A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. The maya and the olmec have a written languagea requirement for book of mormon peoples, who kept records. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning tools. John lund talks about the book of mormon and mesoamerica at the learn our religion lecture series. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. Now, mormon s history record is no longer an unsolvable mystery. I had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund.
The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. Ive just finished a book called birth of orientalism that has completely changed my perception of mormonism. Plausible locations in mesoamerica for book of mormon places. In 1978, the company was known as middle america tours and it became the largest company to conduct tours to the lands of the book of mormon, an area today known as mesoamerica. Also see swords and cimeters in the book of mormon by matthew roper, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Metals, weapons, and the book of mormon mormon answers. The exact meaning of this norse name has not been yet established but seems historically to mean the land of vines or land of wine where he discovered wild grapes, as shown. Oct 10, 2017 ive just finished a book called birth of orientalism that has completely changed my perception of mormonism. Oct 31, 2012 the 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting the mesoamerican setting of the events of the book. Smith claimed to translate the original text of the plates into english. I purchased this book a few days prior to leaving, had it personalized and signed by him, and read it before, during, and after my adventure in the book of mormon lands. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon, revised edition american fork, ut. If you arent familiar with the book of mormon, please see my book of mormon introduction page and get your own free copy at.
Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya. Evidence of scimitarlike weapons in mesoamerica is presented by william j. Could the book of mormon be a 17th century pious fraud. Mormon which puts cumorah in central america and limits the whole book of mormon history to. In this page, i discuss the recent discoveries in mesoamerica which have caused a complete paradigm shift. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. I still think there is a serious problem of imprinting a particular geographyeven an abstract onebut if the people involved accept the scripture on faith alone, they may never care about the realworld geography, so a mental abstract map is no problem. This over 2000 year time period, allow them to spread out over the land from at least as far south as peru, traveling by boat along the west coast. John clark, a mesoamerican archaeologist answers this question.
This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Book of mormon geography tour 11 days10 nights guatemala. According to an early 16th century ad catholic church records at the site, lamanai is thought to be one of the few maya sites for which the ancient name has been preserved. Mesoamerica is the site of the only literate precolumbian population. Mesoamerica and the book of mormon is this the right place. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. The main book of mormon events took place in mesoamerica. The book of mormon and defensive fortifications in mesoamerica. Critics have long focused on the inconsistency between book of mormon claims the mesoamerican setting that has long prevailed in the church.
John lund on book of mormon in mesoamerica youtube. The number seven was significant to the precolumbian communities of mesoamerica, as it was in the book of mormon. Such maps can be a useful introduction for those who are new to the book of mormon. Book of mormon central archive revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and the seven. If you arent familiar with the book of mormon, please see my book of mormon introduction page and get your own free copy at mormon. While all cultures in mesoamerica share a number of common characteristics, cultural subareas are defined by a higher level of specificity in defining elements i. Book of mormon tours which take interested members to see the lands of the book of mormon in mesoamerica. The 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting the mesoamerican setting of the events of the book. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day.
The book of mormon events did not occur in mesoamerica or anywhere south of texas. A pan mesoamerica legend tells of a core people descended from seven tribes, which may coincide with the seven lineages mentioned three times in the book of mormon. Once invented, writing spread quickly to surrounding areas. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. Garth norman, book of mormonmesoamerican geography. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations.
The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures. Aug 03, 2018 im making a broader case for the book of mormon being a 16th 17th century adaptationtranslation of hebrew literature about the land just beyond the sabbath river, where the sons of moses and lost tribes lived. How does the book of mormon help date the first christmas. The three authors of an lds guide to mesoamerica, walk us through the lands of the book of mormon. The search for the original religion of adam began in the 16th century as judeochristianity came into contact with advanced cultures in india, china and america, civilizations that were inexplicably older than noah, with texts that clearly predated the bible. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon by joseph l.
Roberts, in his book studies of the book of mormon noted eighteen points of striking parallels between the two books. A panmesoamerica legend tells of a core people descended from seven tribes, which may coincide with the seven lineages mentioned three times in the book of mormon. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new. Anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. This page is a supplement to my book of mormon evidences page. Revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and. Made popular by his 1985 publication an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, sorensons geographic model for the book of mormon has withstood the test of time and remains the preeminent geographic model for book of mormon events. Middle america tours was the wholesale operators for such companies as byu travel study, murdock travel and the foundation of ancient research in mormon studies. Mesoamerica as a whole is considered a culture area within which a number of cultural subareas existed. Revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and the. The civilization described in the book of mormon was highly literate, with a complex writing system. Why did moroni include mormons condemnation of infant baptism.
