3 witnesses to book of mormon

Also, joseph later found that the book of mormon prophesies in two places of its modern witnesses. Jan 27, 2017 the solemn testimony of the three witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830. Modern mormon spin doctors write all kinds of articles claiming that the witnesses may have denied the mormon church but they never the book of mormon. Book of mormon the testimony of three witnesses youtube. Richard lloyd anderson, personal writings of the book of mormon witnesses, in book of mormon authorship revisited.

The evidence left by the book of mormon witnesses is rich, varied, and uneven, including the following. The earliest documented statement of the three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harrisis their statement in the handwriting of oliver cowdery subsequently published in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. The book of mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated aspects of josephs account. Cowdery was a third cousin to lucy smith, while joseph smith sr. In every copy of the book of mormon is the signed statement by the witnesses of the bom. The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. The three special witnesses saw the angel moroni and the plates. Why were three key witnesses chosen to testify of the book of. The case against the 3 witnesses of the book of mormon duration. The three witnesses were oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer, whose joint testimony, in conjunction with a. For over forty years, i have been a student of joseph smiths life and teachings. Witnesses film an interpreter foundation production. From my experience, bigfoot and mary witnesses are similar.

The most significant witnesses are the three witnesses and the eight witnesses, all of whom allowed their names to be used on two separate statements included with the book of mormon. Three witnesses of the book of mormon department of. From changing their stories to denying their faith to getting excommunicated. They said that the same divine voice commanded us that we should bear record of it. So right at the outset of the translation, the promise of book of mormon witnesses was given by revelation. The case against the 3 witnesses of the book of mormon youtube. And every one of these witnesses of the book of mormon whether the three or. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that joseph smiths translation had been accomplished. The witness statements enhance the plausibility of joseph smith and the book he dictated. The three witnesses see the golden plates and the angel moroni. Joseph smith records the following in the history of the church. The witnesses were also told in a revelation that they should testify that ye have seen them even as my servant joseph smith jr.

The following is their testimony that can be found in the first pages of the book of mormon. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies. The three witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. Primary documents concerning their testimonies appear in preston nibley, witnesses of the book of mormon. Explaining away the book of mormon witnesses fairmormon. Among the favorite antimormon charges is that the three witnesses only imagined that they saw the book of mormon plates. When he finally gives in, joseph immediately gets a revelation that says, if they have faith, rely on gods word and have full purpose of heart, they will see not only the plates but numerous other wonderful things. For the witnesses testimonies, and their lives outside the church, see richard lloyd anderson, investigating the book of mormon witnesses corr.

Statements clearly traced to the witnesses verify the testimonies printed in the book of mormon. The earliest documented statement of the three witnessesoliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harrisis their statement in the handwriting of oliver cowdery subsequently published in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading investigating the book of mormon witnesses. Published in every edition of the book of mormon are the testimonies of eight witnesses who saw the metal plates from which the prophet joseph smith translated the ancient scriptural account and of three witnesses who not only saw the plates but who were shown them by an angel. Current mormon doctrine on the nature of god, the priesthood, use of temples, baptism for the dead, and men becoming gods, is nowhere contained in the book of mormon. This book will be convincing to those already certain that the gold plates actually existed and that the eleven witnesses saw them. Critics frequently compare lds witnesses to those who claim to see the virgin mary or bigfoot or still others. The first edition of the book of mormon featured two testimonials. In the lds church, much emphasis is placed on the witness of three men who said that they saw the gold plates which were translated by joseph smith into the book of mormon, as well as eight additional witnesses who testified of their belief in the book of mormon. The eight other witnesses just saw and handled the golden plates. The three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon. The three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by a heavenly messenger, not joseph smith. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses. Whats going on in the book of mormon isaiah chapters.

The three witnesses receive their witness gospel doctrine. Oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer were appointed to be three special witnesses of the book of mormon in june 1829. Even if the majority of the witnesses to the book of mormon did not deny their testimony of the book itself, this does little to support mormonism today. The names of oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris are familiar to most of us, notably because of their role as witnesses to the reality of the book of mormon.

