Golden Plates - Significance in The Latter Day Saint Tradition

Significance in The Latter Day Saint Tradition

The golden plates are significant within the Latter Day Saint movement because they are the reputed source for the Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith, Jr. called the "most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion." However, the golden plates are just one of many known and reputed metal plates with significance in the Latter Day Saint movement. The Book of Mormon itself refers to a long tradition of writing historical records on plates, of which the golden plates are a culmination. See List of plates (Latter Day Saint movement). In addition, Joseph Smith once believed in the authenticity of a set of engraved metal plates called the Kinderhook Plates, although these plates turned out to be a hoax by non-Mormons who sought to entice Smith to translate them in order to discredit his reputation.

Two other sets of alleged plates, the Voree Plates and the Book of the Law of the Lord, were purportedly translated by James Strang, one of three major contenders to succeed Joseph Smith and the eventual leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).

Some Latter Day Saints, especially those within the Community of Christ, have doubted the historicity of the golden plates and downplayed their significance. For most Latter Day Saints, however, the physical existence and authenticity of the golden plates are essential elements of their faith. For them, the message of the Book of Mormon is inseparable from the story of its origins.