Item Detail
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26780
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Journal Article
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English
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Tielens, Saskia M.
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The Gold Plates in the Contemporary Popular Imagination
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Dialogue : A Journal of Mormon Thought
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Fall 2012
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45
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3
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Stanford, CA
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Dialogue Foundation
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2012
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127-137
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This paper was originally delivered in conjunction with a slideshow of web-sourced images. These illustrative figures may be found at www.dialoguejournal.com/2012/the-goldplates- in-the-popular-imagination .
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The gold plates occupy an interesting place in Mormon culture. Although they are an essential part of the Mormon foundational narrative, the plates have a peripheral place in Mormons' ordinary discourse. Here, Tielens argues that the gold plates are actually prime examples of Mormon material culture, and that, in fact, the practice of invoking the gold plates in the popular imagination shapes and reflects Mormon culture in significant ways.