What is your opinion on the work of rod meldrum regarding. The book of mormon and the constitution true book of mormon. Mark sumner papers 1967 consist of an exploration of the footnotes in the 1911 edition of the book of mormon, a report resulting from research done by v. A comparison of book of mormon geographies showing new york to be the most viable setting for book of mormon events. Meldrums theories, and similar ones from wayne may, are interesting and compellingbut inconclusive. The warfare materials of the old testament and ancient israel form an. According to the book of mormon, the promised land shall be a land of. Let the book of mormon change your life, again, as you investigate exploring the lands of the book of mormon. Speculation by latterday saints that latin america was the location of ancient book of mormon lands was not necessarily new in the 1920s. Arianne brown is a mother of six young children and is an altra, probar, nuun and unshoes sponsored athlete. It provides a testimony of the visit of jesus christ to the promised land of america after his death and resurrection. An approach to the book of mormon geography located in baja california. On subsequent days, the story was picked up by other major media outlets such as bbc, washington post, npr, the new york times, and.
Chiasmus, mesoamerican evidences, cement, olives, ancient names like alma, and other evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon a divine ancient record from the new world that testifies of jesus christ. Many instances of human sacrifices are found in ancient writers, which may be compared with the description of the old testament of the manner in which molech was worshipped. T here truly is a northern land in the region where the book of mormon came forth, that is bordered by bodies of water in each of the cardinal directions. When i think of the baja california peninsula, i think of the baja offroad race where people take lots of vehicles and cross the deserts in all sorts of vehicles. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake. Just as stephens exploration of ancient maya ruins was the beginning of american archaeology from the perspective of the early saints, stephens opened the door to exploring book of mormon lands. The lost lands of the book of mormon takes the reader back in time to an era when ancient waters and primeval forests covered new york from one end to the other. A possible and certainly reasonable answer is based on the theory that horses as people today would recognize them did indeed inhabit the ancient lands known to peoples in the book of mormon during the relevant time periods. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient. The book of mormon also speaks of the arrival of the mulekites who also fled the land when jerusalem was taken over by the babylonians.
The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. The hopewell people never had a large enough population that the book of mormon describes and were by far a trade route group of people. Come join us for an adventure of a lifetime to explore firsthand, the beautiful world of guatemala, the land of the eternal spring, and other wonderful countries of central and south america, mexico, and the caribbean. Searching for book of mormon lands allen, joseph l. View the original article at the book of mormon resources blog. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. However, sorensons map, which is the very best effort that mormons have made to plot the lands of the book of mormon, utterly fails to correspond to the text. According to the book of mormon, the final war that destroyed the jaredites resulted in the deaths of at least two million people. Lehis landingapalachicola florida book of mormon evidence. New correlations it is not enough to demonstrate that the book of mormon geography does not fit into central america.
The book of mormon states that lehi and his family followed in a southsoutheast direction along the coast of the red sea. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon. Cote divoire, croatia, cuba, curacao, cyprus, czech republic, denmark, djibouti. Of course these inconsistencies could readily be explained by understanding the book of mormon as a work of fiction written by a nineteenth century american, but book of mormon scholars often approach the topic with the a priori acceptance of the theory that the book of mormon is. Apr 18, 2010 i believe the book of mormon people understood the cardinal directions as we use them today. If a twoandonehalf page text can elicit 450 pages of analysis and commentary in an attempt to determine its authenticity, one would not expect less from the scholarly world in the case of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a book of scripture that teaches about jesus christ and tells of his visit to the ancient americas over 2000 years ago. Sorenson, a retired professor of anthropology at byu, and the author of an ancient american setting for the book of mormon and a series of.
The suggestion of horses and chariots in precolumbian america has long been an easy target for critics of the book of mormon. We are the pioneers of the book of mormon tour concept. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. The book of mormon states several times that the land which they were led to, was the promised land, or a choice land.
