On my website, I explain a few theories on the origin of the Book of Mormon. I start out, however, with "Mosiah's theorem about the origin of the Book of Mormon (Mosiah being my temple name, now my screen name):

"Regardless which theory is formulated about the origin of the Book of Mormon, it will always have to compete with the official Mormon theory that Joseph Smith received 1,400-year old gold plates from an angel, which he translated from a theretofore unknown language by means of magic rocks in a hat.

In other words: regardless which theory is formulated about the origin of the Book of Mormon, in order to be rejected it must, at a minimum, be less likely than the official Mormon theory."

http://www.mormonisme.nl/2009/11/mosiahs-theorema-aangaande-de-oorsprong.html

This where it gets really weird with Mormons (and flying-saucer enthusiasts and fans of psychics like Uri Geller etc.) When you show alternate, prosaic, explanations they dismiss it with some variation on "how likely is that?"

Well almost ANYTHING is more likely than "An angel appeared and told him where to find gold plates which he translated with a rock in a hat."

-->Well almost ANYTHING is more likely than "An angel appeared and told him where to find gold plates which he translated with a rock in a hat."

Including: the BoM was delivered unto mankind's hands by space aliens.*




* Space aliens with a fondness for kitsch.

Remember that Twilight Zone episode in which some aliens had a book that was titled "To Serve Man?" It turned out it was a cookbook.

Maybe the Book of Mormon was given to us to soften up our brains so we'll make good soup stock.

And then it occurred to me that the most plausible explanation for the BoM is that Joseph Smith came up with the idea and then, with a little help from his friends, got the book published. The rest, as they say, is made up history.