http://www.sltrib.com/news/5445146-155/treasured-mormon-manuscript-other-lds-artifacts

I should wonder why Monson & Bros. want to show off the "currency" from the fraudulent and failed "Kirtland Safety Society (Anti-) Bank," and the comical first page of the poorly written BoM with all its grammar errors and such. Why, people might think the church is "weird," or something.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2017 08:53AM by cludgie.

Because they want legitimacy as a national and world religion and they think having something on display at the Smithsonian gives them that.

Plus, I think this is in at least some way a poke in the eye at the Smithsonisan for its letter on the Book of Mormon.

Regardless of the content of the material in the exhibit, Smithsonian exhibits of these kinds of items and historical memorabilia confer a kind of "official" gravitas to (in this case) the Mormon Church...a sort of secular and national "imprimatur" which indicates to viewers that the Mormon Church is "authentic" and deserves to be taken seriously.

I am not disagreeing with the Smithsonian's decision. The Mormon Church played a major role in various parts of US history, and this exhibit is simply acknowledging that fact.

I have to edit my title. I meant, why would Mormons want people to see this?

When you are a tiny minority religion (1.7% of US residents) any publicity is good.

Its sort of like the movie "The Jerk" where Navin Johnson looks up his name in the newly released telephone book (remember those?) and proclaims "I'm somebody now!!"

Years ago, I took the lessons as an investigator. (Full disclosure: I just wanted to bait them.) One of the missionaries told me that some artifacts that validated the BoM were in "the Harvard museum."
"Which Harvard museum?" I asked.There are several.
He didn't know.
I later called a few that might be relevant, and got the usual shuttling around different departments and staff. Nobody could tell me anything about BoM artifacts.

My conclusion was that somebody had fed him a faith-affirming 1/2 or 1/4 or non-truth, but he confidently believes, and relates, that an august (gag, choke, wheeze) Harvard institution validates the BoM.

Tying this in to the OP: Mormons can now vaguely assert that the Smithsonian has thrown the cloak of scholarly respectability over the sloping shoulders of LDS history.

From the article-

"The original manuscript is the most important record in possession of the church," Brandon Metcalf, archivist at the Utah-based faith's Church History Department, said.."

How SAD!