Those of us who believe in the Heartland theory are not Neutral on Geography. We believe the events of the Book of Mormon happened in North America in the Book of Mormon Promised Land of the United States, and some of us are “for profit” as a business earning enough to continue to share information with our followers.
Book of Mormon Central, The Interpreter, FairLDS or FairMormon, Meridian Magazine, and other Apologetic Groups focus on and believe in the Mesoamerican theory of geography in the Book of Mormon. The reason they act neutral is because the Church is neutral. We have no problem with the Church’s stand, but most of these Apologetics are not being honest.
The reason we feel they promote only Mesoamerica is their very websites say so. They won’t allow any articles or speaking about the Heartland theory on their website. They don’t want live debates with us and they won’t invite us to speak at any of their events, as we have invited them to Heartland events and heard from some of those who believe in the Mesoamerican theory. Their mission statements contain information that their focus is in Mesoamerica. We don’t have a problem with these Apologists to focus on Mesoamerica as that is their agency. We just wish they would be honest in their work. If you ask many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if these various Apologists are neutral they would probably say yes. Why else would the Church have links on their websites that link to these various Apologetic sites? Most of these Apologists are also listed as Non-Profit companies. That simply means all the money that is donated to them, they can use it for research and/or large salaries for those who are not officially employees, but volunteers. We love these brethren and their websites have a lot of very valuable gospel material. I use them regularly to get their opinions on many things not including geography, the method of translation of the plates, or the hill Cumorah being in Mexico somewhere. We love our Church just as we know those who believe in the Mesoamerican theory love the Church.
“The FIRM Foundation (Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism) is an organization dedicated to showing forth evidence for the Book of Mormon in order to provide The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint members with well-researched information enabling them to powerfully and respectfully defend its historicity and thus its truthfulness – with the ultimate goal of bringing people unto Christ.
The FIRM Foundation believes The Book of Mormon events in the New World occurred in North America in the Heartland of the United States. This is the reason many call us “Heartlanders.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral on this subject. Our information is based on our own personal beliefs in regard to: archaeology, anthropology, text of the Book of Mormon, distances, geology, and we believe the many rivers were the highways of the ancients including the Nephites.
No information or opinions of the FIRM Foundation represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The owner and employees are members of the LDS Church and in good standing. FIRM Foundation is not neutral in our opinion about the geography of the Book of Mormon.” Rod Meldrum
“I know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography of the Book of Mormon. I love and support the Brethren. For you and me to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and I feel that could include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events if that is desirable. I believe knowledge of the Spirit and of the head, are both important in learning truth. As Elder Holland in 2018 said, “truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.”
I think there is importance in the Brethren 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 and as Moroni has said “I may know the truth of all things.
I believe our friend Jonathan Neville has shared some great information below in regard the beliefs of Book of Mormon Central and others like them including The Interpreter, FairMormon, Meridian Magazine and others. I want you to have some information that I think is good to explain the various beliefs. Again we love these other groups and pray that we may all love each other and the Lord.” Rian Nelson
Here’s the Dilemma “I fully share the objectives of Book of Mormon Central (BMC) in terms of sharing the Book of Mormon. I love all the people associated with BMC and its affiliates. They’re all wonderful people. I support about 90% of what they do and wish I could support the rest. However, I think their focus on M2C undermines their objectives for all the reasons I’ve explained.
At the very least, they should represent all faithful views and interpretations of the Book of Mormon, but they refuse. They have earned the nickname Book of Mormon Central America because that’s the only theory of geography they permit on their web site. They continue to censor alternative faithful views.
Like its predecessor FARMS, BMC is the antithesis of diversity and neutrality, but for obvious reasons they want everyone to think they follow the Church’s policy of neutrality on Book of Mormon geography issues, as well as the policy against contention.
Let’s see what the reality is.
As always, I’m eager to correct any errors in this material, so if there are any, please let me know by email. _____
First, let’s review the history of M2C.
1917 map of M2C by L.E. Hills
M2C originated over 100 years ago with the work of RLDS scholars, including Stebbins and Hills. You can see the 1917 map by Hills to the left. Some details in the map are different from some modern M2C maps, but the Hills map clearly shows Cumorah/Ramah in Central America.
Cumorah was part of the contest between the RLDS and LDS, as I discussed in more detail here.
In the late 1800s, the President of the RLDS Church was Joseph Smith III, the son of Joseph Smith Jr. RLDS missionaries were coming to Utah and converting LDS members to their church. By one count, 3,000 LDS in Utah converted to the RLDS church.
In response, Brigham Young called Joseph F. Smith, the 27-year-old son of Hyrum Smith, to the First Presidency, where he served the remainder of his life.
Joseph Smith III and Joseph F. Smith were first cousins. Their rivalry was partly doctrinal but also familial.
RLDS scholars developed M2C about the time that LDS President Joseph F. Smith focused on the New York Cumorah. As editor of the Improvement Era in 1899, President Smith republished Letter VII, reaffirming President Cowdery’s declaration that it was a fact that the hill Cumorah in New York was the scene of the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites, as well as the location of Mormon’s depository of Nephite records.
After he became President of the Church, Joseph F. Smith wanted to purchase the Hill Cumorah in New York. RLDS scholars were saying, in effect, “go ahead, but the real Cumorah is in Mexico.”
Over the objections of LDS Church leaders such as Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS scholars adopted the RLDS theory. Today’s M2C is the result. _____
Editors Note: Stephen Reed has some great information about the RLDS maps and how the current apologists have adapted their current maps based on the old RLDS teaching. See his blogs here and here
Neville continues, “The clearest statement of the philosophical basis for M2C was provided by Dr. John Sorenson, author of Mormon’s Codex and other M2C books and articles found in BMC’s archive. Original in blue, my comments in red.
What may startle some about this situation is that most of what Joseph Smith said or implied about geography indicates that he did not understand or was ambiguous about the fact, as it turns out, that Mesoamerica was the particular setting for Nephite history.
Notice: Brother Sorenson announces that the Mesoamerican setting is a fact.
That is how M2C intellectuals define “neutrality,” and that’s what “neutrality” means to their followers, employees, and donors. They are “neutral” only about where in Mesoamerica the Book of Mormon took place, but they insist it could have taken place only somewhere in Mesoamerica.
Continuing: Until he encountered the Stephens’s book, Joseph gave no hint that he was aware that such a limited area with a distinctive civilized culture even existed in the Americas. Even with Stephens’s material in mind, he made no more than a passing attempt to relate the Book of Mormon’s story to the newly-found ruins. And in the long run, the little blip on the Latter-day Saints’ mental screen caused by the explorer’s book faded as the mistaken folk view reasserted its dominance.
Notice what he’s saying here. All the prophets and apostles who declared and affirmed that Cumorah was in New York were misleading members of the Church with a “mistaken folk view.”
That’s the essence of M2C. You can ask anyone associated with Book of Mormon Central what they think about the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah. After trying to evade the question, they will eventually admit they agree with Brother Sorenson. They might try to persuade you that they are “neutral” because they disagree with Brother Sorenson about which river is Sidon, or exactly where in Mesoamerica a particular city or feature is located, but they agree with everything he wrote in the quotation above. That’s the essence of M2C.
We have Hebrew (Old Testament). We have Egyptian (Book of Abraham) We have Greek (New Testament). And we have Mayan (Book of Mormon).
That’s as non-neutral as it gets. The logo is a carryover from the old FARMS, which was also 100% M2C, as discussed below.
This logo, heavily promoted with millions of dollars, announces to the world that there is no room for an interpretation of the Book of Mormon outside Mesoamerica. _____ Now, the people involved.
We love all these brothers and sisters. They are all wonderful, faithful, smart, etc. But they all have one thing in common: complete fidelity to M2C. Some of them are active in social media, pushing M2C aggressively. Maybe we’ll look at some examples of their work, but anyone following this topic knows what I’m referring to.
It is difficult to find more dogmatic groupthink than what exists among the BMC staff.
I tried really hard, though, and came across this group.
Actually, there was more “neutrality” about President Trump among the Democrats at Jim Clyburn’s recent fish fry than there is “neutrality” about Book of Mormon geography at BMC.
_____
The BMC editorial position, demonstrated in their archive as well as their regular Kno-Why series, focuses purely on M2C.
They oppose the New York Cumorah at every opportunity because they equate M2C with the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. It’s M2C or bust. This explains why they think the stakes are so high, and why M2C promoters have such an emotional attachment to M2C.
Purchase Here This also explains why so many people (including BYU professors) lose their faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon when they realize M2C is based on circular reasoning and illusory evidence (as well as the repudiation of the teachings of the prophets). Long ago, Joseph Fielding Smith warned that M2C would cause members of the Church to become confused and disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. BMC rejects his warning, along with the teachings of all the prophets and apostles who have taught that the Hill Cumorah is in New York. BMC coordinates its M2C messages with several affiliates who also promote the same M2C message, including Fairmormon and the Interpreter. https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/affiliates
The M2C editorial position is at the core of their approach to the Book of Mormon. BMC and the Interpreter had their origins in FARMS, an organization that was known for its dogmatism and aggressive apologetics. The BMC archive contains some of the FARMS material.
Let’s look at how M2C is incorporated in BMC’s official policies.
The legal organization behind Book of Mormon Central is the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit public charity chartered in the state of Utah in 2004. When people donate to BMC, they are really donating to BMAF. BMC donors are supporting the dissemination of M2C, as we discussed here.
And that’s perfectly fine, so long as they know what they’re doing.
For decades, BMAF’s mission statement read:
If you can’t read it, it says:
The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization dedicated as an open forum for presentation, dissemination, and discussion of research and evidences regarding Book of Mormon archaeology, anthropology, geography and culture within a Mesoamerican context.Our goals are (1) to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon as an ancient Mesoamerican codex, (2) to correlate and publish works of LDS and CofC scholars, (3) to help promote unity and cooperation among scholars and students of the Book of Mormon, and (4) to provide a forum where responsible scholars can present current ideas and discoveries.
After I publicized this mission statement, they changed the statement to what it currently reads:
MISSION STATEMENT
The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization dedicated as an open forum for presentation, dissemination, and discussion of research and evidences regarding Book of Mormon archaeology, anthropology, geography and culture within Mesoamerican and other ancient contexts.
Even when they made this change, they could not bring themselves to endorse neutrality. The “other ancient contexts” they refer to here are in the Old World. They are not referring to anywhere in the Americas other than Mesoamerica. This is evident in all their work. Anyone can see it for themselves.
BMC continues “to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon as an ancient Mesoamerican codex.” You can see it in the archive, their Kno-Whys, their social media work, their firesides, their coordinated efforts with other members of the M2C citation cartel, etc.
I’ve mentioned a few examples previously in this blog, which you can see by searching for “KnowWhy,” “Kno-Why” or “no-wise” in the search box. For example:
Book of Mormon Central Policy on Book of Mormon Geography – June 2016
Book of Mormon Central at this time is officially geography neutral. We seek deep understanding of the Book of Mormon text. We hope diligent students work together to achieve working consensus on the geographic correlation issue. Until that happens, our selection of exegetical material is guided by these principles:
In our hierarchy of evidence, the text itself is primary because it is closest to the divine.
If profound and compelling location-specific insights shed light on the text, we highlight these regardless of their geographic provenience.
We favor authors with credentials in their areas of interest.
We favor formally published works from reputable presses.
We welcome good work from any geographic persuasion that is responsive to these principles.
This is all window-dressing for Church leaders and donors. I’ve discussed the implementation here:
I’ll conclude this post with another official statement and its implementation by a BMC employee who demonstrates the deep emotional attachment BMC has with M2C.
Book of Mormon Central Social Media Policy
Joseph Smith emphatically taught, “Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism. [It is designed] to revolutionize and civilize the world, and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and brothers” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 316). At Book of Mormon Central we strive to represent the very best of professional and personal characteristics in our private and public lives. The message of the Book of Mormon is so compelling and transformative that we have no need to engage in any form of negative public discourse, including in our professional and private social media accounts. Our tremendous work is our defense. We let it speak for itself. Diligently pursuing our mission is the most powerful and convincing way we can answer any contrary individuals or organizations.
To see how that policy is implemented, look at the following social media post by a BMC employee, one that Dan Peterson at the Interpreter endorses. (We aren’t putting any of Dan’s posts here because, technically, he’s not listed under BMC’s directory.)
You have abundantly proven that you are not somebody who can have a rational argument in good faith with an “M2C intellectual.” You have, repeatedly, demonized and belittled and cast aspersion on anybody who doesn’t accept your dogmatic interpretation of early Mormon historical sources relevant to Book of Mormon geography. This isn’t just a matter of having differences of opinion. As your blog posts have more than demonstrated, you have a personal vendetta against the “citation cartel” (which is, in reality, peer reviewed academic scholarship, as opposed to your own brand of trashy Internet pseudo-scholarship) and anybody who is out of step with your narrow and uncompromising Heartland apologetics.
I suspect I know why you are so personally angry and upset at “M2C intellectuals.” It must be very frustrating that your pseudo-scholarship which you’ve invested so much time and energy into is not making mainstream inroads in Mormon studies. It must be frustrating to be a laughingstock at the Church History Department and amongst BYU faculty. It must be frustrating that the best you can do is publish semi-coherent ramblings on obscure personal blogs or with no-name presses. But just know that it isn’t anything personal: it’s because both your Mormon history and your Book of Mormon geography are nonsense and you’re a deeply unpleasant person to interact with..
I don’t know why you have chosen to become such a fanatic over this one issue, but I will say that it is genuinely sad that your testimony is so fragile that even the slightest contradiction of your pet theory causes your cognitive dissonance to flair up like lights on a Christmas tree.
I am content with what I wrote in my post and in the KnoWhy, and I’ll allow readers to decide for themselves which explanation they find more persuasive. I will not, however, waste further time or attention on your shenanigans. Like I said, since you refuse to engage people who disagree with you in good faith, and since you’re a close-minded fanatic, it would be utterly pointless for me to engage you any further.
I will just say this one thing: for all of your self-righteous preening about how you accept the apostles and the prophets, and how “M2C intellectuals” are subversive apostates, it is breathtakingly hypocritical for you to lambast the Church History Department and BYU faculty and Seminaries & Institutes faculty for not kowtowing to your theories, since all of them are ultimately hired by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is astoundingly hypocritical for you to criticize the “Correlation Department” of the Church, which approves “M2C” artwork and videos and articles in Church publications, when, again, the First Presidency and the Twelve are a part of Correlation. It is monstrously hypocritical of you to accuse Saints of being “revisionist history” attempting to deceive people about Book of Mormon geography when Saints has been authorized, reviewed, and approved by the First Presidency and the Twelve.
So please, Jonathan, spare us all the self-righteous BS about how “M2C intellectuals” are trying to get people to disbelieve the prophets and apostles.
Because guess what: as long as you keep doing what you’re doing, you are, in fact, doing the exact same thing. As long as you keep screaming about “M2C intellectuals” ruining the Church, you’re actually telling people to disbelieve the modern prophets and apostles who keep hiring them to work for the Church and guide the Church’s membership in intellectual and historical matters.
“Physician, heal thyself!” _____
That last sentence is good advice for everyone.
Source: About Central America by Jonathan Neville
An Absurd Character Assassination From a Meso-Blogger called Peter Pan here
Titled: Neville-Neville Land Refuting the errors of Jonathan Neville and the Heartland hoax
“Jonathan Neville has continued his long slide into apostasy by claiming that today’s Church leaders are no longer teaching important truths in General Conference.
This is the same pattern the Latter-day Saints have seen time and time again since 1830: Someone accuses the prophet and other general authorities of being “out of the way,” while they themselves claim to know the truth. Sooner or later, they declare the Church to be in apostasy and break off to form their own church. There have been hundreds of such offshoots; one recent example is the cult of Denver Snuffer. Heartlanders like Jonathan Neville aren’t far behind them.” Peter Pan
Below is another article by Peter Pan who gets our position very wrong.
FIRM Foundation accuses the Church of deceiving the elect HERE
By Peter | Tags: Apostasy, Church leadership, Conspiracy theories, First Presidency, Heartland hoax, Rodney Meldrum, Seer stones, Self-awareness
“The Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism Foundation (or “FIRM Foundation”) was formed by Rodney Meldum in 2008. It is the leading organization in the “Heartland” Book of Mormon movement.
Jonathan Neville is a frequent contributor to the FIRM Foundation’s website and frequent speaker at their conferences. He’s also collaborated with Rod Meldrum on Heartland publications, including their Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon. Neville isn’t responsible for things done by the FIRM Foundation, but he is an important individual within that circle.
On February 17, 2020, the FIRM Foundation posted the following on their Facebook page:
FIRM Foundation Facebook post from February 17, 2020 (Note: The date of Ezra Taft Benson’s BYU address was October 25, 1966, not 1996.)
Here we see yet another example of Heartlanders accusing the Church and its leaders of being fallen or in apostasy and needing correction. According to Rodney Meldrum’s FIRM Foundation, the Church today is teaching “things that do not square with the truth” because the devil is “trying to deceive the very elect.” That, according to them, is why Church publications include statements about Joseph Smith engaging in supposedly “occultic” practices like using seer stones. The Heartlanders are, of course, “the wheat,” while everyone else who believes these supposedly false teachings—including President Russell M. Nelson himself—are “the tares.”
This has been a significant step taken by all apostate groups before they split from the main body of the Church: Accuse its leaders of being “out of the way” and not teaching true principles. The leaders and followers of such groups, of course, believe that they are teaching the truth and that the leaders of the Church need to come into alignment with them.” Peter Pan
Rian Nelson’s Response:
“I wish Peter and his Pan would fess up to his secrecy. What is he hiding? I personally put up the quote above from Pres Benson last Feb. It fit perfectly into my feelings that many in the church even the very elect will be deceived. My mind has never been on the General Authorities or leadership of the church although some GA’s have led some astray in the past. The Brethren are NOT leading anyone into apostacy and they are men who I and all those at the Firm Foundation love and respect.
President Nelson and the Apostles are wonderful men and lead and guide the Lord’s true Church. I have always felt as has Rod or any other person associated with the FIRM Foundation that we love and follow the Lord through His Apostles and Prophets. Mr. Peter Pan is lying and it is not right to promote such slander. If any of you reading this post decide to email him please be nice and loving as we don’t want to treat others as he is treating us.
We advise our Heartland supporters and all people to be kind to those of other Apologetic groups just as we should be kind to all of God’s children. We are simply requesting an honest treatment from these other groups and find some way of working together to build the Lord’s Kingdom and share Christ together with the world.” Rian Nelson
Many Agree: The Geography of the Book of Mormon Matters!
“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
“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 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?
Now the land of Moron, where the king dwelt, was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites.” 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
THIS LAND: Zarahemla and the Nephite Nation
by Wayne May and Edwin Goble. Published by Ancient American Archaeology Foundation P.O. Box 370, Colfax, Wisconsin 54730 www.ancientamerican.com
Only One Cumorah
THIS LAND #1: Zarahemla and the Nephite Nation by Wayne May
“A major question in Book of Mormon studies is, “Where was the Land of Zarahemla really?” There can be no real Book of Mormon Archaeology until the true real-world setting of the Book of Mormon is identified. It will not do to just dig up any archaeological site in the Americas and call it a Book of Mormon site. There have been many theories in the past about this, but none has been able to answer the question to the satisfaction of the authors. The theory that is presented in this book harmonizes things that were previously misunderstood. This book shows that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed really was in New York, and that the heartland of the Nephite culture, being the Land of Zarahemla, was not too far from it.
For over 100 years, the majority of people did not doubt that Cumorah was really in New York, and the prophets were consistent in their teachings about that fact. (See our list of quotes at the end). The only thing that was ever in doubt was how far south the rest of the lands mentioned in the Book of Mormon were from Cumorah in New York. The popular theory that the Land Southward including Zarahemla was in Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico and parts of Central America) started in 1842 with some speculation in the church. Later, certain people identified the Isthmus of Panama as the “obvious” narrow neck mentioned in the Book of Mormon. From this promiscuous mix of speculation spawned the idea that the Book of Mormon Lands covered the whole hemisphere.
Then the Mesoamericanists came along with the idea of a theory that the Book of Mormon Lands only took up a few hundred miles. They believe that Cumorah and all the rest of the lands were actually down in Mesoamerica, so they have dispensed entirely with a Cumorah in New York State.
This book in no way represents the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This material is the result of painstaking research and the personal ideas of the authors, which we are solely responsible for. While our theory is different than most in many respects, we cannot take credit for all of the concepts in this book. Much of it builds on research of those who came before. We would like to give credit where credit is due.
More maps visit here!
First of all, thanks to the many hours of work from the Mesoamerican researchers, because one recognizes the Book of Mormon Lands didn’t take up the whole hemisphere. The text demands an introduction of a more limited area than that. Delbert Curtis was the first to recognize the Niagara Peninsula as the Narrow Neck of Land. He gave us a reason to “Return to Cumorah.” He was one of the pioneers. It was truly unfortunate, however, that Curtis dismissed the Manti site in Missouri, which could have led him much further along to the whole picture. Duane Aston was the first to recognize that the word Niagara means “neck.” Duane Erickson was probably the first to break away from the extremely limited and untenable models of the New York Geographies. He paved the way for the more broad, but still limited, geographies that fit much better with the internal evidence from the Book of Mormon.
The broader limited geographies help one to understand how people could fill the whole face of the land. One can also understand how there was “an exceedingly great distance” between the Zarahemla/Nephi area and the Land of Many Waters, but it was still a relatively limited area. Duane Erickson was the first to recognize the Sidon as the Mississippi. We have built on his pioneering to demonstrate that the place name indeed shows this to be the case. Duane recognized that Zarahemla, Iowa mentioned in D&C 125 was the ancient site of Zarahemla as well, or at least, was in the area of it.
Ron and Jeff Garff (See Jeff’s Video from the April 2022 Expo. Available by about May 10, 2022), were innovative enough to put this North American story with scriptural support on four video cassettes and make them available to the serious students of the Book of Mormon geography. A wealth of information was laid open for anyone searching for the lands of the Nephites.
Each researcher has had his or her part in putting together puzzle pieces for a true picture of geography. This book may consist of little bits of inspiration here and there. Even so, we do not know our thesis is correct. We cannot make any claims. All we know is that this theory feels right to us. We believe that our book has cemented these puzzle pieces into a coherent whole and added to them. Yet, we are always open to new information as it comes forth.
It is unfortunate that all past researchers have failed to deal with the Manti in Missouri site for one reason or another. Finally, the true nature of the head of the Sidon in its vicinity has been identified. The Manti site is at least as important as Cumorah in New York is. Without the Manti site in Missouri, one cannot come to a correct understanding of where the river Sidon or Land Southward is. We are able to show how that Manti fits with the internal evidences and how it also fits with Erickson’s Zarahemla site in Iowa.
Moroni Fortifies the Lands of the Nephites, by Clark Kelley Price.
Another of our contributions is to further solidify Duane Aston’s completed research on the meaning of the word Niagara; to leave no doubt as to the identity of that landmark as the Narrow Neck of Land. Our theory is the first to show how the whole Great Lakes System is the West Sea spoken of. We have shown that the ancients did not regard these as separate bodies of water, but as one great whole; for it was the “sea” that divided the land, not seas.
Further, we have paved the way for understanding how to correctly identify what evidences can be used in a plausible argument. We have shown that things must actually date to the correct time period. The mistake made by others was to not take into consideration artifact dating. We have shown things are controversial and have not been redeemed by science yet. We recognize that these cannot be regarded as evidence… yet.
In spite of that, the artifacts still demand further research and cannot be dismissed out of hand. They have a high probability of being real. Just test them is all we ask. This book shows that the Adena-Hopewell were indeed the Book of Mormon peoples.
It also shows that the artifacts one uses as potential Book of Mormon artifacts, must date to the right time period and be from the right area. Unlike previous researchers, we have directly challenged the notions of the Mesoamerican researchers. We have taken their dogmatism head-on, that it is impossible that Book of Mormon Lands could be in the Great Lakes region. Previous researchers have not dared take on the Mesoamericanists. They seem to pretend that there was no need to challenge them. They seem to believe that it was enough that prophets said Cumorah was in New York, so that was all the evidence they needed, when it was only one of the spices in the soup, not all of the ingredients. The fact is, if the Mesoamericanists are never directly challenged, their theory will always dominate the scholarly opinion in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If there is never a paradigm shift in the scholarly opinion of the Church towards a Great Lakes setting, the Church will forever be held in the clutches of an incorrect theory. If any revelation is ever to be had on the geography by a prophet to tell us finally how it is, surely some kind of research would have to come out some time beforehand to show the plausibility of such a revelation, to prepare the minds of the people for it. Otherwise, such a revelation would probably be doubted because “everybody knows it’s in Mexico.” Such a thing would be a preparatory work. We make no special claims, but we do see the potential need for such a thing. If so, perhaps this book will fill the void, and show the need for further research in this long-ignored area of North America. If the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) is going to spend large sums in their research in Mexico, all we ask is that they spend an equal amount of money on the United States. What they will find may surprise them. Perhaps they don’t take it seriously yet because of their pet theories. Eventually someone will have to give them a good enough reason.
Some people believe that the Lord doesn’t want anything to be found. Our conviction, on the other hand, is that the Lord has complete control over the evidence. They can only be found in His own due time. If we have found anything, it can only be because its time has come. It may be that it was always out there, and the time has just come for this data to be put together. The Lord may have been hiding it, and people’s minds simply needed to be opened to be able to see it.” Edwin G. Goble & Wayne N. May
Quotes from Apostles, Prophets, & Saints about ONE CUMORAH!
1. “I do not believe that the classrooms or the pulpits of our Church are for laboratory purposes in which to experiment with new doctrines and speculative notions. They are exclusively for the use of those who are willing to convert men and women and boys and girls to the truth. . . . I do not believe we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the testimony of the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I do not believe you have a testimony of the truth if you question the accuracy of the translation of the Book of Mormon.” Mark E. Petersen LDS Conference Reports, Sunday afternoon, April 5, 1953
2. “…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
3. “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
4. “Both the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations fought their final great wars of extinction at and near the Hill Cumorah (or Ramah as the Jaredites termed it), which hill is located between Palmyra and Manchester in the western part of the state of New York. It was here that Moroni hid up the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. (Morm. 6; Ether 15.) Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and many of the early brethren, who were familiar with all the circumstances attending the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation, have left us pointed testimony as to the identity and location of Cumorah or Ramah.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 232-241.) (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine “CUMORAH,” 1966, p. 175)
5. “We visited the Hill Cumorah and were accorded the courtesy of going thereon by the wife of Mr. George Sampson, a brother of Admiral Wm. Sampson, who before his death owned the property. When we went up there and looked around, we felt that we were standing on holy ground. The brethren located, as near as they thought was possible, the place from which the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken by the Prophet. We were delighted to be there. Looking over the surrounding country we remembered that two great races of people had wound up their existence in the vicinity, had fought their last fight, and that hundreds of thousands had been slain within sight of that hill. Evidence of the great battles that have been fought there in days gone by are manifest in the numerous spear and arrow-heads that have been found by farmers while plowing in that neighborhood. We were fortunate enough to obtain a few of the arrowheads.” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, April 1906, Third Day—Morning Session p. 56)
6. “Aug. 11, Wed: President McCune and I went early to the Grove. Later we were conveyed by auto to the Hill Cumorah by Brother Bean. We climbed the hill and traversed it back and fore and examined it with interest and care. It is the largest of the many glacial drumlins of the locality, and is the most prominent of all the elevations in the neighborhood. Aside from the fact that the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken from this hill, I was greatly interested in looking from its summit over the surrounding region and in contemplating the tremendous battle-scenes of the past, whereby first the Jaredites and later the Nephites were exterminated as nations. I believe the Book of Mormon account without reservation or modification. I believe, also, and express it as my personal conviction, that many ancient records, possibly those from which Mormon made his abridgment, are still concealed in that hill. I believe also that they will be brought forth in the Lord’s due time, and that until that time no man will succeed in finding them.” (James E. Talmage Journal Entries, 1920, pg 132-133; Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, BYU: MSS 229, Box 6, Folder 1, Journal 23.)
7. “Millennia ago he 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
8. “Oliver Cowdery wrote that the Ephraimites and the Lamanites were the “original settlers of this continent,” and that “an ancient prophet caused the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated to be buried nearly two thousand years ago, in which is now called Ontario County, New York. In this same issue, W. W. Phelps wrote that it was “by that book [the Book of Mormon] I learned that the poor Indians of America were of the remnants of Israel.” Many other times editor Phelps identified the land of America as being the place where at least some Book of Mormon history took place, including the last battles of both the Jaredites and the Nephites (see Messenger and Advocate, vol. 2, October 1835, and the letter of W. W. Phelps to Oliver Cowdery in that same issue.) Oliver Cowdery Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, pp. 158-159
9. “We shall now introduce much circumstantial evidence, from American antiquities, and from the traditions of the natives, etc. First, says Mr. Boudinot: “It is said among their principal or beloved men, that they have it handed down from their ancestors, that the book which the white people have, was once theirs: that while they had it they prospered exceedingly, etc. They also say, that their fathers were possessed of an extraordinary Divine Spirit, by which they foretold future events, and controlled the common course of nature; and this they transmitted to their offspring, on condition of their obeying the sacred laws; that they did, by these means, bring down showers of blessings upon their beloved people; but that this power, for a long time past, had entirely ceased.” Colonel James Smith, in his journal, while a prisoner among the natives, says: “They have a tradition, that in the beginning of this continent, the angels or heavenly inhabitants, as they call them, frequently visited the people, and talked with their forefathers, and gave directions how to pray. Mr. Boudinot, in his able work, remarks concerning their language: “Their language, in its roots, idiom, and particular construction, appears to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable, and well worthy of serious attention, has most of the peculiarities of that language.” There is a tradition related by an aged Indian, of the Stockbridge tribe, that their fathers were once in possession of a “Sacred Book,” which was handed down from generation to generation; and at last hid in the earth, since which time they had been under the feet of their enemies. But these oracles were to be restored to them again; and then they would triumph over their enemies, and regain their rights and privileges.” Quoted from A Voice of Warning An introduction to the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Chapter IV by Parley P. Pratt
10. [Heber C. Kimball] “prophesied that when the final last struggle came to this nation it would be at the Hill Cumorah where both of the former Nations [Jaredite and Nephite] were destroyed” (abt. Heber C. Kimball) Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 6:305, December 17, 1866
11. “In 1873, apostles Brigham Young Jr. and George Q. Cannon visited the New York Hill Cumorah and wrote up an account of the same which was published. “Undoubtedly great changes had occurred in the appearance of the surrounding country[side] since the days when Mormon and [his son] Moroni had trod the spot where we stood. Still we could readily understand, even now, how admirable a position this would be [from the hilltop] for a general to occupy in watching and directing the movements of armies and in scrutinizing the position of an enemy. Around Cumorah is yet a land of many waters, rivers and fountains [just] as Mormon said it was in his day. Our emotions on treading on this sacred hill were of the most peculiar character. They were indescribable. This was the hill Ramah of the Jaredites. In this vicinity, Coriantumr and Shiz, with the people whom they led, fought their last battle. For this great battle they were four years preparing, gathering the people together from all parts of the land, and arming men and women, and even children. The battle lasted eight days, and the result was the complete extermination of the Jaredite nation, none being left but the Prophet Ether and Coriantumr, who succeeded in slaying his mortal enemy Shiz. [Ether] and Coriantumr alone, of all that mighty race which had flourished upwards of fifteen hundred, were left. Who can imagine the feelings which he must have had on such an occasion? From the summit of this hill, Mormon and his great son Moroni had also witnessed the gathering of hosts of the Nephites, and the dusky and myriad legions of their deadly enemies, the Lamanites. Around this hill they had marshaled their forces–their twenty-three divisions of ten thousand men each, commanded by the most skillful of their generals, all to be swept away except Moroni. It was here that [Mormon] hid the abridgement which he made of the records [of his people], and which is know known by his name [Book of Mormon]. And it was here, thirty-six years after this tremendous battle, that his son Moroni also hid his abridgment of the book of Ether, and the record which he had made from which we learn the fate of his father, Mormon, and his other companions It was to this spot that about fourteen hundred years after these events, Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was led by Moroni in person, and here the records, engraved on plates, were committed to him for translation. Who could tread this ground and reflect upon these mighty events, and not be filled with indescribable emotion?” Brigham Young, Jr. and George Q. Cannon The Latter-Day Saints’ Millennial Star,(35 (33): 513-16), Tuesday, August 19th, 1873
12. Just two months and twelve days before his death in 1877, Brigham Young was establishing a new stake in Farmington, Utah. In his discourse, he said the following: “Orrin P. Rockwell is an eyewitness to some powers of removing the treasures of the earth. He was with certain parties that lived nearby where the plates were found that contain the records of the Book of Mormon. There were a great many treasures hid up by the Nephites. Porter was with them one night when there were treasures, and they could find them easy enough, but they could not obtain them. When [Porter] tells a thing he understands, he will tell it just as he knows it; he is a man that does not lie. He said that on this night when they were engaged hunting for this old treasure, they dug around the end of a chest for some twenty inches. The chest was about three feet square. One man who was determined to have the contents of that chest took his pick and struck into the lid of it, and split through into the chest. The blow took off a piece of the lid, which a certain lady [Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph’s mother] kept in her possession until she died. That chest of money went into the bank. Porter describes it so he says this is just as true as the heavens are.” Brigham Young Journal of Discourses (Liverpool, 1878), vol. 19:36-39.
13. “Consider how very fortunate we are to be living in this land of America. Many great events have transpired in this land of destiny. This was the place where Adam dwelt; this was the place where the Garden of Eden was; it was here that Adam met with a body of high priests at Adam-Ondi-Ahman shortly before his death and gave them his final blessing, and the place to which he will return to meet with the leaders of his people (D&C 107:53-57). This was the place of three former civilizations: that of Adam, that of the Jaredites, and that of the Nephites.” The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson pp. 587-588
14. McGavin and Bean explain their point of view concerning the identity of the Hill Cumorah as an ancient battlefield. The authors conclude that the scholars “need not search for [Cumorah] in Mexico or Yucatan” E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean “Cumorah-Land, An Ancient Battlefield,” in The Improvement Era 44, September 1941, 526, 571-72.
15. J. Golden Kimball is quoted as saying the following: “Heber C. Kimball said it was revealed to him that the last great destruction of the wicked would be on the lakes near the Hill Cumorah.” J. Golden Kimball (abt. Heber C. Kimball) N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, SLC: Bookcraft, 1941, p. 52.
16. “Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea — from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land . . . Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book . . . written on plates of gold and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth, built buildings and cities and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do . . . This Book, which contained these things was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the state of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county . . . Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18
17. “Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). What will become of our civilization?… I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.
I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10)… Ezra Taft Benson “Our Divine Constitution Ensign Oct 1987
By Ken Corbett.
