Spend some time learning more about the book of mormon and related topics. Others believe it was in central america, and south america, and even in other places throughout the world, but the evidence they have to support these claims are lacking compared to the evidences found and described here. On june 22, ford wrote to smith and the nauvoo city council, proposing a trial. But ultimately god requires faith, and is most likely making it intentionally difficult to prove the book of mormon is true, secularly. Mormon traditions that would have us believe the book of mormon took place in the heartland and at new york truly conflict with the book of mormon, believed to be the word of god, so the heartland model is not valid. Echoes and evidences of the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Upcoming events firm foundation expo featuring the 17th international book of mormon evidence conference dates. Moronis america the north american setting for the book. May has been exploring the heartland of north america for evidences of the book of mormon for decades. The only bible that joseph smith relied on was the king james version. Is there evidence for the authenticity of the book of mormon. The video is the third in book of mormon centrals evidence video series, the two previous videos being one on the archaeological evidence for the place called nahom, mentioned by nephi 1 nephi 16. When talking to mormons, expect to hear them say, i know the book. This view, whose most influential proponent is brigham young university archaeologist john l.
If the book is accurate, archaeologists would expect to find numerous pieces of hard evidence in central america that confirm the presence of these societies. The book of mormon is further undermined by the fact that there is no evidence of a semitichieroglyphicdemotic hybrid script called reformed egyptian in the text or a spoken hebrew dialect ever being used by pre or postcolumbian natives of north or south america. The book of mormon describes both within the time frame in accordance with the law of moses. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon is based. Marden pratt, typescript undated and introduction by taunalyn ford. A comparison of the archaeological evidence for the book of mormon with the evidence for the bible clearly shows the weakness of the mormon position. Geographical issues related to dna and the book of mormon.
The church of jesus christ of latterday saints recently released the new film, scripture legacy, which includes several depictions of christs visit to the book of mormons nephite civilization as occurring in the heartland of north america, rather than in the mesoamerican civilization of the maya. Jan, 2016 historical evidence supporting the book of mormon is overwhelming. While mormon scholars admit valid challenges to mormonism from archaeology and the book of abraham, they say the evidences of mormonisms truthfulness is the book of mormon itself, gods confirmation in your spirit, and the number of changed lives. The book of mormon tells of king noah being executed for crimes in a lengthy ceremony similar to the mayan execution ritual. This, of course, is not to imply that there are no problems connected with biblical archaeology, or that archaeological evidence alone can prove the bible to be divinely inspired. A few weeks ago i decided that all of my children were at an age where they might enjoy watching the movie, the ten commandments. How could there be so many witnesses of the book of mormon and the plates and not one of them deny their testimony even when some of them became bitter toward joseph smith. He looks at such things as chiasmus, wordprint analysis, geographical evidence, and much more as he shares his witness that the book of mormon is. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon. Evidence of the truthfulness of the book of mormon lds. Supporters of the book of mormon claim it uses chiasmusa figure of speech utilizing inverted parallelismand claim it is evidence to support the books ancient origin. Dont expect proof for any religion or matter of faith, but yes, there are many issues that support the concept that the book of mormon is of.
Book of mormon the list of archaeological and historical. First published in 1830, the book of mormon tells of the transoceanic migrations of two ancient near eastern peoples to the americas. Appealing to archaeological frauds, however, is deeply problematic, and may actually damage. In the paper revisiting sariah at elephantine, neal rappleye, a research project manager here at book of mormon central, explains that scholars have identified a jewish woman named. He cohosts the awardwinning television program way of the master, airing in every country in the world, and is an executive producer of 180, evolution vs. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. He chronicled his coming to terms with his sexuality in a co authored book with. April 7th9th 2016 one week after lds general conference at utah valley university in the uccu event center orem, utah 3 educationpacked days. Book of mormon thought false by lds memberarchaelogist. What is produced by one man, can always be duplicated by another man. Join the hundreds of lds faithful who have experienced the ultimate in lds educational touring with one of the heartland geographys most knowledgable and enjoyable hosts book of mormon geography expert, researcher, author and lecturer rod meldrum. Think joseph smith could have gotten that right by sheer chance. If there is data supporting the texts, we can calculate whether the book of mormon should be considered to be based on fact or simply a good fiction story. Fords paper written and edited by cameron had depicted the jews as.
