With the news circulating of a Lehi family that started a landscape project on their back yard and found bones of a pre-historic horse that may date back as much as 16,000 years, I thought I would share the following "Ask Gramps" article from LDS author H. Clay Gorton.

Dear Gramps:
The Book of Mormon states that the Nephites and Jaredites had horses. If they did, why did the Native Americans (Lamanites) not know about horses when the explorers came to the new world? Do you know if there is any archaeological evidence that there were horses on the American Continent when the Jaredites and Nephites were around? Thanks, Gidgt.

Dear Gidgt:
It is not true that the Lamanites knew nothing of the horse when the Spaniards arrived. It is true that the Spaniards found no horses in Mexico, Central America and Peru, and from that deduced that there were no horses on the American Continent. However, Sir Francis Drake, visiting the west coast of North America, saw "large bands of wild horses," as quoted below:

"So far as the nonexistence of the horse in ancient America is concerned, the question has forever been set at rest by the discovery of the remains of this animal all over the land; and though Cortez and his followers saw none alive, yet Admiral Sir Francis Drake did see large bands of wild horses on the Oregon Coast in 1579, far too early for any to have escaped from the Spaniards, grown wild, and traveled so vast a distance."
(Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 6, p. 236.)

There has been work performed at Gypsum Cave and other locations "where mammoth, mastodon, camel and horse are associated with man, and there is a map showing twenty-three places where extinct animals have been associated with man in the United States."
(M.R. Harrington, Gypsum Cave, Nevada, Southwest Museum papers, No. 8, 37.)

I have observed the skeletons of pre-historic horses in a museum of natural history in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that were discovered in Argentina by Charles Darwin (1809-1882). I could tell no difference from the skeletons of modern horses except in one particular. The bone extending over the nose of the modern horse is about four inches long after it separates from the rest of the skull; however, on those pre-historic horses that bone was about ten inches long.

Evidence shows that the horse was native to the American continent before the advent of the Book of Mormon cultures, rather than being introduced by Europeans in the 1500's.

--Gramps.

(Taken from Elder Scott Anderson’s journal)
 
We had an unexpected moment in the mission field. We knocked on a door and a lady said something to us we had never heard before. “Come in,” she told us. I was serving in a German mission and this never happened to us but this dear lady invited us in.
 
“Do you know who we are?”  my companion asked.
“You want to talk about religion, don't you?”  she said.
“Yes,” we explained. “We do.”  
“Oh, come in,” she invited. “I've been watching you walk around the neighborhood. I’m so excited to have you here. Please come into my study.” 
We went in and seated ourselves and she sat down behind a large desk.
 
She looked at us with a smile and then pointed to three PhD diplomas hanging on the wall just above her head.  One was in Theology, the study of religion, another in Philosophy, the study of ideas, and the third was in European History specializing in Christianity.
She then rubbed her hands together and said, “See this row of books here?” 
We looked at her well-arranged shelf of books.
“I wrote them all,” she told us. “I’m the Theology professor at the University of Munich. I've been doing this for 41 years. I love to talk about religion. What would you like to discuss?”
My inspired companion replied, “We’d like to talk about the Book of Mormon.”
“I don't know anything about the Book of Mormon,” she told us.
“I know,” responded my companion.
Twenty minutes later we ended our discussion, giving her a copy of the Book of Mormon as we left. I did not see this lady again for another eight and a half weeks.
 
I next saw her in a small room filled with people. She was standing near the front and was dressed completely in white. This Theology professor from the University of Munich, well known throughout Southern Germany, stood in front of a small congregation of people and declared, “Before I'm baptized I’d like to tell you my feelings. Amos, chapter 8 verse 11 states there will be a famine of the word of God. I have been in that famine for 76 years. Why do you think I have three PhD’s?  I've been hungering for truth and have been unable to find it. Eight and a half weeks ago, two boys walked into my home. I want you to know these boys are very nice and wonderful young men, but they didn’t convert me. They couldn’t; they don’t know enough.”
 
