Here are some more comments that
we’ve received on this website blog.
Comment #1: “The view of Bountiful as part of the land
of Zarahemla seems prevalent in the earlier portion of the Book of Mormon.
However, Mormon, writing much later, seems to view Bountiful as a separate
land, apart from Zarahemla (for example see Alma 22:29-31, Hel. 4:5-8;
5:14-16). This separate view of the two lands makes more sense in evaluating
this account of the Nephite/Gadianton war” Martina.
Response: In the
early years of the Land of Promise, there was no Land of Bountiful. Later,
sometime after 200 B.C., the Nephites began moving northward and filling up the
land, and the name Bountiful begins to appear in the record. As for the
Nephite/Gadianton war, there appears to be a land situated between the Land of
Bountiful and the Land of Zarahemla (3 Nephi 3:23). It would appear that this
land is never given a name.
Comment #2: “Archaeologically, there are a number of
clustered sites in the Costa Rica area dating to the Bichrome cultural period.
This period is dated to 300 BC to 300 AD, which ties in with this event in Book
of Mormon history. One site in particular, Las Pilas, has been a source of
artifacts for many years, and has yielded many fine specimens which tie in with
the culture of the Atlantic watershed of Costa Rica” Craig.
Response: The so-called Zoned Bichrome (2-colored)
period in Costa Rica is dated from 200 B.C. to 500 A.D., though Paul Francis
Healy in his Archaeology of the Rivas
Region Nicaragua dates the end of the Bichrome Period at 300 A.D., when the
Polychrome Period began). In addition, looking at the Guanacaste-Nicoya culture
of Costa Rica and Nicaragua (Timeline of the Greater Nicoya Region of
Pre-Columbian Costa Rica and Nicaragua) and follow the standard six periodization
valid for all Central America, starting from Period I, 12000 B.C. and moves
forward to the end of Period VI, 1520 A.D. and the Spanish conquest. The dates
mentioned would fall in Period III, 1000 B.C. to 500 A.D., which includes the
Formative and part of the Early Polychrome (many colors) periods, and covers
the Intermediate Timeline. It cannot be said that any of this covers the Book
of Mormon Land of Promise time (600 B.C. to 421 A.D.), but is simply a small
portion of a much larger time frame—yet, the scriptural record is clear that no
other people were in the Land of Promise during that time. It is not good
scholarship to invent something that has no support in the record. It might
also be of interest that archaeologists claim metallurgy was not
introduced until the 3rd
century A.D., and it came from Colombia (South America).
Comment #3: “I
was reading John L. Sorenson’s book “An American Setting for the Book of
Mormon,” and he says that Hagoth was on his ship that went north and was
shipwrecked along the Mexican west coast in his Land Northward, and was never
heard from again” Tyler
Response: Sometimes
one has to laugh at the lack of understanding, or just plain ignorance, of
Mesoamerican Theorists who write about matters in the Book of Mormon with such
flagrant disregard for actual scriptural statements. When he wrote: “Hagoth,
the Nephite ship builder, who failed to return home...the Book of Mormon of
course, says only that the man and his mates disappeared from the knowledge of
the people in Zarahemla. For all they knew he might have died at a ripe old age
on the west Mexican coast without a suitable vessel in which to make the return
voyage.” All of this is in Sorenson’s imagination. There is
no comment in the scriptural record that Hagoth went anywhere in his ships, nor
that he “disappeared from the knowledge of the people in Zarahemla.” In fact,
he evidently continued to build ships (Alma 63:7), and that he was a ship
builder and had a shipyard along the west coast of the Land Southward very
close to the narrow neck of land where his ships were launched (Alma 63:5). The
record tells us that Hagoth built very large ships and other people emigrated
northward in them (Alma 63:4-6). And while his first ship sailed northward, he was
busy making other ships (Alma 63: 7) and when the first ship returned, it took
another load of emigrants northward. The problem seems to lie in the fact that
people interpret the comment that Hagoth was a "curious man" as
meaning he was an explorer, but the word curious is used here, as in the case
of the Liahona being of curious workmanship (1 Nephi 16:10), to indicate his
building ability for he was a shipwright.
There is no indication whatever that he was an explorer, discoverer, or
adventurer. Nor is there any mention
that he disappeared from the knowledge of anyone else in the land of promise.
It would seem that a person has to be a pretty lazy reader to
misunderstand this simple fact, let alone someone who has written several books
to tell us what Book of Mormon scripture means. As a side note, it is amazing
that anyone would think that a shipwright who has built several ships, would be
shipwrecked in a land of forests and jungle and not be able to build some kind
of vessel to take him back home.
Comment #4: “There are several comments on the internet about Mesoamerican history
that from about 350 A.D. that there was a continued and dramatic growth over
the following 400 years, meaning from 350 to 750 A.D. How does this fit into
the Book of Mormon?” Emrick.
Response: One can only say that
this is another good reason why Mesoamerican is not the Land of Promise.
Beginning around 322 A.D., there was a war of annihilation going on in the Land
of Promise (Mormon 1:11-12). By 345 A.D., Mormon was gathering in his people as
fast as possible (Mormon 2:7) as wars followed (Mormon 2:9). Soon the Nephites
were running for their lives and being wiped off the face of the earth (Mormon
2:20). The Nephites lost all their lands in the Land Southward (Mormon
2:27-29). Obviously, no Nephite would have been involved in any kind of trade
since he would have been running to escape the invading armies of the
Lamanites, and by 379 A.D., those who were not gathered in with the swiftly
retreating Nephite armies, were destroyed by the Lamanites (Mormon 5:5) and by
384 A.D., the Nephites and Lamanites were aligning themselves in the Land of
Cumorah for their final battle (Mormon 6:5-6). Here the Nephites were wiped out
to the man, with only Moroni left standing (Mormon 8:1-2).
It might be noted that at this
point, Joseph Allen, in his book Exploring the lands of the Book of Mormon, pag
29, states: “Because the archaeological record shows a high amount of trade
activity between Mexico City (Teotihuacan) and Guatemala City (Kaminaljuyu),
and including points in between (Oaxaca/Monte Alban), the wicked 350 AD Nephite
culture was simply in the way of trade and commerce. The annihilation of the Nephites at 385 AD
does not seem to show a major impact on the rest of Mesoamerica. From 350 AD to 900 AD, a vast amount of
building and commerce activity occurred in Mesoamerica.” However, during this
time Moroni tells us that a civil war had been going on in the entire land of
promise, from the annihilation of the Nephites (385 A.D.) to 421 A.D., “the
Lamanites are at war one with another, and the whole face of this land is one
continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war”
(Mormon 8:8). 20 years later, Moroni adds: “their wars are exceedingly fierce
among themselves” (Moroini 1:2).
One can only ask, who was doing
all this building in the land of Promise during this 100 year time of war?
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