Book of Mormon Evidence

Our Heartland facebook friend Emily Bailey Dayley‎ has come up with an unusual and amazing possible anachronism for the Book of Mormon in North America. She posted the following:

Archeology & Book of Mormon Evidence Yesterday  “Weird question for ya. After reading about how Zerahemna got scalped in Alma during the war chapters, I wondered if this is account was when scalping originated? A quick search online showed scalping was mostly a practiced by the American Native Americans, and wasn’t recorded having been done earlier than 1000 AD in Europe/Africa. It was mostly an American old world thing. Sorry for the gross question but I thought it was an interesting thought. Another “parallel” of sorts, maybe?”

Actually is was a great question that I had never even thought of, so I got busy and began finding out some interesting things. So far I can date scalping in North America to 1-359 AD in Utah. Wow, those are Book of Mormon times alright. Good find Emily.

Alma 44:12 “And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni’s soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off his scalp and it fell to the earth. And Zerahemnah withdrew from before them into the midst of his soldiers.”

Zerahemnah—
Lamanite commander [c. 74 B.C.]

• chief captain of Lamanite army, Alma 43:5, 44.
• inspires soldiers to fight, Alma 43:44.
• is struck with terror when surrounded, Alma 43:53.
• is commanded by Moroni¹ to surrender, Alma 44:1–6.
• attempts to kill Moroni¹, is scalped, Alma 44:12.
• begs for mercy, Alma 44:19.
  From LDS Triple Index

Scalping in Nephite Time Frame

From the earliest years of conflict between Native Americans and Europeans, the object which most resonates to the present as emblematic of that conflict’s violence is the scalp. Scalping was an ancient practice in North America that predates European contact by centuries. It figures prominently in early European accounts. Beyond its simple description as a grisly souvenir or trophy of war, the scalp, and the practice of scalping, carried meanings, both symbolic and concrete. Taking a scalp represented the ultimate dominance of a warrior over an enemy. The scalp became a stand-in for the slain enemy in a celebratory ritual of further humiliation, many with gendered aspects. Europeans also included scalping in their imperialistic war-making practices. Their scalping, which began as an imitation or response to Indian scalping, in time created a new materialistic motivation for taking scalps.

Evidence for the antiquity of scalping on the North American continent takes three different forms: archaeological, historical, and linguistic. Each is compelling and the three, taken as a whole are comprehensive and convincing. The skeletal remains that form the basis for the archaeological argument for scalping as an ancient American practice are persuasive because they are perhaps the most concrete and least susceptible to semantics or interpretation, in the way that historical or linguistic arguments may be.[1] The cut marks found upon skulls that are consistent with scalping by a stone blade are among the key diagnostic attributes used by archaeologists to say with a degree of certainty that a set of skeletal remains represents a victim of interpersonal violence and “malevolent intent.” Other such attributes include bodies with multiple projectile point impacts, multiple crushing injuries, or a mass of bodies dumped together.[2] Another, related, category of skulls that corroborates the markings as being representative of ancient scalping are the skulls that show these marks but also signs of healing.[3] These individuals survived scalping, a not uncommon occurrence in historic times. An early American medical journal even published an article explaining how to care for the scalping survivor.[4] Absent the possibility of industrial mishap, it is hard to find another explanation for a person to be separated from their scalp.

In 1940, archaeologist Georg Neumann excavated and described the first set of remains widely accepted as showing evidence for scalping.[5] In his findings, Neumann reported finding the skull of a young man in an Illinois site that dated to the Middle Mississippian Period of the 11^th to 16^th century A.D. The skull showed that death was caused by four blows from a stone celt or club, furthermore, there was a series of cuts around the crown of the skull consistent with scalping with a stone blade.[6] Another, more dramatic site of prehistoric violence and scalping is the Crow Creek site in South Dakota, where, in the 14^th century, enemy warriors destroyed an agricultural village. Here, archaeologists discovered 486 skeletons in two mass graves. Almost all of the bodies showed some form of post-mortem mutilation.[7] Nearly 90 percent of the skulls, male and female, showed the tell-tale cut-marks associated with scalping. [8] In addition to skulls that have had the scalp removed, in a few cases the scalps themselves have survived. A scalp, which included ears and eyebrows, attached to a basketry disk found in a Utah cave yielded a carbon-14 date of between 1 and 359 A.D.[9] [This is a time frame consistent with Alma 44 above] The earliest North American archaeological evidence for an Indian scalping a European is the skeletal remains of an English settler killed in Virginia in a 1622 attack.[10] His shattered skull speaks to a violent end and his cranium shows signs of being scalped with a metal knife, perhaps even an English one.

Scalping appears in the earliest historical accounts of European explorations of North America. On his second voyage to the continent, the French explorer Jacques Cartier wrote that the Indians of a village called Stadacona showed him the “the skin of five men’s heads”, which were spread out on a board “like parchments.”[11] In 1540, Indians killed and scalped Simon Rodrigues, a member of the de Soto Expedition to what is now the southeastern United States.[12] De Soto, in attempting to describe what happened, recounted that the natives took el pellejo de corona, the skin of the crown.[13] Jacques Le Moyne a Frenchman who visited Florida in 1564 described in graphic detail how members of the Timucua tribe scalped dead enemies, “they cut the skin of the head down to the skull with pieces of reed sharper than any steel blade, from the brow in a circle to the back of the head; and they pull it off whole, gathering the hair, which is still attached to it and more than a cubit long, into a knot at the crown; and what there is over the brow and back of the head they cut off in a circle to a length of two fingers.”[14] Not only was Le Moyne a vivid writer, he also drew what he saw, and later a Belgian engraver, Theodor de Bry produced lurid reproductions of his sketches.

In the above De Bry engraving, after Le Moyne’s drawing, of Timucuas mutilating dead enemies, the men at right are drying scalps over a fire.  The figures in the background are returning to the village with scalps and other body parts on the ends of their lances. Le Moyne described how the trophies became a central part of a victory ceremony in which the whole village took part.[15]

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[1] Phillip L. Walker, “A Bioarcheological Perspective on the History of Violence,” Annual Review of Anthropology 30, no. 1 (2001): doi: 10.1146/annurev.anthro.30.1.573., 574.

[2] Walker, 576

[3] James Axtell and William C. Sturtevant, “The Unkindest Cut, or Who Invented Scalping,” The William and Mary Quarterly 37, no. 3 (1980):  doi:10.2307/1923812. 468.

[4] James Robertson, “Remarks on the Management of the Scalped-Head,” The Philadelphia Medical and Physical Journal 2 (April 1806). 27-33

[5] Wolf D. Bueschgen and D. Troy Case, “Evidence of Prehistoric Scalping at Vosberg, Central Arizona,” International Journal of Osteoarcheology 6, no. 3 (1996): doi:10.1002/1099-12126:33.0, 231

[6] Georg K. Neumann, “Evidence for the Antiquity of Scalping from Central Illinois,” American Antiquity 5, no. 04 (1940): doi:10.2307/275199. 287.

[7] Patrick S. Willey, Prehistoric Warfare on the Great Plains: Skeletal Analysis of the Crow Creek Massacre Victims (New York: Garland, 1990), 105;

[8] P. Willey and Thomas E. Emerson, “The Osteology and Archaeology of The Crow Creek Massacre,” Plains Anthropologist 38, no. 145 (1993), doi:10.1080/2052546.1993.11931655., 257.

[9] Julie Howard and Joel Janetski, “Human Scalps from Eastern Utah,” Utah Archaeology 1992 5, no. 1 (1992) https://www.upaconline.org/journal/PDF/Utah%20Archaeology%201992. 128-130.

[10] Axtell and Sturtevant, 460.

[11] Stephen Leacock, The Mariner of St. Malo a Chronicle of the Voyages of Jacques Cartier, vol. 2 (Toronto: Glasgow, Brook & Company, 1915), https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4077/4077-h/4077-h.htm. VII

[12] Thomas S. Abler, “Scalping, Torture, Cannibalism and Rape: An Ethnohistorical Analysis of Conflicting Cultural Values in War,” Anthropologica 34, no. 1 (1992): doi:10.2307/25605630, 7.

[13] Axtell and Sturtevant, 457.

[14] Jacques Le Moyne De Morgues, Theodor De Bry, and Frederic B. Perkins, Narrative of Le Moyne an Artist Who Accompanied the French Expedition to Florida under Laudonnière, 1564 (Boston: J.R. Osgood and, 1875) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027064032;view=1up;seq=51. 7.

[15] Le Moyne, 7.

The Skin of the Crown: The Origins and Meanings of Scalping in Early America Phillip Lingle New Mexico State University January 2019

Late Archaic Scalping 3000 to 1000 BC

“Three individuals from Late Archaic period sites in the Kentucky Lake Reservoir exhibit cutmarks on their crania which are best interpreted as scalping. The likely scalping victims are the earliest examples of this warfarerelated trophy-taking practice in the eastern United States. The importance of this identification lies not just in establishing a great antiquity for an ethnohistorically well known practice, but in the informative potential trophy taking has in particular theories of cultural evolution. Certain paradigms stress the dynamic role of warfare in the genesis of social stratification. A primary motive for scalp taking is prestige enhancement. The temporal and spatial distribution of scalping and other trophy-taking practices among Late Archaic hunter-gatherers may provide useful clues to patterns of status differentiation.” Scalping in the Archaic Period: Evidence from the Western Tennessee Valley Maria O. Smith [The Late Archaic Period lasted from about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago]

Trophy Taking in the Central and Lower Mississippi Valley
NANCY A. ROSS-STALLINGS

“The purposes of this chapter are to first review the criteria for evaluating
whether or not a human remain should be considered as a legitimate trophy when found in an archaeological context. Second, some previously unpublished cases of decapitation and cannibalism from the central and lower Mississippi Valley, plus a site with one feature exhibiting multiple scalping and decapitation cases from southeastern Tennessee, will be presented. The final section is a review of sites in the continental United States where trophy taking and/or cannibalism has been verified, using the criteria established in the early part of the chapter. This review will demonstrate that trophy taking had two discrete origins in the United States, first from a temporal and second from a spatial standpoint, and that the practice spread across cultural areas on a timeline.”

Origins of Human Trophy Taking in California

“Scalps were taken in the greater part of California, brought home in triumph, and celebrated over, usually by a dance around a pole” (Kroeber 1976:843); thus concluded the great California ethnographer Alfred Kroeber on the human trophy taking in his lengthy treatise, Handbook of the Indians of California. At the time of his study of the cultural elements of California’s indigenous peoples, California was or had recently been occupied by over 50 tribal groups (Figure 4.1) Ethnographic and Linguistic Evidence for the Origins of Human Trophy Taking in California PATRICIA M. LAMBERT

Evidence for the Antiquity of Scalping from Central Illinois

Georg K. Neumann Published 1940 History JUST before the archaeological party of the University of Chicago moved camp to the extreme southeastern part of Fulton County, Illinois, during the summer of 1933, the writer visited the aboriginal site (designated FV896 by the archaeological survey) on the Norman Crable farm located on the high Illinois River bluff about two miles north of Bluff City. Here for several years Mr. Glenn McGirr, a local collector, had opened a large number of graves to secure artifacts, and on that afternoon had opened six of them.

The burials were extended on the back with the arms to the sides and accompanied by typical Middle Mississippi [800 to 1600 AD] pottery and other artifacts that were assigned to the Spoon River focus of the Monk’s Mound aspect after excavations had been carried on by the field party.368 Mr. McGirr was kind enough to let the writer have four of the skeletons for the University collections, and upon cleaning them it was found that one of them, that of an adult male (No. F896-101), exhibited evidences of a violent end, and had cuts on the vault of the skull that seemed to indicate that the individual had been scalped. Death had clearly been caused by four celt blows which had fractured the parietals and crushed in the right side of the skull. If one can judge by the distribution of the cuts, the victim probably had lain face down during the operation for most of the cuts, which look as if they had been made with a flint knife, are on the frontal bone and extend in a rough circle around the crown.

After the front end of the scalp had been cut loose in all probability it had been pulled backward and then cut free without making more than two cuts on the occipital bone. The presence of a small amount of calcium carbonate leached from the calcareous loess and deposited in some of the cuts attest to their antiquity. Here, then, there is direct evidence of a case of scalping of an individual who belonged to a group with a Middle Mississippi culture that was shown in Illinois to be pre-historic and by relative chronology to post-date Hopewellian manifestations. All evidences of culture, as well as of physical anthropology, point to the Muskhogean-speaking tribes of the Southeast, who, it may be noted, also practiced scalping when De Soto first visited them in 1540.

Old World Scalping

In England in 1036, Earl Godwin, father of Harold Godwinson, was reportedly responsible for scalping his enemies. According to the ancient Abingdon manuscript, ‘some of them were blinded, some maimed, some scalped. No more horrible deed was done in this country since the Danes came and made peace here’.^[3]

Georg Frederici noted that “Herodotus provided the only clear and satisfactory portrayal of a scalping people in the old world” in his description of the Scythians, a nomadic people then located to the north and west of the Black Sea.^[4] Herodotus related that Scythian warriors would behead the enemies they defeated in battle and present the heads to their king to claim their share of the plunder. Then, the warrior would skin the head “by making a circular cut round the ears and shaking out the skull; he then scrapes the flesh off the skin with the rib of an ox, and when it is clean works it with his fingers until it is supple, and fit to be used as a sort of handkerchief. He hangs these handkerchiefs on the bridle of his horse, and is very proud of them. The best man is the man who has the greatest number.”^[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalping

“Although American native peoples were all too often accused of being the sole practitioners of scalping, in reality they did nothing others had not done before. Herodotus found the practice among the Pontic Scythians, and, according to the Maccabees, the ancient Persians tore away the scalp of one of their prisoners. Orosius reports that Romans scalped during the battle on the Raudine plain. It is highly probable that Germanic tribes behaved similarly, for we know that they ascribed magical powers to a shock of human hair, regarding it as the symbol of the free man. In Germanic law, if a court demanded the guilty party’s head to be shaved it was considered an especially grievous sentence — in very serious cases the court could decree that the hair be ripped out with the skin.” Source 

Setting the Record Straight About Native Peoples: Scalping

Q: Who invented scalping? My history book says it was the Indians but the tribe who lives near me says the colonists used to scalp them.
A: They’re both right. Scalping–cutting off the scalp of a dead enemy as proof of his demise– was common practice throughout North America before colonists got here. It is described in Indian oral histories, and preserved scalps were found at archaeological sites. Colonists learned to scalp enemies from the Indians. (The European custom was to cut off people’s heads for proof/trophies, originally, but scalps are easier to transport and preserve, so the colonists quickly switched to the Indian method.) Once they picked up the technique, the English did a tremendous amount of scalping, both of natives and of rival Frenchmen.

Below is a bounty notice from 1755 offering varying rewards for the scalps of Indian men, women, and children. (These scalps, incidentally, were commonly referred to as “redskins,” one reason why that is considered such a rude racial slur by many Native Americans today.) American and Canadian frontiersmen kept up the tradition of scalping until the turn of the 20th century, though in some places, like California, they reverted back to severed heads. There was actually still a law on the books in Canada as of the year 2000 promising bounties in exchange for Indian scalps, though the embarrassed Canadian government was hurrying to repeal it (here’s an article on that).

In other words, the scalping technique came from the American Indians, the idea of taking a piece of a dead enemy’s body as a war prize was well known to Indians and Europeans alike, and the idea of paying bounties for dead body parts came from the Europeans. http://www.native-languages.org/iaq12.htm

Scalping Proclamation

A 1755 proclamation (above) by one Spencer Phips, then lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The document declared the Penobscots “Enemies, Rebels, and Traitors to his Majesty King George the Second.” It “required” his Majesty’s Subjects “to embrace all opportunities of pursuing, captivating, killing and Destroying all and every of the aforesaid Indians.” It further stated that a bounty had been voted by the General Court of the Province, promising 25 pounds for a female Penobscot of any age or a male Penobscot under age 12, and 50 pounds for a Penobscot male over age 12. Scalps of Penobscots under 12 would earn a little less, 20 pounds”. https://bangordailynews.com/2011/11/13/living/official-issued-proclamation-against-penobscot-indians-in-1755/

Who Invented Scalping?

In recent years many voices—both Native-American and white—have questioned whether Indians did in fact invent scalping. What is the evidence? James Axtell April 1977 Volume 28 Issue 3

Americans have always assumed that scalping and Indians were synonymous. Cutting the crown of hair from a fallen adversary has traditionally been viewed as an ancient Indian custom, performed to obtain tangible proof of the warrior’s valor. But in recent years many voices—Indian and white—have seriously questioned whether the Indians did in fact invent scalping. The latest suggestion is that the white colonists, in establishing bounties for enemy hair, introduced scalping to Indian allies innocent of the practice.

This theory presupposes two facts: one, that the white colonists who settled America in the seventeenth century knew how to scalp before they left Europe; and two, that the Indians did not know how to scalp before the white men arrived. But are these facts? And if they are not, who did invent scalping in America?

Total silence from both participants and historians casts doubt on the first proposition. For no one has ever insinuated, much less proved, that the European armies who fought so ruthlessly the Crusades, the Hundred Years’ War, and the Wars of Religion ever scalped their victims. Even when they were combating a European form of “savagery” in Ireland, Queen Elizabeth’s forces were never scalped or ever took scalps. The grim, gray visages of severed heads lining the path to a commander’s tent were more terrible than impersonal shocks of hair and skin.

Nor does the second proposition fare much better. For there is abundant evidence from various sources that the Indians practiced scalping long before the white man arrived and that they continued to do so without the incentive of colonial cash.

The first and most familiar source of evidence is the written descriptions of the earliest European observers, who presumably saw the Indian cultures of the eastern seaboard in something like an aboriginal condition. When Jacques Cartier sailed down the St. Lawrence to what is now Quebec City in 1535, he met the Stadaconans, who showed him “the scalps of five Indians, stretched on hoops like parchment.” His host, Donnacona, told him they were from “Toudamans from the south, who waged war continually against his people.”

Twenty-nine years later, another Frenchman, artist Jacques Ie Moyne, witnessed the Timucuans’ practice of scalping on the St. Johns River in Florida:

They carried slips of reeds, sharper than any steel blade … they cut the skin of the head down to the bone from front to back and all the way around and pulled it off while the hair, more than a foot and a half long, was still attached to it. When they had done this, they dug a hole in the ground and made a fire, kindling it with a piece of smoldering ember. … Over the fire they dried the scalps until they looked like parchment. … They hung the bones and the scalps at the ends of their spears, carrying them home in triumph.

When they arrived at their village, they held a victory ceremony in which the legs, arms, and scalps of the vanquished were attached to poles with “great solemnities.”

The French were not alone in witnessing the Indian custom of scalping. When the English brazenly set themselves down amid the powerful Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia, the Indians used an old tactic to try to quash their audacity. In 1608 Powhatan launched a surprise attack on a village of “neare neighbours and subjects,” killing twenty-four men. When the victors retired from the scene of battle, they brought away “the long haire of the one side of their heades [the other being shaved] with the skinne cased off with shels or reeds.” The prisoners and scalps were then presented to the chief, who hung “the lockes of haire with their skinnes” on a line between two trees. “And thus,” wrote Captain John Smith, “he made ostentation … , shewing them to the English men that then came unto him, at his appointment.”

The first Dutchmen to penetrate the Iroquois country of upstate New York also found evidence of native scalping. When the surgeon of Fort Orange (Albany) journeyed into Mohawk and Oneida territory in the winter of 1634-35,ne saw atop a gate of the old Oneida castle on Oriskany Creek “three wooden images carved like men, and with them … three scalps fluttering in the wind.” On a smaller gate at the east end of the castle a scalp was also hanging, no doubt to impress white visitors as well as hostile neighbors…

The older English word scalp did not acquire its distinctly American meaning until 1675 when King Philip’s War brought the object renewed prominence in New England. Until then, the best expressions were compounds such as “hair-scalp” and “head-skin,” phrases such as “the skin and hair of the scalp of the head,” or the simple but ambiguous word “head.” Likewise, the only meaning of the verb to scalp meant “to carve, engrave, scrape, or scratch.” Consequently, English writers were forced to use “skin,” “flay,” or “excoriate” until 1676 when the American meaning became popular. French, Dutch, German, and Swedish speakers were also forced to resort to circumlocutions until they borrowed the English words in the eighteenth century.

On the other hand, the languages of the eastern Indians contained many words to describe the scalp, the act of scalping, and the victim of scalping. A Catholic priest among the Hurons in 1623 learned that an onontsira was a war trophy consisting of “the skin of the head with its hair.” The five languages of the Iroquois were especially rich in words to describe the act that has earned them, however unjustly, an enduring reputation for inhuman ferocity. To the Mohawks and Oneidas, the scalp was onnonra ; the act of taking it, kannonrackwan . Their western brothers at Onondaga spoke of hononksera , a variation of the Huron word. And although they were recorded after initial contact with the Europeans, the vocabularies of the other Iroquois nations and of the Delaware, Algonquin, Malecite, Micmac, and Montagnais all contained words for scalp, scalping, and the scalped that are closely related to the native words for hair, head, skull, and skin. That these words were obviously not borrowed from European languages lends further support to the notion that they were native to America and deeply rooted in Indian life…

Drawings reveal yet another piece of evidence damaging to the new theory of scalping, namely scalp locks. A small braid of hair on the crown, often decorated with paint or jewelry, the scalp lock was worn widely in both eastern and western America. Contrary to the notion of scalping as a recent and mercenary introduction, the scalp lock originally possessed ancient religious meaning in most tribes, symbolizing the warrior’s life-force. For anyone to touch it even lightly was regarded as a grave insult. If the white man had taught the Indians to scalp one another for money, it is highly unlikely that the Indians were also hoodwinked into making it easier for their enemies by growing hairy handles. Something far deeper in native culture and history must account for the practice.

The final and most conclusive evidence of scalping in pre-Columbian America comes from archaeology. Since Indian skulls of the requisite age can be found to show distinct and unambiguous marks made by the scalping knife, the Indians must have known of scalping before the arrival of the white man. A wealth of evidence, particularly from prehistoric sites along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and in the Southeast, indicates just such a conclusion…

But the second kind of evidence is more conclusive. In a number of prehistoric sites, circular lesions have been found on the skulls of victims who survived scalping long enough to allow the bone tissue to regenerate partially, leaving a telltale scar. Contrary to popular belief, scalping itself was not a fatal operation, and American history is full of survivors. Scalping is the only possible explanation for these lesions, which appear exactly where eyewitness descriptions and drawings indicate the scalp was traditionally cut.

