The next installment of Raptor Jesus wrecks the BoM will be about Mosiah and the King Benjamon sermons.

I've been looking around to see if these sermons were plagiarized. I've come across some stuff about Solomon Spaulding and the "Spaulding Manuscript."

But, I'm curious if anyone here has some more information/insights that would be useful.

Thanks.

The King Benjamin address was very similar to the final address of a Methodist tent preacher in New York. One Bishop M'kendree. Also speaking was Benjamin G. Paddock. There was a large meeting of over 10,000 people who set up tents facing the podium.

As reported by Grant Palmer
This large crowd heard the "valedictory" or farewell speech of their beloved "Bishop M'kendree [who] made his appearance among us for the last time." . . . In his emaciated and "feeble" condition, he spoke of his love for the people and then delivered a powerful message that covered "the whole process of personal salvation." Tremendous unity prevailed among the crowd, and "nearly every unconverted person on the ground" committed oneself to Christ. . . .

You need to remember that Joseph Smith was a Methodist exhorter at this time.

At this particular point of "writing" the Book of Mormon, do you feel that Joseph was just trying to find a way to make money?

That a new church wasn't really the goal, but instead he was collecting Methodist sermons, putting them together in a fantasy setting, but he really only wanted to make money on the book.

I actually think he was writing a book of scripture for sale. I do believe he used Solomon Spaulding's manuscript. I think it was probably Sidney Rigdon that provided the religious input, because much of the Book of Mormon is Campbellite teachings. There is good evidence that Smith knew both Rigdon and Cowdrey long before their official meeting.

This is something I wrote a few years ago.

It was a troika with JS as the front man.

He was an orator and had been an exhorter in the Methodist Church. By accounts I have read, JS was probably the least intelligent of the three and probably didn't like to work. If you read his early history, his thoughts and speeches were all about gold and power. Sex was added later in Nauvoo.

The entire family was on the fringes of society. JS studied the occult his entire life. His mother was a palm and tea leaf reader. His father used a dowsing rod and had strange visions. The family had parchments with magic symbols to protect the house and to give them power. They had a knife that was imprinted with occult symbols to draw magic circles to be able to control spirits. The family was "those odd people down the road" that practiced magic.

JS had several talisman or medallions for protection and power. He had at least two of them on him when he was killed. One of these was custom made, using a very specific occult guide in the making. It was his Jupiter talisman.

Sydney Rigdon was described by his mentor, Alexander Campbell, as follows:

>"A peculiar mental and corporeal malady, to which he has been subject for some years. Fits of melancholy succeeded by fits of enthusiasm accompanied by some kind of nervous spasms and swoonings........He acts more like one laboring under some morbid affliction of the mind, than like one compos mentis.

He was ambitious without distinction, without the energy and industry to secure it, and jealous of the reputation of others, without the ability to compete with them...........he was disposed to catch anything which, without demanding labor, might serve for his advancement, and was naturally led to seek in deception the success which he found denied in indolence."


Sydney Rigdon was very intelligent by all accounts, but not completely stable and had an annoying nasal voice. He was not a likely front man, but probably provided the overall plan.

Oliver Cowdrey was a writer and printer who made his living for several years as a traveling scribe, writing letters and pamphlets for individuals and small businessmen. From accounts I have read, he was dark, short and small framed. He was the worker, taking the Spaulding manuscript, historical documents and stories from JS and Rigdon to make the BOM. He did not have the necessary demeanor to be front man. He had been involved in some shady dealings and had been implicated as a counterfeiter. He could not be front man.

The problem was that JS eventually started to believe his own lies. I think he decided he was really magical and did have power. Alexander Niebaur introduced him to Kabbalism which was a new level to the folk magic his parent taught him. He started to introduce new doctrine and rewrite the old. This was part of the schism that developed between the three.

JS was probably the least intelligent of the three and probably didn't like to work.

Sydney Rigdon was [...] not completely stable and had an annoying nasal voice.

Oliver Cowdrey was [...] dark, short and small framed

Hmm, methinks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSa7BhiXGkQ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2011 08:16AM by EssexExMo.

Yes, I think that was the original purpose. Or to be exact, the very first purpose was simply to play a trick on his family.

I even think that the establishing of the church was not meant to be the way it eventually turned out. At that time Americans were founding churches all the time. Those who had a Congregationalist view, like Baptists and others, reckoned each congregation as an independent church.

One more tid bit of information. In the 1830 Book of Mormon two places that are currently written as Mosiah were originally written as Benjamin. This is after Benjamin was dead. It might be worth a bit of research, Google Gods willing.

Well, maybe not "right now" as when you read it. But it was "right now" when I wrote it.

That might have been at the same time, unless you were traveling near the speed of light, you may have seen this before I actually posted it.

My understanding of Mormonism and its history is an inch deep but a mile wide. I know a bit about a lot of subjects. I have a very good memory for detail.

