Anyone familiar with Mormonism is aware that it all supposedly started with gold plates and the story that surrounds Joseph receiving the plates. But what if Joseph never had the plates? What part of the stories can we believe as miracles, and what parts do we classify as fantasy?
As you may know this all began, after the first vision of course, with the Angel Moroni visiting Joseph in his room one night. But what happened after he had received the plates? According to an account written by Joseph’s mom Lucy; after receiving the plates he wrapped them in his frock, put the plates under his arm and headed home. After traveling awhile on the main road Joseph decided it would be safer to travel home through the woods. Once in the woods he came to a large windfall, as he was jumping over a log an attacker jumped up from behind it and gave Joseph a heavy blow with his gun. Joseph then turned around knocked him down and began to run at the top of his speed. About a half mile away he was again attacked, but Joseph took care of Attacker B the same way he did Attacker A and continued running home. He was attacked once more by Attacker C before he got home. However, this time he dislocated his thumb when he clocked Attacker C, which he did not notice until he got home (History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, p.108)
So how large were the plates? Martin Harris said they were 8x7x4 inches, Orson Pratt claimed they were 8x7x6 inches, and Joseph said they were 6x8x6 inches (History of the Church vol. 4 p.537). One cubit foot of gold weighs 1204 lbs. Using Josephs measurements puts the plates at 1/6 of a cubit foot, which makes them about 200 lbs. Now some say that they wouldn't be pure gold because gold is to thin and you wouldn't really be able to write on in it because the writings would bulge out onto the other side. But we know that at least 24 pages of the book of Mormon are written on pure gold (Mosiah 8:9). Some claim that the plates were never really made of gold, but an alloy. Well the Angel Moroni tells us that they were gold plates (The Personal writings of Joseph Smith p 6), and a Mormon periodical (The morning and evening star) written in 1833 claims that the ancient prophets of God kept their important/sacred writings on gold, among many other church writings that claim the plates were made of gold.
Ok so we have a young farm boy in his 20's running through the woods with 200 lbs. under his arm, fending off 3 attackers, and only dislocating his thumb. First off, gold is such a soft metal, they would have been so easy to damage (I'm not saying there was any I'm simply pointing out the fragility of the plates). Secondly how could any one run at top speed at least a 1/2 a mile with 200 lbs. under your arm, fending off 3 men bent on harming you (one even armed and pistol whipping you) and stealing the plates only dislocating your thumb, AND without damaging the soft metal plates. Some claim that this was a miracle and God gave him strength. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dismissing miracles I believe God still works miracles. However, Joseph, Moroni, Mormon, Emma, or anyone else who handled the plates never glorified God for giving them supernatural strength to move, or lift the plates. And the Mormon apologists know this because they keep trying to get the weight to a manageable amount (for more info/resources please see video attached below).
So what about the witnesses did they actually see the plates? The History of the Church vol. 1 p 54 tells us that the witnesses left the home where the 00plates were located and traveled into the woods to pray to see the plates. A revelation in D&C 17 tells them that if they had faith, they would be able to see the plates. This led the witnesses to leave the house with Joseph and go into the woods to pray to see the plates. After praying with no luck of seeing the plates Martin Harris decided to leave to see if the others would have better luck without him there. Shortly after he left an angel from heaven came down and showed them the plates. Why would the witnesses have to pray to see something physical? Why would they have to leave the house where the plates were kept, go into the woods and pray to see something tangible? Even then when they handled the plates they were in a box or wrapped up, they were never actually touched them with their hands.
I'm going to leave you again with one of my top 10 favorite scriptures:
Galatians 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
(I recommend watching these videos I post at the end of my notes. Something could stand out more to you than it did to me.)
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