Many scholars and intellectuals say Joseph used a stone he found in a well and put it in a hat in order to translate the Book of Mormon. Many of them also claim the gold plates were not even looked at by Joseph during his translation. That is silly to me. No where in the scriptures does it say that Joseph used a stone in a hat, but many times in scripture say Joseph used the spectacles attached to a breastplate to translate as in the picture below.
The word “interpreters” and “Urim and Thummim” mean plural stones, not a singular one. Many of these scholars equate a single stone as the Urim and Thummim, which to me is wrong. They also say that Joseph read the words that appeared in the single stone. That would mean someone was giving Joseph the words to write so it wouldn’t be a translation but more like a dictation. Why did Mormon and Nephi go through all the hard work of writing on gold plates, if the Lord was just going to give Joseph a stone to read from. It makes no sense to me.
Buried in the Stone box, the Interpreters, Spectacles & Breastplate, Not a Seer Stone and a Hat.
What 3 artifacts were found in the stone box of Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith found the gold plates? The Gold Plates, the Breastplate and the Urim and Thummim. (That’s It) The Sword of Laban and the Liahona were found in the Cave of Records at Cumorah NY, with wagon loads of other Jaredite and Nephite plates, in a different location at Hill Cumorah NY.
Two Separate Repositories
As Orson Pratt says, “The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battlefield on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces. Men, women and children fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to molder upon the ground. . . . These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and it’s contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
What are the Urim and Thummim? (Bible)
Israel’s High Priest was commanded to carry two things called the Urim and Thummim. What are they and what do they symbolize? What is their purpose? When did they stop being used? The King James Old Testament refers to the Urim and Thummim in only seven passages.
The first place it is mentioned is in the book of Exodus in relation to the unique and special clothing worn by the High Priest of Israel. And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim (Hebrew: uriym, Strong’s Concordance #H224 which literally means “lights”) and the Thummim (Hebrew: tummiym, Strong’s Concordance #H8550 which literally means “perfections” or emblem of truth).
And they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel . . . (Exodus 28:30, HBFV). The other places in the Bible the Urim and Thummim are directly referenced are Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65.
This Old Testament Urim and Thummim are very diferent than the Interpreters or Urim and Thummim which was in possession of the Brother of Jared and handed down to Moroni who buried it in the Hill Cumorah NY. (Scripture below)
What are the Urim and Thummim? (Modern Scripture)
Here is the detailed explanation of Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith who actually help the Urim and Thummim in her hands, along with the separated breastplate, as each wes only wrapped in a thin linen cloth. Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings Lucy. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.” I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record…. That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)
Are the Words, Urim and Thummin Found in the Book of Mormon?
No. The words of urim and thummim are not found anywhere in the Book of Mormon. They are called “Interpreters”, or Nephite Interpreters. See Scriptures: Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25 The words urim and thummim are in the Pearl of Great Price here: JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; and in Abraham 3:1,4. These words are found in the Doctrine and Covenants here D&C 3; 6; 7; 11; 14; 15; 16; 17; D&C 10:1; D&C 17:1; D&C 130:8; D&C 130:9; D&C 130:10.
Did Brigham Young have the Urim & Thummim?
Yes. The Prophet Joseph Smith was not the only individual in this dispensation to use the Urim and Thummim and to receive revelations from God. Heber C. Kimball testified that Brigham Young also used these sacred instruments. “The question is asked many times, “Has brother Brigham got the Urim and Thummim?” Yes, he has got everything; everything that is necessary for him to receive the will and mind of God to this people. Do I know it? Yes, I know all about it; and what more do you want? That is true, gentlemen; I am one of his witnesses in the last days, and to bear testimony of the truth of “Mormonism.”” (Heber C. Kimball, J.D. 2:111)
Revelations by Joseph Smith while using the Urim and Thummim
Section 3- Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages “In July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49.
Section 6- Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, Oliver Cowdery began his labors as scribe
Section 7- Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John
Section 11- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to his brother Hyrum Smith, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 1829.
Section 14- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
Section 15- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to John Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829
Section 16- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Peter Whitmer Jr., at Fayette, New York, June 1829
Section 17- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
Urim and Thummim used to Translate the Bible.
“In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
Joseph Smith Translation (JST)
“A revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as “a branch of his calling” as a prophet. Although the major portion of the work was completed by July 1833, he continued to make modifications while preparing a manuscript for the press until his death in 1844, and it is possible that some additional modifications would have been made had he lived to publish the entire work. Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime. “The translation process was a learning experience for the Prophet, and several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (and also other revelations that are not published in the Doctrine and Covenants) were received in direct consequence of the work (D&C 76–77; 91). Also, specific instruction pertaining to the translation is given in D&C 37:1; 45:60–61; 76:15–18; 90:13; 94:10; 104:58; 124:89. The book of Moses and the 24th chapter of Matthew (JS—M), contained in the Pearl of Great Price, are actual excerpts from the JST. Many excerpts from the JST are also given in the appendix and footnotes in the edition of the KJV that accompanies this dictionary. The JST to some extent assists in restoring the plain and precious things that have been lost from the Bible (see 1 Ne. 13–14). Although not the official Bible of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the JST offers many interesting insights and is an invaluable aid to biblical interpretation and understanding. It is a most fruitful source of useful information for the student of the scriptures. It is likewise a witness for the divine calling and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/joseph-smith-translation?lang=eng
Apostle John’s Parchment
“While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found they held different views on the meaning of a passage in the Bible. They “mutually agreed to settle” the question “by the Urim and [Thummim].” As a result, Joseph received a revelation giving the translation of an account by the ancient disciple John, [D&C 7] written on parchment but lost to history. This early experience seeking revelation that illuminated the text of a Bible passage was an important precedent. About a year later, during the summer of 1830, Joseph and Oliver received by revelation an account of visions experienced by Moses but not found in the Bible. This revelation marked the beginning of Joseph Smith’s efforts to prepare an inspired revision or translation of the Bible. For the next three years, Joseph worked on his “new translation of the Bible” with Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other scribes, considering the project a “branch of [his] calling” as a prophet of God.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/joseph-smith-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng
Translation of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he (Josoeph Smith) expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.
