The Kinderhook Plates
What most Latter-day Saints have been taught in church and believe as truth.
Significant details & problems that most Latter-day Saints are not aware of.
How do we know that the plate recovered isn’t a forgery of the original Kinderhook Plates?
Responses to these issues by faithful Latter-day Saints and
LDS apologists.
What most Latter-day Saints have been taught in church and believe as truth.
Most LDS don’t seem to know anything about the Kinderhook Plates. It takes up seven pages of the book ‘The History of the Church’ by Joseph Smith. If they are at all familiar with it then they usually believe in one of these two versions:
Version 1
Six small metal plates with strange engravings on them were found by local townspeople in an American Indian burial mound in Kinderhook, Illinois in 1843. A LDS elder was there when they started to excavate the mound and when they found the plates he suggested taking them to Joseph Smith to see if he could translate this ancient writing.
Joseph briefly examined the plates and said that the engravings were similar to those on the Book of Mormon plates and they tell a story about an ancient Jarodite who was a descendant of Ham. Joseph may have intended to do a complete translation of the plates but was killed some time afterwards. Drawings of the six plates appeared in the LDS Church newspaper The Times and Seasons along with how they came to be.
“I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook... I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and that he received his Kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.”
Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, v. 5, p. 372
Many years later a farmer claimed to have forged the plates as a hoax. The plates were lost during the Civil War. Faithful LDS said that the plates were real as was Joseph’s brief translation about whom the plates were written about. They attacked the credibility of the man that claimed to have forged the plates, as he didn’t tell his story until many years after the prophet’s death. One of the six plates was later discovered in a museum in Chicago. It is believed to be a forgery of plate #5 so all the original plates are still missing so there is no tangible evidence to contradict Joseph’s claim of what he said the plates were.
Version 2
Similar story except that after one of the plates was found it was tested and proved to be one of the authentic Kinderhook plates unearthed in 1843. Further testing proved that it was not ancient in origin but was manufactured in the 1800s in the same manner described by the man that claimed to have made the plates as a hoax.
The faithful say that it was indeed a hoax but that Joseph never fell for it. The brief translation of the engravings was written by a scribe and was not really Joseph’s words despite the official recording of the event in LDS official history book the History of the Chuch by Joseph Smith.
References:
‘History of the Church’ by Joseph Smith pages vol. 5, pages. 372-379
A transcription of the account
From ‘History of the Church’ by Joseph Smith pages vol. 5, pages. 372-379
Note: We’re not sure this transcription is complete. The footnotes are not included and they are very important. They attack the credibility of the man that claimed to make the plates as a hoax. We plan on publishing the complete account once we secure an electronic copy of this section of the History of the Church by Joseph Smith. But here’s the trasncription from http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/History_of_the_Church/Vol_V
I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook,
in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and others,
while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from
the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates
were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides
with ancient characters.
I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the
history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of
Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his
kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth.
I quote the following editorial from the Times and Seasons:--
ANCIENT RECORDS.
Circumstances are daily transpiring which give additional testimony
to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. A few years ago, although
supported by indubitable, unimpeachable testimony, it was looked upon in
the same light by the world in general, and by the religious world in
particular, as the expedition of Columbus to this continent was by the
different courts that he visited, and laid his project before. The
literati looked upon his expedition as wild and visionary, they suspected
very much the integrity of his pretensions, and looked upon him--to say
the least--as a fool, for entertaining such wild and visionary views. The
royal courts aided by geographers, thought it was impossible that another
continent should or could exist; and they were assisted in their views by
the learned clergy, who, to put the matter beyond all doubt, stated that
it was contrary to Scripture; that the apostles preached to all the world,
and that as they did not came to America, it was impossible that there
should be any such place. Thus at variance with the opinions of the great,
in opposition to science and religion, he set sail, and actually came to
America; it was no dream, no fiction; but a solid reality; and however
unphilosophical and infidel the notion might be, men had to believe it;
and it was soon found out that it would agree both with religion and
philosophy.
So when the Book of Mormon first made its appearance among men, it
was looked upon by many as a wild speculation, and that it was dangerous
to the interest and happiness of the religious world. But when it was
found to teach virtue, honesty, integrity, and pure religion, this
objection was laid aside as being untenable.
