When members of the Church begin
speculating with their pet ideas and theories, they do a great injustice to the
Book of Mormon and to the Church overall. As an example, Vernal Holley,
published two maps in his Book of Mormon
Authorship: A Closer Look, in the
early 1980s.
Top: Holley’s map based upon his opinion or “pet theory” of the Land of
Promise location; Bottom: Holley’s map of the same area as it existed around
the time of Joseph Smith, showing the same or similar names
Basically, the two maps compare a "proposed
map" constructed by Holley from the internal descriptions of the Book of
Mormon and comments, over the years by Latter-day Saint scholars, with a map
showing actual place names on maps of the area around Palmyra, New York, where
the Book of Mormon originally was published.
The first map is the
"proposed map," constructed from internal comparisons in the Book of
Mormon, of such features as
"The Narrow Neck of Land" which was a day-and-a-half-journey (which
Holley considered to be roughly 30 miles) separating two great seas. There is
also much about the Hill Onidah, the Hill Ramah, and the City of Angola—all
place names in the land of Joseph Smith's youth.
As an example, in the Book of Mormon there is a chief
captain under Moroni’s command named Teancum. At the time of Joseph Smith,
there was a Shawnee Indian Chief named Tecumseh, who fought and Holley claimed
he died along Holley’s narrow neck of land helping the British in the War of
1812. Today the Canadian city Techumseh, south of Lake St. Clair, is named
after him.
Blue Arrow:
Where Holley and Spencer claim Techumseh died; Red Arrow: Where Techumseh died
during the Battle of the Thames, 142 miles distant; the modern town of Techumseh
is located along the southern shore of Lake St.Clair (just north of the point
of the red arrow); Yellow Arrow: Where Joseph Smith grew up
However, these “facts” stated by Holley and used by James R.
Spencer to try and make a parallel between names in the scriptural record and
names in upstate western New York region when Joseph Smith was growing up, are
simply not accurate. The Indian Chief Techumseh was killed in the Battle of the
Thames between Moraviantown and Thamesville on October 5, 1813, at the opposite
end of Lake Erie and 142 miles from Holley’s narrow neck of land, and 300 miles
from where Joseph Smith grew up on the opposite side of Lake Erie.
In fact, Techumseh was born in western Ohio, grew up in
northern Alabama, and settled in east-central Indiana, later moving to Michigan
to fight with the British in the War of 1812. It can hardly be said that his
name is associated with upstate New York where Joseph Smith grew up. Besides,
Joseph would have been only 7 or 8 when Tecumseh became well known some 300
miles from Palmyra, and not likely known by Joseph at any time.
In addition, drawing a parallel between Teancum and
Techumseh (which means “panther passing across” in Shawnee) can hardly be
supported. A closer name would be that of Tecun Uman of Guatemala who was killed
by the Spanish in 1524 in the Battle of El Pinal, and was named Guatemala’s national
hero in 1960. The problem is, some type of match to names is not difficult to
make, given enough time, territory and knowledge.
Forest
scene on the Lehigh (Pennsylvania) River (1832), an Anglicization of the Lenape
Indian name for the small river, Lechewuekink, meaning “where there are forks”
name given the river
Another comparison Holley tried to make is between the names
Lehigh and Lehi. However, and not widely known among Latter-day Saints, is that
the name Lehigh dates back to 1812, before the Book of Mormon, is the name of a
county in eastern Pennsylvania, a little north of Philadelphia, and was derived
from the Lehigh River, which in turn got its name from the Delaware Indian term
Lechauweki or Lechauwekink, meaning “where there are forks.” (Charles R. Roberts, "Place Names of Lehigh
County and Their Origin," Proceedings: Lehigh County Historical Society,
1936). However, it is almost 300 miles from Palmyra in New York where Joseph
Smith grew up.
Another
name is Angola, a small community north of Palmyra, near Buffalo, that received
its name “Angola” in 1854 when a post office was established there, and “Evans Station”
was changed to Angola. This is hardly a Book of Mormon connection. Another is
Hellam and Helam. Hellam is a small township in southern Pennsylvania near the
Maryland border dating to 1736, 250 miles from Palmyra. The chances that Joseph
Smith would have known of this tiny township is most unlikely since there would
have been no connection between these two regions.
Another
is the name Boaz, however, the only U.S. town by this name is in West Kentucky,
and was named for a plantation owner in 1854. It is also the name of a
community (post office) in West Virginia dating to 1878. The hamlet of Alma,
New York, was named after a Latin word for “nourishing,” and a city in Germany,
given the New York hamlet in 1854, though this area along the Pennsylvania border
was first settled in 1833 as “Honeoye Corners,” a name that continued until around
1843.
The
tiny unincorporated community in central eastern Ohio called Jacobsburg was
laid out in 1815 and named for its founder, Jacob Calvert (A. T. McKelvey, Centennial History of Belmont County, Ohio,
and Representative Citizens, 1903), and by 1833 contained one tavern, two
stores, a physician, sundry mechanics and about 120 inhabitants. At 372 miles
from Palmyra, it is hardly a place Joseph Smith would have heard about prior to
the printing of the Book of Mormon in 1830.
Zarahemla,
New York, does not exist, though Holley placed it on his map. The location he
shows is Palmyra, which was never called or referred to as Zarahemla except in
more modern times, usually by ill-informed non-member critics. There was a town
so named in Iowa, across from Nauvoo, so named by Joseph Smith and its
reference can be found in D&C 125, in 1841; however, this was never intended to
be the same Zarahemla mentioned in the Book of Mormon.