18. “It is as impossible for me to continue the subject of yesterday as to raise the dead. My lungs are worn out. There is a time to all things, and I must wait. I will give it up, and leave the time to those who can make you hear, and I will continue the subject of my discourse some other time. I want to make a proclamation to the Elders. I wanted you to stay, in order that I might make this proclamation. You know very well that the Lord has led this Church by revelation. I have another revelation in relation to economy in the Church–a great, grand, and glorious revelation. I shall not be able to dwell as largely upon it now as at some other time; but I will give you the first principles. You know there has been great discussion in relation to Zion–where it is, and where the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you. The prophets have spoken and written upon it; but I will make a proclamation that will cover a broader ground. The whole of America is Zion itself from north to south, and is described by the Prophets, who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain of the Lord should be, and that it should be in the center of the land. When Elders shall take up and examine the old prophecies in the Bible, they will see it.” President Joseph Smith’s Remarks–The Whole of America Zion–April Conference, 1844 Section Six 1843-44, p.362
19. “What most impressed me last summer on my first and only expedition to Central America was the complete lack of definite information about anything. Never was so little known about so much… It is just a fact of life that no one knows much at all about these oft-photographed and much-talked-about ruins… Counterparts to the great ritual complexes of Central America once dotted the entire eastern United States, the most notable being the Hopewell culture centering in Ohio and spreading out for hundreds of miles along the entire length of the Mississippi River. These are now believed to be definitely related to corresponding centers in Mesoamerica… One thing that leads us to suspect that most of the great powerhouses whose traces still remain were never anything more than pompous imitations or replicas is their sheer magnificence. The archaeologist finds virtually nothing of the remains of the primitive Christian church until the fourth century, because the true church was not interested in buildings and deliberately avoided the acquisition of lands and edifices that might bind it and its interests to this world. The Book of Mormon is a history of a related primitive church, and one may well ask what kind of remains the Nephites would leave us from their more virtuous days. A closer approximation to the Book of Mormon picture of Nephite culture is seen in the earth and palisade structures of the Hopewell and Adena culture areas than in the later stately piles of stone in Mesoamerica… Though such piles as the great pyramid-temple of Chichén Itzá yield to few buildings in the world in beauty of proportion and grandeur of conception, there is something disturbing about most of these overpowering ruins. Writers describing them through the years have ever confessed to feelings of sadness and oppression as they contemplate the moldy magnificence—the futility of it all: “They have all gone away from the house on the hill,” and today we don’t even know who they were.
The great monuments do not represent what the Nephites stood for; rather, they stand for what their descendants, “mixed with the blood of their brethren,” descended to. But seen in the newer and wider perspective of comparative religious studies, they suggest to us not only the vanity of mankind and the futility of man’s unaided efforts, but also something nobler; the constant search of men to recapture a time when the powers of heaven were truly at the disposal of a righteous people.” Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify? By Hugh Nibley September 1972
20. “The passages which I have quoted from the Book of Mormon and the more extended discussion of this subject by Elder B. H. Roberts which was published in The Deseret News of March 3 definitely established the following facts: That the hill Cumorah, and the hill Ramah are identical. That it was around this hill that the armies of both the Jaredites and Nephites fought their great last battles. That it was in this hill that Mormon deposited all of the sacred records which had been entrusted to his care by Ammaron, except the abridgment which he had made from the plates of Nephi, which were delivered into the hands of his son, Moroni. We know positively that it was in this hill that Moroni deposited the abridgment made by his father, and his own abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, and that it was from this hill that Joseph Smith obtained possession of them.” Anthony Ivins Improvement Era June 1928
21. “On the title page I read that it is “written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile.” In the introduction to the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, it says that the Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians.” As I read the Book of Mormon, it seemed to me that it was about my American Indian ancestors. It tells the story of a people, a part of which were later described as “Lamanites,” who migrated from Jerusalem to a “land of promise” (1 Nephi 2:20) about 600 B.C.” “Come unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy Ensign Oct 2012
22. “But while this direct testimony from the Prophet himself is lacking, it is not lacking from those who are competent to speak on the subject–and who did speak of it and who published their statements, and one of these in the life time of the prophet, Oliver Cowdery, close associate with Joseph Smith in bringing forth the Book of Mormon, and his chief amanuensis in the translation of it, declares this hill from which the Book of Mormon was taken to be the Hill Cumorah, the place where Mormon deposited “all the records in his possession, except his abridgment from the plates of Nephi which he gave to his son; and also emphatically declares it to be the scene of the destruction of both the Jaredite and Nephite people. This statement Oliver published in the Church organ at the time, called the “Saints Messenger and Advocate,” Kirtland, Ohio, 1834. There are nine letters published under the title of “Early Scenes and Incidents in the Church.” These letters were reproduced in the Improvement Era, Vol. II, 1898-9”. Written for the Deseret News by B. H. Roberts.
23. “From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake. In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah
24- “In his heretofore unpublished letter, Elder Golden Jensen refers to statements made in his presence at the Hill Cumorah by the late Elder James E. Talmage, of the Council of the Twelve, as follows:
Dear Brother Dixon, In keeping with your request, I will endeavor to give you herein an account of an experience which I greatly enjoyed while laboring as secretary of the Eastern States Mission.
In the summer of 1920, I received an assignment to attend a special meeting with the missionaries laboring in Buffalo, New York. The day following the meeting I met George W. McCune, my mission president, and the late Dr. James E. Talmage who had driven to Buffalo from Detroit, Michigan. At their invitation I accompanied them to New York City. Enroute, however, we proceeded to Rochester, thence to the city of Palmyra, where we visited briefly. We then proceeded to the Joseph Smith Farm, where we left our car and walked to the sacred grove. As we were about to enter the grove, Dr. Talmage stopped, removed his shoes, and requested that President McCune and I remain where we were while he entered and prayed, alone in that sacred and holy spot, to the Living God.
After a while he called us to join him, whereupon he retold the story of the boy Prophet and of the glorious vision which Joseph had beheld, while President McCune and I sat and wept with joy. Leaving the grove, we went immediately to the Hill Cumorah and viewed the spot where the Angel Moroni had, ages before, deposited the golden plates according to the instructions of the Lord. These records were later revealed and delivered to Joseph the Prophet and were translated by him forth to the world The Book of Mormon. All the while I was being thrilled and edified by the continuous flow of information and wisdom that came from the marvelous store of knowledge of Elder Talmage. I think I shall never forget how he looked, standing with bared head on the crest of the Hill Cumorah and with outstretched arm describing as he seemed to visualize that last great battle between the armies of the Nephites and Lamanites, calling attention to the significance of the hill as a vantage point for the forces who might gain control of possession of it.
At this time, he stated that he had found as a result of a survey and extensive analysis made by him, while a student in an eastern university, the soils of the surrounding area to be very rich in calcium, and phosphate content, in the soils particularly adjacent to the Hill Cumorah. With further investigation he discovered that there was a lack of these elements in the land which lay further than a few miles in radius in any direction from the Hill Cumorah. To him, this discovery was indicative of the fact that there was decaying of bones of the Nephite and Lamanite armies that perished there. To Apostle Talmage there was no doubt as to the reality of those great events as related in the Book of Mormon, nor was there any doubt in his mind as to the place where they had occurred. Sincerely your brother, J. Golden Jensen” JUST ONE CUMORAH by Riley L. Dixon, P. 147-149
This FIVE book series by Wayne May contains valuable information about Book of Mormon archaeology, Native American oral history, and Church History relating to this subject material. This package includes one (1) each of Volume One; This Land: Zarahemla and the Nephite Nation, Volume Two; This Land: Only One Cumorah, Volume Three; This Land: They Came from the East, Volume Four; This Land: America 2000 B.C. to 400 A.D. and Volume Five; Willards Cumorah.
Images of the size and form of a man (1 Sam. 19:13, 16) used from patriarchal times (Gen. 31:30, 32) and onwards (Judg. 17:5; Hosea 3:4–5; Zech. 10:2) in worship and for magical purposes both in Israel and in Babylon (Ezek. 21:21). To use teraphim was probably not to worship strange gods but to worship the true God in a corrupt manner.
Teraphim Genesis 31.19
“Now Laʹban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the teraphim statues that belonged to her father.” New World Translation
“And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.” King James Version
Teraphims were sometimes consulted to make predictions. – “For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.” Ezekiel 21:21
Worshipping Through the Spirit
Worshipping the Lord through the spirit is crucial. We don’t need an object or book or other item in order to worship Him in spirit and truth. To understand worshipping vs receiving the word of the Lord can be very different. For example. You don’t need an idol or image called Teraphim, to worship God, but you may feel a need of having a representation of God close by, in order to better focus your attention on the word of God. Maybe like a prayer rock. The rock is there to remind us to pray, not an item to pray too. Perhaps this is how the ancients misused the Teraphim. A prophet used it to get into the spirit of worship or be surrounded by things that help him get into the focus a prophet needs, and a non prophet used it to pray to for guidance and looking for answers from the image. We could look at that in the use of a statue or picture of Mary today in some churches. We shouldn’t worship the picture or statue, but let it help us get in tune with the spirit.
I believe a big reason the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seldom has a picture or statue of Christ in the Chapel is for this reason. If during sacrament meeting our mind and eyes are fixed on a specific image of Christ or a specific statue of Christ, our heart may not be reflecting on the true God, as we should worship through the power of the spirit and not of the image. Some people see a certain picture of Christ and it may recall a good feeling and others may see the same picture and not like that version of the picture and it takes their mind off of the spirit and focuses too much on that particular picture.
Thus, to use teraphim or an image or a statue was probably not to worship strange gods but to worship the true God in a corrupt manner as the Bible Dictionary above says. Worshipping the true God through the true manner would not need a picture or idol, but only your internal personal picture or image you may see personally, as you worship in spirit and truth.
It may be like Moses’ staff in the wilderness. That seems to me to be a lesser law of worship than we know today, but looking simply on the staff and serpent saved many people from their destruction. Sometimes the simplicity of the commandment makes many not believe it is of God. In our Church today think of the consistent council our Bishop and leaders give us. They simply say, read scriptures, pray daily, fast and attend your meetings to partake of the Sacrament. To some that seems too easy but simply obeying your leaders in simple things usually will work in getting you to feel the Spirit in a more focused way. I may actually look at the ancient Teraphim as today’s Prayer, Scriptures, Sacrament, Temple picture, picture of the First Presidency, or our favorite picture of Christ in our home.
Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim
“The book of Mormon, as a revelation from God, possesses some advantage over the old scripture: it has not been tinctured by the wisdom of man, with here and there an Italic word to supply deficiencies. It was translated by the gift and power of God, by an unlearned man, through the aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles—(known, perhaps, in ancient days as Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim) and while it unfolds the history of the first inhabitants that settled this continent, it, at the same time, brings a oneness to scripture, like the days of the apostles; and opens and explains the prophecies, that a child may understand the meaning of many of them; and shows how the Lord will gather his saints, even the children of Israel, that have been scattered over the face of the earth, more than two thousand years, in these last days, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.
It may be well to state, that the prophet of God, in ancient days, according to the accounts of men, kept their sacred records on plates of gold, and those of less consequence on plates of brass, copper, wood, &c., see Jahn’s biblical archeology, Josephus, and others. These plates were generally made from the sixteenth to the thirty second part of an inch thick (of metal) and something like six by eight inches square, and fastened at the back with three rings through which a rod was put to carry them, or hang them. The word of the Lord, the history of the doings of the children of God, and their genealogy was engraved in a nice workmanlike manner, upon them, in Hebrew, reformed Egyptian, &c. Such was the condition of the plates, from which came the book of Mormon. As may be seen by an allusion in the book of Ether, all that was on them is not translated; wherefore, as they are sacred, when the Book of Mormon was translated from them, they were again hid up to the Lord, to come forth again in his own due time.The Ark of the covenant containing the sacred stone tables, was hid up to the Lord, in the cave where Moses climbed up to view the heritage of God, and was not to come forth till God received his people again unto mercy, when all these things and the cloud shall return, and the glory of God shall rest upon his temple. The present generation is great with events.” 1833 January The Evening and the Morning Star https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/2747dc8d-2b2e-45e1-88da-a335c0436deb/0/1
Teraphim
Givers of prosperity, idols in human shape, large or small, analogous to the images of ancestors which were revered by the Romans. In order to deceive the guards sent by Saul to seize David, Michal his wife prepared one of the household teraphim, putting on it the goat’s-hair cap worn by sleepers and invalids, and laid it in a bed, covering it with a mantle. She pointed it out to the soldiers, and alleged that David was confined to his bed by a sudden illness ( 1 Samuel 19:13-16 ). Thus she gained time for David’s escape. It seems strange to read of teraphim, images of ancestors, preserved for superstitious purposes, being in the house of David. Probably they had been stealthily brought by Michal from her father’s house. “Perhaps,” says Bishop Wordsworth, “Saul, forsaken by God and possessed by the evil spirit, had resorted to teraphim (as he afterwards resorted to witchcraft); and God overruled evil for good, and made his very teraphim (by the hand of his own daughter) to be an instrument for David’s escape.”, Deane’s David, p. 32. Josiah attempted to suppress this form of idolatry ( 2 Kings 23:24 ). The ephod and teraphim are mentioned together in Hosea 3:4 . It has been supposed by some (Cheyne’s Hosea) that the “ephod” here mentioned, and also in Judges 8:24-27 , was not the part of the sacerdotal dress so called ( Exodus 28:6-14 ), but an image of Jehovah overlaid with gold or silver (Compare Judg. 17,18; 1 Samuel 21:9 ; 1 Samuel 23:61 Samuel 23:9 ; 1 Samuel 30:71 Samuel 30:8 ), and is thus associated with the teraphim. Bible Dictionaries – Easton’s Bible Dictionary – Teraphim (See THUMMIM .)
Hosea 3:4
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:”
IE domestic idols, perhaps in size and shape of a man. Judg. 18:18 (18, 20); 1 Sam. 19:13 (13, 16).
Judges 18:18, 20
18 And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
20 And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
Perfection (LXX., “truth;” Vulg., “veritas”), Exodus 28:30 ; Deuteronomy 33:8 ; Judges 1:1 ; 20:18 ; 1 Samuel 14:31 Samuel 14:18 ; 23:9 ; 2 Sam 21:1 . What the “Urim and Thummim” were cannot be determined with any certainty. All we certainly know is that they were a certain divinely-given means by which God imparted, through the high priest, direction and counsel to Israel when these were needed. The method by which this was done can be only a matter of mere conjecture. They were apparently material objects, quite distinct from the breastplate, but something added to it after all the stones had been set in it, something in addition to the breastplate and its jewels. They may have been, as some suppose, two small images, like the teraphim (Compare Judges 17:5 ; Judges 18:14Judges 18:17Judges 18:20 ; Hosea 3:4 ), which were kept in the bag of the breastplate, by which, in some unknown way, the high priest could give forth his divinely imparted decision when consulted. They were probably lost at the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. They were never seen after the return from captivity.
And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees” Abraham 3:1
“And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.” Exodus 28:30
7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
8 And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
9 And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses. Leviticus 8:7-9
Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and 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
“Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and 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 with them.” Book of Mormon Introduction- Testimony of Joseph Smith
Israeli boy finds 3,400-year-old Canaanite figurine during hike
While climbing the archaeological mound in Tel Rehov, Ori Greenhut discovers ancient female figurine, believed to be one of the Teraphim, idolatrous statues used during Biblical times. Michael Bachner, TPS|Published: 02.28.16 , 09:27
A seven-year-old child recently discovered an ancient female figurine at the Tel Rehov archeological site in northern Israel. The figurine is estimated to be one of the Teraphim, idolatrous statues used during Biblical times.
Ori Greenhut, from the community of Tel Teomim, went on a hike with friends at the beginning of the week accompanied by the father of one of his friends. While climbing the archeological mound in Tel Rehov, Ori came across a stone that had been moved and suddenly saw a small figure covered in mud. He scraped off the mud and discovered the clay figurine.
“Ori came home with an impressive figurine and it was really exciting,” said Moriya Greenhut, Ori’s mother. “We explained to him that it is an antiquity and that the Antiquities Authority keeps the findings for the benefit of the general public.”
Ori Greenhut with his find (Photo: Moriya Greenhut)
The Greenhut family gave the figurine to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and IAA representatives came to Ori’s school at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu to award him a certificate of appreciation for his good citizenship. They also informed the class of details about the figurine, which depicts a naked woman and was made by pressing soft silt into a mold.
“It was incredible,” said Ori’s teacher. “The archeologists came into the class during a Torah lesson in which we had just learned about the Teraphim, statues that were used at the time for pagan idolatry. I suddenly understood that one of these Teraphim was here in the class with us!”
The figurine (Photo: Clara Amit, IAA)
Hebrew University Professor Amihai Mazar, who directs the Tel Rehov excavation expedition, studied the figurine and concluded that it is approximately 3,400 years old and “typical of Canaanite culture between the 15th and 13th centuries BCE.”
“Some researchers believe the figurine depicts a mortal woman while others think it is a depiction of the fertility goddess Ashtoreth, known from the Bible and from Canaanite sources,” added Prof. Mazar. “There is a good chance that the term Teraphim in the Torah indeed refers to this kind of figurine.”
“The figurine seems to have belonged to one of the residents of the ancient city of Rehov, which had then been ruled by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt,” he added.
Judges 17:5: An Ephod, Teraphim, and an Illegitimate Priest
Verse 5: And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an (Judg. 8:27) ephod, and (Gen. 31:19, 30; Hos. 3:4) teraphim, and consecrated (Heb. filled the hand, Ex. 29:9;1 Kings 13:33) one of his sons, who became his priest.
An house of gods, that is, an house or place consecrated for the service of God in this manner.
[And he made an Ephod] That is, a Mantle, a superhumeral. See what things are on Exodus 28:4 (Malvenda). By Ephod, as the principal sacerdotal vestment, all others are signified (Lapide, thus Lyra, Vatablus, Bonfrerius, Junius, Malvenda).
An ephod; an eminent part of the priestly garments, Exodus 28:4, which, some think, is here put for all of them.
[And Teraphim] That is, Images having a human figure; Hosea 3:4. They say that they made those images for the honor of God, led by a certain pretext of religion and superstition: which the jealous God abominates. That Micah was a worshipper partly of the true God, partly of idols. Every instrument of false religion is able to be understood here (Vatablus). Teraphim μορφώματα/shaped in the form of Cherubim, says Jerome to Marcella, both in 1 Samuel 22:18 and 2 Samuel 6:14, just as it appears that it is to be taken in Hosea 3:4. For it is a middle word, pertaining to images good and bad. If we follow this interpretation, we shall say that these Teraphim are called אֱלֹהִים/ Elohim/gods,[6] that is, angels, because they were signifying Angels. Now, the graven and earthen things were altars, a lampstand, and other lesser things of this sort, in the place of the great things that were in the Sanctuary; just as, Torquatus[7] constructed elegant baths of Parian marble, Otacilius[8] made kettles[9] (Grotius). [Francis Moncæius, who contends that the golden calf was fashioned by Aaron into the similitude of the Mosaic Cherubim, concerning which we spoke at length on Exodus 32, thinks similarly of Micah.] Micah [says he] and his mother fashioned a graven thing, etc., both an Ephod and Teraphim after the similitude of the Mosaic works of the same sort. Perhaps the graven and molten thing was like unto that sacred plate, Exodus 39:30, not indeed of gold, as in that place, but of silver, on which also, just as it was done on that, he saw to it that the name of the Lord was graven (Moncæius’ Concerning the Golden Calf 1:17). The Ephod agreed with the Mosaid Ephod, no less in form and use than in name (Moncæius’ Concerning the Golden Calf 1:18). The Teraphim agreed with the Mosaic Cherubim (Moncæius’ Concerning the Golden Calf 1:18). For the term Teraphim is not always taken in an ill sense, but is used indifferently of whatever image, sometimes even in a good way, as in Hosea 3:4. [Concerning which see what things are to be said on that passage σὺν Θεῷ, Lord willing.] Teraphim were household idols, which were worshipped in the home, and were consulted as oracles concerning matters arcane or future, their Penates and Lares, as it were[10] (Lapide). They appear to have been idols that gave responses to questions: as it is easily proven out of Ezekiel 21:21, …he consulted Teraphim; out of Zechariah 10:2, the Teraphim have spoken vanity; and out of 2 Kings 23:24, where after familiar spirits and wizards Teraphim are placed, as things conjoined, and have regard to divination and oracles (Bonfrerius). Moreover, either they are called Teraphim, that is, Seraphim, as it were; for the Chaldeans convert שׂ/S into ת/t: or images shameful, indecent, and filthy are called Teraphim; for to the Chaldean תרף/theraph signifies to putrefy, and to afflict with disgrace (Lapide). Now, Teraphim is a word of the plural number, the singular of which is not found.
Stolen Teraphim
Teraphim; some sort of images so called, of which see Genesis 31:19; Hosea 3:4.
[And he filled his hand] That is, with oblations, with which rite priests were initiated (Munster, similarly Vatablus, Menochius). See Exodus 28:41[11] (Piscator). To fill the hand of one is to introduce him into the possession of some matter. He next declares, and he was to him a priest (Vatablus). It is strange that a lay and profane man would rush into a consecration of this sort: but what is strange, if one that fashions gods for himself, should also forge priests? But evidently, of what sort of gods, such is the consecration, and such also the priests (Bonfrerius).
[Of one of his sons] Namely, the firstborn. Formerly the right of the priesthood belonged to such (Lapide, Serarius, Tostatus). But this account does not convince; for that right of the firstborn was annulled by the Aaronic priesthood, and Micah was able to employ any one of his sons in this work according to the manner of the Aaronic priests (Bonfrerius). He did this temporarily, until provision was made for him of a certain Levite (Junius, Malvenda).
[And he was made a priest for him] Evidently, because the priests were not publicly discharging their office, through fault, or because the regions were infested with brigandage, Micah actually supposed that God was to be worshipped by him in private religion; and so, although at first he had willed his own son to be a priest for him, he soon preferred the Levite he found to his son, so that he might approach as nearly as possible to the institutes of the Law. For he was worshipped the true God, יְהוָה/Jehovah/LORD, Judges 17:3, 13; 18:6. And God responds with true things to the one asking, Judges 18 (Grotius).
Who became his priest; because the Levites in that corrupt estate of the church neglected the exercise of their office, and therefore were neglected by the people, and others put into their employment. But this kind of priesthood was condemned, Numbers 16:40; 18:2, 7.
[4] Exodus 29:9: “And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons (וּמִלֵּאתָ֥ יַֽד־אַהֲרֹ֖ן וְיַד־בָּנָֽיו׃, and thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons).”
[5] 1 Kings 13:33: “After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him (יְמַלֵּ֣א אֶת־יָד֔וֹ, he filled his hand), and he became one of the priests of the high places.”
[10] Among the Romans, the Penates and Lares were household deities.
[11] Exodus 28:41: “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them (וּמִלֵּאתָ֧ אֶת־יָדָ֛ם, and fill their hand), and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”
Kabbalah: Teraphim – Teraphim were called the “givers of prosperity,” “guardians of comforts,” They were suppose to bring prosperity and good luck, though the practice was considered heathen.
Rachel may have stolen the household idols of her father “Laban the Syrian” out of a superstitious fear of moving from the only home she ever knew, believing the idols would protect and bring blessing to her and her household.
The idols, also called “teraphim“, were large or small human shaped figurines.
Having household idols could have been what amounted to the superstitious belief that it would bring good-luck and blessings for the possessor’s household.
It seems as though Rachel continued to hold onto pagan spiritual practices and superstitions embraced by her father’s family. Remember Rachel and the mandrakes in WBS #165 Genesis 30 *Rachel Gives Birth to Joseph”*
Let’s not judge Rachel. Let each of us take personal inventory of ourselves. Do any of us professing Christians today have difficulty letting go of non-Christian practices that exist as part of family tradition? Do we embrace little or big idols or good luck charms in place of believing God’s promises in His Word to bless, protect and care for us?
PUT AWAY THE GODS YOUR FATHERS SERVED ON THEOTHER SIDE OF THE FLOOD!
God destroyed the whole world and all of the people in it except for Noah and his family; eight people total God saved to continue the human race.
Any kind of idol worship no matter how big or small or insignificant you think it might be, is sin against God and a doorway for you to be controlled by demonic activity.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote, “Nothing is more absolutely universal than the Resurrection.”[1] Though all people will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:22), not all will be resurrected at the same time. Technically speaking, there are four resurrections.
The Morning of the First Resurrection: This resurrection began with Christ’s Resurrection and will continue in and through the Millennium. This resurrection is reserved for those who have lived righteously. It is reserved for those who are destined to be heirs of the celestial kingdom.
The Afternoon of the First Resurrection:This resurrection starts once the Millennium has begun and will carry on throughout the thousand years of the Millennium. It is reserved for those who have lived good lives but were not necessarily valiant. This resurrection is reserved for those who are destined to inherit the terrestrial kingdom.
Seeking the One by Liz Lemon Swindle
The Morning of the Second Resurrection: This resurrection begins at the end of the Millennium. It is reserved for those who have lived sinful lives, for those who have lived contrary to the dictates for their conscience and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Those who come forth in this resurrection will inherit the telestial kingdom, the lowest of the three degrees of glory. Those who inherit this glory will not spend eternity in the presence of Satan and his minions. However, they will be eternally shut out of the presence of God and Christ.
The Afternoon of the Second Resurrection: This resurrection will take place after all others have been resurrected. It is reserved for the sons and daughters[2] of perdition, for those who will spend eternity with the devil and his angels because, in mortality, they did the work of the devil and his angels. It is the only one of the four resurrections that provides its recipients with no glory whatsoever. Hence, the eternal abode for those who come forth in this resurrection is known as “outer darkness” (Alma 40:13), where God’s light never shines (D&C 88:6–13).
Thus, what does it mean if your patriarchal blessing promises you that you will “come forth in the morning of the First Resurrection”? One stake patriarch I am acquainted with suggested that it means you will be resurrected “at the first opportunity you are able to be.” It certainly means that if you are true to your covenants, you will be exalted. It is the promise that, through your faithfulness and through Christ’s Atonement, you are going to make it to the celestial kingdom, where you will preside over your posterity for eternity, doing what God does, because you will have become what He is. Could there be any greater promise that God could make to any of His children? LDS Living
Light of Christ -Common Sense – Personal Revelation
Light of Christ
“The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost. One manifestation of the Light of Christ is what we call a conscience.
The Light of Christ “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.” It is “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:12–13; see also Doctrine and Covenants 88:6–11). This power is an influence for good in the lives of all people (see John 1:9; Doctrine and Covenants 93:2). In the scriptures, the Light of Christ is sometimes called the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, or the Light of Life.” Church of Jesus Christ.org Study Manual
Common Sense
“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” — Thomas Paine, Common Sense
“Common Sense” was first published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776and is regarded by many as the most important piece of writing of the American Revolution. Although descent among the colonists was growing over the British government’s newly levied taxes and customs duties and the bloody battle at Concord, there was still talk of reconciliation among the colonists. However, Paine’s convincing arguments against the monarchy and British domination spread like wildfire throughout the colonies and turned the public tide toward independence. General George Washington wrote to a friend in Massachusetts: “I find that Common Sense is working a powerful change there in the minds of many men. Few pamphlets have had so dramatic an effect on political events.”
What is common sense as a person?
“It’s hard to precisely define common sense, but here goes: Common sense is the action that is deemed by the majority of people to be the most acceptable and/or most likely to result in the best outcome. In other words, it is doing something in a particular way that is the way most people would do it.
Or, from a personal point of view, it is the action you would take in a situation or the method you would use to perform a task. It’s important to note that it is the action being taken that is most likely to count when people think of common sense, not the outcome.
It is often possible to reach the same outcome in multiple ways, but if you see someone going about things differently to how you would do it, you might perceive a lack of common sense… even if they reach the same endpoint. Now that we’ve got a working definition of common sense, let’s explore the reasons why someone might be perceived as lacking in it.” A Conscious Rethink
More definitions of Common Sense:
Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge. An internal sense, formerly believed to be the sense by which information from the other five senses is understood and interpreted. Ordinary sensible understanding; one’s basic intelligence which allows for plain understanding and without which good decisions or judgments cannot be made.
Good sense, sound judgment, level-headedness, practicality, prudence, soundness, reasonableness, gumption, horse sense, native intelligence, mother wit, smarts, and wit.
Personal Revelation
“It is a tender experience to petition our Heavenly Father in sincere, heartfelt prayer and look to Him for personal guidance.
I would like to focus on some of the sacred principles that apply to receiving personal revelation. I will rely heavily on the scriptures and the words of the prophets, seers, and revelators.
After we experienced our spiritual birth, Heavenly Father counseled and corrected us, and we were instructed, enlightened, and edified in His holy presence. Now that we have experienced our physical birth in mortality, He desires to continue to communicate with us and to give us counsel and direction. He does this through personal revelation, which involves preparation, prayer, and promptings. Personal revelation is one of the greatest gifts and blessings we can receive.
To pray is to have a conversation with Deity. This sacred and supernal communication with Heavenly Father is a divine and delicate process. This crucial communication should be conducted with great care and in compliance with sacred counsel.
Pray often. To receive personal revelation requires a constant, concentrated effort in which we continue to petition Heavenly Father about our concerns. We cannot become casual in our communications with Him. To do so is to ignore the counsel to “trifle not with sacred things” (D&C 6:12). We must follow the counsel to “pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night” (2 Ne. 9:52). It is not the duration of our prayers but the depth of our desire that results in revelation.” Personal Revelation 1997 By Elder L. Lionel Kendrick Of the Seventy
Three Keys to Personal Revelation
1- We are all born with the gift of the Light of Christ, as we chose in the pre-existence to follow the plan of our father in Heaven through Christ.
2- I believe the next gift we are blessed with is very sound Common Sense, which for a normal person who doesn’t have an impairment of mind, can readily tap into it.
3- I believe Personal Revelation is a blessing that comes from the utilization of many gifts, and takes the most work as it is not usually given to us but most often we have to really strive and work to receive it.
With these three gifts and blessings, we can as Moroni says, “know the truth of all things”. Not know things for the Church or for our neighbors, but for ourselves and our family. If a man you have the Keys of leadership and if a woman you share in those keys equally, as the two of you are righteous.
“Here are my personal feelings, followed by many quotes of Prophets and Apostles that you will find very informational. Please read and then pray about it all. It’s between you and the Lord. You can receive Personal Revelation!
It is my opinion that we always take into consideration the leaders of our Church and make it a matter of prayer as well. President Nelson showed an example of following his beliefs by taking the “shot”, not to say that’s what we should do, but to say it is how he feels. I don’t believe it should be called a vaccine as it is officially classified by the FDA as “experimental”, and until we know exactly what is in the “shot” I will not take it in this form myself. The Prophet did not command us to take it, but a statement from the Church on Jan 19, 2021, said, “the Church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization. Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination.” I feel I am being a great citizen by sharing with others a perspective from an active member in good standing and allowing each person to make up their own mind.
In this recent statement by the Church in an email of Aug 12, 2021, it said, “we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated.” I do not have the same level of confidence in the current medical experts and very few of our government officials that the Brethren may have trust in. I know the only true Church, even, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is doing what it feels best for the world as a whole. It’s amazing to me how effective the Church is in this world-wide organization. With my study and prayer and considering the Church’s advisement, I decided to not wear a mask, and I will try to safely keep a distance with others that seem sensitive. Out of respect in some situations, I may choose to wear a mask. Also, I will not take the “shot”, as I have looked at the ingredients and I don’t want some of those substances in my body. I have taken safe vaccinations in the past, but I don’t have confidence in the current experimental gene therapy.
I would only recommend that each of you do what is best for yourself. After you research and study this situation, please take into consideration the advice of the Church, doctors you trust, and other reliable sources, and make your own decision, especially after much prayer. Also, I don’t believe others should be making decisions for my children especially ones that force them or mandate. I am the parent with a God-given responsibility, and I will make the decision for my children until they are 18. The Lord loves us all and He will bless us according to our faith, and the Lord loves us regardless of the decision we each make. What is right for me, may not be right for you. The plan of moral and free choice is a blessing from the Lord.” Rian Nelson
Joseph by Kendra Burton 2021
Joseph Smith said, “We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them even if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself, should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise the idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves.” –Joseph Smith, (Jr. Joseph Smith, the Millennial Star, Vol 14, # 38, pages 593-595)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “President [Marion G.] Romney then described one of Satan’s methods: “Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine.” Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall; Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“I feel the powers of Satan are doing their best to distract us, confuse us, force us, and make good look evil and evil look good. To me the purpose behind Covid which to me is a manufactured patented and man-made virus, and not a natural virus, purposely made to create fear and power. The powerful and elite want power and control over the masses in order to manipulate us however they choose. Our individual faith in Christ will protect us more than anything man may do.” Rian Nelson
“Satan uses every possible device to accomplish his purpose to degrade and enslave every soul. He attempts to distort and corrupt everything created for the good of man—sometimes by diluting that which is good, sometimes by camouflaging that which is evil. We generally think of Satan attacking us at our weakest spot. President Kimball described this technique when he said, “Lucifer and his followers know the habits, weaknesses, and vulnerable spots of everyone and take advantage of them to lead us to spiritual destruction” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], pp. 218–19) …
“I have heard of more than one group who are so intent on following the words of a dead prophet that they have rejected the teachings and counsel of the living ones… Following the prophet is a great strength, but it needs to be consistent and current lest it lead to the spiritual downfall that comes from rejecting continuous revelation. Under that principle, the most important difference between dead prophets and living ones is that those who are dead are not here to receive and declare the Lord’s latest words to his people. If they were, there would be no differences among the messages of the prophets.” Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“I agree with the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr., along with our current Prophet, Russell M. Nelson. I love them both and I know this Church is true and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I realize that when the Prophet gives a revelation, it becomes doctrine, and I will always follow it as led by the Spirit. When the Leaders of the Church urge us or recommend something, they are doing their duty of warning, preaching, and trying to help us in this difficult world. Individual answers are all around each of us, and the Lord will guide us based on our faith, research, and study to know what is right. Personal revelation is most important as it comes from God. However, we must be hesitant to share personal revelation as if we are speaking for the Church or any other individual or Church leader. We are all accountable to Christ individually, not collectively.” Rian Nelson
President Nelson said, “Does God really want to speak to you? Yes! “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course … as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”
You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.
By Ken Corbett
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
J. Reuben Clark Jr., First Counselor in the First Presidency, 7 Oct. 1944: “I tell you we are beginning to follow along the course of the early Christian church. So long as that church was persecuted from without, it prospered, but when it began to be polluted from within, the church began to wither. There is creeping into our midst, and I warn you brethren about it, and I urge you to meet it, a great host of sectarian doctrines that have no place amongst us. The gospel in its simplicity, is to be found in the revelations, the teachings of the Prophet and the early leaders of the Church.” (In One Hundred Fifteenth Semi-annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[Conference Report, October 1944] [Salt Lake City, Utah: Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], pp. 117–18; paragraphing omitted.)
J. Reuben Clark Jr., First Counselor in the First Presidency, 7 Oct. 1945: “Even during the time of the apostles there began to be a falling away, as is clear from the Epistles of Paul, of Peter, John, James, and Jude. People began to wander off, and that wandering was increased in the succeeding centuries, accumulating speed, it seems, as it went on. They began to gather into church teachings things to make Christianity a little more palatable to the philosophers of the time. . . . They were trying to satisfy the thought and the philosophy and the reasoning of men, in order that they might have their support and probably their praise. . . . There is a deep lesson in all of that for us today. Already there are coming in amongst us doctrines that have no part or place in the pure doctrines of the restored gospel. These heresies are creeping in insidiously. They come to us from the philosophies of the Christian scholars of the day. They make our doctrines, as they made the early Christian beliefs, more palatable to our philosophers, but so surely as they destroyed the Christian church in the early days, just so surely will they destroy us if we do not stop them where they are.” (In One Hundred Sixteenth Semi-annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Conference Report, October 1945] [Salt Lake City, Utah: Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], pp. 165, 166; paragraphing omitted.)
J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark Jr., First Counselor in the First Presidency, 29 Sept. 1950: “In the early church the Saints were extremely anxious for two things: First, to be well thought of by the pagans. Their ears itched for praise. Do any of you brethren know anything about such a tendency as that?”(In “Remarks at Bishop’s Meeting,” J. Reuben Clark Papers, box 151, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.)
