Transcription
[Music] Hey guys, tonight I want to talk about the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. This is a huge topic, and I feel like I have done so much studying and I have found so much information. But I finally have a source where I feel like it's all compiled easily and clearly, and all of the sources are here, and all of the information is here. So I don't want to take credit. This is all compiled and written by Fred Anson. And as always, I will put the source below in the description so you can click on it and see it for yourself, see all the sources listed out, all of this information written out. But I'm going to go through this article because it's excellent, and it is called "The Case Against the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon." So let's not waste any time. I'm just gonna jump right in.
It starts by saying, "In a nutshell, the case of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon is as follows: Number one, all of the eleven witnesses were related either by blood or by business interests. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were cousins. Joseph Smith Sr. was Joseph Smith's father. The Wittmers were former business associates of the Smith family. Hyrum Page was married to the Wittmers' sister, Katharine. And Martin Harris was financially invested in the success of the Book of Mormon in a way that it would ruin his estate if it failed."
[Music] "Number two, the three witnesses were of questionable character. This assertion is based on what fellow Mormons said about them. For example, Joseph Smith said on December 16, 1838, 'Such characters as his former personal secretary, William McClellan, John Whitmer, David Whitmer, all of our Cowdery and Martin Harris, are too mean to mention, and we had liked to have forgotten them.' See History of the Church, Volume 3, page 232."
[Music] "Number three, all three denied the latter-day saint faith at some point, converting to other religions. This was confirmed by Brigham Young, who in 1859 said, 'Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterward led to doubt and disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel.' Brigham Young, 'Want of Governing Capacities Among Men,' Elements of the Sacrament, Apostasy, etc., Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, page 164."
"Number four, all of the three witnesses were eventually excommunicated from the Mormon Church. The details on this will follow, but that's amazing, isn't it? Number five, two of the three excommunicated witnesses later returned after denying their testimony and joining other churches. This is roughly equivalent to Peter, James, and John denying their testimony that Jesus was the Messiah who rose from the dead, joining Samaritanism or another Middle Eastern religion, then reversing themselves and returning to the church that they had denied and denounced. For their details on this coming, and when you consider the corpus of evidence for each individual, the case against them gets even stronger."
So we'll start with Martin Harris. He was known for being very unstable religiously. Over his lifetime, he changed his religious affiliation over 13 times. You can honestly study this on your own on Wikipedia, Martin Harris, and you will get loads of sources on his entire life and what religions he followed and where he went and what he affiliated himself with before joining Mormonism. Martin Harris was first a Quaker, then a Universalist, next a Restorationist, then a Baptist, then a Presbyterian. D. Mormonism Unveiled, pages 262-261. It's a good source for that one. After Martin Harris's excommunication from the Mormon Church in 1837, he changed his religion eight more times, going from the Shakers to one Mormon splinter group to the next, and back to the main group in 1840. See Improvement Era, March 1969, page 63. Also see Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, page 164 as sources for that. In 1846, after his excommunication in 1837, Martin Harris was preaching among the Saints in England for the apostate James J. Strang. See Andrew Johnson's Church Chronology, page 31. Also Millennial Star, Volume 8, November 15th, pages 124 through 128. So that's pretty amazing that Martin Harris jumped on the bandwagon with James J. Strang as well, which it's incredible because it's a similar story to that of Joseph Smith's. So if you are curious, I encourage you to look into James Strang and his teachings.
