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From the book: Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Supporting the Prophet Joseph Smith
by Michael R. Ash
In the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon are the testimonies of the Book of Mormon Witnesses. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris signed a statement testifying that an angel of God showed them the plates and that they heard the voice of the Lord telling them that the record which Joseph translated is true. Eight other witnesses signed a statement testifying that Joseph had shown them the physical plates and that the plates were engraved with curious characters. None of these witnesses ever denied their testimonies. The very fact that eleven honest men testified as to having seen or handled the golden plates is considerable evidence for the truthfulness of the story as told by Joseph Smith.
Michael R. Ash is the author of: Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Supporting The Prophet Joseph Smith. He is the owner and operator of MormonFortress.com and is on the management team for FairMormon. He has been published in Sunstone, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the Maxwell Institute’s FARMS Review, and is the author of Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony in the Face of Criticism and Doubt. He and his wife live in Ogden, Utah, and have three daughters.
Julianne Dehlin Hatton is a broadcast journalist living in Louisville, Kentucky. She has worked as a News Director at an NPR affiliate, Radio and Television Host, and Airborne Traffic Reporter. She graduated with an MSSc from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 2008. Julianne and her husband Thomas are the parents of four children.
Music for Faith and Reason is provided by Arthur Hatton.
I used to think that the idea of angels appearing to mortals to show them a book was a peculiarly Mormon thing, but after studying the stories of modern NDE experiences, particularly, Howard Storm and Marc Rains, I realize this is normal fare for angels. If you disbelieve Joseph and the three witnesses, then you will have to write off many other non-Mormons who’ve had similar experiences. Whether, in the body, or out, it doesn’t diminish the reality of these testimonies.
I add Emanuel Swedenborg to the list of mortals acquainted with angels. This man, remote in time ansd space to Joseph Smith, taught exactly the nature of men and angels. He said that men can see angels with their spiritual eyes when the Lord allows it. The man may still consider himself in his body, even though he is seeing through spiritual eyes. The natural eyes cannot behold it. Swedenborg’s teachings are as close to what Smith revealed than any other source I’ve studied. It is pure Mormonism, but in intricate detail. Refer to his book , Heaven and Hell. The guy was a genius!