Facts supporting the truth of the Book of Mormon

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Book of Mormon Problems?

“The Problem of the Horse and Other Domestic Animals” Excerpt from shields-research.org

The Book of Mormon makes clear that both Jaredites and Nephites who lived in ancient times on this continent had domestic animals of various kinds. The earlier people, the Jaredites (c. 2000-300 B.C.), are reported to have had

all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man. And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cumoms. (Ether 9:18-19)

The Nephites (c. 600 B.C. – 400 A.D.) on the other hand tell us

that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. (1 Nephi 18: 25; cf. Enos 21; Alma 5:59)

It is notable that the Nephites never speak of having or using the elephant; nor are swine spoken of by them except metaphorically (3 Nephi 7:8, “sow”) and in connection with their equivalent of the Sermon on the Mount. (3 Nephi 14:6) We do not know what animals are meant by cureloms and cumoms in the Jaredite record. Apparently Moroni, the Nephite commentator, didn’t either, because he seems to have transliterated the words, which course of action was followed also by the prophet Joseph Smith when he translated the Book of Mormon. The dog is mentioned in the Nephite account, but no mention is made of it in the Jaredite record.

It is not necessary for our purposes here to give a detailed account of domestic
animals as used by the Jaredites and Nephites. Suffice it to say that the following representative domesticated animals were used by one or other of these peoples sometime during the period 2000 B. C. 400 A. D.: oxen, cows, sheep, swine, goats, asses, horses, elephants, cureloms, cumoms, and dogs.  It would appear that the ancient American peoples used most all of the common domestic animals known among civilized peoples the world over. The use of the elephant by the Jaredites is a little unusual, but let us keep in mind that this large and noble animal is still domesticated in India and some other parts of Asia.

Now, what is the problem raised by the mention of the domestic animals noted
above in the Book of Mormon? The problem is that modern scholars believe that most of
the domestic animals (we except cureloms and cumoms because they are, as yet,
unidentified) mentioned by the Nephite record did not exist in America during historic
times, but were introduced on this continent (the elephants excepted) by Europeans after
the advent of Columbus. That is to say, scientists have not as yet found the material
remains or art representations of domestic animals which our Book of Mormon assumes
were existent during historic periods. For examples of the views taken by recognized
scientific authorities we may turn to the writings of Dr. William Berryman Scott, one of the
foremost scientists in the field of the history of land mammals in the Western Hemisphere.
In relation to swine and oxen he says:

No member of the civets, hyenas, hippopotamuses, true swine,
giraffes, or oxen (as distinguished from bisons) has ever been found in the
Western Hemisphere.

There are several existing families . . which have never found their
way to the Americas, such as true swine, . . . true oxen and giraffes.1

Dr. Scott says that “the only members of the ox-tribe which ever reached America
are the various species of bison, which in this country are so generally misnamed
‘buffaloes.’ “2 He admits the presence on this continent of four or five species of sheep
(Ovis), i.e. wild sheep, and the “Rocky Mountain Goat,” which he says is in reality a true
antelope and a late migrant from Asia.3 He obviously does not mean that it came in
historic times. Speaking of wild asses Scott reports that

No native members of the family are now found anywhere in the
Western Hemisphere, but they were abundant in both northern and southern
continents until the end of the Pleistocene.4

As for the horse, in which we are especially interested, Dr. Scott says:

The Pleistocene horses of North America all belonged to the genus
Equus, but the True Horse, in the restricted sense, that is Equus caballus,
has not been found anywhere in the Western Hemisphere….
Though it can hardly be doubted that the horse family passed through
the greater part of its development in North America, yet the immediate
ancestry of all existing species is to be sought in the Old World as the
Pleistocene species of North and South America, all became extinct, leaving
no descendants behind them. In the Pleistocene, every continent except
Australia had its horses and it was only in the Western Hemisphere that they
disappeared altogether.5

Dr. Scott, palaeontologist that he is, also admits the presence of true elephants in
North and South America,6 but fossil evidence does not necessarily prove their presence
in historic times. But Scott tells of the finding in 1929 of the skeleton of a mastodont in
Ecuador which had probably been killed by Indians; indeed, they had seemingly roasted
the flesh, making fires within the body-cavity of the large animal. The site, with its painted
pottery, stone implements, and the skeleton, was dated by Dr. Spillman of Quito as being near the time of Christ.7

Students of the Book of Mormon don’t need to account to critics for the mention of
dogs in its text for the very good reason that when the white man explored this continent
after its discovery, he found that every Indian tribe had them. It is estimated that at least
twenty distinct breeds were present in North and South America.8
Inasmuch as scientists have not found many material remains of domestic animals
which are spoken of in the Book of Mormon and which would be expected to exist in
historic times (2000 B.C. – 400 A.D.), one wonders when their prehistoric types met
extinction. In a recent article, Jim J. Hester has provided convenient tables with
radiocarbon dating for the probable time of extinction of many animals, but unfortunately
these tables do not provide data on most of the specific animals in which we are here
interested. He says:

Most herding animals, such as the Columbian mammoth, horse,
camel, and bison, as well as the dire wolf rapidly became extinct about 8,000
years ago. The dates suggest a southward withdrawal from the Great Plains
by the mammoth and a partial contemporaneity of Clovis elephant hunters
[note!] in southern Arizona with Folsom bison hunters on the Plains.9

From what has been said thus far, the student of the Book of Mormon has probably
gathered, at least in part, the nature of the problem involving domestic animals mentioned
in its text. We simply do not have at present much solid scientific evidence to back up
what is said about the existence of such animals in historic times. But let it be emphasized
that the problem is complex, and negative evidence is not necessarily fatal to Book of
Mormon claims. We shall have to wait patiently for the evidence. Truth can always afford
to wait its vindication. And let us keep in mind that archaeologists have not yet excavated
many true Book of Mormon sites. Moreover, who knows what kind of evidence regarding the use of domestic animals may turn up in such places? And who knows what evidence might
turn up if scientists would only “excavate” amongst the huge stores of materials yet
awaiting careful investigation in the musty old storerooms in our great museums in this and
other countries?
Now, in spite of the paucity of evidence relating to the presence of domestic animals
on the Western Hemisphere during historic times, the fact remains that Book of Mormon
students have some reasons to rejoice over future prospects of scientific investigation in
this field. Not too many years ago few scientists thought that early man on this
hemisphere could really be proved contemporaneous with the horse, mammoth, mastodon
and elephant. But today few scientists would question the association of early man with
these animals. Anyone who will take the trouble to investigate the literature as we have
will be convinced of the fact. Our good friend and colleague on the Improvement Era staff,
Dr. Franklin S. Harris, Jr., has done an effective job of documenting the evidence in his
handy brochure, The Book of Mormon Message and Evidences.10 A. L. Kroeber even goes
so far as to suggest that Indian tribes, when better equipped and organized, may have put
an end to horses, mastodons, camels, and mammoths. In a given terrain they may have
brought this about in a few centuries.11 It has been pointed out by Kirk Bryan that “most
vertebrate paleontologists concede that the now extinct vertebrates may have survived to
within a very short time ago.”12 Dr. Harris cites the zoologist, Ivan T. Sanderson, as
saying:

