Another Mormon
Dilemma: Reformed Egyptian Language
The “gold
plates” being the very foundation of the Book of Mormon and due to much
controversy among Mormon apologists and the inability to account for the weight
an its impossibility to be carried should cause much concern among those who
call themselves Mormons. The narrative given by Joseph Smith, Jr., seem
implausible as little information is given as to how a man with a lame leg
could carry the gold plates, then be accosted by three men having his head hit
with a gun, then to somehow fight the three men, win the fight, and then carry
as fast as he could the plates for some three miles. Did Joseph Smith, Jr.,
drop the plates to fight and then pick them up again and what were the three
men doing during this time? Joseph Smith, Jr., never mentioned that he was
given some supernatural power. So we are led to surmise and this is an
assumption without facts and only by faith that is also built upon nothing to
believe such a story. If this is not problem enough another problem that exists
in the language that the Gold Plates were said to be inscribed. The narrative
as to how these gold plates were found must be addressed before we address the
problem with the supposed ancient language written on the gold plates. The two
problems or dilemmas are connected and the fact that the gold plates and the
interpretation of the words written on the gold plates are the foundation of
the Book of Mormon it is important to review the finding of the gold plates.
Character
determines a person’ actions and the fact that Joseph Smith, Jr., was a treasure
hunter and used “seer” stones to aid him in his search for treasure and having
the records of those who stated that he was not able to do what he said he
could do in finding treasure Joseph Smith, jr., who also had a need from his
formative years as a child who grew up in a family in dire straights for money,
this too aided in the development of his character.
After the
trial in which Joseph Smith, Jr., was accused, fined, and released Joseph
Smith, Jr., returned to his money-digging practices. Martin Harris, a prominent
person of he community, a financial backer of the Book of Mormon stated:
There was a company there in that
neighborhood, who were digging for money supposed to have been hidden by the
ancients. Of this company were old Mr. Stowel--I think his name was
Josiah--also old Mr. Beman, also Samuel Lawrence, George Proper, Joseph Smith,
Jr., and his father, and his brother Hiram Smith. They dug for money in
Palmyra, Manchester, also in Pennsylvania, and other places. ... It was
reported by these money diggers, that they had found boxes, but before they
could secure them, they would sink into the earth.
(10)
Controlled experiments have proven
water witching and similar methods to be no more successful than choosing a
drilling location randomly. Water witching, dowsing, or divining methods can
appear to be successful because statistically speaking, almost any hole drilled
in New York State will probably result in the discovery of some amount of
water. For more information see link in right column of this page under
"Links Leaving DEC's Website".http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/36064.html
The fact that this story wasn't subsequently picked up by
say the Smithsonian or National Geographic should be a tip off. Also, usually
finds take time to be studied and written on - you don't just rip them out of
the ground and take pictures!
The Mormons
state that the writing on the gold plates were taken to Professor Anthon and in
a letter to E.D. Howe, printed in his book, and in the introduction to the New
York edition of the Book of Mormon, Professor Anthon, among other
statements, denies that he ever gave a certificate. The letter reads as
follows:
NEW YORK, February 17, 1834.
‘DEAR SIR: I received your letter of
the 9th, and lose no time in making a reply. The whole story about
my pronouncing the Mormon inscription to be reformed Egyptian hierogylphies is
perfectly false. Some years ago, a plain, apparently simple-hearted farmer
called on me with a note from Dr Mitchell, of our city, now dead, requesting me
to decipher, if possible, the paper which the farmer would hand me. Upon
examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all
a trick—perhaps a hoax. When I asked the person who brought it how he obtained
the writing, he gave me the following account: A gold book consisting of a
number of plates, fastened together by wires of the same material, had been dug
up in the northern part of the state of New York, and along with it an enormous
pair of spectacles. These spectacles were so large that if any person attempted
to look through them, his two eyes would look through one glass only, the
spectacles in question being altogether too large for the human face.