[Music] Martin Harris also signed his name to the following statement: "Testimony of Three Witnesses: We cheerfully certify the Lord has made it known to me that David Whitmer is the man. David was then called forward, and Joseph and his counselors laid hands upon him and ordained him to his station to succeed him. He will be prophet, seer, revelator, and translator before God. Signed, Martin Harris, Leonard Rich, Calvin Beebe." As we know from history, this never came to pass, as Brigham Young became Joseph Smith's successor. Saints' Herald, Volume 17, page 3, page 555. The Mormons stated of Martin Harris and a few other men within the pages of the church's official newspaper at the time, "A lying, deceptive spirit attend them, and they are of their father the devil. The very countenance of Harris will show to every spiritual-minded person who sees him that the wrath of God is upon him." Millennial Star, Volume 8, pages 124 through 128. Phineas Young wrote to his older brother Brigham Young on December 31st, 1841, from Kirtland, Ohio: "There are in this place all kinds of teaching. Martin Harris is a firm believer in Shakerism, says his testimony is greater than it was for the Book of Mormon." See Wayne Cutler Connell, Martin Harris: Witness and Benefactor of the Book of Mormon, page 52. Martin Harris testified that his testimony for Shakerism was greater than it was for Mormonism. The Shakers' sacred scroll and book was also delivered by an angel. See Gerald and Sandra Tanner, The Case Against Mormonism, Vol. 2, pages 50 through 58. See also Wayne Cutler Ganahl, Martin Harris: Witness and Benefactor of the Book of Mormon, page 52. And an Elder's Journal for August 1838, Joseph Smith denounced Martin Harris as "so far beneath contempt that to notice him would be too great a sacrifice for a gentleman to make. The church exerted some restraint on him, but now he has given loose to all kinds of abominations, lying, cheating, swindling, and all kinds of debauchery." C. J. A. Clark, Gleanings by the Way, pages 256 through 257. Like David Whitmer, Martin Harris later testified that he did not see the plates literally with his physical eyes. He said he saw the plates with the eyes of faith and not with the natural eyes, that is, with spiritual eyes. Cele and Clark Braden, The Braden and Kelly Debate, page 173.
[Music] So let's move on to David Whitmer. He said in 1887, "If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon, if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I will tell you that in June 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens and told me to separate myself from among the Latter-day Saints." David Whitmer, "An Address to All Believers in Christ," page 27. David Whitmer belonged to at least three Mormon splinter groups at different times, but he died in opposition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that is, the original Church started by Joseph Smith, as well as what later became today's Brighamite denomination of the church and its priesthood, doctrine, and claims. See David Whitmer, "An Address to All Believers in Christ." Also see John Farkas, "Fabricating the Mormon Priesthood by God or by Man," Beggars Read website. That's the website I'm currently on. Like I said, like Martin Harris, David Whitmer later testified that he did not see the plates literally with his physical eyes. Whitmer told Theodore Turley that the plates were shown to him by a supernatural power. "And I quote, 'All I know, you have published to the world that an angel did present those plates to Joseph Smith.' Whitmer replied, 'I now say I handled those plates. There was fine engravings on both sides. I handled them.' And he described how they were hung. 'And they were shown to me by supernatural power.' He acknowledged." All Turley asked him why the translation is not now true, and he said, "I cannot read it, and I do not know whether it is true or not." See Theodore Turley's Memorandums, LDS Church Archives, in the handwriting of Thomas Bullock, who began clerking for Turley in the late 1843. Also cited in Dan Vogel, editor, Early Mormon Documents, Volume 5, page 241. Also with minor editing, Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vol. 3, pages 307-308. David Whitmer changed his story about seeing the plates and later told of finding them lying in a field, and later still told Orson Pratt that they were on a table with all sorts of brass plates, gold plates, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim. Millennial Star, Volume 40, pages 771 through 772. During the summer of 1837, while in Kirtland, Ohio, David Whitmer pledged his new loyalty to a prophetess, as did Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, who used a black seer stone and danced herself into trances. Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches, pages 211 through 213. His association with the aforementioned prophetess was the beginning of the end for Whitmer in regard to the Mormon Church. It ended in 1847, his declaration to Oliver that he, Whitmer, was to be the prophet of the new Church of Christ, and Oliver a counselor. Letter to Oliver Cowdery by David Whitmer, September 8, 1847, printed in the Ensign of Liberty, 5, 1848, page 93. Also see Ensign of Liberty, 8, 1849, pages 101 through 104. In the meantime, he was excommunicated and roughly put out. He and Oliver Cowdery's families were driven into the streets and robbed by the Mormons while they were away trying to leave to make arrangements for a safe place to flee to. See John Whitmer, History of the Church. Cursed by leaders such as Sidney Rigdon, David Whitmer was denounced by the Prophet Joseph Smith as "a dumb ass to ride, and someone prays out cursings instead of blessings. Poor ass." History of the Church, Volume 3, page 228. Wow. David Whitmer never returned to the LDS Church but joined splinter groups that denied and denounced the original Latter-day Saint Church he helped found. See Wikipedia on David Whitmer for further sources and information on that. He went to his grave denying his testimony of Joseph Smith as a true prophet of God while still affirming his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
[Music] All right, let's move on to Oliver Cowdery. Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated from the Mormon Church and joined the Methodist Church in 1841. The Mormons published a poem which stated, "Or Book of Mormon, not his word, because denied by Oliver." See Times and Seasons, Volume 2, page 482. The Mormon Church accused Oliver Cowdery of adultery and claimed he, David Whitmer, and Lyman A. Johnson, another early Mormon leader, had joined a gang of counterfeiters, thieves, liars, and blacklegs. See Rollin J. Britton, Early Days on Grand River and the Mormon War, page 77. Oliver Cowdery was the church's second elder, often called the second president, the early day companion of Joseph Smith. He was a scribe for the Book of Mormon, present at the restoration of the priesthood, and as close to the real truth as any man. See Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History, 166 through 75. Joseph Smith History, Vol. 2, pages 72 through 76. However, in 1838, in Kirtland, Ohio, Oliver Cowdery confronted Joseph Smith with the charge of adultery with Fanny Alger and with lying and teaching false doctrines. See Private Letter to Brother Warren Cowdrey by Oliver Cowdery, January 21st, 1838. Joseph Smith denied this and charged Cowdery with being a liar. See History of the Church, Vol. 3, pages 16 through 18, and also Elder's Journal, Joseph Smith, July 1838, page 45. Church records now show Miss Alger with Smith's first spiritual wife. Cowdery was telling the truth. See Andrew Jensen, Historical Record, 1886, Volume 6, page 233, and also Wikipedia under Fanny Alger. Cowdery was excommunicated for this and other crimes. Crimes. See History of the Church, Volume 3, pages 16 through 18.
[Music] Later, as a Methodist, he denied the Book of Mormon. Times and Seasons, Volume 2, page 482. See also The Improvement Era, January 1969, page 56, and Joseph Griswold, Oliver Cowdery: The Man Outstanding, page 28. Cowdery publicly confessed his sorrow and shame for his connection with Mormonism. Charles Shook, The True Origin of the Book of Mormon, pages 58 through 59. While the Mormon Church claims he rejoined them in the fall of 1848, see Andrew Jensen's Historical Record, Volume 5, page 201, they also accused him later that year with trying to raise up the kingdom again with the apostate William II. McClellan. C. Nita Brooks, On the Mormon Frontier: Diary of Hosea Stout, Volume 2, page 336. Oliver Cowdery was publicly charged by Joseph Smith and leading Mormons with stealing, lying, perjury, counterfeiting, adultery, and being the leader of a gang of scoundrels of the deepest degree. See Senate Document 189, February 15th, 1841, pages 6 through 9, and also B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Volume 1, page 438 through 439. Joseph Smith listed Oliver Cowdery as among those "too mean to mention, we had liked to have forgotten them." History of the Church, Volume 3, page 232. Oliver Cowdery died claiming that the Book of Doctrine and Covenants must be discarded. This was the stance that he first publicly articulated in "An Address to All Believers in Christ" in 1887 and never wavered from until his death a year later. See David Whitmer, "An Address to All Believers in Christ."
