The Spalding Enigma
The Spalding Enigma

Author: Wayne Cowdrey

Publisher:

Published: 2018-05-15

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 9781947707139

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Readers' Edition Where did The Book of Mormon come from? Who was Solomon Spalding and what connection did his manuscript have with Joseph Smith? To answer these questions, this book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19th-century Mormon history to examine this "Spalding Enigma." The authors have spent decades collecting and analyzing evidence to conclude that The Book of Mormon is an "adaptation of an obscure historical novel" written by Revolutionary War veteran Solomon Spalding during the War of 1812. They assert that Mormon founders Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, and Joseph Smith Jr. adapted and embellished the Spalding manuscript to create the Book of Mormon. Follow along with Wayne Cowdrey (a relative of Oliver Cowdrey's family), Arthur Vanick, and Howard Davis as they pursue this enigma and present the evidence for you to draw your own conclusion. This Readers' Edition presents the authors' research and findings in a concise manner. Additional material is available in the Expanded Scholars' Edition.

How The Book of Mormon Came to Pass
How The Book of Mormon Came to Pass

Author: Lars Nielsen

Publisher: Lars Pauling Nielsen

Published: 2024-04-01

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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Several explanations for the seemingly sudden appearance of The Book of Mormon in 1829 (first published in 1830) have been put forth by both historians and apologists alike. Each holds some value to its advocates while displaying obvious inconsistencies and unexplained features. However, significant new evidence necessitates the revision of all such authorship theories, including and especially the sole-authorship hypothesis—that Joseph Smith, Jr. (between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-three) single-handedly composed all the sentences in The Book of Mormon through creative writing, automatic writing, or inspired dictation. Neoteric observations reveal deliberately hidden details in Mormonism’s keystone scripture that could not have been put there by Smith. What is the real story behind how the two bookending characters (Nephi and Mormon) got their names? Where did the idea of Nephi being guided through the wilderness by a spiritually magnetic compass—a curious ball having pointers, spindles, and writing on its sides—truly come from? In this book, such details are called “Kircherisms,” a new class of anachronisms in The Book of Mormon. These Kircherisms have revealed a fresh set of influences, an undiscovered source text, and a wellspring of intriguing evidence that has never been published anywhere else. With an infusion of new data, this book presents a novel and distinctive exegesis as well as a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive framework for organizing and evaluating the merits of all prior authorship theories. One mechanism, in particular, has emerged as the most comprehensive, evidence-based, and satisfying explanation for how The Book of Mormon came to pass. Trigger Warning: This book is not written for true-believing Mormons (TBMs). If you are a TBM and you do not yet have a robust support system outside of the Mormon church, do not read this book. If you continue to read it, you accept the responsibility of managing your immediate or eventual faith crisis in a way that will not result in harm to yourself or others.

Unlocking the Great Mormon Mystery
Unlocking the Great Mormon Mystery

Author: Robert Thurston

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2008-05

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0595484263

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A professional problem solver investigates Mormon origins through the eyes of Bible critics, forensic scientists, logicians, statisticians, and above all, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Based on these sources, Part 1 has important lessons in methodology, in non-technical language, for scholars and students of any ancient religious literature, including the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The remainder of the book applies these simple methods to the Book of Mormon, reconstructing the origins of the book in agreement with all of the evidence. It incorporates the work of the finest Mormon scholars and the most talented non-Mormon researchers. Many puzzling anomalies which have defied scholars on both sides are here explained for the first time. Yet the book doesn't claim to have the final answers. The concluding sections show what work remains to be done, especially by Mormon and non-Mormon scholars, working together. The book is written not only for scholars, but for average readers of the Book of Mormon, and even for non-Mormons. It should be of interest to anyone who loves a good mystery story, and is eager to see how it all comes out in the end.