In the light of such evidence, it is clear that Indians, not white men, introduced scalping to the New World. At the same time, it cannot be denied that the colonists encouraged the spread of scalping to many tribes unfamiliar with the practice by posting scalp bounties. Nor can it be forgotten that Americans of every stripe—from frontiersmen to ministers—were tainted by participating in the bloody market for human hair. Yet in the end, the American stereotype of scalping must stand as historical fact, whether we are comfortable with it or not.

https://www.americanheritage.com/who-invented-scalping#2

Hannah Duston Indian Captive

I have a grandmother named Cecilia Ellen Dustin (1895-1962) who married my grandfather, Alvin Christian Tueller (1898-1972) both from Bear Lake Idaho. I have been told the story about my 7th Great Grandmother Puritan Hannah Emerson Dustin for many years now. She has always been a hero to me as a woman of courage who was the first woman ever to have a statue created in her honor in the United States (1874). I have also always had a great love for the Native Americans (Abenaki in this instance) of this great country and honor those Lamanites whenever I get a chance. The story about Hannah and the Native Americans is a difficult story as one side kills the other, I however know that the Lord will sort all things out and hold a fair judgement of all concerned. I will let you read the story and come to your own conclusion.

Today, what she did to deserve a statue might be called, by some, a monument to an atrocity. What did Hannah do? Hannah scalped the ten Indians who had attacked her farm, dragged her from her bed, and burned her house down before taking her captive and killing her six-day-old infant.

About Hannah Webster (Emerson) Dustin, Indian Captive

Hannah Webster (Emerson) Dustin (1657 – 1736) – Hannah Dustin was a 40-year-old colonial Massachusetts Puritan mother of eight during King William’s War who was taken captive with her newborn daughter during an Indian raid on Haverhill. On 15 March 1697, Hannah witnessed the brutal killing of her baby and several of her neighbors. While held captive on an island in the Merrimack River in present-day Boscawen, New Hampshire, she and two other captives scalped ten members of the Indian family who were holding them hostage. More of my blog here:

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Utah Archaeology Volume 5, Number 1, 1992  

Published on Sep 4, 2018  

UTAH ARCHAEOLOGY is an annual publication of USAS, UPAC and the Utah Division of State History. The purpose of this publication is to disseminate information relevant to archaeological research both historic and prehistoric in the state of Utah. Subscriptions are available through membership in the USAS, UPAC or the Publication Department of the Utah Division of State History. Authors interested in publishing contact the editors for manuscript guide. 

INTRODUCTION Over the past several years the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Moab and the Museum of Peoples and Cultures at Brigham Young University (BYU) have obtained collections of prehistoric materials that include human scalps. These items have come from both the Uinta Basin and the Moab area of eastern Utah. Similarities in the scalps and associated material cultural suggest regional affinities, perhaps witli the Southwest. The function of these important but highly sensitive artifacts is unknown at the moment, although intriguing insights are available in the ethnographic literature on the Pueblos.

SCALPS WITH BASKETRY FROM THE UINTA BASIN In 1988 the Museum of Peoples and Cultures at BYU received a large collection of Ute ethnographic items from the heirs of Mildred Miles DiUman, a longlime resident of Vernal, Utah. Among the items were several prehistoric artifacts that, according to the notes with the collection, were from Nuie Mile Canyon in eastern Utah. Included in the Nine Mile Canyon material were two human scalps stretched over basketry disks or rosettes (Figures 1 and 2). Each of the disks is 14.5 cm in diameter.

Following Adovasio (1977) and Morris and Burgh (1954), the basketry was constructed with an open- or space-coiled, intricatestitch, interlocked on a one-rod foundation technique (basketry material is unknown). The rim finish is a form of false braid. One of the disks is completely painted red, while the other has a red band painted across it just below the center (Figure 1). Spots of red paint are also present on the leather thongs that tie the rosettes together. One of the scalps is secured to its disk with a fine, two-ply, s-twist type cordage of unidentified plant fibers. Each scalp has two perforations (perhaps three on one) at the lower end or neck portion. The perforations are elongated as if something were tied or hung from them at one point. The scalps are well worn and little hair remains. Each appears to be from a separate individual and approaches being a full scalp.

The hair is black and coarse and evidence of parasites is visible. Maximum hair length is about 15 cm. A hair whorl presumably from the back of the head is clearly visible on one of the scalps. The scalps have suffered some insect damage, but the disks are well preserved; however, both are extremely brittle and fragile. The two separate scalps along with the disks are bound together with leadier thongs suggesting they were paired for some reason. No details are known of the circumstances of the discovery of these scalps in Nine Mile Canyon.

SCALPS AND BASKETRY FROM THE MOAB AREA Five scalps are known from the North and the South Forks of Mill Creek Canyon, southeast of Moab. These artifacts are now in Moab in collections at the BLM office and the Dan O’Laurie Museum. Two of the scalps (Figure 3) were found during the spring of 1986 by a Salt Lake City couple who visited the North Fork of Mill Creek Canyon near Moab. While hiking, they explored several large alcove sites cmd in one found a woven mat protruding from the sand. Upon investigating, they found the scalps wrapped in the mat buried approximately 20 cm below the surface. Unaware of the antiquity laws, they collected die scalps and returned to Salt Lake. Their discovery was made approximately one week before the Calvin Black case was reported in the newspapers. The couple was concerned about having violated any federal law and subsequently turned the items over to the United States Attorney for the District of Utah. The attorney contacted a special agent who gave them to the Grand Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management archaeologist in Moab.

RADIOCARBON DATE FROM THE LEMA SCALP [Fig. 4 and 5]

An Accelerator Mass Spectrometric (AMS) radiocarbon date was obtained from the Lema scalp. The sample was taken from a small section of skin from the back of the neck. The sample yielded a raw date of 1845 ± 80 years (Beta Analytic sample number 31535). The tree ring calibration of this date following Stuiver and Reamer (1987) is A.D. 1-359 (two sigma range)

https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/utah_archaeology_1992

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23. I know I have. Knowing this we have joy in the gift of God as we can repent of those sins, daily. The scriptures below speak about our day. Today! I believe however the wicked are getting more pervasive and more wicked, but the righteous are also growing stronger and preparing for the last great battle against evil. The tares are being separated.

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark. 2 Nephi 28:7-9

13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. Leviticus 20:13-15

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Lev 18:22

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God. Deut 22:5

With these warnings from God I continually think of the scripture that says, “And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.” 1 Nephi 14:2. With the numbers so few, it is a blessing the Lord has helped me understand the Covenant Path that President Nelson has spoken of on which I strive daily to remain upon.

I now share with you two very real and yet very similar evils happening in the world today. One evil comes from some in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and others come from riot and Marxist groups to name only two. These examples will show you the challenge of today’s world. Is it really ok to lie a little bit?

NYC Priest Leads Vows Against “White Privilege” During Mass in Viral Video

by Church POP Editor – Sep 1, 2020

What are your thoughts about this?

Pastor Fr. Kenneth Boller, SJ, of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in New York City led his congregation in vows addressing “white privilege” and “racial justice” on Sun., Aug. 30. He led the vows during Mass, just before the final blessing.

In the video, Fr. Boller invites the congregation to recite “a prayer for racial justice,” by responding “Yes.”

Here’s the text of Fr. Boller’s prayer:

“Do you support racial justice, equity, and compassion? Yes.

“Do you affirm that white privilege and the culture of white supremacy must be dismantled where it is present? Yes.

“Do you support racial equity, racial justice, and liberation for every person? Yes.

“Do you affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person? Yes.

“Therefore, from this day forward, will you strive to understand more deeply the injustice and suffering white privilege and white supremacy cause? Yes.

“Will you commit to help transform our Church culture to one that is actively engaged in seeking racial justice and equity for everyone? Yes.

“Will you make a greater effort to treat all people with the same respect you expect to receive? Yes.

“Will you commit to developing the courage to live your beliefs and values of racial justice and equality? Yes.

“Will you strive to eliminate racial prejudice from your thoughts and actions, so that you can better promote the racial justice efforts of our Church? Yes.

“Will you renew and honor this pledge daily, knowing that our Church and our community, our nation, and our world will be better places because of our efforts. Yes.” https://churchpop.com/2020/09/01/nyc-priest-leads-vows-against-white-privilege-during-mass-in-viral-video/

I do not believe in the concept of White Privilege. I believe God loves us equally and He has placed each of us in His care on this earth. We all have equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. Our freedom to choose can be effected by where we live and how we are treated, but ultimately God loves us all and will judge each of us fairly. I believe we are all privileged to live on this earth. As taught in the Scriptures we all of us born on this earth chose in a pre-life to follow Christ into this world to learn and grow by our experiences. Each challenge in life we can either grow closer to the Lord ofr grow further from him.

Do you Know what the Black Lives Matter Group Believes?

I think it is important for you to know who is on the Lord’s side. I believe all people are children of God and are equal in His sight. I believe all of God’s children’s lives matter and we should love each other regardless of race, creed or color. Read what the Black Lives Matter organization believes from their own website so you can determine their values with your own.

From their website, Black Lives Matter says, BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives. Source

“These are the results of our collective efforts.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network is as powerful as it is because of our membership, our partners, our supporters, our staff, and you. Our continued commitment to liberation for all Black people means we are continuing the work of our ancestors and fighting for our collective freedom because it is our duty.

Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.

We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others.

We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world.

We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.

We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.

We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.” Black Lives Matter.

[“Cisgender (sometimes cissexual, often abbreviated to simply cis) is a term for people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. For example, someone who identifies as a woman and was assigned female at birth is a cisgender woman. The term cisgender is the opposite of the word transgender. Related terms include cissexism and cisnormativity… While some believe that the term cisgender is merely politically correct,medical academics use the term and have recognized its importance in transgender studies since the 1990s.” Source Wikipedia]

Black Lives Matter continues saying, “We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.

We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn.

We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

I believe under the Constitution all people are allowed to peaceably protest and share honest grievances with our government. Once protesting becomes a riot with destruction of property and people and lawlessness, this is not protesting but is a form of anarchy.

I would like to be wrong but I don’t think groups like Black Lives Matter want to negotiate or come together to make life better. We can all differ in opinion but not through illegal behavior. What happened to the day where the Republicans, and Democrats could work things out? May the Lord bless our country as we are worthy of His blessings.

To me, it seems science has missed the mark for many years now. Einsteins theory is still just a theory and not true, man has not evolved through an ape, the creation time of this earth did not take billions of years, and the dinosaurs are the age of Adam not millions of years old. 

There have been many of these scientists and intellectuals who have completely disagreed with the new book, Universal Model. In my opinion that means Dean Sessions author of Universal Model, is on the correct path, because for years I have believed the opposite of what most of today’s scientists believe.  I am learning that the more the professors of the large and spacious buildings say something is true, I think the opposite is usually the right answer. Read a portion of Universal Model at the very end of this blog about New Scientific Evidence for a Universal Flood.

There was an article in LDS Living by Stephen O. Smoot here, that I have a hard time believing. I believe the flood was a true account and was a world wide global event and no part of the story was a myth. I share below a small portion of Mr. Smoot’s article.

Was the flood a global or local flood?

“Modern believers are confronted with geological and other scientific evidence (in addition to the ancient literary context of Genesis) that casts serious doubt on the feasibility of a worldwide catastrophic flood sometime (presumably) around 3,000 BC that wiped out all animal and human life save that which was spared on Noah’s ark. In response to these challenges, some have wondered if perhaps the flood described in Genesis drew from memory of a localized event, perhaps a particularly bad flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Given the somewhat ambiguous meaning of the Hebrew word eretz (“earth,” “land”), rather than the “earth” (meaning the spherical globe) being entirely flooded, instead perhaps Genesis meant to convey that the “earth” (meaning the land or local region where Noah dwelt) was inundated (Moses 1:29). Or perhaps a local flood was mythologized into a global one to symbolically signify the renewal or recreation of the earth from out of a primordial universal ocean (Genesis 1:2).

Latter-day Saints have likewise wrestled with this question and have come to varying conclusions (some more traditionalist, others more moderate). Apostle John A. Widtsoe acknowledged in 1943 that from a revelatory point of view we simply do not know enough to conclusively settle this matter. “The fact remains that the exact nature of the flood is not known. We set up assumptions, based upon our best knowledge, but can go no further.” He continued:

We should remember that when inspired writers deal with historical incidents they relate that which they have seen or that which may have been told them, unless indeed the past is opened to them by revelation. The details in the story of the flood are undoubtedly drawn from the experiences of the writer. Under a downpour of rain, likened to the opening of the heavens, a destructive torrent twenty-six feet deep or deeper would easily be formed. The writer of Genesis made a faithful report of the facts known to him concerning the flood. In other localities the depth of the water might have been more or less. In fact, the details of the flood are not known to us.” 5 Answers to Difficult Questions About Noah and the Flood by Stephen O. Smoot

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I think it is always great when we can find information about the wonderful women in the scriptures. Although I am speaking a lot about the truthfulness of an actual flood, I found some information about the possible women of the family of Noah that I want to share as well.

“I’ve discovered that the problem is not that women are left out of the scriptures, but that women are not studying their scriptures. We are not learning the stories of our ancient heroines, we are not sharing their stories with our daughters and sons, we are not letting the archetypes and lessons of their stories permeate our lives, we are not claiming the rich spiritual heritage that we have been given. We need to claim our heroines! #claimourheroines

I have spent years compiling information and resources about women in the scriptures on this website. I hope it will open you eyes and help you discover women you never knew about. Mostly though, I hope that you will be inspired to open your scriptures and start discovering these women for yourself. They will become your friends and, if you let them, they will strengthen you, teach you and guide you on the path of discipleship, they will lead you to Jesus Christ.”Heather Women in the Scriptures

Bible Info

“This is what the Bible says about Noah’s wife beginning in Genesis 7:7. “So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.”

The Bible does not give her name, however, according to Jewish tradition her name is Naamah – the sister of Tubal-cain, a descendant of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve (see Genesis 4:22). Why Tubal-cain’s sister (a daughter of Lamech by his wife Zillah) should be specifically mentioned is unknown. Jewish tradition made her Noah’s wife. Her name, meaning “the beautiful” or “the pleasant one,” reflects the worldly mind of the Cainites, who looked for beauty rather than for character as the chief attraction in women.” https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-was-noahs-wifes-name

Noah’s Wife Background:

Only nine generations after Adam’s death the world had become “corrupt before God” and it was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11). It was so wicked that the Lord “repented… that he had made man on the earth” and vowed to “…destroy… from the face of the earth; both man, and beast and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air.” (Genesis 6:6-7) Amidst all this wickedness Noah remained faithful and found “grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6: 8) God makes a covenant with him that he will save him, his wife, his sons, and his son’s wives from the destruction. He provides Noah with instructions on how to build and ark that will carry him, his family and all the creations of the earth to safety (Genesis 6: 13-22).

Facts About Her:

She was married to the prophet Noah, who was a “… just man and perfect in his generation.” (Genesis 6:9);

She was the mother of three sons: Japeth, Shem and Ham. They were also righteous men who walked with God (Moses 8:13);

She went into the ark with her husband, sons, three daughter-in-laws, and all the animals and fowls of the earth (Genesis 7: 7, 13);

Her granddaughters married men of the world, became wicked, and were destroyed in the flood along with everyone else (Moses 8:14-15);

She and her family stayed in the ark for almost a whole year (Genesis 7:11, 8:4, 13-14) ;

God made a covenant with her husband and her sons that He would never destroy the earth by flood again (Genesis 9:12-17);
She was a “second Eve” in that all the children of the earth born after the flood came through her;

It is through her son Shem’s posterity that the Jews came, and eventually the Savior Jesus Christ.

Speculations About Her:

In the apocryphal Book of Jasher (5:15) it says that her name was “Naamah”, the daughter of Enoch.

Jewish tradition also says her name was Naamah but that she was the Naamah mentioned in Genesis 4:22, the daughter of Lamech and Zilah and sister of Tubal-Cain.

The Greeks called her “Doris” the wife of Nereus (Noah), the “wet one”.
She probably would have had to help take care of all the animals that were on the ark. God commanded Noah to take 7 male/female pairs of all the clean animals and fowls (14 total of each animal) and 2 (one male, one female) of the unclean animals (Genesis 7:2-3). That would have been a whole lot of animals to be cooped up with for almost a whole year!
God also commanded them to take all the food they would need for the animals and themselves onto the ark (Genesis 6: 21). I read one story that claimed Noah’s wife was the one to gather all the plants and preserved the ancient wisdom of the earth.”
http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2008/11/noahs-wife.html

Book of Jubilees 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wives_aboard_Noah%27s_Ark
In the Book of Jubilees (160–150 BC) the names of the wives of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth are as follows:

Wife of Noah – Emzara, daughter of Rake’el, son of Methuselah
Wife of Shem – Sedeqetelebab
Wife of Ham – Na’eltama’uk
Wife of Japheth – ‘Adataneses
It adds that the three sons each built a city named after their wives.

Meet the Ladies in Noah’s Family

https://arkencounter.com/blog/2018/07/12/meet-ladies-noahs-family/

by Ark Encounter on July 12, 2018

Throughout the life-size Noah’s ark at the Ark Encounter, you will see several instances where our designers needed to use artistic license when creating the exhibits, including the Living Quarters.

As you explore this area on deck three, you’ll meet Noah and his family. A few weeks ago, we looked at the stories our content team created for Noah and his three sons. Now let’s take a look at the backstories created for their wives.

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Emzara—Noah’s Wife

Throughout history, many have wondered about the name of Noah’s wife. She is called Emzara in the ancient Jewish writing known as the Book of Jubilees (not found in the Bible). This name probably means “ancestor of Sarah,” and it connects her to Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

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Emzara endured centuries of childlessness before the Lord blessed her with three sons. Faithful to God and her husband, she has made family time a priority and enjoys relaxing with Noah when time permits. An animal lover from her youth, Emzara knows more about the animals than anyone else, and her expertise is on display in caring for them.

Rayneh—Japheth’s Wife

Being artistic, Rayneh works closely with Emzara, sketching the ark’s animals while studying and recording their habits. In her limited free time, she enjoys making crafts and adding some flair to her family’s surroundings, such as painting intricate designs on pottery.

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Rescued by Noah from a life-threatening situation when she was a little girl, Rayneh grew up around his family. She helped Japheth with his farming responsibilities, and the two eventually became husband and wife. She put her seamstress skills to good use during the ark’s construction, creating many of the clothes and tapestries seen on board.

Ar’yel—Shem’s Wife

Ar’yel was raised in a remote forest village among people who worshipped false gods. She came to believe in the true God after hearing Noah speak to her people. Longing to know more about the Creator, she soon joined Noah’s family in building the ark.

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Quick to take part in conversations with the rest of the family, Ar’yel loves the profound discussions about God that she has with Shem. She also enjoys reading accounts of what the rest of the world was like before it became filled with wickedness, and she prays that it will be like that again after the flood.

Kezia—Ham’s Wife

Kezia grew up around Noah’s family as the ark was being constructed, and she trusted in the Creator from her youth. When her parents left to pursue other interests, Kezia decided to remain with Noah’s family.

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Similar to her husband, Kezia is a hard worker. She is the medical expert of the group, having learned the craft from her mother. She uses her skills to treat sick or wounded family members or animals. In fact, Ham and Kezia grew very close as she cared for the severe wounds he received from an animal attack, and they married shortly after he recovered.

Speaking of that animal attack, if you look closely at Ham in the ark, you can see a scar on the right side of his face. This is most noticeable on deck two where guests can get a pretty good glimpse of his face. Also, in the study on deck two, there is a note written by Ham on the scroll showing the cat-like creature called Thylacosmilus. Since this is the kind of creature that injured him, Ham warned the other family members to watch out for its sharp claws.

Variations of the names include: Salit, Nahlat, Arisisah. Shem, Ham and Japheth respectively. Other variations include: Zalbeth/Zalith/Salit- Shem, Nahalath-Ham and Aresisia-Japheth. Or Ṣalib, Nahlab, Arbasisah. None of these should be taken as fact. https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-names-of-the-wives-on-Noahs-ark

The Flood and the Tower of Babel

By Donald W. Parry

“Because of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Latter-day Saints have additional knowledge that confirms the reality of these world-changing historical events.

I think you will love this article from our friends at the Universal Model. Visit universalmodel.com

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “To the Lord’s covenant people, names—particularly proper names—have always been very important. Adam and Eve themselves bore names that suggested their roles here in mortality (see Moses 1:34; 4:26) and, when important covenants were made, men like Abram and Jacob took on new names that signaled a new life as well as a new identity. (See Gen. 17:5; 32:28). Because of this reverence for titles and the meanings they conveyed, the name Jehovah, sometimes transliterated as Yahweh, was virtually unspoken among that people. This was the unutterable name of Deity, that power by which oaths were sealed, battles won, miracles witnessed. Traditionally, he was identified only through a tetragrammaton, four Hebrew letters variously represented in our alphabet as IHVH, JHVH, JHWH, YHVH, YHWH.” Whom Say Ye That I Am? Jeffrey R. Holland Ensign Sept. 1974.

The writing above represents the name “Jehovah”, or the tetragrammaton. This is the language written in Paleo-Hebrew and used from 1000 BC – 400 AD. All throughout the Old Testament, the word ‘LORD’ (all small caps), replaced the sacred name “Yahweh” as described above. “I Am” in Hebrew is “Yahweh” and “Adonai” is the Hebrew word for LORD.

What is the Tetragrammaton?

“Tetragrammaton” is a Greek word that literally means “four letters”, so “the Tetragrammaton” meaning “the four letters”.

The Tetragrammaton is “YHWH”, Yahweh, or Jehovah. Keep in mind that since “W” is interchangeable with “V” and that “Y” is interchangeable with “J”, this also includes any variations like Jahveh, Yehovah, Yehuwah and so forth.

The name of the Most High was FIRST given in Exodus 3:14.

