A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. Reply to pros, cons of book of mormon geography theories book. 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. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. Bmaf supports a mesoamerican context for the major book of mormon sites. The lord covenanted with enos to bring forth the book of mormon to the lamanites, enos 1.
Updated book of mormon map book of mormon, lds seminary. Book of mormon maps and learning tools virtual book of. Why did moroni include mormons condemnation of infant baptism. This page is a supplement to my book of mormon evidences page. The book of mormon only mentions one beverage among the nephites and lamanites. Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon.
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. Shown here are various archaeological sites in mesoamerica that may correspond to book of mormon places. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Such maps can be a useful introduction for those who are new to the book of mormon. Book of mormon tours which take interested members to see the lands of the book of mormon in mesoamerica. He talks about the olmecs and ancient codex in this short clip. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new. While this description of mesoamerica is only a broad sweep, the conditions described in the book of mormon clearly fit the problem. This book of mormon map along with a wall map are available for down loading in color and the book of mormon geography book a promised land, the land of promise with all the mormon. Book of mormon lands map, january 2016 book of mormon central. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are.
The lords words will hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, 2 ne. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but only mesoamerica meets all these elements required by the book itself. It too has large blank spots along the grijalva river where our correlation of nephite and. However, joseph smiths understanding of the book of mormon is not the main topic of this article. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. 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.
The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons 2010 bmaf lecture. Letter vii was originally published in the messenger and advocate 1835 and copied into joseph smith, history, 18341835, shortly thereafter. The maya and the olmec have a written languagea requirement for book of mormon peoples, who kept records. In addition, the entire story of the book of mormon occurred within a small 500mile radius within mesoamerica. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. Muleks party first arrived in the land north see helaman 6. Havent you always wanted to have a detailed map of just where everything is in the book of mormon. Sep 08, 2015 and this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog. Why did moroni include mormon s condemnation of infant baptism. Skeptics have argued since its publication in 1830 that the the book of mormon is the creative work of a religious con man, whose purported visit by an angel and account of hidden gold plates from which the book was written undermine it outright. The book of mormon and defensive fortifications in mesoamerica.
Plausible locations in mesoamerica for book of mormon places. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The three authors of an lds guide to mesoamerica, walk us through the lands of the book of mormon. 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. The river sidon the most prominent river in the book of mormon is the river sidon. Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. Jan 22, 2011 anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. It should be obvious that the large blank spots on this map are relative cultural. Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not really the same hill cumorah mentioned in the text. Anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. In 1975, he submitted a paper to a symposium about book of mormon geography outlining the failure of archaeologists to find old world plants, animals, metals, and scripts in mesoamerica. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the.
In this page, i discuss the recent discoveries in mesoamerica. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. John lund on book of mormon in mesoamerica youtube. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. Whats more the record in the book of mormon describes a high civilization, with a written language, a centralized government, a religious hierarchy, and controlled trade activity. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. 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. Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel.
Sep 10, 2015 and this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog. The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures. During king noahs reign in the land of nephi, for instance, it mentions that he. Though there are a few who hold to a more north american setting, many more scholars seem to support a mesoamerican setting.
Book of mormon charts charting the book of mormon is a collection of more than 175 visual aids that promote deeper understanding and appreciation of the book of mormon. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Sep 02, 2015 john lund talks about the book of mormon and mesoamerica at the learn our religion lecture series. Designed for multiple use as study guides, handouts, and masters for creating projectable images, the charts convey a wealth of information that will enrich personal study and.
The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Any book of mormon lands proposal must be able to demonstrate all. Popular mesoamerica books meet your next favorite book. 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. 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. 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. 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. Mesoamerica and the book of mormon linkedin slideshare. 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 matches descriptions found within the book. After all, when you read the bible, you can turn to the maps and see where everything happened. Lunds love for history and the book of mormon has taken him to mexico, honduras, belize and guatemala more than twenty times. It too has large blank spots along the grijalva river where our correlation of nephite and lamanite geography finds nothing noteworthy enough to get mentioned in the text.
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. While much of the book is sound and wellreasoned, from time to time, he shows his bias for a mesoamerican setting. Apr 06, 2007 i had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. New revelations of the americas before columbus by charles c.
Book of mormon map make more sense out of scripture study with young kids book of mormon study map printable alma 127 awesome. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. The number seven was significant to the precolumbian communities of mesoamerica, as it was in 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. Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor. The main topic of this article is whether or not the claims made by adherents of the lgt are compelling given the context of what we know today about ancient mesoamerica. The book of mormon and the bible will grow together, 2 ne. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book.
Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya and. Archaeological sites in mesoamerica book of mormon central. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the shake. Archaeological and historical evidence jareditesolmecs. He is a great teacher, a brilliant scholar, and gifted with a sense of humor. 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. 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. Book of mormon in north america maps book of mormon evidence. Garth normans map book of mormon archaeological forum. 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. Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon. However, when serious book of mormon students first begin with a detailed consideration of the internal map implicit to the book of mormon and then search for a plausible location that fits the book of mormons map, there has consistently been one general result.
The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the book s narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. The grijalva river and the river sidon by joseph l. Archaeological evidence indicates that these ancient jaredite people, who according to the book of mormon lived on the western hemisphere from approximately 2500 b. Why does the book of mormon mention wine, vineyards, and.
This map plausibly positions these and other book of mormon locations in the general mesoamerican arena. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map. 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. The book of mormon geography geography map, dna, lands. In summary, degroote did outline the strengths and weaknesses quite well of the.
Mesoamerican enthusiasts have argued that book of mormon people may have used. 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. Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are believed to have been fought. 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. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. It comes with an optional explanatory booklet entitled book of mormon. 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. 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. Mesoamerica, the region of southern mexico, guatemala, and adjacent nations. And this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog.
Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning tools. I love this map and i think it will improve the quality of my study. Mesoamerica is the site of the only literate precolumbian population. However, when serious book of mormon students first begin with a detailed consideration of the internal map implicit to the book of mormon and then search for a plausible location that fits the book of mormon s map, there has consistently been one general result. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model is unique in this regard. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya. Famsi map of mesoamerica foundation for the advancement. Middle america tours was the wholesale operators for such companies as byu travel study, murdock travel and the foundation of ancient research in mormon. The only thing more confusing and bizarre than the premise, which is that the place names in mesoamerica is the key for locating actual places in the book of mormon, is the authors incredible certainty that he is correct. This map includes the ancient culture areas of the maya, and the oaxaca, gulf coast, central plateau, and northwest areas of mexico.
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