FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Question: Could Joseph Smith have manufactured some metal plates out of tin, copper, or some other metal in order to trick witnesses into thinking he had gold plates?
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Question: Could Joseph Smith have manufactured some metal plates out of tin, copper, or some other metal in order to trick witnesses into thinking he had gold plates?
There is no known evidence to support this assertion
The critics have made an ad hoc assumption that Joseph made plates out of tin. There is no known evidence to support this assertion, nor does it explain how skeptical witnesses were convinced that they were made of gold, rather than tin. This accusation is interesting, because it shows how desperate some critics are to discredit Joseph Smith, yet they cannot dismiss the repeated testimony that he had actual, physical plates which many witnesses concluded were of gold, and of ancient origin.
Notes