Faith Crisis Vol. 1 - We Were NOT Betrayed!: Answering, "Did the LDS Church Lie?"

By L. Hannah Stoddard and James F. Stoddard III

After working with thousands of struggling members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over many years, the authors decided to write a book offering hope and answers for those struggling with faith crisis.

Unbeknownst to the general Church membership, the 20th century would witness an organized effort to

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph Smith Foundation
• Release date: Apr 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781648263002

L. Hannah Stoddard

L. Hannah Stoddard is the lead author of Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed!, Faith Crisis, Volume 2: Behind Closed Doors, Joseph Smith's Plural Wives, Volume 1: Helen Mar Kimball, Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial, and A Christ-Centered Home. She is the director of the Joseph Smith Foundation and the producer or director of seven documentary feature films.In addition to directing Joseph Smith Foundation projects for over a decade, she is often invited to speak on various radio and video programs. Beginning at age 16, Hannah helped direct her first documentary film. She has worked as a history and literature teacher, graphic design artist, software developer, videographer, project manager, agriculturist, and research assistant. Her work focuses on Church history and doctrine, answers to Latter-day Saint faith crisis questions, educational philosophy, culture, and defending the Prophet Joseph Smith. Hannah's research supports the writings and teachings of ancient and latter-day prophets.

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FAITH CRISIS

Volume 1:

We Were NOT Betrayed!

Answering Did the LDS Church Lie?

O ye Twelve and all saints, profit by this important Key that in all your trials, troubles &, temptations, afflictions bonds imprisionment [sic] & death see to it that you do not betray heaven, that you do not betray Jesus Christ. that you do not betray your Brethren, & that you do not betray the revelations of God whether in the bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine & Covenants or any of the word of God. yea in all your kicking, & floundering see to it that you do not this thing lest innocent blood be found in your skirts & you go down to hell.

Joseph Smith, as recorded by Wilford Woodruff, July 2, 1839

. . . when did I ever teach any thing wrong from this stand? when was I ever confounded? . . . there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.

Joseph Smith, as reported by Thomas Bullock, May 12, 1844

FAITH CRISIS

Volume 1:

We Were NOT Betrayed!

Answering Did the LDS Church Lie?

Joseph Smith Foundation®

Joseph Smith Foundation is an organization focused on supporting and contributing to projects founded in the words of Jesus Christ. Those contributing to Joseph Smith Foundation projects are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the foundation is not sponsored by the Church. Joseph Smith Foundation projects include documentary films, Latter-day Answers, ZionTube, InspiraWiki, FAQs, Papers, Audio, Ebooks and much more.

www.JosephSmithFoundation.org

Copyright © 2020 by L. Hannah Stoddard and James F. Stoddard III

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the authors or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of any license permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Published by:

Joseph Smith Foundation®

Salem, UT, USA

1st printing

Interior Design: Leah M. Stoddard, Isaiah M. Stoddard, Ephraim J. Stoddard, Mary D. Stoddard, Ezra B. Stoddard

Cover Design: Leah M. Stoddard, James F. Stoddard III

Thanks & Contribution: Jim F. & Margaret J. Stoddard, Russell H. & Heidi S. Barlow, Cameron & Kimberly W. Smith, Julie A. & Natalie Smith, Benjamin J. & Posey E. Cowart

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020903884

ISBN: 978-1-64826-284-5

Printed in the USA

FAITH CRISIS

Volume 1:

We Were NOT Betrayed!

Answering Did the LDS Church Lie?

L. Hannah Stoddard

James F. Stoddard III

Leah M. Stoddard — Editor

Kimberly W. Smith — Senior Researcher

Russell H. Barlow — Editor

Margaret J. Stoddard — Editor, Researcher

Threesa L. Cummings — Researcher

Isaiah M. Stoddard — Layout Editor

Emily Dayley — Researcher

Ephraim J. Stoddard — Assistant Editor

Mark Cochran — Assistant Editor

Lloyd E. Ward — Assistant Editor

Joseph Smith Foundation®

To Joseph Smith, the father of Latter-day Saint traditionalism

Contents

Forward

Introduction

Chapter 1: Hofmann & the Forging of the New Mormon History

Chapter 2: Trusting in Experts or Revelation? Joseph III Blessing & Anthon Transcript

Chapter 3: Indolent Treasure Digger — The Josiah Stowell Letter

Chapter 4: Magical Worldview — The Salamander Letter

Chapter 5: Victims — Murders, Historians & Police Investigation

Chapter 6: Is Our Dominant Narrative True?

