Treaties and Covenants among various nations and tribes of the world have often been agreed upon. Many times however the aggressive people take advantage of the weaker more vulnerable neighbors and break treaties or quickly push the weaker aside, just because they can, and are exploited by the often white aggressor.
More often in times of history the aggressor is the most powerful army or tribe that pushed out the smaller and more humble owners of the land. As it says in the scriptures, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” D&C 121:39. I am confidant the Lord in saying “almost all men”, He means the overly vast majority, probably 90-95% . That seems reasonable.
However, there are many times where the Children of the Lord who make special Covenants with the Lord and are the minority, are held to a higher law. For example, with the children of Adam (4,000 BC), eventually all but 8 were destroyed. Yet before that the City of Enoch (3313 BC) who were also the children of God were translated and taken to heaven for their righteousness. The Lord would not allow Enoch to live among the many atrocities of many of Adams seed.
In about 2200 BC the Jaredites were led out of the Old World to America as a covenant to obey God, and they later broke that covenant and were swept from the land.
In about 1,500 BC in the Old World the Children of Israel were held in bondage by Egypt because of their transgressions against God. Moses became their deliverer. In about 722 BC the Northern 10 tribes were conquered by the Assyrians and in 586 BC the Southern Tribes came under the rule of the Babylonians, as the Children of Israel wer disobedient to the covenants they had made with God.
In 600 BC Lehi was led out of the Old World to America as they made new covenants with the Lord, and we know after 1,000 years in America, they eventually fell into apostacy and were removed from the land.
The Hebrew Children of Israel were also under bondage at the time of Christ and Christ tried to remind them to look to Him who had come and they would be blessed. And those Pilgrims and Puritans in 1620 AD coming from Europe to the United States made covenants with God and also were truly tested as they had made a covenant with God.
What lead to the terrible smiting and scattering of the Native Americans was their fathers breaking covenants with the Lord. The Lord allowed the US Govt to become their oppressors, but they could always repent and be saved. It is sad to say the American Colonists and Govt. who abused and drove the Children of God, will be ultimately held accountable for those atrocities, if they haven’t been already.
This seems to be the trial of those who are called as His Children, if they don’t keep those covenants. Those who make covenants with God are always held to a higher standard to be examples to others, but as D&C 121 says, “Almost All” of Gods covenant people do succumb to the weakness of flesh and break covenants, so the Lord HAS to allow the consequences of broken promises to occur to His people.
Briefly I want to speak of the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. We see that two final battles for two distinct nations happened there. This was a culmination of not obeying the Covenants they had promised to God. Since this land of Cumorah is a key beginning point of this last dispensation of Time under Joseph Smith, this makes the Book of Mormon truly able to speak from the dust, to we as His people today. We are under covenant and we will either obey or be swept off. It is our choice. We who have covenanted with God must obey Him, or the Deep State or Cabal or whatever you want to call Satan, are here to oppress us. We will be victors if we will repent and come unto Him.
VISIT TO THE LAND AND HILL CUORAH
“We had proceeded a little over a mile on the road when the driver of the carriage pointed out a hill to us on our left, which he said was “Mormon Hill.” We supposed that by this he meant Cumorah. Though in its general appearance it resembled the descriptions we had had of Cumorah, yet we were somewhat disappointed in its size, as it was not so high a hill as many others which we saw in the neighborhood. In fact, as we rode along, we saw several hills which we thought more like what we imagined Cumorah to be than the one pointed out to us. We rode on for probably two miles farther, conversing but very little and each absorbed in his own reflections, when we saw, immediately in front of us. a hill that rose suddenly, almost precipitously, from the plain. Brother Brigham, Jun., remarked when we saw it: “There is a hill which agrees in appearance with my idea of Cumorah.”
In this opinion the Editor coincided. The driver, hearing our remarks, turned to us and said: “Yes, this is Gold Bible Hill.” We then learned that Cumorah was known through the country by the name of “Gold Bible Hill.” We asked him what he meant by calling the other, which he had pointed out to us, “‘Mormon Hill.” He replied that there was a cave in that hill which the “Mormons” had dug and some of them had lived in it, so the people said; and, therefore, it was known by that name…
This was the hill Ramah of the Jaredites, and it is probable, that, in this vicinity, Coriantumr and Shiz, with the people whom they led, fought their last battle. For this great battle they were four years preparing, gathering the people together from all parts of the land, and arming men and women, and even children. The battle lasted eight days, and the result was the complete extermination of the Jaredite nation, none being left but the prophet Ether — who warned the nation of the fate that awaited it unless the people repented, and who lived to record the fulfilment of his own warnings and predictions — and Coriantumr who succeeded in slaying his mortal enemy, Shiz.
It is probable that the prophet Ether, when he emerged from his hiding-place to view the destruction of his race, which he had been inspired to foretell, had ascended this hill and from its summit had gazed with profound grief upon the thousands of slain which lay scattered unburied upon the surface of the earth around. He and Coriantumr alone of all that mighty race which had flourished for upwards of fifteen hundred years, were loft. Who can imagine the feelings which he must have had on such an occasion?
From the summit of this hill, doubtless, Mormon and his great son Moroni had also witnessed the gathering of the hosts of the Nephites and the dusky and myriad legions of their deadly enemies, the Lamanites. Around this hill they had marshaled their forces — their twenty- three divsions of ten thousand men each, commanded by the most skillful of their generals; all to be swept away, except Mormon and Moroni and twenty-two others, in one day’s battle, by the fierce and relentless foe whom God permitted to execute his threatened judgment I Stealthily perhaps, for fear of exciting the attention of the Lamanites, Mormon and Moroni and their companions may have ascended this hill and gazed on the dreadful scene around them.
What a picture of desolation and woe must have met their sight! How deep must have been their anguish at thus witnessing the destruction of the fair ones of their nation! No wonder they cried out in anguish, and mourned with pathetic lamentations the rebellion against God which had brought this terrible destruction upon them. Mormon’s feelings must have been very peculiar.
At fifteen years of age chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the armies of his nation, he had fought battle after battle until now, at seventy-four years of age, he witnessed the complete blotting out of what had been the most favored people on the earth. His reflections must have been peculiarly painful, because he knew that had they listened to him he could have saved them.
It was here that he hid the abridgment which he made of the records, and which is now known by his name, and it was here, thirty-six years after this tremendous battle, that his son Moroni also hid his abridgment of the Book of Ether and the record which he had made from which we learn the fate of his father Mormon and his other companion?, that sixteen years after the battle of Cumorah Mormon and all the Nephites except Moroni had been killed by the Lamanites. It was to this spot that about fourteen hundred years after these events, Joseph Smith, the prophet, was led by Moroni in person and here the records, engraved on plates, were committed to him for translation.
Who could tread this ground and reflect upon these mighty events, and not be filled with indescribable emotion ? We were literally surrounded by the graves of two of the mightiest nations which had ever flourished on the earth. We stood in the centre of their burial place. They had rebelled against God, they had slain His prophets, disregarded His warnings and arrayed themselves against Him. His promise and covenant concerning this land are: “that whatsoever nation shall possess it, shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of His wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of His wrath, cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity; for behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands ; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God, or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.” VISIT TO THE LAND AND HILL CUORAH GEORCE O. CANNON – – EDITOR. SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1873.https://archive.org/stream/juvenileinstruct814geor/juvenileinstruct814geor_djvu.txt
“The final struggles between Nephites and Lamanites were waged in the vicinity of the Hill Cumorah, in what is now the State of New York, resulting in the destruction of the Nephites as a nation, about 400 A.D. The last Nephite representative was Moroni, who, wandering for safety from place to place, daily expecting death from the victorious Lamanites, wrote the concluding parts of the Book of Mormon, and hid the record in Cumorah. It was the same Moroni who as a resurrected being, gave the records into the hands of Joseph Smith in the present dispensation.” James Talmage Articles of Faith, Ch 14, Pg. 260.
INDIAN TREATIES
The United States continue to buy the land of Joseph, and become nursing fathers unto his children. The Globe in speaking of the treaty of peace with the Indians, states, “That the land acquired by government from the Winnebagoes contains about 4,600,000 acres, and is represented to be of excellent soil, well watered, and abounding in inducements for agriculturists to purchase and cultivate.
Advices have been received of the formation of another treaty with the Sacs and Foxes. By this compact the United States acquire about 600,000,000 acres, of a quality not inferior to any between the same parallels of latitude.It is known to abound in lead, and the Indians say in other ores.
For the tract ceded, the United States agree to pay an annuity of twenty thousand dollars for thirty years, to support a black smith and gun-smith in addition to those now employed, to pay the debts of the tribes, to supply provisions, and, as a reward for the fidelity of Ke-o-kuk and the friendly band, to allow a reservation to be made for them of 400 miles square on the Ioway [Iowa] river, to include Ke-o-kuk’s principal village.
Black Hawk and his two sons, the Prophet, Napope and five others, principal warriors of the hostile bands, are to be retained as hostages, during the pleasure of the President. All the other prisoners have been delivered up to the friendly Sacs and Foxes.”
What a beauty it is to see the prophecies fulfilling so exactly. Nephi says:
Nevertheless, after that they have been nursed by the Gentiles, and the Lord hath lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles, and set them up for a standard, and their children shall be carried in their arms and their daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders: behold these things of which are spoken are temporal:
For thus is the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren which are of the house of Israel.
And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles: yea, even upon the face of this land;[Heartland of America] and by them shall our seed be scattered. [American Colonists]
And after that our seed is scattered, the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles [Book of Mormon], which shall be of great worth unto our seed:
Wherefore, it is likened unto the being nourished by the Gentiles, and being carried in their arms, and upon their shoulders.
And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles, but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven, unto Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
And I would my brethren that ye should know, that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed, unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.
Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto they which are of the house of Israel.
How Native Americans Struggled to Survive on the Trail of Tears
BY: CHRISTOPHER KLEIN: JULY 10, 2023
Severe exposure, starvation and disease ravaged tribes during their forced migration to present-day Oklahoma.
In the early 1800s, the sovereign Cherokee nation covered a vast region that included northwest Georgia and adjacent land in Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama. Under the terms of an 1819 treaty, the United States guaranteed that Cherokee land would be off-limits to white settlers forever.
Forever lasted less than 20 years.
Although the treaty mandated the removal of “all white people who have intruded, or may hereafter intrude, on the lands of the Cherokees,” the United States instead forcibly removed more than 15,000 Cherokees in 1838 and 1839. As many as 4,000 died of disease, starvation and exposure during their detention and forced migration through nine states that became known as the “Trail of Tears.”
[Editors note: The Cherokee of the Iroquois Language group in my opinion, are many of the last Nephites from Cumorah who remained after 421 AD. I believe many of the Nephites before the great destruction, may have fled by ship to Europe and many of them were on the land but not destroyed, just as many Lamanites remained. These Lamanites most likely the Algonquians of today, were part of the “Fort Ancient” culture in history and many of those Lamanites mixed with some Mayans in about 900 Ad who had come up to America after seeing their Mesoamerican region in drought or other reason. The mixture are called the “Mississippian Culture” which had a mixture of Lamanite, Nephite, and Mesoamerican.]
Indian Removal Act Forces Tribes From Native Lands
CHRISTOPHER KLEIN continues, “The Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830 authorized the federal government to relocate tribes within state borders to unsettled land west of the Mississippi River. When white settlers encroached on Cherokee land to grow cotton and search for newly discovered gold, the United States ordered the Cherokee to join the Creek, Seminole, Choctaw and Chicksaw tribes in resettling to present-day Oklahoma.
The first Cherokees to relocate—approximately 2,000 men, women and children split into four groups—did so voluntarily in 1837 and early 1838. They traveled westward by boat following the winding paths of the Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. The journey for these voluntary exiles was as short as 25 days, and deaths numbered less than two dozen.
Conditions proved far worse for the Cherokee evicted from their homes at gunpoint by 7,000 federal troops dispatched by President Martin Van Buren. Beginning on May 26, 1838, soldiers under the command of General Winfield Scott rounded up the majority of the Cherokee along with 1,500 slaves and free blacks, forced them to leave behind most of their possessions and herded them into wooden stockades and internment camps.
Editors note: Many of the Cherokee hid in hills and caves around Tennessee and Alabama and remained even after the removal of their other tribe members. Many of these Cherokee still remain today and are called the Eastern Tribes of the Cherokee.”
“The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the United States. They are descended from the small group of 800–1,000 Cherokee who remained in the Eastern United States after the U.S. military, under the Indian Removal Act, moved the other 15,000 Cherokee to west of the Mississippi River in the late 1830s, to Indian Territory. Those Cherokee remaining in the East were to give up tribal Cherokee citizenship and to assimilate. They became U.S. citizens.” Wikipedia
“Men working in the fields were arrested and driven to the stockades,” recalled Private John Burnett, who served as an interpreter. “Women were dragged from their homes by soldiers whose language they could not understand. Children were often separated from their parents and driven into the stockades with the sky for a blanket and the earth for a pillow. And often the old and infirm were prodded with bayonets to hasten them to the stockades.”
Reverend Daniel Butrick, a missionary who had ministered in the Cherokee territory for 20 years, wrote “from their first arrest they were obliged to live very much like brute animals, and during their travels, were obliged at night to lie down on the naked ground, in the open air, exposed to wind and rain, and herd together, men women and children, like droves of hogs, and in this way, many are hastening to a premature grave.”
Due to the poor sanitation of the internment camps, deadly diseases such as whooping cough, measles and dysentery spread among the Cherokee.
Nephi Travels from Tallahassee to Unicoi Gap to Chattanooga
(Follow Map Below)
At the Head or beginning of the Chattahoochee River (1) at Unicoi Gap, only 1,700 feet away is the Head or beginning of the Hiawassee River. (2) After Nephi came from the Tallahassee, FL (3) area on the Chattahoochee he traveled “many days” as the scriptures say. That would be about 9 days by canoe from Tallahassee to Unicoi Gap GA (4) where I propose Nephi’s Valley (5) could have been. Just a few hundred feet away, Nephi could have taken the next few days by canoe on the Hiawassee River(6) to the Tennessee River (7) flowing with the river into Chattanooga (8) which we propose is the City Lehi-Nephi. (9) The First Temple could have been built on Lookout (10) in Chattanooga some 2,400 feet above the city. I propose the water of Mormon could be at Catoosa Springs(11) or at Crawfish Springs (12) Rian Nelson
I will now discuss Track Rock Gap an archaeological site in northern Georgia. My friends Betty and Mike LaFontaine sent me personal pictures from their wonderful adventure at Track Rock Gap. They inspired me once again to do this blog about the importance of that area. I believe this is prime area where Nephi traveled to, in order to get away from Laman and Lemuel. From this Track rock Gap area they probably traveled north on the Hiawassee River into the city Lehi-Nephi or what I believe to be Chattanooga, TN., where Nephi lived and prospered building the first Nephite Temple.
Track Rock Gap Origins The Georgia Historical Marker placed there in 1988 says:
This area is one of the best-known of the petroglyph, or marked stone, sites in Georgia. The six table-sized soapstone boulders contain hundreds of symbols carved or pecked into their surface. Archaeologists have speculated dates for the figures from the Archaic Period (8,000 to 1,000 B.C.) to the Cherokee Indians who lived here until the 19th Century. No one knows the exact meaning of the symbols or glyphs which represent animals, birds, tracks and geometric figures. The earliest written account (1834) was by Dr. Matthew Stephenson, who was director of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega. One of the favorite stories about Track Rock Gap was recorded by ethnographer James Mooney who gathered Cherokee stories. The Cherokee called this site Datsu’nalasgun’ylu (where there are tracks) and Degayelun’ha (the printed or branded place). Cherokee stories include an explanation that hunters paused in the gap and amused themselves by carving the glyphs: the marks were made in a great hunt when the animals were driven through the gap, and that the tracks were made when the animals were leaving the great canoe after a flood almost destroyed the world and while the earth and rocks were soft.[1]
This is a previous marker people may not have wanted us to see. Thanks to Mike and Betty Lafontaine for these pictures while they visited Track Rock Gap.
In 1867, conservationist John Muir traveled nearby and met a mountaineer who said, “It is called Track Gap … from the great number of tracks in the rocks – bird tracks, bar tracks, hoss tracks, men tracks, all in the solid rock as if it had been mud.”[2]
There is a gravel parking lot at Track Rock; the site is also accessible via the Arkaquah Trail. Track Rock Gap Archaeological Area is under consideration for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, reference number 76002336, but it is still pending.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_Rock
What is the Track Rock Gap stone landscape?
Stone landscape sites, such as the one located near Track Rock Gap on the Chattahoochee National Forest in Union County, Georgia, occur throughout the region and are not unusual. Some mark important geographical locations while others have a ceremonial origin. In Georgia these were created by the Cherokee and Creek Indians and by their ancestors, while they were created by other Tribes in other states. American Indians consider these to be an important type of site that should be respected and protected. Archeologists do not understand everything about the function and use of these sites, but research is continuing. The Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service is working with the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) to study these sites so that we can better understand and protect stone landscape sites. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/conf/home/?cid=stelprdb5379176
Nephi’s Valley Unicoi Gap, GA
Some people believe Track Rock Gap was done by the Mayans. See Richard Thornton here: I believe the Mayans came up into the Missouri, Alabama and Georgia areas in about 900 AD and lived on top of where the Lamanites and Cherokee lived. The Mayans probably left some of their culture and probably did some engravings etc. However, The Mayans went back to Mesoamerica in about 1200 AD.
According to Wayne May and may of the Chiefs of Native Americans he met with, in Nauvoo a few years ago, they told Wayne these Mayans were called “the Snake People” by the Native Americans and the Mayans overpowered the simple hunter gatherer Lamanites and turned them into slaves. In fact these chiefs said the Mayans (Snake People) forced the Lamanites to build many of their mounds including the one called Cahokia near St Louis which is dated at 1000 AD.
It seems the Adena began their building of mounds 1500 BC to 300 AD, and then the Hopewell 600 BC to 400 AD, built on top of those in the Heartland of North America, and then the Mayans or Mississippian Culture, 900 to 1400 AD built on top of the Hopewell. Many Native Americans that were never part of the Mayans were called the Fort Ancient culture 1000 AD to 1500 which was very different than the Mississippian culture, and the main Native Americans we hear about most today are from the Historical Period 1670 to 1866 AD or so.
It is obvious from the above timeline that the Native Americans (Nephites and Lamanites) mixed with all cultures from possible Hebrews through the Mulekites, or Asians through the Brother of Jared and his friends, or the Vikings of 1000 AD, or the Mayan of 900 AD. The “Blood of Lehi” is mixed all over North, Central, and South America today. Many prophets today mention in Temple dedication prayers the “Children of Lehi” as you can read more about here.
Creek and Cherokee Tribes Also Debunk Mayan Myth
If you have any doubts as to the Native American origins of Track Rock Gap site and to Native American heritage that have been destroyed, this video shows the Muscogee Creek Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in their own words, “debunking the Mayan myth,” and explaining clearly what the site and petroglyphs mean to their peoples, and why, horribly ironically, “it’s so important to protect it.”
But folks, this is a direct, and determined, attack on Native American heritage “not” on pre-Colombian Mexican heritage , as the internet might have you believe.
Track Rock Gap is one of the best-known of the petroglyph, or marked stone, sites in Georgia. The six table-sized soapstone boulders contain hundreds of symbols carved or pecked into their surface. Archaeologists have speculated dates for the figures from the Archaic Period (8,000 to 1,000 BC) to the Cherokee Indians who lived here until the 19th century. No one knows the exact meaning of the symbols or glyphs, which seem to represent animals, birds, tracks and geometric figures. The earliest written account was in 1834 by Dr. Matthew Stephenson, who was director of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega.
One of the favorite stories about Track Rock Gap was recorded by ethnographer James Mooney who gathered Cherokee stories. The Cherokee called this site Datsu`nalasgun`ylu (where there are tracks) and Degayelun`ha (the printed or branded place). Cherokee stories include an explanation that hunters paused in the gap and amused themselves by carving the glyphs: the marks were made in a great hunt when the animals were driven through the gap, and that the tracks were made when the animals were leaving the great canoe after a flood almost destroyed the world and while the earth and rocks were soft. Unlike other similar Native American sites, these petroglyphs are carved into huge soapstone boulders and not drawn or painted on the rocks.
Notice this new marker is different than the cracked one above. Are they trying to change history like usual. Thanks to Mike and Betty Lafontaine for these pictures while they visited Track rock Gap.
Track Rock Archaeological Site
Legends and folklore, mysteries and myths, science and speculation can’t completely explain the ancient encrypted carvings on large boulders located at the Track Rock Archaeological Area.
The Track Rock Gap Archaeological Area is in the North Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest just below Brasstown Bald along Union County’s eastern border. This archaeological site lies in a low gap between two mountain ranges and is easily accessed along Trackrock Road just off US/76 East. The roadway travels right next to the archaeological site and Trackrock Trail.
Trackrock Road, which passes over the gap next to the site, is part of an ancient Native American trade route that traveled from north to south through the mountains. This site and trade route is estimated to have been in use since 1,000 AD; some speculate that the site and trade route are several thousands years old.
There are six major boulders at the site covered in encrypted carvings along with several other smaller stones scattered about the site that appear to have some type of carvings. These primitive carvings depict ancient symbols of human and animal forms, plus what might be described as spirit beings. These carving were created at different times and not all at once. Each set of carvings appears to tell a story, or possibly a type of ritual.
Whatever the mysteries at Track Rock Archaeological Area are, is all up to speculation since the stones speak a language that archaeologists as well as the native Cherokee haven’t been able to decipher, as of yet. Symbols may coincide with native legends yet their meanings are too uncertain. The Blue Ridge Highlander believes each visitor to the site can decide for themselves as to their nature and purpose.
Newly added to the site is an interpretive area alongside the main boulders. What’s been removed from the site are the old protective grated cages that covered some of the larger boulders, often visually obstructing the carvings though providing adequate protection from earlier vandalism and theft.
Appalachian Trail Access Points in Union County
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, (white blazed) also known as the AT, is over 2,100-miles long, mostly following the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains’ backbone from Springer Mountain in North Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. North Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest portion of the trail extends over 75-miles, traversing some of the most exceptional regions and mountain vistas in its entire 2,100-miles.
Along the southern regions of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range in Union County, the trail traverses three high mountain gaps. These gap locations are direct access points to the AT and are reached by paved roadways. Other access trails that intersect the Appalachian Trail are also listed below and are GPS’d at large recreation areas or notable points of interest. The entire Appalachian Trail should be regarded as moderate to strenuous in difficulty.
I have always wondered about Shem and Melchizedek as the same person or not? I haven’t decided myself the answer to this question, but it is an interesting discussion about significant leaders of the ancient church. It seems to me it is more likely they are the same person, but I would like some discussion about your opinion. Below is some information to help you decide.
Is it possible that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person? Alma E. Gygi
Melchizedek—Keeper of the Storehouse by Clark Kelley Price
“This question is frequently asked and is an interesting one. Let us examine first what we know about Shem. Although the Bible names Shem as the eldest son of Noah (Gen. 5:32), modern-day revelation places Japheth as the eldest (Moses 8:12). Both reports, however, are harmonious in naming Shem as the progenitor of Israel and in the fact that the priesthood descended through Shem to all the great patriarchs after Noah. (1 Chr. 1:24–27.) In this patriarchal order of priesthood, Shem stands next to Noah. He held the keys to the priesthood and was the great high priest of his day.1
Living contemporary with Shem was a man known as Melchizedek, who was also known as the great high priest.2The scriptures give us the details of Shem’s birth and ancestry but are silent as to his ministry and later life. Of Melchizedek, however, the opposite is true. Nothing is recorded about his birth or ancestry, even though the Book of Mormon states that he did have a father. (Alma 13:17–18.) Concerning his ministry and life we have several interesting and important facts. (Gen. 14:18–20; Heb. 7:1–4; Alma 13:17–18.)
All of this provokes some questions and calls for answers. Were there two high priests presiding at the same time? Why is the record silent concerning Shem’s ministry? Why is nothing known concerning Melchizedek’s ancestry?
Because of this state of knowledge on our part, many Saints and gospel scholars have wondered if these men were the same person. The truth is, we do not know the answer. But an examination of the scriptures is fascinating, because it seems to indicate that these men may have been one and the same. For example, here is the case for their oneness:
The inheritance given to Shem included the land of Salem. Melchizedek appears in scripture as the king of Salem, who reigns over this area.
Shem, according to later revelation, reigned in righteousness and the priesthood came through him. Melchizedek appears on the scene with a title that means “king of righteousness.”
Shem was the great high priest of his day. Abraham honored the high priest Melchizedek by seeking a blessing at his hands and paying him tithes.
Abraham stands next to Shem in the patriarchal order of the priesthood and would surely have received the priesthood from Shem; but D&C 84:5–17says Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek.
President Joseph F. Smith’s remarkable vision names Shem among the great patriarchs, but no mention is made of Melchizedek.
Times and Seasons (vol. 6, p. 746) speaks of “Shem, who was Melchizedek. …”
On the other hand, there is a case for their being two distinct personalities. Many persons believe D&C 84:14 is proof that there are perhaps several generations between Melchizedek and Noah. The scripture says, “Which Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah.”
If it does turn out that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person, this scripture should prove no stumbling block, because it could be interpreted to mean that priesthood authority commenced with Adam and came through the fathers, even till Noah, and then to Shem.” I Have a Question answered by Alma E. Gygi, Salt Lake City businessman.
Notes
Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine (Deseret Book Co., 1919) p. 474.
When Abraham returned from the war, Shem, or, as he is sometimes called, Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, priest of the Most High God. …” (Ginsberg, Legends of the Jews, p. 233.) “Jewish tradition pronounces Melchizedek to be a survivor of the Deluge, the patriarch Shem.” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, p. 393.) “And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem. …” (Book of Jasher 16:11.)
The Connection between Melchizedek and Shem by Tim Barker
Abraham gives tithes to Melchisedec
“…According to Jewish traditions, Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah, whom God consecrated to be a priest for ever, and who set up a kingdom on Salem.”(1) Included in his book on the Legends of Old Testament Characters, the Reverend Sabing Baring-Gould includes a quotation from the Targumim, stating, “Melchizedek, who was Shem, son of Noah, king of Jerusalem.” (2) Louis Ginzberg continues this tradition, in his Legends of the Bible (a condensed version of the 7-volume Legends of the Jews), stating that “when Abraham returned from the war, Shem, or, as he is sometimes called, Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, priest of God Most High, and king of Jerusalem, came forth to meet him with bread and wine.” (3) More recently, scholars Raphael Patai and Robert Graves note that, “others again say that Melchizedek (also known as Adoni-Zedek), was Abram’s ancestor Shem, and that he now taught Abram the duties of priesthood…” (4) Numerous other historical Jewish sources confirm this same teaching.
In 1842, Elder John Taylor, then editor of the Times and Seasons, published the following:
From this definite account of driving the “nations apart, when the ancient hills did bow,” all reflecting minds may judge that man was scattered over the whole face of the earth. And with the superior knowledge of men like Noah, Shem (who was Melchizedek) and Abraham, the father of the faithful, three contemporaries, holding the keys of the highest order of the priesthood… (5)
Other Latter-day Apostles have discussed this issue as well. Elder John A. Witdsoe stated:
There is an old Hebrew tradition that Melchizedek was none other than Shem, the son of Noah. As far as the age of Shem is concerned, that is possible. Shem lived five hundred two years after the flood, and Abraham was born two hundred ninety-two years after the flood. Abraham, therefore, must have known Shem. (6)
Additionally, Elder Alvin R. Dyer stated:
Abraham, who was born of the chosen lineage of patriarchs, received the priesthood from Shem, or Melchizedek, who received it from Noah unto whom it had come through the lineage of the fathers from Enoch, unto whom it had come from Adam the first man through his son, Abel. (7)
More recently and readily available, is the CES Institute Manual on the first half of the Old Testament. This manual outlines, amongst other things, 7 points for consideration relating to the identity of Shem and Melchizedek and commonalities between the two. The comments on this issue are based on an Ensign article, by Alma E. Gygi, entitled, “Is it possible that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person?” (8)
Shem’s inheritance included the land of Salem, and Melchizedek was the king of Salem.
Shem “reigned in righteousness” and Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness.”
Shem was the great high priest of his day. Abraham honored the high priest Melchizedek by paying him tithes and seeking blessings at his hand.
Abraham stands next to Shem in the patriarchal order of the priesthood and would likely have received the priesthood from him, but according to D&C 84:5-7, Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek.
Substitution of God’s Holy Name
A friend of the Heartland named David Larkins shared and email with Firm Foundation on Nov 18, 2023 that makes a lot of sense that I will share below.
“This morning I was reading the article titled “Shem is Melchizedek?”. There is another piece of circumstantial evidence which could support the idea of Shem and Melchizedek being the same person. It is something I noticed as I was studying one day. It has to do with their names.
The name Shem in Hebrew, means “name”. When speaking about God (YHWH) Jews often use the title Hashem, meaning “the name”. D&C 107 tells us that the Melchizedek priesthood was called “the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God”, until Melchizedek’s day, when the name of this order was changed to Melchizedek.
So in order to protect the sacredness of the name of the Son of God/YHWH (sometimes referred to as Hashem) the name of the priesthood was changed to Melchizedek, the other name or perhaps title of Shem. Assuming they are the same person.
Son of God/YHWH = Hashem
Melchizedek = Shem?
I don’t know if I made this point very clearly, but you are smart and can probably understand what I am trying to say. It isn’t proof, but it is one of the interesting “coincidences” we find in scripture. You may have already thought of this or heard it. But, I found it interesting, and thought I would share.” David Larkins
A good addition to the response from David shared above, is the following.
“Hashem is a Hebrew term for God. Literally, it means “the name.” In the Bible the Hebrew word for God is made up of four letters, and according to tradition it was only pronounced on Yom Kippur by the High Priest. Saying God’s name was considered a very serious and powerful thing, so much so that one of the Ten Commandments prohibits us from saying God’s name in vain. As a result, people have come up with various substitutions.
When reading Torah, we generally substitute the word Adonai for the four letter un-pronounceable name of God. Outside of reading Torah and praying, God is often referred to as Hashem, a creative way of not saying God’s name…
There are many other names for God in Jewish tradition, including Adoshem, Yah, Yahweh, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, El Shaddai, Av Harahamim, and Harahaman.” My Jewish Learning
Even our traditional upbringing as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught us all our life about taking God’s name in vain. There are many ways we have used for not blaspheming God or Christs name or even swearing at all. We use slang words such as:
Gosh
Golly
Jiminy Cricket
Gee or Gee whiz
Oh, my heavens,
Oh my heck, Oh my gosh, etc
Oh, whatever as Oh G– is substituted
Holy with whatever after it such as, Holy Crap, or Holy Moly.
Holy Caesars ghost
Here are also substitutes for other swear words:
Shoot, Dang, Darn, Heck, Dang it, Fudge, Suck etc.
Our LDS Heritage is a cultural which has taught us how evil it is to say the Lord’s name in vain by substitution, as I describe above.
Jewish tradition identifies Shem as Melchizedek.
President Joseph F. Smith’s vision of the Redemption of the Dead (D&C 138), names Shem among the great patriarchs, but there is no mention of Melchizedek.
Times and Seasons (official church periodical at this time), indicates that Shem was Melchizedek. (9)
On the contrary, some Latter-day Saints, including Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, believes that the two are definitely separate individuals: There is an unsupported tradition to the effect that Melchizedek was the same person as Shem the son of Noah. That this could hardly have been the case is seen from the revelation which says: “Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah.” (D. & C. 84:14.) In other words, there seem to have been at least two generations between Melchizedek and Shem.(10)
Also for consideration, E. Douglas Clark commented on the matter in his book, The Blessings of Abraham: Becoming a Zion People: Genesis 11:10-11 tells Shem’s life span in the same manner as it tells the life spans of the subsequent patriarchs, implying that Shem died (a passage left unchanged in the Joseph Smith Translation), while the JST Genesis 14 tells that Melchizedek was translated. Second, a latter-day revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 84:14 states that “Abraham received the [Melchizedek] Priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah, and from Noah till Enoch,” which seems to require at least two generations between Melchizedek and Noah. And third, in Joseph F. Smith’s vision of the redemption of the dead, he saw among the host of righteous post-mortal spirits Shem (D&C 138:41), who would not have been there had he been translated. The revelation does not mention seeing Elijah or Enoch or Moses, who, like Melchizedek, had been translated. (11)
It is clear that with the diversity of opinion on the matter, that no definitive revelation has yet been received. As such, the scriptures are sought for further understanding, and where helpful, supplemental sources provide unique insights.
The Catholic Encyclopedia seems to indicate that the connection was developed by the Rabbi’s to suit their own purposes:
The Rabbins [Rabbi’s] identified Melchisedech with Sem, son of Noe, rather for polemic than historic reasons, since they wished to set themselves against what is said of him as a type of Christ “without father, without mother, without genealogy” (He., vii, 3).
In the Epistle to the Hebrews the typical character of Melchisedech and its Messianic import are fully explained. Christ is “a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech” (Heb,. vii, 6; Ps., cix, 4); “a high priest forever”, etc. (Heb., vi, 20), …i.e. order or manner (Gesenius), not after the manner of Aaron. The Apostle develops his teaching in Heb., vii: Melchisedech was a type by reason (a) of his twofold dignity as priest and king, (b) by reason of his name, “king of justice”, (c) by reason of the city over which he ruled, “King of Salem, that is, king of peace” (v.2), and also (d) because he “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but likened unto the Son of God, continueth a priest forever” (v.3). The silence of Scripture about the facts of Melchisedech’s birth and death was a part of the divine plan to make him prefigure more strikingly the mysteries of Christ’s generation, the eternity of His priesthood.” (12)
Interestingly, an early Jewish source, Flavius Josephus is completely silent regarding any connection between Shem and Melchizedek.
James L. Kugel indicates that “some scholars have suggested that this was first done in the context of later Jewish-Christian polemics: if Melchizedek was actually Shem, then he was the ancestor of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the idea of a priesthood extending back through him was less disturbing to Jews than the notion of a “priest of God Most High” who lacked any connection to the Jewish people or the later levitical priesthood.” He goes on to say that:
It seems likely, however, that Melchizedek’s identification with Shem actually came about before any Christian arguments existed (and certainly before the time when Christian arguments seemed to Jews to require refutation). After all, who was Melchizedek to early interpreters? Why was the genealogy of such an important person–the “priest of God Most High,” no less–not mentioned? Identifying him as Shem, whose genealogy was known, provided an answer, and an easily accepted one. (13)
It is interesting to note that Kugel alludes to the idea that Melchizedek, “could be understood as an honorific title given to Shem…” (14)
Whatever the connection is, it remains a mystery. As stated by Alma Gygi, “all of this provokes some questions and calls for answers. Were there two high priests presiding at the same time? Why is the record silent concerning Shem’s ministry? Why is nothing known concerning Melchizedek’s ancestry? Because of this state of knowledge on our part, many Saints and gospel scholars have wondered if these men were the same person. The truth is, we do not know the answer.” (15) When the answer comes, it should satisfy the arguments on either side of the matter.
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1 Rev. S. Baring-Gould, Legends of Old Testament Characters, From the Talmud and Other Sources (New York: MacMillan and Co., 1871), 2:1; see also Rev. S. Baring-Gould, Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets, and Other Old Testament Characters From Various Sources (New York: James B. Millar & Co., 1884), 140-141
2 Baring-Gould, Legends of Old Testament Characters, 2:1
3 Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Bible (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1956), 106
4 Robert Graves and Raphael Patai, Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), 147
5 John Taylor, “Ancient Ruins,” Times and Seasons 5/23 (Dec 15, 1844):746
6 John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 3 Vols., ed. G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960), 232
7 Alvin R. Dyer, Who Am I? (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1968), 400; also see Alvin R. Dyer, The Lord Speaketh (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1964), 284-291
8 Alma E. Gygi, “Is it possible that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person?,” Ensign (November 1973), 15-16
9 Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis-2 Samuel (Religion 301), Church Educational System (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2003), 67-68
10 Bruce R. McConkie Mormon Doctrine, 2nd Ed. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), 475
11 E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham: Becoming A Zion People (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2005), 267 fn 36
12 John J. Tierney, “Melchisedech” The Catholic Encyclopedia, 15 Vols., eds. Charles G. Herbermann, et al (New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1913), 10:157
13 James L. Kugel, Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible as it was at the Start of the Common Era (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999), 289-290
14 Ibid, 290
15 Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis-2 Samuel, 68
Dear Gramps,
Recently, one of the “Daily Wows” indicated that Shem was in fact the great high priest “Melchizedek.” However, while sharing this information with one of our ward scriptorians he said that Shem couldn’t be Melchizedek because Melchizedek was born after the flood and Shem was born before the flood. I’ve studied it out also and found that in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph while talking of teaching in the spirit prisons refers to Shem as the Great Priest. Do you have some insight on this subject? Thanks.
Paula
Dear Paula,
There is much conjecture about who Melchizedek was. Shem is not the only person to whom Melchizedek’s identity has been attributed. B.H. Roberts had this to say-
Abram Blessed by Melchizedek
“Much of mystery is connected with the life and character of Melchizedek. ‘The Jews,’ says Kitto, in admitting Melchizedek’s official superiority to Abraham, ’sought to account for it by alleging that the royal priest was no other than Shem, the most pious of Noah’s sons, who according to the shorter chronology might have lived to the time of Abraham.’ (Biblical Literature, Vol. II, Art. Melchizedek). Others have seen in him Canaan the son of Ham; Ham himself, or even Enoch; while others have held that Melchizedek was no other than the son of God himself under human appearance, and still others take him to have been an angel, the latter being among the wild notions of Origen and his school. (Ibid, as above). All this of course is conjecture, although it is not unreasonable that he may have been Shem the son of Noah” (The Seventy’s Course in Theology, Second Year, p.88).
Here, B.H. Roberts admits the possibility that Melchizedek may have been Shem. That possibility is bolstered by the vision of President Joseph F. Smith, who refers to Shem as the great high priest in D&C 138:41. And in D&C 107:1-3, Melchizedek is referred to as a great high priest –
There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.
Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.
It is true that Shem lived in the time of Abraham. Shem was born in 2448 B.C. and lived for 602 years. He was 100 years old at the time of the great flood. Abraham was born in 1986 B.C., and was 140 years old when Shem died. But that coincidence in living at the same time only makes their identity a possibility, not a reality.
It is also true that Melchizedek was not the only great high priest, and there is evidence reported by Elder Bruce R. McConkie that Melchizedek was not the son of Noah-
“There is an unsupported tradition to the effect that Melchizedek was the same person as Shem, the son of Noah. That this could hardly have been the case is seen from the revelation which says: ‘Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah.’ (D.&C. 84:14.) In other words, there seem to have been at least two generations between Melchizedek and Shem (Mormon Doctrine, p.475). Gramps
The LDS Bible dictionary says, under the heading Shem says, Name. Son of Noah (Gen. 5:29–32; 6:10; 7:13; 8:16; 9:26; Moses 8:12); his descendants (Gen. 10:21–31; 11:10–32; 1 Chr. 1:17; Luke 3:36). Shem was the traditional ancestor of the Shemitic or Semitic races, a group of kindred nations, which includes the Arabs, the Hebrews and Phoenicians, the Arameans or Syrians, the Babylonians and Assyrians. The languages spoken by these various nations were closely related and were known as the Semitic languages. In latter-day revelation Shem is referred to as “the great high priest” (D&C 138:41). See also Melchizedek.
The LDS Bible dictionary says, under the heading Melchizedek says, “King of Righteousness. A notable prophet and leader who lived about 2000 B.C. He is called the king of Salem (Jerusalem), king of peace, and “priest of the most High God.” Unfortunately, information concerning him in the Bible is relatively scarce, being limited to Gen. 14:18–20; Heb. 5:6; 7:1–3. Mention of the priesthood of Melchizedek is given in several other instances, primarily in Psalms and in Hebrews. However, latter-day revelation gives us much more about him and his priesthood (see JST Gen. 14:17 [Gen. 14:18 note d]; JST Gen. 14:25–40; JST Heb. 7:3 [Appendix]; Alma 13:14–19; D&C 84:14; 107:1–4). From these sources we realize something of the greatness of this prophet and the grandeur of his ministry. See also Jebus; Jerusalem; Melchizedek Priesthood.
The Featured picture at the top of the page is called, “Shem, Ham and Japheth” by James Tissot 1904
The Heartland Research Group headed by John Lefgren PhD, and Mike and Betty Lafontaine, have been doing research near Nauvoo and Montrose, Iowa for several years now looking for evidence of the City of Zarahemla. Heartland Research has found evidence for ancient fires pits using magnetometry, and with Lidar imaging have found many mounds and other promising information pertaining to several possible locations, that could be termed as a temple site or mound area in Iowa.
We base our plausible evidence of the real City of Zarahemla of the Book of Mormon in many statements of saints and a revelation from Joseph Smith in D&C 125. There are many quotes and evidences below also detailing with plausibility that the Heartland of the United States was the setting for the Book of Mormon events.
Bill, your Relative who knew Joseph Smith-Faithful Question
Let me ask you a question. If you have a great great… grandfather (Let’s call him Bill), who lived during the time of Joseph Smith, and Bill personally knew and loved Joseph as a true prophet of God, wouldn’t that be exciting to explore the relationship of Bill and Joseph? Maybe some of you already have that relative. As you research and find out about the close relationship that Bill has with Joseph and the other Apostles, and Bill’s testimony of these men, wouldn’t you be so pleased to find out all you could know about their relationship? (I know some of your relatives maybe didn’t like Joseph but we are not talking about those relatives).
What if you found out Bill was present with Wilford Woodruff in Nauvoo when he told Bill, as Wilford pointed out a spot on the opposite side of the Mississippi River about a mile and a half above Montrose, IA, and said “there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla.“
Would you believe Bill? Of course you would, as you had studied and found out Bill was a good active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had prayed about it. What if it was Bill’s witness after Joseph had passed away, that he saw the countenance of Brigham Young as “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people?” Bill said, As Brigham Young commences speaking, hundreds in the audience believe “in every possible degree it is Joseph’s voice, and his person, in look, attitude, dress and appearance it is Joseph himself, personified.” You want to and probably would believe Bill after prayer correct? Let’s say you prayed earnestly about that fact, and you received a personal witness that you indeed know that Bill believed Wilford Woodruff and Bill was present at the talk by Brigham Young and Bill knew that Brigham was to be the next Prophet. Is that even possible? Of course it is.
I can hear the non-believers say, “I don’t believe Bill”, or “he was lying”, or “Joseph didn’t mean it was a Book of Mormon city”, or “I still believe Zarahemla was somewhere in Mesoamerica.” What is the difference between you believing Bill and others not believing him? Is it because you are related to Bill and you are biased. Or is it because you have prayed about it and studied it out and you thought it was very important to know, and you believed what Moroni told you and that you could “know the truth of all things?”
Why do many people in the Church today not want to believe Bill, or Edward Phillips, or D&C 125? Why is their heart so hard? Why is it that you believe so strongly in Bill and Joseph and others in the church don’t? It’s probably because you want to believe, and you pray in faith to believe and others may only think of their bias that Zarahemla was in Mexico or some other place. You see, to believe it takes faith, study, and prayer. This is what I believe, that the Zarahemla of the Book of Mormon was indeed across the river near Montrose, Iowa. It is a part of my testimony and I don’t have a relative named Bill, but through faith I really believe this.
Now you know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not spoken on whether the Zarahemla of D&C 125 means it was a city in the Book of Mormon, but some of the General Authorities and many members believe personally that eastern Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, are possible places of the ancient Land of Zarahemla. In other words knowing this is not church doctrine but it is true all the same. Is it that important you know the answer? Maybe. To me it is very important as I look for additional evidences of the Book of Mormon not just my witness of the spirit, but as Elder Holland said, “Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.” In the same talk Elder Holland said, “but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017
Half-Breed Land Iowa
“The Lee County Half-Breed Tract, designated as 120 on the map.
Map of the w:Half-Breed Tract in Iowa, a reservation designated for individuals of mixed American Indian and European descent. This reservation was designated in an 1824 treaty between the Sac and the Fox Indian tribes and the United States government.
