Some critics have suggested
that the witnesses who saw and felt the golden plates
merely imagined their experiences.
Others have supposed that Joseph Smith simply
forged a fake set of plates to dupe his followers.
These theories, however,
tend to ignore the fact
that the plates weren't the only Nephite relics in Joseph Smith's possession.
When he discovered them,
he also found a set
of Nephite interpreters and a breastplate.
Fortunately,
a number of witnesses left consistent
and detailed accounts of what these artifacts were like.
They described the interpreters as two white
or clear stones
which were set in the rims of a bow
much like a pair of spectacles.
Apparently, they were attached to a rod that
could be fastened to the breastplate
for convenience when translating.
According to Lucy Mack Smith,
the breastplate "was concave on one side
and convex on the other,
and extended from the neck downwards
as far as the center of the stomach
of a man of extraordinary size.
It had four straps of the same material for
the purpose of fastening it to the breast,
two of which ran back to go over the shoulders,
and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips.
They were just the width of two of my fingers
(for I measured them),
and they had holes in the end of them to be convenient in fastening."
Whatever one chooses to think about these objects,
it seems that everyone close to Joseph Smith believed he had them.
The reports of their existence are important
because they provide two more tangible, meticulously described, artifacts
which were seen and felt
by individuals other than the official witnesses.
Those who assume that the plates were imaginary
or that Joseph forged them
also have to explain how he found the time, talent, and finances
to secretly fabricate a believable breastplate
and an ancient-seeming pair of spectacles.
Historically speaking,
it is unlikely that Joseph Smith would have possessed such peculiar objects
unless he found them as he claimed.
Thus, the strong case for their existence
invites belief in the reality and divine origins of the golden plates,
which were buried along
with them.
And now you know why.