Exploring the lands of the book of mormon by joseph l. In north america dvd hopewell culture, copper mines, earthen walls, mounds and ditches are just some of the very important sites, artifacts and discussions presented on this brand new dvd. There are times when there is not the opportunity to get a clear understanding of what the traveler saw and these bulletins will help with that understanding. The narrow strip of wildernessspatial features, orientation and recorded journeys. It is our assertion that the heartlands of the book of mormon peoplesthe nephites, the lamanites, the jaredites and the people of mulekwere located in what is now the peninsula of baja california. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. According to the book of mormon, the promised land shall be a land of liberty, with no kings upon the. A discussion of the arabian, or old world, geography of the book of mormon enjoys many advantages over discussion of new world matters. Jan 18, 2010 the hopewell people never had a large enough population that the book of mormon describes and were by far a trade route group of people. Many members of the latter day saint movement claim historical authenticity of the book of mormon.
Critique of a limited geography for book of mormon events. According to latter day saint scripture, the narrative in the book of mormon came to an end in the ancient land cumorah, where moroni, in 421 ad deposited the golden plates prior to his death. The book of mormon is a religious record of three groups of people who migrated from the old world to the american continents. The fight over book of mormon geography deseret news. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi. Quarterly articles and internet articles on book of mormon history, language, culture, and geography. He may have sailed south of cuba to get there because of ocean. The articles linked below will describe the various. Antionum land of bountiful city of bountiful land of east wilderness hill riplah jershon land of melek land of narrow neck of land sidon river seas east and west zarahemla city of zarahemla land of. To help with the increasing amount of new information, a blog site has been setup for research relating to the book of mormon lands in baja california. This book is a great read and serves as a great companion to studying the book of mormon.
This provides possible though still uncertain evidence for actual horses used in some way by peoples in book of mormon lands during the times of the book of mormon. If you have a group of 10 or more and are looking for a specific travel date or location not listed, feel free to contact us. Chief among these is the fact that we know we certainty where the story beginsin old world jerusalem. Allen biography book of mormon archaeological forum. Book of mormon was revealed to him by the resurrected moroni, the last in a line of. This view finds no acceptance outside of mormonism. Book of mormon were not just a series of reruns, the nephites against the lamanites. Study two dozen detailed, fullcolor maps that follow the footsteps of mosiah, alma, ammon, limhi, and lands from nephi to zarahemla. All those cults were started hundreds of years and more after gods book had been completed. The book of mormon and the constitution true book of. Ancient ruins and the book of mormon dan vogel youtube. After several months of intense careful study of the text i have put together the following proposed map, showing the relative positions of book of mormon lands, cities, rivers, etc.
Discovering the lost lands of the book of mormon book of. In the introduction of the book of mormon, smith states that it is the record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas, which also. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins byu. In spite of difficulties in defending this claim, and although the evidence is incomplete, the geological and archaeological record does provide support for horses and even wheeled vehicles in ancient america. Joseph smith did not receive revelation where book of mormon lands were located, but his last statements about book of mormon geography point us to mesoamerica. Book of mormon thought false by lds memberarchaelogist. Sep 16, 2018 meldrums theories, and similar ones from wayne may, are interesting and compellingbut inconclusive. West indies, including hispaniola, cuba, and jamaica, set foot in venezuela, and. Mack summer, an exploration of the footnotes in the 1911 edition, 1967.
Of course these inconsistencies could readily be explained by understanding the book of mormon as a work of fiction written by a nineteenth century american, but book of mormon scholars often approach the topic with the a priori acceptance of the theory that the book of mormon is an ancient text as joseph smith claimed. Explore the proposed land of bountiful as the mayan calendar comes to and. Discovering the lost lands of the book of mormon e. The lost lands of the book of mormon takes the reader back in time to an era when ancient waters and.
A popular argument among great lake theorists, is the promised land theory. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, north and south are perpendicular to that line. Most, but not all, mormons hold the books connection to ancient american history as an article of their faith. The geographical setting of the book of mormon has been the subject of serious study and casual speculation since before the book was first published. Growth in cuba and the first converts in timorleste in 2019, when at least nine people. We have taken more tours to mesoamerica to compare the ancient sites and civilizations with the book of mormon than any other tour operator. Most, but not all, mormons hold the book s connection to ancient american history as an article of their faith. Inland bodies of water are commonly called seas in ancient scripture. I feel they very possibly might have been influenced by migrations coming north out of mesoamerica but as the subject people of the book of mormon i dont think so imo. If the book of mormon really were an ancient book, at would it matter. Book of mormon lands, the near cumorah setting zarahemla, and the royal line of mulek the nephites were not the only company of israelites to live in the promised land. Feb 28, 2015 ancient ruins and the book of mormon dan vogel.
