Yesterday I spoke about how difficult it is to be humble. Today I share with you how to become humble. I am mostly writing this blog for me, as the challenge we are going through in our Nation is paramount on my mind. How can I know the Lord is behind our government? Who can I trust, and how can I help this wonderful USA remain as a blessed Constitution.

I ask you the following question that President Nelson asked us, “How can we find answers to questions that perplex us?…”

Below are other worthy thoughts from the same talk, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives that President Nelson spoke of. Prayer is the most simple and powerful tool we have been given to answer our questions and to help us stay humble.

“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen!…”

“Does God really want to speak to you? Yes!…”

“You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust….”

“Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true….”

“I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation… “

“I am optimistic about the future. It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth. But I am also not naive about the days ahead. We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

All quotes above from, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” By President Russell M. Nelson

President Ballard pleads with Latter-day Saints to ‘pray for this country’ as United States is at ‘another crossroad’

By Sarah Jane Weaver Updated 21 OCT 2019 11:25 AM MST

WORCESTER, Mass. — Concluding a busy, three-day visit to New England — an area rich in Church and U.S. history — President M. Russell Ballard pled with local Latter-day Saints to “join a new movement” by inviting their neighbors, colleagues and friends to pray for the United States, its leaders and its families.

“Our nation was founded on prayer, it was preserved by prayer, and we need prayer again,” said the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “I plead with you this evening to pray for this country, for our leaders, for our people, and for the families that live in this great nation founded by God.”

Speaking to an estimated 12,000 people gathered in the DCU Center near Boston, President Ballard reminded the congregation that “this country was established and preserved by our founding fathers and mothers who repeatedly acknowledged the hand of God through prayer.”

New England, he continued, was the seedbed of so very much that led to the founding of this nation.

“We must stand boldly for righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency, and personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln, and other leaders who acknowledged and loved God.”

President Ballard arrived in New England on Friday, Oct. 18, accompanied by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson; and Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Shelley Bennett. The leaders participated in a member devotional at the site of the Joseph Smith Birthplace in Sharon, Vermont; spoke to missionaries in the area; met with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and other local VIPs; attended sacrament meeting and addressed millennials living in and around Boston.

President Ballard said as he prepared to address Latter-day Saints, he realized that looking for the Lord’s hand in the early history of the United States “might help us recognize His hand in our own lives.”

“Please look for the Lord’s hand in your lives and in the lives of your family, as I do in the lives of my ancestors and family,” he said. “Expect it. Do not dismiss it. Do not relegate the experiences in your lives to coincidences.”

From the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 through the signing of the U.S. Constitution in September 1787, the “wise men” whom the Lord “raised up unto this very purpose” relied upon divine providence, said President Ballard.

“As an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have a solemn duty to face the Lord and deliver His message,” said President Ballard. “His words often include words of encouragement and expressions of love. They also include words of warning.”

America and the nations of the earth, as in times past, “are at another crossroad,” he said.

“Let it begin today that we take leadership and reach out in our own prayers and encourage our neighbors, our friends, our families … to pray for this country that we all love much.” Read the rest of the article here

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America is the Promised Land

Knowing this Promised Land of the United States of America is indeed the land promised, helps each of us understand the Covenant we have made with the Lord. We are a blessed people, all who live on this Covenant land. We have an obligation to pray for its success, to live righteously, to utilize this land for the prosperity needed to share the Gospel with other wonderful lands. If we know not the land that the Book of Mormon speaks of, how could we know who these covenants are made with? The greater stewardship that we Americans have will be our grater downfall if we fail to utilize this land the Lord has given us.

Why is Elder Ballard in his talk above pleading for each of us to pray for the United States? If we fail, the world fails. If we are unrighteous how can we bless the lives of the world in need? Are we more blessed than other lands or people” No! We have been given a different stewardship and I am afraid if we fail, our punishment will be greater than those who are not blessed with this land. The Lord loves us all equally and He is a righteous judge.

Marion G. Romney in 1975 said, “I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true.” Now read what he said below and you will know that indeed the United States of America is the Promised Land of the Lord.

America’s Destiny

“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

Another Plea from Elder Romney

“I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah” (Mormon. 6:6). [There] 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, p. 461). “As I contemplated this tragic scene from the crest of Cumorah and viewed the beautiful land of the Restoration as it appears today, I cried in my soul, how could it have happened?… 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…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.” (President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency 145th Semiannual Conference, Saturday Morning Session, October 4, 1975; emphasis added.)

Are We Listening to our Leaders, Past and Present?  

Below is a copy of Rod Meldrum’s 36 Prophesies and Promises that show the Book of Mormon references that indicate the United States of America as the Promised Land of the Nephites.

“For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.” Alma 5:40

My Opinion- 

“We are still in the middle of a very vital and contentious voting process. For the past few months we Americans who love our country have all been sitting on pins and needles. This has been difficult for us all. I believe there are some who want more Liberty and Freedom, and there are those who want more Tyranny and Freedom. By Liberty I mean our rights come from God, and Tyranny means our rights come from man. 

We have seen very close elections before. In 1960 Kennedy beat Nixon in a very close and still a controversial election. Nixon conceded, trying to save our country from a constitutional crisis. In 2000 Bush beat Gore in an even closer election which was also a controversial outcome. Our Supreme Court had to sort this one out and because of the rule of law, Bush remained the president.

Now we just finished another controversial election between Biden and Trump. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you are either very happy or very sad, and depending on the final outcome that could change our mood for the good or bad. I admit as of right now I am concerned whether or not the outcome will be seen as legitimate or not. I am a Trump fan and I still feel he may have won. I have not given up prayer and hope. I believe with all my heart, Trump is the one who can help our country and promote Christian values best. My hope is that our Country stay clam as we decide this outcome. 

I have seen so much success that President Trump has accomplished for our Country, and I don’t see anything Biden has done for us that surpasses Trumps achievements. On top of my list for supporting Trump is:

I oppose abortion, believe in my right to bear arms, freedom of religious speech and conservative judges. Trump has established peace in the Middle East, cut taxes, made our immigration system more fair, and he doesn’t take money from special interest groups. Biden does not believe in these core values. I also believe there is a possibility that the Biden family may be corrupt. I will wait and see what’s found on Hunter’s hard drive before I make a final judgement. 

In this current 2020 vote, I see some legal errors made and some very sketchy voting procedures from the Democrat’s. Until that is looked into and proven, I can’t support Mr. Biden.  The only correct thing to do is believe in and follow the Constitution. I will be prayerful and turn this over the the lawyers and judges. Whether Trump wins or looses, I will have to accept the decision. I will do it with love and try my best to respect the office of President. That is how we all should try and act.  Humble ourselves, fight a legal and righteous battle and then accept the outcome. I pray I can stay humble if the voting doesn’t go as I hope it does.”

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Victim and Survivor

In this world of right and left, good and evil, hero and villain, and victim and survivor, it is a good idea to remember our purpose in life. All the Lord wants from us is to be humble and loving. If we focus more on the Lord and less on ourselves, the happier we will be.

When someone is wronged there are two things we can do. Lash out and blame others, or look deep within and see what lesson may be learned. When a tragedy happens we can blame the Lord or love the Lord. When a friend offends us we can become defensive, or humble yourself and try and understand what just happened.

When we are politically correct in this life that is the easy thing to be. To act as the Savior would have us be, is the hard thing and takes a tremendous amount of patience. To be tolerant is a wonderful quality, but not at the expense of tolerating sin or evil.

If we think of the victim as being the subject of trauma or violent crime, the opposite is the perpetrator; although, from what we know in today’s world the victim can turn into the perpetrator.

Victim mentality is an acquired personality trait in which a person tends to recognize themselves as a victim of the negative actions of others, and to behave as if this were the case in the face of contrary evidence of such circumstances. Victim mentality depends on clear thought processes and attribution. It is so much easier to turn to the Lord than staying as a victim.

The influence of Satan is becoming more acceptable. When tragedy happens we always ask, “Why did he do it”, or “What made her act that way”. Remember what the Lord said, “For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.” Alma 5:40

Beware of Political Correctness

“Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.11

Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?

And what of those who just want to look at sin or touch it from a distance? Jesus said with a flash, if your eye offends you, pluck it out. If your hand offends you, cut it off.12 “I came not to [bring] peace, but a sword,”13 He warned those who thought He spoke only soothing platitudes. No wonder that, sermon after sermon, the local communities “pray[ed] him to depart out of their coasts.”14 No wonder, miracle after miracle, His power was attributed not to God but to the devil.15 It is obvious that the bumper sticker question “What would Jesus do?” will not always bring a popular response.” Holland, Jeffery R. “The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship.” Conference, April 2014.

The fact is that in our world, we are encouraged to worship the God of Political Correctness who has become so large that he entirely eclipses the place of righteous indignation and/or a bold stand for truth. If our world wants a soft god, wouldn’t it make sense that we would also tend to criticize those from the scriptures who are examples of God’s pro-active righteousness and justice?”

Beware of Moral Relativism

“It is well to worry about our moral foundation. We live in a world where more and more persons of influence are teaching and acting out a belief that there is no absolute right and wrong, that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made choices that can prevail over the commandments of God. Many even question whether there is a God.

The philosophy of moral relativism, which holds that each person is free to choose for himself what is right and wrong, is becoming the unofficial creed for many in America and other Western nations. At the extreme level, evil acts that used to be localized and covered up like a boil are now legalized and paraded like a banner. Persuaded by this philosophy, many of the rising generation—youth and young adults—are caught up in self-serving pleasures, pagan painting and piercing of body parts, foul language, revealing attire, pornography, dishonesty, and degrading sexual indulgence” Truth and Tolerance Elder Dallin H. Oaks September 11, 2011

What does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?

“Our first responsibility and purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ to a world that suffers to know of His divine mission. As my response to that great responsibility, I will speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only true and living Church. In doing so I know I speak against the powerful tide of what is called “political correctness.”

The fashionable opinion of this age is that all churches are true. In truth, the idea that all churches are the same is the doctrine of the anti-Christ, illustrated by the Book of Mormon account of Korihor (see Alma 30). That account was given to teach us a vital lesson in our day.

A revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831, soon after the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of those who had been given “power to lay the foundation of this church.” The Lord then referred to the Church as “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased” (D&C 1:30).

Because of this declaration of the Lord, we refer to this, His Church—our Church—as the “only true Church.” Sometimes we do this in a way that gives great offense to people who belong to other churches or who subscribe to other philosophies. But God has not taught us anything that should cause us to feel superior to other people. Certainly all churches and philosophies have elements of truth in them, some more than others. Certainly God loves all of His children. And certainly His gospel plan is for all of His children, all according to His own timetable.

So what does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?

Three features—(1) fulness of doctrine, (2) power of the priesthood, and (3) testimony of Jesus Christ—explain why God has declared and why we as His servants maintain that this is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.” The Only True and Living Church elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles June 25, 2010   Complete Article Here

Political Correctness Isn’t Correct, LDS Official Says
By Jeff Vice, Staff Writer Deseret News Published: November 16, 1994

In all the furor over social and political correctness, people may be losing sight of values and what is truly good, Elder James E. Faust said at a devotional at Brigham Young University on Tuesday.

“Your generation lives in a day when many things are measured against the standard of social and political correctness,” warned Elder Faust, a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I challenge that false doctrine of human behavior. The influence of Satan is becoming more acceptable.”Speaking on “Trying to Serve the Lord Without Offending the Devil,” Elder Faust said that he and other LDS leaders hope young people, “unfamiliar with the sophistries of the world, can keep themselves free of Satan’s enticements and evil ways.”

New York Yankees great Yogi Berra reportedly once said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” However, “It doesn’t work that way,” said Elder Faust during the morning devotional, which was simulcast on both KBYU-FM and KBYU-TV.

By embracing political correctness, unknowing people have been led to accept several actions that could be interpreted as being offenses against God – such as abortion, homosexuality and the so-called “zero population” movement, Elder Faust said.

“Any alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society,” Elder Faust said. “These so-called alternative lifestyles must not be accepted as right because they frustrate God’s commandments for a life-giving union of male and female within a legal marriage as stated in (The Old Testament). If practiced by all adults, these lifestyles would mean the end of the human family.”

In other cases, the devil “takes some delight every time a home is broken up, even when there is no parent to blame,” Elder Faust said. “This is especially so where there are children involved. The physical and spiritual neglect of children is one of the spawning grounds for so many of the social ills of the world.”

Also, Elder Faust said that many “broad-minded” people are ignoring God’s commandments by taking the guise of “not imposing religious belief” – such as those who are challenging the “sin laws” on gambling, alcohol and drug consumption.

They are ignoring “the health and social costs to society of the vices,” Elder Faust said.

Teach Us Tolerance and Love
Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 1994

“I have been impressed to speak on the subject of tolerance—a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But in discussing this topic, we must recognize at the outset that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue.

I attended a “laboratory of tolerance” some months ago when I had the privilege of participating in the Parliament of the World’s Religions. There I conversed with good men and women representing many religious groups. Again I sensed the advantages of ethnic and cultural diversity and reflected once more on the importance of religious freedom and tolerance.

I marvel at the inspiration of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he penned the eleventh article of faith: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” [A of F 1:11]

That noble expression of religious tolerance is particularly poignant in light of the Prophet’s personal persecution. On one occasion he wrote, “I am at this time persecuted the worst of any man on the earth, as well as this people, … all our sacred rights are trampled under the feet of the mob.”

Joseph Smith endured incessant persecution and finally heartless martyrdom—at the hands of the intolerant. His brutal fate stands as a stark reminder that we must never be guilty of any sin sown by the seed of intolerance.” Continued Here.

To Order The Annotated Book of Mormon Click Here!

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“Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.” Ether 13:8

The Land of Joseph is the United States of America where the Native American Indians, or Hopewell or Nephites and Lamanites lived.

“Joseph’s inheritance was to be a land choice above all others” -Pres. Russell M. Nelson

Historians and archaeologists all over the world have known for years about the existence and cultures of Native Americans in North America. See the chart below:

The Hopewell Culture describes the common aspects of the Native American culture that began in the Florida panhandle in 600 – 500 BC that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and Midwestern United States from 300 BC to 400 AD, in the Middle Woodland period.

WE KNOW IT!

“Let the Government of the United States also continue to gather together, and to colonize the tribes and remnants of Israel (the Indians), and also to feed, clothe, succor, and protect them, and endeavor to civilize and unite; and also to bring them to the knowledge of their Israelitish origin, and of the fulness of the gospel which was revealed to, and written by, their forefathers on this land;… He has revealed the origin and the Records of the aboriginal tribes of America, and their future destiny. —And we know it. He has revealed the fulness of the gospel, with its gifts, blessings, and ordinances. —And we know it. He has commanded us to bear witness of it, first to the Gentiles and then to the remnants of Israel and the Jews. —And we know it. He has commanded us to gather together his Saints on this Continent, and build up holy cities and sanctuaries. —And we know it.” PROCLAMATION of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. New York April 6, 1845. James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-75), 1:, p.252-266

ANCIENT RECORDS
“Circumstances are daily transpiring which give additional testimony to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. . . . it was [once considered] improbable, nay, almost impossible—notwithstanding the testimony of history to the contrary, that anything like plates could have been used anciently; particularly among this people. The following letter and certificate, will, perhaps have a tendency to convince the skeptical, that such things have been used, and that even the obnoxious Book of Mormon, may be true; and as the people in Columbus’ day were obliged to believe that there was such a place as America; so will the people in this day be obliged to believe, however reluctantly, that there may have been such plates as those from which the Book of Mormon was translated.” John Taylor [Times and Seasons 4 (May 1, 1843), pp. 185-6]

THIS LAND
“The Angel also informed him that America had once been people by a remnant of the seed of Israel of the tribe of Joseph who became two great Nations upon this Land one of those Nations were the present Natives of America or the Indians the other Nation was distroid [sic] about four hundred years after Christ.” Pratt, Parley Parker 1807-1857. An epistle written by an elder of the Church,

“I am asked to occupy the few minutes yet remaining: If the Spirit gives me liberty I will pursue the train of thought that has passed through my mind while Brother Richards has been speaking upon the spirit that has gone abroad upon the remnants of the house of Israel who occupy this land, the American Indians whom we understand to be the descendants of the Nephites, the Lamanites, the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites who formerly possessed this land, whose fathers we have an account of in the Book of Mormon.” The Indians—The Influence of the Elders Among Them in the Interest of Peace, Etc. Discourse by Elder Erastus Snow, delivered at Logan, Sunday Afternoon, February 5th, 1882

THE HISTORY OF HIS FOREFATHERS
Mormon lived in that age of the world, and was a Nephite, and a Prophet of the Lord. He, by the commandment of the Lord, made an abridgment of the sacred records, which contained the history of his forefathers, and the Prophecies and Gospel which had been revealed among them; to which he added a sketch of the history of his own time, and the destruction of his nation. Previous to his death, the abridged records fell into the hands of his son Moroni, who continued them down to A. D. 420; at which time he deposited them carefully in the earth, on a hill which was then called Cumorah, but is situated in Ontario County, township of Manchester, and State of New York, North America. This he did in order to preserve them from the Lamanites, who overran the country, and sought to destroy them and all the records pertaining to the Nephites. This record lay concealed, or sealed up, from A. D. 420 to September 22, 1827, at which time it was found by Mr. Joseph Smith, jun., he being directed thither by an angel of the Lord.” A Voice of Warning, page 96 Parley P. Pratt

CUMORAH/RAMAH
“Moroni told Joseph that he had hidden up the records four centuries after the birth of Jesus, while he was living on the earth. He said that the Nephites, the people to which he belonged, called the hill where they stood Cumorah, and that a still earlier people, the Jaredites, called it Ramah. This was a very important hill in the history of both these peoples.” The Latter-day Prophet. History of Joseph Smith Written for Young People by George Q. Cannon 1900

THE LORD WILLED IT!
Joseph Fielding Smith said the following in the April 1966 General Conference, “America was discovered because the Lord willed it. The gospel was restored in America, rather than in some other land because the Lord willed it. This is the land “shadowing with wings” spoken of by Isaiah that today is sending ambassadors by the sea to a nation scattered and peeled, which at one time was terrible in the beginning (Isaiah 18:1-2). Now that nation is being gathered, and once again they shall be in favor with the Lord.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, April 1966, pp. 12-15).

HERE IN AMERICA
“Moroni’s father was commander of the armies of this ancient people, known as Nephites. His name was Mormon. The war of which we speak took place here in America some four hundred years after Christ. As the fighting neared its end, Mormon gathered the remnant of his forces about a hill which they called Cumorah, located in what is now the western part of the state of New York… When finished with his record, Moroni was to hide it up in that same Hill Cumorah which was their battlefield. It would come forth in modern times as the Book of Mormon, named after Moroni’s father, the historian who compiled it.” (“The Last Words of Moroni,” Conference Reports, October 1978) Mark E. Petersen

CURRENT AS THE MORNING NEWSPAPER
“It’s narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions to those problems… If the Book of Mormon is true, then America is a choice land, but if it is to remain such the inhabitants of the land must worship the God of the land, the Lord Jesus Christ. The histories of two great nations, told with warning in this sacred volume, indicate that while we must have science, while we must have education, while we must have arms, we also must have righteousness if we are to merit the protection of God.” Gordon B. Hinckley The Power of the Book of Mormon Ensign June 1988

A MIGHTY LAND
This has always been a mighty land in God’s plan. It was in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman prior to his death, called the great high priests together and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. The Lord appearing there proclaimed Adam to be Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. (D&C 107:53-54) It is to that same spot that Adam, as the Ancient of Days, shall come to visit his people (D&C 116), where judgement shall be set and the books opened. (Daniel 7:9 ff; Revelation 20:4) It is here on this land that the New Jerusalem shall be built “unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph” — ourselves and those others the literal descendants of Lehi. (Ether 13:5 ff; 1 Nephi 14:1-2, 2 Nephi 10:18) And finally, it is here on this hemisphere that Zion shall be built. (Tenth Article of Faith.) It is this fact and this purpose, the building of Zion on this hemisphere, which is Zion, which seems to be the dominant elements in all of God’s dealings with them who possess this land, for Isaiah, speaking more than twenty-five hundred years ago, declared that “out of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3.) President J. Reuben Clark, Jr The Glorious Purpose page 103

CHOICE ABOVE ALL OTHER LANDS
“Because of his faithfulness and integrity, Joseph received greater blessings than the progenitors of Jacob, and was rewarded with the land of Zion. His brothers, with malicious intent, separated him and cast him out from among them. The Lord, in rewarding him, separated him from his brothers — the other tribes of Israel — and gave him an inheritance in a land that is choice above all other lands, which, we have learned from the Book of Mormon and modern revelation, is America… We are informed in the revelations given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, that the city of Zion and the New Jerusalem is one and the same. In a number of revelations the Lord speaks of the New Jerusalem which is to be built…” Zion and Jerusalem by Joseph Fielding Smith, Improvement Era Vol. 22 JULY 1919

ONLY TWO PROMISED LANDS

3 Nephi 20:22: “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.
23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.
24 Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.
25 And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—
27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel.”
28 And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.
29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.” 3 Nephi 20:22-29

AMERICA’S PAST UNCOVERED
“Remarkable discoveries of evidences of America’s prehistoric civilizations in various parts of the country are frequently being reported in public prints…

On Sept. 10, what are believed to be bodies of a royal family of the ancient mound builders were unearthed in a group of mounds near Bainbridge, Ohio. With these remains were found strands of pearls, some of extraordinary size and perfection; also ornaments of silver and copper and some sculptured objects of exquisite workmanship.

This is a highly interesting find. It shows that these mound builders in the Mississippi valley were wealthy and civilized, and that they must have had commercial connections with distant places where pearl oysters were procured.

Scientists know nothing certain about the time when the mound builders lived, whence they came and what became of them.

However, when Zion’s Camp, in the year 1834, was temporarily located on the western bank of the Illinois river, the Prophet Joseph and others ascended a high mound, on the top of which three altars had once stood. On removing some soil, they uncovered a skeleton, between the ribs of which there was an arrowhead. To the Prophet it was later made known that this was the remains of a Lamanite warrior, by the name of Zelph, who served the great Onandagus, a prophet known from the Hill Cumorah to the Rocky Mountains. Zelph was slain during the last struggle between the Lamanites and Nephites. May not this furnish a key to the mystery of the mound builders in the Mississippi valley? Besides this, at various points, from Maine to California, we find evidences of a race, or perhaps more than one race, that, like the Jaredites, who from their point of departure, carried with them “the fish of the waters,” depended largely upon sea food for their sustenance. The evidence of this they have left in numerous shell mounds, which consist almost entirely of oyster shells, some of gigantic size.

Some tell us American archaeology does not corroborate the Book of Mormon. As I see it, American Archaeologists will never unravel the mysteries of this country without the Book of Mormon.” THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR, Vol. 60, No. 10 October 1925 Janne M. Sjodahl

INTEREST IN HISTORY AND IN GEOGRAPHY
“We have a great message to tell the world. We have to live it, and then we have to tell it, too. If you’re interest in history and in geography, just think what you can get out of the Book of Mormon! The Book of Mormon is the most tangible evidence that we have the truth, for no man could have written it at the time that it was written—except the story of the Prophet Joseph be a true story. Just imagine what that book has to tell us about America. Go back to the promises of Jacob and Moses and Joseph, who was sold into Egypt and who was promised a new land in the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. Nobody in this world, outside of this Church, can tell you where that new land is, and yet Moses, in describing that land, used the word precious five times in just four short verses in the bible (see Deuteronomy 33:13–16). He called it a precious land, and we read the history of how Lehi and his people came here and how they were told that it was a land choice above all other lands. This fact is repeated over and over again in the scriptures.