We were then told that the inhabitants of this continent were and
always had been a rude, barbarous race, uncouth, unlettered, and without
civilization. But when they were told of the various relics that have been
found indicative of civilization, intelligence, and learning,-- when they
were told of the wealth, architecture, and splendor of ancient Mexico,--
when recent developments proved beyond a doubt that there are ancient
ruins in Central America, which, in point of magnificence, beauty,
strength, and architectural design, vie with any of the most splendid
ruins on the Asiatic Continent,--when they could trace the fine
delineations of the sculptor's chisel on the beautiful statue, the
mysterious hieroglyphic, and the unknown character, they began to believe
that a wise, powerful, intelligent, and scientific race had inhabited this
continent; but still it was improbable--nay almost impossible,
notwithstanding the testimony of history to the contrary, that anything
like plates could have been used anciently, particularly among this
people.
The following letter and certificate will perhaps have a tendency to
convince the skeptical that such things have been used and that even the
obnoxious Book of Mormon may be true. And as the people in Columbus' day
were obliged to believe that there was such a place as America, so will
the people in this day be obliged to believe, however reluctantly, that
there may have been such plates as those from which the Book of Mormon was
translated.
Mr. Smith has had those plates, what his opinion concerning them is,
we have not yet ascertained. The gentleman that owns them has taken them
away, or we should have given a fac-simile of the plates and characters in
this number. We are informed however, that he purposes returning with them
for translation, if so, we may be able yet to furnish our readers with it.
It will be seen by the annexed statement of the Quincy Whig, that
there are more dreamers and money-diggers than Joseph Smith in the world;
and the worthy editor is obliged to acknowledge that this circumstance
will go a good way to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon
He further states that "if Joseph Smith can decipher the
hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing light on the
early history of this continent than any man living." We think that he has
done that already in translating and publishing the Book of Mormon, and
would advise the gentleman and all interested to read for themselves and
understand. We have no doubt, however, but Mr. Smith will be able to
translate them.
To the editor of the Times and Seasons.
On the 16th of April last, a respectable merchant, by the name of
Robert Wiley, commenced digging in a large mound near this place; he
excavated to the depth of ten feet and came to rock. About that time the
rain began to fall, and he abandoned the work.
On the 23rd, he and quite a number of the citizens, with myself,
repaired to the mound; and after making ample opening, we found plenty of
rock, the most of which appeared as though it had been strongly burned;
and after removing full two feet of said rock, we found plenty of charcoal
and ashes; also human bones that appeared as though they had been burned;
and near the encephalon a bundle was found that consisted of six plates of
brass of a bell shape, each having a hole near the small end, and a ring
through them all, and clasped with two clasps. The rings and clasps
appeared to be iron very much oxydated. The plates appeared first to be
copper, and had the appearance of being covered with characters.
It was agreed by the company that I should cleanse the plates.
Accordingly I took them to my house, washed them with soap and water and a
woolen cloth; but, finding them not yet cleansed, I treated them with
dilute sulphuric acid, which made them perfectly clean, on which it
appeared that they were completely covered with hieroglyphics that none as
yet have been able to read.
Wishing that the world might know the hidden things as fast as they
come to light, I was induced to state the facts, hoping that you would
give it an insertion in your excellent paper; for we all feel anxious to
know the true meaning of the plates, and publishing the facts might lead
to the true translation.
They were found, I judged, more than twelve feet below the surface of
the top of the mound. I am, most respectfully, a citizen of Kinderhook, W.
P. HARRIS, M. D.
We, the citizens of Kinderhook, whose names are annexed, do certify
and declare that on the 23rd of April, 1843, while excavating a large
mound in this vicinity, Mr. R. Wiley took from said mound six brass plates
of a bell shape, covered with ancient characters. Said plates were very
much oxydated. The bands and rings on said plates mouldered into dust on a
slight pressure. ROBERT WILEY, W. LONGNECKER, GEO. DECKENSON, FAYETTE
GRUBB, W. FUGATE, W. P. HARRIS, J. R. SHARP, G. W. F. WARD, IRA S. CURTIS,
(From the Quincy Whig.)
