Not true. No witness ever denied what they saw and experienced. And if they were as you described them, they would have squeeled like a pig at the first opportunity if it were a fraud. By not doing so, they confirm the truthfulness of the story.
If Joseph wrote the book of mormon he has a strange way of showing it. Here we have a man who wrote the book of mormon without anyone knowing it. Quite impossible in Joseph’s case since he had no time or space to write the book. Not to mention all the paper and ink and feathered pens that it would have taken. Where did he buy the material? That would be the first question I would ask the general stores in town and in the surrounding area. But alas…no such behavior was reported. Now of course, if one is using such writing utensils, ink on the fingers would be quite natural. But…no one ever saw such ink on the fingers. He didn’t write the book of mormon.
He knnew that he was going to die and his brother volunteered to go with him knowing very well what outcome could come. He died for his faith. And he was persecuted for his faith throughout the book of mormon years. That makes him a martyr. And yes, JS went to prison in meekness and in a humble spirit.
What I was asking was if Emma Smith and Lucy Smith actually saw the plates, and not just wrapped up. You previously stated that “not only are there 11 witnesses. I would say that there are many more.” So I’m asking, did these “many more” see the same thing that the witnesses saw, namely, the engravings?There were 11. However if they were all fraudsters, the wives would have found out. And by keeping silent, which they did, would be accomplices to the fraud. Emma was not stupid. She believed the book of mormon and was with JS as he went about hiding the plates from the thieves. How could he keep such a secret away from his wife as he carried the plates around if there were no plates.
Women have a way of getting secrets out of their husbands.
Is this what people have actually said, or is this your speculation, specifically going to general stores in town and in the surrounding area, and ink on his fingers?
Use your imagination. When the book came out, the towns people could not believe that JS wrote it. It would only make sense that some would head to the general store and ask such a question. And certainly the storekeeper would have come forward with Joseph’s purchase receipts. And this would include any store keeper in the vicinity.
moroni10.com/witnesses/Mary_Whitmer.html
Joseph Smith did not pen the book. He dictated it to Emma and a few others. So they probably had ink on their fingers.
Thank you for posting this. In reading this, the answer to my question of whether Emma and Lucy Smith actually saw the plates, namely, the engravings, the answer is no. The Lucy Smith page states that she did not see the plates, but she did heft them, presumably wrapped up (“I asked her [Lucy Smith] if she saw the plates. She said no, it was not for her to see them, but she hefted and handled them.”). Emma Smith likewise states: "* I did not attempt to handle the plates, other than I have told you, nor uncover them to look at them. I was satisfied that it was the work of God, and therefore did not feel it to be necessary to do so*; " Harrison Burgess had a visionary experience where he saw the gold plates, but they were not actually in front of him (since the plates were already returned by that point, right?). Alva Beman, according to the article, did not see the plates, but he was allowed to feel them. When did Luke Johnson see the angel and the plates? Mary Whitmer in contrast to the rest did see the plates, according to J.C. Whitmer’s account on that page. Interestingly, J.C. Whitmer elsewhere states, in “The Eight Witnesses”, The Historical Record, Volume 7, October, 1888, p. 62, that Mary Whitmer said she was shown the plates by a “holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi”.moroni10.com/witnesses/Mary_Whitmer.html
moroni10.com/witnesses/Lucy_Mack_Smith.html
moroni10.com/witnesses/Emma_Smith.html
moroni10.com/witnesses/Luke_Johnson.html
moroni10.com/witnesses/Alva_Beman.html
moroni10.com/witnesses/Harrison_Burgess.html
I think that you will find these testimonies interesting.
Very trueJoseph Smith did not pen the book. He dictated it to Emma and a few others. So they probably had ink on their fingers.
. I think it’s important to note that critics do not believe that Joseph Smith actually, physically wrote the Book of Mormon, or even that he invented it all by himself.So again, this is your speculation, but it’s not actually written that this happened.
Actions speak louder than words, his actions tell a different story.
So are we sayin at no time paper and ink was required to translate the BoM?
If JS wrote the book of mormon there would be a manuscript complete with rough drafts. Plus, he would be buying pens, ink, and paper from the store. The amount of paper involved would be huge. And then of course, later, we have the scibes. More paper. But before that time, the store keeper would have noticed Joseph Smith buying all sorts of writing utensils. See the point?
If you say so. Lets see how you would react watching your (God forbid) brother or sister being shot. Perhaps you would still be meek and humble. But I don’t think so. No one knows how they would react in such a situation.
Common sense. Not everything is written. Much of life goes by unwritten.
First we need to use our imagination a little. Here we have Joseph writing the book of mormon in manucript form. However, no manucript is ever found and no one saw him writing a book. And no one claimed that he spent a lot of time buying writing utensils. However, we have Joseph with something heavy that he is hiding under a cloth. And they felt like metal plates. It seems strange to be sure that Joseph would risk his fraud in this manner. Emma or Lucy only needed to lift the cloth and behold the fraud. But they were convinced that Joseph Smith was not creating a fraud and so did not bother to do so. But they could have done so. And then the fraud and all that work goes up in smoke. Big risk to be sure. Later we have Joseph carrying the plates from place to place in an attempt to hide them from thieves. Again big risk and a dangerous one and quite tiring.
Let’s stay off the emotional responses and keep to the facts shall we? Is it possible for a Mormon to do that?
How did it get published if it wasn’t written? SOMEBODY had to write it down to submit to the publisher. You don’t make any sense. Did it just magically become copies of the Book of Mormon?