If the Prophet Joseph Smith believed the Book of Mormon

[_maklelan]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Why would he need to hold on to it? He has the priesthood and the church.

What would have happened if an unfriendly Church group had acquired the copyright? The Church could have been in an awful predicament when it needed more Books of Mormon.

The fact that no one wanted to buy it shows that God wasn't going to let it get out of the church. Whether the alleged commandment was a confusion of sources on the Prophet's part, or it came from God and was meant to teach them something, He didn't let it get away. Joseph Smith lived in poverty his entire life, even giving his last dollar to people who needed it more than he. If it weren't for his trials and the costs that they piled upon him he would have been incredibly wealthy. That he never took money from the members or the church for anything other than the bare necessities, and he gave what little was his own (including his horse) to others who needed help is a pretty comprehensive testimony that he was not overly concerned with making money out of the deal.

[_rcrocket]

This is a rather uncritcal reliance upon David Whitmer's exit story. After all, he remained in the Church eight years after ths supposed copyright incident and became a stake president.

I don't doubt the story of the Toronto trip and the efforts to raise money. (Sell the copyright could have easily meant mortgage the copyright, an easier task.) But the sarcasm Whitmer applies to the prophecy business is not corroborated elsewhere as to this particular event.

Whereas I put a lot of stock in the things Whitmer said over the years, I don't accept his exit story entirely at face value.

P

[_Benjamin McGuire]

Moksha writes:

What would have happened if an unfriendly Church group had acquired the copyright? The Church could have been in an awful predicament when it needed more Books of Mormon.

That was the point of taking it to Canada. The terminology has become more technical then. He wasn't selling the copyright in total, he was affectively trying to sell publishing rights in Canada - more of a licensing deal than an outright sale of the Copyright.

Ben

[_Mercury]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Why would he need to hold on to it? He has the priesthood and the church.

If he could have he would have sold those too.

[_harmony]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Why would he need to hold on to it? He has the priesthood and the church.

If he could have he would have sold those too.

Vegas, when did maklelan post your signature line?

[_ozemc]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Maybe because he didn't really believe it, since it came from his imagination, and he was just another scam artist trying to make a quick buck?

[Guest]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Why would he need to hold on to it? He has the priesthood and the church.

What would have happened if an unfriendly Church group had acquired the copyright? The Church could have been in an awful predicament when it needed more Books of Mormon.

The fact that no one wanted to buy it shows that God wasn't going to let it get out of the church. Whether the alleged commandment was a confusion of sources on the Prophet's part, or it came from God and was meant to teach them something, He didn't let it get away. Joseph Smith lived in poverty his entire life, even giving his last dollar to people who needed it more than he. If it weren't for his trials and the costs that they piled upon him he would have been incredibly wealthy. That he never took money from the members or the church for anything other than the bare necessities, and he gave what little was his own (including his horse) to others who needed help is a pretty comprehensive testimony that he was not overly concerned with making money out of the deal.

Or alternatively perhaps it shows that the Book of Mormon is a boring, stilted piece of pseudo literature that had no real market value outside of a tightly knit cabel of fellow cultists.

If I recall correctly, the Book of Mormon wasn't even emphasized much during the early period of Church history and did not become the "cornerstone" of the religion until sometime later. (Kind of like, I suppose, the First Vision.) If correct, and my memory may be faulty, this if fully consistent with Joseph Smith trying to make a buck off of it (which was, I think, his original motivation for the scam)--it wasn't seen initially as integral to the religious entrepreneur business.

The other point overlooked here is that this event, while taken in isoloation, may not mean quite so much, but taken together with everything else Joseph Smith did (including a well-established tendency toward deception both before and after his ascent to "Second only to Jesus Christ") establishes a pattern that strikes at the heart of Joseph Smith's credibility.

My guess is that given the same pattern of behavior from any one else, a very high percentage of true believers would find the person lacking in credibility, but not their beloved Prophet. Of the many things I find so amazing of true believers, I find the low standards they hold for God's annointed to be among the most amazing.

They wouldn't buy a used car from someone with this history of behavior, but they'll gladly cough up 10% of their gross and devote their lives to someone who makes used car salesmen look like moral exemplars.

[_Mercury]

was the word of God given directly to him in order to bring about the restoration of the early Christian Church, the true word of God. Why did he try to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon?

Jersey Girl

Why would he need to hold on to it? He has the priesthood and the church.

If he could have he would have sold those too.

Vegas, when did maklelan post your signature line?

Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:23 pm

[_Gazelam]

Jersey: "I do think that later in life, Joseph Smith came to believe that he was genuinely led by God in his efforts to grow the Mormon church. I do not think that was so in the beginning."

Joseph Smith stated: " So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all ccorrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.


It is my understanding that Joseph understood perfectly well that God had a mission in mind for him... from the beginning.

[_Jersey Girl]

Jersey: "I do think that later in life, Joseph Smith came to believe that he was genuinely led by God in his efforts to grow the Mormon church. I do not think that was so in the beginning."

Joseph Smith stated: " So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all ccorrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.


It is my understanding that Joseph understood perfectly well that God had a mission in mind for him... from the beginning.

Gaz,

With all due respect, I am well familiar with the above account. My opinion remains the same.

Jersey Girl