Now, as to which specific mesoamerican geography is correctthe grijalva versus the. Regarding point 1, i have read all of sorensons works and most of what farms and the maxwell institute have. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Cumorah and the limited mesoamerican theory religious. It is different, well written, long, and with more footnotes and references than i have ever seen. The real implication of the paper, he wrote in a letter the following year, is that you cant set book of mormon geography down anywherebecause it is. Archaeological evidence has placed ancient american peoples such as the olmecs, teotihuacans, zapotecs, mayans, and chiapas in various general locations in mesoamerica. Unbeknownst to most book of mormon geography enthusiasts is the field of geology and its relevance for understanding the geography of the book of mormon. Book of mormon traditions found only in mesoamerica by diane e. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in mesoamerica the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Rediscovering the bom remnant through dna book of mormon.
Barley for the law of moses book of mormon evidence. Jun 30, 2017 obviously, on this blog im referring to the mesoamerican theory of book of mormon geography. Others look to peru and south america, or to the baja peninsula, or texas, and some even propose the malaysian peninsula. While nothing can take the place of a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the book of mormon, an understanding of the correlating evidence of the book of mormon, especially as it relates to geography, can provide greater appreciation for this inspired book of scripture. A critical mass of lds intellectuals scholars and educators have reached a majority consensus of opinion that the book of mormon took place in central america specifically, mesoamerica. It is a book of scripture aimed at teaching people about christ and how to find happiness through the gospel. Archaeological and historical evidence why book of mormon.
True book of mormon geography lands, western new york model. Theories related to a mesoamerican geography model. There are a number of book of mormon geography related foundations out there, but they are more about. Ask a groupie from either camp to cross on foot their proposed river sidon, east of where they allege the book of mormon. The church has been neutral when it comes to issues relating to book of mormon geography, as is fairmormon. The two big problems with the mesoamerican model for book of mormon geography are 1 there is zero evidence of the book of mormon narrative there and 2 the proponents insist joseph didnt know much about the book of mormon. Book of mormon charts charting the book of mormon is a collection of more than 175 visual aids that promote deeper understanding and appreciation of the book of mormon. I compare and contrast several distinctive types of such ritual complexes from mesoamerica and the book of mormon and argue that they served functionally and ideologically similar purposes. Hemispheric models take specific, named cities in the book of mormon and disperse them far and wide across the whole of north and south america.
Also, we can identify in mesoamerica almost all of the kinds of geographical and cultural features specified by the book of mormon. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. The mesoamerican limited geography model posits that the events of the book of mormon occurred in a geographically limited region in mesoamerica only hundreds of miles in dimension and that other people were present in the new world at the time of lehis arrival. The reason for this in part no doubt was because the foremost investigators in the field of book of mormon. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. In 1975, he submitted a paper to a symposium about book of mormon geography outlining the failure of archaeologists to find old world plants, animals, metals, and scripts in mesoamerica. It happened in mesoamerica basically where mormon and john l.
The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. Mesoamerica setting for book of mormon a small number of examples that match mesoamerica with the book of mormon geography. Firm foundation antique photograph of north american. A variety of such axes mundi are known from the archaeological record of mesoamerica and the text of the book of mormon. Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon. True, it filters out through official church media, but at least the church formally claims neutrality in practical terms, the church seems neutral only about where in mesoamerica the book of mormon events took place. I purchased this book a few days prior to leaving, had it personalized and signed by him, and read it before, during, and after my adventure in the book of mormon lands.
Why did moroni include mormon s condemnation of infant baptism. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the books narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. Some placed the nephite capital city zarahemla in mesoamerica. Shortly after josephs assassination, william apostatized and became president of the quorum of the twelve apostles under james strang. The book of mormon has real history and real geography. What then is the meaning of what joseph smith wrote to emma on tuesday, june 4th, 1834, concerning the fact that the skull and bones of zelph were proof of the divine authenticity of the book of mormon. For example, which of the many proposed mesoamerican theories are being referenced. I have been trying to avoid the topic of book of mormon geography for several.
Book of mormon geography benjamin winchester part 3. Although it may be surprising to joseph smith and other church leaders, as well as to the majority of current lds believers, modern book of mormon scholars insist that the book of mormon is actually the story of a relatively small group of israelites who were immediately subsumed within a larger, preexisting, native mesoamerican population. Designed for multiple use as study guides, handouts, and masters for creating projectable images, the charts convey a wealth of information that will enrich personal study and teaching. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful, and more. A few months ago, the church updated its official statement on book of mormon geography. 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.