The Spalding Enigma: Investigating the Mysterious Origin of the Book of Mormon
The Spalding Enigma: Investigating the Mysterious Origin of the Book of Mormon

Author: Wayne L. Cowdrey

Publisher:

Published: 2018-05-15

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13: 9781947707184

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Expanded Scholars' Edition Where did The Book of Mormon come from? Who was Solomon Spalding and what connection did his manuscript have with Joseph Smith? To answer these questions, this book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19th-century Mormon history to examine this "Spalding Enigma." The authors have spent decades collecting and analyzing evidence to conclude that The Book of Mormon is an "adaptation of an obscure historical novel" written by Revolutionary War veteran Solomon Spalding during the War of 1812. They assert that Mormon founders Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, and Joseph Smith Jr. adapted and embellished the Spalding manuscript to create the Book of Mormon. Follow along with Wayne Cowdrey (a relative of Oliver Cowdrey's family), Arthur Vanick, and Howard Davis as they pursue this enigma and present the evidence for you to draw your own conclusion. This Expanded Scholars' Edition contains extensive notes and appendices. A concise Readers' Edition is also available.

Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?
Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?

Author: Wayne L. Cowdrey

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780758605276

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Authors determine that The Book of Mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel. Read about their findings.

Falling in Love with Joseph Smith
Falling in Love with Joseph Smith

Author: Jane Barnes

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-08-16

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1101597178

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When award-winning documentary film writer Jane Barnes was working on the PBS Frontline/American Experience special series The Mormons, she was surprised to find herself passionately drawn to Joseph Smith. The product of an Episcopalian, “WASPy” family, she couldn’t remember ever having met a Mormon before her work on the series—much less having dallied with the idea of converting to a religion shrouded in controversy. But so it was: She was smitten with a man who claimed to have translated the word of God by peering into the dark of his hat. In this brilliantly written book, Barnes describes her experiences working on the PBS series as she moved from secular curiosity to the brink of conversion to Mormonism. It all began when she came across Joseph Smith's early writings. She was delighted to discover how funny and utterly unique he was—and how widely divergent his wild yet profound visions of God were from the Church of Latter-day Saints as we know it today. Her fascination deepened when, much to her surprise, she learned that her eighth cousin Anna Barnes converted to Mormonism in 1833. Through Anna, Barnes follows her family’s close involvement with Smith and the crises caused by his controversial practice of polygamy. Barnes’ unlikely path helps her gain a newfound respect for the innovative American spirit that lies at the heart of Mormonism—and for a religion that is, in many ways, still coming into its own. An intimate portrait of the man behind one of America’s fastest growing religions, Falling in Love with Joseph Smith offers a surprising and provocative window into the Mormon experience.

View of the Hebrews
View of the Hebrews

Author: Ethan Smith

Publisher: Left of Brain Onboarding Pty Limited

Published: 2021-11-03

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 9781396322228

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In the nineteenth century, it was a common belief that Native Americans were the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Ethan Smith wrote on this topic, and in so doing, challenged the dismissal of the Indigenous Americans by European settlers. Smith used biblical scripture, similarities in the Hebrew and Native American languages and their name for God, and other points of evidence to prove the connection between Israel and the First Nations. From there he showed how the reunited Hebrew tribes would be restored to Zion before the end of the world. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Smith's book is that it is said to have influenced the Book of Mormon, which was published about seven years after later. As a child, Smith moved away from religion after his parents died but found his way back before he turned 20 and worked in the ministry until his death. Smith wrote several books while serving in the ministry in which he explored prophecies and baptism, among other subjects. But this book remains one of the most controversial of all his publications.

A Woman Rides the Beast
A Woman Rides the Beast

Author: Dave Hunt

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Published: 1994-08-15

Total Pages: 582

ISBN-13: 1565071999

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Are you missing half the story about the last days? Virtually all attention these days is focused on the coming Antichrist—but he is only half the story. Many people are amazed to discover in Revelation 17 that there is also another mysterious character at the heart of prophecy—a woman who rides the beast. Who is this woman? Tradition says she is connected with the church of Rome. But isn’t such a view outdated? After all, today’s Vatican is eager to join hands with Protestants worldwide. “The Catholic church has changed” is what we hear. Or has it? In A Woman Rides the Beast, prophecy expert Dave Hunt sifts through biblical truth and global events to present a well-defined portrait of the woman and her powerful place in the Antichrist’s future empire. Eight remarkable clues in Revelation 17 and 18 prove the woman’s identity beyond any reasonable doubt. A provocative account of what the Bible tells us is to come.