If South America is suggested as the
Land of Promise, most people scoff at the idea, claiming the continent is too
large an area for the distances suggested in the Book of Mormon. If you tell
them South America was once mostly under water, they scoff at such an outrageous
idea. If you claim the Andes Mountains rose at the time of the crucifixion, the
scoff at the idea, claiming mountains take millions of years to rise. Aif you
show them all of these convincing statements with support and factual proof,
they claim God changed all of that so Lehi could sail to the Land of Promise.
The response of theorists is to make claims of their own that do not match scripture, and are often quite the opposite of Mormon’s descriptions. Or they are not realistic in light of greater knowledge that is being learned, such as the direction of flow of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers that would have kept Lehi’s ship, which was “driven forth before the wind,” from sailing upriver in either case.
However, seemingly unknown to these theorists is the fact that while God could certainly intervene in any number of ways, like picking up Lehi’s ship and transporting it to the Land of Promise; or change the flow of ocean and wind currents; or alter the natural forces of oceans and rivers.
In addition, theorists seem to place little value on Nephi’s description of what they found on the land where they set in on the Land of Promise. In fact, Nephi gave us several clues about his landing site, in such descriptions as:
1. Place to land the ship and come
ashore (1 Nephi 18:23), which would suggest a bay, inlet, or river delta;
2. Place where the ground could be prepared for planting (1 Nephi 18:24); that is, ground fertile enough that it could be turned with hand tools;
3. climate where seeds from Jerusalem would grow exceeding and produce an abundant crop (1 Nephi 18:24); this means a conducive climate matching that of Jerusalem, which is a Mediterranean climate;
4. Animals of every kind, including domesticated (feral) and wild beasts (1 Nephi 18:25);
5. There were forests (1 Nephi 18:25); these would have had to have been large enough to have both domesticated and wild animals living in proximity.
6. There was all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper (1 Nephi 18:25).
In looking at these six all-important points Nephi gave us, let’s compare them to the location of different theories
1. Landing. In order to land a deep-water sailing ship, they would need calm water, protected winds, gradual sloping sea bed, and sandy beaches or level ground inland.
• Heartland theory: Landing claimed to be up the Mississippi River near Nauvoo, Illinois. No sailing ship could have reached this point because the river was too shallow for anything larger than a canoe (it took the Corps of Engineers to dredge the river in the 1800s to allow keelboats to sail downriver, then later for movement of larger ships, but still only shallow, flat-bottomed paddle wheels until the early 1900s).
• Great Lakes theory: Landing claimed to be up the St. Lawrence river to the Niagara River and into Lake Ontario, then up to Lake Erie. This would have been impossible since there were severe rapids at Montreal 162 miles short of Lake Ontario. Even canoes were portaged seven miles around the rapids. However, once near Lake Ontario, the river bed was hundreds of feet below the lake, and no ship could have been lifted up to the lake until seven locks were built in 1959.
• Mesoamerica theory: Claimed landing site is around 14º North Latitude, which places it along a gradual coastal sweep of the ocean with no protection from waves, currents or winds.
• Baja California theory: Claimed landing site is along the west ocean shore around 23º north latitude. This is a coast open to the ocean with no bays, rivers or deltas to block off the waves, currents or winds.
• Florida theory:
There are three different landing sites claimed: 1) Crystal River; 2)
Tallahassee; 3) Pensacola. Crystal River is the only one on a west sea coast,
the other two are on a south sea coast. All three sites have bays or inlets. However
to get to these places along the western Florida coast, Lehi’sl ship would have
had to sail against a southward flowing current.
• Andean South America: Coquimbo Bay located about 30º South Latitude on the Chilean coast is both a large sweeping bay that is named “Peaceful Waters,” and is along the West seacoast, ocean currents and winds leading directly to the location.
2. Soils and Soil Groups.
Hydrologic Soil Groups. Soils are classified by the Natural Resource Conservation Service into four Hydrologic Soil Groups based on the soil's runoff potential. The four Hydrologic Soil Groups are A, B, C and D, described as: Group A is sand, loamy sand or sandy loam types of soils. Group B is silt loam or loam. Group C soils are sandy clay loam. Group D soils are clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay or clay. In addition, Group A has the smallest runoff potential and D the greatest.
Soil Types. There are three basic types of soil: sand, silt and clay. But, most soils are composed of a combination of the different types and are broken down into: (1) Alluvial soils, (2) Black soils, (3) Red soils, (4) Laterite and Lateritic soils, (5) Forest and Mountain soils, (6) Arid and Desert soils, (7) Saline and Alkaline soils and (8) Peaty and Marshy soils.
Overall, however, these basic soil mixtures determines the texture of the soil, or how the soil looks and feels. Thus, soil can be categorized into six types: clay, 2) sandy, 3) silty, 4) peaty, 5) chalky and 6) loamy, based on the dominating size of the particles within a soil.
• Clay soils are heavy, high in nutrients, wet and cold in winter and baked dry in summer.
• Sandy soils are light, dry, warm, low in nutrients and often acidic.
