Lost 16 Pages

[felixfabulous]

I wanted to give consiglieri props for his latest podcast on the lost 16 pages from the Joseph Smith letterbook. I am hoping this gets more press and circulation and maybe will prompt some looking or someone to come forward. I wonder if they are in a personal safe held by Joseph F. Smith's family, it would be a tragedy if they had been destroyed. Unfortunately, I think that is a strong possibility.

I am going to speculate here and say that my theory is that they contain an earlier account of the golden plates/angel story that is drastically different than the correlated one. I would guess it may contain folk magic elements (toads, little old men with beards, shocks, etc.). It seems like 8-16 pages would be long enough to cover this story, which ends up being a substantial narrative. There were probably so many red flags that JFS did not want it to see the light of day.

My other theories are that it contained some controversial stuff about polygamy (which is hard to know what would be more controversial than what we already have) or a different priesthood restoration narrative.

[slavereeno]

Yep, I like this one a lot. We can only speculate what was actually written on those pages, but I bet it wasn't good. I am trying to figure out how Ballard can say with a straight face, that there has been absolutely NO attempt to hide anything since the beginning? Why not just be forthcoming and spew some milk before meat clap trap, and at least be honest about it?

I don't get it.

[slavereeno]

I am sure a faithful answer could be "The items in the lost 16 pages were too sacred to show the werld!"

[græy]

Why not just be forthcoming and spew some milk before meat clap trap, and at least be honest about it?

Honesty is only for the rest of us still striving to become as wise as those at the top. Lying for the Lord has both privilege and purpose.

[deacon blues]

Consig makes the important point that those 16 pages, which definitely were written on, might contain an account that predates the "1832" History. To me this seems more likely, because of the remaining letters copied into the book date from 1829-1835. Why would a book be turned over before it was filled, and then turned over again? It most likely wouldn't.