Mormon Prophet's Golden Plates Claim

Joseph Smith's Golden Plates Claim

On September 22, 1827, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, claimed to have retrieved a set of golden plates from a hill in Palmyra, New York. This event marked the beginning of a series of translations that would eventually become the Book of Mormon. Smith's claim has been a subject of fascination and controversy, with many questioning the existence of these plates.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that Joseph Smith's claim of translating golden plates is a straightforward story of divine revelation. The standard story goes that Smith, a young farmer, was visited by an angel named Moroni who led him to the plates, which he then translated into the Book of Mormon. However, this narrative oversimplifies the complexities surrounding Smith's claim, and a closer examination of historical records reveals a more nuanced story.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Fawn Brodie, in her book "No Man Knows My History," argues that Joseph Smith's claim of translating golden plates was not as straightforward as it seems. On March 26, 1826, Smith was tried and convicted of being a "disorderly person" for his activities as a treasure hunter, which involved using a stone to locate lost treasure. This background is crucial in understanding Smith's claim, as it suggests that he had experience with using stones for divination purposes. Smith's use of a stone to translate the golden plates, as described by his wife Emma, is a key fact that he used the same stone he had used for treasure hunting to translate the Book of Mormon. Historian Dan Vogel, in his book "Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet," notes that Smith's early followers, including Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, played a significant role in shaping the narrative of the golden plates. On April 12, 1828, Harris, who had been acting as Smith's scribe, lost 116 pages of the manuscript, which were never recovered. This event led to a significant change in the way Smith approached the translation process, with him becoming more secretive about the plates. By examining the historical records, including the accounts of Smith's contemporaries, such as David Whitmer, it becomes clear that the story of the golden plates is more complex than the standard narrative suggests. On June 11, 1829, Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, signed a statement affirming that he had seen the golden plates, but his later accounts of the experience are inconsistent, raising questions about the nature of his testimony.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians and scholars have long noted that the story of Joseph Smith and the golden plates was deliberately obscured by early Mormon leaders, including Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff. They made a concerted effort to downplay the lack of physical evidence and focus instead on the spiritual experiences of the prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself has also played a significant role in suppressing this aspect of its history, often by omitting or glossing over the details in official accounts. One concrete reason for this suppression is the fact that the church's own historians, such as B.H. Roberts, were tasked with compiling a sanitized version of the church's history, which was then presented as the official narrative. As a result, many members of the church were left with a vague understanding of the events surrounding the golden plates, and the story was effectively buried beneath a layer of myth and legend. The decision to prioritize faith over fact was a deliberate choice made by the church's leaders, who were more concerned with maintaining a unified and cohesive narrative than with presenting a nuanced and accurate account of their history.

The Ripple Effect

The claim of translating golden plates has had a direct impact on the development of the Mormon faith, influencing the creation of its scripture and shaping its theology. The Book of Mormon, which is based on Smith's supposed translation, is still considered a central text by the church today. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the church's missionary program, which sends thousands of young missionaries around the world each year to spread the teachings of the Book of Mormon. The program is a direct result of the church's belief in the importance of sharing the message of the golden plates with the world.

The Line That Says It All

The Mormon prophet's claim to have translated golden plates that nobody else ever saw remains a central tenet of the church's faith, despite the lack of physical evidence to support it.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the early history of the Mormon church and the life of Joseph Smith.