Continued
from the previous post regarding the areas of the map and book by Rian Nelson
and Jonathan Neville showing how their map locations do not match the
scriptural descriptions.
5. Their map (Yellow Circle on previous map) shows
that Mulek reached the Mississippi River Delta, then his route (Yellow Arrow) proceeded
up the Mississippi River to the Land of Zarahemla. Yet, Moroni tells us that
the Jaredite barges were blown by the wind and carried on the waves toward the
Land of Promise.
“The Lord God caused that there
should be a furious wind blow upon
the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the
wind” (Ether 6:5, emphasis added).
Sometimes
the waves that carried them toward the Land of Promise were quite large:
“They were many times buried in the
depths of the sea, because of the
mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible
tempests which were caused by the fierceness
of the wind” (Ether 6:6, emphasis added).
It should be kept in mind that the
Mississippi River is a very shallow river that runs north to south, with the current
and winds blowing out to sea. It would not have been possible for the barges,
being carried along the currents by the fierce winds, could have gone upriver over 800 miles to reach
Zarahemla.
6. It was not the custom of the early Jews or any other early culture of
civilization to name seas by direction that were not on the outskirts or beyond
the culture’s lands in the direction of the name.
“They 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, emphasis added).
This was obviously the extremity of
the Land of Promise, stretching between the sea south and the sea north, and between
the sea west and the sea east—that is, the Nephites were in between these seas.
However, their map (Green Circle and Lt.Blue Circle) shows Zarahemla to the Southwest
of the West Sea.
7. In addition, we find that the Sea East was to the east of the Hill
Cumorah, which was the same hill as the Hill Ramah of the Jaredites.
“The army of Coriantumr did pitch
their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was
that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the
Lord, which were sacred” (Ether 15:11, emphasis added).
Their map (Dk.Purple Circle) shows
the East Sea to the north of the hill Cumorah, and both of which are to the
West of the North Sea and east of the Land of Zarahemla.
When Coriantumr was battling Shiz,
they reached the waters of Ripliancum (Ether 25:11), and from there they fled
southward (Ether 15:10). From there they fled for a full day, but no direction
is given (Ether 15:28-29). By this time they are nowhere near the hill Cumorah
when Coriantumr finally kills Shiz and becomes the last Jaredite standing other
than Ether
8. The Sea South would be at the southern extremity of the Land of
Promise, and not near Bountiful, since the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi would
be north of the South Sea.
However, on their map (Orange Circle),
their Sea South is far to the north of all the Nephite territory and lands.
9. Mormon
tells us that the four seas were on each of the exterior boundaries of the Land
of Promise.
“They 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, emphasis
added).
Their map does not show this, since
this explanation was conveying where the Nephites had expanded, their four seas
(Purple, Orange, Lt.Blue and Red, are all in the north, and the statement from
the north to the south sea (limited to a handful of miles), if true would
hardly be an appropriately descriptive statement by Mormon.
10. Mormon
tells us that the Lamanites and Nephites made a treaty in which the Lamanites
got all the Land Southward and the Nephites all the Land Northward (Mormon
2:28-29). He also tells is that the Lamanites broke the treaty and came into
the Land Northward to attack them (Mormon 3:4,7) in the Land of Desolation
where Mormon gathered his armies in the city of Desolation (Mormon 3:5)
“I did cause my people that they should gather
themselves together at the land Desolation, to a city which was in the borders,
by the narrow pass which led into the land southward. And there we did place
our armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not
get possession of any of our lands; therefore, we did fortify against them with
all our force” (Mormon 3:5-6).
From that point on, the battles waged across the
Land Northward as the Nephites fled from the city of Desolation to Teancum
(Mormon 4:6,13-14) and Boaz (Mormon 4:20):
“And from this time forth did the
Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them
even as a dew before the sun” (Mormon 4:18).
