What was Putin’s primary motive in waging a War against Crimea and Ukraine? Was it just all about amassing more land and guarding their borders? Or was it more about reversing the chilling affects of the Demographic Winter that Russia is now experiencing?
Russia is presently suffering one of the greatest Natural Population declines in the history of mankind, which is having dire consequences to Russia’s future growth and economic prosperity.
Presently, Russia’s population is declining by over a million people each year. If present trends continue, Russia’s population will lose almost a third of their population, declining from 141 million to below 100 million by 2050.
According to Russia’s records, they have experienced the largest natural population decline since World War II, losing 997,000 people, between October 2020 and September 2021. And today there are millions who are praying for a path to freedom from Putin’s totalitarian government.
Vladimir Putin understands well the need to address Russia’s Demographic Crisis. In 2012 after coming to an understanding of the severity of Russia’s situation, Putin stated: “ falling populations pose a dire threat to our country’s very existence.” (Christian Science Monitor, Fred Weir: Feb. 14, 2012)
The world has experienced a 50% decline in birthrates over the last 50 years.
If a country is to replace its previous generation, it takes a birthrate of 2.1 children to replace every two individuals, and all Europe’s birthrates are only averaging 1.38.
In 1999 Russia’s birth rate had fallen to an all time low level at 1.16, putting Russia in danger of free fall, where it becomes almost impossible to get turned around.
Today we often hear News Anchors speculate that the primary reason for Russia’s attack on the countries of Crimea and Ukraine, is the belief that Russia was looking to restore lands previously lost. However, Russia already has the largest landmass of any Country in the World, land that is very mineral rich.
Russia has plenty of land and natural resources, but what they don’t have is a growing population. What Russia needs today is the human capital, as needed to man their farms, factories and a future army if they are to remain a viable nation.
Russia today is in dire need of human capital, children as needed for their future growth and economic survival. A youthful generation has been lost to Russia, a demographic that they are in dire need of having, if they are to remain a viable nation. So were both the Crimea and Ukraine Wars, primarily Demographic Wars, that are very much about the enslavement of a population of people, in which Russia is in great need of?
In May of 2011, I was working as a World Congress of Families’ partner in organizing a Demographic Summit, at the University of Moscow. At that Demographic Summit the brochure stated:
“Strengthening Family is key to overcome Demographic Winter”
Shared in this Conference brochure, Vladimir Putin then President of the Russian Federation stated: “The Central problem of contemporary Russia is Demography. Strengthening the family will increase the birthrate.”
Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation also stated: “The overall decline in population… would result in weakening of political, economic and military influence of Russia in the world, and the possibility of additional claims to the territory of Russia.”
My name is Steven Smoot I am President of the Family First Foundation
A Documentarian and producer of four documentaries: “Demographic Winter- The Decline of The Human Family,” “Demographic Bomb-Demography is Destiny,” “The New Economic Reality-Demographic Winter,” and “Outcomes the Family and Faith Factors.”
In the production of these documentaries, our production team interviewed many Scholars, Demographers, Economists, Sociologists and Civic Leaders from around the world, who gave evidence of major demographic changes that are taking place worldwide. We call this new season of change a “Demographic Winter.”
While filming and traveling in Poland with Phil Longman, a Washington D.C. demographer and author of the book the “Empty Cradle,” Phil stated: that “Demographics may be the greatest predictor of the fate and future of society in the 21st Century.”
After the production of our first documentary “Demographic Winter”, working with the “Institute of European Studies”, we went on to produce and share this documentary in 60 different languages around the World.
What we came to understand is that continued population growth is vital for the economic future and prosperity of a nation, and that Children are the life-blood and human capital needed to accomplish that end.
In our interview with Dr. Gary Becker, a Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics: He shared this statement: “Economic prosperity comes from population growth, and depression is associated with declining populations; this could lead to very serious consequences.”
The Demographic Winter the world is now experiencing gives evidence of major economic storms ahead. Given that there are now over 90 countries that will not be able to replace their previous generation.
Past history has shown that at times of uncertainty in the world. Women will choose not having a child. During this Age of Uncertainty for Women in Eastern Europe and Russia, birthrates have traditionally decreased and abortions and infant deaths have greatly increased.
The United Nations Population Division estimates that by the year 2050, there will be over 248 million fewer children under the age of 5 than there are at present. The aggression of Russia will serve to greatly increase the declining birthrates that the world is already projected to experience.
A good example of the great need for children, came from an interview we had with a Government Demographer in Germany for our documentary, “Demographic Winter.” He informed us that the German Government that year had to close 280 schools, because they didn’t have enough children come up through the ranks, as needed to support their existing schools.
In 2014, I was in Moscow, serving on the Organizing Committee for the “World Congress of Families” scheduled for 2016. However it was later canceled due to the fact that Russia declared war and attacked their neighbor country Crimea. In so doing they were successful in capturing an additional 2.4 million of additional needed population.
Following those meetings, Father Demetri of the Russian Orthodox Church asked me to stay for a couple of weeks, and consider going on a road trip with him across Russia where he wanted to show me towns and villages all across Russia that had become deserted, as hundreds of schools had been shut down due to the lack of children, informing me that Russia would like immigrants as needed to man their farms and factories and a future army. But immigrants were fearful that they would become enslaved. Today, Russia’s fears in opening their borders is not that they will be overrun by immigrants flocking to their country. Their concern of opening their borders is that they will loss their existing population.
What has brought about Russia’s dire population trends?
Russia was the First Nation to Legalize Abortionsin 1922, and as such they were one of the first countries to experience major population declines. Even after experiencing major declines, many of their policy makers had not awoken to the fact that their deaths and abortions were over 4.1 million per year, and their live births were only at 1.9 million. Even though some efforts have been made to discourage abortions, today abortions still play a major factor in Russia’s declining population.
A statistic for Russia is its Male Mortality Rate, which has already affected Russia’s military age demographic. Reasons given for Russian Men dying at an alarming young age include high consumption of alcohol and other substance abuse, political and military conflicts, economic strife, and the break down of traditional marriage and family values.
The most telling impacts on Russia’s future growth is their Below Replacement Fertility Rates. This dramatic and prolonged collapse of Russia’s birthrates has become very apparent. A brief glance at Russia’s population pyramid illustrates the chilling effects that this Demographic Winter has had on Russia. From 1993 to 2007 the fertility rate as defined as the number of children a woman can be expected to have over the course of her lifetime, fell below 1.5 far below the 2.1 replacement rate. Russia’s low birth rates, which have extended over the past thirty-year, have now become the norm, which greatly reduces the likelihood that Russia will ever achieve a replacement fertility rate.
Need for Immigration: If Russia’s present population trends continue Russia will lose a third of their population by 2050. Russia needs immigration, however the fear of immigrants living under a totalitarian suppressive government would be a loss of their freedoms. When America opens its borders, immigrants flock to America. When Russia opens their borders many choose to leave.
TheLoss of Religious Libertieshas brought about the loss of the eternal nature of Family, changing how many in Russia have come to view and value Marriage, Children, Faith and Family in their society. Research shows that People of Faith are more likely to have children as needed to replace the previous generation then those without faith.
Russia’s Aging Population is leading to a country in decline and an increasing mortality rate.
“Year by year, we, the citizens of Russia, are getting fewer and fewer.…
We face the threat of becoming a senile nation.” “Russia has experienced unusually high death rates from non-natural causes, many related to alcoholism, and an increase in mortality that is unprecedented for an industrialized nation…. At the same time, the fertility rate has declined to among the world’s lowest, while a high rate of abortion poses significant health problems. Deaths have exceeded births since 1992.”
What does Russia’s dire population trend reveal? Putin’s need to take captive the people needed to man his army, farms and factories.
Please help to share these insights with the world:
The Forefathers of the American Indians came from Jerusalem
“I rejoice in the work that is being accomplished both at home and abroad. I rejoice in the manifestations of the Spirit of God, that come to each and every one of our elders who faithfully perform the duties devolving upon them. I rejoice in the fact that God opens the way and prepares the hearts of the honest in every land and clime, wherever this Gospel of Jesus Christ has gone. It is also a source of joy and satisfaction to me that, in all my journeys at home and abroad, wherever I go, wherever I mingle with people, I am constantly receiving additional evidence and testimony regarding the divinity of this work in which we are engaged, As I journeyed away from home, and as I mingled with people, I would feel sorrowful if I had constantly been finding objections to the plan of life and salvation, that required exertion on my part to explain away. It would be a source of regret if I were constantly finding obstacles in the path, regarding the divinity of the work of God, which we have espoused. But, I have never found any such obstacles: I have never found anything that needed to be explained away: everything points to the divinity of the work.
“While listening to the remarks of Brother Ivins, referring to a book that was written by one of our enemies, in which the statement is made that there is not a particle of evidence to show that there is any trace of the Hebrew among the people who anciently inhabited this country, and that there is no evidence that would go to prove that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reminded of a little item of evidence that came under my observation while I was in the City of London. A gentleman there, to whom a very dear friend of mine, Col. Alex. G. Hawes, had given me a letter, kindly invited a number of newspaper men to his home to meet me. I am very sorry that the newspaper men declined the honor; but I had the privilege of meeting with this man and his family, and a few friends, and conversing with them. One of his friends had been a member of the British legation at Constantinople and had spent a considerable portion of his life there. He had traveled all over the holy land and was familiar with the people and their customs. Among other things, he said: “Mr. Grant, I was astonished beyond measure, when I visited Canada, to find there oriental patterns woven in beads, by the American Indians. They were the same patterns that were woven in rugs, in the oriental countries. I have traveled extensively, and I had never seen those oriental patterns in any part of the world except in the holy land, until I found them among the North American Indians. Those patterns have been handed down for hundreds of years, from generation to generation ; they are kept in families, and can be found nowhere else; and how under the heavens those Indians, who have no connection with the people of the holy land, should have the same patterns is a mystery to me.” “Well, mv friend,” I said, “if I were to inform you that the forefathers of these American Indians came from the city of Jerusalem, that would explain it, wouldn’t it?” He replied, “Well, of course, it would.” I asked him if he had ever read the Book of Mormon. He said, “No.” “Well, it will be my pleasure to send you a copy, and from it you will learn that the forefathers of the American Indians came from Jerusalem.” “Well,” he said, “that explains the mystery; I am much obliged for the book.” Now, the one thing for us to do, as Latter-day Saints, is to be loyal, to be true, to be patriotic, to be honest with God; then we need have no fear of what the world may say about us. We have the truth, and we know it, thank God; we know it, though the world may not know it. Let us follow the admonition of the Savior, and let our light so shine that other men seeing our good deeds shall glorify God.” ELDER HEBER J. GRANT 79th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints April 4th, 5th, and 6th, 1909, page 111-113
Heber J. Grant
“I would say to the Lamanites, if I could speak to them understandingly, that you are also a branch of the house of Israel, and chiefly of the house of Joseph, and your forefathers have fallen through the same examples of unbelief and sins, as have the Jews, and you, as their posterity, have wandered in sin and darkness for many generations; and you, like the Jews, have been driven and trampled under the foot of the Gentiles, and put to death through your wars with each other, and with the white man, until you are almost destroyed. But there is still a redemption and salvation for a remnant of you in the latter days.” History of His Life and Labors By Wilford Woodruff
AFFINITY WITH THE JEWS
Among the early authorities cited, to show that the American Indians are descendants from the Israelites, Mr. Adair seems to be the principal one, and since his time, all writers who have favored his views, refer with unreserved confidence to the evidence furnished by him to this end.
“One of the earnest writers in support of this theory in later times, is Rev. Ethan Smith, of Poultney, Vt , as shown in his book entitled “ View of the Hebrew, or the Tribes of Israel in America,” published in 1825, wherein he undertakes to prove, citing Mr. Adair and others, that the American Indians are descendants from the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Mr. Smith sums up the arguments of Mr. Adair that the natives of this continent are of the ten tribes of Israel, to the following effect: 1. Their division into tribes. 2. Their worship of Jehovah. 3. Their notions of a theocracy. 4. Their belief in the administration of angels. 5. Their language and dialects. 6. Their manner of counting time. 7. Their prophets and high priests. 8. Their festivals, fasts and religious rites. 9. Their daily sacrifice. 10. Their ablutions and anointings. 11. Their laws of uncleanliness. 12. Their abstinence from unclean things. 13. Their marriage, divorces and punishments of adultery. 14. Their several punishments. 15. Their cities of refuge. 16. Their purifications and preparatory ceremonies. 17. Their ornaments. 18. Their manner of curing the sick. 19. Their burial of the dead. 20. Their mourning for the dead. 21. Their raising seed to a deceased brother. 22. Their change of names adapted to their circumstances and times. 23. Their own traditions; the account of English writers ; and the testimonies given by Spaniards and other writers of the primitive inhabitants of Mexico and Peru.
Many of those who contend for Jewish origin of the American Indian insist that evidence of this fact is found in the languages of the Indians, which appear clearly to have been derived from the Hebrew. This is the opinion expressed by Mr. Adair, in which Dr. Edwards having a good knowledge of some of the Indian languages, concurs and gives his reasons for believing this people to have been originally Hebrew.
The languages of the Indians and of the Hebrews, he remarks, are both found without prepositions, and are formed with prefixes and suffixes, a thing not common to other languages; and he says that not only the words, but the construction of phrases in both are essentially the same. The Indian pronoun, as well as other nouns, he remarks, are manifestly from the Hebrews. The Indian laconic, bold, and commanding figures of speech, Mr. Adair notes as exactly agreeing with the genius of the Hebrew language.” Photograph (Left) of Elijah M. Haines, Illinois politician from Lake County and former Speaker of the Illinois House. Chapter IV Affinity with the Jews
(Below) Quote from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
American Indians
During the century before the Church was organized, the American Indian population in North America declined by about four hundred thousand as a result of warfare, exposure to disease, and the disruption of Indigenous economies caused by new settlers from Europe. At the same time, the European American population grew by over five million. In 1800 most colonial settlements remained within five hundred miles of the Atlantic Coast, but white settlers soon pressed westward across North America. This expansion led to tense encounters between Indians and white settlers.
By the early 1800s, Indian nations had engaged in centuries of trade, diplomacy, military alliances, and conflicts with European American settlers, and many tribes had signed treaties guaranteeing access to territory and resources. But in 1830 the United States Congress passed a law that permitted the removal of various tribes to territories west of the Mississippi River. Protestant churches sponsored missions to the displaced Native groups, hoping that gospel preaching would improve Indian relations. But Indian removal caused immense disruption and suffering and led to further conflict.
Indian-Mormon Encounters in the 1830s and 1840s
The Book of Mormon was published the same year the Indian Removal Act passed. It gave Church members a different perspective on the past history and future destiny of American Indians. The early Saints believed that all American Indians were the descendants of Book of Mormon peoples, and that they shared a covenant heritage connecting them to ancient Israel. They often held the same prejudices toward Indians shared by other European Americans, but Latter-day Saints believed Native Americans were heirs to God’s promises even though they now suffered for once having rejected the gospel. This belief instilled in the early Saints a deeply felt obligation to bring the message of the Book of Mormon to American Indians.
Within months of the founding of the Church in 1830, Latter-day Saint missionaries journeyed to Indian Territory, on the borders of the United States. Parley P. Pratt reported that William Anderson (Kik-Tha-We-Nund), the leader of a group of Delaware (Lenape) who had relocated to the area near Independence, Missouri, warmly received the missionaries, and an interpreter told Oliver Cowdery that the “chief says he believes every word” of the Book of Mormon. However, a government agent soon barred them from further evangelizing among Indians in the area because they had not secured proper authorization. Latter-day Saint interactions with American Indians remained sparse for the next few years, though Pratt and others still spoke of a day when Indians would embrace the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith preaching to American Indians.
Amid troubles in Missouri during the 1830s, Church leaders were cautious about contact with local Native groups, having been accused by their enemies of using missionary work to cultivate sedition among the Indians. During the 1840s, Joseph Smith and the First Presidency sent missionaries to the Sioux (Dakota), Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi), Stockbridge (Mahican), and other Indian peoples residing in Wisconsin and Canada. Delegations from the Sauk (Asakiwaki) and Fox (Meskwaki) tribes met in Nauvoo with Joseph Smith, who told them of the Book of Mormon and plans to raise up a New Jerusalem. Two years later, Potawatomi leaders asked Joseph and the Mormons to lend aid and join an alliance of confederated tribes. Joseph declined but assured them the Book of Mormon could light the way toward peaceful relationships. After Joseph’s death, the Council of Fifty, under Brigham Young’s leadership, discussed a broader alliance with Indian nations but ceased diplomatic efforts in 1846 in order to organize the Saints’ migration west.
Utah’s Native Peoples and the Latter-day Saint Pioneers
As Church President, territorial governor, and territorial superintendent of Indian affairs, Brigham Young pursued a peace policy to facilitate Mormon settlement in areas where Indians lived.Latter-day Saints learned Indian languages, established trade relations, preached the gospel, and generally sought accommodation with Indians. Peaceful accommodation between Indians and Latter-day Saints was both the norm and the ideal. But, despite Brigham Young’s constant effort to broker lasting agreements, his peace policy emerged unevenly and was inconsistently applied. These two cultures—European and American Indian—had vastly different assumptions about the use of land and property and did not understand each other well. These misunderstandings led to friction and sometimes violence between the peoples.
The two largest clashes between Latter-day Saints in Utah and local Indian groups later came to be known as the Walker War (1853–54) and the Black Hawk War (1865–72). They began as skirmishes between Mormon militias and principally Ute Indians that escalated into larger-scale conflicts. Violence between Mormons and Indians abated as disease and starvation severely reduced Indigenous populations living in the Intermountain West and United States federal action confined many Indians to reservations.
Indian Missions and Student Programs
Despite intermittent conflict, Church leaders remained committed to bringing the message of the Book of Mormon to Native Americans and established proselytizing missions and farms. These efforts introduced the gospel and provided education and food for Indians in Utah and Arizona. Missionaries during the second half of the 19th century visited Catawba (Yeh Is-Wah H’reh), Goshute (Kutsipiuti), Hopi (Hopituh Shi-nu-mu), Maricopa (Piipaash), Navajo (Diné), Papago (Tohono O’odham), Pima (Akimel O’otham), Shoshone (Newe), Ute (Nunt’zi), and Zuni (A:shiwi) peoples forced by settler expansion to live on Indian reservations scattered throughout the American West. Thousands of northwestern Shoshones in the 1870s were baptized and eventually formed the Washakie Ward, which was led by the first American Indian bishop in the Church, Moroni Timbimboo. Rather than move to reservations, many Utes from central Utah settled in Indianola in Sanpete County, where they built up a vibrant branch and a Relief Society, with an Indian woman serving in the presidency. Over 1,200 Papago, Pima, and Maricopa Indians in southern Arizona joined the Church in the 1880s, establishing a ward that later contributed to the building and dedication of the Mesa Arizona Temple. In South Carolina, most of the Catawba Nation received baptism. About 65 years later, Catawba chief Samuel Taylor Blue spoke in general conference.“I have tasted the blessing and joy of God,” he testified. “I have seen the dead raised; I have seen the sick whom the doctors have given up, through the administration of the Elders they have been restored to life. My brothers and sisters, beyond a shadow of a doubt I know that this gospel is true.”
Chief Washakie (seated, center front) and other Shoshone men.
Latter-day Saint outreach to American Indians continued into the 1930s and 1940s with the expansion of missions in Arizona and New Mexico. These missions alerted Church leaders to adverse conditions on the Southwest Indian reservations, and they began to consider alternatives to direct proselytizing, feeling, as Spencer W. Kimball later expressed, an obligation to help their covenant siblings. In the 1950s a student placement program emerged in which Latter-day Saint families hosted Indian students during school semesters. In addition, Brigham Young University offered scholarships with the goal of increasing American Indian enrollment. By the time the Indian Student Placement Program came to a close around the year 2000, some 50 thousand American Indian students had been sponsored.
American Indians today continue to face difficulties as a result of centuries of conflict and displacement. Larry Echo Hawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, and current General Authority Seventy, spoke in 2007 of the challenges he and his ancestors have faced. “That is a painful history,” he stated, adding that “the pain was not limited to one generation.” Nevertheless, he found strength in the Book of Mormon’s promises and expressed his hope that America’s native peoples will live up to the vision articulated by President Spencer W. Kimball, becoming powerful leaders in their communities and nations.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/american-indians?lang=eng
“Does the geography of the Book of Mormon matter? The book is true no matter where it happened. Right? This is a response I have heard many others say and one I have said myself many times. But reading in 3 Nephi this morning made me change my mind. I think the Book of Mormon geography does matter.
When Christ appeared to the Nephites as the resurrected Savior, He blessed them, He taught them He prayed with them and for them. He also quoted to them the words of Isaiah. He reminded them that they had been given THIS LAND for their inheritance and were warned that they would not be allowed to remain on THIS LAND if they did not remain faithful. This emphasis shows the significance of the LAND to the Book of Mormon people, and the people who would be brought by the hand of God to THIS LAND and now occupy THIS LAND.
Christ himself said, “great are the words of Isaiah” and He commanded the Nephites and all who read the Book of Mormon to search his words. If the words of Isaiah are great and we are commanded to read them and study them and ultimately understand them, then I believe we most certainly should understand where THIS LAND is and we should understand who the Lord is taking to when he talks about the inhabitants of THIS LAND. Because he is in fact talking directly to those who are on THIS LAND and if you don’t know where that is you can’t fully understand the message.
Does the geography of the Book of Mormon matter? With over 1400 references to “this land” in the Book of Mormon I’m not sure how the Book of Mormon prophets could have made it clearer. THIS LAND matters. Geography matters. Those of us on THIS LAND the “promised land,” the Land of Liberty, the Land of the New Jerusalem need to know who we are. America is THIS LAND. America is a covenant land. I live on THIS LAND. Even the chapter heading of 3 Nephi also confirms this truth.
Israel will be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth–The Gentiles will be established as a free people in America–They will be saved if they believe and obey; otherwise, they will be cut off and destroyed–Israel will build the New Jerusalem, and the lost tribes will return.
I am learning more each day about what the prophecies say about me, my fellow Gentiles and my House of Israel sisters and brothers on THIS LAND. I desire to understand my covenant that I have made with the Lord and the Book of Mormon is the “voice crying from the dust” helping me understand it. The geography of the Book of Mormon matters to me.” Rod Meldrum FIRM Foundation President
Rod Meldrum Asks, “Why do Intellectuals conflate when Joseph Smith does or does not have a revelation?
“The Mission to the Lamanites as declared and described by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants clearly reflects that Joseph sent the missionaries to the areas revealed and directed by the Lord. The scriptures imply that not only were they to preach to the Native Americans on this North American continent, but that they are a remnant of the seed of Lehi and “Lamanites” as described in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.” Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises page 94
“The writers of the articles at fairlds.org have concluded that perhaps these revelations were not directly from the Lord but just Joseph’s choice of words and therefore cannot be taken at face value without secondary interpretation. FAIR writes: “Many readers assume that revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants in which Joseph Smith speaks in “God’s voice” are direct “quotations” from God. Joseph didn’t claim to be hearing a voice, and he didn’t claim to be quoting God or “taking dictation.” Rather, impressions would come to him, which he would put into words. Joseph clearly did not consider them “direct quotations” from God, since he was quite happy to revise them, edit them later, etc.…This means that “Lamanites” to describe the American Indians was Joseph’s word choice.” It would appear that there is a need by FAIR to maintain a legitimacy for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) by also writing “The few personal statements he made on Book of Mormon geography indicate that he believed it took place on a hemispheric scale, so it would be natural for him to believe that all Native Americans were pure descendants of Laman, and hence were literal “Lamanites.” See also https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Mormon/LamanitesNote 54 by Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises
Review by Rod L. Meldrum, President, The FIRM Foundation
All in all, I found Pros, cons of Book of Mormon geography theories relatively well balanced, although still teetering toward the Mesoamerican theories. It could be assumed that DeGroote is getting considerable pressure from those entrenched in Mesoamerican geography theories to help in ‘putting down’ the Heartland Model geography theory, but it appears that he is resisting this pressure to his great credit. While there are some things that need to be clarified, the tone and writing style are not divisive or argumentative, which is a welcomed change from the writings of other organizations who have taken up the effort of ‘debunking’ and proclaiming “fatal flaws” in this theory through personal character, motive and intellect criticisms, rather than substantive arguments based on its strengths and weaknesses.
DeGroote begins by correctly stating that both the leading geography theories, the Mesoamerican and the Heartland model, have strong and weak points.The strengths of the Mesoamerican theories are presented first, with weaknesses following.
The primary strengths DeGroote sees in the Mesoamerican models are as follows:
Geographic correlation
High level of civilization
Writing
Archaeology
Peoples
While these are certainly thought of as strengths, there are important underlying aspects that need to be addressed.For example, which of the many proposed Mesoamerican theories are being referenced?There are many different ideas of geography within the Mesoamerican setting, and they disagree with each other over specific geographical locations.Each of them has strengths and weaknesses as well, depending on whose interpretation of scripture one uses.DeGroote uses a ‘large north-flowing river’ as an example of Mesoamerican strength, but where in the Book of Mormon does it definitively claim the Sidon flowed North?It had east and west banks, but nowhere does the text positively declare it to flow North.The direction of flow has been deduced based on certain assumptions derived from interpretations about the relative locations of the lands of Manti and Zarahemla, and the definition of the ‘head’ of a river. An article about this very subject has been available here for several years. The article questions the assumption that the Sidon flowed north, based on the second viable definition of the term ‘head’ of a river being a confluence, rather than the beginning stream.
No one would argue the fact that Mesoamerican civilizations were highly advanced with large cities, populations etc., but the fact that such indicators exist does not in any way prove that they are Book of Mormon related. Other advanced civilizations could certainly have existed simultaneously with Book of Mormon peoples without contradicting its text. The book itself makes no requirement that the Nephites or Lamanites be the ONLY civilization that existed with large populations and cities. Mesoamerican cities were not the only advanced cultures that existed during Book of Mormon time frames. Only recently has the true history of the highly advanced Hopewell Mound Building civilization been emerging.
That a written language was in use in Mesoamerica anciently is beyond question. However, claiming that the Mayan language is ‘Egyptian’ in form, as does Sorenson, should require proper referencing by qualified mainstream non-LDS linguists and ancient language experts before being held out as viable evidence for Book of Mormon geography. Such a claim is unsupported by non-Mormon experts. The fact is that while the Maya did have a written language, it has absolutely nothing to do with either Hebrew or “reformed Egyptian” which are the only two languages mentioned as being in use by the Nephites in the Book of Mormon. It is as unrelated to these Book of Mormon written languages as Chinese is to Latin.
The claim that archaeology, as defined by DeGroote, means “cities – large urban areas” which date to the right time for the Book of Mormon seems to be a subset of the second strength given, or the highly advanced civilization already discussed.
The fifth strength outlined by DeGroote involves being able to distinguish three separate groups from each other, potentially indicating the Jaredites, Nephites, and Mulekites in their appropriate time frames and relative positions within the geography proposed.For example, the Book of Mormon states that the Jaredite lands were in the land northward, near Desolation and the Hill Cumorah.Sorenson claims that there is evidence of being able to distinguish between these three groups of peoples in Mesoamerica. But before one can accept this as evidence, it would be imperative to know if these groups were genetically related, as were the Mulekites and Nephites since they were both known to be Semitic peoples. Another critical standard should be whether the remains of these ancient peoples had identifiable genetic links to Mediterranean or Semitic peoples as declared by the Book of Mormon.Such genetic evidence is strikingly absent in all Mesoamerican based models. It would be relatively simple to find three groups of people who are relatively isolated from one another by distance but lived concurrently within the Book of Mormon time frames nearly anywhere civilizations existed during that time.One must be able to demonstrate that the groups purported to be Nephites, Jaredites or Mulekites were demonstrably related to the Book of Mormon.
The weaknesses of the Mesoamerican theories described by DeGroote are summarized as:
Metals
Directions
Statements of Joseph Smith
Transporting Gold Plates
Sorenson claims to have “several hundred specimens of smelted metal from Book of Mormon time periods” but says that “most archaeologists would dismiss them”.Why don’t mainstream archaeologists accept Sorenson’s specimens? Similar circumstances involving tens of thousands of artifacts bearing Hebrew and Egyptian characters unearthed in North America have similarly been dismissed by mainstream archaeologists. This has been held out by Mesoamerican enthusiasts decrying the application of such “controversial” artifacts as evidence by Heartland Model adherents. How does Sorenson then validate his claim of having smelted metal artifacts from the Book of Mormon time frame?What method of dating was used and are there other important evidence of metallurgy such as smelting furnaces, ore deposits, efficient fuels (such as coal) and metal ores for alloying available?
In contrast, amateur archaeologist William D. Conner has identified dozens of iron and copper smelting furnaces, hidden by burial under Hopewell Mounds throughout the Ohio River Valley. Artifacts recovered include an ancient iron ax head still held within the mold into which it was poured, which protected it from rusting away as all exposed iron or steel does over thousands, if not hundreds of years. Conner’s new book, Iron Age America – Before Columbus is finally completed and provides overwhelming testimony of the advanced metallurgy capability of the Hopewell Mound Builders of America’s heartland. The DVD set with 6 DVD’s including about the Iron Age is now available in our Bookstore.
Cardinal directions have been an ongoing challenge to Mesoamerican models as is properly indicated by DeGroote.Mesoamerican enthusiasts have argued that Book of Mormon people may have used cardinal directions in a different way, or with a different understanding of what was meant such as north really meaning more of an easterly direction etc.This would seem problematic since the sun always comes up in the east and down in the west, thereby providing a bearing every 12 hours from which to ascertain those two general directions. Thus, by simple means, north and south can thereby be easily deduced.To think that the ancients had their directions wrong, in order to make a ‘fit’ for a proposed geography is in itself demonstrative of the difficulty in making the Mesoamerican geography theories fit the text. To do so requires either a profound lack of knowledge on the part of ancient peoples or the supposition that earth tilt-angle or pole shifts have occurred since Book of Mormon times, neither of which is supported by scientific evidence.
Indeed one of the fundamental weaknesses of a Mesoamerican setting are the historically documented writings and actions of Joseph Smith who claimed to have received revelations in multiple instances and accounts that bear on the subject of geography.The Hill Cumorah, where the plates were secured, the Wentworth letter, American Revivalist account, Zelph Accounts, letter to his wife Emma (You Tube),(JSP)while on Zion’s camp and the claim of having found a “Nephite Altar” near Adam-Ondi-Ahman stand as a testament to his claimed knowledge.Further testimony is found through his sending missionaries “unto the Lamanites” (D&C 28, 30, 32) as directed by the Lord to New York, Ohio and Missouri, and writing in his journalof telling North American Indian tribes that the Great Spirit has revealed to him that the Book of Mormon was a record of their fathers (History of the Church 4:401-402).This provides indisputable evidence that the prophet referenced North America as, at the very least, a part of Book of Mormon lands and associated peoples if not the primary lands. Nowhere does Joseph Smith claim in his own writing(s) to have received revelation indicating any location for the Book of Mormon other than North America.For further detailed information on this fact, you will want to Read several blogs HERE, and HERE. You can watch the video sequence 1-5 in the VIDEO GALLERY.
It has been estimated that if the gold plates were pure gold, they would have weighed close to 60 pounds. If alloyed with copper as mentioned by Joseph’s younger brother, William Smith in an interview in 1884, they may have weighed closer to 40 pounds. Blog Here. Either weight would have presented severe difficulties with transporting them over thousands of miles from Mesoamerica to New York, USA on foot. When one considers that Moroni had the 24 Jaredite plates with him as well, it is easy to see the difficulty for Moroni to carry these sets of heavy metal records with him such a distance, while evading capture by the Lamanites.
While written as a side note, rather than a weakness, DeGroote also correctly notes that Mesoamerica is a very limited area in extent for people who apparently crossed the entire one million square mile Arabian peninsula, an area roughly one-quarter of the entire land area of the continental United States,… in 8 years (1 Nephi 17:4). Yet, after arrival in the Americas, it is postulated that they remained in an area many times smaller than the Arabian Peninsula, for over a thousand years. The extremely limited geography proposed by Sorenson and other Mesoamerican theorists is restricted to an area of only three or four hundred miles in extent. See map below for a comparison at the same scale. Traveling in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most inhospitable and desolate land areas on earth would be much more difficult to traverse than the much smaller tropical rainforests of Mesoamerica. It has been speculated that Lehi’s group did not venture beyond this highly restricted zone throughout their entire thousand year history.While it is possible that they didn’t undertake any further exploration of their surrounding lands, it is highly unlikely for a people who traveled nearly half the earth’s surface, to cease further exploration, especially given the hostilities perpetrated against those who were called the Nephites.
DeGroote’s article then turns to the strengths of the Heartland Model geography, with emphasis on:
Promised Land
Joseph Smith statements
DNA
Archaeology
Hill Cumorah
The 36 prophecies in the Book of Mormon regarding the Promised Land clearly define the latter-day location where its events took place.Three times the ancient prophets testified that a new “nation” would be established in the latter days.A “nation” cannot be construed to mean ‘hemisphere’ or ‘continent’ but must refer to a specific nation with borders and boundaries. That this nation refers to a political entity, rather than a large human population, is also clear because it would be “established,” “raised up” and “lifted up” (1 Nephi 13:19, 30, 22:7), by men who the Lord claimed he had “raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80).They prophesied that this nation would be a mighty Gentile nation that would be “above all other nations” (1 Nephi 22:7).These Gentiles would come “out of captivity,” as did the Puritans and Pilgrims, “upon the many waters” (1 Nephi 13:13) and establish a nation that in no less than eight instances within the text emphatically states would be known as a “land of liberty.”Their “mother Gentiles” would be “gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them” (1 Nephi 13:17) yet it would be “delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (1 Nephi 13:19).This same nation is where the “marvelous work and a wonder” would occur as well as being the location where the New Jerusalem will be built.That these prophecies are referencing the establishment of the United States of America is well established by many prophets. If this is the case, then scriptures that specifically and undeniably state that the history of the Book of Mormon took place on the very same land, such as 1 Nephi 22:7, and Ether 13:2-3, provide strong evidence of what lands are being prophesied about and those lands are a part of the only nation that qualifies in all 36 of these prophecies to be that promised land…the United States of America. For more detailed information about these prophecies, read the recently released book, Prophecies and Promises by this author and Bruce Porter, or also at all Deseret Book stores nationwide.
Mesoamerican enthusiasts have opined that Joseph Smith changed his mind from his earlier revelations in the early 1830’s to a Mesoamerican setting after reading a book set called Incidents of Travel in Central America by John Lloyd Stephens. Several articles appeared in the Times and Seasons newspaper in 1842 containing abstracts of this book. The historical documentation of these articles being either written, edited or reviewed by Joseph is completely lacking and it is questionable whether he was aware of their publication, as he was in hiding from arrest during this time. The historical documentation for what is known is discussed in depth in the 5 DVD disk seriesBook of Mormon Evidence, which is the most comprehensive treatise on this material ever assembled. Many clips of the presentation are available to watch FREE here.
Complete Geography
The undocumented and untenable position that Joseph’s mind was changing based on these Times and Seasons articles, is in sharp contrast with the undisputed, historically documented written statements wherein Joseph claimed to have received revelation that clearly indicates a North American setting for the Book of Mormon. Did Joseph really change his mind from his earlier revelations? Historical documentation that will clarify this idea will be forthcoming in the new book Joseph Knew. Joseph did not deny, contradict or retreat from his earlier statements; rather he embraced them and was completely consistent with the Book of Mormon’s prophets and prophecies. Historical documentation only days before his death provide conclusive evidence that indeed Joseph’s mind had not abandoned his earlier revelations. Joseph knew.
DNA research by this author has shown strong evidence through scientific peer-reviewed journals that the prophecies of the Book of Mormon are valid and true.No less than seven passages claim that there will be a “remnant” of the “House of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:53, 1 Nephi 15:14) remaining on the Promised Land in the latter days. How are these prophecies to be fulfilled without a true genetic remnant lineage?How is the prophecy that “at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel” going to be fulfilled without DNA evidence support?What other methods are there for establishing their genetic links to the house of Israel?
This is certainly, as DeGroote has indicated, a tremendous strength of the Heartland Model geography. Native American skeletal remains have been archaeologically removed from the Ohio and Mississippi river valley’s and radiocarbon dated directly into Book of Mormon time frames. They have been shown by main stream geneticists in peer reviewed journals to harbor a distinct genetic signature or lineage whose origins have been shown to have originated in the Middle East or Holy Land region. These same genetic markers are present in modern day Jewish and Semitic populations worldwide.This level of potential evidence is unprecedented in Book of Mormon geography research.Mesoamerican theories can make no such claim, and at this time they have nowhere near this level of non-LDS scientific support for the Book of Mormon’s historicity. Further in-depth information on this fascinating research subject is now available in the book Rediscovering the Book of Mormon Remnant Through DNA by this author.This 170 page large format book has the most current DNA research available at this time, and delves deeply into the phylogenetic dating method used in DNA studies. Dating of the arrival of this lineage in the Americas is the only remaining primary objection preventing this DNA lineage, which is found only in North American Native populations, from being established as Israelite, or Book of Mormon related. I also recommend a new book by David Read called “Face of a Nephite” here.
Native American DNA
Archaeologically, the past 10-15 years have yielded a treasure trove of evidence in support of the Book of Mormon’s claims in North America.First, new evidence demonstrates that there was a highly advanced civilization that existed in North America that rather amazingly corresponds with the time frames of the Book of Mormon Nephite civilization.This ancient civilization was beginning to show up in the archaeological record near 400 B.C. and abruptly ended by all accounts shortly after 400 AD. This civilization has been shown to be more highly advanced than had been previously reported.This history has been nearly annihilated by what has been termed ‘wanton destruction’ because of political and scientific agenda such as Manifest Destiny doctrine of the United States. In addition, the progression of our cities, farming and alteration of the land and the lack of understanding of the need to preserve this history has exacerbated the problem.What was once one of the most advanced civilizations in ancient human history, with large cities rivaling any on earth at the time, a written language, an understanding of metallurgy, astronomy, mathematics and of the building of roads and massive earthen structures, has been reduced by war, disease and God’s judgments to a lowly and pitiful state. That such has been the case can be attested to by their descendants being classified as “savages” by early European colonists.
By Clark Kelley Price
Research conducted by this author and the FIRM Foundation have now found at least 50 significant correlations between this ancient civilization in America’s Heartland and the Book of Mormon Nephite civilization.They both built cities with ditches and earth banks together with wooden palisades for protection.Both civilizations had metal breastplates and head plates, used lunar time reckoning, built temples, were agrarian and had roads connecting major population centers.Again this level of evidence from non-LDS sources is unprecedented in Book of Mormon geography research.For more information you are invited to read this blog and this one, for more detailed and complete information.