From a historical standpoint, it ought to be worth something to people to know about this land of America or when Columbus discovered it. The knowledge that we get through the Book of Mormon is a knowledge that we can’t get any other way in all this world. It not only tells us of the great destiny of this land of America, but it also gives the promises of the Lord through his prophets that it would be a land choice above all other lands and that it would be the land upon which God would build his New Jerusalem in the latter days. It was hidden away from the eyes of the world that it might not be overrun, and the Spirit of the Lord moved upon a man across the great waters to come here. We understand and know that man was Columbus. You see what a marvelous thing it is to have understanding.”
LeGrande Richards, “You’re Fringe Benefits” 1975 Devotional

Next find real artifacts that exist today that are dated during those time frames of 200 BC to 400 AD. Look at their travel patterns and hunter gatherer societies and compare it with the location you have found.

Finally, does the land and these people you are looking for, match these 17 promises and prophecies below as recorded in the Book of Mormon? (I can give you 19 more if you need them). If not, don’t be alarmed. The answer is: “The events of the Book of Mormon happened in the Heartland of the United States of America.” Item 8 below is a {REVELATION}. It shouldn’t be disputed. The way the Meso boys get around this, is they say the entire continent includes the New Jerusalem not just the USA. (So the Promised land could be Greenland, or Nova Scotia, or Venezuela, or Montreal? I guess it could be, but I don’t think it is. The place of the Constitution written by the Lord Himself and the place where the Garden of Eden is located is the Promised Land. What else is an important location of a promised land? Hill Cumorah, Palmyra, Susquehanna, Colesville, Kirtland, Nauvoo, Independence, MO, Salt Lake City? There is overwhelming evidence that as Elder L Tom Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a palace 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.

Stop looking. The Hopewell Mound builders are the society that match the criteria of what you are looking for.

Historic Hopewell Mounds

These historic mounds were the ceremonial center of the Hopewell culture from 200 BC – 500 AD. A stretch of land along the North Fork of Paint Creek contains the most striking total set of Hopewell culture remains in Ohio. This enormous legacy of geometric landmarks was created by unknown inhabitants prior to the time of the American Indians living on this land. Their name actually comes from Confederate General Mordecai Hopewell, who owned the land when the mounds were first discovered back in 1840. No one actually knows what name those original builders called themselves.

Interesting similarities, shared by the five mound groups in the Hopewell Culture, make them part of a larger picture.  Each field usually has a small circle, a larger circle and a square. Each square is 27 acres and the larger circle would fit perfectly within the square. The large circles all have the same diameter and encompass 20 acres. Many of these appear to have been laid out for their astrological significance.

The main section is often called the “Great Enclosure”, a six foot high, rough, rectangular, earthen enclosure measuring approximately 2800′ X 1800′. Mound 25 is located within this area and was the site of early excavations in the 1800’s. This treasure trove contained shells from the Gulf Coast, copper from Lake Superior region, and obsidian from Wyoming.  It appears that when the ceremonial life of a site was finished, they built a mound much like we would put up a headstone or monument”. Source

Why Did the Hopewell People Build Enormous Mounds?

Mica Raptor Talon Effigy, Hopewell Culture, Ohio, North America. John Weinstein © The Field Museum

Joseph Fielding Smith

“While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22–24. These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation,” Vol. 3, 225-26).

“I attended sessions of meetings for the institute teachers, held in the assembly room on the fourth floor of the Church Office Building. I cannot say that I was very greatly edified. Too much philosophy of a worldly nature does not seem to mix well with the fundamentals of the gospel. In my opinion many of our teachers employed in the church school system have absorbed too much of the paganism of the world and have accepted too readily the views of uninspired educators without regard for the revealed word of the Lord. What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would be amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how some of our educated brethren attempt to harmonize the theories of men with the revealed word of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there is still some faith left and some members who still cherish the word of the Lord and accept the prophets. Surely the world is ripening rapidly for the destruction, and Satan has power and dominion over his own. If any are saved surely the Lord must soon come and have power over his Saints and reign in their midst, and execute ‘judgment upon Idumea, or the world.” Joseph Fielding Smith The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith 212. Deseret Book Co., 1972

“It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teaching of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man’s doctrine. You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-1956], 3: 203.)

“Whitmer thus continued to the grave, his 1829 on-site understanding of “Urim and Thummim” as a single seer stone. The Church in Utah attempted to correct Whitmer’s “error” above, shortly after its publication in the Chicago Times, with these comments . . . “The next error is that the seer stone which Joseph used in the translation ‘was called Urim and Thummim.’ The instrument thus denominated was composed of two crystal stones ‘set in the two rims of a bow.’ The seer stone was separate and distinct from the Urim and Thummim. The latter was delivered to the angel as well as the plates after the translation was completed; the former remained with the Church and is now in the possession of the President.” [Reynolds 1883, 85; citing, on his page 84 as his source quoted, “The Deseret Evening News at the time of the publication of his letter . . . ,” by which Reynolds means the letter of the Chicago Times correspondent to the Chicago Times, reporting his interview with Whitmer.” Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source © 2014 Rick Grunder page 1522

For the best detailed article on the Urim and Thummim being the only instrument that Joseph Smith used to translate the Gold Plates read here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/historical-prattle-or-competent-testimony-method-of-translation/

Winchester, the Smoking Gun of the Peep Stone!

As most of you know Benjamin Winchester was the culprit of making up the stories that the pyramids in Central America proved that the Book of Mormon happened in that area. He wanted to show his rival preachers that the Book of Mormon had proofs of the existence of a people just like the Bible had proof that it happened in the Old World in Jerusalem. Now Winchester could compete against these ministers and PROVE the Book of Mormon to be a true history of a true people. It was good that Winchester was trying to prove the Book of Mormon but he was doing it in Central America where the pyramids were dated long after the Nephites were destroyed. (See the Smoking Gun Article Here.)

Evolution of seer stone narrative – Benjamin Winchester by Jonathan Neville

I’m sitting in my home office, watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean crash, thinking about how intellectual fads come and go until they crash into oblivion on the shore. In recent years, influential LDS scholars have claimed the critics were right after all. According to them, Joseph produced the Book of Mormon by reading words off a seer stone. He didn’t really translate anything. We “need to change the definition of the term translate.” He didn’t use the Urim and Thummim. He didn’t even use the plates! Despite what the scholars say, many active LDS still believe what Joseph and Oliver taught. We’re fine with the scholars saying whatever they want. We’re fine with people following them. We just think some of their conclusions are not credible and contradict what the prophets have taught. The evolution of the seer stone narrative parallels the evolution of M2C. The historical record shows that Joseph and Oliver taught that Cumorah was in New York. Scholars dispute that record–Church historians even changed Church history to censor Cumorah in the Saints book–but the record persists and those interested can read it for themselves. We think extrinsic evidence supports the teachings of the prophets. We think M2C persists because of confirmation bias, but we don’t insist others agree with us. We oppose the efforts of the M2C citation cartel to censor and suppress alternative faithful perspectives. It’s the same thing with the seer stone narrative. The historical record shows that Joseph and Oliver taught that Joseph translated the plates with the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates. From as early as 1834, when Mormonism Unvailed set forth the seer stone (“peep” stone) narrative as an alternative to the Urim and Thummim narrative, critics pushed the seer stone while Joseph and Oliver reiterated the Urim and Thummim narrative throughout their lives. The other day our friends at Book of Mormon Central posted an article about seer stones that articulated the latest LDS scholarly fad. It included this comment: Joseph using peep stones to produce the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith used both the Nephite Interpreters and his individual seer stone in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The practice of using stones or glass to receive divine revelation is found in many cultures, including among the ancient Israelites and Maya. Though we may ultimately never fully understand the nature of the Book of Mormon’s translation, Joseph repeatedly testified that he translated the plates by the gift and power of God. https://bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/4-fascinating-insights-about-seers-seer-stones-and-interpreters Notice how they threw in the “Maya” reference. That’s the confirmation bias we see in everything produced by the M2C citation cartel. Notice also that last clause in bold. It’s a classic example of diversion because it’s a half-truth. Joseph did say he translated the plates by the gift and power of God. But he also said he did so by the means of the Urim and Thummim he obtained with the plates. E.g., in the Wentworth letter, Joseph wrote: With the records was found a curious instrument which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift, and power of God. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/church-history-1-march-1842/2 Today I’ll refer to Benjamin Winchester to illustrate the evolution of the seer stone narrative. Our M2C scholars followed Benjamin Winchester’s lead by focusing on Central America. (Winchester wrote the anonymous 1842 Times and Seasons articles that remains the basic rationale for M2C. We discussed that yesterday here.)Now scholars are following Winchester’s lead on the seer stones vs Urim and Thummim. In 1841, Benjamin Winchester published a newspaper in Philadelphia. At the time, he was a zealous missionary, a close friend of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, etc. In the March 15 issue, he wrote: Moroni was then commanded to deposit this record in the earth, together with the Urim and Thummim, or as the Nephites would have said, Interpreters, which were instruments to assist in the work of the translation, with a promise from the Lord that it should be brought to light by means of a Gentile Nation that should possess the land; and be published to the world, and go forth to the Lamanites, and be one of the instruments in the hands of God for their conversion. A few pages later, with Joseph Smith’s express permission, Winchester republished Oliver Cowdery’s eight essays on Church history (the original Gospel Topics essays). These include the passage now found in the Pearl of Great Price: Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated, with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, “ Interpreters,” the history, or record, called “ The Book of Mormon.” Also this passage: “[Moroni] said this history was and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain, and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record. “Winchester was on solid ground. Not only did Joseph give him permission to republish Oliver’s essays, but he gave them to his brother Don Carlos to publish in the Times and Seasons. He had his scribes copy them into his own journal as part of his life history. His brother William republished them again in 1844 in New York City. Winchester continued to publish books and articles defending the Church. He refuted the Solomon Spaulding theory. He went on a mission to promote Joseph Smith’s candidacy for U.S. President. But then he became disgruntled, partly over polygamy and partly over disputes with his old friend William Smith (Joseph’s brother). He was excommunicated. Later in life, he changed his version of his experiences with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Here’s what he wrote about the peep stones and the Urim and Thummim. This article was published in the Salt Lake Tribune on Sunday, September 22, 1889. In regard to Joseph’s literary work — his “translations” — I well remember some of it at Kirtland. They had there in the temple some Egyptian mummies, four of them I am positive. From one of them Joseph had taken a scroll lettered over with what purported to be Egyptian characters. It was kept on exhibition in a glass case. To this scroll Joseph applied his peep-stone or “Urim-Thummim” and made out a translation purporting to be a vision of Abraham in which the modern theory that the world is round and that it revolves was sustained against the ancient theory prior to the time of Galileo. Just like some of our LDS scholars today, Winchester put quotation marks around “translation” and equated the seer stone with the Urim and Thummim. In 1900, Winchester dictated a final testimony. [Joseph] carried what he called a ‘Peep stone’ through which he claimed to see hidden treasure & etc. This is what he afterwards called his ‘Urim and Thummim.’ Finally he took the notion to get up a book. Then he claimed to have made the discovery of the plates. Then he got Cowdery, Harris and Whitmer into it.” “Cowdery was his scribe, or the writer of the book, as Smith dictated it. It was done this way…. Smith was behind the blankets in the dark with this ‘peep stone’ in his hat and then his face in the hat. As he looked into the hat there would come sentence after sentence upon the stone, and he would dictate it to Cowdery, and Cowdery would write it down. Benjamin Winchester’s claim is exactly what some scholars today say we’re supposed to believe. It’s in Saints, it’s in the Ensign, and it’s in Book of Mormon Central. Back in 1889, just two weeks after Winchester’s article came out in the Salt Lake Tribune, President Wilford Woodruff stood up in General Conference and delivered this re-affirmation of what Joseph and Oliver always taught. And, as has been stated during this Conference, he brought forth the Book of Mormon-the stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim-in fulfillment of the testimony of Isaiah, translating that record through the Urim and Thummim, thereby revealing to us the history of the early inhabitants of this Continent. (1889, October, 6th Session, President Wilford Woodruff)President Woodruff could have said, “Well, Benjamin Winchester was correct. Joseph didn’t really translate the Book of Mormon. He merely read words that appeared on a seer stone.”There is a long history of Church leaders defending and reiterating what Joseph and Oliver claimed. Here’s one of over 100 examples from General Conference addresses: “This book, that has been so despised by the world, was testified to by the Prophet Joseph when asked: “How and when did you obtain the Book of Mormon? Answer. Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were; and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them, and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates, and thus came the Book of Mormon.”(1896, October, 4th Session, Elder Franklin D. Richards)There are many sources in Church history that support what Joseph and Oliver said about the translation. There are also sources, such as Benjamin Winchester’s final testimonies, that contradict what Joseph and Oliver said. We can all choose what we want to believe. For now, let’s just consider a final passage. 34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; 35 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. (Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35)Source: About Central America Jonathan Neville | May 8, 2020 at 6:47 pm

Just this past September, Firm Foundation was honored to have Glenn Beck’s support and endorsement. He made a special video for our group and he did a voice recording for a radio ad that promoted our conference. He has asked Rod what more can he do for us, as that will be a blessing for us in promoting the Book of Mormon. Glenn is also very concerned about our Native American Brothers and Sisters and is constantly praying on how to help them.

Back in about Aug. 2010 while Glenn was still on Fox News, was given Steve Smoot’s wonderful book and documentaries. Below you will see what was aired live on Fox News. Because of Glenn’s brazenness to share things that the intellectuals say are hoaxes, he was fired from Fox News but continues to do very well on blaze.tv and on his daily radio program. Below you will see part one and part two of these videos and then we have shared with you Steve Smoot’s Chapter 49 from his wonderful book, Lost Civilizations of North America where Steve shares his feelings about the Family and how we are created. We are also offering his book and documentary from 35-50% off below.

Part 1 Lost Civilizations of North America;

Part 2 Lost Civilizations of North America;

CHAPTER 49

Lost Civilizations on North America; Creation by Chance or Design—Hosting the Foreign Press Corps by Steven E. Smoot

In August of 1993, our family was asked to host a delegation of seven foreign journalists from Belgium, Holland, Germany, France and England, who were headquartered in Washington D.C. and were coming west to cover the visit of Pope John Paul II to Colorado. In a conversation with their director, he indicated that he wanted his coworkers to experience a little bit of small town USA. He mentioned, how over time, many of these reporters had become very cynical in their views of American society. This was the result of their continual exposure to the day-to-day crime and corruption of big cities and the politics of Washington. They had become very much disillusioned with the American way of life, having only lived in major cities. Their director wanted them to see and to understand that there was another side to American culture, which could only be understood by visiting and experiencing family life in small towns across America.

After a nice dinner prepared by my wife, we had planned a little family night program, starting with a short lesson and some fun Bluegrass and Country music, shared by our family Bluegrass band. In starting the lesson I picked up and placed my beautiful little daughter on my lap. As she looked up to me with her adoring big brown eyes, I expressed my love for her and my reverence for her life. I then pointed out to the group, her little hands in mine, showing how her perfect little fingernails, where placed on the end of her fingers in such a way as to protect her sensitive touch. Then I asked them to observe her adoring eyes that were looking up to me, watching my every move. I pointed out to them that her little eyebrows and eyelashes and eyelids, were placed to protect herself lovely brown eyes. Then we observed her cute little ears on the side of her head, placed, shaped and formed so perfectly to capture sound, enabling her to hear.

I then pointed to her perfectly designed nose, which enabled her to breathe throughout the night. Then we looked at the first of her little teeth, wondering if they would all come in straight. I then emphasized the wonder of this beautiful creation and how her intuitive spirit and brain enabled her to think, reason, walk, run, talk and play, and in so doing, allowed her to utter some of her first words, one of which was “daddy.” I told them that I marveled at how well her little complex digestive, nervous and circulatory systems function in order to properly sustain her. I also realized that this miracle of life would someday in the future, through her own reproductive organs be able to reproduce another beautiful child like unto herself. Today she has a little daughter who calls me “gumpa.”

As we continued the visit, we discussed the important role that strong families play in the future of society. A couple of weeks after this ‘family night’ was over, we received two unusual letters from two of the reporters. Both letters mentioned that on their final day of travel, as they were all together, one of the reporters had taken a vote on what was the most memorable experience of their trip to the West. They both mentioned that the vote taken was unanimous, that the night the reporters had spent in a simple family home evening was their most memorable of their trip. The reporter from Holland, in a letter sent a few weeks later, had included his article; in it he gave us some insights into their comments. Pointing out that as our appreciation for a child grows so does our appreciation for family. His article on the importance of children and family life was published in a number of newspapers in Holland and Denmark.

In conceptualizing and developing a number of real estate projects, office buildings, shopping centers, a hotel and golf course community, I have come to appreciate the complexity of thought, organization and design that goes into just one of these multifaceted projects. It has given me a greater appreciation for the complexity and the organization that is found in nature.

The traditional sources and insights into the origin of man and the creation of a world emanates primarily from ancient scripture. Conversely, the evolutionary dogma holds that Darwinism is a more comprehensive and reasonable hypothesis in explaining the origin of man and the organization that is found in nature. Yet, even today, it is difficult to find a scientist on the planet that can give a coherent explanation of how natural selection really works and how the meticulous organization of nature occurred.

Evolutionary science is based on the inference that you can get life from something that has no life. And that life came from some mutation of a coincidental combination of elements. All speculation as to how life started is an educated assumption. There is nothing inherently wrong with educated assumptions, since that is where all research begins. The problem, however, arises as researchers become so vested in their own theories that they start to view their theories as fact. This not only happens in religious circles, but in science circles as well. That is why, it is difficult to get to the truth, and why all avenues of meaningful research should be encouraged.

When one considers the intricacy and complexity of the creation of a human life, it is unfathomable to consider a world without some measure of design. Simply stated, I have never found that a building could simply erect itself. Within the framework of the building industry, even if one were to gather all the raw materials needed for the construction of a hotel and all material needed were delivered to the building job site, how many millennia would you have to wait before these raw materials would assemble themselves into a functioning and working building? The answer is intuitive because most people have observed that the tendency in this natural world is that everything tends towards disorder, not towards order, when left to itself, which is in essence, a restatement of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Another way of stating this law is that entropy tends to increase, where entropy is a measure of the system order.³⁹⁵

Darwin’s vague concepts of Natural Selection though complex for his day, were given at a time when science knew little about the complexity of even a single living cell. Since the 1950s, powerful microscopes have been employed to do cell research. They have observed that life gets much more complex instead of simpler at the cell level, an idea that would have been foreign to scientists of the 1800s. Complex structures have been observed that cannot be explained by Darwin’s process of natural selection, and even Darwin himself acknowledged that in stating: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organism existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications, my theory would absolutely breakdown.” ³⁹⁶

Thus, this invokes the question as to which would take the greatest amount of faith? The idea that this earth and mankind came about by happen-chance and by way of natural selection or by acknowledging the idea that there could have been an intelligent designer or designers that helped to bring organization to the elements found in nature? Within the sciences there are still many questions that have no factual answers, such as where did life first begin? Or how can one get life from that which has no life?

These questions are so complex that they have plagued the scholarly mind, since the beginning of recorded time. This has also caused some within the sciences to believe that there are questions, which shouldn’t be asked or explored, if one wants to advance in the sciences, receive government grants or have their printed works published. This is especially seen in today’s academic and politically correct scientific community, where most archeologists and anthropologists rely almost solely on the government for support. Those who question the “established” traditional science learn quickly that a discussion or exploration into Creation-related questions, and into the origins of man or the merits of intelligent design is considered strictly taboo.

In her book, Native Americans Before 1492, Looking into the Origin of the Ancient Mound Builders, Lynda Norene Shaffer acknowledged that it was “a journey into the unknown and full of surprises.” She went on to say in the preface of her book, that “there are many controversies in North American archaeology,” stating: “I was taken back by the nature of some of the disputes in North American archaeology and by the ways in which they are pursued by some of the experts…Long before I finished this study, it became clear to me that such controversies would make it exceedingly difficult to write a book about the mound building region that would please all the archaeologists…Though I have often felt that I was making my way through a field of mines, I was never tempted to turn back [for what] I was finding was altogether too interesting.”³⁹⁷

³⁹⁵ Charles Kittel, Thermal Physics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1969, 61

³⁹⁶ Ibid, Where Does the Evidence Lead?

³⁹⁷ Lynda Norene Shaffer, Native Americans Before 1492, Looking into the Origin of the Ancient Mound Builders, Preface

Let’s discuss Indian tribe names which will help us as we discuss each of them. This is just a general review and it is just a matter of my opinion as I have researched this for years.

There are two Large Tribes that were always at war with each other, the Algonquian and the Iroquois. The names on the list below (Map 1, 2) each are various sub-tribes under that group of people. Sometimes in history the writer will use various names for the same group of people.

Alleghewi = Tallegwi = Tsalagi = Cherokee = Allegheny = IROQUOIS!

“There can be no reasonable doubt that the Alleghewi or Tallegwi, who have given their name to the Alleghany River and Mountains, were the mound-builders. The destiny which ultimately befell the Mound-builders can be inferred from what was known of the fate of the Huron themselves in their final was with the Iroquois. The greater portion of the Huron people were exterminated, and their towns reduced to ashes. Of the survivors many were received and adopted among the conquerors. A few fled to the east and sought protection from the France.” Archaeological History of Ohio: The Mound builders and Later Indians pg 438

“It may be considered as beyond dispute that the Cherokees are a branch or off-shoot of the Huron-Iroquois family. Their language proves it. “The striking fact has become evident that the course of the migration of the Huron-Iroquois family has been from eastern Canada, on the Lower St. Lawrence, to the mountains of northern Alabama.” Archaeological history of Ohio : The Mound builders and later Indians / by Gerard Fowke.

I believe the Cherokee are most likely to be descendants of the Lamanite/Nephite mixture that survived the last battle at Cumorah.

North American Indian Tribes

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THE CITIES, FORTIFICATIONS AND EARTHWORKS OF THE TALLIGEWI

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Heckewelder wrote about the Talligewi earthworks found in the area of Lake Erie where he believed the Talligewi went after being defeated by the Delaware and Iroquois. (See map 3 below) He further stated that he was shown earthen mounds near Sandusky, Ohio, where there were found hundreds of slain Talligewi warriors buried. The Talligewi were said to have regularly built earthen fortifications, that were so strong that the Talligewi defended and protected themselves that the Delaware had to seek assistance from the Iroquois. The fortifications and the power of the Talligewi were so strong that it took the war through many years, The Talligewi were finally defeated and the Talligewi survivors fled. For many years the Talligewi the were at the Great Lakes began migrating south through what was believed is now Indiana. The Talligewi set up settlements east of the Fish River which Heckewelder thought was the Mississippi River.  Some information that Mooney wrote in his book stated that the river was called the Big Fish River and the river ran north to south. Some say that if in Indiana and the river ran south, and included lakes and marsh lands,  the river may have been the Old Kankakee River, which ran through Indiana. If in fact the river was the Kankakee the Kankakee marsh lands and lakes would have been in St. Joseph County, Indiana. Archaeologists have discovered several ancient burial mounds and ceremonial mounds  in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia,  Kentucky, and Tennessee which seem to prove, that this country was formerly inhabited by a nation farther advanced than other Indians that were migrating south. R.S. Cotterill, in writing his “History of Pioneer Kentucky” (which, of necessity included Southern Indiana in the area of the falls of the Ohio), remarked on pre-Columbian Kentucky: “There are many traditions to indicate, and a few shreds of evidence to prove, that in the far past that Indiana and Kentucky supported an advanced and extensive civilization. Here they built huge mounds for fortifications, for burial places and for temples

THE PROBLEM OF THE OHIO MOUNDS.

BY CYRUS THOMAS.

Washington
Government Printing Office
1889

INTRODUCTION.

No other ancient works of the United States have become so widely known or have excited so much interest as those of Ohio. This is due in part to their remarkable character but in a much greater degree to the “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley,” by Messrs. Squier and Davis, in which these monuments are described and figured.

The constantly recurring question, “Who constructed these works?” has brought before the public a number of widely different theories, though the one which has been most generally accepted is that they originated with a people long since extinct or driven from the country, who had attained a culture status much in advance of that reached by the aborigines inhabiting the country at the time of its discovery by Europeans.

