BANCROFT 
 LIBRARY 
 
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 THE LIBRARY 
 
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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
A KEY TO 
 
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 OAKLEY d IDAHO 
 
 PEICS 10 GENTS 
 
ancroft Library 
 
 A KEY TO THE 
 
 Book of Mormon 
 
 BY 
 
 ALVA A. TANNER 
 
 Author And Publisher 
 OAKLEY IDAHO 
 
 PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1916 
 PRICE 15 CENTS 
 
 Copyright, by Alva A. Tanner 1916 
 
 There are 20 chapters in the" Book of Mormon taken 
 from the Bible Kin.?: James translation verbatim. 15, 
 from Isaiah, 3 from Matthew, and 2 from Malichi. Take 
 the Book of Mormorr and turn to page 87 and read to 
 page 106. You find ISVnapters of Isaiah there. Turn 
 to page 194 and you fird 1 chapter from Isaiah. Turn to 
 page 504; 3 chapteres from Matthew beginning there. 
 Turn to page 529 and find 1 chapter from Isaiah. Turn 
 to page 532 and find 2 chapters from Malachi. 
 
 The faithfutfbeleiver of the Book of Mormon must 
 read all" the 20 chpatcrs in"q^estion and make sure they 
 are there. He must compare each and all with the King 
 James translation. Let him!jthen^try r toaccoant for the 
 complete agreement, since the Bible has under- went many 
 changes. Ifithe 20 chapters was translatedffrom ancient 
 plates as claimed, they: prove" the King James translation 
 of the Bible is infallable^after^having passed thru many 
 translations. 
 
Add two more chapters form Isaiah, to the list al- 
 ready given. See Book of Mormon, page 75 and 76. 
 A CHALLINGE TO THE WORLD 
 
 "I am wiling to repeat my statement that the Book 
 of Mormon must submit to very test literary criticism 
 with the rest. Indeed, it must submit to every analysis 
 and examination. It must submit to historical tests, to 
 the test of archaeological research, and also to the high- 
 er criticism. And, what is more, in the midst of it all, its 
 an locates must carry themseves in a spirit of , pacienee 
 and of courage; and that they witt do just as long, ef 
 
 coarse, as their faith remains true to the book., The 
 
 Book is flung down into the world's mass of literature, 
 and here 'it is; we proclaim it true, and the world has 
 the right to test it to the utmost in every possable 
 way".-B. H. Roberts. 
 
 The Book of Mormon had been pat to just such tests 
 as those above mentioned, and found wanting, more than 
 twenty years before Mr. Roberts, made this chalange. 
 Mr. Roberta, asuld not have been ignorent of it. 
 
 Rev. M. T. Lamb, put the book to the test; hear him: 
 "The Book of Mormon is modern in its conception and 
 make-up. A large number of words and expressions are 
 found in it wholly of modern origen, proving beyond the 
 possibility of a question that it could not have been 
 translated from ancient plates" M, T. Lamb. 
 
 "We have found that the entire ancient history of 
 this western world is flatly against the claims of the 
 Book of Mormon". Idem 
 
 "The Book of Mormon furnishes a list of the names 
 of cities and countries and of men professedly in exist- 
 ence 1500 and 2000 years ago, and we have found beyond 
 the possibility of a question that not even one. of them is 
 correct that no'such countries, or. cities, or men ever 
 existed upon this contient" Idem 
 
 "The ancient peoples of Centrial America, particular- 
 ly, did not come from Jerusalem did not reach here 600 
 
years before B. C, did not begin their course upon the 
 western coasts of Soutta Americadid not feecome Chri- 
 taans, and did not in the fourth century A, D. become a 
 savage, barbarious people". Idem 
 
 'This book tells us of the existence upon this western 
 world of iron, steel and brass, of wheat and barley, of 
 oxen, sheep, goats and horses, of silver ai&d gold coins us- 
 ed as money every one of whieh statements have been 
 found to be wholy and entirely uateue". Idem 
 
 Sahagun says that, countless years ago, the first in- 
 habitants of this country(Centeral America) came by sea 
 from the direction of Florida, on the north, and landing 
 at Panuco journeyed down the coast to Guatemala, where 
 tkey estabished a city called Tamoachan," J. T. Short, 
 p. 244. This contridicts the Book of Mormon acount. 
 
