Proposed book of mormon lands south

Book of mormonplagiarism accusationsplace names from north americavernal holley map. Join wayne may and ryan fisher for a book of mormon archaeology tour of cumorahland. Mormon apologist joseph vincent, editor of california archaeologist, explained at a 1963 byu symposium that all book of mormon lands lie within a five or six hundred mile radiusand could not possibly extend from chile to new york. Although the book of mormon is primarily a religious record of the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites, enough geographic details are embedded in the narrative to allow reconstruction of at least a rudimentary geography of book of mormon lands. According to the book of mormon, the river sidon ultimately flows into a sea. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in.

Numerous observers have suggested that the book of mormon appears to be a work of fiction that parallels others within the 19thcentury moundbuilder genre that was pervasive at the time. While holleys map is interesting, it is far from being an accurate reflection of the book of mormon lands. It shows that the book of mormon s land northward and land southward are actually oriented along a northwestsoutheast line. In fact, there is no indication anywhere in the book of mormon regarding winter time or summer time. If the narrow neck of land cannot be found in this target area, the credibility of the proposed locations. Aug 09, 2019 the southern portion of mexico making up part of the yucatan peninsula, where the proposed book of mormon lands are thought to have been and where the mayan descendants are generally located today, parallels guatemala in its lack of growth in the church. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. Antionum land of bountiful city of bountiful land of east wilderness hill riplah jershon land of melek land of narrow neck of land sidon river seas east and west zarahemla city of zarahemla land of. Many have wondered where this land of promise might be physically located in the americas. For a long time, few people seemed to see any difficulty in setting the book of mormon in all of north and south america.

This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. In the late 1800s, the rlds committee on american archaeology arranged for g. I recently returned from 11 days in guatemala where i collaborated with bright people such as mark wright, diane wirth, dave gray, rick callister, van dunham, neal rappleye, stephen smoot, and rolando amado. The lost lands of the book of mormon bonneville books, 2003. It is claimed that joseph smith is clearly the author of the book of mormon because many book of mormon place names supposedly have clear evidence of borrowing from geographic locations in the united states and canada. Instead, scholars have proposed a more limited territory. However, scholars have pointed out that a hemispheric interpretation of book of mormon geography contradicts the text. Historically, latterday saint leaders have identified the range of north and south america as the land of promise, as well as the land of zion. The view of book of mormon geography taught by joseph smith and subsequent presidents and apostles of the mormon church includes three major, closely related points. Biblical lands and the book of mormon lands provides an important premise and solution for several geographical features and challenges noted in the book of mormon text. There is a mention of the heat of the day in alma 51. Jul 27, 2016 many proposed book of mormon geography theories were originated using a method proposed by dr. It incorporates much of what i have learned since this journey began in august, 2011.

Book of mormon tours with wayne may lds archaeology. They consisted of two land masses connected by an isthmus a narrow neck of land flanked by an east sea and a west sea alma 22. Despite the limited space on the plates, mormonas a historian and military leader. We have persuasively identified the city of manti as the site of chama in alta verapaz see the article manti in this blog. Others argued for a setting in the american heartland. Despite the limited space on the plates, mormon as a historian and military. Lamanite blossoming and gathering to promised land book of.

Jun 27, 2016 practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate. Some placed the nephite capital city zarahemla in mesoamerica, others in south america. Am after breakfast we will visit the guatemala relief map which is a large out door relief map of the country to gain a better understanding of the rugged, mountainous topology of the areas we will be traveling and to gain a greater understanding of proposed geographical models of the lands of the book of mormon in mesoamerica alma 22. Dec 09, 2011 the book of mormon describes travelers going through the land of gideon to reach manti far to the south. Amidst the hundreds of passages of potential geographic significance, alma 22.

Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon, by joseph allen, sa publishers, orem, utah, 1989, pp. Where is the promised land mentioned in the book of mormon. Model, the lands of nephi, zarahemla and cumorah have been established with a high level of confidence. An island setting for book of mormon account was first proposed by blake ostler in his sunstone article titled dna strands in the book of mormon. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other. The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein.

Book of mormon lands were longer from north to south than from east to. The land north of the narrow neck was known as the land northward and that to the south as. The book of mormon west sea and east sea, on the other hand, are proper nouns that is, they are the actual names of bodies of water that situate on the west and on the east respectively, of the lands of zarahemla and nephi. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. Lamanites true book of mormon geography lands western. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in transition. Cheesmans, the world of the book of mormon, deseret book, 1978. Let us turn our subject, however, to the book of mormon, where these. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. The fight over book of mormon geography deseret news. It is thorough, covers many aspects of the field, and is probably the most objective work at its time.

Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other possible relationships of sites in the book of mormon, based on internal evidence. Book of mormon geography the encyclopedia of mormonism. These principal book of mormon lands are southward from the land northward mentioned in helaman 3. The united states is the promised land book of mormon. Much of the heartland of the united states may then correspond to the book of mormon south county or south countries. None of the geographies deals convincingly with the spatial details of features and cities in the book of mormon. How mormon history helps explain todays public land. Higher to lower elevation map wayne may, book of mormon geography presentation, ancient american history conference, slc, april 1, 2011 rivers flow from higher elevations to lower elevations. The new essay begins with this declarative statement. Book of mormon lands were longer from north to south than from east to west. As each new theory surfaces, we gain fresh hope of acquiring additional insights into it ancient location, but are all too often disappointed. Lehis landing some 3,000 miles north of the proposed site in chile.

This places the east sea and west sea almost directly north and south of these proposed book of mormon lands. Jan 12, 2016 this is my best book of mormon lands map to date. The book of mormon repeats over and over again, that the wars or battles between the nephites and lamanites occurred in parts of the year, and after fighting, the lamanites retreated back into their lands to the south typically a description of fighting in summer and holing up in winter. When we look on a globe, we immediately think of panama as a narrow neck of land connecting north and south america. Allen has authored the best selling books exploring the lands of the book of mormon and sacred sites, which present detailed analyses and studies of discovered archaeological finds with proposed book of mormon sites. These lesser lands were regional polities, often described in the text as city states mosiah 7. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Before we examine some of the possible locations for book of mormon geography however, i would like to stress the fact that as of today, the lord has not revealed where the nephites or lamanites lived, and as such, the lds church has taken no official stance on anything related to book of mormon geography. Book of mormon lands tour days12 nights guatemala.

Book of mormon lands in the new world are described as wellwatered mosiah 8. This tour has been years in the making as we have searched out ancient remains of indian forts that date to nephite times located around the hill cumorah battlefield. Jonathan neville, an advocate of the heartland geography setting for the book of mormon, claims to have identified a novel chiastic structure that begins in alma 22. Church releases statement on book of mormon geography book. A popular argument among great lake theorists, is the promised land theory.

After several months of intense careful study of the text i have put together the following proposed map, showing the relative positions of book of mormon lands, cities, rivers, etc. Several times our followers have commented that they wish the church would make an official statement about where the book of mormon lands are located to remove the confusion that exists about them being located in mezoamerica. Book of mormon geography, the near cumorah setting there have been numerous attempts to locate the long, lost lands of the book of mormon over the years. These locations conform to over one hundred and fifty criteria taken from the book of mormon text. I discovered the answer to the why geography question when i allowed myself to explore the possibilities of. It was the birth of the united states of america that ushered out the great apostasy, when the earth was darkened by the absence of prophets and. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Wayne may says the land of nephi tennessee was a higher elevation than the land of zarahemla illinois. Garth normans map book of mormon archaeological forum. Yet, in his abridgement, mormon gave us many details about the lands where these messages took place. Book of mormonplagiarism accusationsplace names from north. Ostler asserts that the book of mormon events must have taken place on an island as was claimed by jacob after arriving in the promised land. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate.

I think this is a clear cut case of merging this information into this article. The river sidon is never mentioned in lands north of zarahemla. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the book of mormon in the form of a new gospel topics essay titled book of mormon geography. Joseph lovell allen true book of mormon geography lands. She does an excellent job of giving her reasons why she believes the book of mormon did not occur in south america as is commonly believed by many in the lds church. Dec 17, 2007 while holleys map is interesting, it is far from being an accurate reflection of the book of mormon lands. The vernal holley map of proposed book of mormon place names in the great lakes region jump to subtopic. The map spans jaredite and nephitelamanite periods during which settlements changed over time. According to the book of mormon, the promised land shall be a land of liberty, with no kings upon the land 1 and be discovered by a gentile whom the spirit of god wrought, to cross many. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia.

Vernal holleys book of mormon authorship annotated 3. Possible relationships of sites in the book of mormon, based on internal evidence. The foregoing extract has been made to assist the latterday saints, in establishing the book of mormon as a revelation from god. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. Careful analysis of early writings on book of mormon geography reveals a. Of the 15 place names proposed to have been taken straight from the new england map, 5 of them are in the wrong place according to the book of mormon. Mar 06, 2012 the lost lands of the book of mormon phyllis carol olive on. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. Wayne may presents book of mormon evidence in north american geography, archaeology and historical records. Book of mormon geography, lands, map, dna true evidence. The only narrow neck of land book of mormon evidence. Mar 01, 20 the united states is the promised land foretold in the book of mormon continuing, he wrote, a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ. Like the bible, the book of mormon presents itself as an historical record of. The committee reported that although the church never officially endorsed the maps, the proposed geographical locations of book of mormon cities and lands on the maps made a lasting impression which has been difficult to correct.

