Tag: Peep Stone

  • Peep Stone

    Peep Stone

    Excerpt from ‘Book of Mormon Translation’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay: 1

    “Nevertheless, the scribes and others who observed the translation left numerous accounts that give insight into the process. Some accounts indicate that Joseph studied the characters on the plates. Most of the accounts speak of Joseph’s use of the Urim and Thummim (either the interpreters or the seer stone), and many accounts refer to his use of a single stone. According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.”

     

    Excerpt from ‘The Improvement Era’, September 1902, Prophet Joseph F. Smith: 2

    “One individual can not place an affliction upon another in the way that these soothsayers would have the people believe. It is a trick of satan to deceive men and women, and to draw them away from the Church and from the influence of the Spirit of God, and the power of his holy priesthood, that they may be destroyed. These peep-stone men and women are inspired by the devil, and are the real witches, if any such there be. Witchcraft, and all kindred evils, are solely the creations of the superstitious imaginations of men and women who are steeped in ignorance, and derive their power over people from the devil, and those who submit to this influence are deceived by him. Unless they repent, they will be destroyed. There is absolutely no possibility for a person who enjoys the Holy Spirit of God to even believe that such influences can have any effect upon him. The enjoyment of the Holy Spirit is absolute proof against all influences of evil; you never can obtain that Spirit by seeking diviners, and men and women who “peep and mutter.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Book of Mormon Translation, LDS Gospel Topic Essay – https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-translation?lang=eng
    2 The improvement Era, September 1902, Prophet Joseph F. Smith – https://archive.org/details/improvementera0511unse
  • Glasslooker

    Glasslooker

    Image: 1826 court bill for $2.68 in the trial of Joseph Smith Jr., identified as a ‘glasslooker’

    In the late winter of 1826, according to an early account, Peter Bridgeman, a nephew of the wife of Josiah Stowell, presented a written complaint against Joseph Smith at South Bainbridge, New York, which led to his arrest and trial as a “disorderly person and an imposter.” An anonymous writer claimed to have been given access to an account of court proceedings, which was published in Fraser’s Magazine during 1873. In it, Joseph Smith described his divination methods.[footnote] Fraser’s magazine, 1873   [/footnote]

    [Smith said] he had a certain stone which he had occasionally looked at to determine where hidden treasures in the bowels of the earth were; that he professed to tell in this manner where gold mines were a distance under ground, and had looked for Mr. Stowel several times, and had informed him where he could find these treasures, and Mr. Stowel had been engaged in digging for them. That at Palmyra he pretended to tell by looking at this stone where coined money was buried in Pennsylvania, and while at Palmyra had frequently ascertained in that way where lost property was of various kinds; that he had occasionally been in the habit of looking through this stone to find lost property for three years, but of late had pretty much given it up on account of its injuring his health, especially his eyes, making them sore; that he did not solicit business of this kind, and had always rather declined having anything to do with this business. […] And therefore the Court find the Defendant guilty. Costs: Warrant, 19c. Complaint upon oath, 25 1/2c. Seven witnesses, 87 1/2c. Recognisances, 25c. Mittimus, 19c. Recognisances of witnesses, 75c. Subpoena, 18c. – $2.68.

    This account has been corroborated by later discoveries, such as Justice Neely’s bill of costs which refers to Joseph Smith as “The Glass Looker,” (i.e. a diviner), discovered in 1971 by Wesley P. Walters.[footnote] Hill, Marvin S. (1972), “Joseph Smith and the 1826 Trial: New Evidence and New Difficulties”, BYU Studies, 12: 2  [/footnote] The total costs exactly matched the amount in Fraser’s Magazine.

    Crash Course:

    Joseph Smith and the criminal justice system – Wikipedia

    1826 Trial Testimonies – Rich Kelsey

    Locations of Joseph Smiths treasure hunting quests (Video) – Dan Vogel