Oneida
and Onidah. Oneida, in central New York, just east of the Finger Lakes, was
part of the Oneida Indian tribe during the colonial era. The Oneida were one of
the original Five Nations of the Iroquois League. The village of Oneida was
formed in 1848 as part of the larger town of Lenox, though it formed separately
in 1896. It seems reasonable that Joseph Smith would have known of the Oneida
Indian tribe.
Agathe and Agathe. Agathe is in Canada, and more properly called Sainte-Agathe-des-Monte,
a township in Quebec, was not settled until 1849, when French Catholics moved
into the area. Another combination of names is Moron and Morin. The latter was
founded in Quebec, Canada, when the first European settlers arrived from
Ireland around 1850, followed by French Canadians from Lachute in 1855. The
township was named after its founder, Augustin-Norbert Morin who had a huge
farm on the banks of the River du Nord. Again, these names have nothing to do
with the Book of Mormon and almost all were not even so named until long after
the Book of Mormon was first published in 1830.
(See
the next post, “Theories—The problem with Speculation – PtII,”
for more of the so-called city and people names between what we find in the
Book of Mormon and what existed in the area of Joseph Smith when he translated
the plates to see how speculation leaves the wrong impression about the past)
It was written recently that a “pet theory,” is any theory whose creator (or anyone who
has heard it) likes more than other theories, and this person usually wants the
theory to be true, whether it is or it isn't. Scientists who have a pet theory
(or pet theories) may be subject to loss of objectivity because of this
"affection" towards their pet theory. A theory, of course, is just a
theory. It is not a fact. And since there are often many theories about things,
you can say that this particular one is my favorite, so that is often
designated my pet theory on this particular subject.
It is, in fact on a larger scale, just
a theory that a scientist or a group of scientists, scholars, historians, etc., has/have a particular fondness
for, regardless of validity. In many
cases, such a theory has little foundation, but is still believed devoutly by a
certain scientist, group, person, or historian, despite lack of proof.
Not long ago I was sitting in my car in
a parking lot when a deputy sheriff chanced by and glanced into the car at me.
I was, at the time, working on one of my books about the location of the Land
of Promise while waiting for my wife—he saw the title and immediately blurted
out, “Oh, yeah, I know all about that. It’s in the eastern states, where the
Nephites built all those mounds.”
Now, that is a theory. There is nothing
in the scriptural record, history, or mainstream discussions that can connect
the Nephite nation to mounds, let alone such burial mounds as found in the eastern
U.S. in the Mississippi Valley and northward.
While there are ancient mounds in numerous countries around the world,
there are none in Israel, Mesopotamia or Egypt, and absolutely nothing to
connect such mounds to the Nephite nation or its scriptural record
It is not unlike the theory of dark matter,
an idea of a substance thought to make up 85% of the Universe’s missing matter,
though nothing has ever been found to verify such an idea, even after decades
of searching at the cost of 6.4 billion dollars expenditure. The
Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Europe’s particle-physics lab near Geneva,
Switzerland, is scheduled to restart in this month after a major upgrade. It is
widely seen as the last chance in a generation to create—and thus
confirm—theoretical particles known as WIMPs, or Weakly Interacting Massive
Particles.
A
super-sensitive ‘direct-detection’ experiment, which is designed to catch
naturally occurring WIMPs streaming from the heavens, is also due to start this
year. At least in this case, the failure so far to glimpse WIMPs at either the
LHC or through direct-detection experiments, combined with surprise signals
from others, is fueling suggestions that dark matter is made of something
else. A range of alternatives that were previously considered underdog
candidates now look “less exotic”, says Kevork Abazajian, a theorist who
studies particle cosmology at the University of California, Irvine.
The
point being, while it may take some time, occasionally scientists recognize
that failure to find what they thoroughly believed existed is leading them to
perhaps look elsewhere for something else. We do not find that type of
open-mindedness in Land of Promise theorists. No matter that their pet beliefs
have been shown time and time again to not match the scriptural record, most
doggedly and stubbornly hold on to that belief, though it cannot be shown to be
correct without changing the scriptural record or its meaning.
As
an example:
1.
The Land of Promise was not a peninsula, it was an island (2 Nephi 10:20), yet
Baja California and Malay theorists hold to their Land of Promise being a
peninsula despite a scriptural description to the opposite;
2.
No mountains in upstate western New York where theorists place their Land of
Promise despite the fact that the scriptures talk about both the Land Southward
and the Land Northward having mountains “whose height is great” (Helaman
14:23).
3.
The narrow neck of land was narrow the distance in width that a Nephite could
walk across in a day and a half, yet Mesoamerican theorists claim this narrow
neck was the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 140 miles across.
4.
Jacob tells us that their Land of Promise was an island in the midst of the sea
over which they traveled (2 Nephi 10:20), Mormon tell us that Lehi’s landing
site, the place of their father’s first inheritance, was along that West Sea to
the south (Alma 22:28), yet Heartland theorists place the landing site at the
delta of the Mississippi River which only has the Gulf of Mexico as a connected sea, which is definitely in the south, not the west.
5. Despite Mormon describing the Sea East to the
east and the Sea West to the west, some Great Lake Theorists place the East Sea
as Lake Ontario in the north and the West Sea as Lake Erie in the South
As one theorist shows it, (Red Arrow)
Lake Ontario in the north as the East Sea, and (Blue Arrow) Lake Erie in the
south as the West Sea, with the narrow neck of land in between running east and west, not
north and south
6.
