Truman G. Madsen and John W. Welch, Did B. H. Roberts Lose Faith in the Book of Mormon? Preliminary Report, 1985

File — Box: 69, Folder: 24-27

Identifier: XI

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Series: This section contains documents related to Madsen's controversial B. H. Roberts: Studies of the Book of Mormon (University of Illinois Press, 1985), which raised the question of the extent to which Roberts had questioned the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. The genesis of this book was the acquisition by the Marriott Library of three unpublished manuscripts written by B. H. Roberts. In the first manuscript, "Book of Mormon Difficulties: A Study," Roberts explored some of the more common criticisms of the Book of Mormon. Two later manuscripts, "A Book of Mormon Study" and "A Parallel" contain Roberts' exploration of points of comparison between the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews. These three manuscripts form the basis for the book, which also includes correspondence produced by Roberts relative to his Book of Mormon scholarship. Madsen edited the manuscripts for publication and prepared explanatory footnotes. Everett Cooley wrote the preface and Sterling M. McMurrin penned a brief biography of B. H. Roberts.

Madsen's correspondence about the manuscript and about general questions of intellectual freedom and the LDS Church is located in box 62, along with material he collected by and about Sterling M. McMurrin. Documents related to Madsen's research for the manuscript are located in boxes 63 through 65. The outlines, rough drafts, and typescripts which comprise Madsen's work on the manuscript are located in box 66. This box only contains manuscript material for Madsen's work. Researchers interested in the development of the preface and biography should consult the Sterling M. McMurrin Papers (Ms 32) and the Everett L. Cooley Papers (Accn 73). The Cooley Papers also contain files related to this manuscript which were photocopied from the papers of B. H. Roberts (Ms 106). Box 67 contains reader comments and revisions for various versions of the manuscript. The Dick Wentworth and Alfred Bush comments found in folders 7 and 8 of that box refer to the Roberts manuscript as it appears in the Everett L. Cooley Papers. Following the manuscript material are the book reviews, some information on the subsequent controversy, and the manuscript for Madsen's portion of the joint Madsen-McMurrin "Reply to John W. Welch and Truman G. Madsen," which was delivered before the Algie Ballif Society shortly after publication of the Roberts book. (For more information on this organization, see the Algie Ballif Women's Forum Records, Ms 545.) The articles laying out the Welch-Madsen position, published by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), are located in box 69, folders 24-27. Box 68 contains manuscripts for Madsen's 1986 lecture at the Hinckley Institute's "Books and Banter" series (folders 1-3), his participation on the panel at the Marriott Library's "Sunday Afternoon at the Marriott" series in 1990 (folders 4-9), and his 1993 Dialogue article. The drafts of the speeches and articles written in conjunction with this book have been labeled with letters of the alphabet. Also included are the manuscript materials for the second edition of the book, issued by Signature Books in 1992, and Madsen's files on academic freedom at Brigham Young University and LDS Church excommunications, along with unpublished papers Madsen wrote on both topics in 1993. Box 69 contains articles collected by Madsen in conjunction with his work on the Roberts book and on topics related to the LDS Church.

Dates

1985

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.