Point 6: “Mesoamerican Theorists claim that there were underground claps of thunder which the Nephites could not distinguish from aerial thunderings.” Actually, there may well have been underground disruptions sounding like thunder, as well as many other phenomena, and it is also possible the writers could not distinguish the difference. However, this is pure speculation with no supportive scriptural evidence. We only know that the solid mass of the earth was broken up (Helaman 14:21), both above and below the earth (Helaman 14:22). The cracking of solid rock, the forming of seams and cracks, especially if they were extended down through rock mountains, would certainly cause explosion-sounding thunder that would rock the earth as well.Point 7: “Mesoamerican Theorists claim that winds blowing south over the Gulf of Mexico "pile up" water against the ("east") coast, inundating areas of low elevation.” However, blowing winds that pile water up along the coast can hardly be a major meteorological phenomena causing Book of Mormon recorders to react in such a manner. Even the worst hurricane hitting the coast would not cause the terrifying reactions that such an event was "never before known in all the land." Nor would such water bury a city in the depths of the sea, for hurricanes eventually move on, and the water associated with them eventually returns to its normal place. No, this event that sunk cities into the depths of the sea was something far more devastating, something that caused huge acreage of the earth to sink into the ground and cities fall in upon the sinkholes, with the sea then rushing in to fill the huge, deep earthen holes. Such happenings would indeed change the face of the land. Consider the seashore or inland seas being expanded and the visible earth disappearing under the advancing water. This is not cosmetic.
Point 8: “Mesoamerican Theorists claim that either this effect of a normal storm or the more profound result from a tropical hurricane sweeping across the Gulf of Campeche could well have caused "that great city Moroni" on that coast to be "sunk in the depths of the sea.” In this case, the scriptural record says "the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea" not that the sea was raised up to cover the city like from a flood or tropical hurricane. Many great and notable cities were sunk (3 Nephi 8:14; 9:8), and sunk, after all, means sunk, not covered over. And over these sunken cities, the Lord caused waters "to come up" (3 Nephi 9:7) over them. So deeply were the cities buried in the depths of the water, that "these cities could not be renewed" (4 Nephi 1:9).
Point 9: “Mesoamerican Theorists claim that burying cities "in the depths of the earth" (3 Nephi 9:6, 8) would have resulted from mud slides, as well as from falling volcanic ash.” However, the scriptural record says the "earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain" (3 Nephi 8:10). This hardly describes earth falling down upon the city, such as mud slides or volcanic ash. The earth was carried up, not down, to cover the city. Also, Gilgal was sunk and "buried up in the depths of the earth" (3 Nephi 9:6). Being buried in the depths of the earth is hardly being covered over by mud slides or falling ash.
The problem is, these 9 points, taken from John L. Sorenson’s book, “An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon,” describes limited, facial, or cosmetic changes because his Mesoamerican model does not show such devestation as is mentioned in the scripture record. But the record does not verify his explanations. Rather, the record suggests a devesttion far more extreme and incidents not easily found happening elsewhere other than the Land of Promise.
(The Next Post will show where such devestation took place, and where the actual Land of Promise was actually located. See Destruction in the Land of Promise at the Time of the Crucifixion – Part IV)
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