Both Hugh Nibley and John L. Sorenson contend that the Jaredites survived the
final battle illustrated in the scriptural record, saying “{Nibley} argued and
the evidence is persuasive, that significant Jaredite elements persisted into
Mulekite ande Nephite times, yet there is not a single indication in the
scriptural record of any Jaredite survival. Ether made it clear, saying that “when they had all fallen by the sword, save
it were Coriantumr and Shiz” (Ether 15:29), Coriantumr “smote off the head of Shiz” (Ether
15:30), and that the Lord told Ether to “Go
forth, and he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been
fulfilled” (Ether 33:33). What word? Earlier, the Lord told Ether to
prophesy to Coriantumr, that unless he repented, and all his household, “his
kingdom and the people should be destroyed, and all his household save it were
himself” (Ether 13:20-21).
7.
Even though there were no glaciated areas along the path Nibley chooses for the
Jaredite course when he states: “Now it is a fact that in ancient times the
plains of Asia were covered with "many waters,” which have now disappeared but
are recorded as existing well down into historic times” (p 177); however, he does
not mention that those waters and receding glaciers were far to the north of
the path he picks for the Jaredites to cross Asia.
Yellow Line: Nibley’s Jaredite travel
course. Note it is through the green belt far below the glacial area of the Ice
Age and north of the Snow covered mountains ranges of the Himalayas—there would
have been no “many waters” along this path
8.
Another pet theory of Sorenson is that “the various descendants of the former
kings Mosiah, Benjamin, and the younger Mosiah likely felt that their noble
ancestry gave them the right to special privileges,” yet Benjamin’s character
suggests just the opposite: “And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might
serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should
nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne -- and of all these things
which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. Yet, my brethren, I
have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things
that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know
that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day” (Mosiah 2:14-15).
Thus, it should be obvious that these
and numerous other pet theories that people have, when compared to the facts of
the scriptural record, show they are in error. This does not, however, cause them to discard those erroneous theories.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in a recent
conference, “Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until
additional knowledge comes.” Answers, we were told by another speaker come in
quiet awareness, and that “The real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new
landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
We also learned that “The scriptures are a fountain
of knowledge that never runs dry, there is always something new to learn.” This
seems to be especially true when reading the scriptural record of the Book of
Mormon, and in learning more and more from the many insights Mormon provided us
as he abridged the record of numerous other writers and clarified their writing
for us, his future reader. Without doubt, Mormon has shown us that we can
always learn something from the scriptural record, particularly when he
approach it without pre-conceived thinking, but with an open mind, studying his
words and making every attempt to understand what he meant in his writing.
In fact, the message of conference, among others,
seemed to be that we should never reach a point when we feel we know everything
about any subject. Progress through our second estate is one of continual
learning and continually ever-increasing understanding.
While this is true in all aspects of study, learning
and life, it seems particularly important in our researching and investigating
of the Land of Promise and the prophet Mormon’s numerous descriptions inserted
to help us better understand the region where the Nephite nation flourished.
As an example, when we decide a certain place is the
Land of Promise, we should never reach a point where we feel we know everything
involved—we should keep learning and seek for more and more information
regarding that location and most importantly, compare all scripture to it
because if it is the correct location, all additional reading and scriptural
interpretation will match the location. If it is not the correct location to
start with, then we will find things that do not match as they are written, and
we should discard our thoughts and look for a more accurate matching location.
Unfortunately, when we have stopped trying to learn
and verify, we have a tendency to try and make adjustments in the scriptural
record thinking we know something that was not known or understood by the original writers, inserting our own thoughts into our interpretations, and making adjustments in
scriptural meaning. We read what Mormon has written, and try to fudge its
simple meaning into some deeper, more convoluted thoughts.
Once we believe we have the final word on such a
location, say where the hill Cumorah is located, then read that from the top
Mormon and 23 of his men were so well hidden from view of the blood-thirsty
Lamanties bent on their death, that they could look out onto the surrounding
land and see the bodies of 230,000 Nephite dead (Mormon 6:11-15)—we should be
able to say that, yes, that could happen from this hill. On the other hand,
when we find that the hill we thought is only 130 feet tall, basically shaped
like a cigar buried its length halfway in the ground, with a gently, easily
traversable rounded (drumlin) shape that provided no covering for hiding, or hindrance from
the enemy forces overrunning it, we need to readjust our thinking.
The
Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. Red Arrow shows the view point from the
highest point of the drumlin hill; Yellow Arrow shows the 130-feet high hill
running lengthwise. In neither case would there have been any way to keep from
being spotted from a vantage point where sight of 230,000 dead could be seen
Or when we read that the land runs north and south
(Alma 22:27-34) and our model runs east and west, such as Mesoamerica, we need
to discard our model and seek a location that matches the scripture, not write
lengthy articles to justify why Mormon didn’t use our cardinal directions,
though he was writing to us, his future reader, for our enlightenment and
understanding. Or when the Sidon River is clearly shown to flow northward as
Mormon describes it, but our model has it running southward, that we back up
and recognize that our model is wrong and look elsewhere for the correct
location.
Another example is that when Jacob, speaking as a
prophet during a special two-day conference on the Atonement, tells the
Nephites that they are on an island (2 Nephi 10:20), we need to discard any
location, no matter how much we have been committed to it, that is not now or
was not at the time of the Nephite occupation, at least prior to the drastic
changes made in 3 Nephi, an island. This is also true when Jacob tells us that
their island was in the midst of the very sea over which they had sailed (2
Nephi 10:20).
