How Moroni and the plates may have made it to Hill Cumorah

[_The Mormon Report]

For your consideration:

How Moroni and the plates may have made it to Hill Cumorah - MormonTimes.com

[_DarkHelmet]

Why is it so hard to believe that Moroni simply waved his magic wand and he and the plates were transported to New York? Everything else in religion is magical, why not this issue?

[_Themis]

I have to laugh at some of the crazy thinking we do some times. I say we, because I certainly did as a believing member. The problem has never really been how did Moroni get the plates to NY, since if the Book of Mormon is true and he is a resurrected being then it is not a problem. The problem is having 2 Cumorah's, and what Joseph has said about the NE area being the lands of the Book of Mormon.

[_Dwight Frye]

Why is it so hard to believe that Moroni simply waved his magic wand and he and the plates were transported to New York? Everything else in religion is magical, why not this issue?

Don't know if you read the Mormon Times piece or not, but the "magic card" was indeed played when Ash belched, "The angel Moroni took the plates away from Joseph once the translation was finished, so it certainly seems reasonable that he — as an angel — could have deposited them near Joseph’s home as well."

Dumb dumb dumb dumb.

[_Kishkumen]

"The angel Moroni took the plates away from Joseph once the translation was finished, so it certainly seems reasonable that he — as an angel — could have deposited them near Joseph’s home as well."

And there it is, folks. Why the whole silly exercise? Since plates can move around via angelic transport, no need for the whole pointless discussion.

[Guest]

The problem is having 2 Cumorah's, and what Joseph has said about the NE area being the lands of the Book of Mormon.

This seems to be the problem, not where the plates were found.

[_Dad of a Mormon]

"The angel Moroni took the plates away from Joseph once the translation was finished, so it certainly seems reasonable that he — as an angel — could have deposited them near Joseph’s home as well."

And there it is, folks. Why the whole silly exercise? Since plates can move around via angelic transport, no need for the whole pointless discussion.

I'm way behind here. Why did Joseph Smith need the plates to begin with?

[_Themis]

I'm way behind here. Why did Joseph Smith need the plates to begin with?

Just a prop. The Book of Mormon we have today he never used in translating directly from it.

[_Fence Sitter]

I'm way behind here. Why did Joseph Smith need the plates to begin with?

Along the lines of what Themis said, the plates seem to have been very useful to convince those around him he was doing something with something rather than something with nothing, a diversion if you will. Think of them in terms of sleight of hand. While everyone around is trying to figure out what is underneath the cloth or where the plates actually are, no one is really asking how the words are being created. It was brilliant when you think about it.

[_Kishkumen]

Why did Joseph Smith need the plates to begin with?

Indeed.