accepted William Smith