Skip to main content
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Early Mormon Criticisms - 3: Delusions

In 1831 Alexander Campbell published An Analysis of the Book of Mormon, one of the earliest full-length critiques of Joseph Smith’s new scripture. The piece first appeared as a review in Campbell’s periodical The Millennial Harbinger and was republished the following year, in 1832, as a standalone pamphlet for wider circulation. Campbell was a prominent religious leader and editor, and he approached the Book of Mormon as a text that needed to be tested, line by line, against the Bible it claimed to supplement.


  This series looks back at how early critics of the church reacted to the rise of Mormonism. Some mocked it, others warned against it, and a few tried to make sense of it. Each post features a historical excerpt and some brief context to show how critics viewed the new faith as it was unfolding. 

-The full series can be found here-

Unlike satirical responses such as Abner Cole’s Book of Pukei, Campbell did not parody Mormonism. He treated it as a serious theological and historical claim and argued that it collapsed under its own weight. His critique focused on internal contradictions, anachronisms, biblical borrowing, and what he saw as clear violations of established Jewish and Christian theology. Rather than solely attacking Joseph Smith’s character alone, Campbell aimed his fire at the structure of the narrative itself.

What makes Campbell’s analysis valuable for this series is timing. He was writing at the very beginning of Mormonism’s public life, before the movement had decades to refine its story or standardize its defenses. Many of the issues modern critics raise were already visible to him in 1831, drawn directly from the text as it first appeared. This post presents a summary of Campbell’s work as it circulated in 1832, showing how an early critic tried not to mock or speculate, but to dismantle the Book of Mormon by reading it carefully and taking its claims at face value.


Key Arguments presented by Campbell

-You can read the full pamphlet here -


  1. Illegitimate Priesthood
    Campbell argues that the Book of Mormon violates the Mosaic covenant by creating priests and high priests outside the tribe of Levi. Lehi and Nephi are said to descend from Joseph, yet they offer sacrifices, build temples, and consecrate priests. Under biblical law, this would be forbidden. Campbell concludes that the text portrays God as contradicting his own irrevocable commandments.

  2. Violation of the Land Covenant
    The Book of Mormon depicts God commanding a faithful Jewish family to abandon Jerusalem and the promised land. Campbell argues this reverses biblical theology, where exile is a punishment, not a blessing. God is shown rewarding obedience by breaking his own covenant with Israel.

  3. Unrealistic Population and Kingship
    Campbell claims the Book of Mormon places implausibly large Jewish populations in the Americas and establishes kings and lawgivers centuries before biblical prophecy allows. The transfer of political authority away from Judah before the coming of the Messiah directly contradicts Genesis 49.

  4. Improper Temple Worship Outside Jerusalem
    The text portrays Nephites happily performing temple worship in the Americas while ignoring Jerusalem. Campbell argues this contradicts biblical teaching that God’s name and temple were singularly located in Jerusalem until Christ.

  5. Premature Religious Innovation
    Campbell notes that the Book of Mormon introduces religious ordinances and practices that, according to the Bible, were not to change until the Messiah came. He argues this undermines Malachi’s command to keep the Law of Moses intact until that time.

  6. New Testament Theology Before Christ
    Campbell objects that doctrines Paul says were “hidden mysteries” are openly taught by Nephi centuries earlier. This includes teachings about the Gentiles, salvation through Christ, and Gospel theology, which Campbell argues should not exist before Christ and the apostles.

  7. Anachronistic Theological Debates
    The Book of Mormon addresses nearly every major 19th-century Christian controversy, including baptism, church authority, regeneration, and even Freemasonry. Campbell argues this reflects Joseph Smith’s environment rather than ancient history.

  8. Historical and Geographical Errors
    Campbell highlights basic factual mistakes, such as Jesus being born in Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem and John baptizing in the wrong location. He also mocks references to technologies like compasses and advanced ships long before their historical appearance.

  9. Christian Identity Before Christianity
    The text repeatedly calls pre-Christian Jews “Christians,” practicing baptism and church organization while still under Mosaic law. Campbell argues this collapses biblical chronology and theology.

  10. Single Authorship and Modern Language
    Campbell concludes that despite claiming multiple ancient authors over a thousand years, the Book of Mormon shows uniform style, repeated phrasing, and distinctly modern English expressions. He argues this proves a single modern author rather than an ancient record.


Check Your Understanding

Test what you remember about Alexander Campbell’s early critique of the Book of Mormon.