The opinion advanced in this paper, in support of which evidence will be presented, is that the ancient works of the State are due to Indians of several different tribes, and that some at least of the typical works, were built by the ancestors of the modern Cherokees. The discussion will be limited chiefly to the latter proposition, as the limits of the paper will not permit a full presentation of all the data which might be brought forward in support of the theory, and the line of argument will be substantially as follows:

First. A brief statement of the reasons for believing that the Indians were the authors of all the ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley and Gulf States; consequently the Ohio mounds must have been built by Indians.

Second. Evidence that the Cherokees were mound builders after reaching their historic seats in East Tennessee and western North Carolina. This and the preceding positions are strengthened by the introduction of evidence showing that the Shawnees were the authors of a certain type of stone graves, and of mounds and other works connected therewith.

Third. A tracing of the Cherokees, by the mound testimony and by tradition, back to Ohio

Fourth. Reasons for believing that the Cherokees were the Tallegwi of tradition and the authors of some of the typical works of Ohio.

CHAPTER V.

THE CHEROKEES AND THE TALLEGWI.

The ancient works of Ohio, with their “altar mounds,” “sacred enclosures,” and “mathematically accurate” but mysterious circles and squares, are still pointed to as impregnable to the attacks of this Indian theory. That the rays of light falling upon their origin are few and dim, is admitted; still, we are not left wholly in the dark.

If the proof be satisfactory that the mounds of the southern half of the United States and a portion of those of the Upper Mississippi Valley are of Indian origin, there should be very strong evidence in the opposite direction in regard to those of Ohio to lead to the belief that they are of a different race. Even should the evidence fail to indicate the tribe or tribes by whom they were built, this will not justify the assertion that they are not of Indian origin.

If the evidence relating to these works has nothing decidedly opposed to the theory in it, then the presumption must be in favor of the view that the authors were Indians, for the reasons heretofore given. The burden of proof is on those who deny this, and not on those who assert it.

It is legitimate, therefore, to assume, until evidence to the contrary is produced, that the Ohio works were made by Indians.

The geographical position of the defensive works connected with these remains indicates, as has been often remarked by writers on this subject, a pressure from northern hordes which finally resulted in driving the inhabitants of the fertile valleys of the Miami, Scioto, and Muskingum, southward, possibly into the Gulf States, where they became incorporated with the tribes of that section. [Footnote: Force: “To what race did the mound—builders belong?” p. 74, etc.] If this is assumed as correct it only tends to confirm the theory of an Indian origin.

But the decision is not left to mere assumption and the indications mentioned, as there are other and more direct evidences bearing upon this point to be found in the works of art and modes of burial in this region. That the mound—builders of Ohio made and used the pipe is proven by the large number of pipes found in the mounds, and that they cultivated tobacco may reasonably be inferred from this fact.

The general use of the pipe among the mound—builders is another evidence of their relation to the Indians; while, on the other hand, this fact and the forms of the pipes indicate that they were not connected with the Nahua, Maya, or Pueblo tribes.

Although varied indefinitely by the addition of animal and other figures, the typical or simple form of the pipe of the Ohio mound— builders appears to have been that represented by Squier and Davis [Footnote: Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, 1847, p. 179.] in their Fig. 68; and by Rau in Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, No. 287. [Footnote: 1876, p. 47, Fig. 177.] The peculiar feature is the broad, flat, and slightly—curved base or stem, which projects beyond the bowl to an extent usually equal to the perforated end. Reference has already been made to the statement by Adair that the Cherokees were accustomed to carve, from the soft stone found in the country, “pipes, full a span long, with the fore part commonly running out with a short peak two or three fingers broad and a quarter of an inch thick.” But he adds further, as if intending to describe the typical form of the Ohio pipe, “on both sides of the bowl lengthwise.” This addition is important, as it has been asserted [Footnote: Young Mineralogist and Antiquarian, 1885, No. 10. p. 79.] that no mention can be found of the manufacture or use of pipes of this form by the Indians, or that they had any knowledge of this form.

E. A. Barber says: [Footnote: Am. Nat., vol. 16, 1882, pp. 265, 266]

The earliest stone pipes from the mounds were always carved from a single piece, and consist of a flat curved base, of variable length and width, with the bowl rising from the center of the convex side (Anc. Mon., p. 227).

The typical mound pipe is the Monitor form, as it may be termed, possessing a short, cylindrical urn, or spool—shaped bowl, rising from the center of a flat and slightly—curved base. [Footnote: For examples of this form see Rau: Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, No. 287, p. 47, Fig. 177.]

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Accepting this statement as proof that the “Monitor” pipe is generally understood to be the oldest type of the mound—builders’ pipe, it is easy to trace the modifications which brought into use the simple form of the modern Indian pipe. For example, there is one of the form shown in Fig. 5, from Hamilton County, Ohio; another from a large mound in Kanawha Valley, West Virginia; [Footnote: Science. 1884, vol. 3, p. 619.] several taken from Indian graves in Essex County, Mass.; [Footnote: Abbott, Prim. Industry, 1881, Fig. 313, p. 319; Bull. Essex Inst., vol. 3, 1872, p. 123.] another found in the grave of a Seneca Indian in the valley of the Genesee; [Footnote: Morgan, League of the Iroquois, p. 356.] and others found by the representatives of the Bureau of Ethnology in the mounds of western North Carolina.
Fig. 5. Pipe from Hamilton County, Ohio.

So far, the modification consists in simply shortening the forward projection of the stem or base, the bowl remaining perpendicular. The next modification is shown in Fig. 6, which represents a type less common than the preceding, but found in several localites, as, for example, in Hamilton County, Ohio; mounds in Sullivan County, east Tennessee (by the Bureau); and in Virginia. [Footnote: Rau: Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, No. 287, p. 50, Fig. 190.] In these, although retaining the broad or winged stem, we see the bowl assuming the forward slope and in some instances (as some of those found in the mounds in Sullivan County, Tenn.) the projection of the stem is reduced to a simple rim or is entirely wanting.
Fig. 6. Pipe from Hamilton County, Ohio.
Fig. 7. Pipe from Sullivan County, Tennessee.

The next step brings us to what may be considered the typical form of the modern pipe, shown in Fig. 8. This pattern, according to Dr. Abbott, [Footnote: Prim. Industry, 1861, p. 329.] is seldom found in New England or the Middle States, “except of a much smaller size and made of clay.” He figures one from Isle of Wight County, Va., “made of compact steatite.” A large number of this form were found in the North Carolina mounds, some with stems almost or quite a foot in length.
Fig. 8. Pipe from Caldwell County, North Carolina.

It is hardly necessary to add that among the specimens obtained from various localities can be found every possible gradation, from the ancient Ohio type to the modern form last mentioned. There is, therefore, in this peculiar line of art and custom an unbroken chain connecting the mound—builders of Ohio with the Indians of historic times, and in the same facts is evidence, which strengthens the argument, disconnecting the makers from the Mexican and Central American artisans.

As this evidence appears to point to the Cherokees as the authors of some of the typical mounds of Ohio, it may be as well to introduce here a summary of the data which bear upon this question.

Reasons which are thought well—nigh conclusive have already been presented for believing that the people of this tribe were mound— builders, and that they had migrated in pre—Columbian times from some point north of the locality in which they were encountered by Europeans. Taking up the thread of their history where it was dropped, the following reasons are offered as a basis for the conclusion that their home was for a time on the Ohio, and that this was the region from which they migrated to their historic locality.

As already shown, their general movement in historic times, though limited, has been southward. Their traditions also claim that their migrations previous to the advent of the whites had been in the same direction from some point northward, not indicated in that given by Lederer, but in that recorded by Haywood, from the valley of the Ohio. But it is proper to bear in mind that the tradition given by Lederer expressly distinguishes them from the Virginia tribes, which necessitates looking more to the west for their former home. Haywood connects them, without any authority, with the Virginia tribes, but the tradition he gives contradicts this and places them on the Ohio.

The chief hostile pressure against them of which we have any knowledge was from the Iroquois of the north. This testimony is further strengthened by the linguistic evidence, as it has been ascertained that the language of this tribe belongs to the Iroquoian stock. Mr. Horatio Hale, a competent authority on this subject, in an article on Indian migrations published in the American Antiquarian, [Footnote: Am. Antiquarian, vol. 5, 1883, p. 26] remarks as follows:

Following the same course of migration from the northeast to the southwest, which leads us from the Hurons of eastern Canada to the Tuscaroras of central North Carolina, we come to the Cherokees of northern Alabama and Georgia. A connection between their language and that of the Iroquois has long been suspected. Gallatin, in his “Synopsis of Indian Languages,” remarks on this subject: “Dr. Barton thought that the Cherokee language belonged to the Iroquois family, and on this point I am inclined to be of the same opinion. The affinities are few and remote, but there is a similarity in the general termination of the syllables, in the pronunciation and accent, which has struck some of the native Cherokees.”

The difficulty arising from this lack of knowledge is now removed, and with it all uncertainty disappears. The similarity of the two tongues, apparent enough in many of their words, is most strikingly shown, as might be expected, in their grammatical structure, and especially in the affixed pronouns, which in both languages play so important a part.

More complete vocabularies of the Cherokee language than have hitherto been accessible have recently come into possession of the Bureau of Ethnology, and their study serves to confirm the above conclusion that the Cherokees are an offshoot of Iroquoian stock.

On the other hand, the testimony of the mounds all taken together or considered generally (if the conclusion that the Cherokees were the authors of the North Carolina and East Tennessee mounds be accepted) seems to isolate them from all other mound—building people of that portion of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Nevertheless there are certain remains of art which indicate an intimate relation with the authors of the stone graves, as the engraved shells, while there are others which lead to the opinion that there was a more intimate relation with the mound—builders of Ohio, especially of the Scioto Valley. One of these is furnished by the stone pipes so common in the Ohio mounds, the manufacture of which appears also to have been a favorite pursuit of the Cherokees in both ancient and modern times. (Map 4)

In order to make the force of this argument clear it is necessary to enter somewhat further into details. In the first place, nearly all of the pipes of this type so far discovered have been found in a belt commencing with eastern Iowa, thence running eastward through northern Illinois, through Indiana, and embracing the southern half of Ohio; thence, bending southward, including the valley of the Great Kanawha, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina, to the northern boundary of Georgia. It is not known that this type in any of its modifications prevailed or was even in use at any point south of this belt. Pipes in the form of birds and other animals are not uncommon, as may be seen by reference to Pl. XXIII of Jones’s Antiquities of the Southern Indians, but the platform is a feature wholly unknown there, as are also the derivatives from it. This is so literally true as to render it strange, even on the supposition here advanced; only a single one (near Nashville, Tenn.), so far as known, having been found in the entire South outside of the Cherokee country.

This fact, as is readily seen, stands in direct opposition to the idea advanced by some that the mound—builders of Ohio when driven from their homes moved southward, and became incorporated with the tribes of the Gulf States, as it is scarcely possible such sturdy smokers as they must have been would all at once have abandoned their favorite pipe.

Some specimens have been found north and east of this belt, chiefly in New York and Massachusetts, but they are too few to induce the belief that the tribes occupying the sections where they were found were in the habit of manufacturing them or accustomed to their use; possibly the region of Essex, Mass., may prove to be an isolated and singular exception.

How can we account for the fact that they were confined to this belt except upon the theory that they were made and used by a single tribe, or at most by two or three cognate tribes? If this be admitted it gives as a result the line of migration of the tribe, or tribes, by whom they were made; and the gradual modification of the form indicates the direction of the movement.

In the region of eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, as will be seen by reference to the Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences [Footnote: Vol. 1, 1876, Pl. IV.] and the Smithsonian Report for 1882, [Footnote: Smithsonian Report for 1882 (1884), Figs. 4—8, pp. 689—692] the original slightly—carved platform base appears to be the only form found.

Moving eastward from that section, a break occurs, and none of the type are found until the western border of Ohio is reached, indicating a migration by the tribe to a great distance. From this point eastward and over a large portion of the State, to the western part of West Virginia, the works of the tribe are found in numerous localities, showing this to have long been their home.

In this region the modifications begin, as heretofore shown, and continue along the belt mentioned through West Virginia, culminating in the modern form in western North Carolina and East Tennessee.

As pipes of this form have never been found in connection with the stone graves, there are just grounds for eliminating the Shawnees from the supposed authors of the Ohio works. On the other hand, the engraved shells are limited almost exclusively to the works of the Shawnees and Cherokees (taking for granted that the former were the authors of the box—shaped stone graves south of the Ohio and the latter of the works in western North Carolina and East Tennessee), but are wanting in the Ohio mounds. It follows, therefore, if the theory here advanced (that the Cherokees constructed some of the typical works of Ohio) be sustained, that these specimens of art are of Southern origin, as the figures indicate, and that the Cherokees began using them only after they had reached their historical locality.

Other reasons for eliminating the Shawnees and other Southern tribes from the supposed authors of the typical Ohio works are furnished by the character, form, and ornamentation of the pottery of the two sections, which are readily distinguished from each other.

That the Cherokees and Shawnees were distinct tribes, and that the few similarities in customs and art between them were due to vicinage and intercourse are well—known historical facts. But there is nothing of this kind to forbid the supposition that the former were the authors of some of the Ohio works. Moreover, the evidence that they came from a more northern locality, added to that furnished by the pipes, seems to connect them with the Ohio mound—builders. In addition to this there is the tradition of the Delawares, given by Heckewelder, which appears to relate to no known tribe unless it be the Cherokees. Although this tradition has often been mentioned in works relating to Indians and kindred subjects, it is repeated here that the reader may judge for himself as to its bearing on the subject now under consideration:

The Lenni Lenape (according to the tradition handed down to them by their ancestors) resided many hundred years ago in a very distant country in the western part of the American continent. For some reason which I do not find accounted for, they determined on migrating to the eastward, and accordingly set out together in a body. After a very long journey and many nights’ encampments [Footnote: “Many Nights’ encampment” is a halt of one year at a place.] by the way, they at length arrived on the Namaesi—Sipu, [Footnote: The Mississippi or The River of Fish; Namaes, a fish, and Sipu a river.] where they fell in with the Mengwe, [Footnote: The Iroquois, or Five Nations.] who had likewise emigrated from a distant country, and had struck upon this river somewhat higher up. Their object was the same with that of the Delawares; they were proceeding on to the eastward, until they should find a country that pleased them. The spies which the Lenape had sent forward for the purpose of reconnoitring, had long before their arrival discovered that the country east of the Mississippi was inhabited by a very powerful nation who had many large towns built on the great rivers flowing through their land. Those people (as I was told) called themselves Talligew or Tallgewi. Many wonderful things are told of this famous people. They are said to have been remarkably tall and stout, and there is a tradition that there were giants among them, people of a much larger size than the tallest of the Lenape. It is related that they had built to themselves regular fortifications or intrenchments, from whence they would sally out, but were generally repulsed. I have seen many of the fortifications said to have been built by them, two of which, in particular, were remarkable. One of them was near the mouth of the river Huron, which empties itself into the Lake St. Clair, on the north side of that lake, at the distance of about 20 miles northeast of Detroit. This spot of ground was, in the year 1776, owned and occupied by a Mr. Tucker. The other works, properly intrenchments, being walls or banks of earth regularly thrown up, with a deep ditch on the outside, were on the Huron River, east of the Sandusky, about six or eight miles from Lake Erie. Outside of the gateway of each of these two intrenchments, which lay within a mile of each other, were a number of large flat mounds in which, the Indian pilot said, were buried hundreds of the slain Talligewi, whom I shall hereafter, with Colonel Gibson, call Alligewi. Of these intrenchments Mr. Abraham Steiner, who was with me at the time when I saw them, gave a very accurate description, which was published at Philadelphia in 1789 or 1790, in some periodical work the name of which I can not at present remember.

When the Lenape arrived on the banks of the Mississippi they sent a message to the Alligewi to request permission to settle themselves in their neighborhood. This was refused them, but they obtained leave to pass through the country and seek a settlement farther to the eastward. They accordingly began to cross the Namaesi—Sipu, when the Alligewi, seeing that their numbers were so very great, and in fact they consisted of many thousands, made a furious attack upon those who had crossed, threatening them all with destruction, if they dared to persist in coming over to their side of the river. Fired at the treachery of these people, and the great loss of men they had sustained, and besides, not being prepared for a conflict, the Lenapi consulted on what was to be done; whether to retreat in the best manner they could, or to try their strength, and let the enemy see that they were not cowards, but men, and too high—minded to suffer themselves to be driven off before they had made a trial of their strength and were convinced that the enemy was too powerful for them. The Mengwe, who had hitherto been satisfied with being spectators from a distance, offered to join them, on condition that, after conquering the country, they should be entitled to share it with them; their proposal was accepted, and the resolution was taken by the two nations, to conquer or die.

Having thus united their forces the Lenape and Mengwe declared war against the Alligewi, and great battles were fought in which many warriors fell on both sides. The enemy fortified their large towns and erected fortifications, especially on large rivers and near lakes, where they were successfully attacked and sometimes stormed by the allies. An engagement took place in which hundreds fell, who were afterwards [pg 45]buried in holes or laid together in heaps and covered over with earth. No quarter was given, so that the Alligewi at last, finding that their destruction was inevitable if they persisted in their obstinacy, abandoned the country to the conquerors and fled down the Mississippi River, from whence they never returned.

The war which was carried on with this nation lasted many years, during which the Lenape lost a great number of their warriors, while the Mengwe would always hang back in the rear leaving them to face the enemy. In the end the conquerors divided the country between themselves. The Mengwe made choice of the lands in the vicinity of the great lakes and on their tributary streams, and the Lenape took possession of the country to the south. For a long period of time, some say many hundred years, the two nations resided peacefully in this country and increased very fast. Some of their most enterprising huntsmen and warriors crossed the great swamps, and falling on streams running to the eastward followed them down to the great bay river (meaning the Susquehanna, which they call the great bay river from where the west branch falls into the main stream), thence into the bay itself, which we call Chesapeake. As they pursued their travels, partly by land and partly by water, sometimes near and at other times on the great salt—water lake, as they call the sea, they discovered the great river which we call the Delaware.

This quotation, although not the entire tradition as given by Heckewelder, will suffice for the present purpose.

The traces of the name of these mound—builders, which are still preserved in the name “Allegheny,” applied to a river and the mountains of Pennsylvania, and the fact that the Delawares down to the time Heckewelder composed his work called the Allegheny River “Allegewi Sipu,” or river of the Allegewi, furnish evidence that there is at least a vein of truth in this tradition. If it has any foundation in fact there must have been a people to whom the name “Tallegwi” [Footnote: There appears to be no real foundation for the name Allegewi, this form being a mere supposition of Colonel Gibson, suggested by the name the Lenape applied to the Allegheny River and Mountains.] was applied, for on this the whole tradition hangs. Who were they? In what tribe and by what name shall we identify them? That they were mound—builders is positively asserted, and the writer explains what he means by referring to certain mounds and inclosures, which are well known at the present day, which he says the Indians informed him were built by this people.

It is all—important to bear in mind the fact that when this tradition was first made known, and the mounds mentioned were attributed to this people, these ancient works were almost unknown to the investigating minds of the country. This forbids the supposition that the tradition was warped or shaped to fit a theory in regard to the origin of these antiquities.

Following the tradition it is fair to conclude, notwithstanding the fact that Heckewelder interpreted “Namaesi Sipu” by Mississippi, that the principal seats of this tribe or nation were in the region of the Ohio and the western slope of the Allegheny Mountains, and hence it is not wholly a gratuitous supposition to believe they were the authors of some of the principal ancient works of eastern Ohio (including those of the Scioto Valley) and the western part of West Virginia. Moreover, there is the statement by Haywood, already referred to, that the Cherokees had a tradition that in former times they dwelt on the Ohio and built mounds.

These data, though slender, when combined with the apparent similarity between the name Tallegwi and Cherokee or Chellakee, and the character of the works and traditions of the latter, furnish some ground for assuming that the two were one and the same people. But this assumption necessitates the further inference that the pressure which drove them southward is to be attributed to some other people than the Iroquois as known to history, as this movement must have taken place previous to the time the latter attained their ascendancy. It is probable that Mr. Hale is correct in deciding that the “Namaesi Sipu” of the tradition was not the Mississippi. [Footnote: Am. Antiquarian, vol. 5, 1883, p. 117.] His suggestion that it was that portion of the great river of the North (the St. Lawrence) which connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie, seems also to be more in conformity with the tradition and other data than any other which has been offered. If this supposition is accepted it would lead to the inference that the Talamatau, the people who joined the Delawares in their war on the Tallegwi, were Hurons or Huron—Iroquois previous to separation. That the reader may have the benefit of Mr. Hale’s views on this question, the following quotation from the article mentioned is given:

The country from which the Lenape migrated was Shinaki, the “land of fir trees,” not in the West but in the far North, evidently the woody region north of Lake Superior. The people who joined them in the war against the Allighewi (or Tallegwi, as they are called in this record), were the Talamatan, a name meaning “not of themselves,” whom Mr. Squier identities with the Hurons, and no doubt correctly, if we understand by this name the Huron—Iroquois people, as they existed before their separation. The river which they crossed was the Messusipu, the Great River, beyond which the Tallegwi were found “possessing the East.” That this river was not our Mississippi is evident from the fact that the works of the mound—builders extended far to the westward of the latter river, and would have been encountered by the invading nations, if they had approached it from the west, long before they arrived at its banks. The “Great River” was apparently the upper St. Lawrence, and most probably that portion of it which flows from Lake Huron to Lake Erie, and which is commonly known as the Detroit River. Near this river, according to Heckewelder, at a point west of Lake St. Clair, and also at another place just south of Lake Erie, some desperate conflicts took place. Hundreds of the slain Tallegwi, as he was told, were buried under mounds in that vicinity. This precisely accords with Cusick’s statement that the people of the great southern empire had “almost penetrated to Lake Erie” at the time when the war began. Of course in coming to the Detroit River from the region north of Lake Superior, the Algonquins would be advancing from the west to the east. It is quite conceivable that, after many generations and many wanderings, they may themselves have forgotten which was the true Messusipu, or Great River, of their traditionary tales.

The passage already quoted from Cusick’s narrative informs us that the contest lasted “perhaps one hundred years.” In close agreement with this statement the Delaware record makes it endure during the terms of four head—chiefs, who in succession presided in the Lenape councils. From what we know historically of Indian customs the average terms of such chiefs may be computed at about twenty—five years. The following extract from the record [Footnote: The Bark Record of the Leni Lenape.] gives their names and probably the fullest account of the conflict which we shall ever possess:

“Some went to the East, and the Tallegwi killed a portion.

“Then all of one mind exclaimed, War! War!

“The Talamatan (not—of—themselves) and the Nitilowan [allied north—people] go united (to the war).

“Kinnepehend (Sharp—Looking) was the leader, and they went over the river. And they took all that was there and despoiled and slew the Tallegwi.

“Pimokhasuwi (Stirring—about) was next chief, and then the Tallegwi were much too strong.

“Tenchekensit (Open—path) followed, and many towns were given up to him.

“Paganchihiella was chief, and the Tallegwi all went southward.

“South of the Lakes they (the Lenape) settled their council—fire, and north of the Lakes were their friends the Talamatan (Hurons!).”

There can he no reasonable doubt that the Alleghewi or Tallegwi, who have given their name to the Allegheny River and Mountains, were the mound—builders.

This supposition brings the pressing hordes to the northwest of the Ohio mound—builders, which is the direction, Colonel Force concludes, from the geographical position of the defensive works, they must have come.

The number of defensive works erected during the contest shows it must have been long and obstinate, and that the nation which could thus resist the attack of the northern hordes must have been strong in numbers and fertile in resources. But resistance proved in vain; they were compelled at last, according to the tradition, to leave the graves of their ancestors and flee southward in search of a place of safety.

Here the Delaware tradition drops them, but the echo comes up from the hills of East Tennessee and North Carolina in the form of the Cherokee tradition already mentioned, telling us where they found a resting place, and the mound testimony furnishes the intermediate link.

