Book of Mormon Evidence

Easter is the time we remember the Savior’s resurrection which made it possible for all on earth to be resurrected. That turns our heart to the Lord Jesus Christ which we can read about in The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Of course it is “Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile” Title Page Book of Mormon

Thoughts on the location of Book of Mormon Peoples by Franklin Keel

“First, I must say that, based upon the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith and my experiences with contemporary American Indians, I believe that the events of the Book of Mormon occurred in what is now the United States.
Having said that, I must also say that I also believe that Jesus Christ visited other people in this hemisphere and elsewhere (who, much like the Mulekites, were not descendants of Father Lehi) and taught them his doctrine. He speaks of this in 3 Nephi 16: 1-3:
1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.
3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one-fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.
These people undoubtedly would have preserved a record of His visits–depending on the culture– through stories, legends, or writings. (I also believe that it is reasonable that the other sheep of this hemisphere might have subsequently interacted and/or intermarried with the Nephite and Lamanite descendants.) Now, millennia later, when the posterity of those people learn of the Book of Mormon, it strikes a chord with their preserved ancestral memories, as intended by the Savior. That, with the assistance of the Holy Ghost, helps them know that our Church is true.
However, simply because they have those memories through legends, stories, or even written records of a bearded white god, does not require that they be related to the people who are chronicled in the Book of Mormon. Nor does it mean that because their ancestors were also visited by the Savior that the Book of Mormon events had to occur in their particular lands of inheritance. As I noted above, in addition to legends or other stories passed down orally, the other sheep may also have had written records of His visit to their ancestors. I think that this is borne out in 2 Nephi 29:11, 13, where the Lord says:
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

To summarize, based upon the words of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, I believe other peoples, not just Lehi’s posterity, were visited and taught by the Savior. But the events of Book of Mormon (Father Lehi’s posterity) happened in only one place—the land now known as the United States—where the Prophet Moroni led the young Joseph Smith to the Hill Cumorah. As these prophecies are fulfilled, other records will come to the fore because the Lord has spoken it.” Franklin Keel a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.

Golden R. Buchanan Mission President, Southwest Indian Mission said, “The Hopis say that they came across the ocean. The Navajos believe they came up from the other side of the earth through a tube. The Papago’s believe they were guided to this land by divine means.

Recently I was on the Papago Reservation. One of our new converts to the Church there told me
this story:

“I had never joined any church because the ministers and the priests did not teach the Bible as I read it.
I couldn’t read it and make it say the same things the other churches said it did. I speak the Papago language. I have lived among them all my life. I know their story and their traditions. And as I read the Book of Mormon that was placed in my hands by missionaries, I recognized the stories of the Papagos, and I knew the book was true. Your missionaries read the Bible the same way I did. These are the reasons I joined the Church. The Papago’s believed they crossed the ocean and came to this land, that in the ships and on the trails, they were guided by a ball. In this ball was a needle that pointed the direction they were to go. In the Papago language yet today, the name of this ball is ‘Liahona.’

Navajo tradition tells that a man and his wife and four sons came to this land a long time ago. They have, in their native language, the names of these four sons, but I cannot write them. The oldest two of these sons rebelled against the youngest two who were the appointed leaders. The older sons and their children lived in the forest. They made their living by hunting and by the use of the weapons of warfare.
They warred and preyed upon their two younger brothers. They covered their bodies with mud and thus became a dark people. The two younger sons became builders and built cities and houses of stone. They
planted gardens and fields. They did not place mud upon themselves and thus remained white. For generations there were fighting, wars, and difficulties, the children of the older sons being the aggressors.

Then came a night in which the sun didn’t go down, and it was light all night, and the people were much
disturbed and’ distressed. But still there were troubles. Some years after this, came an extended period of darkness…

Indian tribes have their own ceremonies. They have their own religions. This was particularly true
before the advent of the so-called Christian churches among them. Even today the faithful still cling to
their native tradition. Some of them profess Christianity and give token obedience to the so-called Christian churches, but deep in their hearts they still are waiting for the return of the Great White Spirit and the truth.

In many dances, which are largely prayers, significant handclasps are sometimes given. Connected with
some of these kiva ceremonies is the wearing of certain types of clothing, and in these clothing are certain marks sacred to the people. I have been told that only the faithful may wear these marks in their clothing, and that only the very good and true may receive these ordinances.

Certain washings and anointings are common in many tribes. Usually these are done with water and corn pollen or corn meal, all of which are sacred to the Indian. If it were not for violating confidences, I could take you among the Utes and Paiutes, and tell of certain “ordinances for the dead.” Among many of the tribes there is a tradition that some day the people will lose their dark color and become white…

It is interesting to note, in closing, that I know of no Indian language in which one can take the name of
the Lord in vain. Indeed, I do not know of an Indian language in which they can even swear. They have to
learn English or some white man’s language before they can defile the name of Deity.”
Lamanite Tradition By Golden R. Buchanan President, Southwest Indian Mission. Improvement Era April 1955

Read these and other inspiring stories in the new book, Joseph’s Remnant published by the FIRM Foundation in April 2019 HERE

Sharing the Book of Mormon with the Lamanites

Joseph Smith and the church knew the importance of sharing the Book of Mormon with their Native American brothers and sisters. As you read the Joseph Smith Papers and other accounts you will find many instances of the Church reaching out to the Lamanites. As you read D&C 28, 30, and 32, you will see how important it was to the Lord to have Joseph Smith and others share the Book of Mormon message, which was the Lamanites forefathers speaking to them today.

D&C Section 84 was a revelation from the Prophet to the Saints in Ohio. The Lord told the Saints they must testify of those things they have received;
54 “And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.” D&C 84:54-58

Are we sharing the message of the Book of Mormon with our neighbors and especially with the Native Americans we may know? The purpose of this article is to get us thinking about the importance of sharing the Book of Mormon with all people, but especially with the Lamanites.

SEEKING THE “REMNANT”: THE NATIVE AMERICAN DURING THE JOSEPH SMITH PERIOD
by Ronald W Walker

Important quotes from article above:

These statements, typical of the Mormons of northeastern Ohio, flowed as easily in western Missouri, as members of the new faith began to settle in the area after Joseph Smith’s 1831 tour. Paulina E. Phelps, whose family was among the first recruits, remembered Joseph Smith, Jr., blessing her when visiting the area the following year. Told she would go to the Rocky Mountains in her lifetime, the young girl became alarmed. “I did not know at the time what the term ‘Rocky Mountains’ meant,” she later said, “but I supposed it to be something connected with the Indians.” Her fear of the Native American froze the event in her mind. 45

Some of the Mormon Indian interest in Missouri lay in the public domain, The Church’s periodical, the Evening and the Morning Star, printed numerous pieces about the Native Americans, provided the text of Smith’s several revelations regarding them, and rhapsodized how these pieces fit into the latter-day prophetic mosaic. “What beauty to see prophecies fulfilled so exactly,” wrote editor W. W. Phelps. In his eyes, the government’s Indian resettlement policy was a “marvelous,” now-at-hand reality of the old predictions that the Indians were to be gathered. Phelps believed federal agents were acting as “nursing fathers unto. ..[their Indian) children,” as Book of Mormon prophecy had foretold. From all indication, the times of the gentiles were “short” and the promises to Jacob imminent. Something “great and good” lay in store for the benighted Lamanite, Phelps believed, as the red man’s last days certainly would be his “best.”46

To his steady drum roll about the Indian and his destiny, [WW] Phelps added his view of the land west of the Missouri settlements, which he called the “Far West.” Wasn’t this, the editor wondered, the land of the covenant, where the Book of Mormon Jaredites and Nephites had once roamed before meeting their destruction? While the world would never prize the area because of its want of timber and mill seats, Deity had a different view. This land was Zion, he argued, the land of Joseph, the receptacle of “the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills.” In a few sentences, Phelps wove together some of the images that Joseph Smith had been using when speaking of the western Zion and the soon-to-be redeemed Indian 47

Understandably, none of this talk set well with the Missourians. Already uneasy over the several thousand potentially hostile natives on their frontier, many angry over their forced relocation, old-line Missourians saw Phelps’s articles and the underlying Book of Mormon prophecies on which they were based as provocative and menacing. Weren’t the Mormons anxious to ally themselves with these dangerous red men? The reaction of the Missourians was not without cause. These hardy settlers of the border fully understood themselves to be counted among the imperiled “gentiles” spoken of in the Mormon revelations.

45 Affidavit, 31 July 1902, LOS Church Archives For this source and several others dealing with the
Mormon fixation with the West, I am indebted to Lewis Clark Christian, “A Study of Mormon Knowledge
of the American Far West Prior to the Exodus,” (MA. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1972), 65; and
Ronald K Esplin, “‘A Place Prepared’ Joseph, Brigham and the Quest for Promised Refuge,”Journal of
Mormon History 9 (1982) 85-111
46 Evening and the Morning Star 1 (December 1832): (54), (January 1833): 162]; 2 (June 1833)101; W.
Phelps to Oliver Cowdery, 13 November 1834, Letter III, Latter Day Saint Messenger and Advocate 1
(1 December 1834): 33-34
47 Evening and the Morning Star 1 (October 1832): 137] Phelps was citing Deuteronomy 3313-17 The
editor later would help select Mormon settlement sites in Daviess County and may have had a role in
choosing the name of the region’s most prominent town, Far West, thus giving another expression to his fascination with the western region

More than a dozen of his followers later said that Smith spoke similar things to them during the Church’s stay in Nauvoo, Illinois. But the Mormon leader did more than predict future events. Perhaps for the first time since his 1831 trip to Missouri, Smith had the chance to meet Native Americans first hand. One of the most important of these encounters involved an Oneida Indian, who traveled several hundred miles to Illinois with his wife and daughter to visit the Mormons. The native styled himself as “an Interpreter of six tribes,” whom he confidently predicted would “receive the work.” He himself did, being “joyfully” baptized in May 1840. The unnamed Indian may have been Lewis Dana and his wife Mary Gont. During the next decade, the two were at the heart of the Mormons’ Lamanite effort.83