Reviewed by richard packham this book is a summary of the authors study of existing and wellknown attempts by mormon scholars to locate the places where the events narrated in the book of mormon took place. Oct 01, 2019 click to view on the internet rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna by rod meldrum. John clark, a mesoamerican archaeologist answers this question. This whole debate between the heartland model and the mesoamerican model has gotten ugly at times, and im not comfortable with the idea that ones opinion on book of mormon geography reflects loyalty tobetrayal of joseph smith. May 31, 2016 the isolation of mesoamerica by neville must then be a modern imposition upon the editorials, since the author of this editorial does not present any reservations incorporating mesoamerica with north america in terms of book of mormon geography. Designed for multiple use as study guides, handouts, and masters for creating projectable images, the charts convey a wealth of information that will enrich personal study and. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. I am very much a proponent of a more limited geography, and i believe the best available evidence places the core narrative of the book of mormon squarely in mesoamerica. The issue of what joseph knew about book of mormon geography.
While many lds scholars are converging on the idea of mesoamerica as the focal point for the book of mormon in the new world, there is a notable movement calling for new york and the eastern united states as the place of the book of mormon. Book of mormon central who are huge supporters of the mesoamerican theory have an article here that they use to try and acknowledge they are neutral on book of mormon geography. This book will astound all book of mormon geography enthusiasts. In that position, he continued to promote the mesoamerican theory of book of mormon geography. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. Byu studies aka meso studies has a strong editorial bias in favor of the mesoamerican setting. He notes that gold, silver and copper are mentioned several times in the book of mormon being found in abundance in the land.
Inclusion within the bmc archive does not imply endorsement. In any case, evidence appears to show that smith did not subscribe to the limited mesoamerican or south american geography theories promoted by some lds. Geography of the book of mormon hammond, fletcher b on. Pros, cons of book of mormon geography theories deseret news. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. 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. He spoke on joseph smith and book of mormon geography. According to the book of mormon, bountiful was one of the first areas settled by the nephites, ancient people who supposedly sailed from israel to the americas around 600 b. Seasonality of warfare in the book of mormon and in mesoamerica. The fight over book of mormon geography deseret news. Challenging the heartlanders, which is also the topic of his recently published book. Nov 22, 2007 mesoamerica and the book of mormon dr.
Everywhere in those latitudes, war was normally carried on by the precolumbian inhabitants during a limited annual period. When it comes to book of mormon geography the church is officially neutral. The book of mormon geography book, a promised land, the land of promise, is one of our books at alpha publishing available for purchase at virginia elieson was inspired with this geography, while with her patriarch husband and mission president in dallas here organized into a book by peter covino, jr. While the book of mormon makes sense in light of modern knowledge of ancient mesoamerican patterns of society, warfare, trade, literacy, temple building, and numerous other elements, and while the only plausible geographical setting for the book of mormon is a tiny section of the new world centered in mesoamerica, around the isthmus of tehuantepec, it is important to. He received his bs from weber state university, his ma from brigham young university, and his phd from the university of. We want you to be informed and that is why i suggest you read the mesoamerican theory above from book of mormon central, about who are the lamanites in their opinion. The olmecs are thought to have been contemporaries with the jaredites, while the.
Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Geography moronis america the north american setting. One of the more common recent arguments is the limited geography model, which states that the people of the book of mormon covered only a limited geographical region in either mesoamerica, south america, or the great lakes area. The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures. Feb 18, 2008 is the book of mormon being confirmed. More importantly, it is the only book on the subject that is not merely someones belief or opinion, but every point made is reference directly to the book of mormon text and. Modern apologist organizations like fairmormon, book of mormon central, and the interpreter foundation have also cited mesoamerican evidence for. Dec 02, 2016 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. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the book s narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. They show two 2 articles total with favorability towards the heartland model, yet they have several hundred articles favorable towards mesoamerica. Official statement on book of mormon geography and its. Book of mormongeographynew worldlimited geography theory. Before the 1960s, most scholars believed that mesoamerican monuments had no historical content whatsoever, but exclusively depicted and described gods and myths. Map of the lands of the book of mormon, in the heartland.