• Silt soils are fertile, light but moisture-retentive, and easily compacted.
• Peaty soils consist primarily of peat (histosols), and forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the
• Chalky soils are made up of calcium carbonate and very alkaline.
• Loams are mixtures of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes of each type
Now in 600 BC, long before modern technology of growing plants and crops, before pesticides and plant management techniques, in order for seeds from one location to grow in another, it was critically important to have the same climate (temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds), but also the soil and soil group. In pedology (the study of soils in their natural environment), there are six soil groups and eight soil types. The Mediterranean climate soils are Terra Rossa.
Thus, “all manner of seeds of every
kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every
kind,” required the planting in a like climate as well as the same soil type
and soil group as that of Jerusalem in the Mediterranean, which is a C(sic)
soil group and a Terra Rossa soil type.
• Heartland theory: D(jwj) soil group; Drummer Silty Clay loam, soil type;
• Great Lakes theory: C soil group; Honeoye soil type;
• Mesoamerica theory: Red-Yellow soil group and Brown soil group; Silt and Loess soil Type;
• Baja California theory: A soil group. Baja Peninsula has basically Laptosols, Regolsols, and Calcisols soil groups.
Laptosols soil is a very shallow soil that is weakly formed, containing Arenosols (sand soils, found in shifting sand dunes),
Regosols are common in arid, semiarid (including dry tropics) and mountainous regions. Regosols have a poor agricultural potential which is the reason for crop yield being highly variable.
Calcisols ("limestone") are known as Xerosols and Yermosols (Desert Soils) in other classifications. These soils are characteristic of arid and semiarid zones where moisture deficiency prevents leaching of soluble and chemicals.
• Florida theory: Sand soil type-Myakka soil type only found in Florida throughout the state.
• Andean South America: The Chilean strip, where Lehi landed and like Jerusalem, has a brown soil group. This type soil group is found elsewhere only in the Mediterranean area, the southern tips of South Africa and Australia, and in central California, the latter having soil in the Laterites group, the same as north, eastern and central South America, the Caribbean Islands, central and southern Africa, Madagascar, the west coast of India, Indochina, and Indonesia.
La Serena, Chile, like the red
Mediterranean soil, known as terra rossa (red soil) is a soil
classification (Luvisols under the FAO soil classification), and still referred
to as terra rossa. This soil type (luvisols, ustalfs, rhodustalfs) is
found in regions where the Mediterranean climate is predominant.
Obviously, as can be seen, Mesoamerica, Baja California, Eastern United States, and Malay do not have Mediterranean Climates for Lehi's seeds to have grown, let alone exceedingly—which should discount any of those areas, and most of the world to be Lehi's Land of Promise. On the other hand, the only Mediterranean Climate that qualifies in the Western Hemisphere is that in coastal Chile. Thus, to find where Lehi landed we only need to follow what Nephi said about their landing site and the Jerusalem seeds they planted and which grew exceedingly and produced an abundant crop.
(See the next post , "How Do We Know Where Lehi Landed?" for the continuation oot this discussion and the continued list of the points involved)
The response of theorists is to make claims of their own that do not match scripture, and are often quite the opposite of Mormon’s descriptions. Or they are not realistic in light of greater knowledge that is being learned, such as the direction of flow of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers that would have kept Lehi’s ship, which was “driven forth before the wind,” from sailing upriver in either case.
However, seemingly unknown to these theorists is the fact that while God could certainly intervene in any number of ways, like picking up Lehi’s ship and transporting it to the Land of Promise; or change the flow of ocean and wind currents; or alter the natural forces of oceans and rivers.
In addition, theorists seem to place little value on Nephi’s description of what they found on the land where they set in on the Land of Promise. In fact, Nephi gave us several clues about his landing site, in such descriptions as:
The seeds Lehi brought from Jerusalem grew exceedingly and produced and
abundant crop
2. Place where the ground could be prepared for planting (1 Nephi 18:24); that is, ground fertile enough that it could be turned with hand tools;
3. climate where seeds from Jerusalem would grow exceeding and produce an abundant crop (1 Nephi 18:24); this means a conducive climate matching that of Jerusalem, which is a Mediterranean climate;
4. Animals of every kind, including domesticated (feral) and wild beasts (1 Nephi 18:25);
5. There were forests (1 Nephi 18:25); these would have had to have been large enough to have both domesticated and wild animals living in proximity.
6. There was all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper (1 Nephi 18:25).
In looking at these six all-important points Nephi gave us, let’s compare them to the location of different theories
1. Landing. In order to land a deep-water sailing ship, they would need calm water, protected winds, gradual sloping sea bed, and sandy beaches or level ground inland.
• Heartland theory: Landing claimed to be up the Mississippi River near Nauvoo, Illinois. No sailing ship could have reached this point because the river was too shallow for anything larger than a canoe (it took the Corps of Engineers to dredge the river in the 1800s to allow keelboats to sail downriver, then later for movement of larger ships, but still only shallow, flat-bottomed paddle wheels until the early 1900s).