She then smiled and said, “But since the day they walked in my door I have read the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, all of Talmage’s great writings, Evidence and Reconciliations by John A. Widtsoe and 22 other volumes of church doctrine.”  Then she said something which I think is a challenge for every one of us. “I don't think you members know what you have.” In her quiet yet powerful way, she added, “After all those years of studying philosophy, I picked up the D&C and read a few little verses that answered some of the greatest questions of Aristotle and Socrates! When I read those verses, I wept for four hours. I just don’t think you members know what you have. Do you understand that the world is in a famine?  Do you not realize we are starving for what you have? I am like a starving person being led to a feast. And over these eight and a half weeks I have been able to feast in a way I have never known possible.” She added, “These missionaries don't just carry membership in the church in their hands, they carry within their hands the power to make the atonement of Jesus Christ full force in my life.  Today I'm going into the water and I'm going to make a covenant with Christ for the first time with proper authority. I’ve wanted to do this all my life.”
She ended her powerful message and her challenging statement with a favorite scripture, “The truth can make you free.”
 
None of us will forget the day that she was baptized. After her baptism she stood again, and before receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and said, “Now I would like to talk about the Holy Ghost for a while.” She then gave us a wonderful talk about the gift of the Holy Ghost.
 
(later in Elder Anderson’s journal)
 
Two young missionaries, both relatively new, (one had been out about five months, the other three weeks) accidentally knocked on the door of the seminary in Reagansburg. Inside, 125 wonderful men were studying to become priests. The Elders hadn’t realized they had knocked on the seminary door because it looked just like any other door. They were invited in.
 
In somewhat of a panic, the man answering the door said, “I am sorry we just don’t have time to visit with you at the moment.” The two missionaries were understandably relieved, but then the gentleman added, “Would you come back next Tuesday and spend two hours addressing all 125 of us and answer questions about your church?”
They agreed and walked away with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. They called the mission president and cried for help. The mission president in turn called us and asked, “Do you think that dear lady that you have just brought in to the church would like to come help these two missionaries with this assignment?”
 
When I called her to ask if she would like to help these two missionaries, she replied, “More than I would like to eat, more than I would like to sleep, more than . . .” “that’s great!” I said. “You don’t need to explain.”
 
We drove her to the seminary and as we went in, she grabbed the two missionaries that had originally been invited, put her arms around them and said, “You are wonderful, young men.  Would each of you spend about two minutes bearing your testimony and then sit down and be quiet please?” They were grateful for their assignment. They bore their testimonies and then seated themselves.
Then this dear woman stood and said, “For the next 30 minutes I would like to talk to you about historical apostasy.” She knew every date and fact. She had a Ph.D. in this subject. She talked about everything that had been taken away from the great teachings the Savior had given, mostly organizational, in the first part of her talk. The next 45 minutes was doctrinal. She gave every point of doctrinal changes, when it happened and what had changed. By the time she was done, she looked at 125 seminary students and declared, “In 1820 a boy walked into a grove of trees.  He had been in a famine just like I have been. He knelt to pray, because he was hungry just like I have been. He saw God the Father and His Son. I know that is hard for you to believe that they could be two separate beings, but I know they are.” She shared scriptures that verified her statement and then continued, “I would like to talk about historical restoration of truth.” 
Then, point by point, date by date, quoting scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants, she laid out the organizational structure of Christ’s church. The last 20 minutes of her talk were brilliant. She doctrinally put the truth back in place, point by point, principle by principle. 
When she finished this profound talk, she said, “I have been in a famine as talked about in Amos. You know that because last year I was here teaching you.”  For the first time, we realized that she had been their Theology professor. She continued by saying, “Last year when I was teaching you, I told you that I was still in a famine. Well, I have been led to a feast. I invite you to join me.”  She finished with her testimony and sat down. 
 
What happened next was hard for me to understand. Theses 125 sincere, wonderful men stood and for the next 7 minutes gave our friend a standing ovation. By the time four minutes had gone by I was in tears. Standing with them I could see the tears in their eyes as well. I wondered why they were applauding after the message she had given. I asked many of them later and they responded, “To hear someone so unashamed of the truth, to hear someone teaching with such power, to hear someone who finally has conviction.”
 
The truth can set us free. Do we really know what we have?

 

            
     “In the long search for truth, we have often reached wrong conclusions both in science and religion….Life demands that we keep learning. Otherwise we become shunted off into dark pockets of error.”

