As many of you know, a small group of us have been working on a series of episodes at MormonLeaks.com. These episodes deal with the origin of the Mormon scriptures. We are creating a narrative that attempts to integrate a large amount of evidence, including historical data and text analysis.

The story we are developing is the best we can do given what's available to us. I'll give just one example. Let's suppose that there once was a 16th century writer who wrote a story about ten tribes coming to America. Let's further imagine that this story was never published in the author's lifetime, but was instead handed down from generation-to-generation in the Smith or Cowdery family or through a group like the Masons. Without access to writing from that author, we are not include that author's writing in our analysis, so we would not identify that person as an author. We would instead identify the person in our candidate set of authors who has the word usage pattern that is closest to the actual author.

Another example would be someone like Phebe Rigdon, Sidney Rigdon's wife. We know Phebe recorded her own revelations near the end of her husband's life. If she contributed significantly to the text of the Book of Mormon, we would miss her because we do not have enough text from her to develop a reliable signal.

I mention this because those of us working at MormonLeaks view the work we are doing as a work in progress. We can expect the story to change as we learn more.

I think you guys are doing an awesome job. I understand that text analysis can be an inexact science due to the things you mention and other factors. But, as I don't believe the BoM came from golden plates, it had to come from somewhere. The narrative you guys outline is far and away the most feasible that I have ever seen, despite what inaccuracies there may be.

Keep up the great work!

The mormonleaks narrative, with its conjectures and limitations, provides more context than any other, especially the correlated one.

Really interesting stuff and I have enjoyed reading each episode.

Craig C Wrote:
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> ...those of us working at
> MormonLeaks view the work we are doing as a work
> in progress. We can expect the story to change as
> we learn more.

This approach is only logical, of course. But the current
format of material offered at the site necessarily will
"freeze in stone" the initial 8-episode presentation.
Any substantial attempts at changing the content will
"muddy the waters" for readers who enter upon studying
the material at various different times, over the years.

Some special strategy will be necessary, in order to
update/correct "Mormon Scriptures - Alternstive Accounts."
The primary authors (Criddle and friends) need a viable
way to make additions and to point out mistakes/problems,
without erasing the original reporting -- and outsiders
who become interested in the presentation(s) and have
useful facts and comments to share, will need a place
and a method that facilitates an open exchange of ideas.

As the site is now set up, I am concerned that these needs
will not be met.

Take, for example, the recent ponderings of "JT," an
interested and thoughtful observer, who has yet to find
a suitable method by which to interact with MormonLeaks:

>Dan Vogel, a respected Mormon historian and
>Joseph Smith biographer, has built a strong
>Joseph-as-sole-author case based on three lines
>of evidence... The first is the presence of
>autobiographical elements in the Book of Mormon
>narrative. The second is Joseph’s access to other
>potential source material that can be linked to
>the Book of Mormon by textual analysis. The third
>is his fair assessment of Joseph’s powerful
>imagination and native intellect, which became
>more apparent over time.
>
>In addition to this, I acknowledge the inherent
>prior-probabilistic difficulties associated with
>conspiracy theories, which John Hamer presented
>in a rheortically effective article, “The Spalding
>Fable” [at bycommonconsent.com]. Indeed, conspiracy
>theories make special evidential demands that leave
>me terribly self-conscious about listing in that
>direction. However, one must keep in mind that
>Criddle’s Multiple Authorship Theory" isn’t an
>“either Joseph or someone else” proposition.
>Criddle includes Joseph Smith as a contributor or
>redactor. His is not a Spalding-as-sole-author proposition.

http://jturnonmormonism.wordpress.com/2013/07/


Suppose that an external observer, such as "JT," came
upon new evidence linking Hyrum Smith to Book of Mormon
authorship, but was so overwhelmed by "conspiracy
theories making special evidential demands," that he
decided not to get involved in religious controversies.
Adding Hyrum's writing efforts to the already overcrowded
Gold Bible Company might well be a last straw that would
break the back of even the most hopeful literary conspiracy
advocate.

What I'm trying to say, is that there is a probable
paradox developing, in which the discovery/communication
of supporting evidence could well make the limitations
of MormonLeaks its greatest opponent.

Some new ideas for exploration, discovery, reporting
and sharing are greatly needed at this point. The site,
as presently designed, may not meet these needs, even
though it has dedicated (and largely empty) sub-areas
in place where sharing can occur.

