HANK HANEGRAAF:
You’re in essence saying in your book that the history of Mormonism is based on a myth.
RICHARD ABANES:
Oh absolutely. That’s yet another thing. That the myth that is readable in the Book of Mormon written by Joseph Smith and we now know that not only is there no evidence that anything in the Book of Mormon actually happened we also know that he wrote the Book of Mormon through many things of his own life experiences as well as plagiarized ideas and books of that time.
The Truth about Authorship of The Book of Mormon:
- Plagiarism accusations—Joseph Smith is often accused of creating the Book of Mormon by plagiarizing various contemporary sources such as the Spalding Manuscript or Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews. (Link)
- Early claims about Joseph Smith as author—Some early critics claimed Joseph was clearly the Book of Mormon’s only author; others felt it was clear he could not have written it. (Link)
- Authorship theories—An overview of the various authorship theories that critics have created to explain the existence of the Book of Mormon. (Link)