“Whoever,” he said, “examined the plates through the glasses was enabled not
only to read them, but fully to understand their meaning.” All this knowledge,
however, was confined to a kyoung man, who had the trunk containing the book
and spectacles in his sole possession. This young man was placed behind a
curtain in a garret in a farm-house, and being thus concealed from view, he put
on the spectacles occasionally, or rather looked through one of the glasses,
deciphered the characters in the book, and having committed some of them to
paper, handed copies from behind the curtain to those who stood outside. Not a
word was said about their being deciphered by the gift of God. Everything in
this way was effected by the large pair of spectacle. The farmer added that he
had been requested to contribute a sum of money toward the publication of the
golden book, the contents of which would, as he was told, produce an entire
change in the world, and save it from ruin. So urgent had been these
solicitations, that he intended selling his farm and giving the amount to those
who wished to publish the plates. As a last precautionary step, he had resolved
to come to New York, and obtain the opinion of the learned about the meaning of
he paper which he brought with him, and which had been given him as part of the
contents of the book, although no translation had at that been made by the
young man with spectacles. On hearing this odd story, I changed my opinion
about the paper, and instead of viewing it any longer as a hoax, I began to
regard it as part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I
communicated my suspicions to him, warning him to beware of rogues. He
requested an opinion from me in writing, which, of course, I declined to give,
and he then took his leave, taking his paper with him. This paper in question
was, in fact, a singular scroll. It consisted of all kings of singular
characters disposed in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some person
who had before him at the time a book containing alphabets, Greek and Hebrew
letters, crosses and flourishes; Roman letters, inverted or placed sideways
were arranged and placed in perpendicular columns, and ht whole ended in a rude
delineation of a circle, divided into various compartments, arched with various
strange marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican calendar given by
Humboldt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was
derived. I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I
have frequently conversed with friends on the subject since the Mormon
excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained anything else but
Egyptian hieroglyphics. Some time after, the farmer paid me a second visit. He
brought with him the gold book in print, and offered it to me for sale, I
declined purchasing. He then asked permission to leave the book with me for
examination. I declined receiving it, although his manner was strangely urgent.
I adverted once more to the roguery which, in my opinion, had been practiced upon
him, and asked him what had become of the gold plates. He informed me they were
in a trunk with the spectacles. I advised him to go to a magistrate and have
the trunk examined. He said the curse of God would come upon him if he did. On
my pressing him, however, to go to a magistrate, he told me he would open the
trunk if I would take the curse of God upon myself. I replied I would do so
with the greatest of willingness, and would incur every risk of that nature,
provided I could only extricate him from the grasp of the rogues. He then left
me. I have given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin
of Mormonism, and must beg of you, as a person favor, to publish this
immediately, should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched
fanatics.
Yours
respectfully,
‘CHARES
ANTHON.’
A story was
reported that a team of archaeologists led by Professor Abraham Jones, who is
associated with Brigham Yong University as a member of archaeology while
excavating at the hill of Cumorah and said that they have discovered a set of
gold plates and have noted that those plates could be linked to the founder of
the Mormons, Joseph Smith, Jr. and in this discovery found in a cavity then
found an exiguous cavern with walls and ceiling covered with ancient traces of
soot and a large flat stone resembling an altar. Also, they found what looks
like a book made of metal plates.
The book contained, metal plates about 56 pounds in weight and contained
mysterious symbols similar to the “reformed Egyptian” characters written by
Joseph Smith, Jr., and a document known as the “Anthon Transcript.” Mormon
scholars have attempted to justify the use of the word “reformed” by saying
that the word “reformed” is not capitalized therefore it does not mean
“reformed” in the sense that is currently the definition for “reformed.” Those
scholars attempt to use other languages that are hieroglyphs that seem similar.
What does the mainstream scholars say about “reformed Egyptian? There are no
standard reference works that contain a reference to “reformed Egyptian.
