If Joseph made the plates he had in his possession, then didn't he lie in saying otherwise? Maybe there is more to it, which ties into the mystical nature of his visions.
Tag: Joseph Smith
Energy and Matter are that Holy One
We know that these two are equivalent, and actually make up what we are. Could this have something to do with the One?
Transmorality in Mysticism
Is there something beyond traditional moral notions of right and wrong? Is there a higher Law that transcends all other laws? Mysticism has something to say about that.
Science versus Spirituality? A False Dualism
In the debate between science (or materialism) and spirituality, there are few who embrace both sides of the coin, who can see that they are One.
The Glory of God is Consciousness
A reinterpretation of a revelation to Joseph Smith on the glory of God.
Relative Truth, Knowledge, and Morals in Mormonism, Law, and Mysticism
Will we ever discover the absolute truth, moral or intellectual, or otherwise? Can we ever know the Absolute?
The Mystical Practice of Receiving a New Name
In many spiritual traditions there is a common practice of receiving a new name. What is this, and what does it have to do with mysticism?
The Mystical State of Consciousness in Joseph Smith’s First Vision
I suggest that Joseph Smith's earliest direct encounters with God happened in mystical experience, or what is also known as altered states of consciousness.
Reconstructing the narrative surrounding the origins of the Book of Mormon
It's taken more time to write about this reconstruction, because it is perhaps a more sensitive subject, and more complex, than any I have written before about Mormonism or Christianity, yes, even more so than Jesus or Joseph Smith (which might be an indication that something is off-kilter). The Salt Lake City based Latter-day Saints take the Book of Mormon very seriously as a holy text, as scripture revealed by God, similar to the Bible, and perhaps even more important than the Bible. The Book of Mormon is one thing that makes them unique, their own testament of the divinity of "Jesus Christ," which they believe is also evidence of the unique prophethood of Joseph Smith and the divinity of the church he organized as God's "true church." But I think the truth may be much more nuanced.
Beliefs vs. Reality
There was a fascinating show that my wife and I watched last night on Mind Field with Vsauce (Michael Stevens). It was season 3, episode 7, titled "Behavior and Belief."