• Great Lakes theory: Landing claimed to be up the St. Lawrence river to the Niagara River and into Lake Ontario, then up to Lake Erie. This would have been impossible since there were severe rapids at Montreal 162 miles short of Lake Ontario. Even canoes were portaged seven miles around the rapids. However, once near Lake Ontario, the river bed was hundreds of feet below the lake, and no ship could have been lifted up to the lake until seven locks were built in 1959.
• Mesoamerica theory: Claimed landing site is around 14º North Latitude, which places it along a gradual coastal sweep of the ocean with no protection from waves, currents or winds.
• Baja California theory: Claimed landing site is along the west ocean shore around 23º north latitude. This is a coast open to the ocean with no bays, rivers or deltas to block off the waves, currents or winds.
Location of theorists’ landing sites in North America,, and the ocean
currents
• Andean South America: Coquimbo Bay located about 30º South Latitude on the Chilean coast is both a large sweeping bay that is named “Peaceful Waters,” and is along the West seacoast, ocean currents and winds leading directly to the location.
2. Soils and Soil Groups.
Hydrologic Soil Groups. Soils are classified by the Natural Resource Conservation Service into four Hydrologic Soil Groups based on the soil's runoff potential. The four Hydrologic Soil Groups are A, B, C and D, described as: Group A is sand, loamy sand or sandy loam types of soils. Group B is silt loam or loam. Group C soils are sandy clay loam. Group D soils are clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay or clay. In addition, Group A has the smallest runoff potential and D the greatest.
Soil Types. There are three basic types of soil: sand, silt and clay. But, most soils are composed of a combination of the different types and are broken down into: (1) Alluvial soils, (2) Black soils, (3) Red soils, (4) Laterite and Lateritic soils, (5) Forest and Mountain soils, (6) Arid and Desert soils, (7) Saline and Alkaline soils and (8) Peaty and Marshy soils.
Overall, however, these basic soil mixtures determines the texture of the soil, or how the soil looks and feels. Thus, soil can be categorized into six types: clay, 2) sandy, 3) silty, 4) peaty, 5) chalky and 6) loamy, based on the dominating size of the particles within a soil.
• Clay soils are heavy, high in nutrients, wet and cold in winter and baked dry in summer.
• Sandy soils are light, dry, warm, low in nutrients and often acidic.
• Silt soils are fertile, light but moisture-retentive, and easily compacted.
• Peaty soils consist primarily of peat (histosols), and forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the
• Chalky soils are made up of calcium carbonate and very alkaline.
• Loams are mixtures of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes of each type
Now in 600 BC, long before modern technology of growing plants and crops, before pesticides and plant management techniques, in order for seeds from one location to grow in another, it was critically important to have the same climate (temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds), but also the soil and soil group. In pedology (the study of soils in their natural environment), there are six soil groups and eight soil types. The Mediterranean climate soils are Terra Rossa.
Seeds of every kind brought from Jerusalem
• Heartland theory: D(jwj) soil group; Drummer Silty Clay loam, soil type;
• Great Lakes theory: C soil group; Honeoye soil type;
• Mesoamerica theory: Red-Yellow soil group and Brown soil group; Silt and Loess soil Type;
• Baja California theory: A soil group. Baja Peninsula has basically Laptosols, Regolsols, and Calcisols soil groups.
Laptosols soil is a very shallow soil that is weakly formed, containing Arenosols (sand soils, found in shifting sand dunes),
Regosols are common in arid, semiarid (including dry tropics) and mountainous regions. Regosols have a poor agricultural potential which is the reason for crop yield being highly variable.
Calcisols ("limestone") are known as Xerosols and Yermosols (Desert Soils) in other classifications. These soils are characteristic of arid and semiarid zones where moisture deficiency prevents leaching of soluble and chemicals.
• Florida theory: Sand soil type-Myakka soil type only found in Florida throughout the state.
• Andean South America: The Chilean strip, where Lehi landed and like Jerusalem, has a brown soil group. This type soil group is found elsewhere only in the Mediterranean area, the southern tips of South Africa and Australia, and in central California, the latter having soil in the Laterites group, the same as north, eastern and central South America, the Caribbean Islands, central and southern Africa, Madagascar, the west coast of India, Indochina, and Indonesia.
Only Andean South America matches a Mediterranean Climate and the other
requirement for seeds from Jerusalem to grow exceedingly elsewhere
Obviously, as can be seen, Mesoamerica, Baja California, Eastern United States, and Malay do not have Mediterranean Climates for Lehi's seeds to have grown, let alone exceedingly—which should discount any of those areas, and most of the world to be Lehi's Land of Promise. On the other hand, the only Mediterranean Climate that qualifies in the Western Hemisphere is that in coastal Chile. Thus, to find where Lehi landed we only need to follow what Nephi said about their landing site and the Jerusalem seeds they planted and which grew exceedingly and produced an abundant crop.
(See the next post , "How Do We Know Where Lehi Landed?" for the continuation oot this discussion and the continued list of the points involved)
No comments:
Post a Comment