The Myth of the "Manuscript Found," or the Absurdities of the "Spaulding Story": Eleventh Book of the Faith-promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints.
History
The Myth of the "Manuscript Found," or the Absurdities of the "Spaulding Story": Eleventh Book of the Faith-promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon
To pursue the subject still further: when the colony reached the land
of promise, which we call America, the incidents related in the Book
of Mormon are entirely consistent with the story of the voyage and of
the peopling of the land by a small colony and not by a vast host. If
Joseph Smith, as some claim, had changed Mr. Spaulding's romance, he
must have still continued to alter the narrative throughout the entire
volume, for the story still maintains its consistency, and through
it from beginning to end there runs a thread, possible only on the
theory that it was a single family with their immediate connections
through marriage that first founded the nations of the Nephites and
Lamanites. The entire history hinges on the quarrels of the sons of
Lehi and the results growing therefrom; for from the division of this
family into two separate and distinct peoples grew all the wars,
contentions, bloodshed, troubles and disasters that fill the pages of
this sacred record; while on the other hand, the blessings flowing to
both nations almost always resulted from the reconciliation of the two
opposing peoples and the inauguration of a united and amicable policy
beneficial alike to both. Had the American continent been peopled at
the commencement by a vast host, the whole current of the story must
have been vastly different, not only in the events that took place,
but also in the motives that controlled the hearts of the actors
who took part in those events, and in the traditions of the masses.
In the case of the Nephites and Lamanites, these traditions had an
overwhelming influence in the shaping of public affairs, which shape
they never could have received by any set of traditions incidental to
Mr. Spaulding's story.
What, too, shall we say of the Jaredites? From whence did Joseph
Smith beg, borrow or steal their history? Did Mr. Spaulding bring his
ten tribes from the tower of Babel, and give them an existence ages
anterior to the lifetime of their great progenitor, Jacob? If not,
will somebody inform us how this portion of the Book of Mormon was
manufactured?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account