Mormonism
through the Veil
10/20/10
Here’s a million-dollar question for you. Why is it that Mormons still hold firm to
their beliefs in Mormonism when there is so much empirical evidence available
in books and on the internet proving
(yes, I said proving) that the Book of Mormon is an absolute fraud? Let’s look at some of this evidence “for
instance.” From her book The Mormon Mirage by Latayne C. Scott,
she lists some of this “hard” evidence:
Here is a checklist of what even the most
faithful Mormon would agree should be evident in a Nephite Book of Mormon city, even if we confine a search to Mesoamerica,
the area most twenty-first century LDS scholars believe to be the site of the
events of Joseph Smith’s book.
1.
It should, by accepted archaeological standards,
fit in the time period covered by the Book
of Mormon (circa 200 BC to circa AD 425).
2.
Its artwork will not be totally pagan in nature
(although some non-Jewish or non-Christian artwork could be present due to some
foreign inhabitants or trade with such people). However, the longevity and high
level of culture ascribed to the Nephites should have left copious evidence.
3.
At least a few metal coins—the “pieces”
mentioned in the Book of Mormon which
the dictionary defines as a coin as in “pieces of eight”—would be found in any
Nephite city dated after the time of Alma (82 BC—see Alma chapter 11).
4.
Some evidence of “reformed Egyptian” writing,
such as that of which Joseph Smith left examples, should be evident.
5.
Some trace of sheep, cattle, horses—domesticated
animals—could be found (as mentioned in the Book
of Mormon).
6.
We should see chariots as well as the remains of
roads for them.
7.
The advanced technology of smelted iron, and
weapons and tools made from it which are mentioned in the Book of Mormon,
should surely have withstood the ravages of time.
8.
Some evidence of the Jewish-based culture of the
Nephites should exist.
The author goes on to state the obvious: Why
isn’t there any remains of the
thousands upon thousands of Nephites and Lamanites (along with their
battlements) found at or near the Hill Cumorah where this “last great battle”
occurred and where Moroni supposedly deposited the record of this so-called
“history on golden plates”?
Of course, most Mormons will tell you that there
is “substantial evidence” proving the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Most of this
evidence was gathered and recorded by the former BYU Religion Professor, Hugh
Nibley—who was well-known as the “Mormon Apologist.” Yet his daughter, Martha Beck, in her
faith-shattering (and affirming) book Leaving
the Saints exposes her own father as fabricating most, if
not all, of this so-called “evidence.”
Not to mention Fawn M. Brodie, the niece of David O. McKay (former
prophet of the Mormon Church) does an extremely adequate job of exposing many
of the Mormon “myths” in her book, No Man
Knows My History first published back in 1945. Of course many Mormon
authors (including Hugh Nibley) have tried to discredit her well-supported
evidence despite the fact that she was a Professor of History at the University
of California, Los Angeles.
Then in 2004, Simon G. Southerton, an Australian
molecular biologist and former LDS bishop and BYU professor, published Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA,
and the Mormon Church. This book
dealt a devastating blow to Book of
Mormon doctrine, and Southerton’s findings ultimately caused him to leave
the LDS Church. The book demonstrates
unequivocally through DNA testing that Native American Indians (and the
Polynesians that Mormons have long called Lamanites as well) have no
Jewish/Israelite ancestry. None. They are as their bodily characteristics have
always demonstrated, Mongoloid/Asian.
This also validates my own personal study of the
Native Americans who maintain a long oral history of where their ancestors came
from—across the Bering Strait. And many
of their spiritual teachings came from a female visitor “The White Buffalo Calf
Woman” who introduced their Sacred Peace Pipe along with several other sacred
ceremonies at the same time period when Jesus Christ was preaching His gospel
(good news) on the opposite side of the world.
They believed that this female prophet appeared in order to keep all
things in balance and they continued as a matriarchal society from then
on. Of course, when the Puritans came
across the ocean and stripped the original Native Americans of their spiritual
practices and culture; we became an imbalanced society and Mormonism with their
strict patriarchal practices served to compound the problem. (But that’s an entirely other subject covered
in detail by a shamanic friend of mine, Patrick Quirk, in his Red Path Series of books available at
iUniverse Publications.)
But let’s get back to our original question—why
do intelligent and spiritual folk still embrace Mormonism? Well, I’m going to attempt to answer that
question in the next few pages. But
first of all, I’d like to introduce a concept from my own book, Becoming One—the Journey toward God
concerning the integration of “truth” or “correct principle.”
