In the last chapter we saw that the bible is reliable, being textually pure and verifiably accurate in many places. We especially welcome those studying the book of mormon in seminary this year 20 and hope the book of mormon genealogy chart enhances their study. Generations of mormons grew up with the notion that american indians are descended from a lost tribe from the house of israel, offspring of a book of mormon figure named lehi, who left jerusalem and sailed to the americas around 600 b. Basically, the idea is that the detractors of the book are invited to try their hand at writing a similar epic, the point presumably being that it is so difficult that it could only have come about with divine help. To begin looking for archaeological evidence you have to know where to look. Dec 02, 2016 to help with the increasing amount of new information, a blog site has been setup for research relating to the book of mormon lands in baja california. Wayne mays twopart presentation at the november 20 vernal, ut book of mormon evidence conference. The book includes extensive details and a professional academic technical analysis of volcanoes, fault systems, meteorology, and unlike many approaches that cherry pick conveniently to fit preconceived ideas, the author takes on and explains and documents all book of mormon references to geology and meteorology. Hazard assessment of description of 3 nephi event 3.
River sidona key to unlocking book of mormon lands. The book is entitled geology of the book of mormon by jerry d. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. The author is dedicating all proceeds from the book to additional scientific geologic and engineering studies to cast further light on the ancient setting of the book of mormon. Joseph smith told the brethren that the book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I knew the book of mormon was true, but the weight of evidence, when objectively considered, was increasingly running in the opposite direction. 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. The book of mormon was written for the intent that we may believe the bible, morm. Other people can use the explanation to justify that their religion hasnt been 100% disproved by evidence even if the explanation is somewhat weak in places. Oct 07, 2012 comparing the quran and the book of mormon. Grover 2014 in the book of mormon, when a city maintains the same name as a geographic area, the text consistently locates the city within that geographic area.
The lay mormon is told by the mormon church that archaeology continues to confirm the book of mormon, while mormon scholars, who actually study archaeology for a living, have something quite. Journey of faith the new world, chronicles the book of mormon, another testament of jesus christ. In order to remove these inherent improbabilities and attempt to salvage the credibility of the book of mormon, a number of modern mormon scholars have proposed several variations of a new approach to book of mormon geography, usually called the limited geography theory. According to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon church, the book of mormon is a divinely inspired revelation that is complimentary to the bible. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint. The heartland model or heartland theory of book of mormon geography states that the book of mormon events primarily occurred in the heartland of north america. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement believe that it. A book of mistakes, error, and fraud by jon gary williams introduction the mormon church promotes the book of mormon as an inspired writing. Book of mormon thought false by lds memberarchaelogist. Book of mormon archaeology in north america wayne may. Geology of the book of mormon book of mormon scientific and. This book is a landmark event in book of mormon studies and is a book that must be read by every serious student of the book of mormon. The hill cumorah in ontario county ny is the hill where joseph smith found the golden plates and is the same hill where the civilizations of the nephites cumorah and the jaredites ramah fought their last battles.
Important new book grover is both a geologist and an engineer. The book of mormon and the bible will grow together, 2 ne. John sorenson in his most recent book, images of ancient america. First, its doctrine often agrees with traditional christian beliefs in sometimes surprising ways and at other times undermines the bible and traditional christianity. The book of mormon is a vast and epic story that spans hundreds of years on two continents while detailing the rise and fall of unique, previously unheard of civilizations. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Analysis of potential 3 nephi volcanoes in mesoamerica 2. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. The theology of the book of mormon an introduction to the.
These relate to artifacts, animal, plant, or technology that critics believe did not exist in the americas during the book of mormon time period before 2500 bc to about 400 ad. Tweet the book of mormon really comes to life as you better understand the relationships of all the people mentioned in it. Geology of the book of mormon book of mormon archaeological. Geology of the book of mormon tyler livingston, recently named president of book of mormon archaeological forum, introduced me to a new book a few days ago. Apr 22, 2016 illustration from from darkness unto light. He received his bs from weber state university, his ma from brigham young university, and his phd from the university of. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Book of mormon central archaeological evidence for the book. The book of mormon homosexuality and mormons showing 150 of 63. Oct 07, 2010 in john lunds book mesoamerica and the book of mormon. Geology of the book of mormon book of mormon central. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may.
For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. Then, one day, just as kind of a thrillseeking, daredevil lapse of judgment on my part, i gave myself permission to look at the book of mormon through the eyes of a person who was actually trying. Twopart presentation at the november 20 vernal, ut book of mormon evidence conference. Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading geology of the book of mormon. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. The book of mormon challenge was popularised by hugh nibley, and often presented to his students in a course on the book of mormon. Pdf geology of the book of mormon jerry grover academia. Biblical archaeology can be studied because we do know where.
Jared, his brother and their friendsa geographical analysis of the book of ether. Therefore, the mormon can have confidence that the bible is the word of god and that it can be accurately translated. Ever since the publication of the book of mormon, attempts have been made to place it in its geographical setting. Roberts, a president of the seventy and one of the foremost mormon scholars of the early twentieth century, elaborated. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latt. First published in 1830, the book of mormon tells of the transoceanic migrations of two ancient near eastern peoples to the americas. The book of first nephi, the first book in the volume, describes the actions of lehi and his family in leaving jerusalem before its destruction, following the counsel of the lord, and wandering through the wilderness for several years before embarking on a transoceanic voyage to somewhere in or near central america. And if we did find a book of mormon city, how would we recognize it.