It is hard to mistake the strength of the fact that the actual plates of gold inscribed by the ancient prophets of the Book of Mormon were recovered in the Hill Cumorah in New York.That this was a Book of Mormon site is unquestionable.It is equally undeniable that this site is in North America, not Mesoamerica.There are at least six revealed sites where Book of Mormon events are known to have occurred in North America.They are: 1. the Hill Cumorah in New York, 2. Zelph’s mound in Illinois, 3. the Nephite altar near Adam-Ondi-Ahman, 4. the City of Manti near Huntsville, Missouri, 5. and the Manti and 6. St. George Temples in Utah. Each of these sites had Book of Mormon people physically upon them and every one of them is located in North America.Not one such instance is known anywhere in Meso, Central or South America.
DeGroote finished his article by outlining the weaknesses of the Heartland Model as he understands them.If these are indeed the primary weaknesses of the Heartland Model, we are encouraged, since all of them have already been answered in the 5 DVD series Book of Mormon Evidence or the new documentary, The Lost Civilizations of North America.
Geology
The Heartland Model weaknesses, according to DeGroote, are as follows:
River Sidon
Hills
A West Sea
Climate
Lack of Civilization
DeGroote quotes Sorenson as stating “The Book of Mormon makes it abundantly clear that the river Sidon runs from the south to the north” and that armies had to be able to cross the river on foot. Sorenson believes this to be impossible for the Mississippi river, which is proposed in the Heartland Model to be the River Sidon of the Book of Mormon.Where exactly does the Book of Mormon state that the river flowed north? We know it had east/west banks, making it possible to narrow down the direction it flowed as either north or south, but how does Sorenson know positively that the river ran north?The fact is, nowhere in the Book of Mormon does it state that the river flows north or south.Both Sorenson and DeGroote seem to be unaware of the information already provided in the DVD series Book of Mormon Evidence or discussed in blog titled ‘Did Joseph Smith Identify Zarahemla in Guatemala? or written in the book Prophecies and Promises here about the Des Moines rapids. These rapids ran between Nauvoo, IL and Keokuk, Iowa and historical sources show that the mean depth of the Mississippi river at these rapids was a mere 2.4 feet deep! They are known to have been crossed at certain seasons of the year on foot and by horse, especially during the summer and autumn dry seasons.Several examples of this have been found in historical documents of the Church. This river rapid was the first location upriver from the Gulf of Mexico where the Mississippi River could be crossed on foot until dams and locks were constructed to raise the water levels sufficiently to allow river boats to pass.For an informative treatise on this subject, visit the blog here:
The land of Nephi is consistently referred to in the Book of Mormon as having the necessity of traveling “up” into or “down” out of the land, with only one exception.That it was higher in elevation has been substantiated by several passages and also through the opposite being consistently used in relation to Zarahemla. Travels toward it are always referred to as going “down” into Zarahemla or coming “up” out of it. Sorenson asks “Is it the hills of Kentucky?” This indicates a lack of research or understanding of the Heartland Model, since eastern Tennessee with its Great Smoky Mountains and Cumberland Plateau is the proposed area for the Land of Nephi.These areas are littered with archaeological evidence of the Hopewell Mound Builder civilization, with an abundance of gold, copper and silver as required by the Book of Mormon text.
This region stands at an elevation between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level. In contrast, the proposed location of Zarahemla as being across the river from Nauvoo, IL, as revealed by the Lord in D&C 125:3, lies on the west bank of the Mississippi river and is only about 600 feet above sea level.Of course the simplest way to know what is “up” and what is “down” in a relatively flat topography such as America’s heartland, is to notice the direction of flow of the rivers.Up will always be against the river current, and down is with it. The ancients would certainly have known that all the rivers on the western slopes of the Appalachians in eastern Tennessee are flowing “down” toward the Mississippi river and were a part of the overall Mississippi river tributary system, which is proposed as the Sidon River in the Heartland Model geography. That neither Sorenson nor DeGroote knew this is understandable only if one assumes that neither have watched the 5 DVD series, Book of Mormon Evidence, or come to the advanced presentations on the Heartland Model geography, both of which discuss that at length.Had they done so, the alleged “weakness” in this article may have been included as one of its strengths because it matches beautifully with the text.
Zelph of Zarahemla
Another example of simply not having completed their research is the third “weakness” of the Heartland Model geography.Had a thorough investigation been conducted on the proposed geography of the Heartland Model, Sorenson and DeGroote would have already had their answer to the question of a West Sea in relation to the Narrow Neck of Land.DeGroote again cites Sorenson who wonders how Lehi sailed to it from Asia.Again this demonstrates an assumed interpretation of several scriptures as nowhere in the Book of Mormon itself does it claim that Lehi landed on the western side of the Promised Land, nor that they sailed east across the largest ocean in the world, the Pacific, at its widest point. Why wouldn’t they have taken the shorter, easier, and more natural route to America by sailing around Africa and up into the Gulf of Mexico, as proposed by the Heartland Model back in 2006?
An recently completed voyage in a replica 600 BC era sailing ship, called the Phoenicia, has demonstrated and validated the likely route of Lehi from the Arabian Peninsula to the America’s. This expedition has proven beyond any doubt that a route following the natural ocean and surface currents from the Arabian Peninsula in a sailing ship to the America’s is not only feasible, it has now been positively demonstrated. Read about the significance of this voyage to every person who believes in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon in the article Lehi’s Voyage Demonstrated: The Phoencia Expedition.
Sorenson’s questions about snow and cold were addressed in the very first presentations and DVD nearly three years ago.Apparently he again has not taken the necessary time to familiarize himself with the Heartland research. If he disagrees with the explanations that have been provided, he has provided no mention of why he disagrees, nor provided evidence refuting it.Having read several of Sorenson’s works, I know him to be very articulate in his research involving things he is interested in.A concern is that Sorenson is either disinterested in this proposed model or so confident in his own theory that he makes claims without attempting to ascertain the facts or review the information. Information regarding weather and climate can be at the blog here or here.The mention of snow and hail in the Book of Mormon occurs three times, whereas the mention of “the heat of the day” is mentioned only once, and cannot be construed as evidence requiring a tropical climate.Nowhere in the Book of Mormon are monkeys, palm trees, coconuts or jungles mentioned.Weather was apparently not high on the priority list for recording on the sacred records by the ancient prophets who were charged with keeping them. Still, there are indicators of climate such as the fact that there were “seasons of the year” and that this was the “nature of the climate” (Alma 46:40) which would seem to favor a North American setting rather than a Mesoamerican setting because there is little difference between the warm rainy season and the warm dry seasons in Mesoamerica in comparison with winter and summer in North America.Also indicators such as whirlwinds in the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 8:12, 16) which are most likely referencing significant tornadoes, don’t occur in Mesoamerica, whereas North America’s heartland is known as tornado alley.
The final weakness mentioned in the article is the lack of civilization within the confines of the Heartland Model.This claimed weakness is almost embarrassing for Sorenson and DeGroote who both should have known better than argue this point since the release of the documentary The Lost Civilizations of North America here. This film includes 15 scholars (only three of which are LDS) all attesting to the fact that the Mound Builders in America’s heartland were every bit as advanced, and possibly more so, than any other civilization of its time on earth. Their overall achievements rival anything else on earth in size, scope, difficulty, and scale of their era.They created from the natural materials they had, stunning works that challenge the imagination.
The primary difference between the evidence for this civilization and that of Mesoamerica lies in their claimed preferred building materials.The Book of Mormon is very clear that the preferred building material was wood, not stone or cement. The only occasion when cement is mentioned was when they had used up all the wood. This fact is reiterated time and again in the text.See Mosiah 11:8-10, Helaman 3:9-11, Mormon 5:5 and Ether 14:17.Both Sorenson and DeGroote failed to mention an overwhelming weakness of the Mesoamerican theories because of the utilization of stone in Mayan ruins while the Book of Mormon makes no mention of stone as a building material, nor of temples of stone. In fact, according to the text, the temples of the Nephites were made of wood (see Hel. 3:9). There is only one reference to stone being used as a building material, and that was in the making of walls, not buildings (Alma 48:8).
In summary, DeGroote did outline the strengths and weaknesses quite well of the Mesoamerican theories, as well as the strengths of the Heartland Model. However, his assessments of the weaknesses of the Heartland model are demonstrably in error. Either he is not well informed about some of the arguments that had already been addressed or he may be trying to balance the argument using interpretations that were formulated by Sorenson and others whose belief and agenda is founded in Mesoamerican theories. Many such theorists have interpreted the scriptures in such a way as to support their positions.Overall, though, the article was a very good step in the right direction with no animosity, name calling or personal attacks for which this author is very grateful. I believe this was an honest attempt at neutrality on the issue.I would like to suggest that next time DeGroote take the time to review with me his thoughts and concerns and listen closely to my response so that more accurate reporting can be made in this regard.
May I reiterate my position that the evidence for the geography of the Book of Mormon is not something that could ever take the place of the spiritual confirmation of the Holy Ghost in gaining a testimony and a knowledge of the truthfulness of its words.This testimony is not gained by looking for physical evidence, but rather by putting Moroni’s challenge to the test, and reading, pondering and praying to receive an answer.May I suggest that as you investigate the Heartland Model geography, you make it a matter of reading, pondering and praying to know the truths that may be found.This is the only sure way to know what is truth and what isn’t.
A Wonderful Manifestation – Hundreds of Indians Healed by the Power of God 1879
The Millennial Star Monday June 2, 1879 Volume 41 No.22Shared with be by a wonderful Native American named Betty “Red Ant” LaFontaine.
Zuni girl 1903
Several accounts, slightly varying in their details, having become current with regard to the manifestation of God’s power in the healing of several hundred Zuni Indians, under the hands of Elder Llewellyn Harris, President Taylor directed Elder Orson Pratt, the Church Historian, to obtain, direct from Elder Harris, the facts in the case. The following is Brother Harris’ reply to Elder Pratt’s letter of inquiry:
Panguitch, Dec. 15th, 1879. Brother Orson. Pratt,
Dear brother,—Your favor of Nov. 27th, is received, wishing me to give a history of the healing of the Zuni Indians of small-pox, by the laying on of hands, which I will do, as near as I can remember the circumstances. I started from Panguitch on the 5th of November 1877; overtook brother Thayne and company (from Centreville) at Johnson, and traveled with them as far as Woodruff on the Little Colorado. I parted with the company there and traveled alone to the Zuni village; distance from Woodruff about 100 miles. Arrived at the Zuni village January 20th, 1878 and found some sick with the small-pox in nearly every house.
Llewellyn Harris
I put up with a Zuni Indian known as Captain Lochee, who had three children sick with the smallpox. After I had been asleep two or three hours, I was awakened by the cries of the family and some of the neighbors who had come in. I arose and inquired the cause of the crying, and was informed by Captain Lochee that his daughter, a child of about 12 years of age, was dying. I saw she was gasping for breath. I felt like administering to her then, but the Spirit of the Lord prompted me to wait a little longer. I waited until she had done gasping and she did not appear to breathe. The Spirit of the Lord moved upon me very strong to administer to her, which I did; she revived and slept well the remainder of the night. I also administered to the other two who were sick in the same house that night. All was quiet the remainder of the night, and all seemed much better in the morning.
The news of this spread through the town, and the next day I was called to visit about twenty-five families, all of whom had one or more sick with the small-pox. They also wished me to administer to the sick, which I did. I was called upon to visit from ten to twenty families a day for four days after my arrival and administering to their sick. The power of the Lord was made manifest to such a degree that nearly all I administered to recovered. The disease was spreading so rapidly that I was unable to visit all the houses. One morning about eight o’clock one of the Zuni women came for me to go and visit the sick; she took me to a house which had a large room in it, about twenty by forty feet. When I entered the room, I found they had gathered the sick from all parts of the village, till they had completely filled the house. The stench that arose and the horrible sight that met my eves is beyond description. They had a Spaniard there, who understood the Zuni language, for an interpreter, who told me they wanted me to administer to all those who were sick in the room. I being the only elder in the village it seemed to be a great task to administer to so many, but I called on the Lord to strengthen me. I commenced, and as fast as I administered to them they were removed, but other sick ones were continually being brought in. It was late in the afternoon before I could perceive that they began to diminish, in numbers. When I had administered to the last one and went out, the sun had set and it was getting dark. The Spaniard who had stayed there all day asked me if I knew how many I had prayed for. I told him that I did not keep count; he said he had and that it was 406. The next morning my arms were so sore that I could hardly move them.
Image of Zuni Pueblo created during the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers’ 1851 expedition to Arizona which was led by Captain Sitgreaves
There was a Presbyterian minister in the village, who became jealous of the influence I was gaining with the Indians. He persuaded two Spaniards, one Navajo Indian, one Albino ‘Zuni, and one of the Zuni medicine men, to circulate lies and frighten the ‘Zunis, telling them that those who were healed were healed by the power of the devil.
I felt weak from the effects of administering so much. And on the second day after administering to the 406. I started for the settlement in Savoia valley. The next day after arriving in Savoia I was taken down with a severe fever, which lasted about a week. I stopped with the family of brother John Hunt, who treated me very kindly. It was about three weeks before I was able to resume my I journey to the Mexican settlements on I the Rio Grande. I spent about four months preaching to the Mexican people in New Mexico. When I arrived at Savoia on my return, I was informed by the brethren that the minister who opposed me at Zuni had passed there and was nearly dead with the consumption. When I arrived at Zuni I was told by some of the most reliable Zunis that all that I had administered to recovered, excepting five or six that the minister gave medicine, and four or five that the medicine man had tried to cure by magic. The medicine man that opposed me had died during my absence, and the Navajo, who opposed me, on returning home, was killed by his people to keep the small-pox from spreading among them.
This is a true statement of the manner in which the power of God was made manifest among the Zunis, and also the judgments of God which followed some of those who opposed it. It seemed that I was, by the providence of God, cast among them; and I felt that I was one of the weakest of my brethren, and to ask the Lord to strengthen me if it was his will to make his power manifest through me. If the Lord had not strengthened me I could not have borne up under what I passed through at Zuni.
Zuni men and the ancient Pueblo Town of Zuni, ca.1868
If you wish a history of my mission to the Mexicans and will make it known, I will be pleased to furnish it to you. No more at present. From your brother in the Gospel, Llewellyn Harris.
The foregoing was published in the Deseret News some time since, but, owing probably to the remarkable character of the statements set forth in it, some people expressed doubts as to its veracity. In order to set the matter at rest, pains were taken to obtain information from various other sources. The result of these investigations, we are, by courtesy of Pres. John Taylor, enabled to place before our readers, in the annexed correspondence, which, besides being confirmatory of Brother Harris’s first account, gives further interesting details:
New Mexico, Feb. 20, 1879. Brother L. H. Hatch:
According to your request I hasten to give you an account of the power and blessings of our Heavenly Father through the ministration of Elder Llewellyn Harris, while laboring among the Zunis. And as the Church Historian has requested that it should be sent to him without exaggeration or depreciation, I will, as you earnestly requested me, use the same language used by them, under an inquiry. Upon my return and after you handed me the Apostle Brother Pratt’s letter, I called at the village where Bro. Harris had labored, and in the presence of at least forty Zunis I interrogated one of the principal men, who could talk Spanish, at least good enough to enable me to get a most thorough and positive understanding. Speaking to the crowd, I said: Do any of you remember a ‘Mormon,’ who came to this place and stayed a while, at the time you had the small-pox?
Orson Pratt
After a moment’s talk among themselves, the man of whom I have spoken stepped forward and answered:
“Oh yes, but why do you inquire about him”
“Because I wish to learn if he told the truth, when he said, the Lord heard him by curing them, when he laid his hands upon their heads.”
I very readily perceived from the above question that it aroused their suspicions, and in order to allay this spirit, so as to get at the naked truth, I continued:
“As this is the remedy to which we * Mormons’ appeal, for you all well know that I have always told you, that if we would serve the Great Spirit, he would hear us when we prayed to him.”
By this time those who had been baptized were drawing nearer, with an expression upon their countenances of brotherhood and confidence. However, the old man continued:’
“Yes, it is the truth. There is no doubt.”
This last sentence, when spoken in Spanish, affirms anything in the most positive manner possible, not even allowing any chance for a mistake.
“Do you know how many he cured? (You will remember that the crowd was consulted before answering at each successive question.) “Oh, lots of them.”
“But about how many?” At the same time holding up my finger, as that is the manner of counting among natives, though these being a little more enlightened, it serves to form an extra impression, or by way of demanding the exact number.
She-we-na (Zuni Pueblo). Kachina doll (Paiyatemu), late 19th century. Brooklyn Museum
“Oh,lots of them! How could you tell how many, for there were lot of them cured, though some died after.”
“Which man in this crowd saw and heard this?
“Why, all but me, so they say. He cured them in a large house. He did lay his hands on lots in four houses.”
“Which man’s house, in this crowd, did he do this in?
“That man says he did in his house, and that children were brought into him, and those that were big enough and able to walk, came, and he cured all that he laid his hands on, though some died afterwards.”
This was said in presence of my wife Eliza, and not less than forty Zunis.
Besides, Brother Hatch, it gave me a splendid opportunity to talk to them upon the subject, which I improved, thus endeavoring to awaken in them a love for the truth, and they seemed to drink into the Spirit of it, though they said:
“Numberless stories, in short, everybody seems to be opposed to you; and though we feel good when you are with us, and we cannot help believing what you say. But then why all this opposition.”
However, feeling that a more thorough investigation would give better satisfaction, I drove off and left the crowd, and soon met Brother Ramon Lund, who affirmed, in the most positive manner, what had been stated, and adding, said, that it was true that some died after they had been cured ; but it was because they took the medicine of an American, who was acting as priest and doctor at that place, under the direction of the United States, and when he told me this, he went through the motion, with his hand, of putting something into his mouth. At this instant, I well remembered the crowd of which I have spoken, going through the same gestures to the old man, who was acting as interpreter, but he failed to tell that part, as he did not belong to the Church, though he had never to my knowledge taken any active part either for or against.
Laguna Pueblos
I feel impressed to call your attention to the subject of which we talked about; namely the call of the King of the Zunis, with others of his associates for some of our brethren to assist them this spring in putting in their crops. This is not only a request, but rather bordering on a demand, from the fact of us both having offered to do so. I do not know who to appeal to, and I am not acquainted with President John Taylor, but there should be something done, for they look to me, as you well know, as their father; and it is impossible for me to fill the place at the three Branches. You will please excuse my awkwardness and tedious way of explaining, for I have done the best I could.
Zuni Pottery
Praying God to bless you, and desiring to be remembered in your prayers, I remain, your co-laborer in the latter-day work,
Ammon M. Tenney. Forestdale, Yavapai Co., Arizona, March 3rd, 1879. Brother E. Snow.
Dear brother,—I arrived here on the first of this month in good health. I hope these few lines will find you and family enjoying the same blessing.
The brethren seem to feel satisfied and contented here, with the exception of a few, who do not like to have the Indians move in here. Some twelve families of the Apache Indians want to come into this place, and live with us, and learn to work, and live as we do, and send their children to school I will start out in a few days to preach to some of the Apache Indians, and I feel to pray to the Lord that I may have his Spirit to guide and direct me, that I may be able to do good. Some of the brethren blame me for inducing the Indians to come to this place; but I cannot help that, it is to gain their friendship I am here, and I intend to do so, if possible.
Zuni Indian Man and Northern-Cheyenne Woman
There are also some of the brethren who are trying to show that I have exaggerated on the number of the Zuni Indians administered to, and also the number healed. All I have to say about this is, that I have given a true account, as near as I could, by getting my information from other parties, and what I could see myself; but I will say one thing now, and that is this, that those Indians must have received benefit by the administration when I visited the different houses, or they would not gather all the sick that were in the village for me to administer to, and keep me busy all day. Let the number be more or less than 400, I will say one thing, and that is, that there were silent witnesses whom the Lord had sent to take note of what passed that day. The day will come when those witnesses will give their testimony, and testify that I worked all that day, and did all I could, and no man or men will be able to gainsay it, so I do not care what men may say at present; the Lord knows all things.
No more at present, from Your brother in the Gospel, Llewellyn Harris.
Dear brother,—I received, some time ago, a letter from the Historian’s Office, wishing me to ascertain a statement of the healing of the Zunis of the small-pox, and in order that I might get a correct understanding it has taken me some time to get the facts. I will give you what information I have on the subject, personally.
While on my way from Utah to my family that were located in New Mexico, while at sunset, Bishop John Hunt, whom I had placed in charge of the Zuni Mission during my absence, told me that the Zunis were dying off rapidly, and that Elder Llewellyn Harris was performing great cures by the laying on of hands and the power of faith. About the 15th of February, 1878, myself, Elders Ammon M. Tenney, Erastus B. Snow, and A. W. Ivins, passed through the main village, and learned through some of our Zuni brethren that there had been from 150 to 200 deaths, but at the time we passed, the disease was abating. About twenty miles distant, at my house in Savoindette, we found Elder Harris, who was quite sick from exposure and the effects of administering to so many sick people. We administered to him, and he was better. He revealed to us his experience in administering to the Zunis and the power of God in healing the sick. I will now give you a copy of a statement made by brother Harris on the 23rd of February, 1879, while at Bagley, on his way to the Apache Indians:
“On the 27th of January, 1878, I administered from 8 a.m. until sun down, and made short ceremonies. A Mexican was present, who was very friendly. He followed me to where the sick came. He told me that I had administered to 406. I kept no count of the number. I had administered to several at a private house, when a Zuni woman came and wished me to go and see some sick persons, and I went to a hall which I judged to be 20 x 40 feet in dimensions. I think that there were about 75 persons in the room. A loathsome sensation came over me, as I beheld their fearful condition. As I commenced administering this feeling left. After administering to them they were taken out, and others were brought in. These were mostly children. Some that were brought appeared to be well. I asked them why they wanted me to administer to them. The Mexican interpreter told me they wanted me to administer to them, so that if they were taken sick the attack might be light, and I blessed all that came. It seemed that there was a holy messenger standing by me. Fathers and mothers, as they brought their children, each seemed anxious to be first. The day passed rapidly, and after I got out into the open air, I felt sick, and the sun had gone down.
“A Presbyterian school-teacher in the employ of the United States Government, named Parmer, when he found what was done, ordered me away, when I went to Savoindette to your house, where you found me.
“Llewellyn Harris.”
This is, in substance, as related ta me one year ago. Brother Harris says, he cannot be positive as to dates, but believes he is about correct. There are some remarkable cases of healing among the Navajos, which I witnessed in connection with Elder L. C. Burnham and Bishop Hunt; about one year ago last June, an account of which I think I forwarded to the Deseret News at the time, also to President John W. Young. I do not remember the dates of those letters referred to. If you should require it, and the letters are not at hand, a statement can hereafter be given, as it might be of value to the Church history.
I shall always be happy to render you all the aid in my power to facilitate your arduous duties.
Your brother in the Gospel, L. H. Hatch.
P. S.—I herewith forward to you a statement of facts, as related by the Zunis themselves to Elder Aramom M. Tenney. L H. H.
“If there are any Nephites on this continent we have found them among the Zunis, Lagunas, and Isletas” Wilford Woodruff
To President John Taylor and Council:
Moqui Snake Dance
DEAR BRETHREN:—I arrived on Saturday night, the 13th inst., all well and in good spirits and found Brother Lake, of Brigham City, and Brother Bates, of Pleasant Valley, very sick. They had been to the Verde, baptizing some and administering to the sick. Brother Lake has been looked upon as dangerous, but was some better yesterday.
The Isletas of which I speak is a village twelve miles below Albuquerque, on the Rio Del Norte, containing 3,000 souls that stand at the head of this class of men that I call the Nephites. They occupy forty villages, containing a population of 32,000, speaking sixteen distinct languages, but nearly all good Spanish scholars. I look upon this as a great field of missionary labor for some forty good, faithful “Mormon” elders, who should be able to speak the Spanish; and I hope next conference will call some of them, at least, into the field. I visited this people, located in their homes in company with Brother Ammon M. Tenney, who had visited most of them before, and I think has done much good in opening doors among them. He had baptized 115 of the Zunis on a former mission.
Moqui Cave
My journey and visit with him was a visit of observation, and I was amply rewarded. In what way, I do not know, but in almost every village I visited, they were looking for me. I can only make a brief outline from my journal of our journey. On the 19th of August, we entered the Zuni village, containing about 3,000 souls. The village stood on a piece of elevated ground; many buildings were three stories high, and the upper stories were entered by ladders at the top.
There had been a heavy struggle in this village between the Catholics and Mormon Zunis. The priests had done all they could to lie about the Mormons and had drawn away {523}a few who had been baptized, but others remained firm. I went through the old Catholic cathedral in the village; it looked as though it were 500 years old. It had two bells hanging in the tower and over the pulpit was some of the finest carved work in wood I ever saw, representing Christ, the apostles, and angels. I went all through the village and, for the first time in my life, I had a view of the white Indians called Albinos. Their hair, face, and limbs were nearly as white as milk, much whiter than any Americans. I met with many who had been baptized and they were very glad to see me. They had 2,000 acres of corn, looking well without irrigation. On the day following, we visited their village at their farm called Fish Springs. I was here introduced to Brother Juan Bautista (John Baptist), the first man baptized in the Zuni nation by A. M. Tenney. His son’s wife was the most handsome woman I ever saw of the Indian race; had a beautiful child, nearly white. I went through their wheat fields, which they were cutting with sickles. We visited several ruins of the ancient inhabitants; some of the outside walls of stone were standing some eight feet high. On Sunday evening, the 25th, we held a meeting in a village of the Lagumas, called Mosita Negra. We had an interesting talk with the Governor of the place (Jose Carido), and the spiritual advisor (Lorenzo Coreo) and both wanted a meeting. They called the people together, men, women, and children. We opened by singing and prayer, and Brother Tenney spoke to them in Spanish thirty minutes. I spoke a short time. Brother Tenney interpreted and we dismissed, thinking we had kept them long enough.
The Hopi are descended from the Ancestral Puebloans
As soon as we dismissed, a Nephite arose, full of the spirit of the Lord, and said: ‘Friends, why do you dismiss us and leave us in this way. This is the first time we have heard of our forefathers and the gospel, and the things we have looked for from the traditions of our fathers. If our wives and children are weary, let them go home; we want to hear more. We want you to talk all night, do not leave us so.’ This speech raised me to my feet and the next hour was one of the best meetings we had. We all felt inspired, missionaries, Nephite men, women, and children. I spoke and Brother Tenney interpreted. I never felt the want of tongues more than on this occasion. I taught the things of the Kingdom of God and found hearts capable of receiving it. All were deeply interested and the seeds we {524}had sown in the hearts of that people will bring forth fruit. At the close of the meeting, the man who spoke in the meeting came to me and said, ‘When you return, drive to my home and all your wants will be supplied,‘ which we did and held another meeting on the Sunday following. We should have baptized him, the Governor, and many others, I think, but the Governor who had followed us, as did the spiritual advisor, some sixty miles to Isletas, had not returned. The people did not wish to take any steps until their Governor was with them. On the following morning, my carriage was surrounded by the Governor and people that we had talked to the night before. Some of them took breakfast with us and I had to talk to them on the principles of the gospel and their record and signs of the times, until I left; and the leading men of the village followed us sixty miles to Isletas and stopped with us most of the time we were there. On the morning of the 26th of August, we drove through Frisco, crossed the Rio Del Norte, which we found very low, and entered Albuquerque, containing about 3,000 inhabitants, Jews, Gentiles, Americans, and Mexicans.
I was introduced to Judge Parks, the U. S. District Judge of that District, from Illinois. I went through the city or town. It is quite a place of business. I went through the Catholic cathedral accompanied by an Italian padre, or priest. He took great pains to show us everything in it, robes of the priests and deacons; some robes woven from pure gold thread that cost $1,000.00. There was much more wealth than I would have looked for in as obscure a place as Albuquerque. We spent the day in the place and left in the evening and camped five miles below on the banks of the river. On the 27th of August, we entered the village of Isletas (Ysleta), being the day before the great annual feast of this people. Brother Ammon M. Tenney had visited this people three years ago and had made friends in the place. We called upon an old patriarch that had received him before. His name was Juan Reylocero (John King). He was glad to receive us. He furnished us with mutton, fruit, and anything we needed. He was one of the leading spirits, was one of the most influential men in the village, and was over eighty years of age; but by his labor and activity he did not appear more than seventy. It should be understood that the Catholic power has had dominion for centuries over most of the American tribes. This is the case with all {525}these tribes, as well as others, and the priests who now occupy their villages are mostly French or Italian. The priests who dwell in Isletas have had a hard contest with the old patriarch, because he had received the Mormons and their religion. He told the priest that he had his own rights and agency and no men should take his rights or religion from him; and they had not spoken to each other for two years. This spirit is manifest through all the tribes when the gospel is preached, and the Lamanites and Nephites throughout all the land are beginning to be weary of the Catholic priests and their religion.
The inhabitants of Isletas stand at the head of these 32,000 Nephites; all the other 40 villages come to them for counsel. They have their own laws, police courts, and judgment seat. They are very rich. The man we stopped with possessed 9,000 sheep, 100 brood mares and horses, 100 mules and asses, 500 cows and oxen, a ranch worth $8,000.00, and $25,000 of other wealth. He rents many houses in the city, and he is a sample of many of the Isletas nation. They allow no white man or Mexican to mix with them in their blood; all their marriages are in their own tribe. Our friend (Reylocero) said the Americans had called them wild men. If they were wild, they were honest and virtuous. It was very seldom that a case of seduction of a wife or daughter was known in their tribes. Whenever such a case did occur, the penalty of death was executed and had been for centuries, until civilization was introduced by Americans, who had introduced seduction and corruption wherever they had a chance, and now, if a man were put to death for seduction, the civilization of the day would kill his slayer. In fact they were so much afraid of white men coming in contact with their women, that Brothers Tenney and Robert H. Smith, of the 15th Ward, Salt Lake City, three years ago, came nearly starving to death before they got thoroughly acquainted with them.
They were not willing for these brethren to go into the presence of their women; but after the old patriarch had reached full confidence in Brother Tenney, he put his grand-daughter (a very handsome young woman) in his charge, as he was going away for a season, and a young Mexican wished to court her, and the old gentleman did not wish him to marry her. And as the people in that village had full confidence in him, on our arrival we were kindly received and entertained by all we {526}called upon.
Governor Edward Paul Torres, Pueblo of Isleta. Isleta, New Mexico; Jan. 2016.
I look upon the Isletas as the most industrious and hard laboring people of any I ever met (the Latter-day Saints not excepted). This Nephite village has a field of corn ten miles in length and one in width. It lies north and south of their village, and is irrigated. The corn is quite as good as any I ever saw in Utah, and perfectly clean; not a weed could be found in a hundred acres. They have also twenty-one vineyards bordering on their city and 1,000 vines to each vineyard, some of them 60 years of age, all kept perfectly clean and loaded with the finest of fruit, and as heavy a crop as I ever saw in St. George. The vines stand from two to four feet in height and, in the fall of the year, each vine has a mound of earth formed around it, until it is covered out of sight. In the spring it is uncovered and the earth leveled. This is an immense work. They have also many apple, pear, and peach orchards, all ripe as well as the grapes. Isletas is occupied only by the Nephites themselves. There are no Mexicans or white men. The houses generally are made of adobe, cement, or concrete, and plastered. The outside walls are as white as snow, and the floors are made of mortar or plaster, very smooth and many of them very neatly carpeted. We saw some as handsome women and girls as could be found in America, barring their dark complexions. There is one practice that exceeds that of any civilized city on the globe that I ever heard of. No man, woman, or child is allowed to sweep a particle of dirt or dust from their floors into the door yards or streets, under penalty of a fine. It all has to be gathered in cloths or baskets and carried to mounds which are located in different parts of the city. The room we occupied was in the center of the town and the mound formed from the sweepings of the floors in that part of the town measured 150 yards at the base and some thirty feet high, which had probably been 100 years in collecting, for they did not appear to cart it away. I found in Isletas and in other villages of the Nephites the same kind of crockery and stone ware painted in all its brilliant colors that we find in the remains of their ancient cities, or in ruins of the ancient inhabitants. All of their water jugs and main crockery are of this material, for they still hold the art of making and painting it. We visited quite a number of the families in the village and were kindly entertained. Among {527}others, we visited Mrs. Pascual Avieta, a Nephite lady, I should judge 50 years of age, a large portly woman, with a large, fine home. Her floors were neatly carpeted, and settees were covered with Navajoe blankets, worth $15 each. She was neatly dressed. I was introduced to her by Brother Tenney and to her daughters and sons. She received me and treated me with all the cordiality that any refined lady could, and presided over her household with all the dignity and grace of a Martha Washington.
Isleta, N. Mexico
When her daughters were introduced to me, after bowing and shaking hands, they very reservedly and modestly retired across the room, sat down upon a settee and listened to what was said in silence. The matron sat down beside me and conversed with great freedom. While the family could speak good Spanish, her son, a fine young man of 20, could speak good English, which was a God send to me, and I thoroughly improved it by preaching the Gospel of Christ and blessings of the Kingdom of God to him, which he gladly received and promised to deliver the same to his father and mother. The matron invited us into her pear, peach, and apple orchard, and grape vineyard where fruit was ripe. We feasted to our satisfaction, and repeated by invitation the same ceremony each day while in Isletas. The feast was on the 27th of August. There were hundreds of Mexicans from all the surrounding country gathered. The Mexican women and girls had their long trails. Most all the drinking, gambling, and fighting, which lasted all night, were done by the Mexicans, while the Isletas were in their homes with doors locked at an early hour. The Governor and leading men of Mosita Negra, where we preached, were with us and did not take part in the Mexican carousal.
Isleta Girl
Wilford Woodruff
Thus, dear brethren, I have given you an outline, merely, of the field of labor which I consider the God of Israel has opened unto us, and which I consider the revelations of God require us to perform. I think there is element sufficient for forty good, faithful elders. There is need for a goodly number of elders who can speak the Spanish language, or who will be able to learn it. I have already sent Brother Taylor a small list of names, including the Indian missionaries that are already in this country, as far as I can remember them, and if there are any in St. George {528}or southern Utah, or northern, who can speak the Spanish, or who will learn it, I would like Brother Taylor to consider them at the October Conference.
I am happy to be able to state that most of the settlements. I have visited of the Saints have been blessed with fair crops of grain, notwithstanding the dry season. They were just finishing threshing as I left Snowflake. They will have over 3,000 bushels of grain, mostly wheat, and I am confident they will have over 4,000 bushels of wheat at Sunset.
Isleta Village
I have not written anything for publication concerning my journey to Lamanites or Nephites of late, thinking it would not be wisdom to publish anything about our labors among the American Indians under the present state of excitement on Mormonism. I forwarded a list of names in my other communication, as missionaries. I forward a few more in this communication and those I send from here are mostly persons who have given in their names and are willing to engage in the mission. Some incidents occurred on our mission which were interesting to me and showed that the Lord was at work with and for us, to open the way for the introduction of the gospel among this branch of the house of Israel. But I have already lengthened this communication much more than I intended at the commencement. I learned of the release of the Apostles from prison from the “News,” which has given joy to all the faithful Saints of the land. The devil is making a hard struggle to stop the building of temples, and the work of God, and the wicked are helping him, but, brethren, God reigns and will stand by you to the end. The lawyers, judges, and the nation are hastening to their doom as fast as time will permit, and they are sure of their fate. That God may bless you and give you the victory, is the earnest prayer of
Your brother in the gospel, WILFORD WOODRUFF.
According to Wilford Woodruff
Nephites Isletas Zunis Lagunas
Lamanites Navajo Moquis Apaches
A Quote to Remember
A young missionary Spencer W. Kimball poses in the 1920s. Deseret News Archives
“Oliver Cowdery, even in that early day, had found the Navajos in the far Southwest, and he reported it to the brethren, feeling that it was a very important thing. Then Wilford Woodruff said this further, as he went down into the southwest, in New Mexico, and visited among the Indians there. He said: “In my short communication of the second inst., I promised to give a fuller account of my visit to the Isletas which I will now endeavor to do. The Isletas are one of the Pueblo groups down in New Mexico. I view my visit among the Nephites one of the most interesting missions of my life, although short. I say Nephites, because if there are any Nephites on this continent, we have found them among the Zunis, the Lagunas, and the Isletas, for they are a different race of people, altogether, from the Lamanites. I class the Navajo, Moquis (Hopis) and Apaches with the Lamanites, although they are in advance of many Indian tribes of America. I class the Zunis, Lagunas, and Isletas among the Nephites. And then he goes on to say, that as soon as they dismissed this particular meeting among the Isletas, and were going to leave, one of the Nephites arose. . . full of the spirit of the Lord and said, “Friends, why do you dismiss us and leave us this way? This is the first time we have heard of our forefathers and the gospel and the things we have looked for from the traditions of our fathers. If our wives and children are weary, let them go home. We want to hear more. We want you to talk all night. Do not leave us so.” The Work Among the Lamanites Elder Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, October 1950, pp. 63-69
Young Mormon traveled from Cumorah on the Ohio River probably through Moundsville, WV and then to Missouri and the Land Zarahemla. “And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla. The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.” Mormon 1:6-7 (See Moroni’s America page 241).
MORMON, “CARRIED BY MY FATHER… TO THE LAND OF ZARAHEMLA.” MORMON 1:6
The name Mormon represents a great man and a great name by which we are known today as Latter-day Saints. “Such was the goodness, the strength, the power, the faith, the prophetic heart of the prophet-leader Mormon. He was the chief compiler of the book which is called after his name and which has come forth in this period of the world’s history as a voice speaking from the dust in testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of this places upon us of this Church and this generation an incumbent and demanding responsibility to recognize that as we are spoken of as Mormons, we must so live that our example will enhance the perception that Mormon can mean in a very real way, “more good.” Mormon Should Mean “More Good” Gordon B. Hinckley Oct 1990.
By David Lindsley
“Mormon abridged the entire record of the descendants of Lehi. How did he learn so much about his country? Mormon’s book begins with him at age ten. He writes, “I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe. Mormon 1:2.” Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville page 239.
The origin of the name Mormon in the Book of Mormon, is interesting. “Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them” Alma 8:7. Apparently a great leader named Mormon was in the land of Nephi before the time of Alma, for there was a place called the Waters of Mormon, and the Place of Mormon. Mosiah 18:7-8. Mormon, while abridging the Book of Mormon says, “And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among this people: Yea, the first church which was established among them after their transgression.” 3 Nephi 5:12. Alma’s baptizing seems to be the first time in a few generations that covenants were established again among the Nephites. The name Mormon seems to have reminded the people of the restoration of the covenants and the establishment of Christ’s church at the Place of Mormon in 148 BC or earlier. Latter-day Saints associate with the name of the Book of Mormon as did the Nephites of old, with the restoring of covenants among the people. Also the 1986 addition to the Book of Mormon added a subtitle, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” which reinforces these covenants.