 Mr. Bancroft, in "Native Races" vol. 5, p. 97, in a 
 foot-note says: 
 
 Macgregor argues that the Americans could not -have 
 been Jews, for the latter people were aquainted with the 
 use of iron as far back as the time of Tubal Cain: they 
 also used milk and wheaten bread which the Americans 
 eould and would have used if they had once known of 
 them" 
 
 The Mayas had 18 month's in a year, and 20 days 
 in a month. Had they have been Jews they would have 
 reckened after the Jewish -moad of reckening time. 
 
 The Mayas have a tradition of a white man once visit- 
 ing this country long ago, with white hair and long 
 beard. He attracted universl attention and is alway spok- 
 en of as the white man. This is proof that the natives 
 was not white. This white man. was an ancient mam. 
 The natives were always a brown or copper color. 
 
 "No deformation of the head has ever been practiced 
 by the Jew in any part of the world nor by Christians 
 of any age or country. " Rev. M. T. Lamb 
 
 ' 'And we know that head-f latening was almost uni- 
 versal among them(the Mayas)." Banee. Vol. 2, p. 802 
 
If the L, D. S. church have authority to turn people 
 over to the buf fetins of satan for disagreeing with the 
 church, it is well to,know if by being decievsd they have 
 that authority. 
 
 I dont^say the books of Dickens, Mark Twain, or Ben 
 Hur, are bad because they are fiction, nor do I say it of 
 the Book of Mormon. It is a king of books of fiction. 
 
 If Lehi, Nephi, Alma, and other Book of Mormon 
 writers have not borrowed from Matthew, Lnke, Mark, 
 St. John, Paul, John the Revelator and the other New 
 Testament writers, then the Bible authors have borrowed 
 from Lehi, Nephi and Alma. Which are the orignal 
 writers? 
 
 "The entire civilization of the FiBook of Mormon, its 
 whole : Tecord fromlbegining to end is flatly contradicted 
 by the civilization and thejhistory of Central America." 
 M, T. Lamb's Goldoen Bible. 
 
 God is the ;hub of all knowledge and the word of God 
 is truth, A He is the word of the devil. His servants 
 ye are whom ye listjtoohey. Do ye serve God or Satan? 
 MANUSCRIPT LOST 
 
 The 116 pages of manuscript of the Book'Vf Mormon 
 intrusted to Martin Harris, which was never returned, 
 was taken from Harris, by his wife, while he slept, 
 and committed to the fiaroes. The long 'revelation 
 in the Doctrine & Cavenants, infoming Joseph of the 
 devils purpose to change the wordings, were needless, for 
 the manuscrpt was burned long before that revelation 
 was had. See Creggs, Prophet of Palmyra, ppv?3 
 
 About fifty five or sixty years after Lehi'.left Jeru- 
 selem, a learned man, Sherem by name, a strarnger came 
 preaching among'the Nephites. Where ^was he from? He 
 could not have been old enough to have been thus en- 
 gaged, and net knwn to Jacob, had he been a Nephite 
 or a Lamanite. No other people were known to them 'at 
 that time en this ccntirert. Shcicm \vss a straw man. 
 
On page 65 6 of the Book of ^Mormon, we are told 
 positively that Joseph Smith the latter-day prophet would 
 be of theliniageof Joseph sold into Egypt, and thru the 
 loins of Lehi and his son Joseph. To have fulfilled this 
 prophecy Joseph Smith should have been born of some 
 of the Native Races of America. The fulfillment of this 
 prophecy was not to fail. 
 
