Posted on 12/30/2011 3:56:31 PM PST by Colofornian
It has been said that Mormons have an exceedingly fine sense of rumor. We certainly love a good storyafter all, cant we all admit to telling a tale we thought was good, even if we admitted we werent 100 percent sure it was true? In the spirit of acting under (more) perfect knowledge, and still appreciating the quality of a good story, the following is an exploration of the truth behind some of the more common or interesting Mormon legends.
*The following is an excerpt of "The Truth About Mormon Myths." To read the full article, see the LDS Living magazine May/June 2011 issue.
I can remember when I heard my very first Mormon myth. I was 8 years old, and one of my older sisters came to me and said, Guess what? Steve Martin is a Mormon!
She had heard from our cousins in Las Vegas about how he had gone on David Letterman, and when asked about Mormonism, replied, Thats a very private part of my life right now. It seemed legit enough to me. I started telling everyone in my small sphere which was basically my friends and my Valiant classthat the star of Father of the Bride was LDS.
I dont remember when I started to doubt the story, but years later I learned that the myth had started when a Mormon Tabernacle Choir members son had written home saying he had baptized Steve Martin. Only after this excited choir member had told his friends did he realize he had misunderstoodit wasnt that Steve Martin. By then the story had spread like feathers in the wind.
Storytelling is universal to the human speciestheres no tribe, no country anywhere that doesnt do it, says Eric Eliason, professor of folklore at Brigham Young University. But, he adds, I cant help but wonder if theres something fundamentally oral and face-to-face about the Mormon experience.
We Mormons go from home to home, teaching the message of our Church. We believe deeply in the importance of teaching and bearing testimony to one another. And all this is founded upon stories that affirm our faithmany of which combine the divine with everyday experience.
We have, starting with the First Vision, a heritage of supernatural storiesstories that go beyond the everyday, says Mike Hunter, Mormon Studies librarian at BYU and author of the book Mormon Myth-allaneous. In sacrament meeting and in our Sunday School lessons, we like to share stories that show God has a hand in whats going on in our lives. So we dont find these stories necessarily incredible or unbelievable, simply because every day of our lives we have stories of people who feel they have had divine intervention in their lives. Were going to listen to it and maybe take it seriously.
Mormon FolkloreTrue or False?
Folklorists look for the principle in a storywhat it says about the culture at large and how that culture uses stories to deal with life. Mormon folklore consists of a vibrant body of oral narratives which reflect the dominant values and attitudes . . . of Church members, says Bert Wilson, one of the foremost Mormon folklorists. So its not enough just to find out if something is true or not.
In fact, many stories arent so easily classified as true or false. And theres always a debate in engaging in an exercise of debunking folklore: if these stories uplift and teach people, is it constructive or even fair to prove them true or false? Sometimes it really does matter [to know if a story is true], says Eliason, but sometimes it doesnt. If you become too cynical, you maybe will hear a story about the Three Nephites thats absolutely true and is going to change your life, and you dont believe it. The harm is if youre leaning on these stories for your faith. Then, when the story suddenly crumbles, you fall with it, adds Hunter.
In the end, all stories of folklore have value of their own, true or not. But we still think its of use to educate you. Stories can still uplift and teach if theyre known to be false, and any potential danger in believing their truth can be avoided. So, the following is a quick exploration of some of our cultures favorite stories, the kernels of truth and principles behind them, and, where possible, the evidence to support or disprove them. Now, for a foray through the funhouse of Mormon myths.
Church Leaders
Church Leader Sits Next to Mick Jagger
Have you heard the one about the Church leader who met Mick Jagger on a plane and proceeded to have a lengthy conversation about morality and the Church? In this story, Mick Jagger says he once took the missionary discussions, indicates that his music is calculated to drive kids to sex, and loudly calls the leader a liar for preaching about the truthfulness of the gospel. The leader then chastises Mick for his own lies, bears testimony of the gospel, and calls him to repentance.
Its all true. As related in an address given by Elder Gene R. Cook to Ricks College in 1988 (starting at a time stamp of 23:51 on the audio of the talk, to be exact), the story illustrates both a recognition of the Church by the famous and the unwavering conviction of Church leaders to the truth, even in the most uncomfortable of situations.