Feb 18, 2008 is the book of mormon being confirmed. The reason is that he merges in aztec legend with a historical figure from the mesoamerican past. Mesoamerica and the book of mormon linkedin slideshare. Which is what makes the book of mormon all the more convincing. They discuss early church assumptions as to where the people of the book of mormon lived, and then discuss the plausible locale that is theorized by most lds scholars today. Im making a broader case for the book of mormon being a 16th 17th century adaptationtranslation of hebrew literature about the land just beyond the sabbath river, where the sons of moses and lost tribes lived. Archaeology research in precolumbian americas and the book of mormon. This map plausibly positions these and other book of mormon locations in the general mesoamerican arena. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. Other book of mormon scholars disagree and point to some nineteenth century archaeological finds e. Hemispheric models take specific, named cities in the book of mormon and disperse them far and wide across the whole of north and south america. Interestingly, the name of this site is recognized by book of mormon scholars as a cognate of laman or lamoni, important names of lamanite kings in the book of mormon.
Joseph smiths central america map started in 1842 has finally been completed as mormon s mesoamerica map shown here. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon. I am very much a proponent of a more limited geography, and i believe the best available evidence places the core narrative of the book of mormon squarely in mesoamerica. In the 16th century, european diseases like smallpox and.
Brent merrill in notes on the cimeter scimitar in the book of mormon, in warfare in the book of mormon, pp. Outline map of part of mesoamerica, including southern mexico and. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Byu, published two similar maps of moronis travel from central america to palmyra. It transformed the way humans stored and shared information. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in mesoamerica the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Archaeological evidence indicates that these ancient jaredite people, who according to the book of mormon lived on the western hemisphere from approximately 2500 b. He talks about the olmecs and ancient codex in this short clip.
Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon. Of course these inconsistencies could readily be explained by understanding the book of mormon as a work of fiction written by a nineteenth century american, but book of mormon scholars often approach the topic with the a priori acceptance of the theory that the book of mormon is an ancient text as joseph smith claimed. Critique of a limited geography for book of mormon events. A memorable book of mormon lands tour guatemala, honduras, belize and mexico 11 days10 nights day 1 fri. Jan 22, 2011 anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the land of zarahemla, and the headwaters of the river sidon see alma 22. Limited geography and the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth. Why does the book of mormon include the rise and fall of two nations. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon john l.
It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Muleks party first arrived in the land north see helaman 6. Sorenson provides a sixteenthcentury example of some. Basically, the two maps compare a proposed map constructed by vernal from the internal descriptions of the book of mormon and comments, over the years by latterday saint scholars, with a map showing actual place names on maps of the area around palmyra, new york, where the book of mormon originally was published. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Numerous observers have suggested that the book of mormon appears to be a work of fiction that parallels others within the 19th century moundbuilder genre that was pervasive at the time. Metals, weapons, and the book of mormon mormon answersldsfaq. Bmaf supports a mesoamerican context for the major book of mormon sites.
Scholars believe writting was independently developed in mesopotamia, egypt, mesoamerica, china, and possible india. Unfortunately, exploring and testing his geographic model in. I would recommend that the reader keep a book of mormon map close by such as the one shown above the next time you read through the book of mormon. Archaeological and historical evidence why book of. Based on the reasons i listed above as well as others, i currently favor a mesoamerica setting for book of mormon geography, similar to the map presented below. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but only mesoamerica meets all these elements required by the book itself. The geography of mesoamerica describes the geographic features of mesoamerica, a culture area in the americas inhabited by complex indigenous precolumbian cultures exhibiting a suite of shared and common cultural characteristics. Lund is a motivational speaker, author, tour guide, scholar and consultant. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. According to joseph smith, the book of mormon was originally engraved on golden plates, which he received in 1827 from an angel named moroni, whom smith identified as a resurrected former inhabitant of the american continent. Horses in the book of mormon page 3 general discussions. Any book of mormon lands proposal must be able to demonstrate all. There are medieval texts that place this mythical land in a real world setting in the malay archipelago. Hunab ku the one god, appears in the 16 century in the dictionary of.
Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon. The most fruitful exploration that directly connects to the book of mormon are texts and websites that explain the similarities and differences between ethan smiths the view of the hebrews and the book of mormon. Apr 06, 2007 i had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in north america. Mayan calendar and the writings of the sixteenthcentury. Several volumes dealing with book of mormon archaeology published since those by. Plausible locations in mesoamerica for book of mormon.
Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya and. Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. Grapeswine in north america book of mormon evidence. New revelations of the americas before columbus by charles c.
Popular mesoamerica books meet your next favorite book. Apologist matthew roper points out that 16thcentury spanish friars used the word goat to refer to native mesoamerican brocket deer. Early in the twentieth century rlds reorganized church of jesus christ of latter day saints. Lunds love for history and the book of mormon has taken him to mexico, honduras, belize and guatemala more than twenty times. While nothing can take the place of a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the book of mormon, an understanding of the correlating evidence of the book of mormon, especially as it relates to geography, can provide greater appreciation for this inspired book of scripture. The book of mormon quotes 25,000 words from the kjv old testament and over 2,000 words from the kjv new testament. Archaeological and historical evidence jareditesolmecs. Arcon and the ancient america foundation, 2008, 31 no. He is a great teacher, a brilliant scholar, and gifted with a sense of humor.
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