J. Reuben Clark Jr., Second Counselor in the First Presidency, 5 April 1952: “Read your books. There is a startling parallel between the course that is coming in to us today and the course that was in the early Church, so startling that one becomes fearful.” (In One Hundred Twenty-second Annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Conference Report, April 1952] [Salt Lake City, Utah: Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], p. 81.)
Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 30 Mar. 1990: “In recent years I have felt, and I think I am not alone, that we were losing the ability to correct the course of the Church. You can not appreciate how deeply I feel about the importance of this present opportunity unless you know the regard, the reverence, I have for the Book of Mormon and how seriously I have taken the warnings of the prophets, particularly Alma and Helaman. Both Alma and Helaman told of the church in their day. They warned about fast growth, the desire to be accepted by the world, to be popular, and particularly they warned about prosperity. Each time those conditions existed in combination, the Church drifted off course. All of those conditions are present in the Church today. Helaman repeatedly warned, I think four times he used these words, that the fatal drift of the church could occur ‘in the space of not many years.’ In one instance it took only six years. (See Helaman 6:32, 7:6, 11:26.)” (Transcript of an address given at a Regional Representatives Seminar, 30 March 1990, entitled “Let Them Govern Themselves.”)
May we have a beautiful Easter. May we make it a day of joy and love and a day of remembrance of the opportunity to do better, and may we give up the old for something new. I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my soul.
Further below we speak about a very interesting article from the Latter-day Millennial Star, Editor James E. Talmage. It speaks about the Tucson Lead Artifacts. As with many artifacts found in North America that have a link to Jews or the Old World, many say they are a hoax and many say the are genuine. We report and you can decide. I believe that the Native American Indians of the Eastern United States are related to the Hebrews and there will be many signs found about that connection as well as the truth about these artifacts.
Ancient Dinosaur Depictions
“In the 1920s thirty-one Roman-style lead artifacts were excavated near Tucson, AZ (see right). These are described on p. 331 of David Hatcher’s book The Lost Cities of North & Central America and were featured on the History Channel’s 2013 show America Unearthed. These lead objects appear to be religious in nature with Hebrew and Latin inscribed upon the swords, spears and crosses. They were buried about five feet below the desert surface in a layer of caliche (a cement-like mixture of desert soil and minerals). Skeptics have questioned the authenticity of these artifacts because the discovery site contains no other artifacts (like pottery, broken glass, bones, ashes or houses) that might validate the existence of Medieval colony. But perhaps this location was merely a ceremonial storage location. Supporters point out the value of the significant amount of burial work and expensive lead involved and wonder what the motivation could be for such an elaborate hoax? After all, just one cross weighs 62 pounds! Microscopic analysis of the mineralization build up on the implements seems to argue for them being genuine. A 1972 attempt to dig on location to search for additional objects was curtailed due to legal challenges. But one of the biggest objections to the authenticity of the Tucson Silverbell artifacts is the precise carvings of an apparent Diplodocus dinosaur on the sword (click right to see it highlighted). The artifacts have been stored at the Arizona Historical Society.
To the left are pictured Ica Ceremonial Burial Stones from the Nasca culture (100 BC to 800AD) that are carved in a bas relief technique. In 1500s the Spanish Conquistadors brought back stories that there were stones with strange creatures carved on them found in Peru. Some of the stones were even brought back to Spain. The Incan Chronicler Juan de Santa Cruz Pachucuti Lumqui wrote in 1571 about the strange engraved stones in Ica. (See Swift, Dennis, Secrets of the Ica Stones, 2006.) Dom Geronomo Cabrera was a Spanish conquistador who settled the area of Ica in 1570. One of his descendants, Dr. Javier Cabrera, saw these stones as a child and began collecting them in the 1960s. He eventually accumulated thousands of stones. Retired from the University of Lima, Dr. Cabrera focused upon validating these finds within the scientific community. His credibility was strengthened by the discovery of ancient ceramics that display long-necked, reptilian creatures. This pottery is currently displayed in the museum of Lima (lower right).” https://www.genesispark.com/exhibits/evidence/historical/ancient/dinosaur/
Why a Hoax?
Why is it so often those so-called intellectuals or Scientists or Historians usually think new information that goes against their belief system is a hoax? Because they lack the desire and courage to admit change and growth and that there are more superior minds in the past than in their own group. Yes, the Nephites and Jaredites and Abrahamitic etc. were all smarter than most of today’s archaeologists, because today’s intellectuals lack the spirt of discernment and the courage of swallowing their pride. Of course there are some exceptions, but they seem rare.
Ignorant Savages?
“…When…first commanded to testify of these things they [The Three Witness] demurred and told the Lord the people would not believe them for the book concerning which they were to bear record told of a people who were educated and refined, dwelling in large cities; whereas all that was then known of the early inhabitants of this country was the filthy, lazy, degraded and ignorant savages that were roaming over the land. The Lord told us, in reply that he would make it known to the people that the early inhabitants of this land had been just such a people as they were described in the book, and he would lead them to discover the ruins of great cities, and they should have abundant evidence of the truth of that which is written in the book…” – David Whitmer, Interview with James H. Hart (Richmond, Mo., 21 August 1883), as printed in Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah
Drifting Far Afield
“What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would be amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how some of our educated brethren attempt to harmonize the theories of men with the revealed word of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there is still some faith left and some members who still cherish the word of the Lord and accept the prophets. Surely the world is ripening rapidly for the destruction, and Satan has power and dominion over his own. If any are saved surely the Lord must soon come and have power over his Saints and reign in their midst, and execute ‘judgment upon Idumea, or the world.'” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., and John J. Stewart, The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 210 – 211.)
Lamanites ARE DESCENDANTS of the JEWS.
We need to look no further than the scriptures to know the Lamanites ARE DESCENDANTS of the JEWS. It is probably hard for most people reading this blog to understand that many of the intellectuals don’t believe this. The biggest reason for this, is that the Natives of Central/South America are of Asian lineage and they believe the Book of Mormon happened in Mesoamerica.
“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
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 19:27
“And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.” 2 Nephi 30:4
“Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints. Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse. Wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints, and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile;” D&C 57:1-4
AMERICAN INDIAN OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL by James E. Talmage
The origin of the American Indian is a subject of perennial interest and concern to ethnologists. What was once a theory has now come to be widely accepted as a fact — that the Indian tribes are descendants of Asiatic ancestors, who in all probability were Israelites, or, in the broadest sense of the term, Jews. Believers in the Book of Mormon have no doubts in the matter, for that record sets forth with circumstantial detail the migration of colonies directly from Jerusalem to the Western Continent. As a result of recent investigations conducted under the auspices of American institutions of recognized standing, many interesting statements have been given to the Press. The following has been accorded space in several American journals, and is here reproduced with editorial caution against accepting inferences as demonstrated facts. It is to be hoped that through the official reports to appear later, more definite information will be available.
Tucson, Arizona, December 14. — The American Indian is of Semitic origin.
Roman letter R on Signal Hill. Its letter-form and ductus (design and direction of letter strokes) are the same as those engraved in lead on the Tucson Artifacts.
Roman legionnaires, centuries ago, roamed and fought on Arizona deserts!
And these Romans, in turn, were destroyed long before the coining of the “Spanish conquistadors.”
These are some of the startling theories being advanced here to-day, following the remarkable discoveries of archaeologists from Princeton, the University of Arizona, and other colleges, who have been making secret excavations for a year on the ranch of Thomas Bent, nine miles from here.
Lying six feet beneath an almost solid layer of desert limestone, the excavators have unearthed weapons bearing Roman and Jewish inscriptions. With them have been found religious symbols, crosses and batons, also inscribed in Jewish and Latin phrases, some of them singing “the praises of Israel and Rome.
Scholars here today were inclined to believe the recent finds have established the origin of the American Indian. The relics, they say, furnish indisputable evidence that the Indian is of Semitic origin.
It is claimed, moreover, that the discovery of the relics has definitely established that a race of early Mediterranean people crossed the Atlantic to America, and either subjugated or allied themselves with the natives to such an extent that a powerful province of the Roman Empire was formed and ruled over by them for several centuries.
A SUMMARY
This Church of Jesus Christ ok Latter-day Saints, claiming to be all that its name expresses or logically implies, holds that its special mission in the world is to officiate in the authority of the Holy Priesthood by proclaiming the Gospel and administering in the ordinances thereof amongst all nations, and this in preparation for the approaching advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Besides its missionary labor among the living, the Church, true to the commission laid upon it by divine investiture, is continuously engaged in vicarious service for the dead, administering the ordinances of salvation to the living in behalf of their departed progenitors. Largely for this purpose the Church constructs Temples and maintains therein the requisite ministry in behalf of the dead.
In the carrying out of the work committed to it, the Church is tolerant of all sects and parties, claiming for itself no fight or privilege that it would deny to individuals or other organizations. It affirms itself to be the Church of old, established anew. Its message to the world is that of peace and good will — the invitation to come and partake of the blessings incident to the new and everlasting covenant between God and His children. Its warning voice is heard in all lands and climes: “Repent ye! Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” — J. E. T. Latter-day Millennial Star Editor James E. Talmage March 4, 1926 page 136-137
Genuine Ooparts Crucial to History or a Colossal Hoax? A Thorough Examination of The Tucson Artifacts
A Curious Find Amidst the Gravel
Charles Manier found the first Tucson Artifact sticking out of the gravel near an abandoned lime kiln beside Silverbell Road in September 1924. It was a cross and required some effort to free it from the ground. He realized it was made of two pieces stuck together, so he pried them apart and found lettering engraved on their faces. That prompted him to contact Dr. Frank H. Fowler, Latin professor at the University of Arizona, who had no trouble translating them. Several of them were discovered by Thomas Bent Sr. (friend/business partner of Manier) and some of the university faculty even participated in the excavations. The process was well documented, including photographs, and followed by the Tucson and Phoenix newspapers, and even a New York Times article. Source:
Tucson Lead Artifacts
The Tucson artifacts, sometimes called the Tucson Lead Crosses, Tucson Crosses, Silverbell Road artifacts, or Silverbell artifacts, were thirty-one lead objects that Charles E. Manier and his family found in 1924 near Picture Rocks, Arizona which were initially thought by some to be created by early Mediterranean civilizations that had crossed the Atlantic in the first century, but were later determined to be a hoax.
The find consisted of thirty-one lead objects, including crosses, swords, and religious/ceremonial paraphernalia, most of which bore Hebrew or Latin engraved inscriptions, pictures of temples, leaders’ portraits, angels, and a dinosaur (inscribed on the lead blade of a sword). One contained the phrase “Calalus, the unknown land”, which was used by believers as the name of the settlement. The objects also have Roman numerals ranging from 790 to 900 inscribed on them, which were sometimes interpreted to represent the date of their creation. The site contains no other artifacts, no pottery sherds, no broken glass, no human or animal remains, and no sign of hearths or housing. Wikipedia
Boy’s bones. DNA from this ancient Siberian skeleton offers clues to the first Americans. CREDIT: THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM, ST. PETERSBURGPurchase Now
SANTA FE—Where did the first Americans come from? Most researchers agree that Paleoamericans moved across the Bering Land Bridge from Asia sometime before 15,000 years ago, suggesting roots in East Asia. But just where the source populations arose has long been a mystery.
[Editor: This is such a long held and false belief about the Land Bridge, it seems funny to me every time I hear it. It’s just like saying the earth is flat anymore. Both are just simply wrong. Also as you will read below, the world is really messed up, as they continue to think man and cave men existed millions of years ago. What about the continued belief that Dinosaurs are millions of years old? It just makes no sense to me any more. I still feel the lack of humility among the elite is their biggest challenge].
Now comes a surprising twist, from the complete nuclear genome of a Siberian boy who died 24,000 years ago—the oldest complete genome of a modern human sequenced to date. His DNA shows close ties to those of today’s Native Americans. Yet he apparently descended not from East Asians, but from people who had lived in Europe or western Asia. The finding suggests that about a third of the ancestry of today’s Native Americans can be traced to “western Eurasia,” with the other two-thirds coming from eastern Asia, according to a talk at a meeting* here by ancient DNA expert Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen. It also implies that traces of European ancestry previously detected in modern Native Americans do not come solely from mixing with European colonists, as most scientists had assumed, but have much deeper roots.
The Mal’ta boy was related to people who later migrated across Beringia to the Americas. “I’m still processing that Native Americans are one-third European,” says geneticist Connie Mulligan of the University of Florida in Gainesville. “It’s jaw-dropping.” At the very least, says geneticist Dennis O’Rourke of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, “this is going to stimulate a lot of discussion.”
Editor: As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I don’t believe there was a migration from the Bering Land Bridge. I believe the migration was by the ocean voyages of the Jaredites, Mulekites and Lehites.
See Annotated Book of Mormon Page 544 about information below
Purchase Now!
“Among the class of writers aforesaid is Mr. James Adair, who resided forty years among the American tribes, and who wrote a book 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,’” – “History of the American Indians,” London: Edward and Charles Dilly [1775] p. 13.
“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” – Haines, Elijah M., “The American Indian (UH-XISH-IK-XA-BA), The Whole Subject Complete in One Volume,” Chicago: The MAS-SIX-XA’-GAX Company [1888], 98; 100.
Editor: You will find a most interesting and familiar phrase to many Latter-day Saints, if you combine the word “to pray” with the word for “God” below.
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.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations.
We know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography of the Book of Mormon. There are many CES instructors and other BYU professors that teach the Two Cumorah theory or Mesoamerican theory, and they say a second Hill Cumorah exists somewhere in Mexico, but they aren’t sure where. I believe there is only one Hill Cumorah which is associated with the Heartland Model of the Book of Mormon. For you and I to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and that would include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events. I believe knowledge of the Spirit and of the head, are both important in learning truth. For over 40 years, I used to believe in the Mesoamerican theory, but after research and prayer I believe in the Heartland Model.
Elder Jeffrey Holland shares the following about heart and head learning. “Truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart… truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling… I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work…” Jeffrey R. Holland The Greatness of Evidence Aug 2017
I feel strongly that the location of the many Book of Mormon events happened in the United States of America. I will support and follow the Brethren where ever they say it is located, but what if they never tell us and we find out it was our duty as Latter-day Saints to find this out on our own? I would just love for all to consider a North American setting for the Book of Mormon. I believed as many others did about two Cumorah’s for 40 years But, with new information in the Joseph Smith Papers and Letter VII written by Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith in 1835, I am so excited about the new knowledge the Lord is sending us today to strengthen our testimonies.
Book of Mormon Central Inaccurate about the Mention of Cumorah
“There is “no historical evidence that Moroni called the hill ‘Cumorah’ in 1823” during his first encounter with the Prophet Joseph Smith. The name Cumorah came into “common circulation [amongst Latter-day Saints] no earlier than the mid-1830s.” 2The first documented person to identify the drumlin hill 3 in Manchester, New York where Joseph Smith received the plates with the hill Cumorah appears to have been William W. Phelps in 1833. 4…
Here is the Church Museum showing two Cumorah’s. Mormon’s Mayan Cumorah in Mexico and Moroni’s Cumorah in New York. How can Historians get it so wrong?
As far as can be determined, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself only associated the hill in New York with the Cumorah in the Book of Mormon towards the end of his life. In an 1842 epistle the Prophet spoke of hearing “Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20).7 Before then, Joseph left the name of the New York hill where Moroni gave him the plates unnamed in his accounts of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.8 Whether the Prophet arrived at this conclusion about the location of Cumorah by revelation, by conforming to usage that had become common among the early members of the Church about Book of Mormon geography, or in some other way is historically unknown.9″KnoWhy #489
Many apologists like Book of Mormon Central, FairLDS and The Interpreter say the hill in New York was not called Cumorah until the end of Joseph’s life. They try to insinuate that Cumorah is not an important name for the hill as they describe the so-called hill Cumorah, simply “a Hill” in Saints Vol. 1.(Here you can find an article by Jonathan Neville called “Church historians concede they censored Cumorah in Saints“). They leave completely out the word Cumorah. They are trying to get rid of the name Cumorah because they claim there were two “hills” of the restoration, one in NY. and the other in Mexico somewhere, neither necessarily called Cumorah. They claim the large cave in hill Cumorah did not exist in NY but was maybe a dream that Joseph had while he was in New York about some hill in Mexico.
You see, BOMC has to say the Liahona and Sword were in the stone box, because there was no large cave close by to store them in. They have to also claim there is no cave at Cumorah to put a large amount of Jaredite and Nephite records in. In other words they say there are two hills of the restoration, but neither one of them are called Cumorah and in NY they only say there was a stone box where the plates were deposited an no separate cave.
LDS Church Video in their Museum shows the Liahona and the Sword in the same box with the Gold Plates, Breastplate, and Spectacles. First there is no scripture stating this, and second there is no room for a sword and third there was a large cave close by to store all artifacts and records.
Also the reason BOMC claims the final battles of the Nephites was fought in Mexico, is because they say the hill in Cumorah was too small and no armor has been found in NY. This way they can claim there were two hills one in NY where Joseph found the records and a second hill in Mexico where the final battles would have been. See KnoWhy #231,where BOMC also discusses and suggests that, “Mormon May Have Exaggerated”, and “A Thousand May Not Actually Mean a Thousand” You can read there own words about at their KnoWhy #489 above.
The Grand Repository of all the Numerous Records… was Located in Another Department of the Hill
Here is what Orson Pratt said about the two repositories in the NY hill Cumorah.
“The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces. Men, women and children fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . .
These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
Geography Packet
I love the “Packet” that Jonathan Neville has put together here. I feel you will learn some new truths about the Hill Cumorah. I haven’t found one quote of Joseph Smith speaking about a Hill Cumorah in Mexico, yet I have found hundreds of Apostles, Prophets, and Saints discuss just One Cumorah in New York, as you will see below. The packet also shows a few times the word Cumorah was used before BOMC says it was.” Rian Nelson
First Mention of Cumorah
1. Early 1827– Joseph Smith (quoted by his mother Lucy Mack Smith)
[In January 1827, Joseph] returned with his wife, in good health and fine spirits. Not long after this his father had occasion to send him to Manchester on business. <And,> as he started quite early in the morning, we expected him home, at the outside, by 6. o clock in the evening. But when 6. came he did not arrive.— we always had a peculiar anxiety about him whenever he was absent from us; for, it seemed as if something was always taking place to jeopardize his life. But to return, he did not get home till the night was far spent. On coming in, threw himself into a chair, apparently much exhausted. My husband did not observe his appearance, and immediately exclaimed, “Joseph, why have you staid so late? has anything happened you? we have been much distressed about you these three hours. As Joseph made no reply, he continued his interrogations until I finally said: now, father, (as that was the manner in which I commonly addressed him) let him rest a moment— dont touble him now— you see he is home safe, and he is very tired; so pray wait a little.
The fact is, I had learned to be a little cautious about matters with regard to Joseph; for I was accustomed to see him look as he did on that occasion, and could not easily mistake the cause thereof. Presently he smiled, and said in a very calm tone, “I have taken the severest chastisement, that I have ever had in my life”. My husband, supposing it was from some of the neighbors, was quite angry; and observed, “I would would like to know what business any body has to find fault with you.”
“Stop, father, Stop.” said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to <be> brought forth; and, that I must be up and doing, and set myself about the things which God had commanded me to do: but, Father,’ continued he, ‘give yourself no uneasiness concerning the reprimand that I have received; for I now know the course that I am to pursue; so all will be well.”
2. Lucy Mack Smith
“[Moroni, after telling Joseph about the record, said] but you cannot get it until you learn to keep the commandments of God For it is not to get gain. But it is to bring forth that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the Earth
Now Joseph beware or when you go to get the plates your mind will be filled with darkness and all manner of evil will rush into your mind. To prevent you from keeping the commandments of God that you may not succeed in doing his work and you must tell your father of this for he will believe every word you say.
“Currently (July 2020) in the United States there is a controversy about federal officers in cities such as Portland, Oregon, who are protecting federal property. This is reminiscent of the challenges faced by Stephen S. Harding, the fourth territorial Governor of Utah.
In 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Harding as Governor of the Utah Territory. Harding had conflicts with Brigham Young and was unable to enforce federal law. In 1863, President Lincoln appointed Harding as Chief Justice of the Colorado Territory’s Supreme Court.
Harding was born in Palmyra, NY, on February 24, 1808. His family moved to Indiana in 1820, but he remembered Joseph Smith, Jr., from seeing him fishing often.
In 1829, Harding returned to Palmyra to visit friends, including Pomeroy Tucker. While visiting the printing shop, he met Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, and Joseph’s father. When he expressed interest in the Book of Mormon that was being prepared for printing, he was invited to spend the night at the Smith home. Oliver Cowdery read from the manuscript.
Harding left to visit his brother, but two weeks later he ran in to Martin Harris again in Palmyra. Here’s the account Harding wrote in a published letter.
“About two weeks after this I met Martin Harris. He was glad to see me; inquired how I felt since my dream. He told me that since he saw me at Mr. Smith’s he had seen fearful signs in the heavens. That he was standing alone one night, and saw a fiery sword let down out of heaven, and pointing to the east, west, north, and south, then to the hill of Cumorah, where the plates of Nephi were found.” https://archive.org/details/GR_1666/page/n65/mode/2up
Harding wrote this letter in 1882, but he relates several details that attest to his solid memory. Of course, this is not proof that the hill in New York is the same as the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6, but it does show that at least Martin Harris believed it was, even before the Book of Mormon was printed.
That Harris would refer to Cumorah this way is another corroboration of other accounts that Joseph Smith’s contemporaries understood that the hill where Joseph found the plates was the Cumorah of the Book of Mormon. Source: Letter VII by Jonathan Neville
4. 1830– Oliver Cowdery (quoted by Parley P. Pratt) during the mission to the Lamanites (D&C 28, 30 and 32).
“This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County.
“In that neighborhood there lived a young man named Joseph Smith, who prayed to the Great Spirit much, in order that he might know the truth; and the Great Spirit sent an angel to him, and told him where this Book was hid by Moroni; and commanded him to go and get it. He accordingly went to the place, and dug in the earth, and found the Book written on golden plates.
“But it was written in the language of the forefathers of the red man; therefore this young man, being a pale face, could not understand it; but the angel told him and showed him, and gave him knowledge of the language, and how to interpret the Book. So he interpreted it into the language of the pale faces, and wrote it on paper, and caused it to be printed, and published thousands of copies of among them; and then sent us to the red men to bring some copies of it to them, and to tell them this news. So we have now come from him, and here is a copy of the Book, which we now present to our red friend, the chief of the Delawares, and which we hope he will cause to be read and known among his tribe; it will do them good.”
We then presented him with a Book of Mormon.
There was a pause in the council, and some conversation in their own tongue, after which the chief made the following reply: “We feel truly thankful to our white friends who have come so far, and been at such pains to tell us good news, and especially this new news concerning the Book of our forefathers; it makes us glad in here”—placing his hand on his heart. Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44896/44896-h/44896-h.htm
5. First formal Church History, 1835
– Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith wrote a series of essays, published as letters, about early Church history, including the restoration of the Priesthood, the visit of Moroni, and Joseph’s recovery of the plates. Letters I and II were published in The Messenger and Advocate in Kirtland, Ohio, in October and November 1834. An excerpt from Letter I was canonized in the Pearl of Great Price as a note to Joseph Smith-History.
In December 1835, Joseph Smith ordained Oliver Cowdery as Assistant President of the Church. In 1835, when Letters IV through VIII were published, the First Presidency consisted of Joseph Smith, Jr., President; Oliver Cowdery, Assistant President; Sidney Rigdon, First Counselor; and Frederick G. Williams, Second Counselor.
President Williams began copying the letters into President Smith’s personal history before another scribe completed the work, as Joseph noted in his journal. This history can be seen in the Joseph Smith Papers and is the source of the quotations below.
In 1840, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon specifically approved of the republication of all eight letters in the Gospel Reflector, a newspaper in Philadelphia published by Benjamin Winchester. Also in 1840, Joseph Smith gave the letters to his brother, Don Carlos Smith, with instructions to republish them in the Times and Seasons in Nauvoo. Don Carlos published them in 1840-1841. Parley P. Pratt republished all eight letters in the Millennial Star.
Daniel C. Peterson (PhD, UCLA) is a professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University and founder of the university’s Middle Eastern Texts Initiative. He has published and spoken extensively on both Islamic and Mormon subjects. Formerly chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) and an officer, editor, and author for its successor organization, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, his professional work as an Arabist focuses on the Qur’an and on Islamic philosophical theology. He is the author, among other things, of a biography entitled Muhammad: Prophet of God (Eerdmans, 2007).
Mr. Peterson also is President of The Interpreter Foundation which opposes the Heartland theory and promotes the Mesoamerican theory, which is fine with us. We simply want you to compare his belief about the translation of the plates with mine. Read for yourself and then decide.
BOMC and “The Interpreter Foundation”, says they agree with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their neutral stand on Book of Mormon Geography. They also claim there are two Hill Cumorah’s, one in Mexico, and the one in NY. BOMC is not neutral as they won’t allow a dialogue or allow material on their website with any other geographical theory, including the Heartland. FIRM Foundation is not neutral on geography, but believe the Book of Mormon events began in the Heartland of North America, and there is only one Hill Cumorah in NY.
Book of Mormon Central’s Explanation of the Translation
Why Were the Plates Present During the Translation of the Book of Mormon? Post contributed by BMC Team September 21, 2017, KnoWhy #366
“People are sometimes surprised to discover that the plates of the Book of Mormon were not regularly used during the process of its translation. 1- While translating, Joseph Smith would typically place his face into a hat to block out ambient light. 2- He would then, according to witnesses, read aloud the words which miraculously appeared in a seer stone or in the interpreters, and a scribe would record them. 3- As for the plates themselves, Emma Smith reported that they “often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth.” 4- Other witnesses recalled that on a few occasions they were kept “in a nearby box under the bed or even hidden in the Whitmer’s barn during translation.” 5- This has caused some to wonder why the plates were necessary at all. If Joseph Smith wasn’t actively consulting them during the translation, then why were they covered with a cloth and placed in some nearby and usually visible location?” Book of Mormon Central
President Ezra Taft Benson offered this advice, “Sometimes room behind the pulpit, in our classrooms, in our Council meetings and in our church publications we hear, read or witness things that do not square with the truth. . . . Now do not let this serve as an excuse for your own wrong-doing. The Lord is letting the wheat and the tares mature before he fully purges the Church. He is also testing you to see if you will be misled. The devil is trying to deceive the very elect.” Ezra Taft Benson, “Our Immediate Responsibility” (BYU Devotional, Provo, October 25, 1996), https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft benson_immediateresponsibility.
In this case that Book of Mormon Central speaks about above, I believe some of the historians and scholars are being deceived or just who get it wrong. The Prophet and Brethren have hired the Historians and trust them, but in some cases I believe they have given the Brethren the wrong advice purposely or not. Also, Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, The Interpreter, Meridian Magazine and others claim they are neutral like the Church says when it comes to geography and translation, but I believe they are not neutral but one-sided towards Mesoamerica. I am not neutral as I believe geography of the Book of Mormon occurred in the USA and the Heartland, but I don’t pretend I am neutral like many of the apologists. I also believe the Prophet Joseph never used a seer stone to translate. Why didn’t the Lord put the silly seer stone in with the gold plates? Because the Lord gave Joseph the Spectacles and the breastplate to properly translate.
I just read this article below by Daniel Peterson of The Interpreter Foundation. I thought it would be a good ideas to share with you my feelings about certain comments he has made. I will leave his words in black and my words will be in red.
Joseph, the stone and the hat: Why it all matters
Daniel Peterson, Columnist March 27, 2015
Tom Smart, Deseret News
Statute of the prophet Joseph Smith in Salt Lake City. Joseph Smith used a stone in a hat to help him in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Critics have made merry over this, but it makes sense and it’s actually an indicator that he was telling the truth. (We critics of this stone in the hat theory should make “merry” over this concept as Daniel says? How in the world can you tell Joseph was telling the truth simply because Daniel was saying so?)
Portrait of Joseph Smith by artist Alvin Gittins.
Mason Davis, center, portraying Samuel Smith, greets John Foss, portraying Joseph Smith, during filming of the Priesthood Restoration at the LDS Motion Picture Studio in Provo, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.
Joseph Smith used a stone in a hat to help him in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Critics have made merry over this, but it makes sense and it’s actually an indicator that he was telling the truth. (So Daniel repeats his assumption about the stone in the hat? Why, it didn’t work the first time.)
Ravell Call, Deseret News
Joseph Smith used a stone in a hat to help him in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Critics have made merry over this, but it makes sense and it’s actually an indicator that he was telling the truth. (Another one? He wants us to just believe him?
ShutterStock
Ancient prophets who lived on the American continent wrote the records of their people on plates of ore. These writings contained the teachings of the prophets and the account of Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas after His Resurrection. (You will find that when Daniel and other Mesoamericanists say “Americas” they are referring to all things about the plates and their location in Central America. I will say America which means North America as that is where I believe the first events of the Book of Mormon took place.) A prophet named Mormon made a shorter account of the writings on gold plates, and his son, Moroni, buried the plates in a hill.(The hill is called Cumorah, which he doesn’t say. Daniel and friends claim Cumorah was a later name given to the hill and doesn’t mean the same hill in NY that we know it was. For example in the book “Saints, the name Cumorah is left out of that publication.) The resurrected Moroni gave the plates to Joseph Smith, who translated the writing on the plates with the help of Heavenly Father. The translation is called the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith helped translate the Book of Mormon from ancient plates written by prophets. (Joseph didn’t just help, he is the only one who did translate by the gift and power of God. Why lessen the importance of Joseph, it indeed that was the purpose here?)
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
A replica of plates from which the Book of Mormon were translated to Joseph Smith from the Angel Maroni are on display at the Church History Museum on Thursday, February 19, 2009. Laura Seitz, Deseret News.
Some critics of Joseph Smith mock the fact that part of the Book of Mormon translation process apparently involved dictating while looking at a stone that he’d placed within a hat. The reason some mock the dictation notion, is because it is wrong in my opinion. Why would Moroni and Nephi and other prophets take painstaking efforts to maintain the plates and hide them and record their lives on them, to only later have Joseph not read them or utilize them to just have someone put words on a stone? Daniel makes his own belief system a problem for those who disagree with him.)
Yet far from being damaging evidence against his claims and against the Book of Mormon, this fact may strongly support their plausibility. The Lord has said that he makes (seemingly) weak things become strong (Ether 12:27), and this seems yet another such case. (So Daniel is saying the weak things, includes reading words off of a stone and making Joseph’s efforts so easy?)
Consider a smartphone or e-reader, for instance. Their screens are very difficult to read out in the sunlight and need to be shaded. Or consider your personal computer. You probably don’t place it directly in front of a window where bright light will be streaming into your face. You need contrasting darkness so that you can see the screen without strain, and especially so if you’ll be working on it for lengthy periods. Otherwise, your eyes will tire and your head will ache. (So now we are saying that the Lord’s seer stone gave off inferior light and Joseph had to use a hat? Who made this up? Very seldom do any of us need to read our cell phones inside a hat, or to block out the sunlight. The smart users of a cell phone look at their phones in places where that darkness is not needed.)
Now consider Joseph Smith. According to those familiar with the process, he dictated the Book of Mormon from words that somehow appeared in a “seer stone” or (much the same thing) in the Urim and Thummim. (Here Daniel is referring the Emma Smith, David Whitmer and Martin Harris who claimed to have been familiar with the translation process. These three never saw the process as Joseph was commanded to not show the plates, interpreter or the spectacles to anyone). He rarely if ever actually had the plates with him; (This is silly to insinuate Joseph didn’t need the plates to translate) he couldn’t read what was on them except through revelation anyway, and he could receive revelation (via the “interpreters”) just as easily without the plates as with them. (Daniel assumes the Urim and Thummim, the Interpreters and the stone in the hat are all the same referenced object and they aren’t necessarily) (So why were the plates necessary? Perhaps, among other things, to reassure him and the witnesses who saw and testified of them — and, thus also, us — that he was dealing with something objectively real and external to himself.) (The plates were necessary because they contained the true words of Prophets that would be important to know exactly what they said, not for an object lesson).
Evidence indicates that Joseph dictated (No, Joseph Translated by the Gift and Power of God, he did not dictate) the Book of Mormon over the course of three months (or perhaps somewhat less). His scribes needed light in order to work, but it’s quite understandable that Joseph sought to reduce the fatigue (how do we know this?) of his eyes by using a hat to exclude the ambient light. (What does needing light have to do with anything. Of course the scribes needed to see and so did Joseph, but they didn’t need to block out light using a hat).
The implications of this, however, are intriguing. A manuscript hidden in the bottom of a hat would be difficult if not impossible to read. (This is correct, but translation didn’t happen this way. Joseph used his memory bank of prior knowledge with the help of seeing images, visions and words in the spectacles as he looked at the characters on the plates, and then in his own words told his scribe what he saw, read or heard). Yet Joseph dictated the Book of Mormon — roughly 270,000 words — in somewhere between 60 and 90 days. That’s approximately 3,000 to 4,500 words each and every day, without rewrites or significant revisions. (Practiced writers will instantly recognize this as a stunning pace.) Or, to put it another way, this young man, with only about two months of schooling, dictated (Not dictated but translated) roughly six to nine pages of today’s printed English edition every single day for two or three months.
Had he memorized it? That seems unlikely.
“These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:35
Was he creating it on the spot? That would have been an astonishing achievement. And the evidence seems against it. (If Joseph was just reading words off of a stone, he could have read words off of a piece of wood, or any object in a hat. A critical issue is, there were only three things contained in the stone box where the plates lay, the breastplate and the two stones fastened to a silver bow fastened to that breastplate. This is all Joseph needed to translate. He didn’t need a hat and a stone that he had he found earlier in a well, to dictate).
For example, he himself was sometimes surprised by what he read. He couldn’t pronounce many of the proper names, for example, and had to spell them out. He worried when he read about the walls of Jerusalem; he’d never seen a town surrounded by walls, and he needed his wife’s reassurance that this was true (see “David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness,” Lyndon W. Cook, Grandin Book Company, 1991). (Isn’t it just as possible that Joseph had trouble understanding certain images or explaining in his own memory bank of words, what he was seeing or trying to say from his mind or from the plates how to describe things)?
When he came to a break in the text, he had his scribe write “chapter.” This happened throughout the book of 1 Nephi, for example, and it also occurred at the end of that book. But then, when they realized that they’d now reached a break between two independent books, they crossed out the word “chapter” and replaced it with “The Book of Nephi,” marking the opening of 2 Nephi (see “The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Typographical Facsimile of the Extant Text,” edited by Royal Skousen, FARMS, 2001; and Skousen’s “Translating the Book of Mormon: Evidence from the Original Manuscript,” in “Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins,” edited by Noel B. Reynolds, FARMS, 1997).
It appears, thus, that Joseph was dictating from an unfamiliar text. (I believe Joseph was translating not dictating. If he was dictating, the words he read came from some other source and not the plates. Were they the words of Nephi, Christ, an angel, or one of the three Nephites? It could be anyone and not the prophets who kept the records all these years). It also seems likely that what he was reading provided its own independent light source, such that he could read it even with ordinary light excluded, in what one historian famously called “a world lit only by fire.” That sounds very much like the translation method described by the Prophet and other witnesses to the translation, but it’s difficult to reconcile with the theories that critics typically offer. (If the words Joseph was reading had their own “independent light source” as Daniel said, why did Joseph need to block out other light or have a hard time reading anything on the stone)?
“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.” R o d M e l d r u m T h e F I R M F o u n d a t i o n
Special Articles of the Translation- Shirt, Hat, Linen
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’s actual translation, 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 Mormon keep and protect the records? It doesn’t make sense. I believe Joseph really TRANSLATED an unknown language to English.