83 Wilford Woodruff, Diary, 13 July 1840, Woodruff Papers, LDS Archives; Millennial Star 1(August
1840): 89; Women’s Exponent 15 (May 1883), 1883; and William G. Hartley, John Lowe Butler: History
and Autobiography of a Mormon Frontiersman (Provo: John Lowe Butler Family Organization, 1992), pp.
156–62. Mormon records usually use the spelling “Dana,” but there are other variations such as “Denna,” “Denny,” and “Dany.” He was born 1 January 1800, in Oneida County, New York, the son of Jonathan Dana. Missionary File, Historical

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1988/07/a-place-prepared-in-the-rockies?lang=eng

Quote from link above

Less than a year after founding Nauvoo, the Prophet sent missionaries among the Indians west of the Missouri River. Immediately after the Prophet’s death, the Council of the Twelve confirmed that this action involved settlement as well as missionary work. They dispatched missionaries, including Jonathan Dunham (who had been sent previously by the Prophet among the western tribes in 1839–40), to “fill Joseph’s original measures” by “proceeding from tribe to tribe, to unite the Lamanites and find a home for the Saints.” Even in 1840, Dunham understood; he spoke of great things “in the west, in fulfillment of prophecy,” including “a place of safety preparing … away towards the Rocky Mountains.”7

7. William Clayton Diary, 1 Mar. 1845, as reproduced in Andrew F. Ehat, “‘It Seems Like Heaven Began on Earth’: Joseph Smith and the Constitution of the Kingdom of God,” BYU Studies, 20 (Spring 1980): 253–80; and Thomas Burdick to Joseph Smith, 28 Aug. 1840, Joseph Smith Collection, Church Archives.

https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/window-faith-latter-day-saint-perspectives-world-history/place-prepared-joseph-brigham-and

Quote from link above

Early Mormon expectations for the West were clearly related to Book of Mormon prophecies about the redemption and future power of the Lamanites, or American Indians. This connection is explicit in the 1832 The Evening and the Morning Star article. And in 1834 E. D. Howe characterized the belief that the Native Americans “in a very few years, will be converted to Mormonism” and take possession of their ancient inheritance as a leading article of Mormon faith. [10] Brigham Young believed that from the first time Joseph Smith stood on the banks of the Missouri River looking westward across Indian country, he de­sired to go further west among the American Indians but “there was a watch placed upon him continually to see that he had no communication” with them. [11] Govern­ment regulations enforced by Indian agents forbade dwelling among the American Indians and attempted to regulate all intercourse with them, and Missourians were suspicious very early on of supposed Mormon meddling with the Native Americans. Whatever Joseph Smith’s hopes and plans for the American Indians and the West in the 1830s, he could not implement them from Missouri. Only when he had access to the American Indians through Iowa in 1839–40 could he and did he begin imple­mentation.

https://drloritaylor.com/elder-nigeajasha-other-mormon-indians/

The rumor was that Mormons had “ten hundred thousand” Indian allies ready to avenge Joseph’s death,2 but these were not Mormon Indians.3 There were not many more than 10 Indians who had joined the early church. Penina Cotton (Cherokee)4, William McCary (Choctaw)5, Anthony Navarre (Potawatomi)6, William Clute (Seneca)7, Solomon Zundel (Delaware)8, Moses Otis, Edward Whiteseye, Peter Cooper9,  and, by some accounts, William McLellin (Cherokee).10 Among the Mormon Indians, a few served as guides for the westward movement. They were: Lewis Dana (Oneida)11,  George Herring (Mohawk), and his brother Joseph Herring, called Nigeajasha. These three men were baptized, ordained, and intimately involved with Mormon insiders.

SEEKING THE “REMNANT”: THE NATIVE AMERICAN DURING THE JOSEPH SMITH PERIOD Ronald W Walker

Quote from above

“Six weeks later, Smith’s interest in the Native Americans had not cooled. He and his Council of Fifty met with eleven Native Americans. “We had a very pleasant and impressive interview,” secretary William Clayton wrote without providing detail. In another session the Council of Fifty discussed Wight’s southwest proposal. A Mormon colony led by Wight should be placed near the “Cordilleras,” or Rocky Mountains, at the headwaters of the Red and Colorado Rivers, Smith concluded, perhaps somewhere in the expansive American Southwest. After the meeting, Smith met privately with Wight and again confirmed the mission. His instructions on these two occasions, Wight recalled, were designed to bring the Lamanites the “knowledge of the truth, [thus] paving the way for the redemption of Zion and building the Temple in Jackson County.” After Smith’s final charge, given with “great zeal,” the two men shook hands and said good-bye. The event carried a special poignancy and power. It was Wight’s last meeting with his Prophet.

This last Council of Fifty meeting may have been the event that another apostle, Amasa Lyman, later referred to. Joseph had given the leading elders a “frank relation” about their Lamanite mission and said “don’t stop” till it was accomplished. Such advice was difficult for even Smith to follow. With events in Nauvoo pressing hard upon him and his campaign for the American presidency requiring the labor of the Church’s elders, Smith postponed the western expedition until fall.

The halt did not end Smith’s Native American activity. There were a few last events that gave his career a symmetry. He had begun preoccupied by the Lamanite and interested in the West, and his final days had similar themes. Five days before his death, Smith and his closest associates passed over the Mississippi River. They thought they might find refuge from their troubles in the Rocky Mountains, they explained.  Then they returned to Nauvoo, where Smith, dressed in his Nauvoo Legion uniform and standing on a “small house frame,” spoke to his followers before going to fateful Carthage. Only reminiscent accounts remain, but their reports appear faithful to themes that had compelled Smith during his life. You will yet be called upon to go the “strongholds of the Rocky Mountains,” Smith predicted. “You will gather the Red Man.. . from their scattered and dispersed situation to become the strong arm of Jehovah.” At that time, he continued, the Lamanite would become “a strong bulwark of protection from your foes.”

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=mormonhistory

https://www.scribd.com/document/44089685/Seeking-the-Remnant

Seeking the Remnant-Ronald W Walker PDF

Scott N. Bradley Founder, The Constitutional Commemoration Foundation

Find this article and many others at LDSanswers.org

As you are aware, there is a highly organized, cleverly disguised, and powerfully promoted effort to call some sort of convention empowered “to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”  Because constitutions, by definition, establish the power and jurisdiction of a government, seeking to change the Constitution with the intention of “limit[ing] the power and jurisdiction of the federal government” as is proposed, this is tantamount to opening the entire constitution to revision or replacement.

Those who seek this power undertake this effort because, they say, “THEY are violating the Constitution, therefore WE must change it.”  While this violates all logic, reason, and intelligence, this mantra has gained traction in many state legislatures, and has the advocacy of many prominent personalities.  I fear the nation is fast approaching a time when a convention, by whatever name they denominate it, will be called.

One of the many “spins” promoted regarding this effort is denominated a “convention of states.”

This proposed effort to re-write the Constitution purports to invoke Article V of the United States Constitution as authority to do this, but yet claims the effort will not be a constitution convention, perhaps to mitigate the perceived dangers and concerns many rightfully associate with a constitution convention.  Interestingly, Black’s Law Dictionary (printed edition) defines a constitution convention thus:

“A duly constituted assembly of delegates or representatives of the people of a state or nation for the purpose of framing, revising, or amending its constitution.  Art. V of U.S. Const. provides that a Constitutional Convention may be called on application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the states.”

Therefore, by definition, this nationwide effort is to call a “Constitution convention.”

Generally, legislative resolutions calling for a convention of states read as follows:

“ . . .  the Legislature of the state of _________________  hereby applies to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a convention of the states limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”

Throughout the United States, advocates of the Resolution Calling for a Convention to Amend the Constitution of the United States make many false claims to promote this most dangerous resolution.  Arguably, this is the most dangerous resolution of its type which has been brought forth to date.  It TRULY opens the entire United States Constitution to revision. If the convention proposed in this resolution is convened, there are no limits or bounds to the power granted to modify the Constitution.  As noted above, because constitutions by definition establish the power and jurisdiction of a government, seeking to change the Constitution with the intention of “ limit[ing] the power and jurisdiction of the federal government” (as this resolution purports to do) is tantamount to opening the entire constitution to revision or replacement.

The United States Constitution already does a magnificent job of defining and restraining the power of the national government.  Those in power are egregiously and constantly violating their oath of office, and we, the people, allow and encourage it by being complicit and complacent.  Putting the Constitution at risk by opening it to the likes of those currently violating it is the height and epitome of lunacy.

Unfortunately, many delusional assertions are used to promote the resolution and to assuage the fears of danger which thinking legislators perceive.

Following is a BRIEF review of the falsehoods used to deceive legislators into passing the resolution:

Assertion 1. Article V of the Constitution allows the STATES to CALL a “convention of the states” to modify the Constitution.

Fact: The words  “convention of the states” are not found in the United States Constitution.  This term is a fabrication of the current convention promoters to facilitate their deception that the states have all power in the matter.

Article V of the Constitution allows the states to APPLY for a convention, NOT CALL a convention to modify the Constitution.  This distinction is critically important, as will be explained herein afterwards. Following are the specific pertinent words as embodied in Article V of the Constitution:

“The Congress . . . on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments . . .” ¹

It is UNEQUIVOCALLY STATED within the body of the Constitution that the states APPLY, the congress CALLS such a convention.

Assertion 2.  The U.S. Congress has no power in the matter once the states “call” the convention.

Fact: As noted above, congress is empowered within Article V of the Constitution to call the convention once the required number of states have applied.  Article I, Section 8, clause 18 of the United States Constitution delegates to the congress the power to do all that is necessary to carry out the powers delegated to it within the Constitution:

“The Congress shall have Power . . .  To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” ²

Per Article V, congress has power to call the convention, and per Article I, Section 8, clause 18 congress has the power to carry out ALL that is associated with the fulfillment of that power.

Congress will not acquiesce that power to the states.  In July 2012, April 2014, and March 2016 the official non-partisan “think tank” of congress, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), published detailed reviews of the duty of the congress in the matter of constitutionconventions, and concluded that congress has this authority and will not acquiesce it.

Assertion 3. The states may collude among themselves by prior agreement, compact, or arrangement to call a convention for their purposes according to their prior discussions, and thereafter call a convention by the Article V application process that supercedes and supplants the congressional prerogative and power in the matter.

Fact: The United States Constitution precludes such a usurpation by the states, unless the congress gives prior consent:

“ No State shall, without the Consent of Congress . . .  enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State . . .”  ³

Congress has not given such prior agreement for such a purpose, and will not.  If such actions have been taken by the individuals and states fostering the so-called “convention of the states,” they are in violation of the Constitution and should be recognized as such.