On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83
The Loss of the 116 Pages
The summer of 1828 had been a traumatic one for the Smith family. On June 15, Joseph and Emma, then living in Harmony, Pennsylvania, near Emma’s parents, lost their firstborn child, a son named Alvin, who died shortly after his birth. For two weeks, Joseph nursed Emma, who seemed “for some time,” wrote Lucy, “more like sinking with her infant into the mansion of the dead, than remaining with her husband among the living.” With Emma slowly recovering, Joseph traveled to the Smith farm in Manchester, New York, only to discover that Martin Harris had lost the 116 transcribed pages of the Book of Mormon. The entire family was plunged into despair, and when Joseph departed for Harmony, Lucy wrote, “We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that all which we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratification, had in a moment fled, and fled for ever.”[5] About two months later, apparently in late August or early September, Joseph Sr. and Lucy traveled to Harmony because they had heard nothing from Joseph and were worried about him. To their surprise, he met them “with a countenance blazing with delight.”[6] Although the plates and the Urim and Thummim had been taken from Joseph, they had now been restored because of his penitence. He had also received a revelation (now section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants) in which the Lord told Joseph that he was “still chosen” and “again called to the work” (v. 10). Furthermore, reported Joseph, “the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and I trust his promise will be verified.”[7] Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed.NOTES[5] Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool, England: S. W. Richards, 1853), 122. [6] Lucy Mack Smith, Preliminary Manuscript [1844–45], Church History Library, in Anderson, Lucy’s Book, 424. [7] Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126. Reconstructing a precise chronology for this time period is problematic because of differences in Joseph Jr.’s and Lucy Mack Smith’s accounts. Joseph said that “immediately” after his return to Harmony, in July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim. “After I had obtained the above revelation,” recorded Joseph, “both the plates, and the Urim and Thummin were taken from me again, but in a few days they were returned to me” (Joseph Smith, Manuscript History of the Church, Book A-1, Joseph Smith Papers, Church History Library [hereafter “Manuscript History”], in Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996–2003], 1:73).
Urim and Thummim Returned to Joseph
“Lucy, on the other hand, said in one portion of her reminiscences that the Urim and Thummim was returned on September 22, 1828, and that sometime after that, she and her husband visited Joseph (see Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126). Complicating the matter even further, she said in another part of her history that “nearly two months” had passed when she and Joseph Sr. decided to go to Harmony. Since Joseph apparently returned to Pennsylvania the first week of July, such reckoning places Joseph Sr. and Lucy’s trip south around the beginning of September rather than at the end of the month. I believe Lucy was simply mistaken about the September 22 date and that the plates and Urim and Thummim were returned to Joseph in July and that his parents visited early in September, arriving back in Manchester on or before September 11, the date when Gain C. Robinson visited the Smith family and charged Joseph Sr. for medicine (see note 10). This is one of a number of instances where a third-party account confirms details of Lucy Mack Smith’s history—rather impressive considering the fact that she dictated it in 1844–45.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49.See additional blog here:https://bookofmormonevidence.org/abinadi-foxes-book-of-martyrs/
Council of Fifty Intended to Bring a Political Transformation
Latter-day Saints believe that one reason the gospel was restored was to prepare the earth for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the Church was to bring about religious changes in the world, the Council of Fifty was intended to bring a political transformation. It was therefore designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God. Joseph Smith ordained the council to be the governing body of the world, with himself as chairman, Prophet, Priest, and King over the Council and the world (subject to Jesus Christ, who is “King of kings.” Clayton, Journal, 22 June 1844; Events of June 1844, in Council of Fifty Report , “Record.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in 1830 to begin the restoration the the Lord Jesus Christ’s church on this earth. The foundation was laid. We now understand that Joseph Smith tried to bring that Kingdom forward. Did the church fail with the Kirtland Safety Society, the United Order, the Establishment of the Temple in Independence, and with the Council of Fifty?NO! In my opinion the restoration of the gospel continues as we prepare for the second coming of the Lord to the Earth. We did not fail, but we are progressing and learning. There is much to do if we are to be ready for the Lord to come again.
Understanding the Council of Fifty
Less than four months before his death in 1844, Joseph Smith convened a council to discuss proposed Latter-day Saint settlements in areas that were then outside the United States, such as in California and Texas. The council deliberated not only about how Church leaders would govern these settlements but about how to establish a political kingdom or government in preparation for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith and his associates saw this council as the beginning of such a kingdom. The council was composed of about 50 members who typically referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of Fifty.”
Joseph Smith intended the council to function separately from the Church. While the Church was responsible for spiritual concerns and the eternal salvation of God’s children, the Council of Fifty was a political or civic organization formed to “govern men in civil matters.” Many of Joseph’s closest associates participated in the council, including members of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Nauvoo High Council. Joseph also admitted three non-Mormons to the council.
Editors added quote here:“[Joseph Smith admitted three men who were not members of the Church to the council, explaining that “we act upon the broad and liberal principal that all men have equal rights, and ought to be respected, and that every man has a privilege in this organization of choosing for himself voluntarily his God.]”Quote Source:https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/council-of-fifty-minutes-joseph-smith-papers?lang=eng
R. Eric Smith and Matthew J. Grow continue saying, “The Latter-day Saints’ desire to lay the foundation for a new civil government was partly in response to the persecution they had experienced in Missouri. Joseph Smith and other Church leaders became convinced that the local, state, and national governments were either unwilling to defend or incapable of protecting the Church’s rights as a religious minority. One important purpose of the council was to adopt measures that would protect the “religious rights and worship” of the Latter-day Saints and others. The council’s minutes contain powerful teachings from Joseph Smith about religious liberty. He spoke of “the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments.”
Editor’s Note: This is what is happening today in our cities and communities. As Latter-day Saints we have experienced bigotry for years and now other religions and good people are feeling similar. It is becoming harder and harder for our own State, City, County or Township to protect our religious rights and our right to freedom.
In Utah the council met sporadically between the late 1840s and the 1860s. John Taylor reorganized the council in 1880, but meetings ceased before the end of that decade.” Church Resources R. Eric Smith and Matthew J. Grow, “Council of Fifty in Nauvoo, Illinois,” Perspectives on Church History, history.lds.org. Matthew J. Grow, Ronald K. Esplin, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds., Administrative Records: Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. Vol. 1 of the Administrative Records series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016).
Joseph Smith’s Journals. Photograph by Welden C. Andersen and Mark Ashurst-McGee. (Church History Library, Salt Lake City.)
What is perhaps the most powerful teaching in the entire Nauvoo Council of Fifty record? Joseph Smith’s statement on religious liberty from the meeting on 11 April, 1844. Those minutes are below, with highlighted areas drawing attention to the most salient parts (as chosen by the author of this article) R. Eric Smith and Matthew J. Grow
Title page from the 1844 Council of Fifty meetings minutes book
“He then went on to say that for the benefit of mankind and succeeding generations, he wished it to be recorded that there are men admitted members of this honorable council who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, neither profess any creed or religious sentiment whatever, to show that in the organization of this kingdom men are not consulted as to their religious opinions or notions in any shape or form whatever, and that we act upon the broad and liberal principle that all men have equal rights and ought to be respected, and that every man has a privilege in this organization of choosing for himself voluntarily his God, and what he pleases for his religion, inasmuch as there is no danger but that every man will embrace the greatest light.
