The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi. Antimormon criticisms of the book of mormon are frequently based on a questionable set of assumptions concerning the nature of historical and archaeological evidence, the role of governing presuppositions, and the nature of historical proof. Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as never before. Controversy, evidence, and two cumorahs the book of mormon is not intended to be a history book or a guide to geography, science, or any other. Book of mormondna evidencegeography issues fairmormon. I think the other answers must be answering a different question than the one asked. In several cases, the plagiarism is proof that joseph smith was the author of the book of mormon, since the source of the copied text was not accessible to the alleged book of.
Dna evidence for book of mormon geography introduced the widely recognized heartland model geographya swelling movement within the church. Book of mormon fringe theory was inspired by geography enthusiast john e. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. Book of mormon geography religionwiki fandom powered by. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Even though the mormon church formally denies endorsing any geographical theory regarding the location of book of mormon events, its many book of mormon editions, film strips, pamphlets and professors using images and references exclusively of the mesoamerican area speaks otherwise. Urim and thummim places the book of mormon translation on trial. Archaeological science versus claims of the book of mormon. Home book of mormon science, ancient history, and the book of mormon national geographic society statement on the book of mormon.
Church releases statement on book of mormon geography book. True book of mormon geography lands, western new york model. Is there any direct geographical or archaeological evidence. The book of mormon is really there so one can have book of mormon studies, and archaeology is really there so one can study archaeology, but the two. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. It is only my subjective testimony with no objective proof. Like the church, book of mormon central bmc is officially geography neutral. Dna evidence for book of mormon geography by rod meldrum. The second and third groups were led by lord to the americas from israel just prior to the babylonian captivity. This view finds no acceptance outside of mormonism. This history contains information about the places they lived, including descriptions of landforms, natural features, and the distances and cardinal directions between important points.
The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in transition. The essay also explains how the prophet joseph smith himself accepted what he felt was evidence of book of mormon civilizations in both. The heartland model or heartland theory of book of mormon geography states that the book of mormon events primarily occurred in the heartland of north america. There is no universal consensus among mormon scholars regarding the placement of these locations in the known world, other than somewhere in the americas. Book of mormon evidences, part one discusses some of the many factors supporting the plausibility of the book of mormon as an ancient document. A book of mistakes, error, and fraud by jon gary williams introduction the mormon church promotes the book of mormon as an inspired writing. Even though the mormon church formally denies endorsing any geographical theory regarding the location of book of mormon events, its many book of mormon editions, film strips, pamphlets. How could there be so many witnesses of the book of mormon and the plates and not one of them deny their testimony even when some of them became bitter toward joseph smith. The new essay begins with this declarative statement. Book of mormon geography, lands, map, dna true evidence.
Hammond drives that point home by the use of maps, travel distances, and relationships to other areas. Readers of the book of mormon may wonder, at times, where in the americas the events described took place. The church takes no position on the specific geographic location of book of mormon events in the. Book of mormon geography, information about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, mormon church, questions and answers, doctrine, genealogy, gospel, scriptures. Clark, archaeology and cumorah questions, journal of book of mormon studies.
T he book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament of jesus. T he book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament of jesus christ and specifically of the account of his supposed visit to the american continent the book of mormon, 3 nephi 11. According to joseph smith and subsequent presidents and apostles of the lds church, the geographical extent of book of mormon lands included virtually all of north. Why is there no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. And to be less sardonic about the matter, this is also why direct evidence actually can sometimes di. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted. Nov 17, 2014 the book of mormon map described in alma chapter 22 has finally been deciphered. Archaeological geographical issues mormonism research. Nelson on the importance the books primary purposeto testify of jesus christ and his gospel. I do agree that the revelation of ancient structures isnt automatic proof for the book of mormon, but my perspectives on the book of mormon are that its in an inspired. The book of mormon map described in alma chapter 22 has finally been deciphered. While i have much to say below about some of the impressive old world finds related to the book of mormon, we are still in our infancy in understanding the geography of the new world setting for the book of mormon, but there is a consensus among many lds scholars now that the most plausible settiing for the book of mormon in the new world is a small region, not the entire hemisphere, and that region is set in mesoamerica, the area covering part of sourthern mexico, guatemala, and nearby regions.