The name "MormonLeaks" hints at possibilities beyond
just the investigation of LDS scriptural origins. It
seems to invite anonymous donors to send in massive
collections of Church leaders' private documents, or
evidence of behind-the-scenes ecclesiastical crimes.
Perhaps something like that will actually develop in
the future, and we'll be reading sensitive, leaked
Q12 meeting minutes there. I don't know.

In the meanwhile, some additional thought probably
should be devoted to MormonLeaks limitations (and
what I should be doing with my wonderful new Hyrum
Smith at Dartmouth diaries discoveries).

UD

Sorry ... Not trying to hijack the thread but I have seen evidence that Hyrum was involved . There isn't much on him , but his writings could be transcribed right into the D & C .

Lasvegasrichard Wrote:
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> Sorry ... Not trying to hijack the thread but I
> have seen evidence that Hyrum was involved . There
> isn't much on him , but his writings could be
> transcribed right into the D & C .


I'd guess that Craig might want to talk with you
about that idea.

UD

>>Sorry ... Not trying to hijack the thread but I have seen evidence that Hyrum was involved . There isn't much on him , but his writings could be transcribed right into the D & C .

Actually, you are not hijacking the thread. This is on topic and exactly the kind of thing we need to be careful about.

We have some of Hyrum's journal writings, but need more material. I think of him as the accountant for the Gold Bible Company because the records we have seem to deal mainly with financial matters. Pointers on where/how to obtain more text from Hyrum would be welcome.

Craig,

Thanks for putting up MormonLeaks. I enjoy reading it, although there is one aspect I found troublesome, and that has to do with not knowing up front how many slides were in the episode (or did I somehow miss that?). I'd have liked to know that so I could plan my time better.

Still, it kept my attention all through the 190+ slides. Here are a few comments.

When SR's congregation (Reformed Baptists) recognized the BOM as being what he'd already preached, I was amazed that they could read the BOM and get that out of it so readily. I reasoned that they were theologians and focused on religion to the point that, when presented with a new "scripture" they were necessarily suspicious of it.

I, on the other hand, accepted the BOM as solid truth from my earliest memory, so there was no need for me to be suspicious of it. After all, the significant adults in my childhood accepted it and even preached it, so I never questioned it.

I'm concerned that the multiple-authorship theory, which seems to be the most likely explanation of how we got the BOM, might take on the tedium of a FAIR-like essay. If you go into minute detail, I think you run the risk of a TBM possibly responding with "What a complicated mess! THAT can't be the right explanation." Personally, I love knowing the details. And I know there's no easy way to put these ideas forth. But a clear and simple idea presentation, with the option of digging deeper into the details, might go further.

Your explanation of the poor grammar & spelling in the 1830 BOM (i.e., Appalacian Language) is the best explanation agoing!

And a question: Is there any possible historical connection between "Reformed Baptists" and "Reformed Egyptian?" Could this have been a subtle suggestion by SR to gain greater acceptance of the BOM by his RB flock? Just curious.

>>>a clear and simple idea presentation, with the option of digging deeper into the details, might go further.

Thanks for this recommendation, PapaKen.

We've had a lot of discussion about level of detail. You are right. There is a huge risk of overload with too much complexity.

Our thinking right now is to finish the long version, then simplify, simplify, simplify.

PapaKen Wrote:
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> ... was amazed that they could read the
> BOM and get that out of it so readily. I reasoned
> that they were theologians and focused on religion
> to the point that, when presented with a new
> "scripture" they were necessarily suspicious of it
> ...

Some of Elder Rigdon's Campbellite associates are
documented here:
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/features/RigSmth3.htm

I think that it is important to keep in mind the fact
that many of his parishioners refused to follow Sidney
into Mormonism. Very few of his main congregation, in
Mentor, were ever converted to the new religion. Even
in Kirtland, where Rigdon had the highest percentage
of avid followers among the Camobellites, the core
congregation remained Regular Baptist and many of the
remainder stayed loyal to Campbell. It was really only
a few local families, Whitney, Williams, Partridge, etc.
that became Kirtland Mormons. The big triumph for the
first Mormon missionaries was among the Morley communal
"family," which was separate from the Kirtland branch.
There, in that struggling, impoverished commune, the
missionaries readily converted members like the Wight
family. They really had nowhere else to go, because
they functioned as a unit. Become Mormon, or leave the
commune, quickly became their only choice.