(Franklin S. Harris, Science and Your Faith in God, Bookcraft, 1958, p 93).
               



              Scientific method entails supposition and conjecture. Without exception, these always encompass the probability of error. History chronicles countless scientific concepts created on incorrect and erroneous suppositions. Most of us can, without difficulty, bring to mind so called “scientific facts” which have now been demonstrated to be incorrect, inaccurate or flawed. 
                Some of the obvious assumptions include:
                The world is flat. Earth is the center of the universe. Chemical elements cannot be divided into smaller particles. Newton’s laws explain all forms of motion. Outer space is filled with ether.
                Less dramatic assumptions in the field of science have led to even larger blunders than those mentioned above.
                “Science is not a body of indisputable and immutable truth,” wrote Anthony Standen in his book Science is a Sacred Cow. (E.P. Dutton & Son, Inc., New York, 1950). “It is a body of well-supported probable opinion only, and its ideas may be exploded at any time.”
                When our opinions are based on a false assumption, we can defend all kinds of mendacities as true and accurate. Incorrect suppositions can seem to progress plausibly and even appear accurate. Time has shown that hypotheses fabricated on false suppositions will eventually crumble but an assertion originating from a true and accurate assumption will persevere.
                Suppositions take a pronounced position both in science and in religion. Certain religious principles can be founded on false beliefs and yet appear truthful and reasonable. It is as easy and, indeed, just as common in religion to espouse a false notion as it is in science, conceivably even more so. Science, in general, is more proficient than religion at examining and extinguishing fallacious premises. In science, when a theory is observed to be incorrect, it is usually rescinded. Religion is somewhat less inclined to consider false concepts and false traditions among its beliefs and teachings.
                As stated above by Franklin S. Harris, we should never stop learning. This is as equally true in religion as it is in science. The views most people have of religion were acquired in childhood. Much of the world’s opinion regarding religion is founded on kindergarten concepts. When we fall behind in our religious learning, religion appears irrational. Many have abandoned religion simply because they failed to develop their spiritual knowledge along with their temporal knowledge. Only immature religion is unintelligent.
                Some individuals feel that, in this Age of Enlightenment, established religion cannot endure the onslaught of scientific discovery. In his book, Issues in Evolution, (University of Chicago Press, 1960, p. 252). Sir Julian Huxley wrote, “In the evolutionary pattern of thought there is no longer either need or room for the supernatural. The earth was not created; it evolved. So did all the animals and plants that inhabit it, including our human selves, mind and soul as well as brain and body. So did religion.”
                In contrast to this viewpoint, others maintain that there has been an abundance of evidence to support the existence of God which parallels and even surpasses the surge of scientific advances.
                Any rational, thinking person would be obliged to investigate the evidence for the existence of God. Unfortunately, average intellects are disinclined to consider issues that present a threat to their comfortable and convenient existence.
                “Come now,” counsels the prophet Isaiah, “and let us reason together.” (Isaiah 1:18). On one side of the argument there are people who allege to be atheists or agnostics; on the other are those who affirm that they “know” God lives. Is either being misled or deceived?

                Seven significant statements to consider are the following:

1. When they discard their false ideologies, no conflict will exist between exact science and true religion. The disagreement is not between science and religion but between two differing philosophies, one of which hides behind a pretense of scientific propriety.

2. Both faith and reason have proven their importance in human experiences. Faith plays a significant role in science as well as in religion, and reason is needed just as much in religion as it is in science.

3. Science and logic can never conclusively prove the fundamental principles of faith, which include the reality of a living God, the divine nature of our Savior Jesus Christ, and our own immortal existence.

4. Thanks to science we live in an astonishingly superior world than our antecedents. Science and religion can both endure as abundant sources of life.

5. Although science and religion principally function in distinct areas of life, they are not mutually exclusive but go hand-in-hand toward a common goal—the search for truth.

6. On-going revelation permits religion to continually assist and benefit contemporary humanity. It supplies the answers and assurances we seek.

7. Obedience to eternal, unchangeable law, whether scientific or spiritual, leads to true freedom and happiness.

                There is plenty of “evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) and there is plenty of hope for a better world.