 The following, like many other whole pages, in the 
 Book of Mormon, is' a clear case of borrowing. Sse 
 Mark I, 4. Luke 3. 1 6. Lehi, of the Book of Mormon, or 
 any other, must .have been a man of straw to speak in 
 this way 600 years before Christ. 
 
 ' 'And he spake also concerning a prophet who should 
 come before the Messiah, to prepair the way of the Lord; 
 Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the widerness, 
 Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight; 
 for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; 
 and he is mightier than I, whos shoe's latchet I am not 
 worthy to unloose" B, M, pp. 19. v. 7, 8. 
 
 On page 167 vere 7 B, M, we read, ' 'for behold blood 
 cometh from every pore" 
 
 That was written after Harvey lived about!619, A. D, 
 or, 'Harvey was not the first to know of the pores and 
 blood ciculation. 
 
 "In the first place, we want to understand a little 
 about the Book of Mormon itself, as there are, even 
 among the members of the church, I understand, compar- 
 atively few who have made a study of it." Elder George 
 M. Ottinger. In Address, on B. M. April 2, 1916 Mormon 
 
 "If the Book of Mormon were simpaly a romance, if 
 we are deluded in the faith we have in its divine authen- 
 ticity, then the very foundations upon which the chuch 
 is built would be shaken, because we may have been de- 
 ceived in all other things". Elder Anthony W. Ivins. 
 In Address on B. M. July 9, 1916 Mormon. 
 
 The Doctrine & Covenants, is the real foundation of 
 the L, D. S. church. They could spare the rest. A. A. T. 
 
<< ffc 3L* CHARACTERS COPIED FROM 
 
 THE GOLDEN PLATES BY 
 3 * v JOSEPH SMITH 
 
 After all that has been said ab- 
 
 out the characters copied fom 
 the goden plates which Martin 
 Harris took to Prof. Anthon, I 
 have never, yet see a fac-simifet 
 of -them published in the [church 
 books. They must hav some reas- 
 on for not giving them out. One 
 M V ^i church member said: "They arc 
 
 UJ O of all thiugs the mast damaging 
 
 If the Book of Mormon is true, 
 the chracters Joseph Smith copied 
 from the plates, should be found 
 to agree with the hieroglyphics 
 found in the ruins of the ancient 
 
 ca. The hieroglyphics shown 
 
 Those which follow are found 
 in the ruiens of the most ancient 
 cites of Amercic.a The Mayas 
 still speak the language their 
 ancestors spake six thousand 
 years ago, or, even farther back 
 Abrahams time. 
 
 Professor Anthon describes the chracters copied by 
 Joseph Smith, as follows: "A very brief examination 
 convinced me that it was a mere heax and a very clumsey 
 one too. The characters were arranged in columns, like 
 the Chinese mode of writing and presented the most 
 signgular medley that I ever beheld. Greek, Hebrew and 
 all sorts of letters more or less distorted, either through 
 
unskilfukiess or frpcn actual design, were intermingled 
 with sundry delineations of half moons, stars and othew 
 matuyal objects, and the whole ended in a rude represen- 
 tation* of the Mexican Zodiac. " 
 
 According to the Book of Mormoja, the Refomed Eg^ 
 yptian language was in use upon this contnant by the an- 
 cient inhabitance, and the-beleivrs in the book think the 
 ancient cities was built by the Nephites. Had that have 
 been true the hieroglyphics found in the ruined cities 
 would hove been Mke those of Joseph Smith's. 
 
 HIEROGLYPHICS. ON THE COPAN STATUS. 
 
 The hieroglyphics upon this cut are taken frm the 
 Copan Statue seen upon another page. They are very 
 ancient. The are found in the ruins of two of the mots 
 ancient dties oflCentrial America, namly: Copan and Pal- 
 enque. They are a dead letter, nobody can read them. 
 However they bear witness a#a4nst the characters copied 
 by Joseph Smith from the golden plates. 
 
