Fair 2018 was the 20th anniversary of the annual fair conference. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. This tradition implies that virtually all native americans are descendants of exclusively book of mormon people. Ropers take on book of mormon geography, mormon times, 6 august. This book was a common household reference in young joseph smiths time and place. It is claimed that the church has no official position on geography of the book of mormon because the lands in the book of mormon never existed. The articles linked below will describe the various. Unlike the book of mormon, the bible has maps depicting the physical locations of actual historical events in the land of. The one and only river mentioned in the entire book of mormon is called the sidon.
But to come to this conclusion, they only share the. It is a book of scripture aimed at teaching people about christ and how to find happiness through the gospel. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. Hemispheric geography theory lds have traditionally interpreted the text hemispherically and assumed a blank continent. Truth about joseph smiths beliefs on geography of the book. The fight over book of mormon geography deseret news. In 2016, it adopted a policy on book of mormon geography in which it stated, book of mormon central at this time is officially geography neutral. He provided his interpretation of over 700 verses he deemed relevant to the book of mormon. Jonathan and i agree on 90% of contemporary book of mormon studies. Certain groups who entertain a north american setting for the book of mormon claim that joseph knew where book of mormon events took place.
Leaders of the church have long been clear that there is no official or revealed geography for the majority of book of mormon events, including those which take place in the new world. Oliver cowdery and joseph smith taught this clearly. The geographical setting of the book of mormon has been the subject of serious study and casual speculation since before the book was first published. The above donut chart shows percentages of the book of mormon section of letter to a ces director that fairmormon is in agreement, disagreement, and neutral on if one assumes that fairmormons undisputed silence is acceptance of the facts, fairmormon agrees with 62. To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the red sea.
Jan 30, 2019 book of mormon central is an independent lds organization focused on defending the authenticity and truth of the book of mormon. Phelps, and the pratt brothers speculated about a setting in central andor south america. Another limited geography model, known as the heartland model, has the book of mormon taking place primarily in the eastern united states. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new york. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. Lehis family landed either on the east coast or on the northern shore of the gulf of mexico, after sailing around africa and across the atlantic ocean. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi.
They criticized elements they disagreed with, but not brother sorensons condemnation of the idea of the new york cumorah. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. Where were famous book of mormon cities, like zarahemla and bountiful. 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 church has been neutral when it comes to issues relating to book of mormon geography, as is fairmormon.
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. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model. Further testifies to the prophetic calling and divine mission of the prophet joseph smith. Book of mormon geography in joseph smiths day fairmormon. Aug 01, 2018 i enjoyed lunch on friday with cryptocurrency thought leader, trace mayer, a couple of his friends, and prolific author jonathan neville. Lds essay book of mormon geography 02052019 by lifeafterministry general conference, book of mormon geography, april 1929, pp. Book of mormon geography march 6, 2018 enter your password to view comments. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. This tradition implies that virtually all native americans are descendants of exclusively book of mormon.
The book of mormon geography lds map and lands with dna evidence for zarahemla, cumorah, america, and indians and the narrow neck the book of mormon geography book, a promised land, the land of promise, uses the book to show mormon geography along with prophetic statements. A few months ago, the church updated its official statement on 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 york state where. Tyson yapias, jonathon riley, jasmin rappleye, lynne wilson. Joseph smith and the geography of the book of mormon. March 19 geography lessons needed for book of mormon. The author wrote in the preface to this 1959 book, for more than a hundred years there has been a need for a geography of the book of mormon. Book of mormon central people around the new mary whitmer painting l to r standing.
Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor. The following affiliates have contributed to book of mormon central by providing access to articles, images, and various other resources to further the cause of. 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 city desolation was built on the borders of the land by the narrow pass which led into the land southward. Leaders of the church have long been clear that there is no official or revealed geography for the majority of book of mormon events. Smith gave at that conference 107 years ago could apply equally to current disputes over book of mormon geography. Unfortunately, exploring and testing his geographic. Geography lessons needed for book of mormon life after ministry. Unconventional book of mormon geography theories mormon. It, therefore, is an important geographical indicator. Book of mormon geography has been a source of debate for years both inside and outside of the lds or mormon faith. May 27, 2010 the book of mormon geography conference was held at brigham young academy on may 2324, 1903. These are contained in 3 nephi, 4 nephi, the book of mormon, and the book of moroni.
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. There was a book published in 1791 by john walker entitled, a key to the classical pronunciation of greek, latin, and scripture proper names. Geography lessons needed for book of mormon life after. I havent gone through all of their material, but i know what theyve done with book of mormon geography, and if thats typical of the other topics on their site, i recommend against using fairmormon other than as a window into specific worldviews. Desolation, city of true book of mormon geography lands. Controversy, evidence, and two cumorahs the book of mormon is not intended to be a history book or a guide to geography, science, or any other secular topic. At the time, i wrote a blog post setting out what i believe are the very obvious implications of the statement, and expressed a hope that people everywhere could cordially engage in. Clarifies the geography questions that still linger in minds. The articles linked below will describe the various theories and examine the strengths and weaknesses of each. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new.
At the time, i wrote a blog post setting out what i believe are the very obvious implications of the statement, and expressed a hope that people everywhere could cordially engage in conversations about book of mormon geography. Apr 20, 2009 in 1991, john sorenson of byu, the dean of book of mormon geography, created a book called the geography of book of mormon events. This theory has been gaining substantial support among lds scholars since the mid1980s because it more accurately represents. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. 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. There is a great deal of talk about the geography of the book of mormon.
