Mormon Dilemma 680

Running with Gold Plates

Ensign, January 2001, “Take Heed Continually”; “As he was jumping over a log, a man sprang up from behind and gave him a heavy blow with a gun. Joseph turned around and knocked him to the ground, and then ran at the top of his speed. About half a mile further, he was attacked again in precisely the same way. He soon brought this one down also and ran on again, but before he got home, he was accosted the third time with a severe stroke with a gun.” – Andrew Hedges

Joseph struck this third and final attacker with such force that he dislocated his own thumb. He continued running, “being closely pursued until he came near his father’s house,” at which time his assailants, “for fear of being detected,” broke off the chase. Reaching a fence corner, he “threw himself down … to recover his breath,” then rose and continued running until he reached the house.”

2 Timothy 4:3-4; “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

It looks like Smith was a nineteenth century version of MacGyver or Superman – or maybe both. 

It’s estimated the gold plates weighed in excess of 230 lbs if what the Church says about them are true. According to “eye witnesses” who claim they held the plates they weighed roughly 60 lbs.  So there’s a discrepancy that’s hard to ignore. 

Let’s say for the sake of the argument they did weigh sixty pounds. Is it reasonable to believe he performed the amazing feat mentioned in his mother’s diary while toting 60 lbs of gold plates?