Mormon church publishes photos in push toward transparency

The Mormon church took another step toward transparency Tuesday with the first published pictures of a small sacred stone it believes founder Joseph Smith used to help translate a story that became the basis of the religion.

The new photos peel back another layer of secrecy for a relatively young world religion that has come under scrutiny for some of its beliefs as its numbers swelled in the Internet age.

The pictures of the smooth, egg-sized rock are part of a new book that also contains photos of the first printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon. Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unveiled the photos at a news conference in Salt Lake City.