One argument that mormon apologists frequently employ is the claim that joseph smith was intellectually unequipped to write the book of mormon. A comingofage memoir that chronicles a young womans efforts to study her way out of a tough childhood in idaho and find herself through books. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Reference to printers takes and penciled corrections in regard to the original manuscript of the book of mormon would indicate that portions of it may have been used by the printer of the 1830 or the 1837 editions of the book. Melchizedek was an old testament king who also appears in the book of mormon. In early 2012, she selfpublished a memoir called the book of mormon girl. The fourth column names the author of each book, ignoring selfnaming statements attributed to the writers or speakers of the sources that the.
An analysis of wordprints, published in book of mormon authorship. Quotes joseph used a peep stone and a hat to translate most of the book of mormon. Joannas journey through her faith explores a side of the religion that is rarely put on display. The original book of mormon manuscript byu studies. Close scrutiny of the methodology of the byu authorship study reveals several areas which seem vulnerable to criticism. In this groundbreaking study, larsen and rencher use wordprints, patterns of language using numerous function words to establish the authenticity of. Parker and stone grew up in colorado, and were familiar with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and its members. When it did not, the author observes, the disappointment in his features. Criticisms related to view of the hebrews and the book of mormon. However, i feel that the book of mormon can not only withstand the challenge, but the issue can actually be used to illuminate the nature of isaiah and shed light on why this is. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. Pratt as key players in the authorship of the book of mormon.
Heaven by jon krakauer the book of mormon girl by joanna brooks the scholar of moab by steven l. They became friends at the university of colorado boulder and collaborated on a musical film, cannibal. In addition, the statement attributed to rigdon by bentley and campbell is neutral with regard to the authorship of the book of mormon. Book of mormon authorship has made a prima facie case for the ancient origins of the book of mormon. The book of mormon girl book by joanna brooks official. This project is the result of painstaking effort on the part of matt jockers, daniela m. Mason university and is the author of brigham young. Terryl givens 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.
At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. She covers mormonism, faith, and politics for and has been named one of 50 politicos to watch by. I also summarized 24 pieces of evidence, pointing to sidney rigdon as a key contributor and likely mastermind for. Joanna brooks is a national voice on mormon life and politics, an awardwinning scholar of religion and american culture, and the author or editor of five books. It fails, however, to respond to scholarly criticism in some crucial areas. The book of mormon was conceived by trey parker, matt stone and robert lopez. Mormon stories podcast spaulding theory of book of mormon. In the case of the book of mormon, only in 1986 did a prophet, ezra taft benson, order that mormons study the book closely the drama of authorship, of the books discovery and its. Im a lifelong mormon, straight, male, and not a feminist. Joanna brooks born september 29, 1971 is an american author and professor of english and. I also summarized 24 pieces of evidence, pointing to sidney rigdon as a key contributor and likely mastermind for the 1830 version of the book of mormon. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982. The book of mormon narrative is full of absurdities that demonstrate its a work of fiction.
Book of mormon artwork was also depicted this way, heck even singing the book of mormon song we made the signs with our hands that depicted feathers in our heads. In the book of mormon girl, joanna brooks describes her 1980s. Pratt as key players in the authorship of the book of. It does not claim that rigdon wrote the book of mormon, but only that rigdon was aware that the book was going to be published several years before sidney and joseph supposedly met each other for the first time. A very limited number of vernal holleys outofprint 3rd edition of book of mormon authorship. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from.
Miraculous origins theories generally accept joseph smiths own account, that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by mormon, a precolumbian resident of the western hemisphere. The book of mormon by joseph smith, paperback barnes. The book of mormon is rife with narrative issues, which are problems from the actual story, context, history, etc. Despite all that, i instantly liked joanna brooks after seeing her on the daily show with jon stewart and reading the introduction to the book of mormon girl stories from an american faith. Ryan larsen lds response to jockers et al book of mormon authorship post by jersey girl. Joanna brooks quotes author of the book of mormon girl. Multiple authorship of the book of mormon because critics are determined to find any source for the book of mormon other than the one presented by believers, they generally claim that joseph either wrote the book himself or that he plagiarized the text from some other nineteenth century author. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesview of the hebrews. Book of mormon wordprints reexamined a look at the byu. This theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. Perhaps the wordprint analysis tells us more about computers than about the book of mormon.
Be the first to ask a question about the book of mormon girl. Oct 25, 2006 ryan larsen lds response to jockers et al book of mormon authorship post by jersey girl mon nov 09, 2009 1. A memoir of an american faith, writes about her religion she addresses the. About the book in this volume, nine latterday saint scholars each address the question of book of mormon authorship from a different approach. April 22, 2019 join us now as we interview bryce blankenagel of naked mormonism podcast to discuss the solomon spaulding theory of book of mormon authorship. Joanna brooks is a national voice on mormon life and politics and an award winning scholar of religion and american culture. The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of scholarly evidence is on the side of authenticity. I am not the same kind of mormon girl i was when i was seven, eight, or eighteen years old. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. When joanna brooks, author of the book of mormon girl. Joanna brooks is almost exactly ten years older than me, so i was surprised and delighted to find that her childhood brand of mormonism resonated so strongly with my own.