God cannot save or damn a man only on the principle that every man acts, chooses, and worships for himself; hence the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments, that spirit which has drenched the earth with blood. When a man feels the least temptation to such intolerance he ought to spurn it from him.
It becomes our duty on account of this intolerance and corruption—the inalienable right of man being to think as he pleases, worship as he pleases, etc., being the first law of everything that is sacred—to guard every ground all the days of our lives. I will appeal to every man in this council, beginning at the youngest, that when he arrives to the years of hoary age he will have to say that the principles of intolerance and bigotry never had a place in this kingdom, nor in my breast, and that he is even then ready to die rather than yield to such things. Nothing can reclaim the human mind from its ignorance, bigotry, superstition, etc., but those grand and sublime principles of equal rights and universal freedom to all men. We must not despise a man on account of infirmity. We ought to love a man more for his infirmity. Nothing is more congenial to my feelings and principles than the principles of universal freedom and has been from the beginning. . . .
Let us from henceforth drive from us every species of intolerance. When a man is free from it he is capable of being a critic. When I have used every means in my power to exalt a man’s mind, and have taught him righteous principles to no effect, he is still inclined to his darkness, yet the same principles of liberty and charity would ever be manifested by me as though he embraced it. Hence in all governments or political transactions a man’s religious opinions should never be called in question. A man should be judged by the law independent of religious prejudice; hence we want in our constitution those laws which would require all its officers to administer justice without any regard to his religious opinions, or thrust him from his office.
There are only two or three things lacking in the Constitution of the United States. If they had said all men born equal, and not only that but they shall have their rights, they shall be free, or the armies of the government should be compelled to enforce those principles of liberty.”
(Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Apr. 1844, vol. 1, pp. [116]–[121], Church History Library, in Joseph Smith Papers, Administrative Records, Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846, 97–101)4 Author DYEJO 2 October 2018
The minutes of the Council of Fifty, featured in this fascinating 734-page volume (link below), were recorded in three small books and cover twenty-one meetings before the death of Joseph Smith and forty-two meetings between then and January 1846.
An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth.1 An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.”2 On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several prominent elders met to discuss letters proposing a new gathering center for Latter-day Saint settlement in the Republic of Texas.3 On 11 March, they formally organized as a council, as William Clayton recounted, to “establish a Theocracy” somewhere in western North America.4 A 14 March 1844 revelation stated that the name of the council should be “The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgment in the hands of his servants. Ahman Christ.”5 The members, however, generally referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of the Kingdom,” or more simply as the “Kingdom” or the “Council.”6 Seniority and voting order in the council were based on age, though JS presided over it as the standing chairman.7On 11 April 1844, the council voted to receive JS as “our Prophet, Priest & King.”8 When the council reached fifty members, including three men who were not Latter-day Saints, JS declared “the council was full.”9Though the council sometimes had more or fewer than fifty members, it became known as the “Council of Fifty.”10JS taught that there was “a distinction between the church of God and the kingdom of God” and that the laws of the kingdom were “not designed to effect our salvation hereafter.”11 Rather, the council’s purpose was to protect the Saints “in their religious rights and worship.”12 On 25 April 1844, a JS revelation stated that the council itself was the constitution of the kingdom of God and that its members were God’s “spokesmen” in civil matters.13 In March and April 1844, the council discussed principles of proper government, petitioned the U.S. government on behalf of the Saints, sought information on potential gathering places in the West, and planned missionary work among American Indians.14In May 1844, most of the members left Nauvoo to campaign for JS as U.S. president.15 After JS’s death, the Council of Fifty reassembled on 4 February 1845 and voted to sustain Brigham Young as standing chairman and JS’s successor.16 Under Young’s leadership, the council helped supervise the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and establish civil government in Utah.17 It met infrequently thereafter until its final meetings in the 1880s.18
Lost Teachings of the Prophets: Recently Uncovered Teachings of Joseph Smith and Others from the Council of Fifty Record
“I have sworn by the eternal gods that I will never vote for another Democrat again; and I intend to swear my children, putting their hands under the thigh, as Abraham swore Isaac, that they will never vote a Democratic ticket in all their generations. It is the meanest lowest party in all creation…the lowest, most tyrannical beings in the world. They opposed me in Missouri, and were going to shoot me for treason, and I had never committed any treason whatever.” The Prairies, Nauvoo, Joe Smith, the Temple, the Mormons &c (The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, September 15, 1843) Another Source:
Have the two prophets already come and will they come again?
New DVD- Unlocking The Mystery of the Two Prophets-by The Joseph Smith Foundation
Did you know that the Revelation 11 prophecy aligns with events in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum? Is it possible the two prophets have already come and will come again? Who are the two prophets in Revelation 11? The two messengers who lie dead in the great city? An assassination by enemies, a forbidden burial by persecutors, and bodies lying in the street for three and a half days are only a few of the clues found in scripture revealing their identity. The two prophets have generally been shrouded in mystery . . . until now. Did Joseph and Hyrum Smith perform a specific ministry within the period of three and one half years that triggered the fulfillment of thousands of years of ancient Biblical prophecy? Why was Joseph Smith crowned King of Israel in Nauvoo? Why did John reference the ark in Heaven when describing the mission of the Two Prophets? Is the ark of the covenant a similitude or foreshadowing of the Latter-days? Did you know that there are two joint heads for this last and final dispensation? How were Joseph & Hyrum Smith “clothed in sackcloth” in Nauvoo?
Beloved Brethren: -The relationship which we sustain to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, renders it necessary that we should make known from time to time, the circumstances, situation, and prospects of the Church, and give such instructions as may be necessary for the well being of the Saints, and for the promotion of those objects calculated to further their present and everlasting happiness.
We have to congratulate the Saints on the progress of the great work of the “last days,” for not only has it spread through the length and breadth of this vast continent, but on the continent of Europe, and on the islands of the sea, it is spreading in a manner entirely unprecedented in the annals of time. This appears the more pleasing when we consider, that but a short time has elapsed since we were unmercifully driven from the state of Missouri, after suffering cruelties and persecutions in various and horrid forms….
It would be impossible to enumerate all those who, in our time of deep distress, nobly came forward to our relief, and, like the good Samaritan, poured oil into our wounds, and contributed liberally to our necessities, and the citizens of Quincy en masse, and the people of Illinois, generally, seemed to emulate each other in this labor of love….
We would likewise make mention of the legislators of this state, who, without respect to parties, without reluctance, freely, openly, boldly, and nobly, have come forth to our assistance, owned us as citizens and friends, and took us by the hand, and extended to us all the blessings of civil, political, and religious liberty, by granting us, under date of December 16, 1840, one of the most liberal charters, with the most plenary powers ever conferred by a legislative assembly on free citizens, “The City of Nauvoo,” the “Nauvoo Legion,” and the “University of the City of Nauvoo.”…
The name of our city (Nauvoo) is of Hebrew origin, and signifies a beautiful situation, or place, carrying with it, also, the idea of rest; and is truly descriptive of the most delightful location. It is situated on the east back of the Mississippi river, at the head of the Des Moines rapids, in Hancock county, bounded on the east by an extensive prairie of surpassing beauty, and on the north, west, and south, by the Mississippi….