Or when Samuel the Lamanite tells us that at the
time of the crucifixion “and
there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be
many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains, whose
height is great” (Helaman 14:23), we need to verify
our belief in a location by making sure there are numerous mountains, “whose
height is great.” And if not, such as New York state at the Land of Promise
where no “high” mountains of any kind exist, then we need to discard that
location and look for a location that does match.
The flat land of upstate western New
York where no mountains exist, let alone ones “whose height is great”
Another
step is to compare other scripture on the same subject, location, or image to
see if they agree. As an example, Jacob writes of the Nephites being on an
island in the midst of the sea, Helaman describes the Nephites within the Land
of Promise “did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward
to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the
face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west
to the sea east” (Helaman 3:8). And Mormon also writes of this in “and thus the
land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being
a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward” (Alma
22:32).
When
different scriptural references agree with the same overall viewpoint, it would
seem sufficient to make a claim that this description of the Land of Promise is
without question.
Another
example is the narrow neck of land where Mormon describes it as connecting the
Land Southward to the Land Northward (Alma 22:32), and that this narrow neck
led into the Land Northward (Alma 63:5), and Moroni tells us that the Jaredites
“built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea
divides the land” (Ether 10:20). All of these and numerous others, consistently
describe a narrow neck of land that provides egress from the south into the
north lands, and each agrees with the other.
There is no conceivable way that
anyone even today, let alone in 600 B.C. without aid of satellite images or
aerial photography to even recognize that the land narrowed as seen in this map
of Mesoamerica. Nor does it fit the defensive descriptions of Mormon with its
140 mile width
We
can constantly learn form the scriptural record if we don’t stop trying to
learn. In addition, when one has a theory about a land location, that theory
should continually be challenged with everything that is written to make sure
everything agrees with that point. However, when we close our mind to continual
learning, we often ignore and bypass statements or descriptions Mormon gives
that are not consistent with our pet “theory.” At such a time, we simply stop
learning.
As
an example, when someone develops a theory about Mesoamerica being the Land of
promise (perhaps because of the ruins there), one should then read 2 Nephi
10:20 where Jacob tells us they were on an island. When reading such, the
theory of Mesoamerica should have immediately been discarded, or at least
looked at with a critical eye and come under severe scrutiny as to how
Mesoamerica could have been considered an island in 600 B.C. Nor should one
simply chalk it up to the belief that Jacob didn’t know what he was talking
about, or didn’t understand his land, or whatever.
Jacob, speaking at a
conference on very sacred subjects, i.e., the atonement, resurrection from the
dead, and forgiveness of sins, would not also be talking about something of
which he did not know. We need to give credit to these early prophets and their
inspirations rather than think we are the seat of all such knowledge and look
for reasons why, such as in this case, Jacob didn’t know what he was talking about.
And
when the brethren today talk about how we need to keep learning, we should
discard their pet-beliefs, theories and attitudes and search with an open mind
the true meaning of the scriptural record and what Mormon wrote and its very
clear meaning, even if it means forming new beliefs and theories about locations and models.
Continuing from the last three posts about looking
through a keyhole at a particular spot for placement of the Land of Promise,
such as citing the hill Cumorah in the Great Lakes area and saying this
must be the Nephite lands, etc., rather than starting with the scriptures and following
through with what they tell us about this Land of Promise.
In addition to those several steps outlined in the
previous post, there is the changeable things
you can look for that match the scriptural record, such as areas where
significant highways and roads went “from place to place and land to land.”
Continuing with the list from the last post:
14) Fortified walls
of stone [Alma 48:8; 50:5; 62:23]
The Nephites built of
stone as the record shows, consequently, stone walls and buildings should be
found in the Land of Promise, for they do not deteriorate like wood. Only two
places show such construction in the Western Hemsiphere
15) Narrow neck of
land [Alma 22:32; 63:5; Ether 10:20]
This narrow or small
neck connected two lands, would have been visible to those on foot of the time
as a “narrow neck,” which simply does not fit Mesoamerica; also, this narrow
neck served as a defensive “choke point” which would be easily defended and not
able to circumvent, which eliminates any place in eastern U.S.
16) Defendable narrow
pass [Alma 50:34; 52:9; Mormon 2:29; 3:5]
This was the only
access between the Land Southward and the Land Northward, again eliminating
Mesoamerica and the eastern U.S.
17) Sea that divides
the land [Ether 10:20]
The Land of Promise
was divided into two parts, the Land Northward and the Land Southward, with a narrow neck of land in between connecting the two land masses. Any sea that
divides the land would have to be part of this narrow neck area
18) All manner of
buildings [Mosiah 8:8]
When Limhi’s 43-man
expedition returned from the Jaredite lands in the Land Northward they reported
on finding the land ”covered with ruins of buildings of every kind.” These
buildings had been built sometime after 2100 B.C. and would have stood for more
than a thousand years by the time they were seen by the Nephites, suggesting
they were made of stone like the towers built in Mesopotamia, the Jaredite
homeland, which means they would have stood for quite some time afterward
19) Great temple
tower [Mosiah 8:8; 19:5]
This tower was built
by king Noah (an example of a temple tower is shown to the left), and was used as a lookout
point to keep track of the Lamanite movements in and around the area of the
city of Nephi, where the Nephites had returned to occupy though the lands were
then in Lamanite hands. This would not have been some simple wood tower of a
couple stories in height, but one that would allow a great height vantage point
to see throughout the surrounding land as evidence by king Noah looking out and
seeing the lamanites approaching from the land of Shemlon (Mosiah 19:6)
20) North-South
directions of the Land of Promise [Alma 22:27-34]
It seems only logical
that if Mormon wrote about north-south directions of the layout of the Land of
Promise that the land would be so shaped. In addition, since Mormon was writing
to a future readership, and inserted this information into the record in a
568-word addendum strictly for our benefit to better understand where the
Lamanite lands and the Nephite lands were located in relation to one another,
that the directions he used, Joseph Smith translated, and the Spirit ratified,
would be correct. For modern man, such as John L. Sorenson, Joseph L. Allen,
and other Mesoamericanist writers to change those directions so they would fit
their pre-determined model seems outright fallacious, and meant to mislead.