(From the Preface to The Demise of Darwinism.)     

1 - The Most Important Lesson - The Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college our professor gave us a pop  quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy." 

2 - The Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure the lashing  rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others. Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole." 

3 - The Third Important Lesson - Always Remember Those Who Serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. 
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents", she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.  

 4 - The Fourth Important Lesson - The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a  purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. 

5 - The Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When It Counts

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz, who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies, needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it, if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, after all, understanding and attitude, is everything. 

"I heard that Joseph Smith used to place a special hat on his head containing a shiny stone in order to receive revelation. How did Joseph receive revelation from the Lord?"

(Authored by H. Clay Gorton)
The "shiny stone" that you refer to was either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone that Joseph was given as instruments to affect the translation of the Book of Mormon. It is well to remember that in 1829 Egyptian was a completely obscure language. The use of the hat was the most natural of occurrences. Have you ever tried to look at the numbers on a watch with a luminous dial? In order to see the luminescence the watch must be in almost complete darkness. Joseph Smith simply used a hat to exclude extraneous light so he could see what appeared on the stones into which he was looking. He didn't put it on his head. You can find this information in the following two references.

"Moreover, witnesses of the translation process consistently claim that Joseph Smith translated by placing either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone in a hat (to obscure the light in the room) and that he did not actually translate from the physical plates. In answer to a direct question about the use of other materials, Emma Smith specifically avowed that Joseph never had any manuscripts or books to assist him in the translation. All the witnesses, directly or indirectly, provide strong evidence that Joseph Smith did not use a King James Bible."  (Royal Skousen, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, p. 130)

The Following is David Whitmer's own statement to a reporter of the Kansas City Journal, published June 5, 1881:

"The next day after I got there they packed up the plates and we proceeded on our journey to my father's house, where we arrived in due time, and the day after we commenced upon the translation of the remainder of the plates. I, as well as all of my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation. The translation was by Smith, and the manner as follows: He had two small stones of a chocolate color, nearly egg shape, and perfectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, which were given him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light, and before his eyes would appear what seemed to be parchment, on which would appear the characters of the plates in a line at the top, and immediately below would appear the translation, in English, which Smith would read to his scribe, who wrote it down exactly as it fell from his lips. The scribe would then read the sentence written, and if any mistake had been made, the characters would remain visible to Smith until corrected, then they faded from sight to be replaced by another line. The translation at my father's occupied about one month, that is from June 1 to July 1, 1829." (See Millennial Star, Vol. 43, p. 421; see also LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p. 263.)

Joseph Smith often employed scribes to write the revelations that he received, in some cases as they were being received. Here is an interesting account of one such occurrence recorded by Howard Coray, one of Joseph's clerks:

"One morning, I went as usual, into the office to go to work: I found Joseph sitting on one side of the table and Robert B. Thompson on the opposite side, and the understanding I got was that they were examining or hunting in the manuscript of the new translation of the Bible for something on Priesthood, which Joseph wished to present, or have read to the people the next conference: Well, they could not find what they wanted and Joseph said to Thompson 'put the manuscript to one side, and take some paper and I will tell you what to write.' Brother Thompson took some foolscap paper that was at his elbow and made himself ready for the business. I was seated probably 6 to 8 feet on Joseph's left side, so that I could look almost squarely into Joseph's left eye--I mean the side of his eye. Well, the Spirit of God descended upon him, and a measure of it upon me, insomuch that I could fully realize that God, or the Holy Ghost, was talking through him. I never, neither before or since, have felt as I did on that occasion. I felt so small and humble I could have freely kissed his feet." (Special Collections, Brigham Young University, p. 51.)

On other occasions, the revelations were written many years after having been received, such as D&C 132, which was recorded on 12 July 1843. However, this revelation was received by the prophet probably sometime in 1831.