Assertion 4. Once the states have called the convention, they will be completely in charge of the “rules of engagement” associated with the convention; including defining and calling delegates, the number of delegates, one-state-one-vote voting allotment, control of the matters and issues upon which delegates may vote, etc.

Fact: The aforementioned 2012, 2014, and 2016 CRS studies review this matter in detail.  The location of the convention, the dates of the convention, the delegate-count allotted to the states, the state-by-state vote allocation arrangement (additional details found below), the protection of the delegates from punitive action based upon their activities/votes in the convention (additional details found below), etc. were all considered.  Congress will exercise their constitutionally-mandated prerogative in these matters. These matters are not left in the hands of the states according to the view held within the congress.

Assertion 5. The convention promoters assure us that the voting on proposed changes to the Constitution will be done on a One-State-One-Vote basis.

Fact: California has a population of over 38,000,000, Wyoming less than 600,000.  One-State-One-Vote would give each citizen of Wyoming 63 time more influence than each citizen of California.  California’s Governor, Senators, Congressmen, Legislature, and citizens will never allow this. They will surely demand “equal representation” in the convention.  The aforementioned 2012, 2014, and 2016 CRS studies address this matter, and suggest that a system analogous to the Electoral College be implemented for voting in the convention.  Such a system would give California 55 votes and Wyoming 3. The CRS studies suggest that this approach still unfairly biases the outcome in favor of the small states, and suggests that the appropriate solution may be one that purely reflects the populations of the states.  The influence of the smaller states would diminish to near zero under such an arrangement, but in today’s democracy-prone environment, such an arrangement is not outside the realm of possibility.

Assertion 6.  Advocates of the convention assure us that the delegates to the convention will be kept under the strict control of their states.  They propose to do this through Voting Instructions, Delegate Recall by their State, Criminal Penalties Pre-Defined by the States for Violations (including: Misdemeanor Charges, Felony Charges, Fines, Prison Terms).

Fact: Interestingly, the aforementioned 2012, 2014, and 2016 CRS reports address this matter, and suggest that when the congress calls the convention, they need to protect the delegates from such actions by their home states.  It is recommended that when the congress calls the convention that they include in the call some wording similar to that found in U.S. Constitution Article I, Section 6, clause 1 that protects the US Congressional Representatives from legal harassment during the fulfillment of their duty:

“They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.”  ⁴

The belief that all convention delegates may be controlled and manipulated is contradictory to the concept that a convention is an autonomous body.  Conventions become autonomous by definition. In addition, there is the strong likelihood that the pardon process of the offices of the president or the governors could or would be exercised as needed.

“Recall Plans” by states (plans to remove convention delegates from the convention and call them home if they do not perfectly follow the wishes of their home states) if a delegate does not “toe the line” with the state’s wishes are immeasurably foolish!  Think for moment: the state’s application for a convention counts toward the Article V requirement that two thirds apply before congress calls the convention, and then when the convention is called and underway, the state recalls and withdraws their representation.  How foolish! The state is then left without a voice at the convention, and is completely left out of the debate.

Assertion 7.  Promoters of the proposed convention resolution foster the falsehood that amendments could not be proposed during the convention that could result in modification of the amendment ratification process.  They assert that because the Supreme Court would not allow the ratification window for the so-called Equal Rights Amendment to be extended from seven years to ten years that it would be impossible to ever change the current amendment ratification requirement of 3/4’s of the states.

Fact: How disingenuous and absurd!  Their example about the ERA is completely unrelated to what might occur in a convention called for the purpose of modifying the Constitution.  If ANY part of the Constitution may be modified during a convention by amendment, ALL parts of the Constitution would be vulnerable to attempts to modification.

Interestingly, the Convention of 1787 was chartered by the Congress to “revise” the then-existing constitution, the “Articles of Confederation.”  Revise means “amend.” Even with the seemingly limited charge to simply amend the constitution, the 1787 Convention set the existing constitution aside, wrote an entirely new constitution, and wrote a ratification process into the new constitution that greatly enhanced and facilitated the probability that the new constitution would be ratified.  We have an undeniable precedent from the only truly similar convention that has been held in this nation, but the convention promoters refuse to admit its possibility.

Assertion 8.  Term Limits are proposed as a justification for calling a convention to change the Constitution.  We are told that this is necessary because so many representatives are constantly being re-elected.

Fact:  Do we need a “Term Limits” Amendment?  NO! We already have term limits. It is called the ballot box.  The truth of the matter is that in our November elections we could remove ALL of our U.S. Congressmen, and 1/3 of our Senators.  Two years later we could do the same thing again and also cleanse the Executive department. The problem is that the electorate is so caught up in the “incumbent” mentality that for many years every incumbent has been virtually assured re-election.  It is a sad truism that we get the type of government we deserve.

The problem really is an apathetic and ignorant electorate that has embraced an “entitlement” mentality.  It would be dangerous to think that if we term-limited the office-holder we would assure the nation of a better, more soundly-founded representative.  In today’s political environment there is always another socialist waiting in the wings to step into any vacant office. Look at Amendment 22, which term limits the president.  This amendment has not assured the nation of higher quality presidents. And a six year “lame duck” in the senate during his final term could wreak untold damage to the nation! And think how, in today’s perverse agenda-driven-party-system, how the Supreme Court would become an even greater political plumb with regular Supreme Court Justice selections driven by the false philosophy that the Constitution is what the Supremes say it is!

Additionally, why would we want to remove representatives that are operating within their oath of office?  The key is an electorate that understands correct principles and is willing to hold our representatives to their oath of office to abide within the limits and constraints of the United States Constitution.

Interestingly, the American Founding Fathers knew of and considered term limits when they wrote the Constitution in 1787.  The first United States Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, had term limits. The experience the Founding Fathers had with term limits under that document had been unsatisfactory.  They knew about term limits and purposefully left them out of the new United States Constitution they wrote in 1787. The people should not be denied the privilege of choosing their representatives.

Assertion 9.  Those who seek a convention through this resolution purport to seek to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government through the amendments they hope to proposed in their convention.

Fact: Founding Father Noah Webster defined constitution thus:

“The established form of government in a state, kingdom or country; a system of fundamental rules, principles and ordinances for the government of a state or nation. In free states, the constitution is paramount to the statutes or laws enacted by the legislature, limiting and controlling its power; and in the United States, the legislature is created, and its powers designated, by the constitution.”

The United States Constitution conformed exactly to this definition.  The specific powers of each of the departments of government were specifically spelled out within the Constitution, and “in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers,” as explained in its Preamble, the Bill of Rights added “further declaratory and restrictive clauses.”  The national government has no other powers than those so spelled out within the Constitution! As noted in Webster’s definition, “the constitution is paramount to the statutes or laws enacted by the legislature, limiting and controlling its power.”  Nobody in government is legally allowed to violate the limits and bounds established by the Constitution, but today it is constantly violated on every whim.  A convention to re-write the Constitution will not solve the base-line reasons the nation is struggling, and, based upon the proposed amendments which are currently in the public eye, many of the proposed amendments will make constitutional practices that are currently unconstitutional, such as spending money for whatever whim is offered, as long as there is money (as opposed to spending money ONLY for purposes delegated within the current Constitution), and for allowing the executive to legislate and regulate as long as the costs are below the threshold established in the new amendment (as opposed to the president and his branch being entirely prohibited from creating legislation by our current Constitution).

Assertion 10.  Numerous concerns are enumerated by promoters of the convention which purportedly justify the necessity of changing the Constitution.  Matters such as the ballooning federal deficit, onerous laws and regulations created by the Executive Branch, federal destruction of protections vouchsafed in the Bill of Rights, etc. are bandied about as requiring the Constitution to be changed.

Fact:  In EVERY instance noted by the convention promoters, the problem is that the Constitution is being violated.  The cry of the convention promoters is: “They are violating the Constitution, so we must change it!” This position violates all logic, reason, and intelligence!  The problem is not in the Constitution! The problem is that our representatives and the people have stopped abiding by it. The solution is not to change it, but to return to it.  Changing it will not solve the problems, and will likely exacerbate them because the new “solutions” will be manipulated into the perverse view of what current politicians desire government should be.  Given adequate space and time, numerous examples of these dangers could be elucidated, citing specific examples of dangerous changes promoted by such so-called “luminaries” as Mark Levin.

The Constitution of 1787 created a national government whose powers are few and defined.  The powers delegated to the national government are enumerated, divided and subdivided, checked, and balanced, and are prohibited from expansion by legislation, executive action, judicial pronouncement, practice, or wish.  The Ninth Amendment protects all God-given rights of the people, whether listed or not, and the Tenth Amendment equivocally states that if a power was not delegated to the national government in the plain English words of the Constitution, the national government DOES NOT Have Those POWERS!

Assertion 11.  Three Fourths of the states would not ratify a bad amendment.

Fact: The Constitution Convention of 1787 was called by the congress to “revise” (amend) the then-existing constitution: The Articles of Confederation.  In 1787 the convention set aside the existing Constitution and wrote a new one, changing the ratification process that was contained in the Articles of Confederation.  

And talk about how states would never ratify “Bad” amendments!  Does anyone remember:

The 14th Amendment: Most litigated Amendment

The 16th Amendment:  Income Tax

The 17th Amendment:  Direct Election of Senators

The 18th Amendment:  Prohibition

Much to the detriment of the entire nation, all of these horribly flawed amendments were ratified by three fourths of the states.  Somehow principle was set aside (in an era wherein constitutional principles were much more widely understood than they are today), and we have been saddled with these egregious mistakes ever since (except the 18th Amendment, which was amended out of existence in the way we have thus far amended the Constitution, with the ratification of the 21st Amendment).

I cannot help but wonder:  Could such a ratification disaster happen today???  Could the convention process either change the ratification threshold, or dupe the states and people?

Assertion 12.  Delegates to the proposed convention will be highly qualified representatives of the people who are soundly founded in the science of government, and will bring forth solutions to that which vexes the nation today.