Youth Were Generals in the War of Heaven
A favorite quote of those speaking to youth, attributed to President Boyd K. Packer or one of the other Brethren, goes something like this: You were generals in the War in Heaven, and one day when you are in the spirit world, you will be enthralled by those you are associated with. . . . Someone will turn to you and ask you which of the prophets time did you live in? And when you say Gordon B. Hinkley, a hush will fall over every hall and corridor in Heaven, and all in attendance will bow at your presence.
In regards to this statement, President Packer has said, I did not make that statement. I do not believe that statement. The statement, on occasion, has been attributed to others of the First Presidency and the Twelve. None of the Brethren made that statement.
Myths of the Ancient World
Bigfoot is Cain
There may be more to fear from Bigfoot than the fact that hes big and hairy: some say that the legendary North American woodland ape is Cain.
Though theres no way to prove or disprove this particular tale, knowing the source of the legend can shed some light on why this conclusion has been made. Abraham Smoot recorded the following after early Church Apostle David W. Patten described an encounter he had with Cain in 1835:
As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange person walking beside me. . . . His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, . . . and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.
This entry was included in Spencer W. Kimballs The Miracle of Forgiveness, which was originally published in 1969. In 1980, sightings of the legendary Bigfoot were reported in South Weber, Utah. Members made connection with these sightings to Pattens story of Cain, effectively beginning the tale. Reeve believes Mormons use this story to connect an unexplainable event with proof that the Saints are doing a good job. When Satan sends Cain against Mormons, . . . they think, we must be on the right path, or Satan wouldnt bother sending in his most evil hordes against us.
The Three Nephites
Who among us hasnt enjoyed hearing a story about mysterious men blessing the life of another person? A group of friends, out in the middle of nowhere, finds one of their group in serious medical trouble. Two men walk up and offer a blessing, then disappear. A lone traveler approaches a group and asks for food; after giving the food, he imparts wisdom, blesses the group, and disappears. Brigham Young reportedly enjoyed telling his family about an experience he had while serving in Liverpool; he interviewed one of the Nephitesan old man with a long, gray beard, who spoke encouragement to him. The stories of the Nephites tell about help and support in times of personal need.
Obviously the exploits of the Three Nephites have become the stuff of legend. In fact, Bert Wilson says he has over 1,500 stories about these ancient disciplesmany of which are simply older stories updated to modern needs. For instance, a wagon breaks down on the way to general conference, and a mysterious man steps into fix the axle; nowadays, its a car. Its the same story, but its adapted to different times, Wilson says. As long as people have problems that they need help solving, youre likely going to have Nephite stories.
Prophecies
The White Horse Prophecy
The constitution will hang by a thread. Weve all heard this phrase, which is contained in the White Horse prophecya prophecy attributed to Joseph Smith about how the people of the Rocky Mountains (or, the Church members) will save the Constitution, among other things.
The problem? This prophecy was written over 50 years after the Prophets death. Scholars have identified the prophecy as having been a pieced-together embellishment on statements the Prophet Joseph made on several different occasions, as written by a man named Edwin Rushton. It has been officially refuted by the Church on several occasions.
One of the first (and most impressive) examples of this was with Elder Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.s general conference talk in October 1918:
In my travels in the stakes of Zion, my attention has been called, on a number of occasions, to a purported revelation . . . supposed to have been received by President Smith . . . in regard to events of great importance dealing with the nations of the earth and the Latter-day Saints. Many things in that purported vision, or revelation, are absurd. . . . When a revelation comes for the guidance of this people, you may be sure that it will not be presented in some mysterious manner contrary to the order of the Church. It will go forth in such form that the people will understand that it comes from those who are in authority.
President Joseph F. Smith, who spoke after his son at that conference, re-emphasized his sons remarks by calling the content of the prophecy trash. He said, It is simply false. That is all there is to it. The Church, in 2010, once again re-emphasized this position with two separate official statements. To be fair, several reliable sources (including Brigham Young) did report hearing the Prophet say something about the Constitution hanging by a thread. Its unfortunate that that piece has to be always connected with the White Horse Prophecyas if thats where that comes from, says Mike Hunter. But actually, it doesnt come from that; the White Horse Prophecy took that, and a lot of other things, and blended them together.
Say What Is Truth
So there you have it. A wealth of popular stories with evidence to support or refute them. But, after learning some stories are not true, is there still something stories of folklore might teach us?
Theyre all true, of course, depending on how you look at them, says Wilson. They do things for the group. It all depends on who tells them and for what reason.
