Chief among these is the fact that we know we certainty where the story beginsin old world jerusalem. The land of bountiful lies far north of the land of zarahemla. The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an account of three groups of people. Please provide suggestions or comments related to the content of this site. Careful analysis of early writings on book of mormon geography reveals a. Joseph was surprised that the book of mormon mentioned walls around jerusalem. The book of mormon is a pillar of revealed truth supporting and upholding the chief cornerstone, who is jesus christ. As each new theory surfaces, we gain fresh hope of acquiring additional insights into it ancient location, but are all too often disappointed. Because of this theory, he wrote, some members of the church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the book of mormon. 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. You may optionally provide an email address so that we may. Cheesmans, the world of the book of mormon, deseret book, 1978. There is generally no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi.
This article adds to those discussions by drawing attention to the number seven and things that occur seven times in the narratives in the book of mormon. Mormon land explores the contours and complexities of lds news. The western new york model is the only model that meets all seven characteristics. Church releases statement on book of mormon geography book. What the book of mormon tells us about jesus christ. It is a striking and extraordinary coincidence, that, in the book of mormon, commencing page 563, there is an account of many cities as existing among the nephites on the narrow neck of land which connected the north country with the south country. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. Now, as to which specific mesoamerican geography is correct the. Book of mormon lands discovering the lost lands of the. Here is more evidence showing that the lamanites of the book of mormon are in north america not mezoamerica as published in our book several years ago. From the point of view of nephites occupying lands to the north, we read of. Moronis america the book of mormon in north america.
It incorporates much of what i have learned since this journey began in august, 2011. The narrow neck of land described in the book of mormon is one of the most important geographic features for those studying the lands of the ancient nephites and lamanites. 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. Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. Their lands were bordered on the east sea east and west sea west by seas with the northern. In our view, an ancient mesoamerican setting is best supported by the information given in the book of mormon. Traits of the mosaic history, found among the azteca nations, times and seasons 3, no. These characteristics are found in western new york with. Lands true book of mormon geography lands western new.
Archaeological evidence for 7 locations on lehis journey to the promised land. 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. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. 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 narrow neck of land in the book of mormon youtube. The seven founding linages of the book of mormon appear near the beginning of the record jacob 1. See more ideas about book of mormon, scripture study and lds scriptures. Jerry l ainsworth has identified seven unique characteristics of book of mormon lands that match seven very unique existing geog. The north american setting for the book of mormon and letter vii contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the view of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Watch till the end to see a point by point walk through of mormons description in alma 22 2734. Mcbaines 2014 book, women at church, challenged members to think. Seven unique characteristics of the book of mormon lands price. 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.
The wilderness area to the north of the river sidon was called hermounts, with similar characteristics to mount hermon in syria, lebanon and israel alma 2. Included in this count are names that normally would not be called proper, such as nonenglish names of plants, animals, etc. Nothing is known about the dna of book of mormon peoples, and even if their. Elegant and spacious buildings, towers, sunken or abandoned cities, populations without number.
Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. Let the book of mormon change your life, again, as you investigate exploring the lands of the book of mormon. It is thorough, covers many aspects of the field, and is probably the most objective work at its time. It is a spiritual topic, associated with faith, belief, testimony, emotion, revelation, and personal conviction. Mesoamerica uncovered series volume one a 35 minute film. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon byu studies. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. One important topic bearing upon the issue of animals in the book of mormon is the location of the lands described in the text. Introducing book of mormon central bom lands conference.
This significant volume, a large book of 437 pages with 147 maps, is a pleasure to read. In the table below, geographical and other place names in the land of promise in the americas are listed in alphabetical order, with their generic map coordinates and the geographical and other scriptural references. Seven unique characteristics of book of mormon lands. Geology true book of mormon geography lands, western new.
And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Last week, the lds church launched a new version of the temple movie that is shown during the endowment ceremony in all but two of 141 temples around the world. The latter includes references to chapter headings and the guide to. The authors of the book of mormon were consistent in their use of the terms the land north and the land south in referring to the lands north and south of the narrow strip of wilderness. Like maya writings, the book of mormon is best understood as a lineage history. Inclusion within the bmc archive does not imply endorsement. Byu library, an account of our book of mormon lands tour, 27 january to 16 february 1961.
The book of mormon was truly a translated ancient work. According to the book, two of these groups originated from ancient israel. This work is for those interested in exploring the history in the book of mormon, the special covenant of god upon the land of north america, and the locations of book of mormon lands. I knew the book of mormon was true, but the weight of evidence, when objectively considered, was increasingly running in the opposite direction. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. These writers have poured over maps of both north and south america in trying to find book of mormon lands. 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. The material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Such maps can be a useful introduction for those who are new to the book of mormon. The area where the sea divides the land was probably a bay or strait ether 10. The united states is the promised land book of mormon.
Others view the modern hill cumorah to be distinct from the original, and simply. Exploring the book of mormon in americas heartland book. Skip this introductory material and go directly to the list of starting letters for place names. The hill shim and the hill cumorah were probably in the same area or valley ether 9. Updated book of mormon map book of mormon, lds seminary. The book of mormon contains 337 proper names and 21 gentilics or analogous forms based on proper names. 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. 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. The salt lake tribune just concluded a special threepart series on the.
Book of mormon lands proposals response to jonathan nevilles two books. As it evaporated it shrunk leaving plains along the north and south. 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. There is a filtering or diluting of cultural traits, but they are nevertheless traceable. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Seven unique characteristics of book of mormon lands movie. The narrow neck of land in the book of mormon fair mormon. Study two dozen detailed, fullcolor maps that follow the footsteps of mosiah, alma, ammon, limhi, and lands from nephi to zarahemla. Claims the narrow neck of land is the isthmus of tehuantepec, and the basic area is that of mesoamerica. Jerry l ainsworth has identified seven unique characteristics of book of mormon lands that match seven very unique existing geographical and historical s. The lost lands of the book of mormon phyllis carol olive on. I have been trying to avoid the topic of book of mormon geography for several.
The geographical picture of the ancient lands of the book of mormon is found in great detail in the lost lands of the book of mormon which was published by cfi in 1998. Geographical, and other evidences in support of the book of mormon landscape, as found in north america. The past seven or so years, he has been the church historian, overseeing the faiths history department. These people, scientists say, spread rapidly to fill north and south america. Lands of the book of mormon book of mormon central. 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. Items in the bmc archive are made publicly available for noncommercial, private use. The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described. 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. Darien up into northern central america and north america.
And that it would be located in north america since it is supposed to be a choice land above all others. If you interested more in the logical model and the ontology of it, i suggest you skip the physical model information in sections 1, 2 and 4 and go directly to. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon ought to be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in book of mormon geography. These terms did not include the areas of the peten, the yucatan, and belize as claimed in exploring the lands of the book of mormon. A discussion of the arabian, or old world, geography of the book of mormon enjoys many advantages over discussion of new world matters. Book of mormon lands were made up of two large geographical areas arranged north land northward to south land southward connected by a smaller one narrow neck of land along the west. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. As will be seen, seven is an important number in the book of mormon, just as it was in the biblical world and also in panmesoamerican lore that traced their origins to seven tribes.
Moronis america today in 1936, when lds scholars first began accepting the twocumorah theory, apostle joseph fielding smith warned the saints. Allen makes convincing arguments in a style that is generally easy to understand. I have watched more than 20 hours of wayne may book of mormon lecture videos and conversed with both wayne may and rod meldrum in person. Read a few of the testimonials of those who read the book and have now joined the thousands who accept the near cumorah setting for the book of mormon in western new york as the. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands. Limited geography and the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, members and. 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. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here.
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