The "Witnesses" Movie as Outright Mopologetics

[_moksha]

The book could have weighted around 110 lbs (4 standard gold bars) and the carrying could have been assisted by a gravity suspension field generated via the seer stone. Dr. Peterson did not mention this because of well... critics and their propensity for disbelief.

If Paul Wuthrich could do it, Joseph could have done it, too.

Finally, something to equal the Nahom proof!

[_oliblish]

There were two prop sets of plates at the disposal of the filmmakers. One of them was quite light, for convenience. The second was roughly the weight of the real historical plates themselves.

I wonder what material they used when they made this prop of the gold plates. If they made it the correct size, how would they make it heavy enough? They would need to get a material with equal or greater density than gold. If they use something that is less dense than gold, it would need to be larger to make up for the difference.

Here is a list of the most dense metals in kg per cubic meter:

Lead 11340
Thorium 11700
Thalium 11800
Ruthenium 12100
Palladium 12160
Rhodium 12400
Hafnium 13310
Mercury 13593
Protactinium 15400
Tantalium 16400
Uranium 18900
Gold 19320
Tungsten 19600
Plutonium 19816
Neptunium 20200
Rhenium 20800
Platinum 21400
Osmium 22610
Iridium 22650

The only realistic metal on this list to use would be lead. The others are extrememly rare and/or expensive (and many are radioactive as well).

Lead is 59% the density of gold. That means that lead plates that are the same size as the gold plates would weigh 41% less. To make them the same weight they would have to be considerably larger.

I would be curious to find out just what the weight of this prop was, and how they calculated what weight of the "real historical plates" was.

[_Equality]

There were two prop sets of plates at the disposal of the filmmakers. One of them was quite light, for convenience. The second was roughly the weight of the real historical plates themselves.

I wonder what material they used when they made this prop of the gold plates. If they made it the correct size, how would they make it heavy enough? They would need to get a material with equal or greater density than gold. If they use something that is less dense than gold, it would need to be larger to make up for the difference.

Here is a list of the most dense metals in kg per cubic meter:

Lead 11340
Thorium 11700
Thalium 11800
Ruthenium 12100
Palladium 12160
Rhodium 12400
Hafnium 13310
Mercury 13593
Protactinium 15400
Tantalium 16400
Uranium 18900
Gold 19320
Tungsten 19600
Plutonium 19816
Neptunium 20200
Rhenium 20800
Platinum 21400
Osmium 22610
Iridium 22650

The only realistic metal on this list to use would be lead. The others are extrememly rare and/or expensive (and many are radioactive as well).

Lead is 59% the density of gold. That means that lead plates that are the same size as the gold plates would weigh 41% less. To make them the same weight they would have to be considerably larger.

I would be curious to find out just what the weight of this prop was, and how they calculated what weight of the "real historical plates" was.

My guess is that the mopologists would argue that the "gold plates" were not 24k gold, as that would not be a practical medium for transcription but rather a gold alloy of some sort consisting of a mixture of gold and some other, lighter, metals.

[_Holy Ghost]

I think the only motivator for the church to make historically accurate films is so that later a film does not look obviously like it was part of the white washing. The purpose of their films is, in all likelihood, to promote faith. Why a film? It gives the viewer a simulated visual, moving 'sense of familiarity' with the events that reading alone does not. Who among Mormons today has met Joseph Smith, Jr.? No one. Who among Mormons today has talked directly to anyone that knew Joseph Smith, Jr.? No one. The telling of Joseph Smith Jr. is now third-hand at best. Not to mention, even then you really have to take his word for what he claims to have experienced. There's no physical evidence.

Movies are giving your brain visual and audio information in addition to just the words, at the same time. A movie is, by comparison to words alone, working around your normal skepticism, that which might work easier when verbal information alone is coming in. It's easier for a story teller to get you to suspend your disbelief when using a movie as the medium rather than just words.

[_Kishkumen]

The 11 witnesses of the Book of Mormon have less value than 11 Catholics who claim to have seen the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.

[_Maksutov]

The 11 witnesses of the Book of Mormon have less value than 11 Catholics who claim to have seen the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.

Hey, there were Catholic saints who could fly (St. Joseph of Cupertino) and walk around decapitated carrying their own head for miles (St. Denis of Paris). Now that's impressive.

[_moksha]

My guess is that the mopologists would argue that the "gold plates" were not 24k gold, as that would not be a practical medium for transcription but rather a gold alloy of some sort consisting of a mixture of gold and some other, lighter, metals.

A 40% gold, 60% improbabillium alloy.

[_Kishkumen]

Hey, there were Catholic saints who could fly (St. Joseph of Cupertino) and walk around decapitated carrying their own head for miles (St. Denis of Paris). Now that's impressive.

Yes! And with the toast, they are often ready and willing to produce the artifact on request. So, pareidolia? Sure, but they have the toast! Not so with the plates, whatever they were.

[_Holy Ghost]

The 11 witnesses of the Book of Mormon have less value than 11 Catholics who claim to have seen the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.

Whoa. That's funny. In addition to all the retort possibilities running through my mind right now!

[_Holy Ghost]

The 11 witnesses of the Book of Mormon have less value than 11 Catholics who claim to have seen the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.

Hey, there were Catholic saints who could fly (St. Joseph of Cupertino) and walk around decapitated carrying their own head for miles (St. Denis of Paris). Now that's impressive.

I knew the catacombs in Paris would have been the place to be on Halloween.