The Saints books are wonderful, important resources for Church members throughout the world. But surely readers of Saints, volume 1, realize they're reading a restatement of history, not always actual history.
The editors had specific goals in mind that they achieved by careful editing and rewriting.
To their credit, the editors provided numerous citations to original sources. That enables readers to "trust but verify" what they read in Saints.
There's an easy formula to follow to assess restatements of history such as the Saints book, volume 1. It goes by the acronym SIFT, as in "sift the opinions from the facts."
1. Stop.
2. Investigate the source.
3. Find better coverage.
4. Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context.
Otherwise known as SIFT.
If you follow this approach, you soon find that Joseph, his family, and all of his contemporaries knew that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 was in western New York. You find that Joseph, his mother, and Oliver Cowdery always said Joseph translated with the Urim and Thummim, not with any stone in a hat. You find that the actual history, contained in the original sources, makes more sense than much of the revisionist restatement of history in Saints.
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