New revelations of the americas before columbus by charles c. Book of mormon traditions found only in mesoamerica by. Chief among these is the fact that we know we certainty where the story beginsin old world jerusalem. We are solely about the geography of the book of mormon. Click to view on the internet rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna by rod meldrum. Book of mormon statements with mesoamerica and us heartland comparisons the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The small neck of land is a key feature in book of mormon geography. Charting the book of mormon is a collection of more than 175 visual aids that promote deeper understanding and appreciation of the book of mormon. Moroni, towards the end of the book of mormon account, said it. But heimerdinger has deeply influenced the youth of the church through his book series. Jaredites are asserted to have covered the whole continent from sea to sea.
Oct 27, 2010 mesoamerica and the book of mormon is this the right place. This work is the sum of over four years of nearly continuous research into possible dna connections between the native american peoples, and the prophesied remnant of the house of israel as contained in the book of mormon. Some place the geography of the book in upstate new york or near the great lakes. Sadly, all other book of mormon believing denominations are following the lead of the lds church and believe in a mesoamerican model as well. These scholars have long suggested that people from the region of book of mormon activity or their descendants likely spread throughout the americas during book of mormon times or after the. The main book of mormon events took place in mesoamerica. Obviously, on this blog im referring to the mesoamerican theory of book of mormon geography.
We have taken more tours to mesoamerica to compare the ancient sites and civilizations with the book of mormon than any other tour operator. Church releases statement on book of mormon geography. Before any mesoamerican setting can even begin to qualify as a possible setting for book of mormon lands it has got to get its directions right with the book. We at book of mormon christian believe that if you take the record alone without any alleged statements by joseph smith, the truth will speak very loud and very clear. In precolumbian mesoamerica, for example, citystates often. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the shake.
The traditional approach at the y has been to seek anthropological human based commonalities. In john lunds book mesoamerica and the book of mormon. Book of mormon geography, information about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, mormon church, questions and answers, doctrine, genealogy, gospel, scriptures. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but only. There are many different ideas of geography within. A discussion of the arabian, or old world, geography of the book of mormon enjoys many advantages over discussion of new world matters. Reply to pros, cons of book of mormon geography theories book. Right on their main page here, they include a link to the infamous charting the book of mormon that includes the standard mesomania maps, the phony essential features of book of mormon geography designed to fit mesoamerica, etc. It doesnt matter at the end of the day, which is why the church hasnt taken an official position on any of this. Although the book of mormon is primarily a religious record of the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites, enough geographic details are embedded in the narrative to allow reconstruction of at least a rudimentary geography of book of mormon. For one thing, william had a long history of confrontations with his brother joseph. This heartland model for book of mormon geography downplays the geographical information in the text. Geology true book of mormon geography lands, western new.
Which means the church leadership, the prophet everything is not following. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. T he popularized mesoamerican setting and opposing heartland book of mormon geography model are both scripturally unfit. Bmaf supports a mesoamerican context for the major book of mormon sites. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the land of zarahemla, and the headwaters of the river sidon see alma 22.
With regard to the location of book of mormon lands, it is sometimes claimed that theres a north american continent and a south american continent in noah websters 1850 dictionary, and that this means that all references to this continent must refer to north america. We are the pioneers of the book of mormon tour concept. The articles linked below will describe the various. The foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms, a major mormon apologetic powerhouse established in 1979, unabashedly promoted mesoamerican theories for book of mormon geography.
You will be astonished with the amount of concrete scientific parallels between mesoamerica and slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Book of mormon tours has been operated by the allen family since 1970. 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. At the time, i wrote a blog post setting out what i believe are the very obvious implications of the statement, and expressed a hope that people everywhere could cordially engage in conversations about book of mormon geography. 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. Welcome to the book of mormon geography foundation bmgf. The book of mormon is not intended to be a history book or a guide to geography, science, or any other secular topic. Both the mesoamerican and the heartland book of mormon geography. The lds church has published material indicating that science will support the historical authenticity of the book of. This paper investigates the evidence for seasonality of warfare in the book of mormon account and compares it with what is currently known about the timing of warfare in mesoamerica. Part of the evidence supporting the mesoamerican theory and. Items in the bmc archive are made publicly available for noncommercial, private use.
The church takes no position on the specific geographic location of book of mormon events in the. Civilization, meaning cities even great cities, large masses of. The new essay begins with this declarative statement. For overviews of the development of ideas regarding book of mormon geography, including the development of the limited mesoamerican theory, see sorenson, geography of book of mormon events, and matthew roper, limited geography and the book of mormon. Jan 22, 2011 anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. 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. How does the book of mormon help date the first christmas. Why does the book of mormon include the rise and fall of two nations. 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.
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