Witness to the book of mormon

Gunnell goes on to quote a letter written in 1844 by phineas young to brigham young, martin harris is a firm believer in shakerism, says his testimony is greater than it was of the book of mormon martin harris witness and benefactor to the book of mormon, wayne c. The book of mormon is not only the keystone of our religion, but it can also become the keystone of our testimonies so that when trials or unanswered questions confront us, it can hold our testimonies securely in place. Soon after josephs arrival at fayette from pennsylvania the summer of 1829, peter became a zealous friend of the prophet and an able assistant in the translation of. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies center. Because so many bible passages are distorted by the teachings of mormonism, we will only be able to look at a few of the more common distortions. Ask them why jesus didnt rebuke thomas for swearing. The joint statement of the three witnessesoliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmerhas been printed with a separate statement by the eight witnesses in nearly every edition of the book of mormon since its first publication in 1830. To their dying days, these witnesses defended their testimonies even in the face of cruel mobs, the ridicule of society, and betrayal by. The church video compelling witness depicts a mock trial that witnesses of the truthfulness of the book of mormon. With a single draft completed in 65 days, joseph smith, an unschooled man of 23, produced a book of over 500 pages with hundreds of. Petersen 190084 of the quorum of the twelve apostles once said, the chief reason we have the book. Cowderys elevated status as second elder and witness to the book of mormon was eventually lost amid accusations of adultery and theft. Critics have long tried to dismiss or destroy the witnesses witness. This segment depicts the coming forth of the book of mormon and the testimony to its veracity by the three witnesses.

Uncompromising witness of the book of mormon reveals the compelling story of a man who had seen angels and knew joseph smith was a prophet but who nevertheless struggled to keep his faith in the prophetic calling of joseph smith and the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ. Shook, the true origin of the book of mormon cincinnati. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 2 mormons. Cowdery was a third cousin to lucy smith, while joseph smith sr. The names of oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris are familiar to most of us, notably because of their role as witnesses to the reality of the book of mormon. Oxford university press, 2003, 4142, emphasis added. The eight other witnesses just saw and handled the golden plates. Second witness references the subtitle of the book of mormon, another testament of jesus christ. This book is an honest attempt to fully portray martins character and to tell his whole lifes story. The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the book of mormon. Jan 27, 2017 the solemn testimony of the three witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830. Theldslife living life as a latterday saint 18,097 views. For nearly 200 years, skeptics and critics have been trying to explain away what many book of mormon witnesses statedthat they had seen angels and hefted golden metal plates containing ancient inscriptions. Martin harris is a firm believer in shakerism, says his testimony is greater than it was for the book of mormon martin harris witness and benefactor of the book of mormon, 1955, p.

Deseret news archives this monument honers the eight witnesses of the book of mormon and was erected in liberty, missouri, on the same day the 100th anniversary of the three witnesses monument in richmond, missouri. Why is david whitmers witness of the book of mormon so compelling. His testimony highlights that modern apostolic witnesses have born testimony of the nephite record. Why are there two sets of official book of mormon witnesses.

Whatever one may think of the book of mormon origins, the three witnesses along with the other eight witnesses and the prophet joseph smith himself could accurately be described as being stumbling blocks to the skeptic, critic, and unbeliever. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they claimed. All three men eventually broke with smith and the church he organized, although harris and cowdery were eventually rebaptized into the church. He knew his brother joseph had the plates, for the prophet had shown them to him, and he had handled them and seen the engravings theron. To read more from larry, visit lds365 the church video compelling witness depicts a mock trial that witnesses of the truthfulness of the book of mormon. He was excommunicated from the church in 1838 and forced to leave the area. Witnesses are important at first, i was confused why ces letter devoted so much space to the book of mormon witnesses. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies. It is the only one of the four standard works bible, book of mormon, doctrine and covenants, and pearl of great price that is not considered infallible. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that. Smith said he had been directed by the angel moroni to translate this work from reformed egyptian into english. The evidence left by the book of mormon witnesses is rich, varied, and uneven, including the following.

An apostles witness of the book of mormon reading this bmc article reminded me how powerful elder hollands talk, safety for the soul was. Bofm witnesses presentation provides a spiritual and temporal witness of the realities of the book of mormon. We have imagined and supposed that god was god from all eternity. For reasons that are not completely clear, smith and cowderys relationship soured. Phineas young wrote to his older brother brigham young on december 31, 1841, from kirtland, ohio. Eight witnesses to gold plates and their testimony is included in the book of mormon. Lehi took his family into the wilderness, crossed the sea to a land of promise on the american continent, and a great, albeit relatively small, civilization was established. This site provides a chapter by chapter analysis of true gospel principles explained through blog posts, vocabulary tips, questions, and fun activities, enjoy. One of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon was the fifth son of peter whitmer, sen. Oliver cowdery, one of the three witnesses and the principal scribe during its dictation, baptized her into the church of jesus christ of latterday saints in seneca lake on april 18, 1830, when the church was less than two weeks old, and he married her daughter. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been accompanied by the testimony of three witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the testimony of eight witnesses. Harmon, made in about 1885, cited in vogel, emd, 2. Like most mormons i never considered the witnesses and anything more than a nice supporting page for the truthfulness of the book of mormon, not really all that necessary. Following those words came one of the most powerful apostolic witnesses of the book of mormon.

