Tad Callister, author of the Infinite Atonement, recently spoke at Ensign College about facts that support the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. This talk was fascinating. Some of his arguments were absolutely amazing. This thoughtful and well-constructed talk argues in favor of the Book of Mormon. We will be looking at some of these arguments.
1 – Joseph Smith could not have written the Book of Mormon, he was not educated enough. Therefore, someone else must have written it. Someone like Sidney Rigdon or Oliver Cowdery.
This could not be the case because timelines do not alight make this possible, and written testimony confirms this argument is not true. Too many testimonies confirm Joseph translated the Book of Mormon and others acted as scribes.
2 – Joseph Smith plagiarized the Solomon Spalding manuscript. At a point, the manuscript was lost and no comparison could take place. In 1884 the manuscript reappeared at which point it was compared with the Book of Mormon and it was determined there was no resemblance between the two.
3 – Joseph must have had a mental disorder. However, no mental disorder ever recorded bestowed the ability to be a skilled writer.
4 – Joseph Smith was a creative genius. Which is a 365-degree flipflop from other arguments. Why the flip flop? All other explanations had failed.
5 -Were there notes or references anywhere suggesting Joseph was a creative genius, or that he had reference materials or read book and studied. There is no reference to him visiting those libraries or having those books or nots with him when he translated.
Emma Smith noted: “Joseph Smith as a young man could neither write nor dictate a coherent well-worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon.”
- Historical complexity
- Profound doctrine insights
- Single dictation draft
- 65 working days
I have heard and read all the arguments about the Book of Mormon. None of them have ever shaken my faith in the book. I did not live in that time period. All I have to go off of is what has been historically said about the prophet. I realize there was a lot of turmoil around the church and the young prophet. But the truthfulness of the book is not Joseph, or the church. It is the book itself. The power that is within its pages.
I remember when I had my conversion. I remember starting to read the book honestly and sincerely alone in my room. I remember the power I felt. I remember praying to God and feeling his spirit envelope me. I remember saying to myself, why did I never feel this before in my life. I would have never made all the bad choices I made. I was so weak and vulnerable at that point in my life that I took the book everywhere with me, feeling as though it has so much power, I would be protected no matter where I went or what I did.
The power is in the Book of Mormon itself. It is the word of God.
WHAT POSITIVE EVIDENCE DO WE HAVE THAT IT WAS INSPRIED?
Tad addresses several anachronisms within the Book of Mormon. An anachronism is “an act of attributing a custom, event, or object to a period to which it does not belong.” In Tads words it is something “out of date, out of place, out of context.”
For decades critics have looked for anachronisms that would prove the Book of Mormon a fraud. As time has passed, their accusations have been proven wrong.
He goes on to list many things that have been disputed over time and that many have not been proven true. Then he references one Greg Stuart who said there are almost 6000 archeological sites for the Myan, and we have only excavated about 40 of them, which is less than one percent.
Then Tad makes the point that if someone surveyed Georgia then made the claim that the United States didn’t have any great lakes, volcanoes, tall mountains and any other geographical aspects we know to be true. It would be an absurd analysis.
This also reminds we of a recent look I had taken at the Hopewell mounds. It was said there were once millions of mounds across north America. As few as 100,000 still exist and most are still intact. They have not been examined for archeological evidences.
America’s incredible mound-building cultures erected the first mounds over 6500 years ago. It is believed that over 1 million mounds once existed, but today, perhaps only 100,000 remain. The ancient mounds and enormous earthworks associated with them are one of the most unappreciated archaeological treasures in the world. America has the largest and most complex formations of geometric earthworks in the world and the largest mound (near St. Louis) has a base larger than the Great Pyramid. This comprehensive text is a guidebook to mounds in 41 states and contains over 1100 site descriptions, many of which are large mound complexes with museums. The sites are arranged alphabetically by state and include Archaic, Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian sites. It is the most comprehensive guide to America’s mounds and earthworks in existence.
We truly live in a day when many evidences will be revealed. We also live in a day where these evidences will be disputed. In the end, we must know from God if they are true. There is no greater witness that that given by the Holy Ghost.