The following is the three witnesses to truth
illustration—God, Jesus Christ (the Word), and the Holy Spirit which forms an
equilateral triangle.
Three Witnesses to Truth Illustration:
God Jesus
Christ
Holy Ghost
These witnesses to truth are the “three that
bear record in heaven.” They are the
physical, mental and spiritual manifestations of correct principle. (Previously in this chapter, I identified
that God manifests truth in natural laws (science), Jesus Christ manifests
truth through scripture, and the Holy Spirit manifests truth through direct,
personal revelation.) But how can we as
individuals incorporate (embody) truth or unify ourselves on correct principles
once we’ve discovered them and thus gain celestial integrity? Simply
by living them! But if living correct principle was as simple
as discovering correct principle,
then we would never have the struggles of overcoming the flesh because that’s
exactly what living correct principle means—“making every word of God
flesh.” Or in other words, unifying our
bodies and spirits on correct principle or “becoming one.”
At the time of the first writing of this book, I
was still convinced that Mormon scripture was a valid “witness to truth” as I believed
that the Book of Mormon was a second
witness to Jesus Christ on the American continent. Since then, I’ve read several articles and
books convincing me that scientific research does not support this idea. One article entitled Sidney Rigdon: Creating the Book of Mormon by Craig Criddle lists the ways in which Sidney Rigdon was
instrumental in “creating the Book of
Mormon.”
TWENTY-TWO PIECES OF EVIDENCE THAT RIGDON PLAYED
A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
In the following sections, I have compiled a
list of evidence in support of the view that Sidney Rigdon played a central
role in the composition of The Book of
Mormon. The evidence falls into four major headings.
Historical evidence connecting Rigdon to
Spalding
1. Rigdon shared a post office with Solomon
Spalding and evidently frequented a print shop where Spalding had left a
manuscript entitled Manuscript Found.
For a time, the manuscript disappeared. Spalding reportedly suspected Rigdon
had taken it.
2. John Winter reported that Rigdon kept a copy
of a Spalding manuscript in his study.
3. Witnesses familiar with Spalding’s Manuscript Found testified that it was
similar to The Book of Mormon but
lacked the religious content.
4. Rigdon and Spalding were independently named
as authors before anyone was aware of a connection between them.
5. In 1839, Rigdon wrote a letter denying his
role in the composition of The Book of
Mormon. His letter contained
demonstrable falsehoods.
6. In 1888, Walter Sidney Rigdon - Sidney Rigdon’s
grandson - said that his grandfather’s role in fabrication of The Book of Mormon was a family secret.
Textual and theological evidence implicating
Rigdon
7. The theology of Alexander Campbell, Rigdon’s
mentor, is sprinkled throughout The Book
of Mormon.
8. On those issues where Rigdon and Campbell
disagreed prior to 1830, The Book of
Mormon strongly endorses Rigdon’s views.
9. Sections of The Book of Mormon likely added after loss of the first 116 pages
in June 1828 describe spiritual rebirth after baptism, consistent with Rigdon’s
changed beliefs after meeting with Walter Scott in March 1828.
10. The phrase “children of men” appears with
exceptionally high frequency in those parts of The Book of Mormon that contain theological content reflecting Rigdon’s
pre-1830 views.
11. Rigdon is known to have worked with Smith to
produce The Book of Moses. The phrase “children of men” appears with high frequency
in those parts of The Book of Moses
that contain theological content reflecting Rigdon’s pre-1830 views.
Historical evidence connecting Rigdon to Smith
before 1830
12. Prior to 1830, Rigdon reportedly made
several statements in which he indicated his foreknowledge of The Book of Mormon and the impending
rise of a new religion.
13. At a Reformed Baptist convention in Aug
1830, Rigdon spoke of a fuller revelation about to come forth and the need for
a complete restoration of the gospel.
14. Rigdon denied meeting Smith before 1830, but
several people reported seeing him at or near the Smith’s prior to that date
and Rigdon’s calendar contain gaps at critical time periods when he would have
had time to visit Smith.
15. In 1868 Rigdon wrote a letter in which he
claimed to know the contents of the sealed portion of The Book of Mormon.
16. James Jeffery, a friend of Rigdon’s,
testified that in 1844 he heard Rigdon say that Smith used a Spalding
manuscript to fabricate The Book of
Mormon.
