Informed Saints Did Joseph Smith Fake the Gold Plates? Evidence, Witnesses, and the Math
Could Joseph Smith have fabricated the Book of Mormon gold plates in a garage? In this episode, we take a serious look at that claim by comparing it with the actual historical record, eyewitness descriptions, and the physical requirements the witnesses described.
We break down the dimensions, weight, thickness, rings, sealed portion, engravings, and appearance of the plates, and then explore whether a natural explanation really fits the data. We also tackle the “plate math” question: Could the full Book of Mormon text (including the lost 116 pages) realistically fit on the plates?
Along the way, we discuss:
•Witness descriptions of the plates
•Why “just use tin/brass/printing plates” doesn’t fully match the evidence
•Translation density and how ancient scripts compare to English
•Character size, compact writing, and ancient metal inscriptions
•Why critics and believers alike should use the right parameters
This is a thoughtful response to the claim that “gold plates aren’t a miracle” and a deeper dive into what the historical and physical evidence actually suggests.
===Informed Saints Credits===
Produced by The Ancient America Foundation
Producer: Spencer Clark
Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
Watch, share, and tell us what stood out most.
Further Readings:
•Neal Rappleye, “Written Upon Gold Plates” – Comparing Witness Descriptions with Artifacts from the Pre-Modern World (FAIR 2023 conference page)
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference_home/virt-2023_defending-the-bom
•Josh Coates, “Plate Math: A Combinatorial Approach to Modeling All Possible Golden Plates” (FAIR conference presentation/transcript)
•Sonia Hazard, “How Joseph Smith Encountered Printing Plates and Founded Mormonism” (Cambridge / Religion and American Culture)
•Neal Rappleye talk on YouTube (FAIR), “Written Upon Gold Plates”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAgzJ8MYrcw
•Joseph Smith Papers, Testimony of the Three Witnesses (primary source)
•Joseph Smith Papers, Testimony of the Eight Witnesses (primary source)
•Church History Topics, Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (official Church resource)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/witnesses-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
•Scripture Central, Why Did Martin Harris Sometimes Say He Saw the Plates with “Spiritual Eyes”?
•Scripture Central, Are the Accounts of the Golden Plates Believable?
https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/are-the-accounts-of-the-golden-plates-believable
•BYU Religious Studies Center, The Testimonies of the Book of Mormon Witnesses
https://rsc.byu.edu/reason-faith/testimonies-book-mormon-witnesses
===Discover===
If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.
https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/
===Content Disclaimer===
The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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