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On Church finances, Martin Harris, and Book of Mormon plates

On Church finances, Martin Harris, and Book of Mormon plates

Last updated on: January 15, 2026 at 7:16 pm by Dan Peterson

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On Church finances, Martin Harris, and Book of Mormon plates 2026-01-15T19:16:25-07:00 Dan Peterson

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The replica of the Book of Mormon plates used in the Interpreter Foundation’s 2021 Witnesses film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NEiXWtijQw) Still photograph by James Jordan.

This went up today on the long-dead and, thus, never-changing website of the Interpreter Foundation: Steadfast in Defense of Faith: “Material Plates, Spiritual Vision: Martin Harris, Divine Materiality, and Seeing with “Spiritual Eyes,”” written by Neal Rappleye. Part of the Interpreter Foundation’s weekly chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Steadfast in Defense of Faith: Essays in Honor of Daniel C. Peterson, edited by Shirley Ricks, Stephen D. Ricks, and Louis Midgley. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/steadfast-in-defense-of-faith/. Here is the chapter’s abstract:

“Martin Harris’s journey to becoming a witness of the Book of Mormon plates is, in my view, the most compelling of all the witnesses’. Harris was the first among them (besides those in Joseph Smith’s own family) to offer his support to Joseph, but he was not won over easily. He insisted on meeting with Joseph on his own terms, hefted the box with the plates, and cross-examined Joseph’s family and others to assess the consistency of Joseph’s story. He took the characters from the plates to renowned scholars in New York and other cities for verification. He and Joseph had a falling out after the loss of the “Book of Lehi” manuscript, but despite this was willing to confront his wife and neighbors in court to defend Joseph and testify that he really had a record written on gold plates. Martin also became the first of the future witnesses to be promised a view of the plates.”

Do these gold coins represent the typical contents of the pockets of a typical General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Some, I think, will be interested in this article in the latest number of BYU Studies, and/or they will find it helpful: Keith A. Erekson, “Answering Questions About Church Finances: A Model for Rigorous Faithful Inquiry,” BYU Studies 64/4 (2025): 4-37. I share a couple of passages from it:

Throughout the scriptures, the Savior repeatedly encourages his disciples to search, inquire, seek, and knock—to ask questions (see Matt. 5:42; 7:7; Luke 11:9; James 1:5; 1 Ne. 15:11; 2 Ne. 4:35; 3 Ne. 27:28; D&C 4:7; 18:18; 46:7). In the twenty-first century, many people have questions about the finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Why does a church have so much money? Why does this Church own for-profit companies? Why does the Church spend money on [insert any topic] instead of spending it on [insert another topic of personal concern]? Do Church leaders grow rich off the tithing of members? Why isn’t the Church more open about its finances; what is it hiding? Did a past Church leader predict a time when members would no longer pay tithing?

This essay introduces a model for answering questions about difficult topics and then applies the model to the topic of Church finances. Along the way, I’ll provide starting points for specific questions about Church finances and then demonstrate the full model in action through a case study for answering questions about a 2023 fine from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Two appendixes list recommended resources and places in Church curriculum where teachers might help youth and young adults better understand Church finances. (5)

And this:

The scope of resources needed to support the work of the Church often goes unnoticed or underappreciated because of the sheer breadth (thousands of units all over the world) and because of its almost invisible ubiquity (sacrament cups are somehow just there every week). During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, nobody even blinked when the Church simply secured airfare to transport nearly eighty thousand missionaries to their home countries in a time of stress, scarcity, and high costs. (16)

Keith A. Erekson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a doctorate in history from Indiana University. He currently serves as the director of historical research and outreach for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The original temple at Nauvoo, Illinois, sometime before its destruction in an arsonist fire in 1848. (Wikimedia Commons pubic domain image)

A daguerreotype of the original Nauvoo Illinois Temple as it looked in 1847. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

We had another long filming day today down on the flats in Nauvoo. We worked in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center again, as well as in the Wilford and Phebe Woodruff Home, in the Family Living Center, and near the Edward and Ann Hunter Home, which is directly in front of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple atop the bluff. Between the Hunter Home and the Nauvoo Temple is “the Grove,” or “the Western Grove,” which is where the historically-pivotal outdoor meeting occurred, on 8 August 1844, that is the focus of the narrative of Six Days in August. This is the meeting in which Sidney Rigdon staked his claim to succeed Joseph Smith as the “guardian” of the Church and Brigham Young asserted the right of the Twelve to Church leadership.

C. C. A. Christensen’s depiction of the arson-fire that destroyed the original Nauvoo Temple.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain)

Brigham Young was centrally important in finishing the Nauvoo Temple despite intense persecution, as well as in directing and administering its ordinances even while the Saints began their exodus westward toward the Great Basin — which also took place under his direction. After the departure of the Saints, the temple was vandalized, desecrated, and defaced. A fire set by an arsonist in 1848 destroyed its interior, leaving only an empty shell standing until, on 27 May 1850, a tornado hit the structure. According to Henry Horner (in Illinois, A Descriptive and Historical Guide [Chicago: Federal Writer’s Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Illinois,1939], 352), one source claimed that the storm seemed to “single out the Temple,” destroying “the walls with a roar that was heard miles away.” “I would rather it should thus be destroyed,” responded Brigham Young, “than remain in the hands of the wicked.” (See Deseret News, 14 October 1863; also, Barton, “Life of Mary Field Gardner,” 7.)

“The Nauvoo Temple in Ruins” (Frederick Piercy, 1853)
Wikimedia Commons public domain image

I still vividly remember my excitement at President Gordon B. Hinckley’s announcement in General Conference, on 4 April 1999, that the Church would rebuild the Nauvoo Temple. (See “President Hinckley and the Nauvoo Temple.”) It was a great moment. I actually knew that something might eventually happen in this direction — the head of the family to which President Hinckley referred in his announcement had spoken to me about it during a telephone call when my family and I were living in Jerusalem — but I didn’t know when it would happen. I was thrilled.

The rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

After sunset, having finished our film work, the six of us went to the restored Nauvoo Illinois Temple to performed vicarious sealings (of couples and of children to parents) there. What a privilege! When I was younger, I could never have imagined such a thing.

Posted from Fort Madison, Iowa

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