So-Called Book of Mormon Anachronisms: Horses – Part II

Continuing with the last post dealing with critics who claim there were no horses in the Western Hemisphere prior to the coming of the Spaniards, we find their claim:

“The only evidence of horses on the American continent dates to pre-historic times, (between 12,500 and 10,000 BC.) It is widely accepted that horses were extinct in the Western Hemisphere over 10,000 years ago and did not reappear there until the Spaniards brought them from Europe.”

As stated in the last post, the time frame that is being suggested is the time setting of the geologic column, a totally anti-God concept starting with the Big Bang Theory and running to the extent that this earth is 4.55 billion years old. While its organization may involve rocks and other matter that is that old or older, the actual sphere we call “Earth” was formed in recent times, with the first phase starting around 13,000 years ago. It is doubtful that any Mormon critic is going to accept this idea, one might want to read the book “Scientific Fallacies and Other Myths,” to see how modern man is being manipulated by pseudo-science into believing in the geologic time scale, which provides a system of chronologic measurement relating to stratigraphy to time that is used by geologist, palentologists and other earth scientists. This clock supposedly shows the events that have occurred during the history of the Earth; however, the two million year Quaternary period, the time of recognizable humans, is too small to be visible at this scale.

Under such a premise, 99.99% of this Earth time and the events included here, were before man. Stated differently, under this premise man has occupied the earth for only .001% of the time of its existence (that is, one-tenth of one percent). This hardly sounds like the purpose of this earth—for man to occupy such a very tiny, microscopic moment of it, when it was created for man. When the gods were discussing a plan for mankind to populate this earth, “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell” (Abraham 3:24).

This seems pretty clear that the purpose of this earth was for mankind to dwell upon it. “And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth” (Abraham 4:1). And for what purpose was man to dwell upon this earth? “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever (Abraham 3:25-26).

Thus, it cannot be said that the earth is 4.55 billion years old, nor even a million. Its sole purpose was to provide a place where God’s children could dwell in a probationary state, where they could prove their worth and obedience to God, and earn an everlasting life.

So, in retrospect, and with the word of God, it is easy to see that this earth is quite young, and fits more to Moses explanation of about 13,000 years than earth science’s 4.55 billion years.

Unfortunately, not understanding this different time frame and, therefore, thinking the scientists are correct in saying horses were extinct on the Western Hemisphere before the Western Hemisphere even existed, LDS apologists claim that the word "horse" in the Book of Mormon refers to a tapir in order to explain the anachronism. Mormon apologist John L. Sorenson at F.A.R.M.S. claims that there is fossil evidence that some New World horses may have survived the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, though these findings are disputed by mainstream archaeologists. Mormon apologist Robert R. Bennett believes that the word "horse" in the Book of Mormon actually refers to a different animal such as a tapir, while others think it might have been a deer, or even a llama.

Once again, the Book of Mormon does not need to be changed by LDS apologists, who find it uncomfortable that mainstream science says there were no horses here. Joseph Smith, a farmer, and growing up around horses, deer, goats, sheep, and other farm and even wild animals, certainly knew what a horse was. And, without question, the Spirit certainly knew the difference. Therefore, where it says “horse” in the scriptural record, you can count on there being horses in the Land of Promise.

(See the next post, “So-Called Book of Mormon Anachronisms: Horses—Part III,” to see what happened to the horse prior to the coming of the Spaniards)