Chapter 7: The Swearing Elders

Chapter 8: Divergent Paths — Historians Leonard Arrington & Joseph Fielding Smith

Chapter 9: Arrington’s Faith Crisis in College

Chapter 10: Criticism Leads the Camel’s Nose Into the Tent

Chapter 11: Arrington’s Epiphany

Chapter 12: Great Basin Kingdom — Materialism? Failure? Autocracy?

Chapter 13: William Godbe — Spiritualism, Socialism, Economics

Chapter 14: Waging War Through Education — Battling for the Youth

Chapter 15: Mormon Historians Move to Take Brigham From His Pedestal

Chapter 16: Contriving and Mentoring the New Mormon History

Chapter 17: The Standard of Truth

Appendix: Eyewitness Accounts of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s Greatness

Index

Authors

Joseph Smith Foundation

Raising the Bar

Forward

History is a story, the story of the past. Prophecy is also a story, the story of the future. It is much safer to write about the past than it is to write about the future, because if you are writing false things about the future, you likely will be found out when that future becomes the present. But those who write history are not in as much danger.

We all do history if we are normal human beings. Every person has a string of memories to which they refer to understand and appreciate their present situation. Some of us write down those memories in journals or personal histories. How does one go about writing history?

All history writing consists of the following:

The existence of pieces of individual physical data such as memories, documents, pictures, artifacts, historic sites.

Selection, interpretation and evaluation of those pieces of data by the historian.

The invention of a narrative that connects, makes sense of the data gathered by the historian.

A frame, a metaphysical construct which builds an account of the unseen world and is the frame of reference for all statements of the historian.

It is important to note the limitations of each of those four elements of history writing.

The physical data available to the historian is never complete. There are always pieces of the puzzle that are missing, and the historian must fill in the missing pieces by his or her own imagination.

The selection, interpretation and evaluation of the available data by the historian is always based on his or her personal preferences.

The invented narrative the historian uses is always based on his or her personal preferences. These personal preferences are the string on which the beads of data are strung to make the history a narrative.

The metaphysical frame used by the historian is personally selected by each historian.

The net of all this is that writing history is an art, not a science. Though some historians would feign objectivity, there is no such thing in writing history, even if desperately sought. Thus all historical accounts are the invention of the author, made up. The name for things made up is fiction, a word that derives from the Latin facare, to make or to do. Thus all history is fiction, some better, some worse.

And there are special problems for the professional historian. All professional historians are subject to and wary of the acceptance they are given by their fellow professionals. There are two main strictures that bind the professional historian in the eyes of his or her peers:

The quantity of references to other documents or evidence.

The nature of the metaphysical frame used by the historian. To be acceptable to professional historians, every historian must write in a naturalistic frame. The naturalistic frame is a universe that exists solely of matter in motion. In that naturalist frame there is no such thing as spirit, gods or angels, life before or after death, good or evil. That naturalist frame is the same one that binds the chemist or the physicist, and since the historian would greatly desire to be accounted as responsible and believable as the chemist and physicist, he must also use the naturalist metaphysical frame. But history is not science, and there are no strictures that bind the professional historian like the necessity of physical proof of hypotheses in physics and chemistry. The only thing the professional historian fears is the disapproval of his peer historians. And since that is a bread and butter matter in academia where professional historians thrive, they are subservient.

The present volume, Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed!, is a recounting of events of the last hundred years of special events in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by non-professional historians, ones not limited by the prejudices of the professional historians. In it you will find their account, their understanding of events of the last century. The account is well worth reading. Having lived through many of the events here depicted, I can personally vouch for the general accuracy of their account. But as with all history, I must take my own memories and the history they have here brought to you with a grain of salt. Neither I nor they would pretend to omniscience, to give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But what they do say is important to understand. May reading this enlighten and enlarge your understanding.

Chauncey C. Riddle

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Graduate School

Brigham Young University

Introduction

Nearly a quarter of a century ago, I had recently finished my undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University, and was teaching history and government. My intention was to work toward a PhD in history, and eventually teach at a university—to do earth-changing research and writing.