SINGULAR DISCOVERY.--MATERIAL FOR ANOTHER MORMON BOOK.
A Mr. J. Roberts of Pike County, called upon us last Monday with a
written description of a discovery which was recently made near
Kinderhook, in that county. We have not room for his communication at
length, and will give so much of a summary of it, as will enable the
reader to form a pretty correct opinion of the discovery made.
It appeared that a young man by the name of Wiley, a resident in
Kinderhook, dreamed three nights in succession, that in a certain mound In
the vicinity, there were treasures concealed. Impressed with the strange
occurrence of dreaming the same dream three nights in succession, he came
to the conclusion to satisfy his mind by digging into the mound. For fear
of being laughed at, if he made others acquainted with his design he went
by himself and labored diligently one day in pursuit of the supposed
treasure, by sinking a hole in the center of a mound.
Finding it quite laborious, he invited others to assist him. A
company of ten or twelve repaired to the mound and assisted in digging out
the shaft commenced by Wiley. After penetrating the mound about eleven
feet, they came to a bed of limestone that had been subjected to the
action of fire. They removed the stones, which were small and easy to
handle, to the depth of two feet more, when they found six brass plates,
secured and fastened together by two iron wires, but which were so decayed
that they readily crumbled to dust upon being handled.
The plates were so completely covered with rust as almost to
obliterate the characters inscribed upon them; but, after undergoing a
chemical process, the inscriptions were brought out plain and distinct.
There were six plates, four inches in length, one inch and
three-quarters wide at the top, and two inches and three-quarters wide at
the bottom, flaring out to points. There are four lines of characters or
hieroglyphics on each. On one side of the plates are parallel lines
running lengthways.
By whom these plates were deposited there must ever remain a secret,
unless some one skilled in deciphering hieroglyphics may be found to
unravel the mystery. Some pretend to say that Smith, the Mormon leader,
has the ability to read them. If he has, he will confer a great favor on
the public by removing the mystery which hangs over them. A person present
when the plates were found remarked that it would go to prove the
authenticity of the Book of Mormon, which it undoubtedly will.
In the place where these plates were deposited were also found human
bones in the last stage of decomposition. There were but few bones found;
and it is believed that it was but the burial-place of a person or family
of distinction in ages long gone by, and that these plates contain the
history of the times, or of a people that existed far, far beyond the
memory of the present race. But we will not conjecture anything about this
wonderful discovery, as it is one which the plates alone can reveal.
The plates above alluded to were exhibited in this city last week,
and are now, we understand, in Nauvoo, subject to the inspection of the
Mormon Prophet. The public curiosity is greatly excited; and if Smith can
decipher the hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing
light on the early history of this continent than any man now living.
Significant details & problems that most Latter-day Saints are not aware of.
The account of the Kinderhook Plates does not come from some ‘anti-Mormon’ book but is given in the church’s official book History of the Church. The book lists the author as Joseph Smith (although much of the book was actually written by others). The pages detailing the Kinderhook Plates is shown as a first person account by Joseph. The book History of the Church is considered almost scripture and is studied in Sunday School periodically. Would the true church print a false record of the event in its official history book?
The story of finding the Kinderhook Plates and drawings of the six Kinderhook Plates was also published in the Times and Seasons which was the Church’s official newspaper. Joseph Smith was the editor of the Times and Seasons. He surely would not have allowed the story to be printed if it wasn’t true.
The Church had always maintained that the Kinderhook Plates account as told in the History of the Church was true and that the plates were of ancient origin. Even when one of the plates was found and examined the LDS Apologists still said it was a forgery of the original plates, as they could not prove with 100% certainty unless they did destructive testing.
Eventually the scientists used destructive testing methods on the plate and proved conclusively that it was not an ancient plate and was likely manufactured in the 1800s in the manner described by the person that claimed to have made the plates. After that the church backed off on its claims that the Kinderhook Plates were real. The LDS apologists quickly changed their story and stopped defending that the plates and Joseph’s translation of them were true. Now the LDS apologists say it was all a hoax and Joseph never fell for it and someone other than Joseph must have said that the plates tell a story of a descendant of Ham.
