2024 January 4, Thursday, Journal Entry

Should be a quiet day. Playing pickleball with my buds. Cathy and I want to walk somewhere. We'll figure it out but it's too cold to walk outside. I've sort of planned to redo our files... Get rid of the old unneeded ones and update everything else. I have all the stuff I need. I just need to do it.

Come Follow Me 

The Testimony of Eight Witnesses

 1 Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.

 2 Christian Whitmer

 3 Jacob Whitmer

 4 Peter Whitmer, Jun.

 5 John Whitmer

 6 Hiram Page

 7 Joseph Smith, Sen.

 8 Hyrum Smith

 9 Samuel H. Smith

The ScripturePlus app goes into great detail regarding these eight witnesses, the hardships and persecutions they faced and the fact that they all maintained their testimonies of the origin of the Book of Mormon until their deaths. 

It's interesting to contemplate why some were excommunicated from the church, some just left the church, some of those returned and some remained faithful but all maintained that their account of what they saw regarding the book was true.

Contemplate is the operative word here. They were all deemed to be honorable men throughout their lives but what they had to endure as members of the Church is indeed worthy of deep thought.