How did you first learn Joseph Smith translated the BOM using peepstone?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Is it just me or does anyone have a reaction to those bottom two pictures that feel very disrespectful to Joseph Smith to the point where it is an actual physical response. It's the same response I would have of seeing someone openly making fun of temple clothes or something.

[jay santos]

What I mean is that when I see that picture of Joseph Smith with his head in his hat, my gut reaction is that it's disrespectful and done by an anti-Mormon to make fun of JS (which actually might even be true). The reality is that it's probably not a bad artist depiction of what I and millions other hold to be a sacred event. I've been processing this information for more than five years and know that this, but I still have an immediate, visceral response that this is disrespectful. When it should evoke the same feeling I get when I see artist depictions of Joseph's first vision or meeting other angels or whatever. I just find it interesting and wonder if this is normal.

[wally]

Regardless of why they did or didn't, now that you know, what's the big deal?

I also agree with Indy.

On another note, I can imagine God deciding that he doesn't want faith to be too easy for his children. So he is in heaven concocting some ideas for concepts for challenging the intellectuals among his children:

God:

Hmmmmmm....

14 year old boy, check.

Golden Plates, check.

Translation through power of God, check .... still this all sounds more plausible, than I'd like. What else could I add to challenge the intellectuals?

GOT IT!! Peepstone...(wait for it).... in a Hat!!

[pellegrino]

I sincerely don't remember. It didn't happen until grad school, which is all a blur anyways. It was probably some anti-literature on the web and then it was verified with Bushman's RSR because we all know that the anti crowd can't be trusted when it comes to bringing uncorrelated material to the discussion.

[Non Sequitur]

If Joseph Smith dictated the BoM by looking at stones in a hat, why were the Golden Plates necessary?

[pellegrino]

If Joseph Smith dictated the BoM by looking at stones in a hat, why were the Golden Plates necessary?

that's the million dollar question. whoever answers it gets to keep the gold plates.

[clackamascoug]

that's the million dollar question. whoever answers it gets to keep the gold plates.

One word: Bluetooth.

[fusnik]

What I mean is that when I see that picture of Joseph Smith with his head in his hat, my gut reaction is that it's disrespectful and done by an anti-Mormon to make fun of JS (which actually might even be true). The reality is that it's probably not a bad artist depiction of what I and millions other hold to be a sacred event. I've been processing this information for more than five years and know that this, but I still have an immediate, visceral response that this is disrespectful. When it should evoke the same feeling I get when I see artist depictions of Joseph's first vision or meeting other angels or whatever. I just find it interesting and wonder if this is normal.

If you taught a SS lesson on JS's life through images and projected the following images in this order:

Young JS refusing liquor
Angel Moroni visiting JS
JS uncovering BOM
JS reading from Gold Plates
JS buried face in a hat

People would turn from adoration and tears to confusion and anger. Id be willing to bet, if this happened in an average ward, that the reaction would be so negative that Bishops, SP's would be involved by the close of the block.

[UtahDan]

I remember being a kid at EFY on BYU campus at some auditorium building that I don't think is there any more. They had either Joseph or Hyrum's death mask on display. I could swear they had a peep stone on display as well. So I feel like I saw one as a teenager, but at the time didn't really connect what it was.

My recollection as I sit here is that I encountered this in the last ten or so years googleing something about Joseph for a talk or some such and ran into it on a website. It was probably an anti site but I don't recall.

[Uncle Ted]

I sometimes refer to my iPhone as "my peepstone" when I am using it to look up something in sunday school and other church settings. It is interesting to see who laughs and who gives me a strange look.

[Viking]

Honestly, how could a faithful LDS be bothered that JS looked through a seer/peep stone given the historic precedent of supernatural events and somewhat odd pracitices claimed to have occurred and divinely instituted in the founding/development of the church?

Polygamy, for example, is far more disconcerting than finding out the BOM was translated by using a peepstone.

[SuperGabers]

I found out about it a couple of years ago when an investigator friend of mine asked me about it. With a puzzled looked, I denied that it happened. Later I asked All-Knowing UD about it... and my testimony has gone downhill since...

[MarkGrace]

I found out about it a couple of years ago when an investigator friend of mine asked me about it. With a puzzled looked, I denied that it happened. Later I asked All-Knowing UD about it... and my testimony has gone downhill since...

My testimony has gone downhill since knowing UD as well.

[MarkGrace]

I think my answer would be the same as Jacob.

[UtahDan]

My testimony has gone downhill since knowing UD as well.

You guys need to ask Drum how he has managed not to be affected by me. I'm a little puzzled myself.

But I'm surprised to hear you say this Mark. I have tried pretty hard to undermine your testimony of Radiohead as the one true band but I think my efforts have just made you dig in deeper.