• Exodus 3:13-15
  (13) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

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I AM THAT I AM =

AHAYAH ASHAR AHAYAH

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This is important to note because the Tetragrammaton can be found throughout Genesis and even in Exodus chapter 3 but BEFORE verse 14. So how did “YHWH” end up all throughout the Bible if AHAYAH is His name? Read more at link below. The Meaning of Yahweh, Jehovah, and the Tetragrammaton Made Free from Truth

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The following is a Review by Professor Robert J. Mathews, former professor of Ancient Scripture and Dean of Religious Education, BYU

“A recent publication, The Name of God from the Sinai to the American Southwest, is a detailed comparison of language forms and religious concepts found in the ancient inscriptions of the people on two continents separated by great distance with an ocean in between.  The title states the scope of the study; Inscriptions bearing the same name for God in ancient Hebrew or Semitic-type script in the widely distant lands of the Middle East and the American Southwest-two

different hemispheres.  The similarity in language and deistic belief suggests that the ancient American culture has a close tie and origin to the older Hebrew culture.

The research of Harris and Hone is undergirded by hundreds of examples gathered on both sides of the ocean, and their conclusions that the ancient Americans had linguistic and religious ties with the Middle East, seems well founded.”

Foreward by Dr. Jon R. Polansky, Research Scientist, Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco; Editor ESOP [Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications

“The proposal by Dr. Harris and Dann Hone of script-like elements in petroglyphs that appear related to Proto-Sinaitic both in form and content, if verified by the scholarly attention it deserves, represents a major new discovery with important implications for both ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ cultures. The ideas presented are based on detailed comparisons and on an honest attempt to evaluate probable meanings, and should not be dismissed out-of-hand by archaeologist and linguists, because they disagree with `established’ opinion concerning an isolated development of pre-Columbian American cultures.

Dr. Harris has been studying southwestern petroglyphs for many years in relation to indigenous cultures, and his scholarship in this area received general acceptance. In the early years (of this project) he began to validate the concept of an Egyptian hieroglyphic content in certain petroglyph panels. Since the proposed hieroglyphics appeared to fit into the accompanying depiction’s on the panels of petroglyphs being examined, this find left the door open to a consideration of potential script-like elements.

The publication of, The Name of God From the Sinai to the American Southwest, presents essential aspects of the evidence and rationale developed by Harris and Hone concerning what they think should best be termed Proto-Canaanite from both American and Near Eastern sites.

This publication. was postponed until after several years of effort were expended to obtain critical appraisals of the basic data. This included evaluations of associated symbolism and quantitative assessments of the frequencies of letter forms at SW American sites and sites in the Negev of Israel.

While it is clear that a final understanding of these parallels will benefit from additional scholarly interchanges and a consideration of alternatives, as the authors readily admit, it is appropriate to have the benefit of their opinions (in this and other planned publications) prior to the lively exchanges this work should engender. Dr. Harris has put forward an initial corpus of material, from which the reader can make judgments about both the methods of inquiry and the author’s waking hypotheses. These of course can be tested, expanded, and corrected where necessary.

I have observed that both Jim Harris and Dann Hone. respond positively to a critical and scholarly scientific process. I hope that the potential contributions of this work are evaluated on such a basis, without suffering unduly from biases imposed by archaeological pre-conceptions or religious doctrines. If the validity of specific proposals are assessed in an unbiased way (for example, using what can be deduced from trans-cultural aspects of symbolism and rigorous linguistic approaches), then the value of this interesting work to the individual development of cultures as well as to understand the spread of information in the ancient world, can best be considered.”

The Name of God; From Sinai to the American Southwest by Dr. James R. Harris (Book)

$19.95

Professor James R. Harris, a foremost expert on ancient Near Eastern languages, shares the culmination of over three decades of work uncovering an ancient alphabetic script used by peoples of the Negev (Israel) and the ancients of America.  He traced the name of God, or “Yah” (abbreviated from “Yahweh”) from Proto-Sinaitic (Proto-Canaanite) depictions to New World petroglyphs in America demonstrating Hebrew influence. 259 pgs hardcover.

“If we are to be truly free, liberty demands that we are accountable, law abiding and willing to accept the natural consequences of our actions. To be truly free, individuals must accept and deal with life consequences and not constantly look to governments for some sort of absolution.” Edgar S. Smoot

Freedom vs. Liberty

According to Annotated Book of Mormon page 216, “Noah Webster Dictionary Definitions of Freedom vs. Liberty from the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. FREE, noun 1. Being at liberty; not being under necessity or restraint, physical or moral. 2. Unconstrained; unrestrained; not under compulsion or control. A man is free to pursue his own choice; he enjoys free will. FREE’DOM, noun 1. A state of exemption from the power or control of another. LIB’ERTY, noun [Latin libertas, from liber, free.] 1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions. 2. Natural liberty consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the Laws of Nature. (But generally men mean by nature, the Author of created things, or the operation of His power.)

3. Religious liberty is the free right of adopting and enjoying opinions on religious subjects, and of worshiping the Supreme Being according to the dictates of conscience, without external control.”

Book of Mormon Definition of Freedom vs. Liberty

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose [first choice] liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose [second choice] captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Nephi:2:27; emphasis added.) “And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the ‘cause of Christians.’” (Alma 48:10; emphasis added.) “For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which He has given unto His people.” (Alma 8:17; emphasis added.) Freedom provides the ability to choose between good and evil—God’s Natural Law or Satan’s counterfeit plan. True liberty is the conscientious choice to follow God’s law. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” – United States Declaration of Independence, final draft, July 4, 1776. From Annotated Book of Mormon page 216 David Hocking and Rod Meldrum

History, Liberty and the Provident Hand

Lost American Antiquities-A Hidden History by Edgar S. Smoot Chapter 54 There are those who would seek to close the history books of man’s experiences—history that shows weakness, shortcomings, prejudices and man’s inhumanity to man, that may be cause for embarrassment. If these things are forgotten, man is destined to repeat the grossest failures of the past that he implacably seeks to forget. It is a guaranteed formula for failure in the prospect to create a better world. How can we avoid the atrocities of the past if a society or nations closes their eyes to what man is capable of? The full understanding of history must not only include its glory but its depredations if society is to realize the changes needed towards a more beautiful world. That which ignites the kindling is the perpetual flame of a true history, changes that may only take place if real history is allowed to be shared, and understood as America’s liberties are preserved. The offspring of what Morgan and Powell taught and advanced in the 1800s, as covered in this section “A Larger History,” shows how the “Science of Man” has been used to advance public policy both home and abroad. Whether these men ever intended it or not, their ideas have been effectively used to unravel the underpinnings of Natural and Constitutional law. There are laws which were at one time held to be immutable laws, seen as a gift from God; a gift that does not come free, but at a price that is worth whatever the cost. Unless we as a society are willing to elevate the discussion, and our efforts in the protection of our liberties, they will surely be lost to future generations. As a boy growing up my interests were focused primarily on any sport which ended with the word ball; primarily Football, Basketball and Baseball. At age ten, I was invited to be part of a youth choir. To me, that wasn’t my idea of fun. Nevertheless, my dear mother, who wanted me to become more well rounded, gave me an ultimatum, which was, if I don’t go to choir practice then she wouldn’t take me to my ball practice. So after being dragged to a few choir practices, I soon learned to enjoy choir as I still find myself humming some of those familiar tunes and reflecting on the lyrics of those youthful choir songs. One well-known song was written by Paul and Ralph Colwell. The lyrics say; “freedom isn’t free, you have to pay the price, you have to sacrifice, for your liberty.” Too often man seeks to limit man’s liberties for the betterment of society. Limitations placed on agency greatly influences man’s ability to progress. “The exalting power of agency is founded in the law of opposition. Agency of liberty can exist only in the opportunity for doing good, but this is so only when [there] is also an opportunity for doing wrong.” Progression is a function of agency as one is given the ability to choose without coercion.

Both in antiquity and in the future, there are those who might seek to sever culture’s foundational roots for the sake of conditional equality. History has shown what will happen to a society when religious liberties are taken by those entrusted to protect them. One sure thing that history teaches, is that “there has never been a society or a nation established without God; but history is cluttered with the wreckage of nations that became indifferent to God, and then died. In the 1953 College Edition of Webster’s New World Dictionary, freedom is defined as: “the state or quality of being free; exemption or liberation from the control of some arbitrary power,” stating, that “liberty, [is] often interchangeable with freedom.” This definition points out that liberty is something more, as it is more closely associated with particular rights granted, such as franchise rights, religious rights, privileges, or immunities.

Throughout the ages there have been those in society who are continually looking for a place where there is absolute freedom, no accountability or rule of law, a place where rules, commandments and laws are non-existent. Those who are still looking for this kind of freedom will soon realize that it cannot be found, even in the most freedom-loving countries of the world. For only in America do you find enshrined in its founding documents such strong language for the preservation of one’s liberties. The Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence contains language, which is given as part of a moral code of conduct with immutable laws which grant liberties with conditions which requires a level of obedience, service and sacrifice. In putting together America’s founding documents, as described in the Federalist Papers, the founders were striving to strike a balance between anarchy and monarchy, in creating a representative democracy, creating a place where all men would be treated equally under the law, and where all rights and liberties would be protected by the rule of law. In spite of this, America has drifted from those early moorings, which were enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and memorialized in the Constitution; a standard upon which all laws and policies are to be weighed. Today, we often see the words freedom and liberty being used interchangeably, thus few differentiate between them. Was it really the founders’ intention that man should be left free, free without accountability? Or did they intend, as a God-fearing people, to become subject to the will of God, and by so doing, would be assured the promise and blessings of life, liberty and happiness? Liberty comes with conditions that are based on man’s willingness to respect and to render obedience to laws. As the Preamble to the Constitution points out, we must work to “secure the blessings of liberty.”

The Founders used the Bible as the foundation for the Constitution: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Then in James 2:12 it goes on to admonish all to “speak the law of liberty.” A benevolent Creator, as described in the Bible, gave these laws for the betterment of man with a promise, that if followed, they would be led towards a greater good. John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, the sixth President of the United States, pointed out that the Declaration of Independence was given in “the spirit of the Constitution” and that the Declaration of Independence implies that a provident hand has guided and blessed this nation. The term, “law of nature” means that the rights granted under the Constitution are based on Godly principles. John Adams put it best when he stated: “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Without the moral foundation developed in a religious society, a free country with liberties like America cannot prosper. A free society is based on having a moral people who will show respect for “the rule of law.” History and statistical findings show that the makeup of the family and religious beliefs are core to the preservation of a country’s freedom. This belief is that there is a God of nature, and that He has brought about the great order that is found in nature, as evidenced in historical findings. These findings show that traditional marriage and family, strengthened by religious worship and scriptural study, are more likely to produce children who will have respect for law and, as such, will be a blessing and not a burden on society. Accordingly, if we are to be truly free, liberty demands that we are accountable, law abiding and willing to accept the natural consequences of our actions. To be truly free, individuals must accept and deal with life consequences and not constantly look to governments for some sort of absolution. When individuals accept accountability, they learn important life lessons. When society absolves individuals of the consequences of their actions, which is frequently done, it starts society down a very slippery slope, a slope into a hole that is difficult to climb out of.

President John Adam’s admonition about the Constitution and a “moral and religious people,” is worthy of serious consideration, if America is to remain a free nation. The founding documents of America were based on religious imperatives. As a nation, we need to honor and return to them and recognize that the road paved by Morgan and Powell was based on theories and hypotheses, not facts. And, as such, it is not a proven path that leads to a more abundant life, which liberty and justice offers. Although disputed by some, there is significant evidence that the Iroquois Confederacy served as a model or at least provided some inspiration in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were well acquainted with the League. John Rutledge, chairman of the committee that participated in writing the first draft of the Constitution, began the process by quoting some passages from the Haudenosaunee Great Law. The Iroquois form of government was based on democracy, righteous living and personal freedoms, and included checks and balances, initiatives, referendums, and recall language. In 1987 Senator Daniel Inouye sponsored a resolution that would commemorate the Iroquois’ contributions. In 1988, the United States Congress passed a resolution recognizing the Iroquois Confederacy forefathers guiding influence.” Lost American Antiquities-A Hidden History by Edgar S. Smoot Chapter 54

Set up as a Free People

Christ teaches during his visit to the Nephites in the Land Bountiful that His words will come to the remnant of Lehi through Gentiles that will be brought out of captivity to “this land.” He also taught that this same Promised Land will be established for these Gentiles, and that they will “be set up as a free people” in “this land.”

“And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them; Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you; For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;

Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity; For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;” 3 Nephi 21:2-6

These Gentiles will be “set up as a free people” in a nation founded on religious freedom that the Gospel might be restored and the Church established as seen in D&C 10:45-53. The phrase “set up” in Hebrew means to “raise up, confirm or organize.” As it relates to a “free people,” such an entity must be the formation of a new organization or government that secures freedom for its people. It cannot mean a pre-existing organization, but a new one. Almost every nation and kingdom of the world had a “state”-based religion. The Gentiles come out of religious captivity to establish a place and nation based on religious freedom. This constitutional right to worship according to the dictates of will was “set up” by inspired men in this new nation. The Lord continues teaching the saints in Bountiful that the Holy Ghost will come upon these Gentiles making them “mighty above all” and that they will inhabit the land where the “remnant” remains.

“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”. 3 Nephi 20:27

Gentiles Come out of Captivity

Further clarifying the revelation concerning the land of promise, the Prophet Nephi describes in detail the Gentiles that go Prophecies & Promises: The Book of Mormon and the United States 62 “forth out of captivity” by the “power of God.” While seeking to understand his father’s vision of the Tree of Life, Nephi sees that the Holy Ghost “wrought” upon the Gentiles as foretold by Christ generations later.

“And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them. And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them. And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.” 1 Nephi 13:13-20

Readers of the Book of Mormon quickly recognize these verses as a brief history of the pilgrims and puritans, the founding fathers and the Revolutionary War. All these events led to the establishment of a new Gentile nation—the United States. The Revolutionary War is the only war that can fulfill this prophecy as the Gentiles battle against their “mother Gentiles” on the “waters” and on the Promised Land.

Verses 13, 16, and 19 previously cited record that the Gentiles will “come out of captivity” to this Promised Land for freedoms they did not have. Both the freedom to worship as their conscience dictates, as well as out of literal jail cells in Europe. The Doctrine and Covenants and modern prophets reveal important correlations between these Gentiles who were to be led out of captivity and those who played a part in the establishment of the United States and the restoration of the gospel.

President Ezra Taft Benson discussed some of these prophecies and promises recorded in the Book of Mormon and the relationship of the Promised Land to the United States of America. This discussion by President Benson is worth quoting below:

“For centuries the Lord kept America hidden in the hollow of His hand until the time was right to unveil her for her destiny in the last days. “It is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations,” said Lehi, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Nephi 1:8). In the Lord’s due time His Spirit “wrought upon” Columbus, the pilgrims, the Puritans, and others to come to America. They testified of God’s intervention in their behalf (see 1 Nephi 13:12–13). The Book of Mormon records that they humbled “themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them” (1 Nephi 13:16).

Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Nephi 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church. Nephi recorded that the Founders “were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (1 Nephi 13:19).

The years immediately preceding the Constitutional Convention were filled with disappointments and threats Prophecies & Promises: The Book of Mormon and the United States 64 to the newly won peace. Washington was offered a kingship, which he adamantly refused. Nephi had prophesied hundreds of years before that “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land” (2 Nephi 10:11; italics added).

The Book of Mormon warns us relative to our living in this free land: “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Nephi 1:7).

“And now,” warned Moroni, “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it 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). Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10). (Note 1)

These prophetic statements made by President Benson in General Conference clearly teach that the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon can only be the United States of America. President Benson’s words agree with Moroni, the angelic messenger from the presence of God, as he revealed and declared to young Joseph that the record on the plates of gold contained a history of the ancient inhabitants that lived on “this continent.”

The “Gentiles” of this land spoken of in these prophecies are also addressed by President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency in a portion of his talk:

“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 Chapter 7 – The Gentiles 65 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), “[this] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.”

God gave us victory in the Revolutionary War. We are indebted to him for our nation’s independence. He has prospered us in every righteous endeavor. He established the Constitution of the United States “by the hands of wise men whom [He] raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80).

He himself with his Beloved Son appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith to open a new dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ here in this land. He has established his Church here and has sent and is sending representatives thereof into every nook and corner of the land—and as far as possible to all the earth—to declare and teach the laws of Jesus Christ, the God of this land.

He has revealed anew and repeated over and over again the ancient decree: “This is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God” concerning this land (Ether 2:10).” (Note 2)

(Note 1)
Ezra Taft Benson, “Our Divine Constitution,” Ensign, Nov 1987, 4. See also Marion G. Romney, “America’s Destiny,” Ensign, Nov 1975, 35.President Romney, like President Benson, makes it clear that the United States of America is the land of promise prophesied about in the Book of Mormon. He adds testimony to the Prophecies and Promises listed that
they refer to the land of the United States of America. President Romney states: “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’.”

(Note 2)
Marion G. Romney, “America’s Destiny,” Ensign, Nov 1975, 35. See also
an explanation of the Promised Land in N. Eldon Tanner, “If They Will But
Serve the God of the Land,” New Era, Jul 1977, 36.

Prophecies and Promises by Bruce H. Porter and Rod Meldrum Chapter Seven The Gentiles Bold and italics added.

The Osmond’s Video Just Added to our Conference

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Virtual Conference

Because of the continued covid 19 restrictions we will again have our event virtually… with some important improvements! Because of the challenges of live streaming, we are going to pre-record every presentation and release them on opening morning! (Sept 25, 2020 at 9 AM). You will have 70-80 videos to choose from right away. You can watch from anywhere in the world on your smartphone, computer, or similar device with internet access.

Our previous Virtual Expo in April 2020, touted over 90 presentations by 75 experts in many fields. This event will be just as big with brand new presentations from many of your favorite presenters as well as many new speakers we’ve never had before.

No Vendors

We are sorry to say that our wonderful vendors will again not be able to participate at this event. This is unfortunate because they have such important educational and useful materials and it’s harder to choose things that may interest you without being able to see it. Please be aware that most all the products can be purchased online from our various vendors or at the Book of Mormon Evidence Bookstore HERE. 

We are anticipating an April 2021 event like usual with live participation, but we cannot confirm the dates yet.

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See the Bonuses below that offset your complete subscription cost!

1- “Destruction at Christ’s Death” 2-Hour Streaming Video by Rod Meldrum from his Volume II Series. (One 2- Hour video only.

• What textual evidence exists that the destruction was volcanic in nature?
• How was the destruction described by the ancient prophets?
• What caused the three days of darkness?
• When did the Nephites gather at the temple in Bountiful?
• Why couldn’t some Nephites light fires, while other Nephite cities were entirely burned?
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*E-Book: One 45 page E-book exerted from a chapter in the book, Prophecies and Promises Titled “What Did Joseph Know?” Includes new charts, graphs, art and information that was not included in his original chapter of Prophecies and Promises. No book will be mailed to you. You will be able to read the entire book from your computer, i-pad, or Smart Phone, right after your payment.

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Rod Meldrum Asks,

“Why do Intellectuals conflate when Joseph Smith does or does not have a revelation? The Mission to the Lamanites as declared and described by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants clearly reflects that Joseph sent the missionaries to the areas revealed and directed by the Lord. The scriptures imply that not only were they to preach to the Native Americans on this North American continent, but that they are a remnant of the seed of Lehi and “Lamanites” as described in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.” Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises page 94

“The writers of the articles at fairlds.org and Book of Mormon Central, have concluded that perhaps these revelations were not directly from the Lord but just Joseph’s choice of words and therefore cannot be taken at face value without secondary interpretation. FAIR writes: “Many readers assume that revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants in which Joseph Smith speaks in “God’s voice” are direct “quotations” from God. Joseph didn’t claim to be hearing a voice, and he didn’t claim to be quoting God or “taking dictation.” Rather, impressions would come to him, which he would put into words. Joseph clearly did not consider them “direct quotations” from God, since he was quite happy to revise them, edit them later, etc.…This means that “Lamanites” to describe the American Indians was Joseph’s word choice.” It would appear that there is a need by FAIR to maintain a legitimacy for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) by also writing “The few personal statements he made on Book of Mormon geography indicate that he believed it took place on a hemispheric scale, so it would be natural for him to believe that all Native Americans were pure descendants of Laman, and hence were literal “Lamanites.” See also http://en.fairmormon.org/ Lamanites_in_the_Doctrine_and_Covenants” Note 54 by Rod Meldrum Prophecies and Promises

Why are more and more people of the world claiming that Noah’s flood was fictional or just a good story? More people are saying that Adam wasn’t the first man on this earth. Why are more and more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claiming that the Book of Mormon contains a lot of great parables that aren’t real stories, but just parables that can teach us good things? Is the Bible the Word of God? We answer yes as far as it is translated correctly. We do know however that the stories in the Bible are actual accounts of real people in real places, just as the Book of Mormon is.

Why would we believe anything else? Because Satan’s plan is in full force. Remember this is Satan’s world right now. It won’t be Christ’s until the second coming. The craftiness of man is constantly being mixed with scripture and folklore. The “Great and Spacious building” is truly coming from the halls of academia. Many intellectuals continue pointing their fingers at humble followers of God from the heights of those house’s of cards. “Who’s on the Lord’s side who?” There are “save two churches”, one that speaks the truth of the Savior and all others who teach of man and his so-called wisdom.

As you read this recent blog of Jonathan’s, don’t be discouraged, be bold! Don’t allow fear to affect your faith! The truth shall be known and we must continue steadfastly in living and teaching the truth of the Book of Mormon to the world. The Book of Mormon is real and true and it speaks of one amazing hill Cumorah in upstate New York. The “Plains of the Nephites” as Joseph said to Emma are in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, in the United States of America. I don’t speak for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I do speak of common sense and truth as I understand it. I love this Church and the Brethren are true messengers of Christ. The Church remains neutral on geography, but they didn’t say I had to be. I know the land spoken of in the Book of Mormon, is the United States of America, and I am so blessed to live in this country. May we continue to share this true message of the Book of Mormon with the world.