Having been instrumental, in the hands of our heavenly Father, in laying a foundation for the gathering of Zion, we would say, let all those who appreciate the blessings of the Gospel, and realize the importance of obeying the commandments of heaven, who have been blessed with the possession of this world’s goods, first prepare for the general gathering; let them dispose of their effects as fast as circumstances will possibly admit, without making too great sacrifices, and remove to our city and county; establish and build up manufactures in the city, purchase and cultivate farms in the county. This will secure our permanent inheritance, and prepare the way for the gathering of the poor. This is agreeable to the order of heaven, and the only principle on which the gathering can be effected. Let the rich, then, and all who can assist in establishing this place, make every preparation to come on without delay, and strengthen our hands, and assist in promoting the happiness of the Saints….
The Temple of the Lord is in process of erection here, where the Saints will come to worship the God of their fathers, according to the order of His house and the power of the Holy Priesthood, and will be so constructed as to enable all the functions of the Priesthood to be duly exercised, and where instructions from the Most High will be received, and from this place go forth to distant lands. Let us then concentrate all our powers, under the provisions of our Magna Charta granted by the Illinois legislature, at the “City of Nauvoo” and surrounding country, and strive to emulate the action of the ancient covenant fathers and Patriarchs, in those things which are of such vast importance to this and every succeeding generation….
The greatest temporal and spiritual blessings which always flow from faithfulness and concerted effort, never attended individual exertion or enterprise. The history of all past ages abundantly attests this fact. In addition to all temporal blessings, there is no other way for the Saints to be saved in these last days [than by the gathering], as the concurrent testimony of all the holy Prophets clearly proves, for it is written-“They shall come from the east, and be gathered from the west; the north shall give up, and the south shall keep not back.” “The sons of God shall be gathered from far, and His daughters from the ends of the earth.”
“[The] doctrine of the gatheringis one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil” (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 80).
It is also the concurrent testimony of all the Prophets, that this gathering together of all the Saints, must take place before the Lord comes to “take vengeance upon the ungodly,” and to be glorified and admired by all those who obey the Gospel.” The fiftieth Psalm, from the first to the fifth verse inclusive, describes the glory and majesty of that event. The mighty God, and even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth (that He may judge the people). Gather my Saints together unto me; those that have made covenant with me by sacrifice.
We might offer many other quotations from the Scriptures, but believing them to be familiar to the Saints, we forbear.
We would wish the Saints to understand that, when they come here, they must not expect perfection, or that all will be harmony, peace, and love; if they indulge these ideas, they will undoubtedly be deceived, for here there are persons, not only from different states, but from different nations, who, although they feel a great attachment to the cause of truth, have their prejudices of education, and, consequently, it requires some time before these things can be overcome…. Therefore, let those who come up to this place be determined to keep the commandments of God, and not be discouraged by those things we have enumerated, and then they will be prospered-the intelligence of heaven will be communicated to them, and they will eventually, see eye to eye, and rejoice in the full fruition of that glory which is reserved for the righteous.
In order to erect the Temple of the Lord, great exertions will be required on the part of the Saints, so that they may build a house which shall be accepted by the Almighty, in which His power and glory shall be manifested. Therefore let those who can freely make a sacrifice of their time, their talents, and their property, for the prosperity of the kingdom, and for the love they have to the cause of truth, bid adieu to their homes and pleasant places of abode, and unite with us in the great work of the last days, and share in the tribulation, that they may ultimately share in the glory and triumph.
We wish it likewise to be distinctly understood, that we claim no privilege but what we feel cheerfully disposed to share with our fellow citizens of every denomination, and every sentiment of religion; and therefore say, that so far from being restricted to our own faith, let all those who desire to locate themselves in this place, or the vicinity, come, and we will hail them as citizens and friends, and shall feel it not only a duty, but a privilege, to reciprocate the kindness we have received from the benevolent and kind-hearted citizens of the state of Illinois. ” Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, Presidents of the Church [HC 4:267-73]. 1,260 Days until June 27, 1844
Jan 1, 1892 [Apostle Abraham H. Cannon Journal]
(At a Stake Conference at Brigham City) President Snow reported that on one occasion Joseph Smith was once asked who he was: “The Prophet smiled kindly upon his interlocutor and replied, “Noah came before the flood; I have come before the fire.” 3 – Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4
3 and one half days after the proclamation above, Hyrum was ordained a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Jan 19, 1841
“And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph; That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery; That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever.” D&C 124:94-96
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) described how the law of witnesses (see 2 Corinthians 13:1) was fulfilled by Oliver Cowdery being present every time priesthood keys were restored:“The Lord called Oliver Cowdery as the second witness to stand at the head of this dispensation assisting the Prophet in holding the keys. The records inform us that every time the Prophet received authority and the keys of the priesthood from the heavens, Oliver Cowdery shared in the conferring of those powers with the Prophet. Had Oliver Cowdery remained faithful and had he survived the Prophet under those conditions, he would have succeeded as President of the Church by virtue of this divine calling ” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:213; emphasis added). On January 19, 1841, because Oliver did not remain faithful, “the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to ordain Hyrum Smith and confer upon him all the keys, authority, and privileges placed upon the head of Oliver Cowdery, and make him the ‘Second President’ of the Church” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:220).
The Council never rose to the stature Joseph intended
Members (which included individuals that were not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were sent on expeditions west to explore emigration routes for the Saints, lobbied the American government, and were involved in Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign. But only three months after it was established, Joseph was killed, and his death was the beginning of the Council’s end. Brigham Young used it as the Saints moved west and settled in the Great Basin, and it met annually during John Taylor’s administration, but since that time the Council has not played an active role among the Latter-day Saints.
The Council of Fifty was designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God
Latter-day Saints believe that one reason the gospel was restored was to prepare the earth for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the Church was to bring about religious changes in the world, the Council of Fifty was intended to bring a political transformation. It was therefore designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God. Joseph Smith ordained the council to be the governing body of the world, with himself as chairman, Prophet, Priest, and King over the Council and the world (subject to Jesus Christ, who is “King of kings”[1]).
The Council of Fifty, while established in preparation for a future Millennial government under Jesus Christ (who is the King of Kings) was to be governed on earth during this preparatory period by the highest presiding ecclesiastical authority, which at the time was the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph had previously been anointed a King and Priest in the Kingdom of God by religious rites associated with the fullness of the temple endowment, and was placed as a presiding authority over this body in his most exalted position within the kingdom of God (as a King and a Priest).