Hundrids of passages in the Book of Mormon credit- 
 ed to Lehi, Nephi, Alma and others who lived before 
 Christ, acording to the Book of Mormon print, is New 
 Testiment scripture rehashed. The following from John 
 the Revelator is a samples: 
 
 "And assuredly as the Lord livith for the Lord hatk 
 spoken it, and it is His eternal word, which cannot pass 
 away, that they who are righteous shall ba righeteoas 
 still, and they who are filthy shall be filhty still; where- 
 for, they who are fithy, are the devil and his angels: aad 
 they shall go away into everlasting fire prepared for^ 
 them; and their torment is a lake of fire and brim- 
 stone, whos flame assnedeth up forever, and has no 
 end." B. M. page 80. 
 
 Nephi is made to speak the above 600 years before 
 John the Re Delators time, yet it is only John the Re vela- 
 tors words worked over. See Book of Mormon, page 80. 
 
 Nephi borrows Pauls words 600 years before Pauls 
 time. B. M. page 113 
 
 "Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wher- 
 f ore the Lord God has given a commandment that all men 
 shall have charity, which charity is love. And except 
 they shall have charity they were nothing." 
 
 Alma borrows Christs words hundreds of years be- 
 fore Chirst. B. M. pp. 418 v 23. 
 
 "Now I would that ye should remember that Goi 
 hath said that the in ward vessel shall be cleansed first, 
 and then shall the outward vessel be cleansed also," 
 
 In the Book of Mormon, page 59, vers 14 Lehi has 
 borrowed from Shakespeare, or else Shakespeare has 
 borrowed from Lehi, 
 
 "Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words 
 f trembling parent, whos limbs ye must soon lay dowm 
 in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveller 
 can return; a few more days, and I go the way of til the 
 earth." B. M. prage 59. v. 14. 
 
 Professor Anthon declared the characters a hoax 
 
which Marten Harris took to him. No hieroglyphic on 
 earth can be found like them; 
 
 The Hebrew language was in uee by the Jews at the 
 tifcne Lehi left Jeruselem not a refomed Egyption langu- 
 age. 
 
 It is all a myth, about Nephi getting a genealogy ef 
 feis $*ople, and the law of the Jews to the time he left 
 Jsmselem on plates of brass from Laban. Only twenty 
 two years before, a lost copy, and the only copy of the law 
 was found by Hilkiah a High Priest. 2d Kings, 22 & 23. 
 chapters, - \ ;, ; 
 
 Lehi lived in Jeruselem most all his days cotempary 
 witk Jerimiah, and his knowledge of the coming of Christ 
 wae more than all the Old Testiments prophets put toge- 
 ther, yet no mention is to be found of him in the Bible. 
 
 Lehi could call Christ by name, give his mothers 
 came, tell of his baptizm, tell of his preaching, his 
 erueif iction and resurrection, give the exact date, tell of 
 John the Baptist, and of John the Revelator. Lehi could 
 tell the future as well as if he had lived after, and it is 
 ne woader for Lehi is only a man of straw. 
 
 All the predictions of the Bible, the bad as sure as 
 tfce good must be fulfiled. If Joseph Smith fulfilled 
 the good, he fulfilled some of the bad. He deceived the 
 vry elcefe. Turned the minds of people to fable lor 
 jpospel. (Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham) Taught 
 fable which is received for the truth. He laid a found 
 atin for a line of bogus prophets. 
 
 Some people dont object to being deceived -many are 
 STvallible. Christ is the highest type of righteousness The 
 Bible Ckrist. I read the Book of Mormon with a great 
 
 of satisfaction. I read it often and I would not like 
 be without a copy. I have learned however, that the 
 f Lehi, Nephi, Alma, Mormon, Moroni, Jared 
 and ethers are straw names. I read it as a book of Holy 
 Fiction. I see the thick and thin places. I regard it as 
 a marveletrs book of fiction. 
 