Lee County, Iowa and the “Half Breed Tract” historic detail, from an Iowa 1905 census map. [Left] A Half-Breed Tract was located in Lee County, Iowa. An 1824 treaty between the Sauk people, the Fox tribe, and the United States set aside a reservation for mixed-blood people related to the tribes. Lying between the Mississippi, and Des Moines rivers and below an eastward extension of the Sullivan Line (The old Indian boundary surveyed out by John C. Sullivan in 1816—at approximately 40.60° N.), the Tract occupied an area of approximately 119,000 acres (480 km2). Under the original treaty, the half-breed people had the right to occupy the soil, but individuals could not buy or sell the land.[4]
In 1834 Congress repealed the rule. Immediately afterward, claim jumpers claimed much of the land. The government gave away mixed-blood peoples’ claims to the land, effectively ending the provisions of the Half-Breed Tract by 1841.[5][6]
Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr. purchased parts of the Half-Breed Tract, probably in 1837, from a land speculation company. Deeds to most of the land were faulty and could not be held. This left the church with only about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), including a town called Commerce in Illinois. The Mormons moved to this Illinois site from Far West, Missouri, to escape the Missouri Executive Order 44 issued by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs.[7]” Wikipedia
Map Showing Accession of Territory from Indians” from the original instructions for the Census of Iowa for the Year 1905, Published: 1905-1906, Des Moines, Iowa, Bernard Murphy, State Printer; Under the authority of chapter 8, acts of the 30th general assembly, page iii
I believe the Book of Mormon Zarahemla is near Montrose, Iowa, just as I believe there is only one Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. Mike and Betty LaFontaine believe the land in Montrose is sacred land of their previous Native American ancestor. Thus, Heartland Research Group not only continues exploring the area for the City of Zarahemla, but also seek land in the area that in history was called Half-Breed land.
Letter below from Betty LaFontaine Nov 15, 2023 to HRG and friends.
“Since we (HRG) have been asked about purchasing the 9.4 acres which literally has been gifted to us for our use. I have pondered and asked in Prayer of what we may do. I have been researching the “Half Breed Tract lands” I came upon this explanation and or article!
I believe HRG may have yet another, “Big piece of history once again!” I will continue this research further.
This land we acquired was given to us for a reason, the Spirits of the Natives who walked the land 9.4 acres and much much more in the area where we believe Zarahemla to be is a Sacred land, where we have a 600 BC replica ship Phoenicia!
A ship like it may have brought the ancestors of these people “from the east” to this area of the Heartland.
Here yet another connection!
This particular piece like I said was gifted to us by a great man. Mike and I connected with this man that day we met and had lunch together. We love the work we are doing and love all of your hard work in this project.
Let us continue working together and always strive to be good stewards.
Thank you, We Love you guys ?Betty aka “Red Ant”& Mike
Read an amazing article below about the Half-Breed Land
Below is a revelation, not a statement, not an idea, not conjecture, a revelation. If the Lord planned the name Zarahemla as just another name and not one in the Book of Mormon, the Lord may have called it in D&C 125 the New Zarahemla, signifying a different location as in the city of the New Jerusalem.
D&C 125:3-4
“Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841, concerning the Saints in the territory of Iowa.” (Heading of D&C 125)
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.” D&C 125:3-4
Half-Breed Land in Eastern Iowa
Zarahemla According to Neville
“When Joseph Smith purchased the land for Nauvoo, he actually purchased far more land across the river in Iowa, as this map (left) from the Joseph Smith papers shows. If this area–designated in the 1800s as the “half-breed tract”–was the location of the ancient city of Zarahemla, the location could explain why the people were wealthy and why they had problems with pride, etc. (Of course, every human society has problems of pride, envy, etc.
However, Alma focuses particularly on this when he’s in the city of Zarahemla.) People ask if there is archaeological evidence for a city in this area. There is archaeological evidence of settlements along the river, north and south of this site, that date to Book of Mormon times, but nothing that can be identified as the city of Zarahemla, per se.The city of Zarahemla and its inhabitants were burned (3 Nephi 8:8). Later, the city was built again (4 Nephi 1:8) but the city is not mentioned afterward. It could have been destroyed again, of course. The river could have flooded the city, deposited sand over it, or any number of other possibilities.”
Neville continues, “For now, I note that it’s a location that seems to fit the text nicely. Another consideration is that D&C 125 hints at this site as the location of ancient Zarahemla. Another interesting aspect of Alma 5 is the mention of sheep, shepherds, and wolves. There must have been sheep in the city of Zarahemla. We’ve already stipulated that, because the Nephites “strictly” observed the Law of Moses, but Alma emphasizes the point is repeated here.
v. 37: ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, v. 38: ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. v. 39: And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? v. 59: For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? v. 60: if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.
These metaphors would be ineffective if the people living in Zarahemla did not have sheep. In verse 59, Alma abandons the metaphorical use and speaks directly to actual shepherds. Some species of sheep that are indigenous to North America have survived to the present day, including the Bighorn and Dall. Anciently, their populations were in the millions. Although confined mainly to the western US, Canada, and northern Mexico. Wolves are indigenous to North America and were ubiquitous throughout North America before the Europeans arrived. They were part of Native American Indian legends and mythology. Their devastating impact on domesticated animals led to federal government programs to eradicate wolves from grazing areas. See this article.
Because Alma discussed wolves in this sense, I think it’s possible that whatever domesticated sheep the Nephites had–whether related to the other indigenous North American species or species Lehi brought with him–were killed off after the destruction of the Nephite society. The situation could be similar to that of horses, where recent research has shown the traditional explanation for horses–that the Spanish brought them all–is not consistent with the actual records.” Source: 2016 Gospel Doctrine Resource by Jonathan Neville
The most exciting news in many years, is the 600 BC replica ‘Phoenicia’ is being re-assembled on the banks of the Mississippi River near Montrose, Iowa. Heartland Research purchased the original Philip Beale, ‘Phoenicia’ which sailed over 30,000 nautical miles from the Old world to America in 2009 and another voyage in 2020.
Since Philip Beale was unable to sell the ship whole, he wanted it preserved, so he had it cut up and loaded on two large containers in Florida and sent one back to England, and just a few months later, before Philip sent the 2nd container to England, Heartland Purchased purchased the entire contents of those two large containers from Philip. Quickly they set up the current warehouse in Montrose, Iowa and began re-build that 600 BC replica.
About a year later the 2nd container that was sent to England was sent to Heartland Research in Iowa. The first container has already been restored and the second container of the ship is just beginning to be rebuilt as of Nov 2023. Come join us as volunteers to help restore this wonderful ship. Donate Here
Across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois is where the ‘Phoenicia’ is being re-built today. The Heartland Research Group also owns significant land in Montrose Iowa as you can see below with the red arrow. More to Come
Mike and Betty LaFontaine awarding Captain Philip Beale with a hand made drum constructed by Mike and Painted by Betty, after the Captains last voyage on the ‘Phoenicia’ in 2020.
“For my people, the Dine’ oral tradition says that we came to this land from the East direction, at first light as the sun rises we give thanks for all we have in the east direction. Our homes face the east direction, we believe to have come here from the east by The Holy People.
When I first learned of the Phoenicia and its beginning and how it sailed here to North America she fascinated me, especially learning of replication of a 600 BC ship. The timeline of The Book of Mormon and the stories of my people coming to this sacred land America. I believe The Phoenicia is a special ship, I believe she has a Spirit of discovery and a mission. In 2019 she came to the shore of Ft Lauderdale, I boarded her and instantly felt her Spirit, I thought of how it was very possible a ship like her came to North America carrying my Ancestors of The Book of Mormon! She had a rough couple of years and even made it through a bad Tropical storm, and had some damage. Mike and I drove to Ft Lauderdale in December 2021 to see her. As I walked around and touched her worn wood I instantly felt a strong presence, she lives! She has a story to tell, others need to see her, touch her and hear her story.
Her figurehead a horse head on the bow of the ship was damaged but still made her beautiful presence known. She lives and must live on were my thoughts, when we visited her that day in the shipyard in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. She will need love and care to bring her back to where she will continue her story. Philip Beale sailed her to America to tell a story without really knowing our story and the time era of 600 BC and what that means to us. May we continue her story here in America” Red Ant
600 BC Phoenicia Expedition Ship with Horse-Head Prows
“The Heartland Research Group is a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground organization that believes that the historical narrative of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of North America. The HRG is active in archaeological research and in the acquisition, restoration and display of ancient American artifacts. The HRG is currently preparing an ancient ship replica called the “Phoenicia” for display. The ships construction design is patterned after a shipwreck dating to 600 BC. The Phoenicia ship made modern voyages, first around Africa and then also from the Middle East to Florida in 2019 – proving that voyages around Africa or from Sidon to North America were feasible anciently.” Heartland Research Group
We invite you to support our efforts financially so we can complete these worthy goals! See their website here: phoenicia.rocks
“I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt. Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.” Edward Phillips
“I was standing by the temple talking to Brother Woodruff and he pointed out a spot to me on the opposit[e] side of the river about a mile and a half above Montrose, and said there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla.” Edward Phillips. More from his autobiography below.
Sheep in ancient North America, Validate a Zarahemla site is possible in Iowa
No Sheep, Goats, Bullocks, Rams, Doves, Wheat, or Barley in Mesoamerica during the time of the Nephites. They couldn’t practice the Law of Moses unless they lived in North America.
Hugh Nibley said, “If my insistent harping on central Asia annoys you, let me remind you again that the book of Ether gives us no choice. It never lets us forget that what the Jaredite kings did was a conscious imitation and unbroken continuation of the ways of “the ancients,” of “them of old” on the other side of the water. This, incidentally, is another indication that we are not to regard the Jaredite migration as taking place immediately after the flood, for the fall of the tower saw the destruction of an ancient and established order. The Jaredites left their homeland driving great herds of cattle before them in the immemorial Asiatic manner, and even if they had never been nomads before, they certainly lived the life of the steppes during those many years before they set sail (Ether 3:3), and when they embarked, they crammed all they could of their beasts into their small boats, “flocks and herds” and other beasts (Ether 6:4), and upon reaching the New World continued to cultivate “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep” just as their ancestors had in the old country (Ether 9:18). Now you know, how the Nephites could have had sheep in North America brought to this land by the Jaredites. The Nephites could continue practicing the Law of Moses in the land of The New Jerusalem.” (2 Nephi 25:24 Mosiah 2:3) Hugh Nibley from Lehi in the Desert; The Great Open Spaces
3 Essential Truths about Nephite Observance of the Law of Moses By Amberli Nelson
“First Truth: Not only did the Nephites “strictly” keep the law of Moses (as indicated in 37 verses in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 30:3, Mosiah 13:29-30, Jarom 1:5), but they did so with delight as it was seen by them as both a collection of types of Christ and a means of coming unto Him. Occasionally even the Lamanites were known to “strictly” observe the law (Hel. 13:1). Second: In “observing to keep the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the Law of Moses” (2 Ne. 5:10), the Nephites would have necessarily observed all the feasts or “holy days” given to Moses by Jehovah. These are recorded in Exodus and Leviticus and are known as “holy convocations” or “rehearsals” and they typify the life and mission of Jesus Christ in profoundly beautiful ways. Third: It was absolutely essential for these Jewish Lehites to be brought to a land that would provide an abundance of all the plants and animals required to keep the Law of Moses, with its concomitant Holy Days or festivals. Based on the latest archeological findings, it can now be irrefutably shown that the Heartland of North America is the only location in the Western Hemisphere where all ten of the essential items were found anciently including; lambs, oxen, goats, doves, barley, wheat, grapes, and altars made of stacked, unhewn stones. These aforementioned items have not been found in the archaeological record of the pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica.” Amberli Nelson MBA Hebrew/Jewish Symbology Expert
Mesoamerican Theories of Zarahemla
Mesoamerica “Book of Mormon Lands” tour promoter Dr. John L. Lund, released a historically incorrect and misleading article in a newsletter and paid advertisement eblast (http://ldsliving.com/e/2012/db02_29_2012.html ) published Feb. 29, 2012. Lund’s piece, Joseph Smith Identified Zarahemla as Being in Guatemala, proclaims that an article appearing in the Times and Seasons on October 1, 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois was emphatically “written by Joseph Smith.” Read more here:
“In March 1841, a revelation known as Section 125, gave a name and location of a city. While the Lord had previously named Adam – ondi – Ahman and the New Jerusalem as being in the state of Missouri, perhaps this revelation has named yet another city in ancient America. The Lord said to Joseph: “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it”. We first learned of the name Zarahemla in the Book of Mormon. However, very early in Church History documents, the name Zarahemla was disassociated with the revelation. Writers of the history of this period began to attribute the naming of Zarahemla to other persons who were contemporary with the Prophet Joseph or even to the Prophet himself rather than to the Lord and they made it appear that the word Zarahemla was used pre-1841 when the Lord actually gave the revelation to Joseph. We have learned from historic and current Church History publications the following clarifications about the naming of Zarahemla.”
1. Joseph Smith DID NOT use the word Zarahemla in 1839. (Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, vol. 1, p. 336)
Thus, we have learned, that any use of the name Zarahemla prior to March 1841 is not correct and was inserted in historical accounts after 1841. Surely, further investigation is warranted as to why the Lord used such a name in the revelation.
Again do you remember Bill? Read study and pray and you will know the truth.
Autobiography of Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
Edward Phillips (1813-1896)
This sketch was written by Sylvia Phillips, then a fourteen year old granddaughter of Edward Phillips, as he dictated it to her in the year 1889. Italicized portions are apparently Phillips’ corrections/additions. Typescript in hands of family.
Edward Phillips, son of William and Mary Phillips, born in Oxenhall Parrish [Parish], Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire], England, April 2, 1813. He was christened April 3, 1813.
When [I was] six months old my father moved to Leigh, Worcestershire, Upper Sandlin, and there rented a farm of one hundred acres for three years. From there moved to Black House, Creadley, Herefordshire, and rented a farm of seventy-five acres for four years then returning to Upper Sandlin and rented that farm again for three years. From there he moved to Creadley and rented another farm. While working there he was taken sick and died at Longley Groen [Green], Suckley, Worcestershire, November 29, 1825, at the age of sixty-two. He married Mary Ann Pressdee in Worcestershire, being about ten years her senior. She was the mother of eleven children. From that time I employed myself farming and learning blacksmithing. I joined the society called the “United Brethern” whose president and leader was Thomas Kington. Everything worked well with us until within a year of the time Brother Wilford Woodruff arrived in our neighborhood. It seemed to me that we had come to a precipice and could not go any farther until Brother Wilford Woodruff placed a bridge over that precipice and we went on with glad hearts rejoicing. I went to hear him preach at Ridgeway Crossing on or about March 15, 1840. A day or two following I went to Hill’s Farm to hear him speak. When I started my good old mother said, “Edward, I should think you will not come back without being baptized.” I obeyed this council. I was the only male member of my father’s family who received the gospel. My sister Susan followed suite.I was one of the forty-six preachers that Brother Woodruff speaks of in his “Leaves of My Journal.” The forty-six were baptized except one, that was Phillip Holdt.Brother Woodruff baptized me at Hill Farm where he baptized six hundred. He told me not long ago, that less had apostatized out of that lot than any other of the same number in the church.
I[n] a few days after I was baptized, I was ordained a priest and put in charge of two branches, Ashfield and Crocutt, with George Brooks as my addistant [assistant]. This was near Sherrage, Leigh, Worcestershire. In the fall of that year, I was ordained an elder at the conference, under the hands of Brother Woodruff, and was sent to preach the gospel with Elder John Gaily to the Forest of Deane and Glouscestershire [Gloucestershire]. There I had the privilege of visiting my father’s family. We traveled and preached nearly a year and many were brout [brought] into the church under our administration. My mother embraced the gospel about this time under the hands of Brother Woodruff at a place called Moorings Cross, Maythen Parrish [Parish], Herfordshire [Herefordshire], 1841.
I left my home to emigrate to America. I went to Gloucester and in company with one hundred saints went to Bristol and boarded the “Carolina” for America. We set sail for Quebec, August 8th, 1841. We had a tedious voyage of eight weeks and three days, but landed safely. Thomas Richardson was our President. We set sail for Quebec, from Quebec we went to Montreal by steamer, and from Montreal through the lock to Kinston and then we sailed along Lake Ontario to Lewiston. We had a fine view of the city of Toronto. From Lewiston we boarded the train (which was drawn by mules) from Niagara Falls.
The next day we boarded the train for Buffalo and arrived at that place after dark. We put up at the Farmer’s Exchange for a week because of sickness. We then boarded the Chespeake [Chesapeake] for where now stands the great city of Chicago. We hired a man there to take us to Nauvoo with a team which contract he filled. We arrives [arrived] at Nauvoo in the latter part of October, 1841, on Saturday. On Sunday, I was anxious to see the Prophet. I attended meeting there and saw him for the first time. I did not need an introduction for I knew him the moment I saw him. He preached the gospel of salvation to us that morning which caused my heart to rejoice. Next day, Monday, I went to work in quarrying rock for the temple, (that was my first days work in America) near the upper Stone House on the Mississippi River. I continued to work on the temple and the Nauvoo House, most of the winter. I boarded with an old friend by the name of Jenkins, a shoemaker. There I fell in love with my present wife, who had preceeded [preceded] me a few weeks to America. On the 2nd of August of the next year, being one year from the time I left home, we were married by Heber C. Kimball near Camp Creek in Hancock County. She bore me fifteen children, nine of whom are still living, three of whom were born in Illinois, and the two first, a boy and a girl, died there. We were driven from their graves at the point of a bayonet, which was very grievous to us. I had some land and made me a nice home near where they were buried. I was working in the field near the house when the news came that the Prophet and his brother were killed at Carthage Jail.This made me shed bitter tears for I felt they were two good friends and I knew Joseph was a true prophet of God. He had said that he would go and die for the people. I was under arms in Nauvoo when he gave himself up to die for the people. He discharged us and told us to go home and he would go and die for us. We would gladly have gone and stood between him and death, but he would not let us. I was ready and willing to go. We were quartered at the tithing yard and slept in the Nauvoo Exposition Building. We went one day for foliage for our horses, and met Gen. Joseph Smith with his staff in the street. He cheered us and said, “Well done, boys.” We had been out inspecting the ground where we expected to meet our enemies. Word came to our Captain one night that the pickett guard was driven in and we were ordered out in the dead of night to go and meet the mob. I was determined to go and assist, so I borrowed a horse from a boy who did not like to go himself. Nevertheless this proved to be a false alarm and I went back disappointed. The prophet said he would go and die for us. He did and was butchered in cold blood. I was not there when he was killed, but I went later and took my wife with me to show her the well, curb, and the window where he jumped out when he was shot.
I have a Patriarchal blessing hanging in a frame in my room, which was pronounced upon my head by the prophet and patriarch, Hyrum Smith, in the fall of 1844[1843?], which is worth more than gold to me – Gold is no name for it. The predictions are being literally fulfilled every day. I know if I prove faithful it will all come to pass. I knew then and also know now that Joseph was a true prophet of God, and that the mantle of Joseph fell on Brigham Young who was his legal successor.
Brigham Young appeared to be Joseph Smith
I was present at the meeting when this took place (Read about that meeting below with the *) and heard with my own ears and saw with my own eyes. We all thought Joseph had come back to us although we knew he was in his grave. I was standing by the temple talking to Brother Woodruff and he pointed out a spot to me on the opposit[e] side of the river about a mile and a half above Montrose, and said there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla. I was at Nauvoo when the temple was finished and dedicated. I went up into the tower and wrote my name there. As I understand, the wicked have burned that temple to the ground and it is all destroyed like the Jerusalem temple. But I expect to see that temple re-erected and the one built on the opposite side of the river to match. Source Here and Here
2018 Scanned Sites in Montrose, Iowa Area – More than 220 Acres.
*Is there evidence for the transfiguration of Brigham Young?
James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
“The day is Thursday, August 8, 1844. Six weeks to the day have passed since the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. The majority of the Twelve Apostles have recently returned from missions1 and some are still stunned and disheartened by the loss of their Prophet. Upon their arrival they find “Sidney Rigdon busy among the Saints, trying to establish his claim to the presidency of the Church.”2 According to a report issued by the Times and Seasons:
[A] special meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, convened at the stand in the city of Nauvoo, President Brigham Young, called the audience to order, and arranged the several quorums according to their standing, and the rules of the church. The meeting had been previously called, as stated, to choose a guardian, or trustee for said church.3
Sidney Rigdon
Opinions differ,4 either Sidney Rigdon, former First Counselor in the First Presidency,5 or the Quorum of the Twelve with Brigham Young at their head. The audience is divided as the polished and eloquent Sidney Rigdon commences his message. The old gentleman is charismatic and the arguments are compelling to some of the flock.6
Brigham Young, a man fiercely loyal to the Prophet Joseph Smith, current President of the Twelve and later to become known as the “Lion of the Lord”, takes the stand. Suddenly, the people arise “en-masse to their feet astonished.”7 One eyewitness later remembered, “it appeared that Joseph had returned and was speaking to the people.”8 As Brigham Young commences speaking, hundreds in the audience believe “in every possible degree it [is] Joseph’s voice, and his person, in look, attitude, dress and appearance [it is] Joseph himself, personified”.9 William Hyde later remembers:
[Brigham Young] then called upon the saints to know if they would receive the Twelve and let them stand in their place as the First Presidency of the Church in the absense of Joseph. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative. On this day it was plainly manifest that the mantle of Joseph had rested upon President Young.10James F. Stoddard IV and Aaron R. Halsell
Here are other evidences to pray about as you decide where the Book of Mormon Events happened. I believe the events happened right here in the USA.
Zelph of Zarahemla
Zelph a Man of God by Ken Corbett
“Before breaking camp the morning of June 3, the Prophet Joseph Smith, accompanied by several of the men, went to observe a large mound which was located approximately one mile below the Phillip’s Ferry crossing. It was of unusual size and lay within the proximity of a number of smaller mounds. Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff recorded in their journals that the mound was one hundred feet high and three hundred feet above the level of the river. The height of the mound enabled the men to look over the tops of the trees and view the surrounding area. At the crest of the mound, human bones were strewn around the base of what appeared to be a three-tiered altar. Heber C. Kimball wrote that the arrangement of the stones resembled the ancient order or altars..
Zelph in vision by Ken Corbett
The men were curious about the area, the mounds, and particularly about the scattered bones. As they began to descend the mound, Joseph Smith suddenly stopped, pointed to the ground, and said, “Brethren, dig in there.” When the earth had been removed to the depth of one or two feet, the men found the skeleton of a large man. Journal accounts state that, “the bones were all there and in a good state of preservation.” Buried in the backbone, between the ribs of the man was a stone arrowhead which Milton Holmes took. Examining the skeleton more closely, it was noted that one of the thigh bones had been previously broken and knitted together. The thigh bones and the arrowhead were taken back to camp and placed in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon. The skeleton was unusually large . It was estimated to be over eight feet tall.” James L. Bradley, Zion’s Camp 1834: Prelude to the Civil War (Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1990), p. 207.
Letter to Emma by Ken Corbett
“The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56
“On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish arrow, which evidently produced his death. Elder Burr Riggs retained the arrow. The contemplation of the scenery around us produced peculiar sensations in our bosoms; and subsequently the visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part-one of his thigh bones was broken by a stone flung from a sling, while in battle, years before his death. He was killed in battle by the arrow found among his ribs, during the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], Page 483
Book of Mormon City Manti
“The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti…” Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 296 “September 25, 1838. We passed through Huntsville, Co, seat of Randolph Co, Pop. 450, and three miles further we bought 32 bu. of corn off one of the brethren who resides in this place. There are several of the brethren round about here and this is the ancient site of the City of Manti, which is spoken of in the Book of Mormon and this is appointed one of the Stakes of Zion, and it is in Randolph County, Missouri, three miles west of the county seat.” Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, filed in Church Historian’s Office. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3: 239 History of Joseph Smith page 296
“We came through Huntsville, the county seat of Randolph county . . . A mile and a half west of Huntsville we crossed the east branch of Chariton (River), and one and a half miles west of the river we found Ira Ames and some other brethren near the place where the city of Manti is to be built, and encamped for the night on Dark creek, six miles from Huntsville. Traveled this day seventeen miles. Distance from Kirtland, seven hundred and fifty-five miles.” Joseph Smith Documentary History of the Church, 3:10:144:1
Joseph Smith accompanied several Church members in exploring the area around Lyman Wight’s northern Missouri home. In his journal, A. Jenson wrote: “The [Kirtland] camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.” A. Jenson, Historical Record, Book 1, p. 601Millennial Star 16:296
Indians that now Inhabit this Country
“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country…” Wentworth Letter reprinted in Ensign July 2002
Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)
“He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” Joseph Smith Journal, November 9, 1835; The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839 (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 88-89.
“Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel;” BofM Title Page
“You shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them;… and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. D&C 28:8-9
The Lamanites that were first taught the gospel, as Parley Pratt says were the Native American Indians of the United States. There were two tribes of the Iroquois, Wyandot, and Cattaraugus, and two from the Algonquian, the Delaware or Leni Lape, and the Shawnee.
“Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea — from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land . . . Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book . . . written on plates of gold and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth, built buildings and cities and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do . . . This Book, which contained these things was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the state of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county . . . Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.”Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18
“Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three tribes… west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p 56-61
“Now, to my story again. Besides the Delawares, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Wyandots, Pottowattomies, Senecas, Osages, Choctaws, Cherokees, Kaskaskias, Kansas, &c. &c. which our nation and the missionaries are domesticating as they are gathered, upon the southern limits of the land of Israel, the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Rickarees, the Mandans, the Nespersees, the Blackfeet, the Sacs, the Foxes, and many other tribes, rove and hunt from prairie to prairie, from river to river, from hill to hill, and from mountain to mountain, and live, and are blessed before the face of heaven daily as well as their contemporary whites; and, perhaps I may add, are as justifiable before God, as any people on the globe, called heathens. No church bell from its elevated steeple, rings “Go to meeting; it is Sunday,” while a dozen lesser ones, for stages and Steam boats, peal a ding dong “for parties of pleasure, as a holiday,” among these rude sons of the west.—And it is a difficult matter to make one soul of them believe the Great Spirit ever said, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” while they know, that the majority of the white nation, use it for a holiday. No politicians boast of freedom and equal rights, while thousands are imprisoned for debt, or are in bondage: No; when the tribes are at peace, the Indian is free; his land is free; his game is free; his time is free, and all is free.” LETTER NO. II. From WW Phelps to Oliver Cowdery Liberty, Mo. Nov. 6, 1834
“I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-Ku-Kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes (Sac, Fox), with their families.” … and instructed them in many things which the Lord had revealed unto me concerning their fathers, and the promises that were made concerning them in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Smith Papers; History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 Addenda page 10-11
Joseph Knew where the Book of Mormon took Place
“From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth–all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study… During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode, their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845 Book 4 Joseph Smith Papers
The United States is the Land of the Book of Mormon
“The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom promised Ensign Dec. 2012
“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
“Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)
President Monson believes the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. Why do Mesoamericanists believe the entire continent of the Americas is the Promised land? You mean Greenland, Guatemala, and the Northwest Territories are the Promised Lands? I love all of God’s children in the entire world and God loves us all the same, but seriously? If a person from Greenland comes to the United States legally as a citizen that person can also live in the Promised Land, correct? I’m sure Greenland has much beauty on its own, but it is not the Promised Land, is it? I am not belittling other lands. I’m just making a factual statement. Why is the United States and Israel the two Promised Lands? Because Christ said so. See 3 Nephi 20:22,29 Rian Nelson
Gadianton Robbers
“Upon one occasion President Brigham Young was in the Tabernacle at St. George and was speaking on the spirit world. He stated that it was not far from us and if the veil could be taken from our eyes there wouldn’t be either a man, woman or child who would dare go out of “this tabernacle as the spirits of the Gadianton robbers were so thick out there. This is where they lived in these mountains,” said he.” Crowther, Duane S., 1967, Life Everlasting, Bookcraft, SLC, UT, p. 165, as quoted from N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, p. 89.
“Of course, the significance of this statement makes sense only in light of the land of Zarahemla being in the United States. The Nephites wouldn’t have gone all the way from Mexico into the United States to hunt the Gadianton Robbers, nor would the Gadiantons have gone into the United States to hide from Nephites in Mexico. It is clear that since the Gadianton Robbers were hiding out in Utah in the St. George region, the Land of Zarahemla must have been in the United States as well. The “mountains” mentioned in the following scriptures, therefore, are the Rocky Mountains of the United States.” Josephsmithacademy.org
Joseph Smith’s Historically Verifiable Written Statements
“Nearly all those familiar with the early statements by the Prophet touching on potential Book of Mormon lands know that he clearly indicated them to be in North America. This is evident in the historically verified accounts wherein he declared revelation such as in the Wentworth Letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Accounts and Joseph’s handwritten letter to Emma while on Zion’s camp. In addition, the prophet revealed a Nephite altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, mentioned the land of Manti was near Huntsville, Missouri, and revealed that this land was “the borders of the Lamanites” (see D&C 54:8). Furthermore he received revelation from the Lord for the location of Zarahemla (see D&C 125:3) and New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:1-6) which Christ Himself declared to be on Book of Mormon lands (3 Nephi 20:22), both of which are absolutely located in North America. These accounts and their indications are not speculation based, but historically documented.” By Rod Meldrum
There are so many connections with the Ancient Jewish people and the Tribe of Judah here in the United States of America. We know Hebrew roots are all over the United States in the writings of amazing historians. Many connect the Hebrews in the USA from 1000 BC to 400 AD and many say the Native Americans speak of a earlier time where white people were a great culture before them.
“There has been a lot of talk from intellectuals about various hoaxes purported to be associated with ancient Hebrew stones and script found in North America. It makes sense that when Lehi landed in North America he and his culture would have left behind evidence of his Jewish and Israelite heritage. Since nothing has been found in South and Central America, the intellectuals want to condemn anything that may have been found in North America. Of the 8-10 evidences found in North America related to Hebrew, the scholars refute ALL OF THEM as hoaxes!. That seems way to easy to just out of hand condemn any evidence. That’s what people do when they can’t explain things. Today’s science is not engaged in finding new truths, but in finding new pet theories.
Since no new “Scientific Law” has been discovered and proven in over 100 years, the scientists are now propping up their new “theories” as if they are true. Take for example the theory of evolution. Last time I heard it is still a theory and has never been proven to be a law. What about the theory of magma in the center of the earth? It has been shown in Dean Sessions book that it is more likely that water is at the center of the earth? I’m not a scientist but just an ordinary man who likes to have science and history just “make sense”. What about the intellectuals that say Noah’s flood was not universal or was a myth? What about those who say Adam was not the first man created on this earth? I would rather ask the simple question of, “does it make common sense” rather than listen to many intellectuals who claim to know the unknown.
I offer this information below as wonderful information to take to heart. Learn and listen, search and pray and things will make sense to you. By all means I don’t want you to believe me as I like you am only one who loves the Lord and tries daily to learn His truths that He is sharing with us. Stay close to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and follow the Prophet and Apostles in all you do. I have a witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I also know as Moroni promised that I. “may know the truth of all things.” Rian Nelson FIRM Foundation
The following is from Alexander’s Messenger, page 16. Published in 1883, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “A government officer stationed at Lake Superior, at an early day, before any white settlers had invaded that part of the country, after becoming acquainted with a number of the Indian tribes, found one tribe in possession of a copper tube, tightly soldered; and when asked what it contained they said they were not able to tell, but they had received it from their ancestors a long time ago. The officer finally prevailed upon them to let him open the article, and when he did so he found it filled with parchment, with inscriptions that he could not read, but he sending the parchment to Washington City where it was examined by competent Hebrew scholars, it was declared to be part of the five books of Moses.”
Here we have another link in the chain, proving the Hebrew were here many years before the white many came to this continent, and that the present North American Indians are their descendants.” Ten Tribes of Israel or the True History of the North American Indians showing that they are descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel. By Timothy R. Jenkins, Springfield, Ohio 1883https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072017/
An Ancient Jewish Phylactery found in Massachusetts
Phylacteries and Borders of their Garments (Matt. 23)
In reprimanding the Pharisees, the Savior said: “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments” (Matthew 23:5). What are phylacteries? What are the borders of their garments?
Phylacteries
The Hebrew word for phylactery is tefillin. In the following command, note that the Lord states that Israel is to keep the law before their eyes and heart. As a sign they are to bind the law on their hand and between their eyes.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; emphasis added)
A tefillin is a literal representation of the Lord’s command to bind the law on the hand and between the eyes. In his excellent book, To Be a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin describes what tefillin are:
The tefillin (translated phylacteries) consist of two small black boxes, containing small scrolls of parchment upon which are written four Biblical passages [Exodus 13:1-10; 13:11-16; Deut. 6:4-9; and 11:13-21]. These four passages from the Torah [five books of Moses] all include the commandment to don tefillin as a sign, as a symbol of Jewish faith and devotion. Each of the black boxes comes with leather straps (Hebrew: retzuot) so designed as to enable one to be bound upon the hand and for the other to be worn above the forehead. (p. 145)
Borders of the Garments
The phrase “borders of their garments” as reference to what is called in Hebrew the tallit or prayer shawls. The Lord gave the following commandment to the children of Israel:
37 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. (Numbers 15:37-40)
Rabbi Donnin says of this passage:
The commandment in [Numbers 15:37-40] calls for the attachment of fringes (tzitzit) to four-cornered garments as a reminder of all the commandments of the Lord … Garments not possessing four or more corners are not required to have the special fringes. ….
Although in ancient times four-cornered garments or robes were common, the development of clothing not having four corners would have rendered this mitzvah [Heb. for commandment] totally obsolete, with the full sanction of the law. To prevent the total disappearance of a mitzvah that possessed such great symbolic significance (since it serves as a reminder to observe all the commandments), the Sages encouraged the wearing of a specially-made four-cornered garments so as to provide the opportunity to observe and implement this commandment.
Says Maimonides: “Although one is not obligated to buy a garment and wrap himself in it just so as to provide it with fringes, it is not proper for a devout or pious person to exempt himself from observing this precept. He should strive to wear a garment that requires fringes so as to perform this precept. And during times of prayer, one should take special care to do so” (Hil. Tzitzit 3:11)
The tallit, a four-cornered robe with the required tzitzit, has thus become the garment traditionally worn by men during morning prayer services. In English, it is commonly called a “prayer shawl.” (pp. 155-6) Source: BYU Idaho
The Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 253
When Joseph Merrick, local farmer and innkeeper, purchased a tract of land in west Pittsfield in 1800, he had no expectation that it would prove such fertile ground for growing mystery. Indeed, it was not until 15 years later that a seemingly innocuous piece of refuse found there would go on to arouse the interest of the town’s most prominent citizens, and to serve as a potentially crucial clue in controversy surrounding the origins of the Book of Mormon.
In June of 1815, a boy Merrick had employed to clear a piece of yard presented him with a leather strap found among the debris left by plowing. Merrick at first threw it in a box and paid little attention. Only looking at it later did he realize that there was something inside the strap. He cut it open to find several tightly scrolled pieces of parchment. Each was inscribed with Hebrew characters of some sort. Perplexed, Merrick shared the discovery with some of the most learned men at the First Congregational Church, where he served as a deacon. He didn’t have to try very hard to get their attention. He had only barely mentioned the find when he found himself called on by a number of curious visitors. Rumors of the object quickly reached Elkanah Watson, father of the American Agricultural Society and probably Pittsfield’s most illustrious citizen at the time. Watson wrote in a letter “immediately on hearing of the discovery, I repaired to the house of Mr. Merrick, where I found several clergymen whose curiosity was [also] greatly excited by the strange incident..”
Among those present when Watson arrived was 20-year-old Sylvester Larned, fresh from seminary but already “greatly distinguished for talents and moving eloquence.” Larned, though exceedingly well educated for the times, lacked any knowledge of Hebrew. This required the help of William Allen, son of “Fighting Parson” Thomas Allen, and the minister of First Congregational Church at the time. Allen identified the object as a Jewish phylactery, containing four pieces of parchment inscribed with verses from Deuteronomy and Exodus.
Now that they knew what it was, the question of where it came from became all the more exciting to them. No Jewish family or individual had ever lived at that location, so far as anyone knew. Before Merrick it had been the site of “Fort Hill” or Fort Ashley, a blockhouse built by colonial militia during the French and Indian War. Prior to that the area was called “Indian Hill,” in reference to it being the site of a former Mohican settlement, and it was this earlier occupation that most intrigued the Pittsfield scholars. In their mind, the phylactery fit quite perfectly into a debate that had begun more than a century and a half before. The theory that the American Indians were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel had first been advanced in 1650, with the publication of Thorowgood’s “Jewes in America” and had been a subject of perennial interest in Puritan New England ever since. Watson had already leaped to this conclusion, stating “the artifact must have found its way into this recent wilderness by the agency of some descendants of Israel. this discovery forms another link in the evidence by which our Indians are identified with the ancient Jews.” After his initial inspection, Allen was inclined to agree that the phylactery “furnished proof that our Indians were descendants of the ancient chosen people.” Adding weight to this conclusion was the late testimony of Dr. West of Stockbridge that “an old Indian” had told him that his ancestors had once “been in the possession of a book which they had, not long since, carried with them, but having lost the knowledge of reading it, they buried it with an Indian Chief.”*
Shortly thereafter, Allen sent the artifact to Abiel Holmes, a scholar in Cambridge. There is no record of Holmes’ opinion, only that he delivered the phylactery to the American Antiquarian Society, on Allen’s urging. Nothing much was said or done about the phylactery for several years after that. Most of the parties who had viewed it (and many who hadn’t) believed it to be evidence of the Hebrew origins of Native Americans, but by 1816 or so no one outside of select sectarian circles seemed much interested in proving that point. In the early 1820s, Ethan Smith, a congregational minister in Poultney, Vt., became interested in the Pittsfield phylactery. Though he never actually saw it personally, he described it in his 1823 book “View of the Hebrews: The Lost Tribes of Israel in America.” That same year, a young man in Palmyra, N.Y., announced that he was to receive a set of plates from an angel. The man was Joseph Smith and the plates were said to contain a history of ancient America.
Later, when these plates were being translated, Oliver Cowdery, one of original “Three Witnesses” of Mormonism’s Golden Plates, joined Smith and became the major scribe who assisted in Smith’s translation. Cowdery hailed from Poultney, where he had been a parishioner of Ethan Smith’s congregational flock and quite likely owned a copy of his book. For this reason, nearly two centuries of skeptics and opponents to Mormonism have theorized that Ethan Smith’s ideas, along with certain elements of his style (e.g., his heavy quotation of the Book of Isaiah) may have been one of two major sources of influence on the Book of Mormon (the other being a fictional manuscript by Solomon Spaulding that Smith friend and follower Sidney Rigdon may have provided. It is certain that Joseph Smith did become aware of View of the Hebrews at some point, for he cites it and the artifact found in Pittsfield as supporting evidence of the “Lost Tribes” in America. Furthermore, it is entirely conceivable that Smith could have already have heard of the phylactery prior to 1823.
By then, though, no on was sure where the darned thing was. Isaiah Thomas, the first president of the antiquarian society, told Ethan Smith that he didn’t know where it was, or even where to go about looking. Several historians have made attempt over the years to track its whereabouts after being delivered to the society, coming up with only fragmentary possible scenarios. It may or may not have been returned to Sylvester Larned, who in 1818 expressed disappointment that nothing had come of the find. Larned may or may not in turn have sent it to Elias Boudinot, another interested scholar. Larned died of Yellow Fever two years later in New Orleans, at the age of 25, and there is no sign of the phylactery in Boudinot’s papers, housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. I tend to think that the Hebrew inscriptions are still in the hands of the Antiquarians – in fact, one AAS librarian in 1917 said that he seemed to remember seeing the scrolls but not didn’t know where. As such, it is one of hundreds of fascinating, potentially paradigm-shaking artifacts which resides in a Library Limbo, lost, uncataloged or misfiled in one of the country’s major archives or museums.
What relevance does the Pittsfield discovery have today, anyway? Scientific knowledge has advanced, well, let’s say slightly, since the early 1800s, at least to a point where belief in Native American groups as descendants of lost Israelite tribes can be effectively dismissed. On the other hand, scholarly opinion over the past decade has increasingly shifted toward the concept of the Americas being an occasional stopping point of many different world groups prior to Columbus. In 1924, some lead artifacts, mostly crosses and swords, with Hebrew and early Latin inscriptions were dug up in Tucson, Ariz. The inscriptions told of a group of Romanized Jews who left the Empire and whose ship (apparently) came to shore in the Gulf of Mexico, from which point they followed the Colorado River inland, establishing a briefly flourishing colony. Of course, questions were raised about the authenticity of the artifacts and, like the Pittsfield phylactery, the “Tucson Crosses” went missing for many years before finally showing up on display at the University of Arizona campus in 2003.
For those who prefer to get somewhat cleaner shave out of old Ockham’s razor, an alternate explanation was offered by William Allen, some time after the object left his care, though no one paid much attention. Allen noted that the strap was found in a place where wood chips and dirt had been collecting for years, and he was unable to find out whether it had come from the old earth beneath or from among the recent debris. He did learn that Merrick had employed British and German prisoners during the War of 1812, one of whom could have dropped it there. For my contribution, I’d append that it could have been lost there even earlier. The entire county was suddenly inundated with Hessian deserters following Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga in 1777 – some of whom never left – and any one of whom could have been the owner of the 18th-century equivalent of a scriptural fanny pack.
Of course, modern forensics could probably provide snappy answers to almost all of the questions surrounding the legendary scripts, if one could only put one’s finger on the troublesome strip. “Or,” as Charles Fort more eloquently put it, “there could be a real science, if there were really anything to be scientific about.” Full Article here. http://mysterious-hills.blogspot.com/2006/03/pittsfields-hebrew-scrolls-spark.html
Ancient Hebrew in North America
There is so much Hebrew influence as shown in the chart below, that has been found in North America. Most artifacts are called hoaxes by the intellectuals because is doesn’t fit with their theory. Most of these intellectuals still believe the New World was peopled on land via the Bering Strait. We haven’t found even one Hebrew item in the Mesoamerica area. An amazing number of ancient Hebrew items are all over the United States.
STC172909 A Rabbi tying the Phylacteries to the arm of a boy (oil on canvas) by Jewish School (19th century) oil on canvas Private Collection The Stapleton Collection Israeli, out of copyright
According to Wikipedia under Bering Strait it says, “The Strait has been the subject of the scientific hypothesis that humans migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge known as Beringia when lower ocean levels – perhaps a result of glaciers locking up vast amounts of water – exposed a wide stretch of the sea floor, both at the present strait and in the shallow sea north and south of it. This view of how Paleo-Indians entered America has been the dominant one for several decades and continues to be the most accepted one. Numerous successful crossings without the use of a boat have also been recorded since at least the early 20th century.”
Most common sense people just don’t believe the Bering Strait theory any more. We believe North America was peopled by ocean voyages from the Old World by the Jaredites, Mulekites, and Nephites and others from Asia and Africa voyaged to South and Central America.
(* Note from above) In 1837, Elder Parley P. Pratt, one of the early defenders of the church, wrote a work entitled, “A Voice of Warning,” which has been published in many different editions in Europe and America. In the edition of 1885, published at Lamoni, Iowa, page 82, there is a quotation from Mr. Boudinot, which reads as follows:
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Mr. Boudinot in his able work, remarks concerning their language: “Their language in its roots, idiom, and particular construction, appears to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable, and well worthy of serious attention, has most of the peculiarities of the language, especially those in which it differs from most other languages. There is a tradition related by an aged Indian of the Stockbridge Tribe, that their fathers were once in possession of a ‘Sacred Book’ which was handed down from generation to generation, and at last hid in the earth, since which time they have been under the feet of their enemies. But those oracles were to be restored to them again, and then they would triumph over their enemies and regain their. ancient country, together with their rights and privileges.”
Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum shows us how to put on your Tefillin correctly.
Yes, but we must live and follow the Lords commandments and allow His Atonement into our lives. We must STRIVE daily and perfection is possible, but we must not have hard heads and seek after comfortable gods.