In Mormon 1:3-5, Ammaron gives Mormon further instructions regarding his role as a record keeper. Jonathan Neville in his book Moroni’s America writes; “The text gives no information about the location of the “land Antum,” but it does mention “the hill of Shim” in Ether 9:3. In that verse, Omer passes by the hill after he is overthrown. Later, the way Moroni (who abridged Ether) refers to the hill suggests he was familiar with it… Certainly Moroni knew the place where the Nephites were destroyed. According to Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith, this was the valley west of the Hill Cumorah in New York, just south of Palmyra. Moroni refers to “the hill of Shim” specifically. Since he had Mormon’s record and knew all about the hill Cumorah and the plates, I infer Moroni identified the hill of Shim by name so his readers would make the connection. In other words, the hill Shim was in western New York, somewhere in proximity to the hill Cumorah. That would put the land Antum in the general area, which means Ammaron was in that area when he hid the records. Ammaron didn’t have to explain to young Mormon where the land Antum was; I infer from this that as a boy, Mormon lived not too far away from Antum. Later, when he reaches the age of 24, Mormon will do as Ammaron told him (See Mormon 2:17-18), and get the plates of Nephi. Later he will remove all the plates from the hill Shim (Mormon 4:23) to keep them from the Lamanites. But first, Mormon needs to learn about his country. The text doesn’t say why he did it, but Mormon’s father takes his son on a long field trip.I think the father was present when Ammaron told the ten-year-old boy what his calling would be and took it upon himself to educate his son. Mormon 1:6 “And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla.” Mormon’s father waited only about a year before taking his son on the trip. He “carried” the boy, a term that suggests a mode of conveyance. Surely Mormon the father didn’t carry his eleven-year-old son in his arms or on his shoulders. I think the most likely conveyance was a boat, like a canoe. Maybe it was just Mormon and his father, or maybe the entire family went on the journey.” Moroni’s America Page 240
“Canoes were developed over the course of thousands of years by the native peoples of North America. The word ‘canoe’ originated from the word ‘kenu’ – meaning dugout. North American Indians are responsible for creating the more well-known version of the canoe – a frame of wooden ribs covered with the lightweight bark of birch trees, and sometimes elm or cedar trees. These boats, which have remained virtually unchanged in design for thousands of years, proved to be ideal for travelling the numerous streams, rivers and lakes of North America. Birch bark was the perfect choice to build canoes because, not only was it lightweight and smooth, but it was also waterproof and resilient. The joints of the canoes were held together by the root of the white pine and then made waterproof by applying hot pine or spruce resin… Many of the canoes that fur traders used were capable of carrying a crew of up to 12 people and a cargo weighing around 2400 kilograms… At a typical length of 14 ft. and weight of 50 lbs., the canoes were light enough to be portaged, yet could carry a lot of cargo, even in shallow water. Although susceptible to damage from rocks, they are easily repaired.” Bark Canoes Canadian Museum of Civilization.
During this journey by canoe it is very likely that young Mormon would have kept a type of journal probably on parchment or papyrus. This way he could recall what to write at age 24 when Ammaron had commanded him to keep a record. It also seems likely that even though this was a time of peace, older Mormon would have brought with him the Sword of Laban and breastplate and others would have their armor, head plates, and weapons nearby. They may have even used the Liahona, or other devices for physical and spiritual guidance. “Mormon refers to the land of Zarahemla as “the land southward.” What is his frame of reference? Many times in the text, Mormon refers to Zarahemla as the land northward. For example, he explained that “Now the land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south” (Helaman 6:10). But here, he refers to Zarahemla as “the land southward.” Obviously he is writing from a reference point north of Zarahemla… Starting from the northern area near the land Antum, Mormon and his father would travel south to reach the Allegheny River, then south to join the Ohio River, then south along the Ohio River until it moves more westerly. Only once he reaches the head of Sidon, (Confluence of Ohio and Mississippi Rivers) would he turn north. Mormon wouldn’t be looking at Google Earth or a map of the globe to determine the relative latitude of his destination (although, even technically, Zarahemla is south of his starting point). Mormon would refer to the direction they headed; i.e., they went “into the land southward” from the perspective of someone leaving from the Cumorah area. Later, Mormon will write about how the Lamanites drove the Nephites northward, back to the area of his homeland. During his field trip, the boy Mormon was amazed at what he saw. “The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.” (Painting Right) Mormon 1:7. The whole face of the land would be the areas through which Mormon traveled. Imagine what it would be like for a young boy to leave his homeland and “see the world” with his parents.
The Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland by Rod Meldrum Page 136
One of the most profound books on the hidden archaeology of North America.
What does it mean that the “land had become covered with buildings” in this context? The Book of Mormon text includes over 100 references to “build,” “building,” and “buildings.” Recall how Dr. Roger Kennedy, the former director of the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, explained this term. “Build and building are also very old words, often used in this text [his book] as they were when the English language was being invented, to denote earthen structures. About 1150, when the word build was first employed in English, it referred to the construction of an earthen grave. Three hundred and fifty years later, an early use of the term to build up was the description of the process by which King Priam of Troy constructed a “big town of bare earth.” So when we refer to the earthworks of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys as buildings no one should be surprised.” PURCHASE:Roger G. Kennedy, Hidden Cities: The Discovery and Loss of Ancient North American Civilization.
All along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, young Mormon would have passed by these earthworks and mounds. Most of the hundreds of thousands of sites have long since been destroyed, but many can still be visited today. Along the Ohio River, there are sites such as the one in Moundsville, West Virginia (Grave Creek) that I discussed in the Mosiah chapter. Other sites include Marietta and Portsmouth, Ohio, the Mann site near Evansville, Indiana, and several in Illinois.” Moroni’s America page 241-42
This painting by Ken Corbett, represents Mormon with his son, Mormon traveling south on the Ohio River heading towards the Land Zarahemla in Illinois and Missouri. Near Grave Creek Mound in West Virginia, you can visualize in Mormon 1:6-7 it saying, “And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla. The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.” Young Mormon is pointing to the Grave Creek mound and all the buildings around.
In the painting we show Grave Creek Mound at Moundsville, WV, which can be seen today. “Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type of any of the mound builder structures. Construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250–150 B.C., as indicated by the multiple burials at different levels within the structures. In 1838, road engineers measured its height at 69 feet and its base as 295 feet. Originally a moat of about 40 feet in width and five feet in depth, with one causeway across it, encircled the mound. Inside the mound, archaeological researchers have discovered Adena Hopewell remains and ornaments, along with a small sandstone tablet.” Wikipedia Grave Creek Mound
“Mormon’s father may have taken his son to visit historic sites along tributaries, such as the Scioto and Tennessee Rivers. He could have visited the ancient city of Nephi, [Waters of Mormon] the places where the sons of Mosiah taught the gospel to the Lamanites, and Alma’s land of Helam (Near Old Stone Fort, TN). He could have visited the battlefields described in Alma. The journey would be the perfect preparation for the future prophet and historian who would compile the history of Lehi’s descendants.” Moroni’s America page 242
In Mormon 1:12 it speaks about peace in the land for four years. This time would have been utilized by young Mormon to read, write, and study more about these events that he was commanded to record on the plates. (In painting see records on the lap of young Mormon). At the age of 16 Mormon now large in stature, was made the commander of the Nephite army. In this painting you can see the “Title of Liberty” hoisted at the top of the fort in Moundsville, as young Mormon would continue to follow this pledge of; “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children” Alma 46:12.
Mormon and his son Moroni were direct descendants of Manasseh (3 Nephi 5:20). Moroni would bury the plates, which Joseph Smith, a direct descendant of Ephraim, would be led to uncover. Once again the covenant of the House of Joseph and the House of Israel would be upon the Promised Land.
From the Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 432 Order here
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“…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
The Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 21-23
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The Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 24-25
“Millennia ago he [Marion G. Romney] declared: “There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation… Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, “There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth.” (Ether 1:43.)… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites…
The tragic fate of the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations is proof positive that the Lord meant it when he said that this “is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.” (Ether 2:9.)
This information, wrote Moroni, addressing himself to us who today occupy this land, “cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles” (now, Gentiles is the term used by the Book of Mormon prophets to refer to the present inhabitants of America and to the peoples of the old world from which they came)…
Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come. The issue we face is clear and well defined. The choice is ours. The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity?
That we will repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.” America’s Destiny Marion G. Romney Oct 1975
And now no part of the land was desolate save it were for timber, but because of the greatness of the destruction of the people who had before inhabited the land, it was called ‘Desolate.’Helaman 3:6
The Land of Jerusalem is desolate and yet also beautiful. The Land of Jerusalem is beautiful and it is called wonderful. The Land of Adam and Eve is low and flat with no mountains, and yet it is also lush and green with gardens all around. How are the two lands of promise both beautiful and desolate?
places of Israel’s dwellings shall become desolate until fulfilling of covenant, 3 Ne. 10:7.
Israel’s seed shall make desolate cities to be inhabited, 3 Ne. 22:3 (Isa. 54:3).
Saints are gathered to prepare against day when desolation is sent forth, D&C 29:8.
nothing to be shown forth except desolations upon Babylon, D&C 35:11.
Desolation; not because the land is not desirable, but because of the sadness of events that transpired there. At Cumorah, the sadness is in reference to the end of two once righteous nations, making it a place called Desolation. In the Bible the place Abomination of Desolation was speaking of Jerusalem, not because it wasn’t a beautiful land. The prophecy referred ultimately to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and consequently the “abomination” must describe some occurrence connected with that event. Webster dictionary defines desolation as, “extreme sadness caused by loss or loneliness” “the condition of a place or thing that has been damaged in such a way that it is no longer suitable for people to live in : the state or condition of being desolate”
As you look at the map below, you will see desolation as spoken of in the Book of Mormon as the far north east country of the United States and into Canada. In fact the Hill Cumorah is in the “Land Desolation.” At any moment in time a place that was once full of animals, trees, people and great harvests, could become a land of desolation because of a curse, or a war or as a designation of the Lord. It is also know that the further north you travel the colder it becomes and there is less vegetation in the north country. Understanding this will help you as your read the Book of Mormon on what is meant when you hear the word “desolation.”
Prairies as Lands of Desolation?
On Shoal creek, where there is water, there are some tolerable mill seats, but, the prairies,— those “old clearings,”— peering one over another, as far as the eye can glance, flatten all common calculation, as to timber for boards, rails, or future wants, for a thick population, according to the natural reasonings of men. The Book of Mormon terms these prairies theland of Desolation; & When I get into prairie so large that I am out of sight of timber, just as the seaman is “out of sight of land in the ocean,” I have to exclaim what is man and his works, compared to the Almighty and his creations? Who hath viewed his everlasting fields? who hath counted his Buffaloes; – who hath seen all his deer on a thousand prairies? .. The pinks variegate these wide spread lawns, without the hand of man to aid them; and the bees of a thousand groves, banquet on the flowers unobserved, and sip the honey-dews of heaven. Nearly every skirt of timber to the state line on the north, I am informed has some one in it. The back settlers are generally very honorable, and more hospitable than any people I ever saw, you are, in most instances. welcome to the best they have. W. W. Phelps
Personally I believe the most beautiful land is in the hills and vales of middle America like in Ohio and upstate New York. The mountains are beautiful but they are not easily accessible. In other words, if I wanted a nice place to live it would be more like upstate NY than in the Appalachian Mountains, where it is hard to get around. Sure I love the large mountains as scenery and a place to visit occasionally, but to live in the rolling hills and piedmont of green hills and valleys with a bubbling stream and tall trees on the border of the river would be ideal to me. You can easily plant and grow and harvest food, you can take care of your domestic animals and have acreage you can call your own.
We know the Nephites and Hopewell preferred the beautiful mounds and hills of central Ohio as well. Yes, I believe the Heartland of the USA is some of the most beautiful land in the world.
The Great Serpent Mound, in what is now Adams County, Ohio, stretches four football fields in length and was 20 feet high in some places.
Piedmont a Perfect Place
From Wikipedia we read, “The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont Province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division which consists of the Gettysburg-Newark Lowlands, the Piedmont Upland and the Piedmont Lowlands sections.
The Atlantic Seaboard fall line marks the Piedmont’s eastern boundary with the Coastal Plain. To the west, it is mostly bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the easternmost range of the main Appalachians. The width of the Piedmont varies, being quite narrow above the Delaware River but nearly 300 miles (475 km) wide in North Carolina. The Piedmont’s area is approximately 80,000 square miles (210,000 km2).
The name “Piedmont” comes from the Italian: Piemonte, meaning “foothill”,[3] ultimately from Latin “pedemontium”, meaning “at the foot of the mountains”, similar to the name of the Italian region of Piedmont (Piemonte), abutting the Alps.” Source here
The James River winds its way among Piedmont hills in central Virginia. Most of the hills in the Piedmont region are smaller than these.
In the mountains you would live more like a hermit who wants to escape the Lords beautiful meadows and plains. This is my explanation of desolation vs beauty. I believe the Garden of Eden was just that, “a garden.” If there were 12,000 foot mountains they were very distant and just showed as beautiful scenery. Also as the Saints settled the valley of the Great Salt Lake, they didn’t settle in the mountains. The mountains acted as a protection the the Saints. I just feel putting the New Jerusalem in the rolling plains and hills of Missouri is a delightful place to be. The Mississippi River Valley makes it such a wonderful place to live.
Jerusalem & New Jerusalem
People today when they see land in Jerusalem and Jackson County, Missouri see it as “desolation”, or a less desired place to live. The world doesn’t value this land as anything more than land to pass by, that seems somewhat barren, lacking in beautiful large trees, with few gardens, and only small streams that run through. Though that may be true today, these two sacred areas of land will be made whole once again and today’s people will rue the day, that they once called it desolate. For the Saints of the Lord will inhabit these sacred grounds as “CHOICE” Lands forever.
What we may call beautiful today, such as the large mountains in the Rocky’s or Appalachians, may one day be made low and replaced by those rolling hills of a beautiful garden, even as Eden was. “We apply mountain to the largest eminences on the globe; but sometimes the word is used for a large hill.” Webster’s 1828 English Dictionary
“This beautiful region of country [Missouri] is…the land of Joseph or the Indians, as they are called…The world will never value the land of Desolation, as it is called in the Book of Mormon, for anything more than hunting ground, for want of timber and mill-seats: The Lord to the contrary notwithstanding, declares it to be the land of Zion which is the land of Joseph, blessed by him, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew… Thou [Jerusalem] shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land [Zion] any more be termed Desolate.” The Evening and Morning Star Vol. 1 No. 5 October 1832 Page 71
“And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 36:34-38
Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County, Missouri.To me, this is beautiful.
The simple rolling hills of today’s Missouri are chosen. Today they are “plains” tomorrow they will be “Zion”. The rocks and grasslands of Jerusalem today are barren and desolate, and tomorrow they will be called “Blessed”.
“…The mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt…” D&C 117:8
“This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon.” Abraham 3:13
“The plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the place where Adam dwelt,” wrote President Joseph Fielding Smith, “must be a part of, or in the vicinity of Adam-ondi-Ahman. This name Olaha Shinehah, may be, and in all probability is, from the language of Adam. We may without great controversy believe that this is the name which Adam gave to this place, at least we may venture this as a probable guess. Shinehah, according to the Book of Abraham, is the name given to the sun. (Abraham 3:13.) It is the name applied to Kirtland when the Lord desired in a revelation to hide its identity. (Sec. 82.) Elder Janne M. Sjodahl commenting on the name, Olaha Shinehah, has said: ‘Shinehah means sun, and Olaha is possibly a variant of the word Olea, which is “the moon.” (Abraham 3:13.) If so the plains of Olaha Shinehah would be the Plains of the Moon and the Sun, so called, perhaps because of astronomical observations there made.’ We learn from the writings of Moses that the Lord revealed to the ancients great knowledge concerning the stars, and Abraham by revelations and through the Urim and Thummim received wonderful information concerning the heavens and the governing planets, or stars. It was also revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith that Methuselah was acquainted with the stars as were others of the antediluvian prophets including Adam. So, it may be reasonable that here in this valley important information was made known anciently in relation to the stars of our universe.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:97–98.)
The Covenant of the Lord is upon both lands forever. These lands will be the eternal lands of the Lord’s chosen. Those of us who live by the Lord’s law will be blessed on the lands He has set apart for our good. From Jackson County to Far West, to Adam-ondi-Ahman is Desolate to those who see it only as barren lands, and it is Promised to those of us who understand the Covenant on the land. As further evidence of this land being blessed, we read the following:
“Section 116, taken from an inspired entry in the Prophet’s history, was first placed in the Doctrine and Covenants in 1876 under the direction of President Brigham Young:
Friday, May 18. —I left Far West, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten, Bishop Partridge, Elias Higbee, Simeon Carter, Alanson Ripley, and many others, for the purpose of visiting the north country, and laying off a stake of Zion; making locations, and laying claim to lands to facilitate the gathering of Saints, for the benefit of the poor, in upholding the Church of God. …
Saturday, 19. —This morning we struck our tents and formed a line of march, crossing Grand River at the mouth of Honey Creek and Nelson’s Ferry. Grand River is a large, beautiful, deep and rapid stream, during the high waters of Spring, and will undoubtedly admit of navigation by steamboat and other watercraft. At the mouth of Honey Creek is a good landing. We pursued our course up the river, mostly through timber, for about eighteen miles, when we arrived at Colonel Lyman Wight’s home. He lives at the foot of Tower Hill (a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there), where we camped for the Sabbath.
In the afternoon I went up the river about half a mile to Wight’s Ferry, accompanied by President Rigdon, and my clerk, George W. Robinson, for the purpose of selecting and laying claim to a city plat near said ferry in Daviess County, township 60, ranges 27 and 28, and sections 25, 36, 31, and 30, which the brethren called ‘Spring Hill,’ but by the mouth of the Lord it was named Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said He, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet.” (History of the Church, 3:34–35.)
Indeed, the Land’s of Promise are in Jackson County Missouri, and Jerusalem. Both are forever blessed and will be the dwelling places of the Lord’s people in the last days. The Lord will make the Desolate, blessed again.
To understand the land of Missouri and its sacredness, here is what Wilford Woodruff said.
“During our travels we visited many mounds thrown up by the ancient inhabitants, the Nephites and Lamanites. This morning, June 3rd, we went on to a high mound near the river. From the summit we could overlook the tops of the trees as far as we could see. The scenery was truly beautiful. On the summit of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars, they having been erected, one above the other, according to the ancient order of things. Human bones were seen upon the ground. Brother Joseph requested us to dig into the mound; we did so; and in about one foot we came to the skeleton of a man, almost entire, with an arrow sticking in his backbone. Elder Milton Holmes picked it out, and brought it into the Camp, with one of the leg bones, which had been broken. I brought the thigh bone to Missouri. I desired to bury it in the Temple Block in Jackson County; but not having this privilege, I buried it in Clay County, Missouri, near the house owned by Col. Arthur and occupied by Lyman Wight.” The arrowhead referred to is now in the possession of President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah. “Brother Joseph,” continues Wilford, “feeling anxious to learn something of this man, asked the Lord, and received an open vision. The man’s name was Zelph. He was a white Lamanite, the curse having been removed because of his righteousness. He was a great warrior and fought for the Nephites under the direction of the Prophet Onandagus. The latter had charge of the Nephite armies from the Eastern sea to the Rocky Mountains. Although the Book of Mormon does not mention Onandagus, he was a great warrior, leader, general, and prophet. Zelph had his thigh bone broken by a stone thrown from a sling but was killed by the arrow found sticking in his backbone. There was a great slaughter at that time. The bodies were heaped upon the earth, and buried in the mound, which is nearly three hundred feet in height.” History of the Life and Labors of Wilford Woodruff. As recorded in his daily journals prepared for publication by Matthias Cowley The Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah 1909 page 41 (See also Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] page 483)
Zelph in Vision by Ken Corbett
On another occasion the Prophet wrote: “Adam-ondi-Ahman is located immediately on the north side of Grand River, in Daviess county, Missouri, about twenty-five miles north of Far West. It is situated on an elevated spot of ground, which renders the place as healthful as any part of the United States, and overlooking the river and the country round about, it is certainly a beautiful location.” (History of the Church, 3:39.)
Concerning Adam-ondi-Ahman, Zerah Pulsipher, a member of the First Council of Seventy, wrote:
Daviess County was a beautiful place situated on Grand River. First rate land and plenty of good timber where we supposed there had been an ancient city of the Nephites, as the hewn stone were already there in piles also the mound or alter built by Father Adam, where he went to offer sacrifices when he was old. Leaning upon his staff, prophesying the most noted thing that should take place down to the latest generation therefore it was called Adam-ondi-Ahman.11
The Far West
The far west, as the section of country from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains may justly be styled, is not only distant from the Atlantic States, but different. Its principle river, running rapidly from the 48th to the 39th degree of north latitude, is always rily, always wearing away its banks and always making new channels: It is rightly named Missouri; for in plain English, it looks like the waters of misery,-or troubled water:-even as the sea which the prophet said, Casts up mire and dirt. With the exception of the skirts of timber upon the streams of water, this region of country is one continued field, or prairie, (as the French have it, meaning meadows,) and there is something ancient as well as grand about it, too; for while the eye takes in a large scope of clear field, or extensive plains, decorated with here and there a patch of timber, like the orchards which beautify the farms in the east, the mind goes back to the day, when the Jaredites were in their glory upon this choice land above all others, and comes on till they, and even the Nephites, were destroyed for their wickedness: Here pause and look to the east, and read the words of the prophet: Wo to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.-The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: and the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
To return: this beautiful region of country is now mostly, excepting Arkansas and Missouri, the land of Joseph or the Indians, as they are called, and embraces three fine climates: First, like that of New-York; second, like Missouri, neither northern nor southern; and third, like the Carolinas. This place may be called the centre [center] of America; it being about an equal distance from Maine, to Nootka sound; and from the gulf of St. Lawrence to the gulf of California; yea, and about the middle of the continent from cape Horn, south, to the head land at Baffin’s Bay, north. The world will never value the land of Desolation, as it is called in the book of Mormon, for any thing more than hunting ground, for want of timber and mill-seats:(See Map Below for a description) The Lord to the contrary notwithstanding, declares it to be the land of Zion which is the land of Joseph, blessed by him, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fulness [fullness] thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together from the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
When we consider that the land of Missouri is the land where the saints of the living God are to be gathered together and sanctified for the second coming of the Lord Jesus, we cannot help exclaiming with the prophet, O land be glad! and O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord: For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou [Jerusalem] shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land [Zion] any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married, [joined together] so that the land of Zion, and the land of Jerusalem will be one, as they were before the days of Peleg: For in his days the earth was divided or separated to receive the oceans, on account of wickedness. Peleg died 305 years after Noah’s flood: Abram’s father was born 210 years after the flood, and Abram 288 after, which brings to mind Joshua’s words unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods. The building of Babel was wickedness, and serving other gods was wickedness: so that dividing, or opening the earth to let in the waters, which were in the beginning gathered unto one place, is one of the Lord’s great miracles, and shows to the world that them that look for signs among the wicked, have them to their own condemnation in all ages.
But, reader, stop and pause at the greatness of God; and remember that even Moses, when on the top of Pisgah, lifted up his eyes and looked westward first, to view the promised land.
Evening and Morning Star Vol. 1 No. 5 October 1832 Page 71
“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, AD. 1827. But, the grand depository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill.” Orson Pratt The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star, Volume 28 July 7, 1866 Page 417
Those who believe in the Mesoamerica Theory don’t believe there is a cave in Cumorah. They only believe there was “A” Hill in New York where Joseph buried the plates. The reason this is so, is because if they said the Cave of Cumorah was in New York, then what would the purpose be of the Mesoamerican Theory? They say Joseph had a dream only about the Cave of records and it was located somewhere in Mexico. Heartlanders believe as Orson Pratt taught, that “the grand depository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill.” (In New York)
These intellectual theorists say, if there was a cave in Cumorah where all the Nephite and Jaredite records were kept, that cave would have to be somewhere in Mexico where all the activity and fighting took place between the Lamanites and Nephites. They still believe after all the wars in Mexico, Moroni traveled 3,797 miles to New York to deposit the plates. This to me is just plain silly.
Apostles have said, “[Joseph] went [into] a Cave in the Hill Comoro with Oliver Cowdry & deposited those plates upon a table or shelf. In that room were deposited a large amount of gold plates containing sacred records… Joseph Smith said that cave contained tons of choice treasures & records.” Wilford Woodruff Journal, 11 December 1869
“Joseph and others… went into a cave in the hill Cumorah, and saw more records than ten men could carry… There were books piled up on tables, book upon book. Those records this people will yet have, if they accept of the Book of Mormon and observe its precepts, and keep the commandments.” Heber C. Kimball
Cumorah- One Hill, Two Depositories!
Moroni’s Stone Box
Mormon’s Cave of Records
Below from the Church Newsroom is some great counsel about our witnesses about Church doctrine. I have felt a wonderful Spirit about the idea that there is only ONE CUMORAH and there are TWO SETS OF PLATES that Joseph translated. I also believe there are TWO SEPARATE DEPOSITORIES in the Hill Cumorah. Utilizing physical evidence, text of the Book of Mormon and feeling a deep spiritual witness, I know the Book of Mormon is true.
“Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.” Newsroom May 2007 THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE FOR NEWS MEDIA, OPINION LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/approaching-mormon-doctrine
A Mesoamerican Blunder
Unfortunately John Sorenson a Mesoamerican theorist said, “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.” John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex (Deseret Book, 2013), p. 688.
The Hill and the Plates
“I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill [Cumorah] for some distance round… At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between… one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.” Oliver Cowdery Letter VII
Cowdery said, “The manner in which the plates were deposited: First, a hole of sufficient depth, (how deep I know not) was dug. At the bottom of this was laid a stone of suitable size, the upper surface being smooth. At each edge was placed a large quantity of cement, and into this cement, at the four edges of this stone, were placed, erect, four others, their bottom edges resting in the cement at the outer edges of the first stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed a box, the corners, or where the edges of the four came in contact, were also cemented so firmly that the moisture from without was prevented from entering.
It is to be observed, also, that the inner surface of the four erect, or side stones was smoothe. This box was sufficiently large to admit a breast-plate, such as was used by the ancients to defend the chest, &c. from the arrows and weapons of their enemy. From the bottom of the box, or from the breast-plate, arose three small pillars composed of the same description of cement used on the edges; and upon these three pillars was placed the record of the children of Joseph, and of a people who left the tower far, far before the days of Joseph… I must not forget to say that this box, containing the record was covered with another stone, the bottom surface being flat and the upper, crowning. But those three pillars were not so lengthy as to cause the plates and the crowning stone to come in contact. I have now given you, according to my promise, the manner in which this record was deposited; though when it was first visited by our brother, in 1823, a part of the crowning stone was visible above the surface while the edges were concealed by the soil and grass, from which circumstances you will see, that however deep this box might have been placed by Moroni at first, the time had been sufficient to wear the earth so that it was easily discovered when once directed, and yet not enough to make a perceivable difference to the passer-by.” Oliver Cowdery, “Letter VIII,” October 1835
“From the bottom of the box, or from the breast-plate, arose three small pillars composed of the same description of cement used on the edges; and upon these three pillars was placed the record of the children of Joseph.” Oliver Cowdery
“The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went there 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.’” Heber C. Kimball, in Journal of Discourses, 4:105.
“After receiving the plates at the hill, the Prophet hid them nearby in a hollow birch log whose tough bark had resisted the forces of decay better than the wood itself. Cutting a hole in the bark and peeling it back, he placed the plates in the cavity of the log thus exposed, then replaced the bark and “laid across the log in several places some old stuff that happened to lie near, in order to conceal, as much as possible, the place in which they were deposited.” (see Joel Tiffany, “Mormonism—No. II,” Tiffany’s Monthly June 1859, 165; Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism [1984], 217 n. 5).
“This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of it was visible above the ground, but the edge all around was covered with earth.” JSH 1:51
“There indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things [Interpreters] with them.’ JSH 1:52
Hill Cumorah Cave
“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.” 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.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877
“President [Heber C.] Kimball talked familiarly to the brethren about Father Smith, [Oliver] Cowdery, and others walking into the hill Cumorah and seeing records upon records piled upon table[s,] they walked from cell to cell and saw the records that were piled up.” Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 5 May 1867
“In his journal, Wilford Woodruff recounted what he had heard Brigham Young say about the cave: President Young said in relation to Joseph Smith returning the Plates of the Book of Mormon that He did not return them to the box from wh[ence?] He had Received [them]. But He went [into] a Cave in the Hill Comoro with Oliver Cowdry & deposited those plates upon a table or shelf. In that room were deposited a large amount of gold plates Containing sacred records & when they first visited that Room the sword of Laban was Hanging upon the wall & when they last visited it the sword was drawn from the scabbard and [laid?] upon a table and a Messenger who was the keeper of the room informed them that that sword would never be returned to its scabbard until the Kingdom of God was Established upon the Earth & until it reigned triumphant over every Enemy. Joseph Smith said that Cave Contained tons of Choice Treasures & records.” Wilford Woodruff Journal, 11 December 1869 Spelling corrected.
Purchase Jonathan Neville’s Books Letter VII- here and Whatever Happened to the Gold Plates- here
Those who believe there is one Hill Cumorah and those who believe there are two Hill Cumorah’s can agree. Whether you believe the Book of Mormon was translated with a stone in a hat, or with the spectacles attached to a breastplate, we can agree. We all agree the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
All Cartoon Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
Whether you love the Book of Mormon as a believer in the Mesoamerica Theory or the Heartland Model or some other theory, you will enjoy taking this brief personal quiz. I admit I am a Heartland follower and I feel it “Just makes sense”. I used to follow the Meso theory for 40 years, but it never made sense. All may feel the spiritual truth of the Book of Mormon as Moroni said, but I also feel you may know the truth about the Geography within the same promise. I believe truth is a simple process and it doesn’t require advanced learning or peer reviewed information. It just exists and “feels right”. I personally don’t know all the answers of my questions below, but how I answer them, just “feels right”. See how you feel!
Send this blog to a friend and see how much you agree with each other. If you do disagree on some issues, then just agree to disagree, but promote the Gospel of Christ either way.
Answer Yes or No
Was Noah’s flood universal and is it a factual event?
Was there any man on this earth before Adam?
Did Man evolve from monkeys?
Are dinosaurs about the age of Adam?
The name Cumorah was spoken by Joseph Smith to his parents in 1827?
Are there two hill Cumorah’s, one in Mexico and one in Ontario, NY?
Did Joseph enter a hill of records at Cumorah, or was it only a vision of a possible place?
Did Joseph Smith write a letter to Emma in 1834 from Illinois that said Joseph was wandering over the plains of the Nephites?
Did Joseph Smith have a vision during Zion’s camp discovery of the bones of Zelph?
Is the City of Zarahemla near present day Montrose Iowa?
Is the USA the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon?
Was Adam placed on the earth near Independence, MO?
Does the history of the Hopewell Indians follow the same dates as the history of the Nephites?
Did the Nephites practice the Law of Moses?
Would the Nephites have sacrificed Lambs, goats, bullocks, and doves, or Llamas, Apes, and Lizards?
Have Hebrew writings and earthworks been found in North America?
Are Eastern Native Americans (Woodland) descendants of the Jews?
Did the Lord send the first missionaries to Lamanites in NY, OH, and MO?
Are there cooper breastplates and head plates found in museums in North America that date to Book of Mormon times?
Did Joseph Smith use the stone in a hat to translate the gold plates?
Can you find any scripture that says Joseph used a stone in a hat?
Did Joseph ever look at the plates to assist him in translation?
Do the historical Adena Indians of North America match the dates of the Jaredites?
Are there 3,000 BC ancient copper smelters found in North America?
Were grapes and wine available in Mesoamerica during Book of Mormon times?
Did Book of Mormon Lamanites keep written records of their history?
Has a modern ship route been discovered to show the possibility of Lehi sailing and landing in Florida?
Did You Know?
1- Joseph’s use of, “these stones, fastened to a breastplate” JSH 1:35 is scripture?
2- Letter I, written by Oliver Cowdery below in red is scripture? See the “*” after JS 1:75 It says the source is “Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14–16.” But the actual source is Letter I from Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps” (Letter I), (September 7, 1834)
*”Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! 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*
JS, History, [Dec. 1834–May 1836?];
“The following section includes transcripts of eight letters Oliver Cowdery wrote in 1834 and 1835 regarding JS’s visions of an angel and his discovery of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon. Cowdery addressed the letters to William W. Phelps and published them as a series in the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate between October 1834 and October 1835. The titles and formatting employed in this history are similar to those in the published series of articles, indicating that the Cowdery letters were copied into the history from the Messenger and Advocate, not from a manuscript version of the letters. Frederick G. Williams could have begun the transcription in JS’s history as early as 6 December 1834, the date of Cowdery’s last historical entry in the preceding section of the history. However, Cowdery probably gave the history to Williams around 2 October 1835, when he gave Williams JS’s journal. On 29 October 1835, JS retrieved the history from Williams and delivered it to Warren Parrish, who continued copying the Cowdery letters. It is likely that Parrish finished copying the letters by early April 1836, when he gave JS’s journal (and presumably the 1834–1836 history along with it) to Warren Cowdery.25
In the first letter, Oliver Cowdery recounted his experiences with JS beginning when the two first met in April 1829. The letter includes an account of the vision he and JS had of John the Baptist, who gave them the authority to baptize. After composing this letter, but before its publication, Cowdery developed a new history-writing plan: he decided that in subsequent letters he would relate the “full history of the rise of the church,” beginning with JS’s early life and visions. As editor of the Messenger and Advocate, Cowdery prefaced the published version of the first letter with an explanation (also transcribed into the history) of the new plan. Although he had no firsthand knowledge of church history prior to April 1829, Cowdery assured his readers that “our brother J. Smith Jr. has offered to assist us. Indeed, there are many items connected with the fore part of this subject that render his labor indispensible.” Some passages in the ensuing narrative seem to have been related to Cowdery by JS, since Cowdery recounts events in which only JS participated.
Cowdery composed the letters to inform the Latter-day Saints of the history of their church, but he also wrote for the non-Mormon public. Employing florid romantic language, frequent scriptural allusions, and much dramatic detail, he clearly intended to present a rhetorically impressive account of early Mormon history. He placed the rise of the church in a dispensational framework, characterizing the time between the end of the New Testament and JS’s early visions as a period of universal apostasy. He included the revivalism of various denominations during the Second Great Awakening, which JS experienced in his youth, as an example of the doctrinal confusion and social disharmony present in Christendom. Throughout the series of letters, he defended JS’s character and that of the Smith family, and his explicitly apologetic statements include apparent allusions to both Alexander Campbell’s Delusions (1832) and Eber Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed (1834). Source: JSP https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/1#full-transcript
3- Why do most people in the Church don’t even know that Oliver Cowdery’s Letter I-VIII even exist?
4- Did you know Letter VII also says there is only ONE Hill Cumorah and that it is a FACT?
“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 Mormon you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Camorah.” Letter VII Here
[Note: Mesoamericanists feel there are two Hill Cumorah’s. One in NY where joseph found the plates and another one in Mexico somewhere, where the final battles were fought. Also, “Camorah” was a typo in the original edition of the Book of Mormon, but it suggests the way Joseph pronounced the word because Oliver wrote phonetically.]
Are any of these Questions Important to you to be Answered?
As you read the scriptures below, are they speaking of you, non-believers, myself, all people, or does it matter? I think it does matter and I challenge each of you to personally reflect within your heart, so we can learn new things by humbling ourselves and pondering these things. Is it your focus to be correct or to teach correct principles?
Timothy 3:7 “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
D&C 121:34 “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, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn…”
I Nephi 11:35 “And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 36 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Joseph Smith Matthew:22 “For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. 23 Behold, I speak these things unto you for the elect’s sake; and you also shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass; but the end is not yet.”
2 Nephi 9:28 “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God…. 42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.”
Have Some fun
The cartoons in this post are all from my great friend Val Chadwick Bagley. For 37 of the past 40 years he has believed in the Mesoamerican Theory and drawn cartoons reflecting that. He now believes in the Heartland Model and is having some fun sharing the differences between the two theories. It is amazing how Val also “just makes sense”. Purchase Val’s products below. Meso fans, just let go of the barriers and have some fun with these.
D&C 121:33 “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.”
Mesoamerican believers and Heartlanders are a huge part of the army of Latter-day Saints in which the Lord will use to get His message out to the world. Are we helping the Lord’s people or hurting them? May we all try to come together in sharing the truth of the Book of Mormon as it testifies of the Savior. Let’s not contend, but instead have fun sharing our differences and let others decide on their own.
Cartoon about an Elder Holland conference talk by Val Chadwick Bagley
I continue to be troubled by the amount of secular learning our children are learning at elementary, junior high, high school, and especially at college. The Critical Race Theory (CRT) is happening everywhere and it is not good. It teaches the Black race of people as always victims and the White race are always aggressors and guilty of racism. There cannot be a unity if there is always racism. This is wrong. The Savior said that we should become one just as He and His Father are one. I have no white guilt and I love all people regardless of their race or creed. Let’s come together in Christ, not become divided.
I do not have a degree in higher education but I have been around the block a few times and have studied hard about life and politics and religion. I am a life long and in good standing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I am thankful for a strong testimony in our Savior and His scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I have always loved BYU and especially their sports. My father graduated from BYU in 1954.
I have become more and more critical of many of the secular doctrines that BYU teaches. It hasn’t affected my testimony or love of the Prophet and Apostles by any means, but my concern is, are children strong in spirit enough to withstand the many secular teachings at BYU? I am not judging the school but I am worried there are so many Professors not just teaching theory such as evolution, but teaching it as doctrine. This is easily provable. BYU Provo and Idaho are certainly fantastic institutions, but don’t expect your children to be shielded by Church doctrine at these schools. There are many wonderful professors but I believe there are are nearly an equal amount of professors that care more about their own intelligence than about sharing Christian values with our children.
“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. PackerElder Packer also said, “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
Church Leaders Gather at BYU’s Life Sciences Building for Dedication
By Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News staff writer2015“There is no conflict between science and religion. Conflict only arises from an incomplete knowledge of either science or religion, or both,” Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said during the dedication of the new Life Sciences Building at Brigham Young University on April 9.
“This university is committed to search for truth and teach the truth,” said Elder Nelson. “All truth is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether truth comes from a scientific laboratory or by revelation from the Lord, it is compatible…”
“Now I will confess a personal prejudice,” he said. “I think that a person can learn more by studying God’s creations than by studying the works of people, even by the most erudite and educated scholars.”
