{"id":46249,"date":"2018-02-18T20:42:37","date_gmt":"2018-02-19T03:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=46249"},"modified":"2018-02-20T00:26:40","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T07:26:40","slug":"sidney-rigdon-book-mormon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html","title":{"rendered":"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Moroni,<\/a>
Joseph Smith receives the plates of the Book of Mormon. According to one suggested scenario, \u201cMoroni\u201d (in the white robe) was really Sidney Rigdon, and the \u201cplates\u201d were really the manuscript of a bad novel purloined from the late Solomon Spalding. \u00a0(Image from LDS.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of Mormon:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although there have long been speculations about a helper or conspiracy of helpers, no primary historical source indicates that any other person assisted Joseph Smith in the composition of the Book of Mormon. Likewise,<\/span><\/p>\n

There are no primary sources which suggest that prior to the fall of 1827 Joseph Smith possessed metal plates, a Urim and Thummim, a script containing characters that appeared like ancient writing, nor a manuscript containing a religious history of ancient America. Nor are there any primary sources which indicate that before or during these eighteen months Joseph Smith was composing (by writing and rewriting) a history or studying scholarly publications that might have aided him in writing about the past.<\/strong>[1]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Suggestions to the contrary have about them the air of desperation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, for example, are the comments of Dr. John Stafford, given in a March 1881 interview with E. L. and William H. Kelley:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf young Smith was as illiterate as you say, Doctor, how do you account for the Book of Mormon?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I can\u2019t; except that Sidney Rigdon was connected with them.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think he was connected with them?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Because I can\u2019t account for the Book of Mormon any other way.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas Rigdon ever around there before the Book of Mormon was published?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not as we could ever find out.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you have been looking out for the facts a long time, have you not, Doctor?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I have been thinking and hearing about it for the last fifty years, and lived right among all their old neighbors there most of the time.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd no one has ever been able to trace the acquaintance of Rigdon and Smith, until after the Book of Mormon was published, and Rigdon was proselyted by Parley P. Pratt, in Ohio?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/strong>[2]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Backman, Eyewitness Accounts<\/em>, 58.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Andrus and Andrus, They Knew the Prophet<\/em>, 5.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

In this context, it\u2019s probably worthwhile mentioning a report of remarks made in New York City on 12 March 1905 by Sidney\u2019s son John W. Rigdon. \u00a0Fred J. Pack and Sadie Grant Pack, who were there, provided a summary that was published in the April 1905 issue of the Improvement Era.<\/em> \u00a0Here\u2019s an extract from their account:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0 early\u00a0 sixties,\u00a0 [he\u00a0 gave\u00a0 the\u00a0 year]\u00a0 I\u00a0 went\u00a0 to \u00a0Idaho\u00a0 and thence\u00a0 to\u00a0 Salt\u00a0 Lake\u00a0 City.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eliza\u00a0 R.\u00a0 Snow and\u00a0 others\u00a0 tried\u00a0 to\u00a0 induce\u00a0 me\u00a0 to join\u00a0 the\u00a0 Church,\u00a0 but\u00a0 I\u00a0 did\u00a0 not,\u00a0 and\u00a0 came\u00a0 home\u00a0 to\u00a0 the east\u00a0 rather\u00a0 poorly\u00a0 impressed\u00a0 with\u00a0 the\u00a0 Utah\u00a0 people.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u00a0 determined to\u00a0 ascertain\u00a0 from\u00a0 my\u00a0 father\u00a0 whether\u00a0 he\u00a0 knew anything\u00a0 in\u00a0 regard to\u00a0 the\u00a0 origin\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 Book\u00a0 of\u00a0 Mormon\u00a0 other\u00a0 than\u00a0 had\u00a0 been\u00a0 made public,\u00a0 and\u00a0 if\u00a0 such\u00a0 were\u00a0 unfavorable\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 Church\u00a0 I\u00a0 should\u00a0 make it\u00a0 known.