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Only 49% of LDS believe Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account? by Jonathan Neville

“Jana Reiss published a fascinating detail recently about the beliefs of Church members about whether the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account:

More religiously orthodox. Utah Mormons were more devout on almost every testimony question. These differences were less pronounced on questions of basic Christian belief (God, Jesus, etc.) and more visible on specifically Mormon questions about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the role of apostles and prophets today. For example, there’s a twenty-point difference between the Utah Mormons who strongly agree that the Book of Mormon is a “literal, historical account” (69%) and the non-Utah Mormons who do (49%). In many cases on these testimony questions, non-Utah folks would choose the second option of “somewhat” agree rather than “strongly” agree. So it doesn’t mean they don’t believe in Mormon teachings, but they may hold them less tightly than Utah Mormons tend to.
This indicates that 1/3 of devout Utah Mormons don’t strongly believe the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account, and less than 1/2 of non-Utah Mormons believe that.

I suspect that the difference between the Utah and non-Utah Mormons is partly attributable to Utah Mormons having fewer interactions with people who challenge their faith in the Book of Mormon; i.e., they let bias confirmation guide them.

Those who make inquiries on the Internet quickly realize that outside of a handful of M2C intellectuals and their followers, no Mesoamerican scholars see any links between actual Mayan culture and the Book of Mormon. As I’ve shown many times, the so-called “correspondences” touted by the M2C intellectuals are illusory and unpersuasive to those who are outside the M2C bubble..
_____

The difference could also be attributed to demographics; i.e., non-Utah Mormons are generally younger, and younger LDS are less likely to believe the Book of Mormon is a literal history because of what LDS youth are being taught in CES and at BYU.

As LDS youth go through CES and BYU and learn the Book of Mormon by referring to the fantasy map, even fewer will believe it is a literal, historical account.

BYU fantasy map that teaches the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah This map is the work of fine scholars at BYU who claim it is the best representation of the geography-related passages in the text. Of course, they really mean it’s the best representation of their M2C-driven interpretation; other interpretations of the text fully support the teachings of the prophets.

You can read about the map here:

Church members must realize that these fine scholars also teach that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah. That’s why, in their map, they place Cumorah at the upper part of this fantasy map, as far from the real-world New York as possible.

This BYU map has been taught for several years now. Every new student has to learn this map in their introductory Book of Mormon classes. CES uses a similar map.

My question is, how could any trusting youth in the Church believe the Book of Mormon is a literal, historical account when his/her CES/BYU teachers claim a fantasy map is the best fit for the geography?

Especially when these CES/BYU teachers are telling the youth that the prophets are wrong?
_____

The M2C intellectuals, who claim to have been hired by the prophets to guide the Church, do, in fact, seem to be guiding the Church through their influence on the youth.

The inevitable result of this course will be rejection of the historicity of the Book of Mormon. What impact will that have? I’ll discuss that in an upcoming post.
_____

Meanwhile, let’s consider what course we’re on.

The de-literalizing of the Book of Mormon became apparent to me when I took a closer look at the lesson manuals, the CES/BYU curriculum, the Saints book, the visitors centers, etc. These all repudiate the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. I attribute all of those to the M2C Church employees.

True, members of the Quorum of the Twelve do approve all of this, at some level. But they can only review what the employees show them, and the employees only show them M2C approved material.

So far, not one Apostle or President of the Church has repudiated or even questioned the teachings of prior prophets about the New York Cumorah.
_____

Lately, lds.org has linked to the groups who are promoting the fictional fantasy maps of the Book of Mormon. At BYU Education Week, they offer courses in Lessons from the Book of Mormon and Lessons from the Chronicles of Narnia back-to-back.

And it has been 40 years since anyone speaking in General Conference declared the Book of Mormon is a real history.

When I go back and re-read the conference talks and other messages, they mostly emphasize the content of the book, not it’s historical reality. The parables in the Bible are discussed in the same way; i.e., stories that teach true principles.

Of course we all stipulate that the message of the Book of Mormon is more important than its history, but it is the literal, divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon–its historicity–that makes it a miraculous manifestation of God’s involvement with the world. As an inspired parable, it may have power like the Biblical parables, but the power of the book is, in my view, greatly diminished.

The Church History Department is instructing their staff and volunteers to tell people that Joseph never actually used the plates; instead, he kept them covered with a cloth while he read the words on a stone in a hat. Now Skousen and Carmack are saying Joseph didn’t even translate the plates, an idea that is getting zero pushback from Church leaders and a warm welcome from the intellectuals, in part because it corroborates their view that Joseph Smith was merely an ignorant farm-boy speculator who misled the Church about the New York Cumorah.

People tell me that when they ask Church leaders about Book of Mormon geography, the standard response is “We don’t talk about that.” That’s also the response missionaries are instructed to give whenever the question arises.

I realize the historicity doesn’t matter to those who already want to believe; bias confirmation always conquers lack of evidence. I’m more interested in the people who want at least some touchstone with reality.

During his lifetime, Joseph Smith emphasized the literal, historical reality of the Book of Mormon. He helped Oliver Cowdery write Letter VII, which teaches it was a fact that the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites took place in the valley west of the hill Cumorah in western New York and that the repository of Nephite records (Mormon 6:6) was in the same hill. Joseph endorsed Letter VII and made sure it was widely distributed so all Church members could read it.

Today, few Church members have ever heard of Letter VII.

Instead, they’re learning that the Book of Mormon took place in a fictional fantasyland.

Does anyone care?”

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Jonathan Neville (italics and pictures added)-Book of Mormon Wars

CONTINENT OF GENESIS AND NORTH AMERICA, A LAND OF PROMISE

The Lord has always promised his covenant people who are faithful, four principle blessings. Posterity, prosperity, security and freedom, and a land of promise. The first recorded instance of a “land of promise” in scripture is a land called Cainan, named after a great-grandson of Father Adam (Moses 6:17). We understand through the scriptures that this land was near current day Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri (D&C 116:1).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “Temporarily, we call it America. But it began with the single, primeval continent of Genesis, and the miracle of millennial healing will bring that unity again… The most sacred of places, then, will always be those locations which God has designated for holy and eternal purposes, locations where he is the “doer of the deed.” These places are revered forever by his faithful children wherever they may be.

America is such a place, but of course it wasn’t always called America nor has it always been identified by a distinctive continental shape. Originally it was simply a portion of that large, single land mass which God in his creative process called “Earth” and which, when completed, was pronounced “good.” (Gen. 1:10.) Whatever its name and geographical configuration, however, it was from the beginning a land of divinity as well as a land of destiny.

The choicest part of this earthly creation was a garden “eastward in Eden” where God placed our first parents, Adam and Eve. This resplendent place filled with paradisiacal glory was located on that part of the land mass where the city Zion, or the New Jerusalem of the earth’s last days, would eventually be built… After Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden, they dwelt at a place called Adam-ondi-Ahman, located in what is now Daviess County, Missouri. In that region this first family lived out their days, tilling the soil, tending the flocks, offering sacrifices, and learning the gospel of Jesus Christ from on high. There Adam prophesied concerning all the families of the earth and, three years before his death, called together the righteous remnant of his posterity and bestowed upon them his last blessing. The Lord appeared unto this faithful group and Adam’s family rose up “and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel… Never before had one spot of earth been favored with such a meeting, nor provided the stage for such sacred scenes from the drama of man’s ultimate destiny.
But even as such sacred manifestations and proclamations were recorded, the land was being polluted with unrighteousness. The willful Cain had already made his covenant with Satan and taken the life of his younger brother, Abel…

Two generations later the Lord was so pained by that generation “without affection” (Moses 7:33) that he opened the windows of heaven and cleansed the entire earth with water. Thus, the “everlasting decree” (Ether 2:10) was first taught that he who will not obey the Lord in righteousness will be swept from his sacred land. The lesson would be tragically retaught in dispensations yet to come.

Holy Scripture records that “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof.” (Ether 13:2.) Such a special place needed now to be kept apart from other regions, free from the indiscriminate traveler as well as the soldier of fortune. To guarantee such sanctity the very surface of the earth was rent. In response to God’s decree, the great continents separated and the ocean rushed in to surround them. The promised place was set apart. Without habitation it waited for the fulfillment of God’s special purposes.

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With care and selectivity, the Lord began almost at once to repeople the Promised Land. The Jaredites came first, with stories of the great flood fresh in their memories and the Lord’s solemn declaration ringing in their ears… (Ether 2:8.) Despite such counsel, however, the Jaredite civilization steadily degenerated into a violent society which forced a man to keep “the hilt of his sword in his right hand” (Ether 14:2)…

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But even as the last light flickered on Jaredite civilization, a bold new sun rose to illuminate a thousand years of Nephite-Lamanite experience on the same soil. Despite periods of war and rebellion, these people nevertheless had great moments of power and purity, including the personal ministry of the resurrected Christ, who walked and talked and prayed with these New World inhabitants for three indescribable days. There in the meridian of time the land enjoyed three generations of peace and perfection, which it would not know again until the Master’s millennial reign.

But the lessons of history, if not learned well, are certain to be taught again, and a lone father with his son lived to see the self-destruction of these people of promise. The Nephite-Lamanite morality descended from “sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics” (Morm. 1:19) into rape, murder, and cannibalism…

A thousand years after God had given such choice land to their fathers and a thousand years before he would attempt to do it again, Mormon wrote to his son Moroni: “O the depravity of my people! They are without order and without mercy…

In spite of such grief and despair the Lord of the vineyard determined to “spare it a little longer” (Jacob 5:50) long enough for one final attempt, long enough for one more dispensation, long enough for one final experiment focused on the Promised Land.

So, after a thousand years of preparation, the Spirit of God rested upon a young Italian [Columbus] sailing under the flag of Spain, and, as Nephi had seen in vision, “he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the Promised Land.” (1 Ne. 13:12.) This “Christian of almost maniacal devoutness”… was not to be denied…

As Elder Paul H. Dunn recently declared to a Church-wide audience: “(Joseph) grew up toward adolescence just like the new land. He fitted it. He was young, clean, unspoiled—a lad without a past, kneeling in a grove. This pristine land—this innocent young man—and thus the Lord reached out and kept his promise. He established his conditions over centuries; you see, God has time. His plan made it possible for the holy priesthood and the Church to be restored upon the earth—the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ—but only in America…The purpose of America was to provide a setting wherein that was possible. All else takes its power from that one great, central purpose.” (Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 54.)

Elder Holland continues, “Thus in one final moment worthy men and righteous principles came together for the restoration of heavenly things. With his center stake in America, God began stretching the cords of his tabernacle to all the world… “And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.” (D&C 133:23–24.)

These two cities, Zion (the New Jerusalem) and the ancient city of Jerusalem, will be those capitals out of which both the word and law of the Lord shall go forth and to which all nations shall flow. (See Isa. 2:2–3.)

It is good that the historical celebration of the United States bicentennial allows us to focus on a land in which God has done so much of his work. It has not always looked the same geographically nor has it always been governed the same politically. But that all seems appropriate since the meaning of America, in its most theological sense, is something more than borders and boundaries, something above nativism and nationalism. It is an ideal, a thing of the spirit… As with temple sites, missionary service, and area general conferences, gospel experience transcends the borders—and, if necessary, the flames of nationalism…” Selected portions of a talk titled, “A Promised Land”, by Jeffrey R. Holland June 1976 Ensign

In Salt Lake City, July 4, 1854 Orson Hyde said, “The progressive spirit of the times, on the one hand, and the chains of cruelty and oppression, on the other, inspired the apostles of American freedom to raise the standard of liberty, and unfurl its banner to the world as a warning to oppressors, and as the star of hope to the oppressed. The very name of America causes a thrill of patriotic devotion to her best interests to quiver in the heart of every citizen of Utah, with a zeal and a pride for the welfare of our country that does honor to the memory of those departed heroes whose ashes are mingled in our soil, and made rich and dear to us by their own blood…

In those early and perilous times, our men were few, and our resources limited. Poverty was among the most potent enemies we had to encounter; yet our arms were successful; and it may not be amiss to ask here, by whose power victory so often perched on our banner? It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones, and remains of towns, cities, and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world.

This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World. Trammeled by poverty and by an unpopular cause, yet his persevering and unyielding heart would not allow an obstacle in his way too great for him to overcome; and the angel of God helped him—was with him on the stormy deep, calmed the troubled elements, and guided his frail vessel to the desired haven. Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water.

To what point have the American arms been directed since the Declaration of our National Independence, and proven unsuccessful? Not one! The peculiar respect that high Heaven has for this country, on account of the promises made to the fathers, and on account of its being the land where the mustard seed of truth was planted and destined to grow in the last days, accounts for all this good fortune to our beloved America…

So sure and certain as the great water courses wend their way to the ocean, and there find their level—so sure as the passing thundercloud hovers around yonder Twin Peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, and upon their grey and barren rocks pours the fury of its storm, just so sure and certain will the guardian angel of these United States fly to a remote distance from their borders, and the anger of the Almighty wax hot against them in causing them to drink from the cup of bitterness and division, and the very dregs, stirred up by the hands of foreign powers, in a manner more cruel and fierce than the enemies of the Saints in the day of their greatest distress and anguish; and all this because they laid not to heart the martyrdom of the Saints and Prophets, avenged not their blood by punishing the murderers, neither succored nor aided the Saints after they were despoiled of their goods and homes.

Would to God that we could forget this part of our experience in the land of our fathers! But we cannot forget it. It is incorporated in our being. We shall carry it to our graves, and in the resurrection it will rise with us. Had the United States been as faithful a guardian to the Latter-day Saints as the angel of God has been to them, she would never know dissolution, nor be humbled in dishonor by the decrees of any foreign powers…

When Justice is satisfied, and the blood of martyrs atoned for, the guardian angel of America will return to his station, resume his charge, and restore the Constitution of our country to the respect and veneration of the people; for it was given by the inspiration of our God.

One positive decree of Jehovah, respecting this land, is, that no king shall ever be raised up here, and that whosoever seeketh to raise up a king upon this land shall perish. The spirit of this decree is that no king shall bear rule in this country. And the islands contiguous to this land belong unto it by promise, for they are a part and parcel of the land of Joseph, and they geographically belong to it—belong to it by the covenants of the fathers: they also philosophically incline to this nearer and greater land.” Moroni Guardian Angel of America Orson Hyde Journal of Discourses 6:65.

Indeed this land of America and its leaders have been blessed with the protection of the Lord. “As details of the battle emerged, it turns out that either George Washington was extremely lucky, was bulletproof, or was being supernaturally protected. One Indian warrior testified that he had shot at him 17 times. He exclaimed that “Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet!” Another Indian, Red Hawk, had shot and missed him 11 times. He had not missed a shot before, and became convinced that Washington was being supernaturally protected by the Great Spirit. In 1770, fifteen years after the battle, an old Indian told Washington that he had sought out to meet him. He had been fighting in the battle that day, and he had told all the Indians with him to shoot at him, and make sure that he died. When they all missed, he told them to stop. On that evening, he predicted that Washington would never die in battle, and would be “the founder of a mighty empire.” David.Barton, The Bulletproof George Washington.

This United States of America is indeed, “A Land of Promise.” Moroni presides over the destinies of the United States, holds the keys of the Stick of Ephraim (D&C 27: 5), and is the guardian angel of this wonderful land. The Lord has said, “…repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon…” (D&C 84:57). As we study The Book of Mormon, we learn to love even more this blessed America we call “A Promised Land.”

“One” Cumorah
Why Geography Matters by Rian Nelson

I believe the Hill Cumorah in New York is the only sacred Hill Cumorah spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Many in the Church Education System and BYU Professors for years have taught about the two Cumorah theory, which I believe is just not accurate. I quite a few in the Church like me, have been looking to make sense of why Mexico has anything to do with the Book of Mormon. Many of these members and professors say that Joseph did receive the plates from Hill Cumorah in New York, but the final battles of the Nephites happened somewhere in Mexico. They say that New York Cumorah wasn’t large enough to contain hundreds of thousands of bodies and they say it is a clean hill, meaning no arrowheads have been found. Both assertions are false.

I have researched and studied and found additional insights about the Book of Mormon. I am not trying to prove my point or to prove anyone wrong. It is fine with me for others to believe Book of Mormon geography happened in Central America, and there are those who really don’t care. I have been trying for over 40 years to find the other Cumorah somewhere in Central America and I had become complacent as I had never found any answers. In about 2011, I learned what an Indian Mound was, and since then I have been a solid believer that The Book of Mormon events happened in the Heartland of North America.

There are hundreds of thousands of ancient mounds, fortifications, cities, and artifacts all over the United States that I have researched. I know there are Lamanites in Central America and in other countries, but they are not necessarily the ones spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Time frame. The Book of Mormon only contains a fraction of the history of the Promised Land Lehites. But, I believe that small fraction of history speaks about Lehi, and Nephi, and Alma, and Mormon as they lived and fought in these United States.
Why does the geography matter? Think of that question if we are speaking about Israel. Does it matter where the Savior was born, or where the Biblical events happened? Yes. At Mount Moriah where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord made a special covenant with Abraham. This land around Mt Moriah was a Covenant land and God’s people were given that land as long as they are righteous.

However, if they disobey the commandments, God’s people will be swept off that sacred land. The Jews, Muslims, and Christians fight over control over this one piece of land why? Because it is a beautiful piece of real estate? No, because it is a covenant land. All three religions say Mt Moriah is sacred to them and they are willing to die over it.
In the same token what is the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon? According to the Book of Mormon this Promised land must meet certain requirements to be the Promised Land. 1. No Kings upon the land 2. Land choice above all other lands 3. Land of Liberty 4. Land where sacred record is kept 5. Land kept from the knowledge of other nations. 6. Land of the New Jerusalem 7. Gentiles to scatter and afflict the Remnant. These are only 7 of 36 prophesies and promises in the Book of Mormon and so only the USA can be the Promised land, not Canada, or Mexico, or South America.

Just as Israel is a Promised Land forever, so the USA is a Promised Land forever and it does matter where this Promised Land is located. It is in the Heartland of North America. The Nephites practiced the Law of Moses. To do this they needed the following plants and animals to keep the Law. Sheep, Rams, Goats, Bullocks, Doves, Wheat, Barley, and Wine. None of these animals or items are found anywhere in Meso-America during the Nephites times, only in the USA. So, the land and where things happen is critical to us and especially to the Lord.
If we in the church cannot even decide among ourselves where the Book of Mormon happened, how confusing is that to our youth and adults? The Anti-Mormons love the idea that we don’t even know where our sacred scriptures happened. There are over 100 theories of where the Book of Mormon happened, including, Baja, Chile, Malaysia, Honduras, Peru, etc.
I know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography. There are many CES members and other BYU professors that teach the two Cumorah theory and won’t consider other options. That is not a neutral stand. Many educated people ridicule this Heartland Model and won’t even take time to read about it. That is sad. For you and I to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and that would include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events. I feel I know this location to be the United States of America. I will support and follow the Brethren where ever they say it is located, but what if they never tell us and we find out it was our duty as Latter-day Saints to find this out on our own? I would just love for all to consider a North American setting for the Book of Mormon. I believed as many others did about two Cumorahs for 40 years. But, with new information in the Joseph Smith Papers and Letter VII written by Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith in 1835, I am so excited about the new knowledge the Lord is sending us today to strengthen our testimonies. Another new truth we learn is that Joseph Smith translated two separate sets of plates. Most people have never heard about that. Jonathan Neville is an amazing Church History researcher and he has a new book titled, “Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates”. I believe it is true and it is explained in the new josephpapers.org website. It will make sense to you as you read and pray about it. Is it critical to our salvation? No. But is it cool? Yes. There is so much we can learn and I love it.
I know if you read these few quotes below, you will be able to feel the power of these brethren and as you study and pray about it, I feel you will learn some new truths about the Hill Cumorah. I haven’t found one quote of Joseph Smith speaking about a Hill Cumorah in Mexico, yet I have found hundreds of quotes from Apostles, and Prophets discussing just “One Cmuorah”.

A quote I like from the Church says. “Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.” (Accessed July 6, 2018)

I also like what Jeffrey R. Holland said. 

“Faith and testimony, gospel devotion and Church loyalty, conviction so strong it leads to covenants and consecration are ultimately matters of the Spirit. They come as a gift from God, delivered and confirmed to our soul by the Holy Ghost in His divine role as revelator, witness, teacher of truth. But it should be noted that truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart.

“Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind,”[1] Jehovah declared to the early Saints, and to Oliver Cowdery specifically He said, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost. . . . Behold, this is the spirit of revelation.”[2]

I have always loved that definition of revelation. For one thing, it makes clear that all revelation that can be called revelation comes through the influence of the Holy Ghost—that is to say that the receipt of any truth is ultimately a spiritual experience, an enlightenment facilitated and confirmed by the Holy Ghost. Secondly, that definition makes it clear that truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Chiasmus 50th Anniversary, JSB, Brigham Young University August 16, 2017

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“In 1835 Oliver Cowdery wrote a series of letters to W. W. Phelps, the editor of the Messenger and Advocate. These were titled,  Letter I, Letter II. Letter III, Letter IV, Letter V, Letter VI, Letter VII, and Letter VIII.  ( Link directs you to the Joseph Smith Papers Online )The Messenger and Advocate was published with the direction and approval of Joseph Smith. In 1841 these same letters were published in Nauvoo in the Times and Seasons (V. 2, p. 379). These letters were again published in  The Improvement Era (1899, Vol. 2, pp. 729-734).

“…Here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the Book of Mormon, you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah.  In this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites—once so highly favored of the Lord, but at that time in darkness, doomed to suffer extermination by the hand of their barbarous and uncivilized brethren. From the top of this hill, Mormon, with a few others, after the battle, gazed with horror upon the mangled remains of those who, the day before, were filled with anxiety, hope, or doubt.” Oliver Cowdery’s Letter VII Joseph Smith Papers “Letter VII,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, 1:155–159

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Roots of Church History – Prophets vs Scholars –the Hill Cumorah and Letter VII by Jonathan Neville

“Most members of the Church still believe the Hill Cumorah is in New York, a few miles from Palmyra.

Church leaders have consistently taught this for over 160 years. No member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve has ever taught Cumorah was anywhere other than New York. New discoveries in Church history validate this teaching.

However, some intellectuals in the Church—including faculty at BYU and CES—promote the theory that the Book of Mormon took place in Central America (Mesoamerica). This theory teaches that there are “two Cumorahs.” They admit that Joseph Smith got the plates from the hill in New York (one Cumorah), but they rationalize that New York is too far from Central America (Mesoamerica) to be the scene of the final battles of the Jaredites and the Nephites. They also claim Mormon’s depository (Mormon 6:6) is somewhere in Mexico.

