I recently found myself in a conversation with a Mormon friend about archaeology and faith. We were discussing the discovery of an early Christian church near Megiddo—a remarkable site with clear links to biblical narratives. The conversation turned, as it inevitably does, to the Book of Mormon. I asked him, gently, how he reconciled the rich archaeological record of the Bible with the notable absence of such evidence for the Book of Mormon.

To his credit, he didn’t flinch. “I’m not Mormon because of the Book of Mormon,” he said. “I’m Mormon because it’s good for my family.”

That answer has stayed with me. Not because it was offensive—it wasn’t—but because it revealed a fundamental shift in what faith means in practice. Here, truth took a back seat to utility. For him, belief wasn’t a matter of what is true, but what works.

But what did he mean by “good for my family”? Was he referring to the fact that Mormonism is well-known for its emphasis on family unity, community involvement, and structured moral guidance? Or was there a more subtle undertone—a recognition that his entire family is Mormon, and departure from that faith would put him on the outside, relationally and emotionally? Perhaps he has seen others walk away and suffer the cost of relational exile. I don’t know. It’s a conversation for another day. But it raises a larger question: is staying inside a belief system for social cohesion the same as believing it is true? In the Bible, we see examples of the faithful leaving their homes, countries, and even families to follow truth—like Abraham, who left everything behind in obedience to God.

Now, I’m not opposed to practical faith. But can we really build a strong family, or a resilient society, on something that might not be true? Can a house stand if its foundation is knowingly laid on sand?

Let us examine the origins of the Book of Mormon and its translator.

According to Joseph Smith, an angel named Moroni appeared to him in 1823 and directed him to a set of golden plates buried in a hill near Manchester, New York. He was told not to show the plates to anyone. When he eventually translated them, he did so not with linguistic study or divine tongues, but by placing a seer stone into a hat and burying his face in it.

This method alone raises eyebrows. Yet after the translation, the plates, we are told, were returned to the angel. No independent scholar has examined them. They have vanished.

Joseph Smith declared the Book of Mormon to be “the most correct of any book on earth.” Yet side-by-side comparisons reveal large sections are nearly identical to the King James Bible. One wonders how reformed Egyptian, an otherwise unattested language, could produce verbatim English renderings of 17th-century translation choices.

Then there’s the question of the people groups. The Book of Mormon claims that Native Americans are the descendants of ancient Israelites. Modern DNA evidence, however, tells a different story. As Dr. Thomas Murphy, a Mormon anthropologist, has stated:

“We are in a dilemma now. The genetic evidence shows clearly that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The archaeological evidence shows that the Book of Mormon is not true. We have based our beliefs upon the Book of Mormon, which we thought was an accurate, ancient, historical record. The genetic evidence has pretty conclusively shown that that is not possibly the case. Because we gave it the status of the Word of God, we have to change what we mean by the word of God. That’s a dangerous prospect for any religion to do and I don’t know that many Mormons would accept that as a possibility. But there isn’t a lot of alternatives.”

These are not the words of a hostile outsider, but of a believer wrestling with the evidence.

The archaeology—or lack thereof—is equally telling. Dr. David Johnson, Professor of Anthropology at Brigham Young University, has said:

“There is no archaeological proof of the Book of Mormon. You can look all you want. There is absolutely no archaeological evidence that you can tie directly to events that took place.”

Contrast this with the Bible, where cities, empires, and ancient texts continue to emerge from the soil to affirm the historical backdrop of its narratives.

And what of the Book of Abraham? Smith acquired Egyptian papyri in the 1830s, claiming they contained the lost writings of Abraham himself. But modern Egyptologists have determined these are merely funerary texts, common among Egyptian burial practices, with no connection to Abraham. That some fragments include Smith’s handwritten annotations only compounds the questions.

At what point does spiritual inspiration cross into something else? If one sincerely believes he is translating ancient truths, is he still deceiving if the translations are demonstrably false?

Some might say, “But look at the fruits! Look at the families!” Yet one could also say that stability born of deception may not survive stress. We’ve seen how the system treats those who leave, sometimes with shunning or estrangement. Social utility has its dark side when it is guarded by fear.