Fact: Tragically, the only delegates that could possibly serve in such a modern convention would be called from our current crop of political figures, who are guilty of creating the constitutional confusion that currently exists in the nation.  In his day James Madison warned against holding another constitution convention, stating that such a convention “would probably consist of the most heterogenous characters,” certainly from both parties. We may be absolutely assured that NONE of the American Founding Fathers will be delegates to this proposed convention.  Where in the entire world today may we find even one or two statesmen of the character and understanding exhibited by George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, George Mason, James Madison, James Wilson, and the others who, under the inspiration of God, framed our marvelous Charter of Liberty: The United States Constitution? We will search the world in vain for such individuals.  Who, today, will sit in the seats occupied by those who brought forth the Constitution of 1787? NONE I would trust!

Conclusion

Rather than try to change what is not flawed, the promoters should seek to make popular the sound and good principles defined within our magnificent Constitution, and overthrow the false philosophies which are currently embraced by the people and leaders alike!

In his magnificent Farewell Address Washington wisely counseled:

“If . . . the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates.”⁵

He said if it is WRONG, amend it, not if it is being violated.  There is nothing wrong with theConstitution.  We have simply stopped applying it. Willful violation of the Constitution does not indicate it is wrong, nor is it in any way a justification for changing it.

It would seem to me that a more appropriate approach to restoring our sound foundation would be to apply Article VI of the Constitution: Insisting that ALL who hold office uphold their sacred oath and keep their actions within the bounds established within the Constitution.  As Jefferson said: we must “bind them down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”⁶

Delusional logic and wishful thinking do not justify tampering with our magnificent Constitution, nor do they assure that further injustice will not be wrought upon this long-suffering nation as a result of the proposed convention.

Numerous other egregious false assertions could be noted and refuted, but surely the twelve above-noted issues must suffice for the honest inquirer, and the danger of this proposed resolution must be fully apparent.  ANY effort for a convention of states MUST be defeated!

1. USC Art. V
2. USC Art. I, Sec. 8, cl. 18
3. USC Art. I, Sec. 10, cl. 3
4. USC Art. I, Sec. 6, cl. 1
5. George Washington, Farewell Address, 19 September 1796
6. Jefferson’s Fair Copy of the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798
   

   ---

Scott Bradley and his wife Tamara have five children and eleven grandchildren.For thirteen years Scott worked as an executive at AT&T managing cutting-edge telecommunications projects and all facets of corporate projects; including strategic planning, and a leadership assignment responsible for delivery of secured communications for the U.S. Department of Defense (North American Air Defense Command—NORAD). A candidate for the United States Senate in 2006 and 2010, Scott holds a Bachelor of Science, a Masters of Public Administration, and a PhD in Constitutional Law. For 16 years Scott served as an administrator at Utah State University as a Department Head and Director. He is Founder and Chairman of The Constitution Commemoration Foundation, Inc., an educational organization which fosters increased understanding of the U.S. Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers, and also encourages a return to the original intent of proper government as understood and practiced at the time of America’s founding.He is the author of a book and DVD/CD lecture series titled “To Preserve the Nation” in which he reviews the foundation principles upon which this great nation was established, and which he hopes will foster a renewed dedication to those principles.

Scott will be at the FIRM Foundation Expo April 11-13, 2019. Tickets HERE

Conflict and Displacement of Hopewellian People In the 4th Century in Western New York

Draft 02/24/18 – Focus of Research in the Heartland of North America- Prepared by Dr. John Lefgren

All serious conflict results in the displacement of people.  Indeed, much of the movement of people in the ancient as well as the modern world is the result of conflict.  The proposed research would examine the movements and the encampments of the Hopewellian people who were in conflict in Western New York during the late 4th century.  The paper examines associated themes such as the dislocation and displacement of people who came from the river valleys of Ohio and Illinois.  There would be a review of the accounts by the first Europeans of fortifications and artifacts of war including bones of a people who were in Western New York a thousand years before Columbus.  The research would examine sites where the archaeological record shows artifacts from the rich agricultural lands of the Mississippi river valleys.  The research would examine various aspects of ancient life in these sites and their particular ‘wilderness’ settings, framing the discussion within the themes of movements and dislocations, and especially their multiple impacts on the Hopewellian people who came to a land removed from their origins.  A particular emphasis for the research would be movements and dislocations of people in conflict.  The Hopewellian people became in effect ‘stuck’ in the northeastern wilderness.  The inhabitants of these ancient sites were in conflict and they coped with the situation as well as they could.  The conflict is reflected in the different features of the sites and the archaeological material which the fieldwork produces.  The research would focus on how conflict pushed the Hopewellian people from one region to another.  The research will compare the multi-generational construction of large and numerous earthworks of these people in Ohio to the immediate construction of hundreds of fortifications in Western New York.   Considering the displacement of people in our time the research will note how conflicts have pushed hundreds of millions of people from one region to another in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia.  In this context the research examines how in the ancient world one conflict pushed one people from the Heartland of America into the northeastern lands of Western New York.

Purchase Dr Lefgren’s Book and DVD Below!

Lands, Peoples, and Armies In Ancient America During the Fourth Century
John C. Lefgren, PhD March 7, 2017

Statement of Thesis
This paper supports the Heartland Geography for the lands of the Book of Mormon. The primary arguments are based on the knowledge (1) that large armies need large populations, (2) that large populations need large amounts of food, and (3) that large amounts of food need large amounts of land and water. The historic setting for the Book of Mormon is a place which is epic in size and significant in location. Moroni confirmed the grandeur of his people. Moroni’s father, Mormon, was the leader of armies which were larger than those under the command of George Washington. The armies of Mormon operated in areas which were comparable to those of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. The history of this true story entails 1,500,000 square miles where the waters of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence flow.

Mormon wrote in AD 385 that he had under his command 230,000 men. He placed his armies in defensive positions because his armies were numerically less than his opposition. In the final battles, the two sides had more than 500,000 combatants. This war required huge amounts of material and food. The methods of production were pre-industrial. In the final stages of the war the combatants needed more than 1,000,000 tons of food and supplies per year. How did these nations organize themselves? Does pre-modern history in other parts of the world help us to understand what Mormon experienced? These are the important questions of this paper.

The conclusion of the study is that in the final battles of the late fourth century the Lamanite armies had
access to the resources of the world’s largest contiguous arable land while the Nephite armies had access to the resources of the world’s largest system of fresh water lakes. The Mississippi Basin has an area of about 1,000,000 square miles and the St. Lawrence Basin has an area of about 500,000 square miles. The study explains that the theory of war for a large theater of operation gave good reasons why Mormon would gather the Nephite armies into defensive positions near the southern shores of Lake Ontario.

The final battles of the Book of Mormon required the resources of the basins of the Mississippi River and the St. Lawrence River. In the battle of AD 385 there were combatants who came from the 31 states which are connected to the Mississippi as well as from the 9 states and 6 provinces which are connected to the St. Lawrence. The armies of the Lamanites destroyed the armies of the Nephites. The final battles required more than 1,000,000 tons of food and material which were produced by a population of about 30,000,000 who were working in an area of 1,500,000 square miles. The men and material necessary to execute this war were moved on the major waterways of North America.

Given available historical sources, it is possible to estimate how lands, waterways, people and armies were interrelated in the pre-modern societies of Europe and Asia. These interrelationships help to establish how similar parameters related to people who were preparing for battle in North America in AD 380.

Large or Small

After making its thesis known, the study now frames these questions. Where did the events of the Book of Mormon take place? Were they on the large stage of Heartland Geography or on the small stage of Limited Geography? Heartland Geography places the book’s history on lands which can support the large armies of the Book of Mormon. The Limited Geography tries to place the events of the Book of Mormon into a small space which would never have been sufficient to support large armies.

John Sorenson, the most ardent defender of Limited Geography, wrote in the Ensign in 1984 that “the
immediate land covered by the book’s events was probably only hundreds rather than thousands of miles long and wide”.

The figure on the left is an illustration of John Sorenson’s comparative statement of the two theories for the geography of the Book of Mormon. In this figure the large area is a square of 1000 x 1000 and the small area is a square of 100 x 100.

Sorenson’s view of limited geography is possibly more limited than what he may have expected. The land areas of Mesoamerica when compared to the land areas of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence are a ratio of 1:12. His statement of 1000 x 1000 compared to 100 x 100 is a ratio of 1:100. In this view the lands of the Book of Mormon are limited even when compared to the total lands of Mesoamerica.

Armies in Pre-Modern History

Pre-modern history identifies times and places when societies organized large armies. The following figure lists 16 large armies which existed from 1000 BC to AD 420. The figure divides these armies between those of the West and those of the East.

During the 1,420 years represented in the figure for pre-industrial armies there were 6 empires and dynasties which had armies of about 500,000 men. These were (1) the Persian Empire of 500 BC, (2) the Mauryan Empire of 300 BC, (3) the Han Dynasty of AD 1, (4) the Nephite-Lamanite Nations of AD 385, (5) the Gupta Dynasty of AD 350, and (6) the Roman Empire of AD 425.

This paper focuses on the Nephite-Lamanite armies from AD 320 to AD 385. Before going to that point it
is useful to review the histories of pre-modern armies which are comparable to the sizes of the armies found in the last battles of the Book of Mormon. The following world map shows locations of large pre-modern armies numbered from 1 to 4. Number 5 is Mesoamerica. It is too small to support a pre-modern army of 500,000 men. It is presented as a counterpoint for other areas in the world where there were large armies.

The Persian Empire of 500 BC, also called the Achaemenid Empire, was founded by Cyrus the Great.
Ranging at its greatest extent from the Balkans of Eastern Europe in the West to the Indus Valley of India
in the East, it was one of the largest empires in history, spanning 2.1 million square miles. It was also larger than any previous empire in history.

The Han Dynasty of AD 1 had an army of 500,000 men and a population of 50,000,000 people. This empire in the East rivaled that of the contemporary Roman Empire in the West. With only minor interruptions it lasted a span of four centuries and was considered a golden age in Chinese history especially in arts, politics and technology. All subsequent Chinese dynasties have looked to the Han period as an inspiring model of a united empire and self-perpetuating government. The Han Dynasty controlled three major rivers with an area of 1.1 million square miles.

The Gupta Dynasty of AD 375 had about 40,000,000 people which supported an army of 500,000. Based
in northern India, the Gupta Empire was one of the largest political and military empires in world history.
Distinguished by peace and security at home and abroad, as well as by religious freedom and flourishing
trade, the rule of the Guptas led to a remarkable flowering of art and culture that is often referred to as India’s golden age. The Gupta Dynasty had a territory of 1.4 million square miles and including the major
waterways of India such as the Ganges River.