There is a body of evidence both from the mainland of Central
America and even from rock drawings in Haiti itself tending to show that the
horse may have been known to man in the Americas before the coming of
the Spaniards.13

M. F. Ashley Montagu relates some traditions about the mammoth and then says:

There is even a possibility that in certain parts of the country the
mammoth may have lingered on up to as recently as five hundred years ago.
In several conversations with the writer, Professor William Berryman Scott,
the doyen of American paleontologists, has given it as his opinion that, had
the first of the Spanish discoverers of America penetrated into the interior,
it is quite possible that they might have met with the living mammoth.
Another distinguished American paleontologist, whose special interest is the
horse, is, I understand, of the opinion that the horse never became extinct
in America.14

Studies undertaken by our graduate students of pictographs of horses drawn by
Indians on cliffs in remote areas give some reason to believe that proof may shortly be
forthcoming showing that the horse existed in the United States, if in small numbers,
before the coming of Columbus. But such pictograph material has to be studied with great
caution and conclusions drawn with extreme care. Latter-day Saint scholars, above all,
must not be hasty in drawing conclusions without ample proofs.
As may be surmised, the problem of demonstrating the use of domestic animals
among ancient American peoples is the most difficult scientific problem faced by Book of
Mormon scholars at the present time. But offhand, it seems incredible to believe that
thousands or millions of these civilized peoples would live without the use of ordinary
domestic animals.

1 A History of Land Mammals in the Western Hemisphere (Revised Ed.), pp. 128, 302
italics ours. New York. The Macmillan Co., 1937.
2 Ibid., p. 308.
3 Ibid, pp. 309, 312.
4 Ibid., p. 398. By Pleistocene is meant the geological age just prior to our own.
5 Ibid., pp. 403-404.
6 Ibid., pp. 236, 274.
7 Ibid., p. 261.
8 See Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 7, p. 542. 1963.
9 “Late Pleistocene Extinction and Radiocarbon Dating,” American Antiquity, Vol. 26, No.
1 (July, 1960), p. 58.
10 Second Edition, 1961. See discussion and extensive footnotes, pages 87-92. We are
indebted to Dr. Harris for permission to cite his material.
11 Harris, op. cit., p. 89.
12 Science, 93, 507 (May 30, 1941). As quoted by Harris, p. 89.
13 Op. cit., p. 91.
14 As quoted by Harris, op. cit., p. 92

The Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican Archeology

Jon Daniels, “The Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican Archeology” Excerpt from standord.edu

Disclaimer: I originally wrote this piece in January of 2001 as a term paper for a Harvard class on Mesoamerican Civilizations (Foreign Cultures 34). Hence, it is written for an audience with background knowledge about Mesoamerican archeology, but not about the Book of Mormon. I have done very little to revise it since then I present it “as is,” although if you have comments or suggestions email me and I’ll update it when I have a chance. Of all the term papers I have written this is the one I feel most proud of. That being said, I’m by no means an excellent writer and I chose an unusual format for this paper. I had much more information that I wanted to include, but I had to trim down my draft to fit within the length limit. I tried to remain as unbiased as possible, but I am believer in the Book of Mormon (and writing this led me to strengthen that conviction). Of course the views expressed here are my own and not official doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did researching it!
  – Jon (01-Feb-03)

The Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican Archeology

The Book of Mormon is a highly controversial book in the light of Mesoamerican archeology. Ever since it was first published in 1830, claiming to contain the word of God as recorded by pre-Colombian Americans in a “golden Bible,” it has had its passionate defenders and equally adamant critics. Through the present, both sides have argued vigorously, seeking whatever literary and archeological evidence available. In 1830, very little was known of the ancient inhabitants of America; however, as the modern field of archeology has progressed, both the supporters and detractors of the Book of Mormon have turned to Mesoamerican archeological evidence to defend their claims. Here I will sketch some of these archeological arguments and discuss their effect on the personal convictions of several individuals. Such arguments, however, are generally not the a basis for a stance on the book’s truthfulness or falsity, but to corroborate a personal conviction or skepticism already present. This is partly due to the interpretive nature of archeology, but the principal reason is that religious convictions are so tightly held that they are not easily changed by the “pedantic theory of some archeologist.” Archeology can never prove the Book of Mormon false to the believer, and it appears unlikely that it will ever be able to prove the Book of Mormon true to the skeptic.

I. What is the Book of Mormon?

The book’s own Introduction begins by stating “the Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.” The Christian Bible (Old and New Testaments) contains writings of various ancient prophets of the Near East, arranged into books and chapters, supposedly recounting both the history of the people and the teachings of God given via these prophets and Jesus. Modern-day Christians look to the Bible as a source of inspired writings and giving instructions as to how to live. The Book of Mormon claims to be an analogue to the Bible, containing God’s word as was expressed to and recorded by a separate people living in the ancient Americas. Both the Book of Mormon and the Christian Bible are accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as inspired writings, or “scripture.”

How did we get the Book of Mormon? LDS Church members believe that a young man named Joseph Smith Jr. was called to be a prophet in 1820 by means of a personal visitation by both God the Father and Jesus Christ (see Pearl: 49-58). In 1823, according to his autobiographical account, Smith was visited by an angelic messenger named Moroni who told him of a book comprised of gold plates “giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent;” the angel subsequently showed him where the plates had been buried in a nearby hillside in rural western New York. In September of 1827 Smith was permitted to take the plates and the accompanying seer stones, which he used to translate the plates by the power of God over the next two years. In early 1830 the Book of Mormon was first published, and in early 2000 the 100 millionth copy of the Book of Mormon was published.

 Who originally wrote the Book of Mormon? The Introduction states:

The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian name Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.

Basically, the Book of Mormon contains the history of this so-called Nephite people and teachings of the the Nephite prophets, as summarized and quoted by the prophet Mormon (thus the title of the book and the nickname of the LDS Church). Mormon, who lived about 400 A.D., passed the gold plates along to his son Moroni, who later buried them. (Recall that Moroni was the angelic messenger who told Joseph Smith about the plates.) Moroni was commanded by God to hide the records because he was the lone survivor of the entire Nephite people, who had been decimated in warfare by the Lamanites. At this point, the Lamanites were described as a “fallen people,” disbelieving in Christ and being exceedingly barbaric, and were determined to destroy any remnant of the Christian Nephite society. Importantly, before burying the plates, Moroni also included a brief summary of the written record of an earlier people whose remains had been discovered by the Nephites, a group termed the Jaredites, who dated from before 2000 B.C. to about 500 or 600 B.C.