Joseph was anointed as the presiding authority over an organization that was to prepare for the future reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium
The fact that Joseph’s prior anointing was referenced in his position as presiding authority over this body creates the confusion that he had been anointed King of the Earth. He was in fact only anointed as the presiding authority over an organization that was to prepare for the future reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium. The fact that Joseph had submitted his name for consideration as President of the United States during this same period adds fodder for critics seeking to malign the character of the Prophet.
An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth.1
An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.”2
On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several prominent elders met to discuss letters proposing a new gathering center for Mormon settlement in the Republic of Texas.3
On 11 March, they formally organized as a council, as William Clayton recounted, to “establish a Theocracy” somewhere in western North America.4
A 14 March 1844 revelation stated that the name of the council should be “The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgment in the hands of his servants. Ahman Christ.”5
The members, however, generally referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of the Kingdom,” or more simply as the “Kingdom” or the “Council.”6
Seniority and voting order in the council were based on age, though JS presided over it as the standing chairman.7
On 11 April 1844, the council voted to receive JS as “our Prophet, Priest & King.”8
When the council reached fifty members, including three men who were not Latter-day Saints, JS declared “the council was full.”9
Though the council sometimes had more or fewer than fifty members, it became known as the “Council of Fifty.”10
JS taught that there was “a distinction between the church of God and the kingdom of God” and that the laws of the kingdom were “not designed to effect our salvation hereafter.”11
Rather, the council’s purpose was to protect the Saints “in their religious rights and worship.”12
On 25 April 1844, a JS revelation stated that the council itself was the constitution of the kingdom of God and that its members were God’s “spokesmen” in civil matters.13
In March and April 1844, the council discussed principles of proper government, petitioned the U.S. government on behalf of the Saints, sought information on potential gathering places in the West, and planned missionary work among American Indians.14
In May 1844, most of the members left Nauvoo to campaign for JS as U.S. president.15
After JS’s death, the Council of Fifty reassembled on 4 February 1845 and voted to sustain Brigham Young as standing chairman and JS’s successor.16
Under Young’s leadership, the council helped supervise the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and establish civil government in Utah.17
It met infrequently thereafter until its final meetings in the 1880s.18
Council of Fifty Voted JS to be Received as Prophet, Priest & King
23 June 1844 In Nauvoo, Illinois, JS instructed William Clayton to conceal minutes of Council of Fifty by sending them away, burying them, or burning them; Clayton buried them in his garden.1
William Clayton Began Copying Council of Fifty Records
18 August 1844 William Clayton began copying records of Council of Fifty into small leather-bound volume by this date, Nauvoo, Illinois.1
3 July 1844 William Clayton dug up records of Council of Fifty and found they had been damaged by water, Nauvoo, Illinois.1
Discussion of Finding New Home in West for Saints, 1 March 1845
In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty discussed sending delegation west with Lewis Dana to find new home for Saints among American Indians.
21 March 1844 Council of Fifty Assigned Others to Draft Petition to Congress
In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty assigned Willard Richards, Hyrum Smith, and William W. Phelps to draft petition to Congress requesting authority for JS to raise large company of volunteers to protect American settlers and interests in Republic of Texas, Oregon, and other areas in West. Council also assigned James Emmett to visit American Indians in Wisconsin Territory.1
“On the morning of March 1, thirty-eight-year-old Lewis Dana became the first American Indian to join the Council of Fifty. After Joseph’s death, council meetings had stopped, but once the Nauvoo charter was repealed and the Saints realized their days in Nauvoo were numbered, the Twelve had called the council together to help govern the city and plan its evacuation. A member of the Oneida nation, Lewis had been baptized with his family in 1840. He had served several missions, including one to the Indian territory west of the United States, and had ventured as far away as the Rocky Mountains. Knowing Lewis had friends and relatives among Indian nations to the west, Brigham invited him to join the council and share what he knew about the people and lands there”. “In the name of the Lord,” Lewis told the council, “I am willing to do all I can.”Saints, Endowed with Power Chapter 46
Dana (Denna), Lewis Biography in the Joseph Smith Papers
1 Jan. 1805
–8 June 1885.
Farmer.
Born in Oneida Co., New York.
Son of Jonathan and Nelly Dana.
Chief of Oneida Indian tribe, in New York.
Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by May 1840.
Received elder’s license, 13 May 1840, in Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois.
Preached in Indian Territory, summer 1840.
Returned to Michigan or Wisconsin Territory, by 1843.
Returned to Nauvoo, Jan. 1845.
Admitted to Council of Fifty, 1 Mar. 1845.
Appointed to explore western U.S. and select new location for Latter-day Saints to settle among Indians; left on expedition, 24 Apr. 1845.
Married Mary Gont, 14 Oct. 1845, in Nauvoo.
Arrived at Fort Leavenworth, unorganized U.S. territory, to confer with local Indian chiefs, 21 Nov. 1845.
Moved to settlement on Silver Creek, Pottawattamie Co. (later in Mills Co.), Iowa, between 1847 and 1853.
Present at organization of Alpheus Cutler’s Church of Jesus Christ, 19 Sept. 1853, in Fisher’s Grove (later in Shenandoah), Fremont Co., Iowa.
Resided in Fisher Township, Fremont Co., 1860.
Settled with group of Cutlerites at Clitherall, Otter Tail Co., Minnesota, 6 May 1865.
Moved to Girard, Otter Tail Co., by 1885.
Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, in Clitherall.
Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846; Volume 3, 6 May 1845–13 January 1846
Historical Introduction Page [16]
“Coun. D. Spencer then arose to give a report of his mission to the West. Their mission was to the Seneca Indians. They proceeded about five hundred miles up the Missouri River and there met brother Lewis Dana, from him they learned that brother Jonathan Dunham was dead. 26 They tarried five days 27 with the Stockbridge tribe. 28 This tribe expressed great kindness towards them and the Mormons. They have considerable knowledge of the Mormons and of what is going on among us. Their interests seem to be identified with ours. 29 From brother Dana they learned that the Cherokees had given permission for any number of our people to settle by them, and offered to lend us any assistance they could either to locate or to go West to explore. 30 Brother George Herring has been with several tribes and says (Page 17 continues) they are all friendly and seem to understand what is going on among us, and are ready to render us any assistance they can. 31 Many of the Stockbridge tribe are joined in with the Baptists but they are dissatisfied with their doctrine. 32 They like the Mormon doctrine better. Their chief expects to be here about the 6th. of October. They preached to them, and they seem satisfied with our doctrine. From what brother Dana said they concluded it unnecessary to go to the Senneca tribe. They learned that Dana had accomplished among that tribe what they were sent for.
