The early origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were fraught with peril. Joseph Smith founded a new religion from nothing, and dictated a new scripture, the Book of Mormon, in the process. Smith dictated his translation of the Book of Mormon to Oliver Cowdery, the third cousin of Smith’s mother Lucy Mack Smith. Cowdery would become the first baptised member of the LDS, and, according to the Pearl of Great Price, he was one of two individuals the Aaronic priesthood was restored to by John the Baptist. The other was Joseph Smith.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Investigations in Ritual Abuse to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.