D&C Section 76 is the record of a vision that was seen by Joseph and Sidney Rigdon at the home of Father Johnson in Hyrum, Ohio, in the presence of about a dozen persons. Philo Dibble, who was among those present, recorded the following account:

"Joseph would, at intervals, say: 'What do I see?' Then he would relate what he had seen or what he was looking at. Then Sidney replied, 'I see the same.' Presently Sidney would say, 'What do I see?' and would repeat what he had seen or was seeing, and Joseph would reply, "I see the same.' This manner of conversation was repeated at short intervals until the end of the vision, and during the whole time not a word was spoken by any other person. Not a sound or motion made by anyone but Joseph and Sidney, and it seemed to me that they never moved a joint or limb during the time I was there, which I think was over an hour, and to the end of the vision. Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which joseph remarked, smilingly, 'Sidney is not used to it as I am.' " (The Juvenile Instructor, May 15, 1892, pp. 303, 304.)

Of significance is the fact that Joseph Smith did not write Section 76. The commandment to write the vision was given in verse 28;

"And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision."

Ivan J. Barrett reports in his book titled Joseph Smith and the Restoration, p. 204, that Joseph requested Sidney Rigdon to write the vision, and that he stayed up the entire night following the vision to put it in written form.

Some revelations were received by the prophet by means of the Urim and Thummim. For example D&C 7. At other times angelic messengers appeared to him to deliver the word of God. For example D&C 13 and 110.

So the prophet was not restricted to any one means of receiving the word of the Lord. President Wilford Woodruff had this to say on the subject:
 
"What is revelation? It is the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to man. Joseph Smith said to Brother John Taylor in his day: 'Brother Taylor, you watch the impression of the Spirit of God; you watch the whisperings of the Spirit to you; you carry them out in your life, and it will become a principle of revelation in you, and you will know and understand this spirit and power.' This is the key, the foundation stone of all revelation. Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He could translate anything given to him of God.  He could receive revelation without the Urim and Thummim. Many of the principal revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were received without the use of the Urim and Thummim. They were given to him by the inspiration of Almighty God. In my own experience I have endeavored to get acquainted with that Spirit manifested in me, and if I had not followed its whisperings to me, I should have been in my grave long ago, with many of my companions." (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 45-46.)

Authored by H. Clay Gorton.

Read The Demise of Darwinism by H. Clay Gorton

See Gorton's other writings here.

Consider this; of all the people living on the earth in 1820, God chose Joseph Smith, an obscure, uneducated and insignificant farm boy to establish His Kingdom, restore His priesthood and translate His words recorded on plates of gold buried in the hill Cumorah. Was it just by some freak coincidence that the chosen prophet lived only a few miles from where the ancient Prophet Moroni had buried the golden plates 1400 years earlier? Or did the Lord have a hand in getting Joseph to the right place at the right time?

For three generations, Joseph Smith, Sr.’s ancestors were affluent and prominent residents of Topsfield, Massachusetts. Joseph Sr.’s grandfather, Samuel Smith, was a highly respected person in the village and was frequently elected town selectman, town clerk, and representative to the Massachusetts legislature. The Salem Gazette referred to him as an "esteemed…man of integrity and uprightness…a sincere friend to the liberties of his country, and a strenuous advocate for the doctrines of Christianity." Samuel died when the market for farm products was in a deep slump and farm debt plagued thousands of Massachusetts farmers. At the time of his death, Samuel's estate was insolvent. Samuel’s son, Asael, took over the family farm for about five years, until he too failed and was forced to sell the property and move. Asael’s two oldest sons went to Vermont to a new town called Tunbridge. There they cut trees through the summer of 1791 and built a tiny hut. In the fall the entire family arrived and crowded into the little shelter to weather the winter.

Joseph Smith, Sr. met Lucy Mack through one of Lucy's brothers, Stephen Mack and they married in 1796. Joseph’s father Asael gave his son a farm, and Stephen gave Lucy a thousand dollars, a substantial sum of money at that time. But they did not enjoy their riches for long. In 1802 they rented the farm and opened a store in Randolph, a neighboring town. Unfortunately, the store failed, leaving the Smiths with heavy debts. They sold their farm and dispensed all of Lucy's thousand-dollar wedding gift just to meet their obligations. They were left with nothing.

Joseph, Sr. and Lucy Smith, once established property holders, abruptly fell to the status of tenant farmers. They went from farm to farm in towns along the Connecticut River, crossing from Vermont into New Hampshire and back to Norwich. Then it hit!