Lds essay book of mormon geography life after ministry. Begun in 20, this series has addressed such problematic issues in mormonism as the conflicting first vision accounts, race and the priesthood, the book of abraham. Some groups who attempt to place the book of mormon in the great lakes area of the united states, also claiming that joseph smith, the books translator, knew where bom events took place. Lehis family landed somewhere on the west coast of south america after sailing.
This approach, often referred to as the limited geography model, argues for a more limited view of the book of mormon, suggesting that the book is a history of only a small group of native americans in central america. National geographic society statement on the book of mormon. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Dismissing book of mormon geography inaccuracies deseret. Book of mormon geography today with sit down with lds mesoamerican expert daniel johnson and talk about the setting of the book of mormon. Desolation, a city located in the north in the land desolation where limhis people found the jaredite ruins.
Home book of mormon science, ancient history, and the book of mormon national geographic society statement on the book of mormon national geographic society statement on the book of mormon language. Since a precise knowledge of where the book of mormon took place is not necessary for it to bring spiritual conversion, the church has never offered a revealed or official geography, and is unlikely to. In this book are a number of future book of mormon names, which appeared within alphabetized lists. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth. Some groups who attempt to place the book of mormon in the great lakes area of the united states, also claiming that joseph smith, the books translator, knew where bom events took. The book of mormon geography conference was held at brigham young academy on may 2324, 1903. Book of mormon geography a powerful backdrop to books message tyler griffin bmc 2018. Statement on book of mormon geography page 5 general. Fairmormon is an anonymous group of people who publish articles under the tagline critical questions. In 1991, john sorenson of byu, the dean of book of mormon geography, created a book called the geography of book of mormon events.
Unconventional book of mormon geography theories mormon matters. The following affiliates have contributed to book of mormon central by providing access to articles, images, and various other resources to further the cause of book of mormon research. One issue that relates in important ways to book of mormon geography is the human composition of the ancient americas. However, a casual examination of the book finds an oft overlooked but glaring distinction from most bibles, namely that there are no maps in a book of mormon displaying the locations of uniquely book of mormon geography. Overview of book of mormon geography and church history. Truth about joseph smiths beliefs on geography of the. A sourcebook, he laid out his thinking on the subject in detail. All lds students of book of mormon geography who have worked systematically with the problem in recent decades have come to agree on this sorenson 1985, 2930. There has never been a river that empties into the red sea.
We talk about what evidence we find and what evidence is really not fair to ask for. Dismissing book of mormon geography inaccuracies deseret news. On january 29, 2019 yesterday as of the time of this writing, the lds church published an article online entitled book of mormon geography, another installment in its series of innocuously titled gospel topics essays. The traditional lds folk belief asserts that the lehites arrived to a nearly vacant new world, with the possible exception of some jaredite survivors and the mulekites. 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 maps and details is also available at alpha publishing at. Apostate book of mormon geography studio et quoque fide.
As for a book of mormon geography being based on a theory that joseph didnt know what he was talking about, that is an incorrect statement. Later, in the 1920s, scholars in the reorganized church of jesus christ of latterday saints proposed that the book of mormon took place in a limited. When we first read the book of mormon, it seemed clear that the land northward was north america, the land southward was south america, and the narrow neck of land was panama. Lds book of mormon geography book is available here.
Early church authors, including benjamin winchester, william smith, w. The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described. Dont know much about book of mormon geography the faith. A more clear statement would be that book of mormon geography is allowed to be a subject of speculation because joseph didnt reveal the location. National geographic society statement on the book of mormon national geographic society statement on the book of mormon language. We are diametrically opposed on the other 10% geography but we remain friends.
We seek deep understanding of the book of mormon text. Mar 11, 2010 one issue that relates in important ways to book of mormon geography is the human composition of the ancient americas. Lehi s family landed somewhere on the west coast of south america after sailing across the pacific ocean. Careful analysis of early writings on book of mormon geography reveals a. Book of mormon geography a powerful backdrop to books.
Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. He received his bs from weber state university, his ma from brigham young university, and his phd from the university of. In effect, the lds churchs official position is that it has no official position on book of mormon geography. 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. Book of mormon geography matters god intends us to find and use the evidence he has givenreasons, if you willwhich affirm the truthfulness of his work. 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.
Aug 15, 2019 when he organized the book of mormon into chapter and verse, he included footnotes about geography that he specified were speculative, except for cumorah, which he declared was in new york. Comments by jonathan neville in red footnotes omitted snow actually, driven snow is only mentioned once in the book of mormon, and that is only when the lehites were still in the old world. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model is. Jul 10, 2014 certain groups who entertain a north american setting for the book of mormon claim that joseph knew where book of mormon events took place. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Book of mormon geography when we first read the book of mormon, it seemed clear that the land northward was north america, the land southward was south america, and the narrow neck of land was panama. Jaredite geography the jaredites who dwelt in the same area as the nephites had a number of different names for the terrain and the cities that existed in their time. Critics intent on discrediting the restoration point to dna studies on indigenous american peoples in an attempt to expose joseph, the book of mormon, and the church of jesus christ of latterday. Book of mormon central collaborates with various organizations also interested in furthering research and study of the book of mormon.
271 1164 32 1277 22 58 1026 600 1619 1154 524 1239 1171 472 444 1313 1269 666 1301 22 1422 839 1198 1302 514 1239 1173 874 498 765