17. W c 26. f ti 
 * I 
 
 -5t 
 
 h 18. S ST. 
 
 THE MAYA ALPHABET 
 
 Aecording, to ancient Mayan history Centrial America 
 And Mexico, has been teaming with a thick population 
 for 'no ore than 4, COO years, and the Mayas have spokesn 
 th same languae all that time with little if any changes. 
 Soifce .historins fix the ; .date of the Mayas tongue 6, 000 
 years back, and beMy-eat Js one of the oldest lanuages 
 
on garth. J. T. Short, Baldwin, and Brasseur-de- Bomy 
 fecurg- are the historians on this subject. 
 
 There are three counts and three only, that feora 
 against the Book of Mormon. Namly: The internal evi4-. 
 ence, the evidence of the American hieroglyphics and the 
 Book of Abraham exposeure. These prove the Book ef 
 Mormon to be only a Holy Novel a Remarkable Navel. 
 
 4 'Whole chapters are given bodily and verbatim fram 
 the writings of the prophets, in the commonly used King 
 Jomes version of the Scriptures, but professedly written 
 by these Jewish- Americans prophets, aad translated from 
 the "Reformed Egyptian," by Jeseph Smith, Strangle* 
 Indeed, that the Urim and Thurnmim translation should 
 so dosely follow the renderings, of the ef King Jame's 
 day," Thomas Gregg. 
 
 "The Book of Mormon dont treat upon the subject of 
 "Laying on of Hand" of the "Second Coming of Christ," 
 the "Milleneial Reign. " the subject of "Marriage" except 
 the prohibition of Plygamy, "Tithing" -the "Sabbath" 
 and "Baptisem for the Dead." 
 
 All that talk about the abominal practice of polygamy 
 by Jacob, was before grown up women were pletntiull. 
 ORSON PRATT'S OPINION 
 
 "This book must be either true or false. It true, it is 
 ne of the most important messages ever sent from God 
 tie man, affecting both the temporal and eternal intrests 
 of every people under heaven to the same extent arid in 
 the same degree that the message of Noah affected the 
 inhabitants of the old world. If fales, it 1 is one of the 
 most cunning, wicked, bold, deep-laid impostures ever 
 palmed upon the* world, calculated to deceive and ruin 
 millons who would sincerely receive it as the wo^d of 
 God."-OrsonEPratt. 
 
 It is not the 'purpose "of the author of this : pamphlet - 
 to knock any :creed or faith, without pointing out some- 
 thing better/ The teaching of Christ in the New 
 ment, is superior to all teachings of this day. 
 
On page 324, verse 44, of the Book of Mormon we are 
 told by Alma, long before Christ's time, of the earths 
 motion and the movements of the planets. That could not 
 have been written till after Galileo lived. 
 
 Turn to page 463, verse 15, and we are told there, be- 
 for the time of Christ that it is the earth that moves and 
 not the sun. That could not have",been written until af- 
 ter Galileo lived. 
 
 In all the ruined cities found in central America, no 
 heroglyphic have ever been found like the characters'Jos- 
 eph Smith copied from the golden plates, and which Mar- 
 tin Harris took to Prof Anthon. 
 
 The Indians have been 6000 years upon the American 
 continent and were never any other color than they are 
 to day. See Lambs Golden Bible, p 292. 293. 294. 295. 
 
 There never was a Christian civilzation upon the Am- 
 erican continent until after the time of Columbus. 
 
 The Book of Mormon prophecies .were all written af- 
 ter the events took place. 
 
 There is no new doctrine taught in the Book of Mor- 
 mon pertaining to salvation, better than the Bible teach- 
 ings. The Bible is not a myth It is original. The Bible 
 Christ is not a myth. 
 