As I was making preparations, I took occasion to discuss my future plans with professors who had previously walked the path I was then envisioning. I distinctly remember sitting down with one helpful faculty member, considered moderately conservative, and about three decades my senior. He was particularly friendly, and the conversation was agreeable and engaging. He mentioned that I reminded him of himself at that age—with dreams to change the world. Not entirely naive, I asked particularly if he had advice for working in academia, especially for someone like myself with a conservative, religious frame of reference.

I was not prepared for what he advised. He deliberately, but carefully, acquainted me with the climate in the scholarly world where conservative ideology and a religious mindset was not accepted. He tacitly related that if I wanted to stay the course and proceed, I should resolve never to allow my conservative bent to reveal itself; I would need to learn to ‘fit in’—smolder my passion for defending truth. I must learn to give the impression that I was far more liberal and naturalistic than I truly was. I must always personify broad-mindedness, tolerance, and political correctness. He could see that my face was a bit pensive, perhaps withdrawn. He paused for a moment.

I responded solemnly: How long would I need to act in this unnatural, guileful way? The answer was further disconcerting: Throughout graduate school, perhaps ten years—and then, of course until tenure, maybe seven or so years—And then, be discreet and mindful after that. I cannot remember much of the subsequent conversation; I was disillusioned and bewildered. I knew I could never act like someone I was not—I had learned that lesson years earlier. But my plans . . . my dreams . . . my hopes to change the world—were hopeless?

I was upside down. What do I do now? After months of questioning, praying, and further research, I moved toward engineering, and then film production—believing that someday, perhaps, I could fund my own benefaction.

President Ezra Taft Benson, after careful review by Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson,¹ summed up our current academic atmosphere solemnly in these words:

The world worships the learning of man. They trust in the arm of flesh (see D&C 1:19). To them, men’s reasoning is greater than God’s revelations. The precepts of man have gone so far in subverting our educational system that in many cases a higher degree today, in the so-called social sciences, can be tantamount to a major investment in error. Very few men build firmly enough on the rock of revelation to go through this kind of indoctrination and come out untainted. Unfortunately, of those who succumb, some use their higher degree to get teaching positions even in our Church Educational System, where they spread the falsehoods they have been taught.²

From decades of personal experience, I know that President Benson’s valuation of our situation is correct. Therefore, I, as well as my family, and the dozens of those associated with the Joseph Smith Foundation, have generally chosen not to attempt to work inside a faith-intolerant system. Perhaps doing so was never in my blood.

My grandfather grew up in a home just a few yards south from where the Joseph Smith Building on the BYU campus is currently located. He could attend classes on campus without a heavy walk. His ward included several intellectuals from the faculty. My grandfather’s autobiography includes this pertinent detail:

. . . one of the speakers at our sacrament was one of these intellectuals from the University [BYU]. He gave the Substance of his talk like this—he didn’t like to hear our young men come home from the mission field and declare that they knew that God lived, that they knew this, and they knew that—’Why we can’t know anything—we may even be dreaming that we are living.

Although this sounded ridiculous to me, I went to my father and asked, How about it, And as usual Dad had a scripture to fit the occasion.³

I can never remember having a discussion with my grandfather in which a Gospel topic did not ‘come up.’ One scripture that came up many times includes the admonition, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.⁴ I know this witness is possible—and in our day, needed—even perhaps essential.

Latter-day Saint scholars debate near-endless questions relating to ‘good history’:

What is proper academic history?

Is objective history possible?

Is all history fiction?

Can a historian be a nonprofessional?

Should history only be written in a naturalistic frame?

Can history be a science?

Should history be a polemic?

Does good history require peer review?

The apostle Paul accused historians and other academics in our day with [e]ver learning, and never [being] able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:7) Moroni made an even stronger accusation:

O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world? (Mormon 8:38)

The authors of Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed! believe that we, as Latter-day Saints, have grossly underestimated the possibilities for good—even great history. The Prophet Joseph Smith put forth an ideal standard for history: the Book of Mormon. The Prophet taught that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any history on earth. The Lord, in the Doctrine and Covenants, gave a stronger witness: And [Joseph Smith] has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true. As God lives, the Book of Mormon is true.

