--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Joseph Smith, its enterprisingly…" description: "\"“Joseph Smith, its enterprisingly mendacious inventor, went to the lengths of composing a complete new holy book, the Book of Mormon, inventing from sc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/richard-dawkins-115_american-history_joseph-smith-its-enterprisingly-mendacio_2156358.jpg" --- # Joseph Smith, its enterprisingly mendacious inventor, went… ![“Joseph Smith, its enterprisingly mendacious inventor, went to the lengths of composing a complete new holy book, the Book of Mormon, inventing from scratch a whole new bogus American history, written in bogus seventeenth-century English.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/richard-dawkins-115_american-history_joseph-smith-its-enterprisingly-mendacio_2156358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/richard-dawkins-115_american-history_joseph-smith-its-enterprisingly-mendacio_2156358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/richard-dawkins-115_american-history_joseph-smith-its-enterprisingly-mendacio_2156358.jpg) > ““Joseph Smith, its enterprisingly mendacious inventor, went to the lengths of composing a complete new holy book, the Book of Mormon, inventing from scratch a whole new bogus American history, written in bogus seventeenth-century English.”” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critique claims the Book of Mormon is a fabricated narrative with false historical claims and language. **In simple terms:** The Book of Mormon is presented as a fake historical text. Key Takeaway Question the authenticity of claimed origins. Themes skepticism history religion Mood critical skeptical Type analytical controversial When to use this quote - academic debate - religious study - public discourse Key Concepts critical thinking mythmaking Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports or refutes its origins? - How does belief affect interpretation? A Different Perspective Believers may view this as disrespectful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Book Mormon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-mormon/) [Book Of Mormon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-of-mormon/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Holy Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-book-244047/) [Joseph smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joseph-smith/) [Mormon Inventing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mormon-inventing-4556126/) [Written Bogus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-bogus-4556127/) ## Related quotes > [Did Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-roberts/did-ethan-smith-s-view-of-the-hebrews-furnish-structural-material-for/) [B. H. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-roberts/) > [Joseph Smith could not have picked a better year to start The Book of Mormon than 600 B.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-nibley/joseph-smith-could-not-have-picked-a-better-year-to-start-the-book-of/) [Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-nibley/) > [ “How great indeed is our debt to \[Joseph Smith\]. His life began in Vermont and ended in Illinois, and marvelous were the things that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/how-great-indeed-is-our-debt-to-joseph-smith-his-life-began-in/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ and a manifestation of the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/the-book-of-mormon-is-a-second-witness-of-jesus-christ-and-a/) [Dieter F. 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It removes stumbling blocks; it restores many plain and precious things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-book-of-mormon-the-record-of-joseph-verifies-and-clarifies-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [From the Book of Mormon, we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/from-the-book-of-mormon-we-learn-how-disciples-of-christ-live-in/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/i-feel-certain-that-if-in-our-homes-parents-will-read-from-the-book/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [It's funny because 'The Book of Mormon' is 'The Book of Mormon' now. When I was doing it at the very beginning, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gad/it-s-funny-because-the-book-of-mormon-is-the-book-of-mormon-now-when/) [Josh Gad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gad/) > [Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/regular-reading-of-and-talking-about-the-book-of-mormon-invite-the/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [I was interested in being part of interesting stories. As an actor, you generally don't get to choose what projects you are part of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/i-was-interested-in-being-part-of-interesting-stories-as-an-actor-you/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [For us to know that the Book of Mormon is true, we must read it and make the choice found in Moroni: pray to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/for-us-to-know-that-the-book-of-mormon-is-true-we-must-read-it-and/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. 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And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. 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This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We must not falsely teach American history in our schools. 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