The Kinderhook plates were a created and presented to Joseph Smith as though they were authentic ancient records. He is said to have translated a portion of them. Critics claim that his translating a fake record shows that he was an imposter, and therefore that the Book of Mormon was also faked. Historian Don Bradley, however, has shown that Joseph Smith most likely attempted to translate a character from the plates based on his own understanding of Egyptian, not with the use of the Urim and Thummim or other spiritual method. See “President Smith Has Translated a Portion: Solving the Mystery of the Kinderhook Plates.”

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