For a full account of the Kinderhook Plates, see the following references:
References
‘History of the Church’ pages vol. 5, pages 372-379 by Joseph Smith
http://www.irr.org/mit/kinderhook-plates.html
http://www.xmission.com/%7Ecountry/reason/kinder.htm
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/kinderhookplates.htm
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/josephsmithkinderhookplates.htm
http://www.ils.unc.edu/%7Eunsworth/mormon/kinderhook.html
Drawings of the Kinderhook Plates that appeared in the Times and Seasons newspaper and in the book History of the Church.
The plate boxed in red was the one the was found and exists today.
The Nauvoo Neighbor press published a broadside with facsimilies of the plates on June 24, 1843. This is two months and a day after they were "found" on April 26, 1843:
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/kndrfacs.jpg
Here's a close-up of the text:
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/kndrfac2.jpg
Note that it mentions that a translation of the plates as well as facsimilies of them will be published in Times and Seasons as soon as Joseph Smith has finished translating them.
Note also that the publishers are "Taylor and Woodruff," Apostles at the time and later the 3rd and 4th presidents of the Church.
How do we know that the plate recovered isn’t a forgery of the original Kinderhook Plates?
Both the critics of the Church and faithful LDS apologists now both agree that the plate currently in possession of the Chicago Historical Society is one of the original plates found in Kinderhook in 1843. This is no longer in dispute. It’s verified in the August 1981 Issue of the LDS magazine the Ensign.
Responses to these issues by faithful Latter-day Saints and LDS apologists.
The position that was supported by LDS members and apologists for 130 years.
The Church and the LDS apologists have defended the authenticity of the Kinderhook Plates and Joseph’s translations of them since the time of their discovery until 1980. Here’s a quote from Welby W. Ricks, President of BYU Archaeological Society:
“A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, Jun., reaffirms his prophetic calling and reveals the false statements made by one of the finders....
“The plates are now back in their original category of genuine.... Joseph Smith, Jun., stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well.”
- Welby W. Ricks, President of BYU Archaeological Society, quoted in Kinderhook Plates
The position that is now being supported by LDS apologists since the plate was scientifically determined to be a hoax.
It was a hoax and Joseph never fell for it.
Article from August 1981 Issue of the Ensign
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/kinderhook/kinderhook.htm
Critic’s response.
Why wasn’t this ever the church’s position before scientists proved the plates were fake? If the Kinderhook Plates were really just a hoax then why didn’t the church ever say that in the first 130 years since the KP were unearthed? Why did it take finding evidence that proved the KP were fake to have the church change their mind on their authenticity? The church only seems to change their beliefs (like the limited geography theory of the Book of Mormon, The Book of Abraham, location of Hill Cumorah, etc.) when contradictory evidence disproves their recorded history. This seems inconsistent with a church run by modern-day prophets.
A comment on the article from the Ensign:
First, he makes this statement: "These accounts have generated much controversy for more than a hundred years since the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the question being twofold: (1) are the Kinderhook plates authentic? and (2) did Joseph Smith attempt to translate them?"
Good questions. Kimball sets out to try and answer them.
He first establishes that the plates are in fact NOT authentic through various testing methods. Good, science at work. Thank you.
He then tries to establish that Joseph Smith never attempted to translate them. Honestly, this appeared to me to be a lot of hand waving and basically just saying that we're interpreting the documented account incorrectly - that it doesn't actually mean what it says.
And then it says "Since coming to public awareness in 1920, this plate has undergone a number of tests. For example, in 1953 it was examined by two engravers who made an affidavit stating that “to the best of our knowledge this Plate was engraved with a pointed instrument and not etched with acid”—a conclusion which contradicted the letters claiming the plates to be a hoax, and which therefore fueled the hopes of those who wanted the plates to be proven genuine."
"Fueled the hopes of those who wanted the plates to be proven genuine."
Why, may I ask, would anyone hope they were proven genuine IF JOSEPH NEVER ATTEMPTED TO TRANSLATE THEM?