21) All manner of ore
[1 Nephi 18:25; Ether 10:23]
While ore is found
everywhere, not all ore is found everywhere—some ores are very isolated. As an
example, gold is not found in the Great Lakes area and for theorists of that
area to say it must have been mined out since Nephite times is an evasion of
facts. This is especially seen in the light that gold in Mexico and Andean
Peru, which was mined as early as anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere is
still being mined, and Peru and Chile, as an example, are world leaders as well
as Mexico on these ores today.
22) Land of many
waters, rivers and fountains [Mormon 6:4]
Not only do there
need to be lakes and rivers, in this area of many waters, but also Mormon
mentions “fountains,” meaning an area of water sources bubbling up out of the
subterranean aquifer. Such sources are typically found in the mountains, where
water sources originate—which is not the case in eastern U.S. It should be noted that gold was never
discovered in New York, north or western Pennsylvania, or in the area of the
Great Lakes; and found only on placer gold deposits (not hard rock gold) in
Illinois, Indian, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. While the U.S. is a leading producer
of gold, it is found in the west, mostly in Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, and New
Mexico, plus Alaska.
23) Abundant crop
growth [1 Nephi 18:24; 2 Nephi 5:11; Mosiah 9:9,14; 11:15];
For seeds from
Jerusalem to have grown well in 600 B.C., as mentioned here many times, they would have had to be
planted in similar climate as Jerusalem, i.e., a Mediterranean Climate. Only
California and central Chile (plus certain elevations of central and eastern
Peru) match that climate in all of the Western Hemisphere.
24) No other people
in Land of Promise
The scriptural record
leaves no room for, suggestion of, or indications regarding any other peoples
during Book of Mormon times in the Land of Promise other than the Jaredites,
Nephites/Lamanites, and the Mulekites. This eliminates Mesoamerica, and the Great
Lakes area.
25) Use of silks and
fine-twined linen [Alma 1:29; 4:6 26; Ether 10:24]
No such silks or
fine-twined linen has been found in the Americas dating to Nephite times other
than in Andean Peru.
26) Metallurgy
[Helaman 6:9; Ether 10:23]
No such metallurgy
has been found in the Americas dating to Jaredite/Nephite times other than in
Andean Peru, and there they date to early Jaredite times.
27) Volcanoes and
earthquakes [3 Nephi 8, 9].
These exist along the
so-called “ring-of-fire” along the coastal areas of Andean South America, Central America, U.S. and Alaska. There has never been any significant volcano
or earthquake activity in the eastern U.S., heartland, etc., of the U.S.
28) Use of
circumcision (Law of Moses – 2 Nephi 5:10)
Lastly, you need to
look for a land in the Western Hemsiphere where circumcision was practiced
during Nephite times, and there is only one place in all that area which such
has been found in mummies.
A keyhole view is not much better than sticking one's head in the sand. Both limit one to a predetermined view that does not allow for an
expansion of their view, thinking, or understanding
Thus, to find the
location of the Land of Promise, we have to find an area that now and/or during
the time of the Jaredites/Nephites, matched the entire list of
descriptions found in the Book of Mormon. And we have to do it without changing the meaning, twisting
the words around, inserting words that are not in the scriptural record, or
deleting words or ideas that do not agree with one’s personal point of view, or
claiming that these erstwhile prophets did not know what they were writing
about, such as not knowing directions or what their land was like, or how it
was laid out from north to south, or whether or not they meant sea when they
said sea, etc. Such an area would never be found, however, by those who look
through the keyhole of their pre-determined view of the location of the Land of
Promise. One needs to broaden their view beyond a singular area of pursuit—and
the easiest way to do that is to start with the scriptures, not some other
singular viewpoint.
Continuing from the last two posts about looking
through a keyhole at a particular spot for placement of the Land of Promise,
such as citing the ruins in Central America and saying this must be the
Nephite lands, etc., rather than starting with the scriptures and following
through with what they tell us about this Land of Promise.
When we look beyond the keyhole and see the much
larger picture, we are in a better position to identify the Land of Promise as
described by Nephi, Mormon and Moroni (Ether), as well as the others who lived
upon it and wrote about it.
As an example, in addition to those several steps
outlined in the previous post, there is the changeable
things you can look for that match the scriptural record, such as areas where
significant mountains in both the Land Southward and the Land Northward rose to
levels “whose height is great.”
And for
such things as signs of an ancient people that accomplished great things, built
great cities, and worked with their hands, which Nephi tells us he caused his
people to do.
By this
time, if you have really done your homework, been open-minded, followed exactly
the wordage of the scriptural record without reading into it other than it
means, you likely will be in the right area. Then, and only then, will you have
a chance at finding certain described places, like the City of Nephi, the City
of Zarahemla, the hill Cumorah, etc.
Perhaps
the best thing, though, is to consider all the points the scriptural record has
given us to locate the Land of Promise. It is not that you can fine one, two,
or even ten of these individual placers or things and say, “This is the place.” For the Land of
Promise, you must find all of these.
