One of our readers sent us a
portion of a much larger article that turned out to be from Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon,
by Alan C. Miner, published in 1996 in 7 volumes, which is a cultural
commentary on the Book of Mormon. The website begins with this material being “a compilation of research information
pertaining to Mesoamerica/Book of Mormon relationships [of] the scientific
research covers such areas as geography, archaeology, linguistics, ancient
history, geology, customs, traditions and many other cultural aspects [with]
priceless gems of knowledge extracted and summarized from hundreds of research
articles by scholars of Book of Mormon culture.”
Our reader asked a
few questions about the part he sent in, however, the article itself is full of
erroneous comments, we decided to cover it in a few full posts. Again, comments are from the article, and our responses follow:
Comment -
“John Sorenson notes that about 60 B.C.,
5,400 men, plus women and children, ‘departed out of the land of Zarahemla into
the land which was northward’ (Alma 63:4). In the next year many more departed.”
Only twice in the entire scriptural
record is it mentioned that people emigrated by ship. Once when Nephi built his
ship and the Lehi Colony sailed to the Land of Promise, and once when Hagoth
built ships and large numbers of Nephites sailed to a “land which was
northward.” All other emigrations into the Land Northward are suggested to be
overland, through the narrow neck of land
Response: The two movements Sorenson mentioned were two entirely different emigrations: 1) “the amount of five thousand
and four hundred men, with their wives and their children, departed out of the
land of Zarahemla into the land which was
northward” (Alma 63:4-emphasis mine), and 2) the following year when “many
people went into the land northward”
(Alma 63:9-emphasis mine). It should be noted that these terms are different
and signify a different location as has been covered most thoroughly in these posts many times. It is one of only three times in the entire scriptural record
that “land which was northward” is used, and the only time where Hagoth’s ships
are mentioned sailing to such a land. It should be noted that the grammar of
such a statement varies considerably from “into the land northward” and “to the
land northward” which are terms most commonly used in the record and reefer to overland movement. In additiion,
while Mesoamericanists like to think of anything mentioned north, northward,
etc., as being the same, i.e., the Land Northward, there are three uses of north in the
record, and all three relate to different locations:
Land
North
Land
Northward
Land
which was Northward
All
three have separate meanings and relate to separate areas: the Land North being
within the Land Southward (Alma 46:17); the Land Northward being beyond the narrow neck of
land and separate from the Land Southward (Alma 22:32); and Land which was Northward, being
a detached area of land to the north where emigrants went by ship with much provisions (Alma 63:6,-7), and were never heard
from again (Alma 63:8). We have written about these three separate lands and their meanings
numerous times in previous posts.
Comment:
“Perhaps others departed from Lamanite
country at the same time.”
Response:
There is no “probably” about it. This migration into the Land Northward did
indeed include Lamanites. Mormon tells us: “And it came to pass as timber was exceedingly scarce in
the land northward, they did send forth much by the way of shipping. And thus
they did enable the people in the land northward that they might build many
cities, both of wood and of cement. And it came to pass that there were many of
the people of Ammon, who were Lamanites by birth, did also go forth into this
land” (Helaman 3:10-12).
Comment: “More
than curiosity must have impelled such numbers. We have seen earlier that the
area in the land of Zarahemla that could boast good crop conditions was
limited. We have also seen the population increasing over time. When too many
bodies occupy a resource area, temporary accommodation may take place with
increase in stress (as in the conflict with the king-men), but eventually some
of the surplus people are likely to relocate.”
Response: First of all, the Nephites had just ended a very
lengthy war (Alma 62:39, 41), and based on past experience, many no doubt felt
that more wars would be coming in the near future—in fact there was another war
in 8 years (Alma 63:15), and two years after that Coriantumr took the city of
Zarahemla with a large Lamanite army, and marched on Bountiful (Helaman 1:19).
And since the war that had ended had been devastating, leaving many homes
fatherless, sonless, motherless, etc. It would seem, that among these first
5,400 men leaving the Land of Zarahemla there would have been much thought
about getting away from the constant threat of war where they could raise their
families and live out their lives in comparative peace. These 5,400 men, plus
their wives and children, possibly numbering around 20,000 total, wanted a life
away from Lamanite threat and wen to another land, a “land which was
northward.” As for how would they know there was another land, we are told that the Nephites were involved in the building of ships and in shipping (Helaman 3:14) and obviously would have been aware of any nearby land not connected to the island of the Land of Promise (2 Nephi 10:20).
Regarding good crop land, Sorenson loves to tell us that the crop
land in Mesoamerica was limited, which of course his Mesoamerican crop land was, but there is no
indication in the scriptural record that good crop land was scarce in the Land of Promise. The three
times crops are mentioned, the opposite is the case—their first crop planted
upon landing “did grow exceedingly” and they “were blessed in abundance”
(1 Nephi 18:24). After Nephi separated from his brothers and settled in the
area they called the land and city of Nephi, he states: “for we did sow seed,
and we did reap again in abundance” (2 Nephi 5:11). Later, when Zeniff planted
corn, wheat and barley, plus two other grains (Mosiah 9:9) in the land of Nephi, their crops
grew so well, that even 13 years (13 crops) later, the Lamanites came in to steal their
corn and crops (Mosiah 9:14). There is never an indication that good crop
growing land was scarce. Cropland is scarce in Mesoamerica, but not in the Land of Promise!
Secondly, any increase in stress would have been from the constant wars, after
an extended war of more than 20 years, and a history of such wars. Third, there
are less people after an extended war
than more. Consequently, occupying the resource area would not be a major
problem. In addition, escaping or leaving an area precedes an invasion and war, not following it.
Comment:
“A reading of Alma 62:39-41 (note especially the "famines") suggests
that crowding of the resource base had been one cause of the war just past, as
much as it had been a result.”
Response:
Again, after an extended war, where thousands are killed, crowding of the space
available for living would not have been a problem. If anything, there would be
more openness available. After all, these wars were not the kind fought in
modern times where land is obliterated and takes years to recover from a war,
like from the trench warfare in World War I, or the dropping of bombs in World
War II (seen below).
Comment:
“In any case, the land northward lay before them with the prospect that it
could accommodate some of the crowded southerners.”
Response:
The Land Northward was still an area near the Lamanite lands. Whereas, the Land
which was Northward was separate and offered far more safety and security than
merely going further northward. Because Mesoamericanists have a small area in
which their model covers, they have a tendency to limit movement in the Land of
Promise, however, the scriptural record does not suggest this, and common sense
tells us that if Mormon is going to single out 5,400 men, plus wives and
children, migrating somewhere, that land to which they headed would have to
have been significant and different, for a little later in the scriptural
record, Mormon merely states of another group: “in the which there were an
exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went
forth unto the land northward to inherit the land” (Helaman 3:3), which was merely a land movement further away from the previous battles . Now there
would be no reason to count people traveling by land, but those going by ship
would be, if for no other reason than to make sure there was ship space for
them in the several vessels it would have taken to transport that many people.
(See
the next post, “Troubles
in Justifying Mesoamerica – Part II,” for more on this article sent in to us)
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