SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church is taking another step in its push to be more transparent, and is releasing more historical documents that shed light on how Joseph Smith formed the religion.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says the volume being released at a news conference Wednesday in Salt Lake City is a printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon.
Mormons believe that 185 years ago, God helped Smith translate a story that was written in ancient Egyptian and engraved on gold plates. It became known as the Book of Mormon.