We are pleased to announce that the long-awaited book, Inventing Mormonism, by Wesley P. Walters and H. Michael Marquardt is now available from Utah Lighthouse Ministry.

Many years ago it became evident to us that Walters and Marquardt were two of the most knowledgeable researchers on Mormonism that we had ever encountered. Because of their expertise on the subject we constantly sought their advice. Without the insights, material and encouragement they freely gave us, we would have had a far more difficult time preparing our own work on Mormonism.

After years of painstaking research on Mormon history and doctrine, Walters and Marquardt decided to write a book on the origin of Mormonism. Unfortunately, however, before the work was completed Wesley Walters passed away. Since that time, H. Michael Marquardt has worked diligently with Walters’ widow, Helen Walters, to complete this important project. Mrs. Walters had helped Wesley in his research and had developed a good understanding of his thinking about early Mormonism.

The reader may remember that Wesley Walters made two of the most important discoveries regarding Mormonism. First, that the revival which supposedly led Joseph Smith to pray and receive a visitation from God and Jesus Christ in 1820 did not occur at that time. Walters found historical evidence that the revival actually occurred in 1824-25! This, of course, undermined the whole story of the First Vision and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Second, Walters discovered Justice Albert Neely’s bill showing the costs of a court case involving Joseph Smith which took place in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826. This remarkable discovery of the original bill verified a transcript of the examination which was printed in 1873. Mormon officials had always claimed the transcript was a forgery. Before the discovery Dr. Hugh Nibley was especially adamant that the transcript was not authentic. In his book The Myth Makers, we find this revealing statement:

. . . if this court record is authentic it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith.

Dr. Nibley’s book also states that if the authenticity of the court record could be established, it would be

the most devastating blow to Smith ever delivered . . . (The Myth Makers, 1961, page 142)

Mormon scholars now accept the evidence concerning Joseph Smith’s run-in with the law. The testimony given at the examination was especially devastating because it linked Joseph Smith to money-digging and proved that he was involved in the occultic practice of looking in a seer stone to find buried treasure. Justice Neely, in fact, referred to Smith as “Joseph Smith The Glass Looker” in the bill he wrote. Some years after Wesley Walters discovered the Neely bill, H. Michael Marquardt went back to New York and discovered additional evidence verifying the authenticity of the document Walters had found.

We highly recommend the book Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record to those who want to know the truth about the origin of Mormonism.

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