What does the Book of Mormon say? The book is analogous to the Bible, although Mormon edited out much of the mundane history in favor of doctrinal expositions. The Introduction states that the “crowning event” of the book “is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this like and eternal salvation in the life to come.” Its fundamental purpose is to make clear the teachings of Christ. There is some background information about the existing society, but the focus of the text is doctrinal, not anthropological.

What is the significance of the Book of Mormon in the LDS faith? The Book of Mormon is not considered a replacement for the Bible, but as a companion volume and “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Joseph Smith declared that “the Book of Mormon was 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 then by any other book” (Introduction). Notably, it differentiates the LDS Church from all others. Also, belief in the Book of Mormon implies belief in the prophetic vocation of Joseph Smith, which implies belief in all the other doctrines of the LDS Church by extension. By this logic, accepting the Book of Mormon is equivalent to accepting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only church that teaches the complete truth, and a rejection of it is likewise a rejection of the Church. In this way Book of Mormon can be fairly termed the “keystone” of the LDS faith.

II. Book of Mormon Lands and Peoples: Claims and Identification

If the Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites lived in the ancient Americas, where exactly did they live? To which ancient peoples do they correspond? What corroborating evidences might exist or not exist? These questions have been asked ever since the Book of Mormon was first published. Importantly, the LDS Church has never taken an official stand on such matters. However, a lively discourse exists on the subject, as many Church leaders and trained archeologists who are Church members have made their personal opinions public. According to virtually all modern commentators, Mesoamerica is the only plausible setting. Importantly, the book itself gives internal clues that allow for approximate dating of most events described.

What geographic features are mentioned in the Book of Mormon? The most characteristic geographical feature mentioned is a narrow passage of land. Alma 22:32 states that “it was the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite… [to cross] a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward.” The Book of Mormon also mentions a “Land of Desolation” devoid of trees, a north-flowing river that was small enough to cross without major difficulty but large enough to be a major landmark, and both east and west seashores. It is also speaks of a both rugged and flat terrain, predominantly forested. Just before the appearance of Christ to the Nephites in 34 A.D., cataclysmic events such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and violent storms are said to have occurred to signal the crucifixion of Christ. As a result, “the whole face of the land was changed” and “many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth” (3 Nephi 8:12, 14). Little to no geographic information is given after this point in the Book of Mormon.

What objects are mentioned in the Book of Mormon? Many plants, animals, weapons, and such are mentioned (see Larson Ch. 5 for comprehensive lists). For example, both wheat and barley are mentioned multiple times, corn is mentioned once, and an agrarian lifestyle is implied in multiple instances. A variety of animals are mentioned, most controversially elephants by the Jaredites and horses by the Nephites. “Flocks and herds” and “cattle” of unspecified composition are referred to, along with goats and oxen. Bows, arrows, shields, slings, swords, and protective armor are mentioned. Other materials mentioned include iron, copper, and gold, silk, and linen.

What cultural characteristics are mentioned in the Book of Mormon? The people of the Book of Mormon clearly had a writing system. Moroni gives the only description available:

And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. (Mormon 9:32-33)

The use of a Hebrew-derived written language that was in common use is suggested, along with a hieroglyphic alphabet used exclusively for writing under space constraints. Religion in many forms, both Christian and pagan, is mentioned, including mention that the rituals and sacrifices prescribed by the Law of Moses were performed in Nephite religious temples during some periods, just as they were by the ancient Jews in the Near East. Specialization of labor and social classes are evident. Warfare is prominent, both in political upheavals and against campaigns neighboring groups; recall that the Nephites were said to have been completely destroyed by warfare. Multiple political systems are mentioned; the Nephite government began as a kingship, then is said to have changed to a more democratic system of judges about 90 B.C. that survived until 34 A.D. From the ministry of Christ in 34 A.D. until roughly 200 A.D., the society is said to have lived in classless peace and harmony. Then gradually the society as a whole began to disbelieve in Christ’s teachings, competing tribal factions reformed, class distinctions reemerged, and warfare became commonplace once again. Importantly, the Nephites are described as fair-skinned and the Lamanites as dark-skinned.

What correspondences have been drawn to modern geography and archeology? Immediately after the publication of the book, some church members identified Book of Mormon peoples with the North American mound builders, chiefly due to the flurry of press attention and speculation about their origin (Vogel: 33). When John Lloyd Stevens and Frederick Catherwood published Incidents of Travel in Central America in 1841, parts were reprinted in the de facto church newspaper, and one of the editors commented that the “wonderful ruins of Palenque are among the mighty works of the Nephites” (quoted in Larson: 21, emphasis in original). Orson Pratt, an early apostle of the Church, put forth the obvious idea that the narrow neck of land that divided the “land northward” and the “land southward” corresponded to modern-day Panama. His ideas were widely embraced, and consequentially from 1876 to 1920 the Book of Mormon was even published with specific geographic descriptions in the footnotes (Proctor: 8). Eventually, however, this idea fell out of favor, as the distances mentioned in the Book of Mormon are relatively short. It also became increasingly clear to the faithful, due to both archaeology and internal evidences, that Book of Mormon peoples could not have been the sole inhabitants of the Americas. The book itself mentions groups leaving the main body of Nephites to go off and settle other areas, mostly to the north, both by land and by boat, particularly about 90 B.C. (Alma 63:4-9).

Why is Mesoamerica usually taken as the setting for the Book of Mormon? Quite simply, Mesoamerica is the region that corresponds best to many identifying features found in the Book of Mormon. For example, the time period of the Olmecs matches roughly with that of the supposed Jaredites (roughly 2200 – 550 B.C.) and the time period of the Nephites matches late pre-classic civilizations such as El Mirador and Monte Alban I. Mesoamerican civilization “was marked by high cultural achievement in religion, architecture, agriculture, calendrics, and astronomy,” all of which are attributes mentioned in the Book of Mormon (Proctor: 10). Finally, Mesoamerica best fits the geographic descriptions given in the book, although specific locations are still debatable.

III. Arguments and Counterarguments

Many arguments presenting evidence for and against the Book of Mormon have been made. Here I will highlight a just a few of the long-lived debates. Virtually all of the characteristics mentioned above have also been extensively analyzed in light of Mesoamerican scholarship, from the geographical features down to the identification of Quetzalcoatl with Jesus Christ.