These intellectuals are teaching their students that the prophets and apostles are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

Because these intellectuals have trained thousands of LDS students at BYU and CES, their ideas have permeated the Church. The “two-Cumorahs” theory is on display every time you see a depiction of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. This theory has caused confusion among members and investigators. But the teachings of the prophets are clear and consistent.” Complete article by Jonathan here.

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I now share with you below, many quotes from Church Leaders about the Hill Cumorah.

1. “I do not believe that the classrooms or the pulpits of our Church are for laboratory purposes in which to experiment with new doctrines and speculative notions. They are exclusively for the use of those who are willing to convert men and women and boys and girls to the truth. . . . I do not believe we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. I do not believe we can be good Latter-day Saints and question the testimony of the eleven witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I do not believe you have a testimony of the truth if you question the accuracy of the translation of the Book of Mormon.” Mark E. Petersen LDS Conference Reports, Sunday afternoon, April 5, 1953

2. “…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all… It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12

3. “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012

4. “Both the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations fought their final great wars of extinction at and near the Hill Cumorah (or Ramah as the Jaredites termed it), which hill is located between Palmyra and Manchester in the western part of the state of New York. It was here that Moroni hid up the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. (Morm. 6; Ether 15.) Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and many of the early brethren, who were familiar with all the circumstances attending the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation, have left us pointed testimony as to the identity and location of Cumorah or Ramah.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 232-241.) (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine “CUMORAH,” 1966, p. 175)

5. “We visited the Hill Cumorah and were accorded the courtesy of going thereon by the wife of Mr. George Sampson, a brother of Admiral Wm. Sampson, who before his death owned the property. When we went up there and looked around, we felt that we were standing on holy ground. The brethren located, as near as they thought was possible, the place from which the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken by the Prophet. We were delighted to be there. Looking over the surrounding country we remembered that two great races of people had wound up their existence in the vicinity, had fought their last fight, and that hundreds of thousands had been slain within sight of that hill. Evidence of the great battles that have been fought there in days gone by are manifest in the numerous spear and arrow-heads that have been found by farmers while plowing in that neighborhood. We were fortunate enough to obtain a few of the arrowheads.” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, April 1906, Third Day—Morning Session p. 56)

6. “Aug. 11, Wed: President McCune and I went early to the Grove. Later we were conveyed by auto to the Hill Cumorah by Brother Bean. We climbed the hill and traversed it back and fore and examined it with interest and care. It is the largest of the many glacial drumlins of the locality, and is the most prominent of all the elevations in the neighborhood. Aside from the fact that the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken from this hill, I was greatly interested in looking from its summit over the surrounding region and in contemplating the tremendous battle-scenes of the past, whereby first the Jaredites and later the Nephites were exterminated as nations. I believe the Book of Mormon account without reservation or modification. I believe, also, and express it as my personal conviction, that many ancient records, possibly those from which Mormon made his abridgment, are still concealed in that hill. I believe also that they will be brought forth in the Lord’s due time, and that until that time no man will succeed in finding them.” (James E. Talmage Journal Entries, 1920, pg 132-133; Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, BYU: MSS 229, Box 6, Folder 1, Journal 23.)

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7. “Millennia ago he declared: “There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation… Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, “There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth.” (Ether 1:43.)… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites… The tragic fate of the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations is proof positive that the Lord meant it when he said that this “is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.” (Ether 2:9.) This information, wrote Moroni, addressing himself to us who today occupy this land, “cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles” (now, Gentiles is the term used by the Book of Mormon prophets to refer to the present inhabitants of America and to the peoples of the old world from which they came)… Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come. The issue we face is clear and well defined. The choice is ours. The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity That we will repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.” America’s Destiny Marion G. Romney Oct 1975

8. “Oliver Cowdery wrote that the Ephraimites and the Lamanites were the “original settlers of this continent,” and that “an ancient prophet caused the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated to be buried nearly two thousand years ago, in which is now called Ontario County, New York. In this same issue, W. W. Phelps wrote that it was “by that book [the Book of Mormon] I learned that the poor Indians of America were of the remnants of Israel.” Many other times editor Phelps identified the land of America as being the place where at least some Book of Mormon history took place, including the last battles of both the Jaredites and the Nephites (see Messenger and Advocate, vol. 2, October 1835, and the letter of W. W. Phelps to Oliver Cowdery in that same issue.) Oliver Cowdery Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, pp. 158-159

9. “We shall now introduce much circumstantial evidence, from American antiquities, and from the traditions of the natives, etc. First, says Mr. Boudinot: “It is said among their principal or beloved men, that they have it handed down from their ancestors, that the book which the white people have, was once theirs: that while they had it they prospered exceedingly, etc. They also say, that their fathers were possessed of an extraordinary Divine Spirit, by which they foretold future events, and controlled the common course of nature; and this they transmitted to their offspring, on condition of their obeying the sacred laws; that they did, by these means, bring down showers of blessings upon their beloved people; but that this power, for a long time past, had entirely ceased.” Colonel James Smith, in his journal, while a prisoner among the natives, says: “They have a tradition, that in the beginning of this continent, the angels or heavenly inhabitants, as they call them, frequently visited the people, and talked with their forefathers, and gave directions how to pray. Mr. Boudinot, in his able work, remarks concerning their language: “Their language, in its roots, idiom, and particular construction, appears to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable, and well worthy of serious attention, has most of the peculiarities of that language.” There is a tradition related by an aged Indian, of the Stockbridge tribe, that their fathers were once in possession of a “Sacred Book,” which was handed down from generation to generation; and at last hid in the earth, since which time they had been under the feet of their enemies. But these oracles were to be restored to them again; and then they would triumph over their enemies, and regain their rights and privileges.” Quoted from A Voice of Warning An introduction to the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Chapter IV by Parley P. Pratt

10. [Heber C. Kimball] “prophesied that when the final last struggle came to this nation it would be at the Hill Cumorah where both of the former Nations [Jaredite and Nephite] were destroyed” (abt. Heber C. Kimball) Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 6:305, December 17, 1866

11. “In 1873, apostles Brigham Young Jr. and George Q. Cannon visited the New York Hill Cumorah and wrote up an account of the same which was published. “Undoubtedly great changes had occurred in the appearance of the surrounding country[side] since the days when Mormon and [his son] Moroni had trod the spot where we stood. Still we could readily understand, even now, how admirable a position this would be [from the hilltop] for a general to occupy in watching and directing the movements of armies and in scrutinizing the position of an enemy. Around Cumorah is yet a land of many waters, rivers and fountains [just] as Mormon said it was in his day. Our emotions on treading on this sacred hill were of the most peculiar character. They were indescribable. This was the hill Ramah of the Jaredites. In this vicinity, Coriantumr and Shiz, with the people whom they led, fought their last battle. For this great battle they were four years preparing, gathering the people together from all parts of the land, and arming men and women, and even children. The battle lasted eight days, and the result was the complete extermination of the Jaredite nation, none being left but the Prophet Ether and Coriantumr, who succeeded in slaying his mortal enemy Shiz. [Ether] and Coriantumr alone, of all that mighty race which had flourished upwards of fifteen hundred, were left. Who can imagine the feelings which he must have had on such an occasion? From the summit of this hill, Mormon and his great son Moroni had also witnessed the gathering of hosts of the Nephites, and the dusky and myriad legions of their deadly enemies, the Lamanites. Around this hill they had marshaled their forces–their twenty-three divisions of ten thousand men each, commanded by the most skillful of their generals, all to be swept away except Moroni. It was here that [Mormon] hid the abridgement which he made of the records [of his people], and which is know known by his name [Book of Mormon]. And it was here, thirty-six years after this tremendous battle, that his son Moroni also hid his abridgment of the book of Ether, and the record which he had made from which we learn the fate of his father, Mormon, and his other companions It was to this spot that about fourteen hundred years after these events, Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was led by Moroni in person, and here the records, engraved on plates, were committed to him for translation. Who could tread this ground and reflect upon these mighty events, and not be filled with indescribable emotion?” Brigham Young, Jr. and George Q. Cannon The Latter-Day Saints’ Millennial Star,(35 (33): 513-16), Tuesday, August 19th, 1873

12. Just two months and twelve days before his death in 1877, Brigham Young was establishing a new stake in Farmington, Utah. In his discourse, he said the following: “Orrin P. Rockwell is an eyewitness to some powers of removing the treasures of the earth. He was with certain parties that lived nearby where the plates were found that contain the records of the Book of Mormon. There were a great many treasures hid up by the Nephites. Porter was with them one night when there were treasures, and they could find them easy enough, but they could not obtain them. When [Porter] tells a thing he understands, he will tell it just as he knows it; he is a man that does not lie. He said that on this night when they were engaged hunting for this old treasure, they dug around the end of a chest for some twenty inches. The chest was about three feet square. One man who was determined to have the contents of that chest took his pick and struck into the lid of it, and split through into the chest. The blow took off a piece of the lid, which a certain lady [Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph’s mother] kept in her possession until she died. That chest of money went into the bank. Porter describes it so he says this is just as true as the heavens are.” Brigham Young Journal of Discourses (Liverpool, 1878), vol. 19:36-39.

13. “Consider how very fortunate we are to be living in this land of America. Many great events have transpired in this land of destiny. This was the place where Adam dwelt; this was the place where the Garden of Eden was; it was here that Adam met with a body of high priests at Adam-Ondi-Ahman shortly before his death and gave them his final blessing, and the place to which he will return to meet with the leaders of his people (D&C 107:53-57). This was the place of three former civilizations: that of Adam, that of the Jaredites, and that of the Nephites.” The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson pp. 587-588

14. McGavin and Bean explain their point of view concerning the identity of the Hill Cumorah as an ancient battlefield. The authors conclude that the scholars “need not search for [Cumorah] in Mexico or Yucatan” E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean “Cumorah-Land, An Ancient Battlefield,” in The Improvement Era 44, September 1941, 526, 571-72.

15. J. Golden Kimball is quoted as saying the following: “Heber C. Kimball said it was revealed to him that the last great destruction of the wicked would be on the lakes near the Hill Cumorah.” J. Golden Kimball (abt. Heber C. Kimball) N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, SLC: Bookcraft, 1941, p. 52.

16. “Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea — from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land . . .  Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets.  This they wrote in a Book . . . written on plates of gold and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth, built buildings and cities and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do . . . This Book, which contained these things was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the state of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county . . .  Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18

17. “Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). What will become of our civilization?… I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.

I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.

I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.

We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10)… Exra Taft Benson “Our Divine Constitution Ensign Oct 1987

18. “It is as impossible for me to continue the subject of yesterday as to raise the dead. My lungs are worn out. There is a time to all things, and I must wait. I will give it up, and leave the time to those who can make you hear, and I will continue the subject of my discourse some other time. I want to make a proclamation to the Elders. I wanted you to stay, in order that I might make this proclamation. You know very well that the Lord has led this Church by revelation. I have another revelation in relation to economy in the Church–a great, grand, and glorious revelation. I shall not be able to dwell as largely upon it now as at some other time; but I will give you the first principles. You know there has been great discussion in relation to Zion–where it is, and where the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you. The prophets have spoken and written upon it; but I will make a proclamation that will cover a broader ground. The whole of America is Zion itself from north to south, and is described by the Prophets, who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain of the Lord should be, and that it should be in the center of the land. When Elders shall take up and examine the old prophecies in the Bible, they will see it.” President Joseph Smith’s Remarks–The Whole of America Zion–April Conference, 1844 Section Six 1843-44, p.362

19. “What most impressed me last summer on my first and only expedition to Central America was the complete lack of definite information about anything. Never was so little known about so much… It is just a fact of life that no one knows much at all about these oft-photographed and much-talked-about ruins… Counterparts to the great ritual complexes of Central America once dotted the entire eastern United States, the most notable being the Hopewell culture centering in Ohio and spreading out for hundreds of miles along the entire length of the Mississippi River. These are now believed to be definitely related to corresponding centers in Mesoamerica… One thing that leads us to suspect that most of the great powerhouses whose traces still remain were never anything more than pompous imitations or replicas is their sheer magnificence. The archaeologist finds virtually nothing of the remains of the primitive Christian church until the fourth century, because the true church was not interested in buildings and deliberately avoided the acquisition of lands and edifices that might bind it and its interests to this world. The Book of Mormon is a history of a related primitive church, and one may well ask what kind of remains the Nephites would leave us from their more virtuous days. A closer approximation to the Book of Mormon picture of Nephite culture is seen in the earth and palisade structures of the Hopewell and Adena culture areas than in the later stately piles of stone in Mesoamerica… Though such piles as the great pyramid-temple of Chichén Itzá yield to few buildings in the world in beauty of proportion and grandeur of conception, there is something disturbing about most of these overpowering ruins. Writers describing them through the years have ever confessed to feelings of sadness and oppression as they contemplate the moldy magnificence—the futility of it all: “They have all gone away from the house on the hill,” and today we don’t even know who they were
The great monuments do not represent what the Nephites stood for; rather, they stand for what their descendants, “mixed with the blood of their brethren,” descended to. But seen in the newer and wider perspective of comparative religious studies, they suggest to us not only the vanity of mankind and the futility of man’s unaided efforts, but also something nobler; the constant search of men to recapture a time when the powers of heaven were truly at the disposal of a righteous people.” Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify? By Hugh Nibley September 1972

20. “The passages which I have quoted from the Book of Mormon and the more extended discussion of this subject by Elder B. H. Roberts which was published in The Deseret News of March 3 definitely established the following facts: That the hill Cumorah, and the hill Ramah are identical. That it was around this hill that the armies of both the Jaredites and Nephites fought their great last battles. That it was in this hill that Mormon deposited all of the sacred records which had been entrusted to his care by Ammaron, except the abridgment which he had made from the plates of Nephi, which were delivered into the hands of his son, Moroni. We know positively that it was in this hill that Moroni deposited the abridgment made by his father, and his own abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, and that it was from this hill that Joseph Smith obtained possession of them.” Anthony Ivins Improvement Era June 1928

21. “On the title page I read that it is “written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile.” In the introduction to the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, it says that the Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians.” As I read the Book of Mormon, it seemed to me that it was about my American Indian ancestors. It tells the story of a people, a part of which were later described as “Lamanites,” who migrated from Jerusalem to a “land of promise” (1 Nephi 2:20) about 600 B.C.” “Come unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy Ensign Oct 2012

22. “But while this direct testimony from the Prophet himself is lacking, it is not lacking from those who are competent to speak on the subject–and who did speak of it and who published their statements, and one of these in the life time of the prophet, Oliver Cowdery, close associate with Joseph Smith in bringing forth the Book of Mormon, and his chief amanuensis in the translation of it, declares this hill from which the Book of Mormon was taken to be the Hill Cumorah, the place where Mormon deposited “all the records in his possession, except his abridgment from the plates of Nephi which he gave to his son; and also emphatically declares it to be the scene of the destruction of both the Jaredite and Nephite people. This statement Oliver published in the Church organ at the time, called the “Saints Messenger and Advocate,” Kirtland, Ohio, 1834. There are nine letters published under the title of “Early Scenes and Incidents in the Church.” These letters were reproduced in the Improvement Era, Vol. II, 1898-9”. Written for the Deseret News by B. H. Roberts.

23. “From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake. In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah

Canasatego. An Onondaga chief who played an important role in the proceedings of the council at Philadelphia in 1742. A dispute arose between the Delaware Indians and the government of Pennsylvania concerning a tract of land in the forks of Delaware. It was on this occasion, evidently in accordance with a preconcerted arrangement between the governor of Pennsylvania and the Iroquois chief, that the latter, addressing the Delawares, made the memorable statement: “How came you to take upon you to sell land at all? We conquered you; we made women of you; you know you are women, and can no more sell land than women. We charge you to remove instantly; we don t give you liberty to think of it.” The choice of Wyoming and Shamokin was granted, and the Delawares yielded. Little more is recorded regarding this chief. His son, Hans Jacob, resided on the Ohio in 1758. Source

Native American Contributions to the Constitution

The Great Peace Maker, Deganawodah, appeared as a ‘Heavenly Messenger’ in the eastern forests to the Iroquois Confederacy, a league of nations held together by the sacred teachings of this Holy Man. Benjamin Franklin first learned about these five nations in accounts from the proceedings of the Treaty of Lancaster (PA) in 1744. When the delegates from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia fell apart in quarrels among themselves, a great Indian Chief by the name of Canasatego ran out of patience. He scolded the colonial delegates for their lack of wisdom and ignorance of good procedures. Ben Franklin then caught an intimation of what made these peoples government work — a religion-based constitution, which he held up in a series of pamphlets as the world’s only available model for a confederation of thirteen contentious colonies. –– Source: God of War, Gods of Peace, Russell Bourne, p91-92, 2002 Brief Video

Canasatego a Prominent Diplomat

Canassatego (c. 1684–1750) was a leader of the Onondaga nation who became a prominent diplomat and spokesman of the Iroquois Confederacy in the 1740s. He was involved in several controversial land sales to colonial British officials. He is now best known for a speech he gave at the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster, where he recommended that the British colonies emulate the Iroquois by forming a confederacy. He was reportedly assassinated, perhaps by sympathizers or agents of New France.
Early career
Canassatego appears in British historical documents only during the last eight years of his life, and so little is known of his early life. His earliest documented appearance is at a treaty conference in Philadelphia in 1742, where he was a spokesman for the Onondaga people, one of the six nations of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) League. According to most modern scholars, Canassatego did not appear to be one of the fourteen Onondaga hereditary sachems who sat on the Iroquois Grand Council.But Johansen disagrees, saying that Canassatego held the League title of Tadadaho.

In the 1730s, a faction of Iroquois leaders opened a diplomatic relationship with the British Province of Pennsylvania, facilitated by Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania’s interpreter and agent. Pennsylvania agreed to recognize the Iroquois as the owner of all Indian lands in Pennsylvania; the Iroquois, in turn, agreed to sell lands only to Pennsylvania representatives. Canassatego probably attended a 1736 treaty where some Iroquois chiefs sold land along the Susquehanna River to Pennsylvania, although the territory had traditionally been occupied by the Lenape people.[6

Canassatego served as the speaker for the Onondaga at another conference in 1742, where the Iroquois chiefs collected the final payment for the 1736 land sale. At this meeting, Canassatego managed to convince Governor Thomas Penn to pay more than the original purchase price. Penn, for his part, urged Canassatego to remove the Delaware Indians from what was known as the Walking Purchase of 1737, which was quite controversial. Canassatego complied, berating the Delawares as “women” who had no right to sell land, and ordering them to leave. “You are women; take the Advice of a Wise Man and remove immediately”, he told the Delaware. The Iroquois denigration of the Delaware as “women” has been the subject of much scholarly writing.

Lancaster treaty

In 1744, Canassatego served as a speaker at meetings to negotiate the Treaty of Lancaster. Witham Marshe, a Marylander in attendance, recorded the only written description of Canassatego:

The first of these sachems (or chiefs) was a tall, wellmade man; had a very full chest, and brawny limbs. He had a manly countenance, mixed with a good-natured smile. He was about 60 years of age; very active, strong, and had a surprising liveliness in his speech, which I observed in the discourse betwixt him, Mr. Weiser, and some of the sachems.

At the treaty conference were representatives of five of the Iroquois nations (except the Mohawk, the easternmost tribe), and the provinces of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. With King George’s War underway, the British colonies needed to cultivate a good relationship with their Iroquois neighbors, who might otherwise become French allies. After a speech by Canassatego, officials from Maryland and Virginia agreed to pay the Iroquois for land in their colonies, although they believed that the Iroquois had no legitimate claim to those lands. Virginia got the better part of the deal, however: although Canassatego and other Iroquois leaders believed that they had sold only the Shenandoah Valley to Virginia, the official deed gave Virginia much more land than that.

Near the end of the conference, Canassatego gave the colonists some advice:

We have one thing further to say, and that is We heartily recommend Union and a Good Agreement between you our Brethren. Never disagree, but preserve a strict Friendship for one another, and thereby you as well as we will become the Stronger.

Our wise Forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations; this has made us formidable, this has given us great weight and Authority with our Neighboring Nations.

We are a powerful confederacy, and, by your observing the same Methods our wise Forefathers have taken, you will acquire fresh Strength and Power; therefore, whatever befalls you, never fall out with one another.

Canassatego was concerned that the British colonies lacked a coordinated policy to deal with the military threat coming from New France. He made similar recommendations about colonial unity at another conference in 1745. His words became a central part of the Iroquois Influence Thesis, the controversial proposal that the Iroquois League was a model for the United States Constitution.

Final years

Canassatego’s final appearance at a treaty conference was in August 1749, one year after the end of King George’s War. In Philadelphia, he complained that colonists were settling on Native land along the Susquehanna River. He agreed to sell this land to Pennsylvania, but once again, the written document ceded much more land than what had been agreed upon in negotiations.

Canassatego was reportedly assassinated with poison in September 1750. Contemporary accounts that were recorded said that he was killed for taking bribes in exchange for selling tribal communal lands. Another said that he had been poisoned by agents of New France. Historian William Starna argued that Canassatego was probably assassinated by pro-French Iroquois who wanted to repudiate Canassatego’s diplomatic ties with Pennsylvania.

Legacy

A fictional version of Canasatego was featured in the 1755 novel Lydia: or Filial Piety, by English writer John Shebbeare. Following a literary convention by which Native American characters were used to satirize Europeans, Canassatego was portrayed as wise and honest, in stark contrast to the scheming Englishmen he encounters.

The US Navy named the USS Canassatego (YN-38/YNT-6/YTM-732), a harbor tug, for Canasatego. Wikepedia

Senator Mike Lee:

Utah Senator Mike Lee published a book titled “Written out of History, The Forgotten Founders Who Fought Big Government”. It contains an enitre chapter about the importance of Canesetego as one who assisted the US government in creating a similar style of government as the Iroquois Confederacy already had.

Iroquois Confederacy Culture

Simply put, the Iroquois were the most important native group in North American history. Culturally, however, there was little to distinguish them from their Iroquian-speaking neighbors. All had matrilineal social structures – the women owned all property and determined kinship. The individual Iroquois tribes were divided into three clans, turtle, bear, and wolf – each headed by the clan mother. The Seneca were like the Huron tribes and had eight (the five additional being the crane, snipe, hawk, beaver, and deer). After marriage, a man moved into his wife’s longhouse, and their children became members of her clan. Iroquois villages were generally fortified and large. The distinctive, communal longhouses of the different clans could be over 200′ in length and were built about a framework covered with elm bark, the Iroquois’ material of choice for all manner of things. Villages were permanent in the sense they were moved only for defensive purposes or when the soil became exhausted (about every twenty years).