Yes, Campbellites were biblical literalists and strict
followers of biblical laws and practices -- but Rigdon
managed to gather together a bunch of fringe Campbellites
who expected an imminent apocalypse and millennium. They
were different from Campbell's most loyal members; Parley
P. Pratt called them "Rigdonites," and they were actually
a sect within a sect. They expected that, as the Last
Judgment approached, that God would again be talking to
men -- no matter that Campbell disapproved of that belief.
There would be new, latter day scriptures. Campbell
himself had started that expectation in 1822 by issuing
his new, corrected edition of the Christian Bible.

To get a feeling of how carefully Rigdon was preparing
his target audience for Mormon conversion, just before
the arrival of the first Mormon missionaries, consider
what the Whitney family in Kirtland experienced:

http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/LDS/ldsnews2.htm#090178

"We had been praying," says mother Whitney, "to know from the Lord how we could obtain the gift of the Holy Ghost. My husband, Newel K. Whitney, and myself, were Campbellites. We had been baptized for the remission of our sins, and believed in the laying on of hands and the gifts of the spirit. But there was no one with authority to confer the Holy Ghost upon us. We were seeking to know how to obtain the spirit and the gifts bestowed upon the ancient saints.

Sister Eliza Snow was also a Campbellite. We were acquainted before the restoration of the gospel to the earth. She, like myself, was seeking for the fullness of the gospel. She lived at the time in Mantua.

One night -- it was midnight -- as my husband and I, in our house at Kirtland, were praying to the father to be shown the way, the spirit rested upon us and a cloud overshadowed the house.

It was as though we were out of doors. The house passed away from our vision. We were not conscious of anything but the presence of the spirit and the cloud that was over us.

We were wrapped in the cloud. A solemn awe pervaded us. We saw the cloud and we felt the spirit of the Lord.

Then we heard a voice out of the cloud saying:

'Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming!'

At this we marveled greatly; but from that moment we knew that the word of the Lord was coming to Kirtland."


Yes, they KNEW THE WORD OF THE LORD WAS
COMING TO KIRTLAND in 1830. Elder Rigdon
made certain of that.

UD

I really like the site, but the horizontal scrolling triggered my motion sickness a little. Great visuals, though, and the info was well laid out.

I disagree with the comments suggesting the theory too complex, serious TBM's looking for info will appreciate the minutia. I'm technical by profession, and have difficulty believing anything or anyone that cant provide me the minutia. The complexity of the theory is one of the most plausible I've come across. As poorly written as the BOM is, I've always thought a imaginative Young Smith couldn't build this narrative without a serious behind the scene author or team of authors.

I've always thought the BOM narrative broken and discontinuous and the mormonleak project lends to this perception by explaining a plausible multiple author theory (the golden book club should have hired a better editor).

They always mention in the TSCC that this is the most true book. I remember the first read as a teenager thinking the BOM would get an 'F' if my english teacher had to grade it. If this is inspired of God, he is one of the worst story tellers and editors I've read.

Keep up the great work, I see your project only getting better with time. I think it will inspire many others to dig in and perhaps contribute.

BTW, one of the slides, can't remember where, mentions the 1830 BOM uses the spelling of Cumorah in the Captain Kid book sense "Camorah". The ref in the slide is Moroni 6:2, should be Mormon 6:2.

Love the project, cant wait for episode 7.

I've been reading through your episodes and find the ideas fascinating (esp regarding Spaulding). Some of the concepts/ diagrams go over my head somewhat, especially in the last few episodes so perhaps a simplified version in addition would help.

My main question and concern is about the multi authorship theory. I think its by far the best explination of how that book was put together. But I have a hard time thinking that Rigdon, Cowdry, Pratt, Smith could all simontaniously be working on something like this and sucessfully keep their spouses, friends and family in the dark about it. These people lived in teeny tiny log cabins and it makes my head spin thinking of the editing and revisions that would have had to occur to put a narritive like this together. Interesting work for sure and thanks for your efforts.

I agree that many family members must have known what was going on. Others didn't want to know: it worked for them. The collaborators did not necessarily need to meet at homes. They could meet at previously agreed-upon locations for private discussions.

Think of Bernie Madoff, his family, and his close associates. He apparently kept his family in the dark, but had close associates who knew and colluded with him. He was convicted in 2008.

In the Madoff case, it has taken 5 years to gather evidence and bring charges against others. According to the NY Times (Sept 17 , 2013): "On Oct. 7, five former employees of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities are scheduled to stand trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan on charges they aided the fraud. Each of the five employees — Daniel Bonventre, Annette Bongiorno, Joann Crupi, Jerome O’Hara and George Perez — worked at the firm for more than 15 years."

glittertoots Wrote:
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> ...and sucessfully keep their
> spouses, friends and family in the dark about it.
...