“If the Book of Mormon is true, then America is a choice land, but if it is to remain such the inhabitants of the land must worship the God of the land, the Lord Jesus Christ. The histories of two great nations, told with warning in this sacred volume, indicate that while we must have science, while we must have education, while we must have arms, we also must have righteousness if we are to merit the protection of God.” Gordon B. Hinckley The Power of the Book of Mormon Ensign June 1988
BYU Graduate Receives Diploma Then Opens Her Robe To Show Pride Flag
“Was Elder Holland Prophetic in his BYU talk last summer? “Commandeering the graduation”. Is protesting the LGBTQ policies at BYU protesting the doctrine of the Church? What does the Pride Flag mean to you?” CWIC Media
No Judgement
Personally I don’t feel any special calling to judge any person or any ideology. I simply feel a need to make my readers aware of many challenges that we face personally and many of these challenges are also felt at the Lord’s Universities. I feel very similar to what Elder Packer said. “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. I share bits and pieces of Elder Holland’s inspired talk from August of 2021 below.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Urges BYU to Embrace Its Uniqueness, Stay True to the Savior
Apostle speaks at BYU’s 2021 University Conference
“The Lord’s call [to those of us who serve at BYU] is a . . . call to create learning experiences of unprecedented depth, quality and impact. . . . As good as BYU is and has been, this is a call to do [better]. It is . . . a call to educate many more students, to more . . . effectively help them become true disciples of Jesus Christ, to prepare them to . . . lead in their families, in the Church, in their [professions, and] in a world filled with commotion. . . . But [answering this call] . . . cannot be [done successfully] without His . . . help…” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland BYU’s 2021 University Conference (This quote above is from nearly the end of Elder Holland’s talk that I am quoting from below, but I put it at the beginning as it sets the stage for me as I discuss Elder Holland’s words).Elder Holland continues, “…Imagine the pain that comes with a memo like this one I recently received. These are just a half-dozen lines from a two-page document:
“You should know,” the writer says, “that some people in the extended community are feeling abandoned and betrayed by BYU. It seems that some professors (at least the vocal ones in the media) are supporting ideas that many of us feel are contradictory to gospel principles, making it appear to be about like any other university our sons and daughters could have attended. Several parents have said they no longer want to send their children here or donate to the school…”
“Please don’t think I’m opposed to people thinking differently about policies and ideas,” the writer continues. “I’m not. But I would hope that BYU professors would be bridging those gaps between faith and intellect and would be sending out students that are ready to do the same in loving, intelligent and articulate ways. Yet, I fear that some faculty are not supportive of the Church’s doctrines and policies and choose to criticize them publicly. There are consequences to this. After having served a full-time mission and marrying her husband in the temple, a friend of mine recently left the church. In her graduation statement on a social media post, she credited [such and such a BYU program and its faculty] with the radicalizing of her attitudes and the destruction of her faith.”[6]
“But it will assist everyone in providing such help if things can be kept in some proportion and balance in the process. For example, we have to be careful that love and empathy do not get interpreted as condoning and advocacy, or that orthodoxy and loyalty to principle not be interpreted as unkindness or disloyalty to people. As near as I can tell, Christ never once withheld His love from anyone, but He also never once said to anyone, ‘Because I love you, you are exempt from keeping my commandments.’ We are tasked with trying to strike that same sensitive, demanding balance in our lives…
Elder Holland says, “My beloved brothers and sisters, “a house divided against itself . . . cannot stand,”[12] and I will go to my grave pleading that this institution not only stands but stands unquestionably committed to its unique academic mission and to the Church that sponsors it. We hope it isn’t a surprise to you that your Trustees are not deaf or blind to the feelings that swirl around marriage and the whole same-sex topic on campus. I and many of my Brethren have spent more time and shed more tears on this subject than we could ever adequately convey to you this morning, or any morning. We have spent hours discussing what the doctrine of the Church can and cannot provide the individuals and families struggling over this difficult issue. So, it is with scar tissue of our own that we are trying to avoid — and hope all will try to avoid — language, symbols, and situations that are more divisive than unifying at the very time we want to show love for all of God’s children…
I conclude Elder Holland’s talk with this quote by him. “..We have to be careful that love and empathy do not get interpreted as condoning and advocacy, or that orthodoxy and loyalty to principle not be interpreted as unkindness or disloyalty to people. As near as I can tell, Christ never once withheld His love from anyone, but He also never once said to anyone, “Because I love you, you are exempt from keeping my commandments.” We are tasked with trying to strike that same sensitive, demanding balance in our lives.” Source: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-jeffrey-r-holland-2021-byu-university-conferenceBYU Open Letter to Faculty, Students, & Parents on Radicalization & CRT
Cwic Media
On It’s Way To Becoming Rampant, BYU Has Some Bad Apples Visit our Website here: http://www.cwicmedia.com
To the Academics, Intellectuals, Scholars and Students
Several years ago President Ezra Taft Benson spoke to you and said: “It has come to our attention that some of our teachers, particularly in our university programs, are purchasing writings from known apostates … in an effort to become informed about certain points of view or to glean from their research. You must realize that when you purchase their writings or subscribe to their periodicals, you help sustain their cause. We would hope that their writings not be on your seminary or institute or personal bookshelves. We are entrusting you to represent the Lord and the First Presidency to your students, not the views of the detractors of the Church” (The Gospel Teacher and His Message [address delivered to Church Educational System personnel, 17 Sept. 1976], p. 12.) The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. PackerDo not yield your faith in payment for an advanced degree or for the recognition and acclaim of the world. Do not turn away from the Lord nor from his Church nor from his servants. You are needed—oh, how you are needed! It may be that you will lay your scholarly reputation and the acclaim of your colleagues in the world as a sacrifice upon the altar of service. They may never understand the things of the Spirit as you have a right to do. They may not regard you as an authority or as a scholar. Just remember, when the test came to Abraham, he didn’t really have to sacrifice Isaac. He just had to be willing to. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer
“There is no need to learn about communism in order to avoid it,” Some argue. But this counsel can help keep our people in ignorance and apparently flies in the face of the inspired counsel of President McKay who said,
“I believe that only through a truly educated citizenry can the ideals that inspired the Founding Fathers of our nation be preserved and perpetuated.” (“Church News,” March 13, 1954; quoted in Newquist, op. cit., p. 178.)
And then President McKay said that one of the “four fundamental elements in such an education” was the “open and forcible teaching of the facts regarding communism as an enemy to God and to individual freedom.” (“Church News,” March 13, 1954; quoted in Newquist, op. cit., p. 181.)
STEVEN PECK BIOLOGY
“I love being a part of the diversity committee in the College of Life Sciences. Helping students to become actively antiracist is one of the most important things I’ve done as a BYU faculty member. The affirmation Black Lives Matter has helped me see the importance of working towards a more inclusive BYU for all its students.” Steven Peck COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES DIVERSITY COMMITEE BYU Impact Magazine page 27
This troublesome Newsweek article by Steven Peck still disturbs me after all these years. Read it below.
Is Evolution Real? Christians Should Embrace Darwin’s Theories, Mormon College Professor Says
BY KATE SHERIDAN ON 3/1/18
Also a very concerning article in LDS living is from an intelligent member of the church who affiliates with Bok of Mormon Central and other apologetic groups, here called 5 Answers to Difficult Questions About Noah and the Flood.
Back to the article at COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES DIVERSITY COMMITEE BYU Impact Magazine page 27
“An evolutionary biologist who teaches at a college owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said that Mormons should feel comfortable accepting the theory of evolution, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported.
Brigham Young University biologist Steven Peck gave the Eugene England Memorial Lecture at Utah Valley University, a publicly-funded school, on Thursday. At the address, he delved into the rift between science and religion.” Read the entire article here:
“The data shown here reveal a shift toward acceptance by LDS youth of evolutionary theory as a valid explanation for current life on earth. While human evolution is still something of an issue, there has been a dramatic decrease in conflict in comparison with the views of college students of two to three decades ago. As explanations, the data support the influence of an improved K-12 educational experience, a reduction in negative messaging from people in authority within the religious organization, and the positive effects of a strong BYU science education in a faith-friendly manner, which we suggest can be transmitted as a generational legacy. Students both previous and current have responded with approval of both the theoretical framework and empirical evidence for evolution when presented in an instructional strategy that clarifies the authoritative position of their church and encourages reconciliation of faith and science. These data are specific to those of the LDS faith, some aspects of which may be unique (i.e. close adherence of the membership to authoritative pronouncements of any current church leadership, a unity of belief and standardized religious practice in congregations world-wide, and highly effective programs of religious education for youth at both the family and ecclesiastical levels). On the other hand, a case can be made for generalization. The BYU population represents students of a Christian faith whose teachings are informed by Biblical scripture (including the precept of divine creation), with notorious cultural (but not doctrinal) barriers to evolution, a case similar to many other conservative religions. As a result, we believe our findings can be applied more broadly, used as an “ecological case study,” whose results can be replicated with students of other religious affiliations. As “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” [78], the fact that trends are changing among one of the most resistant populations in America should serve as a point of encouragement for life science educators from all institutions.” Bold added The Church and BYU: An evolution — of evolution
“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. PackerI would simply say, be aware of evil being taught as good and good being taught as evil. Do your due-diligence and seek for that which is true by study and prayer.
“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?
Actual Letter in the JSP from Joseph to Emma. Handwriting of James p. Mulholland
Joseph Near the Mississippi at Atlas, Illinois wrote this letter to Emma.. Joseph said, roving over the mounds and picking up Nephite bones in this area, is PROOF of the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Only a Mesoamerican in a bubble could think differently. Why deny it, embrace it my intellectual friends.
Mark Wright a Mesoamerican friend once wrote while trying to downplay Joseph’s letter spoken of above saying, “in a letter to his wife Emma dated June 4, 1834, he gave a general account of what they encountered on their excursion:” That’s about all he said. Does Mark mean generally true or generally false, or he doesn’t know? What did they encounter on their excursion? Bones of real Nephites? Did they really see physical mounds? Did Joseph really say this, “proof of [the Book of Mormon’s] divine authenticity?” Yes, and Yes. So, Joseph spoke a FACT, not a FEELING. Joseph spoke the truth and I believe Joseph, and I know that Joseph knows that the plains of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon are in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Joseph Smith Papers
You can either believe Joseph or believe historians of BYU or intellectual professors who are more interested in staying a member of thier own group think, than they are of researching truth. If BYU and the leading LDS scientists had spent millions and millinos of dollars of research in the heartland, as they have in Mexico, we may know the truth by now.
With the help of the Heartland Group, Wayne May, Dr. John Lefgren, Mike and Betty Lafontaine, Dr. Kevin Price and many others, we ARE finally spending some independent money from donors in search of the true Zarahemla near Montrose Iowa. We are also researching the Phoenicia Replica Ship’s voyage, which proves a possible route from the Old World to Florida that very likely says it’s possible for Lehi to land in Florida in about 589 BC. in a 600 BC sailing ship. See their efforts here. zarahemla.site
Rod Meldrum Asks, “Why do Intellectuals conflate when Joseph Smith does or does not have a revelation? The Mission to the Lamanites as declared and described by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants clearly reflects that Joseph sent the missionaries to the areas revealed and directed by the Lord. The scriptures imply that not only were they to preach to the Native Americans on this North American continent, but that they are a remnant of the seed of Lehi and “Lamanites” as described in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.” Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises page 94
Rod Meldrum Endorses, “These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate”
“Foundational to the Restoration is the validity of the translation of the Book of Mormon. The primary editors, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey, maintained that the process was accomplished using an instrument provided centuries in advance by the Lord for the very purpose of sacred inspired translation. Some detractors claimed that Joseph abandoned the
Lord’s instrument, the Urim and Thummim, for a more convenient stone in a hat. The Lord Himself in several revelations validated Joseph’s use of this instrument. Yet modern historians point to hostile witnesses to bolster their stone in the hat (SITH) narrative. Rian explores important new insights into this critical aspect of Church History.” Rod Meldrum Endorsement page i, “These Stones Fastened to a Breastplate” by Rian Nelson.
Mr. Meldrum continues to say, “The writers of the articles at fairlds.org and Book of Mormon Central, have concluded that perhaps these revelations were not directly from the Lord but just Joseph’s choice of words and therefore cannot be taken at face value without secondary interpretation. FAIR writes: “Many readers assume that revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants in which Joseph Smith speaks in “God’s voice” are direct “quotations” from God. Joseph didn’t claim to be hearing a voice, and he didn’t claim to be quoting God or “taking dictation.” Rather, impressions would come to him, which he would put into words. Joseph clearly did not consider them “direct quotations” from God, since he was quite happy to revise them, edit them later, etc.…This means that “Lamanites” to describe the American Indians was Joseph’s word choice.” It would appear that there is a need by FAIR to maintain a legitimacy for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) by also writing “The few personal statements he made on Book of Mormon geography indicate that he believed it took place on a hemispheric scale, so it would be natural for him to believe that all Native Americans were pure descendants of Laman, and hence were literal “Lamanites.” See also http://en.fairmormon.org/ Lamanites in the Doctrine and Covenants” Note 54 by Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises
The Book of Mormon is- A REAL HISTORY!
Why are more and more people of the world claiming that Noah’s flood was fictional or just a good story? More people are saying that Adam wasn’t the first man on this earth. Why are more and more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claiming that the Book of Mormon contains a lot of great parables that aren’t real stories, but just parables that can teach us good things? Is the Bible the Word of God? We answer yes as far as it is translated correctly. We do know however that the stories in the Bible are actual accounts of real people in real places, just as the Book of Mormon is.
Why would we believe anything else? Because Satan’s plan is in full force. Remember this is Satan’s world right now. It won’t be Christ’s until the second coming. The craftiness of man is constantly being mixed with scripture and folklore. The “Great and Spacious building” is truly coming from the halls of academia. Many intellectuals continue pointing their fingers at humble followers of God from the heights of those house’s of cards. “Who’s on the Lord’s side who?” There are “save two churches”, one that speaks the truth of the Savior and all others who teach of man and his so-called wisdom.
Educated Men
“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.)
How You Can Know the Truth of Book of Mormon Geography
“Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.” LDS Newsroom 4 MAY 2007
“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 ability to 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
I’m Not Neutral
Click to enlarge a Heartland version of the Book of Mormon
As you read this recent blog of Jonathan’s, don’t be discouraged, be bold! Don’t allow fear to affect your faith! The truth shall be known and we must continue steadfastly in living and teaching the truth of the Book of Mormon to the world. The Book of Mormon is real and true and it speaks of one amazing hill Cumorah in upstate New York. The “Plains of the Nephites” as Joseph said to Emma are in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, in the United States of America. I don’t speak for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I do speak of common sense and truth as I understand it. I love this Church and the Brethren are true messengers of Christ. The Church remains neutral on geography, but they didn’t say I had to be. I know the land spoken of in the Book of Mormon, is the United States of America, and I am so blessed to live in this country. May we continue to share this true message of the Book of Mormon with the world.
Only 49% of LDS believe Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account? by Jonathan Neville
“Jana Reiss published a fascinating detail recently about the beliefs of Church members about whether the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account:
More religiously orthodox. Utah Mormons were more devout on almost every testimony question. These differences were less pronounced on questions of basic Christian belief (God, Jesus, etc.) and more visible on specifically Mormon questions about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the role of apostles and prophets today. For example, there’s a twenty-point difference between the Utah Mormons who strongly agree that the Book of Mormon is a “literal, historical account” (69%) and the non-Utah Mormons who do (49%). In many cases on these testimony questions, non-Utah folks would choose the second option of “somewhat” agree rather than “strongly” agree. So it doesn’t mean they don’t believe in Mormon teachings, but they may hold them less tightly than Utah Mormons tend to.
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This indicates that 1/3 of devout Utah Mormons don’t strongly believe the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account, and less than 1/2 of non-Utah Mormons believe that.
I suspect that the difference between the Utah and non-Utah Mormons is partly attributable to Utah Mormons having fewer interactions with people who challenge their faith in the Book of Mormon; i.e., they let bias confirmation guide them.
Those who make inquiries on the Internet quickly realize that outside of a handful of M2C intellectuals and their followers, no Mesoamerican scholars see any links between actual Mayan culture and the Book of Mormon. As I’ve shown many times, the so-called “correspondences” touted by the M2C intellectuals are illusory and unpersuasive to those who are outside the M2C bubble..
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The difference could also be attributed to demographics; i.e., non-Utah Mormons are generally younger, and younger LDS are less likely to believe the Book of Mormon is a literal history because of what LDS youth are being taught in CES and at BYU.
As LDS youth go through CES and BYU and learn the Book of Mormon by referring to the fantasy map, even fewer will believe it is a literal, historical account.
BYU fantasy map that teaches the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah This map is the work of fine scholars at BYU who claim it is the best representation of the geography-related passages in the text. Of course, they really mean it’s the best representation of their M2C-driven interpretation; other interpretations of the text fully support the teachings of the prophets.
BYU fantasy map that teaches the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah
Church members must realize that these fine scholars also teach that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah. That’s why, in their map, they place Cumorah at the upper part of this fantasy map, as far from the real-world New York as possible.
This BYU map has been taught for several years now. Every new student has to learn this map in their introductory Book of Mormon classes. CES uses a similar map.
My question is, how could any trusting youth in the Church believe the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account when his/her CES/BYU teachers claim a fantasy map is the best fit for the geography?
Especially when these CES/BYU teachers are telling the youth that the prophets are wrong?
_____
The M2C intellectuals, who claim to have been hired by the prophets to guide the Church, do, in fact, seem to be guiding the Church through their influence on the youth.
The inevitable result of this course will be rejection of the historicity of the Book of Mormon. What impact will that have? I’ll discuss that in an upcoming post.
_____
Meanwhile, let’s consider what course we’re on.
The de-literalizing of the Book of Mormon became apparent to me when I took a closer look at the lesson manuals, the CES/BYU curriculum, the Saints book, the visitors centers, etc. These all repudiate the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. I attribute all of those to the M2C Church employees.
True, members of the Quorum of the Twelve do approve all of this, at some level. But they can only review what the employees show them, and the employees only show them M2C approved material.
So far, not one Apostle or President of the Church has repudiated or even questioned the teachings of prior prophets about the New York Cumorah.
_____
Lately, lds.org has linked to the groups who are promoting the fictional fantasy maps of the Book of Mormon. At BYU Education Week, they offer courses in Lessons from the Book of Mormon and Lessons from the Chronicles of Narnia back-to-back.
And it has been 40 years since anyone speaking in General Conference declared the Book of Mormon is a real history.
When I go back and re-read the conference talks and other messages, they mostly emphasize the content of the book, not it’s historical reality. The parables in the Bible are discussed in the same way; i.e., stories that teach true principles.
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Of course we all stipulate that the message of the Book of Mormon is more important than its history, but it is the literal, divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon–its historicity–that makes it a miraculous manifestation of God’s involvement with the world. As an inspired parable, it may have power like the Biblical parables, but the power of the book is, in my view, greatly diminished.
The Church History Department is instructing their staff and volunteers to tell people that Joseph never actually used the plates; instead, he kept them covered with a cloth while he read the words on a stone in a hat. Now Skousen and Carmack are saying Joseph didn’t even translate the plates, an idea that is getting zero pushback from Church leaders and a warm welcome from the intellectuals, in part because it corroborates their view that Joseph Smith was merely an ignorant farm-boy speculator who misled the Church about the New York Cumorah.
People tell me that when they ask Church leaders about Book of Mormon geography, the standard response is “We don’t talk about that.” That’s also the response missionaries are instructed to give whenever the question arises.
I realize the historicity doesn’t matter to those who already want to believe; bias confirmation always conquers lack of evidence. I’m more interested in the people who want at least some touchstone with reality.
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During his lifetime, Joseph Smith emphasized the literal, historical reality of the Book of Mormon. He helped Oliver Cowdery write Letter VII, which teaches it was a fact that the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites took place in the valley west of the hill Cumorah in western New York and that the repository of Nephite records (Mormon 6:6) was in the same hill. Joseph endorsed Letter VII and made sure it was widely distributed so all Church members could read it.
Today, few Church members have ever heard of Letter VII.
Instead, they’re learning that the Book of Mormon took place in a fictional fantasyland.
“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 this 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
“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 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)
Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders Yod-Hey-Vau (Ojibwa Tongue) The Creator’s Son Deity or God Son of the Right Hand Egyptian Discovery of AmericaPurchase today
The special LDS editions of the Ancient American contain approx. 39 pages each, covering a wide variety of topics from Native American Traditions, Archeological evidence of the Book of Mormon in North America, and writings from Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon leaving no doubt that America is the “The Promise Land” of the scriptures.
References:
Annals of the Cakchiquels. Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, published by University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. OK. 1953, Translated by Della Goetz
Book of Mormon, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Christ in North America, published by Resource Communications Inc., Tigard, OR, 1963, Delbert W. Curtis
Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, published by Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1997, Professor Terry O’Brien
Gospel of the Great Spirit, published by Morning Star Pub, Zion. USA. 1990. Joshua M. Bennett
He Walked the Americas, published by Legend Press, Amherst, WI, 1963. L. Taylor Hansen
History of the Ojibwa People, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, St.Paul, MN. 1984, William W. Warren
Holy Bible, King James Version, Old and New Testament, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Ancient American Volume l, Issue #5, Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April 1994, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, David A. Deal
Ancient American Volume 2, Issue #9, Inca Stone, March/April 1995, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, Kenneth Moore.
IN 1982, a discovery apparently unrelated to the Michigan tablets was alleged to have been made by Mr. Russell Burrows of Olney, Illinois. He claims to have found a cave in the southern part of his state loaded with the treasures of foreign visitors who crossed the seas from the Near East, Europe and Africa about 2,000 years ago.
He claims the site is also a rich repository of stone records belonging to some unknown people who possessed a high level of culture. I have known Mr. Burrows since 1993, and compiled a photographic library of some of his items, which number over 2,000 such stones. I personally examined about half of them, and have concluded they are authentic artifacts. Although he refuses to divulge the location of his cave, the sheer number and sometimes fine workmanship of the artifacts he allegedly took from the site tend to support their identification as genuine artifacts.
Even so, many of my fellow diffusionists have condemned the Burrows Cave finds as part of a hoax. Admittedly, the tangle of frustrating obstacles, legal and otherwise, preventing any kind of access to the location’s whereabouts have disenchanted very many investigators. But the full story of Burrows Cave, while yet to be told, is gradually unfolding with the gradual release of objects never before seen, and someday we may learn everything there is to know about this site. There may be a parallel here with the Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in 1948. Even now, a complete accounting of this find has still not been disclosed to the public.
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Mr. Burrows telephoned me two years ago to say that he had purposely withheld some inscribed stones from sale because of the imagery they featured; namely, identifiably Christian scenes, mostly Old Testament. He was uncomfortable with these items, because he feared critics would use such obvious themes to further debunk his discovery. Mr. Burrows knew some Indians had knowledge of Old World traditions and Old Testament stories. But what concerned him was, as he put it, “the Jesus stones.”
At my request, he sent me photographs of them, and I was able to compare their images of evidently Old Testament themes with similar representations found on the Michigan tablets. I was astonished to notice that both sets not only featured scenes of Jesus Christ, but also the same “Mystic Symbol.” The same symbol appears in southern Illinois 62 years after the last published information concerning the Michigan mound builders using this identical mark. Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Michigan artifacts were excavated from 1848 to the 1920’s, compared with the 6,000 to 7,000 Burrows Cave stones of southern Illinois removed between 1982 and 1986. These fundamental facts render any possibility for either collection being a hoax extremely remote, if not impossible.
The predominant glyph found on the Burrows Cave objects is the so-called “Helios symbol,” coined by epigrapher, Paul Shaffranke. Even this important character is found in conjunction with the Michigan symbol to suggest some type of inter-action between these two otherwise distinct groups. Maybe these glyphs have the same meaning. There appear to have been vital differences between these two groups of ancient Americans: non-Christian imagery dominates the Burrows Cave stones.
Still, there are legitimate doubts among our own diffusionist supporters concerning these “Christ stones,” due largely to some relatively minor variations in the placement of glyphs, together with the anomalous appearance of a particular symbol on the Michigan objects. Clearly, much work still needs to be done in any comparisons of these two diverse collections. But the evidence of the Michigan Tablets and Burrows Cave stones suggests that some fundamentally important culture-bearer visited our Western Hemisphere in pre-Columbian times. Was it actually the Christ? Or one of his disciples? Whatever his true identity, the arrival of this person left a deep impact on the tribal memories of Native Americans. Their “Yod-hey-vah” is remarkably similar to the biblical Je-ho-vah who seems to be portrayed throughout the Michigan plates.Was the East Star Man and Peace-Maker known to so many indigenous North American tribes really Jesus Christ? Perhaps the imminent translation of the Illinois and Michigan artifacts will answer that question. Following is a partial listing of the oral traditions of the Dawn God, Peacemaker, East Star Man, the Pale One, etc., from He Walked the Americas, by L. Taylor Hansen, Legend Press, Amherst, Wisconsin, twentieth printing 1994, @ with permission —
“Tribes of Oklahoma territory:
Today the name of Oklahoma, translated from the native language, means the Land of the Red Man. Here was a large and powerful city, whose crests showed an interesting history, and to this metropolis came the Healer. Here He once more changed the temples, chose from the priesthood His twelve disciples, and lectured to all the people…He told them that He was born across the ocean, in a land where all men were bearded. In this land He was born of a virgin on a night when a bright star came out of the heavens and stood over His city. Here, too, the heavens opened and down came winged beings singing chants of exquisite beauty… To them he was known as Chee-Zoos, the Dawn God, ..for well they know He watches over them, and that when their Journey here is over He will meet them in the land of Shadows, for such was His sacred promise.
For the region of the Mississippi during the golden days of the Healer, Decoodah palnts us a fairly clear picture. Those we now call the Great Mound Builders, were tribes speaking the word-:family and branches of the Algonkin language. These were the Ancients of the country. In the days of the Great Mound Builders, these mounds marked the sites of the cities. The mounds were a sort of writing, a manner of recording passing history, a royal marriage, a dynasty ended. They were to be read from the inside outward, and about them swirled the cities. One had an even longer history than the modern town of London. The mounds were probably faced with lumber and then painted in brilliant colour, perhaps to resemble those of the Mayans with whom they seemed to have some commerce. In fact that commerce may have been extensive since there was much mining in Michigan.
To this happy and peaceful land came the Great White Robed Master with His sea-grey eyes and His golden sandals. Here too, we find the only relics probably touched by his hands or possibly fashioned under his personal direction.
In the Spiro Mound in Oklahoma, opened carefully in the practiced manner of all university excavations, was found the symbol of the hand with the great T-Cross through its center. There has also been recovered much pottery with winged beings not unlike the angels singing.
In the Indian mound of Pittsfield was found three pages of parchment now held in old Harvard, upon which were quotations from the Old Testament, written in Archaic Hebrew.
About eight miles southeast of Newark, the father of Bancroft, Indian recorder of untold legends, speaks of finding the only engraved stone pictograph of the white-robed teacher. About His head, in Ancient Hebrew were the words of the Ten commandments. His hair and beard are well pictured as well as His flowing robe…
How many other mounds have been plowed and leveled, and their contents scattered which the Red Men held as holy, planting trees of the sacred cedar upon them to keep them safe through two millennia? True the invasion of the Serpents from perhaps 700AD. onward, coming up the Mississippi in their long snake-painted dugouts, carrying their sacred fire, brought an end to peaceful living, and brought with them war and pillage and the priesthood of the Sacrificers. Yet they turned away from the hills of cedar, seeing the symbols of the Healer.
Eastern Tribes speak:
The Algonkin of the Eastern Seaboard, when asked how they got their name for the Dawn Light, say that it was the name of the Pale One. They would not give Him their own name, as He had asked them, for to Him names meant nothing and He allowed each tribe to name Him. They asked instead His name in childhood when He lived across the ocean. The name He gave them was a strange one, hard to say in their liquid language, so today they try hard to say it: Chee-Zoos, God of the Dawn Light.
The Algonkin of the Great Lakes remember well the pale Great Master. The Chippewa say He gave them many medicine lodges whose signs and symbols are secret, fashioned from those across the ocean, and even today they hold this secret know1edge.
Even the proud Dacootah, they of the Turtle Totem, leading north the line of Serpents, often their age-old migration, recall in long-lost adoration the sacred name of the pale-faced Healer.
“It was long ago that we knew Him. He gave to us our rite of baptism, many of our lodges, and our rites of purification. When He came to us the days were warmer; the sun cast down shorter shadows. Well do we remember how He foretold the coming of the white man, and other predictions; We have backslid from His teachings, but to Him we dance the Sun Dance. We remember Great Wakona well.”
Tribes of the Great Lakes:
Besides the shores of Mishee-gahme-gahme (Lake Superior) is the forest still called Sacred, in the state called Michigan….let us speak of the Prophet.
“He was bearded, and pale of feature-without doubt a White Man. His eyes were as grey-green as still green water, and just as changeable in their colour. He came to us one day at dawning and the light touched His hair with the sheen of red-gold- until it shone like newly-mined copper. Yet He was not as the men of your people. This one was a god, with high soul-stature. If He touched a man who was wounded, that one became healed.
His robe was long and white down to the hemline which almost hid His golden sandals. Everyone wished to make Him white robes, for then He would leave behind the old ones, and all that He touched was enchanted with His god-like power of healing.”
“…He came alone. He organized the churches, changed the temples, taught the priesthood. Some say He taught them a secret language with certain signs of greeting. I know not.”
“…He came to us when we had cities more than a thousand winters before the days of the Black Robes and the Long Knives…
“… The ruins have been scattered by White Men.”
“…The city which we call sacred is not far from here. Its history is longer than that of England’s London…”
“…Once we had books and priests to read them, but those were times long distant in the past. Books are of stuff which can be swept to oblivion. Since then we have placed our stories in the chants of our people, but now even these are being forgotten…..”
“Coming North from our Capitol, City, where the Mississippi meets the Missouri, in the long-boats of the traders, the Prophet made His journey toward the City we called Sacred. This was an ancient metropolis. Before we built its Mound of Extinction. after the Great Civil War of the Turtles, ninety-six dynasties of rulers had lived their long and eventful history. Like the Capitol, it too…had buildings built upon great crests… This city was called Sacred because it was in the center of the Cross of Waters from whence ran the rivers to the Four Oceans. East to the Sunrise ran the waters, and Northward to the Sea of Dancing Lights; to the West beyond the Great Divide the waters ran to the Sea of the Sunset, while the Missouri and Mississippi ran to the Southern Sea, the Sea of the Karibs… to this, the City of the Great Cross of Waters, up the river called Father of Waters, one golden morning came the Healer…The streets were covered with flowers strewn in homage on the path before Him as He walked toward the Temple. Greatly beloved now was the Pale God, known as the Lord of Wind and Water. His every move bespoke His kindness; His very touch revealed His divinity; and before Him all the people bowed down. Through the rows of worshippers He moved to the Temple, in quiet solemnity, holding up His hand in blessing-that hand with the strange palm-marking, for through it was engraved the True Cross which He had taken as His Symbol. There at the Temple He abode among us, though He often rode away with the merchants, or more often walked to distant villages, holding in His hand His great staff and stopping to speak with all the people, from the aged to the children.”
Even non-religious scholars recognize Jesus of Nazareth as an historical figure. But did he actually arrive in the Americas? The evidence for at least his followers establishing an important, even populous outpost in the North American Midwest, however, is rich with artifacts from both Michigan and Illinois. Moreover, the same recurring theme may be traced to the pre-Columbian peoples of North, Central and South America, implying that the culture bearer they memorialized was a real person. In rejecting such evidence, arbitrarily dismissing both the Michigan Tablets and Burrows Cave stones as “fakes,” persistent questions about the Christ-like visitor grow even more difficult to understand.
In the New Testament, Christ refers to other people and places he must go when He says:
“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold. and one shepherd.” – King James version, John 10:16.
When did He go and visit these other people? If one concludes that there is something to the legends and stories of the inhabitants of Native America, then their visitor begins to bear a certain resemblance to Jesus as He is depicted in the New Testament.
In Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, author T. J. O’Brien writes:
“One might argue, if Christ did not come here, how does one explain the religious use by New World natives of vestments, the cross, chants, rituals, incense, ceremonial objects. infant baptism, and great works of religious art: statues and paintings, also identified with Christianity? “
References:
Annals of the Cakchiquels. Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, published by University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. OK. 1953, Translated by Della Goetz
Book of Mormon, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Christ in North America, published by Resource Communications Inc., Tigard, OR, 1963, Delbert W. Curtis
Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, published by Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1997, Professor Terry O’Brien
Gospel of the Great Spirit, published by Morning Star Pub, Zion. USA. 1990. Joshua M. Bennett
He Walked the Americas, published by Legend Press, Amherst, WI, 1963. L. Taylor Hansen
History of the Ojibwa People, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, St.Paul, MN. 1984, William W. Warren
Holy Bible, King James Version, Old and New Testament, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Ancient American Volume l, Issue #5, Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April 1994, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, David A. Deal
Ancient American Volume 2, Issue #9, Inca Stone, March/April 1995, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, Kenneth Moore.
References:
Annals of the Cakchiquels. Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, published by University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. OK. 1953, Translated by Della Goetz
Book of Mormon, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Christ in North America, published by Resource Communications Inc., Tigard, OR, 1963, Delbert W. Curtis
Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, published by Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1997, Professor Terry O’Brien
Gospel of the Great Spirit, published by Morning Star Pub, Zion. USA. 1990. Joshua M. Bennett
He Walked the Americas, published by Legend Press, Amherst, WI, 1963. L. Taylor Hansen
History of the Ojibwa People, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, St.Paul, MN. 1984, William W. Warren
Holy Bible, King James Version, Old and New Testament, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987
Ancient American Volume l, Issue #5, Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April 1994, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, David A. Deal
Ancient American Volume 2, Issue #9, Inca Stone, March/April 1995, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, Kenneth Moore.
Wayne May and Rod Meldrum are both known to have been instrumental in the research and development of many evidences found in North America that indicate strong possibilities that Book of Mormon events occurred right here in North America, known as the Heartland Model of Geography. They have been friends for many years and support each other on their witness that the Book of Mormon is indeed the word of God and it is their goal to share it with all to bring others unto Christ. Purchase the book, “The Mystic Symbol: Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders, by Henriette Mertz here.
Wayne N. May was born and raised in Wisconsin. He is a 49 year convert to the LDS Church and has served in four Branch Presidencies, three Elder Quorum Presidencies, Seminary Instructor, Gospel Doctrine Instructor, Veil worker at the Oakdale Minnesota Temple, and currently is serving as Gospel Doctrine Teacher of the Menomonie Wisconsin Branch, Oakdale, Minnesota Stake. His wife Kristine is active with Wayne in the archaeological discoveries of the Midwest. Together they publish the quarterly magazine Ancient American which has been in continuous print for 30 years and covers the pre-Columbian Americas. Wayne and Kristine are the parents of seven children, and grandparents to twenty two. Wayne is author of five books on the subject of Book of Mormon Archaeology in North America. They are titled; This Land: Zarahemla and the Nephite Nation; This Land: Only One Cumorah; This Land: They Came from the EAST; book four is This Land: America 2,000 B.C. to 500 A.D and book five is This Land: Willard’s Cumorah Land. (Purchase Below). Wayne gives firesides to members and non-members alike, wherever he is invited to present. He has been presenting information on the topic of North America’s archaeological data from New York to California since 1994 which demonstrates how it applies to the Book of Mormon timeline and *diffusion in the Western Hemisphere.
CHRIST IN NORTH AMERICA? – (Part I) Wayne May
“Traditions of a mysterious, bearded visitor from overseas have been current across our continent since pre-Columbian times. The universal image of this man, depicted as an influential religious leader, has fascinated me for twenty years, during which time I conducted my investigations among every Native American willing to discuss his or her tribal history with me. Through them I learned that the mythic memory of this light-skinned (often referred to as white-skinned), robed man occurs in ancient myth among numerous Indian peoples.
But his story is found most frequently in North American legends, which reveal more information about his appearance and the nature of his arrival. In Middle and South America, he was known, respectively, as the “Feathered Serpent” (the Mayas’ Kukulcan and Aztec Quetzalcoatl), and “Sea Foam”, Kon-Tiki-Viracocha, to the Incas. North of the Rio Grande River, he is generally referred to as East Star Man, Peace Maker, Pale One, Dawn Star, etc.
Native accounts tell of his arrival from the direction of the rising sun, after which he set up a priesthood among his followers, known as the “Wau-pa-nu” (the spelling is phonetic). They were said to have healed the sick and instituted new laws. Blood sacrifice was forbidden and replaced by the use of tobacco, today an important element in all traditional Native American ceremonies. Among many eastern tribes, East Star Man is regarded as the son of the Great Spirit, the Creator.
I first learned of this Son of the Great Spirit from Ricardo Baeza, an Ojibwa medicine man in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He approached me after my lecture about the Michigan Plates. Collectively, they were associated with Daniel Soper and Father Savage, early preservers of a large group of copper artifacts and stone tablets unearthed from numerous mounds throughout the state of Michigan, beginning in the late 1800s.
The objects, today scattered across the United States and Canada in mostly private collections, feature portrayals of familiar scenes from mostly the Old Testament and three or more, undeciphered, written scripts, together with depictions of what appear to be persons from Europe or Near East in hostile interaction with Native Americans. Although condemned out of hand as fraudulent by the archaeologists, the so-called “Michigan Plates” or “Soper Savage Collections” continue to intrigue independent antiquarians, who believe the artifacts were made by an Old World religious community in the upper Mid-west during the 4th Century A.D or earlier. In the 1950s, Henrietta Mertz was the first researcher to identify the “tribal mark or mystic symbol” which commonly appears throughout the collection.
Following my Golden Valley slide presentation of the Michigan Plates, Mr. Baeza told me that he could actually read some of the glyphs that appeared on the Soper-Savage tablets, explaining that their symbolic meaning was part of his tribe’s sacred tradition. He added that the so-called “mystic symbol” represented the name of the Creator’s son, pronounced in the Ojibwa tongue (reading the cuneiform characters from right to left) as “Yod-hey-vay”. This name, he said really has an additional syllable, buthe fourth is pronounced only once ayear in a sacred ceremony and then only by a tribal holy man in the great lodge. Mr. Baeza’s explanation sparked my memory of an article by Ancient American author, David Deal, in Ancient American’s Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April, 1994 Issue #5, entitled, “The Mystic Symbol Demystified”.
In his investigation of the Michigan relics, Deal was able to convincingly translate from the quasi-Hebrew script the name of two sons of a deity figure featured on the tablets as “Son-of-the-Right-Hand” and “Son-of-the-Left-Hand.” The tablets’ internal evidence unquestionably demonstrate two opposing groups of people represented by two individuals, one good, the other evil. Both of these individuals carry identification marks which appear on many but not all of the plates’ biblical scenes. These well-known moments from the Old Testament clearly identify each sons’ proper role.