1. What is the focus of this article series?




2. Who authored An Analysis of the Book of Mormon?




3. Where did Campbell’s critique first appear?




4. When was Campbell’s analysis first published?




5. How did Campbell’s approach differ from satirical critics like Abner Cole?




6. What priesthood issue did Campbell argue violated biblical law?




7. Why did Campbell object to Lehi leaving Jerusalem?




8. What did Campbell argue the Book of Mormon’s theology reflected?




9. What chronological problem did Campbell see with Book of Mormon theology?




10. What did Campbell conclude about the authorship of the Book of Mormon?




Category:

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 15, 2025 at 9:34 AM

    I’m not sure if Alexander Campbell addresses this or not but if you read 1 Nephi 1 and 2, it paints this picture of Lehi during the first year of Zedekiah prophesying about Jerusalems destruction but 2 Kings 24 states that Jerusalem was ransacked and only the “poorest of the poor” remained before Zedekiah was king. 1 Nephi even says that Laman and Lemuel didn’t believe that the great city of Jerusalem would fall but it had already fallen by this point. Zedekiah was established as king by the Babylonians. I even think there are Babylonian artifacts that affirm this timeline.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mormon Blood and the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstein Letter

With the recent release of nearly 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files, there have been several connections made regarding Jeffery Epstein paying tuition for several students at BYU. The most notable of which is presented in what is known as the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstien Letter.    Some are questioning the authenticity of the letter, but some clues seem to point us to a woman named   Esther Cohen .  Lets look at a few connections. Note that these connections are not an attempt at making any accusations and are simply connections made through publicly available information. I will be updating this page as I find more information. EFTA00129111  Reference to the Seven Bowls School of Nutrition From Esther's website: alchemyofnourishment.com (Update March 04, 2026: The site seems to have been taken down) She began studying nutrition as a teenager: Which also seems to align with her site. Alchemy of Nourishment Along with the claim of residing in Colorado Alc...
3 comments
Read

How the Book of Mormon Has Changed Since 1830

     Discussion of changes to the Book of Mormon often settles into two opposing claims: either the book has remained essentially unchanged since 1830, or later editors rewrote it beyond recognition. The reality is that both positions carry a bit of truth. Although the main narrative remains recognizable, the book has changed in several distinct ways. Its wording and grammar were revised in the early editions.⁶ , ⁷ The chapter and verse system was reorganized in 1879, while chapter summaries were added in 1920.¹⁹ Those summaries and other study aids were revised again in 2013 and 2025.²⁰ , ²¹ Following these changes in chronological order makes their differences easier to see. The history begins with dictation in 1829 and continues through the original and printer’s manuscripts, the 1830 printing, Joseph Smith’s revisions, and the later editorial committees that produced the modern edition. Tracing that sequence also makes it possible to distinguish changes to the script...
Post a Comment
Read

The "Mormon" Trademark is About to Expire

 The request for Mormon Stories to rebrand has spread quickly through Mormon spaces. Followers learned that om November 14th 2025, the LDS Church had reached out with claims that the podcast was infringing on the “Mormon” trademark. The demand leaned on the legal idea that the Church owns the word.  The request was shared on social media by @mormstories, but those posts seem to have been removed. Fortunately, copies of the email were  shared on reddit. But there is a significant detail sitting behind this entire dispute. The Church will have to renew the "Mormon" trademark in the 2026 to 2027 window.  Source: USPTO database When that time comes, they must prove that they still use the word “Mormon” in active commerce. USPTO rules are clear on this point. A trademark only survives if the owner can show that it is still printed on actual goods or services that are still being sold or distributed. The official guidelines spell it out at uspto.gov under “ Keeping your r...
3 comments
Read

Everything You Need to Know About the Salt Lake Temple

  The Salt Lake Temple will open to the public from April 5 through October 1, 2027, before it is rededicated and again restricted to Latter-day Saints with temple recommends. [2] Reservations opened on September 1, 2026, and one million tour spaces were claimed in less than 24 hours. [1] The Church describes the event as only the second public open house in the temple’s 134-year history. [2] The building visitors will enter is both old and substantially new. [12] [13] Construction began in 1853 and ended with the temple’s dedication in April 1893, but the interior has been altered repeatedly since then. [3] [20] The current renovation adds about 100,000 square feet of underground space, two baptistries instead of one, five instruction rooms, and 22 sealing rooms instead of 13. [12] The temple now rests on 98 base isolators about 20 feet below the structure, part of a seismic system designed to allow substantial horizontal movement during a major earthquake. [14] [24] The chan...
Post a Comment
Read

