Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 6 | Issue 1 Article 4 August 2016 Forging the Mormon Myth MaryAnne Hafen Oglethorpe University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur Part of the History of Religion Commons, Mormon Studies Commons, Other History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Hafen, MaryAnne (2016) "Forging the Mormon Myth," Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 6 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol6/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Hafen: Forging the Mormon Myth Forging the Mormon Myth MaryAnne Hafen Senior Honors Thesis April 24, 2016 Published by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2016 1 1 Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 6 [2016], Iss. 1, Art. 4 Under the pretense of rare document collecting Mark Hofmann sold hundreds of forged documents to the Mormon Church and other private collectors for hundreds of thousands of dollars. His documents not only fooled worldclass collectors and authenticators, they fit neatly into Mormon history. Though much of the information presented in them was falsified, his convincing handwriting, inclusion of meticulously researched historical minutiae, and ability to capture the voice of early Church members ensured that no one could believe they were fakes. A handful of key forgeries raised suspicions about Mormon origins and the historical tradition in which they had been retold earlier in the twentieth century.