Is that this particular sermon of M'Kendree isn't written down anywhere for me to access. So, the description of the address as a feeble preacher giving his last sermon over the entire course of "salvation" is the best I can get.

However, it did lead me to the FAIR apologist response called "trustworthy history?"

And you have to say the title in your mind like a douche because that's exactly how the article reads.

So, my inclusion of this particular issue will also be shallow at best because I can't just do a one for one comparison-- and throw in some jokes. But I can at least bring up the topic and discuss the "controversy" over the preacher. And the 1830's version is great. Do you mind if I link to your site that has the pdf file?

Do whatever you like. My site has been up for a good six or seven years and is not going anyplace. As I recall, Grant Palmer had additional information about this, but I read the book about six years ago and don't remember all of the details. Getting old is terrible. The memory isn't what it use to be. I have about 80 feet of bookshelf space for my library, so many of my books are packed away. I work from memory most of the time. His book is one in a box someplace.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2011 09:40PM by Jim Huston.

I found this
http://www.osaywhatistruth.com/camp-settings.htm

also
In Palmer's own estimation, one of the strongest parallels to American religious culture in the Book of Mormon is King Benjamin's famous farewell speech to his people, which Palmer compares to the setting of an early American frontier revival camp meeting. As an example, Palmer describes a camp meeting held by the Methodists in 1826 near Palmyra, New York. Gathering from miles around, over ten thousand people came and pitched their tents facing a stand. At this meeting, the venerable Bishop M'Kendree delivered a memorable farewell speech. The resemblance to King Benjamin's farewell speech and its setting may be granted, but a balanced approach would require considering parallels to the ancient Near East as well.

http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=15&num=2&id=513

the parallel is more in the form of the address rather than the content, however Smith was there and could have used the content. There are parts and paraphrases of the address in various books, but nothing complete.

Thank you all. I will look for more information on all this. Very promising, as the positive aspects of Christianity are an important aspect of John Wesley's writings.

You are doing the right thing. Not in searching for Spalding, he was not an important person - but in viewing the BoM in the historical context it was written. When you do that, you don't find much to make you wonder. Smith built on prevalent ideas of his time, as to American prehistory and religion. He could have picked up those ideas literally everywhere.

I would read "Who Wrote the Book of Mormon; The Spalding Enigma" before discarding Spalding as unimportant. I do not agree with everything in the book, but I do believe the manuscript that was stolen represents much of the story line in the Book of Mormon. There is a lot of evidence that shows a much longer relationship between Smith, Cowdrey and Rigdon which they tried to cover up. That manuscript has never been located.

"You are doing the right thing. ....in viewing the BoM in the historical context it was written. When you do that, you don't find much to make you wonder. Smith" & Co. "built on prevalent ideas of the time." S/R is not dead, it is just one part of the picture. They borrowed from many sources. And Spalding borrowed from many sources.

Making progress on researching M'Kendree. Does appear to be a prototype of King Benjamin. He entranced many at old-time camp meetings.

Jockers indicates Mosiah 2 as Cowdery-esque, 4 & 6 as Rigdon-esque. The other King Benjamin chapters did not rise to the significance level I chose. They might also have inserted some material from Alexander Campbell.

I'll read M'Kendree and see if I can come up with anything.

Here is a little factoid about Solomon Spalding you may not know. He had a degree in divinity from Dartmouth. Coincidentally, Ethan Smith was in the Dartmouth school of divinity at the same time. There were not a lot of students in the school of divinity. They knew each other.

Ethan Smith was the person who wrote "View of the Hebrews" which was the book that B.H. Roberts compared to the Book of Mormon in "Studies of the Book of Mormon" identifying a significant number of parallels. Spalding also used information from Ethan Smith in his writings.

A little more information. Oliver Cowdrey's family were parishioners in the Vermont church where the pastor was, guess who? Ethan Smith.

Sidney Rigdon preached in the town and used the post office where Solomon Spalding stored his manuscript while he was waiting to get the money to get it published. Spalding's widow said that she knew Rigdon stole the manuscript from the post office.

So many connections, so little time. I am traveling, so I don't have my notes and library here, but this should be enough to stir a little curiosity.



It all comes back to the same information and the same people.


This is a topic I know a little about, but there are some real experts out there. I lean more towards doctrinal roots and early mysticism. Someday I will post some of that and NO ONE will read it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2011 09:48PM by Jim Huston.

Your perspective is very much like mine. Thank you.

Check out p. 129 of this book. http://books.google.com/books?id=mn5HAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:GmPUAAAAMAAJ&hl=en&ei=V-12Tc_9E8P7rAGq-ICACg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

It was written much after the event, but it almost seems like a member of Smith & Co. was there.

The date this source has is Sept. 7, 1828, in Tennessee.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2011 10:10PM by me.