What did Joseph Smith know about Mesoamerica when the Book of Mormon was published? This is a hotly debated issue in which we can expect no resolution soon. Of course, if Joseph Smith knew all about Mesoamerican native peoples and the archeological findings made before 1830, it is obvious that he could simply have incorporated that into the Book of Mormon. However, if he had no way of knowing about such matters, any correspondences would suggest to some that the book is of divine origin. It has been demonstrated that some material about ancient Mesoamerica had been published, mostly in London, and some passages had been reprinted by New England newspapers (see Vogel Ch. 2, Roberts New: 87-90). The difficulty arises in determining how much Joseph Smith might have learned, since he lived in rural western New York and had only three years of formal education. Despite this difficulty, one thing is certain: some of the historical and religious ideas expressed in the Book of Mormon were ideas widely debated in the Smith’s community. For example, Ethan Smith (no relation) authored a fictional narrative View of the Hebrews in a nearby town in 1823, suggesting that the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel were the ancestors of the native Americans (Williams: 164). Additionally, in the early 1800’s there was a great fascination in digging for buried treasure, reminiscent of the story of the discovery of the gold plates. Whether or not these ideas influenced the creation of the book has been debated ever since accusations were leveled by disaffected church members in the early 1830’s.

What about horses? The Book of Mormon makes several references to horses, both during the Nephite and Jaredite periods, the latest reference being dated 17 A.D. (3 Nephi 3:22). It is clear that some horses were domesticated and used for pulling ceremonial chariots by the first century B.C. (Alma 18:9), although there is no reference to any person riding on a horse or horses being used in warfare. The archeological record finds no clear evidence of horses since at least 3000 B.C., and probably since about 6000 B.C. Some have suggested that Mesoamerican deer may have been called horses by the transplanted Hebrews, pointing to linguistic connections and the fact that Spanish horses were sometimes termed the-deer-which-carried-men-upon-their-backs by the Aztec. Others have criticized this theory, pointing out that Mesoamerican deer are quite small, and that if this was the case the word should have been translated deer by Joseph Smith even if the Nephites used their preexisting word horse. Larson summarizes that “the absence of support for the animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon,” particularly horses, “constitutes a serious obstacle to verifying [its] historicity” (194).

What about coins? Some have criticized the Book of Mormon by virtue of the system of “coinage” described in Alma chapter 11. Here different measures of gold and silver are set forth, with their value in relation to a senine, which was a daily wage of a judge, a measure of gold, and an equivalent measure of grain. In the brief chapter header, not part of the original text of the book, there is a reference to “Nephite coinage.” Critics have readily pointed out that metal coins have never been found by archeologists. The rebuttal of believers revealing of disdain; Peterson states:

The text of the Book of Mormon never mentions the word coin, nor any variant of it…. Alma 11 probably refers to standardized weights of metal a historical step towards coinage but not yet the real thing. So Latter-day Saint scholars would be as surprised as anybody if we were someday to find a cache of “Book of Mormon coins.” (152, emphasis in original)

Lindsey turns the critic’s argument into his argument for the veracity of the book by saying “if Joseph Smith had written the Book of Mormon [instead of translating an ancient record], discussing coins would have been an easy mistake to make.”

What about the Hebrew influence on the language of Book of Mormon peoples? If the original Mesoamericans, or at least a subset of them, came from the Near East, one would expect to find a Hebraic language influence. Has any such influence been proven? No conclusive evidence has ever been presented. Supporters of the Book of Mormon point to scattered linguistic connections and anecdotal evidence. What has been clearly shown is that the book contains many Hebraisms, even Hebrew literary forms not yet noticed by scholars until this century. Critics dismiss this as the influence of the Old Testament on the writing of the Book of Mormon, and believers take it as evidence of its authenticity. However, virtually all modern scholars dismiss any hereditary relationship of Native American languages to Hebrew, judging by word forms and grammar; and most deny any link whatsoever. For example, the names of people and places in the Book of Mormon, for example, are very Hebraic in form, but generally bear no resemblance to Native American proper nouns. Of course, skeptics feel that such lack of linguistic evidence disproves the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

IV. Faith and Archeology

Due to space constraints, I have chosen to focus on how believers in the Book of Mormon deal with archeological arguments that contradict their belief. Those who base their belief system on scientific evidence tend to dismiss the Book of Mormon outright, because the book does not provide an adequate model for the Mesoamerican societies observed archaeologically; they dismiss as coincidence the scattered evidence supporting the Book of Mormon. If a huge quantity of evidence was suddenly found supporting definitively the Book of Mormon, they would shift their belief system along with the evidence. But how do believers deal with opposing views when they lack hard evidence?

Why do people believe in the Book of Mormon? People that believe in the Book of Mormon do so for esoteric reasons, not because of academic proof. The LDS Church as an institution has made little to no attempt to provide archeological proofs of the book, although some church members have. The Church instead teaches that individuals should believe in the Book of Mormon for less tangible reasons. As LDS missionaries present the book to non-members, they emphasize this passage of the Introduction, which summarizes some of Moroni’s closing words:

We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (emphasis mine; see Moroni 10:3-5)

The missionaries then proceed to invite the person to read portions of the book, think about them, and then to ask God in prayer if the book is true. A typical missionary might comment: “instead of asking some imperfect human what their belief is, we should ask God, who knows everything and will undoubtedly tell us the truth.” Hence, for most members of the Church, faith in the Book of Mormon is caused by a perceived answer from God, not scientific proof. As McMurrin comments, “there is something private, subjective, and inevitably elusive about theophanies” that makes them almost immune to outside criticism but simultaneously susceptible to weakening and abandonment over time (in Roberts Studies: xvi).

Brigham Young, an early Church leader and pioneer, did not immediately accept the Book of Mormon when some close family members did in 1830. He recalled:

“Hold on,” said I… “Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and of the revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them.”… I examined the matter studiously, for two years, before I made up my mind to receive that book. I knew it was true, as well as I knew that I could see with my eyes, or feel by the touch of my fingers, or be sensible of the demonstration of any sense. Had this not been the case, I would never have embraced it to this day. (Teachings: 2)

Thus Brigham Young was convinced of the book’s truthfulness by the doctrine it contained and because he felt deeply that it was of God. We can thus see that individuals who believe in the Book of Mormon do so because of religious convictions based on spiritual impressions, not because of scholarly proof. In fact, having irrefutable proof of the book’s truthfulness would be incompatible with Church doctrine, and general Christian doctrine, since it is deemed necessary to have faith in God’s teachings without having absolute proof of them. Critics would argue that it’s pointless to believe in something that cannot be scientifically proven, but that merely leads back to the ageless debate about the relationship of science and religion.

What is archeological proof? Due to the nature of archeology, we can never hope to know everything about an ancient civilization. Often believers use this fact to dodge contrary archeological evidence. Only a fraction of the physical implements of a Mesoamerican civilization can possibly be recovered, since the vast majority are biodegraded, buried, or otherwise destroyed. Archeologists do the best they can with the available evidence, but few pretend that the evidence is complete or that a theory is infallible. Thus, archeological evidence is generally positive; in other words, it is very difficult to show that something did not exist archaeologically. Some believers in the Book of Mormon would say, for example, that just because remains of horses have never been found in any site in Mesoamerica does not prove that horses did not exist definitively, since next week horse remains might be found. This seems a bit absurd when carried to such an extreme, but the because new archeological discoveries are constantly being made, it is admittedly difficult to prove the absence of something. Adding to this quandary is the tendency of early Mesoamerican groups to eliminate all remnants of a conquered group, which is attested archaeologically and alluded to in the Book of Mormon. Finally, the majority of the Book of Mormon record concerns 34 A.D., before the better-understood post-classic and classic periods of Mesoamerican archeology. In short, Book of Mormon believers have several forms of rationalization to insulate their belief from the lack of archeological evidence in its favor.