The Roman Empire of AD 420 had arguably one of most effective fighting forces in the history of premodern armies. It had 450,000 men in 33 legions and 400 auxiliary regiments. A population of more than 40,000,000 was necessary to keep these forces in the field. The Empire had a land area of about 1.7 million square miles which included the waterways of the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River as well as major rivers in Europe and Asia Minor.

The table to the left examines the land and water systems required to support large armies found in
pre-modern history. The table shows that before the modern era a population of at least 30,000,000 living in a land area of 1,000,000 square miles where rivers discharge at least 1,000,000 cubic feet of water per second could support military forces of 500,000 men. The table shows that these conditions for supporting 500,000 armed forces were satisfied for (1) the Persian Armies in Eurasia in 500 BC, (2) for the Mauryan Empire in India in 300 BC, (3) for the Han Dynasty in China in AD 1, (4) for the Nephite-Lamanite Nations in North America in AD 385, (5) for the Gupta Dynasty in India in AD 375, and (6) for the Roman Empire in Eurasia of AD 420. All these cases there were pre-industrial societies. In all these cases there were armies of about 500,000 men.

Mississippi and St. Lawrence Basins and Mesoamerica Land Areas and Water Discharges

The land areas and water discharges are important for comparing the demographic structures of populations in other areas of the world and when estimating the potential for raising and maintaining military forces which are consistent to the record which Mormon made of his final battles around Cumorah.

The construction of the comparisons in attached table to the right, of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Basins to Mesoamerican lands are based on the number of square miles in the actual areas of the two geographies. The figures in the table are particularly important when comparing the accounts of the Book of Mormon to the histories of Europe, India, and China.

Assumptions and Sources

Every historic account needs assumptions and sources. Here is an outline of how I look at the final battle in the region of Cumorah. The best account of what happened there is found from the plates which Mormon engraved and from the geographical links to the ground where the battles occurred. The Book of Mormon is the primary source. Wayne May knows how to look for traces of these battles. Many important sources from the ground will still come forth.

I offer this as a list of my assumptions and sources.

(1) I believe that the account of the people in the Book of Mormon mainly took place where the waters of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence flow. I do not subscribe to the view which includes both North and South America. I do not subscribe to the view that the setting was in Mesoamerica.

(2) I believe that the chronology of the Book of Mormon is very accurate. In the case of Christ’s death and birth, it is accurate to the very day. (Purchase his Book here!) Mormon knew how to count. He was very careful in keeping track of time and space. It is his book which is the primary source for Cumorah.

(3) I believe that Mormon’s account in 385 AD is a firsthand account. He was the commander-in-chief of
large armies and he required his field commanders to give him accurate reports so that he could control his armies. When Mormon was in battle or preparing for battle he would absolutely require subordinates to report on the number of men who were ready for action. Of course, the 10,000 could have been a figure which was a starting point for a field command. Of course, the actual number for each field command could have been less than 10,000. Perhaps the reported numbers for some units were as low as 6,000. The total men under Mormon’s command during the last battles at Cumorah was 200,000 – 230,000. From the hilltop of his central command Mormon saw 20,000 dead soldiers. Mormon personally witnessed these deaths. He was surprised that he was still alive. He received reports from his field commanders on the destruction of the remaining 210,000 men which were in the area but not in his sight. Mormon certainly knew so much more than we will ever know about this time and place. He and his staff knew the battle order for the Lamanite armies. They knew the resources of the Mississippi River Basin. But even with all this knowledge when the battles began they were surprised at the size of the Lamanite armies. If the size of the Lamanite armies surprised the people who were at central command, is it any wonder that today we have a hard time to appreciate how large this final battle really was?

(4) I have personal experience with the chaos of war. For six years I was a staff officer in Military
Intelligence. My commander wanted to know what was going on and I had to give him good numbers. For six years I was a Foreign Officer and in May 1975 I was on the eighth floor at the head office of the US State Department. Vietnam was falling apart and that war was coming to a close. On a Sunday morning I was the only person on the Guam Desk. On that day there were tens of thousands of refugees in the South China Sea. The Secretary of State wanted to know the number of refugees and these numbers were hard to find. I had to rely on firsthand reports from military commanders in Guam and in Saigon. I have some knowledge of how hard it is to provide good numbers to headquarters when people are dying in war. The commander of any army wants to know every day how many of his men are still alive. Mormon received reports from the field until he found out that his armies were completely destroyed.

(5) In AD 385 Mormon was the supreme commander of great armies. He was not a historian who was trying to estimate the number of men in a war which happened generations before his time. Mormon was commander-in-chief and his staff gave to him reports on the number of men in his armies. How else would he be able to control his armies? To bring it to a closer time. General Grant knew the number of men in his armies. General Lee knew the number of men in his armies. General Eisenhower knew the number of men in his armies. I think that it would be an insult to General Mormon to think that he did no know the number of men under his command. He had firsthand knowledge and he made a record of his armies. No other historical source could possibly be as good as Mormon’s account. We have no right to discount what he wrote. Consider the source and accept it as true. To do otherwise diminishes the heroic effort which Mormon made so that we could have the book which we have received by the gift and power of God.

(6) Based on the primary source of the Book of Mormon, General Mormon had 200,000 – 230,000 men under his command. General Mormon had firsthand knowledge that the Lamanite armies were more numerous than his. The total number of men in the final battles of the Nephite and Lamanite nations was more than 500,000 men. All the resources of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Basins were organized to support these great armies. This was no small effort. The history of the Book of Mormon took place in an area which had about 1,500,000 square miles. The last battle took place in an area which was maybe 100 x 100 = 10,000 square miles. There is no space in Mesoamerica which could have supported armies as large as Mormon’s account.

When we look at the histories of China, India and Rome we find that there were armies of 500,000 men.
These armies required about a million square miles with world-class rivers to support food production.
Mesoamerica has no rivers which compare to the Nile, to the Yangtze, or to the Ganges. The battle at
Cumorah required the resources of lands where the Mississippi and St. Lawrence flow. Cumorah was one
of the great battles of history.

Mormon’s book has 1,000 years of history and with the exception of the 200 years after Christ’s visit much of Mormon’s history of ancient America was during times when the people were involved in wars. The cycle of wars and more wars is common with the histories of all nations but it was particularly noteworthy among the children of Lehi.

Mormon was a careful student of the history of wars in which his people participated. Many of these wars included large armies. Here is a list of the wars which he mentioned in his book.

– Wars in the time of Jacob.
– Wars in the time of Enos.
– Many battles in the time of Jarom.
– Omni mentions warfare in his time.
– In the time of Amaron, there was destruction and in Abinadom’s time.
– The the people of Zarahemla mentioned that they had wars and contentions amongst themselves.
– War in King Benjamin’s time.
– Zeniff’s battle with his own comrades.
– Zeniff’s wars with the Lamanites.
– King Noah’s battle with the Lamanites
– Lamanite invasion at the end of King Noah’s reign.
– War during Limhi’s rule.
– War with Amlicites.
– Massacres of the Ammonites.
– Destruction of Ammonihah and the war that followed.
– War with Zerahemnah.
– Amalickiah’s war against the Nephites.
– Battle against Morianton.
– Ammoron’s war against the Nephites. Coupled with the Kingmen’s insurrection and rebellion.
– Battles with Lamanites, Moronihah leads the Nephites.
– Repealing of Coriantumr’s invasion.
– Civil wars in the time of Nephi, the son of Helaman.
– Wars with Gadianton robbers.
– Wars against King Jacob by Nephite tribes.
– Wars after the Division of the people. (After the time of Christ.)
– War during Mormon’s childhood.

With all this as background, when Mormon saw the Lamanite armies he wrote “and it came to pass that they came to battle against us, and every soul was filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers” (Mormon 6:8). The battles at Cumorah were the appalling climax of Mormon’s history. The people of Nephi who had been favored of the Lord fell into a state of wickedness and that wickedness led to their destruction in senseless acts of violence and carnage. Never before had such acts of slaughter been seen among the children of Israel. This was the sad tale which Mormon wrote. I repeat from Mormon’s book that “every soul was filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers”. This was not just another war in a long list of wars. This was a war of annihilation. Mormon was careful to give us the numbers of men so that his readers might in some small measure appreciate what he experienced when his nation was completely destroyed. At his command post Mormon saw the destruction of 10,000. Next to his command post Mormon saw the destruction of his son’s 10,000. Mormon received dispatches from 21 field commanders where he learned of the destruction of their armies. Wayne May has identified more than 200 ancient fortifications in Western New York. He has a map which shows their locations. Was there an average of 1,000 men per fortification? I do not know the arrangement of these ancient fortifications. It would be interesting to see if there is a cluster or grouping of 10 fortifications which would have reflected a layout of 21 separate field command posts. The map below shows the locations and movements of the Nephite armies and the Lamanite armies from AD 320 to AD 385.

Starting Position – AD 320

The first left quadrant has a map which places Zarahemla on the left and Cumorah on the right. Between these two points seas and rivers. The Lamanites were pushing up from the south across the Ohio River and from the west across the Missouri River. They were trying to cut the Nephite nation in two by overtaking the Land of Bountiful. The Lamanites understand that the plains were open and that it would be difficult for them to engage the Nephite armies in a decisive battle. The Lamanites wanted to destroy the Nephites and they could only do this by crushing them in a final battle. Mormon was familiar with the terrain and feared that his nation would be cut in half. If the Nephite lands were divided in two, Mormon feared that he would only have one last chance before his people could be completely destroyed.

Mormon in AD 380 knew that the forces of the Lamanites were greater than the forces of the Nephites. His first line of defense consisted of forts and earthworks on the Ohio River. Mormon planned that his armies could fall back to a succession of prepared positions to extract a high price from the advancing Lamanite armies. Nevertheless, Mormon wanted to avoid the danger that the Lamanite armies would overrun or outflank his armies.

Delaying the Lamanite armies’ advance would mitigate any advantage of surprise and would allow time for Mormon to move his armies to a second line of defense where he could regroup and take his last stand.

Mormon’s defense in depth strategy deployed his forces in mutually supportive positions and in appropriate roles. For example, he could have put poorly trained troops in static defenses on the front line, whereas better trained and equipped troops could form a mobile reserve. Mormon’s defense in depth would have allowed his armies to maximize the possibilities of natural terrain.

