What Really Matters

Recently we had an activity in Seminary, during which I asked the students to come up with some "hard ball" questions they might be asked by their non-LDS friends. We had an interesting discussion based on these questions. Chad's question got a strong response. It was something like: Did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon out of a hat?

Huh?!? To be honest, I'd never heard of this. Chad said this was, indeed, a question he'd been asked and that there must be something to it because it had been featured on South Park, You Tube, etc. When we are asked a question we don't know about, a logical response is "I don't know." Essentially, that was my response to Chad. And that was the end of it, or so I thought.

While I was researching a completely unrelated matter online, I stumbled across a drawing of Joseph Smith with his face in a hat. After Chad's question (which I had all but forgotten) I had to learn more! I clicked on this image. The blog that popped up with the image had a link:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=05169209df38b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

This link took me to a marvelous article in the July 1993 Ensign by Elder Russell M. Nelson entitled "A Treasured Testament." It contained, among other less discussed details of the translation of the Book of Mormon, a quote from David Whitmer's writings describing Joseph's use of a hat along with the seer stone in the translation process. I shared this strange description with the class today. What did they make of the whole hat thing? "Interesting." "Weird." I agreed. On both counts.

Some students were quickly able to site scriptures which offered some perspective, i.e. Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." They sited several Biblical prophets the Lord used to perform miracles using fantastic (seemingly magical) methods: Moses, Elijah, Daniel... there are dozens. I mean, if we buy that God kept three men from burning inside a furnace (Shadrack, Mesach and Abednego - see Daniel 3), what is so tough to swallow about a prophet using a hat and a seer stone? After briefly discussing these other miracles I asked, "Is this really important?"

Silence.

Then Ryan Palmer said, "Not necessarily." I pressed, "What do you mean?" He responded, "Well, it's not so important how [Joseph Smith] translated the Book of Mormon, but THAT he translated the Book of Mormon." EXACTLY!

I testify that he did, indeed, translate this other "Testament of Jesus Christ" by the gift and power of God. The Spirit has confirmed this truth to my soul over and over. The fact that he appears to have used a hat doesn't make it less a miracle.

I also testify that the Lord cared enough about Chad and his question to help me find an answer I wasn't even looking for. It was as if I pulled it right out of a hat: The Lord's little miracle for Chad. Now that really matters!