NOM

“David Whitmer maintained the prophet used an oval-shaped, chocolate-colored seer stone slightly larger than an egg… Such an explanation is, in our judgement, simply fiction created for the purpose of demeaning Joseph Smith and to undermine the validity of the revelations he received after translation the Book of Mormon” (Ostler and McConkie, Revelations of the Restoration, Deseret Book, 2000: 89-98)

The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.” As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.

Hagoth wrote: ↑Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:26 am That was fascinating, Consig. The Steinbeck similarities show how common these beliefs were. I even encountered them on my mission in Texas in the late '70s. If someone reported a ghost sighting people would show up at the spot the next day with picks and shovels.

I also enjoyed the discussion of how the church is constantly scrambling to rewrite their history when unpleasant facts can no longer be hidden. Here's an example:

From a book written in 2000 by two BYU religion professors:

“David Whitmer maintained the prophet used an oval-shaped, chocolate-colored seer stone slightly larger than an egg… Such an explanation is, in our judgement, simply fiction created for the purpose of demeaning Joseph Smith and to undermine the validity of the revelations he received after translation the Book of Mormon” (Ostler and McConkie, Revelations of the Restoration, Deseret Book, 2000: 89-98)

From the Book of Mormon Translation essay 15 years later:

The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.” As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.