However, after a fair and candid examination of the evidence, many thousands of honest mormons have discovered that this claim simply is not true. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon. The hill cumorah in ontario county ny is the hill where joseph smith found the golden plates and is the same hill where the civilizations of the nephites cumorah and the jaredites ramah fought their last battles. As latterday saints know, making the two meet is no easy task. Book of mormon index of topics mormonism research ministry. I also like how nephi felt it necessary to define messiah for his people. The subject of hebrew numerology in the book of mormon has been identified as a promising field of study still open to fruitful exploration. The book of mormon geography and map with dna evidence and the location of lands and cities such as zarahemla, cumorah, the narrow neck, mexico, caribbean sea, american indians, and true evidence are all here. Two of the most prevalent claims for the book of mormon are, there is much archaeological proof to the book. True book of mormon geography lands western new york model home. Jan 29, 2019 the article concludes by emphasizing the churchs neutrality on book of mormon geography and quoting president russell m. Venice priddis has achieved this in a remarkable piece of detection which produces a unique geographical setting. Book of mormon geography mormonism, the mormon church.
Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. Most, but not all, mormons hold the books connection to ancient american history as. Considerable diversity of opinion remains among church members regarding book of mormon geography. Sorenson and others has demonstrated the plausibility of the complex geographical data contained in the. Evidence for nephis bountiful book of mormon geography in the new world. Think joseph smith could have gotten that right by sheer chance. The prophet joseph smith himself accepted what he felt was evidence of book of mormon civilizations in both north america and central america. The church has been neutral when it comes to issues relating to book of mormon geography, as is fairmormon. It is part of a collection that includes book of mormon evidences, part two, book of mormon evidences, part three, and book of mormon nuggets. The internal consistency of these descriptions is one of the striking features of the book of mormon.
The heartland is the place where it all happened, right under our very noses. Proof that the book of mormon is true, excerpt from. No direct geographical, archaeological or any other scientific field supports fictional narratives. Book of mormon readers are well aware of a tribal group who claimed to descend from a son of king zedekiah named mulek. The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an account of three groups of people. The travelsdescribed follow normal travel patterns via rivers, valleys, passes through. Bill mckeever shows how science is not a friend to the book of mormon story. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful, and more.
Book of mormon geography religionwiki fandom powered. To see a map of possible book of mormon site locations, click here. Lost civilizations of north america documentary4, deborah bolnick on haplogroup x. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the book of mormon in the form of a new gospel topics essay. Is there any direct geographical or archaeological. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or even the existence of god. The articles linked below will describe the various. Mormon apologists have proposed multiple theories to explain apparent inconsistencies with the archaeological, genetic, linguistic and other records.
There is no universal consensus among mormon scholars regarding the. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, members and leaders of the. The book of mormon has an internal map that matcheskey featuresin mexico,guatemala, and belize. 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. Many members of the latter day saint movement claim historical authenticity of the book of mormon. It would have been unwise to reveal too much about the geography which would send people off in search of geographical details for proof. National geographic society statement on the book of mormon. Two of the most prevalent claims for the book of mormon are, there is much archaeological proof to the book of mormon, and the american indians are descendants of israelites who came to america as described in the book of mormon. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the book of mormon in the form of a new gospel topics essay titled book of mormon geography. Bill mckeever explains in a conference talk how the book of mormon, if made of gold plates, would have weighed around 200 pounds. Is there any direct geographical or archaeological evidence to support the book of mormon. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon.
New world geography location of the majority of the book of mormon. The first group of migrants was led by the lord from the destruction of the tower of babel in mesopotamia. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. According to joseph smith and subsequent presidents and apostles of the lds church, the geographical extent of book of mormon lands included virtually all of north and south america. The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or. A popular traditional view among many latterday saint faithful covers. The book of mormon is a religious history, describing the migrations of three groups of peoples to the americas. Geographical issues related to dna and the book of mormon jump to subtopic. Archaeological and historical evidence statements about. Is there any archeological evidence that the events in the. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted as scientifically verifiable by the mainstream academic community. Venice priddis has achieved this in a remarkable piece of.
First, throughout the complex narrative of the book of mormon, its geographic layout is constant. Adena and hopewell peoples lived in pennsylvania and western new york, but this region represented the impoverished fringe of their culture. The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described in the book of mormon. A popular traditional view among many latterday saint faithful covers much of north and south america.
This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Proof that the book of mormon is true book of mormon facts. Second, the only geographic model that fits the text of the book of mormon is a limited geographical model. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and. Is dna haplogroup x2a proof that the book of mormon fits best in a geography located in the great lakes region. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new york. What are the geographical assumptions upon which dnabased attacks on the book of mormon are based. Book of mormon geography the encyclopedia of mormonism. 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. Were the nephites and lamanites spread throughout both north and south america or did book of mormon events occur within a more confined area.
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