There was a time when I believed the Book of Abraham was exactly what Joseph Smith said it was—a translation from ancient Egyptian papyri, containing the actual words of Abraham himself. It was scripture, held up alongside the Bible and the Book of Mormon, canonized as part of the Pearl of Great Price. I trusted that when the church said “translation,” it meant what the rest of the world understands that word to mean: taking text from one language and converting it into another.

Except, it turns out, that’s not what happened at all.

The Lie That Became Scripture

In 1835, Joseph Smith obtained Egyptian papyri along with some mummies. He claimed these scrolls contained the writings of Abraham “by his own hand upon papyrus.” Using his supposed prophetic abilities, he “translated” the text and produced the Book of Abraham—a narrative of Abraham’s life, God’s covenant with him, and a cosmic explanation of the universe.

For over a century, members of the LDS Church were taught that Joseph Smith was divinely given the ability to read Egyptian and that the Book of Abraham was an authentic, ancient text. No one questioned it—why would they? It was scripture.

But then the papyri were rediscovered in the 1960s, giving scholars the chance to examine what Joseph Smith actually had in front of him. Egyptologists translated the text, and what did they find? Not a single word about Abraham. The papyri weren’t an ancient biblical record at all; they were common Egyptian funerary texts—the “Book of Breathings”—instructions to help the deceased navigate the afterlife.

So let’s be clear: Joseph Smith didn’t translate anything. The Book of Abraham has nothing to do with Abraham.

Rewriting the Narrative

At this point, you’d think the church would admit the obvious: Joseph Smith didn’t translate the papyri, and the Book of Abraham is not what it was claimed to be. But instead of acknowledging that the entire foundation of this “scripture” has crumbled, the church has simply changed the story.

Instead of calling it a translation, they now lean on the idea that it was “inspired.” Instead of a direct linguistic rendering of Egyptian to English, now we’re told it was a revelatory process, that the papyri merely served as a catalyst for Joseph Smith to receive divine inspiration.

Do you see the problem? This isn’t a minor adjustment. It’s a complete revision of the original claim. We were told Joseph translated an ancient record; now we’re told it wasn’t a translation at all. This is gaslighting at an institutional level.

Why This Matters

Some might say, “Does it really matter whether it was a literal translation or an inspired text? Isn’t the message what’s important?”

Yes, it matters. It matters because integrity matters. It matters because truth matters. If Joseph Smith’s ability to translate was supposed to be proof of his prophetic calling, and yet the Book of Abraham is demonstrably not a translation, then what does that say about his credibility? If he fabricated this, what else did he fabricate?

The church has banked on its members trusting that even when things seem questionable, there’s always a faithful explanation. But at what point does the pattern of deception become too much to ignore? This isn’t about anti-Mormon rhetoric. It’s about looking at what actually happened and calling it what it is: a lie that has been repackaged and sold as scripture for nearly 200 years.

I was taught to value truth above all else. That’s why learning about the Book of Abraham wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was devastating. Because once I saw through this, I had to ask myself: What else isn’t what I thought it was?

And that was a question I could no longer ignore.

Here is a link to the Gospel Essay on LDS.org.