Welch while he was on an lds mission in regensburg, germany, chiasmus or poetic parallelism is a nested ancient hebraic form of explaining an idea, where the ideas are set out in series of statements and then repeated with the first being last. It might be the funniest thing in the world to me when someone tells me with absolute certainty that the book of mormon isnt true after having admitted never actually reading the book themselves. This common query often expresses the questioners incorrect assumptions about archaeological methodologyassumptions usually based the questioners lack of knowledge about a very specialized academic area. If a socalled holy book is not a myth, then we will find that the names of cities, people, and other unique details will be supported by archaeological evidence. I have watched more than 20 hours of wayne may book of mormon lecture videos and conversed with both wayne may and rod meldrum in person. T he book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament of jesus christ and specifically of the account of his supposed visit to the american continent the book of mormon, 3 nephi 11. To me, the evidence proving the book of mormon is overwhelming. How to prove that the book of mormon is true quora. Believers in the book of mormon have long sought for archaeological evidence that supports belief in the book s claims of being an ancient american record. Join the 18th semiannual international book of mormon evidence conference sponsored by the firm foundation. The controversial therapy was conducted by phd student max ford mcbride. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints recently released the new film, scripture legacy, which includes several depictions of christs visit to the book of mormon s nephite civilization as occurring in the heartland of north america, rather than in the mesoamerican civilization of the maya.
All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Mar 14, 2020 you can convince god to send the golden plates back down to earth again, then you can take them to a panel of mesoamerican archaeologists and allow them to examine them at length, performing every scientific test on them that they can think of. The book is used by nearly thirteen million individuals who read it along with the holy bible, believing that both were written by prophets and contain the words of god. The strengths of this book include discussions about the bib lical understanding of the. For many years, critics have challenged the veracity of a religious text called the book of mormon. Dant, the book of mormon paintings of minerva teichert. Holbrook and the petrified forest, 259 cameron udall. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. This means that any army in bountiful must ford a major river to begin their. Historical evidence supporting the book of mormon is overwhelming. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the. Implied are the coverup by the smithsonian institute in the name of manifest destiny. Each year at its annual book of mormon lands conference, the book of mormon archaeological forum gives the father lehi award and the mother sariah award to a couple who have contributed significantly to.
Book of mormon evidences mormonism, the mormon church. This contains strong evidence of the book of mormon happening in the united states of america. Watch book of mormon centrals new video on one of the best examples of archaeological evidence we have for the book of mormon. Genetic attacks on the book of mormon focus on the fact that amerindian dna seems closest to asian dna. In this inspiring and informative presentation, dr. Many members of the latter day saint movement claim historical authenticity of the book of mormon. Below are links to videos videos of lectures by wayne may describing secularly confirmed evidence of the book of mormon peoples on the north american continent. This view finds no acceptance outside of mormonism. Joseph smith, the founder and leader of the latter day saint movement, and his brother. The book of mormon describes migrations of people from the middle east to central america, and further describes some features of their civilizations in the new world. What scriptures might challenge the view of a limited geography and the nephites not being alone on the continent or other issues regarding dna.
According to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon church, the book of mormon is a divinely inspired revelation that is complimentary to the bible. There are also some powerful evidences for the book of mormon, including important correlations from the book of mormon text to mesoamerica and hebrew language and customs. After a conversation regarding the promises and covenants of the lord with america, alex determined to incorporate those ideals into his latest music video which he began writing as he watched the world trade center towers collapse on 911. The book of mormon is not supported by any linguistic evidence. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Echoes and evidences of the book of mormon edited by donald w. Why should latterday saints beware fraudulent artifacts. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Book of mormon evidence 5 audio cd series book of mormon.
Mormonism is there any archaeological evidence for the. Archaeological science versus claims of the book of mormon. People around the world who are staying home for public health reasons are spending a lot of time on the internet. The book of mormon and dna evidence jump to subtopic. In order to remove these inherent improbabilities and attempt to salvage the credibility of the book of mormon, a number of modern mormon scholars have proposed several variations of a new approach to book of mormon geography, usually called the limited geography theory. Wayne may describes independent archaeologicalevidence confirming book of mormon dates and cultures among the cherokee, iroquois. If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet.
Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon why is there no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The mayan gods gathered under the tree of life to hold a council all the gods had taken part in the creation of the earth. Olsen, a malay site for book of mormon events, sunstone march 2004. Historical evidence supporting the book of mormon is. Ive encountered even more descendants of the baker, cameron, dunlap. Preearth life similar to mormon teachings, mesoamericans believed gods existed before the world was created. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon is based on the. Native american writings are potentially strong evidence that the occurrences described in the book of mormon actually happened. Nyman, associate professor of ancient scripture, brigham young university it was the prophet joseph smith who said that the book of mormon was the. From time to time, suspected archaeological hoaxes have surfaced which some have attempted to use in support of the book of mormon. The experience was so traumatic for cameron that he left mormonism.