Historical evidence related to the long-term
relationship between Rigdon and Smith
17. Almost immediately after his baptism, Rigdon
acted as though he was in charge of the church. As soon as he officially met
Smith, they began work on The Book of
Moses, a scripture that endorses Rigdon’s 1828 “discovery” of spiritual
rebirth after baptism.
18. In March of 1828, the “Revelator” of The Book of Commandments and The Book of Mormon attempted to limit
Smith’s role to translation only.
19. In 1863 Rigdon said that Smith was supposed
to be the Translator and Ridgon the Gatherer of Israel.
20. Rigdon and Smith engaged in a see-saw power
struggle that can be understood considering their vulnerabilities and
co-dependency.
21. Rigdon and Smith collaborated on joint
revelations recorded in the Doctrine and
Covenants. They collaborated in changing revelations after the fact. They
collaborated on illegal financial transactions.
22. In 1844 Sidney Rigdon seized upon the
opportunity of Smith’s death, instigating a cynical power grab, threatening to
“expose the secrets of the church” and professing new revelations and visions.
A final question:
If Rigdon had nothing to
hide from future generations, why did he ask that his writings be burned after
his death?
Upon reading this article I was convinced that
Sidney Rigdon, a Campbellite preacher advocating the restoration of primitive
church ideas, perhaps “smuggled in” some Gnostic concepts into the Book of Mormon and other Mormon
scripture to support his concept that Mormonism was a complete “Restoration of
the Primitive Church.” (Nothing could be
further from the truth.) But, not surprisingly,
there are several points of Mormon doctrine that I’ve discovered through my
readings of the Gnostic Gospels (the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi
Scrolls) which are definitely Gnostic. I
believe this is why we spiritually resonate with certain doctrines respective
of the “Primitive” or Gnostic Church. It
is the Holy Spirit bearing witness to us that these particular doctrines are
“true.”
- Personal
Revelation. The Gnostics believe in
“gnosis” which defined is “to know God for oneself.” This has also been a doctrine of the
Mormon Church starting with Joseph Smith’s “First Vision” wherein he’s
admonished after reading James 1:5 to seek his own, personal revelation:
If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him.
After Joseph Smith’s first vision and subsequent “Restoration of
the Only True Church” why is it that this Gnostic concept has changed to: “When the prophet speaks, the thinking has
been done.”
- Faith
in the Jesus Christ. The Gnostics
believe that faith is required in order to receive gnosis. Faith, in the Gnostic sense, consists
mainly in believing that this type of Divine experience is possible. In the Gnostic Gospel of Phillip we
read:
Faith receives, love
gives. No one will be able to receive
without faith. No one will be able to
give without love. Therefore, in order
to truly receive, we have faith, but this is so that we may love and give,
since if one does not give in love, he has no profit from what he has been
given. (45)
The Mormon Church’s Fourth
Article of Faith it states:
We believe that the
first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission
of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- Baptism
by immersion. The Gnostics believe
in a “spiritual baptism” requiring water submersion in order to activate
gnosis. This was usually done
unclothed as revealed in Elaine Pagels’ book Beyond Belief—the Secret Gospel of Thomas.
Having changed his or
her mind (which is the meaning of the Latin word paenitentia) about the past, the candidate could undergo the
baptismal “bath” that cleanses away its pollution. The initiate, often shivering beside a river
undressed and went underwater, to emerge wet and naked, “born again”…Now the
initiate, no longer called as before, by his or her paternal name, would hear
the initiator pronouncing the name of the “Father of all,” of Jesus Christ, and
of the Holy Spirit. Then, clothed in new
garments, the reborn Christian would be fed a mixture of milk and honey the
food of newborn infants, and be brought in to greet “those we call brothers and
sisters” with a kiss. Now members of the
assembled community would invite the newcomer to share bread and wine in the Eucharist (literally, “thanksgiving”),
the sacred family meal.
I’ve also found that water therapies such as Watsu and Waterdance are
effective ways of activating Kundalini
energies which I’ve found to be synonymous with gnosis. I also embrace
literally the doctrine of “naturism” as found in the Gospel of Thomas:
His
disciples said, “When will you appear to us and when shall we see you?”