For example, on the so-called “creation tablet,” where Adam is apparently brought to life, the Son-of-the-Right-Hand’s mark is included as part of this positive event. But on another plate, where he and Eve seem to be ejected from the Garden of Eden, the Son-of-the-Left-Hand’s mark floats above them, suggesting calamity. This simple but lucid marking of “good and bad,” or “righteous and evil,” is recurring throughout much of the Michigan collection.
“Of course the two sacrifices, one for Yahweh and the other for Azazel (Leviticus 16), are indicative of the two brothers, as well. The stories throughout the Bible of the two brothers from Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Manasseh and Ephraim, etc., all point to the same allegory. The fact that the Michigan Christians of the Fourth Century A.D. were aware of this angelic conflict and modern Christians are not, is the major point to ponder.
The modern doctrines would not allow such an interpretation. Of course, not many Christians actually use the name Yahweh in their worship either, but when the New Testament says that the accuser is before the Father daily, making accusations, and that the Messiah is seated again at the right hand of the Father, acting as an advocate, they should, perhaps, reconsider this concept. The point isn’t about to become embroiled in a theological discussion, but to realize that the doctrine pictured on these tablets, does not conform to any Christian religion of this day and age (including 1874). Therefore, the possibility of fraud is diminished to nearly zero, by this fact alone.”
The Michigan relics came to public attention in 1879 when they were reported in a state newspaper. But for thirty one years before, Father Soper had been collecting them throughout the state. From 1848 to 1920, the relics continued to be accidentally uncovered by local people clearing forests and building roads. Over the course of more than seventy years and across twenty seven counties, thousands of slate, clay and copper tablets continued to emerge. Written testimonies and sworn affidavits accompanying many of the discoveries were officially recorded, mostly by farmers who plowed them up while working their land, and not by trained archaeologists, who were neither available nor open-mindedly disposed enough to even give their authenticity the benefit of a doubt. They claimed then, as they still do, that the Michigan tablets must necessarily be fake, because no one from the Old World could have arrived in America before Christopher Columbus.
Their fossilized mind-set was examined in Ancient American Volume 2, Issue Number 9, May/June 1995, page 31, by Kenneth Moore. He addresses the claims of hoaxing these artifacts by citing the work of two brothers named Scotford, who probably faked a few of their own reproductions of the Michigan tablets. But Moore also points out that although it is reasonable to expect some forgeries with any collection of this size, it must be remembered that when fraudulent duplicates of this kind are made they are usually copied from original artifacts. More revealingly, the first Michigan plates to be found, already in the many hundreds, at least, were already being collected before the Scotford brothers were even born!
By 1920, the scholars of the day had academically crucified several men and women who would not stand down concerning these artifacts. Some colleges and private museums actually destroyed their Michigan tablet collections by casting them into local dumps. In the decades following that wholesale destruction, the Soper-Savage discoveries lapsed into almost total obscurity, and might have been utterly forgotten, save for the independent research of two American writers, Henrietta Mertz and Milton R. Hunter.
The books of Henrietta Mertz continue to be prized by readers interested in pre-Columbian arrivals in the New World by overseas visitors. Her Pale Ink, an examination of possible Chinese contacts in British Columbia 2,000 years ago, and The Wine Dark Sea, re-thinking Jason and the Argonauts as transatlantic voyagers in quest of a South American Golden Fleece, are still sought after by diffusionists. *[Diffusionism refers to the diffusion or transmission of cultural characteristics or traits from the common society to all other societies. They criticized the Psychic unity of mankind of evolutionists]. But Mertz was a professional trained in forgery identification, and it was in this capacity that she was challenged to either prove or disprove the authenticity of the Michigan tablets.
After 30 years of research, her conclusions were about to go into print, but she passed away unexpectedly before publication. A few years later, her nephew released Henrietta’s Mystic Symbol, Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders. The book argues that the Michigan relics are largely authentic, and urges their preservation as genuine relics from a lost American civilization. During her long years of research, Mertz was able to track down a large number of artifacts originally collected by the Catholic priest, Father Soper. After his death, they had been sent to Notre Dame
University for storage.
In all, some 4,000 such items were shipped to Notre Dame in poorly packaged cracker barrels. About 2,500 objects, more than half the collection, were badly damaged in transit to the university. Originally made of brittle clay, many fractured and broke, often crumbling to pieces. Henrietta requested permission to examine their surviving collection with an eye to its ownership. She was allowed to research the artifacts in the company of a Catholic priest, but university officials were reluctant to give them up for purely academic purposes.
In the midst of her investigation, the Father with whom she had been working on the Michigan tablets was coincidentally contacted by missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as Mormons. Aware of their second scriptural book (the Book of Mormon )that testified to the presence of Christ in America, the priest invited them to inspect the Soper-Savage collection. Intrigued, the missionaries wasted no time in contacting Milton R. Hunter of Salt Lake City, Utah, a researcher of American antiquities.
After several months of communication and visits to Notre Dame, the school officials chose to turn over the collection to Hunter rather than Henrietta. She was nonetheless afforded enough time with the artifacts to complete her research for The Mystic Symbol. Elliot Soper, son of Daniel Soper, offered his father’s collection to Hunter after having learned of Notre Dame’s transference of its artifacts.
Hunter’s expanded collection of Michigan plates and related items is today warehoused in the historical archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their historical department recently allowed Ancient American staff and Triple A Productions to photograph Mr. Hunter’s collection in its entirety for continued study.”
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
The Record of Their Forefathers
“Elder Pratt’s autobiography recounts the first known preaching to the Lamanites in this dispensation: “After travelling for some days we called on an Indian nation at or near Buffalo; and spent part of a day with them, instructing them in the knowledge of the record of their forefathers. We were kindly received, and much interest was manifested by them on hearing this news” (Pratt 47). While Elder Pratt referred to these Native Americans as the Catteraugus tribe, Indian historians would more likely call them members of the Seneca nation who were inhabiting the Catteraugus reservation.
The group’s next contact with Native Americans was with the Wyandot tribe near Sandusky, Ohio. While no baptisms among the Indians were recorded, several settlers around Kirtland, Ohio, were baptized. Among these was Frederick G. Williams, who accompanied the four missionaries on their continued journey. Upon arrival at the western boundary of Missouri and after a trip on foot of about 1,500 miles (Pratt 52), Elders Whitmer and Peterson remained in the village of Independence working as tailors to earn money for the group, while the other elders crossed to the Indian territory. There they met with the Shawnees and the Delawares. These two tribes were not western savages but small, civilized remnants of once great eastern nations to whom the idea of prophets and special messages was not new (see Underfill 132–37). The interchange between the missionaries, Oliver as speaker, and Chief Anderson of the Delawares is well covered in Elder Pratt’s record (see Pratt 54–56). Hopes continued high as Oliver wrote to Joseph:
The principal chief says he believes every word of the Book & there are many more in the Nation who believes & we understand there are many among the Shawnees who also believe & we trust that when the Lord Shall open our way we shall have glorious times. . . . (Joseph Smith’s Letter Books)
Government Indian Agents
Unfortunately, the government Indian agents and sectarian ministers combined to oust the missionaries from the Indian territory before further progress could be made (Pratt 57). The success of the mission can be seen in the converts garnered in Ohio (see Anderson 474–96) and also in the eager willingness of the brethren to take the message to the Lamanite remnant. Since the keys for the gathering of Israel were not formally restored until 3 April 1836 (D&C 110:11), perhaps must that was said and done prior to that date was preparatory in nature.
Mission to the Lamanites but also to Locate the Promised Land.
These early missionaries also became the first members to reach the area of the western frontier, which was to play an important role in the history of the Church. It appears Joseph informed Oliver that his mission was not only to the Lamanites but also to locate the promised land. Prior to Oliver’s departure, he signed an affidavit (Picture left) stating that he was going to preach the fulness of the gospel to the Lamanites, “and also, to rear up a pillar as a witness where the temple of God shall be built, in the glorious new Jerusalem” (Revelations 44). Similarly, an Ohio newspaper, referring to baptisms in nearby Kirtland, indicated that Oliver Cowdery was “bound for the regions beyond the Mississippi, where he contemplates founding a ‘City of Refuge’ for his followers, and converting the Indians, under his prophetic authority” (“The Golden Bible” 3). It would thus seem that, from the very beginning, the concept of conversion of the Lamanites was closely connected to the establishment of the city Zion.” Byron R. Merrill, “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites,” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, ed. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 187–202
“The first Sabbath after our arrival in Jackson county, Brother W. W. Phelps preached to a western audience over the boundary of the United States, wherein were present specimens of all the families of the earth; Shem, Ham and Japheth; several of the Lamanites or Indians–representative of Shem; quite a respectable number of negroes–descendants of Ham; and the balance was made up of citizens of the surrounding country, and fully represented themselves as pioneers of the West. At this meeting two were baptized, who had previously believed in the fulness of the Gospel.” HC 1:191 The First Sabbath in Zion.
Heber J Grant in London
“I rejoice in the work that is being accomplished both at home and abroad. I rejoice in the manifestations of the Spirit of God, that come to each and every one of our elders who faithfully perform the duties devolving upon them. I rejoice in the fact that God opens the way and prepares the hearts of the honest in every land and clime, wherever this Gospel of Jesus Christ has gone. It is also a source of joy and satisfaction to me that, in all my journeys at home and abroad, wherever I go, wherever I mingle with people, I am constantly receiving additional evidence and testimony regarding the divinity of this work in which we are engaged, As I journeyed away from home, and as I mingled with people, I would feel sorrowful if I had constantly been finding objections to the plan of life and salvation, that required exertion on my part to explain away. It would be a source of regret if I were constantly finding obstacles in the path, regarding the divinity of the work of God, which we have espoused. But, I have never found any such obstacles: I have never found anything that needed to be explained away: everything points to the divinity of the work.
“While listening to the remarks of Brother Ivins, referring to a book that was written by one of our enemies, in which the statement is made that there is not a particle of evidence to show that there is any trace of the Hebrew among the people who anciently inhabited this country, and that there is no evidence that would go to prove that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reminded of a little item of evidence that came under my observation while I was in the City of London. A gentleman there, to whom a very dear friend of mine, Col. Alex. G. Hawes, had given me a letter, kindly invited a number of newspaper men to his home to meet me. I am very sorry that the newspaper men declined the honor; but I had the privilege of meeting with this man and his family, and a few friends, and conversing with them. One of his friends had been a member of the British legation at Constantinople and had spent a considerable portion of his life there. He had traveled all over the holy land and was familiar with the people and their customs. Among other things, he said: “Mr. Grant, I was astonished beyond measure, when I visited Canada, to find there oriental patterns woven in beads, by the American Indians. They were the same patterns that were woven in rugs, in the oriental countries. I have traveled extensively, and I had never seen those oriental patterns in any part of the world except in the holy land, until I found them among the North American Indians. Those patterns have been handed down for hundreds of years, from generation to generation ; they are kept in families, and can be found nowhere else; and how under the heavens those Indians, who have no connection with the people of the holy land, should have the same patterns is a mystery to me.” “Well, mv friend,” I said, “if I were to inform you that the forefathers of these American Indians came from the city of Jerusalem, that would explain it, wouldn’t it?” He replied, “Well, of course, it would.” I asked him if he had ever read the Book of Mormon. He said, “No.” “Well, it will be my pleasure to send you a copy, and from it you will learn that the forefathers of the American Indians came from Jerusalem.” “Well,” he said, “that explains the mystery; I am much obliged for the book.” Now, the one thing for us to do, as Latter-day Saints, is to be loyal, to be true, to be patriotic, to be honest with God; then we need have no fear of what the world may say about us. We have the truth, and we know it, thank God; we know it, though the world may not know it. Let us follow the admonition of the Savior, and let our light so shine that other men seeing our good deeds shall glorify God.” ELDER HEBER J. GRANT 79th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints April 4th, 5th, and 6th, 1909, page 111-113
Heber J. Grant
“I would say to the Lamanites, if I could speak to them understandingly, that you are also a branch of the house of Israel, and chiefly of the house of Joseph, and your forefathers have fallen through the same examples of unbelief and sins, as have the Jews, and you, as their posterity, have wandered in sin and darkness for many generations; and you, like the Jews, have been driven and trampled under the foot of the Gentiles, and put to death through your wars with each other, and with the white man, until you are almost destroyed. But there is still a redemption and salvation for a remnant of you in the latter days.” History of His Life and Labors By Wilford Woodruff
THE AMERICAN INDIAN (UH-NISH-IK-NA-BA) by ELIJAH M. HAINES
From this book, THE AMERICAN INDIAN (UH-NISH-IK-NA-BA) by ELIJAH M. HAINES we will show the similarity in some of the Indian languages, to the Hebrew, and that the former must have been derived from the latter. I have edited just one chapter of over 833 pages which focuses on Chapter IV, Affinity with the Jews. This may be a lengthy blog, but it is amazing how much information you will receive about the similarities of our Book of Mormon Lamanites with the Tribe of Judah from Israel. You will also enjoy some of the old pictures which come from this amazing book.
You will also enjoy the online links to other wonderful books written long ago about the Native Americans of the United States. I know they are the honored brothers of Manasseh and it is our duty as Ephraim to bring us together again with the Book of Mormon. To Purchase the Annotated Book of Mormon Click Here!
THE AMERICAN INDIAN (UH-NISH-IK-NA-BA). The Whole Subject Complete in One Volume Illustrated with Numerous Appropriate Engravings. By ELIJAH M. HAINES. CHICAGO: THE MAS-SIN-NA’-GAX COMPANY, 1888. Page 99-114
The subject of the American Indian has ever been one of peculiar interest to the ethnologist and student of history; but at no time since the discovery of America has it attracted so much attention as is being given to it at the present day. Volumes upon volumes have been written concerning it in its varied relations, but still it is not exhausted; and indeed the changing circumstances of the American race present at this day a phase of this subject, calling for its renewed presentation in more complete and comprehensive form.
Amidst the vast number of books published concerning this mysterious people since the discovery of America, there seems to be none now in print presenting their history in a succinct classified form, at the same time reaching out and taking in every phase of the Indian subject, to the satisfaction of the general reader.
This book has therefore been prepared with reference to this long felt want, and is such a work as the public mind and student of history now seem to demand. As the title indicates, it comprises ‘the whole Indian subject in complete and comprehensive form. In other words, it is a sort of cyclopaedia on the subject of the’ American Indian in all its phases and bearings as shown by the table of contents following; grouping together in condensed form, and within such limited space as the subject will admit of, the varied information comprised in that vast field of research in American history, not to be found in any single work of this kind heretofore published, containing many special features, which are highly interesting and valuable to the general reader.
Photograph (Left) of Elijah M. Haines, Illinois politician from Lake County and former Speaker of the Illinois House.
CHAPTER IV. AFFINITY WITH THE JEWS.
Opinion of James Adair-The Indians Descended from the People of Israel-He Assigns Twenty-three Arguments for this Opinion— Similarity Between the Languages — Comparison of Words and Sentences— Opinion of Be v. Jedidiah Morse— Similarity of Religious Customs— Dr. Boudinot Favors this Theory— Rev. Ethan Smith— Evidence in Favor of this Theory— The Indians Acknowledge but One Great Spirit like the Jews— Father Charlevoix Presents Evidence in Support of this Theory— Indians Were Never Known to Worship Images— Evidence of William Penn — Features of the Face like the Hebrews — And so with Dress t Trinkets and Ornaments— Their Fasts and Feasts, like the Jews— They Reckon by Moons and Count Time like the Hebrews— Have their Prophets— Abstain from Unclean Things — Salute the Dawn of Morning by Devotional Ceremony — In their Lodge Tales and Traditions Twelve Brothers are Spoken of— Custom in Mourning for the Dead, like the Jews— Have a Custom of Burnt Offerings— Had a Custom like the Jews of Anointing the Head— The Indian Medicine Lodge Corresponded to the Jewish Synagogue — Had a Secret Order Resembling that of the Jews— Their Medicine Man Corresponded to the “Wise Men,” Matthew II, 1 — The Bow and Arrow was Common to the Jews— The Indian Tent was like that of the Jews — Lived in Tribes like the Jews.
Many writers have given special attention to an inquiry into the subject of the American aborigines, with reference to discovering an affinity of this people with the Jews, or people of Israel.
Among the class of writers aforesaid is Mr.James Adair, who resided forty years among the American tribes, and who wrote a book (here) on the subject, which was published about the year 1775, in which he, without hesitation, declares that the American aborigines are descendants from the Israelites, and so complete is his conviction on this head, that he declares he finds a perfect and undisputable similitude in each. He says: “From the most accurate observations I could make, in the long time I traded among the Indians of America, I was forced to believe them lineally descended from the tribes of Israel.”
AFFINITY WITH THE JEWS
Among the early authorities cited, to show that the American Indians are descendants from the Israelites, Mr. Adair seems to be the principal one, and since his time, all writers who have favored his views, refer with unreserved confidence to the evidence furnished by him to this end.
One of the earnest writers in support of this theory in later times, is Rev. Ethan Smith, of Poultney, Vt , as shown in his book entitled “ View of the Hebrew, or the Tribes of Israel in America,” published in 1825, wherein he undertakes to prove, citing Mr. Adair and others, that the American Indians are descendants from the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Mr. Smith sums up the arguments of Mr. Adair that the natives of this continent are of the ten tribes of Israel, to the following effect: 1. Their division into tribes. 2. Their worship of Jehovah. 3. Their notions of a theocracy. 4. Their belief in the administration of angels. 5. Their language and dialects. 6. Their manner of counting time. 7. Their prophets and high priests. 8. Their festivals, fasts and religious rites. 9. Their daily sacrifice. 10. Their ablutions and anointings. 11. Their laws of uncleanliness. 12. Their abstinence from unclean things. 13. Their marriage, divorces and punishments of adultery. 14. Their several punishments. 15. Their cities of refuge. 16. Their purifications and preparatory ceremonies. 17. Their ornaments. 18. Their manner of curing the sick. 19. Their burial of the dead. 20. Their mourning for the dead. 21. Their raising seed to a deceased brother. 22. Their change of names adapted to their circumstances and times. 23. Their own traditions; the account of English writers ; and the testimonies given by Spaniards and other writers of the primitive inhabitants of Mexico and Peru.
Many of those who contend for Jewish origin of the American Indian insist that evidence of this fact is found in the languages of the Indians, which appear clearly to have been derived from the Hebrew. This is the opinion expressed by Mr. Adair, in which Dr. Edwards having a good knowledge of some of the Indian languages, concurs and gives his reasons for believing this people to have been originally Hebrew.
The languages of the Indians and of the Hebrews, he remarks, are both found without prepositions, and are formed with prefixes and suffixes, a thing not common to other languages; and he says that not only the words, but the construction of phrases in both are essentially the same. The Indian pronoun, as well as other nouns, he remarks, are manifestly from the Hebrews. The Indian laconic, bold, and commanding figures of speech, Mr. Adair notes as exactly agreeing with the genius of the Hebrew language.
THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Relative to the Hebraism of their figure, Mr. Adair gives the following instance from an address of a captain to his warriors, on going to battle: “I know that your guns are burning in your hands; your tomahawks are thirsting to drink the blood of your enemies ; your trusty arrows are impatient to be upon the wing ; and lest delay should burn your hearts any longer, I give you the cool refreshing words: Join the holy ark; and away to cut off the devoted enemy”
Indian Languages, Similar to the Hebrew
A table of words and phrases is furnished by Dr. Boudinot, Adair and others, to show the similarity, in some of the Indian languages, to the Hebrew, and that the former must have been derived from the latter. The following is an example afforded from the sources quoted:
Photocopy from THE AMERICAN INDIAN (UH-NISH-IK-NA-BA). By ELIJAH M. HAINES.
Rev. Jedidiah Morse, in big tour among the Western Indians, says of the Indians language: “It is highly metaphorical; and in this and other respects they resemble the Hebrew.” ” This resemblance in their language” he adds, “and the similarity of many of their religious customs to those of the Hebrews, certainly give plausibility to the ingenious theory of Dr. Boudinot, exhibited in his interesting work, the Star in the West”
Dr. Boudinot speaks of some Indians at a place called Cohocks, who called the high mountain at the west Ararat He says that the Penobscot Indians called a high mountain by the same name ; that he himself attended an Indian religious dance, concerning which he remarks:
“They dance one round; and then a second, singing hal-hal-hal, till they finished the round. They then gave us a third round, striking up the words le-le-le. On the next round it was the words, lu-lu-lu, dancing with all their might During the fifth round was yah-yah-yah. Then all joined in a lively and joyful chorus, and sung halleluyah ; dwelling on each syllable with a very long breath, in a most pleasing manner.” And he says, “there could be no deception in all this. Their pronunciation was very gutteral and sonorous, but distinct and clear.”
Rev. Ethan Smith, in his book before mentioned, remarking on this circumstance, says: “How could it be possible that the wild native Americans, in different parts of the continent, should be found singing this phrase of praise to the Great First Cause, or to Jah —exclusively Hebrew, without having brought it down by tradition from ancient Israel ? The positive testimonies of such men as Boudinot and Adair are not to be dispensed with nor doubted. They testify what they have seen and heard. And I can conceive of no rational way to account for this Indian song, but that they brought it down from ancient Israel, their ancestors.”
Dr. Boudinot further says of the Indians: ” Their languages in their roots, idioms and particular construction, appear to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable have most of the peculiarities of that language, especially those in which it differs from most other languages.”
It is also insisted by many, as further evidence showing the Jewish origin of the American Indian, that they have had their imitation of the ark of the covenant in ancient Israel. Rev. Ethan Smith says, that different travelers, and from different regions, unite in this, and refers to the fact that Mr. Adair is full in his account of it. He describes it as a small square box, made convenient to carry on the back; that the Indians never set it on the ground, but on rocks in low ground where stones were not to be had, and on stones where they are to be found. Mr. Adair, in reference to this matter, says:
“It is worthy of notice that they never place the ark on the ground, nor set it on the bare earth when they are carrying it against an enemy. On hilly ground, where stones are plenty, they place it on them. But in level land, upon short logs, always resting themselves (i. e. the carriers of the ark) on the same materials. They have also as strong a faith of the power and holiness of their ark as ever the Israelites retained of theirs. The Indian ark is deemed so sacred and dangerous to touch, either by their own sanctified warriors, or the spoiling enemy, that neither of them dare meddle with it on any account. It is not to be handled by any except the chieftain and his waiter, under penalty of incurring great evil; nor would the most inveterate enemy dare to touch it. The leader virtually acts the part of a priest of war, pro tempore, in imitation of the Israelites fighting under the divine military banner.”
It is said that among all the aboriginal tribes and nations of both North and South America, whatever may have been said by the Spaniards to the contrary, they acknowledged one, and only one God, and this again is taken by the advocates of the Jewish origin of the American Indians as further proof that this people are descendants of the Jews. Dr. Boudinot says of the Indians, that they were never known, whatever mercenary Spaniards may have written to the contrary, to pay the least adoration to images or dead persons, to celestial luminaries, to evil spirits, or to any created beings whatever ; in which Mr. Adair concurs, adding that none of the numerous tribes and nations, from Hudson Bay to them Mississippi, have ever been known to attempt the formation of any image of God. On this subject Rev. Ethan Smith says:
“Du Pratz was very intimate with the chief of those Indians called ‘ The Guardians of the Temple,’ near the Mississippi (Book Here). (He inquired of them the nature of their worship. The chief informed him that they worshipped the great and most perfect Spirit, and said: * He is so great and powerful, that in comparison with him all others are as nothing. He made all things that we see, and all things that we cannot see.’ The chief went on to speak of God as having made little spirits, called free servants, who always stand before the Great Spirit, ready to do his will. That ‘ the air is filled with spirits, some good, some bad, and that the bad have a chief who is more wicked than the rest.’ Here, it seems, is their traditional notion of good and bad angels, and of Beelzebub, the chief of the latter. This chief, being asked how God made man, replied that ‘ God kneaded some clay, made it into a little man, and, finding it was well formed, he blew on his work, and the man had life and grew up.’ Being asked of the creation of the woman, he said that ‘ their ancient speech made no mention of any difference, only that the man was made first Moses 9 account of the formation of the woman, it seems, had been lost 1 “
Charlevoix, speaking of the Indian traits and religious customs, and in reference to their resembling the Jews, says: ” The greatest Part of their Feasts, their Songs and their Dances, appear to me to have had their Rise from Religion, and still to preserve some Traces of it; but one must have good eyes, or rather a very lively imagination, to perceive in them all that some travelers have pretended to discover. I have met with some who could not help thinking that our savages were descended from the Jews, and found in everything some affinity between these barbarians and the people of God. There is, indeed, a resemblance in some things, as not to use knives in certain meals, and not to break the bones of the beast they ate at those times, and the separation of the women during the time of their usual infirmities. Some persons, they say, have heard them, or thought they heard them, pronounce the word Hallelujah in their songs. But who can believe that when they pierce their ears and noses they do it in pursuance of the law of circumcision ? On the other hand, don’t we know that the custom of circumcision is more ancient than the law that was given to Abraham and his posterity. The feast they made at the return of the hunters, and of which they must leave nothing, has also been taken for a kind of burnt offering, or for a remain of the passover of the Israelites ; and rather, they say, because when any one cannot compass his portion, he may get the assistance of his neighbors, as was practiced by the people of God, when a family was not sufficient to eat the whole Paschal Lamb.”
Rev. Ethan Smith, in his book before mentioned, refers to a letter from Mr. Calvin Cushman, missionary among the Choctaws, to a friend in Plainfield, Mass., in 1824, in which he says:
” By information received from Father Hoyt respecting the former traditions, rites and ceremonies of the Indians of this region, I think there is much reason to believe they are descendants of Abraham. They have had cities of refuge, feasts of first fruits, sacrifices of the firstlings of the flock, which had to be perfect, without blemish or deformity, a bone of which must not be broken. They were never known to worship images, nor to offer sacrifices to any God made with hands. They all have some idea and belief of the Great Spirit Their feasts, holy days, etc., were regulated by sevens, as to time, i. e., seven sleeps, seven moons, seven years, etc They had a kind of box containing some kind of substance which was considered sacred, and kept an entire secret from the common people. Said box was borne by a number of men who were considered pure or holy (if I mistake not, such a box was kept by the Cherokees). And whenever they went to war with another tribe they carried this box; and such was its purity in their view that nothing would justify its being rested on the ground. A clean rock or scaffold of timber only was considered sufficiently pure for a resting place for this sacred coffer. And such was the veneration of all of the tribes for it, that whenever the party retaining it was defeated and obliged to leave it on the field of battle, the conquerors would by no means touch it. “ The celebrated William Penn, who saw the Indians of the eastern shore of the continent before they had been affected by the ill-treatment of the white people, in a letter to a friend in England concerning this people, says:
” I found them with like countenances with the Hebrew race; and their children of so lively a resemblance to them that a man would think himself in Duke’s place, or Barry street, in London, when he sees them.” Here, without the least previous idea of those natives being Israelites, that shrewd man was struck with their perfect resemblance of them, and with other things which will be noted. He speaks of their dress and trinkets as notable like those of ancient Israel ; their earrings, nose jewels, bracelets on their arms and legs (such as they were), on their fingers, necklaces made of polished shells found in their rivers and on their coasts, bands, shells and feathers ornamenting the heads of females, and various strings of beads adorning several parts of the body.
Mr. Penn further adds that the worship of this people consists in two parts, sacrifices and cantos (songs). The first is with their first fruits, and the first buck they kill goes to the fire; and that all who go to this feast must take a piece of money, which is made of the bone of a fish. (” None shall appear before me empty.”) He speaks of the agreement of their rites with those of the Jews, and adds:
“They reckon by moons; they offer their first ripe fruits; they have a kind of feast of tabernacles; they are said to lay their altars with twelve stones; they mourn a year; they have their separation of women; with many other things that do not now occur.” Here is a most artless testimony given by that notable man, drawn from his own observations and accounts given by him, while the thought of this people’s being actually Hebrew was probably most distant from his mind. William Penn visits the Indians
Mr. Adair says that the southern Indians have a tradition that their ancestors once had a sanctified rod, which budded in one night’s time, which is held by some to be a tradition of Aaron’s rod. Some tribes of Indians, it is said, had, among their numerous feasts, one which they called the hunter’s feast,answering, it is claimed by some, to the Pentecost in ancient Israel, and which is described as follows:
“They choose twelve men, who provide twelve deer. Each of the twelve men cuts a sapling ; with these they form a tent, covered with blankets. They then choose twelve stones for an altar of sacrifice. Some tribes, he observes, choose but ten men, ten poles, and ten stones. Here seems an evident allusion to the twelve tribes, and also to some idea of the ten separate tribes of Israel. Upon the stones of their altar they suffered no tool to pass. No tool might pass upon a certain altar in Israel.”
In their feasts of first ripe fruits, or green corn, the custom of the Indians is to eat none of their corn or first fruit till a part is given to God. In the Indian feasts they had their sacred songs and dances, singing Hallelujah, Tohewa, in syllables which compose the words, and it is asked what other nation besides the Hebrews and Indians ever attempted the worship of Jehovah.
Mr. Adair, in further support of his theory, says: “As the nation had its particular symbol, so each tribe has the badge from which it is denominated The sachem of each tribe is a necessary party in con- veyances and treaties, to which he affixes the mark of his tribe. If we go from nation to nation among them we shall not find one who doth not lineally distinguish himself by his respective family. The genealogical names which they assume are derived either from the names of those animals whereof the cherubim are said in revelation to be compounded, or from such creatures as are most familiar to them. They call some of their tribes by the names of cherubimical figures that were carried on four principal standards of Israel.”
The Indians count time after the manner of the Hebrews. They divide the year into spring, summer, autumn and winter. They number their years from any of those four periods, for they have no name for a year, and they subdivide these and count the year by lunar months, like the Israelites who counted by moons. They begin a year at the first appearance of the first new moon of the vernal equinox, according to the ecclesiastical year of Moses. Till the so-called captivity the Israelites had only numeral names for the solar and lunar months except Abib and Ethamin ; the former signifying a green ear of corn, and the latter robust or valiant, and by the first of these the Indians (as an explicative) term their Passover, which the trading people call the green corn dance.
Jews had a Sanctum Called Holy of Holies/Ishtoallo
In conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, the Indians of America have their prophets, high priests and others of a religious order. As the Jews had a sanctum sanctorum (holy of holies), so in general have all the Indian nations. There they deposit their consecrated vessels, none of the laity daring to approach that sacred place. Indian tradition says that their fathers were possessed of an extraordinary divine spirit, by which they foretold future things and controlled the common course of nature ; and this power they transmitted to their offspring, provided they obeyed the sacred laws annexed pertaining thereto.
Mr. Adair, it must be remembered, in referring to words in the Indian languages, has reference to those tribes which at that day were living in the southern colonies, classed by ethnologists as the Appalachians, and who were the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, Seminoles and Muscogees. In speaking with reference to these Indians he says, Ishtoallo is the name of their priestly order, and their pontifical office descends by inheritance to the eldest. There are some traces of agreement, though chiefly lost, in their pontifical dress. Before the Indian Archimagus officiates in making the supposed holy fire for the yearly atonement for sin, the Sagan (waiter of the high priest) clothed him with a white ephod, which is a waistcoat without sleeves. In resemblance of the Urim and Thummim, the American Archimagus wears a breast plate made of a white conch shell with two holes bored in the middle of it, through which he puts the ends of an otter skin strap and fastens a buck-horn white button to the outside of each, as if in imitation of fche precious stones of the Urim.
[More about Ishtoallo here: SIMILARITY OF CUSTOMS OF THE ISRAELITES AND NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. To the Editors of the Jewish Expositor. The Jewish Expositor, and Friend of Israel]
7. In conformity to or after the manner of the Jews, the Indian Americans have their prophets, high priests, and others of a religious order. As the Jews had a sanctum sanctorum, [Holy of Holies) so have all the Indian nations. There they deposit their consecrated vessels; none of the laity daring to approach that sacred place. The Indian tradition says, that their forefathers were possessed of an extraordinary divine spirit, by which they foretold things future, and controlled the common course of nature: and this they transmitted to their offspring, provided they obeyed the sacred laws annexed to it. Ishtoallo is the name of all their priestly order; and their pontifical office descends by inheritance to the eldest. There are some traces of agreement, though chiefly lost, in their pontifical dress. Before the Indian Archimagus officiates in making the supposed holy fire for the yearly atonement of sin, the Sagan clothes him with a white ephod, which is a waistcoat without sleeves. In resemblance of the Urim and Thummim, the American Archimagus wears a breast-plate made of a white conch-shell, with two holes bored in the middle of it, through which he puts the ends of an otter-skin strap, and fastens a buck horn white button to the outside of each, as if in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim.”— Upon this statement (says Mr. Faber,) I may observe, that Ishtoallo may perhaps be a corruption of Ish-di-Eloah, a man of God, (see 2nd Kings iv. 21, 22, 25. 27. 40. et alibi,; and that Sagan is the very name by which the Hebrews called the deputy of the high priest, who supplied his office, and who performed the functions of it in the absence of the high priest, or when any accident had disabled him from officiating in person. (See Calmet’s Diet. vox Sagan.)
“It is generally thought that Elohim is derived from eloah, the latter being an expanded form of the Northwest Semitic noun ’il.[5] The related nouns eloah (אלוה) and el (אֵל) are used as proper names or as generics, in which case they are interchangeable with elohim.)” Wikipedia Quote Here K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst (eds), Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible (revised 2nd edition, Brill, 1999)
In this statement, Rev. Ethan Smith thinks Mr. Adair exhibits evidence of which he himself seems unconscious, saying that the general name of all their priestly order is Ishtoallo, and the name of the high priest waiter is Sagan. It is thought by some that the former word is a corruption of Ish-da-elvah, a man of God ; see 2 Kings, iv, 21, 22, 25, 27, 40, and other places. That the latter word Sagan is the very name by which the Hebrews called the deputy of the high priest, who supplied his office, and performed the functions of it in the absence of the high priest.
The ceremonies of the Indians, in their religious worship, says Mr. Adair, were more after the Mosaic institutions than of Pagan imitation; which could not be if a majority of the old nations were of heathenish descent They were utter strangers to all the gestures practiced by the Pagans in their religious rites.
Mr. Adair further speaks of the sacred adjuration of the Indians by the great and awful name of God; the question being asked, and the answer given, Yah, with a profound reverence in a bowing posture of body immediately before the invocation of To-he-wah; this he considers to be Hebrew, adjuring their witnesses to give true evidence.
Jle says it seems exactly to coincide with the conduct of the Hebrew witnesses even now on like occasions.
Mr. Adair, in likening the Indians to the Jews on account of their abstinence from unclean things, says that eagles of every kind are esteemed an unclean food, likewise ravens, crows, bats, buzzards, swallows and every species of owl. This he considers as precisely Hebrew, as also their purifications of their priests, and purification for having touched a dead body or any other unclean thing. He further says that before going to war, the Indians have many preparatory ceremonies of purification and fasting, like what is recorded of the Israelites.
Bev. Mr. Chapman, missionary of the United States Foreign Missionary Society, at the Union Mission, in a letter of March 24th, 1823, gives an account of some of the manners and customs of the Osage Indians, which would seem to have some bearing on the question under consideration. He went with a large company of these Indians, whose object was to form a treaty of peace with the Cherokees, to Fort Smith. The evening before they arrived on a hill, the chiefs announced that in the morning they must make their customary peace medicine (a religious ceremony previous to a treaty) for the purpose of cleansing their hearts and securing their sincerity of thinking and acting. Ten of the principal warriors, including the priest of the Atmosphere, (a name of one of their clans) were selected and sent beneath a ledge, to dream or learn whether any error had been committed thus far, or (as they express it) to “watch the back track.” In proceeding to describe their ceremonies, prayers, sacred painting, anointings, etc, Mr. Chapman says: “About two feet in advance, and in a line with our path, were three bunches of grass, which had been cut and piled about three feet apart, as an emblem of him whom they worshipped.
“Here the priest stood with his attendants, and prayed at great length. Having finished his prayer, he again ordered the march on foot. The Indians from the right and left entered the path with great regularity, and, on wheeling forward, every individual was compelled to step upon each bunch of the grass. The company proceeded about forty rods, then halted and formed as before. The priest now ordered his senior attendant to form a circle of grass about four feet in diameter, -and to fix a handsome pile in the centre. By this he made another long prayer. Then stepping on the circle, and followed in this by his attendants, they passed on.”
Mr. Chapman further says: “It is a universal practice of these Indians to salute the dawn every morning with their devotion.” This custom, it may be remarked, seems to be universal among all the American tribes. In regard to the ceremonies which Mr. Chapman describes, he adds: “Perhaps the curious may imagine that some faint allusion to the lost ten tribes of Israel may be discovered in the select number of dreamers (they being ten), to the Trinity in Unity in the bunches (and the circle) of grass, to the Jewish anointings and purifications in their repeated paintings, to the sacred rite of the sanctuary in their secret consultations, and to the prophetic office in the office of their dreamers.”
A religious custom is related by Maj. Long, which some think goes to prove that the Omaha Indians are of Israel. He relates that from the age of between five or ten years their little sons are obliged to ascend a hill fasting once or twice a week, during the months of March and April, to pray aloud to Wahconda. When this season of the year arrives, the mother informs the little son that the u ice is breaking up in the river, the ducks and geese are migrating, and it is time for you to prepare to go in clay.” The little worshipper then rubs himself over with whitish clay, and at sunrise sets off for the top of a hill, instructed by the mother what to say to the Master of Life.
From his elevated position he cried aloud to Wahconda, humming a melancholy tune, and calling on him to have pity on him and make him a great hunter, warrior, etc.
This, it is urged by some, has more the appearance of descending from Hebrew tradition than from any other nation in the earthy teaching their children to fast in clay as “in dust and ashes,” and to cry to Jah for pity and protection.
In part second of Mr. Schoolcraft’s general work on the Indian tribes of the United States, p. 135, is an article written by Mr. Wm. W. Warren, on the oral traditions respecting the history of the Ojibway nation. Mr. Warren, as Mr. Schoolcraft remarks, was a descendant, on his mother’s side, of one of the most respectable Indian families- at the ancient capital of this nation.
In this communication, Mr. Warren is inclined to the opinion, from the information derived from the manners and customs of the Ojibways, that the red race of America are descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, and he asserts that this is the belief of some eminent men and writers, and mentions this belief to say that he has noted much in the course of his inquiries that would induce him to fall into the same belief, besides the general reasons that are adduced to prove the fact Referring to the Ojibways, he says:
“I have noticed that in all their principal and oldest traditions and lodge tales, twelve brothers are spoken of that are the sons of Getube, a name nearly similar to Jacob. The oldest of these brothers
is called Mudjekeewis, and the youngest Wa-jeeg-e-wa-kon-ay, the name for his coat of fishers 9 skins, with which he resisted the machinations of evil spirits. He was the beloved of his father and the Great Spirit; the wisest and most powerful of his twelve brothers.”