The hat was nothing more than a prop to block out Emma’s vision so Joseph could keep his promise to not show the breastplate (under his shirt), or the spectacles hidden from view and not in the hat; and the plates lay partially covered as Emma could not see them at all from her angle. Yes, the Prophet of the Lord kept his promise not to show anyone these articles the best way he knew how with his shirt, the hat, and the linen; these became special articles of the translation and a special part of the” gift and power of God”. How marvelous are these spectacles as I can see “everything” as Joseph said to Josiah Stowell as written by Lucy and written by her transcribers, Brother, and Sister Coray. I know the title of the art for me is, “Mother”, I have got the Key” and as Lucy continued to say, “Joseph seems to like the glasses far more than the plates.” Joseph said, Mother, I can see anything! This Key (Spectacles) unlocked the Heart (Breastplate) so Joseph by the “Gift and Power of God”, could translate this special book for a witness to the world. How I love the Book of Mormon, another witness of Jesus Christ.
Lucy’s Description of the Spectacles Under a Linen
“Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings Lucy. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.”
I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record….
That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)
To better understand what my feelings are about the method of translation you can read my short PDF here, or several of my blogs here and here, or you can purchase my new Book titled “These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:35 at our bookstore here.
We enjoyed the wonderful people at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference yesterday. I didn’t have time to finish my talk, but the recorders of it came to my rescue and made copies of all my slides, which are self-explanatory. So those who take advantage of the BookofMormonEvidence.org/streaming services can both hear my talk and see all the slides in a few weeks.
For the conference my publisher, Boyd Tuttle (Digital Legends) is offering a pre-sale price for my new book here: TIME AND ETERNITY, THE END-TIMES & BEYOND REVEALED, this link will let you take advantage your purchase even though you may not or could not have gone to the conference.
In our search for truth, the Lord has given us religious and scientific tools to know or not know if something is true. In the following blog article I use those tools to disprove many pervasive theories that Satan is using to deceive the world masses.
Here and in my blog articles, I share the proofs that the theories of: organic evolution, the big bang theory, the theory that the solution to the pandemic is vaccination, the theory that Book of Mormon geography took place in Mesoamerica, are false.
By removing Satan’s confusing and faith destroying theories we can move to conflict resolution and into the Lord’s love as we partake in that which we know to be true: God’s word.
My new book is designed to bring faith and hope to a world that is spiraling down in immorality. I have attached a document that gives you a picture of the book cover and some exciting details of its contents. We are using a larger font so that all ages can read it easily.
Evolution and Big Bang Theories Are Pervasive
But, Have We Been Deceived?
These three points are fundamental in our search for truth.
1. You cannot prove a theory true; we don’t know enough. Only God knows enough. Correlation does not provide validation. This is a common mistake many make. If data agree with an idea, thesis, or theory, they assume it must be true, when in fact it proves nothing. Maybe it gives a person a warm feeling.
2. You can prove an idea, thesis, or theory false if you have reliable falsification data. This is very powerful, and we will see that it is very important–to know what is not true so that we can move on to the truth.
3. You can only know something is true if God tells you, because, “by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5)
Free Download
If these two theories, evolution and the big bang are false, it has enormous implications for the world community. Using these tools, let us explore the facts together to learn the truth.
You can download a detailed article by clicking the link below.
Rod Meldrum and the team of Firm Foundation want to thank each and everyone one of those who attended and participated at our huge conference.
We heard from Tim Ballard who spoke on the USA Covenant on the land including the entire world, we heard from radio show host Greg Hughes who spoke about the power the members of the Church have from the “pew”, as we add to the words we hear from the pulpit. I missed so many who made our event a special one. Forgive me ahead of time as I hope each and every one of the speakers, vendors and guests know how important to us they are.
We were inspired by Jason Mow and his motivational talk about becoming a Warrior for the Lord with our Warrior Ethos. Eric Moutsos is always a huge inspiration of commitment to truth and to the gospel in this troubled world. Dare to stand out and not be just ordinary.
Mike and Betty LaFontaine shared their experience of purchasing along with John Lefgren, the amazing “Phoenicia Ship” that proved a possible Lehi route from Oman to Florida on the replica Phoenician ship. The same vessel sailed from Tunisia to Florida which could have proceeded up the Mississippi River, proving another possible route of King Zedikiah’s son, Mulek from Israel to Iowa. This Heartland Research and Phoenicia group will be now assembling the ship near Nauvoo at Ft. Madison Iowa, near where the Mulekites lived in nearby Montrose, Iowa. You all may assist John, Mike, and Betty in rebuilding this magnificent 600 BC replica very soon. Just see details at zarahemla.site.
Boyd Tuttle also as a former crew member on the Phoenicia, shared about his new book about the people of Zarahemla.
We heard from David Hocking with his brand new Annotated Book of Scripture, this time all about the New Testament with co-author Shawn Hugh. What an awesome new book to add to your Annotated series of books.
Through a great friend named David Crandall, who is very connected in politics, he arranged access for us to have the privledge of getting to know two fantastic candidates for the United States Congress, Jason Preston for the Utah 3rd District and Andrew Badger running for the 1st Utah Congressional seat. They were both very inspiring and I personally would vote for either if I lived in their district. They are not only bright and well spoken, but their love of people and dedication to conservative principles is just what we need in Utah. Too many extremists have made their way into Utah politics and we need them voted out.
Of course Wayne May and his three talks about the Nephites and archaeology were all home runs. He is such a fantastic man and he knows his Heartland Geography. I feel in the next life, Wayne will be our Head President of the Geography of the World as each of us learn under his tutelage. (That would be awesome).
We had our dear, brilliant Hannah Stoddard speak five times. I can’t get enough of her so I share her with each of you. She is a young lady full of truth and the Spirit of love. She is such a great example for dearly departed James and the entire family. This wonderful family just released a new book about, A Christ Centered Home and titled, “Family Miracles, Overcoming Opposition, Abuse and Death.” What an amazing true story about the Stoddard family as they share the trials, tragedies, and joy in their young lives. We also love the contributions of Kimberly Smith of the Joseph Smith Foundation. Her knowledge of the true gospel is immense.
We had several professional artists at our event. David Lindsley revealed a new painting representing the translation of the plates by Joseph and Oliver called, “By the Gift and Power of God.” As usual in his own talented way he shares his art on canvas as well as with ancient renditions of amazing Hebrew and Nephite artifacts. We were also blessed with the talents of Ann Marie Oborn who unveiled her new and beautiful painting called, “These Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:75. This beautiful painting now joins her other marvelous work she presented to us in our last expo called, “Mother I have got the Key.”
New to our Expo was Brent Peterson with his amazing hand made replicas of important gospel events. His hand made Liahona was my favorite. You saw his replica 16 stones of the Brother of Jared, Moses’ staff with the serpent that was raised before the Israelites, a beautiful Sword of Laban recreation, along with the Gold Plates, beautiful sheep skins, and his beautiful two stones touched by the finger of God for the Brother of Jared that were sealed up as the Interpreters in the Stone Box where Joseph Smith retrieved them in 1827. I was almost 4,000 years ago the Jaredite plates, breastplate and Interpreters were buried as Joseph later used these special 3 items to bring us the world’s greatest book, even the Book of Mormon.
We met a fantastic man Jeremy Michel who hands down, had the coolest collection of dinosaur bones, replicas, and other historic items. We sure appreciated his participation in speaking and sharing his articles.
Once again we heard the beautiful voice of Tatia Nelson who we plan on highlighting in future events. With her love of the Savior and talent for inspiring music, each of us were truly inspired by her. She also shared her passion with us about health, healing, oils and eating properly, as she is an example of health to each of us. (Especially me)
CJ Peterson, a man of many gifts and talents was there to share his natural products for health and vitality of NaturesFusion and SilverCeuticles. He displayed an amazing collection of old original wonderful and special books that were owned and read by prophets and apostles. His love for rare books was an inspiration to us as he spoke about the spirit behind these many antique books.
Our favorite Herbal Vet, and healthy living doctor, Dr. Patrick Jones was once again present to share his products, knowledge and love of the gospel with us all.
We also received wonderful foot and back massages from Tim Peak as he shared is many healthy machines and CBD oils and other products to make our lives more livable.
Peggy and Ernie Lehenbauer as usual share their amazing jewelry and health products with us. One thing I can always say about them is, they love all people and strive for each of us to have joy in our life, no matter the challenges we have.
Our great friend, David Doane did double duty as usual by sharing with us more about Mulek and his knowledge base about Book of Mormon Remnants. He also believes strongly in natural products called LifeWave X39 & X49. They Stimulate Stem Cells, & Cardiovascular & Bone Health With Your Light. Thanks for sharing David.
For the first time on our big stage we enjoyed an amazing young man, Daniel Burdett, who shared his incredible love of Prophets and what they say, especially Ezra Taft Benson who he said could easily be a “heartlander” as his values and strong condemnation of evil is what we are all about. I purposely put him on the main stage and at the same time I put our super-star Hannah in that same time slot. I was absolutely pleased to see Hannah had 220 people in a small room while Daniel Burdett had over 180 in the large room. Way to go Daniel, you are becoming an inspiring teacher of the Gospel as you also share intelligent insights into the UM Model as well.
We had our unsung hero, Wayne May give up his spot on the main stage so Daniel could speak. Thanks to Dean Sessions and Wayne for forcing their hand, for me to share the talents of Daniel with the rest of you.
Another first timer to our stage was Shannon Tracy. He is a very well researched and informed man about the truth and accurate way to depict people and events in the History of the Church. From discovering the true Nauvoo Bell, to researching the most authoritative and accurate description of the Prophet’s Martyrdom, to understanding a very precise discussion on the true facial features of the prophet Joseph Smith, he is a true believer in the Heartland model and one who is full of energy to assist us in our mission of sharing the truth of the gospel and his love of the Savior with all.
Speaking of Dean and the Universal Model. Do you know anyone who has more knowledge of true science than Dean? I don’t. Do you realize he has created many new scientific laws and proven these laws in his lab, as the intellectuals of the day scoff and scorn him. I love it. Many intellectuals are the “Great and Spacious” building, aren’t they?
Did you see the Barlow family pulling triple duty? Russ and family are our new video specialist and they do a great job. I’m sure many of you noticed the great new huge screen we watched in the main room and how wonderful the visuals and acoustics were. The Barlow’s are to thank. Heidi shared amazing messages about teaching proper principles in the home. Russ fed us with the topic of “Can we believe Christ about science and history?” The overwhelming conclusion is, of course we can believe Christ in all things. If you haven’t checked out their family friendly version of instruction material called TruthSeekers, you are missing something wonderful.
Jonathan Neville was at his best as usual. He shared two instructive presentations about, Plain and Precious: Why Cumorah Matters, and The Rational Restoration: Reframing Church History. Check out one of his over 30 books he has written as he is an encyclopedia of truth and knowledge about the gospel.
We have been blessed the past few years with the knowledge from David Read as he has shared with us about Heartland DNA from the Hebrews by discussing former Mormon, John Dehlin’s DNA Dodge, and new information about, Joseph Smith’s DNA and Joseph of Egypt. He discussed outstanding evidence of Lamanite linkage to the Hebrews.
Kevin Price is a most welcomed PhD into the fold. He however has two things that most normal PhD’s don’t have. Great knowledge of science, and a sound understanding of that science and how the scriptures’ and truths found in the glorious Church support that science. He has almost single handedly discovered a new miracle plant from Montrose Iowa he calls Nephite Bee-Balm. With the professional help of his brother in-law Dana Young, they have created an amazing oil in their factory called, ZeraThyme. I have used it and it did help me overcome a terrible cough in just a few days. Many people have found amazing cures. The exciting thing about Kevin is, he trusts in God and the plants, as the Lord has provided these herbs for the benefit of man.
Our favorite water guys were there as usual with Water Pure. Craig Fairclough and Tom Smokeoff gave us the latest innovation for us to use the purest and best form of water in business and in our home. We thank them again.
Hands down, for me personally, my favorite presentation was done by great friend of the heartland, Darin Southam. He is the Creator, Writer, Editor, Lead Actor and guru behind the new sensational movie called, “The Oath- A Redeeming Love. A Transcending Mission” Coming Sept 2022 to big theaters.
This film is entirely independent of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is independently funded by over 43 amazing investors. 90% of the cast and crew on Darin’s pilot short film were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ, and an even higher number than that is true of our first full feature. We’re proud of the fact that so many of all faiths (and of no faiths) have joined our production team and lent their inspiring talents to this meaningful endeavor. Nearly all the Hollywood professionals we’ve consulted have been very supportive of (and genuinely intrigued with) what we are doing. Yes, the Writer/Director, Darin Southam(Scott), is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has made a lifelong study of the Book of Mormon, and is an enthusiastic fan of Captain Moroni.
Lastly I personally thank Rod and Tonya Meldrum. They are fantastic people to work with. I would do anything for them. Their example of true living Saints is always an inspiration to me. If not for Rod this delightful movement of people who love the Lord may not have been possible. Rod and Tonya desire all to come unto Christ, through the good things of life and especially through the Book of Mormon. Jake Blaney, Rod’s son in-law and daughter Cassie Grover also helped tremendously and so did Wes and Ellen Clark, two dependable great friends who would do anything for us. I love them all.
If you have comments or pictures to share about this past conference, I would be happy to put them on one of my blogs. May the Lord bless you all.
Below is a fantastic article done by John Lefgren that I know you will also enjoy.
Presentation of the Phoenicia to 1,000s
There is nothing like a live audience in a large conference center. During the last weekend, thousands of people had a chance to react to the idea of reassembling the Phoenicia Ship on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Montrose, Iowa. At the end of the presentation, the audience broke into a spontaneous round of applause. The live energy of the audience was on display for everyone to see.
There were many words of encouragement. Several people offered to come to the Phoenicia Building this summer to help reconstruct one of the world’s oldest ship replicas. So many wanted to be part of our effort to put together a 30-ton artifact in the Western Hemisphere. Hundreds expressed their desire to connect with Mulek, the Prince of Judah, who in the 6th Century Before Christ sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from the Middle East to the Heartland of America.
We expected that at the conference there would have been a few nay-sayers, but this time we only met well-wishers. We take this reaction as a positive indication. We are now getting ready for the serious work of putting the ship’s parts back together. Our goals are clear for the summer. We welcome all who wish to become part of this historic project.
Betty Red Ant is the Subject of the Artist, but Who is the Mystery Artist?
Yesterday morning Betty Red Ant LaFontaine played her Native American Flute to nearly a thousand people at the FIRM Foundation Conference in Layton, Utah.
When Betty played her handmade wood flute, her original musical piece Phoenicia Sunrise, a mystery artist sketched for a few minutes during the unveiling of the ancient ship’s carved horse head from the bow of the ancient ship.
The mystery artist came and gave to Betty the original copy of the sketch. She presented to Betty right after her performance and then disappeared into a crowd of hundreds. Betty reports that the artist is in her mid-20s and has blonde hair.
This piece of art is directly from the heart and hand of a young artist. We want to find out who she is so we can adequately acknowledge her talent as we bring to the world’s attention the significance of how the Phoenicia connects the people of the Old World to the people of the New World.
Please get in touch with us if you know the name of the artist who made the drawing.
The first live audience gave their full attention to how the Heartland Research Group will begin to put together the pieces of the 2,600-year-old replica of the ancient ship in the Heartland of America from Phoenicia.
The Phoenicia Building in Montrose, Iowa, has a sign inviting the Heartland Research Group friends to see the step-by-step reassembling of the oldest ship replica in the Western Hemisphere.
“Tunacunnhee,” according to local tradition, is the Cherokee word for Lookout Creek. It was a Hopewell Mound Site from c. 200 BC to 500 AD, and it was well known for its abundant copper panpipes, copper breastplates, and copper ear spools.
Tunacunnhee Site upper-middle left on map in yellow
The University of Georgia excavation concentrated primarily on the mounds, with the excavation of the habitation area restricted to a small area. Excavation of all four mounds was started in June of 1973. Due to time restrictions, portions of the mounds were left unexcavated with the intention of completing this work the following year, but the untimely death of Dr. Caldwell precluded further investigation of the mounds. It is hoped that in the future, circumstances will permit completion of mound excavation and a much more extensive excavation of the habitation area.
The Tunacunnhee site is of extraordinary archaeological importance for several reasons. First, it is the only well documented Hopewellian site in north Georgia. Second, the site contains the greatest variety and quantity of Hopewellian artifacts reported from the interior Southeast. Third, the excavation of the mounds provides data bearing on the long standing question of the age and cultural affiliation of stone mounds located throughout much of the Southern Piedmont (Smith 1962). Fourth, the Tunacunnhee site contains not only the widely known and excessively documented mortuary remains of a Hopewellian affiliated occupation, but an accompanying habitation area. It is one of the few examples where both the mortuary and habitation areas have been located and excavated, and offers the opportunity to examine the cultural remains of the localized, domestic aspect of a Hopewellian society.
Nephi Works in Ores
Shortly after the Nephites separated themselves from the Lamanites (establishing the land of Nephi), Nephi states that he “did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us.”
2 Nephi 5:14. He also writes, “I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.” 2 Nephi 5:15.
These ores are all found in Tennessee in the area near Ducktown. The mine there has extracted over 15 million tons of copper ore in modern times. The French Huguenots enjoyed friendly relations with the Mountain Apalachee Indians, who were mining gold, copper and silver near their villages. The gold came from what is now Georgia; the silver from western North Carolina; and the copper from southeast Tennessee. To honor his friendship with these Native Americans, De Laudonniere named the region, “Les Montes Apalachiens.” Moroni’s America page 351
In 1799, gold was discovered in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, when Conrad Reed found a 17-pound “glittering stone” in Little Meadow Creek. In 1828 Dahlonega, GA was the site of the first major gold rush in the United States. Ducktown TN was the center of a major copper-mining district from 1847 until 1987. The district also produced iron, sulfur and zinc as byproducts.
Precious Ores in Nephi’s Valley
In the summer of 1973, Archaeologist Joseph R. Caldwell supervised excavations at the Tunacunnhee site on the outskirts of Trenton, GA. The location is in the northwestern tip of Georgia at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Not only does it contain America’s only known stone-faced pyramid, but blends architectural traditions of both the Hopewell Culture of the Midwest and the Swift Creek Culture of the Lower Southeast.
The site goes by the name of a nearby Cherokee village from the early 1800s, Tunacunnhee, but was not built by the Cherokees. Despite this, Tunacunnhee has no meaning in Cherokee. Tunacunnhee is apparently derived from the Creek words “Tune kunhe.” There is also no “hard” evidence that the ancient village was built by the ancestors of the Creeks.
The village is believed by archaeologists to have been occupied during the Middle Woodland Period, which approximately occurred between 200 BC and 600 AD in northwestern Georgia. Tunacunnhee’s peak occupation probably was between around 100 AD and 450 AD, but this is not known for certain.
KELLOGG PHASE CHRONOLOGY. Chronological placement for the Kellogg Phase has developed through the examination of numerous sites whose data have provided both relative and absolute dates. Relative data have accumulated through the examination of stratigraphic and contextual associations of Dunlap with diagnostic artifacts representative of other cultural/temporal phases. Absolute dates have been acquired through various radio-carbon determinations . An analysis of 16 radio-carbon dates from six sites provides an overall time range for the Kellogg Phase. Including the sigmas, these dates have a range of 740 years from 20 B.C. to 760 B.C. with a mean date of 462 B.C. Seventy-five percent of the temporal span of the Kellogg Culture occurred between 300 B. C. and 600 B. C. and over ninety percent of the phase’s time span occupied the 500 year period between 150 B.C. and 650 B.C. (Bowen 1989).
CARTERSVILLE CHRONOLOGY. As noted, the Cartersville Phase can be divided into an earlier period characterized by the exclusive occurrence of check stamped ceramics and a later period distinguished by the addition of simple stamped wares. Cartersville also has been demonstrated to occur stratigraphically and immediately above Kellogg deposits (Wauchope 1948; Caldwell 1957). Radio-carbon dates for Cartersville are few and geographically dispersed. Dates from Tunacunnhee (Jefferies 1975, 1976), Cane Island (Wood 1981), Booger Bottom (Caldwell et al. 1952), and 9Fu14 (Kelly 1973; Stuart and Stuart 1969) suggest a time range beginning in the first century B. C. and continuing until the fifth or sixth century A.D. 100 BC to 600 AD
SWIFT CREEK CHRONOLOGY. Generally speaking, the Late Woodland begins at about A.D. 600 and lasts until about A.D. 900. Radio-carbon dates from key sites such as Anneewakee Creek (D02) on the Chattahoochee River south of Atlanta and from Simpsons Field (38An8) on the Savannah River in the Russell Reservoir (just across the Georgia state line in South Carolina) date the Swift Creek phase from A.D. 600 – 750. There are other earlier dates from Swift Creek sites. One such site is the Little River site in Morgan County (Mg46) where Mark Williams and Gary Shapiro (1990:82) reported dates of 100 B.C. ± 110 and A.D. 110 ± 130 from Mounds C and B, respectively. If these accurately date the Swift Creek occupation at the Little River site, then it would be earlier than most Swift Creek sites in southern Georgia or northern Florida. At Cold Springs (GelO) along the Oconee River (Wallace Reservoir–Lake Oconee), dates of A.D. 400 and 455 were obtained from a cremation on the summit of Mound B and from the last stage of Mound A. Both are considered to be Swift Creek Mounds. More recently, a Swift Creek site (M0487) at Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer was test excavated. Five radio-carbon dates spanning the period A.D. 341 – 655 were obtained from features such as postholes and pits. The average from these dates was A.D. 506, a bit earlier than is traditionally recognized as being Late Woodland (Rogers et al. 1991). 200 BC to 900 AD
Stone mounds have been reported from the Midwest that are structurally similar to the Tunacunnhee Mounds. Keller stated that the C. L. Lewis Mound, located in Shelby County, Indiana, measured 50 feet x 55 feet, and was 4.0 feet high. The mound fill was described as being two-thirds limestone and one-third earth. The Lewis mound contained Adena artifacts such as C-shaped copper bracelets, copper beads, and expanded center gorgets (Keller 1960: 398).
The Wright Mound Group, located in Franklin County, Ohio, was excavated and described by Shetrone (1925). The large mound measured 28 feet x 20 feet, and was 3.0 feet high. A stone lined pit and a burial covered with layers of stone were found in the mound, and it was reported that the entire mound was covered with a layer of earth (Shetrone 1925: 345-347).
The Copena Complex is found in the Tennessee River Valley of northern Alabama. Forty-six burial mounds an six caves containing Copena material have been reported by Walthall and Keel (1974). The mounds were described as being low conical structures of earth containing from to three to over a hundred internments. The most common burial position is extended, but cremation is also found. The number of mound structures in these sites ranges from one to eight. According to radiocarbon determination from Copena material, Copena predates Tunacunnhee by about 100-200 years. Wathall (1972) recently tested two charcoal samples that were associated with extended burials and obtained dates of A.D. 320 (1630 +65 B.P.), from the Ross site in the Guntersville Basin, and A.D. 375 (1575+75 B.P.), from the Leeman Mound, Morgan County, Alabama.
While Copena and Tunacunnhee are closely associated both temporally and spatially, each complex has certain attributes that are not shared with the other. The Tunacunnhee Mounds contained copper panpipes, copper breastplates, and small zoomorphic platform pipes, none of which has been reported from Copena sites. On the other hand, copper bracelets, copper reel-shaped gorgets, galena nodules, and large steatite elbow pipes are common in Copena sites but absent from Tunnacunnhee (DeJarnett 1952: 278).
Analysis of some of the copper artifacts from Tunacunnhee has been performed to determine the source of the copper used in the fabrication of artifacts. There is growing evidence that some of the copper used in manufacturing “Hopewellian” items found in Southeastern sites came from local sources, and analysis of copper from Tunacunnhee and other sites has tentatively demonstrated that ore from deposits in North Carolina and Tennessee was used in manufacturing some artifacts. These results were obtained by using analytical techniques including optical spectroscopy (Goad 1974: 9) and X-ray florescence (Schneider 1974).
Copper Panpipes
Panpipes constitute one of the largest classes of artifacts recovered from the Tunacunnhee Mounds. A total of nine were found in association with six burials, one of the largest concentration of panpipes in the East. The only other sites with a comparable number are the Le Vesconte Mound in Ontario, Canada (Ritchie 1965: 219) and the Hopewell Mound in Ohio (Griffin et. al 1970: 99).
PREHISTORIC METAL WORKERS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES
Michigan and Tennessee, major sources of Copper
PREHISTORIC METAL WORKERS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES
Compiled by E. Raymond Evans July, 2005 River City Research Group Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415
Tunacunnhee: A Hopewellian Burial Complex In Northwest Georgia
Panpipes, Early Metal Industries, and Cultural Association in Prehistoric North America
Richard W. Jefferies
INTRODUCTION
The following material is a reprint of the report on excavations of the Tunacunnhee Mounds at Trenton, Georgia by the University of Georgia in 1973. This is followed by some analysis concerning panpipes and other early metal artifacts with some thoughts regarding cultural association. It is hoped that this will serve to stimulate further research on this topic.
The origins of the Wilderness Road were the traces, or trails, created by great herds of buffalo that once roamed the region. Later used by Native Americans, such as the Cherokee & Shawnee, they called the route the “Path of the Armed Ones” or “The Great Warrior’s Path.” In March 1775, from present-day Kingsport, Tennessee, Daniel Boone led 30 ax-men in cutting the road. Hacking across mountains & through swamps, within a month he reached the Kentucky River, 208 miles from its starting point.Copper Panpipes
Preface
A field crew from the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. Joseph R. Caldwell and the writer worked for ten weeks in the summer of 1973 excavating a group of stone mounds and adjacent habitation area in Dade County, Georgia. The excavation was located near Trenton, Georgia, few hundred yards east of Lookout Creek (Figure 1). The site is known as Tunacunnhee Mounds (9DD25). “Tunacunnhee,” according to local tradition, is the Cherokee word for Lookout Creek.
Figure 1.
The existence of the mounds has been known for many years, but not until the winter of 1973 was their significance recognized. The site was brought to the attention of state archaeologists from Tennessee and Mr. Pat Garrow, an archaeologist from Shorter College, by members of the Ani-yun-wiya Society, an organization of amateur archaeologists from northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. University of Georgia archaeologists were notified of the potential importance of the site by the aforementioned people and with excellent support from a large sector of the local, community, they made plans for the excavation.
Introduction
The Tunacunnhee site may be viewed as having two parts: the mound group, located on a slightly elevated area between two limestone outcroppings against the western slope of Lookout Mountain; and the habitation area, situated on a level terrace between the creek and the mound group. The mound group covers an area of about one acre and consists of three circular limestone-mantled earth mounds (Mounds C, D, and E), a larger stone mound (Mound A), and at least two burial pits located outside the mound structures (Features 1 and 43) (Figure 1). Four additional stone mounds (Mounds B, F, G, and H), originally thought to be aboriginal, are apparently of modern origin.
Excavation of the habitation area disclosed numerous subsoil features including pits and postholes. Radiocarbon determinations and artifactual similarities indicate that the mounds and the habitation area were probably in contemporaneous use.
All of the mounds had been vandalized by pothunters over the last fifty years, most of the activity having been concentrated in the centers of the mounds. Fortunately, major damage is restricted to the mound fill and did not reach the mound bases where most of the burials and features were located. The notable exception to this was the damage done by pothunters in the winter of 1973. This digging was restricted to the southern edge of Mound C, but resulted in the destruction of t least six burials.
Description of Site and Excavation Procedure
The University of Georgia excavation concentrated primarily on the mounds, with the excavation of the habitation area restricted to a small area. Excavation of all four mounds was started in June of 1973. Due to time restrictions, portions of the mounds were left unexcavated with the intention of completing this work the following year, but the untimely death of Dr. Caldwell precluded further investigation of the mounds. It is hoped that in the future, circumstances will permit completion of mound excavation and a much more extensive excavation of the habitation area
Plate 1. Mounds C (right) and D (left) before excavation.
The three stone covered earthen mounds (C, D, and E) are located in the southwestern part of the mound group. Mound D is adjacent to the northeast edge of Mound C, while Mound E is adjacent to the southern edge of Mound C. Mound A is located approximately 100 feet northeast of the center of Mound C (Figure 1). Mound dimensions are given in Table 1.
Mound Horizontal Dimensions Height
A 37 feet N-S x 50 feet E-W 4 feet
C 31 feet N-S x 35 feet E-W 5 feet
D 12 feet in diameter 3 feet
E 25 feet in diameter 3 feet
Table 1. Mound Dimensions
Mound C
Mound C was the second largest mound of the four on the site (Plate 1) and was constructed primarily of sterile clay and covered by a one-foot-thick mantle of limestone rock (Plate II). As noted above, six burials were removed by previous excavators from the southern edge of Mound C, and two of these had associations of characteristic Hopewellian material including: a silver covered copper panpipe, four bicymbal copper ear spools, a copper breast plate, and a flint blade made from Flint Ridge, Ohio material. (Martha Otte Potter, personal communication).
Plate II. Southern and eastern sides of Mound C after removal of humus layer, showing limestone mantle.
In view of this information, it was decided to establish an east-west profile through the center of Mound C. Six 10 foot squares were excavated on the southern side of the mound to accomplish this goal. Three 10-foot squares were laid out on an east-west line to incorporate the pothunters’s trench; no additional burials or features were encountered in this area (Plate III). Excavation of the three squares immediately north of the initial 10 x 30 foot trench provided more data.
Near the center of the mound, one foot below the surface, a circular stone-lined pit was disclosed (Plate IV). Measuring 3.0 feet in diameter and 2.0 feet deep, the pit contained the partially cremated remains of a 2-3 year old child (Burial 23 – Table 2). A copper panpipe was positioned on the chest area of the burial. A drilled bear canine was also associated with the burial. The rock that formed the walls of the pit appeared to be set in a larger pit that had been dug in the top of the mound. Red clay was used to fill around the rocks and to support them in a vertical position.
Plate III. Excavation of the southern side of Mound C. The 10’x30’ excavation init in the foreground was laid out over previous excavators’ pit.
Plate IV. Rock lined pit located in the center of Mound C and containing burial 23.
The rock lined pit immediately overlay a rectangular clay platform measuring 5.4 feet x 3.1 feet, and 0.8 feet thick. An extended burial (Burial 8), oriented east-west, was encountered beneath the clay platform. A curvilinear mica cutout was located on top of the skull and additional mica was found adjacent to the skull in association with eight bone pins.
Woven Fabric, Leather, Beadwork, Copper
A central sub-mound pit measuring 6.0 feet x 10.0 feet was situated below the base of Mound C, directly under Burial 8. The pit contained sterile fill, but numerous artifacts were found on the floor of this feature (Plates V and VI). A concentration of woven fabric and what appeared to be leather was uncovered near the center of the bottom of the pit. The material had a rectangular shape and may be the remains of a bag or pouch. A copper breastplate, two sets of copper ear spools, and a copper rod with a bone handle were found between layers of the bag (Plate V). The copper had acted as a preservative, and traces of the weaving and beadwork were clearly evident on the copper surfaces. A radiocarbon determination of A.D. 150 +/- 95 years. (Uga-ML-8) was obtained from the organic material near the copper plate. The material was from the bottom the pit and represents an accurate date for initial mound construction. A perforated mica disc (Plate VI B), two human mandibles, a string of 37 shark vertebrae, a chert backed knife, drilled bear canines, and two drilled shark teeth were also recovered from the pit floor.
Plate V. Copper plate and copper ear spools in place in bottom of central sub mound pit in Mound C. Organic material removed from the surface of the copper yielded a radiocarbon determination – A. D. 150 +/- 95.
Plate VI. Copper plate (VI-A) and Mica disc (VI-B) recovered from central sub mound pit in Mound C.
Other burials were located in the fill of Mound C, as well as in stone lined basins (Table 2). Burials 14, 15A, 15B, and 15C were located in Feature 32, a stone lined basin on the northern edge of the mound. Burial 15A contained a copper panpipe, while a copper panpipe, a bird effigy platform pipe, and shell were found in association with Burial 15C.
The only ceramics directly associated with burials or mounds at the site came from the extreme northern edge of Mound C. Two small sand or grit tempered vessels with tetrapods were recovered at the base of the mound, 1.5 feet below the surface. One of the vessels was decorated with simple stamping, while the second was undecorated. These vessels have been tentatively classified as Cartersville Plain and Cartersville Simple Stamped. They are also very similar to Connestee ceramics found in North Carolina, with the exception of minor differences in paste. Connestee ceramics from western North Carolina have been found in association with Hopewellian material at Garden Creek Mound 2 (Bennie C. Keel, personal communication, 1974).
Mound E
Mound E is adjacent to the southern edge of Mound C, and on the surface the two appeared to be coalesced. It was determined that Mound C was built prior to Mound E, in that the rock facing of Mound C underlay the earth fill of Mound E.
A circular ring of red clay was discovered near the base of the mound. This characteristic was also found in the other three mounds and derives from a pit being dug in the red clay subsoil, the red clay being placed around the periphery of the pit, and the pit then being refilled with another type soil leaving the red subsoil clay as a low wall around the filled pit. A rectangular central burial pit contained an extended adult burial (Burial 17). Three copper panpipes were located on the chest of the burial (Plate VII A, B, and E). Two copper ear spools (Plate VII F), a polished stone platform pile and a large stone celt were also found in the context of Burial 17 (Plate VIII).
Mound E offered the only evidence of logs being used in the construction of a central burial pit at the site. Dark circular stains in the southern and northern profiles indicated that the pit had been covered with logs 0.5 – 1.0 foot in diameter. Excavation of the stains disclosed that the logs projected several inches into the walls of the pit. Three additional burials lacking artifact associations were located in the mound fill on the southern side of Mound E. (Table 2).
Mound D
Mound D was located on the northeast side of Mound C. The upper two feet of the mound was constructed primarily of stone. The central core of the mound was built of clay and rocks, and measured approximately 6.0 feet in diameter and 1.0 foot high. The central pit contained at least six burials. Five appeared to have been in a flexed position, but this determination was complicated by distortion caused by pressure of the rocks resting on the skeletons. No burial goods were found in direct association with these burials, but a drilled bear canine was found among the bones.
Plate VII. Copper items found in association with Burial 17 in Mound E. A, B, and E: top of three copper panpipes in burial; C and D: bottom of panpipes A and B; iron covered side of ear spools (top), and opposite side (lower).
Plate VIII. Celt and Platform pipe from Burial 17 in Mound E.
An extended burial (Burial 18F) lay in the bottom of the pit with numerous artifacts placed on and around the skeletal remains. A cache of sandstone pipes, comprising two zoomorphic platform pipes, one “monitor” platform pipe and one zoomorphic tubular pipe, was encountered at the northern edge of the pit (Plate IX A-D). In addition to these items, another sandstone platform pipe (Plate IX E) was found in the center of the pit.
Plate IX. Pipes found in association with Burial 18F in Mound D.
Other objects found in association with Burial 18F include: a three-tube copper panpipe; a four-tube silver covered copper panpipe; a copper breastplate; a mica cutout, a small band of silver; a quartz crystal projectile point; and a two-hole bar gorget.
Mound A
The construction of Mound A, located 100 feet northeast of Mound C, was quite different from that of the other three mounds. Mound A was built entirely of limestone rocks and unlike the other mounds, did not have a clay core. The rocks used in the construction of the mound weighed from a few pounds to well over 100 pounds. Mound A was excavated by starting a ten-foot-wide trench thirty feet from the southern edge of the mound and extending it northward through the center of the mound. A second ten-foot-wide trench was excavated on an east-west line so as to intersect the north-south trench in the center of the mound. A large sheet of uncut mica and a copper object resembling a small panpipe were found near a human mandible in the mound fill on the northern side of the mound. The removal of the rocks from the mound base disclosed a large central sub-mound pit. Excavation of the pit produced little except a copper ear spool and evidence of some cremated bone, found in the bottom of the pit. Two additional burials were located in rock-lined basins (Burials 11 and 19) on the northern edge of Mound A. The two basins were similar to the one containing Burials 15 A-C in Mound C.