The year  was 1816 and is known as the Year Without a Summer, the Summer that Never Was, the Poverty Year, or as Vermont folk singer Pete Sutherland referred to it in his song; "1800 and Froze-to-Death,"

Severe summer climate abnormalities caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.7 to 1.3 °F. Evidence suggests this variance was caused by a historic low in solar activity combined with a volcanic winter created by a series of major volcanic eruptions. This included the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, in Indonesia, the largest known eruption in over 1,300 years. It was the largest eruption since the Hatepe eruption in 180 AD and it occurred during the middle of the Dalton Minimum (a period of unusually low solar activity).

The effects were widespread and lasted beyond the winter. At the time, Europe was still recovering from the Napoleonic Wars and had experienced severe food shortages. Food riots broke out in England and France, and grain warehouses were looted. Huge storms and abnormal rainfall flooded Europe's major rivers. A major typhus epidemic hit Ireland between 1816 and 1819, precipitated by the famine of the Year Without a Summer. An estimated 100,000 Irish perished during this period. In Europe, the fatality rates in 1816 were approximately 200,000, twice the normal average.

Cooler temperatures and heavy rains caused crop failures in Britain and Ireland. Families in Wales journeyed long distances begging for food. Famine was widespread in Ireland after farmers lost wheat, oats, and potato crops. The crises was also severe in Germany and food prices rose sharply. People rallied in front of grain markets and bakeries. Riots, arson, and looting occurred all over Europe. It was the worst famine of the 19th-century.

In Switzerland, the summers of 1816 and 1817 were so cool, an ice dam formed below the Giétro Glacier.  Despite attempts to drain the growing lake, the ice dam crumpled tragically in June 1818. Hungary experienced brown snow. Italy saw red snow falling throughout the year caused by the volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

In northern China, the cold weather killed trees, rice crops, and water buffalo. Floods destroyed many of the remaining crops. Mount Tambora's eruption disrupted China's monsoon season, resulting in overwhelming floods in the Yangtze Valley. In India, the delayed summer monsoon caused late torrential rains that aggravated the spread of cholera from the Ganges River in Bengal to as far as Moscow, Russia. Summer snowfall and mixed precipitation were reported in various locations in Jiangxi and Anhui. In Taiwan, which has a tropical climate, snow was reported in Hsinchu and Miaoli and frost in Changhua.

In North America, during the spring and summer of 1816, an unrelenting dry fog covered parts of the eastern United States. It has been characterized as a "stratospheric sulfate aerosol veil". The fog reddened and dimmed the sunlight making sunspots visible to the naked eye. Even wind and rain could not disperse this "fog".

In May 1816, frost killed most crops in the higher elevations of New England and New York. On June 4, frost was reported as far south as Connecticut and New Jersey. On June 6, snow fell in Albany, New York, and Dennysville, Maine. Temperatures went below freezing almost every day in May. The ground froze solid on June 9. On June 12, the Shakers had to replant crops destroyed by the cold. On July 7, it was so cold that everything stopped growing. As late as August 23 much of the upper northeastern United States experienced this unheard of frost.

A Massachusetts historian summed up the disaster: "Severe frosts occurred every month; June 7th and 8th snow fell, and it was so cold that crops were cut down, even freezing the roots .... In the early Autumn when corn was in the silk it was so thoroughly frozen that it never ripened and was scarcely worth harvesting. Breadstuffs were scarce and prices high and the poorer class of people were often in straits for want of food."

Farmers south of New England did bring some crops to maturity, but corn and other grain prices rose dramatically. The price of oats went from 12¢ a bushel to 92¢ a bushel. In the summer of 1816, corn ripened so poorly that only a quarter of it could be harvested for food. The crop failures in New England, Canada, and parts of Europe also caused the price of wheat, grains, meat, vegetables, butter, milk, and flour to rise sharply.

In June 1816, "incessant rainfall" during that "wet, ungenial summer" forced Mary Shelley, John William Polidori, and their friends to stay indoors for much of their Swiss holiday. They decided to have a contest to see who could write the scariest story. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and Lord Byron wrote A Fragment, which inspired Polidori’s The Vampyre,  a forerunner to Dracula. Lord Byron also wrote his poem, Darkness during this time.

