The recent survey, mentioned earlier, showing 33% of 18-24 year olds believe that the earth is flat, suggests that even the most ridiculous ideas can gain a strong foothold in the public conscience. Consider that this generational age will soon be formulating scientific ideas, university curriculums, and leading our country, one can easily see the future difficulty in discovering the truth. We see that looking backward at what happened in the early 1900s as a result of Darwin’s theories that challenged creation teaching in schools prior to that time. The challenge really took hold following World War I when the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy took place. In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court that allowing the teaching of creation violated the Establishment Clause, and reinforced that with decisions in 1987 and again in 2005.
The problem often is that new ideas and theories seldom are challenged, but allowed to have free reign until they no longer represent minority thinking, but begin to dominate society. As for the current Flat-Earthers, who are evidently not ones to pay attention to facts, these they insist that there is a massive cover-up occurring for some unknown reason. What’s worse still: An inordinate number of Millennials are being suckered into an egregious web by these science-denying people.
From space, the obvious curvature of
the Earth is undeniable. Any astronaut, cosmonaut, or passenger aboard a Space
Shuttle or a Space Station can obviously see the difference and its stark
reality is not something reflected by the curve of a window, anymore than the
faceplate of a space suit would cause such a distortion to a space walker, of
which there has been many. Even
photos are taken of the Earth outside the vehicle during EVA
Nor does it seem to matter that commercial jets typically cruise at around 28-35,000 feet (up to 6.6 miles of altitude above the Earth). The Concorde when it was in service flew at a higher altitude of 45,000 feet to 60,000, and the SR-71 spy plane could fly at 85,000 feet, 16 miles up. What do these heights prove other than giving a perfect view of the curvature of the Earth? “Flat-Earthers” discard their view because they claim, they are looking through curved windshields which, they insist, gives a “curved” view of the Earth.
Top Left: The curved canopy of an F-16 fighter jet cockpit; Others are
commercial jetliners, all showing all or some of the windscreens flat,
providing no possible distortion
The point of all of this is merely to show that in the search for answers to questions regarding the Book of Mormon and the Land of Promise, truth is the ultimate determining factor—not someone’s view of the truth, or someone’s attempt to prove their viewpoint, belief or perspective, but the actual truth. In fact, so important is this that the Apostle John wrote, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Thus, we see that the light of truth dispels the darkness in which lies the stronghold of evil, discontent, and falsity. Corrupt thought is the bondage of the powers of the soul, and this bondage is willed because the soul does not see its fearful evil—does not always see the mistaken, untruth, distorted, inaccurate, incorrect, erroneous, flawed, imprecise, fallacious and misleading ideas in which it surrounds itself. Some people promote deceptive, deluded, and fictitious ideas for nefarious reasons, others simply because they are misguided, misinformed, or too lazy to think and determine truth for themselves but accept what they hear.
Rod Meldrum’s map of Lehi’s landing site on the Gulf coast of Florida (yellow added)
in an area today called Crystal Springs, about 90-miles north of Tampa. From
there Lehi traveled 400 miles to Mobile, Alabama area for their first
settlement in the Land of First Inheritance
It is interesting how people can make such adamant statements that are completely false and not even know it. Mormon, writing centuries after this landing, with all the records of the Nephites at his disposal and study, tells us something entirely different. He says, in describing the Land of Promise to his future reader: “Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore” (Alma22:28, emphasis added).
In this simple statement, Mormon tells us:
1. There were Lamanites along the west coast of the Land of Nephi;
2. There were Lamanites along the west coast of the Land of Zarahemla;
3. There were also Lamanites along the west coast of the Land of Nephi to the south where Lehi landed.
Stated differently, Mormon tells us that Nephite landed along the coast of the West Sea. And in the following verse, he states: “And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore…and thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites.” Now, unless the Lamanties were along the east coast and the west coast of the Land of Zarahemla, and within the Land of Nephi to the south, the Nephites could not have been “nearly surrounded.” But they were, so there can be no question that the area of First Landing was along the west seashore.
Thus, we find the Hebrew word “YRŠ,” which is a root word meaning “to inherit.” In addition, the Hebrew word nachalah נַחֲלָה, means “inheritance,” and is used 224 times in the Old Testament, with 207 times translated as inheritance, 16 times as “heritage.” It refers to “property, something inherited, an estate, portion or possession.” The word is taken from nachal נָחַל, meaning “inherit.” The purpose is in the inheritance of land, and as divided among family members.
(See the next post, “Knowing How to Learn the Truth – Part IV,” to better understand the Land of First Inheritance, and what the term means)
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