What alleged event from religious history does this bronze panel depict, and in what city in New York state is it located?
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Jeffrey Shallit
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about ....
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Jeffrey Shallit
American mathematician, professor of computer science at a major Canadian university, & skeptic.
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Recursivity
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- Christians Lose Special Rights; Respond With Threats
- Islam is So Weak, It Must Be Protected by Law
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- Sculptor of Rusty Junk Wins Award
- Public Institutions Try to Avoid Giving Out Contac...
- World's Worst Journalist Continues Her Streak
- Silly Philosopher Admired by Even Sillier Philosopher
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5 comments:
I'm assuming it's Joseph Smith showing the Book of Mormon for the first time. I don't recall where in NY this happened, it's somewhere Upstate, fwiw.
Though you never know, NYS had lots of wacky religious start ups in the old days.
I assume it refers to the eight witnesses who saw (and handled?) the gold plates containing the book of Mormon. I'd guess the city might be Palmyra.
I'm sure there are other possibilities for eight witnesses, though. The New York is suggestive, however.
Congratulations to both Schenck and sbh! You really know your Mormon history.
"The burned-over district" is fascinating. Within a fairly small portion of space and time (upstate NY, mid-19th century) originated a panoply of religious and social innovation: Mormonism, the Millerite millenialist sect and its offspring; Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, Spiritualism, the Publick Universal Friend, the women's suffrage movement, and more. Also, The Great Agnostic, Robert Green Ingersoll, came from roughly the same time and place.
I'm composing this separately before clicking over to the comments part...
My guess is that's Joseph Smith showing the Golden Plates to people who would later sign a statement that they saw them. Or something similar. I recall hearing that there were signed statements from a few people that they were shown the plates, although I've also heard why their attestations are dubious.
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