The crop failures of the "Year Without a Summer" are also believed to have shaped the settling of the "American Heartland", as many thousands of people (particularly farm families who were wiped out by the devastation) left New England for the Midwest in search of a more hospitable climate, richer soil, and better growing conditions. Among those who left Vermont was Joseph Smith, Sr. The Smiths, desperate to make some headway in their battle with poverty and tenantry, left in the fall along with thousands of other Vermonters, and headed for Palmyra, New York.

Palmyra was a fast-growing little village, soon to be connected with Albany and Rochester by way of the Erie Canal. There was ample work helping established farmers, and the Smiths did a small business in various trade items. By 1818, after fifteen years of tenantry, the Smiths had contracted for a hundred-acre farm just two miles south of Palmyra over the boundary into Manchester Township. It was this move from Sharon, Vermont, to Palmyra, New York, brought on by the cataclysmic events of the severe climate change during the Year Without a Summer that precipitated the series of events that brought a humble farm boy, named Joseph Smith, Jr., to Palmyra, culminating in the publication of the Book of Mormon and the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When the Lord called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, Moses protested, saying;

"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou has spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." [1]

So the Lord appointed Aaron, his brother, to be a spokesman for him. Some people have erroneously interpreted this passage to mean that Moses had a speech impediment. Such was not the case. Relating the history of Israel before the Sanhedrin, Stephen stated that;

"Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." [2]

When Moses said he was “slow of speech,” he only meant that he had difficulty speaking in the Hebrew language.

Moses was raised as an Egyptian in the court of Pharaoh. When Moses visited the Jews in the land of Goshen, they considered him an Egyptian and not one of their own. Moses later fled Egypt after killing another Egyptian for wrongfully oppressing one of the Hebrew slaves. For forty years Moses lived with his father-in-law Jethro, a Midianite. The Midianites were a confederation of Arab tribes. Moses most likely didn’t even begin speaking the Hebrew language until his 40-year sojourn with the children of Israel in the desert.

Read more about Moses's influence on the authors of the Book of Mormon in Bill Wylson's new book: Hieroglyphs, Golden Plates and Typos.


[1] Exodus 4:10.

[2] Acts 7:22.

(The following information is taken from Bill Wylson’s latest book, “Hieroglyphs, Golden Plates and Typos” available from White Horse LDS Books.)

Lehi carried with him the Brass Plates of Laban, scriptures recorded on brass plates, as he and his family journeyed toward the Promised Land.

Nephi wrote; “And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers;

“And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.” [1]

The Brass Plates of Laban contained;

• The five books of Moses, detailing the creation of the world, and the account of our first parents, Adam and Eve; [2]
  
  
• A record of the Jews from the beginning, down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; [3]
  
  
• The words of all the holy prophets, delivered to them by the spirit and power of God; [4]
  
  
• And a genealogy of Lehi's ancestors. [5]
  
  

Similar in content but much more complete than our present day Old Testament [6] (up until the time Lehi left Jerusalem), the Brass Plates were extremely important to Lehi’s family. Not only did they preserve the people’s language but they also safeguarded their spiritual heritage.

About 130 B.C., King Benjamin explained to his sons that, "…were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God." [7]

Alma later explained to his son Helaman that the Brass Plates "…have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls." [8]

Mormon did not abridge the Brass Plates of Laban nor did he include them in his record. He did include verses and chapters from them which support and clarify many Biblical doctrines. The Brass Plates established the pattern for the Nephite practice of writing on metal plates and determined the language used in their sacred writings.

The Nephites inscribed their sacred records with early Egyptian hieroglyphs. The most likely source for those characters would have been the Brass Plates of Laban. They included the Old Testament writings up to the time of Zedekiah, along with the writings of other prophets not mentioned in the Old Testament, such as Ezias, Neum, Zenock and Zenos. Nephi tells us that the Brass Plates contained; "…the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents; And also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; And also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah." [9]

We also know that both Lehi and Jeremiah wrote their prophecies on the Brass Plates in the Egyptian language.