I've had a few thoughts on this topic, beginning with the
old allegations from Orsamus Turner and John Stafford,
saying that Mother Lucy Smith had a hand in writing the
book. She later wrote a book of her own, so such allegations
are not entirely unbelievable.

If Lucy Mack Smith did have a role in writing the book,
that would not mean she actively composed and proofread
each and every paragraph -- but it could mean that she
approved of the Gold Bible Company's literary project
and helped prevent outsiders from learning about its
secretive activities. In this case, adding Mother Smith
to the list of conspirators would not add to its
complexity, since her guiding hand could have actually
limited exposure of any such conspiracy.

If Mother Smith generally knew of and approved of the
secretive activities, her assistance would help explain
why her son's "translation" work in Manchester was not
easily exposed. Actually, very little of Joe's work
was done in Manchester/Palmyra, except perhaps when the
printer's manuscript was being prepared in his "cave"
in Miner's Hill. -- So, that takes care of Manchester.

Oliver Cowdery was observed doing secret writing near
Fayette, prior to his moving in with the Smiths in
Manchester, but at the time he was a bachelor, without
close associates, working as a teacher in a schoolhouse,
"burning the midnight oil." Once he transferred his
activities to Manchester, Mother Smith could have
shielded him from public scrutiny.

Most of Joe Smith's "translation" work at Harmony was
done away from the public eye -- Martin Harris was kept
from any close observation by the famous blanket. Emma
could have further protected the ongoing "translation"
work, even if she knew very little about what was
actually going on. If Parley P. Pratt or Sidney Rigdon
ever put in an appearance at Harmony, Emma could have
helped keep that sort of corroboration a secret.

By the time Joe and Oliver transferred the last of
their "translation" process to the Whitmer home at
Fayette, composition of the text was nearly finished.
Other than a disguised, bearded Parley P. Pratt making
an appearance along the roadside one day (saying he
was going to "Camorah" as a coded message to Oliver)
the Whitmers need not ever have seen any suspicious
activities suggesting a literary conspiracy.

That leaves Ohio -- where there actually was considerable
testimony linking Rigdon to secretive writing, including
one recollection of Joe Smith showing up there and another
saying that Rigdon was cooperating with other Gold Bible
writers in some place(s) adjacent to his Bainbridge cabin.

Parley P. Pratt had a brother living between Bainbridge
and Mentor at that time, so Pratt could approach at least
as close as a few miles away from Sidney's cabin without
arousing any suspicion -- besides, he became a member of
Sidney's congregation near the end of the period leading
up to publication of the book (after Sidney moved to
Mentor) and Pratt's presence in the Rigdon home at that
time would have been perfectly normal.

The son of Esak Rosa (who helped compile E. D. Howe's
1834 book) said that his father told him that Rigdon
used to meet with Joe Smith, secretly in Ashtabula, Ohio.
There is at least one account of Joe traveling westward
to a spot near the Pennsylvania/Ohio border (where the
county of Ashtabula butts up against Pennsylvania) in
order to find a seer stone. Thurlow Weed also mentions
Joe wandering around in that area of Pennsylvania. In
October of 1830, just a few days prior to the arrival
of the "four missionaries to the Lamanites" at Mentor,
Sidney Rigdon is documented as being in Ashtabula and
actually advertising his presence there in the local
newspaper. We know that the "four missionaries" were
there at the same time, because they sold a copy of
the Book of Mormon to John Corrill, just before going
to Painesville, Mentor and Kirtland in adjacent Geauga
county, Ohio.

Could Sidney Rigdon have used some obscure inn or tavern
in Ashtabula county, to secretly meet up with Smith,
Pratt and/or Cowdery, during 1828-1830? If so, then
such clandestine conclaves would have gone unnoticed
both by family and neighbors.

Researchers have barely begun to scratch the surface,
when it comes to investigating when, where and how the
members of the Gold Bible Company could have interacted
and communicated. Both Mormon and "Gentile" historians
have told us for decades, that there is no use in even
thinking about such possibilities -- that they are only
a fool's errand.

I think the time has arrived to began that investigation.

UD

Enjoy your work. I know how difficult doing scholarly research is, especially on documents, events, and people two hundred years ago.

Kudos