Question: Did Joseph Smith plagiarize John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress?

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Question: Did Joseph Smith plagiarize John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress?

At a very general level, many stories can look alike—but that does not mean they are the same

Did Joseph Smith rely on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress for key ideas in the Book of Mormon, including Lehi's vision or the story of Abinadi?

It is easy to simplify stories so much that they start to look alike. When we reduce them to basic outlines, we can compare them and claim they are the same. At that level, there is not much difference between Pilgrim’s Progress and stories of martyrs in the New Testament or early Christianity. Even the story of Jesus could be summarized in a similar way: he enters a city, causes a disturbance, is arrested, questioned several times, put on trial, accused of wrongdoing, punished, and killed. He dies for his beliefs, and his followers continue his work.

But this kind of summary removes too much detail. When we describe stories this way, we lose what makes them unique.

Because of this, the claim that the Book of Mormon was plagiarized from Pilgrim’s Progress is not very strong. It relies on what critics call “parallel hunting”—looking for similarities while ignoring differences. When we read both texts carefully, we see that their moral teachings and messages are very different. Both works focus on Christ and salvation, but those themes disappear when the stories are reduced to short summaries. This can mislead readers into thinking they understand the texts when they do not.

The problem with parallels

Using similarities between books as proof of plagiarism is often unreliable. If we compared all books this way, we would find similarities everywhere. This is one reason why most plagiarism lawsuits fail. It is easy to see connections that are not really there.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, accusations of plagiarism were very common. Many successful plays were sued over supposed similarities. Some lawyers even searched for possible sources in older works and encouraged lawsuits. Because of these problems, literary scholars began to reject this method of comparison, although it is still used today.

In 1952, lawyer Alexander Lindey wrote an important study on plagiarism. He listed nine common problems, or “vices,” in using parallels to argue that one work copied another:

1. Methods that highlight similarities but ignore differences are misleading.
2. Parallels can be easily manipulated to seem more important than they are.
3. Those searching for parallels often try to prove a point rather than seek truth.
4. Any story can be reduced to simple elements, making all works seem unoriginal.
5. Parallels take ideas out of context, which distorts their meaning.
6. They do not show how much of a work is actually similar.
7. They may use unclear or misleading language to make things seem alike.
8. Breaking a work into parts ignores its overall meaning and impact.
9. They assume that similarity means copying, ignoring other explanations.

These issues show why we must be careful when comparing texts in this way.

Examining the claimed parallels

William Davis presents a list of 14 similarities between Pilgrim’s Progress and the story of Abinadi. However, to understand these claims, we must look at the full context of each story.

For example, Davis writes:

“In Pilgrim’s Progress, Faithful and Christian journey to the wicked city of Vanity Fair on their way to the Celestial Kingdom.”

This description is already inaccurate. Pilgrim’s Progress refers to the “Celestial City,” not the “Celestial Kingdom.” The phrase “Celestial City” was common in many earlier religious writings, not unique to Bunyan. Using different wording here may make the two texts seem more closely connected than they really are.

Also, Pilgrim’s Progress is clearly written as a symbolic story or parable. Its characters and places have names like Christian, Faithful, Evangelist, and Vanity Fair. These names are meant to teach moral lessons. This is very different from the narrative style of the Book of Mormon.

Parallel 1

• Bunyan: The pilgrims enter the city, cause a disturbance, and are imprisoned.
• Abinadi: Abinadi enters the city, causes a disturbance, and is imprisoned.

At first, these seem similar. But the details are very different.

In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Faithful are strangers passing through the city. They attract attention because of their clothing, language, and behavior. They refuse to participate in the marketplace, which upsets the people.

Abinadi, however, is not a stranger. He is part of his community. He causes a disturbance because he preaches that the people must repent or be destroyed. His message, not his appearance, leads to his arrest.

Even the imprisonment is different. In Bunyan’s story, the pilgrims are placed in a cage and displayed as a public spectacle. In the Book of Mormon, Abinadi is held in prison as part of a legal process.

These differences show that the similarity is only superficial.

Parallel 2

• Bunyan: A leader gathers people to examine the pilgrims.
• Abinadi: King Noah gathers priests to examine Abinadi.

This similarity is expected in any story involving a trial. If someone is accused of wrongdoing, there will be questioning. This is a common feature in many narratives, including the trial of Jesus.

Parallel 3

• Bunyan: The prisoners are brought before leaders and put on trial.
• Abinadi: Abinadi is brought before leaders and put on trial.

Here, the comparison removes important context. In Bunyan’s story, this happens after a public conflict among spectators. The pilgrims are blamed for causing trouble, even though they did not start it.

In Abinadi’s story, the trial focuses on his teachings and prophecies. The reasons for the trial are very different.

Parallel 4

• Bunyan: Faithful is called a “madman.”
• Abinadi: Abinadi is called “mad.”

Both are accused of madness, but for different reasons. In Bunyan’s story, the accusation comes from how the pilgrims appear and behave as outsiders. In the Book of Mormon, the accusation comes after Abinadi strongly challenges the king and priests.

Parallel 11

• Bunyan: Faithful “seals” his testimony with his blood.
• Abinadi: Abinadi “seals” his testimony with his blood.

Looking at the full text shows that these phrases are used differently. In Bunyan’s work, the idea is introduced earlier as a warning that the pilgrims may die for their beliefs. In the Book of Mormon, Abinadi declares that his death will stand as a testimony against his accusers.

Even though both involve martyrdom, the meaning and context are not the same.

Conclusion

When we look closely at the details, the claimed parallels between Pilgrim’s Progress and the Book of Mormon are weak. They depend on simplifying the stories and ignoring their differences.

Both works include themes like persecution, testimony, and faith. But these themes are common in many religious texts, especially the Bible. Similarities alone are not enough to prove plagiarism.

To understand these works properly, we must read them in full context. Only then can we see their true meaning and differences.

Notes (click to expand)

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