04/21/2009 07:26:24

AnthonyB wrote: Faded, My thoughts on Rigdon versus Smith are based on internal textual evidence and comparision of the religious histories of the two men. I hope I haven't offend you by proferring my views on what you hold to be scripture.

  It’s not
offensive to me.  It’s more like, “Oh,
that theory again.”  The number one hole
in the entire theory is very simple.  The
Book of Mormon was already published before Sidney Rigdon ever heard of Joseph
Smith.  It kind of kills the theory
before you even get started with analyzing it further.  The truly puzzling thing is that there are a
lot of Book of Mormon theorist who insist upon completely disregarding that
little detail and rush headlong into demonstrating how very “Sidney Rigdon-like”
the Book of Mormon is. 

Later in life, Sidney Rigdon’s son heard of the theory that Sidney had
written the Book of Mormon and confronted him on the matter. 

“Regarding Sidney Rigdon's alleged involvement, Rigdon's son John recounted
an interview with his father in 1865:

John Rigdon wrote: My father, after I had finished saying what I have repeated above, looked at me a moment, raised his hand above his head and slowly said, with tears glistening in his eyes: "My son, I can swear before high heaven that what I have told you about the origin of [the Book of Mormon] is true. Your mother and sister, Mrs. Athalia Robinson, were present when that book was handed to me in Mentor, Ohio, and all I ever knew about the origin of [the Book of Mormon] was what Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith and the witnesses who claimed they saw the plates have told me, and in all of my intimacy with Joseph Smith he never told me but one story."

  Rigdon continued on
from there stating emphatically that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and
sooner or later people were going to have to accept that fact.  We can choose to believe him or not, but he
refuted the revisionist history of the Book of Mormon time and time again until
the day he died.  Later in life, one
might say he had nothing to lose.  He was
not a part of the Mormon religion anymore. 

Wikipedia does a good job of remaining unbiased about this matter.  Their article can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spalding-Rigdon_theory_of_Book_of_Mormon_authorship

You may not be claiming that Spaulding had anything to do with it, but the
response of Sidney Rigdon is the same either way.  If you want to proceed with the claim that
Sidney Rigdon wrote the Book of Mormon, I think you have to clear the first
hurdle: Historical accuracy.  Can you
legitimately place Sidney Rigdon in Palmyra NY, Fayette NY and Harmony PA while
the Book of Mormon was being translated? 
Can you demonstrate that Joseph and Sidney met before the Book of Mormon
was published?  Can you demonstrate that
he was in Harmony PA while the “translation” or “writing” or “fabrication” –
call it what you like – was happening? 
Every scrap of real historical evidence leads us to conclude that Sidney
Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon after it was already finished and
published.  And it is worth noting that
the enemies of Joseph Smith definitely would have had something to say at the
time if they had seen Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith together between 1828 and
1830.  But we have no reliable source
placing the two men together at that time. 
We do have copies of the Book of Mormon from the original printing –
which occurred before Smith and Rigdon ever met. 

04/06/2009 21:52:21

AnthonyB wrote: Faded, I was meaning the Church of Christ. Given the small numbers of people in that movement in the US, when the LDS started, the number of early converts to Mormonism is very high. Sidney Rigdon, Pratt brothers, Eliza Snow and a number of other LDS apostles. Obviously there is the belief in apostasy and the need for restoration (although much milder in my tradition.) Not many other churches have the belief that baptism is for the remission of sin but only baptizes adults. Has weekly communion as the central part of the church worship and historically followed that with short talks from the congregation. If the BoM isn't divinely inspired, (which you clearly believe it was but I'm dubious else I'd be be off to join the Community of Christ by now) then you have to look for a human author and I think Sidney Rigdon is the most likely human author. The doctrines that make LDS distinct comes mainly from the latter books not the BoM. The BoM is much more orthodox (or historic) then the other books. I have found little in it that wouldn't fit the mindset of a "restoration movement" believer with Sidney Rigdon's personal eccentrities.

