Mormons: Did John Smith really 'misplace' the golden tablets?

Question

And please explain the "jesus came to America to preach to the native americans" thing to me. It really sounds interesting...

Gosh, i feel really dumb that i said John instead of Joseph since the guy is obviously an important historical figure. ... ..

Answer 1

Jesus wasn't resurrected for three days, he went to talk to all the people that had died until jesus died on the cross to ask if they wanted salvation (because Jesus had not died on the cross yet, known as the bossom of Abraham...Luke 16:21-23 (King James Version (KJV)

21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The mormons say that he went to America for three days instead and that the BofM explains were the indians came from.
The plates are an old freemason tale, the story goes that his old scribe wanted to take them home to show his wife (the first book, which was about lehi) and he swore to return it, she ran off with it and the scribe, said "my soul is lost." Joseph smith fearing that the book would be rewritten, abandoned the first book and started from the second book.
12. As predicted after the flood, a great king, named Solomon, came to power and desired to build a sacred house for the in-dwelling of the divine presence.
13. Solomon and his builders, the Masons, while building and excavating for the temple at Mt. Moriah, discovered the cavern and the sacred treasure.
14. After three attempts to obtain the treasure, they were finally successful. Those Masons were very rejoiceful upon receiving these preserved Mysteries.
15. But. three wicked men intervened and committed a horrible crime. They attempted to force one of the Masons, one of the faithful Masons who had discovered the treasure. Hiram Abif; or Hiram, the widow's son, to reveal the hiding (place) and the contents of the hidden treasure.
16. He would not reveal his knowledge and therefore they killed him.
17. While being slain, Hiram. with uplifted hands, cried out, "Oh Lord, My God, is there no help for the widow's son?" This has since become a general Masonic distress call.
18. Then three loyal Masons, seeking revenge, pursued the three evil ones.
19. One of the three faithful Masons overtook one of the arch-villains. He was asleep with his word, or knife, nearby. 20. The Mason slew the villain with his own knife by cutting off his head.
21. In Masonic ceremonies, the words ``strike off his head" were employed.
22. Also in Masonic ceremonies, in revolutionary France, the re-enacting of the killing of this villain. the tyrant's name was King Philippe le Bel (Philip IV or the Fair who destroyed the Knights Templar. M. B. H.)
23. The loyal Mason was rewarded by King Solomon.
24. The recovered treasures then became part of the temple treasury. It consisted of the brass records, the gold plate, the metal ball, the breast plate and the urim and thummim.
Such is the Masonic legend of the Secret Doctrine, or the sacred treasure in the sacred hill, or the treasure of the widow's son.
The parallels of Joseph Smith and the history of Mormonism are so unmistakable, that to explain them only as coincidence would be ridiculous.
Joseph Smith was named Enoch, even by God. He was 25 when he brought forth his sacred record. His sacred record was buried in the hill by a man who had the initial "M". There were GOLD PLATES containing the mysteries of God. They were also in Egyptian hieroglyphics or some Egyptian form. There were brass plates, which also contained an account of the creation of the world. There was another record which contained an account of the tower of Babel. The cavity in the hill, and the hill and the cavity Joseph both saw in vision, was covered with a stone lid. The other treasures in the stone box were the breastplate, the urim and thummim, as well as the round metal ball which served as a director and was called the Liahona.
Joseph Smith also claimed to be an Israelite, and he too made several fruitless attempts at getting the treasure when he first saw it. Joseph Smith had three witnesses to the Book of Mormon and the record itself bears witness that an arch-villain named Laban, or Laban, was thwarting the availability and accessibility of the sacred records, had his head cut off by his own sword. This prophet also built temples for the in-dwelling of God's spirit. Now these parallels, dramatic as they seem, still do not represent the strangest part of the story. All of these aspects of the legend seem transformed into the history of Joseph Smith, so much so that even it appears to be a kind of symbolic acting out of Masonic lore.
But there is a point in this drama where the action goes beyond metaphor and the symbol merges into a tragic reality. This has to do, of course, with the death of Hiram Abif in the legend and the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, in June Joseph Smith gave himself up to be imprisoned and on June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the little Carthage jail. Hyrum was killed instantly and John Taylor seriously wounded. Joseph Smith, Master Mason and widow's son, went to the window and with upraised hands, commenced giving the Masonic distress call to fraternal Masons who were present in the mob: "Oh, Lord, My God." He was unable to complete his plea and fell out of the window to his death.
How does a Mormon historian interpret Joseph Smith and the Masonic Enoch legend? The parallels demand an answer. Was Joseph Smith the fruition of Enoch's prophecy? Was this an extreme "grabbing on" by the Prophet? Or did mysterious and divine, even magical, forces attach themselves to him? Can anyone deny that Masonic influence on Joseph Smith and the Church, either before or after his personal Masonic membership? The evidence demands comments.
I have attempted to indicate that with regard to Mormonism and Masonry, there remains an abundance of that which is "new under the sun." I do not believe that the Nauvoo story can adequately be told without an inquiry into Masonry.
There are many questions which still demand the answers. I earnestly hope I have raised some questions. Perhaps I have answered a few. But if we, as Mormon historians, respond to these questions and myriads like them relative to Masonry in an ostrich-like fashion, with our heads buried in the traditional sand, then I submit: there never will be "any help for the widow's son."

Answer 2

I am not a Mormon but I know several of them...

Don't worry about getting the name wrong, it was an honest mistake.

Since there are no living witnesses I guess we will have to take his word for it. (golden plates being misplaced)

Mormons believe that God revealed that some time during the years the Bible does not tell us where Jesus was, that he was in America with the natives here ( not sure exactly when), they hold that the Great White Spirit they speak of is actually God The Heavenly Father that Christians worship.
I do find it interesting how Natives have The Great White Spirit and several other similarities to other religions.-

Answer 3

Christ did preach in the Americas, only found in the Book of Mormon, after his resurrection. Get a copy and read the story

Answer 4

First off, it is Joseph Smith. And apparently he did misplace the tablets. You can hardly blame him, they were just solid gold plates inscribed with ancient hieroglyphics and a message from god himself. I mean, they're probably just stuck between his couch cushions.

Actually, Mormons believe that it was middle Eastern people that had emigrated to America, and Jesus visited one of them shortly after his resurrection.

-Atheist

Answer 5

Joseph Smith.

John Smith was the one in Virginia about two hundred odd years before that.

Answer 6

On top of getting "Joseph" and "John" mixed up, you're also mistaken in believing that Joseph "lost" the plates. He never lost them.

http://www.allaboutmormons.com

Answer 7

Why do you think he misplaced them? Did he say that anywhere?

Answer 8

ther's no golden tablets to begin with. joseph smith's dumb and those who followed him are even dumber!

Answer 9

I believe you might be referring to JOSEPH Smith.

He melted them down and sold them, of course ;-)