Posted in false gospel, false prophecies of joseph smith, false prophecies of the mormon church, false prophet joseph smith, false prophets, tagged 3 witnesses didnt see plates, 3 witnesses to book of mormon, christianity, sword of laban on 05222012 1 comment. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition by richard lloyd anderson. Whatever one may think of the book of mormon origins, the three witnesses along with the other eight witnesses and the prophet joseph smith himself could accurately be described as being stumbling blocks to the skeptic, critic, and unbeliever. The statement of the 3 witnesses for the book of mormon was a single statement signed by all three men. Each of these specific menoliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmersacrificed much to help with the translation and publication of the book of mormon, and its likely this is a significant part of why they were chosen as witnesses. If you love the book of mormon, consider donating to book of mormon central and becoming part of this exciting movement. Martin harris among the favorite antimormon charges is that the three witnesses only imagined that they saw the book of mormon plates. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus. Following those words came one of the most powerful apostolic witnesses of the book of mormon. They beg joseph to ask god if maybe they arent the ones. Some mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of mormon but came back to deny their denial. This video also depicts how the three men remained true to.

Jun 24, 2019 the names of oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris are familiar to most of us, notably because of their role as witnesses to the reality of the book of mormon. In fact, william insisted in the same statement that he was convinced joseph was not lying about. William mclellin left the lds church an embittered man in 1838. We talk at length about our assumptions that the three witnesses has a spiritual event, that the eight witnesses had a physical event, whether their experience was consistent, and how the. Book of the mormon intro witnesses moroni jacob enos jarom omni alma helaman words of mormon mosiah mormon ether 3 nephi 4 nephi 1 nephi 2 nephi s book of mormon punch card book of the mormon. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses deseret book. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses book of mormon.

I grew up believing that i belonged to the only true church on the face of the earth and even though there were teachings about the church i. March 19, 2020 dan peterson patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality. Richard lloyd anderson presents evidence from original sources on each of the eleven witnesses and concludes. Three witnesses mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Ill take a moment to debunk common comparisons with bigfoot. The book of mormon contains two sets of joint statements written by joseph smith for those who claimed to have seen the gold plates. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this. According to elder holland, preeminent in the lords arsenal to combat the evils of the world is the book of mormon, as the book is infused with the power of christ to counter all troubles in all timesincluding the end of times. But he maintained his faith in the book of mormon for the remaining 45 years of his life partly as a result of his confidence in the three and eight witnesses, whom he knew well. The three witnesses oliver cowdery david whitmer martin harris. When joseph smith first obtained the gold plates, he was told to show them to no one.

Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition. The three witnesses monument photo courtesy steve mortensen. Their straightforward and unambiguous claims cannot be easily dismissed or ignored. Beyond the testimony of the holy ghost, the witnesses represent the only evidence for the book of mormon provided by the lord himself.

Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. A frequent claim is that a book of mormon witnesses said that he only handled the plates while they were covered in a tow frock. You try spraying, scrubbing, and still were left with so many persons whose testimonies of the physicality of the golden plates, angels, and other artifactsnever wavered. Here are some critics thoughts on that thanks to gary porter and craig criddle for these. The author, richard lloyd anderson, gives many historical details about the statements of such critics and the sources and background of their statements. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken.

In studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ. Supposedly harris was once asked if he saw the plates with his naked eyes to. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that joseph smith s translation had been accomplished by the gift and power of god. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they claimed. Book of mormon witnesses when i was a member of the church i honestly never thought about checking up on the witnesses of the book of mormon. An important element to proving the divine authenticity of this scripture is the testimony of latterday witnesses. The three are part of twelve book of mormon witnesses, who also include smith and the eight witnesses. Three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of god, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered.