If they stopped for a time on New River and the head of the Holston, as Haywood conjectures, [Footnote: Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 223.—See Thomas, “Cherokees probably mound—builders,” Magazine Am. Hist., May. 1884, p. 398.] their line of retreat was in all likelihood up the valley of the Great Kanawha. This supposition agrees also with the fact that no traces of them are found in the ancient works of Kentucky or middle Tennessee. In truth, the works along the Ohio River from Portsmouth to Cincinnati and throughout northern Kentucky pertain to entirely different types from those of Ohio, most of them to a type found in no other section.

On the contrary, it happens precisely in accordance with the theory advanced and the Cherokeee traditions, that we find in the Kanawha Valley, near the city of Charleston, a very extensive group of ancient works stretching along the banks of the stream for more than two miles, consisting of quite large as well as small mounds, of circular and rectangular inclosures, etc. A careful survey of this group has been made and a number of the tumuli, including the larger ones, have been explored by the representatives of the Bureau.

The result of these explorations has been to bring to light some very important data bearing upon the question now under consideration. In fact we find here what seems to be beyond all reasonable doubt the connecting link between the typical works of Ohio and those of East Tennessee and North Carolina ascribed to the Cherokees.

The little stone vaults in the shape of bee—hives noticed and figured in the articles in Science and the American Naturalist, before referred to, discovered by the Bureau assistants in Caldwell County, N. C., and Sullivan County, Tenn., are so unusual as to justify the belief that they are the work of a particular tribe, or at least pertain to an ethnic type. Yet under one of the large mounds at Charleston, on the bottom of a pit dug in the original soil, a number of vaults of precisely the same form were found, placed, like those of the Sullivan County mound, in a circle. But, though covering human remains moldered back to dust, they were of hardened clay instead of stone. Nevertheless, the similarity in form, size, use, and conditions under which they were found is remarkable, and, as they have been found only at the points mentioned, the probability is suggested that the builders in the two sections were related.

There is another link equally strong. In a number of the larger mounds on the sites of the “over—hill towns,” in Blount and Loudon Counties, Tenn., saucer—shaped beds of burnt clay, one above another, alternating with layers of coals and ashes, were found. Similar beds were also found in the mounds at Charleston. These are also unusual, and, so far as I am aware, have been found only in these two localities. Possibly they are outgrowths of the clay altars of the Ohio mounds, and, if so, reveal to us the probable use of these strange structures. They were places where captives were tortured and burned, the most common sacrifices the Indians were accustomed to make. Be this supposition worthy of consideration or not, it is a fact worthy of notice in this connection that in one of the large mounds in this Kanawha group one of the so—called “clay altars” was found at the bottom of precisely the same pattern as those found by Squier and Davis in the mounds of Ohio.

In these mounds were also found wooden vaults, constructed In exactly the same manner as that in the lower part of the Grave Creek mound; also others of the pattern of those found in the Ohio mounds, in which bark wrappings were used to enshroud the dead. Hammered copper bracelets, hematite celts and hemispheres, and mica plates, so characteristic of the Ohio tumuli, were also discovered here; and, as in East Tennessee and Ohio, we find at the bottom of mounds in this locality the post—holes or little pits which have recently excited considerable attention. We see another connecting link in the circular and rectangular inclosures, not combined as in Ohio, but analogous, and, considering the restricted area of the narrow valley, bearing as strong resemblance as might be expected if the builders of the two localities were one people.

It would be unreasonable to assume that all these similarities in customs, most of which are abnormal, are but accidental coincidences due to necessity and environment. On the contrary it will probably be conceded that the testimony adduced and the reasons presented justify the conclusion that the ancestors of the Cherokees were the builders of some at least of the typical works of Ohio; or, at any rate, that they entitle this conclusion to favorable consideration. Few, if any, will longer doubt that the Cherokees were mound builders in their historic seats in North Carolina and Tennessee. Starting with this basis, and taking the mound testimony, of which not even a tithe has been presented, the tradition of the Cherokees, the statement of Haywood, the Delaware tradition as given by Heckewelder, the Bark Record as published by Brinton and interpreted by Hale, and the close resemblance between the names Tallegwi and Chellakee, it would seem that there can remain little doubt that the two peoples were identical.

It is at least apparent that the ancient works of the Kanawha Valley and other parts of West Virginia are more nearly related to those of Ohio than to those of any other region, and hence they may justly be attributed to the same or cognate tribes. The general movement, therefore, must have been southward as indicated, and the exit of the Ohio mound—builders was, in all probability, up the Kanawha Valley on the same line that the Cherokees appear to have followed in reaching their historical locality. It is a singular fact and worthy of being mentioned here, that among the Cherokee names signed to the treaty made between the United States and this tribe at Tellico, in 1798, are the following: [Footnote: Treaties between the United States of America and the several Indian tribes (1837), p. 182.] Tallotuskee, Chellokee, Yonaheguah, Keenakunnah, and Teekakatoheeunah, which strongly suggest relationship to names found in the Allegheny region, although the latter come to us through the Delaware tongue.

If the hypothesis here advanced be correct, it is apparent that the Cherokees entered the immediate valley of the Mississippi from the northwest, striking it in the region of Iowa. This supposition is strengthened not only by the similarity in the forms of the pipes found in the two sections, but also in the structure and contents of many of the mounds found along the Mississippi in the region of western Illinois. So striking is this that it has been remarked by explorers whose opinions could not have been biased by this theory.

Mr. William McAdams, in an address to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, remarks: “Mounds, such as are here described, in the American Bottom and low—lands of Illinois are seldom, if ever, found on the bluffs. On the rich bottom lands of the Illinois River, within 50 miles of its mouth, I have seen great numbers of them and examined several. The people who built them are probably connected with the Ohio mound—builders, although in this vicinity they seem not to have made many earthen embankments, or walls inclosing areas of land, as is common in Ohio. Their manner of burial was similar to the Ohio mound— builders, however, and in this particular they had customs similar to the mound—builders of Europe.” [Footnote: Proc. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., 29th (Boston) meeting, 1880 (1881), p. 715.] One which he opened in Calhoun County, presented the regular form of the Ohio “altar.”

A mound in Franklin County, Ind., described and figured by Dr. G. W. Homsher, [Footnote: Smithsonian Report for 1882 (1884), p. 722.] presents some features strongly resembling those of the North Carolina mounds.

The works of Cuyahoga County and other sections of northern Ohio bordering the lake, and consisting chiefly of inclosures and defensive walls, are of the same type as those of New York, and may be attributed to people of the Iroquoian stock. Possibly they may be the works of the Eries who, we are informed, built inclosures. If such conclusion be accepted it serves to strengthen the opinion that this lost tribe was related to the Iroquois. The works of this type are also found along the eastern portion of Michigan as far north as Ogemaw County.

The box shaped stone graves of the State are due to the Delawares and Shawnees, chiefly the former, who continued to bury in sepulchers of this type after their return from the East. Those in Ashland and some other counties, as is well known, mark the location of villages of this tribe. Those along the Ohio, which are chiefly sporadic, are probably Shawnee burial places, and older than those of the Delawares. The bands of the Shawnees which settled in the Scioto Valley appear to have abandoned this method of burial.

There are certain mounds consisting entirely or in part of stone, and also stone graves or vaults of a peculiar type, found in the extreme southern portions of the State and in the northern part of Kentucky, which can not be connected with any other works, and probably owe their origin to a people who either became extinct or merged into some other tribe so far back that no tradition of them now remains.

Recently a resurvey of the remaining circular, square, and octagonal works of Ohio has been made by the Bureau agents. The result will be given in a future bulletin.

Read More Here:

North America Inhabited by a White People before the Ancients (Jaredites)

By D. C. Miller.            Batavia, N. Y., October 18, 1822.             Vol. 11, No. 553.

AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES.

To the editors of the Louisiana Republican.                        

Gentlemen: —
In the course of my observation & travels through several parts of the United States, I have kept minutes of the most remarkable events which have occurred under my own observation, extracts from which I design, occasionally, to submit to you, and if you think them worthy of insertion in your useful paper, you are at liberty to use them accordingly.

All accounts extant, relative to the size of the ancient settlers of our country, agree that this race of beings must have been larger than the present; but none that I have seen give any evidence of this fact. From my own observation, I have evidence at least of one person of gigantic stature.

In the year 1810, I opened, with several other persons who accompanied me for the purpose, one of the flat mounds common in the western country. It was built of regular layers of flat stones, and covered lightly with earth. This was 4 miles west of the town of Worthington, in Ohio, and within a few rods of the banks of the river Scioto. — In this mound we found the skeletons of a number of bodies, some of a very large size, they were deposited directly due east and west, the heads to the west; precisely as is the practice in Christian burials.

After several hours fatigue in opening & examining this mound, we retired to a house of a Mr. Miller, about 200 yards from the spot, who informed us that he had taken a skeleton from the mound adjoining the one we had examined, which was supposed to be, when living, a man of at least 7 feet 4 inches. He stated that such was the opinion of all who had seen the bones in his possession — that the bone of the leg, which had lost a little at each end, was then longer than the bone of the tallest man in the settlement, measuring from the heel to the cap of the knee.

Mr. Miller stated that he had also in his possession, the jaw bone of this skeleton, which he said, would cover loosely the face of any of his neighbors; and that, when he found the skeleton, he picked from one of the joints of the neck bone, (which was also much larger than any he had seen before,) a stone arrow point; from which circumstances, it was thought his death had been occasioned. I made many inquiries of Mr. Miller, who seemed to be a very intelligent man. He informed me that he had been living at his residence on the Scioto, for many years; — that when he first settled there, he was told by all the old Indians that these mounds existed at a period beyond the recollection of the oldest of them, and that the tribe of Indians before them could give no account of the mounds, other than that they were burying places before they inhabited the country.

From these circumstances, together with some others, which have come under my observation, I have been of opinion, that the bones frequently found in these mounds, must have been the skeletons of a race of beings inhabiting the country, of whom the Indians had no knowledge. The most remarkable circumstance stated by Mr. Miller was, that when ploughing his field, he traced plainly the remains of an ancient building in the form of a house, as there was a manifest difference in the appearance of the earth; and pointing at the same time to the hearth stone in his fire-place, he observed “the hearth-stone which you see there, I took myself from the place where I suppose the fire-place was in the ancient building of which I speak.” The Indians, he added, gave him the same account of the appearance of this old building as they had of the mounds; that it existed before their time. During the war, and while on my way to Detroit, I intended calling on Mr. Miller, for more particular information, but upon my arrival at Worthington, I learned that he was dead.

Every information tending to prove the existence of a vast ancient population of any part of our country, ought to be preserved — but few persons can or will afford to spend time and money to the attainment of such an object. I have occasionally noted what had passed under my observation since the year 1807 in the western country; and, as I find leisure, will transmit them to you to be filed away through the medium of your paper, till better proof can be obtained of the existence of a vast ancient population of our country.

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.

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
	Legends of a white, bearded God

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 hisretirement, 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?

More information: Stoddard, Ted Dee Topic/Type: Book of Mormon Names and Places The Great Lakes”Heartland” ModelE-mail Articles

Part 2 Heartland Model

“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.

Artifacts near Montrose Iowa

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

Support for Arrowheads, Artifacts, Pottery, Head and Breastplates near Cumorah.

bofm.blog/arrowheads-the-cave-and-actual-stone-at-cumorah/

bofm.blog/hill-cumorah-archaeological-verification/

bofm.blog/mounds-skeletons-artifacts-near-cumorah/

bofm.blog/jaredites-nephites-josephites-final-battle-at-cumorah/

bofm.blog/bones-at-cumorah/

bofm.blog/a-study-of-the-hill-cumorah-a-significant-latter-day-saint-landmark-in-western-new-york/

Hundreds of Thousands of Arrowheads USA

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.

I believe the Mississippi river is the greatest river in the world. It has been called the “Father of Waters” by Native Americans, Sidon by Nephites and possibly Pishon or Gihon in the Old Testament. (I explain below)

The River Sidon is the most important river in the Book of Mormon. It is important for its food, water, defense, travel, and importance to develop cities close by. In comparison, that is the value today of the Mississippi River. We believe they are one in the same river.

The River Sidon isn’t mentioned until 87 BC in Alma Chapter 2. That makes sense. We believe Lehi landed near Tallahassee Florida in c.589 BC, Nephi probably escaped into the mountains using the Chattahoochee River and settled near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mosiah then joined the Mulekites near Nauvoo, Illinois on the Mississippi River. c. 130 BC. See complete Book of Mormon Timeline here:

From the Topical Guide- Sidon, River—most prominent river in Nephite territory

• hill Amnihu is on east of Sidon, Alma 2:15.
• Lamanites camp on west of Sidon, Alma 2:34.
• many are baptized in waters of Sidon, Alma 4:4.
• wilderness at Sidon, Alma 22:29.

• See also River

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/triple-index/sidon-river?lang=eng

Name Sidon came from Mulekites

“In The Lost City of Zarahemla, I discussed the origin of the name and its relevance to Book of Mormon geography. I concluded that the Nephites inherited the name from the Mulekites, who in turn were influenced by the Phoenicians who presumably brought them to America. The name Sidon recognizes the river for its properties as a source of food, and also for its utility as a border, the same way the ancient city of Sidon was used to mark a border in the Old Testament. I proposed that references to the river Sidon in the Book of Mormon amount to references to the river border, particularly in connection with the narrow strip of wilderness.

I also pointed out that the phrase “head of Sidon” cannot mean the source, but instead means the confluence of rivers. [Map below] illustrates where the Mississippi joins the Missouri and Ohio Rivers. The Illinois River joins just north of the Missouri River. Somewhere in that area, or perhaps the entire section from the Missouri to the Ohio River, is the head of Sidon.” Moroni’s America Chapter 24. For a discussion on the direction the River Sidon flowed, and why we feel the Mississippi is indeed the River Sidon, see my blog here:https://www.bofm.blog/the-mississippi-is-the-river-sidon/

Etymology (Sidon)

Since the Book of Mormon river SIDON passed through ZARAHEMLA, a city that was first settled by Mulekites, it is likely that this GN is of Mulekite origin. If it does derive from the biblical name for the Phoenician city SIDON (Hebrew ṣidon^[1] Phoenician ṣdn, EGYPTIAN ddwn3, ASSYRIAN ṣiduna), as most commentaries suggest, this may denote the presence of Phoenician influence among the Mulekites. HALOT notes that the “etymology [of the Phoenician GN Sidon] is not absolutely certain.”^[2] DNWSI gives “unknown meaning” for ṣdn, and “uncert[ain] meaning” for ṣd, and has no entry for ṣwd. It is possible that it may come from HEBREW ṣwd, to catch, hunt, and if it does, –ôn may be the fairly common nominalizing ending. Source.

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications’ Biblical Dictionary צוד

The verb צוד (sud) means to hunt or fish, or more general: to get meat rather than veggies, and by working for it in the wild rather than purchasing it at a store. This verb obviously has a very strong cognitive connotation in the Bible, which would concern an active pursuit of problems and their solutions, rather than learning from whatever happens (veggies) or absorbing other people’s theories at some school (food store)

Noun ציד (sayid) means a hunting or game. Noun ציד (sayyad) means hunter. Noun מצד (mesad) means fastness or stronghold (a typically defensive structure). Noun מצוד (masod) may mean siege works or hunting implement (like a net). Likewise, the nouns מצודה (mesoda) and מצודה (mesuda) mean net, fastness or stronghold.

Both nouns ציד (sayid) and צידה (seda) mean provisions or food. The denominative verb ציד (sid) means to supply oneself with food.

Sidon Definition

by Joshua J. Mark
published on 02 September 2009

Sidon is the Greek name (meaning ‘fishery’) for the ancient Phoenician port city of Sidonia (also known as Saida) in what is, today, Lebannon (located about 25 miles south of Beirut). Along with the city of Tyre, Sidon was the most powerful city-state of ancient Phoenicia and first manufactured the purple dye which made Tyre famous and was so rare and expensive that the color purple became synonymous with royalty. The area of Sidon was inhabited as early as 4,000 BCE and Homer, in the 8th century, notes the skill of the Sidonians in producing glass. Glass production made Sidon both rich and famous and the city was known for being very cosmopolitan and ‘progressive’. The Princess Jezebel, who later would become Queen of Israel (as related in the biblical Books of I and II Kings) was the daughter of the King of Sidon, Ethbaal in the 9th century BCE, and married King Ahab of Israel to cement ties between the two kingdoms. The city is mentioned a number of times throughout the Bible and both Jesus and St. Paul are reported to have made visits there. Sidon is considered the ‘seat’ of the Phoenician Civilization in that most of the ships which would ply the seas and spread Phoenician culture were launched from this city’s port. Sidon was overthrown during the conquest of Phoenicia by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE and, like the rest of the fractured Phoenician civilization, was eventually absorbed by Rome and, finally, taken by the Arab Muslims. Source

Mississippi 3- River Divisions

The importance of the Mississippi river in the history of the Native Americans goes without saying. It could be called three different rivers as explained below and it could be the four rivers described in Genesis flowing out of Eden. (More below)

The Mississippi River can be divided into three sections: the Upper Mississippi, the river from its headwaters to the confluence with the Missouri River; the Middle Mississippi, which is downriver from the Missouri to the Ohio River; and the Lower Mississippi, which flows from the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico. Source

Named by Algonkian-speaking Indians, Mississippi can be translated as “Father of Waters.” The river, the largest in North America, drains 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces, and runs 2,350 miles from its source to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River is truly one of the great forces that has shaped the United States into the country it is today. Although its role has changed over the past few centuries, the Mississippi has always been important to those who lived along its banks. Indigenous peoples fished its waters and depended on the waterway for transportation. Explorers and traders traveled the river in hopes of conquering more land and obtaining wealth for their countries. Settlers moved close to take advantage of the rich farmland the river provided. All of these pursuits resulted in a trade industry that brought about a social and economic transformation, when news and goods made their way downriver and livelihoods were provided. In fact, the Mississippi River’s economic and strategic value was so important that when Ulysses S. Grant won the siege of Vicksburg and control of the river during the Civil War, the Confederacy was dealt a serious blow. Today, although still used to transport goods, the river has taken on yet another identity: that of entertainer. Literature, pleasure boats, and floating casinos all showcase a new dimension of this magnificent river. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738507453

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THE NAMING OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY MURIEL H. WRIGHT

Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 6, No. 4 December, 1928 Page 529-530

While it is generally accepted that “Mississippi” is an Indian word meaning “the Father of Waters,” yet one seldom hears a discussion with reference to its real meaning nor to which Indian language it belongs, there being more than two hundred and fifty tribes or bands of Indians living in the United States, each having its own language or dialect.

There is a story among the Choctaws, who lived in the Lower Mississippi country before the tribe came to Oklahoma, that they and their kinsmen, the Chickasaws, migrated from a far western country long, long ago. When their leaders, the wise prophets of the two tribes, reached the great river, in the van of the people, they contemplated its broad waters and exclaimed, “Misha sipokni!” Misha in Choctaw means “beyond,” with the idea of far beyond; and sipokni means “age,” conveying the idea of something ancient. Therefore the words of the Choctaw and the Chickasaw prophets meant in substance, “Here is a river that is beyond all age,” or “We have come to the most ancient of rivers.”1

Editors Note: In the Bible what are the most ancient rivers called? In the Topical guide we read under RIVER:

“river running out of Eden waters garden, parts into four heads—Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, Euphrates, Moses 3:10–14 (Abr. 5:10).”

When I type in a google search for, Where is the Garden of Eden? This is the first option:

Mesopotamia

The Garden of Eden is considered to be mythological by many scholars. [Wow this is how some of the same scholars feel about the Book of Mormon]. Among those who consider it to have been real, there have been various suggestions for its location: at the head of the Persian Gulf, in southern Mesopotamia (now Iraq) where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the sea; and in Armenia.

Most Bible commentaries state that the site of the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East, situated somewhere near where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are today. This is based on the description given in Genesis 2:8–14: The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden. . . . Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon . . . . The name of the second river is Gihon. . . . The name of the third river is Hiddekel [Tigris].  ;. . . The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Give these four rivers some thought as the great rivers spoken of in Genesis where the Garden of Eden happened in North America. It would make sense that the 4 Ancient Rivers would be located in North America. Could the Great Mississippi River of today be the same river called Pishon of the Old Testament and the River Sidon in the Book of Mormon? That is some food for thought don’t you think? The Map below seems logical as these ancient rivers going out of Eden.. See blog here

Chronicles of Oklahoma continued. “In the earliest French records, the name was written “Malabouchi,”’ as given by the Gulf Coast Indians. Du Pratz, one of the early French writers in this country, attempted to explain the Indian name, Mechasipi, as a contraction of the words, Meact Chassipi, meaning “the ancient father of waters.”2

The great river was called “Mississippi,” by the Indians of the Northwest when that region was first visited by La Salle and Marquette in the seventeenth century, the source of the river being found in the country of the Algonquian stock, of which the Chippewa is the most important tribe. Mississippi, in the language of the Chippewa, is derived from the two words missi meaning “large,” and sippi meaning ‘flowing water,” which taken together literally mean “large river.”3

It is interesting to note that missi is the same as micco of the Creeks, meaning “great” as an adjective and “chief” as a noun. Michi of Michigan is the same word, and, also, the massa of Massachusetts is of like derivation.

The name would be more accurately spelled “Missisippi” in French, or “Misisipi” in Spanish, both being pronounced Meeseeseepee which is near the sound of the Indian words. The Spaniards of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries knew of the river as the “Rio del Espiritu Santo,” or the River of the Holy Ghost. They also called it the “Rio Grande del Florida,” or more simply the “Rio Grande.”

By the early French, it was given the name of “La Palisade,” on account of the large cottonwood trees that grew in abundance on the lower passes of the river. These trees were used by both the Indians and the French trappers for pirogues or dug-out canoes in this region, since the Lower Mississippi and its branches were dangerous for lighter craft on account of huge logs and snags that were washed down-stream during high water and lodged in the channels of the rivers. Then, too, birch trees did not grow in southern latitudes, so that birch bark canoes were left for use in the lakes and clear waters of the country in the North.

After the exploring expedition of La Salle, down the Mississippi, the French sometimes called the river, “the Colbert,” in honor of the minister and the favorite of Louis XIV. Jean Baptiste Colbert’s name was uppermost in the minds of the French people, for it was his genius that organized the finances of their country at that time, though his most lasting achievement was the establishment of the French marine. In connection with this latter work, James Thomson Shotwell, Professor of History in Columbia University, New York City, said in a biographical sketch of Colbert:

“Letters exist written by Colbert to the judges requiring them to sentence to the oar as many criminals as possible, including all those who had been condemned to death; and the convict once chained to the bench, the expiration of his sentence was seldom allowed to bring him release. Mendicants also, against whom no crime had been proved, contraband dealers, those who had been engaged in insurrections, and others immeasurably superior to the criminal class, nay innocent men—Turkish, Russian and negro slaves, and poor Iroquois Indians, whom the Canadians were ordered to entrap—were pressed into that terrible service. By these means the benches of the galleys were filled, and Colbert took no thought of the long unrelieved agony borne by those who filled them.”

After 1699, when D’Iberville was locating the first French colonies in the Lower Mississippi region, the river was called “Saint Louis,” in honor of the French King. Nevertheless, all its European names were forgotten at last, and the Indian name, “Mississippi,” given the great river in the dim ages of the past, remained for us today.

1 “A History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians,” by H. B. Cushman, pp. 62-4.

2 Much of the material in this article was kindly submitted by Dr. Dunbar Rowland, Director, Department of Archives and History of the State of Mississippi, Jackson, Miss.

3 Information obtained through J. N. B. Hewitt, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, D. C.

US State Names meaning in Native American. The People: Native American Legacy

Alabama: From the Alibamu, tribe of Indians, members of the Creek Confederacy. The name may have come from words in the Choctaw language, “Alba ayamute” meaning “I clear the thicket.”

