Monday, March 17, 2025

Brigham Young's prophecy about Cumorah

Shortly before he died, Brigham Young discussed Cumorah in a special conference in 1877. He said, 

"I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost."

[See the full excerpt from his discourse below.]

Despite his efforts, Brigham's fear was realized. His prophecy that these things would be forgotten and lost has come to pass.


In our day, Latter-day Saints never learn what Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, his mother Lucy Mack Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff and other contemporaries of Joseph Smith said about Cumorah. 

No one who relies on the Saints book, volume 1, to learn about Church history knows anything about Cumorah. Regarding Cumorah, that book creates a false narrative present because in Joseph's day, everyone knew Cumorah was not merely the site of Moroni's stone box that contained the abridged plates, but also the site of the repository of Nephite records and the same hill called Ramah by the Jaredites.

In Joseph Smith's day, every Latter-day Saint knew about Cumorah/Ramah. 

-Oliver's account (Letter VII) was published in the 1835 Messenger and Advocate

-Joseph had it copied into his journal as part of his life history, where everyone can read it today in the Joseph Smith Papers.

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

-Joseph encouraged people to republish Oliver's account. In 1841, Benjamin Winchester republished it in the Gospel Reflector

-Parley P. Pratt republished it in the Millennial Star

-Joseph's brother Don Carlos republished it in the Times and Seasons

-Joseph's brother William republished it in The Prophet (a New York newspaper) in 1844.

-Joseph's nephew, Joseph F. Smith, republished it in the Improvement Era in Utah.

Oliver's explanation about Cumorah/Ramah was included in lesson manuals, books, articles, etc. It was discussed in General Conference as recently as 1975.

Today, apart from historical references such as the Joseph Smith papers, Cumorah/Ramah has been erased from the historical content such as Saints and media produced by Scripture Central.

But Latter-day Saints who are "engaged learners," who are not "lazy learners" who rely on scholars to tell them what to think, but are "learners who act" continue to learn what the prophets have taught about Cumorah.

For more info, see https://www.mobom.org/church-history-issues

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Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at a Special Conference Held at Farmington, for the Purpose of Organizing a Stake of Zion for the County of Davis, on Sunday Afternoon, June 17, 1877.

When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” 

I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. 

I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost. Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.

(1870s1877, BY Trying to ¶7 • JD 19:38) 



Saturday, March 15, 2025

2 sets of plates: AI narrative

The narrative as related by Google AI Studio:

Joseph Smith, guided by the angel Moroni, ventured to the Hill Cumorah. It was a crisp autumn evening, the air filled with the scent of decaying leaves and the promise of a sacred task. Deep within the earth, nestled in a stone box, lay the golden plates. These plates, a record of ancient inhabitants of the Americas, were entrusted to Joseph. With reverence and a sense of divine calling, he carefully removed the heavy, metallic leaves, knowing they held a powerful story waiting to be unlocked.

Back in Harmony, Pennsylvania, with his scribe Oliver Cowdery faithfully recording, Joseph began the arduous process of translation. Peering into the Urim and Thummim, he saw characters form and words illuminate his mind. Oliver, amazed and humbled, diligently transcribed the words that flowed from Joseph's lips. The room was filled with a quiet intensity, a palpable connection to a history long forgotten. The Book of Mormon began to take shape, a testament to faith, revelation, and the enduring power of God's word.

Once the translation of the abridged plates was complete, Joseph followed further instructions. An old, wise-looking man, with a long, flowing white beard and kind eyes, arrived, guided by the same heavenly messenger. With solemnity and trust, Joseph delivered the abridged plates into his care. The old man, his face etched with understanding and purpose, accepted the weighty responsibility, knowing the sacred purpose they served.

The old man, carrying the plates in his knapsack, journeyed back to the Hill Cumorah. He walked with a steady resolve, his gaze fixed on the horizon, as if guided by an unseen force. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape as he approached the familiar hill. Here, he carefully returned the larger set of plates to their resting place, entrusting them to the earth from whence they came.

A short time later, in Fayette, New York, the same old man appeared before Joseph once more. This time, he carried a smaller set of plates, bound together but significantly smaller and lighter than the abridged plates. These plates contained the history of the people of Nephi in Nephi's own words. These plates were now entrusted to Joseph, to translate and understand the promises made to his ancestors. 


Friday, March 14, 2025

2 sets of plates: another reason

One common criticism of the Restoration is the idea that the entire text of the Book of Mormon as we have it today, plus the Book of Lehi (the lost 116 pages), plus the sealed portion, all fit on a set of gold plates that were about 6"x9"x6" thick.

This objection came up recently on the Alex O'Connor podcast with Jacob Hansen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_E4K_6O1LY

I've seen myriad speculations from all sides on this topic, including the idea that the inscriptions were tiny, that each character could represent several words, a sentence, or a concept, etc.

For example, in his Part Seven, Royal Skousen rejects the Truman Coe account of the translation by writing, "A single character corresponding to an entire thought ('the import written in plain English' and 'the meaning of the next character') also shows up in David Whitmer's later accounts, but this too seems to be impossible."

Regardless of the speculation, whether from apologists or critics, the problem would be alleviated if there were more plates involved.

Which is exactly what we think happened, as explained by the "two sets of plates" scenario.

https://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html

Under this scenario, Joseph obtained abridged plates from Moroni's stone box, but not the original plates of Nephi (which we usually call the small plates). He returned the abridged plates to the messenger (one of the Three Nephites) before leaving Harmony. This messenger returned those plates to the repository in Cumorah, where he picked up the plates of Nephi and took them to Fayette, which is why Joseph translated the plates of Nephi in Fayette.

IOW, we have two entirely separate sets of plates. 

Those who claim the entire Book of Mormon, including the Book of Lehi, the sealed portion, and the plates of Nephi, were all included in the 6x9x6 set of plates can immediately see how confining their theory is.

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