The disadvantage of Mormon’s defense in depth was that it would be difficult for Nephites to give up
important ground to the attacking Lamanites. The Land of Bountiful was close to the front line and was a
vital military and economic resource. If the Lamanite armies were to break through the Land of Bountiful,
the Nephite nation would be cut in half which would make it impossible for Mormon to defend the right flank of the city of Zarahemla. As Mormon’s armies retreated they would have to show a high degree of mobility and Mormon would have to deal with the morale of his own armies after they had lost the first round of battles.

By AD 381 the Lamanites had broken Mormon’s first line of defense and the City of Zarahemla was no
longer defensible. Mormon made an agreement with the leader of the Lamanite armies. Mormon wanted to move his armies to a better position of defense.

Mormon calculated that the best chances for his nation’s survival would be to move his armies into defensive positions where he would force the Lamanite armies to deal with difficult terrain and weather. His defensive plan was similar to the Russians who gave up land and relocated their armies to positions were the armies of Napoleon in 1812 and of Hitler in 1943 would have to deal with the vastness of the land and the coldness of the winter. So, Mormon moved his armies to a place where Lamanties would have to deal with the narrowness of land and the coldness of winter. The large Lamanite armies were on the move to annihilate the Nephite armies. Mormon knew it and he chose Cumorah to make his last stand.

There are mountains south of Cumorah which meant that the Lamanite armies would have to come to him over narrow strips of land along the shore of the South Sea. Mormon understood that by building defensive positions on the many drumlin hills in the region of Cumorah the Lamanites would have a hard time cutting down his armies.

The Lamanites made a deal and they gave Mormon time to move his armies. The Lamanites understood the importance of the last battle and the difficulty of engaging the Nephite armies on the open plains in the Land of Bountiful. The Lamanites agreed to Mormon’s proposal for a last stand and they gave him time to move his forces to the lands around Cumorah.

And so the final battle of the destruction of the Nephites was at Cumorah at a place next to the East Sea, at a place chosen by Mormon and at a place where the great Jaredite nations centuries before were destroyed. This is a sad tale. The details for this fallen people are taken from the Book of Mormon and from the geography of the lands of the Book of Mormon.

As this article began by Dr. Lefgren saying, “All serious conflict results in the displacement of people.  Indeed, much of the movement of people in the ancient as well as the modern world is the result of conflict.  The proposed research would examine the movements and the encampments of the Hopewellian people who were in conflict in Western New York during the late 4th century”, the statement below from Joseph Fielding Smith adds to that information.

“NEPHITE AND JAREDITE WARS IN WESTERN NEW YORK. In the face of this evidence coming from the Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, we cannot say that the Nephites and Lamanites did not possess the territory of the United States and that the Hill Cumorah is in Central America. Neither can we say that the great struggle which resulted in the destruction of the Nephites took place in Central America. If Zelph, a righteous man, was fighting under a great prophet-general in the last battles between the Nephites and Lamanites; if that great prophet-general was known from the Rocky Mountains to “the Hill Cumorah or eastern sea,” then some of those battles, and evidently the final battles did take place within the borders of what is now the United States.

There were no righteous prophets, save the Three Nephites, after the death of Moroni, and we learn that Zelph was slain during one of these battles during the great last struggle between the Nephites and Lamanites and was buried near the Illinois River.

In the Book of Mormon story the Lamanites were constantly crowding the Nephites back towards the north and east. If the battles in which Zelph took part were fought in the country traversed by the Zion’s Camp, then we have every reason to believe from what is written in the Book of Mormon, that the Nephites were forced farther and farther to the north and east until they found themselves in the land of Ripliancum, which both Ether and Mormon declare to us was the land of Ramah or Cumorah, a land of “many waters,” which “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all. “240. 32

This being true, what would be more natural then that Moroni, like his father Mormon, would deposit the plates in the land where the battles came to an end and the Nephites were destroyed? This Moroni says he did, and from all the evidence in the Book of Mormon, augmented by the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, these final battles took place in the territory known as the United States and in the neighborhood of the Great

Lakes and hills of Western New York. And here Moroni found the resting place for the sacred instruments which had been committed to his care. 241. 33.” Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation Volume 3 Chapter 12

Dr. John C. Lefgren lives in Pennsylvania and owns his own business. He has a PhD in economics, served as a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State and was an officer with a major bank in New York. In 1980 his book April Sixth was published by Deseret Book. Since his youth he has had an active interest in Church History. He has developed a property in Vermont near the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial and has a business producing maple syrup.

In his book, April Sixth, John Lefgren said that “On Tuesday, April 6, 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized according to the commandment of the Lord. Why was that date chosen? What was special about the sixth of April?

“For the last century and a half,” the author wrote, “Latter-day Saints have continued to believe that the timing of the restoration of the Church of Christ has an association with the birth of Christ.” April Sixth shows justification for this belief as it links three historic events: the birth of Christ, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the nineteenth-century restoration of the Church of Christ. His friend Dr. John P. Pratt said the following about the book. “Lefgren states that his intent is “to show how the modern revelation concerning the significance of April 6th is in perfect harmony with other sacred writings” (p. 12). That is, he proposes that the belief that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 B.C. is consistent with all LDS scripture, but not necessarily with all secular sources. (All dates refer to our Gregorian calendar.) The reviewers claim that Lefgren also believes the “resurrection of Jesus fell on April sixth. He does not; his date for the Resurrection is 3 April A.D. 33 (p. 61).”

Thirty-eight years after the publication of his first book, Dr. Lefgren again looks to the Mosaic Law for the ordering of days and how this calendar connects to the birth of Christ as synchronized by the world’s largest geometric clock. He examines the very minute for the numeric harmony of the sign for the birth of Christ — a sign which ancient people witnessed in the Heartland of America. The identification of this moment is found in a timeline from more than 2000 years ago and relies on 6 primary sources: (1) the exact movements of the earth around its axis; (2) the exact movements of the earth around the sun; (3) the exact movements of the moon around the earth; (4) the exact physical alignment of 3,000 acres of ancient earthworks in Newark, Ohio; (5) the exact 5-year prophecy of the coming of Christ by Samuel, the Lamanite; and (6) the exact eyewitness testimony of the fulfillment of the prophecy by Nephi, the Son of Nephi. All these sources point to the same moment in time and place.

He has a new book here which is entitled The Sign Before the Birth of Jesus Christ; As Witnessed in Newark, Ohio, 6:29 P.M., Tuesday April 6th, 1 B.C.; The 5-Year Prophecy of Samuel, the Lamanite; The Sun and the Moon Keeping Ancient Time at the Newark Earthworks.

Dr Lefgren along with Dr John Pratt have created a wonderful new DVD called, “Oh How Lovely was the Morning”  This is the true story about two people who were on the same search for important dates associated with the History of the Church. Little did they know that their paths would come together many years later in such an important way. The event of the First Vision and the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, stands alone as the pivotal event from the Lord in these last days! John Lefgren and John Pratt conclude the date of The First Vision was March 26, 1820.

I want to share with you some brief quotes from prophets and apostles that clearly speak about the Hill Cumorah in New York being the only Hill Cumorah. The Church Education System (CES) for years has taught about the two Cumorah theory which I believe is just not accurate. I know many in the Church, like me have been looking to make sense of why Mexico has occupied the minds of Saints in the Church for so many years. I feel I have found answers that “just make sense.” I know wonderful Lamanites are found in many places of North and South America, but I feel the main events spoken of in the Book of Mormon happened in the Heartland of North America.

I have researched and studied and found secondary evidences about the Book of Mormon in North America. My testimony is based on solid spiritual confirmation of this Church and the truthfulness of 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 either way. 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.

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 Apostles, Prophets, and Saints discuss just One Cmuorah in New York, as you will see below. Editor Rian Nelson

“The Hill Cumorah is situated in western New York. . . . It is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces, men, women and children, and fought till hundreds of thousands on both  sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . . The Hill Cumorah is remarkable also as being the hill on which and around which, a still more ancient nation perished, called Jaredites. . . . Millions fought millions, until the Hill Ramah, and  the land round about, was soaked with blood.” Orson Pratt Millennial Star 28 (16 June 1866)

“On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish arrow, which evidently produced his death. Elder Burr Riggs retained the arrow. The contemplation of the scenery around us produced peculiar sensations in our bosoms; and subsequently the visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part-one of his thigh bones was broken by a stone flung from a sling, while in battle, years before his death. He was killed in battle by the arrow found among his ribs, during the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], Page 483

“The final struggles between Nephites and Lamanites were waged in the vicinity of the Hill Cumorah, in what is now the State of New York, resulting in the destruction of the Nephites as a nation, about 400 A.D. The last Nephite representative was Moroni, who, wandering for safety from place to place, daily expecting death from the victorious Lamanites, wrote the concluding parts of the Book of Mormon, and hid the record in Cumorah. It was this same Moroni who, as a resurrected being, gave the records into the hands of Joseph Smith in the present dispensation.” James Talmage Articles of Faith

“For many decades the Nephites retreated before their aggressive foes, making their way north-eastward through what is now the United States. About 400 A.D. the last great battle was fought near the hill Cumorah; and the Nephite nation became extinct. The degenerate remnant of Lehi’s posterity, the Lamanites or American Indians, have continued until this day. Moroni, the last of the Nephite prophets, hid away the record of his people in the hill Cumorah, whence it has been brought forth by divine direction in the current dispensation. That record is now before the world translated through the gift and power of God, and published to the edification of all nations, as the BOOK OF MORMON.”  Jesus the Christ, p. 743

“Joseph then went to the locality specified by the angel, on the side of a hill called in the record Cumorah, and immediately identified the spot that had been shown him in vision. By the aid of a lever he removed a large stone, which proved to be the cover of a stone box wherein lay the plates and other articles described by Moroni. The angel appeared at the place, and forbade Joseph to remove the contents of the box at that time. The young man replaced the massive stone lid and left the spot. Four years later, the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate were delivered into Joseph’s keeping by the angel Moroni. This Moroni, who now came as a resurrected being, was the last survivor of the Nephite nation; he had completed the record, and then shortly before his death had hidden away the same in the hill Cumorah, whence it was brought forth through his instrumentality and delivered to the modern prophet and seer, Joseph Smith, September 22, 1827. That record, or, strictly speaking a part thereof, is now accessible to all; it has been translated through divine instrumentality and is now published in many languages as the Book of Mormon.” Jesus the Christ, p. 767

