Originally posted by: Zolty
wiki
Inaccuracies
While most of the Mormon history and theology explained in this episode is correct, a few of the episode's details regarding Mormonism are incorrect:
* The "four golden plates" depicted in the episode appear as massive tablets, perhaps echoing traditional depictions of the two stone tablets containing the 10 commandments. However Smith and some of the witnesses described the golden plates as a collection (the exact number was never specified) of thin, metal sheets approximately 6" x 8".(Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, v3:9, March 1, 1842, 707.)
* Mormon beliefs regarding the location of the Garden of Eden (Independence, Missouri) are not found in the Book of Mormon, but in the Doctrine and Covenants, another Mormon scripture (see Adam-ondi-Ahman).
* The episode claims that Mormons believe all Native Americans are descended from "white people" who came from Jerusalem, and that another Israelite tribe killed them and was cursed with "red" skin as a result. The episode is broadly reflective, however, of a repeated indication in the Book of Mormon that Lamanites were "cursed" with a "dark" skin or a "skin of blackness" as a result of their "iniquities" and "transgressions" (e.g. 2 Ne. 5: 21; Alma 3: 6), an effect that has been interpreted by some LDS Church members and leaders, including former church president Spencer W. Kimball, to apply to modern Native Americans.[1] It should also be noted that the introduction to the Book of Mormon states: "After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians." LDS.org
* In the episode, the Mormon family speaks only of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and the Marshes appear to convert after having only spoken informally with the Mormon family once or twice in as many days. In reality, potential converts are not allowed to join the Mormon church until they have met with official missionaries and followed a series of formal "discussions" outlining Mormon beliefs about God, Jesus, the Mormon concept of the purpose of life and the "Plan of Salvation", and agreed to live by various church precepts. They are expected to read from the Book of Mormon and the Bible, ask God in prayer if the Mormons' teaching are true, attend Sunday religious meetings at least twice, and commit to being baptized into the religion, all before conversion. An interview with other missionaries to determine readiness is conducted before baptism by immersion and confirmation take place, which are the rites necessary for membership in the church. The actual length of the process can vary from a couple of weeks to months depending on the actual individual taking the lessons. [2]