Hard Heads
“There has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions” Joseph Smith, Jr. (January 21, 1844, History of the Church, 6:184-85
Comfortable gods
“Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.
Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?” The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 2014
Secondary Evidence
I think there is importance when the Prophet and Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brethren are being neutral on geography, evolution and other difficult issues. They want us to gain our own witness to secondary information. They have given us sound doctrine and that is what we should focus on. I know through the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. However, I love to seek for other truth like secondary evidence, as Moroni has said “I may know the truth of all things.” Are you willing to seek diligently for difficult answers, or continue to simply listen to prophets and other leaders, and wait to be told what to believe? What about personal revelation?
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America as Elder Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012.
The Constitution was created by the Lord, Adam and Eve were placed on this same land and the New Jerusalem will be on this same land of the United States of America. No need for me to check out Mesoamerica anymore as I did for 40 years.
What do the scriptures tell us about this Constitution [D&C 101:79] and this land of Promise? “For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.” Ether 13:2-4 [What Land? The United States of America near Independence Missouri according to scripture]
Just like evolution. I don’t believe we came from an ape and I know that matter cannot come from nothing. I don’t have to look into science to figure this out, but by the witness of what the scriptures tell us.
I don’t expect President Nelson to come right out and tell me where the Book of Mormon events happened, or if we came from an ape, I know through sound reasoning the answer that makes most sense to me. Now if the Brethren say otherwise, I would always listen to them first, and then seek personal revelation about it, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on secondary evidence that exists, to help each of us individually come to a knowledge of the “truth of all things” by personal revelation, as promised in the Book of Mormon. I don’t need to be commanded in all things!
Be Ye Therefore Perfect
I am perfect in my belief that Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York, and the final battles took place near that same hill. This is a great part of my testimony with the spirit of personal revelation assisting my beliefs.
Of course we have heard, the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. When will be become righteous enough to become a ressurrected being living with the Savior again? As recorded in “Life Everlasting by Duane Crowther it says, “I was told that the Prophet Joseph Smith has his body, as also his brother Hyrum, and that as soon as I could do more with my body than I could do without it, my body would be resurrected.” (Peter E. Johnson, The Relief Society Magazine, op. cit., Vol. VII, pp. 451-452.) page 244 .
Just when will we learn to do more with our body than we could do without? That is a long and steady progression speaking for most of us today. As it says in the Bible, “Everlearning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7
Yet, can we become perfect in this life? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” Ephesians 4:13, and in Matthew 5:48 it says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Is it then possible to become perfect?
Be Ye therefore “Complete” as Elder Bednar says in this video below.
With diligence, patience, and divine aid, we can obey the Lord’s command to be perfect.
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.” [Genesis 17:1.]
Lorenzo Snow said, “We ought to feel in our hearts that God is our Father, and that while we make mistakes and are weak yet if we live as nearly perfect as we can all will be well with us.”
“We may think that we cannot live up to the perfect law, that the work of perfecting ourselves is too difficult. This may be true in part, but the fact still remains that it is a command of the Almighty to us and we cannot ignore it. When we experience trying moments, then is the time for us to avail ourselves of that great privilege of calling upon the Lord for strength and understanding, intelligence and grace by which we can overcome the weakness of the flesh against which we have to make a continual warfare…
When the Latter-day Saints received the gospel in the nations afar, and when the voice of the Almighty to them was, to leave the lands of their fathers, to leave their kindred as Abraham did, so far as they complied with this requirement, so far they were walking in obedience to this law, and they were as perfect as men could be under the circumstances and in the sphere in which they were acting, not that they were perfect in knowledge or power, etc.; but in their feelings, in their integrity, motives and determination. And while they were crossing the great deep, providing they did not murmur nor complain, but obeyed the counsels which were given them and in every way comported themselves in a becoming manner, they were as perfect as God required them to be…
The Lord designs to bring us up into the celestial kingdom. He has made known through direct revelation that we are His offspring, begotten in the eternal worlds, that we have come to this earth for the special purpose of preparing ourselves to receive a fulness of our Father’s glory when we shall return into His presence. Therefore, we must seek the ability to keep this law to sanctify our motives, desires, feelings and affections that they may be pure and holy and our will in all things be subservient to the will of God, and have no will of our own except to do the will of our Father. Such a man in his sphere is perfect, and commands the blessing of God in all that he does and wherever he goes.
But we are subject to folly, to the weakness of the flesh and we are more or less ignorant, thereby liable to err. Yes, but that is no reason why we should not feel desirous to comply with this command of God, especially seeing that he has placed within our reach the means of accomplishing this work. This I understand is the meaning of the word perfection, as expressed by our Savior and by the Lord to Abraham.
A person may be perfect in regard to some things and not others. A person who obeys the word of wisdom faithfully is perfect as far as that law is concerned. When we repented of our sins and were baptized for the remission of them, we were perfect as far as that matter was concerned…
One of the chief difficulties that many suffer from is, that we are too apt to forget the great object of life, the motive of our Heavenly Father in sending us here to put on mortality, as well as the holy calling with which we have been called; and hence, instead of rising above the little transitory things of time, we too often allow ourselves to come down to the level of the world without availing ourselves of the divine help which God has instituted, which alone can enable us to overcome them. We are no better than the rest of the world if we do not cultivate the feeling to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.” Lorenzo Snow Study Manual, Becoming Perfect before the Lord: “A Little Better Day by Day” Lesson 6
Can You?
…be a perfect tithe payer?
…never cheat on your spouse?
…never lie?
…pray regularly?
…obey your temple covenants?
…brush your teeth daily?
…never speak ill of your spouse?
…read the book of Mormon daily?
…always partake of the sacrament worthily?
…repent daily?
You are on your way to perfection!
Hugh Nibley said, “Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting, he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stair’s facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and this is what determines whether we are good or bad.” Hugh Nibley Approaching Zion, pg. 301-302
“Polynesians are descendants of Lehi and blood relatives of the American Indians.” Peterson, Mark E., General Conference, April 1962.
Many Children of Israel Upon the Isles of the Sea
There are many distinct cultures among the Children of Israel in the Islands of the sea. The Polynesians are generally a mixture with Europeans. The Melanesians are generally a mixture with Africans, and the Micronesians most likely are a mix with the Asians. Another important mixture of people are the Australasians and the New Zealanders or Maori’s. The isles of the sea are blessed with Israelites as it continues to speak about in the scriptures.
Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 253
With the blood of Israel that will include the Tribe of Judah or Hebrews. Remember also, the Native American Lamanites are related to the Polynesians and to the Hebrews. “And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.” 2 Nephi 30:4 (See also D&C 29:26-27; and D&C 19:27;)
Hagoth most likely was a mixture of the Nephites, Lamanites and the Hebrew as they once lived together in North Amrierica at the Heartland.
“Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;” 1 Nephi 21:8
“But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.” 2 Nephi 10:21
“And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” 2 Nephi 2:21 and Isaiah 11″11
Moroni’s America- Alma 63
“In the 37th year, “there was a large company of men, even to the amount of five thousand and four hundred men, with their wives and their children, departed out of the land of Zarahemla into the land which was northward.” This would make a group of 10-20,000, depending on family size. The text does not explain whether these people sailed north or traveled overland. It doesn’t even specify from where in the land of Zarahemla they left. All we know is that the land was “northward” from Zarahemla.
Whether they sailed or hiked, it seems unlikely that such a large group would veer far from a river. At a minimum, they would need a constant supply of water. The text says nothing about herds or grain; presumably the people would prefer fresh sources of food from fishing.
Two rivers they could follow north are the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries. Because the text does not say they left from the city of Zarahemla (on the west bank of the Mississippi), it seems more likely they would follow the Illinois River out of the land. This would have led them in proximity to the southern part of Lake Michigan and the Michigan peninsula. Anciently, much of northwestern Indiana was covered by the Kankakee marsh, through which the meandering Kankakee River flowed. That area has been called the “Everglades of the North.” It has since been drained and converted to farmland, but anciently it was an area of abundant wildlife and resources such as fresh water pearls. This would be a logical place for people to seek out. Although I don’t address archaeology in this book, archaeologists have suggested “a date of activity could logically be established as ranging from 100 B.C. to A.D. 200” in this area.[i]
The text suggests this northward migration piqued the curiosity of a man named Hagoth.
Alma 63:5-6 “And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward. And behold, there were many of the Nephites who did enter therein and did sail forth with much provisions, and also many women and children; and they took their course northward. And thus ended the thirty and seventh year.”
Hagoth by Brook Malia Mann
The story of Hagoth shows the Nephites were proficient in shipbuilding, as Mormon implies in Helaman 3:14. Mormon does not mention Hagoth because he built a ship; he mentioned Hagoth because he built an exceedingly large ship. Because the entire civilization was founded by seafarers, it would be more surprising if the Nephites did not use ships than if they did, and Hagoth demonstrates that they knew how to build ships.
One wonders why he built such a large ship and which Nephites became passengers. Given the sequence of events, it is possible that the “large company of men” sailed north on the Illinois River, reaching the source. They would continue overland to the “land which was northward” where they reached the west sea and sent word back to Hagoth. Then Hagoth came north and built an “exceedingly large ship” to accommodate “many of the Nephites” who had gone northward.
Why did all these people go northward? One reason could be natural expansion; i.e., the Nephite population was growing and the Lamanites occupied all the land south of Zarahemla. The east (Bountiful) was already populated. The west may have been less appealing. Another reason could be economic opportunity in the north, perhaps associated with the abundant copper on the Keweenaw Peninsula where hundreds of ancient mines have been found.[ii]
The text says Hagoth built his ship “on the borders of the land Bountiful by the land Desolation.” This implies he constructed it inland, presumably in a protected area that would be deep enough, like on a river or inlet. From the construction site, he “launched it forth into the west sea by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.
This passage is susceptible to more than one meaning. Of course, a “narrow neck” can be either water or land, and the text doesn’t explain which it is in this case (unlike Ether 10:20, which specifies a “narrow neck of land”).
I discussed the various “narrow” features in the geography in Chapter 6. The Oxford English Dictionary includes these definitions of neck:
a. A pass between hills or mountains; the narrow part of a mountain pass.
b. A narrow channel or inlet of water; the narrow part of a sound, etc.
c. A narrow piece of land with water on each side; an isthmus or narrow promontory
d. A narrow stretch of wood, pasture, ice, etc.
No mountains or woods are mentioned in Alma 63, so presumably we are dealing with 1) a narrow channel or inlet of water; 2) the narrow part of a sound; 3) an isthmus; 4) or a narrow promontory.
A common interpretation treats by as a synonym of near; i.e., Hagoth launched his ship into the west sea near the narrow neck, and the narrow neck leads into the land northward. This interpretation assumes the neck was a neck of land, but it’s not clear how a neck of land would lead into a larger land mass. A neck of land would lead to a larger land mass, but not into one. This interpretation also raises the question of why the narrow neck is associated with the launch, but not the construction, of the ship. That is, Hagoth built the ship by the land Desolation but launched it by the narrow neck that led into the land northward.
A second interpretation assumes that because Hagoth built the ship inland, the narrow neck could be the neck of a river that led into—meaning penetrated—the land northward.
A third possibility is that the narrow neck was a waterway—a narrow channel or inlet—by means of which he launched his ship into the sea. In this case, the relative pronoun which would refer back to the west sea; i.e., the west sea leads into the land northward.
Yet another interpretation would have the launching itself constitute what led into the land northward. A comma after neck would clarify this meaning; i.e., “launched it forth into the west sea by the narrow neck, which led into the land northward.”
This interpretation is somewhat corroborated by the sequence of events. Hagoth built the ship by the land Desolation, launched it into the west sea, then picked up his passengers and took their course northward. Clearly, the west sea led into the land northward; it’s only a question of whether, and how, the narrow neck did also.
The text distinguishes between the land northward and the land Desolation. Again, this reflects the relative nature of these terms. Often in the text, the land Desolation is northward. Here, the frame of reference is near the land Desolation where Hagoth built his ship. Consequently, the land northward in these passages is north of Desolation.
Verse 7 points out that the first ship returned “and set out again to the land northward.” That seems inconsistent with the idea that Hagoth’s departure point was close to the land northward, which would be the case if it was next to a narrow neck that led into that land. His passengers were boarding a ship in the west sea because that sea led into the land northward, not because the narrow neck did.
There are several places along Lake Michigan that would qualify as a “narrow neck” under the definitions given. The lake today is at around 577 feet above sea level. There are areas such as Benton Harbor where the land is only a few feet higher than the lake. In ancient times, when the lake was higher, the harbor would have been much bigger than it is today, surrounded by peninsulas—narrow necks.[iii] It would be a good place to build an exceedingly large ship, and then launch it into the west sea.
This all becomes clearer by referencing the map to the left.
Hagoth was not satisfied with only one ship.
7 And in the thirty and eighth year, this man built other ships. And the first ship did also return, and many more people did enter into it; and they also took much provisions, and set out again to the land northward.
8 And it came to pass that they were never heard of more. And we suppose that they were drowned in the depths of the sea. And it came to pass that one other ship also did sail forth; and whither she did go we know not.
The text does not say in what month of the thirty-seventh year Hagoth launched his first ship, or in what month it returned in the thirty-eighth year. The first ship could have been gone an entire year, only a few months, or nearly two years. I assume it returned after about a year, only because Hagoth built other ships before it returned.
At any rate, the first voyage was successful. Either the ship sailed for six months, discovered something worth exploring, and turned around for supplies for an even longer expedition, or it spent some period of time—a winter, perhaps—at its destination before returning. It may have dropped off passengers at various locations, such as the mining areas in northern Michigan, and then continued exploring. There was at least one permanent community in the land northward because Alma’s son Corianton went forth to deliver provisions to the people who had settled there (Alma 63:10).
Polynesia
One aspect of the Hagoth verses is the link that has been made between Hagoth and the Polynesian people. Although the text says the Nephites thought Hagoth’s people were drowned at sea, there are LDS traditions that Hagoth’s people went to Japan, Hawaii, and Polynesian Islands.[iv]
Without commenting on the merits of these traditions, is the North American setting consistent with them?
The answer is yes.
Although the common view regarding Hagoth is that he launched his boats directly into the Pacific Ocean (i.e., the west sea), his ships could have arrived in the Pacific from Lake Michigan also. The Black and White map above left, shows a northeast waterway that leads to the St. Lawrence Seaway. From there, a ship could navigate to the Pacific by going south around South America or north through the Northwest passage and down through the Bering Strait.
In a 1976 talk to the Samoans, President Kimball referred to the scattering of Israel in connection with the Polynesians. He said, “Some of them remained in America and went from Alaska to the southern point.”[v] That could be consistent with the Northwest Passage route.
Other traditions refer to the ancestors of the Maoris coming from “the joining of two waters.”[vi] Although Matthew Cowley and others interpreted that phrase to refer to the “narrow neck of land between two bodies of water,” meaning Central America, the two waters do not join there. Two waters join at the southern tip of South America: the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The North American setting doesn’t establish the Hagoth-Polynesia link, but it doesn’t contradict it, either. Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville page 181-190
[ii] “The Native Americans used the copper from this area for the last 6800 years. The natives mined the copper from the bedrock as well as from glacial deposits. The entire peninsula from Keweenaw Point to the Ontonagon River area contain ancient mining pits. The deposits on Isle Royale were also mined by natives (a conservative estimate is that there were at least 1089 pits on the island).” Collector’s Corner, Mineralogical Society of America, http://bit.ly/Moroni144.
[iii] One “analysis of 115 geographic features English-speaking colonists called a ‘neck of land’” concluded that the Book of Mormon narrow neck of land would be a peninsula rather than an isthmus because 113 of the 115 features studied were peninsulas. “Necks of Land,” Book of Mormon Resources, http://bit.ly/Moroni145. Of course, if the narrow neck here was a water feature, it would not be a peninsula.
[iv] For a thorough overview of LDS teachings, see Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr., (Religious Studies Center, BYU 1992), 249-62, online at http://bit.ly/Moroni146. Genetic data suggests the Polynesians came from Southeast Asia and Taiwan. See K. R. Howe, “Ideas of Maori Origins,” The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni147.
4,000 Latter-day Saints in Fiji welcomed President Nelson on his fifth stop of Pacific Ministry Tour on May 22, 2019. Here is the article about his Fiji visit.
I remember that beautiful land and the wonderful saints of Fiji very well, as I served a mission from 1975 to 1977. I was privileged to meet President Spencer W. Kimball the prophet who called me on my mission to Fiji. There in 1976 he visited Fiji with Elder Russell M Nelson as his personal Doctor along with Elder David B. Haight as a newly called Apostle. The picture on the left is Pres Kimball in Fiji in 1976 with District President Yee on his left and Sister Yee on his right. Over his left shoulder is Mission President Kenneth M. Palmer from New Zealand and over his right shoulder is Elder Rian W. Nelson. What an honor it was to be there that day. At that time in Fiji we only had about 600 members and today (2021) we have over 22,154. As part of the Fiji Suva Mission we also opened the missionary work in the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati today). My companion Richard Evans and I were the first to baptize the Gilbertese people, and today there are over 15,000 members there. It is now called Kiribati where in 2021 there are 20,946 members. In the entire Oceania (Pacific) area there are over 572,895 membersof the Church. The Church growth among Hagoth’s blessed people is growing all the time.
I have lived with Fijians, served them and had hundreds of visits with them at my home They are pure wonderful people. They have the Spirit of Lamanites about them. It is very interesting to me that their dwellings (called a Bure, pronounced bur-ey), very closely resemble the Hopewell civilization in the United States. The Fijians also have the chiefs home built higher on a platform rather than a regular villager as seen below.
Nephite and Lamanite Link to Polynesia by Joseph Smith Foundation
Summary
In 1836, the keys to direct the work of gathering the House of Israel were given to Joseph Smith by Moses in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:11). Seven years later, the first missionaries were sent to the Polynesian islands, and later to Japan.
The story of Hagoth in the Book of Mormon, a Nephite who built several ships and sailed away with a large group of Nephites (Alma 63:4–9), has sparked an interest in the origins of the Polynesian people. Many statements have been made by Presidents of the Church and members of the Twelve Apostles in regard to their belief that the Polynesian people originated from Lehi’s American colony.
Inspired Teachings Polynesia
Mark E. Petersen
The Polynesian Saints are characterized by a tremendous faith. Why do they have this great faith? It is because these people are of the blood of Israel. They are heirs to the promises of the Book of Mormon. God is now awakening them to their great destiny. As Latter-day Saints we have always believed that the Polynesians are descendants of Lehi and blood relatives of the American Indians, despite the contrary theories of other men. 1
George Q. Cannon
The doctrine that the Hawaiian people and all other Polynesians are heirs to the blessings promised to the posterity of Abraham had its origin through George Q. Cannon. While he was at Lahaina, he received a knowledge directly from the Lord that the Hawaiians were of the house of Israel. From this time on Elder Cannon and his associates began to teach that the Hawaiian people were an offshoot branch of Israel through the posterity of Lehi, the Book of Mormon prophet. 2
Patriarchal Blessings
Paul Cheesman notes in Early America and the Polynesians that Bruce G. Pitt, a graduate student, “viewed a portion of microfilm #34 in the BYU library” which contained the patriarchal blessings given to these people in regard to the lineage declared in the blessings. The following information was found: “Of 321 total Polynesian lineages viewed, 155 were declared to be of Manasseh, 2 of Manasseh and Ephraim, 68 of Joseph, 62 of Israel, 4 of Jacob, 28 of Ephraim, 1 of Lehi and 1 of Japeth. . . .
Another [graduate] researcher, Max Hirschi, recorded that out of 35 patriarchal blessings given to Polynesians, thirteen were from the tribe of Ephraim, fourteen were told they were from Manasseh, and the other eight were of the tribe of Joseph”.
During Dr. Paul Cheesman’s visits to the islands, he questioned patriarchs in the various places and found “that nearly three-fourths [of the declared lineages] were from Manasseh and one-fourth were from Ephraim, with some being designated as descendants of the tribe of Joseph”. Since Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh (Alma 10:3) and Ishmael was a descendant of Ephraim (Journal of Discourses 23:184), the common lineage of these two descendants of Joseph who was sold into Egypt and the Polynesian Saints gives support to the theory that the Polynesians came from the American Nephites. 3
Japan
Heber J. Grant
According to Alma Taylor’s reminiscences of the event [Elder Heber J. Grant’s prayer dedicating the land of Japan for missionary work in 1901], Elder Grant “spoke of those who, because of iniquity, had been cut off from among the Nephites . . . and said we felt that through the lineage of those rebellious Nephites who joined with the Lamanites, that the blood of Lehi and Nephi [and of all Israel] had been transmitted unto the people of this land, many of whom have the features and manners of the American Indians, [and he] asked the Lord that if this were true that He would not forget the integrity of His servants Lehi and Nephi and would verify the promises made unto them concerning their descendants in the last days upon this [the Japanese] people for we felt that they were a worthy nation”. 4
Hawaii
Matthew Cowley
Brothers and sisters, you are God’s children—you are Israel. You have in your veins the blood of Nephi. 5
New Zealand
David O. McKay
We express gratitude that to these fertile islands thou didst guide descendants of Father Lehi and hast enabled them to prosper. 6
Spencer W. Kimball
And so it seems to me rather clear that your ancestors moved northward and crossed a part of the South Pacific. You did not bring your records with you, but you brought much food and provisions. And so we have a great congregation of people in the South seas who came from the Nephites, and who came from the land southward and went to the land northward, which could have been Hawaii. And then the further settlement could have been a move southward again to all of these islands and even to New Zealand. The Lord knows what he is doing when he sends his people from one place to another. That was the scattering of Israel. Some of them remained in America and went from Alaska to the southern point. And others of you came this direction.
[President Spencer W. Kimball continued by quoting former President Joseph F. Smith as saying:]
“I would like to say to you brethren and sisters from New Zealand, you are some of Hagoth’s people, and there is No Perhaps about it!” He didn’t want any arguments about it. That was definite. So you are of Israel. You have been scattered. Now you are being gathered. 7
It might be of interest to you to know that when Elder Spencer W. Kimball set me apart for my mission to New Zealand in 1946, he said: “We bless you with power and the ‘gift of tongues’ to learn the language of the Maoris. . . . We set you apart among the Children of Lehi to do good.” 8
Gordon B. Hinckley
Again, there was something prophetic about it. Here were two great strains of the house of Israel the children of Ephraim from the isles of Britain, and the children of Lehi from the isles of the Pacific. 9
Hugh B. Brown
We thank Thee, O God, for revealing to us the Book of Mormon, the story of the ancient inhabitants of America. We thank Thee that from among those inhabitants, the ancestors of these whose heads are bowed before Thee here, came from the western shores of America into the South Seas pursuant to Thy plan and now their descendants humbly raise their voices in grateful acknowledgement of Thy kindness, Thy mercy, and Thy love for them and those who went before them.
We humbly thank Thee that this building is erected in this land, so that those faithful Maoris who came here in early days, descendants of Father Lehi, may be remembered by their descendants and saved through the ordinances that will, in this House, be performed in their behalf. 10
Matthew Cowley
Elder Matthew Cowley tells of a great convention held in 1881 that represented all of the native tribes of New Zealand. They were gathered at a native village near Mastertown, near Wellington. Many who attended that conference were old enough to have seen the first Christian missionaries arrive in New Zealand, and all who attended belonged to a Christian church. They were Catholics, Methodists, or Presbyterians. One of the dominant topics considered was why the Maoris were no longer religiously unified as they had been before Christianity came to them. If Christianity was the higher light—the true religion—why were they divided into many churches? So they began asking themselves which of these Christian churches was the right one for the Maori race and which one they should all belong to so that there would be only one church among them. Not knowing the answer and not being able to decide in their debate, they turned to their wisest sage, Paora Potangaroa, and asked him which church they should all join. He said he would have to think on it and then went to his own residence which was nearby. After three days of fasting and prayer, asking Jehovah which was the right church for the Maori people, he returned to his people and said: “My friends, the church for the Maori people has not yet come among us. You will recognize it when it comes. Its missionaries will travel in pairs. They will come from the rising sun. They will visit with us in our homes. They will learn our language and teach us the gospel in our own tongue. When they pray they will raise their right hands.”
Paora Potangaroa then asked Ranginui Kingi to write down what he was going to say and his words were proclaimed to his people at the “eight-years house” on the 16th day of March 1881. Several things were said of interest to us: First, the year 1881 is the “day of fulness”; that is the year that the missionaries first taught the fulness of the gospel to the Maori people. It is also the year W. M. Bromley arrived to preside over the mission. He was told before leaving Utah “that the time had come to take the gospel to the Maori people.” Potangaroa said the next year, 1882, would be the year of the “sealing.” It was in 1882 when they were first taught about the sealing ordinances performed in the temple. He said the third year, 1883, would be the year of “the honoring,” when they would pay “tribute to whom tribute was due, custom to whom custom . . . honor to whom honor” (See Romans 13:7). Elder Cowley interpreted that as the year when Maoris joined the Church in great numbers and gave “tribute to whom tribute was due [and] custom to whom custom” was due as they began worshiping the Lord.
The prophecy went on to say that they were the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They would learn of the scepter of Judah, and of “Shiloh, the king of peace.” They would also learn of “the sacred church with a large wall surrounding it.” There would be an “increase of the[ir] race” and of their faith, love, and peace. That was at a time when the Maoris were beginning to be exterminated, much as the American Indian was in the United States. There was a great deal of apprehension among them, a fear they would disappear as a people.
This covenant was written down on a piece of paper, and at the top of the piece of paper they drew an “all-seeing eye.” This prophecy was then placed in a cement monument in the eight-years house where the convention was held. It remained there from 1881 until 1929, when a Maori sect known as the Ratana Church, in groping for substantiation that they were the true church of the Maoris as foretold by Potangaroa, broke open the cement monument to get at his prophecy, hoping to find something in it that would establish their claim to be the right church for the Maori. Unfortunately, the storage chamber which contained the prophecy had not been hermetically sealed and the paper had been so damaged by moisture that nothing was legible on it.
That was 1929. In 1944, Matthew Cowley was the New Zealand mission president. He was there during the war years, and the only American missionaries he had were himself, his wife, and their daughter. They held a convention for the Maoris in the same area where Paora Potangaroa gave his prophecy in 1881. Present at the 1944 convention was Eriata Nopera, another great Maori chief. When he rose to speak, he told his people that he had been a little boy there when Paora Potangaroa gave his prophecy and repeated what he remembered of the prophecy. At the end of that day’s convention, one of the women attending the convention had her husband go fetch parcel wrapped in brown paper from a trunk in their house. When he brought her the parcel, she called President Cowley and Eriata Nopera into an adjoining room and gave it to them. They opened the parcel and found a photograph of Potangaroa’s written prophecy wrapped up in it.
What had happened was that in 1881, when the prophecy was written down by Ranginui, a photographer in Wellington had heard that a Maori had made a prophecy. He traveled out to that village and asked for permission to photograph it. This was granted and he photographed the prophecy before it was sealed in the cement monument. This woman’s family got a copy of that photograph and had kept it since. She then gave it to Brother Nopera, who in turn gave it to President Matthew Cowley. That is the way we know what was in Paora Potangaroa’s prophecy. 11
Samoa
Spencer W. Kimball
I thought to read to you a sacred scripture which pertains especially to you the islanders of the Pacific. It is in the sixty-third chapter of Alma [He then read the account of Hagoth.]
And so it seems to me rather clear that your ancestors moved northward and crossed a part of the South Pacific. You did not bring your records with you, but you brought much food and provisions. And so we have a great congregation of people in the South seas who came from the Nephites, and who came from the land southward and went to the land northward, which could have been Hawaii. And then the further settlement could have been a move southward again to all of these islands and even to New Zealand. The Lord knows what he is doing when he sends his people from one place to another. That was the scattering of Israel. Some of them remained in America and went from Alaska to the southern point. And others of you came this direction. 12
Tonga
Robert E. Parsons
I asked Elder John Groberg, who has spent years among the Tongans, if they had any traditions concerning their coming to the islands. He said they had nothing as detailed as the Maori, but that Church members among both Tongans and Samoans were adamant in their tradition that they came from the east, not the west as some modern scholars affirm. 13
Notes:
Petersen, Mark E. “New Evidence for the Book of Mormon,” Improvement Era (June 1962) 65:456–59; also in Conference Report (Apr 1962) 111–15
George Q. Cannon, as quoted in Britsch, R. Lanier. Unto the Islands of the Sea: A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Pacific. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986, pp. 97–98
Cheesman, Paul R. and Millie Foster Cheesman. Early America and the Polynesians. Provo, Utah: Promised Lands Publication, Inc., 1975, p. 15; as quoted in Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 249–62
Reminiscences by Alma Taylor of Elder Heber J. Grant’s 1901 prayer dedicating the land of Japan to receive the restored gospel, Palmer, Spencer J., and Roger R. Keller. Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1989, p. 91
Elder Matthew Cowley, in an address to the Hawaiian people at Laie, as recorded in Cole, William A., and Edwin W. Jensen. Israel in the Pacific: A Genealogical Text For Polynesia. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1961, p. 384
Prayer offered by President David O. McKay the the dedicatory prayer of the New Zealand Temple, “Dedicatory Prayer Delivered By Pres. McKay at New Zealand Temple,” Church News, 10 May 1958, 2, 6
President Spencer W. Kimball in a talk to the Samoan people, as recorded in the “Official Report of the Samoa Area Conference Held in Pago Pago and Apia, Samoa,” February 15, 16, 17, 18, 1976
Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 249–62
President Gordon B. Hinckley’s comment at the dedication of the New Zealand temple upon observing Europeans assembling with the Maoris of the Pacific, “Temple in the Pacific.” Improvement Era (July 1958) 61:506–509, 538
Elder Hugh B. Brown’s closing prayer at the ceremony to lay the cornerstone for the New Zealand Temple, as told in Cummings, David W. Mighty Missionary of the Pacific. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1961, p. 63; and Cheesman, Paul R. and Millie Foster Cheesman. Early America and the Polynesians. Provo, Utah: Promised Lands Publication, Inc., 1975, p. 14
Cowley, Matthew. Matthew Cowley—Speaks. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1954, pp. 200-205, as quoted in Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), pp. 249–262
President Spencer W. Kimball in a talk to the Samoan people, as recorded in the “Official Report of the Samoa Area Conference Held in Pago Pago and Apia, Samoa,” February 15, 16, 17, 18, 1976
Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 249–62
1937 Stuart Meha and “The Personal Testimony of Stuart Meha,” Waipawa, H. B., New Zealand. Elwin W. Jensen A signed manuscript, recorded May 20, 1937, in the Missionary Journal, (abt. Joseph F. Smith) First Mission, Elder Elwin W. Jensen, Salt Lake City.
Although some scholars insist that the Polynesian ancestors came from the Orient and sailed east to settle Polynesia, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always taught that they sailed west from America. In 1818, Stuart Meha, a Maori Latter-day Saint from New Zealand, sent a telegram to the Church leaders thanking them for the privilege of allowing a group of Maori saints to travel to Salt Lake to go through the temple. In the telegram, Brother Meha added the words: “Who knows but that some of Hagoth’s people have returned–perhaps!”
Later, the First Presidency of the Church, and some of the General Authorities, gave a welcome, in Wandermere Park, in honor of this party of Maori Saints from New Zealand. In a speech delivered on that occasion, President [Joseph F.] Smith replied to the telegram: “I would like to say to you brethren and sisters from New Zealand, you are some of Hagoth’s people, and there is NO PERHAPS about it!” Continuing,
President Smith told how it had been given to him by the spirit, while laboring in Hawaii, that the Polynesians were descendants of Lehi. Brother Meha testifies that these statements touched his heart, and he had no more uncertainties as to whether the Polynesians were truly of the House of Israel. (From “The Personal Testimony of Stuart Meha,” Waipawa, H. B., New Zealand. A signed manuscript, recorded May 20, 1937, in the Missionary Journal, First Mission, Elder Elwin W. Jensen, Salt Lake City.
Source: Allen H. Richardson, David E. Richardson and Anthony E. Bentley. 1000 Evidences for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Part Two-A Voice from the Dust: 500 Evidences in Support of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Envision Press, 2001, p. 33.
*The expression that Hagoth was an “exceedingly curious man” meant that his skills and knowledge in ship building were extremely good and was beyond the ability of common men. To those who could not comprehend how he could have constructed the ship, they used the term “curious” to describe his skills, similar to Nephi’s skill referred to in 1 Nephi 18:1.341 Hagoth’s Travels Alma 63:6 (55 B.C.)
“The map below suggests a possible area where Hagoth built and launched his ship. In ancient America, the Grand Kankakee Marsh and the Great Black Swamp almost merged. The land between the two wetlands produced a narrow neck which provided an entrance into “the land northward.” As shown, “the borders of the land Bountiful” are next to “seas.” Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 341
“I attended sessions of meetings for the institute teachers, held in the assembly room on the fourth floor of the Church Office Building. I cannot say that I was very greatly edified. Too much philosophy of a worldly nature does not seem to mix well with the fundamentals of the gospel. In my opinion many of our teachers employed in the church school system have absorbed too much of the paganism of the world, and have accepted too readily the views of uninspired educators without regard for the revealed word of the Lord.
What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would be amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how some of our educated brethren attempt to harmonize the theories of men with the revealed word of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there is still some faith left and some members who still cherish the word of the Lord and accept the prophets. Surely the world is ripening rapidly for the destruction, and Satan has power and dominion over his own. If any are saved surely the Lord must soon come and have power over his Saints and reign in their midst, and execute ‘judgment upon Idumea, or the world.'”
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., and John J. Stewart, The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 210 – 211. Bold and color added)
Joseph Fielding Smith was correct 68 years ago, just as he is today.
“Satan has control now. No matter where you look, he is in control, even in our own land. He is guiding the governments as far as the Lord will permit him. That is why there is so much strife, turmoil, and confusion all over the earth. One master mind is governing the nations. It is not the president of the United States; it is not Hitler; it is not Mussolini; it is not the king or government of England or any other land; it is Satan himself.” ― Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation Vol I 1954
The world today is mostly controlled by a Deep State, led by evil. They are the same dark force today called Satan. This is a war between Good and Evil. We know the Lord will win, so the question is, who are we following?
Knowing truth about anything related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ will assist us in our faith. Yes, even knowing what the proper instrument for translation was, and knowing where the Book of Mormon events occurred, can assist us in knowing more truth. The more truth you know, the less swayed you are when the evil winds of lies beseech you.
The Lord said, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” D&C 93:36 He also said, “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.” D&C 130:18 And Moroni said, “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” Moroni 10:5
That sums it up for me. In addition to the absolute spiritual witness I have, that the Book of Mormon is true, I have received as a special part of my testimony, the realization of the proper instruments used for translation and the place where the Lehites began their journey in America.
I Believe Joseph Fielding Smith, Not Intellectuals
I believe Joseph Fielding Smith is one of the brightest, most spiritual, knowledgeable and loving church leaders in the entire Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Why do many of the scholars and intellectuals in the church today, not believe the words of this great man, and give more accord to their own group think? I believe it is because he was so conservative, and principled and didn’t care what the world thought, but only what the Lord knew and thought.
What specifically do I mean? Read just two amazing quotes of Joseph Fielding Smith which should assist these intellectuals in believing truth from his very soul. Quote one, about the proper instruments used for translation of the gold plates, and Quote two, about the geography of the Book of Mormon!
1- “I don’t not believe the stone was used for this purpose [Translation].”
Why do so many members of the Church believe an occultic or strange method of translation [Stone in a hat], was more feasible than following the scriptures?
Below are all the scriptures that say the breastplate and spectacles were used for translation. You will not find even one scripture to speak about the stone in a hat. JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25
[JFS Full Quote Here] “While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation.The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22–24. These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation,” Vol. 3, 225-26).
The Book of Mormon was translated using the spectacles and breastplate that was found by Joseph in the stone box at Cumorah in NY.
2- “Because of this theory [Mesoamerica] some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.”
How is your faith in the Book of Mormon? Joseph Fielding Smith was concerned about the faith of those who believed in Mesoamerica as the beginning place of the Book of Mormon.
Why don’t we believe Joseph Smith who said to Emma, “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56
[JFS Full Quote Here] “…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all…
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
In the heart of the Navajo Nation, nestled amidst the crimson mesas and golden deserts, lived a woman named Desbah. She was known throughout her community for her deep connection with nature and her remarkable ability to play the Native American flute.
Desbah’s days were spent wandering the sacred lands, her feet moving in rhythm with the whispers of the wind. She had learned the art of flute- playing from her grandfather, who had passed down the knowledge of their ancestors. His words echoed in her mind as she played. The flute is a gift from the spirits. Let it carry your hearts song.
One sweltering summer afternoon, Desbah ventured farther into the desert than she had ever gone before. The relentless sun blazed overhead, and the land seemed to shimmer in the heat. Lost in the tranquility of the moment, she played her flute, the notes dancing with the gentle sway of the desert grass.
Desbah, Betty ‘Red Ants’ Mother
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the desert transformed. Desbah’s peaceful serenade attracted a curious, slithering presence. A rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike, crept closer to the haunting melodies of her flute.
Desbah’s senses tingled with danger as she continued to play. In a heartbeat, the snake lunged toward her, its venomous fangs bared. Desbah instinctively raised her flute, using it as a barrier between her and the serpent. The snakes fangs sank into the wooden instrument, and its deadly venom flowed harmlessly into the flute.
Desperation filled the snakes eyes as it recoiled, realizing it had bitten an inanimate object. Desbah, trembling but unharmed, knew that the flute had saved her life. She gently set it down and watched as the snake slithered away into the night.
The flute, now marked with the snake’s venom, became even more sacred to Desbah. She returned to her community and shared her miraculous story. Her flutes haunting melodies took on a deeper resonance, carrying with them the power to protect and heal.
Years passed, and Desbah’s fame as a flute player spread far and wide. People from different tribes came to hear her play, to witness the magic that surrounded her. She became a guardian of the desert, using her flute to soothe troubled spirits and heal the sick.
Desbah’s flute had saved her life that fateful day, but it had also become a beacon of hope and resilience, a testament to the enduring connection between the Navajo people and the land that had sustained them for generations. And as long as her flute sang, Desbah’s spirit remained intertwined with the ancient rhythms of the desert, carrying the heart’s song of her people for all to hear.
Betty and her husband Mike along with John Lefgren have a sacred project of rebuilding a replica 600 BC Phoenician Ship here. https://www.phoenicia.rocks/
Conference Sponsors and Supporters: LDS-Traditional Value Groups Firm Foundation- Rodney and Tonya Meldrum Joseph Smith Foundation- Hannah, Leah Stoddard and Family and Kimberly Smith The Universal Model- Dean and Danette Sessions Truth Seekers- Russ and Heidi Barlow
The Spear Fund- Tim Ballard and Ken Krogue
LDS Archaeology/Ancient American Magazine- Wayne May Heartland Research Group- Mike and Betty LaFontaine and John Lefgren Moroni’s America- Jonathan and Beverly Neville David W. Allan- It’s About Time Digital Legend Press- Boyd Tuttle Lighthouse Books- David Hocking Lost Civilizations of North America- Steven Smoot Promises of the Constitution- Pamela and Bob Openshaw Prophetic Appointments- Farrell & Rhonda Pickering Plus Many More…..
A special thanks to our key-note speakers, Ken Krogue, Greg Matsen, Kate Dalley, Eric Moutsos, Don Bradley, Cindy Biggs, Charles Castleberry, and Michael Bedard
LDS-Traditional Value Groups
I sincerely believe the Lord today is“pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints… there are many called, but few are chosen.” D&C 121:33.
The title of this blog, Latter-day Saint Traditional Value Groups, (LDSTVG) includes the many groups who are at the forefront of bringing this new, lost, or forgotten knowledge of the Lord’s Truth, to the world. In other words, on “the heads of the Latter-day Saints”, truth and knowledge is being poured out to the LDSVG, as they to share with other Latter-day Saints and thus to the world to many important truths. These Traditional Value Groups, (LDSTVG) are on the cutting edge of reliable, traditional, and truth based research about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“33 How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints. 34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? 35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world” D&C 121:33-35
My Email to the Universal Model, and LDSTVG
I recently sent the following email to the many Universal Model collaborators.
“I am an 11 year UM-er and love Dean and Danette and Russ and Heidi Barlow who own truthseekers.com. I also sent this Heartland Research information to Hannah Stoddard proprietor of Joseph Smith Foundation. I work with Rod Meldrum at Firm Foundation as Rod was a 7-year leading scientific research specialist with Dean Sessions.
Robert Mehl 2019
My wife Stacy’s dad and my Father-in-law, Robert Mehl has been a Geologist for over 60 years, and he is 92 years old and has been to all our our past 7 Firm Foundation Conference’s. He drives himself from Colorado to Utah and is in great health.
I sent this current article from Heartland Reseach titled, “Stone Analysis” (9/19/2023) to Mr. Mehl, and I share with each of you his phone number, as he has read the Universal Model Volume I, 8 times and Universal Model II, 5 times and can’t get enough of it. He has been called on stage many times by Dean Sessions to share his abundant confirmation of the UM and clearly states that Kansas University has taught him many lies as many Universities have. He is a wonderful expert witness and I would encourage you to call him and keep him in your loop.
To my readers and friends, please use this information to contact me about using Bob Mehl in any correspondence you would like. He is best on the phone, not by text or email.” Thanks, Rian Nelson
FIRM Foundation
Phone: 801-931-9031
The following blog is from our friends at the Heartland Research Group, where Mike and Betty LaFontaine, and John Lefgren are the owners of this Group
Heartland Research are at the forefront of new research about the Heartland of the United States. As John Lefgren says, “The Truth will come out of the Ground” and as Mike and Betty are proving, “the truth is also on the ground of the Nephites”
Dr. Himanshu Jain and Dr. Masashi Watanabe, in a conference room at Lehigh Microcopy School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday, September 18th, met for one and a half hours with John Lefgren, Boyd Tuttle, and Blaise Colasante to discuss the focus of research for engraved stones that come from the Mississippi River Valley. The scientists are recognized as among the foremost experts in the field of microscopy. Over the last fifty years, Lehigh University has had 7,000 graduates from its research programs. No other school has had such an impact on the ability of modern science to see all kinds of materials under ultra-high magnification. Professors and students from Lehigh have seen more materials under high magnification than any other group of people. With power as high as twenty million times, they view objects at the atomic level.
We gave a slide presentation showing our efforts to restore the world’s oldest ship replica that sailed 33,000 miles around Africa and from Tunisia to Florida.
Connection of Ancient Ship to Engraved Stones.
The first question was how a 2,600-year-old ship replica connects to the stones from the middle of America. We told the scientists that we believed that Phoenician technology made it possible for ancient seamen to come to America 2,000 years before Columbus. We also explained that the Phoenicians came to America with their language and culture. After all, they invented a system of writing that is the origin of our alphabet. We said that the evidence of their presence in America is in these stones.
Dr. Watanabe was quick and direct in his thinking. He asked why we needed the electron microscope to determine the methods and tools for engraving the stones. Dr. Watanabe reminded us that the field of view decreases as we increase the power of magnification. He suggested that our research should start with optical magnification. He said that he has little experience looking at rocks and that we should bring a geologist who knows the crystal structure of the stones into the project. Viruses, molecules, and atoms are beyond the capabilities of compound microscopes and can be viewed only with an electron microscope. But with the power of 2000x, we can see what we seek. At that level of magnification, we will know the fracture mechanics of the engraved portions of the stones. At that level of investigation, we can determine the tools and methods of cutting the stones.
Framework for Moving Forward.
Having received directions from these leading scientists, we suggested a framework for analyzing the engraved stones. We will make a comparative analysis of three objects. The first object is the original stone. The second is a similar stone cut by a jeweler with modern tools. Blaise Colasante would engrave the third stone with tools available in ancient times.
Fortunately, Blaise has twenty-five years of experience working with a large group interested in ancient tools. Blaise explained how he and his colleagues could use a burin of handheld lithic flake with a chisel-like edge to engrave the characters and drawings found in the original stone. Blaise offered to carve the stone with this ancient method of cutting.