The 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting the mesoamerican setting of the events of the book. For example, early mormons believed book of mormon lands stretched throughout all of north and south america, a presumption clearly at odds with the book itself fig. So islam, jehovahs witnesses, and mormon all ignore that warning at their own peril. The real implication of the paper is that you cant set the bookofmormon geography down anywherebecause it is fictional and. The book of mormon is more than a history book of the ancient nephite and jaredite nations. Each pointer on the map can be opened clicked on to obtain information regarding the specific site, artifact, or other. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted as scientifically verifiable by the mainstream. Smith once called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion smith, 1902, 4. The book of mormon records the visit of jesus christ to people in the americas following his resurrection. From book of mormon population estimates, it is evident that the civilizations described are comparable in size to the civilizations of ancient egypt, ancient greece, ancient rome, and the maya. Some latterday saints had argued such theories since the earliest years of the church. Geographical, and other evidences in support of the book of mormon landscape, as found in north america.
Purpose of the book of mormon tour helps these single page descriptions of a specific book of mormon site are designed to provide pertinent information to the traveler about the site. Nevertheless, the book has received little serious attention from specialists in ancient studies. Book of mormon tours has been operated by the allen family since 1970. These groups were led by prophets who recorded their religious and secular histories on metal plates. Sorenson, chairman of the department of anthropology at brigham young university, presents a credible model for an ancient american background for the book of mormon. Lehitours offers quality, personalized tours for cultural, religious, humanitarian, medical and recreational travel throughout the americas. But it is a valid question, and it deserves a thoughtful response.
In an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, dr. The final test of our views of book of mormon geography will be. However, the fatherson team of david and lynn rosenvall believe the baja peninsula south of california in mexicoits most famous city you may recognize is tijuana could be the location of book of mormon lands. She america, the current inhabiter of ancient book of mormon lands, would bless all other nations, and quotes nephi again, and it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of israel have been scattered and confounded, that the lord god will raise up a mighty nation among the gentiles, yea. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. This fact alone virtually eliminates any other geographical area from being considered as lands of the book of mormon 7 socalled dna proofs use unsubstantiated theories.
The reason for this is that on january 4, 1983, just after thomas stuart ferguson was supposed to have written the statement, he acknowledged that he was, in fact, engaged in a project which he felt would prove that the book of mormon was not an ancient document. The book of mormon and other hidden books byu scholarsarchive. An approach to the book of mormon geography from the sea west to the sea eastthe orientation of the book of mormon lands to the sea updated. The timeline of the rise and disappearance of the hopewell mound builders mirrors the rise and fall of nephite civilization. Ancient civilization in north america book of mormon. Chiasmus, mesoamerican evidences, cement, olives, ancient names like alma, and other evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormona divine ancient record from the new world that testifies of jesus christ. Book of mormon trips the following is a list of all the cruises and tours that we will be doing for the next 1215 months. How do these new discoveries relate to the book of mormon.
The ancient land of their inheritance is, according to lds scripture. If the book of mormon can be demonstrated to know many, many things about the ancient world that no living person knew in the early eighteen hundreds. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted. The mormon land newsletter is a weekly highlight reel of. In addition, sites and artifacts are also provided that give additional indirect support to the book of mormon story, such as evidence associated with other precolumbian hebrew travelers to the american continents. On february 1, 2018, national geographic broke a story about some incredible new discoveries in mesoamerican archaeology using new technology. The church has been neutral when it comes to issues relating to book of mormon geography, as is fairmormon. Oct 03, 2016 a comparison of book of mormon geographies showing new york to be the most viable setting for book of mormon events. You may judge every proposal for human government by this principle.
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