hey mormons: where did joseph smith get the magic hat and seer stones used in translating the book of mormon ?
i always wanted my very own magic hat, complete with seer stones and urim + thumim charms so that i can translate holy scriptures. i am pretty sure joseph smith must have already had the magic hat when the angel moroni told him where to find the golden plates from which the book of mormon was translated.

did he get it as a birthday present from his parents ?

was there a magic hat shop somewhere in vermont or new york in the early 1800's ?

the salem witch hunts in that part of the country were in the 1600's and 1700's so that would have really put a dent in demand for magic hat people to ply their trade.

mr. smith also had the urim and thumim and seer stones. did they come with the magic hat as a kind of package deal ?
"the urim and thummim(which are also in the bible, by the way) came with the golden plates. there was no hat used in the translation, whoever told you this was lying."

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/07/a-treasured-testament

http://www.lds.org/friend/1974/09/a-peaceful-heart

why would you assume that this explanation of how a portion of the book of mormon was translated is a lie? is it because the idea is so entirely ridiculous, that one could not have possibly claimed to put a rock into a hat, one that wasn't found with the plates or one that wasn't the urim or thummim, and put their face against the hat to see a glowing piece of parchment with the translation? does that appear so ridiculous to you that you would accuse people of lying about this method? 

seer stones. i'm quite certain the lds members here are tired of me barging in to put in my two cents about this ridiculous "spiritual technology". and that's really the counter to the rational argument, to apply the notion that these seer stones are somewhat of a technology of a higher power, left behind for centuries so that the people of the 1800s could find them, and claim to be village seers, or see things that are normally unseen to the natural eye. people like sally chase, chauncy hart, william and joshua stafford, and joseph smith, and countless others during this time period. one member said the vault is filled with seer stones. 

the rational argument is that there is no technology in these stones. there is nothing spiritual about them. we have come across many claimed seers today, and not one has been verified under a controlled experiment, to prove that they can utilize their seer stones to find anything. think about all of the people that claimed they had seer stones, you're telling me this technology that was found as commonly as it was in the 1800s no longer works today? did the batteries run out? if it is a technology of god, why would he allow people to attempt to use them as tools to locate redundant lost items or treasures? if it is a technology of god, why doesn't the current prophet use them regularly? why don't missionaries use them as some sort of training wheels for receiving revelations? why doesn't the prophet use them to locate nephite and lamanite artifacts? remember, the prophet has access to the same stones that joseph smith used, why aren't they being used as joseph smith used them? 

joseph smith found his first one while borrowing a neighbor's, and he then used that one to find the one while they were digging a well. why would joseph smith use the seer stone instead of solely the urim and thummim to translate the book of mormon? because some in his community claimed him to be a fraud by using seer stones while money digging. in order to squash the claims by the community that he was fraudulent for previously using fake stones, he used them in the translation process to prove that his powers and that his stones were real, that his gift was from god. this reinforced his claims as a seer to people who were on the fence on accepting the claims from critics that he was fraudulent before.

mormons believe in these tools as a technology. so prove it. we're not the ones with our hands over our ears, we're the ones waiting for you to show us that your "miracles" are some sort of advanced technologies left by gods. seems like a waste for these technologies to spend their time rotting away inside of a locked vault.

edit: here's a manner in which the mormons can utilize their seer stones. instead of traveling door to door running into people that have zero desire to listen to anything said about the book of mormon or about mormonism altogether and most likely end up slamming the door in faces; why don't the missionaries use the seer stones to locate the people that are actually sincere in their determination to find truth, that would be willing to listen and read the book of mormon, maybe those who are willing to have their lives changed around? wouldn't that be such a useful way to utilize these technologies that you're telling me about, the ones currently rotting away under secrecy?

"nappa mocks the application of faith to the accomplishment of god's purposes."

how does the utilization of 1800s folk magic comply with using faith for god's purposes? faith shouldn't be reliant on witnesses of miracles to discover truth, yet your god employs this tactic regularly throughout the bible and in the application to the translation of your standard works.