The three witnesses are shown the golden plates by the angel, moroni. A witness for the book of mormon witnesses deseret news. The 11 witnesses were all good, honorable men and regarded as upstanding members of the community. The witnesses to the book of mormon are blatantly not credible. Joseph dictates the part of the book of mormon that mentions three special witnesses while all three are there with him. Their written testimony of three witnesses has been included in all of the almost 100 million copies of the book of mormon the church has published since 1830. Ancient documents often needed the signatures of witnesses in order to be considered authentic or legally binding. The work of the translation was proceeding nicely in harmony, pennsylvania for quite a while. And testimonies almost always wilt under crossexamination or sustained questioning. Candidly examining all substantial arguments, pro and con, this project will argue powerfully for their credibility. The case against the 3 witnesses of the book of mormon.

I have a testimony of what those close to joseph reported. Book of mormon witnesses the encyclopedia of mormonism. By providing the testimonies of witnesses and including them at the end of the book of mormon, joseph smith was following not only the ancient pattern called for by nephi, but also the guidance and inspiration of the lord. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. Perhaps one should not expect that a book about the witnesses to the book of mormon published by deseret book company would be anything other than an attempt to strengthen the readers faith in the book of mormon.

But, what never seems to go away for book of mormon critics are those pesky witnesses. And joseph iii said david whitmer stood up to his full height which was nearly. For the story of the three witnesses we will turn to josephs record in history of the church. The world was not left with joseph smiths testimony alone. The combined testimonies of the three and eight witnesses of the book of mormon provide powerful. Three witnesses the three witnesses are david whitmer, oliver cowdery, and martin harris, who mortgaged his farm to finance the first printing of the book of mormon. The testimony of three witnesses summarizes the supernatural event that followed, when an angel appeared and showed them the plates and engravings and they heard the lord declare that the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god. The testimony of the eight witnesses gospel doctrine.

However, this report is from william smith, one of josephs brothers who was not a book of mormon witness. From changing their stories to denying their faith to getting excommunicated and much more, join me in this video as we talk through. Did the eleven witnesses actually see the gold plates. Today chris and clay join me again for a roundtable discussion about the eleven witnesses to the book of mormon. In the course of the work of translation of the book of mormon, we joseph smith and oliver cowdrey ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the lord, to whom he would grant that they should see the plates from which this work the book of. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been accompanied by the testimony of three witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the testimony of eight witnesses. We are a nonprofit organization supported by people like you. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. Tammy uzelac hall, the host of lds livings sunday on monday, shares an answer to this and other questions readers might have in their studies of the book of mormon this week. In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses 1 were to be provided by the lord, to whom he would grant that they should see the plates from which this work the book of mormon should be translated. Mar 02, 2018 but, what never seems to go away for book of mormon critics are those pesky witnesses. The three witnesses is the collective name for three men connected with the early latter day saint movement who stated that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which joseph smith, jr. The history of when david whitmer, oliver cowdery and martin harris saw the golden plates of the book of mormon. The final of the three witnesses is oliver cowdery, who served as scribe for 80% of the book of mormon.

We can compare the witnesses for the book of mormon to the witnesses of manuscript found. The book of mormon is an additional set of sacred prophetic writings adopted by the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as well as it many offshoots, collectively referred to as the mormonism as both holy scripture and another witness of the divinity of jesus christ. Most of the evidence for such an argument is based on two statements made by martin harris. We talk at length about our assumptions that the three witnesses has a spiritual event, that the eight witnesses had a physical event, whether their experience was consistent, and how the institutional church may have. As described by president ezra taft benson, the testimony of the three witnesses was a part of the lords built in proof system of the book of mormon. A passage in the book of mormon similarly indicated that the testimony of the witnesses and the book of mormon would come forth at the same time. Many critics of the book of mormon witnesses say that the witnesses of the book of mormon denied their written testimonies in statements to different people over the years. Joseph smith gave this account of of when he, whitmer, cowdery and. The testimony of three witnesses in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon was originally included at the end of the book, as a final seal of its veracity.

The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the book of mormon. The witnesses of the book of mormon by preston nibley. The three witnesses is the collective name for three men connected with the early latter day. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The testimony of three witnesses be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of jared, who came from the tower of which hath. These elements are what provide such strong support for the book of mormon witnesses, the 3 and the 8. In this carefully researched, thoughtprovoking book, dr.