 The skin of the Lamanites who were converted, and 
 united with the Nephites, became white like unto the 
 Nephites. If Morrnonismis true, the skin of the Indians 
 Howaiian Islanders, and Africans of this day would turn 
 white who accept Mormonism. See B. M. pp. 480. 
 
 If Joseph Smith had not have claimed the Book of 
 Mormon, and Book of Abraham, were translations from 
 ancient hieroglyphics, and not have shown the fac-simile 
 to the world, he would have given the world no chance 
 to tare him down. 
 
 It was a lasy wind that took 344 days to blew the 
 Jaredites across the sea. A lost fishing crew, blow acrss 
 the sea in less than a month these days. We live in an 
 age when the Lord is not so slow He cuts his work short. 
 
"All the records that have come down to us make it 
 
 certain that horrid idols instead of the Lord Jesus 
 
 were worshiped 'throughout Central Amerca 2000 years 
 ago'M. ; T. Lamb's Golden Bible, page 287. 
 
 "The records tell us (Book of Mormon) that a people 
 called the Jaredites were the sole '.' ocupants of Central 
 America and Mexico from a very early period down to 
 about six hundred years before Christ while genuine re- 
 cords ( J. T Short, and Bancroft) give us the names of 
 the Quinames, the Mayas, the Miztecs, the Zapotecs, the 
 Totonacs, the Huastecs, the Olmecs, and the Xicalancas, 
 as*'th!peopie who occupied that section of country in the 
 most ancient'times.'' M. T. Lamb's Golden Bible page 
 289. 
 
 Orson Pratt and ', B. . H. Roberts, '' have invited the 
 world to disprove the claims for the Book of Mormon. 
 The saints should not get mad, nor 'dount them their ene- 
 mies who show them. ; Preachers of Christ have'done it. 
 
 Rev.! M. T. Lamb's "Golden Bible".' was published in 
 1886, and it seems thatnone'of the defenders of the Book 
 of Mormon dare attempt .'to refute it. They would have 
 to squairly contradict the writings of ten or more histor- 
 ians if they did. 
 
 The' name? of Jten historians who have written his- 
 tories of "the American Indians and which contadict the 
 claims of the "-Book of Mormon are as follws: Baldwin, 
 Squier. Bishop Landa, J..;T. Stout, Catherwood, Steven?, 
 Dr August Lei ;Plongeon Bane, Brasseur-de-Bourbourg, 
 and Bancroft. There are still others. . 
 
 Out of the names of "48 Ancient Cities and Countries 
 in North America not none is': found to agree with any 
 name ie thn Book ; of Mormon. ';fSeej Lamb's, Golden page 
 277, 278, 
 
 Out of 35 names" of men who actual y lived;-; upon this 
 continent in ancient times according to the* records, of an- 
 tiquity, not one ^agrees with any'^name [in the Book of 
 Mormon. See' Lamb's Golden Bible page 281. 
 
Other people, not Nephites or 
 Larnanites, inhabited Central 
 Amerca, for more than 3, 000 
 years, or form before Lehi left 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 ' 'The natives of Yucatan speak, 
 to-day, the same language spok- 
 en by their ancestors three and 
 four thousand years ago/' Rev. 
 M. T. Lamb. 
 
 
 SHE COPAN STATUE Alva A. Tanner 
 
 All archaeological researches in the ruinedjcities of 
 Cemtral America, to find some real evidence to oorober- 
 ate the trutf ullness of the Book of Mormon have failed 
 Tke evidence is the other way, J;,The L.;D. S. Saints are 
 te walk by faith, not by facts. 
 
 ; In tliis small pamphlet I have tried to tell mueh in lit- 
 tle space: to pat the cream of a volume into a nut-shelf. 
 