B. H. Roberts is an extremely interesting case study in the effects of archeological evidence on religious faith. Born in 1857 in England, both his parents converted to the LDS Church when he was a small child, and he immigrated to Salt Lake City at age 11. From 1888 until his death in 1933 he was a general authority of the Church, serving immediately under the direction of the twelve apostles and prophet of the Church. He was well read, did much writing and public speaking, and was not afraid to discuss tough questions; even in his assignment to compile an official history of the Church he did not gloss over less-than-favorable incidents. He undertook a major life-long scholarly analysis of the Book of Mormon. In 1909, his book New Witness for God: III. The Book of Mormon was published, the third in a series of books defending the church from critical attacks. In 1911 he wrote an article in the official church publication stating:

The Book of Mormon must submit to every test, literary criticism with the rest. Indeed, it must submit to every analysis and examination. It must submit to historical tests, to the tests of archeological research and also to the higher criticism. (quoted in Studies: xxiv)

He was willing to submit the Book of Mormon to scholarly analysis, and stated elsewhere in the same article “I do not believe the Book of Mormon can be assailed and overcome” (quoted in Madsen: 11).

Roberts undertook a broad critical analysis with vigor, several times making written and oral presentations of “Book of Mormon difficulties” to the twelve apostles, including apparent anachronisms such as mention of horses and swords and the lack of linguistic ties to Mesoamerican languages. In the early 1920’s he also prepared a comparative analysis of the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews, pointing out many parallel elements, suggesting it as a possible source for Joseph Smith’s ideas; ironically, in his 1909 book he had dismissed any causal connection between the two. In 1922 he prepared a lengthy written report on his studies for the twelve apostles, including both his analysis of View of the Hebrews parallelisms and archeological inconsistencies with Book of Mormon statements. Roberts was fond of playing “devil’s advocate,” and most believe that he raised these issues behind closed doors with this intent. But some interpret this written report as evidence that Roberts was a closet doubter. Whatever the case, publicly he continued to affirm the truthfulness of both the Book of Mormon and the LDS Church, and in his final public address proclaimed “we who accept [the Book of Mormon] as a revelation from God have every reason to believe that it will endure every test; and the more thoroughly if is investigated, the greater shall be its ultimate triumph” (quoted in Madsen: 26).

Thomas Ferguson provides another interesting story of the interplay of faith and archeology. He was born in 1915 in Idaho to LDS parents (Larson: 1). As a college student at UC-Berkeley, he discovered a passion for studying the relation of Mesoamerican archeology with the unique claims of the Book of Mormon, but in these uncertain economic times decided to pursue a career as an attorney and remain an amateur archeologist (2). In 1946 Ferguson made his first of many trips to Mesoamerica, fascinated by what he saw. He identified parts of highland Guatemala and the Usumacinta River with elements of Book of Mormon geography, and in 1947 published his first book, Cumorah–Where?, in which he analyzed geographic statements in the Book of Mormon and made attempts to reconstruct their locations based on Mesoamerican geography (10-11). He coauthored with Milton Hunter Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, identifying Quiriguá with one of the principal cities mentioned in the Book of Mormon and even offering documentary evidence from Ixtlilxóchitl (22-29). Thoroughly enthused by the prospect having hard evidence for the Book of Mormon, Ferguson asked LDS Church leaders to sponsor excavations in areas he identified, but he was denied monies. He set out to raise funds on his own, and in 1952 he organized the New World Archeological Foundation (NWAF), whose officers included himself, other LDS archeologists and business people, and even a LDS apostle, John A. Widtsoe, who had shown a keen interest in Book of Mormon archeology (42-44). This group sought private funding from LDS members to finance its archeological excavations. However, from its inception the NWAF had objectivity as its policy, and members were instructed not to make mention of the Book of Mormon in professional settings. Despite this, Ferguson wrote in the NWAF’s first news release “it is the opinion of the organizers of the Foundation who are Mormon that the excavations being undertaken will sustain the truth of the Book of Mormon” (46).

In 1958 Ferguson published One Fold and One Shepherd, making known evidence furnished by the NWAF in support of the Book of Mormon. However, by the mid-1960’s, Ferguson became frustrated, as no conclusive evidence of the Book of Mormon had been found despite the work of the NWAF (69). This disappointment set the stage for his eventual rejection of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the LDS Church. This rejection, however, came as a consequence of the discovery of some of the Joseph Smith papyri in a museum (84). Joseph Smith had supposedly translated from some ancient Egyptian documents an account of Abraham. In the late 1960’s some of the original fragments were discovered, translated, and found to contain a rather commonplace Egyptian breathing text. Ferguson, who made a private investigation of the matter, concluded that Joseph Smith was a fraud, and denied authenticity of the Book of Mormon as well (119-20). His whole religious outlook changed, he quickly became what Larson dubbed a “letter-writing closet doubter,” a man who had lost all faith in God but did not want to turn others away from their dearly-held beliefs (134). In a 1975 letter, he stated his opinion that

All elements of religion that are supernatural (including the endless string of miracles in the New Testament) are fabrications of men like Joseph Smith…. Further, I presently believe that Mormonism is as good of brand of supernatural religion as any other…I am inclined to believe that supernatural religion… does more good than it does harm. (154)

Along with his denial of religion in general, he also he presented a paper at a symposium of LDS Mesoamerican scholars detailing what he saw as the most important archeological problems relating to the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Despite his skepticism, Ferguson continued to attend some Church meetings, and apparently found activity in the LDS Church to be socially rewarding. In the early 1980’s, he repeatedly said that the LDS Church was “the best available brand of man-made religion” (157, emphasis added). There is some evidence, however, that previous to his death, he may have regained at least some faith in the Book of Mormon. His son Larry reported that:

About one month before his death [February 1983], I was with him at our home in California when, for no apparent reason he said “Larry, the Book of Mormon is exactly what Joseph Smith said it was.” Then he bore one of the strongest testimonies of the Book of Mormon I have ever heard. (160)

What inspired such a declaration of faith, after so many years of doubt, is debatable. The life of Thomas Ferguson is the story of a fascinating interplay between faith and archeology.

V. Conclusion

It appears that belief in the Book of Mormon will forever remain outside the domain of archeologic proof. Unquestionably, those who believe in the book will continue to cite Mesoamerican archeological finds as evidence for their claims of plausibility. A perfect example is John Sorenson’s recent Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life, which is full of photos of all aspects of ancient and present-day Mesoamerica along with speculation as to correspondences with Book of Mormon statements. At the same time, critics will point to the lack of conclusive evidence as a proof of implausibility of a literal interpretation of the book, as LDS-born Charles A. Shook did in his book Cumorah Revisited.