The double standard was blatantly obvious to me. If testing showed the plates were of ancient origin, the Church’s answer to the second question would have been the exact opposite: That Joseph DID attempt to translate the plates. They would have agreed entirely with the documented accounts! Kimball tried to treat these as two separate questions, each with their own independent answer, but that isn't the case.
There is no way that Kimball or anyone else would have taken the position that Joseph did NOT try to translate the plates had testing shown the plates were of ancient origin.
Faithful LDS member response #2.
Joseph never translated the Kinderhook Plates. The account that is recorded in the History of the Church was recorded by one of Joseph’s scribes William Clayton. Mr. Clayton may have just recorded what he thought the prophet or some others had said. No one can prove conclusively that Joseph made those statements.
Critic’s response.
Who else would have been able to make these grand claims? Why would a scribe think this Indian was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. Why not a descendant of Noah or Abraham? This seems way too unusual and too specific to be made by anyone other than the prophet Joseph Smith.
Why would Joseph Smith, the editor if the Times and Seasons, allow the article with pictures of the plates be published if it wasn’t true? Even hardcore LDS admit that Joseph must have known the article was published and did not dispute it. The LDS book History of the Church makes it very clear that Joseph translated a portion of the Kinderhook Plates.
From: http://www.irr.org/mit/kinderhook-plates.html
How plausible is this argument raised by some LDS writers? Was it unusual for accounts recorded by Joseph’s scribes to be entered as Joseph’s own words? Who was William Clayton? Was he in a position to accurately know and record Joseph’s words? Was Clayton considered a reliable scribe and a dependable person? Are there other entries in his journals that are accepted without question as the words of Joseph Smith?
Clayton: Intimate Confidante of Joseph Smith
From his conversion to the Mormon Church at age 23 in Preston, England in 1837, to his death in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1879, William Clayton is described as “never swerving in his belief in the church and its leaders” by George D. Smith, editor of An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton (p. xvii). In his fifty-page introduction to Clayton’s life and journals, George D. Smith includes descriptions of Clayton from close associates and family members who uniformly remember him as a serious, meticulous and dependable person. His daughter spoke of him as “methodical, always sitting in his own armchair, having a certain place at the table … his person was clean and tidy; his hands small and dimpled” (p. liii). G.D. Smith writes:
Long after his death, Clayton was remembered as “the soul of punctuality”; his daughter remembering his “love for order, which he believed was the first law of heaven … he would not carry a watch that was not accurate” (p. xvi).
Mormon leaders recognized Clayton’s gifts and abilities early on, for after being a member of the LDS Church for less than six months he was named second counselor to the president of the British Mission (p. xvi), and later became the first branch president of Manchester (BYU Studies, 27:1, p. 47).
At Clayton’s death, Joseph F. Smith, who would become the sixth President of the LDS Church, noted Clayton’s achievements:
He was a friend and companion of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it is to his pen to a very great extent that we are indebted for the history of the Church … during his acquaintance with him and the time he acted for him as his private secretary, in the days of Nauvoo (p. lx).
LDS scholars who have studied Clayton’s life have noted his “meticulous detail that was the hallmark of his writing” (p. xx), and also that,
Beginning early in 1842, William Clayton found himself involved in nearly every important activity of Nauvoo, but especially the private concerns of the prophet. For two and a half years, until Joseph’s death in 1844, they were in each other’s company almost daily.
[James B.] Allen [who wrote a biography of Clayton], explains that Clayton was not only Smith’s trusted employee and associate but also his personal friend and confidante. He wrote letters for the prophet, recorded his revelations, ran his errands, and helped prepare the official history of the church (pp. xxii-xxiii).
There would appear to be nothing or no one to detract from Clayton’s ability to accurately record the words of Joseph Smith, and every reason to believe he did so accurately and reliably.
Therefore, one can understand why the leaders of the LDS Church when compiling an authoritative history of the life of Joseph Smith and the Church, would accept without question the accuracy of Clayton’s journal entry for May 1, 1843 that stated:
I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County . . . President Joseph has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharoah king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth (Intimate Chronicle, p. 100, emphasis added).