Non-Aboriginal Stone Structures
Four mounds at the Tunacunnhee site (Mounds B, F, G and H) were originally thought to be aboriginal but later proved to be of recent origin. Construction of these four mounds was different from mounds of aboriginal origin in that the more recent mounds lacked dark humus soil on the surface of the limestone rocks and among the rocks in the interior of the mound core. Two of these mounds contained parts of a modern farm plow, and another was found to have plow scars in the sub-soil below the base of the mound. Thus, the site contained eight mounds, with four of the structures having been built around A.D. 150, and the remainder probably constructed about A.D. 1900. The situation found at the Tunacunnhee site emphasized the danger of trying to generalize about the age and origin of the numerous stone structures located in the interior Southeast.
Feature 1
Initially, an exploratory trench 10 feet wide and 100 feet long was opened between Mounds A and C, to determine whether there had been any structures or other features in the immediate vicinity of the mound complex. The squares included in the trench were excavated to the red clay subsoil, approximately one foot below surface. No structures were encountered, but Feature 1, a stone filled burial pit measuring 9.0 feet x 5.0 feet and 3.0 feet deep, was cleared at the north end of the trench (Plate X).
Plate X. Feature 1 located between Mounds A and C.
The pit contained two flexed burials, five to seven disarticulated burials, and evidence of several cremations. Grave goods were primarily utilitarian items such as: turkey bone awls; a cache of chert performs and blades; three small ground stone celts; and a drilled deer antler socket. A second feature similar to Feature 1 was located several feet to the north.
Summary of Burial and Mortuary Data
A total of thirty burials were recovered during the excavation of the Tunacunnhee Mounds by the University of Georgia (Table 2). At least six additional burials were removed from Mound C by pothunters prior to the 1973 field season. The great variety in the practices of interring bodies of the deceased was one of the more notable attributes of the Tunacunnhee site. The sample of 30 Hopewellian burials recovered during the 1973 excavations displayed significant variation in terms of the location and type of internment, as well as in the number and type of associated grave goods. Burial orientation, on the other hand, was quite consistent throughout the site. With the exception of two occurrences of north-south orientation (Burials 18D and E in Mound D), all burials were oriented east-west with the head to the east.
Burials were placed in central sub-mound pits, specially prepared stone slab lined pits or basins, the mound fill, and in pits located outside the mound structures. Extended burials composed 25 percent (n=9) and flexed burials 36 percent (n=14) of the total (N=36). The remainder of the burials (n=14) formed a residual class made up of cremations, partial burials, bundle burials, etc. There appears to be a positive correlation between extended burials located in “specially” prepared tombs and the presence of exotic Hopewellian burial goods, but this has not yet been analytically tested.
Excavation of the Habitation Area
The habitation area is located 200 yards southwest of the mound complex. The area has been subject to plowing for many years, and as a consequence the upper portion of the midden has been severely disturbed. A large number of artifacts including ceramics and lithics were recovered from the plow zone. Some midden and lower portions of features are preserved below the plow zone.
Investigation of the habitation area was considered secondary in importance to excavation of the burial mounds in the 1973 season. The limited excavation conducted here was designed primarily to determine the existence of a habitation area in the vicinity of the mounds, and to obtain sufficient data to establish its temporal and cultural relationship with the mounds. Approximately 2000 square feet of habitation area were excavated and recorded.
Features disclosed during the excavation included postholes, stone filled pits, and rounded bottom storage or refuse pits. As previously mentioned, only the lower portions of these features were intact.
One complete and one partial structure were identified during excavation of the habitation area. Structure One consisted of a circular pattern of postholes 10 feet in diameter, surrounding a rock filled pit. The postholes were approximately 0.3 foot in diameter and 2.0 feet apart. This structure may represent a sweat-house similar to that described by Wray et al (1961) for the Weaver site in Fulton County, Illinois. The rock filled pit in the center of Structure One measured approximately 5.0 feet in diameter and extended 2.5 feet below the present ground surface. The sides of the pit were fire baked red clay. Pit fill included bone, chert flakes, limestone rocks, and limestone-tempered (Candy Creek) and sand-tempered (Cartersville) ceramics.
Structure Two consisted of a roughly semicircular pattern of postholes east of Structure one. The postholes delineating Structure Two were larger in diameter and extended deeper into the subsoil than those in Structure One, suggesting a substantially larger building. Due to lack of time, only a small portion of the posthole pattern was investigated. No interior features we found in the small area of the structure that was excavated.
Preliminary analysis of the material recovered tends to support the hypothesis that the habitation area is roughly contemporary with the mounds. The supporting evidence including a radiocarbon determination of A. D. 280 +/- 125 years (Uga-ML-10) that was obtained from charcoal recovered from the undisturbed lower portion of a refuse pit. This date and the one obtained from Mound C are compatible at one standard deviation, sharing a 90 year period (A.D. 125-245) in their total combined range of A.D. 55-405. A second, apparently less instructive, date of A.D. 440 +/- 395 years (Uga-ML-9) was also obtained for the habitation area. Ceramic material found in Mound C is very similar in appearance to some of that recovered in the habitation area. Projectile points found in association with Burial 15A in Mound C are the same type (Greenville-Nolichucky) as found in the habitation area. Both copper and mica were recovered from features in the habitation area.
Intersite Analysis
A number of mounds similar to the Tunacunnhee Mounds have been excavated in the adjacent areas of Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina, as well as in several locations in the Midwest. Some of these mounds are constructed with stone are structurally similar to Tunnacunnhee. Others are constructed without the use of stone. Both types of mounds have been found to contain artifacts that are analogous to those recovered from the Tunnacunnhee burial mounds.
The Shaw Mound, located near Cartersville, Georgia, contained a number of artifacts that closely resemble the Tunacunnhee material. Waring (1945) reported that the Shaw Mound was a stone mound 50 feet in diameter and 10 feet high, with a roughly horseshoe shape. The mound was demolished in 1940, but the remains of an extended burial were found lying on the original ground surface. A copper breastplate, two large stone celts, and a copper celt were associated with the burial.The trapezoidal breastplate is very similar to the one found in association with Burial 18F in Mound D at Tunacunnhee.
William Webb, in his report of the survey of the Norris Basin in Tennessee, discussed several mounds that seem similar to those at the Tunacunnhee site. The Stiner Stone Mounds, located on the Powell River in Union County, Tennessee, were described as consisting of four stone mounds ranging between 16-18 feet in diameter and composed of large slabs of limestone piled directly on the clay soil. One of the mounds contained an extended adult burial oriented east-west and placed on the original surface of the ground. Three projectile points, a banded slate gorget, a sandstone pipe, two bear mandibles and large piece of mica were associated with the burial. No ceramics were found in any of the mounds (Webb 1936: 59).
A “spool shaped copper object” was recovered from a large mound in Williamson County, south of Nashville, Tennessee. Thruston (1890: 302) reported that it was found deeply imbedded in a layer of ashes and burned clay, on the original surface of the ground. Faulkner (1968) believes that this mound described by Thruston may have been one of the same mounds reported by Jennings (1946). Jennings reported a mound, located on Reid Hill, as being built on a flat hill top and measuring 18 feet high and 80 feet in diameter. The mound described by Jennings was built of stone and earth, but was essentially a stone mound (Jennings 1946: 126). Unfortunately, Thruston does not adequately describe the Williamson County Mound, so it is difficult to be sure these two accounts are referring to the same mound.
Stone mounds have been reported from the Midwest that are structurally similar to the Tunacunnhee Mounds. Keller stated that the C. L. Lewis Mound, located in Shelby County, Indiana, measured 50 feet x 55 feet, and was 4.0 feet high. The mound fill was described as being two-thirds limestone and one-third earth. The Lewis mound contained Adena artifacts such as C-shaped copper bracelets, copper beads, and expanded center gorgets (Keller 1960: 398).
The Wright Mound Group, located in Franklin County, Ohio, was excavated and described by Shetrone (1925). The large mound measured 28 feet x 20 feet, and was 3.0 feet high. A stone lined pit and a burial covered with layers of stone were found in the mound, and it was reported that the entire mound was covered with a layer of earth (Shetrone 1925: 345-347).
The Copena Complex is found in the Tennessee River Valley of northern Alabama. Forty-six burial mounds an six caves containing Copena material have been reported by Walthall and Keel (1974). The mounds were described as being low conical structures of earth containing from to three to over a hundred internments. The most common burial position is extended, but cremation is also found. The number of mound structures in these sites ranges from one to eight. According to radiocarbon determination from Copena material, Copena predates Tunacunnhee by about 100-200 years. Wathall (1972) recently tested two charcoal samples that were associated with extended burials and obtained dates of A.D. 320 (1630 +65 B.P.), from the Ross site in the Guntersville Basin, and A.D. 375 (1575+75 B.P.), from the Leeman Mound, Morgan County, Alabama.
While Copena and Tunacunnhee are closely associated both temporally and spatially, each complex has certain attributes that are not shared with the other. The Tunacunnhee Mounds contained copper panpipes, copper breastplates, and small zoomorphic platform pipes, none of which has been reported from Copena sites. On the other hand, copper bracelets, copper reel-shaped gorgets, galena nodules, and large steatite elbow pipes are common in Copena sites but absent from Tunnacunnhee (DeJarnett 1952: 278).
Analysis of some of the copper artifacts from Tunacunnhee has been performed to determine the source of the copper used in the fabrication of artifacts. There is growing evidence that some of the copper used in manufacturing “Hopewellian” items found in Southeastern sites came from local sources, and analysis of copper from Tunacunnhee and other sites has tentatively demonstrated that ore from deposits in North Carolina and Tennessee was used in manufacturing some artifacts. These results were obtained by using analytical techniques including optical spectroscopy (Goad 1974: 9) and X-ray florescence (Schneider 1974).
Panpipes constitute one of the largest classes of artifacts recovered from the Tunacunnhee Mounds. A total of nine were found in association with six burials, one of the largest concentration of panpipes in the East. The only other sites with a comparable number are the Le Vesconte Mound in Ontario, Canada (Ritchie 1965: 219) and the Hopewell Mound in Ohio (Griffin et. al 1970: 99).
Excavation of the Tunacunnhee Site has significantly increased the amount of data concerning stone mounds and Hopewell in the Southeast. The importance of the site is increased by the fact that Tunacunnhee contains not only the well documented mortuary remains of a Hopewell affiliated occupation, but also a related habitation area. The site offers the unique opportunity to further examine the cultural remains of the localized secular aspects of Hopewell.
Wattle and Daub Building- Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6,000 years. source
REFERENCES CITED
DeJarnette, David L.
“Alabama Archaeology: A Summary,” in Archaeology of Eastern United
States, edited by James B. Griffin, pp. 272-284. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Faulkner, Charles H.
The Old Stone Fort: Exploring an Archaeological Mystery, University of
Tennessee Press, Knoxville.
Goad, Sharon I.
1974 “Optical Spectroscopy as a Method of Archaeological Analysis,” Paper
presented at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Mexico City.
Griffin, James B., Richard E. Flanders, and Paul F. Titterington
1970 “Burial Complexes of the Knight and Norton Mounds in Illinois and Michigan,” Memoirs of the Museum of Anthropology, No. 2.
Jennings, James
1946 “Hopewell-Copena sites near Nashville,” American Antiquity, Vol. XII, No. 2, p. 128.
Kellar, James H.
1960 “The C. L. Lewis Mound and the Stone Mound Problem, Pre-historic Research Series Vol. III, No. IV.
Ritchie, William A.
1965 The Archaeology of New York State, The Natural History Press, Garden City.
Schneider, Kent
1974 “Results of Copper Analysis, Tunacunnhee Site, Dade County, Georgia,” Unpublished research report, Geochronology Laboratory, University of Georgia.
Shetrone, H. C.
1925 “Exploration of the Wright Group of Prehistoric Earthworks,” Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXXIII, No. 4, pp. 341-358.
Thruston, Gates P.
1890 The Antiquities of Tennessee, Robert Clarke Company, Cincinnati.
Walthall, John A.
1972 “The Chronological Position of Copena in Eastern States Archaeology,” Journal of Alabama Archaeology, Vol. XVII, No. 2, pp. 137-151.
Walthall, John A. and Bennie C. Keel
“Hopewellian Trade and Interaction in the Mid-South,” Paper read at the
39th Annual Meeting, Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC
Waring, Antonio J., Jr.
1945 “Hopewellian Elements in Northern Georgia,” American Antiquity, Vol. II, No. 2, pp. 119-120.
Webb, William S.
1938 “An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 118.
Wray, Donald and Richard S. MacNeish
1961 “Hopewellian and Weaver Occupations of the Weaver Site, Fulton Co., Illinois,” Scientific Papers, Illinois State Museum, Vol. VII, No. 2.
Editors Note:
After this article was typed and sent to the author for proofreading, he suggested that the previous “Abstract” which appears on the front page of this article should be changed to “Preface” and that the following “Abstract” be added. It was impossible mechanically to insert the new “Abstract” at the beginning of the article unless the whole manuscript was retyped, thus we have included the “Abstract”
Abstract
Research carried out in the summer of 1973 disclosed the existence of a major Hopewellian habitation and mortuary site in Dade County, Georgia. The site consisted of four stone covered burial mounds, at least two burial pits located outside the mound structures and an accompanying habitation area. The site, now known as the Tunacunnhee Site ((9DD25), represents the only well documented Hopewellian site in North Georgia and contains the greatest variety and quantity of Hopewellian artifacts reported from the southeast. The site also provides data bearing on the long standing question of the age and cultural affiliation of stone mounds located throughout much of the southern piedmont.
Panpipes, Early Metal Industries, and Cultural Association in Prehistoric North America
Due largely to the unfortunate death of Dr. Joseph Caldwell, the Tunacunnhee Mound Site has not received the attention merited by its significance. The quantity and diversity of Middle Woodland material is immediately obvious to anyone who looks at the data. In addition, this site had both a mortuary, or ceremonial, and a habitation area components. The presence of scraps of copper and mica reported in the habitation area suggests that at least some of the exotic artifacts were manufactured on site.
In the case of panpipes, the excavations carried out by the University of Georgia resulted in the location of nine of these copper instruments – two of which had silver plating. Furthermore, relic collectors removed one case before the excavations and at least two after the work was completed by the University of Georgia. Two of these had silver plating. This brings the total number of panpipes from the site to thirteen. This number represents approximately ten percent of all such discoveries in the United States. This being the case, it is worthwhile to consider some facts concerning this form of artifact.
Panpipes are a musical wind instrument, consisting of graduated tubes closed at one end and fastened together. These instruments have had representatives in more non-western musical traditions around the world than any other non-percussion instrument. The player holds the instrument vertically and blows across the open end of the tubes, rather than using finger holes in a single tube as is the case with most flute like instruments. Each tube of the panpipes has its own pitch. These instruments occurred from very early times in the Middle East, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and in North and South America.
One of the earliest mentions of such a wind instrument occurs in Gen 4:21, where we are told that Jubal was the “father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.” The Hebrew word here translated “pipe” is `ughabh. It occurs in 3 other places: Job 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4, and in the Hebrew version of Dan 3:5. The `ughabh was probably a primitive shepherd’s pipe or panpipe, though some take it as a general term for instruments of the flute kind, a meaning that suits all the passages cited.
In Greek and Roman mythology the god Pan was said to have invented the Panpipes by joining hollow reeds of different lengths together with beeswax and blowing into them to make music. Most of the stories connected with the origin of this instrument are connected with the god Pan and the nymph Syrinx who was changed into reeds.
In North America, panpipes were associated with the Middle Woodland Hopewellian manifestation. The Hopewellian culture, which began in Ohio and Illinois between 100 B.C. and A.D. 100, perhaps grew out of the earliera Adena culture or merged with it. Before declining sometime between A.D. 400 and 500, its influence reached across many thousands of miles, including the Southeast. Earthworks also marked the Hopewell phenomenon. Followers in the Midwest built ridges, sometimes 12 feet tall, shaped into expansive squares, circles, and octagons that could enclose as much as 80 acres. The term Hopewell has been used to describe a Middle Woodland phase in the Ohio Valley, a cultural type, or a burial complex. Stewart Streuver has suggested that the term could best apply to an interaction sphere. The Hopewellian interaction sphere involved some form of trade of gift exchange and extended from Ontario south to the Ohio and Mississippi drainage systems as far west as Arkansas and east to Florida. Major sites are usually located along rivers and tributary streams. It is considered one complex because the artifacts found in burials are made in near uniform styles from exotic raw materials such as copper, silver, obsidian, mica, and marine shells. Their dead were often accompanied by objects, such as the copper panpipes, that must have held great value for the people who buried them. (1)
It was once popular to think of “Hopewell” as a cultural manifestation that developed in the Ohio Valley directly from the earlier Adena culture. Now, however, there is evidence suggesting that Hopewellian roots may cover a much wider area. Located in Citrus County on the west coast of Florida, the Crystal River Site is the southernmost manifestation of the Hopewellian interaction sphere. Artifacts, including copper panpipes, found at Crystal River suggest that it was part of a major trade route from the Yucatan in eastern Mexico to the Ohio River Area. Two ceremonial stones called Stelae, similar to those that occur in the Mayan area of the Yucatan, but not normally found north of Mexico, are the most enigmatic features of the Crystal River Site. It is believed that these two limestone rocks were deliberately placed in an upright position by the Indians around A.D. 440. There has been speculation that the stones are placed in alignment with the soltice and equinox making it an astronomical site. (2)
In southwest Georgia, such a ceremonial focal point developed at Mandeville near the Chattahoochee River in Clay County. A flat-topped mound which once held a temple and a cone-shaped burial mound attest to the strong Hopewell influence at Mandeville. The mounds, now submerged under the waters of Lake Walter F. George, stood about 900 feet apart, with the village between them. Archeologists uncovered many artifacts in the mounds, including five panpipes. Made from hollowed river cane, four of the instruments were coated with copper; one was covered with a mixture of copper and silver. The Mandeville mounds also contained copper beads, cut mica, prismatic blades, and many ax-like tools called celts made from lustrous greenstone. (3)
Fourteen copper ear spools, all except one found in a single grave, testified to what must have been a particularly painful form of adornment. The ear spools, disk-shaped and resembling miniature cymbals, were held in place by a thin column or rivet. The wearer’s ear lobe was sliced open with a sharp rock, then the ear spool column was inserted. As the wound healed, the ear spool was sealed into place. Archeologists uncovered remnants of several smoking pipes, one with the bowl shaped like a bird. All of the pipes found at Mandeville were the platform variety, standing upright on squat, rectangular bases. The bowls are plain or shaped into bird and other animal effigies. (4)
Copper ear spools.
Scientists also found several human figurines at Mandeville, both intact and in fragments. One clay figurine, about three and a half inches tall and found in the burial mound, represents a woman bent slightly forward at the waist. She wears a skirt painted red and is bare breasted. Her feet are also painted red, and she wears red arm bands. Her hair tapers down her back to the waist, and both her hair and back are painted black. There is a display in the Columbus Museum of another Mandeville woman figurine with an elaborate hairdo with two out-swept sides resembling horns. Archeologists speculate that the figurines may be sculptural portraits of the society’s elite. (5)
Further north in a western corner of Georgia near Chattanooga, Tennessee, The Tunacunnhee Site similarly reflect the same ritualism. Venerated religious leaders or priests officiated at the intricate burial ceremonies that often involved cremation and sumptuous feasts and included placing exotic artifacts with the dead. This ceremony, or religion, appears to be the glue that held the Hopewellian interaction sphere together. There may have also been a special class of traders who followed a network of trails and rivers extending hundreds of miles. As the traders sought materials near and far, they probably imparted their religious and ceremonial ideas to those they met along the way. (6)
Gloria Young, at the University of Arkansas, became interested in panpipes through the study of an example from the Helena Crossing site in Arkansas. “To see if the Helena panpipe was, as the name implies, a musical instrument,” she stated, “I reconstructed it and found that it would produce musical tones. The two outer tubes of the reconstructed Helena panpipe produce musical tones one octave apart. They are plugged with wooden and fiber plugs which determine the length of the air column. Compared to a strobotuner, the left tube produces an A ten one hundredths of a semi-tone flat, one and one half octaves above middle C. The right tube produces an A one octave higher. Recently it occurred to me to stop the middle tube with my thumb while blowing. So stopped, it produces three tones, all overtones. The tones are approximately an A one octave below the A of the left tube, an overtone four notes higher (D), and an overtone six notes higher (B).” (7)
Copper-jacketed panpipes.
A – Back of instrument: note tie marks.
B – Front of panpipes, showing silver plating at upper end.
C – Cut-away view, showing cane tubes and plugs.
[Drawing from Volume 50, Part 1,
Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History.]
Panpipe burial sites.
In 1975, Young published A Structural Analysis of Panpipe Burials. In this study she documented approximately sixty panpipes recovered from twenty-three sites ranging from the Le Vesconte site in Northumberland County, Ontario to the Crystal River site in Citrus County, Florida. It should be noted that at the time when she did this study data from the Tunacunnhee Mounds Site was not available to her. In spite of the wide distribution of these items, and the fact that the burials had a great diversity in style, she found that all had “an astonishing similarity of both style and material.” (8)
“All of the casings were of annealed metal,” she stated, “corrugated in front, flat and lapped in back, covering three or four tubes of cane or bone. All specimens except that from Baehr were from one and one half to two and one-fifty inches wide. This is apparently because the wild cane, Arundaria, grows consistently to a diameter of one half inch in mature stalks. Panpipes with little material between the tubes will be close to one and one-half inches wide, those with yarn or clay in the interstices will be wider, especially if they have been crushed somewhat by the weight of the earth. Panpipes varied more in length, which would have been musically unimportant since the tones produced depended not on the length of the tubes but that of the inner plugs.” (9)
The similarity of these panpipes have led some to speculate that they were all manufactured in one place and diffused to various parts of the Hopewellian interaction sphere. Young, however, has pointed out that: “With the possible exception of the Turner central altar panpipe (made of meteoric iron) and the Hopewell Mounds 20 panpipe, which has bone tubes, the panpipes could not have been made from purely local materials in any one place. Several of the casings have been analyzed and show that the metal from which they are made came from Isle Royale and the Lake Superior region or from Cobalt, Ontario. The northernmost range of the only North American cane, Arundaria, may be delimited by a line running from the southwest corner of Missouri through Cape Girardeau, up the Ohio River valley to just past Cincinnati, then eastward to Virginia (See figure 2). [Figure 2 is the map shown above.] The panpipes, then, are a blending of resources from the north and south of the interaction sphere. They, like the sphere itself, represent the transcending of regional and burial style differences and seem to have provided a bond between the inhabitants along thousands of miles of inland waterways. The Hopewell style panpipe of metal and cane, a variation of what is believed to be a very ancient type of musical instrument, could not have developed before the rise of the interaction sphere brought the raw materials together. As unique representatives of that specific interaction sphere, it is not unusual that they disappeared with its wane.” (10)
Although the manufacture of metal panpipes seems to have ended with the decline of Middle Woodland, the Native metal industry did not. A small, but significant copper industry continued in the Southeastern United States up to the time of European contact. At sites like Etowah in Georgia, sheet copper plates with engraved or embossed designs are well known from the Mississippian occupation. Similarly, in the Chattanooga area, elite individuals living on the Dallas/Hixon Sites wore copper ear spools that are virtually identical to those worn more than a thousand earlier at the Tunacunnhee Site. (11)
The earliest Europeans in North America found that copper ornaments were highly prized by the Native peoples. Sir Ralph Lane, an English soldier who visited Native towns in North Carolina in 1584, observed: “The mineral they say is Wassador, which is copper, but they call by the name Wassador every metal whatsoever: they say it is of the color of our copper [brass], but our copper is better than theirs: and the reason is for that it is redder and harder.” (12)
Since copper was the only metal they knew when they came in contact with Europeans, it is logical that they would use their word for copper to apply to all metals. Not only did they not differentiate between brass and copper, but, when questioned by the Spaniards about gold, they assumed copper to be the metal in question. When Hernando de Soto asked the Koasatis on the French Broad River in 1540 where gold could be found, he was told that the province to the north, Chisca (now known to be Yuchis) had much wealth, including gold. The control of large salt springs near the present Saltville, Virginia and a knowledge of working copper gave the Yuchis in the Chisca area a tremendous economic advantage in dealing with their neighbors. (13)
The early Europeans found a trail, called the Great Trading Path, that extended from the mountains of western North Carolina to the present city of Augusta, Georgia. This trail was known as “The Occaneechi Trading Path.” The primary commodities traded along this route The English regarded “Occaneeachi” as a ‘tribal’ or ethnic designation. The word, however, is an Algonquian term meaning simply “a place where people gather.” (14)
Robert Beverly wrote that there was a “general sort of language,” that he called “Occaneachi.” This language, “which is understood by the chief men of many nations as Latin is in most parts of Europe… The general language here used is said to be that of the Occaneechees, though they have been but a small nation, ever since those parts were known to the English.” He added that this ‘language’ was used by priests in religious ceremonies throughout Virginia “as the Catholics of all nations do their mass in Latin.” Years later, a remnant of this ‘language’ was analyzed and found to contain fragments of Siouan, Algonquian, and Iroquois words, suggesting a form of trade jargon used in business transactions among speakers of different languages. (15)
As will be shown below, a highly valued copper artifact from the contact period was a large copper disc. When polished, it is easy to see that such an item would have been a symbol for the sun. By extension, it is also reasonable that copper would have been regarded as the metal of the sun. The Yuchis were known by many different names given them by other groups. They, however, called themselves Tsoyaha, meaning “Children of the Sun,” a name that could also imply “Workers in Copper.” (16)
Rene de Laudonniere, the leader of the abortive French colony in Florida during the early 1560’s, wrote that the leaders of the Timucuan Indians wore large metal discs of copper around their necks. He added, in explaining the source of the metal, that “in the Appalachian Mountains there are copper mines.” Le Moyne, the artist who accompanied the French expedition, produced several illustrations of men wearing such discs around their neck. (17)
De Bry engrving of Le Moyne de Morgues, showing Timucuans wearing copper discs in Florida.
In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh sent two English ships to explore the coast of North Carolina. One of his captains, Arthur Barlowe, later reported: “After two or three days the king’s brother came aboard the shippes…he himself had upon his head a broad plate of golde, or copper, for being unpolished we know what metal it should be, neither would he by any means suffer us to take it off his head… when… the king’s brother none durst trade but himself: except such as wear red pieces of copper on their heads like himself: for that is the difference between the noble men, and the governors of the countreys.” (18)
The English artist John White stated: “they wear a chaine of great pearles, or copper beades or smoothe bones abowt their necks, and a plate of copper hinge vpon a stringe.” Two years later, another English captain, Ralph Lane, reported that the natives obtained the copper ornaments from a powerful people in the interior known as the Mangoaks [probably Yuchis]. (19)
It would seem that the “Mangoaks,” or Yuchis, later enslaved some of the abandoned colonists from Raleigh’s so called “Lost Colony.” After the establishment of Jamestown, William Starchey wrote: “At Ritanoc, the Weroance Eyanoco preserved 7 of the English alive, four men, two boys, and one young maid (who escaped and fled up the River of Chaonoke) to beat his copper, of which he hath certain mines at the said Ritanoc.” (20)
Two men from Jamestown, Nathaniel Powell and Anas Todkill, were sent out to investigate the Mangoaks. They later reported: “…you shall find four of the English alive, left by Sir Walter Rawely which escaped from the slaughter. [They] live under the protection of a wiroane called Gapanocon, enemy to Powhaton, by whose consent you shall never recover them, [for] one of them is worth much labor.” (21)
In 1602, the Spanish king received numerous complaints against the governor of Florida from the Franciscans and others, questioning the value of the region. Hoping for an unbiased report, King Philip III ordered Don Pedro de Valdes, then governor of Cuba, to take testimony from men who were knowledgeable about the situation in Florida. One of the most interesting witnesses to testify was Juan Ribas, 60 years old, and a 40-year army veteran who had served with Pardo and Moyano. Ribas had married a Yuchi woman who had been captured in southwestern Virginia by Sergeant Moyano. The woman had the Christian name Luisa Menendez. She often talked, and had even testified on another occasion, of the beauty and riches of her homeland. Ribas stated that over the years he and his wife had often informed the Spanish authorities of the great amount of gold [actually copper], silver, and precious stones that could be found in the interior to the northwest. (22)
Another witness was Juan Lara, a soldier who was forty-six years old and had come to Florida as a child thirty-four years earlier with his father. As a youth he enlisted in the Spanish army in Florida. He stated that years ago he had gone on the expedition to Ajacan [Chesapeake Bay], 170 leagues north of San Agustin. Lara said that in Ajacan he had seen Indians with gold collars [actually copper] and that he himself had four of these valuable collars. (23)
As has been shown, a well-developed prehistoric metal industry, involving working with both copper and silver, existed in what is now the Southeastern United States going back at least to the Middle Woodland period. Sixteenth century records left by Spanish, French, and English sources indicate the primary source of copper items as being the Appalachian Mountain area. Most of the sites on which metal artifacts have been found also have stone features, either on the site or nearby.
Tunacunnhee Site lower left of map.
In 1955 – 56 Philip E. Smith, with the Peabody Museum at Harvard University, conducted a study of Aboriginal Stone Constructions in the Southern Piedmont. He documented numerous stone walls, stone mounds, and stone effigies in the southern Appalachian and Piedmont regions of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and parts of Kentucky and West Virginia. Some of these are well known sites, such as Fort Mountain State Park and Old Stone Fort State Park in Tennessee. As the name suggests, these features were once thought to have had a military use. This, however, is not the case. (24)
Regarding the walls at Fort Mountain, Smith stated: “It is easier to say what this wall is not than what it is… It should also be mentioned that the wall at Fort Mountain is not unique in the South, although it is the largest and most impressive found to date. A number of other stone walls have been reported and it is possible that they all belong to a very ancient complex which may have been religious or symbolic connotation… They bear certain things in common. All are of dry-stone masonry, although the quality varies greatly: most of them are built on hilltops or ridges, yet without any ostensible defensive purpose; none of them appears to have any historical background as far as white settlement is concerned. For example, there are the long Devil’s Half Acre walls in Putnam County, Georgia, which have well-fitted masonry of un-worked stone; the walls near Kensington, Georgia, (just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee,) reported by Dr. Joseph Johnson in 1955; the stone ‘fort’ at Manchester, Tennessee; the parallel walls at DeSoto Falls, Alabama; the wall on Ladd Mountain near Cartersville, unfortunately demolished some 20 years ago; the stone wall on Brown’s Mount near Macon, also demolished recently, but described by A. R. Kelly in 1938. In addition, there are unexplained lines of stone on Mount Alto, near Rome, Georgia, which seem to resemble the same type. Finally, there is a number of such structures reported from West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee… The widespread distribution of these phenomena leads to the suspicion that a common motif, perhaps ceremonial or symbolic, underlies them.” (25)
Considerable effort was required to construct these stone walls, and they obviously had great significance to the builders. The best hypothesis for these stone walls is that they were enclosures where different peoples gathered at regular intervals for the purpose of exchanging exotic raw materials, such as copper, silver, and mica, and possibly finished artifacts as well. This would make such sites not forts, but rather, enclosures for a kind of trade fair – something that would have been necessary for the Hopewellian interaction sphere. (26)
Following European contact, this industry continued, using brass instead of copper. The new metal was used to make some of the familiar earlier items. Brass discs were made in the same manner as the earlier copper discs. Brass C shaped bracelets replaced the earlier ones made from copper. Brass conchos have been found that are very similar to the earlier copper ear spools.
The Spaniards found the Chisca (now known to be Yuchis), living in the Appalachian Mountains were the major people working copper in the sixteenth century. It is logical to assume that their ancestors had the same role during the Middle Woodland.
References
1. Stewart Streuver, “The Hopewellian Interaction Sphere in Riverine – Western Great Lakes Culture History,” in Hopewellian Studies, edited by J. R. Caldwell and R. L. Hall, Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers, Cambridge, Vol. 12, No. 3, 1964: 85-106.
2. Crystal River, Florida State Park website.
3. National Park Service, Fort Benning, Georgia website.
4, Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Gloria A. Young, “Reconstruction of an Arkansas Hopewellian Panpipe,” Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. XXIV, No. 28, 1970: 28-32.
8. Gloria A. Young, “A Structural Analysis of Panpipe Burials,” Tennessee Archaeologist, Vol. 32, No. 1&2, 1976: 1-10.
9. Ibid. 7.
10. Ibid.
11. WPA/TVA Archives, presented courtesy of Frank H. McClung Museum, The University of Tennessee.
12. David Beers Quinn, Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584-1606, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1985: 111-112.
13. Charles Hudson, Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun, University of Georgia Press, Athens, 1997: 203; E. Raymond Evans, Napochin Shadows, Intertribal Sacred Land Trust, Chattanooga, 2003: 19; 28.
14. Lee Miller, Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony, Penguin Books, New York: 200: 248-249.
15. Ibid.
16. Evans, op. cit., 19.
17. Rene de Laudonniere, Three Voyages, Translated by Charles E. Bennett, University of Alabama Press, 2001: 116.
18. Quinn, op. cit., 35-36.
19 Ibid, 111-112.
20. Miller, op. cit., 236
21. Miller, op. cit, 237.
22. Charles W. Arnade, Florida on Trial, 1593-1602, University of Miami Press, Coral Gables, 1959: 38-41.
23. Ibid.
24. Philip E. Smith, “Aboriginal Stone Constructions in the Southern Piedmont,” University of Georgia Laboratory of Archaeology Series, Paper No. 4, 1962: 1-44.
25. Ibid., 11-12.
26. Charles Faulkner, personal communication.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arnade, Charles W.
1959 Florida on Trial, 1593-1602, University of Miami Press, Coral Gables.
Crystal River, Florida State Park website.
Evans, E. Raymond
2003 Napochin Shadows, Intertribal Sacred Land Trust, Chattanooga.
Hudson, Charles
1997 Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun, University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Laudonniere, Rene de
Three Voyages, Translated by Charles E. Bennett, University of Alabama
Press.
Miller, Lee
Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony, Penguin Books, New
York.
National Park Service, Fort Benning, Georgia website.
Quinn, David Beers
Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584-1606, University of
North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Smith, Philip E.
“Aboriginal Stone Constructions in the Southern Piedmont,” University of Georgia Laboratory of Archaeology Series, Paper No. 4, 1962.
Streuver, Stewart
“The Hopewellian Interaction Sphere in Riverine – Western Great Lakes
Culture History,” in Hopewellian Studies, edited by J. R. Caldwell and R. L. Hall, Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers, Cambridge, Vol. 12, No. 3, 1964.
WPA/TVA Archives, presented courtesy of Frank H. McClung Museum, The University
of Tennessee.
Young, Gloria A.
“Reconstruction of an Arkansas Hopewellian Panpipe,” Proceedings of the
Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. XXIV, No. 28.
“A Structural Analysis of Panpipe Burials,” Tennessee Archaeologist, Vol.
As a companion volume to President Monson’s biography, this book’s purpose is to highlight his doctrinal teachings on a variety of subjects, focusing on the core of the topic and featuring what he has taught rather than how he has taught it. (Source) Published September 23rd 2011 by Deseret Book Company
Description
A lifetime of teachings from President Thomas S. Monson. Teachings of Thomas S. Monson is the ideal companion volume to the prophet’s bestselling biography, To the Rescue. This comprehensive collection: •Gives quick, easy access to key teachings on scores of gospel topics representing nearly half a century of teaching •Provides President Monson’s teachings topically in alphabetical order •Includes a scripture index so readers can find what President Monson taught about specific scriptural passages. (Source)
President Monson confirms that the United States is The Choice Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon (Ether) and the Nation on This Choice Land is the United States of America. [Mystery Solved?]
