Mormon Church Admits J Smith Didn't Translate Book Of Abraham

[Lemonvariable72]

I'm amazed there are still.Mormons.

[ManMachine]

The news is full of absurdity and irony today:

Turns out ol' Joe actually did not (and could not) translate the Book of Abraham. For those unclear on this sordid tale,

Back in 1835, Smith supposedly translated some Egyptian papyri, purporting to be writings of Abraham, written in Abe's very own hand! Wow. What a find! Wisdom for the Ages! Keep in mind, translation of hieroglyphics was in its infancy back in the early 1800s and no one could really dispute Smith's alleged translation.

The book was canonized by the LDS in 1880 and is a doctrinal foundation book for the LDS Church. Then, the original source papyri were thought destroyed in the 1871 Great Chicago fire. Too bad for the Mormons they weren't.

In 1966, several fragments were rediscovered and were subsequently translated by Egyptologists; by now having quite a good handle on translating such documents. Turns out the fragments bear no resemblance whatsoever to Smith's translation. The papyri are ordinary Egyptian funerary documents. This means....he pulled this shit outta his ass, I mean he was inspired by an Angel of the Lord to write down. Yeah, that's it.

Oops.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham

Meanwhile, the Church of LDS has issued a 3000 word article discussing the controversy and essentially admitting Ol' Joe could not have done any such translation. And yet, while making this admission, plenty of back pedaling ensues. The book contains Eternal Trooths you see. In the same manner as Harry Potter novels do I suppose. Except the writings of Joe are very, very, VERY bad. And dull, dull, dull, OMG dull. If the BoA contains Eternal Trooths, I'll pass, thank you very much.

Too funny.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/m...n-24543013

"It is an official recognition — even a concession — that Joseph Smith could not, and did not, 'translate' any scriptures in the literal, scholarly sense that is usually implied by the term 'translate,'" Mauss said.

The article, posted on the church's website, recognizes that it's impossible to know how exactly Smith used the papyri to write the Book of Abraham. There were no eyewitnesses to the translation process, and only fragments of the scrolls exist today, the article says. It notes that Smith never claimed to know the language it was in.

The church still encourages members to look to the scripture for the "eternal truths it teaches and the powerful spirit it conveys."

Oh and by the way, you don't get to have your own planet any more. "Book of Mormon" be damned.

Sawry!

Great post! I didn't know anything about the alternative (i.e. real) translations, brilliant!

It seems to me that you can pin Jeebus to any old shite and if you make it last a few decades you got yourself a new religion.

Some people want to believe, and no matter how wacky the religion they will believe, come Hell or Jo Smith.

MM

[vorlon13]

So, in their cagey, self serving, weaselly way, the Mormons are essentially saying that when Joseph Smith said he did translate the Egyptian papyri he actually didn't ??

Not surprising one needs to read between the lines to gist that part out, but they also aver that what Joseph Smith did write is 'canon' even if it isn't what he said it was* ??

I usually describe virtually everything in the Mormon world as muddled, but this seems to be pretty outre by even their befuddled standards.



*and not just 'said', I infer Joseph Smith made written references to what he thought he had done with the translations, so it is just not reality trumping his idle verbal musings, it is reality trumping at least some of his writings.

---

[Clueless Morgan]

The problem is Smith's own diaries, his home made hieroglyphics dictionary which is totally wrong, and other records at the time make it crystal clear that he said he was actually translating and that's what his followers believed.

For a long time the Pearl of Great Price printed a facsimile of the Papyrus with the book. That's how it was identified when found and translated by Egyptologists. After that they stopped printing the facsimile. Go figure.

I understand that according to Smith himself he did claim to actually be translating, but I've heard that the "new interpretation" of the situation in recent years is, whether Joe Smith said he was translating or not, that he was merely using the papyri as, like, a channeling vehicle for God's words, only he had to use the papyri and the urim and thummim (and his magic hat). Some Mormon scholars aren't bothered by the idea that there is absolutely no meaningful connection between Joe Smith's translation of the BOA and the papyri he claimed to be making the translation from. Indoctrination can do wonders with your reasoning abilities.

I agree that this is a MAJOR problem for the Mormon church - after all, if Joe Smith got the papyrus translation that heinously wrong, how accurate is the translation of the BOM? - I'm merely stating that, based on what I've read about Mormon apologetics and scholarship, their apparent back peddling on the BOA doesn't seem all that new to me. It's just that they're finally going public with what the Mormon apologetics community has been talking about for years.

I could be misremembering my Mormon research, though. I've done quite a bit over the last year or so and I get it jumbled in my head a bit - for good reason: the Mormon religion is whacky. :p

[Bad Writer]

No, this is very accurate. Since the apologists have been trying to explain this grave mistake by J. Smith for years, it was only a matter of time before the actual church would adopt this view.

[JesusHChrist]

I have a theory those golden plates might have been mistranslated as well.

Too bad Moroni took them back and they've been MIA every since.

[Clueless Morgan]

I have a theory those golden plates might have been mistranslated as well.

I have this theory that those golden plates never existed.

[Bad Writer]

I have a theory those golden plates might have been mistranslated as well.

Too bad Moroni took them back and they've been MIA every since.

Pure gold of the size and shape suggested by ol' Joe's tales would have weighed at least 200 lbs. (An alloy still would have weighed at least 50 lbs.) The way he ran from those pursuing his treasure while at times carrying them would make one think he may not have actually had them on his person after all. Shocking, I know!

[JesusHChrist]

Pure gold of the size and shape suggested by ol' Joe's tales would have weighed at least 200 lbs. (An alloy still would have weighed at least 50 lbs.) The way he ran from those pursuing his treasure while at times carrying them would make one think he may not have actually had them on his person after all. Shocking, I know!

Maybe they were wood with heavy old leaf? /bullshit

What possible motivation would Joe have to lie?!?

[vorlon13]

Wonder if what the Mormons did this week in regards to the Book of Abraham will metastasize (for lack of a better word) into yet ANOTHER Mormon schism ??

They've had over 100 in less than 2 centuries, this is portending, despite their weaslism, into fodder for another split.

Hate to sound venal (not really) but let's hope it is a 'big un'.