As LDS leaders constructed a history of Joseph’s life with words recorded by him and others, it would have been easy to justify modifying Clayton’s May 1, 1843 entry so it read as follows when incorporated into the History of the Church:
I insert fac-similes of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike County, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and other, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters.
I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth (History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 372)
If one does not accept Clayton’s journal entry at face value, about the only alternative is to imply that Clayton did not hear Smith make these statements, but instead was willing and capable of inserting speculative and unsubstantiated ideas and falsely attributing them to Joseph Smith. While this can be granted as a possibility, it certainly seems improbable and highly implausible given what we know of Clayton’s life and character and the high level of confidence placed in him by Joseph Smith and subsequent LDS leaders and scholars.
Corroborating Evidence
Equally important in assessing the accuracy of Clayton’s journal entry is the existence of corroborating historical evidence related to Clayton, Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook Plates. For example:
- The Mormons published facsimiles of the plates in a broadside titled "Discovery of the Brass Plates," published at Nauvoo, Illinois, 24 June 1843. This broadside stated in part:
The contents of the Plates, together with a Fac-Simile of the same, will be published in the "Times & Seasons," as soon as the translation is completed (LDS Archives – reproduced in Stanley B. Kimball, "Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax," Ensign 11 [August 1981]:72).
- Joseph Smith hired Clayton specifically to record what he did and said, and “beginning in early 1842, William Clayton found himself involved in nearly every important activity of Nauvoo, but especially the private concerns of the prophet. For two and a half years, until Joseph’s death in 1844, they were in each other’s company almost daily” (Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, George D. Smith, ed., pp. xxii-xxiii).
- Clayton was with Joseph Smith on the day he records Joseph rendering his verdict on the plates (Intimate Chronicle, p. 100).
- Church Historian George A. Smith affirmed in 1858 that there was an accurate system in place so that the recorded history would be “strictly correct.” The historians and clerks engaged in the work were “eye and ear witnesses of nearly all the transactions recorded in this history, most of which were reported as they transpired, and, where they were not personally present, they have had access to those who were” (Edward Ashment, unpublished article on file, Institute for Religious Research, Appendix A, p. 2)
- The history of Joseph Smith that contains the Kinderhook Plate statement was approved by Brigham Young, who himself was at Joseph Smith’s house and saw the plates there. Young even includes a sketch of one of the plates he saw at Joseph’s house in his diary (Ashment, p. 2).
Thus, numerous historical sources indicate Clayton’s May 1, 1843 journal entry is accurate, and that Joseph considered the Kinderhook Plates ancient artifacts and began a translation of them. This historical evidence, coupled with a complete lack of any evidence to the contrary, was sufficiently convincing that for over 130 years no Mormon seems to have questioned or contested the authenticity of these bell-shaped brass plates.
LDS writer Stanley B. Kimball summarized the extent of LDS acceptance of the Plates as follows:
Over the decades, through the pages of the Times and Seasons, the Nauvoo Neighbor, The Prophet, missionary pamphlets, the Millennial Star, the Desert News, the University Archaeological Newsletter, the Improvement Era, [in] BYU Symposia [and in Visitors’ Centers, and] in books and unpublished reports, LDS scholars and laymen (and at least two RLDS writers) have affirmed and striven to prove the story of the Kinderhook plate incident and tried to make them vouch for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and to defend Joseph’s alleged translation of them (Stanley B. Kimball, “New Light on the Old Kinderhook Plates Problem,” based on a paper read at the 16th annual Mormon History Meeting, Ricks College, May 1-3, 1981, p. 3).
It is very convenient for LDS faithful to blame all of the translation problems such as the Kinderhook Plates and the Egyptian Book of Alphabet and Grammar on the scribes but the facts simply don’t support it.
Where’s the Plate Today?
Many people think the lone surviving plate was destroyed when they did the destructive testing but it’s actually still in the Chicago Historical Society. Here’s a letter from the collection manager of the CHS to one of the members of MormonThink:
An Apostle’s View.