As christians, we always want to use the bible and its timeless truths as our primary tool in. All the whitmers eventually gained testimonies of the work. This verse from the book of mormon also agrees with the bibles teachings about gods eternal, unchangeable nature at malachi 3. Three witnesses of the book of mormon department of. In this carefully researched, thoughtprovoking book, dr. The testimony of the eight witnesses was first published at the end of the 1830 edition of the book of mormon and has been printed in nearly every edition since, although most subsequent editions moved the statement to the front of the book and included minor grammatical corrections. After the witnesses returned to the house the angel again made his appearance to joseph and received the plates from his hands.

Five of mary whitmers sons became official witnesses of the book of mormon. How to witness to mormons,whitney hopler read more about spiritual life growth, christian living, and faith. The book of mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated aspects of josephs account. So, i believe this teaching in the book of mormon is true. Three witnesses the three witnesses are david whitmer, oliver cowdery, and martin harris, who mortgaged his farm to finance the first printing of the book of mormon. Some distort the historical record to make it appear that david whitmer left the church because he was told to, when it fact he was excommunicated prior to claiming any revelation to do so. In the front of every edition of the book of mormon are statements from eleven men who testify of the authenticity of the gold plates joseph smith claimed to have received from the angel moroni. In the first pages of the book of mormon, we can receive a witness that the lord watches over those who are faithful to him, and will provide a way for their deliverance. The three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by. We will discuss these methods in more detail, but first lets consider a. The book of mormon contains two sets of joint statements written by joseph smith for those who claimed to have seen the gold plates. Holland bore powerful testimony of the divine authenticity of the book of mormon during the october 2009 general conference.

The solemn testimony of the three witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830. All three men upheld their testimony of the book of mormon at their deaths. Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. With a mormon, you can again mention the reference in the book of mormon 3 nephi 19. The first edition of the book of mormon featured two testimonials.

The three are part of twelve book of mormon witnesses, who also include smith and the eight witnesses. Their written testimony of three witnesses has been included in all of the almost 100 million copies of the book of mormon the church has published since 1830. Attacks against the book of mormon have experienced a kind of mission creep since its publication in 1830. Throughout their lives, none of the witnesses of the book of mormon ever denied their testimonies. Elder samuel smith read the 29th chapter of isaiah at the first meeting and delineated the circumstances of the coming forth of the book of mormon, of which he said he was a witness.

Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce. Aug 18, 2009 a faithful witness to the book of mormon duration. Beginning with the first edition of 1830, the book of mormon has generally contained two sets of testimoniesthe testimony of three witnesses and the testimony of eight witnesses. Realize that dna research has revealed that the book of mormon s claims that. Jan 02, 2016 according to elder holland, preeminent in the lords arsenal to combat the evils of the world is the book of mormon, as the book is infused with the power of christ to counter all troubles in all timesincluding the end of times. The earliest documented statement of the three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harrisis their statement in the handwriting of oliver cowdery subsequently published in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. Those who would defend traditional beliefs about mormon origins often turn to the testimonies of 11 men. In every copy of the book of mormon is the signed statement by the witnesses of the bom. A striking new study has been initiated comparing a subtle, recurring pattern in the book of mormon with a particular type of human behavior recently identified in the writings of the survivors of hitlers and stalins death camps.

The book of mormon is gods compelling witness of the divinity of jesus christ, the prophetic calling of joseph smith, and the absolute truth of this church. Emma hale smith bidamon was born on july 10, 1804, to isaac and elizabeth hale. The book of mormon is the keystone in our witness of jesus christ, who is himself the cornerstone of everything we do. The author, richard lloyd anderson, gives many historical details about the statements of such critics and the sources and background of their statements. Keep in mind that if you take the context of a verse into account, you will see that it does not teach mormon doctrine. In many ways, it is easy to see martin positively, but at the same time there are unfavorable aspects of martins character that are not to be concealed. Witnesses film an interpreter foundation production. The three witnesses is the collective name for three men connected with the early latter day saint movement who stated that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which joseph smith, jr. The most significant witnesses are the three witnesses and the eight witnesses, all of whom allowed their names to be used on two separate statements included with the book of mormon. As church membership mushroomed, and it became clear the book of mormon is pretty. Look in the more section for lesson summaries of book of mormon chapters. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses deseret book. Book of mormon spiritual and temporal witnesses presentation.

The book of mormon is also the keystone of the doctrine of the resurrection. This book is very useful for showing the problems between doctrines taught in the bom and other mormon scriptures including the bible. Each of these specific menoliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmersacrificed much to help with the translation and publication of the book of mormon, and its likely this is a significant part of why they were chosen as witnesses. Yet, joseph smith contradicted the book of mormon when he taught. The book of mormon is not only the keystone of our religion, but it can also become the keystone of our testimonies so that when trials or unanswered questions confront us, it. Why were three key witnesses chosen to testify of the book. As christians, we always want to use the bible and its timeless truths as our primary tool in witnessing the love of god and salvation through christ. His is a story of fascination with worldly honors, flirtations with apostasy, and pride that nearly cost him the joy of his. Gospel principles taught in the book of mormon laid out in an accessible format for the. The 11 witnesses were all good, honorable men and regarded as upstanding members of the community.