1) Mountains, “whose height is great” [Helaman 14:23]
There are mountains
in most areas, though those in the eastern United States are so low in height,
they hardly qualify for “whose height is great.” So in looking for matches, one
should look to the meaning behind Samuel’s comment, i.e., to the Nephites, at
the time of the crucifixion and the rising of these mountains, their height
would be abnormal for the area and obviously noticeable to the Nephites in
seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy.
2) Two unknown
animals [Ether 9:19]
In this case, Joseph
Smith, growing up on a farm, and knowing the names of almost all animals that
would have been known in that time and location, could not place the animals the
vision gave him and, therefore, had to rely on the name that was on the
plates—cureloms and cumoms. Consequently, any animals chosen as these two would
have to be those unknown to Joseph Smith, yet still fill the requirement of
being more useful than horses and asses, and on a par in usefulness as the
elephant at the time of the Jaredites.
3) Two unknown grains
[Mosiah 9:9]
Same as the animals.
Joseph Smith was a farmer and knew the basic grains of his day. These two were
unknown to him, yet were as valuable as corn, wheat and barley, thus we would look
for grains of such value then and now.
4) Land of promise as
an island [2 Nephi 10:20]
At the time the
Nephites landed and for at least the next six hundred years, the Land of
Promise was an island in the midst of the sea over which Lehi traveled. If it
is not an island today, then we look to the destruction and changes wrought
about in 3 Nephi, and compare that with geologic history.
5) The four seas
surrounding the Land of Promise [Helaman 3:8]
Because four seas existed
as late as 46 B.C., it would appear that the change occurred around the time of
Christ, making the destruction described in 3 Nephi the realistic changing
period from an island to a larger land mass.
6) Plants that cure
fever [Alma 46:40]
We call this deadly
fever “malaria” today, and there is only one natural cure for malaria and that
plant is found in only one place (prior to the 18th century when it
was transplanted) in the entire world.
7) the Climate where
Lehi’s seeds grew that he brought to the Land of Promise [1 Nephi 18:24]
Jerusalem is a
Mediterranean Climate. There are only five such climates in the world, and only
two in the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, one of these two areas has to be the
Land of Promise.
8) Roads and Highways
[3 Nephi 6:8]
There are only two
places in the Western Hemisphere where ancient roads dating to the period of
the Nephites and went “from place to place and land to land” as described; only
one of these places also has the Mediterranean Climate (and other matches
mentioned above)
9) Driven before the
wind to the promised land [1 Nephi 18:8-9]
Upon leaving the
southern Arabian Peninsula, winds and currents only blew in one direction out
to sea—take that course and you find where Nephi’s ship was driven and would
have landed
10) Lehi’s Course to
the Land of Promise [1 Nephi 18:8-9]
The winds and
currents are steady and constant and have always blown in the same directions.
Follow those winds and currents and you arrive at the Land of Promise as Nephi
did
11) Both Gold and
Silver and Copper [1 Nephi 18:25]
Wherever you place
the Land of Promise, there must be the ores mentioned; gold, silver and copper
are three of the main ones—the eastern U.S. does not have gold to speak of and
none ever recorded in single units with silver and copper like described
12) Hagoth’s ships
went northward [Alma 63:4,6]
Winds and currents
need to take sailing ships northward from the narrow neck area; also there
needs to be evidence of another similarly developed culture to the north of the
Land of Promise
13) Forts,
fortifications and resorts [Alma 48:5,8; 49:13,18; 52:6]
Nephi taught his
people to build (2 Nephi 5:15); Nephi knew of the stone work of Jerusalem, and
built a temple like Solomon’s (2 Nephi 5:16), consequently one should find
buildings of stone like those of Jerusalem and such are only found in two
places in the Western Hemisphere. The forts of wood talked about in the eastern
U.S. simply does not match the Nephite capabilities, nor that of the Jews in 600 B.C. to which Nephi, Sam and Zoram would have been familiar.
(See
the next post, Looking Through a
Keyhole – Part IV,” for the continuation of these first items to look for in
the Land of Promise to verify any model or location)
Continuing from the last post about looking through
a keyhole at a particular spot for placement of the Land of Promise, such as
citing the ruins in Central America and saying this must be the Nephitee lands,
then trying to find other matches. Instead, we need to approach the scriptural
record with a much broader view. Once again, the point is, and
always will be, when one starts looking for one specific issue, it may be found
or at least identified with one specific area. But where do you go from there?
Do you just say, then this must be the Land of Promise. Or do you look further
and if something fits, add to your claim, but if it does not fit—like the
north-south arrangement of Mormon’s Land of Promise and east-west Mesoamerica?
You are left with two choices: 1) Discard your first belief, or 2) Change,
fudge, reinterpret, etc., the scriptural record so it does fit.
Actually,
what you should do is quite simple, and we have mentioned it in these posts before.
You go to the scriptural record and follow verbatim exactly what Nephi and
Mormon say, and you first start with Nephi:
1. He
built a sailing ship (1 Nephi 17:8);
2. It was
driven forward by the wind (1 Nephi 18:8);
3. Winds
blow currents and they work in tandem, therefore, follow the currents from
where he set forth and they will take you to where he would have landed.
It really
is as simple as that, though not very adventuresome—in fact, it is usually
difficult work, time consuming, and not always rewarding.
If you
are one of those many people who believe the Land of Promise is in a particular
spot, like mentioned in the previous post, then you are approaching the Book of
Mormon geography backward. Nephi tells you basically where he landed, Jacob
describes that landing area in general terms, Helaman verifies that information. Thus, following those winds and
currents can lead you only to one basic area.
