The Gold Plates of the Book of Mormon

Later estimates of the weight of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon (by those who had briefly held them, such as the official witness Martin Harris and the unofficial witness William Smith) put that weight at somewhere in the range of forty to sixty pounds. Some critics, accordingly, have contended that Joseph Smith could not have carried them for any significant distance, let alone run with them through the woods. The plates -- if they actually existed and weighed as much as the witnesses say they did -- were simply too heavy. Thus, these critics argue, at least that portion of his story must be fraudulent.