The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the. After departing mormonism, he later declared, if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon. Historical evidence has led many people to question the authenticity of the book of mormon and the credibility of joseph smiths story. Critics began by labeling the book bungling and stupid, joe smith a perfect ignoramus, and they claimed any blunderhead, with the bible at his side, might have written it. Book of mormon central, knowhy david whitmer maintained his testimony of the book of mormon even though he became separated from joseph smith and the church. In this light, niggling criticisms that the testimonies of the book of mormon witnesses dont prove the plates ancient and dont rigorously demonstrate the existence of an ancient nephite.

Emma smith witness of the book of mormon home emma smith witness of the book of mormon. These men signed statements declaring the book of mormon was true, and that. The witness statements enhance the plausibility of joseph smith and the book he dictated. The earliest documented statement of the three witnessesoliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harrisis their statement in the handwriting of oliver cowdery subsequently published in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. When joseph smith first obtained the gold plates, he was told to show them to no one. According to anderson, whitmer affirmed his witness of the book of mormon many times, including to a mob in 1833 in independence, missouri, who threatened his life.

He left the church in 1838, but continued to affirm his witness of the book of mormon. Book of mormon witnesses the encyclopedia of mormonism. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. The world was not left with joseph smiths testimony alone. Jun 29, 2012 those who frequently witness to mormons seem to gravitate to one of three different approaches. In this light, niggling criticisms that the testimonies of the book of mormon witnesses dont prove the plates ancient and dont rigorously demonstrate the existence of an ancient nephite civilization plainly miss the point.

For more tips on witnessing to mormons or jehovahs witnesses check out. Faithpromoting material about the book of mormon witnesses like cowdery claims. The following was originally printed in the septemberoctober 20 edition of mormonism researched. Three witnesses the testimonies of the witnesses printed in the book of mormon offer compelling evidence in favor of its miraculous origin. Some argue that if members accept whitmers witness of the book of mormon, then they must also accept that god wanted david to repudiate the church as false. The final of the three witnesses is oliver cowdery, who served as scribe for 80% of the book of mormon. Witnesses of the book of mormon church of jesus christ.

As a preface to this answer, please see our article on mormonism and what mormons believe. My kindness shall not depart from thee rob gardner duration. Emma smithwitness of the book of mormon one people. Uncompromising witness of the book of mormon reveals the compelling story of a man who struggled to keep his faith in the prophetic calling of joseph smith and the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ. The book also delves extensively into the person and life of joseph smith, the founding prophet of mormonism.

Mary whitmer, 12th witness to the book of mormon deseret. The book of mormon adds a second witness to the bible as a testimony of christ. I was much younger, but i enjoyed the story of joseph and hyrum. The survivor and the will to bear witness book of mormon. Book of mormon witness on september 22, 1827, joseph smith, jr. All continually testified that they believed the book of mormon to be the word of god. Besides, in the greek, thomas literally said, the lord of me and the god of me. I can personally witness that the book of mormon is true. Richard lloyd anderson presents evidence from original sources on each of the eleven witnesses and concludes.

Aug 07, 2018 well here is a simple christian vs mormon debate question you ask a mormon about mormonism before you share the gospel. Its testimony of the master is clear, undiluted, and full of power. Statements clearly traced to the witnesses verify the testimonies printed in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is not only the keystone of our religion, but it can also become the keystone of our testimonies so that when trials or unanswered questions confront us, it can hold. The book of mormon is an additional set of sacred prophetic writings adopted by the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as well as it many offshoots, collectively referred to as the mormonism as both holy scripture and another witness of the divinity of jesus christ an important element to proving the divine authenticity of this scripture is the testimony of latterday witnesses. The american scripture that launched a new world religion new york. She grew up in harmony, pennsylvania, along the banks of the susquehanna river on a acre farm. The complete story, parts 1 and 2 of martin harriss witness to the book of mormon to watch originals from the channel. An easy way to witness to mormons and jehovahs witnesses. Petersen 190084 of the quorum of the twelve apostles once said, the chief reason we have the. I know that joseph smith was a prophet called of god. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates.

The three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by a heavenly messenger, not joseph smith. Here it was that those 8 witnesses recorded in the book of mormon looked upon the plates and handled them of which they bear witness in the title page of the book of mormon. Many critics of the book of mormon witnesses say that the witnesses of the book of mormon denied their written testimonies in statements to different people over the years. Mary whitmer, 12th witness to the book of mormon deseret news. The three special witnesses saw the angel moroni and the plates. Does joseph smith rightly deserve the title prophet of god or is he an imposter that has deceived millions. The three men called to serve as special witnesses of the coming forth of the book of mormon by the power of god, are oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of. Witness to mormons in love is the mormon scrapbookrevised and expanded.