The following letters were then presented and read by the clerk. 33
Webbers Falls Cherokee nation July 5th. 1845 [p. [17]]”
1 March 1845In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty discussed sending delegation west with Lewis Dana to find new home for Saints among American Indians.1Lewis Dana. Oneida Tribe
Daniel Spencer and Charles Shumway’s Return to Nauvoo
1 September 1845
Daniel Spencer and Charles Shumway returned to Nauvoo, Illinois, from mission to Indian Territory after conferring with Lewis Dana.1
Group Departed for Exploratory Mission to Indian Territory
23–24 April 1845
Phineas Young, Lewis Dana, Jonathan Dunham, Charles Shumway, and Solomon Tindall leave Nauvoo, Illinois, for exploratory mission to Indian Territory.1
Missionaries’ Arrival at Indian Territory
31 May 1845
Western missionaries arrived at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, and learned that council of Indian leaders in the Creek reservation they had intended to attend had been held 13–16 May. Charles Shumway and Phineas Young decided to return to Nauvoo, Illinois; Jonathan Dunham, Lewis Dana, and Solomon Tindall remained in Indian Territory.1
HC 7:379 Saturday, March 1, 1845.–I met with the “General Council’ 4 (link is external) at the Seventies Hall. We decided to send nine brethren westward, to search out a location for the saints; many eloquent speeches were made on the present position of affairs: had a good meeting, which continued all day.
Tuesday, 4.–Continued sickly. General Council met at Seventies Hall; Elder Kimball presided; the subject of the western mission was discussed.
Steady the Ark of God
D&C 85:8. What Does It Mean to “Steady the Ark of God”?
This phrase refers to an incident during the reign of King David in ancient Israel. The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant in battle but returned it when they were struck by plagues (see 1 Samuel 4–6). David and the people later brought the ark to Jerusalem in an ox cart, driven by Uzzah and Ahio. “And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6–7; see vv. 1–11). The ark was the symbol of God’s presence, His glory and majesty. When first given to Israel, the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and not even the priest was allowed to approach it. Only the high priest, a type of Christ, could approach it, and then only after going through an elaborate ritual of personal cleansing and propitiation for his sins. The scriptures teach that no unclean thing can dwell in God’s presence (see Moses 6:57). His presence is like a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29). Those who bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean (see D&C 133:5).
However well-meaning Uzzah’s intentions, he approached casually what could only be approached under the strictest conditions. He had no faith in God’s power. He assumed that the ark was in danger, forgetting that it was the physical symbol of the God who has all power. We cannot presume to save God and His kingdom through our own efforts.
“Uzziah’s offence consisted in the fact that he had touched the ark with profane feelings, although with good intentions, namely to prevent its rolling over and falling from the cart. Touching the ark, the throne of the divine glory and visible pledge of the invisible presence of the Lord, was a violation of the majesty of the holy God. ‘Uzzah was therefore a type of all who with good intentions, humanly speaking, yet with unsanctified minds, interfere in the affairs of the kingdom of God, from the notion that they are in danger, and with the hope of saving them’ (O.V. Gerlach).” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, bk. 2: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, “Second Book of Samuel,” p. 333.)
In modern revelation the Lord referred to this incident to teach the principle that the Lord does not need the help of men to defend his kingdom (see D&C 85:8). Yet even today there are those who fear the ark is tottering and presume to steady its course. There are those who are sure that women are not being treated fairly in the Church, those who would extend some unauthorized blessing, or those who would change the established doctrines of the Church. These are ark-steadiers. The best intentions do not justify such interference with the Lord’s plan. President David O. McKay said:
“It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzzah who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. (See I Chron. 13:7–10.) He seemed justified, when the oxen stumbled, in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgments faulty, and their spirits depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities, spend their time in finding fault with others.” (McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 258.)
President John Taylor observed:
“We have more or less of the principles of insubordination among us. But there is a principle associated with the kingdom of God that recognizes God in all things, and that recognizes the priesthood in all things, and those who do not do it had better repent or they will come to a stand very quickly; I tell you that in the name of the Lord. Do not think you are wise and that you can manage and manipulate the priesthood, for you cannot do it. God must manage, regulate, dictate, and stand at the head, and every man in his place. The ark of God does not need steadying, especially by incompetent men without revelation and without knowledge of the kingdom of God and its laws. It is a great work that we are engaged in, and it is for us to prepare ourselves for the labor before us, and to acknowledge God, his authority, his law and his priesthood in all things.”(Taylor, Gospel Kingdom, p. 166.)
John Taylor
The Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians; having been found through the ministration of an holy angel, and translated into our own language by the gift and power of God, after having been hid up in the earth for the last fourteen hundred years, containing the word of God which was delivered unto them. By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph which was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come, with as many of the Gentiles as shall comply with the requisitions of the new covenant. But the tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem. The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land of America, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads” (Isaiah 35:10); and then they will be delivered from the overflowing scourge that shall pass through the land. But Judah shall obtain deliverance at Jerusalem. See Joel 2:32; Isaiah 26:20-21; Jeremiah 31:12, Psalm 1:5; Ezekiel 34:11-13. These are testimonies that the Good Shepherd will put forth His own sheep, and lead them out from all nations where they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day, to Zion, and to Jerusalem; besides many more testimonies which might be brought.
And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the requirements of the new covenant, have already commenced gathering together to Zion, which is in the state of Missouri; therefore I declare unto you the warning which the Lord has commanded to declare unto this generation, remembering that the eyes of my Maker are upon me, and that to him I am accountable for every word I say, wishing nothing worse to my fellow-men than their eternal salvation; therefore, “Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.” Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant, and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled. Remember these things; call upon the Lord while He is near, and seek Him while He may be found, is the exhortation of your unworthy servant.
Our great friend Jonathan Neville, shared a great blog below about the History of FAIRMormon and many of the good things they do, along with a few things we disqgree with them about.
For example we believe the Book of Mormon was translated using the method Joseph Smith spoke about.”Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” JSH 1:35. We don’t believe Joseph used the stone in a hat method as FAIR does. See FAIR articles here: https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith/Seer_stones/%22Rock_in_hat%22_used_for_Book_of_Mormon_translation
We also believe that Hill Cumorah was not only the Hill in NY that Joseph found the plates, but is was also the same hill near where the final battles of the Nephites happened. FAIR believes the final battles happened somewhere in Mexico. See FAIR articles here: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Where_is_the_Hill_Cumorah%3F
I Quote many Prophets and Apostles below:
“The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012.
“I should like to say a few words about America…. No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America. I know that she has problems. We have heard so much of them for so long. But surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty….” Gordon B. Hinckley, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled 1974.
“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson 2011.
Lastly, Joseph Smith said while on Zions Camp in 1834 in Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River, “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity…” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56.
