The Inquisitive Christian

I’ve been looking forward to this particular dissection ever since I read chapter 4 in Fawn M. Brodie’s “No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith.” In it, she points out the uncanny resemblance between Lehi’s vision in 1 Nephi 8 and a dream Joseph Smith Sr. had earlier in life. As you will see, this is more solid evidence of Joseph’s plagiarism when composing the Book of Mormon. Brodie points out this vivid dream was recorded in Lucy Smith’s “Biographical Sketches” on pages 58 and 59. My endless curiosity piqued; I made the decision to proceed with no caution down a rabbit hole to find this excerpt myself. Much to my delight, the website https://archive.org exists and happens to have this book in its entirety available for the perpetually inquisitive. I proceeded forth like a treasure hunter, peering at a map and making my way towards this fascinating paragraph. Sure enough, as cited, pages 58 and 59 held the key to what clearly fueled Lehi’s vision. Since I’m the sort of person who loves receipts, I will be including those screenshots for your examination. Now, onto today’s reading.

1 Nephi, Chapter 8

Lehi sees a vision of the tree of life. He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewise. He sees a rod of iron, a straight and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men. Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. About 600-592 B.C.

1: “And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of the fruit of every kind.”

2: “And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.”

3: “And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.”

4: “But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.”

Lucy’s recollection of Joseph Sr.’s dream reads, “I thought I was thus traveling in an open and desolate field, which appeared very barren…” This may not seem like much at first but keep reading. It gets stranger.

5: “And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.”

6: “And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.”

7: “And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.”

While the guide in Joseph Sr.’s dream is not described, we know he had one: “My guide, who was by my side, as before, said, “This is a desolate world; but travel on.”

8: “And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.”

9: “And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.”

10: “And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.”

11: “And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all whiteness that I had ever seen.”

“… and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant, valley in which stood a tree, such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration…. and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter… I drew near, and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description.”

12: “And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefor, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.”

“As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I cannot eat this alone. I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’”

13: “And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.”

“… I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east and to the west.”

14: “And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw at the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.”

15: “And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.”

16: “And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.”

“Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating, and praising God for this blessing.”

17: “And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.”

18: “And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.”

19: “And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.”

20: “And I also beheld a straight and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.”

“Traveling a short distance further, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had traveled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the termination; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it…”

The next several verses describe a multitude of people trying to find their way down the path and grasping the rod of iron. Those who made it to the tree also ate the fruit. Then there’s this:

26: “And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.”

27: “And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.”

“While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt.”

In the next few verses, more people eat the fruit, and they also get scorned. They then feel shame from the scorn and follow other paths.

33: “And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.”

“But their contumely we utterly disregarded.”

While Lucy Smith’s “Biographical Sketches” was not published until after Joseph’s Smith’s death, I think it is safe and perfectly reasonable to assume that if she appreciated her husband’s dream enough to record it in such detail and publish it, she would have told it and retold it to her children and others. This vision of Lehi’s is suspiciously similar to it, and I am left to conclude that Joseph simply copied it and changed a few details around because he probably never thought his mother would publish a biography with the dream in it. He could not have been a true prophet of God, and this is one of many reasons why. I will be expounding upon those reasons as I get further into the Book of Mormon and examine the Doctrine and Covenants. As promised, behold my screenshots!

Nephi Chapter 5

Sariah complains against Lehi- both rejoice over the return of their sons– They offer sacrifices– the plates of brass contain the writings of Moses and the prophets– the plates identify Lehi as a descendent of Joseph. Lehi prophesies concerning his seed and the preservation of the plates. About 600-592 B.C. 

5: But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness. 

I would like to point out here the phrase “in the which things I do rejoice” makes no grammatical sense. It is not an error on my part. That is copied verbatim from the Book of Mormon mobile app. The main point of this verse I wish to address is the mention of “a land of promise.” Per the Old Testament, the “promised land” consisted of Canaan, which roughly corresponds to modern day Israel and Palestine. Genesis 12 is where God promises this land to Abraham. See Genesis 26:2-3; 28:12-13; 35:9-12; 48:3-4; and 50:24 for the repeating of these promises to Jacob and Joseph. See Genesis 15:18, Exodus 23:31, and Numbers 34:1-12 for a description of this land and its borders. Genesis 13:15 states,”All the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.” There is no other land of promise besides what is laid out in the Old Testament. When God states “forever,” He certainly means just that. He does not mean, “except for these descendants that aren’t documented in the Old Testament  that I’ll send someplace else.” 