I havent found anywhere where Jesus Himself makes clear whether the parables are true, says Eliason. I think we assume that they are storiesthat there wasnt necessarily an actual Samaritan.
But He doesnt say, which I think might be telling us something that thats not whats important about them, whether or not they actually happened. I think when we hear Mormon folklore, we should ask, Is the important thing about this story whether or not it was historically accurate, or is the important thing about it what it tells us about ourselves, our culture, and our values?
So even if those stories about mysterious appearances from the Three Nephites or famous statements didnt actually happen, they can still reveal a deeper principle. And theyre certainly still fun to hear.
Did you hear the one about the con man who claimed to find some golden plates containing a new bible, but he never let anyone see them, and people believed him and his story about being a prophet anyway?
My uncle once turned into a driveway!
Was it an IRON bar?
Perhaps a ROD???
HR>
Lehi sees a vision of the tree of lifeHe partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewiseHe sees a rod of iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud menSariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. About 600592 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of aseeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.
2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have adreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have bseen a cvision.
3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of aNephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.
4 But behold, aLaman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
5 And it came to pass that I saw a aman, and he was dressed in a white brobe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have amercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious afield.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a atree, whose bfruit was desirable to make one chappy.
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the afruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the bwhiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great ajoy; wherefore, I began to be bdesirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was cdesirable above all other fruit.
13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a ariver of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and aNephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would anot come unto me and partake of the fruit.
19 And I beheld a arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20 And I also beheld a astrait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a bworld.
21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were apressing forward, that they might obtain the bpath which led unto the tree by which I stood.
22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
23 And it came to pass that there arose a amist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were blost.
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the bfruit of the tree.
25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were aashamed.
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the aother side of the river of water, a great and bspacious building; and it stood as it were in the cair, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the aattitude of bmocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had atasted of the fruit they were bashamed, because of those that were cscoffing at them; and they dfell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak aall the words of my father.
30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the arod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
31 And he also saw other amultitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the adepths of the bfountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of ascorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
34 These are the words of my father: For as many as aheeded them, had fallen away.
35 And aLaman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.
36 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.
37 And he did aexhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.
38 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.
The Official Scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Rights and use information. Privacy policy. |
"Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes than he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on. But if it was not Spelt rite it would not go away till it was rite, so we see it was marvelous. Thus was the hol [whole] translated."---Joseph Knight's journal.
"In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us."
(History of the RLDS Church, 8 vols.(Independence, Missouri: Herald House,1951),"Last Testimony of Sister Emma [Smith Bidamon]," 3:356.
"I, as well as all of my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation. . . . He [Joseph Smith] did not use the plates in translation."
---(David Whitmer,as published in the "Kansas City Journal," June 5, 1881,and reprinted in the RLDS "Journal of History", vol. 8, (1910), pp. 299-300.
In an 1885 interview, Zenas H. Gurley, then the editor of the RLDS Saints Herald, asked Whitmer if Joseph had used his "Peep stone" to do the translation. Whitmer replied:
"... he used a stone called a "Seers stone," the "Interpreters" having been taken away from him because of transgression. The "Interpreters" were taken from Joseph after he allowed Martin Harris to carry away the 116 pages of Ms [manuscript] of the Book of Mormon as a punishment, but he was allowed to go on and translate by use of a "Seers stone" which he had, and which he placed in a hat into which he buried his face, stating to me and others that the original character appeared upon parchment and under it the translation in English."
"Martin Harris related an incident that occurred during the time that he wrote that portion of the translation of the Book of Mormon which he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummim, and for convenience he then used the seer stone, Martin explained the translation as follows: By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin and when finished he would say 'Written,' and if correctly written that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the language then used."
(Edward Stevenson, "One of the Three Witnesses,"reprinted from Deseret News, 30 Nov. 1881in Millennial Star, 44 (6 Feb. 1882): 86-87.)
In 1879, Michael Morse, Emma Smith's brother-in-law, stated:"When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon [I] had occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consisted in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down."
(W.W. Blair interview with Michael Morse,Saints Herald, vol. 26, no. 12June 15, 1879, pp. 190-91.)
Joseph Smith's brother William also testified to the "face in the hat" version:"The manner in which this was done was by looking into the Urim and Thummim, which was placed in a hat to exclude the light, (the plates lying near by covered up), and reading off the translation, which appeared in the stone by the power of God"("A New Witness for Christ in America,"Francis W. Kirkham, 2:417.)
