Informed Saints Has the Church Changed Its Story? Why ‘Revelation’ Still Means Translation
Did the Church change its story on the Book of Mormon translation—or are critics missing something important?
In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye sits down with Neal Rappleye and Stephen Smoot to unpack recent online controversy over the Church’s new “Translation of the Book of Mormon” article and statements that the text came by “divine revelation.” Drawing on Doctrine and Covenants passages, early witness accounts, and Joseph Smith’s own statements, they explore how early Latter-day Saints understood the relationship between translation, revelation, seer stones, and the Urim and Thummim, and why calling the Book of Mormon both a translation and a revelation is not new language at all.
In this episode:
-
Why a viral ex-Mormon Reddit thread claims the Church “changed translation to revelation”
-
What Joseph Smith meant by translating “by the gift and power of God”
-
How early Saints— including the witnesses—described the Book of Mormon
-
Whether “revelation” implies backing away from historicity
-
What a “revelatory translation” tells us about God’s purposes for the Book of Mormon
Resource Guide:
Official Church Resources
•Book of Mormon Translation – Topics & Questions (ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Concise Q&A overview of how the Church currently explains the translation, including seer stones, plates, and eyewitnesses.
•Gospel Topics Essay: “Book of Mormon Translation”
In-depth official essay with historical context and primary sources about the mechanics of translation and the phrase “by the gift and power of God.”
•Elder Ulisses Soares – “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” (April 2020 General Conference)
Apostolic perspective on why the Book of Mormon’s coming forth is best understood as a miracle of revelation and translation together.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/23soares?lang=eng
•Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, “The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon,” Liahona, Mar. 2024
Recent Church magazine article summarizing eyewitness accounts and explaining the role of seer stones, interpreters, and the plates.
Faithful Scholarship & Deep Dives
•Stephen O. Smoot – “Is the Book of Mormon a ‘Translation’ or a ‘Revelation’?” FAIR 2023 Conference
Explores how early Latter-day Saints used “translation” and “revelation” as overlapping categories of seership, and what that means for the Book of Mormon today.
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference/2023-defending-the-book-of-mormon-conference
•“Firsthand Witness Accounts of the Translation Process,” in The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon (BYU Religious Studies Center)
Collects primary statements from Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Joseph Knight Sr., and others describing how the translation actually looked in practice.
•Stephen D. Ricks – “Translation of the Book of Mormon,” in Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon (FARMS/Book of Mormon Central)
A brief, faithful scholarly summary of what it means that Joseph translated “by the gift and power of God.”
If you’re navigating questions about how the Book of Mormon came forth, or have heard that the Church is rewriting its narrative, this conversation offers historical context and a faithful, clear explanation.
—
Subscribe to Informed Saints for more thoughtful Latter-day Saint discussions, and if you find this episode helpful, please leave a rating and review so others can discover the show.