Those who have faith in the Book of Mormon generally do so for religious reasons, and most continue to hold that faith in the midst of archeological skepticism. This can be witnessed by the continued growth of the LDS Church, despite ever-present scholarly attacks. The effects of scholarship on the beliefs of B. H. Roberts and Thomas Ferguson were detailed above, showing that archeologic evidence can tamper significantly with the deeply-held beliefs of the analytic believers. For the general unbeliever whose assessment of the veracity of the Book of Mormon is based on academic arguments, only extraordinary archeologic evidence affirming it would be sufficient to cause a shift in belief. There is no hint that any such evidence is immediately forthcoming. So Mesoamerican archeology, though considered important in the debate surrounding the Book of Mormon, will do little to change the people’s beliefs.

Works Cited

Book of Mormon, The: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 1981. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Originally published 1830.
Larson, Stan. 1996. Quest for the Gold Plates: Thomas Stuart Ferguson’s Archaeological Search for The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Freethinker Press.
Lindsay, Jeff. “Why does the Book of Mormon mention coins?” http://mormons.org/response/qa/bom_coins.htm
Madsen, Truman G. 1982. Chapter 1 in Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University.
Pearl of Great Price: Joseph Smith History. 1981 edition. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Originally written in 1838 by Joseph Smith. Canonized extracts from History of the Church, vol. 1, chapters 1-5.
Peterson, Daniel C. 1997. Chapter 6 in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins. Ed. Noel B. Reynolds. Provo: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies.
Proctor, Scot Facer and Maurine Jensen Proctor. 1993. Light from the Dust: A Photographic Exploration into the Ancient World of the Book of Mormon. USA: Deseret Book.
Roberts, B. H. 1909. New Witness of God: III. The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Deseret News.
______. 1985. Studies of the Book of Mormon. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young. 1997. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Collected statements of Brigham Young arranged by topic.
Williams, Stephen. 1991. Fantastic Archaeology. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Vogel, Dan. 1986. Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon. USA: Signature Books.

“Feelings” vs. Evidence

“Should I Rely on Feelings” Rather Than Evidence to Know if the Book of Mormon is True?” Excerpt from meetmormonmissionaries.org

Should I Rely on “Feelings” Rather Than Evidence to Know if the Book of Mormon is True?

Sooner or later everyone wonders how to know if something is true.  In school, we learn about the scientific method.  In this method a person tests an idea to see if it works every time.  If it does, then he can conclude that his idea was right.  When it comes to mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other sciences, we can test the evidence to understand the truth.  However, it is more difficult to test the idea that there is a God or that the scriptures really contain His words.  How can we therefore know the truth?

In John 14:26 Jesus told His disciples that after his departure into heaven, God the Father would send the Holy Ghost which “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”  It is important to understand that the Holy Ghost, also called the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things.  This means that through the Holy Ghost we can know if there is a God.  How will the Holy Ghost tell us whether God lives or whether the Book of Mormon is true?  To understand that we must first understand God’s pattern for revealing truth.  Both the New Testament and the Book of Mormon teach us that God will reveal things to His prophets through visions and angels.

Mormon, one of the prophets in the Book of Mormon, and after whom it is named, taught that, “God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Jesus Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.  And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come” (Moroni 7:22-23).  God teaches his truths to prophets, and these are recorded in the Scriptures.  This is what Peter taught in the New Testament:

” For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21).”

In Acts 10:34-44, Peter teaches that God chose certain men as witnesses and commanded them to teach others, that they might believe in God also.  When Peter  finished his teaching, the Holy Ghost came upon those present, and they believed his words and were baptized immediately.  The Holy Ghost, then, confirms to us the truthfulness of the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets.  How, then, can we know when the Spirit is teaching us?  Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Comforter (John 14:26).  Paul describes the fruits of the Spirit that we feel when the Spirit enters our hearts and minds.  He says,

” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).”

When we feel love, peace, and a greater desire to do good, then we can know that the Holy Spirit is present and telling us that what we are reading or hearing is true. The Book of Mormon gives us a very clear description of how to know we can gain faith.  Alma, a prophet in the ancient Americas, taught that faith is like a seed and it grows through our prayers and our righteousness.  Like the scientific method mentioned above, he asks people to experiment on the teachings and words of Jesus Christ found in the Book of Mormon:

“If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves–It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge (Alma 32:27-29).”

To experiment on the word means to ponder the words written and to imagine what they would mean if true.  It also means to test the teachings by trying to follow the commandments of God such as prayer, scriptures study, attending church services, and serving others.  As you begin to do these things, the Holy Ghost will enter into your heart and mind, and you will know that the teachings, and ultimately that the Book of Mormon as well, are true.

Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon

John A. Tvedtnes, “Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” Excerpt from meridianmagazine.com

john-a-tvedtnes

The title page of the Book of Mormon informs us that Mormon’s abridgment of the Nephite records was “To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof …The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.” The idea is also found in the Testimony of the Three Witnesses, in D&C 135:3, and in Joseph Smith’s declaration, “Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God” (History of the Church 4:537).

Though the Book of Mormon was of divine origin, there were other factors that made it possible to bring it to light. One of these was the manner in which the plates containing the record were preserved. Had Mormon written his abridgment on perishable materials, it might not have survived the 1400 years until the time of Joseph Smith. He could have written it on plates of copper, bronze, or silver, but these could have oxidized over the centuries, leaving only fragmentary text.

Instead, he chose gold (or a gold alloy), which retains its brightness after thousands of years of burial in the ground. Mormon’s son, Moroni, carefully placed the plates in a stone box atop two other stones and covered the box with a much larger stone that kept the cache safe from discovery and the effects of nature. [1] It was the Lord who directed the preparation of records on plates (1 Nephi 9:3, 5; 19:1, 3; 2 Nephi 5:30-32; Mormon 8:14).

Another obvious factor in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-fifteenth century. 1 Prior to that time, books were copied by hand, mostly by monks in various monasteries throughout Europe, a tedious process that made books available only to clergy. With the arrival of the printing press, books were made available to a wider audience, leading to a rise in literacy in Latin, the language in which Gutenberg’s first printed book, the Bible, was published. [2]

Less than a century after the development of printing, the Protestant Reformation was underway, one of whose goals was to make the Bible available in the native languages of western Europe. Literacy and Bible knowledge spread to the masses over the next few centuries. Although both of these were important for the acceptance of the Book of Mormon by the reading public, [3] as long as there was no one to retrieve and translate Mormon’s record, the book could not become known.

The New World came to the attention of Europeans following the voyages of Christopher Columbus, beginning in 1492, just a few years before the Reformation began. The Protestant movement ultimately led to the formation of the Church of England and its various break-offs, including the Puritan movement that led to the settling of New England in the early seventeenth century.