On a large screen, we looked at a close-up picture of characters found on Stone 32 from the John White Collection. Blaise identified the fracture mechanics of the stone from the attached photo. He also noted that the cutting of the “O” shows the manufacture of the cut has straight lines from the hand working of the burin. See the photo for details.
In the field of lithic reduction, a burin /ˈbjuːrɪn/ (from the French burin, meaning “cold chisel” or modern engraving burin) is a type of handheld lithic flake with a chisel-like edge which prehistoric humans used for engraving or for carving wood or bone.
In archaeology, burin use is often associated with “burin spalls”, which are a form of debitage created when toolmakers strike a small flake obliquely from the edge of the burin flake in order to form the graving edge.
On a large screen, we looked at a close-up picture of characters found on Stone 32 from the John White Collection. Blaise Colasate identified the fracture mechanics of the stone from the attached photo. He also noted that the cutting of the “O” shows the manufacture of the cut has straight lines from the hand working of the burin.
Date Line: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, September 20, 2023
In honor of the 200th year since the appearance of Moroni to Joseph Smith, we thought it would be appropriate for us to try to replicate the ancient inscriptions cut in stones from the Mississippi River Valley.
Cutting these inscriptions would not have been possible without the twenty-five years of stone tool manufacturing that Blaise Colasante brought to the project.
Burins exhibit a feature called a burin spall—a sharp, angled point formed when a small flake is struck obliquely from the edge of a larger stone flake. These tools could have been used with or without a wooden handle.
Primarily an engraving tool, this was the tool that could have been used to produce the beautiful works of art carved on Mammoth tusk ivory, antler and some of the softer carveable stone types.
Limestone is a relatively soft stone, rated between a 3 and 4 on the Mohs scale of harness. Flint (hardness 7 on the Mohs scale) typically has a glassy lustre and can be flaked with limited effort.
First srcatches made with flint burin into limestone. We are only at the first grade level and we are still leaning.
First character cut in limestone with flint burin tool.
Ancient tools for making flint burin. Note that we used a hard round stone, copper tipped stick, and the base of a moose antler.
This is the longer version of my presentation called “Jaredites 2 Sets of Barges; Pacific Landing”, that was recorded at the 32nd Book of Mormon Evidence Conference. See bookofmormonevidence.org/streaming after Nov 15, 2023.
Note: This blog post is my own researched and well thought out opinions, and not those of Firm Foundation or Rod Meldrum. I do not ever represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone to share with me any edits or other information that you believe is correct or not correct, as I value others opinions.
“2 Sets of Barges” My Summary Thesis
Below is a step by step evaluation of this map, a little at a time.
I believe it is very possible the Jaredites traveled on foot from the Tower of Babel area to near Kuwait, built their first set of barges and crossed “many waters” beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea. They plausibly arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. Here in Moriancumer they stayed for 4 years and they built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land. They followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or southern Canada. From there the Jaredites (mostly Asian?) would have migrated north to Canada and Alaska, south to Mesoamerica and South America, and east to the western, central and eastern part of America.
The Adena Culture that historians found, lived near Ohio, as the Jaredites and Adena may be related. To eventually migrate to the eastern USA, Jaredites could easily have taken the Columbia River (WA) to the snake and then the Missouri to the Mississippi to the Ohio river which I call the Head of Sidon (confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio), to migrate through the Heartland of North America to Ohio, PA, NY and the Hill Cumorah.
Indian Ocean Currents
“Like the prevailing winds for the Indian Ocean, it is useful to look at the predominant currents for the northern and southern Indian Ocean separately. …It must be emphasized that in coastal waters currents can be contrary to the main oceanic flow or can be in the same direction but greater…The pattern of currents in the Bay of Bengal changes radically between the NE and SW monsoons.” schoonerman.com. “During winter, the flow of the upper ocean is directed westward from near the Indonesian Archipelago to the Arabian Sea. During the summer, the direction reverses, with eastward flow extending from Somalia into the Bay of Bengal.” Wikipedia Indian Monsoon Current
Some Scriptural References
The Jaredite Route according to many scriptures, follow these 11 statements. Quoting the Introduction of the Book of Mormon we read, “Their journey began somewhere near the Tower of Babel. 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 among the ancestors of the American Indians.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/introduction?lang=eng#p2
1.”And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness” Ether 2:5. Jaredites traveled on foot about 405 miles from the Tower of Babel to Kuwait near the Persian Gulf, and built their first set of bargesWhy did they travel South?
2.“Yea, into that quarter where there never had man been.” Ether 2:5
3.They crossed “many waters” beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea.
4.“And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness” Ether 2:7
5.They plausibly arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. (Called Moriancumer) They stayed 4 years
6.The Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built.” Ether 2:16. They built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land.
7.”For ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea.“ Ether 2:25 (2nd set of barges smaller and tighter)
8.“And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water. And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.” Ether 2:16-17
9.”Were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.” Ether 6:11. They followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or south-western Canada.
10.From here they spread to Canada, to Mexico, to South America, and to the Heartland of the United States.
11.The Historical Adena Culture prospered near Ohio, as the Jaredites and Adena may be related. The Jaredites could easily taken the Columbia River to the Snake and then the Missouri and Ohio rivers, to migrate through the Heartland to New York and the Hill Ramah where their last battles occurred.
I will evaluate 5 different Jaredite Route Thesis’s below:
Above is my summary. Some of you will want to just read that summary and look at the map, which is fine with me. If you are patient and can endure research, you will want to read on, as this long and insightful blog was a lot of fun writing. You have been notified! STOP OR READ ON?
Gather Thy Flocks- Following the Jaredites
“Which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered.” Ether 1:33
41 Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thyfamilies; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families.
42 And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.
43 And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto me.” Ether 1:41-43
Traveling North First, before Traveling South to the Persian Gulf!
I understand comments as I agree the Jaredites first traveled north from Babel as it says in Ether 1:41-42, “Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families. And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.”
The question becomes why north or why south after the initial northern direction? The Jaredites may have gone north into the valley to gather herds and flocks and bees and water and fowls etc because north of where they were, had the appropriate valley’s to gather these things. So the Lord said, “I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth”, the Lord does not say they traveled north or south after that time.
However, the Lord says in Ether 2:5, “the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been.” Where is that quarter where man had never been? Likely, man had been north into Europe and Asia and southwest into Africa, but not locating in todays “Empty Quarters” of Saudi Arabia.
Remember the Jaredites left Babel over 150 years after the flood, so there was plenty of time for the earth to recuperate from commotion and upheavel. Remember also that there were two sets of barges so where do you think the first set was built and where was the second set was built if the Jaredites stayed north of Babel? Also could any location north of Babel have water sufficient to be on it for 344 days? Not on the Atlantic, only in the Pacific in my opinion.
Remember the 344 days fits perfectly from Japan or China to Seattle with the natural current of ocean. (I discuss below the details of debris drifting for about 1 year from Japan to Seattle). It is also important to remember the type of water the first set of barges traveled on “Many Waters” (gulfs, bays, inlets seas explained below) and the type of water they sailed on with the 2nd set of barges, (Great Deep and Great Seas explained below). Also remember the archaeology in the eastern USA has to be older than Hopewell time frames (also explained below). In Alaska, Washington, and Oregon there are thousands of 3000 b.c. artifacts. I agree the Jaredites first went north (Likely that is where the animals and game and bees were located) from Babel but very soon soon went south into the empty quarter of land where man had never been, which could not be Europe, Asia and Africa as many had settled there after Noah’s Ark came to a rest in Turkey.
Jaredites Route from Babel- 5 Various Thesis’s
Some researchers believe that the Jaredites come from the Near East traveled the Mediterranean Sea and took the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at the St Lawrence River near the Great Lakes in America. Some believe the Jaredites traveled east from the Tower of Babel crossing the Zargos Mountains to the Caspian Sea and then over 4,000 miles across Asia’s wilderness and stopped in China, and then traveled the Pacific Ocean to land in America. Some believe the Jaredites went far north into the wilderness to Sumer and Valley of Nimrod before making way to the Mediterranean Sea for travel on the Atlantic.
I will cover each thesis’s briefly, and then share with you my thesis, which is the 5th one. My Summary Thesis is at the top of the page to give you an overview.
1st Thesis Wayne May
This route in red below, could be correct as it was continuous sea travel without stopping using the first set of barges, which would fulfill Mormon’s words of, “The Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness” Ether 2:7.
However, the travel from Gibraltar to the St Lawrence Seaway in Canada would only be 40 to 60 days travel, not 344 days as the scripture says. Also, few travel routes from the Tower of Babel farther east on foot, to the Pacific Ocean would allow much water travel at all. On foot from the tower to the Persian Gulf would only be about 405 miles which the Jaredites could walk and then travel the “many waters” by sea continuously, as I show on the map titled, “Jaredites. Not Suffer that they Should Stop Beyond the Sea.”
I know Jonathan Neville likes the Pacific Landing, and Wayne May likes the Atlantic. After much research I am convinced the Pacific is the most feasible, but of course that is your choice to decide.
This is a great quote by Hugh Nibley, that may support an Atlantic landing.. “The first land settled by the Jaredites was Moron… Now the Nephite land in the borders, by the seashore on the edge of the wilderness was called by them Moroni… Moroni as meaning ‘belonging’ to Moron… the old -i ending being the most familiar and unchanging suffix from the oldest Egyptian and Babylonian to modern Arabic… Both the time—the very end of Jaredite history—and the place—the outer borderland—agree in bringing the two names Moron and Moroni together in a cultural overlap…” Lehi in the Desert Hugh Nibley
Philip Beale Captain of the “Phoenicia”
Beale said, “I think in general the so called Northern route [Gibraltar to St Lawrence Seaway] is a non-starter for an historical/maritime point of view because as you will see from the attached chart,(left) the currents and winds (which have been the same for thousands of years) go against the norther route. [Gibraltar to Florida]. Unless the Phoenicians invented the internal combustion engine or sailed to meet the Vikings first in Norway, it just does not make sense.
This map suggests my opinion of the travel of the Mulekites and Lehites.
However the southern route is just like a conveyer belt all the way to the Caribbean from the Med. For the rivers we would have to look at the distances involved but I think at best you would be looking at 10 miles per day through rowing.
Happy to do a bit more work on this but I thought I would send this to get started.” Philip Beale
Kinderhook Plates
Moroni lived in Cumorah so Moron makes it seem possible they came from the Atlantic. KINDERHOOK PLATES 1843 PIKE COUNTY, IL “Joseph Smith has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt…” Journals of William Clayton. Parley P. Pratt identified the engravings as “Egyptian,” containing a genealogy of a descendant of the Jaredites back to Ham and Noah.”
The picture above is from 2013 video by Wayne May titled, Jaredites. In that presentation Wayne also said, “The Jaredites of the Book of Mormon are direct descendants from Ham’s Lineage” which may support the information with the Kinderhook Plates.
Olmecs
Olmec Heartland
Personally I believe the Jaredites are mostly Asian but I would not be surprised with descendants of Ham or possibly even Shem coming to America with the Jaredites. The Olmecs are a possible race that came from Ham to America and migrated south to Mesoamerica.
Olmec Head No. 3 from San Lorenzo-Tenochtitlán; 1200–900 BCE; basalt; height: 1.8 m, length: 1.28 m, width: 0.83 m; Xalapa Museum of Anthropology (Xalapa, Mexico)
“The Olmecs flourished during Mesoamerica’s formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished since about 2500 BCE, but by 1600–1500 BCE, early Olmec culture had emerged, centered on the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán site near the coast in southeast Veracruz. They were the first Mesoamerican civilization, and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed.
Among other “firsts”, the Olmec appeared to practice ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies. The aspect of the Olmecs most familiar now is their artwork, particularly the aptly named “colossal heads”. The Olmec civilization was first defined through artifacts which collectors purchased on the pre-Columbian art market in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. Olmec artworks are considered among ancient America’s most striking.” Wikipedia
This is my map considering the many possibilities of an Atlantic crossing for the Jaredites, similar to Wayne May’s route.
2nd Thesis Hugh Nibley’s Jaredite Route
“Nibley’s route (article here) is the most popular belief among Book of Mormon scholars, and currently found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, stating Nibley’s belief that the Jaredites were “from the warring steppes of Asia issuing forth from the well-known dispersion center of the great migrations in western Asia and moved across the central plains, crossing the shallow seas (left over from the last ice age) in barges and… reaching the great sea.
This Nibley map shows many seas that are no longer part of the Asian geography. He claims a possible ice age effect, but on this map shows the Jaredites crossing water and then stopping on land several times. In Ether 2:7 The Lord said “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness.” To me, this means with the 1st barges, there would be no stopping on land until they would build the next barges to cross the Pacific.
Nibley’s route (map above) covers crossing either the Caucasus or Zagros Mountains from the Babylon area in Mesopotamia to start out, then finishing by crossing the Atlai Mountains in Mongolia/China on the way to the Pacific Ocean.” Nephi’s Code
I feel it is good to learn about other geography theories of the Book of Mormon. The Nephi Code group, believe in a South American Andes Theory, which is why they have the map above of Nibley landing in the Andes or landing in Mesoamerica.
Hugh Nibley said, “In sharp contrast to other cultures in the book, the Jaredites carried on the warring ways of the steppes of Asia “upon this north country” (Ether 1, 3- 6). Issuing forth from the well-known dispersion center of the great migrations in western Asia, they accepted all volunteers in a mass migration (Ether 1:41-42). Moving across central Asia they crossed shallow seas in barges (Ether 2:5-6). Such great inland seas were left over from the last ice age (CWHN 5:183-85, 194-96). Reaching the “great sea” (possibly the Pacific), they built ships with covered decks and peaked ends, “after the manner of Noah’s ark” (Ether 6:7), closely resembling the prehistoric “magur boats” of Mesopotamia.
The eight ships were lit by shining stones, as was Noah’s ark according to the Palestinian Talmud, the stones mentioned in the Talmud and elsewhere being produced by a peculiar process described in ancient legends. Such arrangements were necessary because of “the furious wind…[that] did never cease to blow” (Ether 6:5, 8). In this connection, there are many ancient accounts of the “windflood”-tremendous winds sustained over a period of time-that followed the Flood and destroyed the Tower (CWHN 5:359-79; 6:329-34; 7:208-10).” Hugh Nibley
Shining Stones/Noah
“Shining stones are not unique to the book of Ether. One reference to a shining stone in Noah’s ark appears in the Jerusalem Talmud, stating that a stone in the ark shone brighter in the night than in the day so that Noah could distinguish the times of day (Pesachim I, 1; discussed in CWHN 6:337-38, 349). Shining stones were also said to be present in the Syrian temple of the goddess Aphek (see CWHN 5:373) and are mentioned several times in the pseudepigraphic Pseudo-Philo (e.g., 25:12).”Encyclopedia on Mormonism Author: Tanner, Morgan W.
The Shining Stone of Noah’s Ark By Shaul Yosef Leiter
“Noah’s ark is described in detail in the Torah as an enclosed four sided structure with only one opening to the outside, on the very top, as the verse says, “make a window for the ark.” (Gen. 6:16) The Hebrew word that the Torah uses for ‘window/tzohar’ refers to something that shines. Some of the commentaries suggest that it was a skylight; others describe it as a type of precious stone that emitted light. How was it possible that one small opening, either a single window or a precious stone was able to light up the entire ark, especially since each type of animal had its own compartment (Rashi on 6:14) and each floor was separate from the next?
Also, we know that the light of the sun and the moon did not penetrate during the Flood (see Rashi 8:22) so how could a window have helped anyway? There had to have been other light sources. Thus, we understand that Noah was not given every single small instruction about the ark’s construction or furnishings, only those that were not obvious, and that details like bringing oil lamps and wicks and any other needs were left to Noah’s judgment. Therefore, there must be a special intention in the commandment to make a “tzohar”, applicable not only for Noah’s ark but for future generations.
What is the difference between a window and a light producing stone? A window’s light comes from outside, while a tzohar stone shines from within. Bearing in mind that the whole purpose of a Jewish person’s life is to bring and reveal divine light in the world, we can see how the two different interpretations of tzohar demonstrate for us the different courses a person can take in fulfilling his purpose, to serve G‑d.” Source
3rd Thesis Mesoamerican
Guided by the Cloud
“In applying the premise that volcanic eruptions served as a navigational guide, it should not be assumed that the Jaredites were leapfrogging from one volcano to another, since it is clear that they were “being directed continually by the hand of the Lord” (Ether 2:6) and were traveling at times through areas where no volcanoes were located or active. Volcanic activity would have been principally useful in offering navigational guidance in areas that might not have had populations or trade routes and when maintaining a specific direction was necessary, such as in barren territory or open sea/ocean, as is indicated by the fact that they traveled in “that quarter where there never had man been.”
Figure 21. Approximate route of the first three legs of the Jaredite journey. (Google Earth, 2016, modified by the author)
For the second and third legs of the journey, an examination of all volcanoes or volcanic fields and their history of eruption to the east of Mesopotamia and easterly through and beyond the Mediterranean indicates only two volcanoes had eruptions during the departure timeframe of the Jaredites (2600–2700 BC); the Harrat Ash Shamah volcanic field (eruption in 2670 BC +/– 200 years), in current northwestern Saudi Arabia near the Jordanian border, and the Tenerife volcano in the Canary Islands (eruption approximately 2650 BC). There were no volcanic eruptions of any sort east of Mesopotamia, again confirming that the Jaredite journey moved west through the Mediterranean Sea.
The approximate route shown in figure 21 indicates that the Jaredites crossed a portion of the Syrian Desert, using the volcanic cloud as a guide and that the third leg of the trip took them to a spot in the ocean where another volcanic cloud would have been extremely useful as a directional navigational guide, especially if one is aiming to arrive at a small island.
Figure 21 should not be viewed as an exact route, since the Jaredites may have launched at Travel Path of the Jaredites a slightly different point in the eastern Mediterranean and probably stopped at various locations along the way for supplies. The arrival at the Canary Islands would have required a bit of open-water travel in the barges, since the islands are located 60 to 70 miles offshore, but in calm weather this would not have been much different from sailing the Mediterranean Sea.” Travel Path of the Jaredites Author: Jerry D. Grover, Jr. Book of Mormon Central (BOMC)
Editors Note: I have no idea why BOMC spends so much time speaking about volcanoes. It probably has to do with the desire for the events to seem like they happened in Mesoamerica. No where in the Book of Mormon speaks about volcanoes. Besides, why does a cloud have anything to do with a volcano the Lord must follow? I think the Lord could create any cloud He needs for the Jaredites to follow, don’t you?
Another Mesoamerican Thesis
The Geography of the Jaredites by Joe V. Andersen November 2011 Source
4th Thesis Jonathan Neville
“The Jaredites originated in what is now Iraq, roughly, although we don’t know the origin of their “friends.” For many years they traversed land (“that quarter where there never had man been”) (Ether 2:5) and “many waters” (maybe the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, etc.) before arriving at the ocean. Nibley and others (including me) think the description matches Asia, meaning they ended up in China. After all this journey, they stayed at the seashore for 4 years before launching their barges. That makes it likely they would have picked up Asian followers and maybe intermarriage, but it’s impossible to tell from the text…
I’ve seen one study in which a non-LDS anthropologist rejects the Bering Strait hypothesis because he says people crossed by water from Asia to British Columbia and migrated both north (to Alaska) and south and east from there. That fits well.
Had the Jaredites crossed Europe or Africa to get to the ocean, the journey would have been shorter and more difficult to reconcile with the text, including 344 days on the water. It took Columbus only 36 days to cross the Atlantic. The Adena were concentrated in Ohio, with some in W. Virginia, Kentucky, and a bit of Penn. Because it’s a cultural designation, anthropologists don’t identify a specific origin. DNA appears to be mostly Asian, the same as the Hopewell.
This is why I think the Jaredites came from Asia, branched off into different groups, and by the time the descendants of Jared migrated to the Ohio area, they developed the culture we know today as Adena. Lots of possibilities, of course…
If they crossed the Pacific, the Jaredites could have landed on the west coast and spread throughout the land until a portion of them reached the Great Lakes area. This is the scenario I find most persuasive, although I think the text and the data are equivocal on this point. Here is my rational.”
“First, the text says when they left the tower they went into ‘that quarter where there never had man been.’ At a minimum, that means they avoided populated areas. This would exclude much of the ancient world, particularly along sea coasts, but seems most possible if they traveled across Asia. This is the route Hugh Nibley favored, for example. Second, the Jaredite barges seemed to have no means of propulsion; ‘they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water’ (Ether 6:11).
That is a very long time to cross the Atlantic… Just as there is actual precedent for Lehi’s travel across the Atlantic, there is also precedent for ships drifting across the Pacific. Debris from the tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, took about a year to reach North American shores. One fishing vessel that broke free from the dock in Japan after the tsunami drifted for about a year before being sunk by the Coast Guard off the coast of Alaska.
Here is my map considering a Pacific landing for the Jaredites. This mostly supports Jonathan Neville’s opinion and validates how I feel the route was accomplished from the Pacific as well.
Third, the text says they grew in numbers and spread upon the face of the land… The text suggest the Jaredites spread out. Moroni specifically limited the scope of the record he abridged to the area where he lived… Ether himself was the descendant of at least 30 generations of descendants of Jared, and possibly many more… I think the text not only allows but implies that descendants of the Jaredites spread throughout the Americas. Evidence of their influence in Central America, such as among the Olmec’s, is consistent with this view. Fourth, related to the third point, is that the Jaredites presumably had Asian DNA, which is the predominant source of indigenous DNA throughout Latin America. I say presumably because they originated in Asia and crossed Asia before coming to the promised land. Fifth, migratory patterns show a general migration from the west coast throughout the Americas. Indian legends are consistent with this. One tribe in British Columbia claims their ancestors came from the west in ‘tight barges’ each of which contained a pearl that gave light. One Haida artist has created sculptures of the ‘first Men’ squeezing out from clam shells.” Moroni’s America page 258-259 Jonathan Neville
During my visit to Canada I was fascinated by the Haida people and their story of creation. The Haida are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their main territory is the archipelago of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) in northern British Columbia.
From the Bill Reid foundation website: “The sculpture of The Raven and the First Men depicts the story of human creation. According to Haida legend, the Raven found himself alone one day on Haida Gwaii. He saw an extraordinary clamshell and protruding from it were a number of small human beings. The Raven coaxed them to leave the shell to join him in his wonderful world. Some of the humans were hesitant at first, but they were overcome by curiosity and eventually emerged from the partly open giant clamshell to become the first Haida.
“In Haida culture, the Raven is the most powerful of mythical creatures. His appetites include lust, curiosity, and an irrepressible desire to interfere and change things, and to play tricks on the world and its creatures.”
In Greek mythology ravens are associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy. They are said to be a symbol of good luck, and were the god’s messengers in the mortal world.
In other mythology and mysticism the raven is symbolic of rebirth and renewal or for direction – showing a way through a difficult time in you life.
On a more ornithological note – the Raven is in the crow family Corvidae (corvids) which also includes crows, magpies, jays, choughs, rooks, and nutcrackers. Crows and ravens are considered to be the most intelligent of birds – even fashioning tools.
Haida are an indigenous group who have traditionally occupied Haida Gwaii, an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. (I don’t believe this dating, but it suggests from the earliest times these people showed up in Canada).
The Haida are known for their craftsmanship, trading skills, and seamanship. They are thought to have frequently carried out raids and to have practised slavery.The Haida have been compared to the Vikings by Diamond Jenness, an early anthropologist at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.” Wikipedia
5th Thesis. Rian Nelson
My Summary Repeated: I believe the Jaredites traveled on foot from the Tower of Babel area to near Kuwait, built their first set of barges and crossed “many waters” beginning at the Persian Gulf. After sailing through this Gulf, they continued through the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and perhaps the Philippine Sea. I feel likely they arrived in either Japan, Taiwan, or near Shanghai, China. Here they built their 2nd set of barges to sail to the Promised Land. They followed the ocean flow of the Kuroshio Current (NE) to the North Pacific Drift, (East) right into the State of Washington or southern Alaska. They probably used the Columbia River to migrate all over North America to the Hill Cumorah.
Two Set of Barges
The Book of Mormon mentions that the Jaredites used two different sets of barges for various travel, whether over small or many waters or a over a great sea. Many of the above thesis’ don’t mention the two sets of barges, which may be new to some readers. I explain it in detail below.
I have researched for quite some time now, and I am now confidant to share my research and opinion with you. The past many years, understanding that the Jaredites made two different types of barges for a very different level of travel, has helped me tremendously as I have read, studied, and prayed about it. As you read Ether 2 with me below, you will see how obvious the two sets of barges is. It will probably be the first time you have heard or remember such a thing, but it is in our scriptures just waiting to be read and understood.
Dating the Jaredites/Adena Culture
This is a slide from Wayne May’s 2013 video titled, Jaredites
I have quoted Rod Meldrum below about the Adena Culture:
1. “The Adena culture existed from 2200 BC to 300 AD, in a time known as the Early Woodland period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system. The Adena lived in an area including parts of present-day Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
2. “Adena sites are concentrated in a relatively small area (see pink area in map to the left)- maybe 200 sites in the central Ohio Valley, with perhaps another 200 scattered throughout the other states, although they may once have numbered in the thousands. The importance of the Adena complex comes from its considerable influence on other contemporary and succeeding cultures. The Adena culture is seen as the precursor to the traditions of the Hopewell culture, which are sometimes thought as an elaboration, or zenith, of Adena traditions.
Miamisburg Mound, OhioBook is Out of Print
3. “The Adena were notable for their agricultural practices, pottery, artistic works and extensive trading network, which supplied them with a variety of raw materials, ranging from copper from the Great Lakes to shells from the Gulf Coast. The Adena culture was named for the large mound on Thomas Worthington’s early 19th-century estate called ‘Adena’, in Chillicothe, Ohio.
4. “The Miamisburg Mound (Rod Meldrum’s book cover left) is the best known, but least understood major prehistoric Indian feature in Ohio. It is the largest conical shaped burial mound or earthwork of its kind east of the Mississippi, and the most recognizable land mark in in the city of Miamisburg.”
5. “The origin of these very advanced peoples is not known. They arrived or developed in the Ohio river valley beginning 1500 BC They were the first to domesticate plant food such as squash, sunflower and pumpkins. They lived in permanent settlement near streams. Sometimes their villages were enclosed with earthen walls from four to five feet in height. Their principal weapon was the spear. The Adena Indians were the first in Ohio to build earthworks and burial mounds giving rise to their popular name, Mound Builders.
6. “This civilization, unlike the Hopewell Mound Builder civilization which followed them tended to create their mounds in conical form. Both buried their honored dead within large earthen mounds.
7. “Their culture strongly correlated with the Book of Mormon Jaredite people in time frame and location in relation to the Nephites and several criteria. Their skills were advanced and many of their remains were truly monumental.” The Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland page 100 by Rodney Meldrum
Adena Mounds
Some of these mounds would be during the Adamic or Clovis times frame and the Adena or Jaredite time.
We have information dating Louisiana mounds (Poverty Point 1700 – 1100 BC), (Watson Brake 3500 BC), and Georgia mounds (Bilbo 3560 AD) as places of the oldest North American known civilizations. We also know about the Olmec culture of Mesoamerica in about 1500 BC. Some of these ancient mounds and cities would be long before the flood of Noah and others would be just after. We know Adam was placed in North America at Missouri at about 4000 BC, so it makes sense the people of the earth would spread all over both Hemispheres, as during Adam’s time there were not separate Hemispheres. Noah’s flood was in about 2345 BC and the City of Enoch was taken to heaven in about 3313 BC. We believe the Jaredites came to America after the great flood, in about 2200 BC after the Tower of Babel fell.
Click picture for text explanation
Important Dates
2943 BC Noah Born 2345 BC Noah’s Flood (UM Date) 2275 BC Eber Born (Hebrews) 2241 BC Peleg Born 2200 BC Brother of Jared (To America) 2052 BC Abraham Born 1993 BC Noah Died Source:
Key Information- 344 Days
I have considered that the Jaredites after being sent from Babylon (Baghdad, Iraq) and after landing in North America, they spread all over into Canada, the USA and Mexico. However, the most important fact we know is, as the Book of Mormon says, the Jaredites “were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.” Ether 6:11. Understanding this fact from the Book of Mormon, I believe it is most likely the Jaredites traveled across the Pacific and not the smaller and shorter Atlantic Ocean.
Three hundred and forty four days is a very long time to be on the water, but I think it is the most import clue which helps us understand the Jaredites most plausible route from the Old world.
Newly Shared Truth- Phoenicia Voyages
I love the scripture in D&C 121:33 that says, “How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”
Because of amazing hard work and inspiration of Rod Meldrum, Wayne May, Mike and Betty LaFontaine, John Lefgren, Dean Sessions, Hannah Stoddard, Jonathan Neville, Russ Barlow, Steve Smoot, and hundreds of other Latter-day Saints, we are receiving new knowledge and understanding about this world, and the people of this world. I am thankful for each of these wonderful friends and other contributors searching for and seeking truth.
Before I continue with the probable voyage of the Jaredites, I want to review some previous voyages by Captain Philip Beale on his two amazing Phoenicia voyages. He has traveled over 30,000 nautical miles form the Old World to America and back, twice. This has nothing to do with the Jaredites sailing the Pacific to America, but it does in my opinion validate the voyage of the Lehites and the Mulekites across the Atlantic. In context to the Jaredite voyage, this information is fantastic.
Philip Beale Validates Travel Days from Japan to America
Philip Beale said to me in an email dated Jan 23, 2023 the following. “The ocean currents move at about half a mile per hour or 12 miles per day. So any voyage from say Japan to the Americas would take a few hundred days, depending on the distance (4000 miles – Japan to North America, would equal 333 days at sea).”Philip Beale British Navy and Captain of the Phoenicia Ship sailed in 2009 and 2020 on a replica 600 BC Ship.
Email From Rian Nelson September 2023 to Philip Beale British Navy and Phoenicia Captain
“Hi Philip:
I need a sailors answer please.
I have many people who think that ships sailed from the Mediterranean through Gibraltar and headed north or directly west to the St Lawrence seaway.
Even if sailing to Florida from Gibraltar, is it possible to follow the gulf stream north along the USA coast and then cross the Deep Western Boundary Current and the Labrador Current to reach the St Lawrence?
I believe one of the Sons of King Zedakiah in the Bible survived and was named Mulek in the Book of Mormon, and most likely sailed the route from Israel to Iowa USA up the Mississippi River and landed in Iowa.
Others think Mulek sailed from Israel to the St Lawrence through the Niagara Falls and somehow ended up in Iowa. This doesn’t seem like a direct route as from the Great Lakes to Iowa would mean crossing on foot from about Detroit to the Illinois River and then on the Mississippi River to Iowa.
What do you think? Thanks for sharing with me.” Rian Nelson FIRM Foundation
Email From Philip Beale Sept, 2023 “Hi Rian,
Hope all well. My answer to this is that as far as Sailors are concerned, Wind always trumps Tide.
If you look at the prevailing wind charts attached (left), the bold arrows show the strongest prevailing winds. The Northeast trades are stronger and more direct than any other winds. The gulf stream (current) might be going in the right direction for a while but (a) how would they know it was there (b) the currents would be slow and they would probably get blown offshore in a square-rigged Phoenician ship 9c) it would be very slow.
So realistically you cannot sail west from Gibraltar in a square-rigged vessel and the winds have not changed for thousands of years. There are seasonal changes as per the attached charts, but they don’t add anything to the case for the northern route in my opinion – as any favourable winds are weak and inconsistent.
The obvious way was via the Northeast trades… it’s what Columbus and all early sailors used. And note those voyages went from further south … from the Canary Islands.
Hope that helps. When they next ask…just show them the charts!”
Kind regards, Philip Beale
Travel on the sea from the Old World to America is spoken about in all the many accounts of the Book of Mormon. Historians had it very wrong as they claimed the Bering Strait was the way in which the New World was populated. Today’s world is just now beginning to understand the truth. Our non-Mormon friend Philip Beale from England’s Navy, has done Atlantic crossings on the Phoenicia Ship. Our good friends Mike and Betty LaFontaine, and John Lefgren now own that replica 600 BC ship, and it is being re-constructed in Montrose, Iowa across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Jules Verne 7- A Pattern for the Phoenicia
“Two thousand six hundred years ago, the truth of the PHOENICIA’s original design was in the low oxygen mud of the ancient French seaport of Marseilles on the coast of the Western Mediterranean Sea.
Jules-Verne 7 and 9 (foreground) shipwrecks. General view during excavation (Photo M. Derain, AMU).
In 1993 construction workers discovered the shipwreck, and she soon became known to the archaeological world as Jules Verne 7.
Twenty-two years ago, Royal Navy officer, Philip Beale, determined that he would use the design of the 600 BC shipwreck to show how the ancient Phoenicians built seaworthy vessels capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Phoenicia replica being re-built in Montrose, Iowa today
The shipwrights of Arwad, Syria, took on the challenge of handcrafting the ancient ship by using the same materials their forefathers had used to build the best ocean vessels of the ancient world.
Today, on the western banks of the Upper Mississippi River, in Montrose Iowa, the PHOENICIA is on display for the world to see how in the Sixth Century Before Christ, the Prince of Judah, Mulek, came to America seeking refuge from the agents of the King of Babylon. Visit us at Montrose Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois and volunteer to help us re build the 600 BC replica Phoenicia.” John Lefgren Read more about the Phoenicia here
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Gyptis: Sailing Replica of a 6th-century-BC Archaic Greek Sewn Boat
Patrice Pomey and Pierre Poveda Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, MCC, CCJ, Centre Camille Jullian, F-13000, Aix-en-Provence, France, [email protected], [email protected] A sailing replica based on the archaeological remains and structural analysis of the 6th-century archaic Greek sewn boat Jules Verne 7& 9 was built in Marseille as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture 2013 program. Full-scale reconstruction allowed investigation of specific aspects of the methods used to build a shell-first, sewn-plank, and lashed-frame vessel, as well as learning the gestures and know-how of the original shipbuilders. The first two seasons of sailing trials, including short journeys in the Bay of Marseille and longer, coast-hopping expeditions, reflecting the uses of the original vessel have taken place and are reported. here in a PDF
Phoenicia Voyages vs. Mesoamerican Route
The Mesoamerican Theory is that Lehi sailed east from Oman and navigated the large Pacific Ocean. Our Captain Philip Beale said the boat could make that voyage, but the passengers would all be dead. You see the Heartland Theory (blue line) could be accomplished in just 120 days or so.
Phoenicia Voyage 2009 Oman to Lebanon
In the Phoenicia Ship, Philip Beale’s 2009 voyage from Oman to near Florida took about 120 to 180 days, and his trip in 2019 from Tunisia to Florida only took 38 days. It only took Columbus about 36 days to land in the Bahamas. This is a very quick voyage time on the Atlantic, compared to traveling the large Pacific ocean. This is one of the reasons I believe the Jaredites probably used the Pacific Ocean in their voyage to the New World, as the scriptures say they traveled for 344 days.
Phoenicia Voyage 2019 Tunisia to Florida
To read more about both of these Phoenicia Voyages you can see my blog here and here.
Jaredite Voyage 5th Thesis Continued
Jaredite Voyages- 1st Set of Barges (“Many Waters”)
I believe the Jaredite information is so ancient (Apx 1800 to 2200 BC) which makes it difficult to be very accurate in determining the correct route of the Jaredites, but it is very interesting to speculate on the possibility of each voyage. With many hours of research, study and prayer I have come up with a very plausible route of the Jaredites to America.
Ether 2: 5 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.
(See map below. I have divided the map in quarters using the location of the Tower of Babel (Baghdad, Iraq) as the center point, where we believe the Jaredites lived close by. The quarter that is most likely to be where the Lord said, “that quarter where there never had man been“, is most likely the south east quarter.
We know after the flood, Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japeth who began civilization near Mount Ararat in Turkey. After Noah landed at just north of Baghdad, Ham Shem and Japeth with family’s spread all over. They went northwest into Turkey, Greece, Poland and Europe. They spread northeast into Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. They also spread far into Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Ethiopia. It seems likely to me that they least traveled to the area of Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as ship travel probably made it not as feasible to travel there. The people getting on a ship to go anywhere far away for just travel, seems unrealistic with all the land and water close by. Sea travel of course was great for trade around the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, as the Phoenicians have proven.
It says in Ether 2:6, they traveled in the wilderness, built barges, and crossed many waters. In my opinion it is most likely they traveled on foot towards the best water source to complete their long few voyages ahead. I don’t think they traveled towards the Mediterranean, as that is an area that many people were already located and not as the Lord said, “that quarter where there never had man been” Also travel to the north or east would require traveling over high mountainous terrain. See Map Below
Being surrounded by mountains, it is most likely the Jaredites traveled by foot parallel to the Zargos Mountains along the Tigris or Euphrates Rivers and right into the Persian Gulf. Map shows Lehi’s voyage to the Promised Land to the Gulf of Mexico and the Jaredite voyage towards the Promised Land arriving probably in Washington State on the West coast.Babylon northward is surrounded by the Taurus Mountains, Armenian Highlands and the Pontic MountainsThis map shows you the Alborz Mountains and the elevation all around the Caspian Sea. This would definitely impede migration and travel from Baghdad or Tehran to the sea.
With the Jaredites in the area of Babylon, any movement to the Steppes or more mountainous areas would require a considerable distance through and over a series of very tall mountains, that have restricted traffic and migration for millennia now. See the solid mass of mountains to the northwest, north, and northeast of Mesopotamia and the home of the Jaredites. In brown text above see the many mountain ranges surrounding Babylon to the North and the East.
As you can see above the majority of migration was to the North, and West of Babylon. Some travel went northeast and southwest. I am proposing “that quarter where there never had man been” is most likely towards the south east and the Persian Gulf.
I don’t believe the dating on this specific map as I feel best with JohnPratt.com information. Again, this map shows the incredible amount of migration everywhere except, “that quarter where there never had man been”, as the Lord describes the Jaredite voyage.
Most likely the Jaredites built barges near today’s city of Kuwait just before taking their voyage. “And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, (Baghdad to Persia Gulf 655 Miles) and did build barges, (We aren’t told how many) in which they did cross many waters, (Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, Malacca Strait, South China Sea, and Yellow Sea), directed continually by the hand of the Lord.” Ether 2:6. Italics added.
Ether 2:7 “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness”Location of the Sons of Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japeth
7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.” Ether 2:5-7
Not stopping beyond the sea in the wilderness, in my opinion means, they would continue on the “many waters” continually, crossing many different named seas without stopping, until they arrived at the final destination of the Lord, (Taiwan, Shanghai or Japan?) to begin building new barges that were appropriate for crossing the larger Pacific Ocean to America. They were led by the Lord in a cloud.
Jaredite Voyage 2nd Set of Barges (“Cross this Great Water”)
At this point we believe the crossing of the many waters had to end on land, in order to build the next barges necessary to make the 344 day journey to the Promised Land. And, judging by my personal reading of these verses, the 2nd set of barges were apparently almond-shaped and perhaps 35-70 feet (10-20 meters) long. (Length of a tree?)
See all of the forested areas in green, near Shanghai for wood to build the barges.
Let me suggest the places they may have stopped to build the 2nd set of barges. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai or in Japan near Kogoshima, which is at the far southern tip of Japan in the East China Sea. Any of these places would be a convenient place with a lot of forest to build barges near the China Sea/Pacific Ocean in preparation to taking the long journey to the Promised Land. I’m sure the Lord guided then in the cloud, to a place that had the proper raw materials for building the final barges.
2 Jaredite Voyages with Two Varied Types of Barges
The Lord instructs the building of the 1st Barges, by saying In verse 6 of Ether, “Many Waters.” With the 2nd Barges, the Lord says, “Cross this Great Water“
Very different barges for very different purposes. The first barges may have been perhaps bigger but swifter, possibly even using a sail. Their route over smaller gulfs, inlets, and straits, they would not have those fierce winds and waves of the great ocean. They possibly only traveled by day without needing light. That is why two similar but unique type of barges would need to be made. We know with the lord leading them in a cloud, they could have made any barge or ship work.
“16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner* of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.
*After the Manner
After the manner reminds us of what the Lord said to Nephi when he was to build the first Nephite Temple, “after the manner” of the Temple of Solomon. Obviously building a temple or a ship had many similar building instructions, and Nephi or the Brother of Jared would just need slightly modified building plans, “after the manner.”
17 And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.”Ether2:16-17
The adjectives in verse 17 above make it obvious the 2nd set of barges were much different than the first ones. The 2nd set seems to be “Light and Tight.”
Cross this Great Water/ Light and Steering?
18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.
19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.
20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.
21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.
22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? Ether 2:16-22.
Needing light, steering and air holes for the 2nd set of barges was crucial. This is the big difference between the 1st set of barges and the 2nd set. Crossing the “great water” vs. the “many waters.” It is absolutely clear to me as I study this out in my mind.
A Most Righteous Man. Mahonri Moriancumer
Most of us know the incredible story about the Lord touching the 16 stones that would give light to the Jaredites in the 2nd set of barges. It is a very faith promoting story of the incredible faith of the Brother of Jared. However, I won’t emphasis the story in this blog.
I will just quote these verses. “And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” Ether 3:19-20
It is absolutely amazing to even think about beholding the Savior as a Spirit or with a Ressurrected body. What an incredibly faith promoting experience.
Connection of Joseph Smith and the Brother of Jared
In addition to the 16 stones the Lord touched, He touched two more to assist the Prophet Joseph Smith in translation of the gold plates in 1827. Wow! I just touched on it here, as it is most remarkable.
“And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” Ether 3:23-24 Blog Here
Understanding 344 Days on the Ocean to Cross this Great Water
Ether 2:24 says, “For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea.” This indicates to me a far larger body of water and a very different body of water than the “many waters” spoken of above with the first set of barges.
(Here also the Brother of Jared uses the phrase, “cross this great water“, which to me shows a singular body of a very large body of water, unlike the many waters which seem smaller and less vast and easier perhaps to navigate.) Similar definitions of seas in the Book of Mormon is found in 1 Nephi that says, “And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.” 1 Nephi 17:5
The definitions below help us understand the two main descriptions in the book of Ether about water, ocean, or seas. I feel it is obvious that the term, cross this great water, means our oceans today, and many waters most likely applies to what we call today seas, gulfs, inlets, etc.
I believe I now understand the term “many waters.” The term describes a lot of differently named gulf’s, inlet’s, or sea’s that are all connected by other water or seas. This would be unlike the Great Lakes which is “many waters” but they are all connected with some type of land, peninsula, or geological feature. I am sure anciently the Great Lakes were one complete body of water but that may have been during the time of Adam and predates the flood.
Remember also, my friend and Phoenicia Captain who has sailed 30,000 nautical miles in a 600 BC replica ship, from the Old World to Florida, said to me in Jan of 2023, “the ocean currents move at about half a mile per hour or 12 miles per day. So any voyage from say Japan to the Americas would take a few hundred days, depending on the distance (4000 miles – Japan to North America, would equal 333 days at sea).” Philip Beale
[Wow, another incredibly accurate piece of information].
Sea as a River?
I love how Jonathan Neville explained the River Sidon as a possible Sea. “I looked up the word sea in Biblical Hebrew concordances. Strong’s Concordance transliterates the Hebrew as yam, with the number 3220. The NAS Exhaustive Concordance defines yam as sea and notes variations, including seacoast, west, west side, and westward. Brown-Driver-Briggs offer usages in context, including the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee—and “a mighty river.”
The example given for “a mighty river” is the Nile River. The Hebrew term yam is used in Isaiah 19:5 and Nahum 3:8 (twice in one verse), both in connection with Thebes, or the modern Luxor.
Alternate translations show the term is translated as either sea or river.
By looking at the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary we can see the definition of word during the time of Joseph Smith. We all have many varied definitions of the various bodies of water mentioned in the Book of Mormon. I give you these definitions to help you evaluate the names of oceans, lakes, rivers, seas, and other bodies of water you will come across.