Agriculture provided most of the Iroquois diet. Corn, beans, and squash were known as “deohako” or “life supporters.” Their importance to the Iroquois was clearly demonstrated by the six annual agricultural festivals held with prayers of gratitude for their harvests. The women owned and tended the fields under the supervision of the clan mother. Men usually left the village in the fall for the annual hunt and returned about midwinter. Spring was fishing season. Other than clearing fields and building villages, the primary occupation of the men was warfare. Warriors wore their hair in a distinctive scalplock (Mohawk of course), although other styles became common later. While the men carefully removed all facial and body hair, women wore theirs long. Tattoos were common for both sexes. Torture and ritual cannibalism were some of the ugly traits of the Iroquois, but these were shared with several other tribes east of the Mississippi. The False Face society was an Iroquois healing group which utilized grotesque wooden masks to frighten the evil spirts believed to cause illness.

It was the Iroquois political system, however, that made them unique, and because of it, they dominated the first 200-years of colonial history in both Canada and the United States. Strangely enough, there were never that many of them, and the enemies they defeated in war were often twice their size. Although much has been made of their Dutch firearms, the Iroquois prevailed because of their unity, sense of purpose, and superior political organization. Since the Iroquois League was formed prior to any contact, it owed nothing to European influence. Proper credit is seldom given, but the reverse was actually true. Rather than learning political sophistication from Europeans, Europeans learned from the Iroquois, and the League, with its elaborate system of checks, balances,, and supreme law, almost certainly influenced the American Articles of Confederation and Constitution.

The Iroquois were farmers whose leaders were chosen by their women – rather unusual for warlike conquerors. Founded to maintain peace and resolve disputes between its members, the League’s primary law was the Kainerekowa, the Great Law of Peace which simply stated Iroquois should not kill each other. The League’s organization was prescribed by a written constitution based on 114 wampums and reinforced by a funeral rite known as the “Condolence” – shared mourning at the passing of sachems from the member tribes. The council was composed of 50 male sachems known variously as lords, or peace chiefs. Each tribe’s representation was set: Onondaga 14; Cayuga 10; Oneida 9; Mohawk 9; and Seneca 8. Nominated by the tribal clan mothers (who had almost complete power in their selection), Iroquois sachemships were usually held for life, although they could be removed for misconduct or incompetence. The emblem of their office was the deer antler head dress, and guided by an all-male council, the sachems ruled in times of peace. War chiefs were chosen on the basis of birth, experience, and ability, but exercised power only during war.

The central authority of the Iroquois League was limited leaving each tribe free to pursue its own interests. By 1660, however, the Iroquois found it necessary to present a united front to Europeans, and the original freedom of its members had to be curtailed somewhat. In practice, the Mohawk and Oneida formed one faction in the council and the Seneca and Cayuga the other. The League’s principal sachem (Tadodaho) was always an Onondaga, and as “keepers of the council fire” with 14 sachems (well out of proportion to their population), they represented compromise. This role was crucial since all decisions of the council had to be unanimous, one of the League’s weaknesses. There was also a “pecking order” among members reflected by the eloquent ritual language of League debate. Mohawk, Onondaga, and Seneca were addressed as “elder brothers” or “uncles,” while Oneida, Cayuga, and Tuscarora were “younger brothers” or “nephews.”

In this form, the Iroquois used a combination of military prowess and skilled diplomacy to conquer an empire. Until their internal unity finally failed them during the American Revolution, the Iroquois dealt with European powers as an equal. The League was a remarkable achievement, but it also had flaws, the most apparent was its inability to find a satisfactory means to share political power with its new members. As mentioned, the Iroquois incorporated thousands of non-league Iroquian peoples during the 1650s. Political power was retained by the original Iroquois to such an extent that the adoptees remained second-class citizens. The resulting dissatisfaction eventually led to the Mingo separating and moving to Ohio to free themselves from League control. Others found refuge with the French at Caughnawaga and other Jesuit missions along the St. Lawrence.

The League’s massive adoptions also explains why it was so relentless in its pursuit of the remnants of defeated enemies. So long as one small band remained free, the Iroquois were in danger of an insurrection from within. Perhaps because they considered themselves “Ongwi Honwi” (superior people), the Iroquois never offered wholesale adoption to the non-Iroquian speaking peoples who came under their control. Instead they offered membership in the “Covenant Chain,” a terminology first suggested by the Dutch at a treaty signed with the Mohawk in 1618. By 1677 the Iroquois had extended this form of limited membership to the Mahican and Delaware and later would offer it to other Algonquin and Siouan tribes. Essentially, the Covenant Chain was a trade and military alliance which gave the Iroquois the authority to represent its members with Europeans, but there was no vote or direct representation in the League council, Worse yet, the Iroquois were often arrogant and placed their own interests first. A system of “half-kings” created to represent the Ohio tribes in the 1740s never really corrected this problem.

Canasatego Temple Work

Editor’s Note 4

“The deep understanding of the proper role and procedures in good government exemplified by Canassatego in his discourses with many of the Founding Fathers may have contributed to his being included in a little-known account in the history of the Church. I have recounted many times this story of how a Native American chief by the name of Canassatego had instructed some of the Founding Fathers during a particularly difficult negotiation, thereby being an instrument in establishing the inspired Constitution of the United States.

Many Latter-day Saints are aware that in August 1877 at St. George, Utah, Wilford Woodruff, the temple president, and his recorder received visions that vicarious temple ordinances for the Founding Fathers and other eminent men and women were to be performed. On August 21, 1877, temple ordinance work was undertaken for them. However, few church members are aware that baptisms by proxy were also performed for 85 Native American Chieftains. That was done August 29, 1877, only a few days following the ordinance work that had been done for the Founders. One of the historically significant chieftains of that illustrious group was Canassatego. The death of President Brigham Young on that same day resulted in the temple presidency leaving for Salt Lake City with only the chieftains’ baptismal work accomplished. Their remaining temple work seems to have been accidentally forgotten until I showed images of the temple registry during a presentation at St. George. In that audience was Delores Kahkonen, a Cayuga of the Six Nations/Iroquois.  She literally jumped from her chair exclaiming, “Those are my people!” During the next two years she would be instrumental in researching each of those chieftains and facilitating the completion of their temple ordinance work including sealings to their spouses.”(January 26, 2019 email to Rian Nelson from Rodney Meldrum.) 

Page 196, St. George Temple Records August 29, 1877, LDS Church Archives, Copied by Rod Meldrum

Canassatego also said, “Our wise forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations. This has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful Confederacy; and by your observing the same methods, our wise forefathers have taken, you will acquire such Strength and power. Therefore, whatever befalls you, never fall out with one another.” Canassatego, Lancaster Treaty Council, 1744.

Legends of the Iroquois Nation Allen C. Christensen

Hiawatha

There are intriguing legends and historical traditions attached to the powerful Iroquois Nation or Confederacy.  One such tradition known to some is that before the five tribes became united, there were frequent intertribal conflicts among them which were fierce and deadly.  In the midst of these fratricidal struggles well before the coming of Columbus, two men came to the five nations and declared to them a message of peace.  These two men, Deganawidah or Deganawideh (The Peacemaker) and Hayenwatha (Hiawatha) instructed them that no longer were they to engage in such conduct, but that they were to live in peace one with another. 

Hiawatha had known great personal sorrow and was well acquainted with grief.  According to Iroquois memory his seven daughters had been murdered.  Depravity had come to characterize that society.  There were evil forces who thought that killing his daughters would be an acceptable means of drafting him into their service.  The people had become corrupted to the point they were beyond feeling.  They had lost empathy and the power of grief, because they had so debased the value of a single life. v  Hiawatha wandered the woods seeking consolation.  He devised a ceremony designed to console one who had suffered tremendous loss.  Later, the Peacemaker–one born of a virgin mother who could not be killed, and who taught peace–came to him with a new ceremony.  Known today as the Ritual of Condolence, it symbolically anoints and consoles.  One is helped to recognize grief and the sanctity of life, wherein society acknowledges that when suffering grief, it is hard to hear the laughter of children, hard to swallow and hard to see the sun in the sky.  Using the white fawn-skin of pity, the Ritual of Condolence wipes the ears to hear the laughter of children, the eyes to see the sun, opens the throat to swallow. vi  Outside of the Iroquois “Longhouse ceremonies,” the actual name of the Peacemaker is not used for it is considered sacred. vii

Great Law of Peace

They were given the laws by which they were to conduct their affairs.  Whatever the genesis of that Great Law of Peace, sometimes referred to as the Iroquois Constitution, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca tribes bound themselves together in a league of confederacy.  Decisions reached in Council meetings had to be unanimous.  The Iroquois believed that it was so important that all be of one heart, one mind, one law, that the Confederacy did not take action without unanimous agreement.  Formal provision was made for women to appoint delegates to the Council of the Iroquois Nation.  No nation of the Confederacy was under the rule of a single leader, although one chief might hold an honored station as the keeper of the sacred artifacts. viii,ix 

Their chieftains were installed by having a headdress of antlers placed upon them.  Impeachment for unacceptable behavior resulted in dehorning or removal of the antlers.  Those acquainted with the Old West’s cattle roundups for purposes of branding and dehorning probably have assumed that “dehorning” was a word unique to the American cowboy or Mexican vaquero.  According to the best information available today, sometime between 800 and 1390 A.D. the Iroquois peoples and their patterns of government were firmly established in what is now New York and Ontario, Canada.  These five nations fared well.  War came only after all efforts at diplomacy failed. 

As an aside, consider what America’s governmental system and the resolution of contentious contemporary problems might be like today were the people’s representatives or delegates removed for acting in self-interest.  What would happen were grandmothers to determine that leaders should be removed where such officials were deemed as not acting in the best interests of the next seven generations?  M. Franklin Keel has written: “From a practical point of view, who better than mothers, grandmothers, and aunts would know the very nature and personality of the many young children.  Knowing them from birth, they were in a unique position to see which children were kind, which ones were bullies, which ones had leadership qualities, which ones were intelligent, which ones were generous, which ones were wise.   Among the Iroquois, there was a governance requirement for considering the long-term consequences of council decisions.  Honestly assessed, the clan mothers knew who would provide the type of leadership that the Great Law required.” x  Clearly the power of incumbency would be held in check.  Truth is like gold.  Neither gold nor truth is confined to a single place or to a single people.  Sometimes great effort is required to extract gold from its ore-bearing rock.  And lest we forget, so it is with truth. 

The councils of the Iroquois were dignified, a stark contrast to the rancor and harsh rhetoric which sometimes were manifest in colonial politics.  Native orators were perhaps among the tribes most eloquent spokesmen.  However, it did not follow that the spokesman was the most influential in the actual decision making.  The colonist wanted to strike deals quickly whereas members of the Confederacy proceeded deliberately.  When they were unable or had not reached consensus, Iroquoian representatives offered polite evasions.  Seemingly, in that regard they were more sophisticated than their colonial counterparts.  Their speech was richly symbolic.  Metaphors such as ‘burying the hatchet” meant to make peace, especially so, when a tree was planted to cover the hole.  “To clear a path” meant the restoration of trade.  “Eating from the same bowl” was to share one’s land resources. xi  There were cultural chasms to be bridged.  It was difficult for the somewhat rough-hewn colonial translators to infuse the fire of native oratory into English expression.  If the most effective communication is not to be misunderstood, then the lack of such linguistic sensitivities on the part of the colonists were a harbinger of difficulties to come.

When expansionist European nations came to America, things changed.  The Iroquoian peoples became involved in the fur trade.  Beaver were not abundantly supplied in their land.  Men began to devote themselves to the quest for beaver beyond their traditional territory.  Beaver skins became the medium of exchange for iron tools and utensils, for cloth and guns.  European powers schemed successfully to promote intertribal tension.  Playing one people against the other is not new in international subterfuge and intrigue.  In the early 1600s, French Jesuits established themselves among the Hurons, where they were well received and became effective missionaries, perhaps due in part to the fact the French were Huron trading partners.  Jesuit records indicate hundreds of Huron converted to Catholicism, most often as the proselyte lay dying from small pox or measles.  Following the destruction of the Huron Confederacy, the Jesuits turned their missionary efforts toward the Iroquois.  While not so well received, they did find some success among the Mohawk tribe.  Adoption of French practices tended to result in rejection of old ways and beliefs. xii

During the numerous wars of America’s colonial period, some tribes had been allied with the French, others with the British.  Those friendship choices frequently were influenced by the European nation that had been their trading partner.  To their disappointment and apparent surprise, the Thirteen Colonies discovered after that poetic moment when “once embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world,” xiii many of those tribes, who had been British trading partners, continued to ally themselves with Great Britain.  We have learned by sad experience that with quarrels, while blood is said to be thicker than water, it tends not to be thicker than money.  Then and now, people did what they thought to be in their best interest. 

Continental Congress Ask Iroquois Chiefs for help

On June 11. 1776, while delegates to the Continental Congress were debating the matter of independence visiting Iroquois chiefs were invited into the meeting hall.  Addressed as brothers (as used it that context it meant equals), the Iroquois were invited to act with the American Colonists as one people  and have but one heart.  While the sought for military alliance did not happen, the Founding Fathers ultimately gave serious consideration to the Iroquois Constitution as a model of Government, which knowing Iroquoian descendants state had been given by the “Luminous White Being.” xv  Clearly, that model of governance influenced America’s Articles of Confederation.  Benjamin Franklin became one of the proponents of that model.  He is reported to have said that if six nations of unsophisticated people (the Tuscarora had become the sixth member of the Confederacy by that time) “should be capable of forming a Scheme for such Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner as that it has subsisted for Ages, and appears indissoluble; and yet a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous; and who cannot be supposed to want an equal Understanding of their Interests.” xvi  Franklin proposed naming the national legislature, “The Great Council.”  He also proposed making America’s wild turkey the National Bird.  Even great men don’t get their way on everything. (See Editor’s Note 2)

Iroquois Nation of the Oneida

From Joseph’s Remnant we read, “The Oneida, an Iroquois nation, played a significant role in the Revolutionary War.  They fought at Oriskany and Saratoga.  Oneida chief, Shenandoah, had prevented a massacre of settlers at German Flats.  It was he who encouraged his people to ally themselves with the Americans.  In the Battle of Oriskany, 800 American militia under the command of Nicolas Herkimer attempted to relieve the British siege of Fort Stanwix.  En-route, they were ambushed by British forces and thrown into confusion.  A sortie from the fort and a party of Oneida came to the rescue.  In that August 6, 1777 battle, 60 or more Oneida warriors fought with the colonists.  The Pennsylvania Journal & Weekly Advertiser of September 3, 1777 described the exploits of Oneida Han Yerry and his family.  It reported that Han was a friendly Indian, with his wife and son, who distinguished themselves remarkably on that occasion.  The Indian killed nine of the enemy, when, having received a ball through his wrist that disabled him from using his gun, fought with his tomahawk.  His son killed two and his wife, on horseback, fought by his side with pistols during the whole action.  Mrs. Yerry’s name was Tyonajanegen.  It was she who loaded his guns and notified the colonists that the American militia had been badly bloodied by the British ambush.  It had cost at least 200 Oneida and Patriot lives.

The Oneida were the first sovereign nation to recognize the United States of America.  They fought alongside the Americans at Saratoga.  That American victory was a turning point in the war and was key in convincing the French that aiding the American effort was both desirable and feasible.    The Oneida were with Lafayette in 1778, and probably saved the young 20-year-old general and his 2,000 troops from being captured or killed at the Skirmish of Barren Hill in May.  Lest one forget, for their population base the Oneida suffered staggering losses in the war.

Oneida Nation Friendship Statue

Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman, walked some 400 miles from her New York home to Valley Forge.  She and others brought 600 barrels of corn to feed Washington’s desperately hungry troops. It was white rather than yellow corn.  White corn requires extended preparation before it can be eaten.  If uncooked, raw-white corn swells in the stomachs and causes death.  Polly Cooper and the others taught the camp cooks the lengthy preparation process.  Following the war, the Army tried to pay her, but she refused stating simply that it was her duty to help her friends in their time of need.  She accepted as a token of appreciation, however, a shawl and bonnet offered by Martha Washington.  Her descendants have treasured that shawl to this day.    

In 1777, the United States Congress recognized the Oneida contribution, stating: We have experienced your love, strong as the oak, and your fidelity, unchangeable as truth.  You have kept fast hold of the ancient covenant-chain, and preserved it free from rust and decay, and bright as silver.  Like brave men, for glory you despised danger; you stood forth, in the cause of your friends, and ventured your lives in our battles.  While the sun and moon continue to give light to the world, we shall love and respect you.  As our trusty friends, we shall protect you; and shall at all times consider your welfare as our own. Sadly, America’s record toward those beautiful words has been one of malicious neglect and frequent betrayal.  

Yes, remarkable bravery had been displayed.  But life was not all about war and bloodshed.  Traditions of faith and the need for spirituality existed among the Iroquois Confederacy.  Handsome Lake was a 60-year-old Seneca when he fell gravely ill in 1795.  For four years he suffered, experiencing periods of delirium and unconsciousness.  In 1799, he seemed to die.  When others had come to mourn his death, he suddenly awoke and announced that he had received a miraculous manifestation.  He had been visited by four messengers from the “Great Creator.”  He had been given a message for the Seneca, a lengthy set of instructions which enumerated their wrong doings.  Commandments or instructions for behavioral change were given.  The Seneca were instructed to live virtuous and peaceful lives.  They were to repair family and community relationships, treat children with patience and love, show kindness to the elderly, and avoid gossip and quarrels. This spiritual announcement followed two centuries of warfare.  It is called by some the prophecy of Handsome Lake.

Handsome Lake also began to teach that the Seneca should adopt the white man’s agricultural methods.  That men rather than women should become the farmers. xxiii  He also exhorted his people to discontinue their abortive and contraceptive practices.  He attempted to make fathers responsible for the welfare and success of their individual families.  He turned the family focus away from matrilineal ties.  He plead for the role of the nuclear family rather than placing the rearing responsibility on the traditional extended-family residences.  Essentially, he argued that father and mother, not the village, were to raise the children.  The debate of whom is responsible for the successful rearing of children continues in contemporary America.  During the initial Latter-day Saint mission to Native Americans, it was to Seneca people that Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer and Ziba Peterson visited first in the fall of 1830.” Joseph’s Remnant by Allen C. Christensen

Mormon’s Burial Place

As an aside, in a 1979 address to missionaries in training at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, President Murray J. Rawson shared an experience from his time as mission president in Florida. He reported that he had been teaching a group of the Seminole tribe concerning the Book of Mormon, when he was interrupted by their chief, who said: “We had a war a long time ago with a light-skinned people around the Great Lakes. We conquered them, but we had so much respect for their warrior chief that we buried him at the mouth of the Oswego River that is in New York State. We don’t discuss this very much, because it is an embarrassment to us.” President Rawson then asked: “Why is this an embarrassment?” The Chief replied, “Our history is written on metal plates and buried in a hill in New York, but we do not know which hill!” 

The mouth of the Oswego River empties into Lake Ontario. It is northeast of present-day Palmyra and the Finger Lake region of New York. In what some may call the storehouse of legends, it is fascinating that this account makes reference to an event that would have taken place in the lands of the Iroquois Confederacy, and yet, centuries later or a long time ago, was of sufficient significance that it was remembered and treasured among the Seminole of Florida. Murray J. Lawson

Thomas Mayhew Jr. Patriarch to the Inidans

“Governor Thomas Mayhew, the Elder (March 31, 1593 – March 25, 1682) established the first English settlement of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and adjacent islands in 1642. He is one of the editors of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book published in British North America. His assistant Peter Foulger was the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin. Lloyd C.M. Hare wrote a book about Mayhew titled, Thomas Mayhew, Patriarch to the Indians

Mayhew and his fellow settlers found a large and economically stable native population of about 3,000 living in permanent villages, led by four sachems (chiefs). Relations between the first settlers and their Wampanoag neighbors were peaceful and courteous. Under the leadership of his son, a minister, they instituted a policy of respect and fair dealing with the Wampanoag natives that was unequaled anywhere. One of the first of Mayhew’s orders was that no land was to be taken from the native islanders, the Wampanoags, without their consent or without fair payment. From this time forward, the colonial settlers and Indians lived without the bloodshed that marked the history of European colonies elsewhere in the New World.

From the beginning, Mayhew had worked to preserve the original political institutions of the Indians. Religion and government were distinct matters, he told the Indian chiefs. When one of your subjects becomes a Christian, he is still under your jurisdiction. Indian land was guarded against further encroachment by white settlers. So successful were these policies that during the bloody battles of King Philip’s War, (blog here) in 1675-1676, the Vineyard Indians never stirred, although they outnumbered the English on the island by twenty to one.

By 1660 there were about 85 white people living peaceably among the natives, earning their living by farming and fishing. The Mayhew family, which from that time forth became an integral part of island history, wanted to share its religion with the natives, but the Wampanoags were not too interested, having their own spiritual faith. However, once it was clear that, though Mayhew was the governor, the sachems remained in charge of their people, some became curious about the white man’s God. When a native named Hiacoomes expressed an interest, Mayhew invited him into his home and instructed him in English and Christianity. Hiacoomes, in return, taught Mayhew the native language. As soon as Mayhew could converse with the natives, he would some days “walk 20 miles through uncut forests to preach the Gospel…in wigwam or open field”. Thomas Mayhew is a direct descendent and 8^th great-grandfather of the editor.

”The common wisdom among historians is that the people who wrote the Constitution had no concept of the Indian way of life,” said John Mohawk, a Seneca from the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation near Buffalo, and the organizer, with Professor Lyons, of the project. ”But what made the colonists American as opposed to English was their experiences with the Indians.”

As proof, they cite records kept by the colonists. An Onondaga named Canassatego suggested that the colonists form a nation similar to the Iroquois Confederacy during a meeting of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania in Lancaster on June 25, 1744.