As you read Ether 2:12 it says, “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, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.” (Bold Added)
Ask yourself, in Ether 2:12 of the Book of Mormon it tells us, this choice land?? will be possessed by a nation?? who will be protected from all other nations if they serve the God of THIS LAND?? What choice land is he speaking of and what nation is he referring to and what does he define as this sland?
Summary of Chapters, “America” & “Joseph Smith” by Monson Below
“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.”Monson, Thomas S., Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, 2011, pp. 14-15, 157-158
America
(The United States)
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).
Chapter called “America” from Monson, Thomas S., Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, 2011, pp. 14-15
Are we today serving the God of the land, even the Lord Jesus Christ? Do our lives conform with His teachings? Are we entitled to His divine blessings?
Too many Americans have been screaming ever louder for more and more of the things we cannot take with us and paying less and less attention to the real sources of the very happiness we seek. We have been measuring our fellow man more by balance sheets and less by moral standards. We have developed frightening physical power and fallen into pathetic spiritual weakness. We have become so concerned over the growth of our earning capacity that we have neglected the growth of our character.
As we view the disillusionment that engulfs countless thousands today, we are learning the hard way what an ancient prophet wrote out for us over three thousand years ago: “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
The revered American president Abraham Lincoln accurately described our plight: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken succession, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of preserving and redeeming grace, to proud to pray to God that made us” (“Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day,” Washington, D.C., March 30, 1864).
Notice the parenthesis on United States are part of the original editing
Can we extricate ourselves from this frightful condition? Is there a way out? If so, what is the way?
We can solve this perplexing dilemma by adopting the counsel given by Jesus to the inquiring lawyer who asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36–39). (“America Needs You,” Church of the Air, October 4, 1964)
For many years the code 911 has been the telephone number dialed to report any emergency. Children have memorized the number, and it has been well known by one and all that when 911 was dialed, help would soon be on its way.
Then came September 11th, 2001, and nine-eleven took on another meaning and has a universal and everlasting place in the annals of history and in the hearts of millions. As with December 7, 1941, it too has become a day of infamy.
Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, men and women left their homes for work, mothers prepared their children for school, commuters filled the freeways. Then everything changed. The unthinkable occurred. An insidious attack, planned and executed by evil minds, wreaked havoc in America. Indiscriminately, men, women, and children were slaughtered, including those who responded to the call to rescue. No dastardly deed has been so rapidly and graphically reported.
Amidst the fear, the sorrow, the pain and the suffering, a mighty miracle occurred. Experienced was a fusion of faith—even a pattern of prayer—as Americans turned not to dial 911, but rather dropped to their knees and looked heavenward to God for help. (“Nine-One-One,” September 11 Memorial Observance, September 11, 2002)
I never entered the classrooms of learning there where students are taught concerning the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and other monumental foundation principles but what I had the feeling that I was walking on sacred ground. (“God Bless America,” Freedoms Foundation Utah Chapter Constitution Day, September 17, 2002)
One of the most famous enlistment posters of World War II was one depicting Uncle Sam pointing his long finger and directing his piercing eyes at the viewer. The words read, “America Needs You.” America truly does need you and me to lead out in a mighty crusade of righteousness. We can help when we love God and with our families serve Him; and when we love our neighbor as ourselves. (“Duty—Honor—Country,” National Boy Scouts of America Duty to God Breakfast, May 29, 2003)
Joseph Smith
To get to the true meaning of the birth of the Prophet [Joseph Smith], we need to go back beyond the year of our Lord 1805. We need to go back a long way into history and read what another great prophet said—that prophet, Joseph, who was sold into Egypt and who literally saved his brothers. . . . Said Joseph: “A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins” (2 Nephi 3:6).
“And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation” (2 Nephi 3:15).
Joseph Smith, Jr., was called after the name of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. He was also called Joseph after his own father, Joseph Smith, Sr., literally fulfilling that prophecy which had been spoken many hundreds of years before his birth. (Twenty-First Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermon, December 11, 1963)
Chapter called “Joseph Smith” from Monson, Thomas S., Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, 2011, pp. 157-158
Our Heavenly Father inspired Christopher Columbus in his discovery of America. Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of the renaissance period. Our Heavenly Father inspired men and caused that they would dream dreams and see visions and discover marvelous instruments and inventions which would enable them to set forth upon the oceans and to be led to the place where our Father in Heaven would have them led. Our Heavenly Father inspired the man who invented movable type, that His holy word, as found in the Bible, could be printed and disseminated widely to the people. 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. His life’s mission would alter the course of all future events. Thus came Joseph into the world. (Twenty-First Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermon, December 11, 1963)
Following the visits of the angel Moroni to young Joseph and his acquisition of the plates, Joseph commenced the difficult assignment of translation. One can but imagine the dedication, the devotion, and the labor required to translate in fewer than 90 days this record of over 500 pages covering a period of 2,600 years. I love the words Oliver Cowdery used to describe the time he spent assisting Joseph with the translation of the Book of Mormon: “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!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:71, footnote). (“The Prophet Joseph Smith: Teacher by Example,” Ensign, November 2005, 68)
I think one of the sweetest lessons taught by the Prophet Joseph, and yet one of the saddest, occurred close to the time of his death. He had seen in vision the Saints leaving Nauvoo and going to the Rocky Mountains. He was anxious that his people be led away from their tormentors and into this promised land which the Lord had shown him. He no doubt longed to be with them. However, he had been issued an arrest warrant on trumped up charges. Despite many appeals to Governor Ford, the charges were not dismissed. Joseph left his home, his wife, his family, and his people and gave himself up to the civil authorities, knowing he would probably never return. . . .
In Carthage Jail he was incarcerated with his brother Hyrum and others. On June 27, 1844, Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were together there when an angry mob stormed the jail, ran up the stairway, and began firing through the door of the room they occupied. Hyrum was killed, and John Taylor was wounded. Joseph Smith’s last great act here upon the earth was one of selflessness. He crossed the room, most likely “thinking that it would save the lives of his brethren in the room if he could get out, . . . and sprang into the window where two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without” (History of the Church [1932–1952], 6:618). He gave his life; Willard Richards and John Taylor were spared. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Prophet Joseph Smith taught us love—by example. (“The Prophet Joseph Smith: Teacher by Example,” Ensign, November 2005, 68–69)
I love the words of President Brigham Young, who said, “I feel like shouting Hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up and ordained, and to whom He gave keys and power to build up the kingdom of God on earth” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 343).
To this fitting tribute to our beloved Joseph, I add my own testimony that I know he was God’s prophet, chosen to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days. (“The Prophet Joseph Smith: Teacher by Example,” Ensign, November 2005, 69–70)
Through Joseph Smith, the gospel—which had been lost during centuries of apostasy—was restored, the priesthood and its keys were received, the doctrines of salvation were revealed, the gospel and temple ordinances—along with the sealing power—were returned and, in 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ was re-established on the earth.
Though reviled and persecuted, the Prophet Joseph never wavered in his testimony of Jesus Christ. His peers watched him lead with dignity and grace, endure hardships, and time and again rise to new challenges until his divine mission was completed. Today that heritage he established still shines for all the world to see. The teachings he translated and his legacy of love for his fellow man continue in the millions of hearts touched by the message he declared so long ago.
Few in this dispensation have paid so dearly for an irrevocable testimony of Jesus Christ as did the Prophet Joseph Smith. On June 18, 1844, he gave what was to be his last sermon. He very likely knew that he would not again address his people. His concluding remarks were these: “God has tried you. You are a good people; . . . I love you with all my heart. Greater love hath no man than that he should lay down his life for his friends. You have stood by me in the hour of trouble, and I am willing to sacrifice my life for your preservation. May the Lord God of Israel bless you forever and ever.” His words sank deep into the hearts of the people. It was the last time, in the flesh, that they were to listen to . . . his voice, or to feel . . . his inspiration (from Historical Record, edited and published by Andrew Jenson [1889], 555).
Ultimately, the Prophet Joseph was slain by evil men who assumed the church would collapse after his death. George Q. Cannon, who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a counselor to several Church presidents, wrote: “The enemies of truth were sure that they had now destroyed the work. And yet it lives, greater and stronger after the lapse of years. It is indestructible, for it is the work of God. And knowing that it is the eternal work of God, we know that Joseph Smith who established it was a prophet holy and pure” (Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet [1999], 527). . . .
We do not worship the Prophet Joseph; however he left behind a legacy that enables [his] followers today on every continent to proclaim him as a prophet of God. May we, each of us, strive to continue the Prophet Joseph’s vision for this work and to magnify his legacy through our works and testimonies to others, that they may know him as we do and that they may experience the peace and joy of the gospel he restored.
When the Savior returns to the earth in glory, the Prophet Joseph will come forth with the righteous as a resurrected being and will continue to minister under the Savior’s direction. As our beloved hymn affirms, “Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.” Of this truth I testify. (“The Prophet Joseph Smith,” 200th Birthday Commemoration, December 23, 2005)
No description of models for us to follow would be complete without including Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this dispensation. When but fourteen years of age, this courageous young man entered a grove of trees, which later would be called sacred, and received an answer to his sincere prayer.
There followed for Joseph unrelenting persecution as he related to others the account of the glorious vision he received in that grove. Yet, although he was ridiculed and scorned, he stood firm. Said he, “I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it” (Joseph Smith—History 1:25).
Step by step, facing opposition at nearly every turn and yet always guided by the hand of the Lord, Joseph organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He proved courageous in all that he did.
Toward the end of his life, as he was led away with his brother Hyrum to Carthage Jail, he bravely faced what he undoubtedly knew lay ahead for him, and he sealed his testimony with his blood.
As we face life’s tests, may we ever emulate that undaunted courage epitomized by the Prophet Joseph Smith. (“Models to Follow,” Ensign, November 2002, 62)
“I was born in the year of our Lord 1805 on the 23rd day of December in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, state of Vermont.” Thus spoke the first prophet of this great dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times. His testimony has been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, German, French, Polish, and almost every language of the civilized world. When it has been read by honest men and honest women, it has changed thinking and they have changed lives. This is the value of the simple testimony of the boy prophet, Joseph Smith. (“The Prophet Joseph Smith—Teacher by Example,” General Authority Family Home Evening, June 28, 1993)
Volumes have been written concerning the life and accomplishments of Joseph Smith, but for our purposes . . . perhaps a highlight or two will suffice: He was visited by the angel Moroni. He translated, from the precious plates to which he was directed, the Book of Mormon, with its new witness of Christ to all the world. He was the instrument in the hands of the Lord through whom came mighty revelations pertaining to the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the course of his ministry he was visited by John the Baptist, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John, that the Restoration of all things might be accomplished. He endured persecution; he suffered grievously, as did his followers. He trusted in God. He was true to his prophetic calling. He commenced a marvelous missionary effort to the entire world, which today brings light and truth to the souls of mankind. At length, Joseph Smith died the martyr’s death, as did his brother Hyrum.
Joseph Smith was a pioneer indeed. (“They Showed the Way,” Ensign, May 1997, 51–52)
Thomas S. Monson also said: “In harmony with our belief that the U.S. Constitution is an inspired document and that America has a special mission,” President Monson said, “the Deseret News will defend and promote the principles of the Constitution and the great freedoms for which the nation stands; indeed, it will promote the free agency of all mankind. We view ourselves as being not just in the newspaper business but in the communication business. As technology or public preferences change, our methods of communication may change, but at all times ours shall be a voice for the principles of our owner, for the canons of responsible journalism and for all other righteous and compatible interests and causes.” (Source: “New Home for Pioneer Newspaper”, LDS Church News, 31 May 1997 )
Several other quotes of Prophets validate the “One Great Cumorah” in New York as the hill the plates were buried in and is also the hill where the finals battled happened. [MYSTERY SOLVED?]
“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
“I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates.” Elder Mark E. Petersen, General Conference Address, April 1953
“The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionaly the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity” JS, Letter, Pike County, IL, to Emma Smith, Kirtland, OH, 4 June 1834; in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 56–59 To read Online this letter in the Joseph Smith Papers, CLICK HERE
“…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 Cumorah. (It is printed Camorah, which is an error.) In this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites….” Read Online the complete LETTER VII HERE
“Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” D&C 125:3
“Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words”. 2 Nephi 11:3
We Welcome Wayne May to Utah- 3 Fantastic Presentations and a Special Fireside Tomorrow!
Wayne May Fireside tomorrow Tuesday in Cottonwood Heights! The Forest Bend Ward bishopric is inviting our friends and neighbors to join us on Tuesday, April 5th from 7:00-8:45 pm. In person or via livestream video.
Wisconsin native, Book of Mormon Researcher, and adult convert to the Church, Wayne May, will give a special fireside presentation about recent developments and breakthroughs in Book of Mormon research and historicity.
Wayne is a trained archeologist and has deep knowledge of pre-Columbian America and beyond. He recently gave a similar presentation in the Benson Stake (near Logan) and more than 700 people attended! We have not publicized this event as widely, and all are invited all to attend. The number one response Wayne gets after these firesides is, “why did we not know about this before?”
Come and enjoy the evening, your faith with be strengthened and you will have an amazing learning experience.
WHEN:Tuesday, April 5 from 7-8:45 pm (arrive early)
WHERE: Forest Bend Ward Chapel 7784 South Highland Dr. Cottonwood Hts, Utah. 84121
Open to youth and adults.
Please help us plan by texting your name and the number in your party to: 801-810-7718.
Can’t attend in person? You can join via video Livestream, or click THIS SITEnowto be notified when the recording is posted.
Sincerely, Forest Bend Ward Bishopric
More Wayne
Wayne will also be presenting at the FIRM Foundation Expo April 7th, 8th and 9th in Layton Utah. His speaking times and subjects are as follows:
April 7th Thurs 2-2:50 pm“Jaredites in the Copper Country: Found?” April 8th Fri 2-2:50 pm“5 Major Reasons: Book of Mormon Is North America” April 9th Sat.3-3:50 pm“Lehi In America and Cumorahland”
“And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.” 2 Nephi 2:5,11
The challenge in life of opposition will lead us to the Lord or to Satan. Remember we are not being forced to choose, as that was Satan’s way. We truly are free. That is the biggest tool the evil side uses against us. They make bad choices look so good. Once we give into the enticing’s of evil, unless we repent fairly quickly, our desire will be to go back to that evil thing as it says in D&C 121:39, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”
Almost all men, to me means the world has a strong tendency to do wrong. As you read the information below about the Native Americans, you will see they are blessed with a very unique awareness of the good in life. It seems they didn’t come with a great need to be prideful, thirst for power and money, but the Native Americans seem to have been blessed with a penitent spirit and love of that Great Spirit they revere.
As former Southwest Indian Mission President Golden R. Buchanan said, “It is interesting to note, in closing, that I know of no Indian language in which one can take the name of the Lord in vain. Indeed, I do not know of an Indian language in which they can even swear. They have to learn English or some white man’s language before they can defile the name of Deity.” LAMANITE TRADITION by Golden R. Buchanan PRESIDENT, SOUTHWEST INDIAN MISSION IMPROVEMENT ERA APRIL 1955 SPECIAL LAMANITE ISSUE
On the opposite side of that, defined in Free Dictionary.com, a Wetiko is a “diabolically wicked person or spirit who terrorizes and cannibalizes others by means of evil acts.” According to The Minds Journal, Wetiko is “a term used by Native Americans to designate an evil person who doesn’t care about the well being of others or a person who engages in selfish acts despite the cost.”
I think you will see in the following information, that the White Man seems to have this evil desire even more than the Native Americans. I realize much of the information may be myth or legend, but the evil nature described sure lets us know this life is a constant battle between good and evil. In this political and derisive world today that is the main battle, God vs. Satan.
I am thankful for the spirit I have felt in the lives of most Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Mexican Americans and others that I have come in contact with. Of course I have many White friends who are the salt of the earth as well. It’s just interesting to see the sweet spirit of many of those I will call wonderful Lamanites.
FIRM Foundation Expo. Over 75 Speakers, 135 Presentations. Tickets here.
Wetiko: The Virus of Egoism and Selfishness According to Native Americans
Did you know that according to the Native Americans, humans tend to be infected by a virus called “Wetiko” or the “virus of selfishness”? Seems absurd right? To be able to think that humans may be infected by a selfishness virus is beyond what one can fathom.
Superstitions are quite common among human beings. More often than not, we tend to believe in things that cannot be logically explained. Native Americans believe selfishness is a virus that can affect us. They believe it to be a pathogen that forces the victim to feed their incessant need to be selfish. This allows humanity to become its worst enemy. This unrealistic view comes from a piece of literature called “Dispelling Wetiko”. Carl Jung wrote this literary piece to explain the concept of humans getting infected by wetiko. He pointed out that we live in an era where psychosocial phenomena prove the existence of a “virus” of selfishness.
“Wetiko” is a term used by Native Americans to designate an evil person who doesn’t care about the well being of others or a person who engages in selfish acts despite the cost. This book is not negative or reproachful. It has merely explained how every virus tends to seek a host to invade and feed off but we all have our immunity system or defensive barriers to protect ourselves. It is possible to strengthen our “psychological immune system” to keep ourselves protected from the selfishness virus.
How the Wetiko came into being?
Jack Forbes, a historian explained an interesting aspect of human selfishness in his book Columbus and Other Cannibals. When indigenous communities came into contact with European pilgrims, the Native Americans pointed out that they were infected by Wetiko. Indigenous mythologies believe that indulgent self-destructive habits are inspired by the wetiko. The tribe of the Cree of Canada first used this concept as well. It was also found that Ojibwa, a tribe, was already using this concept with the well-known term “wendigo”.
They had an odd notion that the white or the “civilized” man is an individual affected by the “virus” or “selfishness”. The virus drives them towards greediness and being selfish towards others. Paul Levy, a journalist and author explains that this idea is the same one Carl Jung used to explain the concept of Shadow. Shadow is defined by the archetype of the unconscious that we all share. Thus general emotions like jealousy, greed, thirst for power, or selfishness are products of our collective unconscious. This dark shadow allows humans to get carried away in awful acts. The Native Americans, on the other hand, believe it wasn’t something that came from the external world that is hell bent on possessing us. It resides within ourselves. We carry the shadow of selfishness within, but it is up to us whether we let it feed on us.
Wetiko is believed to be a psychic form of blindness. Psychiatrist Carl Jung refers to wetiko by the name Antimimos that is described as the “imitator and evil principle”. Antimimos is a kind of deception that can be thought of as counter mimicry. Antimimos is an evil force that attempts to lead humans astray and transforms truth to falsehood and falsehood to the truth, which ultimately leads us to forgetfulness. It is believed that potentially anyone can fall into the shadow and unwillingly become an instrument of the virus attempting to act its will through us.
The Wetiko’s Disguise
The Wetiko is often portrayed as a shapeshifter like a werewolf, that can appear disguised as a good spirit. In the indigenous legends, the wetiko eats another person, who then grows larger in proportion with every meal it feeds on. Such a person can never be fully satisfied no matter how much he feeds. It is almost as if a psychic tapeworm has taken over our brains and tricked us into believing that whatever we are doing is only empowering us. But in reality, it is only a means to our own end.
It is seen as the autoimmune disease of the psyche. Just as in autoimmune deficiency syndrome, the immune system tends to attack the life that it is trying to protect, the wetiko drives humans towards self-destruction. In an attempt to live, it ultimately tries to destroy its own life. A classic example can be how humans are destroying the biosphere of the planet which is the very thing that life depends on. Wetiko is behind humans’ never ending greed which ultimately sets them up for destruction.
Wetiko is believed to be highly contagious that spreads through the channel of shared consciousness. But the infection doesn’t travel with a physical pathogen. This bug tends to feed on our unconscious blind spots. The greatest danger that humanity is presented with is the possibility of millions falling prey to the unconscious together which ultimately will lead to self-destruction.” by Paul Levy https://themindsjournal.com/wetiko/
There is a contagious psychospiritual disease of the soul, a parasite of the mind, that is currently being acted out en masse on the world stage via a collective psychosis of titanic proportions. This mind-virus-which Native Americans have called ””””wetiko””””-covertly operates through the unconscious blind spots in the human psyche, rendering people oblivious to their own madness and compelling them to act against their own best interests. Drawing on insights from Jungian psychology, shamanism, alchemy, spiritual wisdom traditions, and personal experience, author Paul Levy shows us that hidden within the venom of wetiko is its own antidote, which once recognized can help us wake up and bring sanity back to our society.
One of the great myths that is promoted by those who believe the Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon, is that there in a lack of evidence of any large battle at Hill Cumorah. They always speak of no arrowheads being found on or around the Hill Cumorah thus this proves the final battles were on some other hill in Mexico. They choose Mexico because that is where the many monuments and pyramids were found in about 1842. Another problem with these pyramids is they are dated from 700 to 1000 AD, long after the Nephites would have lived there.
Part 1 Below is from Ted Dee Stoddard who is a huge Mesoamerican supporter. Part 2 are evidences from many Heartlanders finding all types of arrowheads on and around Hill Cumorah and the mid-west of North America.
Mesoamerican Theorists also ask, “where are all the large cities in North America?” We can show thousands of cities in Mesoamerica. In North America we can find millions of Mounds and Cultural Centers especially all over the Eastern part of North America. See maps below.
You will probably realize the Myth of “No Arrowheads” near Cumorah is all fabricated.
Part1 Mesoamerican Theory
EVIDENCES THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON TOOK PLACE IN MESOAMERICA
Why Mesoamerica?
Criteria for Book of Mormon Lands and People There are several theories held among Latter-day Saints for the location of Book of Mormon lands. Some place the geography of the book in upstate New York or near the Great Lakes. Others look to Peru and South America, or to the Baja Peninsula, or Texas, and some even propose the Malaysian Peninsula. BMAF supports a Mesoamerican context for the major Book of Mormon sites. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but only Mesoamerica meets all these elements required by the book itself. This list of criteria is not a cafeteria list. Any Book of Mormon lands proposal must be able to demonstrate all.
A Narrow Neck of land and 4 seas (east, west, north, and south)
A major river running south to north from a narrow strip of wilderness
A high civilization with cities, kings, artisans, military, and priests
An agricultural base large enough to support several millions of people
A highly literate (written language) society with scribes as important officers
Functional calendar and dating systems
A merchant class using weights and measures
Engineers to build houses, temples, towers, and highways using cement
Highly skilled craftsmen working with precious metals and stonework
A warrior society involved in large battles using trained soldiers and sophisticated fortifications
The Demise of One “Mormon Myth” about the Hill Cumorah
by Ted Dee Stoddard, Phd BMAF Board of Advisers
In recent Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum email circles, we’ve been discussing the need for conducting soil samples around the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York to verify whether hundreds of thousands of Jaredite, Nephite, and Lamanite soldiers indeed lost their lives around the hill. If they did, soil samples would confirm the presence of higher-than-normal levels of calcium and phosphate from the skeletal remains of the deceased soldiers. I personally think the Hill Cumorah soil-sample “evidence” that some Book of Mormon readers “teach” is nothing more than a “Mormon myth,” but I’m willing to bide my time until my thinking is confirmed or until I have to “eat crow” as a result of my thinking.
I’m guilty—and I admit it—of promoting several Mormon myths while I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1950s. One particular myth I “taught” dealt with warfare artifacts, especially arrowheads, which presumably had been found around the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. During each fourth discussion, the Book of Mormon lesson, I routinely said something like the following: “Proof that tremendous ancient battles took place around the Hill Ramah/Cumorah comes from the arrowheads that have been found around the hill where the last great battles of the Jaredites and Nephites-Lamanites took place. Archaeologists and others have picked up bushel basket after bushel basket of arrowheads around the hill.”
I now know that such comments represent the epitome of what I fondly refer to as a “Mormon myth.” I didn’t teach the Cumorah arrowhead myth because I was deceitful. I firmly believed the account that had been passed on to me by other senior missionaries who helped prepare me for missionary work. In connection with the Cumorah arrowhead myth, the excerpts from the letter that follows were written by Langdon Smith, a member of the Church who, upon his retirement, did archaeological investigations around the Hill Cumorah area in upstate New York. The letter as given below is taken from the second edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Lovell Allen and Blake Joseph Allen, pages 702–3. At the time he wrote the letter, Langdon had not been exposed to the thinking that the “real” hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon was located in Mesoamerica.
To: Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest From: Langdon Smith, New Haven, Vermont, 2001
Working with the state archaeologists I get to see things the average person does not see. Awhile ago I saw the state site map for the state of New York. With my interest in history and pre-historic times, I looked around Palmyra. South of Syracuse on the east below this area there are several campsite areas as well as below Rochester to the west, but up around the Palmyra area it is several miles to the closest listed sites. Wherever there are early American sites, collectors will find them. Plowed fields are the best places to look and there are plowed fields in the Palmyra area. . . .
On my own or as I work with professionals I find early sites. At this time I have found 298 new early American campsites. I have reported these and obtained site numbers from the state historic preservation office. . . . So I do have experience in searching out and finding sites. . . .
I have read the stories written by Mr. Bean and also Mrs. Samson as they lived in the Hill Cumorah area. Stories which state how they, when plowing in the area, would pick up arrowheads by the basketful and then sell them to the tourists. . . .
Having this interest in artifacts, out I drove to the Cumorah area. . . .
I searched the field on the east, then went to the farm north of the Hill and asked to look through their fields. They stated that I was the first one that they knew of to go out looking for arrowheads there. . . .
I did not find one single piece of evidence of any kind. There were not any arrowheads, nor were there any pieces of broken flints that would have been left over from the making [of arrowheads]. . . .
Chips are always left. Why pick them up? They are waste. There are about 75–85% waste in making artifacts. Langdon Smith
In the full text of his letter, Langdon refers to a man who lived in the Palmyra region who was a collector of artifacts. The man was not a member of the Church, but he had read the Book of Mormon. According to Smith, the elderly man, whose name is J. Golden Fisher, stated, “There just aren’t any artifacts of the kind spoken of in the [Book of Mormon] around that hill.” Langdon concludes by expressing his faith that the Church is true and that the Book of Mormon is a second witness of Christ. He then says, “But the battle, well, it must have been fought at some other hill.”
Langdon’s comments add to my chagrin for teaching the “arrowhead Mormon myth” about Cumorah while I was a missionary. Such outcomes naturally make me interested in having answers to the following questions: Are Mormon missionaries today still teaching the Cumorah arrowhead myth? Are they also teaching what will likely turn out to be a Mormon myth about purported soil samples associated with Cumorah?
“One of the old Indian Trails which became the route of the first road of the white man in this area, from Canandaigua Lake, two miles south of the Hill to Lake Ontario twenty-two miles north passing the “nose” of the Hill Cumorah. The finding of Indian arrow and spearheads in great quantities on the slopes of the Hill and in the fields surrounding it indicates that long after the great battle in which the Nephites were annihilated Hill Cumorah has been an important battle ground. Willard Bean’s experience coincides with Giles’ conclusion as he found many arrowheads and artifacts as he visited and worked on the Hill Cumorah in the early 1900’s.” A STUDY OF THE HILL CUMORAH: A SIGNIFICANT LATTER-DAY SAINT LANDMARK IN WESTERN NEW YORK Cameron J. Packer Religious Education Master of Arts
“We visited the Hill Cumorah and were accorded the courtesy of going thereon by the wife of Mr. George Sampson, a brother of Admiral Wm. Sampson, who before his death owned the property. When we went up there and looked around, we felt that we were standing on holy ground. The brethren located, as near as they thought was possible, the place from which the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken by the Prophet. We were delighted to be there. Looking over the surrounding country we remembered that two great races of people had wound up their existence in the vicinity, had fought their last fight, and that hundreds of thousands had been slain within sight of that hill. Evidence of the great battles that have been fought there in days gone by are manifest in the numerous spear and arrow-heads that have been found by farmers while plowing in that neighborhood. We were fortunate enough to obtain a few of the arrowheads.” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, April 1906, Third Day—Morning Session p. 56)
In New York State Bulletin #2 it is documented that several miles south of “Mormon Hill,” as it was then called, a site was found where flint arrowheads and spear points and many unfinished weapons were found in great abundance. All of the above sources are cited in Brenton G. Yorgason, Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon, 1989, p. 10.
Jerry Sloat/ June 28, 2000, Daily Democrat, Fort Madison, Iowa.
The wooded hills and ravines along the rivers in this area were popular Indian hunting and camping grounds for hundreds of years before the appearance of white settlers. So the archeological survey to be conducted prior to construction work in Happy Hollow this year should result in some interesting finds.
Although the climate of the Midwest is not conductive to the preservation of wood, leather or bone, an abundance of stone remnants of past Indian cultures, arrowheads, axe heads, knives, pestles, and other stone implements — were once easily found in the smaller streams and freshly plowed fields along the Mississippi, Skunk and Des Moines river valleys.
Three or four generations ago nearly every young boy owned a cigar box full of such treasures. Many were broken pieces or arrowheads, shards of pottery, spear points and effigy good luck stones. Perfect, unbroken pieces were true collectors items, and many a boy or young man who was an avid artifact hunter, and perhaps bit of a shrewd trader to boot, built impressive collections of Indian implements.
There are still many such collectors around. But with the passing years actually finding an artifact is becoming harder and harder. Many collectors now depend upon trading or buying the choice specimens needed to complete a display.
Perhaps one of the most plentiful sources of Indian artifacts in this area has been the area around Montrose. Because of its location along the rapids of the Mississippi, and the excellent fishing there, it is believed that Indian villages of one sort or another have been there for a thousand years. When the white settlers first appeared here it was the location of a Sac and Fox encampment called “Cut Nose Village.” Until they were driven out by the Sac and Fox, it was thought to be the location of an Illini Indian village. Before that it was probably once occupied by the Iowa tribe, and even earlier, by the prehistoric Woodland Indian civilizations who disappeared so mysteriously.
In the late 19th century nearly everyone in Montrose had a collection or Indian artifacts. Fred Green found a 15 pound stone axe head in such perfect condition that it is now in a British museum.
J.B. Kiel collected dozens of stone axe heads, and more than a thousand arrowheads, spear points, knives and grinding stones. He sold and gave hundreds of them to the Smithsonian Institute and the Davenport Academy of Science.
Manessa Reeves was digging a trench in front of his store at Montrose and unearthed a war axe weighing over seven pounds but it was an imperfect specimen because a sizable chunk had been broken off. Ray Rigby found a four pound stone pestle that had probably been used to grind hominy, a favorite Indian food.
Among the more unusual finds was one by Fred Barker. His was a large double-edged axe with a hole drilled through it for a handle. Most stone axes were grooved on either side so that the split end of a handle could be tied to it.
On his farm just below Montrose, Jerry Anderson collected 20 hatchets, axes and mortars as well as a large number of stone knives, spear points and arrowheads. They were found in such a small area that Anderson believed it must have been either a manufacturing location or a storage place.
The Montrose area was so rich in Indian artifacts that they can still be found in numbers there. When Paul Hellige built a new house in the Schlotter addition near Montrose a couple of dozen years ago, he found many arrowheads while digging the basement.
It is unlikely that Happy Hollow was ever as popular an Indian location as Montrose. But when the Sac and Fox Indians laid seige to the original Fort Madison during the War of 1812, they had to have a sizable camp nearby. What would have been a better location — close by, but still out of sight and sound of the fort — than Happy Hollow! By John Lefgren
Support for Arrowheads, Artifacts, and Mounds, near Zarahemla.
John Lefgren and Wayne May are ready to do some scanning in Montrose, Iowa. They will be looking for evidence of ancient people living in that area during the time of the Nephites. The Germans with their world famous SENSYS Magnetometry equipment will be flying into Iowa to do the scanning. Below is a brief description of what they will be doing from Nov 9-12, 2020.
The preparations for the November Expedition are underway. The German engineers are getting the SENSYS MX V3 equipment with all its associated parts ready. Here is a video link that shows the packaging of the equipment. The freight is moving as air and surface cargo from Berlin, Germany, to Montrose, Iowa. We are making an allowance in the shipping time for a few days to clear U.S. Customs. We have already rented space near the site for assembly and storage of the equipment. he success of our search depends entirely upon the science that produces exact measurements. Of all the sub-terrain archaeological artifacts that SENSYS can quickly identify, fire pits are among the easiest. The heat of ancient fires altered the magnetic properties of soils and rocks. The SENSYS fluxgate tube can measure one-billionth of a Tesla (one nano-Tesla). The earth’s magnetic field that moves the needle of a Boy Scout’s compass is 50,000 nano-Teslas. So, the SENSYS machine is about 1/50,000th as sensitive as a compass needle. This fineness of measurement makes it possible to locate an ancient fire pit or post hole. There are 16 data readings per square inch. Figure it out. How many square inches in a hundred acres? Each magnetic data reading is significant. Each point has GPS coordinates that are +/- 0.25″ accurate. These measurements are beyond the understanding of any scientist or engineer from a past generation. That is how far modern science has taken us. During the last week, we have put our attention on community relations. There can be no discovery unless we can gain access to farmland. Now that the harvest is over, several owners have permitted us to scan their lands. Over ten days, we plan to survey 1,000 acres. We will have a reception for landowners to come to the site to see the scanning for themselves. We want to show them the exciting digital maps that will have evidence of ancient human activities from the ground. Science teachers from the local high school have expressed their interest in bringing busloads of students to the site. We are pleased to arrange a schedule to accommodate their requests. On the third day of the Expedition, we will have new and exciting images that will show what is buried underground. So, high school students will have a chance to see the equipment in operation on the farmlands of Lee County. From Ohio, Richard Moats, an archeologist, will also give students the benefit of his more than 30 years of experience in this field of study. We are sure that this will be an exciting project. We are arranging for representatives of the local press to come to the project so they can report on the local students’ interest in discovering pre-Eutotation habitation from the very lands they walk. We are ready to give to students, landowners, and local government officials a fascinating demonstration of how modern science makes it possible to see something that was last seen 2,000 years. We are happy to report that yesterday a former President of the Iowa Academy of Science agreed to help us with our community outreach. The Academy started in 1875 and has promoted the understanding of science in Iowa for one and a half centuries. The data flow from our search is enormous. Yesterday we retained the services of two computer scientists who have 70 years of computer programming. They have already begun to organize the systems required to handle such a volume of data. The German engineers and scientists will ensure that American computer experts can create essential images on digital maps. We are grateful for these developments. SENSYS Scanning
SENSYS MX V3 Scanning Equipment Ready to Scan for Zarahemla
Support for Arrowheads, Artifacts, Pottery, Head and Breastplates near Cumorah.
There is much evidence for arrowheads all over Cumorah!
Who’s Who in Indian Relics Volumes 1-16 acres not like any other Who’s Who book. It is entirely a book of photographed artifacts, showing thousands and thousands of pictures of authentic prehistoric artifacts. There are 16 volumes and about 400 pages in each all in full color. It chronicles present day collectors and their collections. Artifact identification. Published by The Messenger Printing Co., Kirkwood., 1988
Over 1,000,000 Mounds
“The most common question that is asked about mounds is, “How many exist?” In the 1800’s the Smithsonian sponsored many expeditions to identify mound sites across America. A map (shown below) was produced by Cyrus Thomas in 1894 in a Bureau of Ethnology book. They found approximately 100,000 mound sites, many with complexes containing 2 to 100 mounds. The figure of 100,000 mounds once existing— based on Cyrus Thomas map revealing 100,000 sites—is often cited by others, but that estimate is far, far too low. After visiting several thousand mounds and reviewing the literature, I am fairly certain that over 1,000,000 mounds once existed and that perhaps 100,000 still exist. Oddly, some new mound sites are discovered each year by archaeological surveys in remote areas. But in truth, a large majority of America’s mounds have been completely destroyed by farming, construction, looting, and deliberate total excavations” – Gregory L. Little, Ed.D., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworks, Eagle Wing Books, Inc., Memphis, TN [2013].
