Translation of the Book of Mormon – Part I

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "With the record was found a curious instrument which the ancients called Urim and Thummim, that consisted of two transparent stones sat in a rim of a bow fastened to a breast-plate." Martin Harris added that this instrument contained two clear stones sat in two rims, very much resembling spectacles, only they were larger.” Of this, the Prophet added: "Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God." B.H. Roberts added, "For convenience he sometimes used the Seer Stone. Martin said that the Seer Stone differed in appearance from the Urim and Thummim, and was a chocolate-colored, somewhat egg-shaped stone which the Prophet found while digging a well in company with his brother Hyrum."

Of the actual translation, David Whitmer said: "In the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God and not by any power of man.''

Martin Harris added: "By aid of the Seer Stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin, and when finished he would say 'written;' and if correctly written, the sentence would disappear and another appear in its place; but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraved on the plates, precisely in the language then used."

It should not be supposed, however, that this translation, though accomplished by means of the Interpreters and Seer Stone, was merely a mechanical procedure; that no faith, or mental or spiritual effort was required on the Prophet's part; that the instruments did all, while he who used them did nothing but look and repeat mechanically what he saw there reflected. It required the utmost concentration of mental and spiritual force possessed by the Prophet, in order to exercise the gift of translation through the means of the sacred instruments provided for that work.

Fortunately we have the most perfect evidence of the fact, though it could be inferred from the general truth that God sets no premium upon mental or spiritual laziness; for whatever means God may have provided to assist man to arrive at the truth, he has always made it necessary for man to couple with those means his utmost endeavor of mind and heart.

It is, therefore, disingenuous for people like John L. Sorenson to question such translation as though he knows more about what the ancient prophets wrote as has been shown in several posts here. When Joseph wrote “cow,” he meant cow. When the ancient prophets wrote about the people in the Land of Promise, they wrote about all of them, if briefly. For modern scholars to decide they know more than those who lived at the time, and those the Lord inspired to abridge the record, and the prophet assigned and inspired to translate the work is beyond imagination.

The Book of Mormon stands as an accurate and correct book in all regards, not just the doctrines, but also the geography and descriptions. We need to interpret it that way!