The 1922 secret Mormon meetings were private gatherings where LDS General Authority B.H. Roberts presented deep historical, scientific, and textual problems with the Book of Mormon to top church leadership and select intellectuals. [1, 2, 3]

What Happened in 1922

• The Presenter: Brigham Henry (B.H.) Roberts was a prominent church historian, General Authority in the Quorum of the Seventy, and the church's leading defender. [1, 2, 3]
• The Leadership Meeting: In January 1922, Roberts led a multi-day emergency meeting in Salt Lake City with the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Quorum of the Seventy. [1, 2]
• The Intelligentsia Gatherings: Following the leadership sessions, Roberts held further secret meetings in the private home of James and Alice Moyle between April and June 1922 with a select group of highly educated faithful Mormons. [1]

The Core Issues Raised

• Anachronisms: Roberts highlighted scientific and archaeological discrepancies, including the mention of horses, steel, cimeters, silk, and barley in ancient America. [1, 2]
• Literary Parallels: He detailed close textual and structural parallels between the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith's 1823 book View of the Hebrews. [1, 2]
• Geography and Linguistics: He challenged traditional hemispheric geography models and pointed out linguistic and historical challenges to literalism. [1, 2]

The Aftermath

• Response from Leaders: Rather than offering scholarly explanations, top church leaders largely responded by bearing their personal testimonies. [1]
• Suppression: Roberts compiled his findings into detailed manuscripts (later published as Studies of the Book of Mormon in 1985), which were kept hidden from general church membership for over 60 years. Roberts was subsequently sent away on a distant church mission.

Interview with Shannon Caldwell Montez

The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922 Thesis



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