Alaska: From the Aleut word “Alakshak”, meaning “peninsula”; used by the aleuts in referring to the part of the mainland that is now known as the Alaskan peninsula.

Arizona: Not yet really proved, but possibly from Papago Indian words for “small springs,” which the Spanish fitted to their own pronunciation.

Arkansas: From local Indians, The Quapaws, meaning “downstream people”. Called arkansa by the French.

Connecticut: From the Indian expression “quinnitukg-ut”, meaning “at the long tidal river.”

Hawaii: Possibly from “Havaiki” or “Hawaiki,” which according to legend was the name of the original homeland of the Polynesians.

Idaho: The New Book of Knowledge 1983 states: “According to the Idaho Blue Book, a settler corned the name and proposed it for the U.S. Territory created in 1861; it was rejected in favor of “Colorado” for that territory, but it became popular and was given to the territory (Idaho) created in 1863.”

In the book, “How we Name our States” Pauline Arnold, 1965, says that the word might be derived from the following:

Comanche “Idahi”
Shoshone “ee-dah-how” which means something like
“Good Morning”
Salmon River Tribe of Indians “Ida” means salmon and “ho” means tribe so we might be saying “Salmon eaters”.
Illinois: From the Indian word “ilhiniwek” or “illiniwek”. “Illini” meant “man” and the ending made the word plural. The French changed the word to illinois.

Indiana: From the word “Indian” plus the “a” ending used in many geographical names.

Iowa: From a Dakota Indian word: the name had many different spellings until it became “Ioway” and the “Iowa”.

Kansas: From “Kansa”, the name of a tribe of Indians who once lived in the area; first applied to the river, then to the state.

Kentucky: Probably related to the Iroquois Indian word “Kenta” — “level” or “Meadow-land” referring to the level land in the south central part of the state.

Massachusetts: From Massachuset Indians, who lived around the Blue hills near Boston, meaning “about the big hill”.

Michigan: Chippewa – “Michigama” meaning “Large lake” or “big water”.

Minnesota: Dakota – “Minisota” meaning “White water”.

Mississippi: Indian word meaning “big river”. (Choctaw meaning “Great water” or “Father of Waters”.)

Missouri: Indian mis meaning “big”. “Owners of big canoes”.

Nebraska: Oto Indians “Nebrathka” meaning flat water.

New Mexico: Named after an Aztec god named “Mertili”.

Ohio: Iroquois – “Oheo” meaning “beautiful”.

Oklahoma: Chocraw – “Oklahummaa” or “Oklahomma” meaning “red people”.

South & North Dakota: “Dahkota” meaning allies or friends — tribes who joined together in friendship.

Tennessee: Cherokee village “Tanasi” meaning “unknown”.

Texas: Caddo Indians – “Techas” meaning allies or friends.

Utah: Ute Indians called themselves “Yuta” meaning people who live high in the mountains”

Wisconsin: “Wishkonsing” — place of the beaver.

Wyoming: From Indian words meaning “On the Great Plain.”

Source: Department of Cultural Affairs- Nevada State Library and Archives

http://lewisandclarktrail.com/statefacts.htm

About the Smithsonian

“The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.

The Institution was founded in 1846 with funds from the Englishman James Smithson (1765–1829) according to his wishes “under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” We continue to honor this mission and invite you to join us in our quest.” Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian began with good intentions, first publishing the “Ancient Monuments book. They later decided that many of the findings in this book was opposite of the opinion of the majority of intellects. The intellects believed the ancient natives of this land were simply savages and couldn’t have built these these amazing and intelligent monuments. Even today the Smithsonian has thousands of artifacts they refuse to show us if the don’t support their particular ideology.

“Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley (full title Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations) (1848) by the Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis is a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric indigenous mound builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology as a scientific discipline. Published in 1848, it was the Smithsonian Institution’s first publication and the first volume in its Contributions to Knowledge series. The book had 306 pages, 48 lithographed maps and plates, and 207 wood engravings.” Source

“Shortly after Squier and Davis had turned over their report, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, to the Smithsonian in 1847, they were already beginning to realize the political implications and ramifications that this report would have on race policy, a Manifest Destiny agenda, and on religious claims being made at the time. So instead of being overly combative with regard to some of their conclusions in their first report, which had already experienced a distribution worldwide, the Smithsonian, under the direction of Joseph Henry, would look to rehire Squier, without the assistance of Dr. Davis, to take another look at the mounds and artifacts being found in the State of New York.

Squier, who seemed to always be short of money and looking for his next job, accepted the Smithsonian’s offer to undertake a new report just looking at the mound and earthwork structures in the State of New York, which would attempt to clarify and address some of the more highly contested assessments of their 1848 report. In this effort, Squier would vary from a common view that the Mound Builders were of cultures from a distant place, or a race of Indians who were influenced by outside cultures from other parts of the world. Much of this was an attempt to provide a more politically acceptable assessment that the Indians were not as advanced as some of the Squier and Davis artifacts and early findings showed. This new report would be titled Aboriginal Monuments of the State of New York, published by the Smithsonian Institution on October 20th 1849. The title even gives reference to this new direction being taken, in the use of the word aboriginal, which suggests that the Mound Builders were always here, aboriginal to this continent.” Steven E. Smoot Lost American Antiquities: A Hidden History CHAPTER 13

Origins, Mound Builders and Mormonism

“The major metatheoretical issue in the pre-professional anthropology of Squier’s day was whether humankind had a single origin (monogenism, with Native Americans often assumed to be the ‘Lost Tribes of Israel’ or other people mentioned in the Bible) or whether the races had multiple origins (polygenism, with various kinds of non-whites viewed as being created separately and comprising inferior species).”¹²² The question being raised was: Who were the people who built such amazing earthwork structures and mounds? “The result was that mound construction was widely and popularly attributed to a race of [Mound Builders], who no longer existed or at least no longer existed where and as they had earlier.”¹²³

In the 1998 republication of the Squier and Davis report, David J. Meltzer states, “All this was riding on a book devoted to the questions of the origin, antiquity, and identity of the [Mound Builders].”¹²⁴ Questions had surfaced after the Revolutionary War, as emigrant trains began streaming over the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains into the lowlands of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, where the settlers were finding a vast number of abandoned mound sites, fortifications and earthworks structures.

With the publication of Squier and Davis’s “Ancient Monuments”, many questions were being raised, as many considered the Indians too savage and primitive to have built such monumental structures. Others believed that some of the tribes of the Indians that existed in North America could be the descendants of the Mound Builders, a remnant of the Lost Tribes of Israel; and that the Mound Builders could be their progenitors, who through war and disease had experienced monumental reduction of their populations, changing the way they had once lived, causing the remaining populations, to revert to a more primitive way of existence, as “Hunter Gathers” relying on hunting and the gathering of fruits and nuts for their very existences. Meltzer states; “There was considerable speculation, among antiquarians no less than others, about who the Mound Builders were, where they had come from and when and where they had disappeared to…Nor was it clear how the [Mound Builders] related to living Native Americans: Were they linked as ancestors and descendants?”¹²⁵

The speculation about the people who had built these earthworks and mound structures had escalated as a number of early colonists and religious leaders were praising the virtues of the Indians and sending out missionaries to them. The early Jesuits viewed the Indians in a different light than most, for they were seekers of the Lost Ten Tribes. Other religious leaders of the day held the view that Native Americans might be of Jewish descent and needed to be familiarized with their heritage. “Reverend John Eliot, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, in a spirited effort to convert the Algonquian tribe of Indians, made a translation of many parts of the bible into the Algonquian language. He and Roger Williams were of the branch of Puritans still cleaving to the view that Indians were people worthy of salvation.” William Penn disposed toward conversion rather than extinction of the Indians reported; “that the Indians of Pennsylvania resembled the Jews of London.”¹²⁶

Provided by Ancient American Magazine

Not only did the Algonquians have a written language so that Eliot was able to make a translation of parts of the Bible, but they used similar Biblical words and had traditions and customs in keeping with Israelite culture. In this missionary effort, researchers using their written language have tied many of these tribes to common ancestors.

In 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann indicates that researchers have developed various linguistic testing techniques, among them was glottochronology, which attempts to estimate how long ago two languages separated from a common ancestor by evaluating their degree of divergence on a list of key words. “In the 1970s and 1980s linguists applied glottochronological techniques to the Algonquian (American Indian language family) dictionaries compiled by early colonists. However tentatively, the results indicated that the various Algonquin languages in New England all date back to a common ancestor that appeared in the Northeast a few centuries before Christ.”¹²⁷ Their findings showed that:

The ancestral language may derive from what is known as the Hopewell culture. Around two thousand years ago, Hopewell jumped into prominence from its bases in the Midwest, establishing a trade network that covered most of North America. (See Map Below) The Hopewell culture introduced monumental earthworks and, possibly, agriculture to the rest of the cold North. Hopewell villages, unlike their more egalitarian neighbors, were stratified, with powerful rulers commanding a mass of commoners…Hopewell religion, with its intoxicatingly elaborate funeral rites…would mark an era of spiritual ferment and heady conversion, much like when Islam rose and spread Arabic throughout the Middle East…Hopewell itself declined around 400 A.D. (Book of Mormon ended in 385 AD) But its trade network remained intact. Shell heads from Florida, obsidian from the Rocky Mountains, and mica from Tennessee found their way to the Northeast.¹²⁸

By the 1820’s there was among reformist Protestants a settled body of opinion holding that Indians should be handled more gingerly than mere imperial convenience might dictate. This thinking was grounded in the opinion that they were not, so to speak, Indians at all. While others were calling for extermination of bloodthirsty savages, the reformers asked some consideration at least for impoverished descendants of Lost Tribes, who might be as capable of redemption as New Testament Jews. This strain of Puritanism bore fruit again in 1823, when Ethan Smith published his View of the Hebrews; or the Lost Tribes of Israel in America; this Smith [was] no kin to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of [Jesus] Christ of the Latter Day Saints.¹²⁹

Joseph Smith had published the Book of Mormon in 1830 in Palmyra, New York. It tells of migrations of people to America before Columbus. “Smith became the founder of the only world religion to be based in American archeology. Because the American Indians have never sought to evangelize Europeans or Africans, Mormonism is also the only world religion to place American Indian experience at the center of its creed.”¹³⁰ “It is true to this day that the Mormon church, the largest denomination to accept the Lost Tribes view of Indian origins, has been consistently interested in evangelistic—that is respectful—relations with Native Americans.”¹³¹

Upon the publication of the Book of Mormon in Palmyra New York, Joseph Smith began to reach out in a missionary effort to the Indians of America’s heartland. He directed missionaries to the Cattaraugus Indians near Buffalo, New York, the Wyandot’s of Ohio, and the Delawares of Missouri, along with the Fox, Sac and other Algonquian tribes; declaring to them that they were of a remnant of the House of Israel. This idea, that the Indians were of Mid-Eastern origin, was a concept that was contrary to the political doctrine of Manifest Destiny and to the social engineering efforts that were being advanced in the 1800s. The primary political and social agenda of the late 1700s and 1800s was centered on questions as to who would control the lands of America. The desired outcome would require the removal of the Indians from their ancestral lands and the placing of them on reservations as settlers moved westward. If the Indians were to be viewed as of Hebrew or European descent, then a case could be made that the Indians were more than mere savages with rights that should be granted under a constitutional law.

The right to remove the Indians rested on some of the assertions regarding their origin, with claims relating to their origin stemming from plentiful artifacts being recovered from the mounds of the Hopewell and Adena cultures. The artifacts coming out of the mounds were giving signs of a people who had an understanding of the cosmos, advanced engineering and higher mathematics, along with a working knowledge of the smelting of iron, copper, and other metals. All of this raised questions about whether they were of a higher level of civilization then as first thought.

The Mormon efforts to befriend the Indians and Joseph Smith’s assertions that they were of Hebrew descent causing no small stir and would contribute to increased political and religious tensions in the area. Joseph Smith’s proselyting message to the Indian populations would go contrary to government efforts and European settlers’ desires to take control of the lands as part of a Manifest Destiny agenda.

Depiction of Joseph Smith Preaching to the Indians

Though American expansionism and Manifest Destiny was a major focus in the 1800s and early 1900s, since the middle 1900s, the U.S. government anthropological and ethnological community has elevated their efforts to help society come to know and appreciate the aboriginal Indian populations. They have taken progressive steps to classify the Indian tribes in such a manner as to make it possible to assemble them in harmonious groups, based on relationship of blood, language, customs, beliefs, and grades of culture. It was found that within the area of the United States there are spoken some 500 Indian languages, as distinct from one another as French is from English, and that these languages are grouped in more than 50 linguistic families.¹³²

Along with a large number of diverse linguistic families from hundreds of tribes that existed in North America, tribes have been found to have differing traditions, DNA and oral histories. Such findings have made it increasingly difficult for some of the mainstream ethnologist and anthropologists to hold to the traditional view that the majority of the North American Indians came across the Bering Strait as espoused by Lewis Henry Morgan. He believed, at one time like Columbus that they came from tribes found in India. Even with modern acknowledgements of this implausible hypothesis by Morgan, we still find scholars and government-related anthropologists and ethnologists that strive to hold to traditional established theories that virtually all the Indian ancestors migrated over the Bering Strait more than 40,000 years ago, and that they existed here in isolation for many millennia, with little or no outside interaction or influences from foreign cultures.” Steven E. Smoot Lost American Antiquities: A Hidden History CHAPTER 14

Ancient Monuments of The Mississippi Valley

Set of 48 original plates in 1848 (Book)This spiral bound oversized book contains a complete set of 48 of the plates from the book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by the Smithsonian’s E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis from their original surveys. These reproductions have been enlarged 120% from the original size for greater detail.  They include such works as those of Newark, Chillicothe and Marietta, Ohio, the Great Circle & Octagon, Fort Ancient, Fort Hill, Serpent Mound, and “the Cross.”

Notes

¹²² Barnhart, xv

¹²³ Squier and Davis 1848, (Meltzer, 1998, replication)

¹²⁴ Squier and Davis, 1.

¹²⁵ Ibid. 2.

¹²⁶ Kennedy, Hidden Cities, 227.

¹²⁷ Charles C. Mann, 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf 2005) 38.

¹²⁸ Ibid.

¹²⁹ Kennedy, Hidden Cities, 227.

¹³⁰ Ibid., 230.

¹³¹ Ibid., 228.

¹³² See: Smithsonian Department of Ethnology Report IV.

See blog about DNA similarities between the Great Lake Indians and those in Israel here:
https://www.bofm.blog/ancient-dna-from-the-nephites-2006-2013-2020/
and here: https://www.bofm.blog/dna-lamanites-are-a-remnant-of-the-jew/

Burrows Cave is near Salem, Illinois

The story of the Burrows Cave like many other unexplained artifacts has been called a hoax by the scientists and historians. I believe that it is far more likely to be a true story. More and more I see the truth being called a hoax and hoaxes being called truths. When I hear about something that is not popular with the intellectuals, I have more of a tendency to believe the opposite of these so called intellectuals. I believe the hardworking, faith in God, every day person, far more that the intellectual, prideful, agenda seeking progressive.

I have spoken in depth with Wayne May who has been looking into this cave for over 35 years and Wayne is getting closer to discovering some additional support for this amazing discovery. Stay tuned!

Below is the Wikipedia negative opinion

“Burrows Cave is the name given to an alleged cave site in a disputed location in Southern Illinois discovered in 1982 by Russell E. Burrows. Burrows says it contained a number of artifacts. Through the many inconsistencies that revolve around Russell E. Burrows’ story of discovery and its findings, the cave and its contents are considered a hoax by mainstream archaeologists and some fringe archaeologists. During the time of the discovery, it was thought that the alleged cave must have been located in Richland County somewhere near the town Olney, Illinois where Burrows resided at the time. Burrows claimed that he did not want to give away the location of the cave because he believed that the cave would be robbed of its ancient treasures.

Discovery

Burrows says he discovered the cave while hiking along the hillside miles away from the Ohio River, where he later claimed that he was searching for buckles from the Civil War era and pioneer horseshoes with his metal detector. Burrows says that he came across a hole into which he fell that led him into the mysterious cave full of priceless ancient artifacts. The cave was said to have contained numerous archaeological artifacts, including carvings, coins, and other items. Many of the purported artifacts are said to have inscriptions in various ancient languages such as Phoenician and Iberian, but the inscriptions are generally meaningless.

Cave as “tomb”

Burrows claims that the cave is a tomb holding the artifacts and remains of 13 crypts. To date, nobody outside Burrow’s immediate circle has claimed to have been inside the cave, and many of the so-called artifacts have been revealed as forgeries. The cave and its artifacts are widely considered to be a hoax or fraud, even among proponents of other pseudo archaeological theories such as Barry Fell. The idea has gained some traction within proponents of Mormon archaeology and hyper-diffusionism advocates such as Frank Collin (writing as Frank Joseph).

Media

Burrows and the cave were one of the subjects of the second season “Grand Canyon Treasure” episode of America Unearthed and the show Holy Grail in America, both produced by the History Channel.

Thomas Emerson, the Illinois state archaeologist and former head of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency warned that the claims being made by Burrows cave proponents were sensational, and not backed by solid evidence.

With no evidence of the cave and its existence, many archaeologists quickly dismissed Burrows and the alleged cave.

Phoenician ship scenario

Until about 1993, the predominant Burrows Cave scenario involved Phoenician and Libyan (North African) colonists. Part of the evidence for this involved a stone tablet supposedly depicting a Phoenician vessel. Frank Joseph, one of the key figures involved with the cave, reproduced this in his book The Lost Treasure of King Juba: The Evidence of Africans in America before Columbus alongside an image of an actual Phoenician vessel that had been used by an associate of Burrows who had originally identified it as Phoenician. In doing so he cropped the image from the Burrows stone making the paddle end of a steering oar unidentifiable but leaving the steering oars that are shown on what he calls (and the artist depicts) as the prow of the boat.

The anthropologist and geographer George F. Carter, a supporter of the concept of trans-cultural diffusion, commented on the image saying,

“The ‘author’ did not recognize the paired oars, and hung an ‘impossible’ oar over the bow. All others equally botched up. Fanciful stern pieces…Oar over bow – crude fakery by an ignoramus in the world of ships.”

Dating

The image used to identify the ship as Phoenician actually is dated to around 700 BCE, but Joseph described it as dated 170 BCE, possibly because around this time Burrows Cave was being portrayed as the destination of Mauritanians, including “exiled Romans, Africans, Celts, Christians and Jews” fleeing the Romans taking with them an supposed treasure belonging to King Juba II.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrows_Cave

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CHRIST IN NORTH AMERICA? – Part Two

By Wayne May

Enter Burrows Cave

In 1982, a discovery apparently unrelated to the Michigan tablets was alleged to have been made by Mr. Russell Burrows of Olney, Illinois. He claims to have found a cave in the southern part of his state loaded with the treasures of foreign visitors who crossed the seas from the Near East, Europe and Africa about 2,000 years ago.

He claims the site is also a rich repository of stone records belonging to some unknown people who possessed a high level of culture. I have known Mr. Burrows since 1993, and compiled a photographic library of some of his items, which number over 2,000 such stones. I personally examined about half of them, and have concluded they are authentic artifacts. Although he refuses to divulge the location of his cave, the sheer number and sometimes fine workmanship of the artifacts he allegedly took from the site tend to support their identification as genuine artifacts.

Even so, many of my fellow diffusionists have condemned the Burrows Cave finds as part of a hoax. Admittedly, the tangle of frustrating obstacles, legal and otherwise, preventing any kind of access to the location’s whereabouts have disenchanted very many investigators. But the full story of Burrows Cave, while yet to be told, is gradually unfolding with the gradual release of objects never before seen, and someday we may learn everything there is to know about this site. There may be a parallel here with the Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in 1948. Even now, a complete accounting of this find has still not been disclosed to the public.

Mr. Burrows telephoned me two years ago to say that he had purposely withheld some inscribed stones from sale because of the imagery they featured; namely, identifiably Christian scenes, mostly Old Testament. He was uncomfortable with these items, because he feared critics would use such obvious themes to further debunk his discovery. Mr. Burrows knew some Indians had knowledge of Old World traditions and Old Testament stories. But what concerned him was, as he put it, “the Jesus stones.”

At my request, he sent me photographs of them, and I was able to compare their images of evidently Old Testament themes with similar representations found on the Michigan tablets. I was astonished to notice that both sets not only featured scenes of Jesus Christ, but also the same “Mystic Symbol.” The same symbol appears in southern Illinois 62 years after the last published information concerning the Michigan mound builders using this identical mark. Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Michigan artifacts were excavated from 1848 to the 1920’s, compared with the 6,000 to 7,000 Burrows Cave stones of southern Illinois removed between 1982 and 1986. These fundamental facts render any possibility for either collection being a hoax extremely remote, if not impossible.

The predominant glyph found on the Burrows Cave objects is the so-called “Helios symbol,” coined by epigrapher, Paul Shaffranke. Even this important character is found in conjunction with the Michigan symbol to suggest some type of interaction between these two otherwise distinct groups. Maybe these glyphs have the same meaning. There appear to have been vital differences between these two groups of ancient Americans: non-Christian imagery dominates the Burrows Cave stones.

Still, there are legitimate doubts among our own diffusionist supporters concerning these “Christ stones,” due largely to some relatively minor variations in the placement of glyphs, together with the anomalous appearance of a particular symbol on the Michigan objects. Clearly, much work still needs to be done in any comparisons of these two diverse collections. But the evidence of the Michigan Tablets and Burrows Cave stones suggests that some fundamentally important culture-bearer visited our Western Hemisphere in pre-Columbian times. Was it actually the Christ? Or one of his disciples? Whatever his true identity, the arrival of this person left a deep impact on the tribal memories of Native Americans. Their “Yod-hey-vah” is remarkably similar to the biblical Je-ho-vah who seems to be portrayed throughout the Michigan plates.Was the East Star Man and Peace-Maker known to so many indigenous North American tribes really Jesus Christ? Perhaps the imminent translation of the Illinois and Michigan artifacts will answer that question. Following is a partial listing of the oral traditions of the Dawn God, Peacemaker, East Star Man, the Pale One, etc., from He Walked the Americas, by L. Taylor Hansen, Legend Press, Amherst, Wisconsin. 

“Tribes of Oklahoma territory:

Today the name of Oklahoma, translated from the native language, means the Land of the Red Man. Here was a large and powerful city, whose crests showed an interesting history, and to this metropolis came the Healer. Here He once more changed the temples, chose from the priesthood His twelve disciples, and lectured to all the people…He told them that He was born across the ocean, in a land where all men were bearded. In this land He was born of a virgin on a night when a bright star came out of the heavens and stood over His city. Here, too, the heavens opened and down came winged beings singing chants of exquisite beauty… To them he was known as Chee-Zoos, the Dawn God, ..for well they know He watches over them, and that when their Journey here is over He will meet them in the land of Shadows, for such was His sacred promise.

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From the Mississippi Tribes:

For the region of the Mississippi during the golden days of the Healer named Decooda, plants us a fairly clear picture. Those we now call the Great Mound Builders, were tribes speaking the word-family and branches of the Algonquin language. These were the Ancients of the country. In the days of the Great Mound Builders, these mounds marked the sites of the cities. The mounds were a sort of writing, a manner of recording passing history, a royal marriage, a dynasty ended. They were to be read from the inside outward, and about them swirled the cities. One had an even longer history than the modern town of London. The mounds were probably faced with lumber and then painted in brilliant colour, perhaps to resemble those of the Mayans with whom they seemed to have some commerce. In fact that commerce may have been extensive since there was much mining in Michigan. To this happy and peaceful land came the Great White Robed Master with His sea-grey eyes and His golden sandals. Here too, we find the only relics probably touched by his hands or possibly fashioned under his personal direction.