In other words, the Book of Mormon should typify our objective in seeking for, or in creating, the perfect history. As a correlative, the prophet Mormon was the greatest historian to our knowledge. Note the characteristics of the Book of Mormon and its historian, the prophet Mormon:

The Book of Mormon is not fiction.

The Book of Mormon is a polemic, and proper histories should likewise defend the faith.

The Book of Mormon was not peer reviewed, but rather written by the Spirit of God and reviewed by God.

The Book of Mormon is a truly academic history, although academicians would reject it.

The prophet Mormon was not a ‘professional’ historian, but his history was professional.

The Book of Mormon contains true science.

The Book of Mormon was written with the objectivity and omniscience of God.

The Book of Mormon is not written with a naturalistic or materialistic frame, and true histories should follow this model.

For those familiar with the ‘scholarly world,’ the ‘learned’ of today would disagree with each of the foregoing statements. The work, Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed! seeks to follow the example of the Book of Mormon and true history as closely as possible; it is not concerned with those who feel this direction is ‘unprofessional’ or ‘non-academic.’

Finally, as Latter-day Saints, we are at a crossroads. For nearly 200 years, we have put forward a dominant narrative consisting of two primary assertions:

First, we have maintained that the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, the teachings in the Book of Mormon, and the writings in the Pearl of Great Price, were the standard for the Church—the measuring rod, the rock foundation upon which to build. This rock was sustained by the Church and cherished by the faithful.

Second, we have maintained that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a pure fountain and stands next to Jesus Christ in holiness, righteousness, and honor. His work in reestablishing the Gospel was testified of as the Marvelous Work and Wonder foreseen and foretold by ancient prophets from the days of Adam.

In recent decades, voices far and near have declared that the foundation is shifting and cracking, and that the structure built upon it is in crisis. The truth is, the foundation laid down by the Prophet Joseph Smith is built upon the Rock that can never fail. If the structure being built is in crisis, could it be that those building are now constructing on a new foundation—a new history, a new narrative—all of sand? This undermining began several decades ago, and we are now tasting the fruit. The Internet is often used as the scapegoat, but a neutral agent is not a cause. Although the current faith crisis and its sources are not pleasant topics, they are nonetheless urgent. A history investigating, examining, and appraising Mormon historians is imperative.

I believe that we have not been betrayed by those who gave and maintained our dominant narrative; but after reading the present volume you may agree that some mischief has been afoot.

James F. Stoddard III

series coauthor, Faith Crisis

Executive Strategist, Joseph Smith Foundation

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1 "President Benson personally reviewed the entire manuscript [referring to the Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson], as did his counselors in the First Presidency." Ezra Taft Benson, Introduction, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson (Bookcraft, 1988).

2 Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson (Bookcraft, 1988), 319.

3 Family History Biography: Calvin K. Jacob, p. 17.

4 John 3:11.

Chapter 1: Hofmann & the Forging of the New Mormon History

It was a cold Wednesday morning, January 18, 1984, when Ronald W. Walker, historian, author, and professor at Brigham Young University, approached the home of his supervisor, thoroughly unaware of the shocking blow that awaited him. Inside, Leonard J. Arrington, Walker’s supervisor, held a copy of an explosive, unsettling, alleged 19th-century document—a document that would forever change Latter-day Saint history. It would come to be known as the ‘ Salamander Letter.’ Ron Walker would record in his journal later that night:

At face value, it [the Salamander Letter] is explosive. It is a letter from Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps, [written in] 1830, describing the early origins of the Church in spiritualistic¹ or cabalistic² terms. It confirms several other documents that have been recently found, indicating the treasure-hunting activity of Joseph Smith prior to the organization of the Church. These finds will require a re-examination and rewriting of our origins.³

The discovery perplexed Walker and many other Latter-day Saint historians. For over a century-and-a-half, anti-Mormons had accused Joseph Smith of dabbling in magic or participating in treasure digging during his formative years. The Smith family, Church leaders, and faithful historians persistently confronted these accusations, recognizing them as vile slander with no foundation of truth.⁴ Did the Prophet Joseph Smith not state in his own official history that evil-disposed and designing persons⁵ would malign his character and the character of the Church?