According to the director of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Peter J. Parker, the council minutes show that Canassatego urged the colonists to ”receive these your brethren with open arms; unite yourselves to them in the covenant chain and be you with them as one body and one soul.” Iroquois Constitution: a Forerunner to Colonists’ Democratic Principles, New York Times June 28, 198.

“The Iroquois Confederacy had been a functioning democracy for centuries by Benjamin Franklin’s day. Sometime between 1000 and 1450, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca Nations came together to become the Iroquois Confederacy, and in the early 18th century they were joined by the Tuscaroras. Referred to as the Six Nations by the English, and the Iroquois by the French, the Confederacy called themselves the Haudenosaunee, or People Building a Long House.” By Cynthia Feathers and Susan Feathers www.upenn.edu/gazette/0107/gaz09.html

“Contrary, then, to widespread assumptions during Joseph Smith’s lifetime that the Onondaga migrated to the New York region, it becomes clear that they originated here as a small, narrowly localized amalgamation of a few villages near Onondaga Lake, during the century before Columbus’ discovery of America” Beauchamp’s Aboriginal Place Names of New York;

Joseph Smith during his life more than likely knew about many of these Indian chiefs below who were from the same vicinity as him. Joseph may have also spent time with many of them.

IROQUOIS INDIAN CHIEF	BORN	PLACE
DEGANAWIDA-Huron/ Onondaga/Mohawk	12th Century	Near Lake Huron
HIAWATHA- Onondaga/Mohawk	12th Century	Onandaga, NY
TADODAHO- Onondaga	12th Century	Onondaga, NY
JIGONHSASEE- Haudenosaunee	12th Century	Cohoes Falls, NY
CANASSATEGO- Onondaga	1684-1750	Onondaga, NY
SAYENQUERAGHTA- Seneca	1707-1786	Geneva, NY
GUYASUTA- Seneca	1725-1794	Conawagus, NY
SKENANDOA- Susquehannock/Oneida	1706-1816	Conestoga, PA
CORNPLANTER- Seneca	1732-1836	Canawaugus, NY
HANDSOME LAKE- Seneca	1735-1815	Conawagus, NY
GOVERNOR BLACKSNAKE – Seneca	1737-1860	Romulus, NY
RED JACKET- Seneca	1750-1830	Canoga, NY
JOHN BRANT- Mohawk	1794-1832	Brant, Ontario
JESSE CORNPLANTER- Seneca	1889-1957	Cattaraugus, NY

 “On the one hand, there are parallels between Handsome Lake’s teachings and Book of Mormon, economic and social interactions between Iroquois and white settlers at the time were still extensive during the early decades of the 19th century, and Lucy Mack Smith wrote that Joseph talked about Indians “as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S.W. Richards, 1853. “Joseph Smith was interested in the people who lived around him. Young Joseph was a member of the juvenile debating club in Palmyra during 1822 when Red Jacket, arguably the most widely-known Seneca of this period, delivered a speech in town. Joseph also liked to hang out on Ganargua Creek (Mud Creek) in the area where Iroquois travelers camped. He had interest and access.” Joseph Smith and the Code of Handsome Lake Lori Taylor, Ph.D.

The Onondaga Nation at the great white pine tree in Syracuse NY on the shores of Onondaga Lake is where the message of peace was planted, and the hatchets were buried according to many researchers. Similarly, the Lamanites ,  “…buried the weapons of war, for peace.” Alma 24:19 (“a peacemaker crossed Onondaga Lake in a stone canoe, how he convinced warring nations to bury their weapons beneath a tree of peace.”) Sean Kirst Syracuse.com

“The Onondagas: These have special interest… this warrior, Zelph, was an Onondaga, as well as a “white” Lamanite, and that the Onondagas (of New York), consequently must be of Lamanite lineage.” J.M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon

 “How America Was Discovered is a story told by Handsome Lake (Seneca Prophet), and documented by Arthur C. Parker, about a young minister who meets the one he perceives to be the Lord, who then asks him to go to a new land and bring with him cards, money, a fiddle, whiskey, and blood corruption. In return the young minister will become rich. The young minister sought out Christopher Columbus, and with the help of his crew, traveled to the Americas. They turned back to report what they had seen, which caused an immigration of people from Europe to the Americas. Along with the people came the five things that aided in destroying the natives. The end reveals that the “Lord” in the gold castle was actually the devil, and that even he knew what he had caused was wrong.” Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto.

Over the past few days I have watched the news and heard from many friends, the Republican Convention theme this year is amazing. We as members of the Church in this great United States of America couldn’t have come up with a better theme ourselves.

“Honoring the Great American Story” August 24-27, 2020

Monday “The Land of Promise”
Tuesday “Land of Opportunity”
Wednesday “Land of Heroes”
Thursday “Land of Greatness”

I will share my reasons below of why I am so excited about our government today. I still believe 80% of Democrats and Republicans are terrible, but we do have hope. God is still in control of this great PROMISED LAND!

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Republican convention theme revealed: ‘Honoring the Great American Story’

The Trump campaign on Thursday previewing the themes with GOP lawmakers

By Brooke Singman | Fox News

Will in-person political conventions permanently disappear?

EXCLUSIVE: The theme of the upcoming 2020 GOP convention will be “Honoring the Great American Story” and will highlight America’s “greatness, opportunity and President Donald Trump’s bold leadership,” Fox News has learned.

The Trump campaign on Thursday afternoon had back to back phone calls with Republican members of Congress, previewing the themes for the 2020 Republican National Convention, a source familiar with the calls told Fox News.

The source told Fox News that the GOP’s convention theme is in “stark contrast to the doom and gloom message we expect to hear from career politicians at the DNC convention.”

BIDEN, HARRIS TO DELIVER DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION SPEECHES FROM DELAWARE

Fox News has learned that the first day of the convention, Monday Aug. 24, will focus on “the Land of Promise,” Tuesday will focus on the “Land of Opportunity,” Wednesday will focus on the “Land of Heroes,” and Thursday on the “Land of Greatness.”

Fox News has learned that Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will speak at the convention.Video

Other speakers include Tanya Weinreis, owner of Mountain Mudd Espresso in Montana, a local espresso drive-thru business with 12 kiosks and about 50 employees.

Weinreis received the PPP loan through her local lender and talked about how significant it is for her business during this time.

“The loss of sales was scary—I was nervous this would ruin the business. The large corporations like Starbucks could withstand it, but I didn’t know if we could,” Weinreis said. “[The PPP loan] will allow us to continue paying our employees, as well as covering other operational costs like rent and utilities. Now we can give back to the community in a meaningful way.”

Also, Sergeant of the St. Louis Metro Police Department, Ann Dorn, and wife of slain retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn, who was killed while protecting a pawn shop during a night of violent looting across St. Louis, will speak at the convention.

The discussions come as the convention details remain in flux, and as the campaign and the Republican National Committee continue to adjust their plans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, the Trump campaign and the RNC dramatically downscaled the convention by canceling planned celebratory events in Jacksonville, Fla., amid a surge in cases in the state, and refocused their attention to convention business back in the original convention site of Charlotte, N.C.

Meanwhile, the RNC last month said “a few hundred delegates” will be in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Aug. 24 for convention business, which will include the formal nomination of the president.

As Fox News reported in June, the delegates convening in Charlotte will not be voting on a 2020 party platform or even re-adopting the 2016 platform. Since there will be no convening of a platform committee, the 2016 platform will remain in effect. https://static.foxnews.com/static/orion/html/video/iframe/vod.html?v=20200810203603#uid=fnc-embed-1

My Opinion

As I found out that President Trump will be Featured each day of the GOP Convention, I wanted to briefly write down why I love President Trump’s leadership. He has amazed me. When he first joined the race in 2015, I thought he was just another man full of promises he will never keep. I saw him with a huge ego and a desire only for self. I hated his overt agressive behavior and ignorant remarks.

All of that has changed, (he still has a huge ego) because Pres Trump gets the results that my family and I want and need. He loves and serves others and loves God. Without much thought I came up with so many reasons why I support Trump. As I wrote, many other items kept coming to mind and I could have easily written 50 more. That is amazing. Not since Pres Reagan have I respected a President as I do now. I think Trump will go down as one of the best Presidents we ever had.

My List

Made Colleges debate both sides of issues or won’t fund them.
Protects my right to bear arms
Favors the right to life and opposes the partial birth abortion bill
Sisters of the Poor won their lawsuit not forcing them to use contraception
Israel now has its capital in Jerusalem
Israel and UAE have normalized relations
The wall is being built and immigration is granted orderly.
Over 80% of small business and workers received a tax cut
Reduced corporate taxes
We may choose our own health care
Respects the right to protest but not to riot and destroy
Is against sanctuary cities and letting illegals be released
Crime reform bill. First time arrested citizens have opportunity to succeed
Veterens may get health care from anywhere
Right to try bill. People may choose to try a drug not approved by Govt.
Took no money from donors for his campaign.
Killed leading terrorists and wants to get us out of war
America comes first in ALL things.
Left the international organizations that don’t pay their fair share
Left the Paris Climate Accord
Loves families and emphasises a fathers presence
Against Gay marriage but believes in equal rights
Wants small government, more local city and state representaion.
Is holding China and Russia and Iran and North Korea accountable
Respects our right to worship as we please.
Lowest unemplyment for African Americans and other minorities
Economy best ever. See stocks
Wants to open business safely and is sensible with the virus
Wants voter ID enforced and is against general mail in of ballots
Believes God has endowed us with rights to life, libery and property.
Doesn’t need governments money or power.
Keeps his promises on what he said before elected.
Has created self reliance on need for oil and approves fracking
Supports law enforcement.
I believe all lives are important in the eyes of God. He loves us all.

Now think about this. Name two or three things Pres Clinton, Bush, or Obama did for us? What has Biden of Hillary done with their 40 years in government? It’s a challenge to name even one accomplishment for each person. The choice is obvious of who I will vote for in November. It’s not even a close call.

President Benson gave a most wonderful talk below, that everyone of us should share with all those we know. His love for the Promised Land of the United States is such a testimony to me. This talk has strengthened my love for our country and helped me understand our role to spread the Gospel to the world. We have made a Covenant with the Lord to share the Gospel and if we don’t we will be held accountable. Those on other lands of the world have also been blessed as the Lord loves them as much as He love us. President Benson in my opinion, makes it very clear that this land of the United States is the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon.

President Benson said, “The Constitution of the United States has served as a model for many nations and is the oldest constitution in use today. “I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80). For centuries the Lord kept America hidden in the hollow of His hand until the time was right to unveil her for her destiny in the last days. “It is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations,” said Lehi, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Ne. 1:8)… Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church…

Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church…

“Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). What will become of our civilization?… I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.

I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.

I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.

We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands. (Ether 2:10)” Ezra Taft Benson “Our Divine Constitution Ensign Oct 1987

Ancient Medicine from Zarahemla AN ANCIENT AND POWERFUL MEDICINAL PLANT FOUND ON THE ZARAHEMLA TEMPLE SITE During the last month, people have become aware of the health benefits from a plant that Dr. Kevin Price discovered six weeks ago growing on the Zarahemla Temple Site. Based on existing literature, the health benefits from the oils of this plant will be significant. At the end of the Heartland Research Group Expedition during the first week of August 2020, volunteers harvested 13 pounds of fresh plant material directly from the center of the sand mound that is the foundation of the Zarahemla temple. The plant material was flown to Utah where its precious essential oils were extracted within 24 hours after harvest by Dana Young, Founder and President of Be Young Total Health. The appearance, smell, and taste of the essential oils confirm that the plant has the properties of world-class essential oils that are used for many medicinal purposes. These expectations, however, can only be confirmed through rigorous tests in a certified essential oils testing laboratory. The extracted essential oil from the first harvest has been hand-delivered to a third-party testing laboratory that specializes in gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses to certify its chemical composition and purity. The laboratory report will be completed in the next few weeks. While the chemical make-up of this plant has been reported in another country, we are excited to see how the uniqueness of this area and the preservation by the ancient people have molded the DNA of this plant to produce this exquisite healing essential oil. The report will confirm the essential oil chemistry of the plant found on the Zarahemla Temple site and a summary of the findings will be posted on this Facebook Page and on www.zarahemla.site. We have mounting evidence that this plant was cultivated more than 2,000 years ago by people who are found in the Book of Mormon. The plant is tied to a verse in the 46th chapter of the Book of Alma. Alma was living in Zarahemla at the time when he wrote: “… 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.” Malaria was a seasonal disease that causes severe fever during certain seasons of the year throughout the Heartland of the US. This dreadful disease was not eradicated from the US until 1951. Seeds from the plant will soon be ready for harvest. In a few weeks, we intend to harvest these seeds under the supervision of a trained botanist. The seeds naturally fall from the plant directly to the ground which means their dispersal method is more in place than plants that use longer distance dispersal mechanisms such as wind and clinging to the fur coats of animals and dropped in more distant locations. Based on the dominance and geographic distribution of this plant, its dispersion seems to have been dependent on the deliberate action and migratory direction of ancient people. None of the plants are noticeable in the fields and roadside areas for miles around the Zarahemla Temple site. Visual areal correspondence analysis shows strong mapping-pattern agreement between the plant distribution and Hopewell cultural settlement sites in the State of Iowa, and authors of newly found documents report that the plant is found abundantly in the sandy areas around the Great Lakes region, another area where Hopewell people were also heavily concentrated. These findings suggest the Hopewell people, were maintaining this plant for its medicinal qualities. We found it thriving in the Zarahemla Temple area, but most strongly associated with the sandy area where the temple was located and along an ancient berm created by the Hopewell people near their temple. The plant appears to be a living artifact from the Book of Mormon. Centuries ago, the Europeans came and gave Native People smallpox while at the same time these intruders ignored the health benefits that the Natives could have given them for the cure of malaria — sickness from the old world and health in the new world. This was an unfortunate situation. For 300 years of European domination, the healing properties of this ancient plant have been hiding in the weeds. It is now time for these benefits to be made available to the world. Published studies have shown that important essential oils also found in this plant are effective against every strain of bacteria for which it was tested, and the EPA recently approved the use of sterilizing compounds that are found in this plant for cleaning surfaces for bacteria and viruses. It is also interesting to note a clear correlation of the plant’s dispersal with locations of those people who are identified in the Book of Mormon. From Florida to Iowa and from Iowa to the Great Lakes the plant is found within the habitation areas of the Hopewell people, whom we believe to have been the Nephites described in the Book of Mormon. These people carried the seeds of the plant in pouches and planted them as they moved from one location to another. We are extremely excited about bringing the plant from the Temple of Zarahemla Site back to the attention and benefit of our time. Heaven knows that we have suffered too much from strange diseases. It is now time for the ancient world of the Nephites to come forth to help us as we try to improve our health and wellness. Please help in our continued search for Zarahemla. If you would like to contribute to these efforts you can do so by going to www.zarahemla.site. Click Here to See YouTube Video

 

Definition of Mobocracy

1: rule by the mob
2: the mob as a ruling class

Mobocracy happens without the rule of law. Look what happened to our beloved Prophet and Hyrum. Mobocracy. We know the pain it can create. Imagine the rule of a mob as in Seattle or Portland or any other city and how it can spread. We need to wake up and protect this great country. The Mob is louder than the civil people and we may pay a price.

At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple Joseph Smith said, “Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins if repentance is to be found;” D&C 109:50

The key words are “if repentance.” We must be willing to forgive and yet that doesn’t mean give up. I hope and pray we have “much might” left in us to overcome the adversary in these terrible injustices.

Orson Pratt’s prophecy Posted: 27 Jun 2020 09:29 AM PDT Journal of Discourses, vol. 18, pp. 335-348 Daniel’s Vision—Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream—Its Interpretation—The Coming of the Ancient of Days—Joseph Smith’s Prophecy—Things Yet to Be Fulfilled—The Valley of God Where Adam Dwelt—The Establishment of the Kingdom of God—The Coming Millennium and Triumph of the Saints Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Eighteenth Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Feb. 25, 1877. Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs._____ For instance, this great republic must pass away in the manner indicated unless the people repent. There is only one condition by which they can be preserved as a nation, and the Lord himself has decreed it. We can read it in the various revelations which God has given, respecting this land. The Book of Mormon, for instance, speaks in many places, of the overthrow of the government that should exist on this land if they should reject the divine message contained therein. Inasmuch as they repent not, the Lord has said that he would visit them in his anger, and that he would throw down all their strongholds. And he further says, that he will cut off their horses out of their midst. This will doubtless be done through some great calamity or disease. He also says that he will cut off the cities of our land, that all manner of lying, deceits, hypocrisy, murders, priestcrafts, whoredoms and secret abominations shall be done away, having reference particularly to this nation. He says, too, “I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” We are told, too, that the nature of these judgments is to be swift and terrible, coming upon them like a fierce wind, when they expect it not; when they are crying peace and safety, behold sudden destruction is at their doors….It has been revealed that the time will come in the history of our nation, that one State will rise against another, one city against another, even every man’s hand shall be against his neighbor, until the whole Republic will be in general commotion and warfare. How and when this will take place, the Lord, in his wisdom, has not told us; but it is sufficient for us to say, that he has told us of the facts that such and such will be the case.For aught we know, the fulfillment of this prophecy may grow out of politics. If the people are very nearly equally divided in politics, this feeling may run so high, in years to come, as to be the direct cause of war. And if this should be the case, it would very naturally spread to every neighborhood in the Union.  One class of political opponents would rise up against the other class in the same city and country, and thus would arise a war of mobocracy. If a war of this description should take place, who could carry on his business in safety? Who would feel safe to put his crops in the ground, or to carry on any enterprise? There would be fleeing from one State to another, and general confusion would exist throughout the whole Republic. Such eventually is to be the condition of this whole nation, if the people do not repent of their wickedness; and such a state of affairs means no more or less than the complete overthrow of the nation, and not only of this nation, but the nations of Europe, which form the feet and toes of that great image. They are the powers to be first broken; it is not the nation representing the head of gold, the remnant of the Babylonish Empire that still exists in Asia, that will be attacked first, neither is it the Persians and Medes, whose descendants still live; but the Lord will first break up those kingdoms which represent the feet and toes of the image, of which I have been speaking. After that, he will proceed to break in pieces the kingdoms that represent the brass, the silver, and the gold. Some are to be spared for a little season. The kingdom of God is to roll forth… https://jod.mrm.org/18/335Source: Book of Mormon Consensus Jonathan Neville.

https://jod.mrm.org/18/335

By James Rogers, | Fox News

A large jar burial containing the remains of one of the individuals sequenced in the study (Dr. Claude Doumet-Serhal – The Sidon excavation).

DNA research is shining new light on the Biblical Canaanite civilization, which existed thousands of years ago in the Middle East.

The ancient civilization, which created the first alphabet and is mentioned frequently in the Bible, has long fascinated historians. LiveScience reports that, because the Canaanites kept their records on papyrus, rather than clay, relatively little is known about them.

Now, however, scientists have found a genetic ‘trail’ back to the Canaanites’ ancient world.

EXPERTS HUNT FOR BIBLICAL TABERNACLE THAT HOUSED THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

By sequencing the genomes of five Canaanites that lived 4,000 years ago with genomes from 99 people living in modern day Lebanon, researchers identified a strong genetic link to the mysterious civilization.

The results surprised the scientists, whose work was supported by U.K. biomedical research charity The Wellcome Trust.

“In light of the enormously complex history of this region in the last few millennia, it was quite surprising that over 90 percent of the genetic ancestry of present-day Lebanese was derived from the Canaanites,” said Chris Tyler-Smith, senior group leader at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in a statement.

EXPERTS UNCOVER EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT JERUSALEM’S DESTRUCTION BY THE BABYLONIANS

In addition to the ancient Canaanite DNA, the analysis of genomes from the modern day Lebanese people also showed a small proportion of Eurasian ancestry that may have come from conquests by Assyrians, Persians or Macedonians, according to the experts.

The researchers also discovered that the ancient Canaanites were a mixture of local people, who settled in farming villages during the Neolithic period, and eastern migrants who arrived about 5,000 years ago. “Using ancient DNA we show for the first time who were (genetically) the ancient Canaanites, how they were related to other ancient populations and what was their fate,” explained Marc Haber, a genetic data expert at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in an email to Fox News. “Our work shows the power of genetics in filling gaps in human history when the historical records are absent or scarce.”

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH 2,700-YEAR OLD RESERVOIR IN ISRAEL

Haber added that the results complement Biblical accounts of the Canaanites. While the Israelites are commanded to “utterly destroy” the Canaanites in Deuteronomy 20:16-18, Judges 1 describes the survival of a number of Canaanite communities.

Canaanites once lived in what we now recognize as Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The remains of the five ancient Canaanites studied as part of the DNA research were recovered in the modern-day Lebanese city of Sidon.

The research was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics on July 27.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

Janne Mattson Sjödahl (29 November 1853 – 23 June 1939) was a Swedish convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and was the author of influential commentaries on LDS Church scriptures. Sjödahl was among the first commentators to advance a “limited geography model” for the theorized geography of the Book of Mormon.

In 1874, Sjödahl moved to England and enrolled in Spurgeon’s College in London, where he graduated with a degree in divinity in 1876. While in England, Sjödahl mastered English and also specialized in Greek and Hebrew. In addition to knowing Swedish and Norwegian from his childhood, Sjödahl would also master the German, Icelandic, and Arabic languages…

On 8 June 1886, Sjödahl was excommunicated from the Baptist Church, possibly on charges of adultery.[1] Around the same time, Sjödahl became associated with Ferdinand Friis Hintze, a Danish missionary from the LDS Church. Following his excommunication, Sjödahl travelled to Utah Territory to further investigate Mormonism. On the sea journey, his son Janne Jr. died.

After arriving in Utah Territory, Sjödahl settled in Sanpete County, where a large number of Scandinavian Latter-day Saints had settled. On 7 October 1886, Sjödahl was baptized into the LDS Church in Manti.

Life in Manti
Upon settling in Manti, Sjödahl became the editor of the Manti Sentinel newspaper.

When the LDS Church’s Manti Utah Temple was completed in May 1888, Sjödahl became the first individual to receive his Endowment in the new temple.[2] On 30 May 1888, Sjödahl and Christina Christofferson were married in the Manti Temple by Apostle Francis M. Lyman; they were the first couple married in the new temple.[2] His second wife died in 1910.

