Interested in early Mormon history? You've come to the right place. I'm Dan Vogel and I'm an award-winning author who has been publishing in this field for more than thirty years. I would like to share with you what I have learned. This is neither a defense nor an attack of the Mormon faith-just serious discussion of the major issues and documentation dealing with Mormon origins and its founder Joseph Smith.
About your 'wilderness argument' . . . See 1 Nephi 2:4 - And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness. See verse 4 where Lehi 'departed' into the wilderness. Now look at verse 5 below because this is about his 'traveling' in the wilderness. 5 And he came down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea; and he 'traveled' in the wilderness in the borders which are nearer the Red Sea; and he did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother, Sariah, & my elder brothers, who were Laman, Lemuel, and Sam. 6 And it came to pass that 'when he had traveled three days in the wilderness', he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water." He traveled in the wilderness in the borders nearer the Red Sea for 3 days. Let's go 'back in time' to the original Exodus because it is important, as they also traveled through the wilderness for 3 days: Exodus 15:22 - Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. Go back up to 1 Nephi 2, verse 6. They found water after 3 days in the same place Moses and company found bittter water that a tree made sweet! There is a specific portion of the land that was declared desert/wilderness area. What is the literal meaning of the word 'border'? It is the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary, rim, the line, limit, or delimiting geographic feature that separates one country, state, province, etc., from another. They could not continue their specific straight direction, as the mountains 'borders' were 'too steep' at the shore for them to pass through, so they found a better route by taking a left turn to go within the two mountain ranges 'borders' and continued their trek in the valley where they soon found water that was not bitter. Hallellujah! www.bible.ca/chronology/bible-Chronology-exodus-route-travel-times-distances-days-Goshen-Red-Sea-Wilderness-of-Sin-Sinai-47days.jpg
mm 0:00-1:03: The Book of Mormon does not say anywhere that 'they turn East until they come to the Indian Ocean where they build a ship and cross over to America'. Those are 'opinions of men' that are not found in the Book of Mormon. Why would you make such a statement to get your audience to think mistakenly that what you reported is inside the Book of Mormon? If you want to honestly TRY to discredit the Book of Mormon, quote passages in the Book of Mormon that 'you mistakenly think are not true' and let your audience ponder those divine scriptures for themselves with prayer to ask the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ if what you are saying is true?
Also is these New York Anti-Masons were aware of what was going on in Europe they'd know the Masons in Italy had an overlapping membership with the Carbonari who absolutely claimed descent form Southern Italian rural Robber Bands of the medieval and early modern era. I'm curious what other ways Anti-Jackson sentiment is reflected in the Book of Mormon. How often did people opposed to Jackson compare him to Marius? If that was a well known comparison that Amlici's coup being placed in the same year Marius seized power in Rome may not be a coincidence.
I’m studying Mormonism but not a believer in it, I studied with two young men a few years ago and I shut them down I was not rude with them but just asked them questions and tried to work in the Bible but they wanted to stay in the BoM. I’ve prayed that they have turned away from Mormonism.
Sometimes the books Imagined history of Republican experiments in Pre-Christina America parallel what was going on in the Late Roman Republic at the same time, in particular 87 BC. Makes me wonder how much Smith had read of Plutarch. Have you considering doing anything about the apparent endorsements of Socialism in the Book of Mormon? It seems weird in the context of all that Anti-Jacksonian Conservatism that defines so many other subjects.
I'm just discovering Vogel and will start reading The Making of A Prophet. I found No Man Knows My History as an unconvincing biography due to its speculative nature. While interesting and insightful, much of what it conveys seems to be an interpretation. From an academic standpoint, it comes across as conjecture and rather subjective. Rough Stone Rolling, on the other hand, seemed to be very apologetic.
I’m LDS. Watched the whole video and enjoyed it a lot. I’m not trying to be willfully ignorant, but I do still believe he was a prophet. But I completely understand how he can not be viewed as a prophet. I just have had spiritual experiences that I feel told me it’s true. Everyone can have there own opinion though
24:48 I may have misunderstood, but did you say here that part of Joseph’s translation states that this scroll belongs to the daughter of the King of Egypt who “died when she was 28 years old, which was [the year] 3020" i.e. 98 BCE according to timestamp 27:17, around the time the papyri are attributed by historians to being contemporary to - 300 to 100 BCE? Just want to make sure i heard right
If you ask a missionary if their scriptures have ever changed they will say they were edited for grammar and punctuation. At least that's the answer I have gotten. But now I see that it was changing as it was being dictated. Did God change His mind while he was inspiring it? Doesn't make any sense. That's why I follow Islam. It's books have never changed. It has no contradictions in it.
Keep in mind that Book of Mormon is just only an abbreviation of the records from the brass plates of Nephi and other records pass from generation to generation. All the records that contains the fullness of their words are still preserve and sealed to the Lord. Mormon 9:31 Condem me not because of my imperfection, neither my father because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that He hath made manifest unto you our imperfection, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.
Hi Dan there is a quote posted on “Thoughtful faith channel” apparently from Oliver cowdery as follows… "Jacob, I want you to remember what I say to you. I am a dying man, and what would it profit me to tell you a lie? I know, that this Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. My eyes saw, my ears heard, and my understanding was touched, and I know that whereof I testified is true. It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind-it was real".-Oliver Cowdery shortly after he returned to the church, just prior to his death. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LhcqvlGJ9-4.htmlsi=x2_8eM0eL_W9TyZO They did not have the reference. Have you heard this before? is it legit? Love to hear your take on it
How can people believe Joseph Smith was a prophet? It’s pretty obvious he was a con artist. His translations of Egyptian papyri was so far off it’s insane. He took images from the “Egyptian book of the dead” also known as “the Book of Horus” and claimed they related to Abraham of the Old Testament. He’s a fraud!
Dan, have you looked at the book "New and Complete Illustration of the Occult Sciences" Ebenezer Sibly from around 1790? many of Smith's "symbols" are very similar to those in that book. His family were big necromancer/treasure hunters.
The book of Mormon teaches heliocentrism the bible teaches a flat stationary earth with a firmament dome above us, the book of Mormon and the bible contradict each other only one can be true and it's the bible, Joseph Smith was a con man and a false prophet, I just recently unplugged from Mormonism and believing it was the restored church of Christ and it's not, all truth in the bible
Hello Dan, I was wondering if you could recommend a video for me. I am recently ex-Mormon but am also 6th generation. My great great grandfather was the guinea pig for Brigham Young that went to prison for polygamy test in Utah. I have other great grandfather's that served in the quorum of the 12. I have a lot of guilt, yet also a lot of anger that I was led on to believe in such ridicules things. What do you recommend for me?