Some are learning new things and building their talent stacks. Hugh nibley and book of mormon geography by kirk magleby. If we had a mesoamerican inscription which mentioned a book of mormon king, with a date and historical context that matched the date and context for the book of mormon, would that be objective evidence in favor of the historicity of the book of mormon. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to lgbt individuals having. The book of mormon is the only explanation for this scripture. The book of mormon contains accounts by several different people over a thousand years, harmonized and abridged into a whole narrative by a father and son, mormon and moroni, who lived around 400 ad. Ancient american publisher and renown book of mormon scholar wayne n. What scriptures in the book of mormon affirm the presence of other people in the book of mormon in the new world. Denton is a talented writer, but mormon historians found her book an easy target. But ultimately god requires faith, and is most likely making it intentionally difficult to prove the book of. Evidence for nephis bountiful, journal of book of mormon studies, 71 1998. Ritual sacrifice both human sacrifice and animal sacrifices occurred in ancient america.
For example, critics of mormonism have shown convincing proof that the book of mormon is a synthesis of earlier works written by other men, of the vivid imaginings of joseph smith, and of plagiarisms from the king james bible. Proof that the book of mormon is true, excerpt from. Given the sparse nature of the mesoamerican data, and the uncertainties of the pronunciation of maya glyphs 1500 years ago, the akishukix connection is as good as we can expect to find. The first of these peoples, called jaredites, are supposed to have come to. Geographical, and other evidences in support of the book of mormon landscape, as found in north america.
Ray comfort is the founder and ceo of living waters and the bestselling author of more than 90 books, including god has a wonderful plan for your life, how to know god exists, and the evidence bible. You can convince god to send the golden plates back down to earth again, then you can take them to a panel of mesoamerican archaeologists and allow them to examine them at length, performing every scientific test on them that they can think of. Peterson, a noted scholar and lecturer, provides an intriguing look at the evidences that support the book of mormon as an ancient text. This site provides you with an overview of what the book of mormon claims from an archeological or historic viewpoint, and compares it to nonapologetic apologetic meaning speak to defend scientific and historical resources.
Evidence that the book of mormon, while good to have, is not the essential thing that will convert mankind to its truthfulness, or to the person the book of mormon is bearing witness of. Ford, liebold, and eventually cameron got wrapped up. Trent ford and tamara hope gave solid performances as the conflicted mormon. This page analyzes the book of mormon using statistical tools relative to archaeological records. The book of mormon teaches that the redemption of christ was planned before the world began, and the mayans likewise believed in gods who. The stubborn skeptics very similar to the ones we talked about before when discussing the.
Second, there is no proof to show that sidney rigdon ever came in contact with the spaulding manuscript. Proof that the book of mormon is true book of mormon facts. I duly agreed that if you found such a thing, according to those specifications, then. The previous two linked pages show the book of acts correlates to archaeological records at a high confidence level based on research and analysis by the classic scholar, dr. Most, but not all, mormons hold the books connection to ancient american history as an article of their faith. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted as scientifically verifiable by the mainstream. Much evidence exists to support the claims made by the book of mormon native american evidences of book of mormon contents.
For example, evidence to support the claim by mormons that native americans are descendants of. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been. The list of archeological and historical claims of the book of mormon compared to nonapologetic evidence. Book of mormon evidence the mormon church, mormonism.
Mormon missionaries continue to claim that the science of archeology substantiates the book of mormon, but whether we consider the alleged cities, persons, animals, fabrics, metals, wars and war implements, kings, palaces, or crops, all the evidence points to their nonexistence. Hugh nibley and book of mormon geography book of mormon. New evidence for the book of mormon name sariah 1 nephi 2. The material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Dont expect proof for any religion or matter of faith, but yes, there are many issues that support the concept that the book of mormon is of ancient origin and not a silly fraud by joseph smith. A journal of latterday saint faith and scholarship. All the wordprint studies, understanding of olive culture, or reading of chiasmus will not convert anyone to a life of. Most difficult for his proposal is the textual evidence of the proximity of bountiful to. It represents the existence in a mesoamerican inscription of a book of mormon king with broad parallels in name, date, title and function. If one scoffs at the missionarys explanation of the book of mormon, he is in so many words claiming it to be false. Truth shall spring forth out of the earth, journal of book of mormon studies, vol.
Now you can have wayne take you on a private tour of these sacred sites of the book of mormon through incredibly beautiful photography and video work that is the next best. Some problems with supersessionism in mormon thought jstor. His death marked a turning point for the mormon church, and since then. Join the hundreds of lds faithful who have experienced the ultimate in lds educational touring with one of the heartland geographys most knowledgable and enjoyable hosts book of mormon geography. Responding to critical claims regarding the book of mormon and dna evidence.
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