I am just wondering why the church obscures the true method of translation. Does anyone have the answer?

Anonymous, 6/21/2009

Share/Save/Bookmark

AllAboutMormons.com Webmaster from La Jolla, California:




Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was the first president of the Mormon Church. He received a message from God to restore Christ’s ancient church in modern times.
It's not clear to me what you mean by “the true method of translation.” Are you perhaps referring to the fact that for at least part of the translation, Joseph Smith reportedly obtained the text by placing his face in a hat that contained a seer stone and/or the Urim and Thummim? If so, it's hardly fair to suggest that the Church is intentionally hiding anything.

As explained in my article entitled “Church History is Threatening my Testimony,” the Church is not in the history business, but in the business of bringing souls to Christ. The Church does not hide its history, but it naturally focuses on those aspects of its history that advance its primary goal. Other religions, of course, do the same.

Nevertheless, Joseph's method of translation has been mentioned occasionally. A simple search of lds.org reveals several references. For example, in an Ensign article entitled “By the Gift and Power of God,” Richard Lloyd Anderson quotes David Whitmer's statement about the hat. Elder Russel M. Nelson also mentioned the hat in a sermon preached to new mission presidents in the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah. His talk, entitled "A Treasured Testament," was also published in the Ensign. The Ensign is the official magazine of the LDS Church; if the Church is trying to hide its history, it must have a very unorthodox strategy for doing so!

The hat story also appears in multiple other LDS sources, including B.H. Roberts' book “New Witnesses for God” (1895) and his “Comprehensive History of the Church” (1912); The Improvement Era, another Church magazine (1939); BYU Studies (1984, 1990); the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (1993); the FARMS Review (1994); and “Revelations of the Restoration” by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler (2000).

Additionally, details about Joseph's methods are given in Richard Bushman's recent biography “Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,” a book sold in the Church-owned Deseret Bookstores that has been well received by the Mormon community.

Of course this method of translation seems strange to modern readers. Clearly Joseph was not translating the text in the way modern academics would translate. It is important to understand this method of translation in context, however. While we Mormons rightfully respect Joseph Smith for his efforts in restoring Christ's ancient gospel, we must remember that he lived in a primitive society where “magic” was regarded as science is today. Early 19th-century lower-class inhabitants of the American backcountry were hardly enlightened; they were quick to see the supernatural in everyday circumstances.

Golden Plates
Joseph Smith translated an ancient record engraven on metallic plates. This record is known today as the Book of Mormon.
Given that God for reasons known only to Him chose Joseph Smith as His instrument, how could He help the inexperienced prophet fulfill his mission? Is it unreasonable to think that God would communicate with Joseph through means with which the boy prophet would be comfortable? I for one suspect that the seer stones were little more than props. Even the Urim and Thummim, and perhaps the golden plates themselves, may have been divinely supplied aids designed only to make Joseph more comfortable with a transcendental experience that he, as a poor 19th-century farm boy, could not possibly understand intellectually.

It's interesting to note that as Joseph matured in his prophetic calling, he seems to have needed these “instruments” much less. Many of the later revelations given in the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Book of Moses were all received through the “Urim and Thummim” that was Joseph's mind, without the need for any physical artifacts. As Orson Pratt explained, Joseph gave up the Urim and Thummim because he had become acquainted with “the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation” for himself.

If you have a question, you might find it helpful to chat with a Mormon missionary online.

Pamela Dean from Clarenville:



"Translation of the Book of Mormon: Interpreting the Evidence" by Stephen D. Ricks (Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Volume - 2, Issue - 2, pages: 201-206. Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1993) has an excellent discussion of the issues and methods of translation of the Book of Mormon, as well as the author's thoughts on the translation process. He is undoubtedly qualified to give his opinion on these matters (PhD in Near Eastern religions, University of California, Berkeley, and graduate theological union; professor of Hebrew and cognate learning in the department of Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University; past-president of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies and as chairman of the board, as the founding editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies; associate dean of general education and honors at Brigham Young University. His paper is freely available online, corresponds with church published articles by church leaders and published books on the subject, and taught in his classes. I would suggest that descriptions of the methods of translation are freely available to anyone who wishes to read them, directly from official church statements, publications and websites, as well as from others such as Dr. Ricks who are affiliated with the church.

Webmaster: Interesting sidenote: Dr. Ricks' son is a friend of mine. We went to BYU together.
Return to the "Question and Answer" Page