Sea
“A large body of water, nearly enclosed by land, as the Baltic or the Mediterranean; as the sea of Azof. Seas are properly branches of the ocean, and upon the same level. Large bodies of water inland, and situated above the level of the ocean, are lakes. The appellation of sea, given to the Caspian lake, is an exception, and not very correct. So the lake of Galilee is called a sea, from the Greek.” Source
Water
The ocean; a sea; a lake; a river; any great collection of water; as in the phrases, to go by water to travel by water. Source
Ocean
“The vast body of water which covers more than three fifths of the surface of the globe, called also the sea, or great sea. It is customary to speak of the ocean as if divided into three parts, the Atlantic ocean the Pacific ocean and the Indian ocean; but the ocean is one mass or body, partially separated by the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa on one side, and by America on the other.” Source
Irreantum
IRREANTUM is one of the few Book of Mormon names that is defined with a textual gloss in the Book of Mormon. This gloss signals that its meaning was not readily discernible to readers of the plates and was not in their language. A number of different etymologies have been proposed for IRREANTUM, one Semitic and four EGYPTIAN. Source
Semitic languages and would mean “somewhat literally, ‘abundant watering of completeness,’ or ‘fully abundant waters.’”1 The second proposed origin for the word Irreantum is Egyptian, and when parsed “the elements would mean ‘great watercourse of all.’”2
Ripliancum
“And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.” Ether 15:8
Ripliancum- Jaredite GN 1. “Large, to exceed all,” waters of, north of RAMAH and OGATH (Ether 15:8, 10)
Until possible language affinities for JAREDITE names can be determined, all suggestions for etymologies of JAREDITE names must remain more speculative than substantive. With that caveat, the onomasticon does offer etymologies for some JAREDITE names, especially if it is possible that some JAREDITE names were translated into NEPHITE, or were otherwise related to one or more Semitic languages.
Likely with Sumerian rib “surpassing, outstanding, massive; strong.”[1]
The -LIAN- element (as for -REAN- in IRREANTUM) might be derived from the Semitic root rwy “abundant waters,” with the nominalizing affix -n. In such an instance, the -r- following a bilabial plosive would perforce change to an -l-. Cf. Tupliaš River (Akkadian) = Duweirig.” Source
Winds and Buried in the Deep
Ether 6:7 “And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.
Once on the Kuroshio Current east of Japan, and then the North Pacific Drift all the way into the United States, these sea currents would constantly drift or flow or push thingsconstantly or as the scripture says, “never cease.” Once reaching the Promised Land (United States), in my opinion near the Columbia River in eastern Washington State, is my best choice of landing as I will explain below. They then would have spread all over Canada, USA, and Mexico.
We know the Jaredites had their final battles at Hill Ramah or Cumorah as the Nephites called it. “And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.” Ether 15:11
To arrive from the Columbia River to Hill Ramah would have a very direct route, using the rivers across the United States. The route could easily be from the Columbia River, to the Missouri River, to the Mississippi River, for a short ride and to the Head of the River Sidon (Mississippi/Ohio Confluence) they could follow the Ohio River east which continues as the Allegheny River near Pittsburg, and then on the Genesee River which flows north, right to Cumorah Land.
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (3/11/11)
Now, so we may better understand the importance of 344 Days on the Ocean to Cross this Great Water, let us see if we find in the world today, some event or travel that may help us confirm, that 344 days, non stop towards America on the Pacific is feasible. It is not only feasible, it happened.
“Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, severe natural disaster that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The event began with a powerful earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, which caused widespread damage on land and initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated many coastal areas of the country, most notably in the Tōhoku region (northeastern Honshu). The tsunami also instigated a major nuclear accident at a power station along the coast…
The magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck at 2:46 PM. (The early estimate of magnitude 8.9 was later revised upward.) The epicenter was located some 80 miles (130 km) east of the city of Sendai, (see red circles in map left) Miyagi prefecture, and the focus occurred at a depth of 18.6 miles (about 30 km) below the floor of the western Pacific Ocean…
As the search for victims continued, the official count of those confirmed dead or still missing rose to about 28,500. However, as more people thought to be missing were found to be alive, that figure began to drop; by the end of 2011 it had been reduced to some 19,300.” Source
Predicted Distribution of Debris (One year)
The Tsunami of March 2011 struck the northeast coast of Japan. The image below shows the predicted distribution of debris by April 3, 2012, which would end up in the State of Washington or a little further north in Alaska within 1 to 2 years depending on the size of debris, currents and temperatures.
As we have discussed, the Jaredite 2nd set of barges traveling from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China or Japan to the United States,(see map above) would have taken 344 days as the scriptures say.
“When the monstrous tsunami of March 2011 struck the northeast coast of Japan, the retreating waves pulled many pieces of civilization and many lives out to sea. The Japanese government estimated that 5 million tons of debris was swept up by the event, with about 70 percent sinking to the seafloor and 1.5 million tons left floating. More than a year later, the debris from that tragedy is still drifting on the Pacific Ocean…
The map above shows the output of the Surface Currents from Diagnostic (SCUD) model, an attempt to simulate where and how that debris would disperse. Orange and red shaded areas represent parcels of water with a high probably of containing floating debris. The deeper the red color, the higher the likely concentration. The debris field stretches roughly 5,000 kilometers by 2,000 kilometers across the North Pacific.
The model begins with more than 678,000 “tracers” being released from various points along the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. The initial distribution is based on the density of population and development…
Debris was initially carried by the potent Kuroshio Current, which whips past eastern Japan much like the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic. The Kuroshio carries surface waters northeast, before eventually turning east in the Kuroshio Extension and then the North Pacific Current. Some debris should reach the west coast of North America within a year or two, while much of it is likely to end up in the floating debris field in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre that is referred to as “the garbage patch…
“in Canada recently detected an abandoned 150-foot Japanese fishing vessel floating offshore of British Columbia. Other reports of debris in Washington and Hawaii came in months ago. But in most cases, the objects were larger and standing above the water line, where they could be pushed like sails at higher speeds. The model shown above tracks objects sitting at or just below the water line.”
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using model data courtesy of Jan Hafner, International Pacific Research Center. Caption by Michael Carlowicz.
Summary of Multi-Model Simulations of Debris Drift from the 2011 Japan Tsunami
“The models agree that windage, a variable characterizing debris exposure to the wind, stratifies the debris and affects the pathways during the eastward drift from Japan: high-windage items reaching North America first, at the end of 2011, (260 to 300 days) with lower windage items arriving up to approximately 36 months later. Only SCUD model, however, successfully reproduced all main peaks of tsunami-boat arrivals reported from the US/Canada West Coast indicating that surface currents and surface drift remain a challenging task for ocean models.” International Pacific Research CenterMore Info
The IPRC Model for tracking the Japan tsunami debris across the Pacific has been adjusted to reflect the effects of wind on different types of debris. The original model was based on data from scientific drifting buoys with large drogues at 15 meters below the surface to measure the movements of currents. To this model, Senior Scientist Nikolai Maximenko and Scientific Computer Programmer Jan Hafner have now added five levels of windage to provide a more complete simulation of the debris field and a more accurate estimate of the present location of various types of debris. Objects with the highest windage in the model started to arrive on the West Coast already at the end of 2011. The new animations generated by the model are available to the public at the International Pacific Research Center Marine and Tsunami Debris
After the March 11, 2011 Japan Tsunami, this scan (Pictures above) of the International Pacific Research Center Marine and Tsunami Debris Center, shows you where the debris field was located 8 months later, 10 months after the disaster, and 12 months later. You can see a large drift of debris landed right in the northwest corner of the United States, very close to where the Columbia River would empty. This helps validate the 344 days it took the Jaredites to follow the currents of the same ocean at a similar distance as the debris of the tsunami. Click the link below for an animated video of the drit motion. http://iprc.soest.hawaii.edu/users/hafner/PUBLIC/TSUNAMI_DEBRIS/WINDAGE_03/ANIMATION_1/movie_windages.gif
Jaredites Led by the Lord
Nephi made a thorough documentation of the route taken by his group when leaving Jerusalem to Oman which they called Bountiful. I believe at Oman they traveled in September at harvest time, and went the direction of the currents in the fall and traveled west around the tip of Africa to Florida.
The Book of Ether offers us clues of travel to “that quarter where there never had man been“, probably south east on foot towards Kuwait, and then on the many waters.
They were led spiritually by the brother of Jared, one of the mightiest prophets of whom we have record. The brother of Jared recognized in this task something fundamentally different from their previous efforts at barge-building: These barges would be used to cross the “great deep” in an extended voyage. But the barges were not fit for long voyages for at least two reasons: First, there was no light source inside the barges, rendering the interiors inky black, with no ability to see in order to steer or take care of other necessities; and second, the barges were airtight, with no mechanism to allow the passengers to breathe when the air became stale. Since these were problems that were beyond the ken of the Jaredites to solve on their own initiative, the brother of Jared took them to the Lord, and the Lord gave him instructions to help them resolve the problems. (For a fascinating and instructive take on this scriptural account, read or listen to Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s BYU devotional speech “Agency or Inspiration – Which?“)
In short, the Jaredites’ earlier barge-building efforts appear to have been for a shorter-duration voyage, so no special construction was required. It was only when crossing the sea, a journey of nearly a year, that they needed such special construction and conditions.
David Read Face of a Nephite Kennewick Man Has Haplogroup X DNA
The Kennewick Man is a human skeleton that was found in Kennewick, Washington in 1996. The skeleton is claimed to be over 6-8,000 years old, and is believed to be from a male who was around 40-50 years old when he died. The Kennewick Man generated huge public interest, as claims were made over who the skeleton belonged to. Native American tribes claimed him as their ancestor, and the skeleton was eventually returned to them in 2017.
Our friend David Read has shared a lot of information about how Kennewick man most likely validates the Book of Mormon timeline. If he is correct, it will also validate the Jaredite landing near the west coast of the United States near the State of Washington.
“Nephites in North America: New DNA Evidence” Despite popular belief, the currently available DNA evidence supports the Book of Mormon. Critics who attempt to rely on DNA evidence to attack the truth of the Book of Mormon misinterpret or misconstrue what the DNA evidence actually shows. In this presentation, Mr. Read will present more DNA evidence that has recently come to light supporting Book of Mormon claims.
As one example, Mr. Read will discuss further scientific studies which again confirm that mitochondrial DNA haplogroup X (previously publicized by Rod Meldrum) is found among Native Americans and originated in the Middle East. Indeed, one recent study found a variety of haplogroup X in Egypt that is just one mutation away from the type found in Native Americans, which undermines the critics’ previous claims that Native American haplotype X2a has “too many mutations” from the haplogroup X haplotypes found in the Middle East to fit a Book of Mormon timeframe for a migration from the Middle East to the Americas.
Mr. Read will also present new DNA evidence regarding Y DNA haplogroup R, which is a second non-Asian DNA type found in large numbers among some Native American groups. Mr. Read will present evidence showing that this non-Asian DNA type also predates Columbus and has a distribution pattern in common with haplogroup X. This means that there is now a second and separate line of DNA evidence that corroborates the haplogroup X information and is again consistent with the Book of Mormon.
Finally, Mr. Read will explain the significance of recent findings about an ancient Native American skeleton known as Kennewick Man, whose DNA is haplogroup X, but whose carbon dating has been commonly reported as being over 8,000 years old. Because of the reported carbon dating, Kennewick Man is now often used by critics to argue that haplogroup X in the Americas predates Book of Mormon timeframes. However, this again misconstrues the evidence. Mr. Read will demonstrate that a more complete analysis of the carbon dating for Kennewick Man shows that his correct age is within Book of Mormon timeframes and once again supports the DNA evidence in favor of the Book of Mormon. David possesses many intellectual interests. Before finishing his juris doctorate in law and becoming a patent attorney and later a judge, he earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and philosophy. Over the past 10 years, he has completed a considerable amount of research into the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon with a particular emphasis on DNA evidence related to the Book of Mormon. Through this research, he has recently uncovered additional DNA evidence that corroborates and supports the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Register to see his video here bookofmormonevidence.org/streaming
Warning
I now share with you a plethora of additional information about the Jaredites possible landing places in Eastern Asia, with artifacts that date to the Jaredite time frame. I only warn you as I have taken up most of your day already, with this previous information on the Jaredite route, and if you are a sucker for punishment you will endure more fascinating information.
I want to say, Wow! The amount of information available today is massive. We know the Book of Mormon is the absolute truth, and I love finding the secondary evidence to validate its spiritual truth. Information is everywhere if you just look and study and research and don’t forget to pray!
Connection/China/Mexico/North America
From a Wayne May talk Oct 2013 at the Firm Foundation
Jaredites Landed in China? Chinese Artifacts in Western North America
New Evidence Ancient Chinese Explorers Landed in America Excites Experts By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times
John A. Ruskamp Jr., Ed.D., reports that he has identified an outstanding, history-changing treasure hidden in plain sight. High above a walking path in Albuquerque’s Petroglyph National Monument, Ruskamp spotted petroglyphs that struck him as unusual. After consulting with experts on Native American rock writing and ancient Chinese scripts to corroborate his analysis, he has concluded that the readable message preserved by these petroglyphs was likely inscribed by a group of Chinese explorers thousands of years ago.
Arizona Cartouche Chinese Petroglyphs.
On the fringe of archaeology have long been claims that the Chinese reached North America long before Europeans. With some renowned experts taking interest in Ruskamp’s discovery, those claims may be working their way from the fringe to the core.
It doesn’t mean our history textbooks will change tomorrow. Anything short of discovering an undisturbed early Asiatic relic or village in the Americas may fail to convince those archaeologists who have dogmatically rejected evidence of an ancient Chinese presence in the New World, said Ruskamp.
But, the disparate and widespread symbols he has found show many indications of authenticity. They have the potential to inspire a more serious investigation into early trans-Pacific interaction. To date, Ruskamp has identified over 82 petroglyphs matching unique ancient Chinese scripts not only at multiple sites in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but also nearby in Arizona, as well as in Utah, Nevada, California, Oklahoma, and Ontario. Collectively, he believes that most of these artifacts were created by an early Chinese exploratory expedition, although some appear to be reproductions made by Native people for their own purposes.
Did China discover America 70 years before Columbus?
Recently we reported on a new book by Italian physicist and philologist Lucio Russo who presented the controversial claim that the ancient Greeks discovered America long before Christopher Columbus set foot on American soil in 1492. Now another historian is arguing that the Chinese also discovered the ‘New World’ 70 years before Columbus…
Chinese map dated 1418 supports that the Chinese were exploring the Americas in 1421
Amateur historian Gavin Menzies has made a career upending conventional wisdom and has already authored three highly controversial books: ‘1421: The Year China Discovered the World’, in which he claims that a Chinese fleet helmed by Admiral Zheng He sailed to the Americas in 1421, and its sequel, ‘1434:
But is there any evidence for Menzies’ so-called outlandish claims? In a new book titled ‘Who Discovered America: The Untold History of the Peopling of the Americas’, Menzies claims a Chinese map dated 1418 supports his contention that the Chinese were exploring the Americas in 1421. The map charted by Chinese Admiral Zheng He appears to show North American rivers and coasts as well as the continent of South America in some detail. He also writes that DNA markers prove American Indians and other natives are the descendants of several waves of Asian settlers.
Menzies claims that the map has been authenticated by an appraiser form Christie’s Auctions, as well as by a team of historians who concluded that it was written in the Ming Dynasty, a Chinese period that lasted from 1368 to 1644. The map is further corroborated, Mr Menzies says, by the Chinese names of numerous towns and regions in Peru.” OCTOBER, 9, 2013 APRIL HOLLOWAY
Jaredites Landed in Taiwan?
The Saoba Stone Pillars of Taiwan Present A Peinan Culture Conundrum
Taiwan is a modern and dynamic country, but it also has a rich culture and history, which is often forgotten by the wider world. The island has been home to a variety of communities and cultures since the Neolithic age. One of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Taiwan are the Saoba stone pillars in the Satokoay Historical Site which is a third-grade national historic monument and one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions.
The Enigmatic Saoba Stone Pillars
The stone pillars are two large, badly-weathered standing stones that may have once had carvings on them. The pillars are of different heights – one is 18 feet (6 meters) and the other is 12 feet (4 meters) high. They are situated on a slope north of the Wuhe terrace and face a deep river valley. The Satokay Historical Site is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and the pillars can be seen from a distance.
Circles of small rocks surround both pillars, and how the two large stones were transported and erected at this site is a mystery, but given their remarkable location, Saoba stone pillars may have been used for ceremonial or religious purposes.
The Peinan Culture
The stones are believed to be part of the ancient Peinan Culture, also known as the Beinan Culture. There has been an excavation of the Saoba site, but it yielded little of historical value. And at another Peinan site, similar stone pillars were found which has led many experts to accept that the stones are important relics of Peinan culture.
Jade earing found at a Peinan Cultural site (Beinan Site Academic)
A similar standing stone to the one at Saoba can also be seen at National Museum of Prehistory and Peinan Culture Park. This Neolithic culture flourished in Taiwan about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. It was fairly advanced when compared to previous societies on the island. It is noted for its distinctive stone coffins that have been found all over the Pacific and South-East Asia, convincing many that Taiwan was the birthplace of some of the Asian-Pacific cultures and civilizations. There is evidence that migration from Taiwan was very important in the spread of civilization in the region. While experts generally accept the stone pillars are from the Peinan culture, their role and purpose are not known.
Niumatou Site: An Archaeological Preservation of Taiwan’s Lost Aborigines
Atayal indigenous woman
“As long as 5,500 years ago the Formosan, Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, lived in small settlements in relative isolation along the coastal terrace in the Taichung (formerly Niumatou) basin areas. The men fished and hunted deer or wild boars, while women farmed and raised the families. They predominantly occupied the edges of the low-lying river terraces on the slope of the mountain which were covered by lush forests. Their stilt houses were raised on platforms above the typhoon flood levels. Possibly due to population expansion as well as needing a safer place to live, they moved higher up into the hilly areas approximately 3,800 years ago.
The Taiwan aborigines are termed Austronesian, with linguistic and genetic ties to a list of ethnic groups including those of New Zealand and Hawaii, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei and others from the African region, to name a few.
Mother Found Still Cradling Baby After 4800 Years
“Oftentimes, few people are interested in the findings of archeological digs – broken pots, scattered bones, it usually takes a sign of cannibalism or extraordinarily old carbon dating to draw the mainstream media’s attention. Yet a Taiwanese discovery announced last year proved to be an exception to the rule. Photos of the exhumed bodies went viral and major news organizations from Fox News to the Huffington Post reported on the story. What was that discovery? A Stone Age skeleton of a mother cradling a baby in a shared grave.
The Origins of the Mummified Mother and Baby
The Stone Age remains of a mother cradling her baby
The scientific excavation began in 2014 and took about a year to complete. A team of archaeologists led by Chu Whei-Lee of Taiwan’s National Museum of Science was working on a Neolithic site 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) inland from Taiwan’s western coast. Today, that area is called Taichung City but the site itself has been dubbed An-ho. Experts believe shorelines have shifted over the years and that An-ho was once a coastal village. Indeed, over 200 shark teeth have been found in the site’s dwellings, however, whether these teeth were practical, decorative, or spiritual is not known. The inhabitants of An-ho were most likely Dabenkeng people.
“The Dabenkeng people were the first farmers in Taiwan, who may have come from the south and southeast coasts of China about 5,000 years ago,” says Chengwha Tsang of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica. “This culture is the earliest Neolithic culture so far found in Taiwan.” (Drake, 2016) Taiwanese Dabenkeng culture featured corded ware pottery and stone adzes. source
Jaredites Landed in Japan
Ancient DNA Rewrites Story of Japanese Ancestry
One of the ancient Japanese skulls from which DNA was extracted. Credit: Shigeki Nakagome / Trinity College Dublin
The archipelago nation of Japan has been occupied since the Upper Paleolithic period (36,000 BC), and dual genomic Japanese ancestry has been the dominant theory, up until now. A new study carried out by Trinity College Dublin, published in the journal Sciences Advances , has completely changed this narrative, pointing to a tripartite Japanese ancestry, i.e., genetic origins from three different, ancient populations.
“We are very excited about our findings on the tripartite structure of Japanese populations. This finding is significant in terms of rewriting the origins of modern Japanese by taking advantage of the power of ancient genomics,” said Professor Shigeki Nakagome, a geneticist at Trinity College Dublin, and co-lead author of the study.
Japanese Ancestry Based on aDNA and New Genome Samples
The aDNA (ancient DNA) extracted from human bones, derived from 12 newly sequenced ancient Japanese genomes from pre- and post-farming periods, confirm the genetic signatures of early indigenous Jomon hunter-gatherers and immigrant Yayoi farmers .
However, the aDNA analysis also revealed a third Japanese ancestry source. This third genetic component comes from the Kofun people, a Japanese cultural phase that rapidly advanced between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD, reports Phys.org.
The oldest of the study skeletons was that of a Jomon female, found in Ehime Prefecture , from 9,000 years ago, from which aDNA was extracted.
But the ancient DNA analysis of the latest study revealed something modern genetic data had completely missed. Three Japanese skeletons from 1,500 years ago, from a Kofun period site in Ishikawa Prefecture, showed three primary genetic sources, according to geneticist and study co-leader Professor Takashi Gakuhari of Kanazawa University, Japan.
Japanese Burial Mounds
An aerial view of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a group of one hundred and twenty-three kofun or tumuli in Fujiidera and Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Thirty-one of the burial mounds are keyhole-shaped, thirty round, forty-eight rectangular, and a further fourteen are of indeterminate shape. ( Claude Jin / Adobe Stock)
The Third Japanese Ancestry Source: The Kofun People
The Kofun period is associated with the first emergence of political centralization in Japan, which continued and eventually became dominant. The Jomon people occupied the Japanese archipelago between 16,000 and 3,000 years ago, while the Yayoi migrated from the Asian mainland (specifically the northeast) and lived in Japan between 900 BC and 300 AD, says the Daily Mail . It was the Yayoi, who introduced wet-rice farming to Japan.
Based on the study results, the Kofun DNA comprised 71% of the genetic Japanese ancestry, versus 13% and 16% respectively for the Jomon and Yayoi DNA.
Interestingly, the Kofun ancestry most closely resembled the genetics of the Han people, who make up most of the population of China. “Chinese characters started to be used in this period [Kofun], such as Chinese characters inscribed on metal implements, for example swords,” said Nakagome. He was referring to the import of technology and culture from China, by way of the Korean Peninsula.
“Jōmon people” (縄文人, Jōmon jin) is the generic name of several peoples who lived in the Japanese archipelago during the Jōmon period (c. 14,000 to 300 BCE). The Jōmon people may have consisted of multiple groups, which arrived and merged at different times in the Japanese archipelago, using multiple migration routes, rather than a single homogeneous people.” Wikipedia
Jaredite/Near East Mummies DNA?
The First Genome Data from Ancient Egyptian Mummies: Ancient Egyptians Were Most Closely Related to Ancient Populations from the Near East
Egyptian Sarcophagus containing mummifies remains
“An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the University of Tuebingen (Germany) and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, successfully recovered and analyzed ancient DNA from Egyptian mummies dating from approximately 1400 BCE to 400 CE, including the first genome-wide nuclear data from three individuals, establishing ancient Egyptian mummies as a reliable source for genetic material to study the ancient past. The study, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications , found that modern Egyptians share more ancestry with Sub-Saharan Africans than ancient Egyptians did, whereas ancient Egyptians were found to be most closely related to ancient people from the Near East…
The Research
For this study, an international team of researchers from the University of Tuebingen, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, the University of Cambridge, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory, looked at
genetic differentiation and population continuity over a 1,300-year timespan, and compared these results to modern populations. The team sampled 151 mummified individuals from the archaeological site of Abusir el-Meleq, along the Nile River in Middle Egypt, from two anthropological collections hosted and curated at the University of Tuebingen and the Felix von Luschan Skull Collection at the Museum of Prehistory of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Stiftung Preussicher Kulturbesitz”. Source
Ancient Egyptians were more European than African, groundbreaking DNA research on mummies reveals
Analysis on mummies dating from 1400BC to 400AD showed they were genetically similar to people from Turkey and Europe
Analysis on 151 mummies revealed that they share more DNA with Europeans than AfricansBy Ben Cusack 30 May 2017 Article Here
Chief Joseph Lamb Receipt 2042 BC
Not far from the landing of the Jaredites on the Columbia River, was found an amazing cuneiform tablet dating to 2042 BC, near the time frame of the Jaredites. I found it very interesting that on this square shaped stone was found wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia called cuneiform.
A sales receipt for a lamb dating back to 2042 B.C. in Assyria
It spoke about the purchase of sheep and goats for a sacrifice. In total there are three artifacts found in the USA with the ancient cuneiform script that have been studied by reputable archaeologists and deemed authentic. They are sales receipts for sheep and goats. Amazing. Below are the details.
The star is an Assyrian symbol
“In 1877 the respected leader of the Nez Perce tribe surrendered to the U. S. Government. At his surrender, Chief Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain (known by his Christian name Joseph), presented General Nelson Appleton Miles with a pendant, a 1 inch square clay tablet with writings unrecognizable to General Miles. The writing, which was translated by Dr. Robert D. Biggs, Assyriology Professor at the University of Chicago, turned out to be a sales receipt dating back to 2042 B.C. in Assyria.
It read: “Nalu received 1 lamb from Abbashaga on the 11th day of the month of the festival of An, in the year Enmahgalanna was installed as high priestess of Nanna.”
Chief Joseph said the tablet had been passed down in his family for many generations. How would his family come into possession of a nearly 4,000-year-old tablet? According to the Chief, they inherited it from their white ancestors.” Josephknew.com More detail in my blog here:
Overwhelming Evidence Shows that the Jaredites and Nephites Fought Final Battles at the Exact Same Hill in Ontario, New York! Once called Ramah and once called Cumorah!
Where Exactly is Hill Cumorah/Ramah?
“And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.” Ether 15:11
SPECULATION ABOUT BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY. Within recent years there has arisen among certain students of the Book of Mormon a theory to the effect that within the period covered by the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites were confined almost entirely within the borders of the territory comprising Central America and the southern portion of Mexico — the isthmus of Tehauntepec probably being the “narrow neck” of land spoken of in the Book of Mormon rather than the isthmus of Panama.232. 16
This theory is founded upon the assumption that it was impossible for the colony of Lehi’s to multiply and fill the hemisphere within the limits of 1,000 years, or from the coming of Lehi from Jerusalem to the time of the destruction of the Nephites at the Hill Cumorah. Moreover, they claim that the story in the Book of Mormon of the migrations, building of cities, and the wars and contentions, preclude the possibility of the people spreading over great distances such as we find within the borders Of North and South America.
EARTH POPULATED RAPIDLY. If we are willing to accept the Bible record, which is confirmed by the Doctrine and Covenants, the entire civilization of the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family. Moreover, this destruction took place less than 5,000 years ago, and today the population of the earth, notwithstanding wars and destructions, is estimated at over 2,000,000,000 souls. (Updated population of the earth, Nov 2022, 8 billion plus here)
The population of Europe, based upon the best records available, is vastly increased over that at the time of the discovery of America; yet upon this hemisphere are to be found hundreds of millions of people, descendants of European and Asiatic ancestors who knew nothing of this land before the discovery by Columbus. The rapid increase of posterity is known to every genealogist who has traced the record of the early settlers in this western country.
LOCALE OF CUMORAH, RAMAH, AND RIPLIANCUM. This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century.
It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all. “And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.”
EARLY BRETHREN LOCATE CUMORAH IN WESTERN NEW YORK. It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon.
Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” LOCALE OF CUMORAH, RAMAH, AND RIPLIANCUM.Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation Vol 3 Chapter 12
Jaredite Artifacts Japan, China, Alaska, Washington, Canada, British Columbia
Please do your own research by typing in the numbered quote below in a google search. These things should come up for you to read. The dating of archaeology is very unconfirmed. For example if a site says it dated to 30,000 BC I feel that more likely means sometime near the beginning of Adam or his recent posterity. I believe most likely Adam was placed on the earth in about 4,000 BC. You see my dating of events based on John Pratt and others above as my possible time lines. Johnpratt.com
1.Oldest Bone Projectile Point in the Americas Found Stuck in a Mastodon. Manis Mastodon site Sequim, Washington, 13,900 Manis, WA
2.Iñupiat Sod House Excavated in Alaska. Iñupiat people are known to have lived in this area for 3,500 years. Walakpa, AK
3.Arrowhead dating back at least 6,000 years found near Williams Lake, B.C.
4.13,800-year-old Haida site found underwater Juan Perez Sound off British Columbia in Canada.
5.Keatley Creek Archaeological Site in British Colombia the Fraser Canyon area, Keatley River. Site was first inhabited as early as 7,000 BP
6.Bluefish Caves is an archaeological site in the Yukon, just below Old Crow. Radiocarbon dating suggested age 24,000 before present (BP).
7.14,000 Old Heiltsuk Village Could it be the Oldest in North America? Triquet Island on B.C.’s Central Coast. 2500-2900 BC
8.Type 1E kiln pegs from St George’s Quay dig in Lancaster Washington
9.Prehistoric Architecture of Oregon By Dr. Leland Gilsen, 14,953 prehistoric and 7,485 historic sites (22,438 total)
10.Smoking pipes discovered in archaeological contexts demonstrate that Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America have practiced smoking for over 4,500 years.
11.First Genome Data from Ancient Egyptian Mummies: Ancient Egyptians Were Most Closely Related to Ancient Populations from the Near East
12.Ancient Egyptians were more European than African, groundbreaking DNA research on mummies reveals 1400BC to 400AD
13.The Saoba Stone Pillars of Taiwan Present A Peinan Culture Conundrum. 3,000 years ago.
14.Niumatou Site: An Archaeological Preservation of Taiwan’s Lost Aborigines 4,000 years ago.
15.Ancient Peinan Culture, also known as the Beinan Culture. 2300 to 5300 years old Taiwan
16.Complex society in prehistoric Korea has long been understood as a socioeconomic corollary of its Bronze Age agriculture 1300–300 b.c.
17.Mother Found Still Cradling Baby After 4800 Years Taiwan
18.The Dabenkeng people were the first farmers in Taiwan, who may have come from the south and southeast coasts of China about 5,000 years ago,” says Chengwha Tsang of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica.
19.Ancient DNA Rewrites Story of Japanese Ancestry
20.The Third Japanese Ancestry Source: The Kofun People
Yayoi migrated from the Asian mainland and lived in Japan between 900 BC and 300 AD, says the Daily Mail.
4,500-Year-Old Smoking Pipes Discovered in Washington State
“Smoking pipes discovered in archaeological contexts demonstrate that Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America have practiced smoking for over 4,500 years.” Wikipedia
BP Dates Below refer to “Before Present”
BP refers to “Before Present” “BP is a system commonly used by geologists and archaeologists for the purposes of carbon dating. Because carbon dating become popular in the 1950s, BP essentially means “before 1950.” To estimate, I just think of it as “years ago.” So if you have 15,000 BP, it would be about 15,000 years ago. If you wanted to be more exact, it would be BP + (current year – 1950), or 15,067. In the grand scheme of things, 67 years is generally not a big deal, so I find it’s easier to say “years ago.” Kat Sanders Founder and Blogger at Pawsitive Research (2015–present)
The “Present Year” is fixed at our calendar year of 1950. The date 1950 was arbitrarily assigned. It is not a movable. it does not refer to the current year because that year changes every year. Example 4000 BC is actually 4000 + 1950 or 5950 BP. And 4417 BP is actually 2467 BC.
Archaeological sites throughout the Pacific Northwest
This map shows archaeological sites throughout the Pacific Northwest where pipes or pipe fragments have been identified. See Supplemental Text 2 for a key to sites and references.Selected pipes from the Mid-Columbia study representing the stylistic diversity of pipes in the region: (a) 45GR27.116, a conical granite pipe bowl; (b) 45GR30.2197, a fragment of a thin-walled tubular steatite pipe; and (c) 45DO172.2224, a robust oblong steatite pipe with regular incisions. Illustration by Trent Raymer. Research Gate
The Evolution of Smoking and Intoxicant Plant Use in AncientNorthwestern North AmericaWilliam J. Damitio , Shannon Tushingham, Korey J. Brownstein, R. G. Matson, and David R. Gang
“Smoking pipes discovered in archaeological contexts demonstrate that Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America have practiced smoking for over 4,500 years. Archaeometry and ancient residue metabolomics provide evidence for the association of particular plants with these artifacts. In this article, we synthesize recent research on ancient smoking and present current knowledge on the spatiotemporal distribution of smoking in the past. The presence of stone smoking pipes in the archaeological record is paired with our understanding of past plant use based on chemical residue analyses to create a picture of precontact smoking practices. Archaeological pipe data demonstrate that smoking was a widely distributed practice in the inland Northwest over the past several thousand years, but not on the coast. Distributional data—including positive and negative evidence from chemical residue studies—show that tobacco was an important smoke plant in the region as early as around 1,410 years ago and as far north as the mid-Columbia region. Ancient residue metabolomics contributes to a richer understanding of past use of specific plants through the identification of tobacco species and other indigenous plants, including Rhus glabra, Cornus sericia, and Salvia sp., as contributing to the chemical residues in ancient pipes.” The Evolution of Smoking and Intoxicant Plant Use
“Washington State has a rich archaeological heritage that spans over tens of thousands of years. Typical pre-historic archaeological sites in Washington include shell middens, open sites or campsites, pictographs and petroglyphs, caves or rockshelters, wet sites, lithic sites, quarries, culturally modified trees, and burial sites or cemeteries.” DAHP October 2020
Other information
The Brother of Jared is Connected to Every Prophet including Joseph Smith
The Prophet Joseph Smith used the same Urim and Thummim that was “given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote a brief history regarding the Urim and Thummim: “King Mosiah possessed ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ called by the Nephites Interpreters, with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purposes of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these two stones or Urim and Thummim the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this gift or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the Brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. “That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the Brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from Book of Mormon teachings… Joseph Smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the Brother of Jared” [D&C 17:1] (Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation, 3:223–25).
“Is it difficult to believe that the Urim and Thummim could be such a precision instrument to transmit messages from God to his supreme creation — man?” NO Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle
The words Urim & Thummim are not found in the Book of Mormon! [Only Interpreters]. Nowhere in Scripture is found translation with a “rock in a hat”
“He should seal up the two stones” “These stones shall magnify to the eyes of men”
How Many Stones did the Lord touch? “Did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass” Ether 3:1
“23 And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write.
24 For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” Ether 3:23-24
“28 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received, and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of men.” Ether 3:28
New Art Sept 2023
“Joseph kept the Urim and Thummim constantly about his person” Lucy Mack Smith by Anne Marie Oborn
Ask yourself.
Have you heard many people or scholars speak about or describe the breastplate? Where was it found? How did Joseph hide the breastplate and the spectacles from those who transcribed for him? Where did the two stones and the breastplate come from? What is the significance of the breastplate? Was it necessary for Joseph to use to translate?
You may be surprised, but there is plenty of scriptural evidence that Joseph indeed used the spectacles fastened to the breastplate to translate the entire Book of Mormon. (Save a Few Pages)
Joseph kept the “Key” ‘Constantly about his person’. Joseph used the “Key” to translate the Book of Mormon, not the seer stone.
Learn what the “Key” represents from Joseph’s own mouth as his mother describes it.
I believe Lucy Mack Smith is credible and not the second-hand Martin Harris, David Whitmer, or even Emma Smith, who all spoke about the stone in the hat but never saw the spectacles, the breastplate nor the plates during translation. Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.“
Book available here
“I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me but did not tell me anything of the record…. That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause, he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)
You will learn from Scripture and from Joseph, through his mother, just what “by the gift and power of God” may have meant.
Polynesians Saved by the Lord in the Islands because of, “the worthiness of your forefathers.” 1911
Hagoth 56 BC Alma 63:5
Joseph F. Smith and the Presidency said, “The Lord … directed their course away from this continent [America] to their [the Polynesian ancestors’] island homes, that they might not be left to be preyed upon and destroyed by the more wicked part of the House of Israel whose descendants still roam upon this continent in a fallen and degraded state. … This is the secret of the overruling hand of providence which has been over you all from that time until you received the gospel through the preaching of the elders, and until the present time. …
And we repeat, the reason that few of the islands of the sea have been more highly favored and blessed in the Lord than those of your brethren of this continent is because of the worthiness of your forefathers who were led away and separated from their brethren of this continent, and because of the blessing of the Lord which has attended you, their children, from that time to the present.” A letter from the First Presidency, (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and John Henry Smith), written to the Maori Saints on the occasion of their annual Hui Tau (conference) in 1911″ Maori Traditions and the Mormon Church by R. Lanier Britsch
Our Beloved Prophet
“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” Russell M. Nelson May 23, 2018
“I plead with you to take charge of your testimony of Jesus Christ. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Then watch for miracles to happen in your life.” Russell M. Nelson Aug 1, 2022
Please study out the information above. It has been a few years of research and my main purpose in sharing, is for you as an individual to study the Book of Mormon as you never have. I want you to not only know the spiritual truth which is most important of the Book of Mormon, but any additional information related to this amazing book. For as Moroni said, “we may know the truth of all things”. for as our Prophet also said, “Learn for yourself—right now at your age—how to receive personal revelation. And nothing will make a bigger difference in your life than that!” Hope of Israel. “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that” (Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel”)
I have come to realize that the words uttered by Prophets and many others, “by the gift and power of God“, is such an overwhelming, and powerful definition of how the Book of Mormon came forth into the world. It’s meaning is extraordinary!
By the Gift and Power of God
“I translated the record by the gift and power of God” Joseph Smith Wentworth Letter
“As he [Joseph Smith] translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim.” Oliver Cowdery JSH 1:75
I call the Interpreters or Urim and Thummim, or “these stones fastened to a breastplate” JSH 1:35 the same incredible resource. I call them “The Lord’s Instruments.” These instruments have to be “THEM” [Plural], in my opinion.
Interpreters has a plural “s”, the Urim and Thummim constitute several items, and the these stones with an “s” means plural. A single seer stone is not the Lord’s Instrument of translation according to the scriptures. Now I will agree with you that “a stone” may be an instrument of the Lord, i.e., Brother of Jared, 18 individual stones, but a single stone by itself is not an instrument that was used to translate records. (See Scriptures, JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25)
In Alma 37:23 “a stone” in my opinion means, “a seer.” This is the only place in the scriptures speaking about a single stone in anything close to acting in a type of translation, and I think I have proven the editors added a comma where they shouldn’t have.See my blog here:
The Lord’s Instrument
“We are awed by the perspicacity and discernment of the scientists, whose accumulated knowledge is great, but there is still greater knowledge; there are more perfect instruments; there is much more to learn. Most of us can but imagine how the great truths have been transmitted through the ages. Exactly how this precious instrument, the Urim and Thummim, operates we can only surmise, but it seems to be infinitely superior to any mechanism ever dreamed of yet by researchers. It would seem to be a receiving set, or instrument. For a set to receive pictures and programs, there must be a broadcasting set. The scripture above quoted indicates that the abode of God is a master Urim and Thummim, and the synchronization of transmitting and receiving apparatus of this kind can have no limitation.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, Pg.52 – Pg.53)
“These Stones Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:35
“In a short period man has so improved his communication techniques as to hear voices around the world. A few years ago, even with earphones, we could decode only part of the static over the newborn radio. Our first television pictures were very local and very amateurish. Today, we see in our homes a fight in Madison Square Garden, a football game in the Cotton Bowl, the Tabernacle Choir in Chicago, an astronaut on his way to the moon. Is it hard to believe that with such accomplishments by puny man Omnipotent God has precision instruments with which to enlarge the knowledge of those who have the skill to use them? Is it difficult to believe that the Urim and Thummim could be such a precision instrument to transmit messages from God to his supreme creation — man? Can God have limitations? Can atmosphere or distance or space hold back his pictures? Would it be so difficult for Moses or Enoch or Abraham or Joseph to see a colorful, accurate, moving picture of all things past and present, and even future? The Creator said to Moses, “ . . . look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end.” (Moses 1:4.) (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, Pg.53)
With an instrument or the power of the Lord as described above, I think these are a few great descriptions of what Joseph’s or Moses’ or Lehi, or the Brother of Jared’s countenance must have looked like.
1- “And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. Exodus 34:35
Moses Face Shone
2- “They [Joseph Smith & Oliver Cowdery] looked so exceedingly white and strange…The power of God was so great in the room that they could hardly endure it; at times angels were in the room in their glory, which nearly consumed them.” Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington, p. 49-50
3- “And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil.” Ether 12:21
Brother of Jared
4- “And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.” 1 Nephi 8:11
“Generally, when we think of witnesses of the Book of Mormon, we think of the Three Witnesses or the Eight Witnesses. However, there were many other indirect witnesses of the Book of Mormon. These incidental witnesses may have seen part of the plates, like Josiah Stowell did. Others may have handled the plates, like Emma Smith did. One witness was converted to the church simply by witnessing the effect that the translation process had on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Her name was Sally Heller Conrad.(Note 3 Below)
In June of 1829, Mary Whitmer was hard at work taking care of her own family, but she also faced the added burden of taking care of Joseph and Oliver, who were translating the Book of Mormon in her home. Exhausted and overworked, Mary hired Sally to help her around the house. Eighteen-year-old Sally likely thought this would be a job like any other, but she soon noticed something unusual. She later told a friend that she saw Joseph and Oliver “come down from the translating room several times when they looked so exceedingly white and strange” that she asked Mary Whitmer what was going on.
Because of the sacred nature of the work and fear of persecution, the Whitmer’s did not tell Sally what was happening. But finally, after seeing this happen multiple times, Sally said she would leave if Mary did not tell her what was going on. Mary finally explained that Joseph and Oliver were translating a sacred record from golden plates, “and that the power of God was so great in the room that they could hardly endure it: at times angels were in the room in their glory, which nearly consumed them.”
Mary’s explanation satisfied Sally, who not only stayed to help the Whitmer’s, but eventually joined the church because of her experiences. She would eventually marry in the church, come west with the Saints, and die in Provo, Utah at the age of 92.
(Note 3) Her actual name was Sarah, but she went by Sally (sometimes spelled Sallie). See John W. Welch, “The Miraculous Timing of the Translation of the Book of Mormon,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and BYU Press, 2017), 109, primary document no. 114 (available on p. 185). See also Glenn Rawson, “Sallie Heller Conrad” in Signs, Wonders, and Miracles: Extraordinary Stories from Early Latter-day Saints, ed. Glenn Rawson and Dennis Lyman (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2015), 199.” Book of Mormon Central Know Why #385
Here is the story about Sally Conrad in Oliver Huntington’s journal.
Exceedingly White
Sarah Heller Conrad By Oliver B. Huntington
“Sunday, June 13, 1897- I conversed with one old lady eighty-eight years old who lived with David Whitmer when Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were translating the Book of Mormon in the upper room of the house, and she, only a girl, saw them come down from [the] translating room several times when they looked so exceedingly white and strange that she inquired of Mrs. Whitmer the cause of their unusual appearance, but Mrs. Whitmer was unwilling to tell the hired girl the true cause, as it was a sacred, holy event connected with a holy, sacred work which was opposed and persecuted by nearly everyone who heard of it.
The girl felt so strangely at seeing so strange and unusual appearance, she finally told Mrs. Whitmer that she would not stay with her until she knew the cause of the strange looks of these men.
Sister Whitmer then told her what the men were doing in the room above and that the power of God was so great in the room that they could hardly endure it; at times angels were in the room in their glory, which nearly consumed them. This satisfied the girl.” (Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington, p. 49-50)
Transfigured, Exceedingly White, Strange
After listening to the various examples of descriptions pertaining to the “gift and power of God”, or being in the presence of God, or seeing the countenance of a person who has been in the presence of God, do these descriptions make sense? What a glorious sight that must be. Now we know what it means in the Book of Moses, “But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.” Moses 1:11
In my opinion this description of Sally Conrad, that “they [Joseph & Oliver], were “exceedingly white and strange”makes complete sense. I can imagine after Joseph and Oliver sat together in a room with the Interpreters as you see in the painting below, the glory and radiance of God would shine all over their persons. I feel if Joseph had simply translated by putting his head in a hat to see a stone, would not only be blinding but would block all that radiance from the room and the face of Oliver as well.
