Kezele, Jordan
Joseph Smith’s Seer Stones
Faculty Mentor: Michael Hubbard MacKay, Church History & Doctrine
In October of 2015 the Church unveiled photographs of a Joseph Smith seer stone with
a brief article about its history and provenance. With this release numerous new
questions have emerged about Joseph’s seer stones and many of the known details
have yet to be extensively explored. Our book, which was released in August of 2016
will act as an important guide to further understand Joseph’s seer stones for academics
and non-historians alike—it will offer a faithful look at these sacred relics. The use of
seer stones can be a confusing part of Mormon history and theology that this research
will attempt to interpret and work through using primary source documents and historical
methodologies. In summary, the purpose of this project was to faithfully identify, track,
and present the various origins and provenance of known seer stones belonging to
Joseph Smith.
Several methods were used in the process of bringing our ideas from research to
publication. Together we searched through maps, scripture, journals, newspapers, and
Joseph Smith documents to unravel the provenance and myths behind the use of seer
stones in early Church history. Our approach mirrored the methods used by the Joseph
Smith Papers, of which Dr. MacKay is an author. We studied contemporaries of Joseph
Smith as well as ancient seers found in LDS scripture. Ultimately, we didn’t just want to
know what others thought about Joseph Smith’s seer stones, but what Joseph himself
thought about his seer stones and their use. This goal would have been impossible to
achieve without BYU, and in my opinion, required us as the creators to be faithful
members of the Church.
The first step was to collect and organize the research found in primary and secondary
source documents. In light of the research content, it’s safe to say that we left no stone
unturned. We searched through Mormon, non-Mormon, and even Anti-Mormon
documents and literature in an attempt to fully understand the source material. This
allowed us to begin to piece together a faith based narrative and shape the direction of
the several chapters in the book. Dr. MacKay commissioned art, the BYU Geography
department helped us create accurate time period maps, blind edits were performed,
other experts were consulted, modern seer stone collectors were contacted, and hours
were spent on a large whiteboard mapping and sifting through theories.
I am absolutely thrilled with the outcomes of our research. Our book, Joseph Smith’s
Seer Stones does not claim to be the final word on the topic (due to the possibility of
new documents being discovered), but we have constructed a reliable guide to seer
stones for the novice and scholar alike. The BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret
Book published the work, which is now available in stores and online. It’s also likely that
the book will spark a new, more accurate, and more faith based conversation about
seer stones. It is my hope that another result of this research will be to help members of
the Church internalize, digest, and faithfully cope with paradigm shifts that are an
inevitable byproduct of a living Church. This book is a valuable resource to any inquirer
of Joseph Smith and his seer stones.
When the Church released the photographs of one of Joseph Smith’s seer stones in the
Ensign, many members of the Church were confronted with a new and mysterious part
of our history. Questions, doubt, and ridicule (generally fueled by anti-Mormon groups)
spread rapidly through social media and news outlets. The integrity of Joseph Smith
and even the Church was called into question. The most common questions I found
were: Why have we not heard of this before? Why would God communicate to His
prophet in such a strange way? This book answers these questions and many more.
We began working on this project well before the Church released the pictures, and
subsequent to that wonderful release we felt it our duty to curb misinformation and
provide a source that truth-seeking individuals could turn to.
God has used objects to focus the faith of His children since the beginning of time. Fruit
was used to expel from Eden, animals were sacrificed on altars, manna fell from
heaven, a snake was hoisted on a pole for healing, writing appeared on the wall for
Daniel, the Liahona guided the Nephites, the ark of the covenant held God’s writing on
stone, a wash in the Jordan River brought healing, clay anointed to the eyes brought
sight to the blind, money found in a fish’s mouth paid tribute, oil placed on the head
brought curing, water in baptism brings cleansing, clothing and symbols in the temple
teach exaltation, and a God nailed to a wooden cross brings life and redemption to all.
These and many more examples help us understand that God communicates and
enacts miracles in our lives through physical objects. In the life of Joseph Smith, those
objects were seer stones, and the miracle was the Book of Mormon and revelation.
I consider the countless hours of researching, writing, and discussing for this project to
be the best spent in my entire time at Brigham Young University. Through it I felt that I
came to know and understand the prophet Joseph Smith in a whole new way. The book
speaks for itself, and I consider it something that Joseph himself would be pleased with.
My name resides on the front page not only as proof of participation, but as a
declaration to all who read it that I know the work of Joseph Smith to be God’s work.