Church translator and missionary
In 1888, Sjödahl completed a church-approved translation of the LDS Church’s Doctrine and Covenants into Swedish. In 1927, Sjödahl translated the Pearl of Great Price into Swedish, and in 1935 he completed the third revised translation of the Book of Mormon into Swedish.

Upon the completion of the translation, Sjödahl was asked by church president Wilford Woodruff to go on a mission to Palestine. In January 1889. Sjödahl arrived in Jaffa. He learned to speak Arabic and preached in Palestine for one year, organizing a branch of the church in Jaffa.[3] In January 1890, Sjödahl was asked to go to Bern, Switzerland to complete his mission. He arrived back in Utah Territory in July 1890.

Newspaper editor and publications
Upon returning to Utah, Sjödahl became employed by the Deseret News newspaper in Salt Lake City. From 1906 to 1914, Sjödahl was the chief editor of the newspaper. In 1914, Sjödahl returned to England and became an editor of the LDS Church’s Millennial Star in Liverpool.

In 1917, Sjödahl and LDS Church Apsotle Hyrum M. Smith, who was the president of the church’s European Mission, together worked on A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants. While Sjödahl wrote most of the text, it was reviewed and approved by Smith. When Doctrine and Covenants Commentary was first published in 1919 in Liverpool, it was a church-approved publication and only Smith was listed as an author. However, subsequent publication of Doctrine and Covenants Commentary have acknowledged Sjödahl as its coauthor. Doctrine and Covenants Commentary is still cited frequently by Latter-day Saint authors and commentators.

Upon returning to Utah in 1919, Sjödahl became an editor for the church’s Improvement Era magazine, in which he published more than 50 of his own articles. In 1920, Sjödahl worked with George F. Richards and James E. Talmage in revising the footnotes in the Book of Mormon; Sjödahl’s work was incorporated into the LDS Church’s 1920 English edition of that publication. In 1923 and 1924, he assisted Talmage in revising his church-approved book Articles of Faith.

In 1927, Sjödahl published An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon, an apologetic work and one of the founding works in the area of Book of Mormon studies. In this work, Sjödahl advanced an early version of the “limited geography model” of the Book of Mormon, one of the first authors to do so.

Sjödahl was also the editor of the LDS Church’s German, Danish–Norwegian, Dutch, and Swedish newspapers in Salt Lake City from 1919 until they ceased publication in 1935.

When Sjödahl died in 1939, he had partially completed an extensive commentary on the Book of Mormon. In 1955, Sjödahl’s material was taken by his son-in-law, Philip C. Reynolds, and combined with some materials by church general authority George Reynolds and published under their names the seven-volume Commentary on the Book of Mormon. In 1965, Philip Reynolds published under the same names Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price.

Publications
George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjödahl (1955) (Philip C. Reynolds, ed.). Commentary on the Book of Mormon (7 vols.) (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press)
—— and —— (1965) (Philip C. Reynolds, ed.). Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press)
Janne M. Sjödahl (1927). An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press)
—— (1913). The Reign of Antichrist, or, The Great Falling Away: A Study in Ecclesiastical History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press)
Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjödahl (1955, 2d ed.). The Doctrine and Covenants Containing Revelations Given to Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet, with an Introduction and Historical and Exegetical Notes (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press) [originally published in 1919 as A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants] source: Wikipedia

See my Blog Here about the stories in the D&C Commentary by Sjodahl and Hyrum Smith that support  events of the Book of Mormon  in North America 

In 1927, Janne M. Sjödahl a Swedish immigrant and convert to the LDS church, wrote a book on one of the founding works in the area of Book of Mormon studies. In his book he said; “The Onondagas: These have special interest… It appears from this, that this warrior, Zelph, was an Onondaga, as well as a “white” Lamanite, and that the Onondagas (of New York), consequently must be of Lamanite lineage. It also appears that at least some of the mounds in the Ohio Valley were erected by the descendants of Lehi” J.M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon.

THE LATTER DAY SAINTS MILLENNIAL STAR  THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1917, Editorial by J.M. Sjodahl, CONFIRMING THE BOOK OF MORMON.

According to the belief of the Latter-day Saints, the American continents were inhabited before the Flood. Somewhere in America, they believe, Enoch built his marvelous city, which was taken from the earth before the deluge. Somewhere in that region, Noah built the ark, and preached the gospel of repentance, and from America he was carried across the mighty deep until the vessel in which he and his family had found safety rested on
Mount Ararat.

The Book of Mormon tells us that some of those who were engaged in the construction of the Tower of Babel and who were scattered over the face of the earth were brought to America. There they grew to become a mighty nation. In course of time, however, they became exceedingly wicked and destroyed each other. These people are known as the Jaredites.

The sacred record mentioned also tells us that about six hundred years before our era, the Lord brought another colony of settlers to America. They came from Jerusalem. They also increased, prospered, and became wicked. Like the Jaredites, they destroyed each other, and but few remained after their sanguinary wars. From these the Red Indians have descended.

The Book of Mormon teaches, then, that there has been communication between Asia and America during the past ages, and that the American ancient civilization, of which many marvelous monuments still remain, are of Semitic origin, influenced, however, by Egyptian culture. This is implied by Nephi, when he says that he makes his record in the language of his father, “which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians,” and, when the circumstances of the time in which Lehi lived before he emigrated from Jerusalem are considered, it is easily understood that the Egyptian influence must have been considerable upon the Hebrew mind and intellectual life generally. He lived at a time when Babylonia and Egypt were striving for supremacy in Palestine, and when the shortsighted leaders of the people favored the Egyptians in preference to the Chaldean’s, to such an extreme degree that many of them fled to Egypt, when the army of Nebuchadnezzar approached their beloved city. They even forced Jeremiah to accompany them to Egypt. Under the circumstances it is natural that Egyptian influence should have had a strong hold on the leading men among the Jews, as indicated in the Book of Mormon.

Lately, scientists have been inclined to doubt our belief in this respect. They have tried to account for the similarity observed in the civilizations of the Old World and the New, by supposing that similar needs and circumstances in different parts of the world may well lead isolated groups of men to work out systems of civilization of the same type. How much this theory owes to a desire to disprove the Book of Mormon, no one knows. Even scientists may have their prejudices. It is all the more noteworthy that a recent contributor to Science (New York, August 11th. 1910), G. Elliot Smith, contends that the pre-columbian civilization of the Americas came from Egypt. He places the date of its exodus from that country at 900 B.C. A “cultural migration,” he thinks, took place at that time, which left its influence also in India, China, and Polynesia. On this theory the trek eastward from the Red Sea. of Lehi and his company, would appear quite natural, though miraculously guided by divine power.

As quoted in the Literary Digest, September 9th, 1910, G. Elliot Smith writes 

“The proof of the reality of this great migration of culture, is provided, not merely by the identical geographical distribution of a very extensive series of curiously distinctive, and often utterly bizarre, customs and beliefs, the precise dates and circumstances of the origin of which are known in their parent countries, but by the fact that these strange ingredients are compounded in a definite and highly complex manner, to form an artificial cultural structure, which no theory of independent evolution can possibly explain, because chance played so large a part in building it up in its original home.”

“For instance, it is quite conceivable (though, I believe, utterly opposed to the evidence at our disposal) that different people might, independently the one or the other, have invented the practices of mummification, building megalithic monuments, circumcision, tattooing, and terraced irrigation; evolved the stories of the petrification of human beings, the strange adventures of the dead in the underworld, and the divine origin of kings ; and adopted sun-worship.

But why should the people of America and Egypt who built megalithic monuments, build them in accordance with very definite plans compounded of Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian, and East Asiatic models? And why should the same people who did so, also have their wives’ chins tattooed, their sons circumcised, their dead mummified? Or why should it be the same people who worshiped the sun and adopted the curiously artificial winged-sun-and-serpent symbolism, who practiced terraced irrigation in precisely the same way, who made idols, and held similar beliefs regarding them, who had identical stories of the wanderings of the dead in the underworld?

“If any theory of evolution of customs and beliefs is adequate to explain the independent origin of each item in the extensive repertoire, either of the New Empire Egyptian or the pre-Columbian American civilization (which I deny), it is utterly inconceivable that the fortuitous combination of hundreds of utterly incongruous and fantastic elements could possibly have happened twice. It is idle to deny the completeness of the demonstration which the existence of such a civilization in America supplies of the fact that it was derived from the late New Empire Egyptian civilization, modified by Ethiopian, Mediterranean, West Asiatic, Indian, Indonesian, East Asiatic, and Polynesian influences. * * *

“All that I claim, then, is that the influence of Egypt was handed on from place to place ; that the links which all ethnologists recognize as genuine bonds of union can with equal certainty be joined up into a cultural chain uniting Egypt to America.

“In almost every one of the focal points along this great migration route the folklore of today has preserved legends of the culture heroes who introduced some one or other of the elements of this peculiarly distinctive civilization. * * *

“At every spot where they touched and tarried, whether on the coasts of Asia, the islands of the Pacific, or on the continent of America, the new culture took root and flourished in its own distinctive manner, as it was subjected to the influence of the aborigines or to that of later comers of other ideas and traditions ; and each place became a fresh focus from which the new knowledge continued to radiate for long ages after the primary inoculation.

“The first great cultural wave (or the series of waves of which it was composed) continued to flow for several centuries. It must have begun some time after 900 B.C., because the initial equipment of the great wanderers included practices which were not invented in Egypt until that time. The last of the series of ripples in the great wave set out from India just after the practice of cremation made its appearance there, for at the end of the series the custom of incinerating the dead made its appearance in Indonesia, Polynesia, Mexico, and elsewhere.” J. M. S.

In the Book of Mormon and other scripture, it is important to know and understand directions as the people of that day and place understood certain directions.

For example in the USA we think of North, South, East and West in our own unique way. For my example lets assume I am in Utah and speaking with a friend. When we are talking or communicating I may say to my friend, “I would love to go “back east” one day.” Or, I am discussing my family in California and I say, “I need to go “out west” to see my family. If I want to travel to Arizona on a vacation I might say, “I would love to go “down south” to see the desert. If I wanted to go to Canada I would say, “Let’s go “up North” to Vancouver.

Out West
Back East
Up North
Down South

We must understand the culture and environment in which we are. In the Book of Mormon, whenever it says something about travel to from the land of first inheritance to Zarahemla, it says, “down to Zaraemla” or down into, etc. On a map as we see it today that would seem incorrect as Tennessee is down to and Zarahemla is up to, right? Well, in the Book of Mormon they are referring to elevation, not direction. Going from Tennessee down to Missouri is related to elevation, not direction.

“The Book of Mormon was engraved onto metal plates in a modified/reformed Egyptian language because it took less space than Hebrew writing. So, the Nephite historians new the customs of both Hebrew and Egyptian cultures. Note in the reference below that, in Hebrew, the direction of west may be referred to as ‘back’, as in “the back pass”. Also note that, in Egyptian, the direction of south is ‘upwards’ (up to the land of Nephi) and the direction of north is ‘lower’, so travel north would involve going down (down to the land of Zarahemla). Up and down may also refer to elevation changes in parts of the Book of Mormon, but generally, “going up” means going south and “going down” means going north. So yes, the river Sidon can flow south through one or more heads, because ‘head’ can mean ‘conflux’ (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) which equals a confluence.”

“The name of the Khar, which occurs also in the Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions as the designation of a people and country, is undoubtedly connected with the Semitic root achur or achor, which signifies ‘back or hinder side, behind, backwards,’ and hence also the West quarter of a region, in opposition to qadam, the ‘front side, the East quater.’ As is well known, the Semitic nations used to turn the face to the East, the quarter of the rising sun, and accordingly they called the East the ‘front side’ the West the ‘hinder side,’ the South therefore the ‘right’ (yamin), and the North the ‘left’ (shemol, shamel). In opposition to all this the ancient Egyptians regarded the Western side as the right (unim), the Eastern as the left (semah, whence the word Asmach cited by Herodotus as meaning ‘those who stand on the king’s left hand’). Consequently they turned the face to the South, or, as they used to say, ‘upwards’ (hir) or ‘forwards’ (khhont), so that the North lay at their back, and hence its appellation of the ‘lower’ (khir) or ‘hinder’ (pehu) region.”

Reference:
“A History of Egypt Under the Pharaohs, Derived Entirely from the Monuments, Volume 1”, by Heinrich Karl Brugsch, Henry Danby Seymour – Egypt – 1881, (p254+255, Footnote 6)

Book of Mormon Language

Author: Stubbs, Brian Darrel

The language of the Book of Mormon exhibits features typical of a translation from an ancient Near Eastern text as well as the stamp of nineteenth-century English and the style of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. That the language of the Book of Mormon should resemble that of the KJV seems only natural, since in the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the KJV was the most widely read book in America and formed the standard of religious language for most English-speaking people (see CWHN 8:212-18). Furthermore, the Book of Mormon shares certain affinities with the KJV: both include works of ancient prophets of Israel as well as accounts of part of the ministry of Jesus Christ, both are translations into English, and both are to become “one” in God’s hand as collections of his word to his children (Ezek. 37:16-17; 1 Ne. 13:41; D&C 42:12).

LANGUAGES USED BY THE NEPHITES. Statements in the Book of Mormon have spawned differing views about the language in which the book was originally written. In approximately 600 B.C., Nephi1-the first Book of Mormon author and one who had spent his youth in Jerusalem-wrote, “I make a record [the small plates of Nephi] in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians” (1 Ne. 1:2). One thousand years later, Moroni ₂, the last Nephite prophet, noted concerning the plates of Mormon that “we have written this record…in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates [metal leaves] had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also…. But the Lord knoweth…that none other people knoweth our language” (Morm. 9:32-34). In light of these two passages, it is evident that Nephite record keepers knew Hebrew and something of Egyptian. It is unknown whether Nephi, Mormon, or Moroni wrote Hebrew in modified Egyptian characters or inscribed their plates in both the Egyptian language and Egyptian characters or whether Nephi wrote in one language and Mormon and Moroni, who lived some nine hundred years later, in another. The mention of “characters” called “reformed Egyptian” tends to support the hypothesis of Hebrew in Egyptian script. Although Nephi’s observation (1 Ne. 1:2) is troublesome for that view, the statement is ambiguous and inconclusive for both views.

Nephite authors seem to have patterned their writing after the plates of brass, a record containing biblical texts composed before 600 B.C. that was in the possession of descendants of Joseph of Egypt (1 Ne. 5:11-16). At least portions of this record were written in Egyptian, since knowledge of “the language of the Egyptians” enabled Lehi, father of Nephi, to “read these engravings” (Mosiah 1:2-4). But whether it was the Egyptian language or Hebrew written in Egyptian script is again not clear. Egyptian was widely used in Lehi’s day, but because poetic writing are skewed in translation, because prophetic writings were generally esteemed as sacred, and because Hebrew was the language of the Israelites in the seventh century B.C., it would have been unusual for the writings of Isaiah and Jeremiah-substantially preserved on the brass plates (1 Ne. 5:13;19:23)-to have been translated from Hebrew into a foreign tongue at this early date. Thus, Hebrew portions written in Hebrew script, Egyptian portions in Egyptian script, and Hebrew portions in Egyptian script are all possibilities. If the brass plates came into being while the Israelites were still in Egypt, then earlier portions (e.g., words of Jeremiah) in Hebrew.

Concerning Book of Mormon composition, Mormon 9:33indicates that limited space on the Gold Plates dictated using Egyptian characters rather than Hebrew. In Lehi’s day, both Hebrew and Egyptian were written with consonants only. Unlike Hebrew, Egyptian had bi-consonantal and even triconsonantal signs. Employing such characters-particularly in modified form-would save space.

Written characters were handed down and altered according to Nephite speech (Morm. 9:32). This observation suggests that at least later generations of Nephites used Egyptian characters to write their contemporary spoken language, an altered form of Hebrew. It is extremely unlikely that a people isolated from simultaneous contact with the two languages could have maintained a conversational distinction between, and fluency in the two languages over a thousand-year period. Thus, if Egyptian characters were altered as the living language changed, then the Nephites were probably using such characters to write their spoken language, which was largely Hebrew.

Though some of Lehi’s group that left Jerusalem may have spoken Egyptian, a reading knowledge of the script on the brass plates would have allowed them to “read these engravings” (Mosiah 1:4). But the possibility that Lehi’s colony could maintain spoken Egyptian as a second language through a thousand years without merging it with Hebrew or losing it is beyond probability. Therefore, the fact that the Nephites had “altered” the Egyptian characters according to their “manner of speech” underscores the probability that they were writing Hebrew with Egyptian characters. In addition, Moroni’s language (c. A.D. 400) was probably different enough from that of Lehi (c. 600 B.C.) that reading Lehi’s language may have required as much study in Moroni’s day as Old English requires of modern English-speaking people.

LANGUAGE AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS. Because Moroni’s time represents a near midpoint between Lehi and the present, a consideration of the near end of the continuum could be helpful. The vague picture presented by statements in the text might be brought into focus by examining American Indian languages. The time depth from Latin to modern Romance languages is only slightly less than that from Lehi to the present. Similarities among Romance languages are plentiful and obvious. Though some professionals have alluded to similarities, no study has yet convinced scholars of Near Eastern links with any pre-Columbian American language.

One study, however, holds promise for demonstrating links to the Uto-Aztecan language family (Stubbs, 1988). Though other language groups offer suggestive leads, Uto-Aztecan yields more than seven hundred similarities to Hebrew, in phonological, morphological, and semantic patterns consistent with modern linguistic methods. While a handful of Egyptian words are identifiable, they are minimal compared to their Hebrew correspondents.

HEBRAISMS IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. Many typical Hebrew language patterns have been identified in the Book of Mormon, though several are also characteristic of other Near Eastern languages. For example, the cognate accusative, literarily redundant in English, is used in Hebrew for emphasis: “They feared a fear” (Ps. 14:5,Hebrew text). Similar structures appear in the Book of Mormon: “to fear exceedingly, with fear” (Alma 18:5), another possible translation of the same cognate accusative (cf. 1 Ne. 3:2;8:2; Enos 1:13).

Hebrew employs prepositional phrases as adverbs more often than individual adverbs, a feature typical of Book of Mormon language: “in haste” (3 Ne. 21:29) instead of “hastily” and “with gladness” (2 Ne. 28:28) instead of “gladly.”

Tvedtnes has noted a possible example of Hebrew agreement: “This people is a free people” (Alma 30:24; emphasis added). In English, “people” is usually considered grammatically plural, but in Hebrew it is often singular. While this phrase in Alma may have been verbless, it may also have contained the third-person singular pronoun /hu/ placed between the two noun phrases or at the end as a anaphoric demonstrative functioning as a copula verb. Uto-Aztecan indian languages also have the word /hu/, which is a third-person singular pronoun in some languages but a “be” verb in others.

Possession in English is shown in two constructs-“the man’s house” and “the house of the man”-but only the latter construct is employed in Hebrew. The lack of apostrophe possession in the Book of Mormon is consistene with a translation from the Gebrew construct. Further, the “of” construct is common for adjectival relationships in Hebrew. Correspondingly, the Book of Mormon consistently employs phrases such as “plates of brass” (1 Ne. 3:12) instead of “brass plates” and “walls of stone” (Alma 48:8) rather than “stone walls.”

Sentence structures and clause-combining mechanisms in Hebrew differ from those in English. Long strings of subordinate clauses and verbal expressions, such as those in Helaman 1:16-17 andMosiah 2:20-21 and 7:21-22, are acceptable in Hebrew, though unorthodox and discouraged in English: “Ye all are witnesses…that Zeniff, who was made king,…he being over-zealous,…therefore being deceived by…king Laman, who having entered into a treaty,…and having yielded up [various cities],…and the land round about-and all this he did, for the sole purpose of abringing this people…into bondage” (Mosiah 7:21-22).

Frequent phrases such as “from before” and “by the hand of” represent rather literal translations from Hebrew. for example, “he fled from before them” (Mosiah 17:4), instead of the more typically English “he fled from them,” portrays the common Hebrew compound preposition/millifne/.

While many words and names found in the Book of Mormon have exact equivalents in the Hebrew Bible, certain others exhibit Semitic characteristics, though their spelling does not always match known Hebrew forms. For example, “Rabbanah” as “great king” (Alma 18:13) may have affinities with the Hebrew root /rbb/, meaning “to be great or many.” “Rameumptom” (Alma 31:21), meaning “holy stand,” contains consonantal patterns suggesting the stems /rmm/ramah/, “to be high,” and /tmm/tam/tom/, “to be complete, perfect, holy.” The /p/ between the /m/ and /t/ is a linguistically natural outgrowth of a bilabial /m/ in coluster with a stop /t/, such as the /p/ in /assumption/ from /assume + tion/, and the /b/ in Spanish /hombre/ from Latin /homere/.

Claims that Joseph Smith composed the Book of Mormon by merely imitating King James English, using biblical names and inventing others, typically exhibit insensitivities about its linguistic character. Names such as “Alma” have been thought peculiar inventions. However, the discovery of the name “Alma” in a Jewish text (second century A.D.), the seven hundred observed similarities between Hebrew and Uto-Aztecan, literary patterns such as chiasmus, and numerous other features noted in studies since 1830 combine to make the fabrication of the book an overwhelming challenge for anyone in Joseph Smith’s day. [See also Book of Mormon Authorship; Book of Mormon Literature; Book of Mormon Names; Book of Mormon Near Eastern Background; Book of Mormon Translation By Joseph Smith.]

Bibliography

Hoskisson, Paul Y. “Ancient Near Eastern Background of the Book of Mormon.” F.A.R.M.S. Reprint. Provo, Utah, 1982.

Nibley, Hugh. Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites. CWHN 5.

Nibley, Hugh. An Approach to the Book of Mormon. CWHN 6.

Sperry, Sidney B. “The Book of Mormon as Translation English.” IE 38 (Mar. 1935): 141,187-88.

Sperry, Sidney B. “Hebrew Idioms in the Book of Mormon.” IE 57 (Oct. 1954): 703, 728-29.

Sperry, Sidney B. Book of Mormon Compendium. Salt Lake City, 1968. Stubbs, Brian D. “A Creolized Base in Uto-Aztecan.” F.A.R.M.S. Paper. Provo, Utah, 1988.

Tvedtnes, John A. “Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon: A Preliminary Survey.” BYU Studies 11 (Autumn 1970): 50-60.

BRIAN D. STUBBS