“In the face of this evidence coming from the Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, we cannot say that the Nephites and Lamanites did not possess the territory of the United States and that the Hill Cumorah is in Central America. Neither can we say that the great struggle which resulted in the destruction of the Nephites took place in Central America. If Zelph, a righteous man, was fighting under a great prophet-general in the last battles between the Nephites and Lamanites; if that great prophet-general was known from the Rocky Mountains to “the Hill Cumorah or eastern sea,” then some of those battles, and evidently the final battles did take place within the borders of what is now the United States. There were no righteous prophets, save the Three Nephites, after the death of Moroni, and we learn that Zelph was slain during one of these battles during the great last struggle between the Nephites and Lamanites and was buried near the Illinois River. In the Book of Mormon story the Lamanites were constantly crowding the Nephites back towards the north and east. If the battles in which Zelph took part were fought in the country traversed by the Zion’s Camp, then we have every reason to believe from what is written in the Book of Mormon, that the Nephites were forced farther and farther to the north and east until they found themselves in the land of Ripliancum, which both Ether and Mormon declare to us was the land of Ramah or Cumorah, a land of “many waters,” which “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all.” This being true, what would be more natural then that Moroni, like his father Mormon, would deposit the plates in the land where the battles came to an end and the Nephites were destroyed? This Moroni says he did, and from all the evidence in the Book of Mormon, augmented by the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, these final battles took place in the territory known as the United States and in the neighborhood of the Great Lakes and hills of Western New York. And here Moroni found the resting place for the sacred instruments which had been committed to his care.” Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 3 Ch. 12

“At one time a fierce battle was fought near where Buffalo, N.Y., now stands, wherein two million were lying strewn upon the earth, slain in battle and no one to bury them, till the stench drove them southward to the Hill Ramah, which was called Cumorah by the Nephite race.” Reminiscences of Joseph the Prophet, by Edward Stevenson 1893

“Just before the Camp passed from Illinois across the Mississippi river into Missouri, Joseph with Brigham Young and others went up on one of the mounds in the neighborhood to obtain a view of the great river, called the Father of Waters. Here they found an altar built according to the ancient style, and from its foot they dug up the skeleton of a man. They were surprised to find an arrow-head between the ribs. It was revealed to the Prophet that this was the remains of Zelph, a white Lamanite and a mighty man of God, who had fought as a chieftain under the Prophet Omandagus [sp].  He was killed in battle during the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites. Of course, we know it was not in the last battle of the struggle because that was fought around the hill Cumorah. What a glorious gift is the inspiration of God!” The Latter-day Prophet, History of Joseph Smith, Written for Young People page 100-101 by George Q. Cannon Illustrated and Published at Juvenile Instructor Office Salt Lake City, Utah 1900

“The passages which I have quoted from the Book of Mormon… definitely establish 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.” President Anthony W. Ivins of the First Presidency, April 1929 General Conference:

“The Book of Mormon tells us that America is a land of promise, a land choice above all other lands. Nephi said that whosoever should possess it must serve the God of the land or they would be swept off. And we have read in the Book of Mormon of the nations that have been swept off because they ceased to worship the God who had led them and their forefathers here to this land. We have a great responsibility as citizens in this land, for the Lord said that he would fight its battles and be its king, if we will just serve him. So it’s appropriate at this time that we express our appreciation for this great land. I like the words Moses used when he gave a blessing to the twelve tribes of Israel. When he blessed Joseph he promised him a new land in the utmost bowels of the everlasting hills (see Deut. 33:15). Now that isn’t in Jerusalem because they don’t have everlasting hills over there, and the prophets have never predicted a regathering of all nations to the land of Israel. But they have predicted the gathering of Israel to this land of America, which is the land of Joseph. And we are the only people in the world who know what that land is that Moses promised to Joseph. It was so great in his eyes as he received the revelations of the Holy Spirit that in describing the land he used the word “precious” five times in just four verses…We have so much to be grateful for. We are not here by chance. We are here because of the sacrifices of our pioneer fathers who came to this choice land that the Lord, according to the Book of Mormon, had hidden away from the eyes of the world that it should not be overrun. He preserved it for us, for the day and time in which we now live here in these valleys of the mountains.” Thanksgiving LEGRAND RICHARDS of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Nov. 18, 1980 • Devotional

“…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 . 

“On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish arrow, which evidently produced his death. Elder Burr Riggs retained the arrow. The contemplation of the scenery around us produced peculiar sensations in our bosoms; and subsequently the visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part-one of his thigh bones was broken by a stone flung from a sling, while in battle, years before his death. He was killed in battle by the arrow found among his ribs, during the last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites.” Joseph Smith Papers History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], Page 483

. “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)

“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.)

“The far west, as the section of country from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains may justly be styled, is not only distant from the Atlantic States, but different. Its principle river, running rapidly from the 48th to the 39th degree of north latitude, is always rily, always wearing away its banks and always making new channels: It is rightly named Missouri; for in plain English, it looks like the waters of misery, -or troubled water:-even as the sea which the prophet said, Casts up mire and dirt. With the exception of the skirts of timber upon the streams of water, this region of country is one continued field, or prairie, (as the French have it, meaning meadows,) and there is something ancient as well as grand about it, too; for while the eye takes in a large scope of clear field, or extensive plains, decorated with here and there a patch of timber, like the orchards which beautify the farms in the east, the mind goes back to the day, when the Jaredites were in their glory upon this choice land above all others, and comes on till they, and even the Nephites, were destroyed for their wickedness: Here pause and look to the east, and read the words of the prophet: Wo to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.-The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: and the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate…

To return: this beautiful region of country is now mostly, excepting Arkansas and Missouri, the land of Joseph or the Indians, as they are called, and embraces three fine climates: First, like that of New-York; second, like Missouri, neither northern nor southern; and third, like the Carolinas. This place may be called the centre [center] of America; it being about an equal distance from Maine, to Nootka sound; and from the gulf of St. Lawrence to the gulf of California; yea, and about the middle of the continent from cape Horn, south, to the head land at Baffin’s Bay, north. The world will never value the land of Desolation, as it is called in the Book of Mormon, for anything more than hunting ground, for want of timber and mill-seats: The Lord to the contrary notwithstanding, declares it to be the land of Zion which is the land of Joseph, blessed by him, for the precious things of heaven…” Editor WW Phelps Evening and Morning Star Vol. 1 No. 5 October 1832 Page 71

“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement . . . to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. . . . The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.” 1842 Joseph Smith, Jr The Times and Seasons 3 (1 March 1842), pp. 707-8 History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 4:537-8   

The Hill Cumorah is situated in western New York. . . . It is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces, men, women and children, and fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . . The Hill Cumorah is remarkable also as being the hill on which and around which, a still more ancient nation perished, called Jaredites. . . . Millions fought millions, until the Hill Ramah, and the land round about, was soaked with blood.”  1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star 28 (16 June 1866)

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

In 1900, George Reynolds finally published his Complete Concordance to the Book of Mormon, much of which (25,000 entries) had been completed while in prison in 1880. Until the age of computers, this monumental work would become the standard for students of the Book of Mormon. “CUMORAH- A hill and the district immediately surrounding it in Ontario County, State of New York. It was known as Ramah to the Jaredites. In its vicinity both the Jaredite and the Nephite races were destroyed in battle. Within its bosom the sacred records of the latter race were concealed.” George Reynolds Complete Concordance of the Book of Mormon, SLC: Deseret Book, 1900

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,” The Improvement Era 44, September 1941, 526, 571-72.

The book, Book of Mormon Geography, SLC: Bookcraft, argues that the Hill Cumorah and the Hill Ramah as geographical locations in the Book of Mormon were located in upstate New York. It therefore challenges the theory that the Hill Cumorah was located somewhere in Latin America. In the preface we find the following: “In recent years there has been a tendency among certain students of the Book of Mormon to orientate Book of Mormon cultures far to the south. Many students of the subject are convinced that the three colonies that came to America had their existence in Central America and Mexico. They are thought to have lived within a radius of a few hundred miles of Zarahemla, never pushing northward many miles, certainly not thrusting out their branches as far north as the Great Lakes along our Canadian border. . . .

Most students who accept this theory do not consider the Hill Cumorah in western New York as the hill where the gold plates were originally deposited, nor the area immediately south of the Great Lakes as the site of the Jaredite and Nephite battlefields. This theory leads to the assumption that Moroni buried the gold pates in a hill in Middle America known as Cumorah. After Joseph Smith’s family moved to Palmyra, New York, it is thought that the Angel Moroni took the plates from the Hill Cumorah in Central America and deposited them in the largest hill near the Smith homestead in western New York. .

The following pages are a plea in defense of the old theory–the interpretation of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Orson Pratt, and a countless number of the Authorities of the Church. It is our humble opinion that there is no occasion to fling aside the old interpretation and accept the new, thus restricting the Book of Mormon races to the restricted confines of Central America.

We are indebted to Elder Mark E. Petersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve, for reading the manuscript and encouraging us to hasten its publication. He wrote these lines after reading it:” “I greatly enjoyed my perusal of your manuscript, and was very much impressed with the array of information you have gathered together from archaeological and other sources to prove your points. I recall that many of our people who have made studies in the region of the Hill Cumorah in western New York are convinced that the Nephites and Lamanites fought their last battles there because of the discovery of so many evidences of an ancient battle in that region. I am glad for anything that strengthens the faith of our people, and I believe that this new book will do that, particularly with respect to their attitude toward the Book of Mormon. I hope many people will read it and enjoy it as I did.” 1948 E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean Book of Mormon Geography, SLC: Bookcraft

“Cumorah in the Book of Mormon refers to a hill and surrounding area where the final battle between the Nephites and Lamanites took place, resulting in the annihilation of the Nephite people. Sensing the impending destruction of his people, Mormon records that he concealed the plates of Nephi and all the other records entrusted to him in a hill called Cumorah to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Lamanites. He delivered his own abridgment of these records, called the plates of Mormon, and the small plates of Nephi, which he placed with them, to his son Moroni (W of M 1:5; Morm. 6:6), who continued writing on them before burying them in an unmentioned site more than thirty-six years later (Moro. 10:1-2).