Book of mormon sets new record for most expensive manuscript ever sold this article is more than 2 years old founding text of the church of jesus christ of. In entertainment, they call these plotholes, tropes, plotarmor, etc. In the first essay i discussed why authorship of the book of mormon is important, how bias affects the analysis, and i critiqued some of the major authorship theories. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. Book of mormon authorship project is online mormon discussions. When lehi et al come to america, they bring horses and grains from the old world, including corn. Lds scholars often point out that smith had received a rudimentary education at best, and did not have access to. This essay is about how proving the book of mormon is true or false by historical landmarks or by authorship is a huge waste of time. Vernal holleys book of mormon authorship annotated 3. Oct 19, 2009 authorship who really wrote the book of mormon. The book of mormon is one of the most influential, as well as controversial, religious documents in american history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, the fourthlargest.
Stories from an american faith, which was later picked up by simon. I offer you the following information for your consideration. Notwithstanding much more on the topics discussed in this text have been published since this book, including book of mormon authorship revisited by reynolds from 1997 that build up on many of these issues, this book would make a very good addition to ones lds library. Mormon stories podcast spaulding theory of book of. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints view the book of mormon as scripture written by ancient prophets, while critics believe that it is a 19thcentury fraud. The book of mormon girl is a story about leaving behind the innocence of childhood belief and embracing the complications and heartbreaks that come to every adult life of faith. The musical 1993, their first experience with movie musicals. A closer look, nearly sixteen years ago, his ideas in regard to book of mormon structure, content, and authorship have received widespread notice both within and without the latter day saint community. However, i feel that the book of mormon can not only withstand the challenge, but the issue can actually be used to illuminate the nature of isaiah and shed light on why this is such a profound book. Most latterday saints are aware of a minor industry in certain religious circles in the united states devoted to refuting mormonism and. Her opening chapter, explaining much of what it means to grow up as a latterday saint, resonated with me. Feb 16, 2016 growing up mormon in the 80s, i remember everything book of mormon was literally related to the mayans or the native americans. The book of mormon follows two latterday saints missionaries as they attempt to preach the faith of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints to the inhabitants of a remote ugandan village.
Some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. King james style despite the book of mormon being published in 1830, its narrative attempts to employ the antiquated english style of the early modern era, as though to make it read more like the king james version of the bible published in 1611. The tests of authenticity they employ rely on analytical techniques borrowed from such diverse disciplines as history, literature, statistics, and ancient near eastern studies. Oct 14, 2015 the book of mormon that follows 4 nephi is split into mormon 17, which is credited to the nephite prophet mormon, and mormon 89, which is an appendix to the book credited to his son moroni. Variations of this theory only include that the text is a divinely inspired narrative, regardless of its. Book of mormon authorship religious studies center. An introduction to the relevance of and a methodology for a study of the proper names of the book of mormon. A memoir of an american faith, writes about her religion she addresses the mocking and the jokes she has endured headon, without apologies.
Many book of mormon research projects have implications for the continuing issues surrounding the authorship of the book of mormon. Since the book of mormon s publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. This exquisitely produced volume presents the official lds edition of the book of mormon in an attractive, accessible, readable version that brings to latterday saints the helpful features that have been part of standard bible publishing for decades. The book of mormon girl by joanna brooks in her sweet, funny, and impassioned memoir the book of. Jun 05, 2016 the spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. The earnest young men are challenged by the lack of interest from the locals, who are distracted by more pressing issues such as hivaids, famine. Most latterday saints are aware of a minor industry in certain religious circles in the united states devoted to refuting mormonism and to criticizing the book of mormon. Ryan larsen lds response to jockers et al book of mormon.
The book of mormon girl is half hilarious, half heartbreaking. The mormon endowment, a secret drama, or conspiracy, in the. It is claimed that a 19th century work by ethan smith, view of the hebrews, provided source material for joseph smiths construction of the book of mormon. The book of mormon that follows 4 nephi is split into mormon 17, which is credited to the nephite prophet mormon, and mormon 89, which is an appendix to the book credited to his son moroni. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. The spiritual text that forms the basis of mormonism, in the last edition edited by its founder, joseph smith, jr. Elders is the name of exmormon ryan mcilvains justpublished novel, about a mission journey gone terribly wrong. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. In the book of mormon girl, joanna brooks describes her 1980s southern california mormon childhood in loving and witty detail. The authorship of the manuscript of doctrine and covenants section 2, in sidney b. Lds scholars often point out that smith had received a rudimentary education at best, and did not have access to the works needed to research the book. The preface of the 1837 edition of the book of mormon states that it had been carefully reexamined and. Website detailing many facets of the book of mormon authorship. A very limited number of vernal holleys out of print 3rd edition of book of mormon authorship.
The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of. The book of mormon girl, by joanna brooks star tribune. The author leads the reader into her atypical mormon experience. Aug 31, 2012 in the book of mormon girl, joanna brooks describes her 1980s southern california mormon childhood in loving and witty detail. For the past year or so, ive mentioned that information regarding book of mormon authorship would be forthcoming.
Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. A closer look, are available from the webmaster of. Joanna brooks is a national voice on mormon life and politics and an awardwinning scholar of religion and american culture. Joanna brooks author of the book of mormon girl goodreads.
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