The description presented below of the size and configuration of book of mormon lands and the locations of settlements within it summarizes the least ambiguous evidence. The text describes alma traveling southward from gideon to go to manti. Church releases statement on book of mormon geography. Both an approach to the book of mormon geography, february 2009 6 mediterranean california basin chile south africa. Many proposed book of mormon geography theories were originated using a method proposed by dr. Book of mormongeographynew worldgreat lakes geography book of mormon.

Book of mormonplagiarism accusationsplace names from. The latest lds, the church of jesus christ of latterday. How mormon history helps explain todays public land fights betsy gaines quammens new book looks at the bundy family and religions connection to the western landscape. There are actually many statements by church leaders that the book of mormon civilization was in the united states. The lost lands of the book of mormon paperback march 6, 2012. There are times when there is not the opportunity to get a clear understanding of what the traveler saw and these bulletins will help with that understanding. While there is still much to learn about the people and stories in the book of mormon, some of the best archaeological evidence to support the book of mormon comes from lehis journey to the promised land. According to the book of mormon, the promised land shall be a land of liberty, with no kings upon the. Archaeology research in precolumbian americas and the book of mormon. Purpose of the book of mormon tour helps these single page descriptions of a specific book of mormon site are designed to provide pertinent information to the traveler about the site. River and south in the borders of the proposed land of. Rejecting the mormon claim part 9a archaeology and the book of mormon. Lands south of cumorah, where a few nephites had temporarily escaped. New world geography location of the majority of the book of mormon narrative, in the promised land somewhere in the western hemisphere.

It affords great joy to have the world assist us to so much proof, that even the most credulous cannot doubt. By miscalculating the size of book of mormon lands, joseph smith and others incorrectly claimed that the entire american hemisphere was book of mormon land. The american heartland is definitely not where the book of mormon lands of nephi, zarahemla, and bountiful are. If a sincere student of the book of mormon will conscientiously read and study the book itself and will plot out all the locations mentioned. In the book of mormon the river sidon was deep and swift. Claims the narrow neck of land is the isthmus of tehuantepec, and the basic area is that of mesoamerica. Thus, the mormon church was comfortable with the supposition that all inhabitants of book of mormon lands descended from lehi, the father of laman and nephi. It shows that the book of mormons land northward and land southward are actually oriented along a northwestsoutheast line. The united states is the promised land book of mormon evidence. These writers have poured over maps of both north and south america in trying to find book of mormon lands. Neville argues that this chiasmus allows the reconstruction of a geography that stretches south to the gulf of mexico in the cont. Archaeological evidence for 7 locations on lehis journey. The book of mormon geography book, a promised land, the land of promise, uses the book to show mormon geography along with prophetic statements.

This same area is proposed to be the lands of the book of mormon peoples. Book of mormon lands proposed map of the book of mormon. Eventually, however, accepting that view of the book of mormon lands became difficult in light of new information. Publishers, 1989 for the best summary of this entire subject. In addition, he has authored and contributed to many articles, books, cds and dvds. The church takes no position on the specific geographic location of book of mormon events in the ancient americas. Richard hauck proposes nehor as the valley of corihor in his book deciphering the geography of the book of mormon pg. The united states is the promised land foretold in the book of mormon continuing, he wrote, a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ. Listed here is a 12 day11 night book of mormon lands tour itinerary with a brief description of daily activities and places of interest to be visited on our guided tour in guatemala, the proposed lands of the book of mormon. Weston to prepare six maps of book of mormon lands. No effort should be made to identify points on this map with any existing geographical location. The book of mormon geography and map with dna evidence and the location of lands and cities such as zarahemla, cumorah, the narrow neck, mexico, caribbean sea, american indians, and true evidence are all here.

Our proposed river sidon flows on a heading of 328 degrees where 315 is nw and 360 is. The book of mormon describes a land of promise given to lehi and his posterity by the lord. There is an incredibly lengthy section in archaeology and the book of mormon covering the proposed book of mormon geographical setting, and does not really talk about any hard archaeological evidences. The book of mormon states several times that the land which they were led to, was the promised land, or a choice land. The churchs position on questions related to book of mormon geography. Wayne may true book of mormon geography lands western new. Jun 18, 20 book of mormon lands proposed map of the book of mormon. In addition to continentalscale lands such as bountiful and greater zarahemla, the book of mormon describes 31 lesser lands such as melek and ammonihah alma 8. They retreated past gideon to the land of minon and there regrouped and joined forces with the lamanites, on the road to the land of. 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. The book of mormon and place names from the area around joseph smiths home summary. Book of mormongeographynew worldgreat lakes geography.