This may seem like a simple statement, but I think the brilliance of light from the Lord as Sally described it, is “another witness” to me that Joseph used “these stones fastened to a breastplate” (JSH 1:35), not a silly stone in a hat.
“Oliver Sat Beside Him”
“When Brother Samuel W. Richards was eighty-two, (1906) he dictated a statement reporting Oliver Cowdery’s recollections of Book of Mormon translation:
Art by Anne Marie Oborn. This painting is an excellent representation of the quote by Samuel Richards below.
“He represented Joseph as sitting at a table with the plates before him, translating them by means of the Urim and Thummim, while he (Oliver) sat beside him writing every word as Joseph spoke them to him.This was done by holding the ‘translators’ over the hieroglyphics, the translation appearing distinctly on the instrument, which had been touched by the finger of Godand dedicated and consecrated for the express purpose of translating languages. Every word was distinctly visible even to every letter; and if Oliver omitted a word or failed to spell a word correctly, the translation remained on the ‘interpreter’ until it was copied correctly.” Richard Lloyd Anderson https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1977/09/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng
Oliver was a Special Witness
It seems that Oliver Cowdery was the second special witness as described in the Bible that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” 2 Corinthians 13:1
Just think of how many important things during the Restoration were done by Joseph when Oliver was the second witness.
First and Second Baptism
Receiving both Priesthoods JSH 1:68-72
Translation of the Book of Mormon
Given Keys of the Dispensation
Joseph’s journal entry for April 3, 1836, says that they [Jooseph & Olicer] “saw the Lord standing upon the . . . pulpit before them.” He was followed in succession by Moses, Elias, and Elijah, each authorizing some aspect of the gospel, the gathering of Israel, or the preparation of the world for the impending millennium. “The keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands,” the messenger told Joseph and Oliver (D&C 110:16).
Oliver saw the Gold Plates, the Interpreters and the Breastplate.
Only Joseph and Oliver could say they saw all three of the Lord’s Instruments, probably in the same room often and without a blanket between them. However Lucy Mack Smith did see the spectacles and breastplate under a thin handkerchief and she also beheld the plates according to her journal.
“When Cowdery returned to Church membership in 1848 he spoke to an Iowa conference. His words there were recorded by Reuben Miller: “I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet as he translated it by the gift and power of Godby means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by that book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true. … I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet.”
The Miller journal can be tested by comparing it with official records of the Cowdery speeches, and it is clearly accurate. Thus the above words are likely to be Cowdery verbatim. This judgment is essential because in the report Oliver Cowdery says, “I … handled with my hands the gold plates.” Yet another Witness, David Whitmer, insisted that he had never handled the plates; he only watched as the angel in the vision displayed the plates and other sacred objects. Since Whitmer and Cowdery were together at this impressive vision, one must infer that Cowdery did not handle the plates at that time. Thus a distinction emerges between the key secretary and his witness brother-in-law:at some time during the translation process Oliver Cowdery evidently handled the plates.” By the Gift and Power of God By Richard Lloyd Anderson
The Lord’s Instrumentswere seen by the same two eyewitnesses that also received the priesthood, were baptized, and saw the Son of Man and other messengers. These two, Oliver and Joseph, witnessed all key and important moments of the restoration. Joseph did not use a rock in a hat to translate. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say this. But you can read all these scriptures below, that say the spectacles and the breastplate were used. I believe the scripture.( JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25)
As FIRM Foundation(FF) gears up for our inspirational bi-yearly conference Sept 15-16 in celebrating the Book of Mormon and US Constitution Day, Book of Mormon Central (BMC) gears up for Moroni Day on Sept 22nd. Both are wonderful causes and deserve attention from all members of the Church. We should all be celebrating both events.
The attendees will be different in a few ways, while 95% will probably be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church), and both conferences are scheduled to promote faith and hope in this challenging world. Both FF and BMC are righteous apologetic organizations who promote and support the Church.
Will have over 25 LDS inspirational speakers over a two day event Will cost $45 per person for both days which money will come from mostly regular Latter-day saints who have saved in many cases for a period of time, and their money will go towards having more conferences to promote faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
BMC
Will have 3 or 4 LDS inspirational speakers on Sept 22, including Elder Dale G. Renlund. Will charge a donation of $250 per person, which money comes from great organizations that need tax write offs and are very generous to our Church. We are thankful for their contributions to further the work of the Lord.
We realize “money” will be the main reason you attend either one. We as LDS members should not judge either group as we support the organization we choose.
In order to share the critical message to the world of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, we need a firm vision, faith, individual commitment, missionary zeal, and probably in this world today we need or could greatly use, money! That’s correct. Great faith mingled with a little money will help His work go forward. We do know however, that the Lord ultimately needs no money to get His message out. However, the way the world works today, “money” is a key driver to what we do. After all this is Satan’s world for another season, and then the Lord takes over. What a beautiful day to look forward to. Money is not bad, the love of money over God, is the problem.
In my personal life I am driven by these words. “Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” Jacob 2:16-19
All believers have absolute faith that His word will permeate the world on His timing and with our help if He chooses. He has chosen to give us our Moral Agency and we will be judged on what type of stewards we are. We are blessed as we have chosen to be on His team to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all we do.
As scripture says, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be onesoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with onesoul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!D&C 18:15-16
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happyis he… A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs 29:18, 23
Millions of dollars from wonderful and charitable people and organizations all over the world have been donated to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church). I believe when people or organizations want to donate to the Church, the Church contacts faithful organizations who want to assist special causes in the Arts, Business, Biology, Archaeology, Medicine and other worthy causes. The Church then reaches out to worthy organizations. For example, if a donor wanted to donate to the Church to help in archaeological research about the Book of Mormon, the Church would reach out to organizations such as, Book of Mormon Central (BMC), FAIR Mormon (FM), More Good Foundation (MGF), The Interpreter (TI) and Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) as they are all non-profit organizations.
The Firm Foundation, is not a non-profit organization, so I guess the Church has a rule to not support for profit businesses like FIRM, which in some cases makes sense. I would think other worthy organizations like FIRM could get more support in some way from a Church we love. We have not had the privledge of any General Authority or Seventy to ever speak at our FIRM conference even though we don’t ask for donations ever. This is just a Church rule and they of course can do as they choose. I have nothing against anyone and especially the Church who have refused to speak at our conferences. Regardless, we will keep sharing the truth of the Church and the Lord’s Prophets and Apostles. We do continue to have worthy Bishops, Stake Presidents, Temple workers and Presidents, Patriarch’s, Relief Society Presidents, and more speak at our conferences all the time. We are very thankful to each one who does speak.
The FIRM Foundation (Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism) is an organization dedicated to showing forth evidence for the Book of Mormon in order to provide LDS Church members with well-researched information enabling them to powerfully and respectfully defend its historicity and thus its truthfulness – with the ultimate goal of bringing people unto Christ.
Firm Foundation CAN receive donations, however the person donating would not get a tax write off. We have had many people support us and donate to us without wanting or needing a tax write off, and we thank them very much. Unfortunately this is how our imperfect government works. The big get bigger and the small get put off to the side often, as the big governments are in charge of the rules, especially when it comes to money. The supportive organizations of the world get rewarded for their obedience to the government, and we little patriots or humble followers of the Savior seem to be made out to look unimportant and not very popular amongst the government elite. I think our Church has a special calling in this world. I am very grateful to the Church for their faithful accounting of Church funds and the many great things they do, without even hearing about it. I would expect our Church to have great blessings of money, to assist so many righteous causes in this world. I am sure some in the Church have made mistakes that reflect poorly on the Church, but the overwhelming use of Church funds is directed by the Lord.
I don’t ever expect to be elite in the things of this world, but I am an Elite Son of God, and feel truly blessed every day for it. Do I get frustrated with how (BMC), (FM), (MGF), (TI), and (BMAF) seem to be making millions of dollars from donations, and can afford to pay themselves and others a very nice salary? Yes! It does not make me angry, but humble as I try my best to support a great business of promoting faith, with an absolute trustworthy and good man named Rod Meldrum who owns FIRM, and with other 10’s of thousands who support him including Tim Ballard, Glenn Beck, Hannah & Leah Stoddard, Russ Barlow, Mike and Betty LaFontaine, Dean Sessions, Steve Smoot, Wayne May and many other strong LDS Leaders. I believe this small and humble group of Latter-day Saints and many like them are being spoken of in scripture saying, “the Almighty… pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”D&C 121:33
Book of Mormon Central Vision Statement
“Book of Mormon Central is a non-profit, public charity that helps people everywhere build enduring faith in Jesus Christ by making the Book of Mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible. We are supported by people like you and appreciate all donations, large or small. If you love the Book of Mormon, consider donating to Book of Mormon Central and becoming part of this exciting movement. Why Should You Donate to Book of Mormon Central? General Authorities and Church Officers encourage us to act Hear Church leaders talk about the Book of Mormon, and the importance of supporting organizations such as Book of Mormon Central. Hear inspiring words from President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Chad H. Webb, and President Ezra Taft Benson.” BMC https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/donate
Book of Mormon Central has invited Elder Dale G. Renlund to be the Key Note Speaker in their Sept 22, 2023 fundraiser. I love and support the Prophet and Apostles. I just think Book of Mormon Central may be held to a different standard. Not that it is wrong, just that it is unusual and ironic in my opinion.
Neutral vs. Saying Your Neutral
Narrow Neck of Land Click to Enlarge
BMC says they are neutral on the geography of the book of Mormon which is fine for them to say. Those of us who believe in the Heartland theory are not Neutral on Geography. We believe the events of the Book of Mormon happened in North America which is the Promised Land of the United States.
We don’t have a problem with these Apologists who focus on Mesoamerica as that is their agency. We just wish they would be supportive of other possible theories in their neutral stand about geography and they would consider a translation method not using a stone in a hat, if they are neutral about that. We would appreciate them allowing Heartlanders and other non-Mesoamerican theories to be expressed on their so-called neutral website.
We don’t expect President Nelson to tell anyone where the Book of Mormon events happened, (The Church just says “somewhere in the Americas”). In the same way we don’t expect the Church to come right out and tell us if evolution is correct or not. They are neutral on evolution as well. I don’t expect the Church to tell us if we came from an ape, or how old the earth is, as I know through sound reasoning the answer that makes most sense to me. We can receive personal revelation.
Now if the Brethren receive revelation that geography and evolution are doctrine, I would always listen to them first, and then pray about it, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on difficult issues that exist to help each of us individually come to a knowledge of the “truth of all things”, as promised in the Book of Mormon. I don’t need to be commanded in all things! I have neve spoken ill of the Prophet and Apostles and I wouldn’t, as I know they are men of God in this true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon Central or Scripture Central Moroni Day Announcements
As you can see below BMC has had the Moroni Day for quite a while. Again this is only to give people an awareness. BMC and the Leaders of our Church are not doing anything wrong. I just want the other apologist organizations to know.
Moroni Day fundraiser by BMC blog by Jonathan Neville
Below is what Jonathan Neville wrote last year about the Moroni Day 2022 fundraiser. I agree with him. You will learn a lot about the Heartland position vs the Meso position. His previous blog is here, or in text below.
“If you haven’t heard, today (Sept 21, 2022) you can spend $250/plate to attend a fundraiser by Book of Mormon Central. $250/plate to add to the millions of dollars Book of Mormon Central is already spending to tell the world that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery misled everyone about Cumorah and the translation of the Book of Mormon.
It’s inexplicable why anyone would donate money to promote the private theories of a handful of scholars who repudiate the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah. The ad for the fundraiser features the M2C logo* along with some historians who, as awesome as they are, will not tell the audience what Moroni first told Joseph Smith, even though we can all read what he said in the Joseph Smith Papers.
These historians know these accounts perfectly well, but they refuse to share them, especially not to the donors who support Book of Mormon Central and its Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs agenda.
If Book of Mormon Central really wanted to be the central resource for information about the Book of Mormon, it would support and sustain the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah in New York instead of repudiating those teachings. At the very least, it would inform people about those teachings and the evidence that corroborates those teachings, instead of insisting that M2C is the only acceptable approach to understanding the Book of Mormon because Joseph and Oliver misled everyone.
Here are some of the things Moroni told Joseph Smith that the BMC audience will never learn about.
Confusion at the Church History Museum
Moroni to Joseph Smith, 1823. “the record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place remove the Grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone pry that up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars of cement.” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41
Moroni to Joseph Smith, 1823. He [Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigenes of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightned and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/68
Joseph to his parents, 1827. said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to <be> brought forth… https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111
Oliver Cowdery, with the assistance of Joseph Smith. I must now give you some description of the place where, and the manner in which these records were deposited. You are acquainted with the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne Co. to Canandaigua, Ontario Co. N.Y. and also, as you pass from the former to the latter place, before arriving at the little village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say large, is because it is as large perhaps, as any in that country. To a person acquainted with this road, a description would be unnecessary, as it is the largest and rises the highest of any on that rout. The north end rises quite sudden until it assumes a level with the more southerly extremity, and I think I may say an elevation higher than at the south a short distance, say half or three fourths of a mile. As you pass toward canandaigua it lessens gradually until the surface assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges, water courses and ravines. I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the notice of the traveller as he passes by.
See Letter VII at the Joseph Smith Papers
At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the book of Mormon120 you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. (it is printed Camorah, which is an error.) In this vally fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites—once so highly favored of the Lord, but at that time in darkness, doomed to suffer extermination by the hand of their barbarous and uncivilized brethren. From the top of this hill, Mormon, with a few others, after the battle, gazed with horror upon the mangled remains of those who, the day before, were filled with anxiety, hope or doubt.
A few had fled to the South, who were hunted down by the victorious party, and all who would not deny the Saviour and his religion, were put to death. Mormon himself, according to the record of his son Moroni, was also slain. But a long time previous to this disaster it appears from his own account, he foresaw approaching destruction. In fact, if he perused the records of his fathers, which were in his possession, he could have learned that such would be the case. Alma, who lived before the coming of the Messiah, prophesies this. He, however, by divine appointment, abridged from those records, in his own style and language, a short account of the more important and prominent items, from the days of Lehi to his own time, after which he deposited, as he says, on the 529th page, all the records in this same hill, Cumorah and after gave his small record to his son Moroni, who, as appears from the same, finished, after witnessing the extinction of his people as a nation. …
You decide on the Location of Cumorah
This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah: by it, or around it pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tents. Coriantumr was the last king of the Jaredites The opposing army were to the west, and in this same vally, and near by, from day to day, did that mighty race spill their blood, in wrath, contending, as it were, brother against brother, and father, against son. In this same spot, in full view from the top of this same hill, one may gaze with astonishment upon the ground which was twice covered with the dead and dying of our fellow men. Here may be seen where once sunk to nought the pride and strength of two mighty nations; and here may be contemplated, in solitude, while nothing but the faithful record of Mormon and Moroni is now extant to inform us of the fact… In this vale lie commingled, in one mass of ruin the ashes of thousands, and in this vale was destined to consume the fair forms and vigerous systems of tens of thousands of the human race—blood mixed with blood, flesh with flesh, bones with bones and dust with dust! http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90
“And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20) For more references, see http://www.lettervii.com/p/byu-packet-on-cumorah.html
The difference between the “Cumorah” taught by Book of Mormon Central and the real Cumorah taught by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and their successors in Church leadership is evident from the map below, taken from the Spanish edition of Book of Mormon Central. https://geografia.centralldm.es/mapa-modelo/?playlist=3db12fa&video=c33c342
* The M2C logo (Mesoamerican 2 Cumorah) features a Mayan glyph to represent the Book of Mormon. This teaches everyone that Joseph and Oliver misled us by saying that the hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 was in New York. Instead, the brilliant scholars at Book of Mormon Central have decided that the “real Cumorah” is in southern Mexico, while the idea of Cumorah in New York was a false tradition that Joseph, Oliver and their successors in Church leadership ignorantly promoted for decades. If Book of Mormon Central was an honest and accurate organization, their logo would represent the actual language of the Book of Mormon, which is English.”
One Question, Three Opinions:
Is there a Cave in Hill Cumorah in upstate New York, containing all the
Nephite & Jaredite Records?
Absolutely, Yes says FIRM
Absolutely Not, says FAIR
Absolutely, Yes says Orson Pratt
“The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces. Men, women and children fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . .
These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
I believe Orson Pratt and many other leaders. How can I dismiss their words simply because FAIR wants to not have a cave in Cumorah, because if there was, it would not support their theory that the final battles happened somewhere in Mexico. It would not support their idea that the sword and Liahona were in the one stone box with the plates where Firm believes the sword and Liahona were in the cave or repository in a separate location of Cumorah than where the plates were buried.
Defining Apologetics
Apologetics cannot prove that the Church is true, but it can show you answers that may help you in knowing the Church is true, especially through personal revelation.
FIRM and FAIR are both similar organizations as both are made up of great spiritual people who love the Lord and the Book of Mormon. Both claim to have answers to many challenging or even difficult gospel questions that may encourage or assist people to better understand the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Neither organization speak in behalf of, or for the Church. Doctrine in the Church only comes from the Prophet and Apostles who both organizations support. Some have called these organizations, Apologists for the Church. (Others include, Book of Mormon Central, and The Interpreter).
The purpose of LDS Apologetics is to provide solid or well reasoned information that makes sense in answering supposed church related difficult questions, so that a conclusive decision of the truth of the Gospel and Church can be determined by study and prayer through the Spirit. Austin Farrer, an English Anglican philosopher, theologian, and biblical scholar wrote, in the mid-19th century, “Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.”
Truth and Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. A personal witness from the Holy Ghost must be the primary evidence for the reality of God, the divinity of Christ and the authority of the scriptures. “No man can say that the Jesus is the Lord,” wrote Paul, (I Corinthians 12:3) “but by the Holy Ghost.” Faithful, reasoned and rational argument, however, can open hearts and minds to the witness of the Spirit. Apologetics cannot prove that the Church is true, but it can show you answers that may help you in knowing the Church is true, especially through personal revelation.
Personal Revelation
Art by Ken Corbett
As our dear Prophet said, “Does God really want to speak to you? Yes! “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course … as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust.Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.
I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual abilityto receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives by President Russell M. Nelson
Question: Is there a cave in the Hill Cumorah containing the Nephite records?
We quote FAIR here:
“Brigham Young related a story about how the plates were returned to Moroni in a cave in the Hill Cumorah
On June 17, 1877, Brigham Young related the following at a conference:
I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” [1]
Art by Jon McNaughton
Editors Note by FIRM: Left off of the Brigham Young quote above is the final sentence by Brigham saying, “I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting. . . . [Don] Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.” This adds additional witnesses to Brigham’s own words.
FAIR Continues, “The geologic unlikelihood of a cave existing within the drumlin in New York called “Hill Cumorah” suggests that the experience related by the various witnesses was most likely a vision.
There are at least ten second hand accounts describing the story of the cave in Cumorah, however, Joseph Smith himself did not record the incident. [2] As mentioned previously, the Hill Cumorah located in New York state is a drumlin: this means it is a pile of gravel scraped together by an ancient glacier. The geologic unlikelihood of a cave existing within the hill such as the one described suggests that the experience related by the various witnesses was most likely a vision, or a divine transportation to another locale (as with Nephi’s experience in 1 Nephi 11:1). John Tvedtnes supports this view:
“The story of the cave full of plates inside the Hill Cumorah in New York is often given as evidence that it is, indeed, the hill where Mormon hid the plates. Yorgason quotes one version of the story from Brigham Young and alludes to six others collected by Paul T. Smith. Unfortunately, none of the accounts is firsthand. The New York Hill Cumorah is a [drumlin] laid down anciently by a glacier in motion. It is comprised of gravel and earth. Geologically, it is impossible for the hill to have a cave, and all those who have gone in search of the cave have come back empty-handed. If, therefore, the story attributed to Oliver Cowdery (by others) is true, then the visits to the cave perhaps represent visions, perhaps of some far distant hill, not physical events.[3]”
Given that the angel Moroni had retrieved the plates from Joseph several times previously, it is not unreasonable to assume that he was capable of transporting them to a different location than the hill in New York. As Tvedtnes asks, “If they could truly be moved about, why not from Mexico, for example?”[3] Written by FAIRMORMON
Editors Note: The Lord will not do things for us, that can be easily done by ourselves. Why would the Lord transport plates from Mexico to Cumorah when Moroni could have done that? FIRM doesn’t believe the final battles were in Mexico as those at FAIR do. The Hill cumorah in NY was both the repository of gold plates in the stone box, and the nearby cave held all the records of the H=Nephites and Jaredites and the final battle happened round about the Hill cumorah.
Jump up↑Cameron J. Packer, “Cumorah’s Cave,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13/1 (2004): 50–57. off-sitewiki
↑ Jump up to:3.03.1John A. Tvedtnes, “Review of Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon by Brenton G. Yorgason,” FARMS Review of Books 2/1 (1990): 258–259. off-site
As you read our answer about the truth as we understand it coming from Brigham Young, in regard to him saying there was a cave at Cumorah, understand the basic differences between our two apologetic opinions below.
FIRM Says:
We believe Brigham Young, Oliver Cowdery, Samuel Smith, Don Carlos Smith, and Hyrum Smith wouldn’t have made these stories up about the cave at Cumorah, and they are true based on information. FAIR says:
“There are at least ten second hand accounts describing the story of the cave in Cumorah”, so they insinuate you should believe none of them for the only reason that they are second hand.
Art by Val Bagley
FIRM Says:
We don’t believe these stories were simply dreams or visions, but are the witnessed words as best written down by others about a literal cave in New York. FAIR Says:
“The experience related by the various witnesses was most likely a vision.” Since they have not found such a cave they are dismissing it. FIRM Says:
How do you know a drumlin could not have a natural or a man made cave in it? FAIR Says:
“Geologic unlikelihood of a cave existing within the drumlin in New York called “Hill Cumorah” FIRM Says:
Hill Cumorah is in New York where all the records of both Jaredites and Nephites were buried. This is the same hill where both final battles occurred. (Many quotes here) FAIR Says:
The final battles of Cumorah and Ramah occurred somewhere in a hill in Mexico. There was not room on hill Cumorah in New York for millions of people.” FIRM Says:
There is no need to have millions of people “on” Hill Cumorah as that speaks against the scripture saying, “we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents “around about” the hill Cumorah; Mormon 6:4. [Not “on” the Hill, around about].
FAIR Says:
The Sword of Laban and Liahona were buried in the hill in New York with the plates, breastplate and spectacles.
FIRM SAYS: Buried in the stone box of hill Cumorah in New York were the following. Gold Plates, Breastplate, Two clear stones fastened to a silver bow like a pair of spectacles. (JSH 1:35) There was no sword or Liahona, as they were in the Cave at Cumorah.
FIRM SAYS FINALLY:
At some point you must trust the combined words of prophets and leaders when they speak themselves, and you must also believe the scriptures, and most of all you should pray about what you find, as Moroni said, “we may know the truth of all things”. This is also why FIRM believes there is only one Hill Cumorah in New York and the Book of Mormon was not translated ever using a stone in a hat. No scripture says that, but here are many scriptures that say Joseph used the Interpreters and Urim and Thummim, (JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25) As you see in the painting below it is shown as the most likely way the various translations were done. (With Emma and with Oliver)
“Mother I have got the Key” by Anne Marie Oborn- The plates, and spectacles were hidden by the linen and the hat, the breastplate is under Joseph shirt. Joseph was commanded to not show those items unless told. No Curtain was used. (See blog here)
“These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” by Anne Marie Oborn- None of the three items are hidden, as we know through scripture that Oliver described the method of translation saying, “Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.'” JSH 1:75*
FIRM believes the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary below. A most reliable source about the Cave in Cumorah.
1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, a most amazing book that speaks a lot about North American verification of Book of Mormon geography. Three First Presidencies and other General Authorities, share their witnesses!
The First Presidency in 1923 of Heber J Grant, Charles W. Penrose and Anthony W. Ivins and again in 1950 The Publication Committee of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee and Marion G. Romney, assigned by Pres George Albert Smith, approved some historical information from Church History that has much to do with Book of Mormon Geography. The last edition of the commentary was also published in 1978 by Deseret Book and approved by Pres Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney. What great strength this gives us about the truth of the existence of this Cave at Cumorahand there being 2 sets of plates as the Doctrine and Covenants says in D&C 10.
Two Discussions- Two Sets of Plates, and a Cave at Cumorah
Summary of what the First Presidency Approved in Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants.
1- There existed two separate sets of plates that Joseph translated. The original plates found in the Stone Box at Cumorah which included the lost 116 pages and the Small Plates of Nephi that were in the Cave at Cumorah. D&C 10 says, “And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi; Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi. And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, [2nd set of plates] down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained; And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.” D&C 10:38-42
2- There existed in Hill Cumorah a Cave in a separate place other than the stone box where Joseph found the plates. This cave was in the same Hill Cumorah and contained the Sword of Laban, Liahona, and wagon loads of plates from previous generations. [See quotes below]
3- A messenger named *Nephi, one of the 3 Nephites, took the plates from Joseph Smith in Harmony when he was finished with them. This same messenger refused a ride in David Whitmer’s wagon as Nephi was going to Cumorah, while Whitmer, Cowdery and Smith were going to Fayette. *“I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi.” John C. Whitmer’s 1878 account, as recorded by Andrew Jenson [Page 37] (see his Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia 1:283, Salt Lake City, Utah: 1901):
4- This same messenger [Nephi] showed the second set of plates to Mary Whitmer, David’s mother in Fayette before Joseph began translating this second set of plates, which would become 1 Nephi to Mosiah in our current Book of Mormon. This replaced the Book of Lehi which was the Lost 116 pages.
5- You will see below that three different First Presidencies approved of the fact there was a Cave at Cumorah and that fact is found in Doctrine and Covenants Commentary 1923.
One quote below (In Green) is from Journal of Discourses by Brigham Young, about the Cave at Cumorah existing in upstate NY and wasn’t just a dream or vision somewhere in Mexico as some suggest. It was the place that all of the Nephite and Jaredite records and the Liahona, Sword of Laban and other artifacts were stored.
Here is what Orson Pratt taught about the two depositories in the Hill Cumorah. “These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
A second bit of history (In Green Below)from David Whitmer about a messenger appearing to him and Oliver and Joseph on the way to Fayette who was carrying the plates Joseph just finished translating in Harmony. They were in a knapsack on his back. The messenger appeared to them riding in the wagon and was taking this first set of plates to the Cumorah Cave, where the messenger would deposit them. The messenger then retrieves the “Small Plates of Nephi” [D&C 10:38] from the Cave at Cumorah, and later shows this second set of plates to Mary Whitmer and then to Joseph to translate in Fayette. This set of plates replaced the Book of Lehi or the lost 116 pages which was part of the first set of plates.
Editor’s Note: It has also become a problem as some scholars insist the Gold Plates were simply a prop and Joseph Smith never translated from them. There is also a rumor many scholars insist that most of the Book of Mormon was transcribed by Joseph Smith looking into a hat with a seer stone and repeating the words on the stone he saw, to Oliver Cowdery. I hope you as a concerned member to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be aware of these possible misconceptions and stick with what the scriptures say and with what the Prophets teach. Although I believe Joseph had such seer stones, I don’t believe any of the Book of Mormon was translated using a seer stone in a hat, but was translated by the gift and Power of God, using the Urim and Thummim, or Interpreters as called in the Book of Mormon, which consisted of a large breastplate and two clear stones in the rims of a bow like a pair of spectacles. The breastplate was hidden under Joseph’s shirt and this farmers hat was used as a prop to block the sight of the spectacles from Emma Smith.
Oliver Cowdery said, “I wrote, with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by the book, Holy Interpreters. I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was transcribed. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the Holy Interpreters.”
Presidencies Speak of True Geography
Between 1913 and 1916 Hyrum Smith of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles along with Elder Janne M. Sjodahl articulated a commentary of the Doctrine of Covenants which was approved by these two Presidencies as accurate and approved history as contained in the D&C Commentary of 1923 and 1950.
[The Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary] “A doctrinal and exegetical commentary on the book of scripture, known as the “Doctrine and Covenants” (the “D&C”), sacred to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” The Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary by Hyrum M. Smith (Picture left)
Exegetical Definition:
The message finds its sole source in Scripture. The message is extracted from Scripture through careful exegesis. The message preparation correctly interprets Scripture in its normal sense and its context. The message clearly explains the original God-intended meaning of Scripture. The message applies the Scriptural meaning for today.
The Doctrine and Covenants Containing Revelations Given To Joseph Smith, Jr., The Prophet, with an Introduction and Historical and Exegetical Notes By Hyrum M Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. And Janne M. Sjodahl.
“Commentaries on the Doctrine and Covenants follow the pattern of many biblical commentaries, supplying the historical context, that is, the time, circumstances, and situation of the revelations. In the most recent (1981) edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, headnotes for each section have been added or enlarged, with a brief synopsis of the historical setting. Additional notes and explanations are provided by the various separately published commentaries discussed here. Commentaries written by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are given special consideration. Others are recommended as helps to the membership of the Church to provide historical insight to their study of the scriptures.
An early (1916) and still useful one-volume commentary was written by Hyrum M. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Janne M. Sjodahl. Doctrine and Covenants Commentary contains the text of the Doctrine and Covenants and gives historical background and commentary for each section. It is extensively footnoted with exegetical notes. The volume was later supplemented and expanded under the direction of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Marion G. Romney of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1950.” Doctrine and Covenants Commentaries Author: Garrett, H. Dean
Preface To the Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary
In the preface to the 1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, we find the following:
“While laboring in the European Missions, Elder Hyrum M. Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Janne M. Sjodahl, were impressed very fervently with the desire to prepare a commentary dealing with the revelations given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith. In their odd moments, when not otherwise engaged, during the years 1913-1916, these brethren carried on a careful research and study and prepared this volume which has met with popular favor.
For a number of years, the commentary has been out of circulation, and because of the increasing demand for it, the First Presidency instructed the Publication Committee to take the matter in hand and revise the volume ready for a re-printing. This the committee has done and after many months of labor has fulfilled the assignment given.
Since the time of the first publication many world-wide events of the greatest importance have occurred many of which have a bearing on the fulfillment of the prophecies found in the Doctrine and Covenants; these have been noted. The Doctrine and Covenants is a sacred volume of Scripture, and in the revision and preparation of the book, the members of the committee have felt their weakness in commenting on these sacred commandments and revelations coming from the Lord.”
THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE 1950
(Note; Not the First Presidency) Joseph Fielding Smith
Harold B. Lee
Marion G. Romney
1950 First Presidency
(Who assigned Publication Committee)
George Albert Smith
J. Reuben Clark
David O McKay
Within this Commentary are two sections which contain comments pertinent to Book of Mormon geography.
1.The first has to do with Section 9. This section is a revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, to Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania in April, 1829. Oliver had attempted to translate without success. Verse 1-2 are as follows:
“Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him. And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate. . . .”
In a verse note on the bottom of page 45 we find the following:
Otherrecords] Other Nephite records. Oliver Cowdery, if he had remained faithful, would have had the privilege of assisting in their translation. He, however, was outside the Church, because of transgression, for eleven years, and although he was again received in full fellowship, some of the blessings he had lost could not be recovered.” 1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 45-46
Then in a related “General Notes” on a page which follows we find the following:
“Other records” are referred to in the 2nd paragraph of page 47 below. On that subject President Brigham Young makes the following statement: [The “Cave Story” is then recited as it appears in the 1877 notation– which is a discourse by Brigham Young delivered at a Special Conference held at Farmington, Utah on June 17,1877.]
Note*That such a story would be included in the 1923 edition is significant; that such a story would be upheld by Apostles in the publication committee of the Revised Edition is also significant.
2. The second has to do with Section 84, a revelation on Priesthood. Verse 42 reads: ” . . . and even I [the Lord] have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you.” In a comment on this verse we find the following:
“I have given * ** * charge concerning you] Note that the Lord in conferring the Priesthood upon the Elders present when this Revelation was given, assured them that angels had been appointed to guard them. The first Christians believed in guardian angels. . . .”
The following anecdote, which was told by David Whitmer to Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith in 1878, may be retold here: [The David Whitmer story of meeting an angel “going to Cumorah” –see the 1878 notation– is then recited.]
Note*This story, like the Cave Story, reinforces the New York Hill Cumorah as a repository of the Nephite records. Since the last edition of the book would be published in 1978 by Deseret Book, these stories (reviewed by Apostles) would add authoritative weight to a New York Hill Cumorah viewpoint.
1978 First Presidency
Spencer W, Kimball
N. Eldon Tanner
Marion G. Romney
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877 below:
“You hear a great deal said about finding money. There is no difficulty at all in finding money, but there are a great many people who do not know what to do with it when they do find it. This is the great defect with the human family. I could relate many very singular circumstances. I lived right in the country where the plates were found from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and I know a great many things pertaining to that country. I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.
General Notes Page 47
“When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: ‘This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.’ I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost. Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.
Now, you may think I am unwise in publicly telling these things, thinking perhaps I should preserve them in my own breast; but such is not my mind. I would like the people called Latter-day Saints to understand some little things with regard to the workings and dealings of the Lord with his people here upon the earth. I could relate to you a great many more, all of which are familiar to many of our brethren and sisters.” Brigham Young Journal of Discourses 1XIX., p. 38).”1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 47-48 The crossed out lines above are not seen in the Commentary, I included them so you could see what was left out.
“The following anecdote, which was told by David Whitmer to Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith in 1878, may be retold here:
“When I was returning to Fayette, with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon. Oliver and I on an old- fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us — while traveling along in a clear open space, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of the wagon and saluted us with, ‘Good morning, it is very warm,’ at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and, by a sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if he was going our way; but he said very pleasantly, ‘No, I am going to Cumorah.’ This name was something new to me; I did not know what Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked around inquiringly of Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again.” Whitmer described his appearance and added, it was the messenger who had the plates [of the Book of Mormon], who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony”(Andrew Jensen, Historical Record, p. 209)”.1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 508
Quotes from D&C Commentary 1950
D&C Sec 3:19 Page 22 Commentary
The First Presidency in 1923 of Heber J Grant, Charles W. Penrose and Anthony W. Ivins and again in 1950 The Publication Committee of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee and Marion G. Romney, assigned by Pres George Albert Smith, approved some historical information from Church History that has much to do with Book of Mormon Geography. The last edition of the commentary was also published in 1978 by Deseret Book and approved by Pres Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney.
Notice what D&C 3:19 says: “And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people;”
Notice what the Commentary from these inspired Prophets says:
19. For this very purpose) The Book of Mormon plates were preserved and translated in order that all these should be brought to a knowledge of the Savior. It may be concluded, then, that among the American Indians and the Polynesians who are mostly the descendants of the Lamanites, is also a sprinkling of the descendants of the Nephites who may have escaped the general destruction. D&C Sec 3 page 22 Doctrine and Covenants Commentary by Sjodahl and Smith
D&C Sec 5 Page 30
31. Except Thou do this] Unless the Prophet followed the instructions here given, the plates and the sacred instrument would be taken from him.
This is a remarkable Revelation. It furnishes an irrefutable proof that the Prophet Joseph actually had the plates. He promised that Martin Harris, on certain conditions, which he could easily comply with, should obtain a view of them. Such a promise, if the records had not been in existence, would have been impossible to redeem. It would have been mere buffoonery. The fraud would have been detected at once. The promise was repeated a few months later (Sec 17) to two more witnesses. Joseph had the plates and the Urim and Thummim, and this Revelation proves the truth of that assertion.
D&C 6 Page 32
According to his own statement at Council Bluffs on October 21st, 1848, Oliver Cowdery wrote the entire Book (save a few pages) as the words fell from the lips of the Prophet, “as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by that Book, ’holy interpreters.’” So that the testimony of Oliver Cowdery was as firm in 1848, two years before his death as it was in 1829, when he first accepted the gospel, although he had been outside the Church for eleven years. When Joseph and Oliver had been engaged on the Book of Mormon a few days, this Revelation was received.
1923 First Presidency
Heber J Grant
Charles W. Penrose
Anthony W. Ivins
Source:MUCH OF THIS BLOG WAS USED FROM: A Chronology of LDS Thought on Book of Mormon Geography of the New World Statements by Church Authorities 1921 —–> 1980 Copyright 2003 by Alan C. Miner. All rights reserved
Janne M. Sjodahl Deseret News Press, 1923, 1932. Reprinted in 1950, 1951, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1971, 1978.
In the preface to the Original Edition, we find the following:
Before laying aside the pen, I may be permitted to express my grateful acknowledgment of the services rendered by Elder Orson F. Whitney and Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Council of the Twelve, who, together with Elder Hyrum M. Smith, carefully read the manuscript of this Commentary before it was given to the printer; also to Elder George F. Richards, of the Council of the Twelve and President of the European mission, and to Elders John E. Cottam, George F. Richards, Jr., and Junius F. Wells, fellow-laborers int he British mission, for most valuable assistance.
In the past 5 or 6 years most of you have heard about the DNA studies that show the finding of Native American DNA around the Great Lakes matching the DNA of Hebrews near Israel, Turkey, and other areas. The links to these articles are at the very end of this blog. The connection between the Native Americans and the Jew has also been discussed at length here and in the Annotated Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon itself talks about this connection in D&C 19:26-27 which says, “And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and works of God. Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.”
The Cherokee are an important connection between the Old World and the New World. More information on my blog here
Greg Matsen interviews Rod Meldrum about DNA and Geography in a 90 minute video below titled, “Lamanite & Nephite DNA, Heartland or Mesoamerica?“
Greg Matsen said, “Rod Meldrum is one of the original “Heartlanders.” Rod talks about starting his research into DNA, the Hopewell tribes, as well as the battle between the “Heartland” model and the Mesoamerican model. What does the DNA show? What of the mounds? Does the Hopewell civilization match the Book of Mormon dates?”
Greg Matsen Video Here https://youtu.be/XPE453bnGgA?si=CJNgvFhxIfktzgXk
Cwic Show relates real-world, current events for faith-based commentary and conversations. We address topics such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, politics, pop culture, the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and gospel principles in a faith-based manner. We support the Restored Church of Jesus Christ and fight the disinformation that is so pervasive online. Home of the Cwic Show, Cwic Media Come Follow Me Series, and the Cwic Interpreters that help you see the scriptures in a new light. Cwic Media – like “Quick Media” Cwic is an Old English word that means “Intelligent” and “Alive.
Rod Meldrum Briefly shares information below called Rediscovering the Book of Mormon Remnant through DNA Free 180 page Download Click here: Or Read Below:
Rediscovering the Book of Mormon Remnant through DNA Read Introduction: “From the earliest days of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there has been tremendous interest in where the events described in the Book of Mormon actually took place. On what land did this epic saga transpire, and who are the actual descendants of the peoples identified in the Book of Mormon?
There have been books, papers, news statements and internet sites claiming that DNA findings refute the historicity of the Book of Mormon, negating it as an actual historical record. What is the background of these statements? Can the evidence support the claim that DNA proves the Book of Mormon false?
Over the past ten years much has been speculated about these questions, especially in light of scientific findings involving human DNA testing. Recent research has been conducted on Native American DNA studies potentially related to the Book of Mormon that may lend support to its claims. The research herein refutes the claim that DNA analysis proves the Book of Mormon false, and it explores genetic (DNA) evidence that may actually support the claims of the Book of Mormon.
Scriptures will always be Demonstrated True
My position as the author of this work is that when there is an inferred conflict between scientific theories and scriptural truths, the scriptures will always be demonstrated true, and the theories of men, put forward through science, will eventually conform to the truths of the gospel, not the other way around.
Of course error can be made in the interpretation of scripture; however when they (the Scriptures) are clear and supported by prophetic or revelatory understanding, and if they cannot be reconciled with the current theories of science, then it should be understood that eventually the scientific theories will be altered to comply with God’s truth, even if that means waiting until the next life. The theories (beliefs) of men that don’t harmonize with the truths (facts) of God are in error and are subject to alteration. Theories should be altered by facts, which should also be a foundational understanding of science. God’s facts are not subject to alteration by the theories of men in order to reconcile them. As Latter-day Saints, we believe in all truth from whatever source it springs. Therefore, it is important not to simply brush aside scientific findings of truth. Empirical, experiment based scientific findings of truth are occasionally at odds with proposed theories that attempt to explain them. It is important to differentiate between scientific observation, which is data derived by experiment or empirical work, and theories which are philosophies and beliefs that attempt to explain the observations. Theories that have reached a certain level of consensus have too often resulted in scientific paradigms and dogma that obscure and eclipse the empirical facts.
Truth is Truth in Whatever Sphere it is Found
Rod Meldrum
The Book of Mormon is an Historical Record.
“Having a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and knowing it is true, leaves little doubt that the Book of Mormon is an historical record. Its words are a foundational pillar upon which much of the gospel rests. Its truths are fundamental to our belief in the prophet Joseph Smith and the commencement of the restoration of the gospel. It is not possible that the Book of Mormon could be spiritually true and historically false.” Rod Meldrum 2023
Source: Annotated Book of Mormon by Hocking and Meldrum
Why have some historians, intellects or professors been changing, altering or editing LDS manuals and books on their own? Or, have they actually done that or did they make mistakes unknowingly?
Is it possible to have a book or manual endorsed with the Church trademark that may have mistakes or errors? Yes. I DO NOT believe for a minute that our Prophet nor our Apostles have ever lead us purposely astray. It is very rare that such edits are purposely done, but see for yourself as you decide yourself under the headings in red below called, Altered Manual, and Church Historians Censor Other Information.
Elder Packer said, “Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
“I feel this is a very important blog to help us not make the mistake of judging the Church nor its leaders, by helping us understand that mistakes do happen, but so do purposeful edits occasionally happen, to allow our faith to be tested. Stick with the Church and the Prophet and Quorum of the 12 in following the prescribed doctrine. Above all use your gift of personal revelation between you and the Lord. My personal website is worksofjoseph.com for more information. In this blog like all others I edit, I do not represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor Firm Foundation.” Rian Nelson
Secular Historians
“This problem has affected some of those who have taught and have written about the history of the Church. These professors say of themselves that religious faith has little influence on Mormon scholars. They say this because, obviously, they are not simply Latter-day Saints but are also intellectuals trained, for the most part, in secular institutions. They would that some historians who are Latter-day Saints write history as they were taught in graduate school, rather than as Mormons.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
“Even our Latter-day Saint intellectuals are convinced that the way to impress the Gentiles is not to acquire a mastery of their critical tools, (how few even know Latin!), but simply to defer in all things to their opinions.” The WORLD Of The JAREDITES Improvement Era 1951-52 PART II The Tower By Hugh Nibley
Sound Doctrine
This is the last days and I have been trying hard to hear and obey sound doctrine. That means first I trust the Spirit of Revelation, next I read and ponder and pray about the scriptures, third I listen to our Church leaders especially with conference talks. Our Prophet said, “It is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures — perhaps measures we have never taken before — to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.” Oct 3, 2021 President Nelson
Our Biases
I feel it is significant to show some of the deeply held biases of some of our good members of the church. We should all be open minded to listen to differences in our opinions about the geography of the Book of Mormon. I believed in two Cumorah’s for over 40 years and I believe there is only one Hill Cumorah, and others are welcomed to keep their belief that there are two Cumorah’s. I’ve listened to Prophets and Joseph Smith carefully, and I have a personal witness that Joseph has it right. Prophets Quotes Here:
I Believe Joseph Smith
“Do you who trust and believe Joseph Smith, believe his words when he said to Emma that he was “wandering over the Plains of the Nephites?” Do you trust the fact that Joseph was camped on the Mississippi River near a small landing near the town of Atlas, Illinois? Do you indeed believe Joseph wrote said letter of June 4, 1834 as shown in the Joseph Smith papers? Was Joseph telling Emma the truth? Did he have any reason to be making something up here? Do you really think that Joseph was traveling on the very plains that the Nephites had once walked on, some 2,000 years ago? If he wasn’t why would Joseph say he was walking on those very plains of the Nephites? Was he really roving over the Nephite mounds and was it indeed a proof of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon? Yes, Yes and Yes.