It echoes a darkly familiar motif—a civilization built on illusion, where those who suspect the illusion are labeled dangerous. A moment of doubt becomes a glitch in the matrix, something to suppress rather than confront.

And yet, Scripture offers its own warning:

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8 NIV)

If truth matters—and it must—then we cannot base faith, family, or future on lies, no matter how comforting they may be. Truth is not always comfortable, but it is the only foundation that lasts.

So we return to the question: Joseph Smith, con man or man of God?

That question is not merely academic. It cuts to the heart of how we live, what we build, and what we pass on to our children. And if we dare ask it, truly ask it, we may discover that faith is not diminished by scrutiny, but refined.

Reflection

• If someone you love believes something you think is false, but it brings them peace—should you challenge them? Or let them be? What are the ethical implications either way?
• When faith communities discourage questions, what is lost? Can doubt actually strengthen belief, rather than weaken it?
• Have you ever held a belief because it was helpful—even if you weren’t sure it was true? What did that feel like? Did it change over time?
• Do you think it’s possible to build a strong society or family on a foundation that may not be historically or factually true? Why or why not?
• Can something good be built on a lie? Or would it be rotten at the core?

Excerpt

• Can faith built on falsehoods still be good for the family? When truth is sacrificed for comfort, the foundation cracks. This post asks whether Joseph Smith was a prophet or pretender—and whether we can afford not to find out. Truth matters, especially when everything is built upon it.

Resources

• Egyptian Papyri and the Book of Abraham: Some Questions and Answers by Kerry Muhlestein,  Brigham Young University https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-11-no-1-2010/egyptian-papyri-book-abraham-some-questions-answers
• Book of Abraham and Egyptian Material, The Church Historian’s Press https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/book-of-abraham-and-egyptian-material
• Joseph Smith Papyri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith_Papyri
• Hill Cumorah https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/locations/hill-cumorah?lang=eng
• The Angel Moroni and the Gold Plates https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-stories/chapter-3-the-angel-moroni-and-the-gold-plates-1823-1827?lang=eng
• Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim https://richardsonstudies.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Highlights-Seer-Stone-v.-Urim-Thummim-JosephSmithFoundation.pdf
• Reformed Egyptian The Caractors on the Anthon Transcript – Deformed English https://wasmormon.org/reformed-egyptian-caractors-anthon-transcript/
• Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/intro/introduction-to-revelations-and-translations-volume-5
• “The Most Correct Book”: Joseph Smith’s Appraisal by Robert L. Millet, Brigham Young University https://rsc.byu.edu/living-book-mormon-abiding-its-precepts/most-correct-book-joseph-smiths-appraisal
• The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-4?lang=eng
• Moroni’s September 21, 1823 Appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith https://josephsmithfoundation.org/moronis-september-21-1823-appearance-to-the-prophet-joseph-smith/
• Dr. Thomas Murphy on the Book of Mormon, DNA, His Cancelled Disciplinary Council, and Native American Anthropology Ep. 638-639 June 21, 2016 https://www.mormonstories.org/thomas-murphy/
• Thomas W. Murphy (anthropologist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_W._Murphy_%28anthropologist%29
• Anthropology & Mormonism – Dr. Thomas Murphy | Ep. 1645-1647, August 21, 2022 https://www.mormonstories.org/thomas-murphy-anthropology/
• Archaeology https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Archaeology
• Five Compelling Archeological Evidences For the Book of Mormon by Chris Heimerdinger, February 16, 2018 https://scripturecentral.org/blog/five-compelling-archeological-evidences-for-the-book-of-mormon
• Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon By Daniel C. Peterson https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2000/01/mounting-evidence-for-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
• Christian Apologetics: Refuting Mormonism https://www.joyfulexile.com/apologetics/christian-apologetics-refuting-mormonism
• Of Cities and Swords: The Impossible Task of Mormon Apologetics by James R. White Updated: Dec 18, 2024 The Christian Research Institute  https://www.equip.org/articles/of-cities-and-swords-the-impossible-task-of-mormon-apologetics/