Seer Stones & the Book of Mormon: What Really Happened? With Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat
Did Joseph Smith really translate the Book of Mormon with a stone in a hat? In this episode, hosts Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot talk with BYU professor Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat to break down the history, the sources, and the faith behind the translation process. Far from being a weakness, the use of seer stones was seen by early witnesses as part of the miracle. With multiple independent accounts — from Emma Smith, Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Joseph Knight — the evidence shows Joseph wasn’t hiding fraud but demonstrating faith. What we cover in this episode: • Seer stones in scripture & early American culture • Why the “stone in a hat” detail matters for history & faith • How eyewitnesses described the translation process • Why the gold plates are still central to Joseph’s claims If you’ve ever wondered how the Book of Mormon was really translated, this discussion will give you the history, the context, and the testimony to understand it better. Here are some of the resources discussed in the episode as well as other valuable resources on this topic! -Artwork credit to Anthony Sweat who granted permissions for us to share his incredible artwork. https://www.anthonysweat.com Start here (official & concise) Gospel Topics — Book of Mormon Translation https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Church History Topic — Seer Stones https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Saints, Vol. 1 (The Standard of Truth) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Primary sources (witnesses & early attestations) Emma Smith’s 1879 “Last Testimony” (PDF) https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/fil... Joseph Knight Sr. reminiscences (Church History Library catalog) https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.o... David Whitmer — An Address to All Believers in Christ https://archive.org/details/addressto... Early newspaper: Jonathan A. Hadley (Palmyra Freeman, 1829) https://rsc.byu.edu/coming-forth-book... Wilford Woodruff Papers (Urim & Thummim; Manti consecration) https://www.wilfordwoodruffpapers.org... Scholarship & synthesis (faithful) Turley, Jensen & Ashurst-McGee — “Joseph the Seer” (Ensign, Oct. 2015) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... BYU Studies — Opening the Heavens (Translation Documents) https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-boo... Printing & publication context Printing and Publishing the Book of Mormon (Church History Topic) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... From Gutenberg to Grandin (RSC) https://rsc.byu.edu/prelude-restorati... Recommended books (trusted Latter-day Saint scholarship) MacKay & Dirkmaat — From Darkness unto Light (RSC) https://rsc.byu.edu/book/darkness-unt... Dirkmaat & MacKay — Let’s Talk About the Translation of the Book of Mormon (Deseret Book) https://www.deseretbook.com/product/P... MacKay & Frederick — Joseph Smith’s Seer Stones (RSC) https://rsc.byu.edu/book/joseph-smith... Bushman — Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (Publisher page) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo... Scriptural anchors Joseph Smith—History 1 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Mosiah 8 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Alma 37 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Doctrine & Covenants 3 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Doctrine & Covenants 8 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Doctrine & Covenants 17 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... Chapters: 0:00 Introduction - Gerritt Dirkmaat and Book of Mormon translation 4:23 Impossibility of “proving” miracles 9:25 Primary sources importance 14:20 Urim and Thummim? 16:30 Stones, rods, and folk magic 24:05 Joseph’s seer stone and culture 28:48 Witnesses to a seer stone 36:30 Addition accounts of the translation 46:34 The BoM and Wilford Woodruff’s witnesses of stones 49:50 Urim and Thummim 54:10 The golden plates as evidence 1:00:59 The plates to promote faith Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of Informed Saints. #BookofMormon #SeerStones #InformedSaints