In the Spiro Mound in Oklahoma, opened carefully in the practiced manner of all university excavations, was found the symbol of the hand with the great T-Cross through its center. There has also been recovered much pottery with winged beings not unlike the angels singing. In the Indian mound of Pittsfield was found three pages of parchment now held in old Harvard, upon which were quotations from the Old Testament, written in Archaic Hebrew. About eight miles southeast of Newark, the father of Bancroft, Indian recorder of untold legends, speaks of finding the only engraved stone pictograph of the white-robed teacher. About His head, in Ancient Hebrew were the words of the Ten commandments. His hair and beard are well pictured as well as His flowing robe…”

[Editor’s Note: “The Jewish people use the Hebrew word “Hamesh” as an equivalent for “Hamsa.” Hamesh means “five” in Hebrew. Jewish people refer to the five-fingered hand symbol as the “Hamesh” hand. It has been present in Judaism dating all the way back to Biblical times, where it is referenced in Deuteronomy 5:15, stated in the Ten Commandments as the “strong hand” of God who led the Jews out of Egypt.* The eye within the hand represents the all-searching Eye of God. Shown below are artifacts dated to Hopewell time-frames on display at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near East St. Louis, Illinois.” *Source: Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 193 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa]

Wayne May continues, “How many other mounds have been plowed and leveled, and their contents scattered which the Red Men held as holy, planting trees of the sacred cedar upon them to keep them safe through two millennia? True the invasion of the Serpents from perhaps 700AD. onward, coming up the Mississippi in their long snake-painted dugouts, carrying their sacred fire, brought an end to peaceful living, and brought with them war and pillage and the priesthood of the Sacrificers. Yet they turned away from the hills of cedar, seeing the symbols of the Healer.

Eastern Tribes speak:

The Algonkin of the Eastern Seaboard, when asked how they got their name for the Dawn Light, say that it was the name of the Pale One. They would not give Him their own name, as He had asked them, for to Him names meant nothing and He allowed each tribe to name Him. They asked instead His name in childhood when He lived across the ocean. The name He gave them was a strange one, hard to say in their liquid language, so today they try hard to say it: Chee-Zoos, God of the Dawn Light. (Pronounce JESUS as Chee-Zoos)

The Algonkin of the Great Lakes remember well the pale Great Master. The Chippewa say He gave them many medicine lodges whose signs and symbols are secret, fashioned from those across the ocean, and even today they hold this secret know1edge.
Even the proud Dacotah, they of the Turtle Totem, leading north the line of Serpents, often their age-old migration, recall in long-lost adoration the sacred name of the pale-faced Healer.

“It was long ago that we knew Him. He gave to us our rite of baptism, many of our lodges, and our rites of purification. When He came to us the days were warmer; the sun cast down shorter shadows. Well do we remember how He foretold the coming of the white man, and other predictions; We have backslid from His teachings, but to Him we dance the Sun Dance. We remember Great Wakona well.”

Tribes of the Great Lakes:

Besides the shores of Mishee-gahme-gahme (Lake Superior) is the forest still called Sacred, in the state called Michigan….let us speak of the Prophet.

“He was bearded, and pale of feature-without doubt a White Man. His eyes were as grey-green as still green water, and just as changeable in their colour. He came to us one day at dawning and the light touched His hair with the sheen of red-gold- until it shone like newly-mined copper. Yet He was not as the men of your people. This one was a god, with high soul-stature. If He touched a man who was wounded, that one became healed.

His robe was long and white down to the hemline which almost hid His golden sandals. Everyone wished to make Him white robes, for then He would leave behind the old ones, and all that He touched was enchanted with His god-like power of healing.”

“…He came alone. He organized the churches, changed the temples, taught the priesthood. Some say He taught them a secret language with certain signs of greeting. I know not.”

“…He came to us when we had cities more than a thousand winters before the days of the Black Robes and the Long Knives…

“… The ruins have been scattered by White Men.”

“…The city which we call sacred is not far from here. Its history is longer than that of England’s London…”

“…Once we had books and priests to read them, but those were times long distant in the past. Books are of stuff which can be swept to oblivion. Since then we have placed our stories in the chants of our people, but now even these are being forgotten…..”

“Coming North from our Capitol, City, where the Mississippi meets the Missouri, in the long-boats of the traders, the Prophet made His journey toward the City we called Sacred. This was an ancient metropolis. Before we built its Mound of Extinction. after the Great Civil War of the Turtles, ninety-six dynasties of rulers had lived their long and eventful history. Like the Capitol, it too…had buildings built upon great crests… This city was called Sacred because it was in the center of the Cross of Waters from whence ran the rivers to the Four Oceans. East to the Sunrise ran the waters, and Northward to the Sea of Dancing Lights; to the West beyond the Great Divide the waters ran to the Sea of the Sunset, while the Missouri and Mississippi ran to the Southern Sea, the Sea of the Karibs… to this, the City of the Great Cross of Waters, up the river called Father of Waters, one golden morning came the Healer… The streets were covered with flowers strewn in homage on the path before Him as He walked toward the Temple. Greatly beloved now was the Pale God, known as the Lord of Wind and Water. His every move bespoke His kindness; His very touch revealed His divinity; and before Him all the people bowed down. Through the rows of worshippers He moved to the Temple, in quiet solemnity, holding up His hand in blessing-that hand with the strange palm-marking, for through it was engraved the True Cross which He had taken as His Symbol. There at the Temple He abode among us, though He often rode away with the merchants, or more often walked to distant villages, holding in His hand His great staff and stopping to speak with all the people, from the aged to the children.”

Even non-religious scholars recognize Jesus of Nazareth as an historical figure. But did he actually arrive in the Americas? The evidence for at least his followers establishing an important, even populous outpost in the North American Midwest, however, is rich with artifacts from both Michigan and Illinois. Moreover, the same recurring theme may be traced to the pre-Columbian peoples of North, Central and South America, implying that the culture bearer they memorialized was a real person. In rejecting such evidence, arbitrarily dismissing both the Michigan Tablets and Burrows Cave stones as “fakes,” persistent questions about the Christ-like visitor grow even more difficult to understand.

In the New Testament, Christ refers to other people and places he must go when He says:

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold. and one shepherd.” – King James version, John 10:16.

When did He go and visit these other people? If one concludes that there is something to the legends and stories of the inhabitants of Native America, then their visitor begins to bear a certain resemblance to Jesus as He is depicted in the New Testament.

In Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, author T. J. O’Brien writes:

“One might argue, if Christ did not come here, how does one explain the religious use by New World natives of vestments, the cross, chants, rituals, incense, ceremonial objects. infant baptism, and great works of religious art: statues and paintings, also identified with Christianity? “

References:

Annals of the Cakchiquels. Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, published by University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. OK. 1953, Translated by Della Goetz

Book of Mormon, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1987

Christ in North America, published by Resource Communications Inc., Tigard, OR, 1963, Delbert W. Curtis

Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, published by Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1997, Professor Terry O’Brien

Gospel of the Great Spirit, published by Morning Star Pub, Zion. USA. 1990. Joshua M. Bennett

He Walked the Americas, published by Legend Press, Amherst, WI, 1963. L. Taylor Hansen

History of the Ojibwa People, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, St.Paul, MN. 1984, William W. Warren

Holy Bible, King James Version, Old and New Testament, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987

Ancient American Volume l, Issue #5, Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April 1994, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, David A. Deal

Ancient American Volume 2, Issue #9, Inca Stone, March/April 1995, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, Kenneth Moore.

References:

Annals of the Cakchiquels. Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, published by University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. OK. 1953, Translated by Della Goetz

Book of Mormon, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987

Christ in North America, published by Resource Communications Inc., Tigard, OR, 1963, Delbert W. Curtis

Fair Gods and Feathered Serpents, published by Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1997, Professor Terry O’Brien

Gospel of the Great Spirit, published by Morning Star Pub, Zion. USA. 1990. Joshua M. Bennett

He Walked the Americas, published by Legend Press, Amherst, WI, 1963. L. Taylor Hansen

History of the Ojibwa People, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, St.Paul, MN. 1984, William W. Warren

Holy Bible, King James Version, Old and New Testament, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1987

Ancient American Volume l, Issue #5, Stone, Clay, Copper, Archives of the Past, March/April 1994, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, David A. Deal

Ancient American Volume 2, Issue #9, Inca Stone, March/April 1995, The Mystic Symbol Demystified, Kenneth Moore.

Courtesy: Ancient American Magazine

See Youtube video of more Burrows Cave Artifacts Here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uprUsA7Z1ng&app=desktop

Mummies in North America

A CATACOMB OF MUMMIES FOUND IN KENTUCKY

Lexington, in Kentucky, stands nearly on the site of an ancient town, which was of great extent and magnificence, as is amply evinced by the wide range of its circumvalliatory works, and the quantity of ground it once occupied.

There was connected with the antiquities of this place, a catacomb, formed in the bowels of the limestone rock, about fifteen feet below the surface of the earth, adjacent to the town of Lexington. This grand object, so novel and extraordinary in this country, was discovered in 1775, by some of the first settlers, whose curiosity was excited by something remarkable in the character of the stones which covered the entrance to the cavern within. They removed these stones, and came to others of singular appearance for stones in a natural state; the removal of which laid open the mouth a cave, deep, gloomy, and terrific, as they supposed.

With augmented numbers, and provided with light, they descended and entered, without obstruction, a spacious apartment; the sides and extreme ends were formed into niches and compartments, and occupied by figures representing men. When alarm subsided, and the sentiment of dismay and surprise permitted further research and inquiry, the figures were found to be mummies, preserved by the art of embalming, to as great a state of perfection as was known among the ancient Egyptians, eighteen hundred years before the Christian era; which was about the time that the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, when this art was in its perfection. * * * * * On this subject Mr. Ash has the following reflections: “How these bodies were embalmed, how long preserved, by what nations, and from what people descended, no opinion made, but what must result from speculative fancy and wild conjecture. For my part, I am lost in the deepest ignorance. My reading affords me no knowledge, my travels no light. I have neither read nor known of any of the North American Indians who formed catacombs for their dead, or who were acquainted with the art of preservation by embalming.

Had Mr. Ash in his researches consulted the Book of Mormon his problem would have been solved, and he would have found no difficulty in accounting for the mummies being found in the above mentioned case. The Book of Mormon gives an account of a number of the descendants of Israel coming to this continent; and it is well known that the art of embalming was known among the Hebrews, as well as among the Egyptians, although perhaps not so generally among the former, as among the latter people; and their method of embalming also might be different from that of the Egyptians.

Jacob and Joseph were no doubt, embalmed in the manner of the Egyptians, as they died in that country, Gen. 1, 2, 3, 26. When our Saviour [Savior] was crucified his hasty burial obliged them only to wrap his body in linen with a hundred pounds of myrrh, aloes, and similar spices, (part of the ingredients of embalming.) given by Nicodemus for that purpose: but Mary and other holy women had prepared ointment and spices for embalming it, Matt. xxviii. 59: Luke xxiii. 56: John xxx. 39-40.

This art was no doubt transmitted from Jerusalem to this continent, by the before mentioned emigrants, which accounts for the finding of the mummies, and at the same time is another strong evidence of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.-[ED.
Source: Times and Seasons “Truth will prevail” Vol. III. No. 13] . CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL,. MAY 2, 1842 [Whole No. 49 Joseph Smith Editorializing from Ancient Antiquities Page 110-112 2 May 1842: Times and Seasons— Evidence from Kentucky

To see my complete blog on Joseph Smith’s Mummies here. https://www.bofm.blog/mummies-of-north-america/

 

“He” is our Normal

Too many people are asking for a “New normal”. There as not been any change in this lifetime that requires this “New Normal” that everyone is calling for. The New Normal is what it has always been, Christ!

Let’s stick with the one consistence Normal we have had forever in life, “The Lord Jesus Christ.” He is our Normal. From the beginning of creation until today, Christ has said, “Come Follow Me”. This is the normal we should all be seeking. How did our world get so off course?

It’s easy to see: It is either Faith or Rebellion!
Enoch Translated
Noah’s Flood
Tower of Babel
Destruction at Ramah
Destruction at Cumorah
Wars, pestilence, and world wide trauma

It all comes down to “DISOBEDIENCE OF THE LORD” If we don’t return to our normal in Him, it’s over. I don’t mean this life is over, I mean our Spiritual Death is here. Death is not the worst thing in life, Spiritual Death is! If we repent daily and find others to join us we can be Normal again, in Him!

By and By

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, COVID and cancer, doubt and dismay, financial trouble and family trials — when will these burdens be lifted? The answer is “by and by.” He also said, “While we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted.” Oct 2020 Conference.

President Russell M. Nelson said,

“We live in a glorious age, foreseen by prophets for centuries. This is the dispensation when no spiritual blessing will be withheld from the righteous.¹ Despite the world’s commotion,² the Lord would have us look forward to the future “with joyful anticipation.”³ Let us not spin our wheels in the memories of yesterday. The gathering of Israel moves forward. The Lord Jesus Christ directs the affairs of His Church, and it will achieve its divine objectives.

The challenge for you and me is to make certain that each of us will achieve his or her divine potential. Today we often hear about “a new normal.” If you really want to embrace a new normal, I invite you to turn your heart, mind, and soul increasingly to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let that be your new normal.

Embrace your new normal by repenting daily. Seek to be increasingly pure in thought, word, and deed. Minister to others. Keep an eternal perspective. Magnify your callings. And whatever your challenges, my dear brothers and sisters, live each day so that you are more prepared to meet your Maker.⁴” A New Normal By President Russell M. Nelson President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

God is at the helm

“While serving as a General Authority Seventy, I had one of those unexpected teaching moments that life presents to us. This was when the financial crash was in full swing and our country was experiencing the most drastic drop in the economy since the Great Depression. Every day there were new announcements. The stock market crash. The collapse of the housing market. Major banks, mortgage companies, retirement funds, and investment houses were failing. There was talk of massive government bailouts. Unemployment was skyrocketing. A dark cloud had settled over the country and was spreading to other nations. In the fall of 2007, my assignment as a General Authority Seventy was in Salt Lake City, working in the Church Office Building.

One day I went down to a small cafeteria in the basement of the Church Administration Building that is reserved for General Authorities. After getting my food, I saw that four of my colleagues in the Seventy were seated at a table for six, just starting to eat. They invited me to join them. We spoke briefly about our various assignments, but soon the talk turned to the current financial crisis. It didn’t take long for our conversation to become quite bleak in tone. One of the brethren had a grandchild who had recently graduated with an MBA but was having no luck in finding employment. Another reported that a grandchild was unsure about wanting to get married and bring children into the world. About that time, as this cloud of gloom settled over our lunch table, Russell M. Nelson, then Elder Nelson of the Twelve, came into the lunchroom with a tray of food. Seeing that we had a vacant spot at our table, he joined us. He ate quietly for a time as our conversation went right on in that same sense of discouragement. Finally, one of the brethren said, “They’re talking about the possibility of the whole government of the United States failing. Then what shall we do?” Elder Nelson, who hadn’t said much since sitting down, laid down his fork and looked at us directly. His expression was very sober as he spoke quietly, saying something like this: “Brethren, the Lord chose the United States of America as the place for the Restoration of the gospel in our dispensation. He did that so we would have a base of religious freedom that would sustain the work of the Restoration. Also, the financial affluence and the political stability of the United States makes it possible for our Church to take the gospel to the world. That is a task that is not yet finished. Brethren, the Lord is at the helm. He will not let this work fail.” That was more than ten years ago, but I still vividly remember two things. First, how sheepish we felt for letting ourselves become so negative. And the second was the lesson taught: God is in control. Why then do we fear? It was a profound teaching moment, and I have reminded myself of that day often when I have found myself growing discouraged and pessimistic. God is at the helm! From Gerald Lund’s new book. “The Second Coming of the Lord” Shared with me from Jonathan Neville.

Book Description

Do we recognize the signs of the Savior’s Second Coming that are happening today?

Originally published in 1971, The Coming of the Lord, by Gerald N. Lund, became an instant bestseller and has remained continuously in print for nearly fifty years. Now this trusted resource has been fully updated and rewritten to reflect the latest prophetic teachings and a grow­ing sense of urgency as the Lord hastens His work.

As Elder Lund explains, “God has spoken, is speaking, and will continue to speak to us through the Spirit and through His servants the prophets. This is a gift of inestimable worth to those who live in the last days. Though the title this book carries is The Second Coming of the Lord, it is much more than a book that focuses only on the actual return of Jesus Christ. It is an examination of the prophecies about the Second Coming and the events leading up to it.”

Four Seasons in the Promised Land

“…at some seasons of the year…” (Alma 46:40). As the Book of Mormon states there were some seasons of the year, that doesn’t fit the climate in Mesoamerica which has tropic and subtropic climates. The Heartland of the United States has Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, which is the type of climate most indicative of what is said in the Book of Mormon. Alma 40:46 “And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate.” So some seasons of the year had more fevers than others, and certain herbs were found during different climates in the land, which I feel is the Heartland of the United States and not in Mesoamerica.

Migrating Animals

“The Waters of Mormon, were in the borders of the and of Shilom, which was prone to “having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts” (Mosiah 18:4). A seasonal infestation of wild beasts could indicate migratory patterns caused by changing seasons that affect the abundance or scarcity of available food throughout the year in temperate climates. There are no migratory land animals in climates that do not have distinctive seasons, such as near the equator.” Page 171 Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum

“WOLVES in SHEEP’S CLOTHING” is an hour and half video of Amberli Nelson taking a closer look at the animals in the Book of Mormon and what they reveal about its location. Purchase Here!

Migratory animals live in locales that are difficult to survive in year-round. Instead of hibernating (the survival choice of many land animals) when food and water become scarce, these animals choose to migrate in search of more hospitable habitats and terrain. Most land animals practice seasonal migration — a type of migration that corresponds with the change in seasons, while others migrate in search of mates. 

American Bison

Domesticated Animals in Mesoamerica

“Dogs, turkeys, and the Muscovy duck were the only domesticated animals in ancient Mesoamerica. All were used for food, but they made only a minor contribution to the Aztec diet. The Aztecs also fished and hunted wild game, but again these food sources were limited…Archaeologists do find the bones of fish, deer, rabbit, iguana, dog, turkey, and other animals in Aztec domestic trash deposits, but rarely in dense concentrations. Meat from large animals was a minor part of the Aztec diet. Early Spanish observers noted the widespread use of insects among the Aztecs, including ants, grasshoppers, manuey worms, and jumil bugs. Insects are high in protein, tasty, and could often be harvested in large numbers. The Aztecs also gathered great amounts of blue-green spirulina algae…from the surface of the lakes. This algae, known as tecuitlatl, is extremely high in protein, grows rapidly, and abundantly, and is easy to gather with fine nets…The Spanish soldiers and priests had a low opinion of the palatability of this algae, but it was much prized by the Aztecs.” —The Aztecs, Smith (p. 67) http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmaya.html

Turkeys Were Domesticated Not For Meat, But For Ancient Mesoamerican Ceremonies

A staple for many a Thanksgiving and Christmas lunch, the turkey is now synonymous with the holiday season and roast dinners.

But this wasn’t always the case. Now archaeologists have uncovered the earliest origins of the all-American domestic turkey in Mexico, finding that these early birds were not prized for their tasty meat, but rather traded for their cultural significance in rituals and sacrifice.

“The archaeological evidence suggests that meat from deer and rabbit was a more popular meal choice for people in pre-Columbian societies; turkeys are likely to have also been kept for their increasingly important symbolic and cultural role,” explained Dr Aurélie Manin, who led the study published in Royal Society Open Science.

The team of researchers studied the bones of 55 turkeys collected from Mesoamerica – which spans an area from central Mexico to northern Costa Rica – that dated to between 300 BCE and 1500 CE.  https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/turkeys-were-domesticated-not-for-meat-but-for-ancient-mesoamerican-ceremonies/

Law of Moses

Mesoamerica did not have lambs, sheep, rams, bullocks, doves, wheat, barley or wine during the time of the Book of Mormon. These were all necessary animals and plants to practice the Law of Moses.

Not only this, but the proper seasons were required to practice the Law of Moses. In Mesoamerica there is very little change in seasons.

Beginning in the Spring (the Jewish month of the Abib* or “Aviv” [Nisan], which was a critical stage of barley maturation as discussed on p. 160 Annotated Book of Mormon), and continuing through the year, seasonal changes are necessary for observing all of the holy convocations of the Law of Moses (see Appendix, p. 532 Annotated Book of Mormon). See blog on Barley here: 

“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God. For in the month of Abib [Early Spring] the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place His name there” – Deuteronomy 16:1-2.

“And thou shalt observe the Feast of Weeks, of the Firstfruits of Wheat Harvest, [late Spring] and the Feast of Ingathering [Tabernacles] at the year’s end [early Fall]” – Exodus 34:22.

“Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. Thou shalt keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Spring]: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib, for in it thou camest out from Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty:) And the Feast of Harvest [Pentecost] [early Summer], the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field. And the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year [Fall], when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field” – Exodus 23:14-17.

*Abib: The first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, corresponding nearly to the Gregorian April. After the Babylonian captivity this month was called Nisan (see the Jewish calendar on p. 308 of the Annotated Book of Mormon) (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Abib)

THE LAW OF MOSES AND SEASONAL FEASTS
Four Seasons in the Promised Land

3 Nephi 1:24-26 “And there were no contentions save it were a few that began to preach, endeavoring to prove by the scriptures, that it was no more expedient to observe the Law of Moses. Now in this thing they did err, having not understood the scriptures.  But it came to pass that they soon became converted and were convinced of the error which they were in, for
it was made known unto them that the Law was not yet fulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled in every whit; yea, the word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did confess their faults. And thus the ninety and second year did pass away, bringing glad tidings unto the people because of the signs which did come to pass according to the words of the prophecy of all the holy prophets.”

It was no more expedient to observe the Law of Moses: The Nephites were observing the Law of Moses as contained in the Plates of Brass for over 600 years since they left Jerusalem. They were commanded to observe it until Jesus Christ’s Atonement fulfilled the Law. (The Hebrew word jot is the smallest letter of the square Hebrew alphabet. A tittle refers to a small stroke or point in writing or printing. It is now most commonly used as the name for the dot over the letter i. ) Page 380 Annotated Book of Mormon

Lambs

Remember the most important symbolic animal in the Israelite culture is the Lamb, as in “the Lamb of God.” I have heard the Lamb is known as the only animal that will not resist its own death. That surely describes the Savior of the World.

“…they had a lamb-skin about their loins…” (3 Nephi 4:7).

The Nephites observed the Law of Moses by sacrificing lambs during
Passover. The Lamanites possibly mocked the Nephites and their
religion by wearing a lambskin about their loins “dyed with blood” (3
Nephi 4:7). The Lamanites might have killed Nephite lambs, then wore
and displayed the lamb-skin as an act of defiance and sacrilege to the
Law of Moses during battles with the Nephites. (Research by Amberli Nelson) Page 385 Annotated Book of Mormon

(Above) “Kee-o-kúk, The Watchful Fox, Chief of the Tribe” by George Catlin,1835, oil on canvas; Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Note the red-dyed loin cloth. “…and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins… ” (Alma 43:20). (Left) Joseph Smith met with Chief Kee-O-Kuk on Aug. 12, 1841; see p. 117 Annotated Book of Mormon) 

During the Book of Mormon timeline, Mesoamerica did not have sheep or goats or bullocks or rams to practice the Law of Moses. North America did as Hugh Nibley states below.

“If my insistent harping on central Asia annoys you, let me remind you again that the book of Ether gives us no choice. It never lets us forget that what the Jaredite kings did was a conscious imitation and unbroken continuation of the ways of “the ancients,” of “them of old” on the other side of the water. This, incidentally, is another indication that we are not to regard the Jaredite migration as taking place immediately after the flood, for the fall of the tower saw the destruction of an ancient and established order. The Jaredites left their homeland driving great herds of cattle before them in the immemorial Asiatic manner, and even if they had never been nomads before, they certainly lived the life of the steppes during those many years before they set sail (Ether 3:3), and when they embarked, they crammed all they could of their beasts into their small boats, “flocks and herds” and other beasts (Ether 6:4), and upon reaching the New World continued to cultivate “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep” just as their ancestors had in the old country (Ether 9:18). Now you know, how the Nephites could have had sheep in North America brought to this land by the Jaredites. The Nephites could continue practicing the Law of Moses in the land of The New Jerusalem.” (2 Nephi 25:24 Mosiah 2:3) Hugh Nibley from Lehi in the Desert; The Great Open Spaces

Why are Baby Farm Animals Typically Born in the Spring?