I believe events of the Book of Mormon happened in the USA and others who contribute to some of our Church publications such as “Saints”, believe events happened in Central America. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is officially neutral about where the events took place. Since the Church is neutral, why do many intellectuals who correlate and edit Church History, promote a specific geography in Central America? It’s a subject worth learning more about. I believe Joseph Smith taught a North American setting for the Book of Mormon and never hinted at a Central American setting. You can decide what you believe.
One hill Cumorah!
Our great friend Jonathan Neville has been sharing information for years about the importance of the one and only Hill Cumorah being located in New York. I agree with him. For 40 years I had believed a second Cumorah in Mexico, but now it just doesn’t make sense.
Mesoamerican Neck
Jonathan as a previous believer of the Mesoamerican theory, has amazing insight as he has studied Church History to show the importance of Cumorah in New York. Many of the friends of his who have stayed with their feelings about a second Cumorah have been upset with Jonathan as he continues to explain his position. Many of these historians claim Jonathan calls them offensive names. But I believe they are just concerned because of Jonathan’s solid information against the Meso theory. (Below you will see that Jonathan has a very favorable opinion of his friends on the other side. Jonathan’s opinion continues to show amazing information that supports his belief that Hill Cumorah indeed was the place that Joseph received the plates, and it was also the place where the final battles of the Jaredites (Ramah) and the Nephites, (Cumorah) occurred.
I have compiled below some of Jonathan’s research on how many of the Church Historians have edited, changed, or omitted important parts of historical documents in order to accommodate their version that there were two Cumorah’s; one hill where Joseph received the plates, and a different hill Cumorah in Mexico where the final battles of the Book of Mormon supposedly happened.
I share this information of course from the point of view of my own bias, as I believe the majority of prophets, apostles, and leaders of the church believe there is simply one Cumorah, which makes sense to me. For additional information about my views you can visit my website at www.worksofjoseph.com and read my list of Prophet and Apostle quotes here. Jonathan Neville’s website is www.moronisamerica.comHis blog site is here.
Altered Manual
“For my first post in 2019, I’m showing another instance of M2C* censorship. This one is from the Brigham Young lesson manual (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Brigham Young).
This is part of a well-established pattern of censorship by Church employees who follow the M2C (Mesoamerican 2 Cumorah Theory) intellectuals. Although these materials are approved by Church leaders, the materials are prepared by staff who are trusted to be accurate and truthful when they write these manuals.
I don’t believe any Church leaders would knowingly approve of the deliberate censorship of teachings of the prophets who preceded them, especially when the censorship is driven by the desire to promote M2C.
Look at the comparison below to see how the employees who wrote this manual changed Brigham Young’s clear teachings to accommodate M2C. The blue in the right column is the original. The red in the left column is the work of the censors.
Lesson manual
Original talk in Journal of Discourses
When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth. … He received the knowledge that [early inhabitants of the Americas]were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them.
When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth, and that they contained the history of the aborigines of this country. He received the knowledge that they were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them.
Notice: the original phrase “aborigines of this country” was censored and replaced with “early inhabitants of the Americas.” Jonathan Neville post from Moroni’s America Jan 2, 2019 Jonathan Neville’s Above Post Continued Here!
Respect for Historians
“I again emphasize that I have great respect for Brother Sorenson; I acknowledged him in Moroni’s America as a major–and positive–contributor to the study of the Book of Mormon. Although I disagree with his premises and arguments in many respects, his practical, real-world approach to understanding the text has been highly influential on me and thousands of other Latter-day Saints.” Jonathan Neville
“For thousands of members of the Church, the censorship of Cumorah has become a serious enough issue that the editors of Saints responded publicly (although they haven’t yet responded to the other revisionist problems in Saints). Their response confirmed that they’ve been revising Church history to accommodate M2C. They now characterized their editorial policy as their effort to “uphold” what they perceive to be “neutrality” regarding Book of Mormon geography, a euphemism for accommodating 20th century theories about two-Cumorah’s. All along, I’ve emphasized that the censorship of Cumorah is an issue of accuracy in Church history, not a question of Book of Mormon geography.
The New York Cumorah says nothing about where the other events took place. In fact, for decades, Church leaders have consistently taught two things:
1. The hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York. 2. We don’t know where the other events took place (i.e., neutrality).
M2C intellectuals (including the historians) confuse members of the Church by conflating these two teachings. What they now characterize as “neutrality” is actually an explicit repudiation of the prophets and apostles, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference.
Because M2C contradicts the plain teachings of the prophets and apostles, M2C intellectuals don’t want Church members to know what the prophets and apostles have taught. Saints is just the latest iteration of this effort.” Jonathan Neville
Church Historians Censor Other Information Below
Wentworth Letter Omission Here! “The Prophet Joseph Smith shared with us important information regarding the Lamanites spoken of in the Book of Mormon and how they were the Native Americans of this land of North America.” Jonathan Neville
Church historians concede they censored Cumorah in Saints “I’ve asserted that the editors of Saints censored Cumorah not to “suppress” or “speak against” a “heartland” model, but to accommodate (make room for) M2C. As you’ll see in a moment, they admit that’s exactly what they did.”Jonathan Neville
Cumorah – 8b, M2C in the Ensign
Few Church members realize the Ensign itself published the foundations for M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory). This brought M2C into the mainstream and gave cover for M2C intellectuals to openly defy the prophets and apostles. It helps explain why BYU/CES and other Church employees are so deeply invested in M2C, and why they refuse to look at the evidence that supports the teachings of the prophets and apostles regarding the New York Cumorah.
No-Wise #489 Where is the Hill Cumorah? No-Wise #489 is a definite keeper. It exposes the paucity of evidence to support M2C’s repudiation of the prophets. Let’s take a look. Here’s the link. Here’s the opening image: They chose an image that makes the Hill Cumorah in New York appear insignificant, which supports their M2C narrative. Notice how Book of Mormon Central Censor (BOMCC) superimposes their Mayan logo. This is the logo that conveys their corporate mission to “to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon as an ancient Mesoamerican codex.”
“…there is no historical evidence that Moroni called the hill “Cumorah” in 1823.” Editors of “Saints”
“This is a very carefully written sentence. It’s both another straw man fallacy and a deflection. The straw man is whether or not Moroni called the hill “Cumorah” in 1823. It’s an irrelevant point. Joseph could have learned the term from Moroni at any point between 1823 and 1827. What is important is that there is historical evidence that in 1827, before he got the plates, Joseph referred to the hill as “Cumorah.” These historians know this, but they word their statement here to deflect from that evidence, without overtly denying it exists. Joseph’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, quoted Joseph referring to the hill Cumorah in 1827, in a passage these editors deliberately avoided when they wrote Saints, as I showed here.“ Jonathan Neville
Chapter 4 – Be Watchful“Chapter 4 of Saints, titled “Be Watchful,” covers the events leading up to the time when Joseph obtained the plates. You can read Chapter 4 here: At one point, the chapter relates an account of Joseph being chastised.” Jonathan Neville [Color headings and bold added]
I encourage everyone to read/watch his talk. Critics such as the CES Letter are having a tremendous impact on members of the Church (and investigators), and Elder Corbridge gives some great advice.
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Here, I want to discuss why the critics are so successful. I think their success is largely attributable to the teachings of certain LDS intellectuals that are being promulgated by CES and BYU.
IOW, the CES Letter is persuasive to people because of the teachings of LDS intellectuals who teach the youth that the prophets are wrong. This includes not only M2C advocates but also the revisionist Church historians who support them.
For now, I’ll give just two examples.
M2C-approved BYU Fantasy map that teaches students
to think of the Book of Mormon in a fictional setting –
because the prophets are wrong
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. The critics know that, so naturally that’s where they focus.
But their job is made easy because both CES and BYU teach their students that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ignorant speculators who misled the Church about the New York Cumorah.
To make sure students grasp the point, CES and BYU use fantasy maps in their Book of Mormon classes.
Really, when CES and BYU students are being indoctrinated to think of the Book of Mormon in terms of a computer-generated fantasy map that has no relevance to the actual planet Earth, the critics are redundant.
The critics claim that the Book of Mormon is fiction, but every student going through CES and BYU is learning that already.
By contrast, how did Joseph and Oliver respond to the early anti-Mormon claim that the Book of Mormon was fiction? Did they draw a fantasy map and publish it in Church literature?
Eight Letters
Of course not.
Instead, they wrote the first Gospel Topics Essays, published as letters, explaining the facts regarding the restoration of the Priesthood, the visit of Moroni, and the location of the Hill Cumorah in western New York.
They declared it was a fact that this is the very Hill Cumorah where (i) Joseph found the plates, (ii) Mormon concealed the repository of Nephite records, and (iii) both the Jaredite and Nephite nation waged their final battles. (See Mormon 6:6 and Letters IV and VII).
How do our intellectuals respond? Do they support and corroborate what Joseph and Oliver taught?
No. Instead, they side with the anti-Mormon critics and insist Joseph and Oliver were wrong. They teach people to disbelieve these declarations by Joseph and Oliver that were republished multiple times during Joseph’s lifetime. For example, Joseph’s brother William, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, republished Letter VII in New York City just two days after Joseph’s martyrdom in Carthage. These LDS intellectuals proceed to teach their students to disbelieve the teachings of all the prophets who have reaffirmed the New York Cumorah, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference.
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Joseph Smith Papers, M2C-approved
According to the M2C intellectuals, Joseph changed his mind about the setting of the Book of Mormon when he read a travel book in 1841-1842.
Look at this comment in the Joseph Smith Papers, for example. This is in the Historical Introduction to Orson Pratt’s 1840 missionary pamphlet titled “Interesting Account.”
Pratt’s association of Book of Mormon peoples with the history of all of North and South America matched common understanding of early Latter-day Saints. Shortly thereafter, when John Lloyd Stephens’s Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan became available in Nauvoo in about 1842, JS greeted it enthusiastically and church members used it to map Book of Mormon sites in a Central American setting.
In my view, this is an outrageously deceptive comment because Joseph Smith actually rejected Orson Pratt’s speculations.
If you’re a faithful member of the Church who reads the commentary in the Joseph Smith Papers, the Saints book, or even the Joseph Smith lesson manual, you will never know what Joseph actually taught.
Why?
Because the M2C intellectuals and their followers don’t want you to know what Joseph actually taught.
When he wrote the Wentworth Letter, Joseph Smith adapted parts of Pratt’s 1840 pamphlet. The Joseph Smith Papers comment explains it this way (same reference as above):
Interesting Account is not a JS document, because JS did not write it, assign it, or supervise its creation. However, two JS documents in this volume, “Church History” and “Latter Day Saints” (a later version of “Church History”), quote extensively from Pratt’s pamphlet. These documents made use of Pratt’s language to describe JS’s early visionary experiences and built on Pratt’s summary of the church’s “faith and doctrine” for the thirteen-point statement of church beliefs that came to be known as the Articles of Faith… Interesting Account is therefore included as an appendix to allow convenient comparison with JS’s histories.
“Church History” here refers to the 1842 Wentworth letter. While Joseph quoted from part of Pratt’s pamphlet when he wrote the Wentworth letter, he deleted all of Pratt’s speculation about the remnant of the Lamanites living in Central and South America and replaced it with this statement:
The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.
This is the very passage that the Correlation/Curriculum Departments censored from the Joseph Smith Manual, as we’ve discussed before, such as here.
Why do the editors of the Joseph Smith Papers (JSP) claim Joseph “enthusiastically” “greeted” a travel book about Central America?
Because they continue to teach that Joseph Smith was the acting editor of the Times and Seasons, as opposed to merely the nominal editor. That teaching contradicts the historical evidence, as I’ve explained in detail in my three books about Nauvoo history. (This teaching causes other problems that I don’t have time to cover here.)
If you look at the footnote 6 to the JSP comment I linked to above, it references Terryl Givens for authority. Brother Givens also wrote the Foreword to John Sorenson’s Mormon’s Codex, in which he claims “So influential has Sorenson’s work on Book of Mormon Geography been that there is widespread consensus among believing scholars in support of what is now called the “Sorenson model,” which identifies the scripture’s setting with a Mesoamerican locale.”
Do you see how the M2C citation cartel works? Brother Sorenson writes M2C material, including Mormon’s Codex, which was published by Deseret Book and the Maxwell Institute. Brother Givens writes the Foreword. Then the Joseph Smith Papers cites Brother Givens to support the proposition that Joseph Smith enthusiastically greeted the very travel book that is the premise for Mormon’s Codex. It’s all circular reasoning, but it’s effective because most Church members rely on these intellectuals and historians to relate history accurately. They don’t realize this is all driven by the M2C agenda.
Recall, Mormon’s Codex is the book that teaches this: “There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundreds of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.”
Among these Latter-day Saints whose teachings are “manifestly absurd” according to the M2C intellectuals are these: Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith, Anthony Ivins, Joseph Fielding Smith, Marion G. Romney, James E. Talmage, LeGrand Richards, and many others who have declared, in their writings and in General Conference, that Cumorah is in New York.
These influential LDS scholars, who all believe in M2C, have infiltrated every department of the Church, and their work is found throughout the Joseph Smith Papers, as well as Saints, the lesson manuals, and the ubiquitous artwork and media productions.
They successfully indoctrinate people into believing M2C because the M2C citation cartel continues to censor the teachings of the prophets.
This all makes is much easier for CES Letter and other critics to undermine the faith of the Latter-day Saints.
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This is the tip of the iceberg, but today’s students don’t have to read CES Letter or other critical literature to lose their faith in the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
All they have to do is attend class at CES/BYU and learn how the prophets are wrong about so basic a fundamental as the location of the Hill Cumorah.
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Be Encouraged to Find New Truth about the Book of Mormon
“Let me here say a word in relation to new discoveries in our knowledge of the Book of Mormon, and for matter of that in relation to all subjects connected with the work of the Lord in the earth. We need not follow our researches in any spirit of fear and trembling. We desire only to ascertain the truth; nothing but the truth will endure; and the ascertainment of the truth and the proclamation of the truth in any given case, or upon any subject, will do no harm to the work of the Lord which is itself truth. Nor need we be surprised if now and then we find our predecessors, many of whom bear honored names and deserve our respect and gratitude for what they achieved in making clear the truth, as they conceived it to be–we need not be surprised if we sometimes find them mistaken in their conceptions and deductions; just as the generation who succeed us in unfolding in a larger way some of the yet unlearned truths of the Gospel, will find that we have had some misconceptions and made some wrong deductions in our day and time. . . . All which is submitted, especially to the membership of the Church, that they may be prepared to find and receive new truths both in the Book of Mormon itself and about it.” (B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, Vol. II. (3 Volumes), Deseret News: Salt Lake City, 1909, pp. 503-504)
In all things follow the Spirit of Personal Revelation about additional truth, as no one can receive new revelation for the Church except the Prophet who holds all keys.
John the Revelator and the Interpreters being used to translate will be discussed in the information 25% into the article below.
Nephite interpreters
We have so much evidence in scripture that the two stones found in the stone box with the breastplate and the gold plates, were indeed the Urim and Thummim or as the Nephites called them, “Interpreters“, with which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. These original two stones came directly touched from the Lord, as given to the Brother of Jared and commanded to seal them up until later. See Ether 4:5
Joseph also translated other works, including the Bible. (Joseph Smith said, “I inquired of the Lord through the Urim and Thummim and received from him the following.” (Note: See the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants 3,6,7,11,14,15,16,17 and History of the Church V.1 p.45).
These Interpreters were also used to warn Joseph, or to see things in vision, or to protect the plates. For example, Lucy Mack Smith in her personal history quotes Joseph saying, “How marvelous are these spectacles as I can see ‘everything.'” There is not even one scripture that says a single seer stone was ever used to translate the Book of Mormon.
Joseph’s vision with the Urim and Thummim
Lucy Mack Smith said, “Joseph kept the Urim and Thummim constantly about his person, by the use of which he could in a moment tell whether the plates were in any danger. Just before Emma rode up to Mrs. Wells, Joseph, from an impression that he had had, came up out of the well in which he was laboring, and met her not far from the house. Emma immediately informed him of what had transpired, whereupon he looked in the Urim and Thummim, and saw that the Record was as yet safe.” Lucy Mack Smith Journal History Chapter 23
A Single Stone?
There is however the single word “a stone” found in Alma 37:23, saying, “And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations.” By removing just a comma from the words in blue above, it should read, Joseph Smith a Seer. I explain the meaning of this scripture in my blog here:
The Urim and Thummim consists of two seer stones or interpreters used by selected prophets throughout the ages. In ancient Israel the stones were part of the breastplate worn by the high priest of the Aaronic Priesthood. According to lds.org the Urim and Thummim is “an instrument prepared of God to assist man in obtaining revelation from the Lord and in translating languages.” The website also states that the name Urim and Thummim is Hebrew for “lights and perfections” and that “there is more than one Urim and Thummim, but we are informed that Joseph Smith had the one used by the brother of Jared” (See D&C 17:1).
John the Revelator and the Interpreters
Historical Background The future of the Apostle John, sometimes called “the Beloved” or “the Revelator,” is a mystery to the world. Confusion comes because of the statement in John 21:20–23. Referring to John and speaking to Peter, the Savior said: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple [John] should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”
From this statement questions naturally arise: Did John die? If not, what is his status? If he did, why did Jesus make the statement? The issue has been debated for centuries among the various Christian denominations, with some scholars saying that he indeed died and was buried at Ephesus, while others believe he still walks the earth. A third school of thought states that even though he was buried at Ephesus, he is not really dead but simply sleeps in the grave until the Second Coming of the Savior. (See Sperry Compendium, pp. 66–67.)
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery finally solved the issue through an appeal to the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: “During the month of April [1829, at Harmony, Pennsylvania,] I continued to translate, and he [Oliver Cowdery] to write, with little cessation, during which time we received several revelations. A difference of opinion arising between us about the account of John the Apostle, mentioned in the New Testament, as to whether he died or continued to live, we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim.” (History of the Church, 1:35–36.)
Editors note: In the Scripture Index link above, it is says this about the Urim and Thummim. “There is more than one Urim and Thummim, but we are informed that Joseph Smith had the one used by the brother of Jared (Ether 3:22–28; D&C 10:1; 17:1). (See Seer.) A partial description is given in JS—H 1:35. Joseph Smith used it in translating the Book of Mormon and in obtaining other revelations.”
In the heading of D&C Section 7 it says, “Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself.”
Nephite Interpreters
No where in the Book of Mormon are the words “Urim and Thummim”. Instead it only says Interpreters, or Nephite Interpreters. When ever Interpreters are mentioned it has a plural meaning. For example it does not say an interpreter, as if it was a single stone. In the D&C it does mention Urim and Thummim but that always has a dual meaning as in “two” stones not one. It doesn’t say Joseph used the “Urim” without the “Thummim”
Old Testament Urim and Thummim
“Joseph Smith received the same Urim and Thummim had by the Brother of Jared for it was the one expressly provided for the translation of the Jaredite and Nephite records. (D. & C. 10: 1; 17:1; Ether 3:22- 28.) It was separate and distinct from the one had by Abraham and the one had by the priests in Israel. The Prophet also had a seer stone which was separate and distinct from the Urim and Thummim, and which (speaking loosely) has been called by some a Urim and Thummim.” Mormon Doctrine page 576 under title Urim and Thummim and (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 222-226.)
“Why do we not have more disclosure concerning the process of translation of the Book of Mormon? Perhaps the full process was not disclosed because we would not be ready to understand it, even if given. Perhaps, too, the Lord wanted to leave the Book of Mormon in the realm of faith, though it is drenched with intrinsic evidence. After all, Christ instructed Mormon, who was reviewing the Savior’s own teachings among the Nephites, not to record all of them on the plates because “I will try the faith of my people” (3 Ne. 26:11). Perhaps the details of translation are withheld also because we are intended to immerse ourselves in the substance of the book rather than becoming unduly concerned with the process by which we received it.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/01/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng
“The result of Joseph and Oliver’s inquiry is given in the heading of section 7, which says,
“Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself.”
Student Manual continues,It is not known whether Joseph saw the parchment referred to and was given power to translate it, or if its contents were revealed to Joseph without his seeing the original source. It makes no difference, since the material was given by revelation to the Prophet.
See 3 Nephi 28:1–7 for a similar account of the Nephite disciples’ receiving the same gift because they had the same desires as John.
D&C 7:2. What Does It Mean to Have “Power over Death”?
This passage does not refer to the fact that a person would never die, for all must die (see 1 Corinthians 15:22). Even Christ died, though he had power over death (see John 10:17–18). To one who has power over death, death is held in abeyance according to the will of God (see Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27; 3 Nephi 28:7–8). Such persons are called translated beings (see 3 Nephi 28:1–40; McConkie, Mormon Doctrine,pp. 804–8).
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that “translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions.” (History of the Church, 4:425; for further discussion of translated beings see Smith, Teachings, pp. 170–71; Taylor, Mediation and Atonement, pp. 74–78.)
D&C 7:3–6. How Has John Prophesied before Nations and Ministered to Heirs of Salvation?
Five of the books of the Biblewere written by John: the Gospel of John, three epistles, and the book of Revelation. The world’s most widely distributed book is the Bible, portions of which have been translated into 2,233 languages as of 2000. It has been estimated that between 1815 and 1999 some 3.88 billion Bibles were printed (see Guinness World Records 2000, p. 138). Certainly John’s written prophecy has gone forth among the nations.
The Apostle John ministered to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 when he assisted Peter and James in the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood (see D&C 27:12).
In a conference of the Church on 3 June 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught concerning John’s ministry: “John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion” (History of the Church, 1:176).
Elder Heber C. Kimball recorded an appearance of John in the Kirtland Temple:
“When the Prophet Joseph had finished the endowments of the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishops, the First Presidency proceeded to lay hands upon each one of them to seal and confirm the anointing; and at the close of each blessing the whole of the quorums responded to it with a loud shout of Hosanna! Hosanna! etc.
“While these things were being attended to the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and others.” (In Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 91–92.)
D&C 7:7. What Are the Keys Held by Peter, James, and John?
“The keys of the ministry which John says (Sec. 7:7) were given to Peter, James and himself, constituted the authority of Presidency of the Church in their dispensation. (See D.H.C., Vol. 3:387; Matt. 17:1–9; D. & C. 81:1–2.) These keys were given at the transfiguration to these three Apostles, and they in turn gave them to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in this dispensation. (D. & C. 27:12–13; 128:20.)” (Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:49.)
Many Times the Urim and Thummim was Used to Translate
“In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
10 things we know about the Urim and Thummim
The earliest mention of the Urim and Thummim is in connection with the brother of Jared. The Lord told him to keep a record of certain sacred things and to seal the record up. (We have that record in the book of Ether.) “And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write” (Ether 3:23). That same Urim and Thummim was used by Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon.
In the passage that follows, we read that the Lord “showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth” (Ether 3:25). The record is not clear, but very possibly the Urim and Thummim was used in giving that great vision to the brother of Jared.
Abraham used the Urim and Thummim in receiving a vision of the order of heaven. “And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees; And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God” (Abraham 3:1–2).
Aaron followed the commandment of God in putting “in the breastplate the Urim and Thummim” (Leviticus 8:8).
When Joshua succeeded Moses, he was commanded to “stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord” (Numbers 28:21).
On one occasion when David was warring with Saul, he apparently used the Urim and Thummim to determine what would happen. (See 1 Samuel 23:9–12; the breastplate bearing the Urim and Thummim was attached to the ephod.)
Saul sought revelation from the Lord when the Philistines were preparing to attack. “And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets” (1 Samuel 28:6).
In the time of Ezra, certain Levites could not prove their right to the priesthood. They were therefore barred from priestly privileges “till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim” to discern the truthfulness of their claim” (Ezra 2:63). It is likely that no one with the Urim and Thummim ever appeared to settle the dispute.
In the Book of Mosiah, King Limhi took the Jaredite plates to King Mosiah, who “translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow” (Mosiah 28:13). Mosiah later passed the Urim and Thummim on to Alma the younger, who eventually gave them to his son Helaman.
Not only did Joseph Smith use the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon, but he also used it to receive revelation from God. Specifically, Doctrine and Covenants sections 3, 6, 11, and 14 were all given through the Urim and Thummim.
We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that “the place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.” In addition, “this earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon.” And each person who receives the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will be able to use the Urim and Thummim (D&C 130:8–10).
Palmyra Register, 1818 says: “The author of this interesting and valuable work, in speaking of the antiquities of the state of Indiana that now exist near Vincennes, County of Knox, says that “On the hills, two miles east of the town, are three large mounds; and others are frequently met with on the prairies, and upland, from White River to the head of the Wabash. They are in every respect similar to those in Franklin County, already described. The French have a tradition, that an exterminating battle was fought in the beginning of the last century, on the ground where Fort Harrison now stands, between the Indians living on the Mississippi, and those of the Wabash.[Zarahemla]. The bone of contention was the lands lying between those rivers, which both parties claimed. There were about 1000 warriors on each side. The condition of the fight was, that the victors should possess the lands in dispute. The grandeur of the prize was peculiarly calculated to inflame the ardor of savage minds. The contest commenced about sunrise. Both parties fought desperately. The Wabash warriors came off conquerors, having seven men left alive at sunset, and their adversaries but five.The mounds are still to be seen where it is said the slain were buried.” Palmyra Register, 21 January 1818 Extract from the Western Gazeteer. In my opinion I believe the Algonquian Language Group are most likely the remaining Lamanites of the final battle of Cumorah. I believe the Iroquois Language Group are most likely the remaining Nephites from the Cumorah battle. After this last battle, there were only Lamanites so-called, yet many Nephites joined them and so did many Mulekites and other races. I propose after this battle in 385 AD at Cumorah, tribes most likely formed again. I believe the two most strident opponents were Algonquian and Iroquois.
Understanding each Native Groups Location
Wabash Confederacy
“The Wabash Confederacy, also referred to as the Wabash Indians or the Wabash tribes, was a number of 18th century Native American villagers in the area of the Wabash River in what are now the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Wabash Indians were primarily the Miami, Weas and Piankashaws, but also included Kickapoos, Mascoutens, and others.[Algonquian/I call Remaining Lamanites]. In that time and place, Native American tribes were smaller political units, and the villages along the Wabash were multi-tribal settlements with no centralized government. The confederacy, then, was a loose alliance of influential village leaders (sometimes called headmen or chiefs). In the 1780s, headmen of the Wabash Confederacy allied themselves with a larger, loose confederacy of Native American leaders in the Ohio Country and Illinois Country known as the Northwestern Confederacy, in order to collectively resist U.S. expansion after the American Revolutionary War. In 1786, a Wyandot [Iroquois/ I call a remaining Nephite] messenger named Scotosh warned Congress that the Wabash, Twightwee, and Miami nations would disrupt U.S. surveyors, and Congress promised reprisals if that occurred. This resistance movement culminated with the Northwest Indian War. The alliance with the Western Confederacy ended in 1792 with the Wabash Confederacy signed a treaty with the United States.” Wikipedia
This quote above could have been in reference to the many battles fought between the Lamanites and Nephites in this general area. (See Map Below) The area described in the article above is the area we would call the middle of the Land Zarahemla and the Land Bountiful with the Land Desolation being north of Bountiful. As a matter of fact, my maps show that the Wabash River could possibly be the division point of the Land Bountiful, east of the Wabash, and the Land Zarahemla west of the Wabash to the Mississippi River and beyond, to the Missouri River. The area of Lachoneus of the Book of Mormon and many other battles in Alma 2 and Alma 46 are probably likely just south of the Narrow New bordering on the land Zarahemla and the Land Bountiful on the Wabash River. That area of Missouri to Illinois, to Indiana to Ohio to Pennsylvania were all the direction of the last great battle of the Book of Mormon ending at Cumorah.
Narrow Neck 2The Wabash River above represents the division of the Land Bountiful and Land Zarahemla. Between the Mississippi River and the Wabash is where the quoted battle from the Palmyra Register occurred. Yellow shaded area is Zarahemla and light shaded yellow area is Bountiful.
There are 3 unique mentions in the Book of Mormon about NECKS!
NARROW NECK OF LAND Ether 10:20
NARROW NECK Alma 63:5(This blog is about this Neck)
SMALL NECK OF LAND Alma 22:32
These three unique mentions of NECK are all in different locations in North America. THE NARROW NECK OF LAND is defined below:
Lake Ontario (a sea) divides the land at Hamilton, OT Canada, and Lake Erie (s sea) divides the land at Buffalo, NY.
In Central America, the ”land divides the sea”. (Isthmus of Tehuantepec) which is opposite of what the scripture says about the “sea divides” the land.
Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seas, where the “sea divides the land” as quoted in Ether. Ether 10:20. The N/S distance from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is only about 24 miles wide and in Central America it is 140 miles, which doesn’t sound very narrow to me. In the Book of Mormon the Narrow Neck of Land is only described in the Book of Ether, so the Jaredites used it, not the Nephites. There is archaeological verification at the Niagara Peninsula that dates from 800 BC to 3000 BC which is the time of the Jaredites.
THE NARROW NECK
The NARROW NECK is very different than the “Narrow Neck of Land” I will share with you how the Narrow Neck in Alma is located in Indiana along the St Lawrence Divide which divides the land. The rivers flow north of the Narrow Neck towards the Gulf of St Lawrence or south towards the Gulf of Mexico- The Narrow Neck of Alma is where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. See Alma 63:5
Narrow Neck
Ancient Lake and Marsh
GRAND KANKAKEE MARSH Everglades of the North. 1 Million acres called “New France” and “Chicago’s Food Pantry.” An endless supply of fur, fowl, and fin. Information
GREAT BLACK SWAMP 40 miles wide and 120 miles long. It was the Great Black Swamp, an oozing mass of water, mud, snakes, wolves, wildcats, biting flies, and clouds of gnats and mosquitoes. Information
Swamp and Marsh
The Narrow Neck Alma 63:5 and the Line Bountiful 3 Nephi 3:23-24 are the same area.
“And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.” Alma 63:5
“And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation. And there were a great many thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land southward, because of the great curse which was upon the land northward.” 3 Nephi 3:23-24
These divides and basins determine which way the water flows and where the rivers begin. If I were a Nephite I would not cross the rivers, but I would travel on the rivers and follow the walking path of these divides and basins. A Nephite could walk all along the red or orange lines without ever crossing a river. Can you find the Narrow Neck yet?
The Saint Lawrence River Divide is a continental divide in central and eastern North America that separates the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin from the southerly Atlantic Ocean watersheds. InformationLong Red Line above
Lake Erie Basin consists of Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds, which are typically named after the river, creek, or stream that provides drainage into the lake. The watersheds are located in the states of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the United States, and in the province of Ontario in Canada. InformationOrange Line North of the St Lawrence Divide
The Michigan Basin is a geologic basin centered on the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The feature is represented by a nearly circular pattern of geologic sedimentary strata in the area with a nearly uniform structural dip toward the center of the peninsula. InformationOrange Line North of the St Lawrence Divide
The Mississippi River Basin has the world’s fourth-largest drainage basin (“watershed” or “catchment”). The basin covers more than 1,245,000 square miles (3,220,000 km2), including all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The drainage basin empties into the Gulf of Mexico, part of the Atlantic Ocean. InformationOrange line south of the St Lawrence Divide
The Ohio’s drainage basin covers 189,422 square miles (490,600 km2), encompassing the easternmost regions of the Mississippi Basin. The Ohio drains parts of 14 states in four regions. InformationOrange line south of the St Lawrence Divide
NARROW NECK– Where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. Alma 63:5
Narrow Neck
Pink line above is also theLINE DESOLATION/BOUNTIFUL-The Great Black Swamp anciently went from the west end of Lake Erie to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It occupied what was formerly the southwestern part of proglacial Lake Maumee, a Holocene precursor to Lake Erie. Grand Kankakee Marsh anciently surrounded the south of Lake Michigan. These swamps almost connected W/E along the St Lawrence Divide. The northern Lake Michigan water basin and the southern Mississippi water basin create a line along the St Lawrence Divide of about 30 miles. From about Warsaw, IN to Auburn, IN, is the 30 mile long E/W line the Nephites would have to of defended. 3 Nephi 3:23
This is a close up of the Line Bountiful/Narrow Neck in the large yellow dots. This would be a route the Nephites could have walked. Remember the rivers and water flow north or south of this yellow like as it is the St Lawrence Divide and the highest point of this region.
Look at all of the arrows so you can see what direction each river is flowing. They can flow any direction including north like parts of the Tennessee River and the New River. Notice the Plains of the Nephites goes West and East through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
Notice Ancient Lake Tight? Lake Tight, named for geologist William G. Tight, was a glacial lake in what is present-day Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, during the Ice Age the early Pleistocene before 700 ka. As you know I think most geologists have their dates wrong. Lake Tight could have been around during the Jaredite times. Also look at Lake Eriganan Ancient Lake system. Prior to the beginning of the Pleistocene Ice Age about two million years ago, Ohio’s drainage system consisted of at least two major river systems. Best known is the Teays system that entered southern Ohio and swung westward across Indiana and Illinois to the ancestral Mississippi River system. The Teays River (pronounced taze) was a major preglacial river that drained much of the present Ohio River watershed, but took a more northerly downstream course. Again the dates are probably wrong but it is nice to see the geology of the ancient United States. It may have been Jaredite or Nephite times as we just don’t know.
The Nephites really were nearly surrounded by water. See the map below.
The above map references the third neck we haven’t spoken of much yet. The “Small Neck of Land” is at Gold, PA which is a place called a Triple Gap, which is part of the Eastern Continental Divide.
The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly spans the United States from south of Lake Ontario through the Florida peninsula, and consists of raised terrain including the Appalachian Mountains to the north, the southern Piedmont Plateau and lowland ridges in the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the south. also see the map below which shows #3 as the Small Neck of Land which connects to the St. Lawrence Divide and goes south past Atlanta where #11 is probably where Nephi traveled north to get away from his brothers.
Small Neck of Land
Walk through this map colors to determine where each divide, land, or neck is located. If you learn to read the maps you will definitely know how and why the Nephites traveled the way they did. The highways of the Nephites were the rivers.
In this large map you can see all the river systems in the United States. See the large Mississippi river system in pink right through the middle of the U.S. It is one of the most productive systems in the world. No wonder the Lord chose it for the Promised Land. Dr. John Lefgren PhD, has done a lot of research in determining how valuable this Mississippi Valley was to feed the people and armies of the Nephites below.
Conflict and Displacement of Hopewellian People In the 4th Century in Western New York
Focus of Research in the Heartland of North America- Prepared by Dr. John Lefgren PhDComplete Blog Here
“All serious conflict results in the displacement of people. Indeed, much of the movement of people in the ancient as well as the modern world is the result of conflict. The proposed research would examine the movements and the encampments of the Hopewellian people who were in conflict in Western New York during the late 4th century. The paper examines associated themes such as the dislocation and displacement of people who came from the river valleys of Ohio and Illinois. There would be a review of the accounts by the first Europeans of fortifications and artifacts of war including bones of a people who were in Western New York a thousand years before Columbus. The research would examine sites where the archaeological record shows artifacts from the rich agricultural lands of the Mississippi river valleys. The research would examine various aspects of ancient life in these sites and their particular ‘wilderness’ settings, framing the discussion within the themes of movements and dislocations, and especially their multiple impacts on the Hopewellian people who came to a land removed from their origins. A particular emphasis for the research would be movements and dislocations of people in conflict. The Hopewellian people became in effect ‘stuck’ in the northeastern wilderness. The inhabitants of these ancient sites were in conflict and they coped with the situation as well as they could. The conflict is reflected in the different features of the sites and the archaeological material which the fieldwork produces. The research would focus on how conflict pushed the Hopewellian people from one region to another. The research will compare the multi-generational construction of large and numerous earthworks of these people in Ohio to the immediate construction of hundreds of fortifications in Western New York. Considering the displacement of people in our time the research will note how conflicts have pushed hundreds of millions of people from one region to another in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia. In this context the research examines how in the ancient world one conflict pushed one people from the Heartland of America into the northeastern lands of Western New York.” Lands, Peoples, and Armies In Ancient America During the Fourth Century John C. Lefgren, PhD
Statement of Dr. Lefgren’s Thesis
This paper supports the Heartland Geography for the lands of the Book of Mormon. The primary arguments are based on the knowledge (1) that large armies need large populations, (2) that large populations need large amounts of food, and (3) that large amounts of food need large amounts of land and water. The historic setting for the Book of Mormon is a place which is epic in size and significant in location. Moroni confirmed the grandeur of his people. Moroni’s father, Mormon, was the leader of armies which were larger than those under the command of George Washington. The armies of Mormon operated in areas which were comparable to those of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. The history of this true story entails 1,500,000 square miles where the waters of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence flow.
Mormon wrote in AD 385 that he had under his command 230,000 men. He placed his armies in defensive positions because his armies were numerically less than his opposition. In the final battles, the two sides had more than 500,000 combatants. This war required huge amounts of material and food. The methods of production were pre-industrial. In the final stages of the war the combatants needed more than 1,000,000 tons of food and supplies per year. How did these nations organize themselves? Does pre-modern history in other parts of the world help us to understand what Mormon experienced? These are the important questions of this paper.
The conclusion of the study is that in the final battles of the late fourth century the Lamanite armies had access to the resources of the world’s largest contiguous arable land while the Nephite armies had access to the resources of the world’s largest system of fresh water lakes. The Mississippi Basin has an area of about 1,000,000 square miles and the St. Lawrence Basin has an area of about 500,000 square miles. The study explains that the theory of war for a large theater of operation gave good reasons why Mormon would gather the Nephite armies into defensive positions near the southern shores of Lake Ontario.
The final battles of the Book of Mormon required the resources of the basins of the Mississippi River and the St. Lawrence River. In the battle of AD 385 there were combatants who came from the 31 states which are connected to the Mississippi as well as from the 9 states and 6 provinces which are connected to the St. Lawrence. The armies of the Lamanites destroyed the armies of the Nephites. The final battles required more than 1,000,000 tons of food and material which were produced by a population of about 30,000,000 who were working in an area of 1,500,000 square miles. The men and material necessary to execute this war were moved on the major waterways of North America.
Given available historical sources, it is possible to estimate how lands, waterways, people and armies were interrelated in the pre-modern societies of Europe and Asia. These interrelationships help to establish how similar parameters related to people who were preparing for battle in North America in AD 380.
Christ in America- 44-page PDF Thirty-eight years after the publication of his first book, Dr. Lefgren again looks to the Mosaic Law for the ordering of days and how this calendar connects to the birth of Christ as synchronized by the world’s largest geometric clock. He examines the very minute for the numeric harmony of the sign for the birth of Christ — a sign which ancient people witnessed in the Heartland of America. The identification of this moment is found in a timeline from more than 2000 years ago and relies on 6 primary sources: (1) the exact movements of the earth around its axis; (2) the exact movements of the earth around the sun; (3) the exact movements of the moon around the earth; (4) the exact physical alignment of 3,000 acres of ancient earthworks in Newark, Ohio; (5) the exact 5-year prophecy of the coming of Christ by Samuel, the Lamanite; and (6) the exact eyewitness testimony of the fulfillment of the prophecy by Nephi, the Son of Nephi. All these sources point to the same moment in time and place.
He has a new book here which is entitled The Sign Before the Birth of Jesus Christ; As Witnessed in Newark, Ohio, 6:29 P.M., Tuesday April 6th, 1 B.C.; The 5-Year Prophecy of Samuel, the Lamanite; The Sun and the Moon Keeping Ancient Time at the Newark Earthworks.
Dr. Lefgren along with Dr. John Pratt have created a wonderful new DVD called, “Oh How Lovely was the Morning” This is the true story about two people who were on the same search for important dates associated with the History of the Church. Little did they know that their paths would come together many years later in such an important way. The event of the First Vision and the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, stands alone as the pivotal event from the Lord in these last days! John Lefgren and John Pratt conclude the date of The First Vision was March 26, 1820.
UNDERSTANDING NECKS, LINES, PASSAGES, STRIPS, AND THE NARROW NECK OF LAND
NARROW PASS- This could be described in many areas in the Heartland of America, as the geography has changed over the years. We know the Great Lakes have receded since ancient times. Passes could include: The land pass between Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron (St. Clair River), or Land between Lake St Clair and Lake Erie. (Detroit River), or E-W pass between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario near Niagara Falls. The best choice is the land E-W between the south side of Lake Erie and the Allegheny River, from Irving, NY to Salamanca, NY. Lake Erie was larger anciently and is bordered on the south by the St Lawrence Divide.Mormon 3:5 (Near Buffalo, NY by the Narrow Neck of Land)
Alma 50:34. (Line Desolation between Lake Erie and the Allegheny River.) Alma 52:9 (Line Bountiful is an E/W Continental Divide of 30 miles between Warsaw, IN, and Auburn, IN.
NARROW PASSAGE- Begins on the south side of Lake Erie at Irving NY, following the Cattaraugus Creek south through Zoar Valley on the Little Valley Creek, ending at the Allegheny River which is where the land southward begins. A day’s journey for a Nephite of 44 miles. “On the south side of Lake Erie, there is a series of old fortifications, running from the Cattaraugus creek to the Pennsylvania line, a distance of fifty miles; some are two, three, and four miles apart, and some within half a mile.” Clinton, De Witt. A Memoir On The Antiquities Of The Western Parts Of The State Of New-York. Mormon 2:29
NARROW NECK- Where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. Alma 63:5
NARROW NECK OF LAND- Lake Ontario divides the land at Hamilton, OT Canada, and Lake Erie divides the land at Buffalo, NY, and at Toledo, OH. In Central America the ”land divides the sea”. (Isthmus of Tehuantepec) Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seas, where the “sea divides the land” as quoted in Ether. Ether 10:20.The N/S distance from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is only about 24 miles wide.
SMALL NECK OF LAND- Allegheny, Susquehanna, and Genesee head-river gaps. (Triple Divide) Only 6 miles between each of these three river heads, where the two Continental Divides meet. (St Lawrence and Eastern Divide) Anciently this location was called the Forbidden Path, and was a strategic defensive location, hunting area, and buffer zone for the Native Americans to protect their south land. “Leading directly into the heart of the central New York Iroquois heartland, the Forbidden Path stood at a strategic transportation break linking river systems ultimately flowing into Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Ohio Valley.” (Journey on the Forbidden Path: Volume 89, Part 2 By Christian Frederick Post, John Hays) Alma 22:32.This is the gate of the Narrow Strip of Wilderness and the place which is the “Nearly” in “nearly surrounded by water.” Don’t confuse this location with the more well known, “Narrow Neck of Land.” (3 “NECKS” see # 3,4,5).
NARROW STRIP OF WILDERNESS- The Allegheny, Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers act as a west to east fence, across the United States. This is the main border between the Nephites and Lamanites from about Independence MO to Hill Cumorah . The gate of the fence is the Small Neck of Land which is why the Nephites and Lamanites were “nearly” surrounded by water. Alma 22:27.Rivers are well known as a type of wilderness where there are marshes, weeds, and unusable space along both banks of rivers, thus creating a wilderness area where people don’t live, especially if the river bed is low or dry.
LINE BETWEEN/LINE FORTIFIED- Journey for a Nephite from the “Great City” at Buffalo, NY in a straight line to the Allegheny River near Salamanca, NY. Remember everything south of the Allegheny River is the land southward. (66 miles or about a day and a half for a Nephite). North of this line is Desolation and south is the Land Bountiful.
Line Fortified Helaman 4:7Line Between Alma 50:11
LINE DESOLATION/BOUNTIFUL- The Great Black Swamp anciently went from the west end of Lake Erie to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It occupied what was formerly the southwestern part of proglacial Lake Maumee, a Holocene precursor to Lake Erie. Grand Kankakee Marsh anciently surrounded the south of Lake Michigan. These swamps almost connected W/E along the St Lawrence Divide. The northern Lake Michigan water basin and the southern Mississippi water basin create a line along the St Lawrence Divide of about 30 miles. From about Warsaw, IN to Auburn, IN, is the 30 mile long E/W line the Nephites would have to of defended. 3 Nephi 3:23
Narrow Neck 2
Visit or look online at the many Mounds the Jaredites and Nephites were most likely living near, in Indiana and by the the Narrow Neck. Free Maps Here:
“The Gentiles, [Those who Live Lavishly in America?] who believe in the Book of Mormon, “shall assist my people [LAMANITES], the remnant of Jacob, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.” Orson Pratt
Do we Latter-day Saints understand this question. At times I greatly fall short I believe. I am one of the most blessed people in the world and at times I neglect the poor and needy. Not just those who don’t have much money, but those who are offended easily, those who live in a poor neighborhood, those who are always bullied at church or school, those who are blind or lame, those who are odd our unusual in our minds.