State of Ohio over 8,500 Culture sites of 50 to 100 mounds each.
Below is the referenced SL Tribune article and my response. I feel it is important to share my point of view, as I was mentioned in the article.
Who are the Heartlanders and why do they insist the Book of Mormon took place in U.S.?
By Tamarra Kemsley SL Tribune Sunday March 27, 2022 Conference Edition
This is an article written by the above Tamarra Kemsley that was in the Conference section of the SL Tribune on March 27, 2022.
While you can read and make your own conclusion about this article as I have, and make up your own mind on how you feel. My purpose on this blog it to simply respond to part of the article that spoke about me personally.
I will begin under the articles headline title of:
Why the Heartlanders are gaining traction now
In about the 6th paragraph into this above heading the article begins by bringing a lady named Hanna into the story.
Before I quote Hanna Seariac, who mentions me in the article of Tamarra’s, I would like to explain how I first met Hanna Seariac.
How I met Hanna Seriac
My dear friend and fellow Heartlander Hannah Stoddard actually introduced me to her and another graduating BYU student and friend of Hanna, named Tristen Mourier. (Notice in this post Hanna Seariac’s first name is “Hanna”, without the “H” and my friend Hannah Stoddard is spelled “Hannah”, with the “H” as first names). It is not confusing to me so in this article for you to understand better I will be spelling their names correctly with the simple “H” added to the Stoddard name or subtracted for the Seariac name.
I have been the event coordinator for Rod Meldrum’s FIRM Foundation Expo’s and Conferences for the past 15 or so conferences. They are held semi-annually usually here in Utah from Provo to Layton and quite often in St. George and out of state in the past as the virus issues have kept Rod more locally.
Hannah Stoddard gave me the names of Tristen and Hanna to be potential speakers at our conference that was scheduled in Sept 2021 as a video conference because of the virus, and not as a live event at a local convention center. I spoke with both Hanna and Tristen and after speaking with them, I was happy to have them both speak at our conference. Hannah had told me they were both in a group at BYU which was a gathering of students that had some different issues with some of the BYU professors and I was interested to have them speak about those differences. I left it up to them on what to speak on. Tristen chose a topic called “Michael and the Dragon – Win the War Raged Waged Against our Youth”, which I thought would be great to help the youth of the Church.
Hanna Seariac chose the topic of, “What is Critical Race Theory”, which I also thought was a great topic to help the youth. As a matter of fact I was strongly against the critical race theory and I didn’t like it in our schools. To me it was a very devise and even a racist concept saying as I understood it, the White race is at fault in life just for being White and Blacks are constant victims of the White society. That is too simplified as a definition, but I didn’t agree with its concept. Because of this I was happy to have a recent BYU student give her perspective about this theory so we could see both sides.
Currently on our bookofmormonevidence.org/streaming subscription site, are both of these talks from Hanna and Tristen that we recorded for our Sept 2021 conference that we have our Heartlanders and anyone else view who has a subscription.
Who Am I
For the sake of understanding, when I say I am a heartlander, or I say someone is a heartlander, I am simply describing a group of mostly very active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who just happen to believe the final battles of Hill Cumorah happened in New York and not in Mexico somewhere as most of those Mesoamericanists believe. Both groups are allowed to have their own opinions and both groups are good active LDS members. The Churches official opinion of where the events happened is of course neutral and stated officially here in the Gospel Topic Essay’s.
I personally am not neutral in my position, as I feel the Book of Mormon events happened in North America and I like the Wayne May and Rod Meldrum ideas. I believed the Mesoamerican theory from the time of my mission to Fiji 1975 until about 10 years ago, after hearing Rod Meldrum speak and then studying out things and praying about these theories, the Heartland Theory made the most sense to me after almost 40 years thinking the Central America ideas were correct, mostly because the light blue Book of Mormon I used mightily in Fiji and Kiribati and Vanuatu had pictures of Mexico and Central America in them, so i figured the Church was saying events of the Book of Mormon happened in Mexico and I believed what I saw in this blue BofM and that is why I believed in Mesoamerica. After many years I came to my own conclusion that events occurred starting in North America. I also however knew that through marriage and intermingling at the end at Cumorah in 385 AD, most likely the remaining Lamanites and some Nephites who had joined the Lamanites, were still roaming this North American land and probably moved into Canada and Mexico as well, but it all began I believe near the panhandle of Florida where i believe Lehi landed as Wayne May has said.
With my amazing and fruitful mission, I have learned to really love people of all races. I believe the Polynesians and Melanesians and Micronesians definitely have the blood of Israel and thus Lehi’s blood running through their veins. I have also grown up all my life loving baseball as my favorite three players were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants. I never noticed skin color and these three were my hero’s, along with Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins.
What is a Heartlander
Some uneducated people insist a Heartlander like me is an anti-vaxxer, and White supremist and believes in a flat earth. Well the Heartlanders I know don’t believe any of that. Sure we will get some ignorant person in any camp who is outside that norm, but I don’t know many at all. I mention this so you understand the out of context quote from Hanna Seariac or Tamarra Kemsley don’t apply to me. Hanna doesn’t even know me very well. I have had vaccines all my life including Polio, Chicken Pox etc. I even had my first ever flu shot about 2019 and after having it and getting a very bad flu, I promised myself I would never take another flu shot again.
When this current virus came up I had to make up my own mind. I saw the government pushing hard for me to take this shot, it was advertised by hospitals and doctors and the consensus in the world was this shot must be safe. I even saw my beloved Prophet take a shot. That is when I got serious about my decision on what to do. I have been taught all my life to not just follow the popular opinion , but to search for my personal answers. I studied and prayed and after seeing many of the ingredients in this shot and by seeing some unreported things happening that the main stream media didn’t report, and considering all my options I decided to net get THIS shot for personal reasons. My sister, brother, in-laws, and many others received the shot as they decided it was good for them and that is wonderful. We all should have freedom to chose and to this day I have chosen to not take the shot as I strongly feel it is not good for me. You can choose for yourself.
I have explained briefly some information about me, before I discuss the article written by the SL Tribune referenced above, so you can understand who I am. I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart and the same goes for the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and all the Apostles today with a deep love and respect for our Prophet Russell M. Nelson.
I invite you to our 29th BofM Conference. I have obtained over 30 copies of the SL Tribune Newspaper dated March 27, 2022 that I am happy to give at my cost only to anyone who asks. To the Heartlanders it is proof that as long as others talk about us, good or bad, it will help them be interested in looking into our love of the Savior. Just as the Broadway Play of the BofM is a terrible representation of the real gospel, it does bring many referrals to the Church of people interested in the Church. Tickets Here:Schedule of Speakers Here:
Hanna Seariac
Back to my being mentioned in a SL Tribune article. As I mentioned earlier, Hanna recorded a video for our Book of Mormon Evidence Conference in Sept 2021. The following is on our current website as her short biography.
“Hanna Seariac is a MA student focusing on early Christianity who works as a research assistant for religious scholarship and a research assistant on the BYU New Testament commentary series. She hosts the FairMormon podcast called “FAIR Voice”, runs an organization to combat pornography and sexual assault called “Han & Chan”, and writes religious and political articles.”
As the event organizer I was very happy to see that Hanna was going to speak for us about Critical Race Theory. Especially as it would be good to hear from a non-heartlander associated with FairMormon. I have invited many good people from different beliefs and backgrounds to speak, including members of the Church and non-members and Restorationist LDS members. Truth comes in all forms and I desire to hear from anyone who shares any truth. It is ultimately up to me to decide who speaks the truth based on my study and prayer so why would I ever be afraid to listen to dissenting opinions. I wouldn’t.
Quote from SL Tribune
Hanna Seariac, a master’s student at church-owned Brigham Young University studying ancient languages, has been tracking the Heartlander community online for a year. In just six months, she watched one social media account associated with the movement jump by 2,000 members.
Offline support also appears to be gaining ground, according to Brant Gardner, a Book of Mormon scholar who has written numerous books in defense of the Mesoamerican model.
“I see it frequently in wards and talking to people,” Gardner, who lives in New Mexico, said. “It’s a lot more prominent than it was.”
Exactly how popular the Heartland model has become is hard to say. As a reference, May points to the crowds he is able to draw when speaking at private events, estimating anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 might attend the lectures over three days.
“There are a lot of Saints out there that are very, very interested in what we’re doing,” May said, “and they’re paying close attention.”
To this, Gardner grudgingly agreed.
“We can’t get that many people to any of our conferences,” he said, referring to his own community of supporters of the Mesoamerican model. “It’s a point of envy.”
“They tend to be anti-vaxxers and to post about QAnon,” Seariac said, “and are just prone to conspiratorial thinking.”
(Courtesy of Hanna Seariac) Hanna Seariac, a master’s student at Brigham Young University studying ancient languages, says many Heartlanders “tend to be anti-vaxxers and to post about QAnon, and are just prone to conspiratorial thinking.”
Heartlanders also tend to be anti-immigration, Seariac and Gardner said. In fact, both agreed that, more than any other belief or concern, this appears to be the driving force behind the current surge in support for the theory — that is, a sense among backers that not only their country but also their sacred text must be reclaimed from foreigners, specifically Latinos.
The way Heartlanders see it, if the Book of Mormon took place in the United States and not, as many Latter-day Saint scholars including Gardner argue, in Central America, then the Native Americans — not Central Americans — are the descendants of the Lamanites.
Seariac and Gardner explained that while this argument may seem nitpicky to outsiders, it has real-world consequences.
“It has allowed a very jingoistic, very racist approach to the Book of Mormon,” Gardner said. “And there are a lot of people that resonates with.”
A March 2021 post shared on the website BookofMormonEvidence.org, maintained by the prominent Heartlander theorist Rod Meldrum, blogger Rian Nelson used this understanding to argue against permitting the swell of immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“If they were chosen by the Lord to come to America,” he wrote, “the Lord would allow them here without a lot of legal hankering.”
Complete Hanna Seriac quote. SL Trib 3-27-22
“A March 2021 post shared on the website BookofMormonEvidence.org, maintained by the prominent Heartlander theorist Rod Meldrum, blogger Rian Nelson used this understanding to argue against permitting the swell of immigrants arriving at the U.S.- Mexico border. “If they were chosen by the Lord to come to America,” he wrote, “the Lord would allow them here without a lot of legal hankering.”
My entire quote in context
“Question from a Customer!
Does the border immigration crisis have possible connections to the gathering of the Lamanites so they can participate in the construction of the NEW JERUSALEM?
Prepaid Preacher?
An LDS man on you tube called the prepaid preacher, quoted these following scriptures, claiming that maybe these illegal immigrants crossing the southern border today into our country are the house of Jacob as lions (Illegal Immigrants) going into the midst of sheep (Current Americans)
16 Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
22 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you. 3 Nephi 20:16,22
First of all the illegal immigrants coming from our southern border are mostly Asian and if they were chosen by the Lord to come to America, the Lord would allow them here without a lot of legal hankering.
We already have a very orderly way to bring immigrants legally into the USA but the system is broken and overwhelmed. The Lord works in an organized way not in chaos. We already allow over 1 million legal immigrants each year, how many should we allow illegally before we will be overrun? Besides, as Rod Meldrum explains below, those in Central and Mesoamerica are not the people spoken of in the Book of Mormon, these illegal immigrants just received some of the blood of Lehi from actual Nephites much later in about 900 AD.” Rian Nelson
Answer to Pre-Paid Preacher by Rod Meldrum:
“If our research on the geography of the Book of Mormon is correct then the vast majority of the remnant Lamanites are the North American Indians, not the Maya, Inca, or other populations of Central or South America who genetically are Asian, not Semitic or Hebrew
We know that the ancient people’s of North America had Middle-eastern genetic ancestry.
We know that the Asiatic Mayan civilization suffered the ‘Great Collapse’ around 800-900 AD leaving their cities abandoned and new findings indicate they came north into the Mississippi river valley. Indications are that they subjugated the remnant Lamanites, forcing them into slave labor to build their massive earth mounds (Cahokia, Etowah, Ocmulgee and other massive mound complexes) and after 300 years the Lamanites overthrew them and the Maya descendants returned to their original lands around 1100-1200 AD. There was considerable intermixing between the two peoples over that 300 years, resulting in some Lamanite genetic ancestry being brought back into Central and South America and giving them claim to having Lamanite ancestry.
However, the New Jerusalem location in the Heartland of America (USA) was never the ancestral home of the Maya. Neither was this the case for any other Central American ancient civilization.
The Heartland of America was anciently occupied first by the Adena (Jaredite) culture, and then the Hopewell (Nephite) culture. The descendants of the later Hopewell culture are the North American Indians of the Algonquin language groups, which consists of some 110 tribes primarily located in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada. There are a few of those tribes that migrated west, such as the Sioux, Cheyenne and Blackfoot.
So, in order for the people now crossing the border illegally to be some type of fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the building of the New Jerusalem…
First, wouldn’t they need to be primarily Lamanites?
Second, how can they be returning to their ancestral lands when the Heartland of America was never their lands anciently?
Therefore, as I see it, the crisis going on at the border has little or nothing to do with Lamanites coming to reclaim ancestral lands they never occupied in order to begin construction of the New Jerusalem.
I hope this makes sense in the brevity in which I’ve attempted to explain a complex issue that really deserves more time.
If you’d like to delve further into this subject may I suggest getting a copy of my DVD, The Hinterland Hypothesis, which I released a couple of years ago that goes into detail about what happened in North America after the end of the Book of Mormon’s Nephite civilization. I think you’d find it fascinating.” Rod Meldrum March 22, 2021
I want to share some quotes who express my feelings better than I can. I love this quote by Elder Hinckley. “I should like to say a few words about America…No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America…surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty.” Gordon B. Hinckley Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”, BYU Speeches of the Year, October 29, 1974, pp. 267-68 )
Bishop Orson F. Whitney also said, “…in culmination of the grand scheme of schemes, this great nation, the Republic of the United States, might be established upon this land as an asylum for the oppressed; a resting place, it might be said, for the Ark of the covenant, where the temple of our God might be built; where the plan of salvation might be introduced and practiced in freedom, and not a dog would wag his tongue in opposition to the purposes of the Almighty. We believe that this was His object in creating the Republic of the United States; the only land where his work could be commenced or the feet of his people find rest. No other land had such liberal institutions, had adopted so broad a platform upon which all men might stand. We give glory to those patriots for the noble work they did; but we give the first glory to God, our Father and their Father, who inspired them. We take them by the hand as brothers. We believe they did nobly their work, even as we would fain do ours, faithfully and well, that we might not be recreant in the eyes of God, for failing to perform the mission to which He has appointed us.” Bishop Orson F. Whitney, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, April 19, 1885. Reported by John Irvine. Journal Discourses Volume 26 Page 201
Also here is our then Prophet Thomas S. Monson who said, “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.” Monson, Thomas S., Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, 2011, pp. 14-15, 157-158
One more quote from then Elder Russell M Nelson. “The Book of Mormon reveals that Joseph, the son of Jacob who was once sold into Egypt, foresaw the Prophet Joseph Smith and his day (see 2 Ne. 3:6–21) and noted that there would be many similarities in their lives. Centuries later, the Prophet Joseph stated, “I feel like Joseph in Egypt.” (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984, p. 409; spelling modernized.) The Book of Mormon reveals that the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, was not forgotten when, as promised in the Abrahamic covenant, land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. Joseph’s inheritance was to be a land choice above all others. (See Ether 13:2, 8.) It was choice not because of beauty or wealth of natural resources, but choice because it was chosen. It was to be the repository of sacred writing on plates of gold from which the Book of Mormon would one day come, choice because it would eventually host world headquarters of the restored church of Jesus Christ in the latter days.” A TREASURED TESTAMENT By Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles JULY 1993 Adapted from an address given 25 June 1992 at a seminar for new mission presidents, Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah.
Whether you believe the beginning of Lehi’s landing and Book of Mormon events happened in Mesoamerica, North America, or anywhere else, we should respect each other and allow others to have their own beliefs. We hopefully all love the Lord and His Church.
President Russell M. Nelson in Priesthood Session on April 3, 2021 said, “What are lessons learned — and never to be forgotten — in the two years since the last general conference priesthood session?
By Ken Corbett
Lesson 1: “The home is the center of faith and worship.” Lesson 2: “We need each other.” Lesson 3: “Your priesthood quorum is meant for more than just a meeting.” Lesson 4: “We hear Jesus Christ better when we are still.” __President Russell M. Nelson April 3, 2021
“If you know of anyone who is alone, reach out — even if you feel alone, too! … Pandemic or not, each precious child of God needs to know that he or she is not alone!”President Russell M. Nelson April 3, 2021
President Nelson also quoted from Luke, emphasizing; [When men’s hearts are failing] “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:25-28
“People will be afraid. Men’s hearts are failing and that includes womenbecause they forget their identity and purpose.” The heartaches will come…. Don’t demand things that are unreasonable, but demand of yourself improvements. As you let the Lord help you through that, He will make the difference.” Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them (Video transcript by Elder Russell M Nelson Nov 18, 2011 highlights added)
May the blessings of Easter be with each of you. He died that we may live, so may we live to remember Him. I am sharing with you below on this Easter day, words of the Scriptures, songs of praise and pictures of beauty. May we all live worthy to be with our Savior Jesus Christ again. I know He lives.
“Yea, even so He shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death, giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy, being filled with compassion towards the children of men, standing betwixt them and justice, having broken the bands of death, taken upon Himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.” The Prophet Abinadi (Mosiah 15:7-9)
THE ANNOTATED EDITION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON Page v, vii, ix, and 585 THE OLD TESTAMENT: “I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries whither I have driven them.” (Jeremiah 23:3) THE NEW TESTAMENT: “I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.” (John 10:14-16) THE BOOK OF MORMON: “And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: ‘Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.’” (3 Nephi 15:21) “…for behold, I know My sheep and they are numbered.” (3 Nephi 18:31)
Above: Christ Appears to the Nephites in North America by Kendra Burton
YEA, come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that by His grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. (Moroni 10:32) ND He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, ‘He will take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses of His people.’ And He will take upon Him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people; and He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11–12; see Isaiah 53:4)
Book of Mormon References to Deity by Charles D. Tate
In a day when many claim that the “Mormon Church” is a cult and certainly not a Christian church, it is interesting to note that the Book of Mormon has 476 references to the Lord Jesus Christ by name. With 531 pages in the text of the 1981 LDS edition, that averages nearly one reference per page. Of all the other Christian scriptures, only the Gospels, which abundantly use the name Jesus because they present synopses of his life, have more references to him by name.
Lee Crandall and Susan Easton Black did studies on the frequency of all references to Deity in both the Book of Mormon and the New Testament. They found that even with 1,349 fewer verses than the New Testament, the Book of Mormon makes 108 more references to the Lord. (Because Jehovah was actually the premortal Christ, and because the Savior directs the affairs of the world, most of the references to Deity in the Book of Mormon refer to Jesus Christ.)
I, too, had long known that almost every page of the Book of Mormon refers to Deity. In my Book of Mormon classes I would have the students let their copies of that scripture fall open randomly to any page. We would see how many times the books would fall open before we found one of the few pages that did not contain a specific name of God. Pronoun references did not count.
We learned a great lesson—the Book of Mormon is a Christ-oriented book. I had heard estimates that there are fewer than 50 of the 531 pages in the Book of Mormon on which a name of God does not appear. Not satisfied with guesswork, I set out to count the pages that did not contain a name of Deity.
To my delight, I found that only 30 of the 531 pages contain no specific name reference to Deity. Furthermore, many of those 30 pages make references to God without using names.
For instance, two pages record catastrophes and “a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth” (3 Ne. 9:1), but the source, Jesus Christ, is not identified by name until the third page.
Two more pages describe Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. (1 Ne. 8:1–35.) Nephi later tells us that the tree and the rod of iron in the vision are the love of God and the word of God. (1 Ne. 11:21–22; 1 Ne. 15:23–24.)
To those who say Latter-day Saints don’t respect Christ or don’t worship him, we need simply point to the Book of Mormon. If they read only the book of Moroni, they will encounter 215 references to him in its thirteen and one-half pages. Page 519 alone has 26 references to Deity. The Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture that centers on God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. It records the Lord’s dealings with the Nephites and witnesses to the world that the Bible is true, that Jesus is the Christ, and that God still speaks from the heavens.
Names of Christ in the Book of Mormon By Susan Easton Black
Even statistically, he’s the dominant figure of the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon was preserved to come forth in these latter days to convince “the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.” Its purpose is to verify the divine Sonship of the Nazarene to those who “ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.” (Moro. 10:4.)
The divinity of Christ is proclaimed by prophets in the Book of Mormon. They had a conviction of his divinity because the Holy Ghost had revealed it unto them.
Through the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost, these prophets also knew that their writings were to bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ. This they solemnly did, more than I had ever realized. In a word-by-word study, I have found some form of the Lord’s name mentioned an average of every 1.7 verses in the Book of Mormon. (See Table 1.)
I have found that the Savior is referred to by one hundred different names—from the first reference to him as “Lord” in 1 Nephi 1:1 [1 Ne. 1:1] to the final reference to him as “the Eternal Judge” in Moroni 10:34. [Moro. 10:34] (See Table 2.) Each of the one hundred names signifies a different attribute or characteristic of the Lord and was used appropriately to convey the prophets’ recognition of who he is and what his mission represents. For example, “Savior” means that Christ came to save his people from their sins. “Holy One” signifies that he is holy and without sin, being perfect in all things. “God of the Whole Earth” reflects his universal interest in all men and their redemption. “Lord of Hosts” indicates that Christ is a God of battles. And “Lord Omnipotent” means that Christ is the Lord of all, possessing all power. The names given to our Lord take on new significance when they are approached through a thoughtful and sensitive study of their meanings. His profound character, his singular mission, and his divine relationship to man are thereby more clearly revealed.
Further understanding of man’s relationship to Christ, the central figure of the Book of Mormon, occurs through a study of the periods of apostasy, contention, and war. Fewer references to Christ are made during these periods of darkness, probably because his influence is lessened due to the unrighteous actions of man. (See Alma 50–59, for example.) During periods of peace, joy, and prosperity, which come through man’s keeping the commandments, the names of Christ are used profusely, indicating the abundant presence of his Spirit. (See 4 Ne. 1, for example.) Thus, the righteous actions of the people brought the influence and blessings of Christ among them.
Being aware of the number of references to Christ, having an understanding of the meanings for each name, and knowing when his influence can be greatest upon the earth can inspire reverential awe for our Savior. The witness of his divinity, however, must come personally to each of us—we cannot rely exclusively on the testimonies of others. The conviction that Jesus is the Christ occurs only when God, the Eternal Father, manifests the truth of it “by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Moro. 10:4.) To the prayerful and the sincere, the Book of Mormon bears a powerful testimony that “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.” https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1978/07/discovery/names-of-christ-in-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
Charts adapted from Susan Easton’s
FINAL COMMENTS and TESTIMONIES/From the ANNOTATED EDITION of THE BOOK OF MORMON
On August 16, 2017, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave an address at the 50-year jubilee of the discovery of chiasmus wherein he spoke at BYU in the Joseph Smith Auditorium Building saying, “the presiding officers of the Church appreciate and applaud the exceptional work being done by so many to search and to substantiate, to defend and promulgate the history and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including and especially the Book of Mormon, in a way both scholarly and spiritual.” He discussed the contributions from scholars at BYU, including John W. Welch, who discovered chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, and then continued by saying, “that compliment is, of course, extended to a legion of other men and women across the Church who are putting their shoulders to the wheel of reasoned, determined, persuasive gospel scholarship. Other groups and like-minded colleagues are not part of the university per se, but may be nearby, or spread out around the Church. Our heartfelt thanks go to all of you wherever you are…
”He continued, “it should be noted that truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart.” Speaking of the unbelieving eleven disciples of Christ following Mary and Peter’s witness of Christ resurrected, Elder Holland referenced Mark 16:14 and explained, “The message is that if members of the Godhead go to the trouble of providing‘ many infallible proofs’ [Act 1:3] of truth, then surely we are honor bound to affirm and declare that truth and may be upbraided if we do not.” He stated that “we ought to be more assertive than we sometimes are in defending our testimony of truth.
”Elder Holland then concluded, “in making our case for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work… May our Father in Heaven bless us and an ever-larger cadre of young scholars around the Church to do more and more to discover and delineate and declare the reasons for the hope that is in us, that like those converted Lamanites, we may with bold conviction hold up to a world that desperately needs it ‘the greatness of the evidences which [we have] received,’ [Hela-man 5:50] especially of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the keystone of our religion.”– Chiasmus, An Open Conference on the State of the Art, Celebrating 50Years of Scholarship, Sponsored by Book of Mormon Central.
It is our hope and desire to do as Elder Holland has indicated, to affirm and declare “with bold conviction” the greatness of the evidences that have been discovered in support of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Our purpose for combining the sacred text of the Book of Mormon with the now enormous number of evidences continually springing from the earth in the land choice above all others in this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, is to affirm that this is divine scripture, and the events, places and peoples contained within its pages were real.
We solemnly bear our witness that Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet of God and testify that he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. We pray that the Lord’s Spirit will attend and bless all who will read and ponder the words of this book. The Holy Ghost has borne witnesses to us that the Book of Mormon is indeed the Word of God.– David R. Hocking and Rod L. Meldrum.
Yea, even so He shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death, giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men— having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy, being filled with compassion towards the children of men, standing betwixt them and justice, having broken the bands of death, taken upon Himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.” The Prophet Abinadi (Mosiah 15:7-9)
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”(2 Nephi 25:26)
Remember the Interpreters came from the Brother of Jared when the Lord touched those two additional stones, (Ether 3:23) and they were sealed up and later Mosiah received them and possibly Lehi before and finally sealed up by Moroni before Moroni showed them to Joseph Smith.Purchase Tickets Now!
A Passover Setting for Lehi’s Exodus
Don Bradley Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Abstract: Later in his life, former Palmyra resident Fayette Lapham recounted with sharp detail an 1830 interview he conducted with Joseph Smith Sr. about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Among the details he reports that Lehi’s exodus from Jerusalem occurred during a “great feast.” This detail, not found in the published Book of Mormon, may reveal some of what Joseph Sr. knew from the lost 116 pages. By examining the small plates account of this narrative in 1 Nephi 1−5, we see not only that such a feast was possible, but that Lehi’s exodus and Nephi’s quest for the brass plates occurred at Passover. This Passover setting helps explain why Nephi killed Laban and other distinctive features of Lehi’s exodus. Read in its Passover context, the story of Lehi is not just the story of one man’s deliverance, but of the deliverance of humankind by the Lamb of God. The Passover setting in which it begins illuminates the meaning of the Book of Mormon as a whole.
[Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of the author’s book, The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Lost Stories (Salt Lake City: Kofford Books, 2019).]
This chapter examines the narrative of 1 Nephi 1−5 as a series of events occurring at the Passover season, beginning with Lehi’s theophany (vision of God) at the start of the Passover month of Nisan and culminating with Nephi’s slaying of Laban on the final day of the Jewish Passover celebration.1 Although this text comprises five chapters in the current Latter-day Saint edition of the Book of Mormon, it [Page 120]constitutes just one chapter — the original 1 Nephi Chapter I — in the first edition of the Book of Mormon and presents a single overarching narrative of the escape of Lehi’s family from destruction in Jerusalem and the beginning of their exodus to a new promised land. Read against the backdrop of the Passover season, the narrative of Lehi’s exodus is not merely a narrative of one family’s deliverance from temporal destruction but also a typological narrative of the redemption of humanity by the divine Lamb of God.
Fayette Lapham’s Interview with Joseph Smith Sr.
Joseph Smith Sr.
In early 1830, shortly before the Book of Mormon came off the Grandin press, Palmyra businessman Fayette Lapham and his brother-in-law Jacob Ramsdell called at the Joseph Smith Sr. home in Manchester to get information on the forthcoming book.2 As Palmyra residents, Lapham and Ramsdell would have heard the considerable buzz in town about the Book of Mormon but were not yet able to satisfy their curiosity by reading its pages. Instead, the two young men enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing the Prophet’s father relate the story of the Book of Mormon’s emergence, and they were given an oral sneak preview of its contents. Four decades later, Lapham published an extensive account of this interview [Page 121]in an 1870 issue of The Historical Magazine.3 Despite the lapse of years and the account’s occasional garbling of fact, Lapham’s narration is filled with firsthand information that demonstrates his reliance on a primary source with knowledge of the actual information and events, indicating that he may have written his newspaper account from detailed notes of his interview with Joseph Sr.4 Whether Lapham’s source was interview notes or an extraordinary memory, his accuracy on many obscure but confirmable details, such as the order in which Joseph Smith translated Mormon’s abridgement and Nephi’s small plates after the manuscript loss, lends credence to additional, unique details he provides.5
In relating Nephite history, Lapham’s account largely retells familiar Book of Mormon stories. Yet at key points it also adds to the existing narrative some story elements not found in the published Book of Mormon. These additional pieces of Nephite narrative, though new or unknown, fit remarkably well into the familiar, known narrative, suggesting that they are not errors but echoes of narrative from the lost pages. Surprisingly, the interview account gives nearly five times as much [Page 122]space to the period of the narrative covered by the lost pages as it does to the period that follows the lost portion. One wonders if the Prophet’s father, realizing his interviewers would not be able to read the fuller Nephite narrative given in the lost manuscript, attempted to provide more of that early narrative than the published book would provide. This seems to be the most probable explanation for the additional Nephite narrative given in Lapham’s account.
Despite his intellectual interest, Lapham was never a believer in Joseph Jr. as a prophet and appears to have never even read the Book of Mormon. In fact, Lapham came away from his interview with Joseph Sr. believing the Book of Mormon to be a hoax, which obviated his need to read it. Given this lack of familiarity with the book, and especially its missing pages, it is unlikely that Lapham could have identified what was missing from lost manuscript narrative and constructed elements that fill those gaps and fit the pattern of Book of Mormon narrative. Source
Historical Magazine (second series)/ Volume 7/ May 1870/Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith
“Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty Years Ago. His Account of the Finding of the Sacred Plates” (1870) [La]Fayette Lapham
Republished in Vogel, Dan (1996), Early Mormon Documents, vol.1,Salt Lake City Signature Books, ISBN 1-56085-072-8.
I think it was in the year 1830, I heard that some ancient records had been discovered that would throw some new light upon the subject of religion; being deeply interested in the matter, I concluded to go to the place and learn for myself the truth of the matter. Accompanied by a friend, Jacob Ramsdell, I set out to find the Smith family, then residing some three or four miles South of the village of Palmyra, Wayne county, New York, and near the line of the town of Manchester. Joseph, Junior, afterwards so well known, not being at home, we applied to his father for the information we wanted. This Joseph Smith, Senior, we soon learned, from his own lips, was a firm believer in witchcraft and other supernatural things; and had brought up his family in the same belief. He also believed that there was a vast amount of money buried somewhere in the country; that it would some day be found; that he himself had spent both time and money searching for it, with divining rods, but had not succeeded in finding any, though sure that he eventually would.
In reply to our question, concerning the ancient records that had been found, he remarked that they had suffered a great deal of persecution on account of them; that many had been there for that purpose, and had made evil reports of them, intimating that perhaps we had come for a like purpose; but, becoming satisfied of our good intentions and that we only sought correct information, he gave us the following history, as near as I can repeat his words:
His son Joseph, whom he called the illiterate, when about fourteen years of age, happened to be where a man was looking into a dark stone and telling people, therefrom, where to dig for money and other things. Joseph requested the privilege of looking into the stone, which he did by putting his face into the hat where the stone was. It proved to be not the right stone for him; but he could see some things, and, among them, he saw the stone, and where it was, in which he could see whatever he wished to see. Smith claims and believes that there is a stone of this quality, somewhere, for every one. The place where he saw the stone was not far from their house; and, under pretense of digging a well, they found water and the stone at a depth of twenty or twenty-two feet. After this, Joseph spent about two years looking into this stone, telling fortunes, where to find lost things, and where to dig for money and other hidden treasure.”
Editors note: To me personally this Lapham information is not a reliable source for the truth about the translation method.
Scripture tells us the true method of translation in over 8 places in the scriptures. I include one here from JSH 1:35 that says, “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and 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.” I have written a large volume of information about the Proper translation with the interpreters and the spectacles, and you can download a free 26-page edition of my information here.
Nowhere in the scriptures does it say anything about a stone in a hat that Joseph used for translation. This painting I had commissioned by Anne Oborn is how I envision the translation. Read more in the PDF link above.
I love this book by James and Hannah Stoddard. SEER STONE V. URIM & THUMMIM: BOOK OF MORMON TRANSLATION ON TRIAL (BOOK) $20.00. Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years. Purchase Here
Lapham continues, “About this time he became concerned as to his future state of existence, and was baptized, becoming thus a member of the Baptist Church. Soon after joining the Church, he had a very singular dream; but he did not tell his father of his dream, until about a year afterwards. He then told his father that, in his dream, a very large and tall man appeared to him, dressed in an ancient suit of clothes, and the clothes were bloody. And the man said to him that there was a valuable treasure, buried many years since, and not far from that place; and that he had now arrived for it to be brought to light, for the benefit of the world at large; and, if he would strictly follow his directions, he would direct him to the place where it was deposited, in such a manner that he could obtain it.
He then said to him, that he would have to get a certain coverlid, which he described, and an old-fashioned suit of clothes, of the same color, and a napkin to put the treasure in; and go to a certain tree, not far distant, and when there, he would see other objects that he would take or keep in range and follow, until he was directed to stop, and there he would find the treasure that he was in pursuit of; and when he had obtained it, he must not lay it down until he placed it in the napkin. “And,” says Smith, “in the course of a year, I succeeded in finding all the articles, as directed; and one dark night Joseph mounted his horse, and, aided by some supernatural light, he succeeded in finding the starting point and the objects in range.” Following these, as far as he could with the horse without being directed to stop, he proceeded on foot, keeping the range in view, until he arrived at a large boulder, of several tons weight, when he was immediately impressed with the idea that the object of his pursuit was under that rock. Feeling around the edge, he found that the under side was fiat. Being a stout man, and aided by some super-natural power, he succeeded in turning the rock upon its edge, and under it he found a square block of masonry, in the centre of which were the articles referred to by the man seen in the dream. Taking up the first article, he saw others below; laying down the first, he endeavored to secure the others; but, before he could get hold of them, the one he had taken up slid back to the place he had taken it from, and, to his great surprise and terror, the rock immediately fell back to its former place, nearly crushing him in its descent. His first thought was that he had not properly secured the rock when it was turned up, and accordingly he again tried to lift it, but now in vain; he next tried with the aid of levers, but still without success. While thus engaged, he felt something strike him on the breast, which was repeated the third time, always with increased force, the last such as to lay him upon his back. As he lay there, he looked up and saw the same large man that had appeared in his dream, dressed in the same clothes. He said to him that, when the treasure was deposited there, he was sworn to take charge of and protect that property, until the time should arrive for it to be exhibited to the world of mankind; and, in order to prevent his making an improper disclosure, he was murdered or slain on the spot, and the treasure had been under his charge ever since.