Cumorah had also been the site of the destruction of the Jaredites roughly 900 years earlier. Moroni states in the book of Ether that the Jaredites gathered for battle near “the hill Ramah,” the same hill where his father, Mormon, hid up “the records unto the Lord, which were sacred” (Ether 15:11). It was near the first landing site of the people of Mulek (Alma 22:30), just north of the land Bountiful and a narrow neck of land (Alma 22:32).

The more common reference to Cumorah among Latter-day Saints is to the hill near present-day Palmyra and Manchester, New York, where the plates from which the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon were found. During the night of September 21, 1823, Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as an angel sent from God to show him where these plates were deposited (JS–H 1:29-47).

In 1928 the Church purchased the western New York hill and in 1935 erected a monument recognizing the visit of the angel Moroni. A visitors center was later built at the base of the hill. Each summer since 1937, the Church has staged the Cumorah Pageant at this site. Entitled America’s Witness for Christ, it depicts important events from Book of Mormon history. This annual pageant has reinforced the common assumption that Moroni buried the plates of Mormon in the same hill where his father had buried the other plates, thus equating this New York hill with the Book of Mormon Cumorah. Because the New York site does not readily fit the Book of Mormon description of Book of Mormon geography, some Latter-day Saints have looked for other possible explanations and locations, including Mesoamerica. Although some have identified possible sites that may seem to fit better (Palmer), there are no conclusive connections between the Book of Mormon text and any specific site that has been suggested.” 1992 David A. Palmer “Cumorah” in Daniel H. Ludlow ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992, pp. 346-347.

“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

The importance of this statement lies in the fact that it is made by the second elder of the Church, when it was organized; he was Joseph Smith’s amanuensis in the translation of Mormon’s record. It is written and published in the life time of the Prophet Joseph Smith, with his knowledge and approval; It is published in the Saints Messenger and Advocate, the organ of the Church at that time, 1834; and it is inconceivable that the Prophet Joseph would permit the publication of such an article identifying this hill where he found the record called the Book of Mormon with the hill called Ramah by the Jaredites, and Cumorah by the Nephites, and the scene of the successive battles which destroyed both of these nations in the region; and also identifying it with the hill in which Mormon deposited “all of the Nephite records” which had been given into his custody–if it did not state the truth.

A testimony also comes from David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the truth of the Book of Mormon. When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found it necessary to move from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Fayette, New York, David Whitmer drove them from Harmony to the home of his father in Fayette. Before starting on this journey Moroni came to the Prophet and took possession of the plates in order to insure their safety in transit to the Whitmer home. On the way the three brethren, Joseph, Oliver and David overtook Moroni carrying the plates. (see note#1) Joseph suggested to David that he ask the “stranger” to ride. David stopped his team and invited him to ride, if by chance he would be going in their direction. “No,” said the one addressed, very pleasantly, “I am going to Cumorah.” “This name was somewhat new to me,” says David, “and I did not know what ‘Cumorah’ meant.” They all gazed at him and at each other. When David looked around again, after turning to Joseph for instruction or information, the man had disappeared. “It was the Messenger (Moroni) who had the plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting form Harmony.” says David Whitmer in closing the story of the incident. (See Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith’s report of an interview with David Whitmer. Millennial Star, Vol,. 40, pp. 769-774. The report bears date of September 17, 1878.

Another circumstance which verifies all that is here said about this hill in western New york from which Joseph Smith obtained the Book of Mormon, being identical with Ramah-Cumorah of the Book of Mormon, is the fact of agreement between the description in the Book of Mormon of the Hill Ramah-Cumorah and the region round about, and the topography of western New York. It is a region of “many waters”–“Ripliancum” by interpretation “large, or to exceed all”; and here in western New York, immediately to the north of Cumorah, is Lake Ontario; to the west and northwest are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior–the greatest group of fresh water lakes in the world, while immediately to the south of Cumorah are the noted “finger lakes” of New York, beginning on the east side of the region is the lake bearing the modern name of Otisco; and moving westward the following named lakes: Skaneateles Lake, Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake–with its elongation, Keuka Lake; Canadaigua Lake and a number of others westward in the same line. All these, and beside them numerous streams and rivers throughout the whole region.

The identification both in the recorded facts of the Book of Mormon about the Hill Ramah-Cumorah and the physical characteristics of this region of western New York–extending westward to include the whole great five lake basin–“Rippliancum[sic]”–“to exceed all”–is sufficient to eliminate all doubt about the hill recently purchased by the Church, being the very site of the destruction of both the Jaredite and the Nephite people, also the place where Mormon deposited the great collection of sacred records which had been entrusted to him and where later his son Moroni kept concealed the gold plates of the Book of Mormon.

And now, behold, how fortunate it is that the Church has possessed herself of so many of the sacred places connected with the coming forth of the new dispensation of the gospel in these last days. . . . The Smith farm near Palmyra, New York . . . Scant three miles away is the Hill Cumorah, surrounded by several hundred acres of farm lands including the whole of the hill Ramah-Cumorah, the sacred depository of Jaredite and Nephite records, including the Book of Mormon gold plates given to Joseph Smith to translate for the enlightenment of the world and also the site of the destruction of the two great peoples of ancient America–the Jaredites and Nephites.

Eastward less than a score of miles is the old “Peter Whitmer Farm,” in Fayette township near the present prosperous town of Waterloo, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on the sixth of April, 1830, with its six charter members, an event soon to be a century old. The Carthage prison . . . How complete is the circle of sacred places, now in possession of the Church, connected with the life and mission of the prophet of the new dispensation! The Saints should be thankful for possession of these sacred places.” Note#1 See the notation on 1829 and 1878. B. H. Roberts The Deseret News, 3 March 1928

Let’s see, two great battles of extermination took place near the Hill Cumorah. The first occurred sometime before 600 BC in which some two million warriors were, along with their wives and children. The second occurred in 385 AD, in which 150,000 warriors were killed. And you did your search I would imagine somewhere near the year 2000 AD. The area that you searched has been gone over by others for the last 200 years or more, and do think 1) that those arrow heads would still be on the surface after that period of time, and 2) that by searching around the area you could pick up a bunch of arrow heads that all the others who have poured over the area for the last 200 years have missed?

You should have been there when the place was first settled when the American frontier was expanding. At that time there were arrow heads all over the place.

Here’s a statement by President George Albert Smith who reported in 1906 of visiting the Hill Cumorah and of hearing the reports of farmers finding arrow heads while plowing in the region. He reports that he obtained a few himself. “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” (Conference Report, April 1906, p.56).

Further, Elder Claude Taylor and others visited the area in 1901, and Susan Young Gates recorded the following:

“Outside the farmhouse Elder Taylor and myself noted several bushel baskets filled with arrow heads and I asked Mrs. Samson (local resident) what they were. She said they had just begun to plow up the hill Cumorah and around the hill, to plant some crops, and they turned up these arrow heads by the basket full” (J. M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon , p.7)

Had Joseph done nothing more than translate the Book of Mormon, his contribution would have been greater than all other efforts to help the Native Americans; yet an examination of his life indicates his concern for and involvement with them went much further. But his time and energy were limited. He was faced with continual personal persecution, legal battles, and imprisonment. He conducted the defense, movements, and growth of the Church and the founding of cities. The Lord gave him many assignments including the new translation of the Bible, the translation of the Egyptian papyri, the organization of the Priesthood, the revelation of temple ordinances and their dissemination, etc. All of these required concentrated effort and substantial time. Spencer W. Kimball summarized:

The very first thing before the Church was organized, Joseph Smith caught the vision of this work. He sent Oliver Cowdery, Ziba Peterson, and Parley P. Pratt and Peter Whitmer to the Indians immediately. They didn’t do very much. The brethren had their hands full: there were persecutions and the expulsions and the exodus and the settlement of this country. So missionary work with the Indians was limited in the Church to whom the great responsibility came. (Kimball, “The Children” 6)

Brigham Young indicated that “there was a watch placed upon [Joseph] continually to see that he had no communication with the Indians” (Journal of Discourses 4:41; hereafter JD). Perhaps the Lord inspired Joseph to proceed cautiously in the face of false accusations which so negatively impacted the Saints. One wonders if the Lord also revealed to him that as important as this work was, only the seeds thereof were then being planted, that the fulfillment of the promises awaited a future day. Whereas this effort had originally been a primary objective of Joseph’s ministry, as the flood of revelation broadened his assignments, it became one of the principal objectives in the midst of many others. In the Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles issued 6 April 1845, many of the 115 paragraphs discuss the Lamanites, giving a more balanced perspective of their place in the overall picture than perhaps would have been the case had such a mission statement been issued in 1829 (see Clark 252–66).

In Nauvoo, Joseph was heavily occupied in the restoration of the blessings given to Abraham as part of the gathering of the house of Israel, the initial stages of which were just then beginning. Who, in Joseph’s mind, would have fit more prominently into the family of Abraham (for whom the blessings were being restored) than the Lamanites? It seems Joseph knew they were of Israel before he knew he was. Was it not the spirit of the Book of Mormon and the continual leadership of the Prophet in this regard that led individual members of the Church to have special personal encounters with the Lamanites? (see Johnson 76). Contrary to general assumption, there were a few Lamanites baptized in his day. Panina S. Cotton, a Cherokee, and Lewis Dana, an Oneida, received their temple blessings in Nauvoo (Black 11:760, 13:194).”

Ultimately, what did Joseph accomplish? By the gift and power of God, he translated the Book of Mormon which revealed who the Native Americans are, their heritage of prophets and priests, of repentance and righteousness, and of pride and destruction. It discloses promises to this remnant of Israel, so diligently sought by their ancestors and vouchsafed by the covenants of the Lord. It proclaims their glorious future in the face of their state of poverty. In a personal way, Joseph seemed to feel a kinship to this people whose culture was so very distant from his own. He knew he and they were both descendants of Joseph of old, the son of Israel. He knew that Joseph of old, their prophet ancestor, had foretold that a mighty seer would be raised up from his posterity to bring to pass much restoration to the remnant of his seed (2 Nephi 3:6–12). From his early tutoring by Moroni to his personal visits with numerous Native American chiefs, Joseph Smith sought to bring to this chosen people the glad tidings of the restoration.

But what did he see in the way of fulfillment for his efforts? In mortality he saw very little, but in vision he must have seen the Lamanites “blossom as a rose” (D&C 49:24). Byron R. Merrill, “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites,” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, ed. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 187–202