Now read Jonathan Nevilles views on these issues below.
“History of FAIR (now LDS, formerly Mormon)
In the ongoing pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, with the objective of “no more contention” (Mosiah 1:1), I recently co-hosted a podcast about the history of FAIR, which you can see here:
Steve and I interviewed Kerry Shirts (the Backyard Professor) who was the original Director of Research for FAIR. He had fond memories of FAIR and the people he worked with there. He explains the editorial decisions that led him to leave, but that was not the focus of the interview.
The interview expanded on the brief history found on the FAIR website:
FAIR was formed in late 1997 by a group of LDS defenders of the faith who frequented the America Online Mormonism message boards. There, they defended the Church against detractors. This small group realized that they had no way of sharing their information with each other, much less the rest of the Church. As a result of this, FAIR was born. FAIR incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of New York on December 19, 1997, as The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. The fledgling organization put up its first website in March 1998. In 2013, the group became known as FairMormon. In 2021 the name was changed back to FAIR, which now stands for Faithful Answers, Informed Response.
Whenever people get together voluntarily to pursue laudable objectives, good things can happen.
An interesting aspect of the interview is how FAIR evolved into a tool to promote the personal beliefs and theories of its management instead of offering resources to enable Latter-day Saints and other interested people to answer questions with all the relevant information.
I hope this interview and related commentary (such as this post) will prompt FAIR to apply the FAITH model of analysis by first laying out all the facts, then specifically identifying the various assumptions, inferences and theories about those facts in an organized, accurate comparison of different faithful approaches to Church history and doctrine.
That would enable Latter-day Saints to make fully informed decisions, which would greatly strengthen faith in the Restoration and thus in Jesus Christ.
Much of the content at FAIR is excellent. I’ve used it many times because the site is well organized and contains lots of useful links to original sources. I recommend it for many topics.
However, as we’ll see below, on some topics FAIR is unreliable and even misleading.
____
Scott Gordon has been President for many years. He and his team are all awesome, faithful Latter-day Saints, with the best of intentions. Plus, they’re nice people. And they claim they want to use faithful scholarship in their work.
FAIR’s content is mostly anonymous (like the Gospel Topics Essays), but it parallels the content at Scripture Central and the Interpreter Foundation. The organizations have considerable overlap.
Thus FAIR, like the others, is inexplicably dedicated to impugning the integrity, credibility and reliability of Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith regarding the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.
People are free to disagree about the reliability and credibility of Joseph and Oliver regarding the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon. Many disagreements arise because people are simply uninformed about all the relevant facts. Or they are confused because the management of FAIR, Scripture Central, and the Interpreter Foundation conflate their respective assumptions, inferences and interpretations with the facts, to the detriment of all truth seekers.
That editorial position leads FAIR, like Scripture Central and the Interpreter Foundation, to some strange rhetorical machinations. It’s a real shame that such a potentially valuable and productive resource is being manipulated by FAIR management to mislead Latter-day Saints and other interested people.
Let’s look at three examples.
_____
FAIR is an adamant promoter of SITH (stone-in-the-hat theory of Book of Mormon translation). They have a webpage dedicated to persuade readers that:
Joseph Smith used the same “rock in hat” seer stone for translating that he used for “money digging”
The page is a series of assumptions, inferences and theories, misleadingly stated as facts. It’s impossible to have a rational, credible analysis and discussion when we don’t start with the facts and then clearly state our assumptions, inferences and theories that lead to our overall hypotheses (FAITH model).
Look at this series of assumptions, inferences and theories, all stated as facts:
After the loss of the 116 pages, contemporary accounts are very clear that Joseph continued the translation using his seer stone. In later years, the term “Urim and Thummim” was retroactively applied to both the Nephite interpreters and to Joseph’s seer stone. Thus the use of “Urim and Thummim” tends to obscure the fact that two different instruments were employed.
When FAIR refers to “contemporary accounts” here, they (i) completely omit what Joseph, Oliver and Lucy Mack Smith said and (ii) emphasize statements from critics, detractors, and decades-later accounts from David Whitmer and (allegedly) Martin Harris and Emma Smith.
But they don’t spell that out.
They don’t give us all the relevant facts.
Instead, the entire page omits what Joseph, Oliver and Lucy Mack Smith said about the translation because they know those three explicitly and repeatedly said Joseph translated the plates by means of the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates.
This is significant because Joseph and Oliver were responding to critics (such as the 1834 Mormonism Unvailed) who were making exactly the same claims that FAIR is making today.
Look specifically at FAIR’s claim that “In later years, the term ‘Urim and Thummim’ was retroactively applied to both the Nephite interpreters and to Joseph’s seer stone.” What FAIR doesn’t tell you is that Mormonism Unvailed (Oct 1834) clearly distinguished between the “peep stone” and the “Urim and Thummim” as two separate, competing accounts of the translation. This confusion generated by critics explains why both Joseph and Oliver specifically taught that Joseph used the Urim and Thummim (aka the Nephite interpreters, aka the spectacles) that came with the plates.
But FAIR and other SITH sayers try to confuse Latter-day Saints with this modern theory of “retroactive” application of terms.
FAIR also doesn’t tell you that in the summer of 1832, missionaries were publicly teaching that Joseph translated the plates by means of the Urim and Thummim.
There are lots of other problems with FAIR’s approach to SITH, but no legitimate, faithful academic resource would purport to discuss the translation of the Book of Mormon without at least including what Joseph and Oliver taught about the translation.
It’s fine that FAIR wants to persuade Latter-day Saints to agree with Royal Skousen:
“Joseph Smith’s claim that he used the Urim and Thummim is only partially true; and Oliver Cowdery’s statements that Joseph used the original instrument while he, Oliver, was the scribe appear to be intentionally misleading.”
This ongoing, determined effort to undermine the credibility and reliability of what Joseph and Oliver taught is all-too pervasive among modern LDS scholars. Obviously, that effort is unappealing to most Latter-day Saints.
And that probably explains why FAIR refuses to explicitly state their position by informing us of what Joseph, Oliver, and Lucy Mack Smith said, and then explaining clearly why they disagree.
But that editorial approach is a disservice to all Latter-day Saints, not to mention the disservice they are giving to Joseph and Oliver.
_____
FAIR is also an adamant promoter of M2C, again just like Scripture Central and the Interpreter Foundation.
M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) is based on the assumption that Oliver Cowdery lied when he explicitly taught it is a fact that the hill Cumorah/Ramah is the same hill in New York where Joseph found the plates.
Readers of this blog are familiar with all the historical and extrinsic evidence that supports and corroborates what Oliver and Joseph said about the hill Cumorah.
But readers of FAIR are not so well informed.
FAIR purports to offer “Faithful Answers, Informed Response.”