He said to him that he had not followed his directions; and, in consequence of laying the article down before putting it in the napkin, he could not have the article now; but that if he would come again, one year from that time, he could then have them. The year passed over before Joseph was aware of it, so time passed by; but he went to the place of deposit, where the same man appeared again, and said he had not been punctual in following his directions, and, in consequence, he could not have the article yet. Joseph asked when he could have them; and the answer was, “Come in one year from this time, and bring your oldest brother with you; then you may have them.” During that year, it so happened that his oldest brother died; but, at the end of the year, Joseph repaired to the place again, and was told by the man who still guarded the treasure, that, inasmuch as he could not bring his oldest brother, he could not have the treasure yet; but there would be another person appointed to come with him in one year from that time, when he could have it. Joseph asked, “How shall I know the person?” and was told that the person would be known to him at sight.
Lost 116 Pages
During that year, Joseph went to the town of Harmony, in the State of Pennsylvania, at the request of some one who wanted the assistance of his divining rod and stone in finding hidden treasure, supposed to have been deposited there by the Indians or others.While there, he fell in company with a young woman; and, when he first saw her, he was satisfied that she was the person appointed to go with him to get the treasure he had so often failed to secure. To insure success, he courted and married her. When his work was ended at Harmony, he returned with her to his father’s, in Wayne county; and, at the expiration of the year, he procured a horse and light wagon, with a small chest and a pillow-case, and proceeded, punctually, with his wife, to find the hidden treasure. When they had gone as far as they could with the wagon, Joseph took the pillow-case and started for the rock.
Upon passing a fence, a host of devils began to screech and to scream, and made all sorts of hideous yells, for the purpose of terrifying him and preventing the attainment of his object; but Joseph was courageous, and pursued his way, in spite of them all. Arriving at the stone, he again lifted it, with the aid of superhuman power, as at first, and secured the first, or uppermost article, this time putting it carefully into the pillow-case, before laying it down. He now attempted to secure the remainder; but just then the same old man appeared, and said to him, that the time had not yet arrived for their exhibition to the world; but that when the proper time came he should have them, and exhibit them with the one he had now secured; until that time arrived, no one must be allowed to touch the one he had in his possession; for if they did, they would be knocked down by some superhuman power. Joseph ascertained that the remaining articles were a gold hilt and chain, and a gold ball with two pointers. The hilt and chain had once been part of a sword of unusual size; but the blade had rusted away and become useless. Joseph then turned the rock back, took the article in the pillow-case, and returned to the wagon; the devils, with more hideous yells than before, followed him to the fence; as he was getting over the fence, one of the devils struck him a blow on his side, where a black and blue spot remained three or four days; but Joseph persevered and brought the article safely home. “I weighed it,” said Mr. Smith, Senior, “and it weighed thirty pounds.”continued
No Sword of Laban or Liahona stored in the stone box at Cumorah. They were with all other records in the nearby Cave at Cumorah. See below.
Two Depositories in Hill Cumorah
“The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces. Men, women and children fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . .
These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
Continued, “In answer to our question, as to what it was that Joseph had thus obtained, he said it consisted of a set of gold plates, about six inches wide, and nine or ten inches long. They were in the form of a book, half an inch thick, but were not bound at the back, like our books, but were held together by several gold rings, in such a way that the plates could be opened similar to a book. Under the first plate, or lid, he found a pair of spectacles, about one and a half inches longer than those used at the present day, the eyes not of glass, but of diamond. On the next page were representations of all the masonic implements, as used by masons at the present day. The remaining pages were closely written over in characters of some unknown tongue, the last containing the alphabet of this unknown language. Joseph, not being able to read the characters, made a copy of some of them, which he showed to some of the most learned men of the vicinity. All the clue he could obtain was from George Crane, who said he had seen a Pass that had been given to Luther Bradish, when traveling through the Turkish dominions; and he thought the characters resembled those of that Pass.
Accordingly, Joseph went to Franklin-county, and saw Mr. Bradish, who could not read the strange characters, but advised him to return home and go into other business. But Joseph was not willing to give up the matter, without further trial; and from Franklin county he went to New York city, where the most learned man then in the city told him that, with few exceptions, the characters were Arabic, but not enough to make any thing out. Returning home, he one day tried the spectacles, and found that, by looking through them, he could see everything—past, present, and future—and could also read and understand the characters written on the plates. Before proceeding to translate the characters, Joseph was directed to choose twelve Apostles, who must be men who believed in the supernatural. He would not err in cho[o]sing them, as he would know the proper persons as soon as he saw them. One was to be a Scribe. After much opposition, Joseph succeeded in finding the requisite number of believers, among them Martin Harris, who was chosen Scribe. After having made these necessary arrangements, Joseph was directed not to make the translation where there was so much opposition; hence, after procuring the necessary materials, he and Martin went to Harmony, in Pennsylvania, where they would be less persecuted, and where Joseph, with spectacles on, translated the characters on the gold plates, and Harris recorded the result.
After thus translating a number of plates, Harris wanted to return to Palmyra, taking a part of the writings with him; but the Lord objected, for fear that Harris would show them to unbelievers, who would make sport and derision of them. But Harris finally obtained leave to take them, on condition that he should let no one see them, except those who believed in them; in this he was indiscreet, and showed them to some one that he ought not to. When he next went to his drawer to get them, behold! they were not there; the Lord had taken them away.
Interpreters
Joseph and Harris returned to Harmony, and found the plates missing—the Lord had taken them also. Then Joseph put on the spectacles, and saw where the Lord had hid them, among the rocks, in the mountains. Though not allowed to get them, he could, by the help of the spectacles, read them where they were, as well as if they were before him. They were directed not to re-translate the part already gone over, for fear the new work would not correspond, in every particular, with the old; their enemies might take advantage of that circumstance, and condemn the whole. But they could begin where they left off, and translate until they were directed to stop; for, in consequence of their indiscretion, they would not be allowed to translate the whole, at present. At some future time, they would be allowed to translate the whole; and then their translation, the gold plates, the gold hilt, ball and pointers could all be circulated together, each a witness of the others.
In answer to our question as to the subject of the translation, he said it was the record of a certain number of Jews, who, at the time of crossing the Red Sea, left the main body and went away by themselves; finally became a rich and prosperous nation; and, in the course of time, became so wicked that the Lord determined to destroy them from off the face of the earth. But there was one virtuous man among them, whom the Lord warned in a dream to take his family and depart, which he accordingly did; and, after traveling three days, he remembered that he had left some papers, in the office where he had been an officer, which he thought would be of use to him in his journeyings. He sent his son back to the city to get them; and when his son arrived in the city, it was night, and he found the citizens had been having a great feast, and were all drunk. When he went to the office to get his father’s papers he was told that the chief clerk was not in, and he must find [him] before he could have the papers. He then went into the street in search of him; but every body being drunk, he could get but little information of his whereabouts, but, after searching a long time, he found him lying in the street, dead drunk, clothed in his official habiliments, his sword having a gold hilt and chain, lying by his side—and this is the same that was found with the gold plates. Finding that he could do nothing with him in that situation, he drew the sword, cut off the officer’s head, cast off this own outer garments, and, assuming those of the officer, returned to the office where the papers were readily obtained, with which he returned to where his father was waiting for him.
The family then moved on, for several days, when they were directed to stop and get materials to make brass plates upon which to keep a record of their journey; also to erect a tabernacle, wherein they could go and inquire whenever they became bewildered or at a loss what to do. After all things were ready, they started on their journey, in earnest; a gold ball went before them, having two pointers, one pointing steadily the way they should go, the other the way to where they could get provisions and other necessaries. After traveling many days, they came to a mountain, from which they were directed to get gold plates to keep their records upon, and to transfer to them those already on the brass plates. Finishing these, they resumed their journey; and, after traveling many days, came to a wide water, where they were directed to build a vessel.When this was completed, they set sail, still directed by the gold ball. After sailing a long time, they came to land, went on shore, and thence they traveled through boundless forests, until, at length, they came to a country where there were a great many lakes; which country had once been settled by a very large race of men, who were very rich, having a great deal of money. From some unknown cause, this nation had become extinct; “but that money,” said Smith, “is here, now, every dollar of it.” When they, the Jews, first beheld this country, they sent out spies to see what manner of country it was, who reported that the country appeared to have been settled by a very large race of men, and had been, to all appearances, a very rich agricultural and manufacturing nation. They also found something of which they did not know the use, but when they went into the tabernacle, a voice said, “What have you got in your hand, there?” They replied that they did not know, but had come to inquire; when the voice said, “Put it on your face, and put your face in a skin, and you will see what it is.”They did so, and could see everything of the past, present, and future; and it was the same spectacles that Joseph found with the gold plates.
The gold ball stopped here and ceased to direct them any further;the family took possession of the country; their descendants became a great nation; among them were prophets who foretold the coming of Christ, and said that, as a sign of his coming, there would be three days in which there would be no night, for the light of day would continue during three days. In process of time the sign appeared as foretold by the prophets; and when Christ left Jerusalem he came to this nation; and, finding them much more perfect and harmonious in their religious views than the Jews were at Jerusalem, he was more particular in giving them instructions as to baptism, and said they must go down into the water, and be put under the water, and come up out of the water. But, after this, they became corrupt and wicked; enmity and discord prevailed among them, to such an extent, that they could no longer dwell together; hence they divided up into tribes, were scattered over the face of the earth, and their descendants are the American Indians.
The Liahona by Ken Corbett
At this point, the interview came to an end; and my friend and myself returned home, fully convinced that we had smelt a large mice.” Historical Magazine (second series)/Volume 7/May 1870/Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith by Lafayette Lapham
After praying about it I didn’t smelt a large mice, but I felt the story was very interesting. I believe the Story of Laban was probably during a festival in Jerusalem, and likely Lehi or Nephi had the Urim and Thummim, as you see in my painting below. Also to hear about Lehi erecting a temple in the wilderness is very interesting. Lapham also said Joseph Smith Sr. said, “Under the first plate, or lid, he found a pair of spectacles, about one and a half inches longer than those used at the present day, the eyes not of glass, but of diamond.” Possibly a storage compartment for the glasses was inside the first leaf of the plates possibly secured like the image left with the box being a lighter wood encasing.
By Ken Corbett. Nephi’s Temple on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN
In my opinion the story of Lapham is very interesting but I don/t believe the entire article to be the truth. My main source of belief through prayer is the words of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, with the witness of Lucy Mack Smith. You can read about this in my PDF download I gave you above. I believe scriptures, not quotes from David Whitmer, Martin Harris or Emma Smith who latter said Joseph used a stone in a hat. But, none of the three above ever saw the Interpreters or the breastplate. Only after translation did David and Martin view the plates of gold.
I also believe a lot in the quote below from Joseph Fielding Smith. In my opinion he has it correct. “The Prophet Joseph Smith used the same Urim and Thummim that was “given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face” (D&C 17:1). President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote a brief history regarding the Urim and Thummim: “King Mosiah possessed ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ called by the Nephites Interpreters, with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purposes of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these two stones or Urim and Thummim the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this gift or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the Brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. “That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the Brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from Book of Mormon teachings. The Brother of Jared was commanded to seal up his writings of the vision he had when Christ appeared to him, so that they could not be read by his people. … The Urim and Thummim were also sealed up so that they could not be used for the purpose of interpreting those sacred writings of this vision, until such time as the Lord should grant to man to interpret them. When they were to be revealed, they were to be interpreted by the aid of the same Urim and Thummim [Ether 3:21–28]. …“Joseph Smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the Brother of Jared [D&C 17:1]” (Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation, 3:223–25). The Prophet inquired of the Lord, and D&C Section 17 was given in answer through the Urim and Thummim.
There are many differences in thought about where the Book of Mormon events happened. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not have a specific opinion. The main two ideas are, Mesoamerica and Heartland of the United States. There are over 100 other opinions that get a very small following such as Baja, South America and Peru.
The map below compares the two most followed theories and shows them side by side. You have all heard the main reason for even looking at Mesoamerica all these years most likely has to do with the Isthmus of Tehuantepec being misunderstood as the Narrow Neck of Land (Ether 10:20), which is where the “land divides the sea”, not the sea divides the land” as it says correctly in Ether. See blog here:
One Cumorah
“Because of this theory [Two Cumorah’s] some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.”Doctrines of Salvation Vol. III by Joseph Fielding Smith (Author), Bruce R. McConkie (Editor)
I hope you have not been greatly disturbed in your faith in the book of Mormon. Which ever theory you believe this book is true. However, just as we know the Savior was from Judea, I feel comfort in knowing that the Nephites were born in North America. It just makes sense to me. Conference Tickets Now
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.”
Final Battles Took Place Near a Hill that was called Cumorah.
Brenton G. “Brent” Yorgason (May 25, 1945 in Mount Pleasant, Utah – October 28, 2016) was an American novelist and writer who used themes about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States. Many of his works were written in cooperation with his brother, Blaine M. Yorgason. Wikipedia
Brent’s greatest love was teaching the youth of the Church. His training enabled him to counsel and coach countless people through difficult times. He was never too busy to respond to the needs of others. He served as Bishop twice and as 1st counselor in the Sandy Granite Stake Presidency.
Dr. Yorgason was most well-known as a prolific author and renowned speaker. As a member of the National Speaker’s Association, he was renowned as a keynote speaker. In all, he wrote and published 105 books, over 40 of which were biographies. He became one of the most popular authors ever to write for the Latter-day Saint fiction market. He enjoyed writing many books with his brother Blaine. The paintings they did together were used as the covers of many of their books. He loved to include others as co-authors, especially his wife Margaret as they laughed, wept and worked together. Bio Here
Dr. Yorgason says, “The Book of Mormon records that due to the wickedness of the Nephite civilization they were destroyed by their brothers the Lamanites. The final battles of this unholy war took place near a hill that was called Cumorah. At Cumorah, hundreds of thousands of Nephites were slain, and the prophet/historian Moroni buried the history of his people in that hill (Mormon 6:2-15; 8:1-5). Hundreds of years later, that same history was unearthed in upstate New York, by the boy prophet Joseph Smith and translated to become the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith–History 1:51-52).
In New York State Bulletin #2 it is documented that several miles south of “Mormon Hill,” as it was then called, a site was found where flint arrowheads and spear points and many unfinished weapons were found in great abundance.” All of the above sources are cited in Brenton G. Yorgason, Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon, 1989, p. 10.
In 1843–1848, he engaged in journalism in Hartford, Connecticut and then edited the Chillicothe, Ohio, weekly newspaper the Scioto Gazette. During this period, Squier collaborated with physician Edwin H. Davis on the book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, which was issued in 1848. The work was a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric Mound Builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology as a scientific discipline. This publication to the right is an actual reprint of the very first publication of the Smithsonian Institution with explorations in 1848.
E.G. Squire said, “When Joseph Smith made his “fantastic” claims and published the Book of Mormon as an ancient history of the American Indians, some scoffed at the idea that a major battle had anciently taken place in the local vicinity. However, evidence was soon produced that documented that this region of the country did indeed once possess a heavy Indian population, and that a terrible battle had taken place in that locality.
Writing in 1851, E. G. Squier says that in the region: “Human bones of men, women, and children of both sexes were thrown together promiscuously by the thousands.” He notes large quantities of pottery, pipes, flint arrow-heads, stone hatchets and other implements were also found there. He further states that the ancient relics unearthed in the vicinity (which he estimates to be several hundred years old) showed considerable evidence of Hebrew origin.”(See E. G. Squier, Antiquities of New York, 1851, pp. 137-138.)
The Mounds throughout the Western States, which have heretofore excited so much curiosity, are the Remains of the Cities of the Nephites and Lamanites
Daniel Arlon Vogel (born 1955) is an independent researcher, writer, and author on a number of works that include Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet. and is most known for his work on early Mormon documents.
Vogel’s scholarship on the topic [Joseph Smith] has been debated by Mormon apologists and scholars who have stated that he is critical of Mormon faith claims. He has also been criticized by ex-Mormons and anti-Mormons for not being sufficiently critical of Joseph Smith… In the LDS historical community, Vogel’s work has received significant recognition… Wikipedia
As I read Vogel he has many good insights that should be considered, but he also has a definite bias you want to be careful of. Vogel assumes Joseph Smith to be the author of the Book of Mormon and takes the position that the book may be used as a “primary source document” that represents a reflection of Smith’s own life. Events portrayed in the Book of Mormon are compared to specific events in Smith’s life to illustrate similarities and to deduce Smith’s thoughts and aspirations during these periods. As usual, read and study and let the Spirit of the Lord guide you. Below are two of his quotes.
“In the 1834 Unitarian (Boston) reported that the Mormons “Suppose the mounds throughout the western states, which have heretofore excited so much curiosity, are the remains of the cities of the Nephites and Lamanites.” Edward Stuart Abdey wrote in 1835 that “the mounds of earth, which, as they now exist in that part of the country, have given rise to so much interest and speculation, are referred to, by the preachers of the Mormon faith, as proofs of these theocratic tribes. And Mormon elder Charles Thompson added in an 1841 pamphlet that such similarities were “sufficient to show to the public that the people whose history is contained in the Book of Mormon, are the authors of these works.”Vogel, Dan, 1986, Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City
Dan Vogel writes, “that shortly after the Book of Mormon’s publication, David Marks visited the Ohio mounds and like many wondered who had built them. When he was told that the Book of Mormon gave a history of them, and of their authors, he became anxious to get a copy even though he doubted its historicity”. (Dan Vogel, Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon, SLC: Signature Books, 1986, p. 32)
Editor’s Note: How can anyone doubt Joseph, is what I say all during Vogel’s words. Many times he is just quoting a good source and giving his biased opinion, and other times he is supportive of what the newspaper or person said about Joseph. I also know with a deep conviction that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I know how to separate bad intent that may be shared by someone who thinks the Book of Mormon is just a novel or story. Why then do I want you to read Vogel? Some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read Vogel and think he is a good member of the Church and get confused with his teachings at times. With a strong witness of truth most of you reading this already posses, isn’t it learning and knowledge we seek and sometimes even someone with a ton of knowledge of historical value, will surprise us and give us some nuggets that teach our spirits?
Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet
“Joseph Smith claimed that the burial mounds in the region contained the bodies of destroyed Nephites when, on 4 June 1834 during a trip through Illinois with a company of Mormons, he wrote to his wife that he and others had been “wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls and their bones, as proof of its divine authenticity.”31 The previous day Smith made an inspired declaration about a skeleton they had unearthed from an Indian burial mound, saying it was that of “Zelph”—“a white Lamanite” and “a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. … He was killed … during the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.”32
“Truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart… Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling… I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work…—we still need that spiritual confirmation in the heart of which we have spoken—but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate..” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017
Vogel continues, “It was, in fact, in the vicinity of Manchester, New York, that the last stand of the Nephites was said to have taken place about A.D. 385, according to Smith. In 1835, under Smith’s supervision, Oliver Cowdery included in his account of early Mormon history a description of the Manchester hill from which Smith took the gold plates, including the following: “At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former … [and] between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. … [Mormon] deposited … all the records in this same hill, Cumorah.”33In 1842, Smith described his interviews with the angel on the hill’s summit as “Glad tidings from Cumorah!” (D&C 128:20). Similar statements from his associates indicate that Cumorah was located in western New York, not in Central America as some have suggested.34 Despite the long distance between Panama and New York, neither Smith nor his followers saw this as a problem until 1885 when the Reverend M. T. Lamb made it an issue.35Hemispheric geography had come part and parcel with Smith’s adaptation of the mound builder myth, including the assumption that the South American and Mexican ruins were built by the same white-skinned agriculturalists who had built the earth works in North America and who destroyed by the ancestors of the Great Lakes tribes.36
Hemispheric Model
“Evidence indicates that early members of the Church did not pay a great deal of attention to Book of Mormon details about distances.[p] The “Hemispheric” or “Two-Continent” model proposes that Book of Mormon lands stretch many thousands of miles over much of South and North America. There is no first hand, verifiable statement by Joseph Smith endorsing this view. One of the earliest advocates of a hemispheric setting was the young missionary Orson Pratt, who as early as 1832 publicly promoted the idea that Lehi “crossed the water into South America”.[88] For some who read the Book of Mormon, with maps of the Western Hemisphere in view, the Isthmus of Panama seems an easy fit for the Book of Mormon’s “narrow neck of land”. Pratt claimed that the “running battle”, culminating in the destruction of the Nephite nation, started at “the Isthmus of Darien” (Panama) and “ended at Manchester” (western New York).[89] Pratt never attributed his geography (or one like it) to Joseph Smith. Pratt in fact, indicated that the South American landing idea was supposition, not revelation.[90] Pratt’s geographic views were published in the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon, but retracted from later editions.” Hemispheric Models Wikipedia
Today not one of the maps representing all the various geography of the Book of Mormon believe in the Hemispheric Model. Not even the Mesoamericans or the Heartlanders believe the Hemispheric Model any more because the vast distance in miles make it impossible to say all of North America is where the Nephites lived and and the Lamanites lived in South America.” Some contemporaries of Joseph Smith described a hemispheric model. There was quite a bit of speculation about where the Book of Mormon events took place, but very little speculation about any site for Cumorah other than New York. They insist that most of the events in the Book of Mormon took place in Central America. Therefore, they reason, a New York Cumorah means a hemispheric model; All Theorists today believe in a Limited Model whether in North or South America. Editor
“The only thing Letter VII establishes is that Cumorah–the Cumorah of the final battles, the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6, etc.–is the hill in New York where Joseph obtained the plates.
It’s true that some contemporaries of Joseph Smith described a hemispheric model. There was quite a bit of speculation about where the Book of Mormon events took place, but zero speculation about any site for Cumorah other than New York. The 1879 Orson Pratt footnotes are a perfect example. I have a separate post on that scheduled for later this week.
It is because of this unanimous and universal understanding about the New York Cumorah that I say Cumorah is a pin in the map. It’s the touchstone between our modern world and the world of the Nephites and Jaredites. It’s the one sure thing we can rely on, and it was given to us unambiguously and definitely by Joseph and Oliver in Letter VII.” Jonathan Neville
Not Utterly Destroyed
Vogel continues, “Returning to Mormon’s account, one learns that some Nephites “dissented over unto the Lamanites” (6:15), which contradicts the previously unqualified predictions that they would be “utterly destroyed”(Mosiah 12:8; Alma 9:24; Hel. 7:24; 15:17). Later, Smith corrects this where, in dictating the replacement portion of the book, he has Lehi tell his son Joseph that his “seed shall not utterly be destroyed” (3:2-3).37
When Mormon closes his account, he reminds latter-day Indians that they are Israelites, that they must repent, and that they “must lay down [their] weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall command you” (7:2-4; emphasis added). Of course, the possibility that latter-day Indians might take up arms is left open, but it would be appropriate only if instructed to by God through Smith. Mormon states that he has made his record so that the Indians might more easily believe in the Bible and thereby accept the gospel of Jesus Christ (v. 9). After declaring that the Indians are “a remnant of the seed of Jacob” and of the “first covenant,” Mormon promises that it will be well with them on judgment day if they submit to baptism (v. 10). With this, his account concludes, and he turns the record over to Moroni.
“Abundant Evidence of the Truth of that which is Written in the Book”
“When…first commanded to testify of these things they [The Three Witness] demurred and told the Lord the people would not believe them for the book concerning which they were to bear record told of a people who were educated and refined, dwelling in large cities; whereas all that was then known of the early inhabitants of this country was the filthy, lazy, degraded and ignorant savages that were roaming over the land. The Lord told us, in reply that he would make it known to the people that the early inhabitants of this land had been just such a people as they were described in the book, and he would lead them to discover the ruins of great cities, and they should have abundant evidence of the truth of that which is written in the book…” – David Whitmer, Interview with James H. Hart (Richmond, Mo., 21 August 1883), as printed in Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah as published in Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 560.
Vogel continues, “For reasons not entirely clear, Moroni waits sixteen years before finishing the history (8:1, 6). When he finally writes, he says he intends to be brief, declaring: “I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father” (v. 1). He complains that there is little room left for writing on the plates and that he has no means of making more plates (v. 5). Yet, he continues for another fifty-five pages (first edition pages), finishing his father’s record and adding two more books: the Book of Ether, which is a history of the Jaredites, and his own book. Concerning the final battle and the death of his father, Moroni writes:
“And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed. And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. … And whether they will slay me, I know not. Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not. … I am alone … I have not friends nor whither to go. (8:2-4)
Vogel says, “Smith may have identified with this situation. His brother Alvin had died, his family was divided over religion, former friends had become enemies, and he was living with his in-laws, who disapproved of him, as did the Methodists and others in Harmony. Smith may have become alienated from his own feelings and realized that he did not have any real connection to other people. His secret mission to save his family and the world and to assume the prophetic mantle insured that his feelings of “otherness” and “aloneness” would continue.
The remainder of Mormon’s section of the Book of Mormon (8:14-9:37) consists of Moroni’s closing exhortation, including a statement to future readers that seems well suited to those who had attempted to steal the gold plates: “The plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth” (8:14). To those who threatened Smith with physical harm, saying “show unto me [the plates], or ye shall be smitten,” Moroni warns that there are consequences to seeking what is “forbidden of the Lord” (8:18-20).
The fact that Smith withheld the plates from public view was a point of contention in Harmony. Isaac Hale said that in that case, the plates should be removed from the house—which is to say that the box should be removed from the house—and that “if he did not, I was determined to see it.”38 Others in Harmony said that Smith promised to show them the plates and then changed his mind.39 If Smith did make any such statements, it could have been diversionary because he seemed to have had no intention of showing his enemies the plates.
Moroni describes what America will be like when the Book of Mormon appears, offering several predictions. First, “it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away. … Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and [will] be lifted up in the pride of their hearts” (8:26, 28). True, Smith lived in a day when miracles were denied by deists, skeptics, and rationalists; but it was also a time when revivalists were experiencing visions, speaking in tongues, and healing the sick. Smith likely referred to the rejection of a specific kind of miracle—the coming forth of new revelation.” Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet by Dan Vogel Chapter 21 Mormon and Moroni–The Final Struggle
Quotes about Cumorah’s Location and the Cave
1. “At one time a fierce battle was fought near where Buffalo, N.Y., now stands, wherein two million were lying strewn upon the earth, slain in battle and no one to bury them, till the stench drove them southward to the Hill Ramah, which was called Cumorah by the Nephite race.” Reminiscences of Joseph the Prophet, by Edward Stevensonm1893
2. “It was at this time that Mormon deposited in the Hill Cumorah all the records that had been entrusted to him except a few plates that he gave to his son Moroni. (See Mormon 6.) About A.D. 420, Moroni placed these plates with those his father, Mormon, had already deposited in the hill. (See Moroni 10:1-2.)” A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 73. By LeGrand Richards
3. “This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 43.
4. “[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
F. “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
NOTES
31. Joseph Smith to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834, in Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, 2nd. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 345-46.
32. Joseph Smith Jr., History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols., 2nd ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1948), 2:79-80 (cf. Times and Seasons 6 [1 Jan. 1846]: 1076). Onandagus is no doubt inspired by the Onondaga Indians of central New York State. Kenneth W. Godfrey argues that those who refer to the Zelph incident as evidence against the Limited Tehuantepec Theory of Book of Mormon geography do so “on inconclusive grounds” (Kenneth W. Godfrey, “The Zelph Story,” Brigham Young University Studies 29 [Spring 1989]: 31-56). Godfrey’s oft-cited essay, however, contains many inaccuracies, not the least of which is his suggestion that Smith’s history was emended to exclude references to “the Nephites” and “the Hill Cumorah,” possibly at Smith’s instigation (47). However, these alterations were made sometime after publication of the Zelph story in the Times and Seasons in 1846 and, hence, without Smith’s participation. His assertion that “the earlier accounts do not expressly identify Zelph with the Nephites, as do the later accounts” (42) is equally false. Within months of the return of Smith and his men to Kirtland, Ohio, E. D. Howe reported that after disinterment of the bones, “Smith made a speech, prophesying or declaring that they were the remains of a celebrated General among the Nephites, mentioning his name and the battle in which he was slain, some 1500 years ago” (E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed [Painesville, OH: E. D. Howe, 1834], 159). Godfrey equivocates about every key word in the Zelph accounts, but his questioning of “the plains of the Nephites” in Smith’s letter to Emma is especially strained. “Evidently these plains were in some respect associated with, or comparable to, the battlefields of the Nephites,” Godfrey argues, “but beyond this it is unclear what Joseph meant by this expression” (46). The balance of the sentence, that they were standing on the mounds of that “once beloved people of the Lord” and “picking up their skulls and their bones” as “proof” of the Book of Mormon’s “divine authenticity,” makes it abundantly clear that Smith intended “the plains of the Nephites” to be understood literally.
33. Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate 1 (July 1835): 158 (EMD 2:449).
34. One of the speculative apologists is John L. Sorenson, who has written that Cumorah was located about eighty-five miles northwest of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the Tuxtla Mountain chain near Tres Zapotes in south-central Veracruz (John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; and Provo, UT: FARMS, 1985], 347-50). This suggestion is problematic. Mormon describes the region around Cumorah as “a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains” (Morm. 6:4). Helaman 3:4 describes it as a land with “large bodies of water and many rivers,” stating that it is located “an exceeding great distance” into the land northward. Traditionally, these two passages of the Book of Mormon have been thought to point to the Great Lakes Region. By comparison, Tres Zapotes is not “an exceeding great distance” from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Some writers have proposed two lands of many waters and lakes: one the land of Cumorah—which they say is the Papaloapan Lagoon System just west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec—the other farther west and north in the Valley of Mexico (Ibid., 267). The Book of Mormon gives no indication that such a division was implied. If this were the case, one would expect Mormon, the editor, to explicitly distinguish the area of many waters in Helaman 3:4 from the more famous “land of many waters” of Cumorah. David A. Palmer argues that “it would be fruitless to argue over how far an ‘exceeding great distance’ was to a Nephite” (In Search of Cumorah: New Evidences for the Book of Mormon from Ancient Mexico [Bountiful, UT: Horizon Publishers, 1981], 79). But if eighty-five miles or so to Tres Zapotes is “an exceeding great distance” to a Nephite, then what about the 120 miles across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which the Book of Mormon describes as “only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite” (Alma 22:32)? Or what about the 155 miles from Kaminaljuyu (Nephi) to Santa Rosa (Zarahemla), spoken of as being a short distance apart? Along with the two-Cumorah theory comes the problem of explaining how the plates (not to mention the entire Nephite library) came to be in New York thousands of miles from their supposed location in Central America. (For the story of Smith, Cowdery, and others seeing the Nephite library inside the New York hill, see EMD 3:379-82.) John A. Widtsoe suggested that the plates could have been “moved from place to place by divine help” (John A. Widtsoe, “Is Book of Mormon Geography Known?” Improvement Era 53 [July 1950]: 547). But the more popular explanation is that “Moroni carried the plates by himself to the Palmyra, New York area and buried them there” (Palmer, In Search of Cumorah, 20; and Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, 44). This explanation is problematic because Moroni makes it clear that he buried the plates in the vicinity of the Nephites’ destruction, not 2,000 miles away in some remote region. When Moroni begins writing sixteen years after the Nephites’ destruction, we learn that he remained in the area to observe the activities of the Lamanites, at risk of being captured (Morm. 8:1-13). Uncertain about his future, Moroni buries the plates (8:3-4). When he returns twenty years later, he observes the “exceedingly fierce” wars among the Lamanites and declares: “I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me” (Moro. 1:1-2). After writing his final exhortation, he bids farewell: “And I seal up these records … I soon go to rest in the paradise of God” (10:2, 34). Thus, Moroni is old and ready to die when he hides the plates in the same hill around which the Nephites were destroyed. On these and other difficulties facing the new geographers, see Earl M. Wunderli, “Critique of a Limited Geography for Book of Mormon Events,”
35. See M. T. Lamb, The Golden Bible; or, The Book of Mormon. Is it from God? (Salt Lake City: Salt Lake Herald, 1885), 96-106, 205-6, 308-16. See also Vogel and Metcalfe, American Apocrypha, viii-ix.
36. See chapters 8 and 17.
37. See chapter 25.
38. “Mormonism,” Susquehanna Register, and Northern Pennsylvanian 9 (1 May 1834): 1 (EMD 4:286).
39. See the statements of Alva Hale, Nathaniel Lewis, and Joshua McKune in ibid. (EMD 4:291, 294, 325).
Rod Meldrum and Firm Foundation are looking forward to your participation. We will have over 75 inspirational speakers and over 125 presentations on the following subjects:
Book of Mormon Research U.S. Constitutional Studies Science and Religion Prophecies and Signs of the Times Native American Studies Health and Wellness
Children under 18 are FREE! A Couple Pass may be used for any two adults if you come together. Bring a spouse, friend, older child or come as a couple. No Early Bird discount as tickets are limited. Hurry to guarantee your registration.
Our live event is arriving soon. We are looking forward to your participation. We are expecting a larger crowd than last year in September. This event will have one main stage and 4 additional smaller stages everyday Thurs, Fri, and Sat. Our last speaker will be from 8-9 pm. The ticket registration link is hereto share with your friends and family. There will be no early bird discounts as we may sell out tickets, so please get yours now.
Event:FIRM Foundation Expo featuring the 29th Book of Mormon International Conference Dates: Thurs April 7, Fri April 8, Sat April 9 – From 9 am to 9 pm each day. Place: Davis County Conference Center 1651 N. 700 W. Layton, UT 84041 Directions here:
Important Note to Receive FREE PASSES
If you purchased the Premium for 6- months streaming, you receive one pass for the coming April conference. If you purchased the Premium for 1 year streaming you receive one pass for the coming April conference and one pass for the coming September conference in 2022. Streaming Sign-up here:
Your spouse or guest will need to purchase a separate ticket both times. You can buy the spouse ticket and print your FREE pass at the same checkout place here:
Watch Podcasts Here
We have Hebrew (Old Testament).
3-Books for the New Heartlander
Along with “
2. “…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
4. “Both the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations fought their final great wars of extinction at and near the Hill Cumorah (or Ramah as the Jaredites termed it), which hill is located between Palmyra and Manchester in the western part of the state of New York. It was here that Moroni hid up the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. (Morm. 6; Ether 15.) Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and many of the early brethren, who were familiar with all the circumstances attending the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation, have left us pointed testimony as to the identity and location of Cumorah or Ramah.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 232-241.) (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine “CUMORAH,” 1966, p. 175)
7. “Millennia ago he 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
10. [Heber C. Kimball] “prophesied that when the final last struggle came to this nation it would be at the Hill Cumorah where both of the former Nations [Jaredite and Nephite] were destroyed” (abt. Heber C. Kimball) Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 6:305, December 17, 1866
14. McGavin and Bean explain their point of view concerning the identity of the Hill Cumorah as an ancient battlefield. The authors conclude that the scholars “need not search for [Cumorah] in Mexico or Yucatan” E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean “Cumorah-Land, An Ancient Battlefield,” in The Improvement Era 44, September 1941, 526, 571-72.
21. “On the title page I read that it is “written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile.” In the introduction to the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, it says that the Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians.” As I read the Book of Mormon, it seemed to me that it was about my American Indian ancestors. It tells the story of a people, a part of which were later described as “Lamanites,” who migrated from Jerusalem to a “land of promise” (1 Nephi 2:20) about 600 B.C.” “Come unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy Ensign Oct 2012
23. “From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake. In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah
Elder Jeffrey Holland shares the following about heart and head learning. “Truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart… truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling… I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work…” Jeffrey R. Holland The Greatness of Evidence Aug 2017
But, Have We Been Deceived?
The preparations for the November Expedition are underway. The German engineers are getting the SENSYS MX V3 equipment with all its associated parts ready. Here is a 
Yea, even so He shall be led, crucified, and slain,
I love this book by James and Hannah Stoddard. SEER STONE V. URIM & THUMMIM: BOOK OF MORMON TRANSLATION ON TRIAL (BOOK) $20.00. Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years. 