tell me more about why you're not employing seer stones anymore. if they were clearly used as abundantly as they were in the 1800s, i'm curious as to why all of a sudden they stopped working?
hi there, betsy! last visit, the magical beginnings park maps were available at guest relations. they were also available at the baby care centers in each of the theme parks. guest relations can be found: in city hall at magic kingdom on the west side of the entrance plaza of epcot, (just past spaceship earth on the left) just inside the entrance to disney's hollywood studios (on the left) just to the left of the entrance at disney's animal kingdom have a magical vacation! amanda the lyceum theatre is important in the extract because the anonymous sender of the pearls requests miss mary morstan to meet with him at the third pillar from the left outside the lyceum theatre. this is the place that promises to unfold the mystery of the anonymous sender and reveal the story of how mary is a “wronged woman”. the writer has also used the sophisticated upper class of london that arrives in cabs and horsedrawn carriages outside the lyceum theatre as a symbol of wealth, to hint at the riches that the treasure has the potential to bestow upon mary morstan, about which she has no idea. hi james! i bet you can't wait to get to sunny orlando, florida. my father lives in michigan and says it's still quite chilly up there. i hope you are able to enjoy sun, fun and relaxation on your trip. james, you do not have to buy magicbands, your theme park admission ticket will be equipped with a radio frequency chip that will allow you to tap to enter the theme parks, and disney fastpass+ queues, just as other guests would tap a magicband. magicbands are really fun and can be reused on future trips, they also sell some really cute accessories and speciality magicbands once you arrive at walt disney world. the choice is totally up to you. thanks for stopping by, visit us again soon with any other questions you may have. have a magical day, ~jen hello erika! my daughters have received magical makeovers at both the bibbidi bobbidi boutique and the pirates league. they enjoy alternating between pirates and princesses, sweet and sassy. you can absolutely make the reservations for the same day as both accept reservations starting in the morning. the pirates league is in adventureland, next to pirates of the caribbean, and the bibbidi bobbidi boutique is inside cinderella castle, both located in magic kingdom park. they are not far from each other, perhaps a 5-minute walk. i recommend scheduling the appointments at least an hour apart. i also suggest making reservations early in the day if possible, so you maximize your picture-taking opportunities. they also have a mermaid package at the pirates league if your princess-loving daughter prefers to avoid the scallywags. to make reservations for bibbidi bobbidi boutique, please call (407) wdw-style. for reservations at the pirates league, please call 407-wdw-crew. reservations can be made 180 days in advance, so the earlier the better, matey. yo ho, yo ho, it's a pirate and a princess life for you. have a magical vacation! tania ahoy kimberly! i'm sure the suitcases are out and ready to be filled with cruise attire for your bahamian adventure! my family just returned from a magical voyage onboard disney cruise line so i'll be happy to fill you in on what my prince and princess wore last week. my son wore nice khaki shorts and pants with polo shirts on the casual evenings. for pirate night, i brought along our pirate gear from home and on dress-up evening he wore a shirt and tie with dress slacks. my daughter enjoyed wearing her sundresses, skirts and coordinating tops and capri pants. she also dressed up in pirate attire and enjoyed wearing one of her fancy dresses for dress up night. when my daughter was younger, she always dressed in her princess dress-up while onboard, and you will see many young princesses strolling around in their royal attire on your sailing. i hope my suggestions help, kimberly! if you have any other last minute questions, please let me know! have a magical day and bon voyage! nancy hi, david! you will not have to leave the magic kingdom and come back in. you will have to get your mickey's very merry christmas party wrist bands, though. fortunately, you won't have to go all the way back to the entrance of the park to get them. you'll find cast members in various locations in the park that will have the wrist bands available. you're eating at a great time, too. i love to do an early dinner the night of the party, so we don't miss a minute of the holiday festivities! have an absolutely awesome time! lisa, i believe i answered something similar to this question but will be glad to go over it again with you! you can indeed get a haircut on main street of the magic kingdom at the harmony barbershop. this little place is tucked back between the car barn and the emporium and is easy to miss if you aren't looking for the red and white stripe pole out front! although it is known most for the first haircut experience this is not where the services stop. adults as well as children can get haircuts and you can even request a beard or a moustache trim. if you need something more magical ask for a colored gel or pixie dust! the first haircut includes a certificate and mouse ears and that cost is $18. adult haircuts are $19 while children's cuts are $15. the beard and moustache trims will cost $10 and the extra gels and pixie dust will range from $5-$7.50. you can use a credit card or charge to your room but at this time tips must be done in cash. the harmony barbershop is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm with the last haircut being at 4:30pm. you can now make advanced reservations by calling disney dining at 407-939-3463 and ask for children's activities. walk ups are always welcome and generally one of the stylists will always be available for the walk ups. make sure you take your camera.....this is definitely a photo opportunity for your trip! re: help<br><br>you need to get the documents scanned in and sent through to our offices. rosa, always glad to serve! so the chocolate slipper looks amazing! the only place i am aware of it being available is at cinderella's royal table. but disney is great about getting you what you want, where you want it. what i would do is call 407-wdw-dine and ask them to work with you on a specialty cake. they will be able not only to help you with the variety of cakes available, from mini-surprise cakes to more personalized, elaborate options, but also will tell you where they can be served. (by the way, i think that is a really special idea, and i am sure they will love it!) as to the second part of your question, i did not know if you were asking for breakfast suggestions or something else. can you write me back and let me know; a) what meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner) b) where you will be (park/resort/other area) c) what kind of meal you want (table or quick service) d) any other relevant information (likes/dislikes, character meal interest, etc.) this will help a great deal, as it is hard to find select past responses. i love those kinds of questions, so please write back and ask! have a magical vacation! hi rob! sorry to hear that your gift card order is going to be late. a month seems like an awfully long time. the good news is that disney gift cards are available all throughout the walt disney world parks and resorts. you should have no problem getting them once you arrive. i hope this helps and i wish you a magical vacation!! :) chris