The tradition in which also originated Ke-na-big-wusk, or snake-root, which forms one of the four main branches of the Me-da-win, is similar in character to the brazen serpent of Moses that saved the lives of the afflicted Israelites. In the Indian tradition, the serpent is made to show to man a root which saved the lives of the people of a great town, which was being depopulated by pestilence. Not only in these instances is the similitude of the Ojibway oral traditions and the written history of the Hebrews evident and most striking, but in part first of Mr. Schoolcraft’s work aforesaid, page 259, is some information by Mr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, a government agent of the higher Platte and Arkansas. In this, reference is made to the fact of a resemblance in the manners, customs and habits of the Indians with that of the Jews or Israelites, in which he says: “In regard to the manners, customs, habits, etc., of the wild tribes of the western territory, a true and more correct type than any I have ever seen may be found in the ancient history of the Jews or Israelites after their liberation from Egyptian bondage. The medicine lodge of the Indian may be compared to the place of worship or tabernacle of the Jews, and the sacrifices, offerings, purifications and anointings may be all found amongst and practiced by those people.”
It is to be noted, however, that Mr. Fitzpatrick is not inclined to adopt these evidences as proof that the Indians are descended from the Jews, but considers them as mere coincidences, liable to occur among the natives of any portion of the globe.
In an interview which the writer had several years ago with Rev. John Johnston, a native educated Ottawa Indian, and a minister of the gospel of the Episcopal Church among the Ojibways at White Earth Agency, Minn., he expressed his belief quite firmly that the aborigines were descendants from the Jews, and cited instances of their manners, customs and habits in support of this opinion.
There is a marked similarity between the customs of the Indians and the Jews in their mourning for the dead. Like the Jews, the Indians had a time or season for mourning for the dead. A custom among the Jews of loud lamentation over the dead was also a peculiar custom of the American tribes. In Gen. xxxii, 34, it is said that *’ Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” This is suggestive of a like custom among the American Indians. Among the Indians the friends of the deceased visited the graves of their departed relatives and there resumed their custom of weeping and shrieking. This was also a prominent custom among the Jews, as noticed in John xi, 31 : ” She goeth out to the grave to weep there.” The custom of engaging women to mourn over the bodies of the dead, which prevailed among the American tribes, was also a custom among the Jews, as mentioned in Jer. ix, 17 : ** Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider ye, and call for the mourning women that they may come.”
Among the Indians it was a custom for the bridegroom to make presents to the father or parents of the bride as a consideration in the transaction. This custom also prevailed among the . Jews; Jacob gave a term of service as a consideration for Eachel. Gen. xxix, 20.
Among the Jews, parents negotiated marriage between sons and daughters. Hagar chose a wife for Ishmael. Gen. xxi, 21. Judah selected a wife for Er. Gen. xxxviii, 6. The like custom prevailed among the American Indians.
The marriage ceremony among the American tribes was much the same as with the Jews. In Gen. xxiv, 67, it is said ” Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Eebekah, and she became his wife.” Rev. James Freeman, in his book entitled ” Manners and Customs,” says there is no evidence of any special religious forms in these primitive marriages. The marriage ceremony consisted of the removal of the bride from the father’s house to that of the bridegroom, or that of his father. The marriage ceremony among the American tribes was of like simplicity, and very much the same.
The Indians, like the Jews, had a custom of burnt offerings, as that of the burning of tobacco, as an offering to the Great Spirit They had also a custom like that of the meat offering of the Jews. See Lev. vi, 14. They also, like the Jews, had a sacrifice of animals. Num. xix, 2. Instead of the red heifer without a spot, as with the Jews, it was a white dog without a spot or blemish.
Like the Jews, they had their feasts for various occasions. Amongst others was a feast of first fruits, such as the strawberry feast of the Iroquois. The harvest feast was universal with all tribes who raised the Indian corn or zea maize. This corresponded to the like custom among the Jews. Ex. xxiii, 16.
Dancing on various occasions was a custom practiced among the American Indians as with the Jews, although not precisely in the same form. Dancing was performed at first among the Jews on sacred occasions only. Among the Hebrews it was joined with sacred songs and was usually participated in by the women only. When the men danced it was in company separate from the women. When Jeptha returned from his conquest over the Ammonites, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. When the men of Benjamin surprised the daughters of Shiloh, the latter were dancing at a feast of the Lord. Judges, xxi, 19-21. A corresponding custom of dances among the Hebrews, as given in scripture, is found among all the American tribes, the occasion for many of which is precisely the same.
Amen Literally Means Firm, From Aman
The Israelites used the mortar for beating their manna. Num. xi, 8. It was by this means that the Indians of America from time immemorial beat their corn and thus prepared it for use.
The custom prevailing among the Jews of anointing the head, and in using oils on other parts of the body, also prevailed among the American tribes.
Sign language, so common among the American tribes, is also marked as a mode of communication among the Jews. In Proverbs, vi, 13, it is said “He speaketh with his feet; he teacheth with his fingers.”
The Indians, at the close of their speeches in council, used a word of like signification as the word Amen, common among the Jews as stated in 1 Chronicles, xvi, 36. U A11 the people said Amen, and praised the Lord.” Amen literally means firm, from Aman, to prop, to support Its figurative meaning is faithful ; its use is designated as affirmatory response, and the custom is very ancient among the Jews. See Num. v, 22, Deui xxvii, 15-16. The Iroquois, in closing their speeches, used the word Hiro, of the like import of the Jewish word Amen. The Pottawattamies, a tribe of the Algonquin group, used the word Hoa.
The Indian medicine lodge or council-house corresponds much to the ancient Jewish synagogues, which were originally places of instruction rather than of worship, and wherein, it is said, the Jews read and expounded the law. We find Christ publicly speaking in the synagogues, and so also the Apostles in their missionary travels addressing the people in the synagogues.
The secret order of medicine men and prophets of the Indians had a corresponding institution among the Jews called “sons of the prophets,”forming a peculiar order, whose mission seems to have been to assist the prophets in their duties, and in time to succeed them. 2 Kings, ii, 3-12; vi, 1.
A personage corresponding to the Indian medicine man is found in the ”wise men” or Magi of the Jews, spoken of in Mathew, ji, 1. We find in the Old Testament several references to the Magi. In Jer. xxxix, 3, 13, Nergal-sharezer is said to have been the Rab-mag, that is, the chief of the Magi. In Daniel’s time the Magi were very prominent in Babylon. In Dan. ii, 2, “magicians,” “astrologers,” “sorcerers,” and “Chaldeans” are mentioned, while in the twenty-seventh verse of the chapter “soothsayers” are named.
Some tribes of Indians had a custom of making images or a kind of idols, not as an object of worship, but to imitate or personate some particular spirit or god, to whom they paid some kind of adoration. A like custom seems to have prevailed among the Jews, mentioned in 1 Samuel, vi, 5.
A custom prevailed among western Indian tribes, who lived in villages of dirt houses, of assembling on the tops of their dwellings on festive or public occasions; this was likewise a custom among the Jews. See Judges, xvi, 27, wherein it is said, “there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport”
The Indians felt that menial service was degrading. Service of this kind among them was performed by the women. The same idea prevailed among the Jews, who considered it a degradation to be hewers of wood and drawers of water. Josh, ix, 21.
The bow and arrow, the common and efficient weapon with the primitive American Indian, was also in common use among the ancient Jews. See 2 Kings, xiii, 15.
The ancient Israelites lived in tents in the style of the most of the American tribes.
In notions of dress there was a striking similarity between the American Indians and the Jews, especially in regard to the outer garment thrown over the shoulders or wrapped around the body. The Indian medicine man or prominent chief possessed a peculiar vanity in regard to their dress, which was frequently gaudy and fantastic, and so with the high priests among the Jews where display in dress was a peculiar feature in Jewish custom among those high in authority. It was a custom among the Jews to sleep in their garments, Deut. xxiv, 12-13, and so with the American Indians.
The name Dorcas, Acts, ix, 36, it is said, means antelope or gazelle. According to some writers the Jews had a custom of giving to their daughters poetic names, or names significant of beauty or beautiful objects. This was a marked custom with the American Indians.
According to Mr. Freeman, it was an ancient custom among the Jews to give names to families from animals. This found a corresponding custom among the Indians, in adopting their totems to mark their families, as the bear, the deer, the elk, and the like. The custom is continued among the Israelites down to the present time, as found in the name of Wolf, Bear, Lion and other names from animals.
It was a custom among the Jews to give names to persons that have some special signification, as Reuben, ” See a Son.” This custom likewise prevailed among other eastern nations. This was a universal custom among the American Indians, as Sheeshebanee (Ojibway), “little duck.”
The change of names of persons in after life on particular occasions was a custom of the Jews. 2 Chron. xxxvi, 4; Gen. xxxii, 28 ; xxxv, 10. It was also a custom among the American Indians.
By an ancient mode of declaring war, practiced amongst the Jews, a herald came to the confines of the enemy’s territory, and, after observing certain solemnities, cried with a loud voice, ” I wage war against you,” at the same time giving reasons therefor. He then shot an arrow or threw a spear into the enemy’s country, which was significant of warlike intentions. The custom among the Indians, in declaring war, was to send a bundle of arrows to some representative chief of the enemy.
The Indian practice of lying in ambush to surprise an enemy, it seems, was also a practice to some extent among the Jews. In Judges, v, 11, is the following: “They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord.” This, it is said, refers to the practice of lying in ambush near wells and springs for the purpose of seizing flocks and herds when brought thither for water.
When a war party of Indians returned to their villages after the victory, it was customary for the women and children, with the old men remaining behind, to assemble and express their great joy by singing, shouting and other demonstrations. This was likewise a custom among the Jews, as appears 1st Sam. xviii, 6: “It came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.” See also Ex. xv, 20. Judges, xi, 34.
The war club and other weapons of the Indians were like those of the Jews. Jer. li, 20. With the Jews, the same as with the Indians, these weapons were buried with the dead. Ezek. xxxii, 27.
The custom of wearing buffalo horns by distinguished warriors, attached to their head dress, seems to have existed also among the Jews. In 1st Kings, xxii, 11, it is said ” the false prophet Zedekiah made him horns of iron,” and in Ps. lxxv, 5: ” Lift not your horns on high; speak not with a stiff neck.”
History of the Ojibway Indians
Rev. Peter Jones, an educated Ojibway Indian, in the appendix to his book, entitled “History of the Ojibway Indians,” quotes approvingly the following from a recent publication which he considers good authority, and wherein is summed up in general terms the most striking analogies between the American tribes and the ancient Israelites:
“They (the Indians) are living in tribes, with heads of tribes; they all have a family likeness, though covering thousands of leagues of land, and have a tradition prevailing universally that they connect that country at the northwest corner. They are a very religious people, and yet have entirely escaped the idolatry of the Old World. They acknowledge one God, the Great Spirit, who created all things seen and unseen. The name by which this being is known to them is Ale, the old Hebrew name of God; he is also called Tehowah, sometimes Yah, and also Abba; for this great being they possess a high reverence, calling him the head of their community, and themselves his favorite people. They believe that he was more favorable to them in old times than he is now; that their fathers were in covenant with him, that he talked with them, and favored them. They are distinctly heard to sing, with their. religious dances, Hallelujah and praise to Yah; other remarkable sounds go out of their mouth as shilu yo, shilu he ale yo he-wah, yohewah, but they profess not to know the meaning of these words, only that they learned to use them on sacred occasions. They acknowledge the government of a Providence overruling all things, and express a willing submission to whatever takes place. They keep annual feasts, which resemble those of the Mosaic ritual ; a feast of first fruits, which they do not permit themselves to taste until they have made an offering of them to God; also an evening festival, in which no bone of the animal that is eaten may be broken ; and if one family be not large enough to consume the whole of it, a neighboring family is called in to assist; the whole of it is consumed, and the relics of it are burned before the rising of the next day’s sun. There is one part of the animal which they never eat, the hollow of the thigh. They eat bitter vegetables, and observe severe feasts, for the purpose of cleansing themselves from sin ; they also have a feast of harvest, when their fruits are gathering in ; a daily sacrifice and a feast of love. Their forefathers practiced the rites of circumcision, but not knowing why so strange a practice wag continued, and not approving of it, they gave it up. There is a sort of jubilee kept by some of them. They have cities of refuge, to which a guilty man, and even a murderer, may fly and be safe.”
Mosaic Rituals
Rev. Jabez B. Hyde, a minister of the gospel, of prominence in Western New York, and of considerable experience among the Seneca Indians, writing in 1825 concerning his information derived from the aforesaid people on the subject of their manners and customs, says that of the meaning of words they used in their dances and divine songs, they were wholly ignorant They used the words T-O-He- Wah and Hal-le-lu-yak as represented of other Indians. Speaking further in regard to their apparent affinity with the Jews, he says: “In all their rites which I have learned from them, there is certainly a most striking similitude to the Mosaic rituals; their feast of first fruits; feasts of ingathering; day of atonement; peace offerings; sacrifices. They build an altar of stones before a tent covered with blankets ; within the tent they burn tobacco for incense, with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering.” Mr. Hyde further remarks that these Indians had formerly places like cities of refuge existing among them, and that an old chief had shown him the boundaries of one of them.
Art by George Catlin 1796 – 1872
On this subject the testimony of Mr. George Catlin may be considered as important, he having spent eight years amongst the wildest and most remarkable tribes then existing in North America, commencing in the year 1832, as an artist and student of Indian history and manners and customs. He describes at length and in detail the manners and customs of these tribes, in concluding which, he says:
“Amongst the list of their customs, however, we meet a number which had their origin, it would seem, in the Jewish ceremonial code, and which are so very peculiar in their forms, that it would seem quite improbable, and almost impossible, that two different people should ever have hit upon them alike, without some knowledge of each other. These I consider go farther than anything else as evidence and carry in mind conclusive proof that these people are tinctured with Jewish blood.”
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Native Americans are Remnants of the Jews
“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 the word 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.” D&C 29:26-27
“A great nation (the United States of America) shall be set up… by the power of God, so that the gospel may be restored, the Book of Mormon come forth, its message go to the American remnant of Jews, that the eternal covenants of the Lord with his people might be fulfilled.” “The remnant of Jacob, including the Lamanites in the Americas”, will assist in the gathering of Israel to the promised land New Jerusalem.”McConkie, Bruce R., Mortal Messiah, Book 4, 1981, pp. 348-349, 358
“I hope that when you read the Book of Mormon you will read carefully the last chapter of first Nephi, which refers to the day in which we are living. In this chapter Nephi talked about this land and the gentiles who in latter days would be brought here. Then he said:
And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded [the scattering of the ten tribes and the Jews to all parts of the world], that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land [the United States]; and by them shall our seed be scattered. [Through the Indian wars the Indians were scattered by the early Americans.]” The Great Prologue by Mark E. Petersen.
Wayne May has been researching all of his life, finding amazing information about archaeology all over North America. He has become a very respected voice when it comes to copper in Michigan. Wayne has had articles in his Ancient American magazine for years from Mr. Wakefield and others who share with us amazing research about the ancient civilizations of the Hopewell and Adena Cultures. I recommend his magazines highly.
Editor’s Note: It’s important to remember that I support the Universal Model and believe in the organization and creation of the earth from about 12,000 BC, and dinosaurs date at the time of Adam. Of course materials of the earth have never been created from nothing, and matter is eternal in nature. I also believe that most of the Michigan tablets are real, and I also allow some to be possible forgeries. Each of us must decide through our own prayer and study.
The Shipping of Michigan Copper across the Atlantic in the Bronze Age (Isle Royale and Keweenaw Peninsula, c. 2400 BC-1200 BC)
Summary
Recent scientific literature has come to the conclusion that the major source of the copper that swept through the European Bronze Age after 2500 BC is unknown. However, these studies claim that the 10 tons of copper oxhide ingots recovered from the late Bronze Age (1300 BC) Uluburun shipwreck off the coast of Turkey was “extraordinarily pure” (more than 99.5% pure), and that it was not the product of smelting from ore. The oxhides are all brittle “blister copper”, with voids, slag bits, and oxides, created when the oxhides were made in multiple pourings outdoors over wood fires. Only Michigan Copper is of this purity, and it is known to have been mined in enormous quantities during the Bronze Age. Article by Jay Stuart Wakefield Published 29th July 2011
Mark of the Michigan Mound Builders Yod-Hey-Vau (Ojibwa Tongue) The Creator’s Son Deity or God Son of the Right Hand Egyptian Discovery of America
Wayne May publisher of Ancient American Magazine says, “I first learned of this Son of the Great Spirit from Ricardo Baeza, an Ojibwa medicine man in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He approached me after my lecture about the Michigan Plates. Collectively, they were associated with Daniel Soper and Father Savage, early preservers of a large group of copper artifacts and stone tablets unearthed from numerous mounds throughout the state of Michigan, beginning in the 1840’s.
The objects, today scattered across the United States and Canada in mostly private collections, feature portrayals of familiar scenes from mostly the Old Testament and three or more, undeciphered, written scripts, together with depictions of what appear to be persons from Europe or Near East in hostile interaction with Native Americans. Although condemned out of hand as fraudulent by the archaeologists, the so-called “Michigan Plates” or “Soper- Savage Collections” continue to intrigue independent antiquarians, who believe the artifacts were made by an Old World religious community in the upper Midwest during the 4th Century A.D or earlier. In the 1950’s, Henrietta Mertz was the first researcher to identify the “tribal mark or mystic symbol” which commonly appears throughout the collection.
Following my Golden Valley slide presentation of the Michigan Plates, Mr. Baeza told me that he could actually read some of the glyphs that appeared on the Soper- Savage tablets, explaining that their symbolic meaning was part of his tribe’s sacred tradition. He added that the so-called “mystic symbol” represented the name of the Creator’s Son, pronounced in the Ojibwa tongue (reading the cuneiform characters from right to left) as “Yod-hey-vau”. This name, he said really has an additional syllable, but the fourth is pronounced only once a year in a sacred ceremony and then only by a tribal holy man in the great lodge. Mr. Baeza’s explanation sparked my memory of an article by Ancient American author, David Deal, in Ancient American’s Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April, 1994 Issue #5, entitled, “The Mystic Symbol Demystified”.
In the midst of her investigation (Henriette Mertz), and the Father with whom she had been working on the Michigan tablets was coincidentally contacted by missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Aware of their second scriptural book (the Book of Mormon) that testified to the presence of Christ in America, the priest invited them to inspect the Soper-Savage collection. Intrigued, the missionaries wasted no time in contacting Milton R. Hunter of Salt Lake City, Utah, a researcher of American antiquities.
After several months of communication and visits to Notre Dame, the school officials chose to turn over the collection to Hunter rather than Henriette. She was nonetheless afforded enough time with the artifacts to complete her research for The Mystic Symbol. Elliot Soper, son of Daniel Soper, offered his father’s collection to Hunter after having learned of Notre Dame’s transference of its artifacts. Hunter’s expanded collection of Michigan plates and related items was kept warehoused in the historical archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah for a period of time where the historical department allowed Ancient American staff and Triple A Productions to photograph Mr. Hunter’s collection in its entirety for continued study. Today the collection is kept by the Michigan Historical Society.
The evidence of the Michigan Tablets and Burrows Cave stones suggests that some fundamentally important culture-bearer visited our Western Hemisphere in pre-Columbian times. Was it actually the Christ? Or one of his disciples? Whatever his true identity, the arrival of this person left a deep impact on the tribal memories of Native Americans. Their “Yod-hey-vau” is remarkably similar to the biblical Je-ho-vah who seems to be portrayed throughout the Michigan plates. Was the East Star Man and Peace-Maker known to so many indigenous North American tribes really Jesus Christ? Perhaps the imminent translation of the Illinois and Michigan artifacts will answer that question.” The Mystic Symbol by Wayne N. May Publisher of Ancient American Magazine.
“One of the most important events in prehistory is the early discovery of America by the ancient Egyptians. Recently an article appeared in Ancient American magazine, describing it. However, the source of this article was a large petroglyph from Europe. It appears that the Mystic Symbol is the first known American petroglyph, which confirms this early discovery. So, apparently, it is a combination of a time glyph and a geographic glyph. The spikes appear to represent dynasties or kings, but also important crossings of the Oceans.” Dr. R.M de Jong
“Father and Sons” (Tablet Picture Below) “God the Father’s face is never shown. To his right is Son of the Right Hand (Jesus Christ) and to his left is Son of the Left Hand (Lucifer). Sometime during the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. to the Council in 381A.D., the Gospels were decided as to what and which would comprise the Holy Bible. At this time the understanding of the two sons of God was well known. However, the Holy men of the day decided that God could not have such an evil son as Lucifer. So the two Sons of God was changed to one Son and the other would become the Devil. It was also decreed that any church that kept the two son doctrine would be subject to excommunication, or even burned at the stake for preaching false doctrine. The two sons of God were no longer preached. This information was first brought forward by David Allen Deal in the publication of Ancient American magazine. This very doctrine of the Two Sons resurfacing in North America in the western woods of the State of Michigan was another support for the authenticity of the Michigan Plates. This doctrine was buried and hidden when the Nicene Creed was accepted and enforced by Roman Catholic Church by the year 381A.D.” Wayne May, ldsarchaeology.com 877-494-0044
Father and Sons (Michigan Tablets)
My blog is one of interesting information. I don’t claim it is all truth for I don’t know everything of course. I know the story behind those Michigan plates and I think there is much truth to them. There are some forgeries as well I believe. I have seen with many artifacts that the so called experts rarely say anything except that they are all fake. I find very little truth behind many of these so called experts.
I share the information and then expect each of us to study and pray about what is truth just as I do. I always say on my blog, don’t believe me, I am just an instrument for information and ideas that many have never considered. I want you to make up your own mind.
“And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country.” Ether 1:1
As you read the words and view the maps below, you will have a keen understanding of exactly where the “North Country” is, according to Ether 1:1. Once you understand the Book of Mormon most likely occurred in North America and the Narrow Neck of Land is the Niagara Peninsula, it will be easy to understand where the North County is located.
From Moroni’s America we read, “As I read this scripture, there is little doubt that Moroni lived near Hill Cumorah as he abridged the Jaredite record near where he would later bury the record along with the Nephite records. Is there any common sense doubt, that this is so?
“Ether 7:6… “near the land” is fairly vague… but at least we know it is around the Great Lakes, in the “north country” where Moroni lived when he wrote this record.
From Moroni’s perspective, writing in the north country, Zarahemla would be southward… the great Jaredite city was between the land northward (sometimes referred to as Desolation) and the land southward (which Ether 9 called Zarahemla, which included Bountiful). .. In reference to Buffalo [NY] (the proposed site of the great city), the land northward was the Niagara peninsula and further north and west of there.” Moroni’s America
Chapter 22 Moroni’s America
– Moroni
Moroni focuses on the geography of the soul.
He writes nothing about the lands of the Nephites. He includes an epistle from his father that references sites not otherwise mentioned in the text: the tower and land of Sherrizah and the abominations of the Nephites in Moriantum. Both locations symbolize the darkest recesses of the human soul, and the end of the epistle contrasts that darkness to the light of Christ.
Sherrizah had a tower, presumably a fortress but possibly a steep ridge or hill, from which the Lamanites took prisoners, men, women and children. They killed the men and fed their flesh to their wives and children (Moroni 9:7-8). The Lamanites left some widows and daughters behind in Sherrizah but took all the food, so “many old women do faint by the way and die.” Mormon was unable to rescue them because the Lamanite armies were “betwixt Sherrizah and me” (Moroni 9:16-17).
Moriantum was another Nephite land, but here, it was the Nephites who were depraved. They took Lamanite daughters prisoner, raped them, tortured them to death, and then ate their flesh (Moroni 9:9-10).
Mormon concludes his epistle in Chapter 9 by looking away from the darkness of the souls of his people and turning to Christ:
25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.
26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.
Moroni’s writings also display the geography of his own soul.
Even when he is pursued by the Lamanites, those fierce warriors who will kill him because he will not deny the Christ, Moroni risks his life to “write a few more things that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord” (Moroni 1:4).
In his final chapter, Moroni writes about how each individual can navigate through the geography of his or her own life. He shows that the power of the Holy Ghost lets each person know “the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5), including the record of the Nephites. He explains how spiritual gifts guide us through the challenges of life, avoiding or overcoming obstacles we encounter.
The one place where Moroni writes about borders is metaphorically, in speaking of the establishment of Zion.
31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
This seems to be Moroni’s hope not only for the promised land—for America—but for every land and nation and people who embrace the covenants.
Chapter 23 – Evidence, Proof, and Historicity
People often ask me, “How much evidence does it take to prove something?” My answer: “It depends on the individual and what he or she wants to believe.”
When I was a prosecutor, preparing a case for trial involved assembling and presenting evidence to prove elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil cases, the burden of proof is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not. There are statutes and rules and court decisions about the fine points of these formal standards of proof.
But no such rules apply to our individual lives.
A person who wants to believe something will be convinced by little, or no, evidence. A person who doesn’t want to believe something may not be convinced by any amount of evidence. But most people, in most aspects of their lives, do tend to want to know the truth, even if it is “hard” because it contradicts what they’ve been taught or what they’ve believed before.
I wrote this book to offer evidence about the historical authenticity—the historicity—of the Book of Mormon.
In my view, the Mesoamerican theory has eroded faith in the Book of Mormon among those who look objectively at the evidence and arguments. The “evidence” usually cited to support Mesoamerica as the setting for the Book of Mormon narrative is illusory. Proponents find similarities between Mesoamerican culture and the culture described in the text of the Book of Mormon, but such similarities occur in many human cultures. Worse, they contradict the plain meaning of the text, which describes a Hebrew culture, not a Mayan one.
These similarities or “correspondences” are often dressed up in sophisticated rhetoric, but they boil down to this:
Nephi planted seeds and harvested them.
The Mayans planted seeds and harvested them.
Therefore, Nephi was a Mayan.
I realize no Mesoamerican proponents have made that specific argument, but the correspondences you read about—John Sorenson alone had 140 such correspondences in his book, Mormon’s Codex—follow that logic.
Meanwhile, the Mesoamerican proponents distort the text so it will fit their theory. Mormon’s Codex and many other publications and web pages that support the Mesoamerican theory claim the textual term “north” doesn’t really mean north. They substitute Mayan animals and plants for those mentioned in the text. They also insist Joseph Smith was merely speculating about where the Book of Mormon took place.
If you’re wondering where the Mesoamerican theory originated, Chapter 29 (Moroni’s America) addresses that.
Any standard of proof is subjective. Proof is whatever is sufficient to satisfy an individual about the truth or falsity of a given proposition. Because of different backgrounds, priorities, and values, some people require more proof of a given proposition than others. This subjectivity explains why we use juries in courts of law and peer reviews in science. In both cases, we assume that if evidence persuades a group, it is more likely to be accurate. Convince enough people—members of a jury, qualified scientists—and the law and public opinion will generally go along with the conclusion.
Yet human judgments are fallible. History is replete with examples of a “consensus” being wrong. Einstein famously challenged the consensus of his day with his own theory of relativity. The germ theory revolutionized medicine. Technology in all its forms has challenged prior consensus and dramatically changed the way people live and think.
Along the way, every challenge to the consensus faced opposition. Individuals with strong convictions used evidence and rational arguments to persuade others, but it is almost always a gradual process. What may be considered as “fact” in one time and place may be shown to be error in another time and place. New knowledge supersedes old, but old knowledge may be sustained when seen from a different perspective. Even where people agree on a set of facts (which itself can be a challenge), they differ regarding the interpretation and importance of those facts.
Religious leaders face similar obstacles. Moses presented a tremendous challenge, not only to the Egyptians but to the Israelite slaves who had grown accustomed to their status. Many prophets and religious leaders have been killed for what they preached. Jesus was crucified. Stephen was stoned. Many of the original apostles were killed.
When it comes to personal convictions, the views of a majority are irrelevant. Belief in God is an individual choice, not the product of a vote. In the same way, one’s acceptance or rejection of the Book of Mormon is highly personal, and may be the product of objective reasoning based on facts, spiritual insights based on personal experience, or a combination of the two.
In my view, even spiritual choices are improved with consideration of the best available evidence.” Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville Page 261-267
The Hopewell and the Nephites are the Same People.
I will share some information about how the Nephite Culture of the Book of Mormon from 600 BC to 400 AD, has so many amazing similarities to the Hopewell Culture in the United States, that I believe they are one in the same cultures.
Many archaeologists, scientists and historians who aren’t members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, know and believe the history of the Hopewell Culture and verify the dating which parallels the Book of Mormon. I have a non-Mormon friend in Ohio who is an archaeologist who calls these people “Hebrews” and I call them Nephites.
Hopewell Parallels Nephites
The evidences of the Hopewell Civilization are immense and plentiful. The period of time they lived matches the timeline of the Nephites. (600 BC in Florida, 300 BC in Missouri, at the time of Christ in Ohio, and New York in 400 AD). Joseph Smith said, “this country” or “this Land” or “the place of the New Jerusalem” or his confirming letter to Emma that he was crossing the “plains of the Nephites”, are all very strong indicators that indeed the Hopewell are the Nephites. It seems so obvious to me, that it’ just hard to be denied any more. Follow your own personal revelation, as for me I feel I have, and the Hopewell and the Nephites are the same people.Page 303 Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum
Moroni Fortifies Lands of the Nephites by Clark Kelley Price
CHARACTER OF INDIAN DEFENSES From ScienceViews.com
THE fortifications of the savage or hunter tribes of North America are uniformly represented to have been constructed of rows of pickets, surrounding their villages, or enclosing positions naturally strong and easy of defence. The celebrated stronghold of the Narragansetts in Rhode Island, destroyed in 1676 by the New England colonists under Winthrop and Church, was an elevation of five or six acres in extent, situated in the centre of a swamp, and strongly defended by palisades. It was of extraordinary size, and enclosed not far from six hundred lodges.
Of like character was the fort of the Pequots, on the Mystic River, in Connecticut, destroyed by Captain Mason. According to Hackluyt, the towns of the Indians on the St. Lawrence were defended in a similar manner. The first voyagers describe the aboriginal town of Hochelaga, now Montreal, as circular in form, and surrounded by three lines of palisades. Through these there was but a single entrance, well secured by stakes and bars; and upon the inside of the defence, were stages or platforms, upon which were placed stones and other missiles, ready for use, in case of attack. The town contained about fifty lodges.—(Hackluyt, Vol. III., p. 220.)
Charlevoix observes, that “the Indians of Canada are more expert in erecting their fortifications than in building their houses.” He represents that their villages were surrounded by double and frequently by triple rows of palisades, interwoven with branches of trees, and flanked by redoubts.—(Canada, Vol. II., p. 128.) Champlain also describes a number of fortified works on the St. Lawrence, above Trois Riviéres, which “were composed of a number of posts set very close together.” He also speaks of “forts which were great enclosures, with tiers joined together like pales,” within which were the dwellings of the Indians.—(Purchas, Vol. IV., pp. 1612, 1644.) Says La Hontan, “their villages were fortified with double palisades of very hard wood, which were as thick as one’s thigh, fifteen feet high, with little squares about the middle of the courtines (curtains).—(Vol. II., p. 6.) The Indians on the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina are described as possessing corresponding defences. “When they would be very safe,” says Beverly, “they treble the pales.”—(Hist. Vir., p. 149. See also Amidas and Barlow, in Pink., Vol. XII., p. 567; Heriot, ib. p. 603; Lafitau, Vol. III., p. 228, etc. etc.)
Among the Floridian tribes, the custom of fortifying their villages seems to have been more general than among the Indians of a higher latitude. This may readily be accounted for from the fact that they were more fixed in their habits, considerably devoted to agriculture, and less averse to labor than those of the north. The chronicler of Soto’s Expedition speaks of their towns as defended by “strong works of the height of a lance,” composed of “great stakes driven deep in the ground, with poles the bigness of one’s arm placed crosswise, both inside and out, and fastened with pins to knit the whole together.” Herrara, in his compiled account of the same expedition, has the following confirmation. “The town of Mabila or Mavila (Mobile) consisted of eighty houses seated in a plain, enclosed by piles driven down, with timbers athwart, rammed with long straw and earth between the hollow spaces, so that it looked like a wall smoothed with a trowel; and at every eighty paces was a tower, where eight men could fight, with many loop-holes and two gates. In the midst of the town was a large square.”—(Hist. America, Vol. V., p. 324.) Du Pratz also gives a corresponding account of the defences of the Natchez and neighboring tribes. “Their forts are built circularly, of two rows of large logs of wood, the logs of the inner row being opposite to the joinings of those of the outer row. These logs are about fifteen feet long, five feet of which are sunk in the earth. The outer logs are about two feet thick, the inner ones half as much. At every forty paces along this wall, a circular tower juts out, and at the entrance of the fort, which is always next the river, the two ends of the wall pass beyond each other, leaving a side opening. In the middle of the fort stands a tree, with the branches lopped off within a short distance of the trunk, and this serves as a watch-tower.—(Hist. Louisiana, p. 375.) The sub- joined description and illustrative engraving, copied from De Bry, no doubt convey a correct idea of the character of the Floridian defenses.
“The Indians build their towns in this wise. Having made choice of a spot near a running stream, they level it off as even as they can. They next draw a furrow of the size of the intended town in the form of a circle, in which they plant large round stakes, twice the height of a man, and set closely together. At the place where the entrance is to be, the circle is somewhat drawn. in, after the fashion of a snail-shell, making the opening so narrow as not to admit more than two at a time. The bed of the stream is also turned into this entrance. At the head of the entrance, a small round building is usually erected; within the passage is placed another. Each of them is pierced with slits and holes for observation, and is handsomely finished off after the manner of the country. In these guardhouses are placed those sentinels who can scent the trail of enemies at a great distance. As soon as their sense of smelling tells them that some are near, they hasten out, and, having found them, raise an alarm. The inhabitants on hearing the shouting immediately fly to the defence of the town, armed with bows, arrows, and clubs.
“In the middle of the town stands the king’s palace, sunk somewhat below the level of the ground, on account of the heat of the sun. Around it are ranged the houses of the nobles, all slightly covered with palm branches; for they make use of them only during nine months of the year, passing, as we have said, the other three months in the woods. When they return, they take to their houses again; unless, indeed, they have been burnt down in the meantime by their enemies, in which case they build themselves new ones of similar materials. Such is the magnificence of Indian palaces.”
Among the Indians to the westward of the Mississippi, particularly among the Mandans and kindred tribes, a somewhat different system of defence prevailed. The serpentine courses of the rivers, all of which have here high steep banks, leave many projecting points of land on elevated peninsulas, protected on nearly all sides by the streams, and capable, with little artificial aid, of being made effective for defensive purposes. Mr. Catlin describes the principal village of the Mandans, while that remarkable tribe existed, as protected upon three sides by the river, and upon the fourth “by a strong picket, with an interior ditch, three or four feet in depth.” The picket was composed of timbers a foot or more in diameter and eighteen feet high, set firmly in the ground, at a sufficient distance from each other to admit guns to be fired between them. The warriors stationed themselves in the ditch during an attack, and were thus almost completely protected from their assailants. These practices seem, however, to be of comparatively late introduction.—(N. A. Indians, Vol. I., p. 81.)
Brackenridge (Views of Louisiana, p. 242) mentions the ruins of an Indian town upon the Missouri River, fifty miles above the mouth of the Shienne. The spot was marked by “great piles of Buffalo bones and quantities of earthen-ware. The village appeared to have been scattered around a kind of citadel or fortification, enclosing from four to five acres, in an oval form.” The earth was thrown up about four feet, and a few of the palisades were remaining. The Shienne River is 1300 miles above the mouth of the Missouri. Lewis and Clark also mention a number of remains of Indian fortifications of like character, but it is to be observed that they distinguish between them and the larger and more imposing ancient works which fell under their notice in the same region. They describe an abandoned village of the Riccarees, called Lahoocat, which was situated in the centre of Goodhope Island. It contained seventeen lodges, surrounded by a circular wall, and is known to have been occupied in 1797.—(Exp., p. 72.) They also mention the remains of a deserted village, erected by Petit Arc or Little Bow, an Omahaw chief, on the banks of a small creek of the same name, emptying into the Missouri. It was surrounded by a wall of earth about four feet high.—(Exp., p. 41.) A circular work of earth, formerly enclosing a village of the Shiennes, was noticed by these explorers, a short distance above the mouth of the Shienne River.—(Exp., p. 80.) The ancient villages of the Mandans, nine of which were observed in the same vicinity, within a space of twenty miles, were indicated by the walls which surrounded them, the fallen heaps of earth which covered the huts, and by the scattered teeth and bones of men and animals.—(Exp., p. 84.) Another defensive work, probably designed for temporary protection, was observed by these gentlemen in the vicinity of the mouth of the Yellowstone. “It was built upon the level bottom, in the form of a circle, fifty feet in diameter, and was composed of logs lapping over each other, about five feet high, and covered on the outside with bark set upright. The entrance was guarded by a work on each side of it, facing the river.” These entrenchments, they were informed, are frequently made by the Minaterees and other Indians at war with the Shoshonees, when pursued by their enemies on horseback.—(Exp., p. 622.) Lieut. Fremont found similar constructions in the vicinity of the Arkansas. A much more feasible method of protection, under such circumstances, is mentioned by Pike. He states that the Sioux, when in danger from their enemies in the plains, soon cover themselves by digging holes with their knives, and throwing up small breastworks.—(Exp., p. 19.) They are represented as being able to bury themselves from sight, in an incredibly short space of time.
The numerous traces upon the Missouri of old villages occupying similar positions, and having evidently been defended in a like manner with those above described, place it beyond doubt that this method of fortification was not of recent origin among those Indians. Mr. Catlin mentions that there are several ruined villages of the Mandans, Minaterees and Riccarees, on the banks of the river, below the towns then occupied, which have been abandoned since intercourse became established with the whites.
Prince Maximilian notices a feature in the defences of the Mandan village of Mih-tutta-hang-kush, which does not seem to have been remarked by any other traveler. This village is represented to have consisted of about sixty huts, surrounded by palisades, forming a defence, at the angles of which were “conical mounds, covered with a facing of wicker-work, and having embrasures, completely commanding the river and plain.” In another place, however, our author adds, that these bastions were erected for the Indians by the whites.—(Travels in the Interior of North America, by Maximilian, Prince of Weid, pp., 173, 243.)
Page 287 Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum
ANCIENT WORKS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE from ScienceViews.com
WITHOUT the boundaries of the State of New York, there are works composed of earth, closely resembling those described in the preceding pages. Among these may be named the small earth-works of Northern Ohio, which the author himself was at one time led to believe constituted part of the grand system of the mound builders.19 The more extensive and accurate information which he has now in his possession concerning them, as also concerning those of Western New York, has led to an entire modification of his views, and to the conviction that they are all of comparatively late date, and probably of common origin.
