F. Richard Hauck, in his book “Deciphering the Geography of the Book of Mormon,” tries to alter the meaning of scriptural references made by several prophet writers. Hauck says on page 25:
“The Book of Mormon contains a variety of terms relating to directions and geographic locations that can be interpreted with various meanings.”
Various meanings? Scriptures use the terms north, south, east, and west numerous times to depict the following understandable directions and directional names:
Direction: north 24 times; south 22 times; east 30 times; and west 29 times. In each case, the use of the direction is specific and exact. In addition, the term "in the south" is mentioned once, and "in the north" is mentioned 3 times.
Seas: Sea North 1 time; Sea South 1 time; Sea West or West Sea 12 times; Sea East or East Sea 6 times. In addition, there is mentioned 3 times the term "east to the west sea, and once the west sea to the east.
Land: Land North is mentioned 4 times; Land South is mentioned 5 times.
Wilderness: East Wilderness is mentioned 7 times; South Wilderness is mentioned 3 times.
Winds: East Wind is mentioned twice.
Valleys: West Valley is mentioned once.
Country or Countries: North countries 5 times; South Countries 1 time.
Borders: South borders is mentioned once.
Scriptures use the terms northward, southward, eastward, and westward numerous times to depict the following:
Direction: Northward 9 times; Southward 4 times; Eastward 3 times. The term "on the northward" is mentioned twice.
Land: Land Northward 31 times; Land Southward 15 times; and the "land which was northward" is mentioned 4 times.
Country: The country which was southward is mentioned once.
Not in one single case does the term used seem ambiguous as written, nor does any directional use convey numerous meanings. Northward is, after all, northward. It was meant that way in the scriptures, for north and northward are used to describe the same movement as in Bountiful being north of Zarahemla (Alma 22:23, 29), and Bountiful was northward of Zarahemla (Alma 63:4).
The terms of direction are only confusing to those who try to use these cardinal compass points to justify an oblique land of promise, such as Mesoamerica, which is about 90º off of the cardinal compass points of north and south. It is also interesting that on the inside cover map in Hauck’s book, he shows the South Sea and the West Sea as being the same Sea, with the South Sea north of the West Sea. This is the type of disingenuous confusion Mesoamerican Theorists use to support their inaccurate models.
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