IOWA AG LITERACY …Some of my friends even celebrate events like ‘La
mbaggedon’. So many baby lambs can be born on a single weekend that family and friends have to come from miles away to help out. They make the event fun with a little contest. Guess the number of lambs to be born between Friday morning and Monday noon. Closest guess gets the privilege of naming one of the lambs.

But why are so many babies born in the spring?

In a lot of ways spring is the perfect time for babies to be born. Mother mammals usually need better, richer food to produce quality milk for their babies to nurse. For grazing animals like cattle, sheep, and horses, the fresh green grass and other plants on pasture in spring and early summer are rich in nutrients. These plants can have a higher percentage of protein and ‘total digestible nutrients’. This can lead to better milk production for the babies. Most calves are born between January and May because of this reason. Read more about early calving here.

Spring is also a good time for babies to be born because the days become longer and temperatures rise. With the warmer weather it is easier for the baby to survive. There is less chance of harsh weather. Just like humans, animals need to be protected from severe weather. Cows often like to wander away from the herd to give birth in solitude. This can put the mother and calf at risk. If the cow has any problems during the birthing process, a farmer might not be available to assist and help pull the calf. Away from the herd, especially in cold weather, the calf might be less likely to survive. Away from the herd, the baby might be in danger from predators like foxes, coyotes, or even large birds of prey like eagles. In many, contemporary farming operations calving and farrowing happens in a barn or ‘under roof’. This protects the mother and baby from many of those dangers.

Because spring is such a good time of year for babies, many animals evolved to accommodate these natural cycles.

Many Iowans are familiar with the deer rut that happens in October, November, and December. Male deer are at peak testosterone, get more aggressive, and start fighting for mates. They wander out of their natural habitats which leads to increased motor vehicle accidents when they cross roads. This is in large part because the female deer come into estrus in the fall. As the days shorten, their hormones trigger the estrus cycles. A deer’s gestation will take 201 days. So if the female gets pregnant on October 1, you can expect a fawn around April 20th. Why are Baby Farm Animals Typically Born in the Spring?

Warfare only in the Tropics?

According to those who believe a Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon, the only place the Nephites could have fought is in tropics like Mexico where a narrow neck of land is located. From Book of Mormon Central who claims to be a neutral site about geography in the Book of Mormon, we read this:

“When we carefully examine the accounts of wars in the middle portion of the Nephite record, we find that military action did not take place at random throughout the calendar year but at particular times. Whatever realistic scene we assume for the Nephite lands, we would expect to find a similar seasonal pattern in that area’s secular historical sources. I consider Mesoamerica (central and southern Mexico and northern Central America) to have been the scene of the Nephite conflicts, but whatever plausible location one chooses will lie in the tropics because, among other reasons, only in those areas are there feasible isthmuses located that could correspond to the “narrow neck of land” of the Nephites. Everywhere in those latitudes, war was normally carried on by the pre-Columbian inhabitants during a limited annual period. This paper investigates the evidence for seasonality of warfare in the Book of Mormon account and compares it with what is currently known about the timing of warfare in Mesoamerica.” https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/seasonality-warfare-book-mormon-and-mesoamerica

Cold Climate

(Below) “On a cold March 16, 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the English settlers were startled to see a Native American Indian approach them and with great enthusiasm speak the famous words, ‘Welcome, Englishmen.’ His name was Samoset (c. 1590–1653) and he towered over them. He stood before them ‘a tall straight man…’ What impressed them the most was that he was ‘stark naked,’ with just a fringe strap of leather around his waist When a cold gust of wind kicked up, one of the Pilgrims was moved to throw his coat over the Indian’s shoulders” – Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower, A Story of Courage, Community and War, Viking, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., NY, NY [2006], 93.

This encounter (below) shows that native Indian tribes could acclimate to the cold months even though non-natives, not accustomed to the cold, needed to be fully clothed for protection from the “cold gust of wind.”

See my Blog titled: Snow & Climate in the Book of Mormon

Abortions worldwide this year:

Definition: An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced. (definition from Wikipedia)

Abortion as a term most commonly – and in the statistics presented here – refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages.

“This year” refers to the period from Jan 1 at 00:00 up to now.

The data on abortions displayed on the Worldometer’s counter is based on the latest statistics on worldwide abortions published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to WHO, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day.

In the USA, where nearly half of pregnancies are unintended and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion, there are over 3,000 abortions per day. Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies in the USA (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.

References and useful links:

• Abortion (Wikipedia)
• World Health Organization (WHO) – Statistics by the World Health Organization
• [1] Finer LB and Henshaw SK, Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2006, 38(2):90–96.
• [2] Jones RK et al., Abortion in the United States: incidence and access to services, 2005, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2008, 40(1):6–16
  
  Unintended pregnancy and abortion are experiences shared by people around the world. These reproductive health outcomes occur irrespective of country income level, region or the legal status of abortion.
  
  Roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies occurred each year between 2015 and 2019.^*
  
  Of these unintended pregnancies, 61% ended in abortion. This translates to 73 million abortions per year. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide

“Around 56 million abortions are performed each year in the world, with about 45% done unsafely. Abortion rates changed little between 2003 and 2008, before which they decreased for at least two decades as access to family planning and birth control increased. As of 2018, 37% of the world’s women had access to legal abortions without limits as to reason. Countries that permit abortions have different limits on how late in pregnancy abortion is allowed.” Wikipedia

With how I read it above, there are 120 million deaths world wide and 56 million of those are due to abortion! That is remarkably sad. Even many Democrats are against abortion as you read below.

Democrats for Life urge DNC to change party platform on abortion

BY GABBY BIRENBAUM – 08/14/20 09:00 AM “The Hill”

© Stefani Reynolds

More than 100 Democrats affiliated with the anti-abortion group Democrats for Life have signed a letter urging the party to change its abortion stance in this year’s platform.

Signatories include Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.) and Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.), who lost his March primary to a progressive. Fifty-six state legislators also signed the letter addressed to the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee.

The letter urges the Democratic Party to adopt the abortion language from its 2000 platform, which recognized differences of opinion on abortion as a “source of strength” and welcomed Americans of all abortion stances.https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

The letter argues that the party’s embrace of abortion rights will alienate voters, particularly in battleground states.

“We should not cede large swathes of the United States to the Republican Party,” the letter reads. “In the US, pro-life Democrats have been a critical part of the coalition to expand voting rights, improve health care, and pass criminal justice reform. These accomplishments would not have been possible if the Democratic Party had in place a litmus test on abortion.”

The 2020 Democratic platform, which was released last month and will be voted on and formally approved by Democratic National Committee (DNC) members at next week’s virtual convention, unequivocally supports abortion rights.

“Like the majority of Americans, Democrats believe that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion,” the draft platform reads.

In the draft, Democrats also commit to restoring federal funding for Planned Parenthood, opposing state laws that limit abortion rights, repealing the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services, and codifying the Roe v. Wade court case that provides a legal defense of abortion. https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Friday’s letter, however, calls for the party to abandon language supporting the repeal of the Hyde Amendment and codification of Roe v. Wade.

“As Democrats, we are anti-Trump and enthusiastic supporters of Black Lives Matter,” Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, said in a statement Friday. “Why is dismembering preborn children the hill we want to die on when so much is at stake? We took this issue for granted in 2016, and Hillary Clinton lost. We cannot make this mistake again.”

The letter is unlikely to affect the party’s platform. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden last year said he supports repealing the Hyde Amendment, which prevents Medicaid coverage of abortion. Biden had previously supported Hyde for several decades.

His running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), has been a staunch defender of abortion rights. She has a 100 percent voting record according to NARAL Pro-Choice America, which scores members of Congress based on their votes on abortion rights issues.

A 2019 Pew Research study found that 70 percent of those who identify as or lean Democrat support the party’s position on abortion.

The Truth About Abortion

Reverence for Life

By Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

“As sons and daughters of God, we cherish life as a gift from him.

A heavy toll on life is included among the evils of war. Data from all nations are appalling. For the United States of America, one hundred thousand were killed in World War I; over four hundred thousand died in World War II. In the first two hundred years as a nation, the lives of over one million Americans were lost due to war.

Regrettable as is the loss of loved ones from war, these figures are dwarfed by the toll of a new war that annually claims more casualties than the total number of fatalities from all the wars of this nation.

It is a war on the defenseless—and the voiceless. It is a war on the unborn.

This war, labeled “abortion,” is of epidemic proportion and is waged globally. Over fifty-five million abortions were reported worldwide in the year 1974 alone.¹ Sixty-four percent of the world’s population now live in countries that legally sanction this practice.² In the United States of America, over 1.5 million abortions are performed annually.³ About 25–30 percent of all pregnancies now end in abortion.⁴ In some metropolitan areas, there are more abortions performed than live births.⁵ Comparable data also come from other nations.

What sense of inconsistency can allow people to grieve for their dead, yet be calloused to this baleful war being waged on life at the time of its silent development? What logic would encourage efforts to preserve the life of a critically ill twelve-week-old infant, but countenance the termination of another life twelve weeks after inception? More attention is seemingly focused on the fate of a life at some penitentiary’s death row than on the millions totally deprived of life’s opportunity through such odious carnage before birth…

The Lord has repeatedly declared this divine imperative: “Thou shalt not kill.”6 Recently he added, “Nor do anything like unto it.” (D&C 59:6.) Even before the fulness of the gospel was restored, the enlightened understood the sanctity of life. John Calvin, the sixteenth-century reformer, wrote: “If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man’s house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light.”7

But what impropriety could now legalize that which has been forbidden by the laws of God from the dawn of time? What twisted reasoning has transformed mythical concepts into contorted slogans assenting to a practice which is consummately wrong?

These slogans begin with proper concern for the health of the mother. Infrequently, instances may occur in which the continuation of pregnancy could be life-threatening to the mother. When deemed by competent medical authorities that the life of one must be terminated in order to save the life of the other, many agree that it is better to spare the mother. But these circumstances are rare, particularly where modern medical care is available.

Another sympathetic concern applies to pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The tragedy of this despoilment is compounded because, in such relationships, freedom of choice is denied the woman who is innocently involved.

But less than 3 percent of all abortions are performed for these two reasons. The other 97 percent are performed for what may be termed “reasons of convenience.”

Some argue for abortion because a malformed child may result. The harmful effects of certain infectious or toxic agents in the first trimester of pregnancy are real…

The woman’s choice for her own body does not validate choice for the body of another. The expression “terminate the pregnancy” applies literally only to the woman. The consequence of terminating the fetus therein involves the body and very life of another. These two individuals have separate brains, separate hearts, and separate circulatory systems. To pretend that there is no child and no life there is to deny reality.

It is not a question of when “meaningful life” begins or when the spirit “quickens” the body. In the biological sciences, it is known that life begins when two germ cells unite to become one cell, bringing together twenty-three chromosomes from both the father and from the mother. These chromosomes contain thousands of genes. In a marvelous process involving a combination of genetic coding by which all the basic human characteristics of the unborn person are established, a new DNA complex is formed. A continuum of growth results in a new human being. The onset of life is not a debatable issue, but a fact of science…

Approximately twenty-two days after the two cells have united, a little heart begins to beat. At twenty-six days the circulation of blood begins.9

Scripture declares that the “life of the flesh is in the blood.” (Lev. 17:11.) Abortion sheds that innocent blood.

Now, as a servant of the Lord, I dutifully warn those who advocate and practice abortion that they incur the wrath of Almighty God, who declared, “If men … hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, … he shall be surely punished.” (Ex. 21:22.)

Of those who shed innocent blood, a prophet declared: “The judgments which [God] shall exercise … in his wrath [shall] be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.” (Alma 14:11.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has consistently opposed the practice of abortion. One hundred years ago the First Presidency wrote: “And we again take this opportunity of warning the Latter-day Saints against those … practices of foeticide and infanticide…

Now, is there hope for those who have so sinned without full understanding, who now suffer heartbreak? Yes. So far as is known, the Lord does not regard this transgression as murder. And “as far as has been revealed, a person may repent and be forgiven for the sin of abortion.”13 Gratefully, we know the Lord will help all who are truly repentant… Russell M Nelson April 1985 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1985/04/reverence-for-life?lang=eng

May the world and especially the United Stated of America repent of this evil called abortion and may we respect all life. How can anyone who claims to be of the Lords side, be for taking the life of another. Scoffers may say about Biden, “Yea but he believes in other good things”, or “I can’t justify voting for Trump”, or “But Trump is a liar”, etc. If you vote for Biden it is my personal opinion that you are voting that abortion, even late-term abortion is ok by you. It is reprehensible.

Our great friend David Allan has nailed it as usual. I wish more intellectual people like David would understand. For David to have such beliefs he is a humble servant of the Lord and we love him. Humility and a strong faith in God are necessary to filter thorough all the “smart-talk” out there.

The Ezra Taft Benson talk from 25 Oct 1966 at a BYU Devotional is a sobering reminder of evil people in the church with an agenda (revising church history by quoting the intellectuals and apostates and ignoring the prophets). Ezra Taft Benson said to avoid being deceived, look to the Prophet. Listen to his entire talk at https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson/immediate-responsibility/

At the 32:07-33:02 mark, just before the above quote, President Ezra Taft Benson states the following.

“We all have stewardships for which we must account to the Lord. Unfortunately, some men who do not honor their stewardships may have an adverse effect on many people. Often the greater the man’s responsibility, the more good or evil he can accomplish. The Lord usually gives a man a long enough rope and sufficient time to determine whether that man wants to pull himself into the presence of God or drop off somewhere below. There are some regrettable things being said and done by some people in the church today. As President Clark so well warned, the ravening wolves are amongst us. From our own membership and they more than any others are clothed in sheep’s clothing because they wear the habiliments of the priesthood. We should be careful of them.”

Faith Crisis?

Do you have a loved one who is struggling with faith crisis? Do you want to know why? Discover empowering history and faith crisis through a safe book for understanding controversial issues without compromise! This book explores issues including Leonard Arrington and the founding of New Mormon History, Mark Hofmann’s forgeries, the progressive Latter-day Saint group “The Swearing Elders,” the New Mormon History attack on President Brigham Young and more. This book is amazing. The evolutioinist and progressive are trying to revisit and change our Church History.

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Organic Evolution – Social Evolution – Political Evolution – The Internet by David W. Allan

We are all grateful for the Internet and the amazing communication connection it provides.  I believe that the best thing I can do is to share the message of gladness that the gospel of Jesus Christ provides, and I am grateful that the Internet is helping me do that in a major way.  However, like any tool, it can be used for good or evil.

More than a century before the Internet was invented into the amazing tool that it is, Darwin brought forth the theory of “organic evolution”, and the world applauded his genius. Based on Darwin’s work, John Wesley Powell, et. al. introduced “social evolution”, which brought about the doctrine of “manifest destiny,” and which caused the native American Indians to be treated as savages and their way of life destroyed.

Then, as history marched on, based on Powell’s and Lewis Henry Morgan’s ideas, Marx and Engels gave the world “political evolution”  the forerunner of communism and socialism.

Now, with the Internet, the prevalence of these three evolutionary theories continues to grow across the world.  We are seeing the world’s masses acceptance of the same.  Have we been globally deceived?  If so, the implications are enormous.

Our education systems and textbooks are full of these three theories, and we have seen an ever-increasing number of atheists who believe these theories, as they are increasingly propagated across the Internet.

The Truth Regarding These 3 Theories

As have I shared in a recent blog article, Americas Future At The Crossroads.  Scientists know that you cannot prove a theory true!  But, you can prove a theory false, if you have reliable falsification data!  Knowing something is false helps us avoid the deceit therein.  Only God knows everything, and the only way we can know something is true is if He tells us, because He cannot lie.  Since we don’t know everything, a theory believed true by the masses, may, in fact, be false when more information is made available. Being humble and open to new truth is one of the great blessings of the faithful, as we learn from our Creator.

Knowing something is false and avoiding the deceit therein helps us on our path of internalizing the truths of God. He has promised, “…whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived…” (JS-Matthew 37).  And, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17)  These are extremely valuable and sure promises in our path of TRUTH.  Furthermore, the Lord provides both a necessary and sufficient condition to know if the fruit is good or not, for “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matt. 7:17-18)

Using reliable data and the works of some of the brightest minds on the planet regarding organic evolution, I prove in Chapter 6 of my book,  It’s About Time, that the theory of organic evolution put forth by Darwin is false.   As mentioned, this has enormous implications. The following two above theories are also false because they are based on the false premise in organic evolution.  Atheism is the fruit of these three corrupt theories: Organic, Social, and Political evolution, and the Internet increasingly propagates them with devastating effects.  Because of these false theories, the Internet and our education systems are causing the philosophy of atheism to continue to grow.

Type and Shadow

In a type and shadow fashion, I was recently impressed as I read Chapter 7 of the Book of Jacob from the Book of Mormon. How well the story of Sherem prophetically reminds me of how organic evolution, social evolution, political evolution, and the internet are being used by Satan to take us from Christ.  As Jacob profoundly said to Sherem, the anti-Christ, “If there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost.” The Prophet Jacob lived more than 500 years before Christ and knew our Savior.

Sherem’s anti-Christ story in Chapter 7 of Jacob is reflective of exactly what is going on in the world today.  As Satan knows, it is his last hour to promote his atheistic agenda using these three false theories and any other deceitful way he can devise with the Internet as the propagation tool.  Without God, the world is trying to solve the world’s problems using science and technology, and most scientists believe the Bible to be a myth.

As we see the prideful elite trying to destroy our liberty, the battle seems to be their desire to make the state sovereign (political evolution) versus God’s plan for individual sovereignty and leading to eternal life.  The writers of our inspired Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution had this individual sovereignty in their hearts and minds. Also, because the book that influenced them more than any other for their inspiration for these documents was the Bible.

Pivotal Point

As we approach this most pivotal election in US history, let us do our best to help elect wise and righteous men and women of God, who appreciate God’s plan for individual sovereignty.  So that following the fifty-five thousand who died at Gettysburg, as President Lincoln prophetically reached out to us saying, “that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  The battle at Gettysburg was the “high-water mark” of the Civil War – which finally helped bring about the end of slavery and a nation where all its people could be free and giving liberty to all, as defined in America’s inspired foundation documents.

In Contrast

In contrast to Sherem and the atheists, who believe that we cannot know the future, which belief brings emptiness and fear into many hearts, we gratefully know much of the past, present, and future, because of God’s word – upon which this nation was founded.  Our faith in God gives us great hope and purpose to our lives.  As we are now seeing conspiring forces trying to destroy our liberty and encroach worldly values on all Christians.  As the prophecies tell us, we know that the pit they dig to destroy us will be the pit in which they will eventually fall.  And on the last day, they will confess with Sherem, that they were deceived by Satan, and will bow the knee in deep gratitude for the infinite atonement.

Let us continue in mighty prayer on behalf of as many as will come to know our loving Lord.  In the midst of all our imperfections, we have His Perfect Plan of Happiness.  And, now we are privileged to live in that day when we have, as He has promised, “nothing shall be withheld,…”  “He shall reveal all things…” (D&C 121:28; 101:32-34)

Both the Prophet Nephi and Joseph in Egypt prophesied that the Book of Mormon would come forth, and in that day when the Bible would be disbelieved, and the Book of Mormon and “other books” would come forth validating the Bible. (1 Ne. 13:39-41; 2 Ne. 3:11)  There is now information known so that those who desire can come to know God, which is eternal life (John 17:3) and the greatest gift from God (D&C 14:7).

I thank Steve Smoot for the above important historical perspectives regarding these three evolutionary theories.  His book and DVD “Lost Civilizations of North America” can now be purchased which describes how Powell followed Darwin, and his book by the same title has many more details.  His historic research gives a profound historic perspective. 

In addition to Chapter 6 of my book proving the theory of organic evolution to be false, I have articles on my website: Evolution and Faith; Not All Scientists Agree With Darwin; Am I A Monkey’s Uncle?; The Greatest Love Story Ever; The Resurrection Disproves the Theory of Organic Evolution; and How to Increase Your Faith in God.

David W Allan

“Who, then, are the Jews, and what part shall they yet play in the gathering of Israel and the return of their King? There is a maze of fuzzy thinking and shoddy scholarship, both in the world and in the Church, that seeks to identify the Jews, both ancient and modern, and to expound upon what they have believed and do believe. It is not strange that the divines of the day-not knowing that the kingdom is to be restored to Israel at that glorious day; not having the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelation to guide them-it is not strange that they come up with false and twisted views about the mission and destiny of the Jews. It is a little sad that church members sometimes partake of these false views and of this secular spirit so as to misread the signs of the times

The term Jew is a contraction of the name Judah, but the Jews are not the members of the tribe of Judah as such. After the reign of Solomon, the Lord’s people divided into the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. Nearly ten tribes served Jeroboam in Israel and two and a half tribes served Rehoboam in Judah. The Levites were scattered among all the tribes. Judah, Simeon, and part of Benjamin comprised the kingdom of Judah. In actual fact, and considering blood lineage only, both kingdoms had in them people from all of the tribes. Lehi, who lived in Judah and was a Jew, was of the tribe of Manasseh. The Jews were nationals of the kingdom of Judah without reference to tribal ancestry. Thus the descendants of Lehi, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, were Jews because they came out from Jerusalem and from the kingdom of Judah. (2 Ne. 33:8.)

The Jews today are also those whose origins stem back to the kingdom of their fathers. Clearly the dominant tribe-dominant, however, only in the sense of political power and rulership-was Judah. As to the bloodlines, who knows whether there are more of Judah or of Simeon or of Benjamin or of some other tribe among the Jews as we know them? Paul, a Jew, was of the tribe of Benjamin. The name Judea, now used as a noun, is actually an adjective meaning Jewish and is the Greek and Roman designation for the land of Judah.

Since the Ten Tribes were taken into Assyria and lost from the knowledge of their fellows more than a century before the Jews went into Babylonian captivity, the prophets began to speak of Jews and Gentiles and to consider as a Gentile everyone who was not a Jew. This classifies Ephraim and the rest of scattered Israel as Gentiles. Everyone, in this sense, who is not a Jew is a Gentile, a concept that will enable us, in due course, to set forth what is meant by the fulness of the Gentiles.” (Bruce R. McConkie The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.221-222)

We need to look no further than the scriptures to know the Lamanites ARE DESCENDANTS of the JEWS.

“And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God—Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.” D&C 29:26-27

“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

“I would say to the Lamanites, if I could speak to them understandingly, that you are also a branch of the house of Israel, and chiefly of the house of Joseph, and your forefathers have fallen through the same examples of unbelief and sins, as have the Jews, and you, as their posterity, have wandered in sin and darkness for many generations; and you, like the Jews, have been driven and trampled under the foot of the Gentiles, and put to death through your wars with each other, and with the white man, until you are almost destroyed. But there is still a redemption and salvation for a remnant of you in the latter days. It is time for you to cease shedding each other’s blood or making war upon your fellow-man. Cease to destroy one another, learn to cultivate the earth, and raise your food therefrom; call upon the Great Spirit to protect you and deliver you from bondage and darkness, and the Great Spirit will hear you and deliver you, and a remnant of you will again become a delightsome people as your forefathers were when they kept the commandments of God.” Wilford Woodruff History of His Life and Labors AS RECORDED IN HIS DAILY JOURNALS  PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION BY MATTHIAS F. COWLEY Salt Lake City, Utah 1909

Jewish Immigration to America: Three Waves

Sephardic, German, and Eastern European immigrants each contributed to he formation of American Jewry.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-immigration-to-america-three-waves/ BY JOELLYN ZOLLMAN

Today, America’s Jewish community is largely Ashkenazi, meaning it is made up of Jews who trace their ancestry to Germany and Eastern Europe. However, the first Jews to arrive in what would become the United States were Sephardic — tracing their ancestry to Spain and Portugal. The following article looks at the three major waves of Sephardic and Ashkenazic immigration to America.

