Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this episode, we examine one of the lesser-known but revealing moments in Mormon history: the Kinderhook Plates.
In 1843, a set of small brass plates covered with strange engravings were discovered in Kinderhook, Illinois and brought to Joseph Smith. Contemporary accounts record that Joseph examined the plates and began offering an interpretation of the characters, identifying them as an ancient record connected to a descendant of Ham.
But decades later, the truth emerged.
The Kinderhook Plates were a 19th-century hoax, created by local men to test whether Joseph Smith could truly translate ancient records. Modern metallurgical testing confirmed what the creators later admitted: the plates were manufactured in the 1800s.
So what does this episode show?
If Joseph had the divine ability to translate ancient languages by revelation, a modern forgery should have been immediately exposed. Instead, Joseph appeared to treat the plates as authentic and even began interpreting them.
In this episode we walk carefully through:
The discovery of the Kinderhook Plates
What Joseph Smith reportedly said about them
The later confession of the men who created them
And what this incident tells us about Joseph’s claimed translation abilities
This is part of a larger series examining the core claims of Mormonism one issue at a time.
If you appreciate this kind of careful, logical examination, my book A Logical Deconstruction of Mormonism expands this approach across thirty major issues—looking at the original claim, the evidence, the apologetic explanations, and the logical implications.
Thanks for listening. And as always, keep thinking clearly.
📚 Book: A Logical Deconstruction of Mormonism
Available at Amazon - amazon.com/Logical-Deconstruction-Mormonism-Bill-Reel-ebook/dp/B0GQN4178G
In this episode, we examine one of the lesser-known but revealing moments in Mormon history: the Kinderhook Plates.
In 1843, a set of small brass plates covered with strange engravings were discovered in Kinderhook, Illinois and brought to Joseph Smith. Contemporary accounts record that Joseph examined the plates and began offering an interpretation of the characters, identifying them as an ancient record connected to a descendant of Ham.
But decades later, the truth emerged.
The Kinderhook Plates were a 19th-century hoax, created by local men to test whether Joseph Smith could truly translate ancient records. Modern metallurgical testing confirmed what the creators later admitted: the plates were manufactured in the 1800s.
So what does this episode show?
If Joseph had the divine ability to translate ancient languages by revelation, a modern forgery should have been immediately exposed. Instead, Joseph appeared to treat the plates as authentic and even began interpreting them.
In this episode we walk carefully through:
The discovery of the Kinderhook Plates
What Joseph Smith reportedly said about them
The later confession of the men who created them
And what this incident tells us about Joseph’s claimed translation abilities
This is part of a larger series examining the core claims of Mormonism one issue at a time.
If you appreciate this kind of careful, logical examination, my book A Logical Deconstruction of Mormonism expands this approach across thirty major issues—looking at the original claim, the evidence, the apologetic explanations, and the logical implications.
Thanks for listening. And as always, keep thinking clearly.
📚 Book: A Logical Deconstruction of Mormonism
Available at Amazon - amazon.com/Logical-Deconstruction-Mormonism-Bill-Reel-ebook/dp/B0GQN4178G