Some similar works are said to occur in Canada; but we have no account at all satisfactory concerning them. One is mentioned by Laing (Polynesian Nations, p. 109) upon the authority of a third person, as situated upon the summit of a precipitous ridge, near Lake Simcoe, and consisting of an embankment of earth, enclosing a considerable extent of ground. Mr. Schoolcraft also states that there are some ancient enigmatical walls of earth in the vicinity of Dundas, which extend several miles across the country, following the leading ridges of land. These are represented to be from five to eight miles in length, and not far from six feet high, with passages at intervals, as if for gates (Oneota, p. 326). Our knowledge concerning these is too limited to permit any conjecture as to their design.
In the State of Pennsylvania, there are some remains, which may be regarded as the “outliers” of those of New York. They are confined to the upper counties. Those in the Valley of Wyoming are best known. They have, however, been lately so much obliterated, that it is probable they can be no longer traced. One of the number was examined and measured in 1817 by a gentleman of Wyoming, whose account is published by Mr. Miner, in his “History of Wyoming.”
“It is situated in the town of Kingston, Luzerne county, upon a level plain, on the north side of Toby’s Creek, about one hundred and fifty feet from its bank, and about half’ a mile from its confluence with the Susquehanna. It is of an oval or elliptical form, having its longest diameter from northeast to southwest, at right angles to the creek. Its diameters are respectively 337 and 272 feet. On the southwest side appears to have been a gateway, twelve feet wide, opening towards the great eddy of the river into which the creek falls. It consisted of a single embankment of earth, which in height and thickness appears to have been the same on all sides. Exterior to the wall is a ditch. The bank of the creek upon the side towards the work is high and steep. The water in the creek is ordinarily sufficiently deep to admit canoes to ascend to the fortification from the river. When the first settlers came to Wyoming, this plain was covered with its native forests, consisting principally of oak and yellow pine; and the trees which grew upon the work are said to have been as large as those in any part of the valley. One large oak, upon being cut down, was found to be 700 years old. The Indians have no traditions concerning these fortifications; nor do they appear to have any knowledge of the purposes for which they were erected.”—(Miner’s History if Wyoming, p. 25.) Traces of a similar work existed on “Jacob’s Plains,” on the upper flats of Wilkesbarre. “It occupied the highest point on the flats, which in the time of freshets appears like an island in the sea of waters. In size and shape it coincides with that already described. High trees were growing upon the embankment at the period of the first settlement of the country. It is about eighty rods from the river, towards which opened a gateway; and the old settlers concur in stating that a well [cache ?] existed in the interior near the southern line. On the banks of the river is an ancient burial-place, in which the bodies were laid horizontally in regular rows. In excavating the canal through the bank bordering the flats, perhaps thirty rods south of the fort, another burial-place was disclosed, evidently more ancient, for the bones crumbled to pieces almost immediately upon exposure to the air, and the deposits were far more numerous than in that near the river. The number of skeletons are represented to have been countless, and the dead had been buried in a sitting posture. In this place of deposit no beads were found, while they were common in the other.”—(Miner’s History, p. 28.)
Near this locality, which seems to have been a favorite one with the Indians, medals bearing the head of the First George, and other relics of European origin, are often discovered.
Still further to the northwest, near the borders of New York, and forming an unbroken chain with the works of that State, are found other remains. One of these, on the Tioga River, near Athens, was ascribed by the Duke de Rochefoucauld to the French, in the time of De Nonville! He describes it as follows: “Near the confines of Pennsylvania, a mountain rises from the banks of the River Tioga, in the shape of a sugar loaf, upon which are to be seen the remains of some entrenchments. These are called by the inhabitants the ‘Spanish Ramparts,’ but I judge that they were thrown up against the Indians, in the time of De Nonville. A breast-work is still remaining.”—(Travels in America.) A similar work, circular or elliptical in outline, is said to exist in Lycoming county. Near it are extensive cemeteries.—(Day’s Hist. Coll., p. 455.)
In the New England States few traces of works of this kind are to be found. There are, however, some remains in the State of New Hampshire, which, whatever their origin, are entitled to notice. The subjoined plan of one of these is from a sketch made in 1822 by Jacob ll. Moore, Esq., late Librarian of the Historical Society of New York, who has also furnished the accompanying description.
“According to your request, I send the enclosed sketch and memoranda of an ancient fortification, supposed to have been the work of the Penacook Indians, a once powerful tribe, whose chief seat was in the neighborhood of Concord, New Hampshire. The original name of the town was derived from that of the tribe. The last of the Penacooks long since disappeared, and with them have perished most of the memorials of their race. Enough has come down to us, however, in tradition, added to the brief notes of our historians, to show that the Penacooks were once a numerous, powerful, and warlike tribe. Gookin places them under the general division of the Pawtucketts, which he calls ‘the fifth great sachemship of Indians.’20 Under the name of Penacooks, were probably included all the Indians inhabiting the valley of the Merrimack, from the great falls at the Amoskeag to the Winnepiseogee Lake, and the great carrying place on the Pemigewasset. That they were one and the same tribe, is rendered probable from the exact similarity of relics, which have been found at different places, and from the general resemblance of the remains of ancient fortifications, which have been traced near the lower falls of the Winnepiseogee, in Franklin and Sanbornton, and on the table-land known as the Sugar-Ball Plain, in Concord. Tradition ascribes to each the purpose of defence against a common enemy, the Maquaas or Mohawks of the west.
“The accompanying sketch was taken in pencil, on a visit to the spot, in company with the Hon. James Clark and several friends in the month of September, 1822. The remains are on the west side of the Winnepiseogee, near the head of Little Bay, in Sanbornton, New Hampshire. The traces of the walls were at that time easily discerned, although most of the stones had been removed to the mill-dam near at hand, on the river. On approaching the site, we called upon a gentleman (James Gibson) who had lived for many years near the spot, and of whom we learnt the following particulars: He had lived in Sanbornton fifty-two years, and had known the fort some time previous to settling in the place. When he came to the town to reside, the walls were two or three feet high, though in some places they had fallen down, and the whole had evidently much diminished in height, since the first erection. They were about three feet in thickness, constructed of stones outwardly, and filled in with clay, shells, gravel, &c., from the bed of the river and shores of the bay. The stones of which the walls were constructed were of no great size, and such as men in a savage state would be supposed to use for such a purpose. They were placed together with much order and regularity, and when of their primitive height, the walls must have been very strong-at least, sufficiently strong for all the purposes of defence against an enemy to whom the use of fire-arms was unknown.
“The site of the fortification is nearly level, descending a little from the walls to the bank of the river. West, for the distance of nearly half a mile, the surface is quite even. In front or east, on the opposite side of the river, are high banks, upon which at that time stood a thick growth of wood. When the first settlers discovered the fort, there were oak trees of large size standing within the walls. Within the enclosure, and in the mound and vicinity, were found innumerable Indian ornaments, such as crystals cut into the rude shapes of diamonds, squares, pyramids, &c., with ornamental pipes of stone and clay,—coarse pottery ornamented with various figures,—arrow-heads, hatchets of stone, and other common implements of peace and war.
“The small island in the bay appears to have been a burial-place, from the great quantity of bones and other remains disclosed by the plough, when settlements were commenced by the whites. Before the island was cultivated, there were several large excavations, resembling cellars or walls discovered, for what purpose constructed or used, can of course only be conjectured. There is a tradition that the Penacooks, at the time of their destruction by the Maquaas, had three hundred birch canoes in Little Bay.
“After writing thus far, I addressed a note to the Hon. James Clark, of Franklin, New Hampshire, with inquiries as to the present state of these ruins. Mr. Clark was kind enough at once to make a special visit to the site of the ruins, in company with Mr. Bamford, son of one of the first settlers. The following is an extract from his reply:
“‘The remains of the walls are in part plainly to be traced; but the ground since our former examination has been several years ploughed and cultivated, so as to now give a very indistinct view of what they were at our previous visit, when the foundation of the whole could be distinctly traced. No mounds or passage-ways can now be traced. A canal to convey water to a saw and grist mill occupies the place of the mound marked m. The stones used in these walls were obtained on the ground, and were of such size as one man could lift; they were laid as well as our good walls for fences in the north, and very regular; they were about three feet in thickness and breast high when first discovered. The stones have been used, to fill in the dam now adjoining. There were no embankments in the interior. The distance between the outer and inner wall was about sixty feet; the distance from the north to the south wall was about 250 feet, and from the west wall to the river about 220 feet. There were two other walls extending south to Little Bay. The general elevation of the ground was about ten feet above, and gently sloping to the river bank, which is about five feet above the water of the river. The distance between Great Bay and Little Bay is about 160 rods, with a gradual fall of fifteen feet. Here was a great fishing-place for the Indians.’ Mr. Bamford states that he has heard his father and Mr. Gibson say, that on their first acquaintance with this place, they have seen three hundred bark canoes here at a time. This may have been in consequence of the number of bays and lakes near this place. Sanbornton was laid out and surveyed in 1750; but Canterbury, adjoining the bay, was settled as early as 1727.
“The remains of a fortification, apparently of similar construction to that above described, were some years since to be seen on the bluffs east of the Merrimack River, in Concord, on what was formerly known as Sugar-ball Plain. The walls could readily be traced for some distance, though crumbled nearly to the ground, and overgrown with large trees.”21
21. “A mound 45 or 50 feet in diameter is situated on the northern shore of Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire. It is ten feet high, and was originally covered with timber. The earth is not like that of the meadow in which it stands, but of the adjacent plain. A slight excavation was made in it a number of years ago, in the course of which three entire skeletons were found, accompanied by two tomahawks and some coarse pottery. On the surrounding meadow were to be seen, when the ground was first cleared, the hills where the corn had anciently grown.”—Hist. and Mis. Coll. of N. H., Vol. II., p. 47: New Hampshire Gazetteer, p. 207.
E. G. Squier authored three books which would each give a different perspective into the daily lives of these ancient Mound Building cultures. In his 1848 book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, that he co-authored with the help of Dr. Davis, he would become famous, as it was the first publication of the Smithsonian. His second Book, Aboriginal Monuments of New York was a book that Squier had been hired by the Smithsonian to do separate from Davis. Then in 1851, Squier would publish, Antiquities of the State of New York, in which he included, A Supplement on the Antiquities of the West, printed in Buffalo, New York, by Geo H. Derby and Company, without the oversight and the aggressive editing of the Smithsonian. As a result, there is a good number of grammatical errors, as he gives more open, candid and revealing insights into the lives and decline of these ancient cultures.
Drawing on the wealth of knowledge he gained in his research over many years, Squier in his 1851 book gives expanded inferences into the lives of these ancient mound-building cultures. In writing on the strategic locations of these mounds and earthwork structures he states: “In respect of position, a very great uniformity is to be observed throughout. Most occupy high and commanding sites near the bluff edges of the broad terraces by which the country rises from the level of the lakes.”… “In nearly all cases they are placed in close proximity to some unfailing supply of water, near copious springs of running streams. Gateways, opening toward these, are always to be observed, and in some cases guarded passages are also visible.”67
Fortified Embankments
“Those works, which are incontestably defensive, usually occupy strong natural positions. …The natural strength of such positions, and their susceptibility of defenc[s]e would certainly suggest them as the citadels of a rude people, having hostile neighbors or pressed by foreign invaders. Accordingly, we are not surprised at often finding these heights occupied by strong and complicated works, the design of which is indicated no less by their position than by their heights occupied by strong and complicated works, the design of which is indicated no less by their position than by their peculiarities of construction.”68 Many of the fortifications as described by Mr. J. V. H. Clark “had been[e] inclosed with palisades of cedar.”69
“Occasional works are found on the hill-tops, overlooking the valleys, or at a little distance from them; but these are manifestly, in most instances, works of defen[s]e or last resort, or in some way connected with warlike purposes. And it is worthy of remarks, that the sites selected for settlements, towns, and cities, by the invading Europeans, are often those which were the especial favorites of the mound-builders, and the seats of their heaviest populations. Marietta, Newark, Portsmouth, Chillicothe, Circleville, Cincinnati, in Ohio; Frankfort in Kentucky; and St. Louis in Missouri, may be mentioned in confirmation of the remark. The cent[er] of population are now where they were at the period when the mysterious race of the mounds flourished.”70
A.J. Conant gave an account of a Captain Carver in the Preface of his 1879 book, Foot Prints of Vanished Races in the Mississippi Valley, which he entered according to an act of Congress into the office of the Librarian of Congress in Washington. Speaking of Captain Carver he stated:
His testimony is selected from that of a multitude of early writers, because he could not have been prejudiced by the preconceived opinions or notions of others, and also because he was a man of military training, being a captain in the British army, whose conclusions would not be mere guess-work. The judgment of Brackenridge, Atwater, William Wirt and many distinguished men, is in perfect agreement upon this point, namely: that they [the mounds/cities] could not have been built by the Indians as we know them, nor any people (living) in a like condition.71
Captain Carver, in the account of his travels in the year 1766-78, describes what he was convinced was a military work, which he accidently discovered upon the bank of Lake Pepin. This was long before it was known that America had any antiquities. Concerning it he says that its form was somewhat circular, and its flanks reached the river. Though much defaced by time, every angle was distinguishable, and appeared as regular and fashioned with as much military skill as if planned by Vauban himself.’ Again: ‘I was able to draw certain conclusions of its great antiquity.’ “How a work of this kind could exist in a country that has hitherto (according to generally-received opinion) been the seat of war to untutored Indians alone, whose whole stock of military knowledge has only till within two centuries, amounted to drawing the bow and whose only breastwork, even at present, is the thicket I know not.72
O. Turner in his 1850 book, Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York—Embracing Some Account of Ancient Remains, provides an analysis of the lack of knowledge of Native American communities and ancient civilizations. He believed that they were not responsible for the existence of the mound structures, forts, and other artifacts found in western New York. He would go on to say, of the Indians:
If their own history is obscure; if their relations of themselves after they have gone back but little more than a century beyond the period of the first European emigration, degenerates to fable and obscure tradition; they are but poor revelators of a still greater mystery. We are surrounded by evidences that a race preceded them, farther advanced in civilization and the arts, and far more numerous. Here and there upon the brows of our hills, at the head of our ravines, are their fortifications; their locations selected with skill, adapted to refuge, subsistence and defence [sic]. The uprooted trees of our forest, that are the growth of centuries, expose their mouldering [sic] remains; the uncovered mounds masses of their skeletons promiscuously heaped one upon the other, as if they were the gathered and hurriedly entombed of well contested fields. In our vallies [sic] upon our hill sides, the plough and the spade discover their rude implements, adapted to war, the chase, and domestic use. All these are dumb yet eloquent chronicles of by-gone ages.
We ask the red man to tell us from whence they came and whither they went? And he either amuses us with wild and extravagant traditionary legends, or acknowledges himself as ignorant as his interrogators. He and his progenitors have gazed upon these ancient relics for centuries, as we do now,—wondered and consulted their wise men, and yet he is unable to aid our inquires. We invoke the aid of revelation, turn over the pages of history, trace the origin and dispersion of the races of mankind from the earliest period of the world’s existence, and yet we gather only enough to form the basis of vague surmise and conjecture.
Turner then draws in the 1850’s these observations from their findings:
“I believe we may confidently pronounce that all the hypotheses which attribute those works to Europeans are incorrect and fanciful—first, on account of the present number of the works; secondly, on account of their antiquity; having from every appearance, been erected a long time before the discovery of America; and finally, their form and manner are totally variant from European fortifications, either in ancient or modern times.
It is equally clear that they were not the work of the Indians… It is apparent that Turner did not believe the American Indians were responsible, or connected with the ancient civilization that was responsible for the mounds. Would this culture of thinking deny the American Indians their rightful heritage?
What knowledge is left that might enable society to unlock the enigma of the Mound-Builders’ existence? Many of the giant earthworks, temple mounds, and effigy constructions show signs of a central government and of a spiritual and religious turning, built in times of peace and prosperity where ceremonies and religious rituals were shared. In their later constructions are found evidences of a time when the populations were motivated by fear, building hill-top fortifications and defenses. They incorporate ingenious military design and constructions and give signs of a time of ongoing conflicts, where the motivation behind these types of constructions was that of survival.
Angel Mounds, Indiana Palisade Fortification Covered with Clay Plaster
Places of EntranceAdvancing and Receiving Armies
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, 1848, Squier and Davis, Plate VI Fortified Hill, Butler County, Ohio three miles below the town of Hamilton
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, 1848, Squier and Davis, Plate VII Fort Ancient is located on the east bank of the Little Miami River
Fort Ancient, an account of this work was first published in a magazine entitled “Port Folio” in Philadelphia in 1809. In 1820 Mr. Atwater included it in his report to the American Antiquarian Society. It was also mapped and described by a Cincinnati Professor, John Locke in 1843.
E. J. Squier went on to write: “The vast amount of labor necessary to the erection of most of these works precludes the notion that they were hastily constructed to check a single or unexpected invasion. On the contrary, there seems to have existed a system of defenc[s]es, extending from the mouth of the Alleghany diagonally across the country, through Ohio to the Wabash. Within this range, those works which are regarded as defensive are large and most numerous.” 74
“It is clear that the contest was a protracted one, and that the race of the mounds were for a long period constantly exposed to attack. This conclusion finds its support in the fact that, in the vicinity of those localities, where, from the amount of remains, it appears the ancient population, was most dense, we almost invariably find one or more works of a defensive character, furnishing ready places of resort in times of danger.”75
Ancient Hopewell, Copper Celt
Among the implements recovered from the mounds, are several copper axes as shown in Fig. 81 and 82 of chapter XI, Implements of Metal, Squier and Davis, Ancient Monuments.
Fortifications
Artistic renditions. Top Left Ft. Carlise Germantown, Ohio , Top Right Pollock Earthworks Cedarville, OH Bottom left Ft Merom Indiana, Middle Right Interior Ft Hill Hillsboro, OH , Bottom Right, South Gate Ft. Ancient Lebanon, OH. Art by Wayne May.
Metalworking
“There is almost positive evidence that the mound-builders were an agricultural people, considerably advanced in the arts, and possessing great uniformity, throughout the whole territory which they occupied in manners, habits and religion—a uniformity sufficiently marked to identify them as a single people having a common origin, common modes of life and as a consequence, common sympathies, if not a common and consolidated government.”76 Squier’s gave this assessment in his third report, Antiquities of the State of New York, which, unlike the earlier reports, gives a greater insight into the human psychic, giving insight into their motivations and solemn ceremonies, and into their proficiencies in the shaping and hardening of metals. Of there proficiencies in metalworking, Squier said:
“They possessed the secret of hardening the metal […] so as to make it sub serve most of the uses to which iron is applied. Of it they made axes, chisels and knives. The mound-builders also worked it into similar implements, although it is not yet certain that they contrived to give any extraordinary hardness.”… “A specimen found in a mound near Chillicothe, Ohio consists of a solid, well-hammered piece of copper, and weighs two pounds and five ounces.” … “Silver has also been found, but in small quantities, reduced to great thinness and closely wrapped around copper ornaments. The ore of lead, galena, has been found in considerable abundance, and some of the metal itself under circumstances implying a knowledge of its use on the part of the ancient people. The discovery of gold has been vaguely announced, but is not well attested. It is not impossible that articles of that metal have been found.” 77
Metal Headplate “The Mound Builders” Henry Clyde Shetrone, 1930, Fig. 61, p. 115 Copper plate with copper ear flaps and pearls attached.
Fig. 123. A HOPEWELL BURIAL ACCOMPANIED BY A TROPHY SKULL “With the skeleton of a venerable male, accompanied by many implements and ornaments, there was found the separate skull of a young male wearing a copper headplate. The latter probably was a trophy skull, either that of an enemy captured in battle or that of a relative retained as a family relic,” p. 199.
“It has already been remarked that the mounds are the principal depositories of ancient art, and that in them we must seek for the only authentic remains of the builders. In the observance of a practice almost universal among barbarous or semi-civilized actions, the mound-builders deposited various articles of use and ornaments with their dead. They also, under the prescriptions of their religion, or in accordance with customs unknown to us, and to which perhaps no direct analogy is afforded by those of any other people, placed upon their alters numerous ornaments and implements– which remain there to this day, attesting at once the religious zeal of the depositors and their skill in the minor arts.” 78
“In one case which fell under my observation, and in another which I have an account from the person who discovered it, the altar was of stone. … It was a simple elevation of earth packed hard, and was faced, on every side and on top, with slabs of stone of regular form, and nearly uniform thickness. They were laid evenly, and as a mason would say, ‘with close joints.’…This altar bore the marks of fire, and fragments of the mound-builders’ ornaments were found on and around it.”
“The Mounds of this class are most fruitful in relics of builders. On the altars have been found, though much injured and broken up by action of fire, instruments and ornaments of silver, copper, stone and bone; beads of silver, copper, pearls, and shells, galena, sculptures of the human head, and of numerous animals; pottery of various kinds, and a large number of interesting articles, some of which evi[de]nce great skill in art.” 79
Bone Heaps
In the History of the Holland Purchase (1849), in a location a mile north of Aurora Village, New York, there are several small lakes and ponds, around and between which are knobs of elevations, thickly covered with a tall growth of pine; upon them are several mounds where many human bones have been excavated. There are in the village and vicinity, gardens and fields where relics are found at each successive plowing. Few cellars are excavated without discovering them. In digging a cellar upon the farm of P. Pierson, a skeleton was exhumed, the thighbones of which would indicate great height; exceeding by several inches, that of the tallest of our own race. 80
“The mounds which formerly existed in Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Chenango, and Delaware counties, all appear to have contained human bones, in greater or less quantities, deposited promiscuously, and embracing the Skeletons of individuals of all ages and both sexes. They, probably, all owe their origin to a practice common to many of the North American tribes, of collecting together, at fixed intervals, the bones of their dead, and finally depositing them with many and solemn ceremonies. They were some times heaped together so to constitute mounds.”81
The “bone pits” which occur in some parts of Western New York, Canada and Michigan, etc., have unquestionably a corresponding origin…. They are of various sizes, but usually contain a large number of skeletons. In a few instances the bones appear to have been arranged with some degree of regularity. One of these pits discovered some years ago, in the town of Cambia, Niagara County, was estimated to contain the bones of several thousand individuals. …This locality was visited and examined by Mr. O. Turner, of Buffalo, in 1823. The account of this gentleman is published in his history of the “Holland purchase,” page 27 as follows: “The location commands a view of Lake Ontario and the surrounding country. An area of six acres of level land seems to have been occupied; fronting which, upon the circular verge of the mountain, were the distinct remains of a wall. Nearly in the centre of the area was a depository of the dead. It was a pit excavated to a depth of four or five feet, filled with human bones, over which were piles of sandstone. Hundreds seem to have been thrown in promiscuously, of both sexes and all ages. Numerous barbs or arrow-points were found among the bones and in the vicinity. It has been conjectured that this had been the scene of some sanguinary battle, and that these are the bones of the slain.”82
Dickson Mounds is a Native American settlement site near Lewistown, Illinois where more than 3,000 burials are estimated to have taken place. “Showing the interior of the house erected over the burials in a portion of the mound. More than 200 skeletons have been carefully uncovered, care being taken to leave them in the original position. It is thought that some epidemic caused these burials as there are groups of 8 or 9 skeletons in one place, apparently an entire family. Around the walls are many other artifacts found in the vicinity.” PUBLISHER Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Another which I [Squier] visited in the town of Clarence, Erie County, contained not less than four hundred skeletons. A deposit of bones comprising a large number of skeletons was found, not long since, in making some excavations in the town of Black Rock, situated on Niagara River, in Erie county…In Canada similar deposits are frequent. Accounts of their discovery and character appeared in various English publications, among which may be named the “British Colonial Newspaper” of September 1847, and the “Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,” for July 1848. From a communication in the latter by Edward W. Bawtree, M.D., the subjoined interesting facts are derived. “A quantity of human bones was found in one spot in 1846 near Barrie, and also a pit containing human bones near St. Vincent’s. Great numbers were found in the latter, with several copper and brass kettles, and various trinkets and ornaments in common use among the Indians.”83
“The large cemeteries which have been discovered in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio, seem to have resulted from a similar practice.”84 The practice of mounding dirt over their dead or in burying their dead in mounds above the natural terrain of the land, has all served to give evidence of their existence. We now understand that there were large populations found in North America anciently, as evidenced by their ruins, giant earth works structures, artifacts and fortifications. Their bone pits and the abundance of their abandoned ancient ruins also give signs of their rapid demise. As history has shown, most massive and rapid declines in populations are usually associated with the introduction of disease to a culture or the result of devastating wars.
Dickson Mound Excavation
_______________________
67 E. G. Squier: Antiquities of the State of New York: Buffalo, Geo. H. Derby and Co. 1851, 12
68 Ibid. 300, 301
69 Ibid. 38
70 Ibid. 208
71 A. J. Conant, A.M., Foot Prints of the Vanished Races of the Mississippi Valley, (St. Louis: Chancy R. Barns, 1879; reprinted Colfax, WI: Hayriver Press, 2007) Preface, iv, v.
72 Ibid.
73 O. Turner, Pioneer History of the Holland Purchas of Western New York, Jewett, Thomas & Co., Buffalo, N.Y., 1850, 18-22.
74 E. G. Squier: Antiquities of the State of New York: (1851), 303
75 Ibid. 304
76 Ibid. 304
77 Ibid. 328
78 Ibid. 326
79 Ibid. 317, 318
80 See; Fritz Zimmerman; The Nephilim Chronicles, Fallen Angels in the Ohio Valley: 80,81
81 E. G. Squier: Antiquities of the State of New York: (1851), 98
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, and as Moroni has said “I may know the truth of all things”
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America. 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. No need for me to check out Mesoamerica anymore as I did for 40 years.
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 pray about it, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on secondary evidence that exist, 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!
There is an article from the SL Tribune about Richard Bushman that says he believes the Book of Mormon is RIGHT, not TRUE. Here. Bushman was also agnostic when he went on his mission. I want to share with you some important differences I see between the belief system of many Progressive Mormon’s (Like Bushman) and other Traditionalist Mormon’s. See my blog here for more detail about An Apologist. As I discuss things below I am not claiming to speak for any other member of M2C, (Mesoamerican Two Hill Cumorah theory or Heartlander, (Believers that events of the Book of Mormon began in the Heartland of North America), and I am definitely not speaking on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love the Lord and His Church and I am a lifelong member in good standing.
I define myself as a Traditional & Conservative Apologist as well as many of my Heartland Geography friends would. I am also Traditional on Social, Financial, Political and Constitutional values.
Traditional is an advocate of maintaining tradition, especially so as to resist change. A person who believes the old ways are best. Truth cannot be changed. God’s in charge not man as a generalization. Judgmental of unusual behavior. Conservative is a person who is averse to change and holds traditional values. A person favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas and an adherence to God and His principles. Apologist is a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.” A person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial. Both M2C and Heartlanders are Apologists.
Most believers on the Mesoamerican two Cumorah Theory (M2C) belief of geography, I would say are Liberal, & Progressive Apologists.
Liberal a supporter of a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. One who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways. Man’s more in charge not God, as a generalization. Less judgmental of norms. Progressive a supporter of policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare. Favoring or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas. Developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step until traditional values become more liberal or progressive.
Difficult Questions and Answers
Many Heartlanders are Conservative or believe in the Traditional history of the Church. Many in the M2C camp are more Liberal or Intellectual and believe in the Revisionist history of the Church. Most Traditional Mormons would answer questions about sensitive issues similar to me as follows:
Purchase here:Universal Model Volume II, The Living System
DNA- We believe there may be Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Article Here: Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, and Central America and amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, but we haven’t found DNA yet. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed as during the time of Lehi.
Evolution: We do not believe a cat could evolve into a dog and we don’t believe an ape can evolve into Man. We do believe in Evolution defined as change or adaptation within a species. Most intellectuals believe we evolved from an ape and change can happen outside of a species.
Translation of the Gold Plates: We believe they were translated by the power of God with Joseph using the breastplate and two clear stones in a silver bow (Like spectacles) that were found in the same hill as the plates. Most M2C followers believe the stone in the hat method of translation (SITH). They believe Joseph Smith never looked at the gold plates to translate.
Seer Stones: We believe Joseph had several seer stones that were used for faithful things by Joseph, but Joseph did not use a seer stone in his hat to translate the Book of Mormon. If he did use this method, he would be just reading words from a seer stone that someone gave him to be written down so he wouldn’t have “translated” the plates but just would have dictated the words he saw in the stone to Oliver. Joseph could have used any item if he never had to look at the plates and Nephi and Moroni would never of had to write and preserve the plates. Joseph also used the Urim and Thummim to translate parts of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Bible and other books.
Politics- We believe the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon 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. We are mostly very conservative, love the US Constitution and our Founding Fathers. We believe in the right to bear arms and freedom of speech. Most of us don’t agree with RINO Republican’s (Republican in Name only), and we believed John F. Kennedy had great visions on taxes and freedom, but we disagree with most Democratic platforms today. Most of us love the great freedoms that Trump has given us as he has kept his word, as few politicians do. We also believe in the values of Ronald Reagan. We highly respect George Washington, and other great founding fathers, and we love Abraham Lincoln. We disagree strongly with Woodrow Wilson. We don’t approve of the socialized version of government. We don’t agree with Socialism, Marxism, Communism, Totalitarianism, or Progressivism. We believe rights can only come from God not from Government, “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Polygamy: We believe Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were following the commandments to practice polygamy just as Abraham and others were instructed. Satan just uses this highly controversial idea to get us to doubt things. Only about 3% of the entire church ever practiced polygamy. We believe when the Lord commands us, we should listen. Spiritual marriage is a higher law of God and has little or nothing to do with a physical relationship.
Science: We believe the dinosaurs lived during the Old Testament with Adam and were killed during the great world wide flood. We also believe that rocks were created during the flood which was an event that happened at about 2345 BC. Most Intellectuals believe the dinosaurs are millions of years old. We believe Noah’s worldwide flood was real. Many M2C think it may have been a myth. We have shown in a laboratory that wood can be fossilized in 2 days not in millions of years. (See Universal Model by Dean Sessions).
Creationism: We believe Adam was the first man and Eve the first woman placed on this earth around 4,000 BC and the earth is only about 12,000 years old, but the material of the earth is billions of years old as matter cannot be created but has existed forever. Most intellectuals believe the earth is 4.5 billion years old as the consensus on google says. They also believe in cave men and men on earth before Adam.
Testimony: Most of the M2C theory are just as valiant as Heartlanders are in the Church and they are both trying to help others as good members of this Church. We just have different beliefs in some matters. Both sides should strive to love one another.
I realize I can’t put each of you into the box I have created with each definition above. We each have our own opinion on various issues and that is why it is important to listen to each other, study it our for ourselves, and then based on the spirit, develop our own witness of truth. I am thankful for free agency and I love listening to many differing opinions as it builds my knowledge base and helps me make more accurate decisions.
Personal Revelation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral when it comes to Book of Mormon Geography and many of the other subjects from my above list. We should learn and study the revelations and doctrine that the Prophet and Apostles teach us and the standard works. Remember we are told that we may know the truth of all things. We as members should gain our own personal revelation on the scriptures, and the doctrine and revelations of the Church, including the things that are not doctrinal, just as the Prophet says below:
“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 ability to 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
Different Apologists
M2C Apologists: They say they are neutral and open to hearing about other geographical theories of the Book of Mormon. I don’t believe they are neutral. The may vaguely listen to others, but they are staunch in the Mesoamerican belief. I believe they say they are neutral to stay in a supportive role with the Church.
John L. Sorenson a leader of the Mesoamerican Theory said, “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.” John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex (Deseret Book, 2013), p. 688.
Heartland Apologists: We love and support The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we are mostly life long members in good standing. We are not neutral in our opinions about Book of Mormon Geography. We believe Book of Mormon events happened in the heartland of North America. The Book of Mormon is only a small percent of history and through marriage and migration we acknowledge there are other Lamanites that live outside of this Heartland, not spoken of in the Book of Mormon, including in the western United States, Canada and Central and South America.
Mesoamerica Two Cumorah Theory
M2C means, “Mesoamerica Two Cumorah Theory”, as defined by Jonathan Neville. In other words those who believe there are two Hill Cumorah’s, one in New York where Joseph deposited the plates, and a second Hill Cumorah somewhere in Mexico where the final battles of the Nephites and Lamanites took place. YES, they really believe this! Why? 1. They need to justify that their theory has to have happened in Mesoamerica. 2. They insist the area around NY Cumorah is too small to be a place for such disaster. 3. They claim no bones, arrowheads, iron, copper and other artifacts have ever been found near the NY Cumorah. My Proof Here 4. They believe the Cave at Hill Cumorah that Joseph entered and saw wagon loads of plates was just a dream and didn’t really happen. Blog, Other Blog 5. They believe Moroni traveled over 3,500 miles to NY to bury the plates.
John L. Sorenson begins his Preface to Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book, with these observations:
“This book presents a wide array of evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient historical record that could only have been produced by a writer who lived in Mesoamerica (southern Mexico and northern Central America) many centuries before Spanish explorers reached that area…. Numerous theories have, of course, been proposed to correlate Book of Mormon geography with the modern map of the Americas. None of these theories have been considered definitive by authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In chapters 2 and 7, I explain why I consider only one of those theories–involving a particular area in Mesoamerica–to escape the fatal flaws exhibited by all the others.”
I suspect most readers glide right over this sleight-of-hand rhetoric. The truth, though, is that Church authorities have always made a clear distinction between fact and theory regarding Book of Mormon geography.
Fact: The Hill Cumorah is in New York. This was established as a fact in Letter VII, written by President Oliver Cowdery who was an eye-witness to the depository of Nephite records in that hill (Mormon 6:6). Joseph Smith helped write these letters, had them copied into his personal history, and endorsed their republication for the rest of his life. The fact that Cumorah is in New York has been repeated many times by Church leaders, including by members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference. No member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve has ever repudiated this teaching of his predecessors.
Theory: Church leaders have always said don’t know for sure the locations of other Book of Mormon events, so every proposed geography other than the New York Cumorah is necessarily a theory.
All of this means that, starting right from the outset, Mormon’s Codex is propaganda, not scholarship…
Brother Sorensen also says, “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 hundred of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.” Mormon’s Codex, p. 688…
The treatment of Cumorah in Mormon’s Codex is an illusion of scholarship, as you’ll see if you read it carefully. Here are some examples:
“In the final stage of their retreat, all the identifiable Nephites assembled near the hill Cumorah, probably Cerro El Vigia in south-central Veracruz….
When all the remaining Nephites were ‘gathered in,’ the numerically superior Lamanite horde waged battle. In a single day they exterminated all 23 units of the defenders (each nominally of 10,000 men)….
Finally, the hill where the end came for the Jaredites, who called it Ramah, and the location of the last battle of the Nephites at the same hill (they called it Cumorah), have a highly likely correspondence to Cerro El Vigia (see fig. 7.2), an outlier on the northwest of the Tuxtla Mountains. In overall location and in a dozen other features, the textual information in the Book of Mormon agrees with the geographical situation. 72″
In classic M2C citation cartel fashion, Footnote 72 (page 142) cites David A. Palmer, In Search of Cumorah (Bountiful, UT: Horizon Publishers, 1992). Brother Palmer, of course, encouraged Brother Sorenson to write his books…
Brother Palmer is the one who wrote the self-serving entry on Cumorah in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism that cites only his own book for authority, again in classic M2C citation cartel fashion. You can read my discussions of his book if you search for “David Palmer” on this blog. Brother Palmer cites the anonymous articles in the Times and Seasons for authority, while ignoring the teachings of the prophets entirely, except for a brief dismissal of Letter VII, which he doesn’t even quote. _____
As you go through the “criteria” for Cumorah set forth in Mormon’s Codex and In Search of Cumorah, you’ll see that the criteria are derived not from the text but from the assumed Mesoamerican setting. There must be volcanoes, for example, which Mormon and Moroni forgot to mention but which Brothers Sorenson and Palmer thoughtfully provide.
As I noted at the outset, once you recognize that Mormon’s Codex is a long-winded justification for repudiating the prophets, you see the logical fallacies and circular reasoning throughout.
To be clear, I do not reject the Mesoamerican setting and I won’t until it has not been rejected by the prophets. However, I think it is implausible, given the New York Cumorah. I think the evidence from ancient North America aligns far better with the text of the Book of Mormon than the evidence from Mesoamerica, Baja, Panama, etc.
For me, the distinction between fact and theory, between the New York Cumorah and everything else, is so well established by the prophets that it is inexcusable to censor, let alone repudiate, the teachings of the prophets…
It’s a side benefit that the fact of the New York Cumorah is so well supported by available archaeology, anthropology, geography, and geology. Mormon’s Codex is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.” Jonathan Neville Illusion of scholarship – Mormon’s Codex part 3
“Sorenson’s analysis of Alma 22 seems to be influenced by the Times and Seasons article published on 1 October 1842, which declares that the Nephite city of Zarahemla “stood upon” “Central America or Guatimala [sic].” Sorenson cites this passage from the Times and Seasons, although he recognizes the “fact that the geography question had not been settled authoritatively.”[1] In Mormon’s Codex, Sorenson relegates the Times and Seasons articles to a footnote in support of his unequivocal conclusion: “Joseph Smith became convinced in the last years of his life that the lands of the Nephites were in Mesoamerica.”[1]
Sorenson’s assumptions about Central America lead him to a preconceived concept of Book of Mormon geography; i.e., a narrow neck of land between two larger land masses. Perhaps he felt somewhat bound by the Times and Seasons articles and his inference that Joseph Smith agreed with them. As such, Sorenson’s work could be viewed as an effort to vindicate the Prophet’s words.” Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville pages 26-28
You Choose-
BYU Fantasy Map?
Heartland Model Map?
Follow the entire Nephite Time-line of how the Book of Mormon began in Jerusalem and then continued in Florida to Tennessee to Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and ended in New York, the same pattern as the ancient Hopewell culture. Here is that time-line article:
Translation Methods and Understanding with Martin Harris, Samuel Mitchell, Charles Anthon, and Jean-François Champollion.
Let us begin looking at the deep understanding of some renowned men. about the possibilities in regard to the translation of ancient records including the Book of Mormon. All the men we will speak about below either contributed, assisted, resisted, new about, or taught about, some methods of translation of ancient records. Some supported Joseph Smith, some did not, and some contributed to understanding methods of translation that make Joseph’s inspired story of translation even more believable than it already is.Many Church Historians and Professors continue to speak about (SITH) Stone in the Hat and (SSS) Silly Seer Stone. I continue to believe the Prophet Joseph and Scripture, some included below which say, “And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow…” Mosiah 28:13. Also read“And behold, these two stones [different than the previous 16 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 [2 stones] shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” Ether 3:23:24 (Parenthesis Added)
Joseph Smith himself said, “With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.” (History of the Church, 4:537 Wentworth Letter).
