The original documents were found in the 1960s (if I remember correctly). They turned up in a museum in Chicago (or somewhere) and they were returned to ChurchCo. I believe they had JS's notes still in the margins.
"In 1967 eleven fragments of the Egyptian papyri once owned by Joseph Smith were rediscovered by Aziz S. Atiya and were then presented to the Church by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art."
They were found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1966 and subsequently given to the Mormon church. Presumably they are preserved in the Granite Mountain Records Vault in Utah.
I called the museum today and they confirmed what you alll have reported and they confirmed it on the phone to my brother in the Phillipines. He is shaken, not stired,,,he may resign if he checks and finds out you were all correct. Thanks
Not that I need to but I always believe post are sincere unlti proved otherwise. My brother, an American citizen, lives in the PHillipines. He is a return missionary. He was excommunicated from the morg. He still calls the morg a cult, but verbally indicates he believe that JS was a profit, and the BOM is true....I have been talking with him about this board and he wanted to know about the book of A. Others posted good info and he is considering abandoning his beliefs. He can not resign, he is excommunicated. When I said he is considering leaving the church, I mistakenly may have led you to believe he was oficially leaving the morg. I meant to indicate he is leaving his belief system of the morg. He is officially out, but as you know it takes years to get mentally out. That is what he is doing. Sorry for any unintended communication.
They are not kept there anymore - that was a temporary display. Now they are part of the Historical Department and are in a kind of folio where they are covered in a a material (can't remember the name) almost like laminating. The same was done to the original and printers manuscrit of The Book of Mormon fragments held by the church. You have to apply to see them as they are not open to the general public.
I think that's a great piece of information that most mormons don't know about. And that was the first piece of damning evidence I discovered while still a believer which then lead me to do more research. Finding out that truth completely shook my faith and I was shocked. And that was the begining of my way out. Hope that gives you hope!
The BoA was my out. No amount of rationalization could make it work after I learned the truth. It all fell apart very quickly after that. That "Hor" did me in. God bless those crazy ass eqyptians.
According to Charles Larson's book, he shows in there a pic of at least part of them, they are behind glass in some sort of half hidden away showcase in a basement of one of the buildings on the BYU campus.
It is in this place, he said, so no one will hardly ever see them. And something about the display itself is very deceptive, I cannot remember exactly what. His book is "By his own hand on paparii", I believe it is called. - I read it a couple years ago cover to cover and saw the pic of this display in there. I was pretty shocked.