The Brass Plates of Laban were likely an original document and carried the accounts written by each of the prophets and kings whose works appear in the record, in the same manner as the writings of the Nephite prophets and kings were added to the Large Plates of Nephi. [10]

As Moses recorded the first five books of the Old Testament, detailing the account of the creation, God’s interactions with his children from Adam to Abraham, the exodus from Egypt and the Mosaic Law given on Mount Sanai, it would only make sense that he would document his writings on material that would endure the test of time, such as brass plates, and serve as a benefit for later generations. Considering that he was not eloquent in Hebrew but educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians and mighty in words in his native Egyptian language, certainly he would have written his account in Egyptian.

Moses’ successors would need to learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs to be able to interpret the holy writings and the laws given to them on Mount Sanai. It is very likely then that the ensuing prophets and kings recorded their histories and prophecies in hieroglyphs also. It seems reasonable that the Brass Plates of Laban would have been the original scriptures recorded by each of the prophets and kings beginning with Moses down to the time of the prophets Lehi and Jeremiah.

This being the case, it would have been necessary for Lehi to be fluent in Egyptian in order to be able to read the Brass Plates. Nephi not only wrote "…in the language of my father, which consists of… the language of the Egyptians…" [11] But Lehi himself was "…taught in all the language of the Egyptians." [12]

 The Egyptian that Lehi and the subsequent Book of Mormon authors were taught was the ancient hieroglyphs of the Brass Plates of Laban. Writing their sacred religious records in Egyptian hieroglyphs may have been as much a habit from their history with the Brass Plates as it was a necessity for saving space on the Plates of Nephi and the abridgements made by Mormon and his son, Moroni.

To learn more, please read “Hieroglyphs, Golden Plates and Typos” by Bill Wylson.

[1] 1 Ne. 3:19, 20.
[2] 1 Ne. 5:11.
[3] 1 Ne. 5:12.
[4] 1 Ne. 5:13 (see also 1 Ne. 3:20).
[5] 1 Ne. 5 14.
[6] 1 Nephi 13:23.
[7] Mosiah 1:3.
[8] Alma 37:8.
[9] 1 Nephi 5:11-13.
[10] Gorton, H. Clay, The Legacy of the Brass Plates of Laban, Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, Utah, 1994, p.14-22.
[11] 1 Nephi 1:2.
[12] Mosiah 1:4.

(Taken from "Hieroglyphs, Golden Plates and Typos" by Bill Wylson.)

Considering the difficulty in making metal plates, it was critical to conserve space on the Nephite records. Writing in Egyptian hieroglyphs rather than in their native Hebrew allowed the writers to occupy less space. Moroni wrote;

"We have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew."

Demotic Egyptian was phonetic, each character representing a unit of speech, therefore, there would have been no substantial space saving over writing in Hebrew. The Nephite prophets would have taken up more space on the plates writing in demotic characters than writing in their native Hebrew. This can easily be illustrated with the Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta stone, inscribed in 196 B.C., contains an engraving written in two idioms, Egyptian and Greek. The Egyptian inscription is written in hieroglyphics, then repeated in demotic characters. Translators believe that the text was first written in demotic, then re-written in hieroglyphics and translated into Greek before being transcribed onto the stone.

A rough idea of the possible amount of space saved from Greek to demotic and from demotic to hieroglyphics can be determined by studying the number of characters and the amount of space used for each of these three scripts.

The demotic inscription comprises 23% less space than the Greek inscription. The text contains 54 lines of Greek writing and only 32 lines of demotic. The demotic text contains approximately 3360 characters. The Greek text contains about 6700 characters. The compression of demotic over Greek is about two to one.

Part of the hieroglyphic inscription on the Rosetta stone has been broken off, leaving only 14 lines of hieroglyphs intact. These 14 lines match the last 18 lines of the demotic writing and the last 28 lines of the Greek. The height of the hieroglyphs is about twice that of the demotic and three times that of the Greek characters.

If the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta were equal in size to the demotic, the text would have been half the size that it was. Then only seven lines of hieroglyphs would have corresponded to 18 lines of demotic. Consequently, in order to conserve the necessary space, the Book of Mormon authors must have used a highly pictographic, rather than phonetic, Egyptian writing.

Learn more about the coming forth of the Book Of Mormon in Bill Wylson's new book, Hieroglyphs, Golden Plates and Typos.