And yet, Latter-day Saint historians remained divided; now a primary source document had surfaced that appeared to have originated from the hand of an eyewitness favorable to Joseph Smith, and not from an enemy. This eyewitness’s account appeared to confirm Joseph’s alleged magical and self-serving practices.

On January 6, 1984, Mark Hofmann sold the Salamander Letter to Steven F. Christensen, a wealthy Latter-day Saint document collector. Hofmann, a ‘married-in-the-temple,’ returned-missionary member of the Church had, in the past, sold many Mormon history⁶ documents to the Church. However, when he approached President Gordon B. Hinckley with the Salamander Letter, Hinckley declined, asserting the price was too high. A few weeks later, Hofmann sold the document to Steven Christensen, for $40,000.⁷

In an instant, Hofmann’s discovery shattered the very foundations of traditional Latter-day Saint history. According to the Salamander Letter, Martin Harris—one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, told W. W. Phelps in 1830 that the older Smith [Joseph Smith Sr.] . . . says Joseph can see any thing he wishes by looking at a stone Joseph often sees Spirits here with great kettles of coin money.⁸ Since the early days of the Church, many of its leaders have denied allegations that Joseph Smith, as a youth and young adult, had a career in treasure digging while using peep stones.⁹ However, during the 20th century, many progressive Latter-day Saint historians and researchers began insisting that the Church had ignored historical sources—even covering up inconvenient facts—and that our history needed to be rewritten.¹⁰

The progressive movement claimed—even demanded—that the traditional story was a lie, or at least, less than the complete truth. Traditionalist historians disagreed, affirming that the dominant history was essentially true, and they encouraged those in scholarly research to press on with faith. The battle intensified to the point that President Spencer W. Kimball, along with other leaders including President Gordon B. Hinckley, quietly and discreetly removed the Church Historian and Director of the History Division, Leonard Arrington, from his post in the early 1980s. The History Division was closed. Some mourned Arrington’s departure as an exile, an attempt to subdue the progressive voice. In the midst of this war over our faith’s history, the Salamander Letter appeared to offer support for the progressive new narrative.

Salamander: Progressive vs. Traditionalist History

While the traditional history of the Church portrays Joseph Smith obtaining the Nephite plates from the Angel Moroni and then translating them using the Jaredite-Nephite Urim & Thummim,¹¹ the Salamander Letter claimed that Joseph did not translate—but instead dictated the Book of Mormon using some giant silver spectacles [found] with the plates he puts them in an old hat & in the darkness reads the words & in this way it is all translated & written down.

While the dominant narrative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintained that Joseph discovered the Nephite plates after being visited by Moroni—an ancient American prophet sent by the Lord—the Salamander Letter described Joseph meeting a spirit [who] transfigured himself from a white salamander.

In the magical worldview, some considered salamanders an amulet against Satan and evil spirits.¹² Furthermore, a New York newspaper, published in 1821 near where the Smiths made their home, recorded a Swedish mystic as being surrounded by hideous reptiles who were replaced by a man. Mexican Indians reportedly held that lizards could assist men in uncovering lost treasure, and German magical lore tells of treasure guardians and spirits who appear as lizards. Progressive historian, D. Michael Quinn, documented: The belief that fiery salamander spirits could communicate with humans is at least as old as the Middle Ages . . . and seems to have intensified during the generation of Joseph Smith, Sr., and his sons.¹³

Now, the copy of the Salamander Letter that Leonard Arrington placed in Ron Walker’s hands that cold January morning redefined the discovery of the Nephite plates as an occultic experience—a magical encounter Joseph must have experienced multiple times before—presumably while treasure digging and participating in ritual magic:

I [Joseph Smith] found it [the plates] 4 years ago with my stone [peep stone] but only just got it because of the enchantment the old spirit come [sic] to me 3 times in the same dream & says dig up the gold but when I take it up the next morning the spirit transfigured himself from a white salamander in the bottom of the hole & struck me 3 times & held the treasure & would not let me have it because I lay it down to cover over the hole when the spirit says do not lay it down¹⁴

The Salamander Letter connected not only the coming forth of the Book of Mormon with magic, but its ‘discovery’ appeared to corroborate statements made by antagonists and enemies of the Prophet Joseph Smith during early Mormonism.

Rewriting Latter-day Saint History

In 1984 many Latter-day Saint historians scurried to write a new history. Some who