TEMPLE BUILDING 
 
 Nephf, who was growrTbefore he left Jerusalem, ttved 
 long-enough to reach the promist land America, witk a 
 few others, 14 or 16, see them multiply and devido into 
 two kingdom, have wars, and blud-shed, and yet have 
 enough people to build a tempi 9 after the pa tarn of Sal- 
 mons temple only a very little inferior. And only thirty 
 years has elapest sineo they left Jerusalem. A few pee- 
 pie, perhaps 100, encluding wives and children, do this mar 
 velotw big job. Ife required 153, 000 laborers and SO, 000 
 verseers seven years to build Solomons temple. la fifty 
 er sixty years after Lehi and his Htble ora^r of 14 or 16 
 leave Jerusalem they have muliplied until they have arm- 
 ies carrieng en wars. See Book of Mormon, page 71 72 
 
 THE WITNEISSES THAT SAW THE PLATES 
 
 "We do not doubt that Mr "Smith had plates; real 
 plates, too, that they were covered with strange charact- 
 ers We are uh willing to call in question the testimony 
 of the eye witness upon this point. They saw said plates, 
 "hefted them" &e. But that is as far as they knew, and 
 as far as we can accept their testimony." M. T. Lamb 
 
 Is itlnot strange that eight Barges driven aoFgs tfee 
 eean by wind shauld land together after a 344 days t*ip? 
 
 Is it not strnge that ten moths aftei? the wife of 
 Martin Harris had burned the 116 page* of the Book of 
 Mormon manuscrpt neither the Moroni nor Joseph knew 
 it was burned up, See Doc Cov. Chapter 10. page 97. 
 
 Is it not stpange that the Church of Jestts Christ was 
 established upen this continent several hundred years be- 
 fore the coming of Christ at Jerusalem. 
 
 Those who accepted Mormonism in the days of Jos- 
 eph Snftith, did'.not have the advantage we have in this 
 day, of knov/ing the ancient ruined cities on this cont- 
 inent testify against the Book of Mormon, and in those 
 days the Egyption hieroglyphic's could not be read 
 which Ms later exptoaded the Book of Abraham. 
 
The story of Nephi killing Laban, with Labans own 
 swoard, pnttin on Labans robes, speaking to Zerarn with 
 Labaris voice, obtaining the brass plates and fleeing with 
 Zoram to his brthers outside the city walls, and then into 
 the wilderness with his brothers and Zoraaa, Labans 
 sword, ; and the brass plates, reads like Robinson Crusoe. 
 
 After commenting on the Jaredites, and^the Lekiites 
 crossing the sea, the barges, the miraculous compass, and 
 the great battle, with Shiz and Coriantiumr, as command- 
 ers, and which he estimates fiften or tweny millions of 
 people fell in batle, Thomas Gregg speaks as follows: 
 
 "But with all its foolishoess and glairing abserditee, 
 it will not do to say there is no good in this Book of Mor- 
 mon. There is in it a great deal of good doctrine, and 
 precept, and instruction, and many sublime thoughts. 
 But all, or nearly so, of these, are direct and palpable 
 plagiarisms from the Scriptures and other works". 
 Thomas Gregg's, Prophet of Palmyra, pp 93 
 
 I do not contend that the Book of Mormon is bad, it 
 is a good book of fiction. Inspiration is necessary, and 
 even indispensible, to writers of fiction. 
 
 It was not the Nephites and Lamanites that inhabit- 
 ed Central America 2000, or 1500 years ago. There was 
 no Christian Gospel on this Continent then. It was team- 
 ing with^another people, ancesters to the people found 
 there when the Spaniards came. The proof of this is 
 sureT^Fath in the^Book of Mormon, as a true history of a 
 people that lived upon this Continent of old, contridicts 
 positive'jfacts. It is a"!bogusjfaith. 
 
 Alljthe. ruined cities in^Central America, and all gen- 
 uine history of the Native Races contridict the story of the 
 Book of Mormon. Its innternal evidence also, prove it 
 was written "after the events have happened which it 
 narratates. For further; proof read Rev. M, T, Lamb's 
 Goledn Bible,