The book of mormon claims to be an historical record of peoples who inhabited the new world from about 600 bc to about 400 ad plus an earlier group known as the jaredites, but their supposed location is not pressed by mormons. Hemispheric geography theory lds have traditionally interpreted the text hemispherically and assumed a blank continent. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on this earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than any other book. Critics of the book of mormon have argued that there are words and phrases in the book that are anachronistic with archaeological findings.
The book of mormon describes migrations of people from the middle east to central america, and further describes some features of their civilizations in the new world. If the book is accurate, archaeologists would expect to find numerous pieces of hard evidence in central america that confirm the presence of these societies. For example, benjamin was changed to mosiah when mormon leaders realized that in the chronology of the book of mormon king benjamin had already died thus he would have been hard pressed to interpret the engravings mentioned in mosiah 21. Thoughtful insights from 32 top scholars continue the journey into the book of mormons thousand. Latterday saints believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly. It seems that book of mormon archaeology has shifted away from looking for the big discovery and towards building a nonfalsifiable explanation for the book of mormon peoples existence. The book of mormon is fraught with other errors as well. In a book that is the first of its kind, jerry grover, a professional civil engineer and geologist, utilizes geologic and. The book of mormon is true and could have only happened in north america.
The book of mormon is known as a second witness for jesus christ, and the bible and book of mormon are carried and used together by the missionaries and members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, thus fulfilling the scripture and the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. Joseph smiths translation and publication of the book of mormon, excerpted by fairmormon. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world.
Roberts on the view of the hebrews parallels with the book of mormon emphasis mine. However, after a fair and candid examination of the evidence, many thousands of honest mormons have discovered that this claim simply is not true. While some of these sources treat book of mormon geography in only the vaguest generalities, others make very specific claims on the topic. Its compilers minimized cultural references to maximize its universality, particularly for folks in the last days alma 37. The lord covenanted with enos to bring forth the book of mormon to the lamanites, enos 1. In other words book of mormon peoples would have looked like, lived like, and acted like the native american cultures that inhabited book of mormon lands. This view, whose most influential proponent is brigham young university archaeologist john l. Sperry, the problems of the book of mormon blake ostler, a respected mormon scholar, states that in my view, there is not and cannot be any book of mormon archaeology until we find at least one place or object that we can say with some certitude derives from book of mormon peoples. The book of mormon is really there so one can have book of mormon studies, and archaeology is really there so one can study archaeology, but the two are not wed. The first of these peoples, called jaredites, are supposed to have. Prophesied cursing and blessing of book of mormon lands. Without finding something like a placard that reads nephi slept here.
The book of mormon homosexuality and mormons showing 1. In john lunds book mesoamerica and the book of mormon. The book of mormons authors made it clear the record was spiritual, and that it would touch on historical matters but lightly 1 nephi 9. Geology in the book of mormon and mesoaerica jerry grover 416. Rejecting the mormon claim part 9a archaeology and the book of mormon. The theological and religious teachings of the book of mormon are important in three respects. However, after a fair and candid examination of the evidence, many thousands of honest mormons have discovered that this claim.
Today, while some individuals still argue for a book of mormon setting in the great lakes region of the united states and canada, 2 most latterday saint scholars acknowledge mesoamerica as the most likely region that. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, both latterday saint lds or mormons and non mormon archaeologists have studied its claims in reference to known archaeological evidence. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. The book of mormon begins in a wellknown location, jerusalem, in 600 b. Our book of mormon genealogy chart is the result of several years of study and work.
The lords words will hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, 2 ne. Book of mormon central archaeological evidence for the. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, both latterday saint lds or mormons and nonmormon archaeologists have studied its claims in reference to known archaeological evidence. Jun 21, 2010 latterday saints believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly. He notes that gold, silver and copper are mentioned several times in the book of mormon being found in abundance in the land. Geology of the book of mormon book of mormon scientific. It is altogether probable that these two bookspriests wonders of nature and providence, 1824. Wayne may presents the supporting evidence for the heartland model, that the book of mormon nephites and jaredites lived in north america.
Geology of the book of mormon kindle edition by grover, jerry. Skeptics have put forth several theories of book of. The great strength of the book is that it provides a wellargued perspective based on the geology of natural disasters that is new to the analysis of the book of mormonone that adds to the reality of book of mormon events and opens new doors for potential research and understanding of the geography of the book of mormon. In a book that is the first of its kind, jerry grover, a professional civil engineer and geologist, utilizes geologic and geophysical analysis with clues. At least they are not wed in reality since no book of mormon location is known with reference to modern topography. Visualizing book of mormon life,9 describes the culture and lifestyles of the ancient mesoamericans and suggests how the book of mormon may be interpreted against this information. Book of mormon archaeology in north america book of. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. Archaeology and the book of mormon lds critics frequently claim that while the bible has been proven to be accurate by the discoveries of archaeology, the book of mormon has no archaeological support. Pdf an evaluation of all geologic events contained in the book of mormon, with a specific analysis of the san martin volcanoveracruz fault.
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