Did the Jaredites magic stones have anything to do with Joseph's acquaintance with magic stones?
by 
Alatea
ANSWERS: 2
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Alatea, I believe there may be a connection. There was definitely a connection with magic folklore, not only with the Smith Family but many, many people in America during the early 1800's. Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling discussing the topic and I believe fairlds.org has articles on it also.
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While the term “magic” is not exactly appropriate to describe the Urim and Thummim, Doctrine and Covenants 17:1 instructs Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris that if they “rely upon [the Lord’s] word … with full purpose of heart, [they] shall have a view of … the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount.” From this and other sources, it would appear that the Urim and Thummim Joseph Smith Jr. used to translate the Book of Mormon was the very same that the Jaredites used in their day. Regarding any other “magic stones” Joseph may or may not have used during his lifetime, I cannot say; in this particular case, however, there seems to be a *very* strong connection. HTH!
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