"The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret was the same manner as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, while the book of plates were at the same time hid in the woods."---Isaac Hale (Emma Smith's father's) affidavit, 1834.
You may not believe it....but I swear...its true.
A Priest, a Rabbi and Minister walked into a bar and the bartender said,.................................."What is this, some kinda joke"?
The door must've been ajar.
You must be unacquainted with Blood Atonement.
Can you cite some recent examples?
All the “And”s are like biblical Greek, which uses “Kai” very extensively. But the use of “it came to pass” is hysterical.
Looks like a lens reflection of the flames.
The ‘horse’ goes right as the flames go left.
WOW. Just wow.
I’m sorry, I mean
And it came to pass that I, Dangus, was wowed.
“And it came to pass” is used to disjoin passages temporally. It makes no sense as used. Unless someone is trying to screen-write the sequel to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I also love the colloquial phrase, “said and done.” And “behold, I broke my bow.” What, the reader is supposed to behold his broken bow? I know, “maybe he was giving dictation.”
“Steel bow?”
Then you should just LOVE the preciseness of sentences #6&7; with their ending phrases of...
...and so forth.
The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor,
in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed.
They were subsequently published in Church periodicals.
They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.
THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535541
Joseph Smith |
I looked up this “steel bow” thing. Apparently, the Mormons feel it’s justified because the King James bible refers to a “steel bow,” even though the Hebrew words mean either “bronze bow” or “serpentine bow.”
But if the King James translation is wrong, how does that justify the Mormon translation being wrong?
I assume you mean the 'translation' of the Book of MORMON from Reformed Egyptian into 1611 English?
Because any error of the KJV has been fixed by Joseph Smith.
He; under the direct command from GOD; 're-translated' the KJ version of the bible into the JST - the Joseph Smith Translation.
)Strangely; the big MORMON religious group; based in Salt Lake City, Utah; does NOT consider it to be 'scripture'.)
You can look up to if 'steel bow' is in it.
Here is how THAT came about...
"Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes than he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on. But if it was not Spelt rite it would not go away till it was rite, so we see it was marvelous. Thus was the hol [whole] translated."---Joseph Knight's journal.
"In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us."
(History of the RLDS Church, 8 vols.(Independence, Missouri: Herald House,1951),"Last Testimony of Sister Emma [Smith Bidamon]," 3:356.
"I, as well as all of my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation. . . . He [Joseph Smith] did not use the plates in translation."
---(David Whitmer,as published in the "Kansas City Journal," June 5, 1881,and reprinted in the RLDS "Journal of History", vol. 8, (1910), pp. 299-300.
In an 1885 interview, Zenas H. Gurley, then the editor of the RLDS Saints Herald, asked Whitmer if Joseph had used his "Peep stone" to do the translation. Whitmer replied:
"... he used a stone called a "Seers stone," the "Interpreters" having been taken away from him because of transgression. The "Interpreters" were taken from Joseph after he allowed Martin Harris to carry away the 116 pages of Ms [manuscript] of the Book of Mormon as a punishment, but he was allowed to go on and translate by use of a "Seers stone" which he had, and which he placed in a hat into which he buried his face, stating to me and others that the original character appeared upon parchment and under it the translation in English."
"Martin Harris related an incident that occurred during the time that he wrote that portion of the translation of the Book of Mormon which he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummim, and for convenience he then used the seer stone, Martin explained the translation as follows: By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin and when finished he would say 'Written,' and if correctly written that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the language then used."
(Edward Stevenson, "One of the Three Witnesses,"reprinted from Deseret News, 30 Nov. 1881in Millennial Star, 44 (6 Feb. 1882): 86-87.)
In 1879, Michael Morse, Emma Smith's brother-in-law, stated:"When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon [I] had occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consisted in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down."
(W.W. Blair interview with Michael Morse,Saints Herald, vol. 26, no. 12June 15, 1879, pp. 190-91.)
Joseph Smith's brother William also testified to the "face in the hat" version:"The manner in which this was done was by looking into the Urim and Thummim, which was placed in a hat to exclude the light, (the plates lying near by covered up), and reading off the translation, which appeared in the stone by the power of God"("A New Witness for Christ in America,"Francis W. Kirkham, 2:417.)
"The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret was the same manner as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, while the book of plates were at the same time hid in the woods."---Isaac Hale (Emma Smith's father's) affidavit, 1834.
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