This article will now add a few names of renowned reputation who speak about the translation either directly or indirectly and add their witnesses of method, means and possibilities of how Joseph describes the translation as, “by the Gift and power of God.”
Martin Harris Brief
Charles Anthon and Martin Harris
“Few episodes in early Mormon history are as fascinating—and problematic—as the February 1828 visit of Martin Harris to Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia College in New York City…
Harris sought out Mitchill first, who then wrote a letter referring him to Anthon. Harris later recounted that Anthon “stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian…
He [Harris] carried the engravings from the plates to New York— shewed them to Professor Anthon who said that he did not know what language they were—Told him to carry them to Dr. Mitchell. Doctor Mitchell examined them and compared them with other hieroglyphs—thought them very curious—said they were the characters of a nation now extinct which he named.” Richard E. Bennett
Samuel Mitchill Brief
“Dr. Samuel Mitchill new the origins of the Native Americans of North America. He seems to have known their civilization ended right where Joseph Smith said it did. Mitchell said, “the great last battles between these warring peoples had occurred in upstate New York, a few miles southeast of Rochester…
Mitchill had been studying the origins of the American Indian people for several years and had painstakingly developed his own “two races” theory of ancient America.[29] His interest in the history of the ancient American Indians was therefore at a peak when Harris showed him the transcripts…
Mitchill also said, “they were the characters of a nation now extinct which he named, as the the “Iroquois” Indians of “Tartar descent…
Mitchell was a student of many American Indian languages, hieroglyphs, and native dialects. He also knew of Champollion’s great work…
Mitchill wrote to NY Governor Clinton in 1816, ‘The surviving race in these terrible conflicts between the different nations of the ancient natives residents of North America, is evidently that of the Tartars.'” Archaeologia Americana, 326 Brief Quotes of Richard E. Bennett
Mitchill Quote
“The battles are described as often having culminated in the destruction of previous, superior Native cultures which had taken final refuge in forts at the tops of hills, including the general region of the hill known to Mormons as Cumorah. In the town of Camillus, in the same county of Onondaga . . . there are two ancient forts . . . One is on a very high hill, and its area covers about three acres. . . . The ditch was deep and the eastern wall ten feet high. In the centre was a large lime stone of an irregular shape.” (See Map of the Ancient Nephite Battlegrounds Below)
A Memoir on the Antiquities of the Western Parts of the State of New-York, Addressed to the Honourable Samuel L. Mitchill, a Vice-President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York . . . by Dewitt Clinton . . . Read Before the Society November 13th, 1817De Witt Clinton (1769-1828)
Professor Charles Anthon Brief
“Anthon began his study of Greek and Latin at Columbia when only fourteen years of age…
Charles Anthon
Professor Charles Anthon, “was probably aware of emerging research interests in Egyptian hieroglyphics and of the recent decodings of the ancient Egyptian writings on the Rosetta Stone by the magnificent French linguist Jean-François Champollion. Richard E. Bennett
French linguist Jean-François Champollion Brief
“The Translation by Joseph Smith has been compared to “the superlative translator of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, the brilliant French linguist Jean-François Champollion. Just five years before, Champollion had finally decoded the mysterious hieroglyphs of the famed Rosetta Stone found near Alexandria by Napoleon’s army in 1799…
Jean Francois Champollion Translated Rosetta Stone
Among the better-known published works on Egyptian hieroglyphics available in 1828 was Jean-Francois Champollion’s famous Lettre a M. Dacier (1822) and his follow-up work, Precis du Systeme Hieroglyphique (1824). The latter two works of Champollion not only gave facsimiles of hieroglyphs but code-breaking translations…
Joseph Smith was not a decoder or a pure translator in the Champollion sense of the word but a transmitter/translator and writer who, with the aid of the interpreters, transposed what “he saw into exquisite English prose and poetry.” Richard E. Bennett
Martin Harris’s 1828 Visit to Luther Bradish, Charles Anthon, and Samuel Mitchill.
“Few episodes in early Mormon history are as fascinating—and problematic—as the February 1828 visit of Martin Harris to Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia College in New York City. Scholars from both within and without the Church—those seeking corroboration for the translation of the Book of Mormon as well as those trying to debunk the authenticity of the whole story—continue to grapple with the details of this event and its implications…
While there are details we do not fully know, it is clear that Harris returned from the East confirmed in his desire to assist in the translation and printing of the Book of Mormon, although perhaps for additional reasons than long supposed.[1]
The outlines of this story are well known in Mormon history. Working with the gold plates, Joseph Smith began the work of early translating in late 1827 from the “Reformed Egyptian” language found on Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi. Early on, he transcribed some of the characters from the plates as a sort of alphabet or reference guide.[2] His primary scribe was Martin Harris, a respected Palmyra farmer, an early and keen supporter of Smith’s work who later became one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. For a variety of reasons, Harris begged leave to take a transcription of the characters Smith had come across in his translation attempts to New York City, as historian B. H. Roberts writes, “to submit them to men of learning for their inspection.”[3] Roberts says Harris submitted “two papers containing different transcripts, to Professors Anthon and Mitch[i]ll, of New York, one that was translated and one not translated.”[4] According to Anthon’s own accounts, Harris sought out Mitchill first, who then wrote a letter referring him to Anthon.[5] Harris later recounted that Anthon “stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian,” and after viewing the characters “said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic, and he said that they were true characters and that the translation of such of them that had been translated was correct.” He even wrote a note “certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters.” However, upon hearing Harris say in answer to his question that an angel of God had revealed such things and that part of the plates were sealed, Anthon promptly tore up his certificate. Denying the possibility of angels and of all such heavenly manifestations, he asked Harris to bring him the plates for him to translate. When Harris replied he could not do so and that parts of the plates were sealed, the man from Columbia brusquely responded, “I cannot read a sealed book.” Harris then returned to Mitchill, “who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation” (Joseph Smith—History 1:65)…
However, before offering his learned opinion on the written characters which Harris brought with him, Mitchill kindly referred him to his colleague, the young and upcoming scholar of linguistics, the thirty-one-year-old Professor Charles Anthon (1797–1867), AB, LLD. Born in New York City, Anthon began his study of Greek and Latin at Columbia when only fourteen years of age. At age twenty-three, he took up a position of professor of languages at Columbia. His famous edition of Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, first published in 1825, had already marked Anthon as a rising classical scholar. However, in 1828 he was but an adjunct professor of Greek and Latin, more an accomplished grammarian than a prestigious scholar. His first love was the classics, especially the works of Homer and Herodotus. While he knew Greek, Latin, German, and French superbly well, there is little indication he knew much about Egyptian, Hebrew, or any other Middle Eastern language. Because of his love of languages, he was probably aware of emerging research interests in Egyptian hieroglyphics and of the recent decodings of the ancient Egyptian writings on the Rosetta Stone by the magnificent French linguist Jean-François Champollion [27] And, while it is reasonable to conclude that he may have been interested in ancient Near Eastern languages, Anthon was by no means a scholar of such. By force of his own brusque personality, he claimed to know more in this area than he really did.
When Anthon showed Harris the door, Mitchill welcomed him back and sanctioned what Harris showed him for at least two reasons. Like Anthon, Mitchill was a linguist having studied the Oriental languages, the classical languages of Greek and Latin, and was a student of many American Indian languages, hieroglyphs, and native dialects. He also knew of Champollion’s great work.[28]
But, unlike his junior colleague, Mitchill had been studying the origins of the American Indian people for several years and had painstakingly developed his own “two races” theory of ancient America.[29]His interest in the history of the ancient American Indians was therefore at a peak when Harris showed him the transcripts.[30]
Professor Mitchill had, in fact, arrived at the conclusion that “three races of Malays, Tartars, and Scandinavians, contribute to make up the American population.” [31] He believed that the Tartars (as he called the originating stock) were primarily from northeastern Russia and China.[32] He also had concluded that another great race of people had once coinhabited ancient America— a “more delicate race”—which he believed originated in the Polynesian Islands of the South Pacific. These people he called the Australasians or Malays. They were, however, eventually overtaken and exterminated by the more savage, warlike Tartars or Eastern Asiatics to the North—the ancestors of many of the North American Indians—and had long ago become extinct. Mitchill had come to the conclusion that they have probably been overcome by the more warlike and ferocious hordes that entered our hemisphere from the northeast of Asia. These Tartars of the higher latitudes have issued from the great hive of nations, and desolated, in the course of their migrations, the southern tribes of America, as they have done to those of Asia and Europe. The greater part of the North American natives are of the Tartar stock, the descendants of the hardy warriors who destroyed the weaker Malays that preceded them.[33]
Mitchillmaintained that the “Iroquois” Indians were of “Tartar descent, who expelled or destroyed the former possessors of the fertile tracts reaching from Lake Ontario south westwardly to the River Ohio.”[34] He went on to argue that the great last battles between these warring peoples had occurred in upstate New York, a few miles southeast of Rochester and not far from Palmyra, Harris’ home.
It was probably for these and perhaps other reasons that Mitchill showed deep interest in the transcript of the characters Harris showed him. Whether or not he wrote anything to substantiate the veracity of the characters is yet unknown; however, we now know what the two men said to each other. According to the 1831 journal of New York newspaper reporter, Gordon Bennett, arguably the earliest account of Harris’ visit to New York,
He [Harris] carried the engravings from the plates to New York— shewed them to Professor Anthon who said that he did not know what language they were—Told him to carry them to Dr. Mitchell. Doctor Mitchell examined them and compared them with other hieroglyphs—thought them very curious—said they were the characters of a nation now extinct which he named.[35]
Notes from Martin Harris’s 1828 Visit to Luther Bradish, Charles Anthon, and Samuel Mitchill.
[27] Among the better-known published works on Egyptian hieroglyphics available in 1828 were Jean-Pierre Rigord’s longstanding Memoire de Trevoux, first published in 1704, Georg Zoega’s Du Origine et Usu Obeliscorum (1797), Les Description d’Egypte, (1809), Thomas Young’s Museum Criticum vi (1815), and Jean-Francois Champollion’s famous Lettre a M. Dacier (1822) and his follow-up work, Precis du Systeme Hieroglyphique (1824). The latter two works of Champollion not only gave facsimiles of hieroglyphs but code-breaking translations. How many of these works Anthon or Mitchill had in their possession or were aware of is impossible to determine. For a good study on this topic, see Maurice Pope, The Story of Decipherment—From Egyptian Hieroglyphs to Maya Script, rev. ed. (London: Thomas and Hudson, 1999), chapters 2 and 3.
[28] Francis, “Reminiscences of Samuel Latham Mitchill,” 16–18. At one time he gave a “profound exegetical disquisition upon Kennicott’s Hebrew Bible in disproof of the interpretations of Gershom Seixas, the great Jewish rabbi of the age.” Beverly Smith, The Lantern, College Papers.
[29] Mitchill, “Discourse on Thomas Jefferson,” 15.
[30] Samuel L. Mitchill, A Lecture on Some Parts of the Natural History of New Jersey. Delivered Before the Newark Mechanic Association . . . 3 June 1828 (New York: Elliott and Palmer, 1828).
[31] Letter of Samuel L. Mitchill of New York to Samuel M. Burnside, Esq, Corresponding Secretary of the American Antiquarian Society, January 13, 1817, as published in Archaeologia Americana: Transactions and Collections of the American Antiquarian Society (1885; repr., Worchester, MA: Johnson Reprint, 1971), 1:314–15.
[32] E. Howitt, Selections from Letters Written During a Tour of the United States, in the Summer and Autumn of 1819 Illustrative of the Character of the Native Indians, and Their Descent from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel (Nottingham, England: J. Dunn, 1819).
[33]Archaeologia Americana, 324–25. Mitchill went on to write Clinton in 1816 that “the northern tribes were probably more hardy, ferocious, and warlike than those of the south” and that “the hordes dwelling in the higher latitudes have overpowered the more civilized, though feebler inhabitants of the countries situated towards the equator. . . . The surviving race in these terrible conflicts between the different nations of the ancient natives residents of North America, is evidently that of the Tartars.” Archaeologia Americana, 326.
[34] Samuel L. Mitchill to John W. Francis, September 13, 1816, Samuel L. Mitchill Collection, Rare Books Dept., Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard University Library, Boston.
[35] From an original twenty-nine-page holograph journal of James Gordon Bennett, June 12–August 18, 1831. Bennett’s holograph journal tells of his journey through upstate New York, part of the time in company with Martin Van Buren, Benjamin F. Butler, and Nathaniel S. Benton. Special Collections, New York Public Library, New York City.
Richard E. Bennett, “Martin Harris’s 1828 Visit to Luther Bradish, Charles Anthon, and Samuel Mitchill,” in The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, edited by Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015), 103–15.
Joseph Smith and the First Principles of the Gospel
By Richard E. Bennett Recently published in Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer (Provo, UT, and Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, and Deseret Book, 2010).
French Linguist Jean-François Champollion
Rosetta Stone Closeup
“The specifics of translation remain a mystery, but it may be instructive to compare the work of Joseph Smith to that of his magnificent contemporary, the superlative translator of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, the brilliant French linguist Jean-François Champollion. Just five years before, Champollion had finally decoded the mysterious hieroglyphs of the famed Rosetta Stone found near Alexandria by Napoleon’s army in 1799.
Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and the Process of Translation, 1829
We now come to our third and final episode, that period of translation in which Joseph Smith and his new scribe, Oliver Cowdery, completed the Book of Mormon as we now know it. Virtually the same age as Joseph, Oliver (1806–50) was also from Vermont, had been a store clerk and taught in country schools. While boarding with Joseph Smith’s parents, he learned of the ancient record and the lost 116 pages. What piqued his interest in the work was the fact that he had “inquired of the Lord” on the matter. As recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, “as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time” (D&C 6:14). Joseph Smith said, “The Lord appeared unto . . . Oliver Cowdery and shewed unto him the plates in a vision and . . . what the Lord was about to do through me, his unworthy servant. Therefore he was desirous to come and write for me to translate.”[12]
The two men met each other for the first time on April 5, 1829, arranged some temporal business together the following day, and began the work of translation on April 7. Partners in the translating process, the great difference between the two men was in their spiritual preparation and academic approach to the task at hand. A teacher by profession who knew well how to read and write and do numbers far better than his partner, Oliver was nevertheless Joseph’s pupil in the first principles.
The profound intellectual difficulties Joseph Smith faced in translating an ancient unknown language even with the aid of the Urim and Thummim are hinted at in Oliver’s parallel failed experience as a translator and afford us yet another view of how repentance was once more taught during the translation process. It is noteworthy that the second elder of the Restoration began his mission by seeking the gift to translate. “Ask that you may know the mysteries of God, and that you may translate and receive knowledge from all those ancient records which have been hid up, that are sacred; and according to your faith shall it be done unto you” (D&C 8:11). However, as Elder Dallin H. Oaks has indicated, Oliver soon “failed in his efforts to translate.”[13] Why? “Behold, it is because that you did not continue as you commenced. . . . You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But behold, I say unto you that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right” (D&C 9:5, 7–8).
At issue here was more than Oliver’s attitude of teachability and humility; it was also an aptitude of intellectual application not so well developed in him as to bear results, at least not in the timely way now required. Oliver failed in the intellectually demanding work of translating because he had not thoroughly applied himself mentally to the task. As the Lord indicated, “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, ye shall feel that it is right” (D&C 9:7–8). Joseph Smith had learned both lessons—spiritual and mental—from his previous experiences. He had been schooled in matters of character and spirit for the past nine years and from his past experience with Martin Harris and the translation of the 116 pages, clearly, in hindsight, a preparatory school of remarkable learning. Can we really expect Oliver to have learned them as well after but a few days at the task? We may wish to revise our thinking on who was the student and who was the teacher.
The intellectual demands of translating were rigorous and extremely challenging. If the experiences and testimony of the Three Witnesses are to be taken at face value, the successful translation of the Book of Mormon was neither magical nor mythical but measured and marvelous, a careful confluence of obedience, recurring repentance, and consequent revelation on the one side, and a rigorous mental exercise of intense study, recall and recognition, and trial and error on the other.”
Editors Note: “The way Brother Bennett explains the translation process above, in my opinion he makes the reading of words from a stone seem too simple, meaningless, and easy to do with any object. Key words Brother Bennett uses are Obedience, Repentance, Revelation, Mental Exercise, Intense Study, Recall, Recognition, and Trial and Error. Those words do not describe Joseph reading words off of a silly seer stone in a hat. My acronym for a Silly Seer Stone is, (SSS).
If a stone had words appear, that means someone (Angel, Christ, Nephite or who?) is having Joseph dictate, not translate. That would mean Joseph only read what he was told. That is not translation. David Whitmer, who was never a transcriber and one who never saw Joseph translate, said a piece of parchment would appear with words that would appear. Many intellectuals also say Joseph never looked at the plates while translating. Then why did Nephi and Moroni keep and protect the records? It doesn’t make sense. I believe Joseph really TRANSLATED an unknown language to English using the three objects that came in the stone box of Cumorah; Plates, Breastplate, and Spectacles. No SSS.” Rian Nelson
Rod Meldrum said, “Foundational to the Restoration is the validity of the translation of the Book of Mormon. The primary editors, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey, maintained that the process was accomplished using an instrument provided centuries in advance by the Lord for the very purpose of sacred inspired translation. Some detractors claimed that Joseph abandoned the Lord’s instrument, the Urim and Thummim, for a more convenient stone in a hat. The Lord Himself in several revelations validated Joseph’s use of this instrument. Yet modern historians point to hostile witnesses to bolster their stone in the hat (SITH) narrative.” Rod Meldrum Endorsement of “These Two Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate”, by Rian Nelson Purchase Here!
Joseph’s Translation Compared to the Rosetta Stone
Bennett continues, “The specifics of translation remain a mystery, but it may be instructive to compare the work of Joseph Smith to that of his magnificent contemporary, the superlative translator of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, the brilliant French linguist Jean-François Champollion. Just five years before, Champollion had finally decoded the mysterious hieroglyphs of the famed Rosetta Stone found near Alexandria by Napoleon’s army in 1799. After a lifetime of studying Coptic, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Egyptian, and a dozen other languages, Champollion, in his famous “Lettre à Monsieur Dacier” of September 22, 1822, exactly one year before Moroni’s initial visit, convinced the waiting world that he could read the ancient hieroglyphic writings of Egypt. As a result, Champollion, the man from Grenoble, is still rightfully revered as the father of modern Egyptology.
Whereas Champollion first naively believed that a thorough knowledge of Coptic would allow him to directly decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, he gradually came to the realization that such was quite dauntingly not the case. Hieroglyphic writings were not a single alphabet; they had a wide variety of spellings for the same person or place, and they had no vowels but plenty of shorthand contractions, such as in English one might write “pkg” for “parking” or “unvsty” for “university.” Furthermore, the ancient Egyptian scribes assumed the reader was conversant with their combinations of right vowels and contractions, “but this knowledge had been lost, although Coptic gives clues to it.”[14]
After long and painstaking effort, Champollion concluded that hieroglyphs could not be read alone but in groups or clusters. Intently comparing the Greek to the Coptic, the Coptic to the demotic (a later simplified form of ancient Egyptian writing) and, by extension, the demotic to the hieroglyphic, Champollion noted that there were three times as many hieroglyphic signs as there were Greek words. Therefore, there had to be a combination or grouping of signs to convey a single meaning—in other words, consonants and syllables, essential components to phonetic expressions. Though the hieroglyphs employed no vowels, they were a combination of phonetics and pictures. Unlike others of his scientific contemporaries, such as Thomas Young of England, Champollion was now looking not just for more clues between the hieroglyphic and the demotic, but for the ability to read the maze of what constituted hieroglyphic writing.
What finally enabled Champollion to do what neither Young nor any others were able to accomplish was applying his mastery of Coptic to the problem. As one leading scholar has written, “His knowledge of Coptic enabled him to deduce the phonetic values of many syllabic signs, and to assign correct readings to many pictorial characters, the meanings of which were made known to him by the Greek text on the Stone.”[15] The system of decipherment that Champollion had been methodically developing over several years was that hieroglyphic script was mainly phonetic but not entirely so, that it also contained logograms or a sort of shorthand symbols used to write native names and common nouns from the Pharaonic period. The combination of both constituted an ancient alphabet, which he now could prove and sufficiently read or decipher. Champollion thus came to the rightful conclusion that the hieroglyphic writings were not just of the later periods of Egyptian history but of the very earliest Pharaonic era as well. He therefore decoded the entire system and showed that hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demoticall corresponded to the same language. Whereas Young may well have discovered parts of the alphabet, it was “Champollion [who] unlocked an entire language.”[16]
Editors Note: Doesn’t this paragraph confound the (SSS) spoken of before? By reading about the painstaking knowledge, wisdom, and focus of one Mr. Champollion, it confirms my belief that an unlearned Joseph needed spiritual help from the Lord to translate from an unknown language to English, a record that we may enjoy, even the Book of Mormon.
Bennett continues,“Joseph Smith, on the other hand, could barely read or write one language, English.[17] Joseph Smith had neither the time, scholarly training, nor linguistic knowledge to decode one symbol after another; indeed his mission was not to master the linguistics required to read an ancient language but to translate or convey their meanings into English. His initial work of translation consisted of copying the various “characters,” letters, phrases, or hieroglyphs found on the large plates of Nephi into some sort of working alphabet. “I copied a considerable number of them,” he records, clear evidence of the strong mental exercise and careful study he too would need before translating could actually begin. Then only gradually did he begin to use what neither Champollion nor any other translator had at their command,the Interpreters. With the aid of these ancient instruments, Joseph Smith began to translate some of the characters.”
Editors Note: There are over 9 scriptures that validate to our Spirits, that joseph used “these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” JSH 1:35 PDF Below:
Bennett continues, “It would appear that the process was less one of decoding or deciphering the precise meaning of the individual characters and inscriptions found on the plates, as Champollion had so painstakingly done with the Rosetta Stone, and more one of discerning the meanings conveyed thereon and then,in addition, struggling to transliterate such meanings into acceptable, King James Bible–vintage literary English. The translators seemed to have functioned on two levels: conveying meaning from the ancient text while simultaneously suggesting wording in biblical-sounding English far beyond the reach then in Joseph’s limited grasp. Thus we might argue that Joseph Smith was not a decoder or a pure translator in the Champollion sense of the word but a transmitter/translator and writer who, with the aid of the interpreters, transposed what he saw into exquisite English prose and poetry.
For all of this, Oliver was ill prepared. The customized reprimand and gentle reproof he received in section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants were less a rebuke and more a reminder that God had already called and prepared his prophet; what was needed now was a humble, penitent scribe and devoted supporter and trusted eyewitness to visions soon to occur. “Do not murmur my son, for it is wisdom in me that I have dealt with you after this manner; . . . it is not expedient that you should translate now. Behold it was expedient when you commenced; but you feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now; for, do you not behold that I have given unto my servant Joseph sufficient strength, whereby it is made up? And neither of you have I condemned. . . . Be faithful, and yield to no temptation” (D&C 9:6, 10–13). It was a lesson in repentance not missed by either man.
If Joseph and Oliver learned repentance at the outset of translating, they were repeatedly reminded of its central importance as their work progressed. Well known is David Whitmer’s 1882 remembrance of a time Joseph Smith could not translate, despite all the gifts he had at his command. “He could not translate unless he was humble and possessed the right feelings towards everyone,” Whitmer recalled.
To illustrate so you can see. One morning when he was getting ready to continue the translation, something went wrong about the house and he was put out about it. Something that Emma had done. Oliver and I went upstairs [obviously this was at the Whitmer home] and Joseph came up soon after to continue the translation, but he could not do anything. He could not translate a single syllable. He went downstairs, out into the orchard, and made supplication to the Lord; was gone about an hour—came back to the house, and asked Emma’s forgiveness and then came up stairs where we were and then the translation went on all right. He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful.[18]
Thus, to borrow B. H. Roberts’s phraseology, the translation “was not a merely mechanical process” but rather a laboratory of spiritual and mental application governed by the principles found in the very book they were now translating. Even after almost 10 years of preparation, Joseph Smith relearned the lesson that even the smallest sins or senseless hurts prevented the free flow of inspiration and revelation. By faith, faith unto repentance that led, in turn, to the guiding and revealing influence of the Spirit of the Lord, he lived his way through to the end of the translation process.”
Conclusion Joseph Smith and the First Principles of the Gospel
“I suggest a new and different perspective from that offered by some of Joseph Smith’s biographers. No where have I argued that Joseph Smith was a perfect man or without blemish. His sins and imperfections were real, and while I have not dwelt upon them in any way to discredit his life, they surely caused him a great deal of grief and hardship. Yet our theme has been that if God called a prophet, he prepared that prophet in the first principles of the gospel. The mission of Moroni, in preparing the way for the translation of the Book of Mormon, was the charge given to angelic visitors: “to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father” (Moroni 7:30–31). Time after time, Moroni, the master prophet, trained Joseph Smith, the apprentice prophet, in matters of the soul, of honesty and integrity, in humility and patience, in repentance and forgiveness. Joseph Smith’s partners in translation, Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, were likewise taught the same principles and learned from hard experience that the message of the gospel had to be lived by the messengers of the gospel to have any lasting effect. Integrity, not hypocrisy, would attract the best of men and women and make for a lasting movement. This injunction was repeated all the way up to Fayette and the organization of the Church in April 1830 and indeed, for years afterward. “Preach naught but repentance:” and “the thing that will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father” (D&C 19:21; 15:6; see also 16:6). Indeed, this lesson of repentance and forgiveness would be repeated numerous times throughout the pages of later Church history, including the famous vision in the Kirtland Temple in April 1836 when the Savior pronounced once again to Joseph and Oliver, “Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice” (D&C 110:5).”
Notes “from Joseph Smith and the First Principles of the Gospel”
[12] The Papers of Joseph Smith, vol. 1: Autobiographical and Historical Writing, ed. Dean C. Jessee (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 1:10.
[13] Dallin H. Oaks, “Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” BYU Speeches of the Year, June 7, 1992, 6.
[14] Lesley and Roy Adkins, The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs (New York: Harper Collins, 2000), 84.
[15] Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge, The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum (New York: AMS Press, 1976), 4.
[16] Richard B. Parkinson, Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999), 40.
[17] Emma Smith later retold the experience of the translation period to her son as follows: “I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; For, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals or after interruptions, he could at once begin where he had left off, without seeing either the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible” (“Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald, October 1, 1879, 290).
[18] Statement of David Whitmer to William H. Kelley and G. A. Blakeslee of Gallen, Michigan, September 15, 1882, from the Baden and Kelley debate on the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, 186, as cited in Brigham Henry Roberts, The Essential B. H. Roberts, ed. Brigham D. Madsen (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999), 139.”
Joseph Smith and the First Principles of the Gospel Richard E. Bennett Recently published in Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer (Provo, UT, and Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, and Deseret Book, 2010). https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-11-no-2-2010/joseph-smith-first-principles-gospel
Editor’s Note: What impresses me most about Brother Bennett’s two articles above, I can tell he has an amazing amount of love and respect for the Prophet Joseph as I do. Though a man, Joseph in my opinion and the words of scripture, “has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.” D&C 135:3
My name is Steven Smoot I am President of the Family First Foundation
“Mormon refers to the land of Zarahemla as “the land southward.”
“Mormon’s father may have taken his son to visit historic sites along tributaries, such as the Scioto and Tennessee Rivers. He could have visited the ancient city of Nephi, [Waters of Mormon] the places where the sons of Mosiah taught the gospel to the Lamanites, and Alma’s land of Helam (Near Old Stone Fort, TN). He could have visited the battlefields described in Alma. The journey would be the perfect preparation for the future prophet and historian who would compile the history of Lehi’s descendants.” Moroni’s America page 242
FEATURES: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
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“…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…
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The Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum Page 24-25
“Millennia ago he [Marion G. Romney] declared: “There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation… Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, “There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth.” (Ether 1:43.)… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites…
Cowdery said, “The manner in which the plates were deposited: First, a hole of sufficient depth, (how deep I know not) was dug. At the bottom of this was laid a stone of suitable size, the upper surface being smooth. At each edge was placed a large quantity of cement, and into this cement, at the four edges of this stone, were placed, erect, four others, their bottom edges resting in the cement at the outer edges of the first stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed a box, the corners, or where the edges of the four came in contact, were also cemented so firmly that the moisture from without was prevented from entering.
The cartoons in this post are all from my great friend Val Chadwick Bagley. For 37 of the past 40 years he has believed in the Mesoamerican Theory and drawn cartoons reflecting that. He now believes in the Heartland Model and is having some fun sharing the differences between the two theories. It is amazing how Val also “just makes sense”. Purchase Val’s products below. Meso fans, just let go of the barriers and have some fun with these.
BYU Graduate Receives Diploma Then Opens Her Robe To Show Pride Flag
“Was Elder Holland Prophetic in his BYU talk last summer? “Commandeering the graduation”. Is protesting the LGBTQ policies at BYU protesting the doctrine of the Church? What does the Pride Flag mean to you?” CWIC Media
be sending out students that are ready to do the same in loving, intelligent and articulate ways. Yet, I fear that some faculty are not supportive of the Church’s doctrines and policies and choose to criticize them publicly. There are consequences to this. After having served a full-time mission and marrying her husband in the temple, a friend of mine recently left the church. In her graduation statement on a social media post, she credited [such and such a BYU program and its faculty] with the radicalizing of her attitudes and the destruction of her faith.”
and acclaim of the world
Brigham Young University biologist Steven Peck gave the Eugene England Memorial Lecture at Utah Valley University, a publicly-funded school, on Thursday. At the address, he delved into the rift between science and religion.” 
Why are more and more people of the world claiming that Noah’s flood was fictional or just a good story? More people are saying that Adam wasn’t the first man on this earth. Why are more and more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claiming that the Book of Mormon contains a lot of great parables that aren’t real stories, but just parables that can teach us good things? Is the Bible the Word of God? We answer yes as far as it is translated correctly. We do know however that the stories in the Bible are actual accounts of real people in real places, just as the Book of Mormon is.
Why would we believe anything else? Because Satan’s plan is in full force. Remember this is Satan’s world right now. It won’t be Christ’s until the second coming. The craftiness of man is constantly being mixed with scripture and folklore. The “Great and Spacious building” is truly coming from the halls of academia. Many intellectuals continue pointing their fingers at humble followers of God from the heights of those house’s of cards. “Who’s on the Lord’s side who?” There are “save two churches”, one that speaks the truth of the Savior and all others who teach of man and his so-called wisdom.
The de-literalizing of the Book of Mormon became apparent to me when I took a closer look at the lesson manuals, the CES/BYU curriculum, the Saints book, the visitors centers, etc. These all repudiate the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. I attribute all of those to the M2C Church employees.
From this book, THE AMERICAN INDIAN (UH-NISH-IK-NA-BA) by ELIJAH M. HAINES we will show the similarity in some of the Indian languages, to the Hebrew, and that the former must have been derived from the latter. I have edited just one chapter of over 833 pages which focuses on Chapter IV, Affinity with the Jews. This may be a lengthy blog, but it is amazing how much information you will receive about the similarities of our Book of Mormon Lamanites with the Tribe of Judah from Israel. You will also enjoy some of the old pictures which come from this amazing book.
This book has therefore been prepared with reference to this long felt want, and is such a work as the public mind and student of history now seem to demand. 
Among the early authorities cited, to show that the American Indians are descendants from the Israelites, Mr. Adair seems to be the principal one, and since his time, all writers who have favored his views, refer with unreserved confidence to the evidence furnished by him to this end.
Dr. Boudinot speaks of some Indians at a place called Cohocks, who called the high mountain at the west Ararat He says that the Penobscot Indians called a high mountain by the same name ; that he himself attended an Indian religious dance, concerning which he remarks:
Dr. Boudinot further says of the Indians: ” Their languages in their roots, idioms and particular construction, appear to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable have most of the peculiarities of that language, especially those in which it differs from most other languages.”
“Du Pratz was very intimate with the chief of those Indians called ‘ 
Charlevoix, speaking of the Indian traits and religious customs, and in reference to their resembling the Jews, says: ” The greatest Part of their Feasts, their Songs and their Dances, appear to me to have had their Rise from Religion, and still to preserve some Traces of it; but one must have good eyes, or rather a very lively imagination, to perceive in them all that some travelers have pretended to discover. I have met with some who could not help thinking that our savages were descended from the Jews, and found in 
everything some affinity between these barbarians and the people of God. There is, indeed, a resemblance in some things, as not to use knives in certain meals, and not to break the bones of the beast they ate at those times, and the separation of the women during the time of their usual infirmities. Some persons, they say, have heard them, or thought they heard them, pronounce the word Hallelujah in their songs. But who can believe that when they pierce their ears and noses they do it in pursuance of the law of circumcision ? On the other hand, don’t we know that the custom of circumcision is more ancient than the law that was given to Abraham and his posterity. The feast they made at the return of the hunters, and of which they must leave nothing, has also been taken for a kind of burnt offering, or for a remain of the passover of the Israelites ; and rather, they say, because when any one cannot compass his portion, he may get the assistance of his neighbors, as was practiced by the people of God, when a family was not sufficient to eat the whole Paschal Lamb.”
” By information received from Father Hoyt respecting the former traditions, rites and ceremonies of the Indians of this region, I think there is much reason to believe they are descendants of Abraham. They have had cities of refuge, feasts of first fruits, sacrifices of the firstlings of the flock, which had to be perfect, without blemish or deformity, a bone of which must not be broken. They were never known to worship images, nor to offer sacrifices to any God made with hands. They all have some idea and belief of the Great Spirit Their feasts, holy days, etc., were regulated by sevens, as to time, i. e., seven sleeps, seven moons, seven years, etc They had a kind of box containing some kind of substance which was considered sacred, and kept an entire secret from the common people. Said box was borne by a number of men who were considered pure or holy (if I mistake not, such a box was kept by the Cherokees). And whenever they went to war with another tribe they carried this box; and such was its purity in their view that nothing would justify its being rested on the ground. A clean rock or scaffold of timber only was considered sufficiently pure for a resting place for this sacred coffer. And such was the veneration of all of the tribes for it, that whenever the party retaining it was defeated and obliged to leave it on the field of battle, the conquerors would by no means touch it. “ 
Mr. Penn further adds that the worship of this people consists in two parts, sacrifices and cantos (songs). The first is with their first fruits, and the first buck they kill goes to the fire; and that all who go to this feast must take a piece of money, which is made of the bone of a fish. (” None shall appear before me empty.”) He speaks of the agreement of their rites with those of the Jews, and adds:
“They choose twelve men, who provide twelve deer. Each of the twelve men cuts a sapling ; with these they form a tent, covered with blankets. They then choose twelve stones for an altar of sacrifice. Some tribes, he observes, choose but ten men, ten poles, and ten stones. Here seems an evident allusion to the twelve tribes, and also to some idea of the ten separate tribes of Israel. Upon the stones of their altar they suffered no tool to pass. No tool might pass upon a certain altar in Israel.”
Mr. Adair, in further support of his theory, says: “As the nation had its particular symbol, so each tribe has the badge from which it is denominated The sachem of each tribe is a necessary party in con- veyances and treaties, to which he affixes the mark of his tribe. If we go from nation to nation among them we shall not find one who doth not lineally distinguish himself by his respective family. The genealogical names which they assume are derived either from the names of those animals whereof the cherubim are said in revelation to be compounded, or from such creatures as are most familiar to them. They call some of their tribes by the names of cherubimical figures that were carried on four principal standards of Israel.”
The Indians count time after the manner of the Hebrews. They divide the year into spring, summer, autumn and winter. They number their years from any of those four periods, for they have no name for a year, and they subdivide these and count the year by lunar months, like the Israelites who counted by moons. They begin a year at the first appearance of the first new moon of the vernal equinox, according to the ecclesiastical year of Moses. Till the so-called captivity the Israelites had only numeral names for the solar and lunar months except Abib and Ethamin ; the former signifying a green ear of corn, and the latter robust or valiant, and by the first of these the Indians (as an explicative) term their Passover, which the trading people call the green corn dance.
In conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, the Indians of America have their prophets, high priests and others of a religious order. As the 
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The ceremonies of the Indians, in their religious worship, says Mr. Adair, were more after the Mosaic institutions than of Pagan imitation; which could not be if a majority of the old nations were of heathenish descent They were utter strangers to all the gestures practiced by the Pagans in their religious rites.
Mr. Adair, in likening the Indians to the Jews on account of their abstinence from unclean things, says that 
A religious custom is related by Maj. Long, which some think goes to prove that the Omaha Indians are of Israel. He relates that from the age of between five or ten years their little sons are obliged to ascend a hill fasting once or twice a week, during the months of March and April, to pray aloud to Wahconda. When this season of the year arrives, the mother informs the little son that the u ice is breaking up in the river, the ducks and geese are migrating, and it is time for you to prepare to go in clay.” The little worshipper then rubs himself over with whitish clay, and at sunrise sets off for the top of a hill, instructed by the mother what to say to the Master of Life.
“I have noticed that in all their principal and oldest traditions and lodge tales, twelve brothers are spoken of that are the sons of Getube, a name nearly similar to Jacob. The oldest of these brothers
There is a marked similarity between the customs of the Indians and the Jews in their mourning for the dead. Like the Jews, the Indians had a time or season for mourning for the dead. A custom among the Jews of loud lamentation over the dead was also a peculiar custom of the American tribes. In Gen. xxxii, 34, it is said that *’ Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” This is suggestive of a like custom among the American Indians. Among the Indians the friends of the deceased visited the graves of their departed relatives and there resumed their custom of weeping and shrieking. This was also a prominent custom among the Jews, as noticed in John xi, 31 : ” She goeth out to the grave to weep there.” The custom of engaging women to mourn over the bodies of the dead, which prevailed among the American tribes, was also a custom among the Jews, as mentioned in Jer. ix, 17 : ** Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider ye, and call for the mourning women that they may come.”
The secret order of medicine men and prophets of the Indians had a corresponding institution among the Jews called “
A custom prevailed among western Indian tribes, who lived in villages of dirt houses, of 
In notions of dress there was a striking similarity between the American Indians and the Jews, especially in regard to the outer garment thrown over the shoulders or wrapped around the body. The Indian medicine man or prominent chief possessed a peculiar vanity in regard to their dress, which was frequently gaudy and fantastic, and so with the high priests among the Jews where display in dress was a peculiar feature in Jewish custom among those high in authority. It was a custom among the Jews to sleep in their garments, Deut. xxiv, 12-13, and so with the American Indians.
According to Mr. Freeman, it was an 
Rev. Peter Jones, an educated Ojibway Indian, in the appendix to his book, entitled “