There not to be found a non-Mormon scholar
that acknowledges the existence of either a “reformed Egyptian” language or a
“reformed Egyptian” script as described in Mormon belief. John A. Wilson,
professor of Egyptology at the University of Chicago, wrote in 1966: “From time
to time there are allegations that picture writing has been found in America….
In no case has a professional Egyptologist been able to recognize these
characters as Egyptian hieroglyphs. From our standpoint there is no such
language as ‘reformed Egyptian.
Klaus Baer, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago called the characters
of the “Caractors” document nothing but “doodling.”
Michael D. Coe of Yale University, an expert in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican
studies, wrote: “Of all the peoples of the pre-Columbian New World, only the
ancient Maya had a complete script.
No archaeological, linguistic, or other evidence of the use of Egyptian writing
in ancient America has been discovered.
What about
the report that a similar book as the gold plates were found as reported by
World News Daily?
The World
News Daily publishes fictional and satirical news and the following disclaimer
can be found on their website—“WNDR assumes however all responsibility for the
satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content.
All characters appearing in the articles in this website—even those based on
real people—are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any
persons, living, dead, or undead is purely a miracle.”
The reports that Mormon archeologists had found plates similar to the “Gold
Plates” was published in the Deseret News a newspaper published in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of
Deseret Management Corporation, a holding company owned by The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormons) and co-owns The Salt Lake Tribune under
a joint operation agreement. Also this newspaper publishes a weekly
compact-sized insert, the Church News and the Mormon Times. The Church Almanac
publishes an annual edition carrying Facts and statistics edited by the Church
News Staff or the Mormon Church.
The
Smithsonian Institutes’ statement quoted above is here to remind the first of
eight statements: “The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of
Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no
direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject
matter of the book.” Michael Ammons, of
the Mormon Church wrote to the National Geographic Society requesting
information on the Book of Mormon and archaeology. The Society replied in a
letter dated April 26, 1989:
"Neither the Society nor any
other institution of equal prestige has ever used the Book of Mormon in
locating archaeological sites. Although many Mormon sources claim that the Book
of Mormon has been substantiated by archaeological findings, this claim has not
been verified scientifically."
Linda Hansen in 1989 wrote to the
Department of Archaeology at Boston University to request the same and the
department responded:
"The
Archaeological Institute of America has never used the Book of Mormon as a
scientific guide in locating historic ruins on the Western Hemisphere.... Over
the past 30 years The New World Archaeological Foundation, located at Brigham
Young University in Provo, Utah, has conducted numerous scientific excavations
in Mesoamerica, originally with a view to confirming the claims in the Book of
Mormon. They have discovered no evidence that supports the Book of Mormon in
any way. Nonetheless, they have published in full detail the results of their
excavations in Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation, Volumes 1-55,
1959 and following.... They are accepted by the Archaeological Institute of
America and the Society of American Archaeologists as legitimate scientific
investigations and the New World Archaeological Foundation is to be commended
for publishing the results of their work that essentially refutes the basic
beliefs of the Mormon Church on which the Foundation is based" (endnote
24).
These
prestigious institutions having an opinion in contradiction to the Mormons and
the findings, if they were presented to them, may have changed their opinions. This
never happens and yet they publish as fact this finding(s) in their news media
independently of verification. To verify is prove the truth and this can be
done by evidence, such as presenting the Gold Plates, and the other findings,
to the experts who would then act to confirm the truth. This can be done be
testimony but this testimony also must be verified as truth before it can be
accepted as truth. Any research to have acceptance is to have independent
researchers to verify the truth or absence of truth, to ensure that the opinion
is not a one-sided, self-serving opinion.
We
must form a consensus from professional archaeologist, Mormon and non-Mormon
alike, that there is no specific confirmation of he Book of Mormon from
archaeology, and this would include and “suppose” evidence not submitted for
confirmation especially that they claim a language that has been proven to not
exist, now, or ever.
