Book of mormonauthorship theoriesautomatic writing fairmormon. The earliest text the book of mormon and automatic writing the book of mormon, the early nineteenthcentury debates over universalism, and the development of. Its pretty fascinating to see what people were able to write using some form of subconscious. Automatic writing book of mormon notes how deep can. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon through a process known as automatic writing. The book of mormon and automatic writing book of mormon. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon.
Composition of the book of mormon was an example of automatic writing dunn, 2002. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. In his fascinating automaticity and the dictation of the book of mormon, slightly updated from its 1985 appearance in sunstone, scott dunn surveys a number of accounts and examples of automatic writing, and makes comparisons to the translation and content of the book of mormon. The digital book download link is sent to your email address used to place the order, usually within 24 hours or next business day. Smith previously prepared source documents that he used for dictation. After discussing the similarities between these works and the book of mormon, the paper outlines a number of features in the book of mormon that clearly differentiate it from any known case of automatic writing, features such as the presence of near eastern and mesoamerican geographic, cultural, and linguistic details that were unknowable to. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesautomatic writing. This of course does not take into account the time to produce the 116 pages that were lost or read more share this. There are several theories as to the actual origin of the book of mormon. It was interesting to see that most people who experience this have some sort of object as a trigger. Of the 337 proper names in the book of mormon, 149 are found in the bible as well e.
At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. The book of mormon and automatic writing by robert a. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Dunn argues that the book of mormon is an example of automatic writing. I had never heard of this as a possible way the book of mormon was created. The book of mormon as automatic writing i a living text. If you want this digital book download link sent to a different email, please indicate in the comments section at checkout purchasing grants one user license for the digital book. Some critics of the book of mormon have suggested that joseph smith produced the book through a pro cess known as automatic writing, a.
Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a. At least one critic of the book of mormon attempts to explain the complexity of the book by suggesting that joseph smith wrote it using a process called automatic writing or spirit writing. If the book of mormon was not produced by automatic writing, i think there would have had to be a prewritten manuscript, as the book has too much internal complexity and consistency to be made up off the top of ones head. However, to my knowledge, the use of the term automatic and the trope of the mechanicalwriting body emerge only within the context of the spiritualist movement. The book of mormon as automatic writing iii a living text. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesoverview fairmormon. Brian hales kicks it off with an update on automatic writing and the book of mormon. Examples include multiple authorship, use of archaic language, accounts of bygone historical figures, accurate descriptions of times and places apparently unfamiliar to the writer, narratives with welldeveloped characters and plot, accounts of various. Some attempt to explain the complexity of the book of mormon through appeals to. The most common theory accepted by adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated the work from an ancient set of golden plates inscribed by prophets, which smith discovered near his home in palmyra, new york.
Published in 1930, the book of mormon acts as a modernday example of apocryphaliterature with deep. The latest in signature bookss essays on mormonism series, american apocrypha combines the insights of nine different authors in a comprehensive study of the book of mormon, its role in history, and the way religious communities use sacred texts create meaning and culture. Dunn proposed that automatic writing played a role in the creation of the book of mormon spirit writing. I know that the book of mormon is full of anachronisms and is unsupported. Trey parker, matt stone and robert lopez, writers of the. Automatic writing involves the reception and transcription of various types of communications in written form. The most common comparison between joseph smiths creation of the book of mormon and automatic writing involves pearl curran, who wrote the sorry tale in 1917. The evaluations are intended to encourage reliable scholarship on the book of mormon. Joseph smith dictated the words of the entire book of mormon, as we know it today, in about 3 months. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. In an article entitled automaticity and the dictation of the book of mormon, scott c. The summer 2019 issue studies the book of mormon in varied ways.
The medium claims to have no control over the writing that is produced. Automatic writing and the book of mormon an update. This phenomenon has been previously invoked to explain authorship of improbable literary works in short periods of time by authors who seemingly lacked the ability to do so. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone first staged in 2011, the play is a satirical examination of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints beliefs and practices that ultimately endorses the positive power of love and service. Besides the extensive list of parallels between the bible and the book of mormon, this book examines many other possible sources used to create the text, i.
Absence of joseph smith lack of the name letter and. Some have claimed that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon while under the influence of an epileptic fit, thus perpetuating a fraud without knowing it. The words purportedly arise from a subconscious, spiritual or supernatural source. Scientists and skeptics consider automatic writing to be the result of the ideomotor effect and even proponents of automatic writing admit it has been the source of innumerable. Automatic writing and the book of mormon an update the.
God, devil, and man by grego i started this in 2005 and its been sitting the whole time. Automatic writing and the book of mormon 3 early twentieth centuries. A number of textual passages are common to the book of mormon and the bible. The book of mormon and automatic writing byu scholarsarchive.
Automatic writing, sometimes called trance writing, has also been advanced as a theory to explain the origin of the book of mormon. I have often wondered if smith just pulled out the bible and dictated these sections of the bom from it, but dunn addresses how these sections might have happened under an automatic writing model. Book of mormon, but not enough to identify any as a possible author based on name letter effect. Rees, the book of mormon and automatic writing, journal of book of mormon studies 15, no. Lack of the name letter effect in nephite, lamanite, and jaredite names. One wellknown feature of the book of mormon bom is its reliance on the authorized version of the bible. This paper presents an overview of some prominent claims of automatic writing and examines the historical and. There are only two options when it comes to the book of mormon. Dunn argues that the book of mormon bom is the product of automatic writing. Some critics of the book of mormon have suggested that joseph smith produced the book through a process known as automatic writing, a rapid flow of language claimed to be generated through paranormal means such as trancelike states or claimed communications with spirits. The use of automatic writing in conjunction with psychoanalysis is invaluable in getting at unconscious processes quickly. Antimasonic rhetoric and the book of mormon temporality and fulfillment in 3 nephi 1 the book of mormon.
Automaticity and the dictation of the book of mormon. The book of mormon as automatic writing ii a living text. Parker and stone were best known for creating the animated comedy south park. I was going through my notes when i found this paper that my trainer from my mission gave me. Next to automatic writing, i think the spalding theory has more plausibility than most give it credit for. Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. At a church conference in 1831, hyrum smith invited his brother to. Automatic writing or psychography is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Its pretty fascinating to see what people were able to write using.
Joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of mormon. Stevenson, who served as the chair of the department of psychiatry at the university of virginia school of medicine, the term automatic writing is used to designate. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of. Why is the book of mormons historical authenticity so. With automatic writing, the words are instead produced instantly, with no obvious prewriting preparation or later revisions, and go to the publisher with minimum modification.
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