fbpx
48.5 F
Spokane
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeCommentaryAskAsk A Latter-day Saint: Historical Church Documents

Ask A Latter-day Saint: Historical Church Documents

Date:

Related stories

Seeds of Hope: Thoreau, Jesus, and Enduring Faith in Hard Times

In “The Succession of Forest Trees,” an 1860 address to folks attending a county cattle show (precursor to our county fair), Henry David Thoreau proclaimed his “faith in a seed.”

Let’s Check Our Ageism at the Door When Voting for President

Ageism happens to young and old alike. Though it’s much bigger news when it involves the two presumptive presidential candidates.

This Ramadan, Feel the Hunger and Feed the Hungry

Around the globe, Muslims, including myself, will be fasting for 29-30 days (depending on the sight of the moon), connecting with our Creator and finding solace at home or with our congregation. Ramadan gives us an opportunity to take a break from our fast-paced, hectic routines.

Happy National Sunshine Week: A Call for a More Transparent Government

The week of March 16 is celebrated as National Sunshine Week (this year March 10-16), calling for more transparency in government actions. 

Even My Inner Hermit Needs Connection

Tracy Simmons writes about how she challenges her inner hermit to reach out of her comfort zone to find connection with others, in her career and in her personal life.

Do you have a question about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Submit it online or fill out the form below. 

By Jeff Borders

I enjoy learning about your faith so thank you. I guess I could just ask Google, but I’m wondering when you talk about “ancient records that we believe were translated by Joseph Smith through the gift and power of God” what happened to the originals? Something so critical to the faith must be in a museum somewhere?

Questions regarding the whereabouts of historical church documents are not uncommon. First let me tackle the subject of the Egyptian papyri which I mentioned in my previous “Ask A Latter-Day Saint” column when I spoke of Kolob. We believe that Joseph Smith, though the power of revelation translated these papyri and they currently constitute what we know as the Book of Abraham. Some of the facsimiles which he drew from can be viewed in the book itself. The actual papyri are still owned by the church, and because of their fragile nature are kept in a climate controlled space to preserve them.

The other question that might arise is in regards to the plates from which Joseph Smith translated the text of the Book of Mormon. We believe it was through the direction of an angel (one of the ancient writers of the Book of Mormon) that Joseph Smith was led to the plates. Then once his translation was complete, that same angel, Moroni, took those plates back.

Now I fully realize that this may seem strange to some. Many might say, how can you know they even existed at all? Personally I rely on the testimony of those who did see the plates, and my own spiritual impressions that I have had throughout my own life. But one could ask the same thing of most Christians. We don’t have most if not all of the original texts that constitute the bible. For me, I think that even if I were able to see them, my testimony wouldn’t change, because ultimately it comes down to a matter of faith.

I hope that helps to answer your question.


Jeff Borders
Jeff Borders
Jeff Borders was born in Spokane, Washington and has lived there since. He is a self published author, focusing in science fiction and fantasy, but he enjoyes writing in all its forms. By trade he is a Respiratory Therapist, but he is also active in his community as a volunteer firefighter, as well as being active in his church. He holds many additional teaching certifications for his fields of employment and he enjoys educating others. Jeff married his wife Crystyne in 2003, and together they have four, very fun and energetic children. His website is www.jeffbordersbooks.com

Ad

spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
spot_img
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x