More Comments to be Answered Part VI

Here are more comments that we’ve received on this website blog.

Comment #1: “I am enjoying reading your blog site NephiCode.com. I will probably buy the book at some point. I read the book by Venice Priddis (The Book and the Map) years ago, and have remained convinced that the Book of Mormon lands are in South America” Richard.

Response: It is amazing how little interest this information as generated, yet it matches every single scriptural description in the Book of Mormon—something no other model can even come close to doing. If you like the book, you might want to look at the second one, Who Really Settled Mesoamerica, since it has some information no one has ever thought to consider about how the Jaredites got to the Land of Promise and from what and how their submersible barges were made.

For information purposes, Verla Leone Birrell’s book The Book of Mormon Guide Book—An Internal Reconstruction of the Archaeology, History, and Religious Teachings of the Ancient Peoples of the Book of Mormon, Stevens & Wallis, 1948, was the first to propose the Bay of Guayaquil to the Andes Mountains in South America as the narrow neck of land. Vince Priddis’ book The Book and the Map, Bookcraft, 1975, followed with a similar South American theme, and that was followed by Arthur Kocherhans work Lehi’s Isle of Promise, which expanded on the idea of Lehi landing in South America.

Comment #2: “How did Moroni travel all the way from South America to NY. I am about to purchase your first book. Is this discussed at all in that book (or any of your other books)? Thank you!” Jeffrey.

Response: That is not covered in the book since the book is not about modern times (Hill Cumorah and Joseph Smith). However, it has been written about several times in this blog. In short, there are three possibilities: 1) Moroni carried the plates to upstate New York while still living (not likely); 2) Moroni, as a quickened being (like the 3 witnesses) carried the plates to upstate New York (more likely, as it fits Joseph Smith’s comment about seeing Moroni along the road carrying the plates over his shoulder; 3) The Lord transported the plates to the hill Cumorah in upstate New York through whatever means that man would not understand. Take your pick. Personally, I prefer the second one since there is an example of Moroni doing just that after Joseph had received the plates. One thing is for certain, the hill Cumorah in upstate New York is not the hill Cumorah mentioned in the Land of Promise since upstate New York has not a single match to any scriptural description of the Land of Promise. Consequently, the plates had to have been transported there at some time between 421 A.D. and 1820 A.D.

Comment #3: “It is claimed that though the land of Desolation is so frequently referred to in the earlier annals of the Nephites, nothing is said of a city of that name until the time of the great final war between the Nephites and Lamanites and we are left in doubt as to whether it was built or not, until after the advent of the Redeemer. Some suppose it was the place where Hagoth’s shipyards originally stood: it is evident it was on the sea coast, as we are told that after one important battle the bodies of the slain were thrown into the sea. What is your take on this?” Henry W.

Response: We find that the Jaredites, long before 600 B.C., “built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land” (Ether 10:20). They evidently built this in the Land Northward, or on the north side of the narrow neck of land. This city is unnamed, but it would not matter since the Jaredites would not have used the term “desolation” for any reason, either to name the land or the city, since it was a Nephite term (from an old Jewish custom) of naming an area desolation based on the destruction or wars that took place there. This is seen in the destruction of the city of Ammonihah: “after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate” (Alma 16:11).

As for Hagoth building his ships in or near that city, we are told that beginning in 55 B.C., Hagoth built his ships “on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward” (Alma 63:5). This shows us that his shipyard was in the Land Southward, or on the south side of the narrow neck of land. This means that the city of the Jaredites, which many feel is same city as that of the later city of Desolation, is to the north of the narrow neck and Hagoth’s shipyards are to the south of the narrow neck. In addition, the city of Desolation mentioned by Mormon was in the Land of Desolation and the city was “in the borders, by the narrow pass which led into the land southward” (Mormon 3:5). This city is named the city of Desolation (Mormon 3:7). Thus, the city of Desolation mentioned by Mormon was built on or near the old Jaredite city since they are described as being in the same area.

Comment #4: “Alma 50:34, it states there is a narrow pass that leads into the land of Desolation. Obviously, then, along with Alma 22:32, there are at least two ways to get into the Land Northward from the south, not just one as you maintain” Sebastian A.

Response: In 67 B.C., a border dispute developed between the people of Morianton, led by a man named Morianton, and the people in the land of Lehi. At one point, the people of Lehi appealed to Moroni to intervene. Now Morianton feared Moroni and his army so he and his people fled toward Bountiful, hoping to reach the Land Northward (Alma 50:31-32). Moroni then sent an army to head off Morianton before he reached the Land Northward. This army was led by Teancum he “did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east” (Alma 50:34). Here we see that the Land of Bountiful and the Land of Desolation are separated by a “narrow pass,” with the sea on both sides of this narrow area north of Bountiful and south of Desolation. Or stated differently, the narrow pass is within the narrow neck of land, for this is the only area ever described as separating the two lands. Thus, we see that the entire Land Southward was surrounded by water except for the narrow neck of land that ran between them (Alma 22:32), so there could be no other stretch of land, or no other means to travel by land between the Land Southward and the Land Northward. Consequently, there are not two ways between the two lands—just the narrow neck which had a narrow pass or passage within it.