How heavy were the Book of Mormon plates?

Question

any estimates? a paper bible is heavy, but engraved gold plates?

Answer 1

Check out this video, this should answer you question-

http://www.mrm.org/multimedia/video/how-heavy-were-joseph-smiths-golden-plates

Answer 2

It is between 60 and a hundred pounds I believe I can't say because there weren't weighed. They had to be transported by horse, and three witnesses said all their lives that they saw an angel showing them the plates. Remarkably all three at one time left the church and still stuck to their claim of seeing an angel. Eight witnesses held the plates in their hands and testified to it.

Chad 80% of Mormons don't reside in Utah. Only 10% reside in Utah. There are 13 million members of the Lds Church.

Answer 3

Joseph Smith was careful to obey the command from the Lord that he not show the plates to others. As he translated the Book of Mormon, Joseph learned that special witnesses would be called to bear testimony of the ancient record written on metal plates. He was quite relieved when he was permitted to show the plates to several witnesses. Those witnesses were then commanded to testify of their experience to others and to write their testimonies concerning the Book of Mormon.

Three men, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, were privileged to be shown the plates by the Angel Moroni. Then eight witnesses were shown the plates by Joseph Smith. Their testimonies are printed at the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon.

Although no single comprehensive description of the Book of Mormon plates has been preserved, the Prophet Joseph Smith and several people closely associated with him made various statements that include partial descriptions of the plates. When all of the available sources are considered, quite a detailed picture emerges of the physical characteristics of the ancient Nephite record.

Neither Joseph nor any of the witnesses said that the ancient record was made from solid gold. Nor did they use the term “gold plates” or “plates of gold.” All Joseph said is that they had “the appearance of gold.”

The presumption that the plates were made of solid gold is curious but probably not correct. It was Joseph’s enemies that coined the phrase “Gold Bible.” It is more appropriate to refer to the ancient metal record as “the Golden Plates,” referring to their color, not the material they were made of.

People of that time period were accustomed to purchasing household supplies by weight. A farmer would have a good idea of what a 60-pound bag of grain would feel like. A woman working in her kitchen would be required to lift a heavy iron kettle filled with water that may weigh up to 60 pounds. Martin Harris said that they weighted "from forty to sixty pounds" and Emma Smith said “I moved them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary in doing my work.” So they were not impossibly heavy.

Answer 4

Mormon apologists have come out and said that the plates weren't made of "actual" gold but a hybrid alloy, and that the angel Moroni only referred to them as "gold" as that was their color.

The other possibility is that JS was given extra strength and stamina to carry...I'm sorry...Run with the plates, and fight off attackers..and to generally manuuver the plates during transations and moving around.

...also...the women who held the plates got extra strength too.

..but that isn't the case...the apologists say hybrid theory.

This may account for why JS himself estimated the plates to be about 90 pounds..even though we know through factual science they could not have weighed less than 200 pounds.

Now, as a farm boy familiar with hard work and lifting, he, if anybody would have a good ability to differenciate between something weighs less than himself and something that definately weighs more than himself.

so, if he says 90 pounds...it definately wasn't 200...which means...they were not made out of actual gold.

Course, I find it odd, that for a religion that makes such a big tadoo about "we have the truth", there are like hundreds upon hundreds of issues that have new "explanations" to them...most of which contradict what was taught in sunday school.

For a thing which had such close up and personal help from the lord in bringing about....it sure is a sloppy mess.

hmmm.

Answer 5

The plates are said to have been 7" X 8" X 6" high, and gold weighs 1204.7 pounds per square foot--figure it out for yourself.

Answer 6

They were so heavy not even Joseph Smith could lift them.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Answer 7

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I don't know playa, I weren't there Yo!

Answer 8

0 they never existed except for the minds of the deceived

Answer 9

You cannot weigh what does not and what never did exist.

Pastor Art

Answer 10

i've always wondered that, too