[Music] And then the article has ended with this phrase: "Stated plainly, with witnesses like this, who needs enemies?" But that was a clever way to end it, and it's so true. The three witnesses, well, there's the eleven witnesses, and so many problems there. But then we have the three main witnesses to the Book of Mormon. This is a big deal, and the church talks about it, and the missionaries talk about it, and the members talk about it because you need witnesses to have a valid story. If it's all just one person claiming these things, well, then you can test it historically, you can test it archaeologically, you can go through all of the documents. Well, of course, then we know that everything falls apart. This whole topic with the three witnesses, it's so important, and I think for anyone to be looking into these issues, this is one that you really should focus in on because if you have these crazy witnesses to one of the most foundational aspects of Mormonism, and they switch their religions multiple times, they denied the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith himself had them excommunicated from the church. This is a major deal. And I liked at the very beginning of this article the comparison to the disciples of Jesus walking away, denying all of it, turning to other religions, and then coming back and rejoining the faith. It's just such a disaster. If something is truth, and if you are a reliable and an honest and trustworthy person, this would not be the case. So unfortunately for the case of the Book of Mormon, this is yet another blow that really harms and damages its validity.
So I wanted to share this in a video today. If you're new to my channel, thank you so much for tuning in. I have an entire channel here, so many LDS topics that I cover, so I hope that you'll go check out the rest of my channel, and I of course have many more videos ahead. And for my returning viewers, thank you so much for coming back. I've missed you guys. It's been a busy season of life, but I'm glad to be back here on YouTube, and expect more to come in the near future. But I just want to encourage everyone who's watching this, everyone who is a Mormon or an ex-Mormon, if you are searching for truth, you are not going to find it within the religion of Mormonism. And Mormonism teaches a completely contradictory message to that of biblical Christianity, and that is the point that I want to drive home throughout all of my videos. Mormonism is a counterfeit, wannabe version of Christianity. It teaches a completely separate God. Heavenly Father of Mormonism was a man from another world to be exalted into godhood. That's what every active LDS man hopes to achieve one day as well, to become his own Heavenly Father. This is in the doctrine. The Jesus of Mormonism is all of our older brother. He's nothing but our big brother. He's also Lucifer, Satan himself, big brother. That is not the Jesus of the Bible. That Jesus of the Bible is the Almighty God. He is God who took on flesh and dwelt among us. He personified who God was. He made the unknowable God of the Old Testament knowable by taking on flesh and dwelling among us and having his earthly ministry. Jesus was fully God and fully man. And so when you have a different God, you have a totally different Christ taught. And then the gospel message of Mormonism is a completely different gospel. The gospel of the Bible means good news. It is the good news that Jesus paid our penalty in full on the cross of Calvary so that if we accept Him through faith, we might have eternal life with God in heaven. And that's in one heaven, one literal heaven, not the three levels of heaven that Mormonism has, and all of the exaltation that comes with it. The Mormon gospel is servitude to a church. Salvation being saved simply means that our bodies will be resurrected one day, but that is not what biblical salvation means. Biblical salvation is everything. But in Mormonism, you need exaltation. Exaltation is what determines where your resurrected body will end up one day, whether it be the celestial kingdom where you will become a god one day, or at least that's the hope and goal of everyone if they are righteous enough and they strive enough and they have enough good works and they follow all of the works and ordinances within the church, the Mormon Church. But the gospel message of the Bible is available to everyone. There is no one true church. I want to make that resonate among all of my viewers. There is no one true church. The church is not a building, it is not a title, it is not a religious organization. The church, it is individual believers all over this planet who have accepted the biblical gospel and who know Christ as their personal Savior. And we are the walking, living temple of Christ. We read about this in the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Bible. The temple was rent, the veil was rent, torn, done away with after the cross, and then the temple then became believers. I just want to end this video by saying Mormonism is a dead-end street, and it will not lead you to the one and only true Christ. But I want you to know that Jesus Saves. Biblical Christianity is truth, and you can have that. So if you are interested in seeing more videos on my channel, I would encourage you to subscribe. If you want to know how you can come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I would love to talk to you. So please reach out to me and email me. You can find me on my Facebook page. I link all of these things below. But I just encourage you all to be truth seekers, and I just pray that all of you are open to coming to know Jesus Christ. Be true Jesus Christ. That is my goal and my heart. I care about you. If you're Mormon, I care about you. I have this channel because I love Mormons. I am not anti-Mormon, I am pro-truth. So I just want to thank you again for watching, and I hope to see you again next time.
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