I wanted to put together some historical accounts that show that Joseph Smith used a seer stone in his translation of The Book of Mormon. This page shows accounts of some of the people close to Joseph (specifically Emma Smith, Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and William Smith) stating that heContinue Reading

When I first read this story from Elder Burton, I first thought of the translation of the Book of Mormon. A simple stone in the hands of the an average person is just that – a stone. The Lord provided a Urim and Thummim to translate the text of theContinue Reading

The following is an excerpt from Elder Nelson’s autobiography. He relates an experience where he saw President Harold B. Lee following his passing. I learned about his (President Harold B. Lee) passing while I was home playing games with the children, still full of the festive spirit remaining from ChristmasContinue Reading

To try to indicate the need that exists in the world, and in our own lives, for proper religious information, I would like to tell you of an experience. . . I happened to be in a large eastern city on a business assignment and, inasmuch as I was inContinue Reading

Within two months of his baptism on August 20, 1831, William E. McLellin, a former schoolteacher, became deeply involved in the restoration story. Following his conversion, McLellin was ordained an elder and preached the gospel with Hyrum Smith for a few weeks before traveling to Orange, Ohio, in late OctoberContinue Reading

Many of us have had experiences with the sweet power of prayer. One of mine was shared with a stake patriarch from southern Utah. I first met him in my medical office more than 40 years ago, during the early pioneering days of surgery of the heart. This saintly soulContinue Reading

Sections 6,8, and 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants explain how revelation works. I find it worth noting that in the early days of the history of the church that the Lord outlined for the Saints how this delicate communication works. There are times when young people have expressed toContinue Reading

I have always believed as I have studied the scholarly literature on the Book of Abraham, that the papyri that Joseph worked with was a catalyst that opened the heavens, allowing him to see the events in Abraham’s life and to “translate” them, or to make them known unto us.Continue Reading

This material contains links to a few books that have helped me understand the context and content of the scriptures. As an Amazon Affiliate, I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you). Click here to see all of my favorite books on Amazon. Trances inContinue Reading