Then, you
can verify that one specific area by looking at what Nephi tells you he found
exactly where he landed—not some distance away, not where he later founded the
City of Nephi (and Land of Nephi), but where he landed. And that info is
clearly set forth at the end of Chapter 18:23-25):
1. A
climate (which would include temperature, soil, precipitation, etc.), where
"seeds from Jerusalem" would grow exceedingly and provide an abundant
crop” (1 Nephi 18:24). Now Jerusalem is a Mediterranean Climate as any climate
index, chart or map will show you. So where, along that path that the winds and
currents would have taken his ship "driven forth before the wind"
would you find a Mediterranean climate where his seeds would grow (in 600 B.C.
seeds did not grow just anywhere--even today, seeds have a growth area, climate
requirement, etc.);
2. A
forest (which included all types of animals(1 Nephi 18:25); however, the
animals are movable and are only secondary to this). A forest within walking
distance of the landing site where they landed and pitched their tents.
3. A
location where gold, silver and copper (1 Nephi 18:25) are so plentiful that
Nephi remarked about finding it where he landed (within walking distance, such
as a distance you would walk in a hunting or exploring journey around your base
of operations—the tents you pitched and where you have your base camp). We are
not talking about this ore being deep in the ground, or not visible
sufficiently that it would not immediately be seen as you walked around. In
addition, these ores are mentioned in a single occurrence, so the gold, silver
and copper needs to be in single ore (one rock formation—not found just
anywhere, but not that rare, either)
4. A
location where both domesticated type animals (though running wild at the time)
as well as wild beasts (carnivores), would have been found (1 Nephi 18:25). What
is found today is immaterial, since animal habitats can change with seasons and
over centuries.
So now
you have these three types of things to look for in the area where Nephi’s ship
would have sailed.
1) A
location where winds and currents would have taken a sailing ship "driven
forth before the wind" which means fixed sails—not tacking and maneuvering
all over the place—much like everyone sailed before the later Age of Sail before
mariners learned to use more than winds and currents to reach destinations;
2)
Climate (Mediterranean);
3) Permanent
location items (ore, forest, etc.)
As for me,
after more than 30 years of doing this, reading thousands of books (long before
the internet), journals of travelers, ancient histories, etc., etc., etc., as
well as naval journals, wind and current studies, reading about the men who
discovered these winds and currents etc., etc., etc., and studying plants,
seeds, climate, etc., etc., etc., only one place stood out, no matter how
closely I looked elsewhere—only one!
This was
a single location in all the Western Hemisphere that matches what Nephi describes. And once you have arrived at this point, the next step is to find
a place where Nephi would have moved to in order to escape his brother's, and
the sons of Ishmael's death threats, that was far enough away so no immediate
discovery would be likely, where a defensive city and civilization could be
built, and where all the things described in the scriptural record could be
found—including gold, silver, copper, other precious metals, including iron,
and wood for serious construction efforts (like Solomon's Temple comparison),
where buildings of every kind were built north of there (Jaredites), where at least two cities, and likely several more, had been built by Nephi and his descendants over the next 350
years before Mosiah left that area, etc.
Then you
look within that area for:
1. Signs
of an ancient civilization that more or less begins with the type of
construction and technology of 600 B.C. Jerusalem that Nephi, Sam and Zoram would have
known;
2. For
stone construction where masons cut and dressed stones somewhat like Israel’s
building of Jerusalem;
3. For
ancient signs of advanced metallurgy, with masons capable of making both
decorative and construction type metal products, including weapons;
4. For
ancient signs of advanced textiles, such as fine-twined linen, silk, etc.
5. For
roads and highways that went from place to place and connected the ancient
kingdom where the Nephites are thought to have occupied;
6. For
similarities in Egyptian (Lehi) and Mesopotamia (Jaredite and Lehi) cultures;
After
this, you can start looking for perishable but solid evidence of items that at
least existed in the Nephite era (including Jaredites), such as:
1. Two
interesting animals that would have been unknown in the U.S. in 1830s, but more
valuable to man than horses and asses, and on a par with elephants, that
are indigenous to the area;
2. Two
valuable grains that would not have been known to Joseph Smith, a farmer, in
1830 U.S., but nutritious on a par with wheat and barley;
3. You
look for an herb or plant that is a cure for killing fevers, like malaria, and
keep people from dying from it (Alma 46:40);
(See
the next post and final post in this series, “Looking Through a Keyhole – Part III,” to follow the final steps in
location the Land of Promise)
In a recent Saturday session of General Conference,
Dallin H. Oaks spoke on having a “Keyhole View” of the gospel. His point of
looking through a keyhole seems quite appropriate to the events surrounding
many theorists’ views of the geography of the Book of Mormon and their
placement of the location of the Land of Promise.
In the more than fifty years I have been involved
with the Book of Mormon and the more than thirty years I have been researching
the geographical setting of the Jaredite and Nephite nations, and reading all
that has been written about this by various individuals and groups, I have
found that nearly every person with an opinion on this subject falls prey to
Elder Oaks’ example of looking through a keyhole.
When looking
through a keyhole, all that can be seen is that very limited view that the
keyhole opening allows
The problem arises in thinking the keyhole view is
everything on the subject. However, the keyhole view may show what appears to
be a very tranquil scene.
The
size and shape of the keyhole determines your field of view beyond it
Again the problem arises when one thinks that what
one is seeing is the entire picture, and is unaware that the actual view can be
much larger, and provide a total different image than what the limited view
through the keyhole provides.
But what if there is more beyond what can be seen
that is important to the scene being viewed.
