Joseph Smith's Seer Stones

Book excerpt: This book discusses the origins of Joseph Smith's three seer stones--the brown stone, the white stone, and the green stone, --as well as exploring how Joseph used them throughout his life in a way that goes beyond translating the Book of Mormon. It also traces the provenance of the three seer stones once they leave his possession. The authors also examine how the Book of Mormon itself provides a storyline about the history of seer stones, which also helped Joseph Smith learn about his own prophetic gifts. Finally, this book explores how Joseph Smith took his own experiences with seer stones and created a theology of seer stones that became closely linked with his unique doctrines of exaltation.