In an interview with Steve Benson (President Ezra Taft Benson’s grandson), Apostle Neal Maxwell reportedly said the following: He didn't know about the Kinderhook Plates and would look into it. But that did not keep him from offering his opinion on the matter. He said that if Joseph Smith had felt the Kinderhook Plates were indeed important, worthy of translation and from God, "he would have moved on them," but he did not. Maxwell said Smith's "benign neglect" thus verified that the Kinderhook Plates were not important. Maxwell compared and contrasted the Prophet Joseph's "benign neglect" toward the Kinderhook Plates with what he characterized as Smith's eagerness and quickness in dealing with The Book of Abraham.
Reference:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040627045450/www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon115.htm
Ending summary by critics.
Since the plates from the Book of Mormon were taken back by the angel there is nothing tangible to look at to see if Joseph translated the plates correctly. So it is prudent to look at all the documents Joseph claimed to have translated. The Kinderhook Plates is especially interesting as it also was engraved on actual metal plates just like the Book of Mormon. All the evidence that shows Joseph had been the one to explain what the plates mean come from official church sources so why should they not be believed? The only way the church can come away from the Kinderhook Plates issue unscathed is if the plates were actually real, ancient Jarodite records but the LDS Church has already admitted in the Ensign that they were a hoax.
In addition to the Kinderhook Plates, Joseph also misidentified the skeleton. The implications are obvious, if he just made up this story then how can he be trusted with the other translations he claimed are correct. As Charles A. Shook well observed--in a personal letter to the author--'Only a bogus prophet translates bogus plates.'
Our thoughts.
Read the section of the LDS book History of the Church by Joseph Smith, vol 5, pages 372-379. And then decide for yourself if Joseph did a translation of the Kinderhook Plates. Also check out the footnotes where the faithful LDS are trying to destroy the person who claimed he made the plates as a hoax. They do this because they believed the plates were real and that Joseph did translate them.
I first learned about the Kinderhook Plates when a member of the bishopric, a rather brilliant fellow who gave the most interesting lessons, taught an entire Sunday School lesson on the KP when I was growing up. It was a fascinating lesson. It was the only time I can recall the KP being brought up in church. He taught it as a faith-promoting story. He taught the Joseph did indeed do a brief translation of the KP and that they were real and that there probably was an Indian chief, perhaps an ancient Jarodite, a descendant of Ham, and these plates told about him and Joseph translated them correctly.
His assertion was that the people that claimed to have forged the plates as a hoax were lying. He maintained that the one plate that was found later was a forgery of one of the original ancient Kinderhook Plates. He said something about they had measured the plate and it was of a different size than the original plates were reported to have been. This must have been before the destructive testing was done on the one surviving plate.
Now that the recovered plate has been proven to be one of the original Kinderhook Plates and that it was indeed made in the 1800s and that there never was any authentic Kinderhook Plates, I wonder what that teacher now thinks about it.
Sometimes I wonder if I was Joseph Smith and was a real prophet, or at least everyone thought I was, and some people put some ancient-looking plates in front of me and asked me if I could tell what they were, what would I do? Everyone would be expecting me to say something wondrous and yet if I said I didn’t know, then I might drop a peg or two in their eyes. We do know some faithful LDS who admit that Joseph likely did translate the symbols on the plates, even though they were a forgery, yet they cannot explain why. If Joseph did misrepresent himself about the Kinderhook Plates, for whatever reason, we wonder what else he may have misrepresented himself about?
Supporting the critics:
History of the Church pages vol. 5, pages 372-379 by Joseph Smith
http://www.irr.org/mit/kinderhook-plates.html
http://www.xmission.com/%7Ecountry/reason/kinder.htm
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/kinderhookplates.htm
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/josephsmithkinderhookplates.htm
http://www.ils.unc.edu/%7Eunsworth/mormon/kinderhook.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20040627045450/www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon115.htm
http://trialsofascension.net/mormon/kinderhook.html
http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no46.htm
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.mormon/msg/fb7539e206a79a0b
Youtube video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sECvoqzi4A
Supporting the church:
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/kinderhook/kinderhook.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20040627045450/www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon115.htm (Apostle Maxwell’s response)
http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/History_of_the_Church/Vol_V
http://www.mormonthink.com/kinderhookweb.htm#howdoweknow