A Worldwide Phenomenon

Joseph Smith’s ancestors were part of that movement and some participated in the U.S. war of independence against Britain. Most of them lived in Massachusetts, but Joseph Smith Jr. was actually born in Sharon, Vermont. Had his family remained in that area, he might never have come into possession of the gold plates that Moroni hid in a hill located in the state of New York. What, then, brought the Smith family to New York?

The answer to that question is: a volcano, Tambora by name, situated on an island in what is today the nation of Indonesia. In 1815, Tambora exploded with such fury that it has never been surpassed in modern times, not even by the more well-known 1883 eruption of the Indonesian island of Krakatoa.

Ten thousand people on Sumbawa and nearby islands were killed instantaneously, and 82,000 more died from the famine and disease that followed. The sound of the explosion was heard as far away as 1,600 miles, on the island of Rodriguez.

Tambora ejected some thirty-six cubic miles (170 billion tons) of volcanic debris into the stratosphere. The thick ash cloud produced complete darkness on islands up to 370 miles away for three days. Circling the globe many times over and joining with ash from the 1812 eruption of La Soufrière in the West Indies and the 1814 eruption of Mt. Mayon on the Philippine island of Luzon, it produced spectacular orange sunsets as far away as England, and parts of Europe and North America experienced no summer in 1816.

Snow fell in some parts of New England as late as July and August, with frost recorded every month from June through September. Crop failure resulted in widespread famine and food riots in France and England.

The Smiths, then living in Norwich, Vermont, were among those who experienced crop failures due, as Lucy Mack Smith wrote, “to an untimely frost” that “almost caused a famine.” Her husband decided to move to New York and the family settled in the vicinity of Palmyra, where Joseph Jr. not only experienced his first vision, but also received the visit of the angel Moroni, from whom he obtained the abridgment plates prepared by Mormon and hidden by Moroni himself a millennium and a half earlier.

Translations and Studies

The next factor in bringing the Book of Mormon to the people of the world was missionary work. Shortly after the book’s publication in 1830, Joseph’s brother Samuel took copies with him on a missionary journey in the northeastern part of the United States. Since that time, missionaries have distributed copies of the Book of Mormon throughout much of the world.

This has been facilitated by another development, the restored Church’s translation program, which began in the 1850s and was accelerated beginning in the 1970s. By the end of 2007, some 100 million copies of the Book of Mormon had been printed in 94 languages.

A factor in bringing the Book of Mormon to the attention of more people is scholarly research into Book of Mormon topics. Early researchers included Thomas Brookbank, B. H. Roberts, and Janne Sjodahl, followed in the mid 20th century by Sidney Sperry, Hugh Nibley, and others. Great advances were made beginning in 1946 by the Society for Early Historic Archaeology, now carried on by the Ancient America Foundation.

With the establishment of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) in 1979, scholarly efforts became more coordinated and more widely known, thanks to the publication of numerous books and periodicals such as the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.

FARMS has now been incorporated into the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University. Some of the institute’s research has been brought to the attention of a wider range of scholars outside the Latter-day Saint community. [4] In recent years, some articles published by the institute have been published in foreign languages. [5]

The development of electronic media has also contributed to spreading abroad the message of the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued its computerized versions of all the scriptures in the 1980s and the Infobases CD-ROM included them as well. With the acquisition of Infobases by the Church-owned Deseret Book, they are now available on that company’s GospelLink CD-ROM packages.

A number of Latter-day Saints made the entire text of the Book of Mormon available on their own websites, and it is now available on the Church’s web site at http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents. One can also order a free copy of the printed Book of Mormon.

The factors listed here (which may comprise an incomplete list) have made the Book of Mormon readily accessible to most of the earth’s inhabitants. It is even available in audio recordings for the visually impaired and in Braille (for some languages) for the hearing impaired. But there remains one more important factor, which takes us back to the beginning of our discussion, i.e., that the Book of Mormon came to us “by the gift and power of God.”

Divine Assurance
The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, published in the beginning of the Book of Mormon since 1830, declares that they handled the plates from which Joseph Smith translated the book and that they appeared to be ancient. They solemnly declared “we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken.”

The Testimony of Three Witnesses differs from this rather mundane declaration and physical description in affirming that “an angel of God” appeared and showed them the plates, so that “they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man,” as was the case with the eight witnesses. They further testified that, “We also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.”

Whereas the eight could only affirm that the plates existed, the three learned from God himself that the translation was divinely performed. I.e., they learned that the text itself was true.

Joseph having returned the plates to the angel, we, too, must rely on divine assurance that the text of the Book of Mormon is true. We do this by following the admonition of Moroni, written before he hid the plates up for future generations:

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:4-5)

Just as the Book of Mormon was brought to light by the gift and power of God, it is by the gift and power of God that we can know of its truth.

1 For recent studies of the printing of the Book of Mormon, see David J. Whittaker, “’That Most Important of All Books,’ A Printing History of the Book of Mormon,” and Paul Gutjahr, “The Golden Bible in the Bible’s Golden Age: The Book of Mormon and Antebellum Print Culture,” both in FARMS Occasional Papers 5 (2007). See also Larry W. Draper, “Book of Mormon Editions,” in M. Gerald Bradford and Alison Coutts (eds.), Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: History and Findings of the Critical Text Project (Provo: FARMS, 2002).

——————————————————————————–

[1] The hiding of records in caves or in the ground is now known to have been a widespread ancient practice, as I discussed in my book The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books: Out of Darkness Unto Light (Provo: FARMS, 2000). See also H. Curtis Wright, “Metal Documents in Stone Boxes,” in volume 1 of John M. Lundquist and Stephen R. Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret and FARMS, 1990).

[2] When St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD, he intended to make the Bible (formerly available in Greek and Hebrew) more widely available to those who could read. At the time, none of the native tongues of western Europe were being written, so those who were literate could read only Latin.

[3] Both were also factors in the rejection of the Book of Mormon by those who considered the Bible the exclusive word of God.

[4] For a brief history of such research, see John A. Tvedtnes, “Scholarship in Mormonism and Mormonism in Scholarship,” posted on the FAIR web site at http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR. For a specific example, see Tvedtnes, “Hebrew Names in the Book of Mormon,” posted on the FAIR web site at http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/HebrewNames.pdf. This paper was originally presented at the 13th annual World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, August 2001.

[5] In addition to the ones on the institute’s web site (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/), several volumes have appeared in the German series F.A.R.M.S. Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Deutschsprachige Ausgabe. For a French web site that includes many scholarly articles on the Book of Mormon and other LDS topics, go to http://www.idumea.org/Etudes/Etudes.htm.