6: And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews. 

This is simply another example of odd and repetitive phrasing in the Book of Mormon. “And after this manner of language did..” appears three times in this chapter; once in verse 3, another in verse 6, and a third time in verse 8. This phrase serves no grammatical or practical purpose. “After the manner of language” follows something that someone said. We already know the manner in which someone spoke because they were quoted. Nothing more needs to be written about the manner in which they spoke. It’s also strange that Lehi and Sariah keep being named as the supposed author’s parents when it has already been repeatedly established that’s what their names are. Therefore, it makes much more sense for the above quoted verse to say, “This is how my father comforted my mother.” 

 11: And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;

12: And also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of King Zedekiah, king of Judah;

13: And also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah. 

As mentioned before, all of this was already well-documented amongst the Hebrews and available to be reviewed. This is not some novel rarity that had to be wrenched out of the hands of someone else in order to preserve their history. The entire premise of 1 Nephi is hinging upon the existence of plates made from material that didn’t exist with records that were already known. 

14: And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the pilates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendent of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with the famine.

15: And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them.

16: And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendent of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records. 

There was no “discovery” of unknown genealogies. The Hebrews kept meticulous family records. This is easily evidenced by the extensive genealogies seen in the Old Testament. Everyone knew who their ancestors were because of these records and the divisions of the Israelite tribes. Had these people in the Book of Mormon existed, they would have been mentioned in these genealogies, especially if they were direct descendants of Joseph. The notion that Lehi didn’t know who his forefathers were is simply not at all plausible. 

17: And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his seed–

18: That these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed.

19: Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time. And he prophesied many things concerning his seed.

If these plates were to go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, then why did the Book of Mormon not exist until 1830? Why would something so foundational to knowing God not be known for at least another 2,000 years? If these plates of brass “should never perish,” then where are they? The idea that they even existed is based upon the word of one man, Joseph Smith, who claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon from gold plates, which no one else actually saw. The initial three witnesses to the plates (Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmore) never physically saw them, but claimed to have seen them in a vision when they went into the woods to pray with Joseph Smith. What’s particularly troublesome is that, according to local press at that time, the three men told different versions of their experience. When Harris was questioned by a lawyer, he was asked outright, “Did you see the plates and the engravings upon them with your bodily eyes?” His answer was, “I did not see them as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith; I saw them just as distinctly as I see anything around me– though at the time they were covered with a cloth.” So in other words, no. He didn’t see them. He changed his story again later in life and claimed he saw an angel turning the gold leaves so he could see the engravings. Whitmer claimed Smith had led them to an open field and they saw the plates lying on the ground. Not being satisfied with three witnesses, Smith made the decision to have eight more witnesses sign a statement claiming they also saw the plates. Four of these witnesses were Whitmores with one being related to them by marriage; three more witnesses were Joseph’s own family members. The theory for how he obtained these eight signatures came from Thomas Ford, the governor of Illinois, who was very well-acquainted with several of Joseph’s key men after they left the church. Ford was told the witnesses were “set to continual prayer, and other spiritual exercises.” Then, “he assembled them in a room, and produced a box, which he said contained the precious treasure. The lid was opened; the witnesses peeped into it but making no discovery, for the box was empty, they said, ‘Brother Joseph, we do not see the plates.’” The narrative goes on to detail how he then berated them for not having enough faith, demanded they pray more and then were persuaded they saw the plates after two hours of frantic praying. These witnesses would detail the size, weight, and metallic texture of the plates. Conveniently enough, these plates were later taken back to heaven by an angel, which begs the question of why God would demand people believe something then purposely remove all evidence for that belief, especially when He hasn’t done so with the Bible. For more details on the eleven witnesses, see “No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith” by Fawn M. Brodie, chapter 5, “Witnesses for God.”