Continuing with the 12 Landforms of the Land of Promise and how Mesoamerican, Heartland and Great Lakes theories measure up to how Mormon and other prophets of the scriptural record have described them. The first seven points were covered in the previous posts. Here we continue with #8:
8. “A sea to the West and a sea to the East of the Land of Promise (Alma 22:27; Alma 50:34)”:
There is no question that the Land of Promise had two main seas—the Sea West and the Sea East. As an example, in describing the Land of Nephi: “which was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west” (Alma 22:27, emphasis added). In addition,” they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land [of] Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east” (Alma 50:34, emphasis added).
The Land of Promise was filling up with people from the sea north to the sea south, and from the sea east to the sea west
• Mesoamerica: In describing that the entire Land of Promise was filling up with people, Helaman describes four seas, as in “from the sea north to the sea south,” suggesting that the Nephites were completely in an area between the northern sea and the southern sea; and he added “from the sea west to the sea to east,” suggesting the Nephites were between these two seas—this means that the Land of Promise had four seas, one described in each cardinal direction, which again suggests that the Land of Promise was surrounded by seas.
Which is what Nephi’s brother Jacob claimed when he preached to the Nephites in the temple in the city of Nephi: “now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea“ (3 Nephi 10:20, emphasis added).
Unfortunately, for Mesoamerican theorists, their model has only two seas—one to the north (Gulf of Mexico) and one to the south (Pacific Ocean); however, they have them labeled as the Sea East (in the north) and the Sea West (in the south). In order to add another sea, the split the Pacific Ocean and call the sea to the south of western Mexico “the Sea West North” and the sea to the south of Guatemala “the Sea West South.”
Anyway they try to arrange their seas, they simply do not match Mormon’s descriptions of the four seas.
The four seas of the Heartland model are all bunched together in the north
• Heartland: These seas were at the extreme edges of the Land of Promise which, in his abridgement, Mormon makes clear: “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).
However, Heartland theorists have all four seas (the Great Lakes) far to the north of the Land Southward and mostly to the west of the Land Northward
The four seas of the Great Lakes model are closer to the borders, but still lands of the Land of Promise are beyond the borders of these seas, especially in the south and east
• Great Lakes: The same can be said about the Great Lakes theorists—their Land of Zarahemla and their Land of Nephi are both to the south and to the east of their Sea South; and at least one of their maps shows the Land Northward to the east of their Sea North.
9. “Large bodies of water, called the Land of Many Waters, is far to the north (Alma 50:29; Helaman 3:3-4)”:
Mormon describes this land with many waters as: “in the forty and sixth year, yea, there was much contention and many dissensions; in the which there were an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land. And they did travel to an exceedingly great distance, insomuch that they came to large bodies of water and many rivers” (Helaman 3:3-4, emphasis added).
This places the “many waters” land far from the Land of Zarahemla—which would have had to be to the north, since the Lamanites were to the south and Nephites not wanting to be around contention and dissension would not have gone toward the south. Mormon, himself, verifies this northerly direction: “Therefore, Morianton put it into their hearts that they should flee to the land which was northward, which was covered with large bodies of water, and take possession of the land which was northward” (Alma 50:29, emphasis added).
Mormon also tells us exactly where this “land of many waters” was located: “we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites (Mormon 6:4).
Like the land of Temple Square, or the land of Sugar House or Glendale, they are in the Land of Salt Lake City proper—the Land of Cumorah was in the Land of Many Waters
Like the lands of Murray, Taylorsville, West and South Jorden, West Valley, Sandy, Draper, Riverton, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights are all within the great Land of Salt Lake, the hill Cumorah was in the Land of Cumorah, which was within the Land of Many Waters, which is a land filled with lakes, rivers, and fountains that well up from the aquifer beneath the surface.
• Mesoamerica: These theorists claim the hill Cumorah is in Veracruz, Mexico, along the Gulf of Mexico, very near their Narrow Neck of Land, not “far northward” as Mormon describes. In addition, John L. Sorenson, in his map, shows the Land of Many Waters (which he calls “Distant Land of Waters”)—more than two hundred and fifty miles apart.
• Heartland: These theorists claim their Hill Cumorah is in western New York where Joseph Smith obtained the Nephite sacred record engraved on gold sheaths or plates. They consider the Finger Lakes to be the Land of Many Waters, a distance between 38 and 60 miles from their Hill Cumorah which is not within their Land of Many Waters, though Mormon claims they were.
• Great Lakes: The same can be said about these theorists, who also claim the Finger Lakes to be their Land of Many Waters
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