Historians have traditionally divided American Jewish immigration into three periods: Sephardic, German, and Eastern European. While the case can be made that during each period, immigrants were not solely of any one origin (Some Germans came during the “Sephardic” period and some Eastern Europeans arrived during the “German” era, for example), the fact remains that the dominant immigrant group at the time influenced the character of the American Jewish community.

Sephardic Jews

The first group of Sephardic settlers arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654 from Brazil. For several decades afterward, adventurous Sephardic and Ashkenazic merchants established homes in American colonial ports, including Newport, R.I., New Amsterdam (later New York), Philadelphia, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

While the Ashkenazi Jews outnumbered the Sephardic ones by 1730, the character of the American Jewish community remained Sephardic through the American Revolution. Colonial American synagogues adhered to Sephardic ritual customs and administered all aspects of Jewish religious life. The synagogue did not, however, attempt to govern the economic activities of its (mostly mercantile) members. This was a departure from the Old World, where synagogues in places like Amsterdam, London, and Recife, taxed commercial transactions, regulated Jewish publications, and punished members for lapses in individual or commercial morality. In this manner, colonial synagogues set a precedent of compartmentalization — a division between Jewish and worldly domains — in American Jewish life.

Colonial American Sephardic synagogues also sought to combine modern notions of aesthetics with traditional Judaism, creating congregations that were rational and refined. Synagogues established rules of order so that services and meetings proceeded with the proper amount of deference and decorum. For example, colonial synagogues assigned seats for male and female members so that everyone knew their place in the congregation. This not only eliminated shuffling and bickering over seating each week, but also established a sort of congregational hierarchy in which the best seats went to the most prestigious congregational families (who, in turn, paid the highest dues). (In Europe, so few women attended services that there was no need to designate seats; American women, in contrast, regularly attended religious services.)

This theme — the reconciliation of modern manners with Jewish tradition — would also occupy subsequent waves of Jewish immigrants as Germans and Eastern Europeans struggled to build the Reform and Conservative movements in America.

The Germans

German Jews began to come to America in significant numbers in the 1840s. Jews left Germany because of persecution, restrictive laws, economic hardship, and the failure of movements — widely supported by German Jews — advocating revolution and reform there. They looked to America as an antidote to these ills — a place of economic and social opportunity.

Some 250,000 German-speaking Jews came to America by the outbreak of World War I. This sizable immigrant community expanded American Jewish geography by establishing themselves in smaller cities and towns in the Midwest, West, and the South. German Jewish immigrants often started out as peddlers and settled in one of the towns on their route, starting a small store there. This dispersion helped to establish American Judaism as a national faith.

If German Jews had one city of their own invention, it was Cincinnati. German immigrants flocked to this area, which was considered a gateway to trade in the Midwest and West. Cincinnati became the seat of American Reform Judaism, home to the movement’s first American leader, Isaac Mayer Wise (an immigrant from Bohemia), and its newspaper and seminary.

In addition to promoting Reform Judaism in America, German Jewish immigrants created institutions as significant and longstanding as B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Committee, and the National Council of Jewish Women.

The Eastern Europeans

A 19th-century Jewish school on the Lower East Side. (Wikimedia Commons)

Eastern European Jews began to immigrate to the United States in large numbers after 1880. Pushed out of Europe by overpopulation, oppressive legislation and poverty, they were pulled toward America by the prospect of financial and social advancement. Between 1880 and the onset of restrictive immigration quotas in 1924, over 2 million Jews from Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Romania came to America. Once again, the character of American Jewry was transformed, as the Eastern Europeans became the majority.

Jewish Immigrants in the Garment Industry

The immigrants tended to settle in the poorer neighborhoods of major cities. New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and Chicago, for example, all featured Jewish sections by the turn of the 20th century. Living conditions in these neighborhoods were often cramped and squalid. The immigrants found work in factories, especially in the garment industry, but also in cigar manufacturing, food production, and construction. Jewish workers supported the labor movement’s struggle for better working conditions. Yiddish culture, in the form of drama, journalism, and prose, flourished in American Jewish immigrant neighborhoods, and the plight of the immigrant worker was a common cultural theme.

Jewish Immigrants and Trade Unions

The Eastern European Jews also brought with them certain ideological principles that would influence American Jewry. Many of the workers supported socialism or communism as a means of securing economic and social equality. In this manner, the Eastern Europeans established a strong link between American Jews and liberal politics.

Yiddish Theater in New York

In addition, Eastern Europeans brought with them unprecedented support for Jewish nationalism. They educated the American Jewish community on this topic, even if they did not appear among its early leaders. (Henrietta Szold, the founder of the women’s group Hadassah, credited her immigrant night school students for her introduction to the fundamentals of Zionism.)

Finally, Eastern European Jews ensured a more religiously diverse American Jewish population. The Eastern Europeans did not, for the most part, feel comfortable with Reform Judaism. Their insistence on maintaining tradition, albeit in a modern context, contributed to the establishment of Conservative Judaism and infused Orthodox Judaism with new energy and purpose.

Large-scale Jewish immigration to the United States ended in 1924. Still, the contemporary American Jewish community remains very much a product of these founding groups.

Blogs about DNA connection with Israel and Native Americans

https://www.bofm.blog/dna-lamanites-are-a-remnant-of-the-jew/

https://www.bofm.blog/dna-scientists-claim-that-cherokees-are-from-the-middle-east/

Why is it that so much of our history is distorted or downright incorrect? There is a constant battle between who is right and who is wrong. That is why this world is truly Satan’s until the Lord comes and establishes His perfect government. Like the Bible says, men today are, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Tim. 3:7

“I have come to believe that it is the tendency for many members of the Church who spend a great deal of time in academic research to begin to judge the Church, its doctrine, organization, and leadership, present and past, by the principles of their own profession. Ofttimes this is done unwittingly, and some of it, perhaps, is not harmful.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

“This problem has affected some of those who have taught and have written about the history of the Church. These professors say of themselves that religious faith has little influence on Mormon scholars. They say this because, obviously, they are not simply Latter-day Saints but are also intellectuals trained, for the most part, in secular institutions. They would that some historians who are Latter-day Saints write history as they were taught in graduate school, rather than as Mormons.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

Neptunism or Plutonism

Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817), a German geologist and is the founder of neptunism.

Neptunism is a superseded scientific theory of geology proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) in the late 18th century, proposing that rocks formed from the crystallization of minerals in the early Earth’s oceans.

The theory took its name from Neptune, the ancient Roman god of the sea. There was considerable debate between its proponents (neptunists) and those favouring a rival theory known as plutonism which gave a significant role to volcanic origins, and which in modified form replaced neptunism in the early 19th century as the principle of uniformitarianism was shown to fit better with the geological facts as they became better known.” Source

“Although James Hutton was not the first to propose plutonism, he was the scientist responsible for expounding this theory to the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the general scientific community. Although plutonism would not come into favor until after Hutton’s death, he laid the foundation for the theory’s success. Charles Lyell would eventually synthesize the theories of plutonium and uniformitarianism into his textbook, Principles of Geology (published in 1830), allowing for its success in the 19^th century.” Source

See my blog here called: New Books of 1830 Good and Evil

If you are a Universal Model proponent (UMer), which I am, you follow the fascinating new discoveries of Dean Sessions, Russ Barlow, and Rod Meldrum. If you are a Plutonist you favor the current theory of 90% of the scientists today, including the majority of BYU Professors who also believe Einstein’s Theory is factual. UMers believe Einstein’s theory is just that, a theory and not factual.

There is also a theory out there that this earth is billions of years old which is believed by most modern scientists today. UMer’s believe this earth was organized from material that is billions of years old, but the creation of the earth itself took thousands of years and Adam was placed on the earth in about 4,000 BC. Dinosaurs also lived with Adam on this earth and were wiped out with Noah’s world wide flood.

Each time I think about this new incredible UM science or the Heartland Model, or young creationism, I think of the following scripture. “How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.” D&C 121:33.

I have met some amazing people in the past 10 years that truly are being used as instruments of God to shed new light to use here on earth. Men and women like Rod Meldrum, Wayne May, James Stoddard, Hannah Stoddard, Tim Ballard, Glenn Beck, David Barton, Alex Boye, Amberli Nelson, Jonathan Neville, Dean Sessions, Ken Krogue, and many others.

Did you know that in the world of science there have been no new laws established in the world in over 100 years? All we get is new pet theories that people make up in order to get money and the praise of the world. Don’t believe me, read the Universal Model, pray about it and you may learn the truth. Purchase Left.

Modern geology acknowledges many different forms of rock formation, and explains the formation of sedimentary rock through processes very similar to those described by Neptunism. Wikepedia

Understanding the three-fifths compromise

What is the theory and what is the fact of the 3/5th Compromise?

“The U.S. Constitution is a document that evolves with the times. Constitutional inadequacies and societal injustices are challenged, and social progress is the result. Instead of reverence for this brilliant document that ensures our rights, it is attacked by some as a severely flawed and even a racist contract.

One of the most widely used means to defame the Constitution is to manipulate perception of the three-fifths compromise. Agenda-driven academicians and committed ideologues routinely state the U.S. Constitution only recognizes blacks as three-fifths of a person. No context is given. This often-repeated falsehood foments disrespect of the Constitution and contempt for the founders who authored it.

The U.S. Constitution does not relegate blacks to “three-fifths of a person” status. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.” The “other Persons” were slaves.

The 1787 Constitutional Convention addressed the apportionment in the House of Representatives and the number of electoral votes each state would have in presidential elections based on a state’s population. The Southern states wanted to count the entire slave population. This would increase their number of members of Congress. The Northern delegates and others opposed to slavery wanted to count only free persons, including free blacks in the North and South.

Using the logic of the promoters of the “three-fifths of a person” interpretation, think of the constitutional ramification had the position of the Northern states and abolitionists prevailed. The three-fifths clause would have been omitted and possibly replaced with wording that stated “other Persons” would not be counted for apportionment. The Constitution, then, would be proclaiming slaves were not human at all (zero-fifths). This is an illogical conclusion and was certainly not the position of Northern delegates and abolitionists.

Counting the whole number of slaves benefited the Southern states and reinforced the institution of slavery. Minimizing the percentage of the slave population counted for apportionment reduced the political power of slaveholding states.

Denigration of the Constitution is not restricted to committed demagogues.

San Antonio’s U.S. District Judge Fred Biery addressed the Austin Bar Association on Law Day 2012. His speech focused on various social injustices in America’s past and how attorneys righted these wrongs. Biery used the example of then-recent Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. The judge asserted that in 1787 when the Constitution was ratified, Griffin’s “ancestors … were counted only as three-fifths of a human being.” Biery is alarmingly ignorant. Or worse, he is consumed with the need to promote and further a personal creed.

There are other troubling aspects of the lifetime judge’s declaration. Biery’s speech was published in San Antonio Lawyer after he addressed the bar association. Didn’t any of the attorneys at the meeting who actually understood the meaning of that portion of the Constitution advise Biery of his misrepresentation?

David Gans is the director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights and Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center, a think tank and law firm. The Express-News published a column by him on constitutional requirements in the past year (“Count all people, as Constitution requires, March 10) in which he stated that “someone who was enslaved would be counted as three-fifths of a person” for the purpose of determining representation in Congress.

The magnitude of this constitutional illiteracy is not restricted to those on the political left. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice routinely stated in her speeches, “In the original U.S. Constitution, I was only three-fifths of a person.”

In 1787, the founders were attempting to form a union and preserve the nascent United States. This imperfect compromise allowed for preservation of the republic while also confronting the moral and systemic evils of slavery. Erroneous and distorted interpretations of the Constitution only intensify the societal divide in America.” Constitutional Accountability Center

Three-Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. Delegates disputed whether and how slaves would be counted when determining a state’s total population, as this population number would determine a state’s number of seats in the House of Representatives and how much it would pay in taxes. The compromise counted three out of every five slaves as people, giving the Southern states a third more seats in Congress and a third more electoral votes than if slaves had been ignored, but fewer than if slaves and free people had been counted equally. The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney on June 11, 1787.

Impact before the Civil War

By including three-fifths of slaves (who had no voting rights) in the legislative apportionment, the Three-Fifths Compromise provided additional representation in the House of Representatives of slave states compared to the free states. In 1793, for example, Southern slave states had 47 of the 105 seats but would have had 33 had seats been assigned based on free populations. In 1812, slave states had 76 seats out of 143 instead of the 59 they would have had; in 1833, 98 seats out of 240 instead of 73. As a result, Southern states had additional influence on the presidency, the speakership of the House, and the Supreme Court until the American Civil War.[17] In addition, the Southern states’ insistence on equal numbers of slave and free states, which was maintained until 1850, safeguarded the Southern bloc in the Senate as well as Electoral College votes.

Historian Garry Wills has speculated that without the additional slave state votes, Jefferson would have lost the presidential election of 1800. Also, “slavery would have been excluded from Missouri … Jackson’s Indian removal policy would have failed … the Wilmot Proviso would have banned slavery in territories won from Mexico … the Kansas-Nebraska bill would have failed.” While the Three-Fifths Compromise could be seen to favor Southern states because of their large slave populations, for example, the Connecticut Compromise tended to favor the Northern states (which were generally smaller). Support for the new Constitution rested on the balance of these sectional interests.[18]

After the Civil War

Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) later superseded Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 and explicitly repealed the compromise. It provides that “representatives shall be apportioned … counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” A later provision of the same clause reduced the Congressional representation of states who denied the right to vote to adult male citizens, but this provision was never effectively enforced. (The Thirteenth Amendment, passed in 1865, had already eliminated almost all persons from the original clause’s jurisdiction by banning slavery; the only remaining persons subject to it were those sentenced for a crime to penal servitude, which the amendment excluded from the ban.)

After the Reconstruction Era came to an end in 1877, however, the former slave states subverted the objective of these changes by using various strategies to disenfranchise their black citizens, while obtaining the benefit of apportionment of representatives on the basis of the total populations. These measures effectively gave white Southerners even greater voting power than they had in the antebellum era, inflating the number of Southern Democrats in the House of Representatives as well as the number of votes they could exercise in the Electoral College in the election of the president.

The disenfranchisement of black citizens eventually attracted the attention of Congress, and in 1900 some members proposed stripping the South of seats, related to the number of people who were barred from voting.[20] In the end, Congress did not act to change apportionment, largely because of the power of the Southern bloc. The Southern bloc comprised Southern Democrats voted into office by white voters and constituted a powerful voting bloc in Congress until the 1960s. Their representatives, re-elected repeatedly by one-party states, controlled numerous chairmanships of important committees in both houses on the basis of seniority, giving them control over rules, budgets and important patronage projects, among other issues. Their power allowed them to defeat federal legislation against racial violence and abuses in the South,[21] until overcome by the civil rights movement. Wikipedia

Three-Fifths Clause

The records of the Constitutional Convention make clear that the three-fifths clause was actually an antislavery provision. As Professor Walter Williams explains:

“It was slavery’s opponents who succeeded in restricting the political power of the South by allowing them to count only three-fifths of their slave population in determining the number of congressional representatives. The three-fifths of a vote provision applied only to slaves, not to free blacks in either the North or South.” (emphasis added)

 “It is a downright disability laid upon the slaveholding States; one which deprives those States of two-fifths of their natural basis of representation.  A black man in a free State is worth just two-fifths more than a black man in a slave State, as a basis of political power under the Constitution.  Therefore, instead of encouraging slavery, the Constitution encourages freedom by giving an increase of ‘two-fifths’ of political power to free over slave States. . . . it still leans to freedom.”  In order to follow the tortured route that the three-fifths clause took on its way to adoption into the Constitution, follow the votes taken in:  (Paragraphs 458, 461, 1229, 1251, 1260, 1289, 1293, 1314, 2078, 2092, and 2702).

Reference: Frederick Douglass, “The Constitution,” in The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, ed. Philip S Foner 472

*The three-fifths clause was not a measurement of human worth; it was an attempt to reduce the number of pro-slavery proponents in Congress. By including only three-fifths of the total numbers of slaves into the congressional calculations, Southern states were actually being denied additional pro-slavery representatives in Congress.

While there were a few Founding Fathers who were pro-slavery, the truth is that it was the Founders who were responsible for planting and nurturing the first seeds for the recognition of black equality and for the eventual end of slavery. This is a fact made clear by Richard Allen.

America’s Exceptional History of Anti-Slavery

“Recently the idea of American Exceptionalism has been ridiculed in academic and political circles with entire books dedicated to the purpose of tearing down any thought of an ethical America. Much of this recent shift centers around America’s record on slavery. For instance, organizations such as the New York Times have started initiatives declaring that the “true founding” was not until the introduction of slavery 1619 and that the “founding ideals were false” due to the existence of slavery.

The shift to a negative perspective of America largely stems from the revisionist school of history beginning in the 1960’s and culminating with Howard Zinn’s monumental 1980 People’s History of the United States. This book popularized the historiographical approach of doing “history from the bottom up,” which means telling the story of America through the interpretive lens of oppression. A fellow activist historian of Zinn’s, Staughton Lynd explains the fundamental premises underlying this approach in his Doing History from the Bottom Up. In their interpretive model, “was founded on crimes against humanity directed at…enslaved African Americans,” and therefore must be evil.

Such anti-American revisionism forgets that America’s record on slavery actually is exceptional compared to the rest of the world. Rarely do revisionists remember that over half of the American states had passed laws abolishing slavery by 1804, nearly thirty years before William Wilberforce effected the similar results in England. This wide-scale abolitionism was planted by the Biblical beliefs of several early colonies, was watered by the advocacy and action of the patriots during the American Revolution, and finally brought forth fruit through the establishment of a Constitutional Republic designed to advance liberty and defend the ideals of the Declaration.

A careful review of the colonial anti-slavery context, the development of abolitionist thought during the War for Independence, and the staunch leadership of the pro-freedom Founding Fathers reveals how America led the way in abolishing slavery. Instead of the modern academic narrative which attempts to debunk American exceptionalism, history shows that America was exceptional in their struggle for emancipation.” Wallbuilders

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.”

Many people don’t know about the abundance of Gold, Iron, and Copper in the hills east of Chattanooga, Tennessee. We believe after Lehi landed near Apalachicola, Florida, Nephi could have fled his brothers north along the Chattahoochee River into Unicoi Gap, Georgia and traveled on the Hiawassee River to Chattanooga on the Tennessee River. Complete Nephite and Book of Mormon potential routes from Florida to New York here.

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.

The necessity of ore for the Nephites was very critical for their survival. Where and when was the first gold rush in the United States? You may be surprised. It was in North Carolina and Tennessee long before the 1849 Californian Gold rush.

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.

We understand the fervor that surrounds the finding of gold and silver. I will now speak about the lost Rhodes Gold Mine.

Rhodes Gold Mine

Thomas Rhoads, one of the earlier converts to Mormonism (1834), led the first expedition of Mormon settlers to northern California in May of 1846, whereupon arrival in October of that same year he settled near Sutter’s Fort along the Consumnes River. Thomas Rhoads then went to work for, and became a close friend of, John Augustus Sutter, famous for the discovery of gold at his mill site. Much of Rhoads’ early fortune came from mining the gold-rich fields along the Sacramento valley.

Thomas Rhoades

The Deseret News July 2 1996
In 1852, Thomas Rhoades was commissioned by President Young to salvage hidden gold known to Ute Indians. Chief Walker (Wakara) who had been baptized a member of the church, reportedly agreed to reveal the location of the gold as long as it was used exclusively for the benefit of the church. The site of the mines was called “Carre Shin Ob,” or “There dwells the Great Spirit,” Thompson recounted. Indians had no particular interest in the gold beyond their basic needs and harbored old resentments against Spanish overlords who had mined the metal at the expense of their race, he said.

Brigham Young

Walker’s conditions were that only one person at a time know where the mines were, that Indian surveillance be constant and that only as much gold be brought out each trip as the individual could carry. The death penalty was to be executed immediately if the secret got beyond the chosen person. President Young demanded in turn that Walker, whose loyalties were known to be chancy, take an oath upon the Book of Mormon to hold up his end of the bargain.

Chief Wakara (Walker)

According to the family account of Gale R. Rhoads, a grandson, Thomas made a number of trips into the mountains with an Indian guide. The gold supposedly was from mines abandoned by Spanish entrepreneurs who were in the territory before the 1776 Domin-guez/Escalante explorations.

Each of Rhoads’ trips took about two weeks, and the first load of gold, the family records say, weighed about 62 pounds. The Deseret News frequently reported his comings and goings, without details regarding gold, if any.

In the summer of 1855, Thomas had a severe illness and a son, Caleb, signed the oath and took over the job of recovering the Indian gold. When Thomas was well again, father and son took several trips together. Walker himself died in late 1855.

Caleb Rhoades

The Rhoads records say that the statue of the Angel Moroni atop the Salt Lake Temple was overlaid with the Indian gold, as were some of the trimmings inside the temple.

In December 1855, Rhoads obtained a land grant from the Territorial Legislature for a huge area known today as Kamas Valley. ” Source

MORE INFORMATION LOST RHOADES MINE

In the summer of 1855, Thomas had a severe illness and a son, Caleb, signed the oath and took over the job of recovering the Indian gold. When Thomas was well again, father and son took several trips together. Walker himself died in late 1855.

This map is the 1858 LDS land grant map. Area #4 lists Brigham Young and Thomas Rhoades as the owners. (Area 4 colored brown for clarity)

This is an overlay that I did of the old land grant map with today’s satellite image of the area.

The land grant included the Kamas Valley (originally named Rhoades valley), the drainage’s between the upper Weber River and the Upper Provo River.

While the old sketch is not a perfect match to today’s topography, you can see enough features that allow us to determine a little better the actual boundaries of the grant. The northern boundary seems to follow the Weber River right up to Mirror Lake and then down the Duchesne River to where it turns up Iron Mine Creek, across soapstone and down to Woodland on the Southside.

This map is an enlargement of area 4.

“Rhoades first came to the valley in 1859 with about twenty other Mormons including W.O. Anderson, John Turnbow, John Simpson, Morgan Lewis, Daniel Lewis, Alma Williams, Clinton Williams, Richard Venable, Richard Pangburn, John Lambert, and their families. The group clustered together in a fort near a spring on the east side of the valley for the first several years. The log fort was sixteen feet high and the fort walls formed the backs of the houses. Before the group vacated the fort, thirty-two families had lived in it. A log building in the fort’s center was used as a schoolhouse, meetinghouse, amusement hall, and center of government.”

After obtaining the grant and moving to Kamas Valley, Rhoades began to work whatever locations they had just obtained the right to in the grant. He soon fell ill and his son Caleb then took over the work for him.

“Family writings say, again, that Father Rhoads and Caleb worked gold mines on this land. Thomas also found “black minerals” in the area – coal that became part of the church mining properties.

Caleb reportedly became the largest tithe payer and one of the most generous members of the church in his almsgiving. Many eyewitnesses said they had seen his gold at various times.

After Walker’s death, his brother, Arapeen, took over Ute leadership and continued to allow Caleb Rhoads to harvest gold from the tribe’s secret store. But Arapeen’s successor, Chief Tabby, denied access.

Caleb made several covert trips to the site after this, family records say. He also petitioned the U.S. Congress for a land lease and agreed to pay the national debt in exchange. He was frustrated in part by a Utah representative to Congress, George Q. Cannon, who said Rhoads was “only an ignorant prospector and not capable of handling a $100 million deal.” In the end, the petition was denied, and the federal government eventually chartered other companies to mine in the Uintas. Government-paid geologists scouted the area and reportedly found many Spanish artifacts, smelter ruins and other signs of ancient mining. But they never found the fabled Rhoads Mine.

Caleb claimed the deposits were in unique formations not usually associated with gold. He said the geologists were looking in the wrong place. Thomas was called in the late 1850s to settle Minersville and help develop silver mines in that area. He died there in 1869.”

Lost Rhoades Mines