An Address To All Believers In Christ: By A Witness To The Divine Authenticity Of The Book Of Mormon

by David Whitmer

""An Address To All Believers In Christ"" is a book written by David Whitmer, a witness to the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The book is addressed to all believers in Christ and aims to provide a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Whitmer was one of the Three Witnesses who saw the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. In this book, he recounts his experiences and provides evidence for the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. He also addresses common criticisms and objections to the book. The book is written in a clear and concise style, making it accessible to readers of all backgrounds. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Lds

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

Reviews

[Alex Berrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found out that this book exists because Tad R Callister quoted it in his book “A Case for the Book of Mormon.” Tad R Callister quoted it in order to disprove anti-LDS claims that David Whitmer denounced his claims about seeing the angel Moroni, and the golden plates. The anti-LDS flagrantly took the following passage out of context “If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon; if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice form the heavens, and told me to “separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints for as they sought to do unto me, so should it be done unto them” by claiming that it contradicts David Whitmer’s claims that he saw the angel Moroni and the golden plates.
I did some research on Book of Mormon Central, and found out that David Whitmer indeed apostasized but he stayed true to his conviction for the Book of Mormon. As a result, I decided to read David Whitmer’s book in order to figure out why he had apostazied, and what this whole separating himself from the Latter Day Saints thing is about. Turns out that he believed that the Book of Mormon was true, but that at some point in the future Joseph Smith supposedly apostasized. He believes that Joseph Smith is the unlearned man whom the Bible and Book of Mormon prophesied would translate the golden plates into the English language but he does not believe that Joseph Smith is the seer that the Book of Mormon prophesied of.
In other words, he thinks that the church was true when it was first organized, and that the Book of Mormon is true but he thinks that the church went into corruption sometime after it was organized so he, and some others went to form the Church of Christ (also known as the Temple Lot Church). He preached against Joseph Smith being a prophet, and the Doctrine and Covenants.
I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1 because it’s clear that he never denied that he had seen the angel Moroni, and the golden plates but I’m not giving it anymore stars than that because he doesn’t believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and thinks that the Doctrine and Covenants is false doctrine.
I can use the Bible, and Early Christianity to disprove his preaching against the Doctrine and Covenants. I can use the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Early Christianity to prove that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I can get past this guys word sorcery regarding Book of Mormon prophecies.

[Chris Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. It's divided into two main parts. The first part is for those who don't believe in the Book of Mormon, and it contains his testimony of its divinity. The second part is his viewpoint of the church, which includes some insight into some of the church's beginnings and a few of the revelations Joseph Smith received.

In the end, this isn't a deal breaker of any sorts for or against the church, but after having read hundreds of other pages of history and research, David Whitmer seems to have been quite accurate in his portrayal of how things went down in the early days.

The part that I find fascinating is that the LDS church uses the first part of this document all the time for faith-promoting videos, talks, and whatever else. The first part makes up about 15% of the entire book. The remaining part deserves as much attention from the church as does the first part.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone whose testimony of the The Book of Mormon hangs on the testimony of the Three and Eight Witnesses will likely find this book interesting (either faith-affirming or troubling). Anyone who uses the testimonies of the Three and Eight to pursuade other people to become Mormon needs to read Whitmer's tract as well.

David Whitmer wrote this late in life. The sentiments are all wrapped up in what he wanted his legacy to be: a strong critic of the LDS Church in Utah, and a strong witness for The Book of Mormon. Like so many other books on Mormonism I’ve read, I didn’t find this to be a deal-breaker regarding the church I was raised in (and later walked away from). However, it gave me a better understanding of the path many early church members took to walk away from the teachings of Joseph Smith.

I recommend this animated and passionate tract for people on both sides of the argument.

[William Siems]

David is one of the twelve witnesses to the golden plates from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. It was said that he recanted, but this is his proclamation that he never did and his attempt to correct some of the errors the LDS church later wandered into. The Church of Christ does not believe in the Doctrine and Covenants or the Pearl of Great Price. It is an interesting reading as he show why he rejects; the name change, plural marriage, and the offices other than elder, priest (pastor), or teacher. Many LDS and non-LDS folk struggle with many of the same questions. I think his pamphlet is enlightening.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in David Whitmer's reasoning for leaving the Church this is very interesting. It is, however, written near the end of his life which allowed him to paint a tidy story of his reasons for believing that Joseph was a fallen prophet. I believe it may have been a bit of a different story in if he had written this in the first year of leaving the Church. But I enjoyed reading it. He is a persuasive writer and I appreciate his testimony of the Book of Mormon.