Could Joseph Smith Write or Dictate a Well-Worded Letter? LDS Discussions Pt. 67 | Ep. 2089

Welcome to another episode of our LDS Discussions series! In this episode, we take a detailed, evidence-based look at one of the most repeated claims in Latter-day Saint apologetics: that Joseph Smith was incapable of producing a well-written text –and therefore could not have authored the Book of Mormon.

Drawing from Joseph Smith’s three earliest letters (written in 1829-1830), historical context, church manuals, apologetic arguments, and modern scholarship, we critically explore where the evidence leads. We don’t care where you land on the belief spectrum –our is clarity, transparency, and accuracy.

We are joined today by Kolby Reddish and Julia (Nemo couldn’t make it), who walk us through the major claims, the apologetic narratives, and the documents themselves. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/could-j...

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Could Joseph Smith have written or dictated a well-worded letter?
00:06:43 This is looking at evidence that could cause people to reconsider a few things
00:09:10 Quote from Emma Smith on Joseph Smith not being able to write or dictate a well-worded letter
00:14:22 How members have used this quote to help bolster belief
00:17:35 Clip - Tad R. Callister BYU Speeches (2016)
00:21:14 Clip - Neal A. Maxwell General Conference (1983)
00:22:08 Clip - Tad R. Callister General Conference (2017)
00:26:31 People should read the research by William Davis (laying down heads)
00:28:55 The church calls attorneys to be the leaders
00:31:17 Clip - Tad Callister FAIR Mormon Conference (2020)
00:32:43 Does Callister really believe what he’s saying?
00:34:31 The speakers are adding words “as a young man” or “at the time of the Book of Mormon”
00:35:41 The Church has published these in numerous church manuals
00:40:19 The historical context of Emma’s claim on Joseph Smith’s letters
00:43:10 Shout out to all the historians and scholars who brought this information forth first
00:52:40 Summary of the problems with Emma’s claim
00:56:17 Questions by Nemo
00:58:40 Address the claim that scribes helped him write these texts
01:02:25 The first letter from Oct. 22, 1829
01:07:01 The second letter August 1830 (comparing them to the New Testament)
01:25:08 Conclusions on this data
01:28:04 The third letter December 1830 (comparing to the New Testament)
01:36:58 Summary slide for this letter
01:38:36 Times and Seasons - The church says he would often quote from the Bible without citations
01:44:30 Comparing the letters to the Book of Mormon
01:46:23 The Bible is the base text for the Book of Mormon
01:49:33 Quoting Mark Twain on his views of the Book of Mormon
01:54:06 Clip from Richard Bushman
01:58:05 Joseph Smith changing Isaiah the wrong way “waters of baptism”
01:59:33 Richard Bushman’s comment on Reddit
02:04:52 Kolby’s dream of Jesus in an interrogation room
02:07:20 The 1831 Painesville Telegraph saying what the Book of Mormon is and that eight people authored it
02:13:10 Final comments
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