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My\u00a0 father\u00a0 was\u00a0 then\u00a0 in\u00a0 his\u00a0 last\u00a0 years,\u00a0 and\u00a0 I\u00a0 found\u00a0 him as\u00a0 firm\u00a0 as\u00a0 ever\u00a0 in\u00a0 declaring\u00a0 that\u00a0 he\u00a0 himself\u00a0 had\u00a0 nothing\u00a0 whatever to\u00a0 do\u00a0 in\u00a0 writing\u00a0 the\u00a0 book,\u00a0 and\u00a0 that\u00a0 Joseph\u00a0 Smith\u00a0 received\u00a0 it\u00a0 from an\u00a0 angel.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On\u00a0 his\u00a0 dying\u00a0 bed\u00a0 he\u00a0 made\u00a0 the\u00a0 same\u00a0 declaration\u00a0 to\u00a0 a Methodist\u00a0 minister.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I myself\u00a0 well\u00a0 remember\u00a0 when\u00a0 Parley\u00a0 P.\u00a0 Pratt\u00a0 brought\u00a0 the book\u00a0 to\u00a0 my\u00a0 father\u2019s\u00a0 house,\u00a0 and\u00a0 presented\u00a0 it\u00a0 to\u00a0 him,\u00a0 and\u00a0 I\u00a0 also know\u00a0 that\u00a0 this\u00a0 was\u00a0 the\u00a0 first\u00a0 time\u00a0 that\u00a0 my\u00a0 father\u00a0 ever\u00a0 saw\u00a0 it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My sister,\u00a0 some\u00a0 nine\u00a0 years\u00a0 older\u00a0 than\u00a0 I,\u00a0 testified\u00a0 to\u00a0 me\u00a0 a\u00a0 few\u00a0 months ago\u00a0 that\u00a0 she also\u00a0 remembers\u00a0 when\u00a0 the\u00a0 book was first\u00a0 seen by\u00a0 our father.\u00a0 My\u00a0 mother\u00a0 has\u00a0 also\u00a0 told\u00a0 me\u00a0 that\u00a0 father\u00a0 had\u00a0 nothing\u00a0 whatever\u00a0 to\u00a0 do with\u00a0 the\u00a0 writing\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 book,\u00a0 and\u00a0 that\u00a0 she\u00a0 positively knew\u00a0 that\u00a0 he\u00a0 had\u00a0 never\u00a0 seen\u00a0 it\u00a0 until\u00a0 Parley\u00a0 P.\u00a0 Pratt\u00a0 came\u00a0 to\u00a0 our home\u00a0 with\u00a0 it.\u00a0 These\u00a0 testimonies\u00a0 have\u00a0 clung\u00a0 to\u00a0 me\u00a0 ever\u00a0 since,\u00a0 and I\u00a0 could not\u00a0 forget\u00a0 them.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ultimately, John W. Rigdon joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> in the summer of 1904, being baptized in the Hudson River.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Incidentally, my wife and I enjoyed attending a conference of the Vista California Stake this morning. \u00a0The visiting General Authority and concluding speaker at the stake conference was Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Council of the Twelve.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Posted from Oceanside, California<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of Mormon: \u00a0 Although there have long been speculations about a helper or conspiracy of helpers, no primary historical source indicates that any other person assisted Joseph Smith in the composition of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,55,356,359,362,368,365],"class_list":["post-46249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-book-of-mormon","tag-mormonism","tag-sidney-rigdon","tag-solomon-spalding","tag-solomon-spaulding","tag-spalding-manuscript","tag-spaulding-manuscript"],"yoast_head":"\nSidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-19T03:42:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-20T07:26:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2015\/10\/angel-moroni-gives-plates-to-joseph-82829-print-929x1024.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html\",\"name\":\"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-02-19T03:42:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-20T07:26:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon","description":"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon","og_description":"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2018-02-19T03:42:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-02-20T07:26:40+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2015\/10\/angel-moroni-gives-plates-to-joseph-82829-print-929x1024.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html","name":"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-02-19T03:42:37+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-20T07:26:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"    I offer, below, some notes about suggestions that Joseph Smith had help in the composition of a fraudulent nineteenth-century Book of","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/02\/sidney-rigdon-book-mormon.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sidney Rigdon and the Book of Mormon"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46249\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}