The theory that Sidney Rigdon was co-author of the Book of Mormon with Joseph Smith is a popular theory.  It also ignores one very important detail.  The Book of Mormon had already been published in New York well before Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon ever met. The theory perpetuated by anti-Mormon sources along those lines also claim that an unpublished manuscript one Solomon Spaulding was the source text for the Book of Mormon.  But when the anti-Mormon antagonists forcibly took the manuscript in question from the Spaulding's widow, they soon discovered that it bore no resemblance to the Book of Mormon.  Not even slightly.  It was the story of some Christian Romans who were blown off course and ended up in the Americas.  So the Anti-Mormon theorist decided that ther must be yet another unpublished manuscript by Solomon Spaulding. No such "other" manuscript ever existed though. 

Put it all together and here's what you get: "Two years before they met, Sidney Rigdon sneaks his way to New York and Pennsylvania.  He meets secretly with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, taking special care to not be noticed by anyone.  He also ends up needing a "stunt double" of sorts, because all this time he was in Ohio, a fact that could be verified by many.  Anyway, Rigdon, Cowdery and Smith commence secretly using the manuscript that by all possible evidence doesn't actually exist, and they write the Book of Mormon.  Sidney Rigdon then sneaks back to Ohio without managing to be noticed by anyone, replaces his "stunt double" and continues on until he historically pretends to meet Joseph Smith for the first time." 

Frankly, it all gets extremely silly but who said that men of the 1800's weren't good conspiracy theorists.  The trouble with allowing that Joseph Smith came up with the whole thing was that he was both uneducated and not theologically well versed at all.  The Book of Mormon strikes pretty much anyone who reads it as a theological masterpiece, whether they accept it at scripture or not, so the notion that Joseph Smith came up with it on his own is incomprehensible.  The trouble is, they are approaching the matter from the assumption that the story of the source of the Book of Mormon is all lies.  It is equally interesting to note how many Native American traditions and folklore that Joseph Smith manage to successfully include, though there was no reason for him to be able to know any of it.  So on top of Rigdon sneaking in and out of New York completely, the conspiracy theorists clearly need to sneak in an expert in Meso American religious traditions, etc.

I would caution you to avoid some of the fanciful rewritings of History done by those who desperately wish to prove that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is one big fraud.  They are highly motivated in their cause as the religious world cannot afford for us to be right about this.  The trouble is, they will go to no end of lying to discredit us.  If you came up with the idea that Sidney Rigdon wrote the Book of Mormon on your own, then I think it's amazing that you came up with that one on your own thinking.  It just isn't historically possible for it to be true. 

03/30/2009 18:57:00

By the way, you said, "Linkages between the church movement that I grew up in and your church."  So what movement was that?  Methodist, per your "About Me" or some other Church?

03/30/2009 18:53:40

AnthonyB wrote: Faded, Thanks for the interesting discussion and answering my questions. I've really enjoyed reading the BoM. I really didn't know much about LDS before  came till I came to this forum, nor the linkages between the church movement that I grew up in and your church.

  You're welcome.  I hope I didn't overdo it.  I have a certain amount of passion for helping people understand things.  I genuinely enjoy it.  Perhaps I enjoy it too much. 

01/30/2009 12:06:46

Anthony...what, Hillsong is not on your fav' music list???  It's great having you on the board...blessings to you, hermano!  - PC

10/16/2008 21:29:16

I served a LDS mission in the Australia Sydney North Mission and fell in love with the country and people. It was an amazing country. I miss the good chocolate and tim tams

09/09/2008 15:21:11

Saw your comment on Milo. It has been a few years since I had that down under but I used to love using a Tim Tam as a straw for a nice cup of Milo. Chocolate overload but good.

03/25/2008 21:41:21

Hello there, just stoping by after reading your testimony... and wanted to say thanks for sharing... have a wonderful day with your loved ones...