As an example, through the keyhole
(the singular view) a person can become quite convinced one thing is the case;
however, when seeing beyond that (more than the keyhole allows), the view might
be very different and change the entire meaning of the first (limited) view.
In
reality, the view through the keyhole may show a very inaccurate view of what
may be the Big Picture, as these two shots suggest
This can be seen in
such views as certain approaches show. Take, as an example, those in the early
days of the Book of Mormon who heard about the ruins in Central America and
immediately decided those were ruins of the Nephites and centered their
attention in that area, believing that was the site of the Land of Promise.
Or take those who
decided that the hill Cumorah in upstate western New York was the same as the
hill Cumorah mentioned in the scriptural record, and centered their belief and
drew up their model that the Great Lakes area was the site of the Nephite
nation.
In both of these
instances, the “keyhole view” centered on what could be seen in 1) Mesoamerica,
and nothing beyond that area; or 2) on the Hill Cumorah in New York and its
surrounding area, with anything beyond that view being ignored.
In these cases, the
architect of the theory builds an entire model of the Land of Promise based on
a single idea, looking then for anything that would match that idea and,
unfortunately, ignoring anything that did not fit into that pre-conceived idea
or model.
As a result, such
people (the theorist) finds themselves having to squeeze something into the
model that does not fit, usually by fudging with the scriptural record so it
looks like it fits. A good example of this is John L. Sorenson’s model of
Mesoamerica as the Land of Promise. In order to make Mesoamerica fit, Sorenson
had to change the meaning of “north,” “east,” “south,” and “west,” in the
scriptural record to what he called “Nephite
North.”
Blue
Arrow: Land Northward; Green Arrow: Land Southward; Red Arrow East Sea; Yellow
Arrow: West Sea; White Line: Narrow Neck of Land
This change of directions
allowed him to take Mormon's very clear compass directions stated in the scriptural
record and alter them to a different meaning that was clearly stated in the scriptural record.
Thus, “north” became “west,” and “south” became “east,” resulting in the
north-lying Gulf of Mexico becoming the “Sea East,” and the south-lying Pacific
Ocean becoming the “Sea West,” and the narrow neck of land being to the west of
the Land of Bountiful, and the Land of Desolation being to the west of the
narrow neck of land, instead of to the north as Mormon so clearly states it. To support this, he creates his "Nephite North" with a very distinct "clouding the issue" explanation of how the ancient Israelites knew "east" and their cardinal directions.
Joseph Allen’s map of the Land of Promise: Brown
Arrow: Land Northward; Green Arrow: Hill Cumorah; Blue Arrow: Land of Many
Waters; Red Arrow: Bountiful
Or, other theorists
like Joseph L. Allen, who positions Bountiful far north in the Yucatan
Peninsula, which is about 600 miles away from the Land Northward, the hill
Cumorah and his narrow neck of land, as well as placing the Land of Many Waters
about 300 miles to the east of the hill Cumorah, though Mormon places this hill
within the many waters area, and Bountiful along the border of the Land
Northward and Land of Desolation. In addition, others create two Bountifuls in
order to squeeze the scriptural record statements into their models.
Like
Phyllis Carol Olive and her “keyhole view” of the hill Cumorah in New York
(see the previous 10-part Series: “What is in a Description”); or Rod Meldrum’s
“keyhole view” that places the Land of Promise in the heartland of the United
States.
Meldrum’s heartland model showing the (Red
Arrow) Land of Zarahemla to the west of the (White Arrow) Land of Bountiful,
and the (Yellow Arrow) Land of Nephi south of Bountiful, not Zarahemla, all
completely out of the alignment in which Mormon describes the land he lived
upon, walked upon, and fought across all his life
There are several
other “keyhole view” approaches that have been written about and persevere
despite their not matching the scriptural record in most of the matching descriptions
Mormon left us or Nephi wrote about. As an example:
1. Trying to identify
the Narrow Neck of Land since it was the most notable feature of the Land of
Promise, therefore, looking for a place with a narrow isthmus or neck;
2. Belief in Moroni’s
comment about “this continent,” limiting the Land of Promise to North America;
3. Parochial view of
the United States, eliminating other areas, such as Canada, Latin America, etc.
4. Belief in U.S. Mound
Builders mounds being built by the Nephites;
5. Belief that the Land
of Promise of the Western Hemisphere was limited to the land promised in the
Book of Mormon;
6. Trying to match
Book of Mormon geography to existing geography;
7. Belief that any one
scripture (such as Helaman 3:8) is the only determining factor;
8. Looking for identifiable sites of cities and events, such as locating the Waters of Mormon;
9. Looking for a
people in the Western Hemisphere with a written history;
10. Looking for a
location of the final Lamanite-Nephite battle area, with buried bones, weapons,
etc.;
11. Looking for a
Peninsular area, such as Malay or Baja California, since the lands of Nephi and
Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water;
12. Articles in the
Times & Seasons suggesting where Lehi landed, written by Joseph Smith or
other early-day leaders;
13. Prophetic
comments about America being the Land of Promise, and centering within the
United States.
The point is, and
always will be, when one starts looking for one specific issue, it may be found
or at least identified with one specific area. But where do you go from there?
Do you just say, well this must be the Land of Promise. Or do you look further
and if something fits, add to your claim, but if it does not fit—like the
north-south arrangement of Mormon’s Land of Promise and east-west Mesoamerica?
You are left with two choices: 1) Discard your first belief, or 2) Change,
fudge, reinterpret, etc., the scriptural record so it does fit.
(See
the next post, “Looking Through a
Keyhole – Part II,” to see what others have done and what one should do)