Jesus
said, “When you strip off your clothes without being ashamed, and you take your
clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample them,
then (you) will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid.” (37)
- Laying
on of hands. The Gnostics believe
in a “holy anointing” which is done with sacred oils again to activate
gnosis. In Jung and the Lost Gospels by Stephan A. Hoeller is found the
following description:
Anointing
(in modern times called confirmation) is the second initiatory sacrament. Water is used to wash, oil is employed to
seal. Oil, when ignited, burns and is
thus associated with the element of fire, whereas baptism is associated with
water. These two elements have
traditionally been regarded by the ancients as the primary polarity, which when
conjoined produce wholeness. Thus the
following saying becomes meaningful:
The soul and the
spirit entered existence from water and fire.
The child of the bride-chamber came into being by these and by
Light. The fire is the chrism, the light
is fire, the light also is formless, we speak not of it, but of the other whose
form is white, which is of the light and beautiful and bestows beauty. (Gospel of Philip 66)
I’ve found as a Tantric Minister that anointing the body with
certain oils and releasing tension through “laying on of hands” or deep tissue
massage, Sacred Lomi-lomi, and Thai Yoga stretching can release Kundalini energies (gnosis).
- Sacrament or the Eucharist. The Gnostics believe in Sacramental
Communion using diluted wine (and perhaps other mind-altering substances)
in order to share in the communion of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel
of Philip reveals:
The cup of prayer contains wine and also water,
and it is ordered as the kind of blood over which one gives thanks. And it is filled with the Holy Spirit, and it
belongs to the wholly completed human.
When we drink of this, we shall receive for ourselves the (condition) of
the completed human. (100)
Mormons no longer use wine in their sacrament but merely bread and
water; yet in the early days of the Church wine was used. Why, one might ask, have they chosen to
“dilute” the sacrament and thus the powers of the Holy Spirit?
- The
Gathering of Israel. The Gnostics
believe in a gathering of believers who held “all things common” or Zion
“the pure in heart.” There was
never a structured church or temple in which they gathered to worship as
they believe that all people, places and things were sacred and worshipped
God (gnosis) in their own bodies which they considered their holy temples. Mormons believe in the “gathering of
Israel” according to their Ninth Article of Faith which
states.
We believe in the
literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion
(the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will
reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and
receive its paradisiacal glory.
The Gnostics believe, however, that “God” is everywhere and is the
light of “what is real.” One of the most
famous Gnostic Gospel quotations is found in the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, “I am the light that is in all
things. I am all. From me all came forth and from me all
extends. Split a piece of wood and I am
there. Lift up the stone, and you will
find me there. (77)
- The Bride Chamber.
The Gnostics believe in a sacred sealing of gnosis in “the
bride-chamber.” This could be
similar to the principle that Mormons refer to as “Calling and Election
Made Sure” which is a very sacred/secret doctrine taught only to
temple-worthy members. No less
than thirteen different sayings in the Gospel
of Philip refer directly to the bride-chamber. Here are two I consider some of the most
important:
But the bride-chamber is concealed. It is the holy of holies…There is a glory
that is superior to glory, there is a power which is above power. Thus the perfect things are revealed to us,
and so are the hidden things of the truth; and the holy things of the holy are
disclosed, the bride-chamber calls unto us to enter. (125)
Everyone who becomes an offspring of the bride-chamber will receive
the light…If anyone does not partake of it while he is in the world, he will
not partake of it in the other place.
One who has partaken of that light will not be seen, nor can such a one
be detained; and none shall be able to afflict such as one even if he should
abide in the world. And again when he
departs from the world he has already received the truth in the aspect of the
images. The world has become the aeon
already. For the aeon is for such a one
a Pleroma (fullness), and it is in this manner; it is disclosed to such a one
alone, not hidden in the darkness and the night, but hidden in a perfected day
and a sacred light. (127)
8. The Apostasy or Falling Away of the Church. Joseph Smith’s most popular appeal for his
“newly restored church” was the doctrine that the entire Catholic Church and
secularized Christian Churches had fallen into apostasy requiring a
“restoration of the primitive church.”
According to recent discoveries near the Dead Sea and Nag Hammadi, there
is extensive evidence proving that this was
indeed the case. Those communities
of primitive Christians or “Gnostics” were sought out, labeled heretics, and
exterminated in the name of Orthodox Christianity—all records were lost or
destroyed—until now.
In 1945 an Egyptian peasant and his companion,
while searching for fertilizer, came across a storage jar made of claylike
material containing ancient manuscripts that originated in the Apostolic Age
(100-300 A.D.) when the memory of Jesus Christ still lived powerfully in the
minds of persons who were present during his lifetime. The area of the discovery was near the town
of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt and
thus they became known as the Nag Hammadi
Scrolls.
