Scholars Map

Daniel C. Peterson

Scholar of religion who writes on Islamic thought and the historical arguments surrounding the Book of Mormon witnesses.

religious studies

Degree
PhD, University of California at Los Angeles
1
earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Daniel C. Peterson — Latter-day Saint Scholars Testify

FAIR · as of

Original · Archived

Relationship to the Church
Latter-day Saint
2
With my fellow Latter-day Saints, I would term these personal revelations.

Daniel C. Peterson — Latter-day Saint Scholars Testify

FAIR · as of

Original · Archived

Positions

What did the Book of Mormon witnesses experience, and how should their testimonies be weighed?

Literal witness

Peterson argues that the varied testimony of the Three, the Eight, and additional people who saw or handled the plates supports Smith’s account. He holds that the combination of shared angelic experiences and separate encounters with a tangible object is difficult to explain through a single naturalistic alternative.

The variety and complexity of their collective testimony makes finding a single, alternative, non-divine explanation for the witness experiences challenging, indeed.

Corrections