The statement of the 3 witnesses for the Book of Mormon was a single statement signed by all three men. The testimony of the Eight Witnesses was first published at the end of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon and has been printed in nearly every edition since, although most subsequent editions moved the statement to the front of the book and included minor grammatical corrections. An ongoing series of articles on some common and recurring weak arguments that Christians make against Mormonism. The "Three Witnesses" to the Book of Mormon. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our … In the LDS Church, much emphasis is placed on the “witness” of three men who said that they saw the gold plates which were translated by Joseph Smith into the Book of Mormon, as well as eight additional witnesses who testified of their belief in the Book of Mormon. by Fred W. Anson The Argument: "None of the eleven Book of Mormon witnesses ever signed their testimonies." Here are some critics' thoughts on that (thanks to Gary Porter and Craig Criddle for these): 1. Not all witnesses are the same. FairMormon Answers Wiki Table of Contents. Some Mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of Mormon but came back to deny their denial. Testimony. By Richard Packham At the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon you will find "The Testimony of Three Witnesses," as signed by Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris:. Modern Mormon "spin doctors" write all kinds of articles claiming that the witnesses may have denied the Mormon church but they never the book of Mormon. 5/11 witnesses were Whitmers (who were friends with / lived nearby Joseph Smith) 4/11 witnesses were related to Joseph Smith by blood 63% of the Book of Mormon Witnesses were excommunicated. Gunnell goes on to quote a letter written in 1844 by Phineas Young to Brigham Young, "Martin Harris is a firm believer in Shakerism, says his testimony is greater than it was of the Book of Mormon" (Martin Harris - Witness and Benefactor to the Book of Mormon, Wayne C. Gunnell, BYU thesis, 1955, p. 52). Now you know that is a lie. Why It's Weak: Based on the body of available evidence we don't really know if the eleven Book of Mormon witnesses ever signed… We can compare the witnesses for the Book of Mormon to the witnesses of Manuscript Found. Witnesses to the Book of Mormon Summary: The world was not left with Joseph Smith's testimony alone.The Book of Mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated aspects of Joseph's account. 7/11 Witnesses were excommunicated in less than a 2 year period. That means 37% of them can be considered as credible by virtue of NOT being excommunicated.