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

[JesusHChrist]

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!

[Dystopia]

Regardless, mormons suck, they are probably the most annoying religious type of people before Islam and after JW

[Faith No More]

What is the book of Abraham? Is that part of the Book of Mormon?

[Minimalist]

Now if the fuckheads will only admit that he didn't translate any magic golden tablets they'll be on to something!

[JesusHChrist]

The BoA is part of the "Pearl of Great Price" which along with the BoM and some other books, comprise the canonical literature of the LDS Church.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_of_Gr...Mormonism)

[Rev. Rye]

From what I understand, he could barely read or write his own language, English. How could he have mastered Ancient Egyptian, which even experts were only beginning to grapple with when he was still alive? This only makes clearer that Joseph Smith was, at heart, a huckster, pure and simple.

[The Valkyrie]

But, of course, they'll desperately try to coverup/make excuses for/justify the fraud. As religions are wont to do when they're caught out so blatantly.

[Bad Writer]

He actually DID claim he was translating straight from Egyptian and kept updating his followers on his progress with the language and the translation itself.

This church is fucking lying again.

[JesusHChrist]

He actually DID claim he was translating straight from Egyptian and kept updating his followers on his progress with the language and the translation itself.

This church is fucking lying again.

Yes, this fraud is blatant, documented and well-supported.

And yet, even this level of damning evidence is not enough to dissuade followers of LDS.

J Smith was a base con man, liar, cheat, et al.

---

From what I understand, he could barely read or write his own language, English. How could he have mastered Ancient Egyptian, which even experts were only beginning to grapple with when he was still alive? This only makes clearer that Joseph Smith was, at heart, a huckster, pure and simple.

Yes, a wordsmith he was not.

[Jenny A]

What is the book of Abraham? Is that part of the Book of Mormon?

It's not exactly part of the Book of Mormon. Supposedly Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from gold tablets he dug up. The last author of the tablets, Moroni (you just can't make this stuff up) was the last son of the last son of the lost tribe of Israel who came to America in a boat. The tribe split into two groups almost immediately. The Laminites were the bad guys and they ultimately won but not until Jesus showed up in North America. The American Indians are the descendants of the Laminites. ---- There are an enormous number of impossibilities with this besides the obvious much more ancient Asian descent of Native Americans including horses, the wheel, steel etc, none of which were here in North America before the Europeans.

Later, after he already had a cult following, an Egyptian archeological show came through and the Mormons raised the money to buy a papyrus, which Smith claimed he could translate. He said it was written by Abraham himself. Thus the Book of Abraham. He wrote an a fictional dictionary of some of the hieroglyphs too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham
It's been a known fraud for a long time. It's just the church is now admitting it kinda sorta.