Do many of us in the United States of America, and others so blessed in Great Britain or Russia, or South America, or Africa or other people of the world with means and riches so to speak, take for granted our wealth or middle class societies, as being better than those in third world countries or amongst the poverty ridden people of the world? Pride is rampant in our world, and I pray we not succumb to such unimportance.
If we do then we have become complacent and must seek to do as the Lord has said in the Book of Mormon saying, “Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” Jacob 2:17-19
Orson Pratt said, “We can pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, to convert these Indian tribes around us, and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, that they may fulfill the things contained in the Book of Mormon. And then when we do return, taking them with us, that they shall be instructed not only in relation to their fathers and the Gospel contained in the record of their fathers, but also in the arts and sciences. They will also be instructed to cultivate the earth, to build buildings as we do, instructed how to build Temples and in the various branches of industry practiced by us; and then, after having received this information and instruction, we shall have the privilege of helping them to build the New Jerusalem. The Lord says—“They,” the Gentiles, who believe in the Book of Mormon, “shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
Most likely you and I who are reading this blog, are the Gentiles the Lord is speaking with. Are we assisting the Remnant of Jacob? This discourse by Orson Pratt is excellent. I have include the entire article. Feel free however to glance over is. I highlight in bold black the important items, in red the very important things I see and in blue the most important quotes I like in this article. i hope you enjoy.
Redemption of Zion through the Remnant of Joseph
Journal of Discourses vol. 17, pp. 289-306 by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Twentieth Ward Meetinghouse,[Pictures of the Church Below] on the Evening of Sunday, February 7, 1875. Reported by David W. Evans.
Redemption of Zion in 1875
“There is one thing which I am now about to read which has not yet been fulfilled, and which we must fulfill before Zion is redeemed. I will read it—“Behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my Gospel from among them, and then I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my Gospel unto them.” Now then, we are here in this land, the house of Israel are scattered all around us, some in the great basin, some in Arizona, some in Idaho, some in Colorado, some in Montana, some in one place, some in another; I refer to the American Indians, all remnants of Joseph and belonging to the house of Israel. They have become very degraded in consequence of the apostasy and wickedness of their ancient fathers. This people—the Latter-day Saints, before they can ever return to build up the waste places of Zion and receive their inheritances in Jackson County, Missouri, have got to exert themselves to bring the remnants of Joseph to a knowledge of the truth. We have not made any very great exertions in this direction unto the present time. The Lord has given us time since he brought the fulness of the Gospel from among the Gentiles to lay a foundation so that we could commence this missionary work in behalf of and among the remnants of Joseph.
We have got the foundation laid, we have succeeded in building many cities, towns, villages, &c., for some four hundred miles north and south; we have got our farms fenced and our water ditches dug, and we have begun to prosper in the land, so that now, I think, is the time for us to wake up our minds in relation to the scattered remnants of the house of Israel.” “Behold, then I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my Gospel unto them.”
It seems that the Lord is working among that people, and that he is determined this prophecy shall be fulfilled whether we take it in hand or not. What do my ears hear? What do we all hear? Messengers are visiting these wild tribes in the basin, and in the regions round about hundreds of miles apart. These messengers come to them, and they speak in their own language in great plainness, and tell them what to do; they tell them to repent of their sins and to be baptized for the remission thereof; tell them also to cease roaming over the country and to cultivate the land; tell them to go to the Elders of this Church and receive the ordinances under their hands.
Who are these messengers? Read the Book of Mormon and you will find what God promised to do for the remnants of Joseph fourteen hundred years ago, about the time that most of them were becoming wicked and corrupt. The Lord said when their record should come forth in the latter days that he would send his messengers to them, and among these messengers he mentioned three persons who lived some eighteen hundred years ago, three of the Twelve who were chosen on this land. The Lord made a promise to these three that they should administer, as holy messengers in the latter days, for and in behalf of the remnants of the house of Israel, which should fall into a low and degraded condition in consequence of the great wickedness and apostasy of their ancient fathers; that they should be instruments in his hands in bringing these remnants to the knowledge of the truth. We hear that these messengers have come, not in one instance alone, but in many instances. Already we have heard of some fourteen hundred Indians, and I do not know but more, who have been baptized. Ask them why they have come so many hundred miles to find Elders of the Church and they will reply—“Such a person came to us, he spoke in our language, instructed us and told us what to do, and we have come in order to comply with his requirements.”
Perhaps you may inquire—“May not this great work, the redemption of these Indian tribes, take place after we have returned to our inheritances?” No doubt but what there will be a great work transpire among the Indians after we do return; but let me say to you that there will also be a great work performed among them before we return to receive our inheritances and before the redemption of Zion. In order to prove this I will read what Jesus has said further on this subject. After having foretold a great many things that should transpire in the latter days our Lord and Savior also spoke of that portion of the Gentiles which would repent and receive this book called the Book of Mormon, and he makes the following promise unto them—“If they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my Church among them.” This the Lord has done, and the Church now numbers over a hundred thousand right here in this great desert. “I will establish my Church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among those of the remnant of Jacob unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance.”
A great many have desired to know what this means. Are you Mormons going to be numbered with them and wander about with them in these mountains? Are you going to hunt as they hunt, and lead a wild, nomadic, vagabond life as they do? No. What is the meaning of it then? The meaning of it is this—the Lord God made a promise to the forefathers of the Indians, about six hundred years before Christ, that all this continent should be given to them and to their children after them for an everlasting inheritance; and he made a promise also by the mouth of Nephi, one of the first colonists who came from Jerusalem, some twenty-four hundred years ago, that, when the Gentiles in the latter days should come forth upon the face of this land and receive the records of the descendants of those ancient colonists, they should be numbered with the remnants of Jacob in the inheritance of the land. Not numbered with them to come down to their foolish, degraded, wicked, warlike customs, but numbered with them in the inheritance of the land.
Another thing mentioned in prophecy is that they, “the Gentiles,” shall assist my people, the house of Israel, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem; and then shall they assist my people, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, that may be gathered in unto the New Jerusalem; and then shall the power of heaven come down and be in the midst of this people, and I also will be in their midst. And then shall the work of the Father commence, at that day, even when this Gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, in that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people.”
Formed in 1856 to accommodate rapid growth in the area, the 20th Ward originally met in a meetinghouse on 2nd Avenue between D and E streets in Salt Lake City
What I wish to call your special attention to now, so far as these sayings are concerned, is this—the Latter-day Saints in these mountains never can have the privilege of going back to Jackson County and building that city which is to be called the New Jerusalem, upon the spot that was appointed by revelation through the Prophet Joseph, until quite a large portion of the remnants of Joseph go back with us. Now then, here is a work for us, and we have no need to pray the Father to return us to Jackson County until that work is done. We can pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, to convert these Indian tribes around us, and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, that they may fulfill the things contained in the Book of Mormon. And then when we do return, taking them with us, that they shall be instructed not only in relation to their fathers and the Gospel contained in the record of their fathers, but also in the arts and sciences. They will also be instructed to cultivate the earth, to build buildings as we do, instructed how to build Temples and in the various branches of industry practiced by us; and then, after having received this information and instruction, we shall have the privilege of helping them to build the New Jerusalem. The Lord says—“They,” the Gentiles, who believe in the Book of Mormon, “shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.”
Now, a great many, without reading these things, have flattered themselves that we are the ones who are going to do all this work. It is not so; we have got to be helpers, we have got to be those who cooperate with the remnants of Joseph in accomplishing this great work; for the Lord will have respect unto them, because they are of the blood of Israel, and the promises of their fathers extend to them, and they will have the privilege of building that city, according to the pattern that the Lord shall give. Do not misunderstand me, do not think that all the Lamanite tribes are going to be converted and receive this great degree of education and civilization before we can return to Jackson County. Do not think this for a moment, it will only be a remnant; for when we have laid the foundation of that city and have built a portion of it, and have built a Temple therein, there is another work which we have got to do in connection with these remnants of Jacob whom we shall assist in building the city. What is it?We have got to be sent forth as missionaries to all parts of this American continent. Not to the Gentiles, for their times will be fulfilled; but we must go to all those tribes that roam through the cold regions of the north—British America, to all the tribes that dwell in the Territories of the United States, also to all those who are scattered through Mexico, and Central and South America, and the object of our going will be to declare the principles of the Gospel unto them, and bring them to a knowledge of the truth. “Then shall they assist my people who are scattered on all the face of the land, that they may be gathered in to the New Jerusalem.”
Will not this be a great work? It will take a good while to gather all these tribes of South America, for some of them will have to come from five to eight thousand miles in order to reach the New Jerusalem. This will be quite a work, and yet we shall have to perform it after the city is built.
What then? After they are all gathered, “then shall the powers of heaven come down and be in the midst of this people, and I also will be in your midst.” Now I do not say that this will be a period after his second coming in the clouds of heaven, but I believe that it will be a coming prior to that time, when he comes to manifest himself to all the nations and kindreds of the earth. It will be a fulfillment of that saying in the Psalms of David—“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. Stir up thy strength and come and save us.” He is called, in a peculiar manner, the shepherd of Israel. This is what is meant also in the blessing of Jacob upon the twelve tribes of Israel, or more especially upon the tribe of Joseph. You recollect he called up his twelve sons to bestow upon them his last prophetic blessing. He told them that he would inform them what should take place in the latter days. Joseph, he said, is a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. As much as to say that the descendants of Joseph would be so numerous that they would not all stay on the old homestead near Jerusalem, but some of them would run over the wall, that is, go to some other place. “The archers have sorely grieved him, they have shot at him and hated him, but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hand of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.”
Now who can explain and tell us what this means? Can any of the wise “We can pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, to convert these Indian tribes around us, and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, that they may fulfill the things contained in the Book of Mormon. And then when we do return, taking them with us, that they shall be instructed not only in relation to their fathers and the Gospel contained in the record of their fathers, but also in the arts and sciences. They will also be instructed to cultivate the earth, to build buildings as we do, instructed how to build Temples and in the various branches of industry practiced by us; and then, after having received this information and instruction, we shall have the privilege of helping them to build the New Jerusalem. The Lord says—“They,” the Gentiles, who believe in the Book of Mormon, “shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem of the day? Can any of those who have studied theology all their lifetime, tell us why it is from Joseph that the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel is to be made manifest? Says one—“It cannot have reference to his birth, because Jesus descended from Judah, instead of Joseph, out of the loins of Judah, through the lineage of David. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Why then this peculiar saying of the old Prophet Jacob, about the tribe of Joseph, that from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, if he was not born of Joseph, and did not descend through that tribe? This is a very curious kind of a saying. But he will be made manifest in the character of a shepherd, and that shepherd will lead Joseph as a flock, and he will stir up his strength and will save the house of Joseph. But it will be in his own time and way. First, a remnant will be converted; second, Zion will be redeemed, and all among the Gentiles who believe will assist this remnant of Jacob in building the New Jerusalem; third, a vast number of missionaries will be sent throughout the length and breadth of this great continent, to gather all the dispersed of his people in unto the New Jerusalem; fourth, the power of heaven will be made manifest in the midst of this people, and the Lord also will be in their midst, in the character of a shepherd, and he will lead Joseph as a flock, and he will instruct and counsel them personally as he did their ancient fathers in the days of their righteousness.
This is what we must look for—these are the things that must be fulfilled, and for which we must seek and pray in an understanding manner. Not asking God to redeem Zion before he has redeemed a portion of the remnants of Joseph; not asking God to establish this people upon their inheritances in Jackson County, until the other things are fulfilled in their order, and in their times and seasons.
Perhaps some may inquire—“Have you any idea, brother Pratt, how we will be redeemed when we have accomplished this work you have spoken of?” Not much, I do not pretend to have a great deal of understanding upon the subject; but there are some few things revealed, some of which I read to you at the commencement of my remarks. Speaking of the redemption of this people, the Lord says—“Behold I will raise up a man like unto Moses.” This did not mean Joseph Smith, he was already raised up and was among us. He was the one who received that revelation; he was the one who brought to light the Book of Mormon, and translated it by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. But the Lord, who understands the end from the beginning, saw that when his work was completed, he would be taken away, and that another would be raised up. When this was first given I used to inquire, in my own mind, whether it meant Joseph, and I got it into my heart that Joseph, perhaps, would lead us until he became a very old man; I was in hopes all the time that such would be the case. I, like many others, did not seem to understand that this was a prediction of the future.
When Joseph was taken away, and our beloved brother, President Young, was appointed to take the lead, and received the keys and the power of the holy Priesthood that had been conferred upon Joseph, I was in hopes that he might be the man, and I still have a lingering hope that such may be the case. But he is now becoming aged, and how long the Lord will bless us with his presence I do not know, but this much I do know, that either he will be preserved, or that some other personage will be raised to fulfill that prophecy. “Behold I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power, therefore I will raise up unto my people a manwho shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel, for ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, with an outstretched arm, and as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of Zion be.”
It seems then that this people, at some future time in their sojourn here in this land, may possibly be in bondage greater than they are at the present time. I try to hope for the best, and to think that the bondage we are in and have been in for years, in consequence of the efforts of those who are striving to take away our rights as American citizens, and to trample us down in the dust; I say I have been in hopes that that would be all the bondage that was meant here in this prophecy, but I do not know but what there may be a greater signification to these words. I do not know what the purposes of the Lord are in relation to this particular thing. It may be that we shall have our rights completely taken from us; it may be, if we do not live sufficiently faithful before the Lord, that he will yet bring us into still greater tribulation than that which we have hitherto had. It may be that we shall yet be in bondage like the Israelites in the land of Egypt; for the Lord has said that, when this man should be raised up, he would redeem his people by power out of bondage, and they should be led as their fathers were led at the first. Says the Lord—“I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers—’mine angel shall go before you, but not my presence’—but I say unto you that mine angels shall go before you, and also my presence.” It was, in ancient days, a great calamity to Israel, when the Lord swore in his wrath that he would not go up in their midst, but that he would send an angel before them. Why did the Lord do this?Because of the wickedness and stiffneckedness of that people. He had redeemed them out of the land of Egypt, and they would not hearken to the words of Moses, they would not obey the voice of the Lord, but they stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts against the counsels that they received, and for this reason the Lord was under the necessity of leading them for forty years in the wilderness, considering them unworthy to go into their choice and promised land, and he swore an oath that all of that company—hundreds of thousands—who had come out of the land of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, except Joshua and Caleb, should not enter into the Land of Promise, so great was their wickedness; and he fulfilled his word. So provoked was he on one occasion at their rebellion, that he threatened to consume them in a moment, but Moses plead with the Lord to spare his people, lest the people around about should say that the Lord could not bring his people into the Promised Land. Moses said—“Remember thy covenant which thou didst make with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers, that they and their seed should have this land for an everlasting inheritance.” “No,” said the Lord, “I can raise up seed unto you Moses, that you may go in and possess the land.” “No,” said Moses, “remember that ancient covenant, that thy people may not be deprived of their inheritance;” and the Lord finally concluded to hearken to the voice of Moses, and to let them go into the land. But said he—“My presence shall not go up with you, lest I break forth upon you in my wrath, and you be consumed in a moment, but I will send an angel with you.”
In these last days, in redeeming his people from bondage he has told us in plain words, that his angel should go before us and also his presence; and as, in the deliverance of Israel in ancient times the waters were divided and plagues sent forth upon the Egyptian nation, it would not surprise me at all if there should be similar power manifested in the redemption of Zion.There may be a few individuals go to prepare the way, to purchase a little more land and get things in orders; but when that is accomplished, this people as a body will return to that land, the Lord going with them.
In ancient times, so long as the Lord did continue with Israel, he manifested his glory over their camp by a cloud by day; and whenever the cloud arose they followed it, and wherever it rested, there they pitched their tents and remained until the cloud moved again, when they again journeyed on. Now, if Zion is to be redeemed after the same manner, you need not be surprised if the Lord God should let his glory, in the form of a cloud by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night, be over all the camp of Zion. This is what I look for; perhaps I am a little enthusiastic, but it is really what I look for and expect; and when the Lord says that his presence shall go with us, I expect he will be in the midst of this people as he was in the midst of ancient Israel until they rejected him from their midst.
Did he converse with them in the wilderness before he left them? Yes, he talked with them out of a burning cloud in the burning mount, he spoke in their ears by the voice of a trump, and sounded in the ears of all the house of Israel the ten commandments, and they all, men, women and children, heard it. Do I look for similar manifestations of God’s power and presence when Zion is redeemed? I do. He may not come down upon any mountains, but he will converse with this people as audibly to men, women and children, as he did in ancient times. Zion must needs be redeemed by power, with an outstretched arm, the angel of the Lord going before the camp of this people, and they will return, and a remnant of the Lamanites with them to build up the city of Zion in Jackson County.
How about our inheritance when we get back there, our farms, &c.? We need give ourselves no uneasiness about that, there will be no speculation, no grabbing in those days; no one to say—“I am going to take up all the land round about so that I can speculate with it in selling it to my brethren.” No such thing as this, not a solitary soul among all the Latter-day Saints will receive an inheritance in this way. Another person is to come for the special purpose of dividing to the Saints their inheritances. “Behold,” saith the Lord God, “I will send one mighty and strong, clothed with light as with a garment, whose bowels shall be a fountain of truth, who shall utter words, eternal words, and who shall divide to the Saints their inheritances by lot.”
Have you read this revelation? It was published in the fourteenth volume of the “Millennial Star,” and it has been published in other publications. Says one—“If the inheritances of the Saints are to be apportioned by lot, a good man, perhaps, will be put off with the poorest inheritance, and some not so good will get some of the best, it is all haphazard.” Oh no, we find that lots cast by divine appointment in ancient times were cast upon a principle which designated the very thing which the Lord desired. How was it on a certain occasion about casting lots to discover the transgressor among all the hosts of Israel? A certain man had taken a gold wedge, and the people had been forbidden to take it. No one knew anything about it, but the transgressor, and he hid it in the earth. Lots were cast and the lot fell upon a certain tribe, it did not designate the man at first; they cast lots again, and it fell upon a certain portion of that tribe; they cast lots again, and it fell on a certain family, and finally it fell on a certain man in that family, and being called up, it proved that he was the very man among all the hundreds of thousands of Israel. Now here was a casting of lots by divine appointment, and the Lord, who orders all these things well, caused the very thing to be revealed according to his own mind. And when the lots are cast for this people to receive their inheritances, the Lord will so order it that every man will be rewarded according to his works, and that too by lot, however great the miracle may be.
Now I have told you about all I know, so far as it is revealed, concerning the redemption of Zion. There is one little thing, however, that I wish to name—that there will be quite a company of us before the redemption of Zion. Saith the Lord, in a certain revelation—“Let mine army become very great, and let it become sanctified before me, that they may be as fair as the sun, as clear as the moon, that their banners may be terrible unto all the nations of the earth.” We learn from this declaration of the Lord, that before Zion is redeemed we are to be quite a numerous people; and this agrees with what is in the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah—“A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation.” That is our destiny. However much our enemies may howl, whatever may be our future tribulations, the Lord God has decreed that Zion shall become a strong nation, that the armies of Israel shall become very great, and not only very great, but they will be sanctified before him, and there will be such a power made manifest in their midst, that their banners will be terrible to all the nations of the earth. They will not be terrible because we outnumber the nations, but this terror of Zion which will be among the nations, will be because of the power of the great Jehovah that will be manifested in their midst, something that the nations will discern and understand; and when telegraphic dispatches are sent forth to the most distant parts of the earth, it will be said—“Who can stand before the armies of Zion? Behold, the Lord God is with them as a cloud by day, and as a pillar of fire by night.” Fear will seize upon the nations of the earth, and the banners of Zion will be terrible.
These are some few things pertaining to the redemption of Zion. I would to the Lord that we were righteous enough to know a few more! There are a great many things that I would like to know about the redemption of Zion that I do not know, and I presume that you also would like to know them. But what the Lord has revealed is very plain when connected together; and when we reflect upon it, it is astonishing to us to think that in our day the Lord has decreed to perform such a great work in the midst of the earth. It will be astonishing to us when the time comes for the Lord to gather in, from every part of this great continent, these poor, miserable, degraded Lamanites, that his servants may have power over them in order to bring them to civilization. It looks impossible to us, but remember that that is the day of the Lord’s power, and that then will be fulfilled the saying in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the Spirit of the Lord shall be shed forth upon the hearts of those who are ordained to that power; that every man among these remnants of Joseph will hear the Gospel in his own tongue, by the power of the Holy Ghost shed forth upon those who are ordained unto this power. There is such a saying as that in the Book of Covenants, and when that day comes the Lord God will work mightily by signs, wonders and miracles in various ways that will have an influence over these remnants of Joseph to convert them and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, that the prayers of their ancient fathers, and of the Prophets and Elders who once dwelt on this American continent, may be fulfilled upon their heads.
I do not know that I have done justice to the subject of the redemption of Zion; if I have not, it is because I do not sufficiently understand it. I do not know that I know anything in relation to the matter only what God has revealed. I have had no vision, no revelation in relation to that particular subject; yet I know, from what has been revealed to me, that these things are true, and that, in their times and seasons, every jot and every tittle thereof will be fulfilled. Amen.”
Journal of Discourses vol. 17, pp. 289-306 by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Twentieth Ward Meetinghouse, on the Evening of Sunday, February 7, 1875. Reported by David W. Evans. (Italics, color and bold added)
Why is False Doctrine Allowed in our Church and Universities?
“I do not know all of the providences of the Lord, but I do know that he permits false doctrine to be taught in and out of the Church and that such teaching is part of the sifting process of mortality.” Bruce R. McConkie, McConkie’s 1981 letter to BYU
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “President [Marion G.] Romney then described one of Satan’s methods: “Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine.” Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall; Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
BYU’s, Understanding the Principles of Evolution
The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum opened a new exhibit March 11, 2019 exploring the theories and observations of evolution and how it changes life. See picture of New Exhibit above. Exhibit designer Travis Schenck said there is confusion around the definition of evolution, so the exhibit’s purpose is to help the public understand how science defines evolution. Schenck collaborated with BYU professors to simplify the terms used in the exhibit to make it more approachable and understandable for all audiences. “Understanding the Principles of Evolution” will run for many years.
We Should be Unafraid to Dissent
I love The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I have always been an active member. That is critical to my life. Just because I speak of differences of opinion, does not ever mean I disagree with any doctrines of the Church.
Apostle Hugh B. Brown said, “I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent – if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression.”
“And while all members should respect, support, and heed the teachings of the authorities of the church, no one should accept a statement and base his or her testimony upon it, no matter who makes it, until he or she has, under mature examination, found it to be true and worthwhile; then one’s logical deductions may be confirmed by the spirit of revelation to his or her spirit, because real conversion must come from within.” Apostle Hugh B. Brown, “A Final Testimony,” from An Abundant Life, 1999
Sad Investment
To me it is very sad that BYU will spend thousands of dollars on this type of exhibit, just to show that ape to man is a theory. Too many professors take it to the next level and begin thinking and teaching evolution is a true fact. I understand BYU is a University and teaches many theories that are not part of Church Doctrine, but wouldn’t it be nice if the Universal Model, or book of “New Millennial Science by Dean Sessions received an opportunity to be studied? No they say, as it isn’t peer-reviewed. Well Dean has peers and friends and geologists and professors that believe his science, and yet many intellectuals of today who live in their own bubble, think he is full of it. I guess the Lord will continue sharing truth with we mere mortals and the Intellectuals in the “great and spacious building” will have to learn later on. I don’t mock them, I pray for them.
For over 7 years Rod Meldrum was the head scientific researcher for Dean Sessions, author of The Universal Model. Rod and Dean share and have given many presentations about how science and the scriptures go hand in hand. Russ Barlow is the many year editor of this wonderful set of works. Dean has over 30 years of research and study invested into this 3 volume set of over 2400 pages. (Volume 3 may be out in a year or so)
I believe the text in D&C section 121 below could very well be talking about great men and women like Rod Meldrum, Dean Sessions, Russ Barlow and Hannah Stoddard. They have spent their entire lives in research, study, prayer, fasting, reading, and more praying about the many things they have found. I highly recommend you to read their words, study it out and pray about it. For me the little things I have researched all my life such as the age of dinosaurs, the creation, geography of the Book of Mormon, method of translation, evolution, and climate change, have all been answered for me personally as I have strong beliefs in many of Rods, Deans, Russ, and Hannah’s words as verified by the spirit on many an occasion. They are amazing friends and inspired men and women. They don’t teach doctrine, but they teach hidden truth that is there if you are willing to search and pray.
Prophets are Aware of False Teachings and Break Down of Government
As Elder McConkie was quoted above, “such teaching is part of the sifting process of mortality.” The Prophets will never force us to believe anything. They will never take away our freedom of speech, unlike our current infiltrated government.
Speaking of our government, I believe our US Government is hanging by a thread and we are probably under what is called, Continuity of Government (COG).
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
Joseph Fielding Smith said, “I attended sessions of meetings for the institute teachers, held in the assembly room on the fourth floor of the Church Office Building. I cannot say that I was very greatly edified. Too much philosophy of a worldly nature does not seem to mix well with the fundamentals of the gospel. In my opinion many of our teachers employed in the church school system have absorbed too much of the paganism of the world and have accepted too readily the views of uninspired educators without regard for the revealed word of the Lord. What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift [We have greatly drifted] as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road?The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would be amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how some of our educated brethren attempt to harmonize the theories of men with the revealed word of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there is still some faith left and some members who still cherish the word of the Lord and accept the prophets. Surely the world is ripening rapidly for the destruction, and Satan has power and dominion over his own. If any are saved surely the Lord must soon come and have power over his Saints and reign in their midst, and execute ‘judgment upon Idumea, or the world.” Joseph Fielding Smith The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith 212. Deseret Book Co., 1972.
I also believe the words in D&C 121 verse 33 says, “pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.” This could easily to the four friends above that I have mentioned, and other inspired men and women of today.
“The purpose of science is to describe and explain Nature so that we can understand and comprehend it, but where do we learn these things simply, in a way that makes sense? For many decades, a number of incorrect theories and misleading philosophies have formed the foundation of ‘modern’ science. Now, newly discovered scientific truths in the Universal Model have revealed long-hidden natural laws that explain Nature’s workings in an easily comprehensible format. We invite all to explore and experience the adventure of learning by investigating new discoveries about the Earth and our Universe found in the UM. These scientific truths establish a New Millennial Science destined to take us through the current millennium to heights of knowledge and discovery never before imagined.” The Universal Model Home Page
“We must keep in mind that He [Christ] is allowing the wheat and tares to grow up together for a season, and by and by the tares will be gathered together and be burned up. Before the burning though, there will be a judgement, and the Lord is allowing us each right now to work out our salvation or damnation. Those that have the facts before them and reject them (see below) will pay the ultimate price, but there also must be a Great Divide that is taking place right now (talked about in the BoM and in the last chapter of Vol II of UM [Universal Model] – the Human Model) to clearly mark each of us to which side we are on.
Intellectually Dishonest or the Novice?
Joseph Fielding Smith also wrote: “One need not look far into science to discover it consists too generally of a maze of facts and theory so closely interwoven that even the most learned and honorable scientist (to say nothing of the intellectually dishonest one or the novice) may have difficulty in distinguishing readily between truth and theory.” — Man, His Origin and Destiny
This is the purpose of the UM, to take this maze (the modern science puzzle that makes no sense – everything from nothing) and replace it with Nature’s Puzzle – they way things really are.
Melvin A. Cook in the Intro of: Man, His Origin and Destiny also said: “Unfortunately, owing to the strong desire of scientists to display their brilliance and ingenuity, there is a tendency for theory to become the objective instead of a means to the end. Theory then not only loses its real value, but actually becomes a stumbling block to progress. Its inventor and disciples become so engrossed in the theory that they lose sight of its fundamental purpose, the quest for truth. This condition was shockingly illustrated in my presence at a meeting of scientists when one of great renown met a factual objection with the statement, “I am more concerned with the elegance of the theory than the truth of it.” — Man, His Origin and Destiny
“Therefore, the Lord will judge these so-called intellectuals to whether they want to follow and learn of the Truth (which is literally Christ) or not. The sad thing is that most do not realize following Christ means following and seeking out for the Truth.
The UM has already produced experiments for the first time that are “more than words” (for example it has created sandstone and petrified wood which are identical to how Nature produced it in only a few days). The UM does not just have “alternative explanations” to how things are done in Nature, it has the ONLY explanation in hundreds of instances where modern science admits their theories cannot explain such and such natural phenomena. So ‘producing’ more ‘things’ is not the solution. Science is about demonstrating the true nature of Nature, it is not technology, which is only a tool that helps us understand it better.
Therefore, we cannot expect the leaders of science today to ever change their religion of atheism and accept the truth. It’s just not going to happen. For the UM to gain a much wider acceptance, it will have to be promoted full time to a much greater degree and I will personally have to be involved with this with others. This means I will be involved in debates and interviews and making many more recordings for the Web with influencers.
Although each Volume of the UM stands alone and has more new natural law than produced by modern science over the last century, Vol III does have double the amount of natural law as the other two volumes and many more experiments seen for the first time. Being able to demonstrate the true models of both matter and energy is more than any physicist or chemist or cosmologist has ever dreamed of, as this alone changes all their fields of study – and the UM does this. It also shows the errors in the physics of the Big Bang and proves the Universe is not expanding, but rotating in a Revolutionary Universe. It really is beyond what any scientist could dream about – yet it is all real and empirically demonstrated.” Dean Sessions-Founder and Author of the “Universal Model, A New Millennial Science“
Daily Universe article by BYU Professors
The UM Is For All Lovers Of Truth by Chauncey Riddle
I have just completed reading the first two of the three systems of the new UM project of Dean Sessions. I am greatly impressed and delighted by what I found. It was like seeing an exciting, powerful new movie that deals with some of my favorite topics and concerns.
“Wow!! What a book. It is the most fascinating book I’ve ever read. I only have 100 pages remaining and when I finish, I’m going to read it again. There is no doubt in my mind as to the truthfulness of the book. Sessions started with the pseudo magma foundation and proved the fallacy of the theory so everything else fell into place from there. Everything I learned in college about geology is blatantly false. I have made note of a few questions that one day perhaps, I will be able to ask Sessions about. Perhaps after my second reading, answers to these questions will be forthcoming. Thank you once again, Sessions is beyond brilliant.” Robert L. Mehl, B.A., M.S., Geology, USA (Bob is my Father-in-Law. Since Oct 2021, Bob has read volume one 6 times and volume 2 twice. His geology at Kansas University taught hem very little he says).
BYU and UVU scientists question research offered at a conference on the Book of Mormon (Ad above left)
‘Universal Model’ • Assertions offered by featured speaker at coming conference are untested, would not pass peer review, they say.
By Benjamin WoodThe Salt Lake Tribune · April 25, 2017
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An upcoming conference on Book of Mormon research and other LDS-related topics is generating backlash from university scientists, most of whom are themselves Mormon.
In a letter published Tuesday in The Daily Universe — Brigham Young University’s student newspaper — faculty and students from BYU’s Geological Sciences Department cautioned against the untested assertions of Dean Sessions, founder of the Millennial Science Foundation. BYU is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sessions is one of the featured speakers at this weekend’s Firm Foundation Expo at Utah Valley University and is known for writing the “Universal Model,” a faith-based explanation of Earth’s development similar to the creationism theory of flood geology.
Follow Scripture not Intellect
Sessions’ work states that Earth is filled with water and not molten rock, including a core of solid ice, and that fossilization, petrification and the planet’s land forms are the result of a recent worldwide flood and not millennia of geological development.
“Students and the BYU community are reminded that organic evolution, anthropogenic climate change, radiometric dating and a 4.56 billion-year-old age of the Earth are all seriously taught on campus by professors, who are in good standing with the church, in fields directly relating to these subjects,” the letter states, signed by BYU Associate Dean Bart Kowallis, eight faculty members and 24 students.
The letter was submitted in response to a Firm Foundation Expo advertisement that ran in The Daily Universe. Kowallis did not respond to a request for comment, but the letter states that Sessions’ assertions are contradicted by empirical evidence and would not pass peer review by subject experts.
“We are concerned that the presence of the aforementioned advertisement in The Universe may legitimize Dean Sessions’ ‘Universal Model’ in the eyes of some within the community,” the geologists wrote.
A similar ad ran in the student newspaper of Utah Valley University, where the conference will be held between Thursday and Saturday. UVU physics and astronomy professor Joseph Jensen said he too was concerned about Sessions’ assertions being legitimized through an event on a university campus.
“This is pseudoscience,” Jensen said. “It’s people trying to make money on something that sounds scientific but has no basis in observation or reality, for that matter.”
Rian Nelson, an organizer of the Firm Foundation Expo, said Sessions is one of 88 speakers participating in the event, which covers topics ranging from holistic health practices to evidence of the historicity of the Book of Mormon, the LDS Church’s foundational scripture, which tells of pre-Columbian Christians in the Western Hemisphere.
Firm Foundation is an acronym for Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism.
“We include science and Book of Mormon study and gardening and emergency preparedness,” Nelson said. “We’re all, solidly, members of the LDS Church and believe in it with all of our heart.”
Nelson said he wasn’t concerned with the criticism of the “Universal Model,” even from scientists who are members of his own faith. The creation and timeline of the Earth, Nelson said, are areas of study in which faithful Mormons can disagree.
“There are many BYU faculty members that disagree with our theory about the heartland of North America being where the Book of Mormon was,” he said. “We both have strong testimonies of the gospel. We’re just looking at different theories in different directions.”
But Jensen, who is also LDS, said his concerns with the “Universal Model” go beyond a disagreement over theories.
Sessions calculates the mass of his water-filled Earth to be about a third of the scientific consensus, Jensen said. And the “Universal Model” is designed to justify a personal viewpoint, he said, rather than respond to empirical evidence.
“We have a really good idea of how much mass the Earth has,” Jensen said. “There’s nothing about the model that Mr. Sessions is proposing that is consistent with any of the observations.”
In a prepared statement, “Universal Model” spokesman Jarom Sessions said that he expects lively feedback from students and professors in response to the incredible discoveries and extraordinary assertions included in the model. But, he added, inquirers should set aside their emotions and examine the evidence.
“Just because a theory is taught for ‘generations’ as fact,” Jarom Sessions wrote, “that alone does not make it credible or true when the observable evidence shows otherwise.”
Other presentations at the Firm Foundation Expo include “Noah’s Flood and Lake Bonneville,” “Relieve Pain with Brain Techniques,” “Prophets and the Women Who Loved Them” and “Reconciling Science and Mormonism.”
This is a sad commentary, as those signing this ad have probably never read and studied the Universal Model. They have maybe read one or two articles and immediately dismissed it without any other thought. After all, they probably say, Dean is crazy, or that is stupid, or that goes against everything I have been taught, so how can a non professor like Dean claim any authority? Let them laugh and mock and we will see what truths they are choosing to pass up. I love the quotes below.
What Do Intellectuals Teach?
“There are those who say that revealed religion and organic evolution can be harmonized. This is both false and devilish.” Bruce R. McConkie, June 1, 1980, BYU fireside address
I have come to believe that it is the tendency for many members of the Church who spend a great deal of time in academic research to begin to judge the Church, its doctrine, organization, and leadership, present and past, by the principles of their own profession. Ofttimes this is done unwittingly, and some of it, perhaps, is not harmful. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
This problem has affected some of those who have taught and have written about the history of the Church. These professors say of themselves that religious faith has little influence on Mormon scholars. They say this because, obviously, they are not simply Latter-day Saints but are also intellectuals trained, for the most part, in secular institutions. They would that some historians who are Latter-day Saints write history as they were taught in graduate school, rather than as Mormons. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
President Brigham Young admonished Karl G. Maeser not to teach even the times table without the Spirit of the Lord. How much more essential is that Spirit in the research, the writing, and the teaching of Church history. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
What lead to the terrible smiting and scattering of the Native Americans was their fathers breaking covenants with the Lord. The Lord allowed the US Govt to become their oppressors, but they could always repent and be saved. It is sad to say the American Colonists and Govt. who abused and drove the Children of God, will be ultimately held accountable for those atrocities, if they haven’t been already.
Advices have been received of the formation of another treaty with the Sacs and Foxes. By this compact the United States acquire about 600,000,000 acres, of a quality not inferior to any between the same parallels of latitude. It is known to abound in lead, and the Indians say in other ores.
Wherefore, it is likened unto the being nourished by the Gentiles, and being carried in their arms, and upon their shoulders.
There are six major boulders at the site covered in encrypted carvings along with several other smaller stones scattered about the site that appear to have some type of carvings. These primitive carvings depict ancient symbols of human and animal forms, plus what might be described as spirit beings. These carving were created at different times and not all at once. Each set of carvings appears to tell a story, or possibly a type of ritual.
Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . 
Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 546
Read about some of these historians and their findings. 
“A government officer stationed at Lake Superior, at an early day, before any white settlers had invaded that part of the country, after becoming acquainted with a number of the Indian tribes, found one tribe in possession of a copper tube, tightly soldered; and when asked what it contained they said they were not able to tell, but they had received it from their ancestors a long time ago. The officer finally prevailed upon them to let him open the article, and when he did so he found it filled with parchment, with inscriptions that he could not read, but he sending the parchment to Washington City where it was examined by competent Hebrew scholars, it was declared to be part of the five books of Moses.”
“Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that 
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America as Elder Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012.
Just when will we learn to do more with our body than we could do without? That is a long and steady progression speaking for most of us today. As it says in the Bible, “
Lorenzo Snow said, “We ought to feel in our hearts that God is our Father, and that while we make mistakes and are weak yet if we live 
This all becomes clearer by referencing the map to the left.
I remember that beautiful land and the wonderful saints of Fiji very well, as I served a mission from 1975 to 1977. I was privileged to meet President Spencer W. Kimball the prophet who called me on my mission to Fiji. There in 1976 he visited Fiji with Elder Russell M Nelson as his personal Doctor along with Elder David B. Haight as a newly called Apostle. The picture on the left is Pres Kimball in Fiji in 1976 with District President Yee on his left and Sister Yee on his right. Over his left shoulder is Mission President Kenneth M. Palmer from New Zealand and over his right shoulder is Elder Rian W. Nelson. What an honor it was to be there that day. At that time in Fiji we only had about 600 members and today (2021) we have 
*The expression that Hagoth was an “exceedingly curious man” meant that his skills and knowledge in ship building were extremely good and was beyond the ability of common men. To those who could not comprehend how he could have constructed the ship, they used the term “curious” to describe his skills, similar to Nephi’s skill referred to in 1 Nephi 18:1.341 Hagoth’s Travels Alma 63:6 (55 B.C.)
What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would be amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how 
Betty ‘Red Ant’ LaFontaine
Beale said, “I think in general the so called Northern route [Gibraltar to St Lawrence Seaway] is a non-starter for an historical/maritime point of view because as you will see from the attached chart,(left) the currents and winds (which have been the same for thousands of years) go against the norther route. [Gibraltar to Florida]. 
Fifth, migratory patterns show a general migration from the west coast throughout the Americas. Indian legends are consistent with this. 
“In Haida culture, the Raven is the most powerful of mythical creatures. His appetites include lust, curiosity, and an irrepressible desire to interfere and change things, and to play tricks on the world and its creatures.”
Philip Beale said to me in an email dated Jan 23, 2023 the following. 
If you look at the prevailing wind charts attached (left), the bold arrows show the strongest prevailing winds. The Northeast trades are stronger and more direct than any other winds. The gulf stream (current) might be going in the right direction for a while but (a) how would they know it was there (b) the currents would be slow and they would probably get blown offshore in a square-rigged Phoenician ship 9c) it would be very slow.
Travel on the sea from the Old World to America is spoken about in all the many accounts of the Book of Mormon. Historians had it very wrong as they claimed the Bering Strait was the way in which the New World was populated. Today’s world is just now beginning to understand the truth. Our non-Mormon friend Philip Beale from England’s Navy, has done Atlantic crossings on the Phoenicia Ship. Our good friends Mike and Betty LaFontaine, and John Lefgren now own that replica 600 BC ship, and it is being re-constructed in Montrose, Iowa across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Phoenicia Voyage 2019 Tunisia to Florida
The magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck at 2:46 
After the March 11, 2011 Japan Tsunami, this scan (Pictures above) of the International Pacific Research Center Marine and Tsunami Debris Center, shows you where the debris field was located 8 months later, 10 months after the disaster, and 12 months later. You can see a large drift of debris landed right in the northwest corner of the United States, very close to where the Columbia River would empty. This helps validate the 344 days it took the Jaredites to follow the currents of the same ocean at a similar distance as the debris of the tsunami. Click the link below for an animated video of the drit motion. 
Not far from the landing of the Jaredites on the Columbia River, was found an amazing cuneiform tablet dating to 2042 BC, near the time frame of the Jaredites. I found it very interesting that on this square shaped stone was found wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia called cuneiform.
Hagoth 56 BC Alma 63:5 
I call the Interpreters or Urim and Thummim, or “these stones fastened to a breastplate” JSH 1:35 the same incredible resource. 
We realize “money” will be the main reason you attend either one. We as LDS members should not judge either group as we support the organization we choose. 
Firm Foundation CAN receive donations, however the person donating would not get a tax write off. We have had many people support us and donate to us without wanting or needing a tax write off, and we thank them very much. Unfortunately this is how our imperfect government works. The big get bigger and the small get put off to the side often, as the big governments are in charge of the rules, especially when it comes to money. The supportive organizations of the world get rewarded for their obedience to the government, and we little patriots or humble followers of the Savior seem to be made out to look unimportant and not very popular amongst the government elite. I think our Church has a special calling in this world. I am very grateful to the Church for their faithful accounting of Church funds and the many great things they do, without even hearing about it. I would expect our Church to have great blessings of money, to assist so many righteous causes in this world. I am sure some in the Church have made mistakes that reflect poorly on the Church, but the overwhelming use of Church funds is directed by the Lord.
I don’t ever expect to be elite in the things of this world, but I am an Elite Son of God, and feel truly blessed every day for it. Do I get frustrated with how (BMC), (FM), (MGF), (TI), and (BMAF) seem to be making millions of dollars from donations, and can afford to pay themselves and others a very nice salary? Yes! It does not make me angry, but humble as I try my best to support a great business of promoting faith, with an absolute trustworthy and good man named Rod Meldrum who owns FIRM, and with other 10’s of thousands who support him including Tim Ballard, Glenn Beck, Hannah & Leah Stoddard, Russ Barlow, Mike and Betty LaFontaine, Dean Sessions, Steve Smoot, Wayne May and many other strong LDS Leaders. I believe this small and humble group of Latter-day Saints and many like them are being spoken of in scripture saying, 
* The M2C logo (Mesoamerican 2 Cumorah) features a Mayan glyph to represent the Book of Mormon. This teaches everyone that Joseph and Oliver misled us by saying that the hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 was in New York. Instead, the brilliant scholars at Book of Mormon Central have decided that the “real Cumorah” is in southern Mexico, while the idea of Cumorah in New York was a false tradition that Joseph, Oliver and their successors in Church leadership ignorantly promoted for decades. If Book of Mormon Central was an honest and accurate organization, their logo would represent the actual language of the Book of Mormon, which is English.” 
As you read our answer about the truth as we understand it coming from Brigham Young, in regard to him saying there was a cave at Cumorah, understand the basic differences between our two apologetic opinions below.
1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary
“For my first post in 2019, I’m showing another instance of M2C* censorship. This one is from the Brigham Young lesson manual (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Brigham Young).
Wabash Confederacy
Perhaps you may inquire—“May not this great work, the redemption of these Indian tribes, take place after we have returned to our inheritances?” 
It seems then that this people, at some future time in their sojourn here in this land, may possibly be in bondage greater than they are at the present time.