Candon Dahle to Marry After Child Abuse Conviction

Former BYU baseball player Candon Dahle is expected to marry this week, less than a year after receiving a plea deal that allowed him to avoid sex offender registration despite admitting guilt to two felony counts involving the abuse of a child. News of the wedding has reignited criticism online, where many argue Dahle's return to ordinary life has come far too quickly in light of the allegations against him.  The topic was recently discussed on Instagram by  @justinthenickofcrime View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin (@justinthenickofcrime) Dahle first made headlines in February 2025 when he was charged in Fremont County, Idaho, with felony lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16. According to the probable cause affidavit summarized by East Idaho News , prosecutors alleged Dahle sexually abused an 11-year-old girl and covered her mouth during one of the assaults. Authorities also filed a separate juvenile case in neighboring Bing...
1 comment
Read

Mormonism's Complicated History With Caffeine

Ask whether Latter-day Saints can drink caffeine and the current answer is yes. The Church’s own historical summary says caffeine has been “left to the judgment of individual Saints” and is not prohibited as a condition for receiving a temple recommend. [3] That answer is clearer today than it was for much of the twentieth century. Church leaders and publications repeatedly discussed caffeine as a drug, a poison, a potentially habit-forming substance, and at times as the apparent reason coffee and tea were objectionable. Some leaders extended that reasoning directly to cola drinks. In 1965, the First Presidency even told a bishop that decaffeinated coffee did not violate the Word of Wisdom and should not disqualify an otherwise worthy member from a temple recommend.[5] The result was a long period in which formal policy, medical explanation, and everyday Mormon culture did not always point in exactly the same direction. That history helps explain why older and younger Latter-day Saints...
Post a Comment
Read

Mormon Stories Fires Back: The Core Defenses Against the LDS Lawsuit

In April 2026, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its intellectual property arm, Intellectual Reserve, filed a federal lawsuit against the Open Stories Foundation and John Dehlin. The complaint alleges trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and consumer confusion arising from the use of the name Mormon Stories, its branding, and its use of Church-related images.      The Church portrays the case as a straightforward effort to protect its trademarks and prevent confusion among people seeking information about the faith. Mormon Stories sees the case very differently. In its response and counterclaim , the organization argues that the Church is attempting to claim ownership over a word that belongs to an entire religious movement while using intellectual property law against one of its most visible critics. Here are the major arguments at the center of the dispute.
1 comment
Read

No. The Mormon Church is Not Suddenly Opposed to Gambling

Almost immediately after President D. Todd Christofferson said, “Gambling is morally wrong,” during the October 2026 General Conference, the LDS apologetic account @allthoseinfavor reacted as though the Church had just drawn a new moral line on gambling. Which personally is a bit concerning, seeing as the account runs a podcast discussing all aspects of Mormonism, including the history of the church. So I find it hard to believe that they haven't ever encountered the anti-gambling position of the church in their studies. Christofferson’s talk was certainly timely. He described a world in which smartphones have made sports betting, casino-style games, and prediction markets available almost anywhere, and he warned against treating an occasional wager as harmless entertainment.[1] But the moral judgment itself was not new. In fact, the Church had used almost the same words more than a century earlier. In August 1908, Church President Joseph F. Smith addressed speculation and gambling...
Post a Comment
Read

Mormonism and the Satanic Ritual Abuse Scare of the 1980s

       All right. So, for this post today, I’m going to be talking about a pretty sensitive subject. And that’s going to be satanic ritual abuse and potential ties to leadership of the Mormon church.      It should go without saying that this is going to be a little bit more of a sensitive subject. I’ll say up front that I have no intention of diving into specific examples—detailed descriptions of what satanic ritual abuse looks like—outside of broad definitions. My goal is just to give an idea of what makes ritual abuse a little bit different than regular abuse (for lack of a better word). Consider this your heads up that this is going to be a sensitive subject.      I typically wouldn’t really give this type of subject very much attention. I certainly never planned on making a post about it. But I did have an interesting conversation the other day with an LDS content creator that I message with sometimes. I was a little surprised whe...
Post a Comment
Read

John Corrill followed Joseph Smith for six years. This was his conclusion.

  John Corrill’s 1839 history is easy to quote as an anti-Mormon source. That misses what makes it useful. Corrill did not spend the early years of Joseph Smith’s movement standing outside it. He joined after trying to disprove it, defended the Saints against accusations he thought were false, served in church leadership, and eventually decided that the movement was a false religion. [1] [2] What changed his mind was a pattern which he had watched develop from the inside: failed plans, financial collapse, pressure against dissenters, escalating militancy, and promises of divine protection that always ended in disaster. [1] That makes Corrill’s story more useful than a simple hostile exposé. It records both why an intelligent early convert believed and why he later stopped believing. The complete 1839 text is available in the Lucifer’s Lantern Full Text Library, including Corrill’s own account of his conversion, church service, the Missouri conflict, and his final remarks to the S...
Post a Comment
Read