Then two years later, in the summer of 1947 in
Palestine, an Arab goat herder discovered sacred scrolls hidden in large clay
jars near the Dead Sea. They were the
writings of the heterodox community of Jews, called Essenes, who resided at the site of the discovery from about 130
B.C. to A.D. 70. They included strange
doctrines and practices that would eventually become the beginnings of the
Christian dispensation.
Joseph Smith who purportedly “restored the
primitive church” in or around 1830—a full century prior to these profound
discoveries—had no way of knowing (unless he truly was a prophet) that these
original scriptural documents would be uncovered, revealing the true doctrines
of the “primitive church.” Had Joseph
Smith predicted the discovery of these precious artifacts, perhaps he would
have created an even “truer church” based upon these “true teachings” rather
than the fraudulent doctrines submerged in a stolen, plagiarized version of a
fictional novel, Manuscript Found written
by Solomon Spalding. Unfortunately, this
is the unique and unstable “foundation” of the Latter-day Saint Church which should surely take accountability for
this undeniable fact in this modern-day era of internet information.
And so here’s another million dollar question: If Mormons truly believe that their church is the “Restoration of the
Primitive Church” why do they not
include the Essene and Gnostic Gospels as part of their
scriptural studies and doctrines? The
answer is clear: The Essenes and/or
Gnostics never taught or believed in
a Patriarchal Priesthood Order or “male hierarchy” that had the authority to
extract 10% of their gross annual income from members of “their church” in
order to obtain salvation. My
87-year-old Mother still is a full tithe-paying member even though she has
hardly enough money to put food on her table—but she’s convinced if she doesn’t
have her “temple recommend,” she won’t go to heaven when she dies. Isn’t this the uttermost form of blasphemy, corruption
and extortion possible?! And they do it all in the name of God! On the other hand, Gnostics believe all persons—regardless of age, race, sex
or status—were eligible to receive gnosis.
It was simply a matter of faith and the overflowing of love which the
beautiful injunction found in the Gnostic Gospel
of Truth proclaims:
The day from on high has no night, and its light never wanes, for
it is perfect. Proclaim, then, that you
are this perfect day and that it is in you that the unfailing light dwells, you
who possess the Gnosis of the heart.
Utter the truth to those who seek it, and speak Gnosis to those who in
their error have made mistakes. Make
firm the foot of those who have stumbled and stretch out your hands to those
who suffer from sickness. Feed those who
are hungering and afford repose to those who are weary, and raise up those who
wish to rise, and awaken those who sleep.
For you are the “Gnosis of the heart” that is manifest.
As a practicing Gnostic Christian Minister, I
encourage others to receive their own personal gnosis through faith, love of
God, selective scripture study, prayer and “inner work” offered by modern-day
depth psychologists and qualified Gnostic/Tantric Ministers. This can be sought after and obtained on an
individual basis or as described in Jung
and the Lost Gospels:
Jesus employs the word monachoi,
usually translated as “solitary ones” but also meaning “those who have become
unified.” This is the name whereby one
might describe the individuated psyche, the soul of the knower, who having
become a unity now can stand alone without the burdensome collectivity of
society, as well as without the tyranny of the alienated ego. Those are the men and women who have
succeeded in freeing themselves of the dominion of the tyrant angels, and of
them the Gnostic Christ says: “Blessed are the solitary and the elect, for they
will discover the kingdom! Many stand
outside the door, but it is only the solitary ones who will enter into the
bridal chamber.”
I pray a blessing on those seekers who desire
with all of their heart, might, mind and strength to enter into the “bridal
chamber” as they will receive gnosis or “the direct knowledge of God” from
which all other blessings of pure ecstasy will flow. I say these things in the precious name of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Resources:
The Mormon Mirage by Latayne C. Scott
Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck
No Man Knows My History by Fawn M. Brodie
Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and
the Mormon Church by Simon G. Southerton
Sidney Rigdon: Creating the Book of Mormon
by Craig Criddle
Heartsong, Heart Wide Open, and Becoming
One—the Journey Toward God by Janae Thorne-Bird
The Gnostic Gospels and Beyond
Belief—the Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels
Gnosticism—New Light on the Ancient Tradition of
Inner Knowing and Jung and the Lost Gospels by Stephan A. Hoeller
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