The Mormons having to defend what is not defensible due to
the fact that the narrative about the gold plates as related by Joseph Smith,
Jr., and other men associated with him, as well as his mother makes the story
about the gold plates not feasible. Not to be detoured by the non-feasible
story many Mormon apologists have proffered a theory by LDS metallurgist Read
Putnam who theorizes that the gold plates were made of tumbaga a lighter
Central America alloy. This theory does not account as to how these plates
supposed to be made of a light Central American alloy tumbaga to end up buried
on the hill of Cummorah is not proffered. A Brigham Young University professor,
R. H. Putman argues that the Book of Mormon plates that were carried by Joseph
Smith, Jr., were tumbaga for if they
had been gold they would have been too heavy.[1]
The name tumbaga was a name give to this alloy by Spanish conquerors and many
artifacts of tumbaga have been found throughout Central America. The plates
were said to be gold so another theory must be proffered and this is done by
using acid, such as citric acid for when the surface of tumbaga is treated with
acid the gold portion becomes predominant. This gold portion must be polished
so that it will shine like gold. This present another problem about the geography
mentioned in the Book of Mormon for some Mormons argue that the Book of Mormon
lands were in Central America. This is a controversy within Mormon circles.
There are some, of not many, Mormon members who insist that the Book of Mormon
lands were Central America, a limited geography theory. There are others who
are proponents and insist that the Book of Mormon lands were the northeastern
United States and not tumbaga is found in this location. Professor Putnam would
not accept that Joseph Smith, Jr., needed supernatural strength to carry the
plates and in and article published in the LDS magazine Improvement Era, wrote:
“The
plates were not so heavy that a man could not carry them. Joseph Smith was a
man of youth and vigor, yet Mormon was 74 years of age when he turned them over
to his son. (See Morm. 6:6) We are not led to believe that the weight of the
plates was a great hindrance. The witnesses testified that they had ‘hefted’
them, indicating the weight seemed tolerable.”[2]
Professor would speak about the alloy of extremely low-gold
and that this would be a danger due to electrolysis, that is when there is a
passage of electrons through electrons causing migration and a decomposition
and if copper is added the electrolysis is greater therefore greater decomposition.[3]
This
lightening of the weight of the supposed plates, and I use the words “supposed”
because those plates are not available for view, pleases Mormon apologists.
Yet, this lightening of the weight from 108 pounds to 86 pounds does not solve
the dilemma. For any person to run for some three miles with even 86 pounds
does not seem plausible and if one suggests that God gave Joseph Smith, Jr.,
special aid to do so Joseph Smith, Jr., never mentions that this occurred.
Furthermore, to do so after being hit in the head and then fighting three men
and then, I supposed Joseph Smith, Jr., dropped the plates so that he could
fight, or even when hit on the head and then pick them up before the men
attempted to fight again with him is not plausible.
The Mormon
Church has and is attempting to rectify this dilemma by having a display for
people to lift and with a handle which Joseph Smith, Jr., did not have were
also told that they were lifting 50 pounds, somewhat short in weight as to the
calculations. Could the Mormon Church display the weight calculate for the
plates, even if 86 or 108 pounds? They did not suggesting that they were
weighting the answer in their favor.
A problem
not answered is about the translating of the plates. Joseph Smith, Jr., said that
the Lord provided “two stones in silver bows” that he called the “Urim and
Thummin.” In the Bible the priests had attached to their vests these stones so
the words would be recognizable to anyone who attended Church. By these stones
Joseph Smith, Jr., that looked lice large spectacles he was able to translated
the plates into English.[4]
There is no record of Joseph Smith, Jr., wearing such a vest or breastplate
with those stones. It is said that eyewitnesses of the translation say that
Joseph Smith, Jr., used a small egg-shape stone that he called a seer to
translate the plates. Emma Smith, the widow of Joseph Smith, Jr., described
what she saw as she worked as her husband’s scribe: “I frequently wrote day
after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face
buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with
nothing between us.[5] Russell M.
Nelson a Mormon Apostle in 1993 gave the testimony of David Whitmer who agreed
with Emma Smith’s description and added that when Joseph Smith, Jr., looked
into the hat where he placed a rock “a piece of something resembling parchment
would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would
appear, and under it was the interpretation in English.”[6]
This narrative about a hat, stones, seer stones enabling Joseph Smith, Jr., to
see to find things before his uncovering of the plates say the same thing about
his now translating the plates. This similarity is too similar to be accepted
as fact that God did something special with and for Joseph Smith, Jr. the
appearance of paper suddenly with words, or letters enabling Joseph Smith, Jr.,
to translate. This evidence would not stand up in a court of law, or in the
least to be nothing more than what Joseph Smith, Jr., did when a treasure
hunter.
Mormons
look past this problem with the weight of the plates, and their translation,
they seem to make this all irrelevant and rely on the testimony of eleven witnesses
who say they actually saw the plates. In any critical thinking words must be
clarified as to their use and this case of the eleven witnesses is an account were
the word “seeing” must be clarified. Did the “seeing be by their physical eyes
or by a vision? The Mormon historian, Marvin Hill says that the evidence is
extremely contradictory and that the three witnesses saw the plates in vision
only.[7]
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris in Doctrine and Covenants 17:2
that it was by faith that they would have a view of the plates. This event as
told by these men did not occur in the room where Joseph Smith, Jr., was
translating the plates but out in the woods. Furthermore, these men by fervent
prayer, humble prayer so that they could see a tangible, physical object. This seems
strange that they would have to humbly and by fervent prayer obtain a view of
the plates when they were in the room of Joseph Smith, Jr., and furthermore,
all this prayer did not give a manifestation or any divine favor. Martin Harris
excused himself saying that for some reason he was the hindrance so he left the
other men who continued to pray and then an angel holding the plates appeared.
Why did this occur? The plates were already present in the home of Joseph
Smith, Jr., so why not just take the men to this room? It is said that Joseph
Smith, Jr., went to find Martin Harris who was some distance away, then, these
two men prayed and the vision happened again to them. The eight men who say
they saw the plates have a problem the evidence suggests that they say the
plates by spiritual eyes or in a vision.
The
Book of Mormon, in fact their theology stands or false on the truth of that
book. The facts are that the account by Joseph Smith, Jr., cannot be proved to
be true and the evidence, the events so implausible that it can be said that
the Book of Mormon is false. There is too much fabrication. It is also clear to
any thinking and critical thinking person that Joseph Smith, Jr., was relying
on other documents to write the Book of Mormon, that is, if he had actually
written the book. Was there another book that Joseph Smith used to write the
Book of Mormon? And what about the language “Reformed Egyptian” that the plates
were said to be written?
[1]
John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Provo,
UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1996), 283.
[2] Read H.
Putnam, “Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga?” The Improvement Era,
September 1966, 789.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Joseph
Smith, History 1:35.
[5] Emma Smith
Bidamon, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints Herald, October 1,
1879, 289
[6]
Russell M. Nelson, “A Treasured Testament,” Ensign, July 1993, 61.
Citing David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 12.
[7] “Brodie
Revisited: A Reappraisal,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 7, 4
(1972): 83.
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