All these battles were in the Land
Northward, which is verified by Moroni who tells us that the hill Ramah in the
Jaradite lands was the same hill as Cumorah (Ether 15:11).
Thus, the hill Cumorah should be
beyond the narrow neck and narrow pass and in the Land Northward. Yet, their
map shows Cumorah at the southern end of their North Country, and makes no
reference to the Land Northward, and also places Cumorah south of their East
Sea.
11. Mormon
tells us the Land of Bountiful bordered the West Sea:
“The Nephites had inhabited the land
Bountiful, even from the east unto the
west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and
their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they
should have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the
land northward” (Alma 22:33).
Their map does not show this. Their (Green Circle)
Land Bountiful does not extend to their (Lt.Blue Circle) West Sea.
In addition to all of this, one theorist claims,
“Many members of the church are surprised to learn there is a controversy about
the location of the Hill Cumorah. Most think it is in New York, a few miles
south of Palmyra. It’s obvious. Joseph got the plate there. The Jaredites and
Nephites died there.”
In fact, many members think Moroni said he buried
the plates in the Hill Cumorah; however, he did not tell us that. In fact, we
do not know where he hid up the plates at all. We only know where they were
located almost 1600 years later so Joseph Smith could obtain them.
Mormon tells us that he buried all the plates in
the Hill Cumorah except those he gave to his son, Moroni (Mormon 6:6)—which
plates Joseph Smith found buried in the Hill Cumorah in western New York. Most
people merely assume Moroni buried them in the hill Cumorah before his death.
However, Moroni merely said he would hide up the records in the ground:
“Therefore I will write and hide up
the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not” (Mormon 8:4).
Moroni
never says where he would hide up the plates. That they were in the hill in
western New York near Joseph’s home about 1600 years later is no guarantee they
were placed there in Moroni’s time.
The
problem with this latter issue is the fact that people reading the geographical
information of the scriptural record, do not seem to take the time to
understand what is factually written, but tend to make a lot of assumptions.
The problem with the former issue, the map and its locations, is that people
get an opinion in their mind as to where something is located, and works
backward from there, continually mis-understanding the scriptural record and
its very plain and clear wordage.
Which
never works out because once a location is determined, a person is forever
trying to fit pieces together that do not match and are not consistent with the
scriptural record and its very clear descriptions, such as the map above.
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ReplyDeleteEvery person that has studied the Book of Mormon and prepared a map based only on what the text says, ALWAYS places the Hill Cumorah North of the narrow neck of land.
ReplyDeleteBut North American theorists basically are saying: "Let the scriptural text be damned. Letter VII and Oliver's flowery prose demands we accept that the Hill Curmorah was actually South of the narrow neck of land."
Another nail in the coffin. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThis is all very interesting. However, I am having difficulty in understanding the approximate distances from Land of First inheritance, to land of Nephi, to Zarahemla, to Bountiful and to the land Northward and Desolation.
ReplyDeleteOn the world map it seems like the distances between them are a thousand miles or more. Is that correct or am I mistaken?
Help!
Alan: The distance from the area of First Landing (or Land of First Inheritance) would have been quite a distance from where Nephi first settled, since he was running for his life from his brothers who wanted to kill him. The distance is not as great as the distance Lehi traveled from Jerusalem to Bountiful. However, from the city of Nephi to the city of Zarahemla is less, but still considerable since when the Lamanites came down to attack Zarahemla or other Nephite cities or lands, it took them long enough that the Nephites were aware of their coming long enough in advance to prepare for their attacks.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, when the battles were over, in most cases where the Lamanites had been defeated, they returned back to their land and homes, suggesting a distance and time and the reason they waited for the following year to attack again.
After all, it took Alma and his followers 21 days to make the journey from the Waters of Mormon (adjacent to the Land of Nephi) to the Land of Zarahemla (not the city). That distance can be estimated, but only assumed. The distances in all these cases is not given and we cannot be certain of them in the Book of Mormon.