DNA and the Book of Mormon

David W. Allan, “DNA and the Book of Mormon” Excerpt from allanstime.com

David W. Allan

David W. Allan

Nov. 16, 2007

A review of Rodney Meldrum’s new DNA evidence that has come forth since the DVD, “DNA versus the Book of Mormon” was made. This new evidence, in contrast to the first, appears to provide support for the Book of Mormon as well as and an interesting geographic paradigm for the events therein.

DNA fingerprinting has been validated as a very effective tool in genetic relationships and research. It is used in courts of law as first level evidence and can determine life or death.

Recently, a video was made (© 2002-2003) entitled DNA vs. the Book of Mormon. It is distributed by “Living Hope Ministries” in Brigham City, Utah, and has been distributed widely.  Among there statements of faith are, “We believe the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, living word of God, and is relevant and applicable today. God reveals His unchanging Truth through His written word.” It is easy to see why they have an issue with the claims around the Book of Mormon. Every post office box in Fountain Green received a copy of their DNA vs. the Book of Mormon DVD. It was placed on every door in Springville. The missionaries in Salt Lake City are having a hard time – doors are slammed in their faces with comments like, “We know of your fallacious Book of Mormon.” The video’s main thrust is to disprove the Book of Mormon. 

The video is being bought mainly by other Christian ministries at an enormous rate. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons or Latter-day Saints, LDS), which is now the fifth largest Christian denomination in the world, is perceived by them as leading many people astray. They see this video as a very significant tool to combat Mormon proselytizing efforts, and to get people to forsake Mormonism. In an intellectually oriented society, it is working well for them. In addition, many members have left the Church as a result of the information contained in the video. In addition, many Christians believe that we are not Christians, and much literature is circulated by them to enlighten the Latter-day Saints. So this video adds ammunition to their arsenal – proving that “Mormonism” is based on the work of a false-prophet deceiver.

Prior to the video’s production, four DNA haplogroups, A, B, C, & D had been identified from 375 different tribes. A is mainly in Alaska; B is in the N. America SW area, and C & D are in South, Central, and North America. All four groups have been shown to come from Asia with no link to Israel – in contradiction to the typical-LDS, Book of Mormon explanation of the origins of these peoples. This DNA link of the American Indians to Asia is also consistent with the evolutionary model for the human race. 

Experts also believe, that the evolution of DNA can be used for dating, and that following all the world’s different haplogroups back, leads us in the beginning to DNA-mitochondrial Eve. They date her at 200,000 years ago. In 1998, some research was done to re-calibrate their mitochondrial clock, and that led to mitochondrial Eve coming forth 6,000 years ago, and they knew that could not be right. So they said, “Back to the bones,” – carbon dating, in other words. 

When I first heard of this “DNA proof that the Book of Mormon is not true,” my mind went to a statement of one of Elder James E. Talmage, who was considered to be one of the 10 most learned men in the world and was an Apostle in the Church in the early 1900s. When confronted with claims from Book of Mormon critics of anachronisms in it –the mention of horses, of cimeters or swords, and of silk. Elder Talmage predicted in his journal that the Book of Mormon would be vindicated. And indeed it later was vindicated as all these things were found. His testimony of the Book of Mormon was unaffected, because it was based on faith – not scientific evidence. One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Corinthians 2:, wherein we are taught that the natural man cannot know the things of God. They are foolishness to him, because they are spiritually discerned.

Recently, some dear friends of ours, Blaine and Carolyn Wood, shared with us a talk by an LDS, DNA expert, Rodney Meldrum, <rodneymeldrum {at} hotmail.com>.  He spent 2 ½ years researching DNA types in North America. He found in the literature a haplogroup – denoted X2 – that ties directly to Israel, Italy, and Finland, and which came here pre Columbus. The Algonquin tribes are among this haplogroup. Most interestingly, the X2 haplogroup correlates directly with those that the Prophet Joseph said were the descendants of Joseph in Egypt, as Joseph Smith wrote in the Wentworth letter from which we get the Articles of Faith. Hence, this would be consistent with the Book of Mormon. There are several other statements from the Prophet Joseph, that Rodney has found, that tie the Book of Mormon peoples to this X2 haplogroup.

The scientific method has served us well since it was introduced by Bacon, Galileo, Copernicus, and others some 400 years ago. Employing the five senses in this methodology, we have literally seen a technological explosion since that time, and it continues. Man has exploited that technology explosion for good and evil. Fortunately, early in my career, I learned that the scientific method coupled with the sixth sense (the spiritual sense mentioned above in 1 Corinthians 2:) opens one to the truths of God – Truths with a capital “T,” that don’t change with time as they often do in the case of scientific truths.

Unfortunately, it seems the world has moved some backwards in the scientific method in that the data are too often ignored as in the case above with mitochondrial Eve. Since the data didn’t fit the evolutionary theory, it was discarded. Similarly, there have been uncovered a large number of ancient relics among the X2 haplogroup here in America that have Hebrew and/or Christian images or symbolisms, but they have been labeled as fallacious, since they don’t line up with the scientific models of our day. In other words, throw away or ignore the data if it doesn’t fit your paradigm. This takes us back to the dark ages and the Aristotelian thought processes for how we answer life’s questions.

I find it ironic that the many Christians, who believe the Bible, and are trying to stop “Mormonism” and to discourage people from reading the Book of Mormon, seem to have forgotten the story in Acts, chapter five, where Peter and John were preaching the gospel openly and with fervor. They were imprisoned by the Jews, then let out of prison by an angel and immediately go to the temple and teach again. They were brought before the council, where again they preach Christ Jesus and how those there in the council crucified the Lord. The Council immediately wanted to “slay them,” but the respected doctor of the law, member of the Council, Gamaliel, brought wisdom to bear. Gamaliel recited how many others had risen up – seeking a following – and their works had come to naught. He then wisely said, “Refrain from these men [Peter and John], and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

The Lord commanded that the gospel be taken to all nations. Over the history of the Church, there is a direct correlation with the number of members and the number of languages into which the Book of Mormon has been translated. Outside of the Bible, the Book of Mormon has brought more people to Christ than any other book, and the Savior said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The Lord gave this as an absolute proof as to whether a prophet is true or false. By this proof we can know that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph is His prophet.

I am very happy that my testimony of my Loving Heavenly Father, of His Beloved Son – our Savior, of the Bible, and of the Book of Mormon are based on personal, spiritual experiences. “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I, personally, am grateful that our Christian friends join in bringing souls to Christ. It is not about contending. It takes no talent to find faults in any organization; the Church is not exempt. It is about oneness with the Father and the Son, which we find by loving them and our neighbor as ourselves. As we respond to Light and Truth, which are ever there for each of us – regardless of race, color, or creed – then we will ever draw closer to them and to each other in love and oneness. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude for the manifestations of His love – the most priceless of which is the gift of His Beloved Son, for which I am most grateful. I feel the Savior’s love. His countless blessings in my life go on and on – among the choicest of which are my family and friends.

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