Answers from the Book of Mormon – Part I

The Book of Mormon poses, and answers, numerous questions regarding the Land of Promise, from how it was reached, where it was located, and what was found there. I have often referred to this as the "Nephi Code," that is, understanding what Nephi wrote and what it meant. These answers are obtained by asking oneself questions regarding what Nephi wrote.

These are the type of questions a Land of Promise model should answer. Instead, Mesoamerican (and other) Theorists spend their energies in trying to determine within their own models where Book of Mormon locations were, such as the location of cities, rivers, valleys, plains, etc.

What these theorists seem to forget, is that the Book of Mormon itself holds the answers, and one does not have to go much further than that to find the location of this area. Rather than starting with a pre-determined location and then guessing at how the topography fits, one should start with what the Book of Mormon tells us and see if it fits the model.

Following are numerous questions posed by the Book of Mormon scripture, as listed and answered in the book “Lehi Never Saw Mesoamerica.” There are all sorts of information in the scriptures Nephit and others left us--all we have to do is read the text and ask the question "Where do we find..."

• fevers and diseases due to climate and herbal remedies?
• gold and silver as a single unit with copper?
• all manner of ore?
• roads and highway systems rivaling Rome?
• use of metal coins in B.C. times?
• ancient buildings of great size and magnificent construction?
• volcanoes and earthquakes?
• results of 3 hours of earthquakes, rising of mountains, sinking of cities?
• ancient use of fine-twined linen?
• ancient animals including two species unkown elsewhere in the world?
• anient wild and domesticated animals?
• corn, wheat and barley growing ancient?
• two ancient grains unknown elsewhere in the world?
• Arabic ancestors of the First Settlers?
• A north-south elongated island in 600 B.C.
• Two distinct racial characteristics?
• Ancient shipyard building and port at the Narrow Neck of land?
• Lamanite living conditions differing from Nephite conditions?
• Signs of a combining or mixing of two cultures not at war with each other?
• An explosion of cultural, building, and rapid growth around 600 B.C.?
• The building of fortresses and fortifications?
• Culture and society dominated by religion?
• A central figure and his honored parents who was the ruler of the first settlers
• A Land Northward containing at its northern end "many waters" of lakes, rivers, and fountains?
• A single language spoken by the surviving Lamanites after the destruction of the Nephite nation?

To verify a model, or to find a location, one must not only answer all these scriptural points found in the Land of Promise, but also the ones following in the next post. To simply start saying this is the City of Moroni, and these are the Waters of Mormon is not helpful in any way. We need to think in terms of the above questions and see how they fit a location.