Instead, FAIR offers up pages of distraction, obfuscation, misinformation and disinformation on this topic. Just look at the entries on this page, for example:
If FAIR actually sought to inform Latter-day Saints to help them make informed decisions instead of seeking to persuade them to accept M2C, FAIR would implement the FAITH model of analysis.
FAIR would start by providing all the facts from Church history.
Then FAIR would spell out the different assumptions, inferences and theories about those facts that lead people to the various hypotheses, the two major being Heartland and M2C. This would include interpretations of the text, the teachings of the prophets, and extrinsic evidence.
The clarity of such a comparison would enlighten Latter-day Saints.
Then people would be able to make informed decisions.
But FAIR continues to refuse to do this, which makes their website on this topic unreliable and misleading and, ultimately, unusable.
It’s a shame that this potentially awesome resource is employed in such a disreputable manner.
_____
The third example is more specific.
FAIR has a page that discusses the 1990 letter about Cumorah from the Office of the First Presidency.
Because confusion about that letter persists, Elder Watson issued a public statement in 2022 about the context. That letter was sent to FAIR, but FAIR has refused to post it on their website.
FAIR’s refusal is a fundamental violation of basic ethics of journalism and scholarship.
But it is consistent with FAIR’s editorial approach to other topics, such as the two we discussed above, where FAIR’s management (i) omits relevant facts and (ii) promotes their theories as facts.
Very strange.
Anyone interested can read Elder Watson’s statement here:
BTW, the Museum of the Book of Mormon (MOBOM.org) offers original sources along with diverse assumptions, inferences, etc. to enable readers to make informed decisions.
Ideally, FAIR and Scripture Central would do likewise and all Latter-day Saints would find “unity in diversity.”
But that apparently won’t happen until and unless current management of those organizations (Scott Gordon for FAIR and Jack Welch for Scripture Central) trust their readers enough to provide all the relevant facts, along with a comparison of the various assumptions, inferences and theories.
Instead, their divisive, dogmatic editorial approach of enforcing their personal opinions through the guise of “scholarship” continues to plague Latter-day Saints everywhere.
We have discovered more revisionist history in the SAINTS, [LDS Narrative Essay books]. Three revelations (D&C 28, 30 & 32) were given to Joseph Smith to send the first 4 missionaries on a singular mission to….the LAMANITES! Every revealed mission call said so. The Lord himself even proclaimed He would go with them as their advocate.
“SAINTS” completely censors the word “Lamanites” from these revelations, claiming instead that the missionaries were simply “on their way to the West” (p103) or Oliver’s “mission to the West” (p108) where “the Lord had called them to preach to the American Indians...” (p105), which term is absent from any of the revelations while redacting the term “Lamanites” which was used in every one of the revelations.
Why?
Mesomania, of course. If the American Indians were Lamanites, that makes it more difficult to accept the Meso theories. So, to keep it geography neutral, they altered the Lord’s very words to accommodate M2C. (Mesoamerican 2-Cumorah Theory)
I first believe Personal Revelation. Then I trust Canonized Scripture, Then I trust the words of the Prophets. “Saints” is a feel good book, I enjoy it but don’t believe everything in it. Historians make mistakes through including a narrative history.
A Mission to the Lamanites/Cumorah
“A Mission to the Lamanites is reported differently in Saints and other documents compared to Parley P. Pratt’s autobiography. Parley’s 1831 description of Oliver Cowdery preaching to the Delaware Indians (in Indian Territory west of Missouri) states, “This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county. ” See History of the Church, Vol 1, p184, The Deseret Book Company 1973.
SAINTS, volume 1 leaves out the word “Cumorah” and instead uses the narrative calling Cumorah, a hill, or the hill. In the index under the title, “hill” it lists the following pages where “hill” in used, not Cumorah. See index under, hill (Cumorah) page 22, 24, 25, 29, 34
Missionaries didn’t arrive in Guatemala until 1947! In History of the Church, Page 183 (1950 Copyright, same as above), it states, “* The Mission to the Lamanites.—As the “mission to the Lamanites” is a very prominent event in early Church history, it is proper that the labors of the brethren engaged in it should be spoken of more fully than appears anywhere in the Prophet’s narrative, and at this point, following the letter of Oliver Cowdery, seems as appropriate a place as will be found to speak of it.” The Saints, Vol 1 doesn’t think the mission to the Lamanites is very prominent.
This 2016 Doctrine and Covenants study manual refers to the Lamanite Mission and the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, but it doesn’t mention that Parley told the Delaware Indians about Moroni and the metal plates deposited in the hill Cumorah in western New York near Palmyra. The Preface to Revelations in Context states: “The stories in this collection, which treat almost all of the sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, were written by historians in the Church History Department. In telling these stories, the authors brought to bear both their faith in the restored gospel and their training and expertise in American and Mormon history. Particularly important to this series was the Joseph Smith Papers Project, which has provided a foundation of meticulous scholarship upon which all historical interpretation of Joseph Smith’s life and work should build. Citations to the Joseph Smith Papers in Revelations in Context typically direct the reader to the documents and materials generously made available on josephsmithpapers.org.”
“The footnote is flawed. It should point to Oliver’s preaching to the Delaware Indians and Moroni and the Hill Cumorah. I guess flawed narrative has to point to a flawed footnote. Why no mention of Section 28? I don’t know what is on page 36 of Parley P. Pratt. My missionary Triple Combination (Copyright 1970) that I used in the Ontario Quebec Mission from Nov 1971 to Nov 1973 uses the words “mission to the Lamanites” in the section headings for Sections 28 (mentions Lamanites 3 times in the scriptural text) and [section] 30 (Lamanites mentioned 1 time in the scriptural text). The section heading to Section 32 mentions “Lamanites” once and “Indian tribes in the west” once. The scriptural text uses the words “into the wilderness among the Lamanites.” My 1980 Copyright Triple Combination scriptures in Section 28 in the heading doesn’t say anything about Oliver’s mission to the Lamanites and has several fewer sentences than the 1970 version. The subheading for verses 1-7 does state, “Oliver Cowdery is to preach to the Lamanites.” The scriptural text does mention Lamanites 3 times like the 1970 version. Section 30 has different verbiage and no reference to Oliver Cowdery’s mission to the Lamanites in the heading. The subheading for versus 5-8 does state, “Peter Whitmer, Jun., is to accompany Oliver Cowdery on a mission to the Lamanites.” The scriptural text does mention Lamanites 1 time like the 1970 version. Section 32 has different verbiage in the heading and deletes the word “yearning” from “yearning desires.” The last sentence from the 1970 version has been excluded in the 1980 version, “The missionaries admonished to confine themselves to the expounding of the written word, as they shall be given understanding thereof.” The subheading for verses 1-3 does state, “preach to the Lamanites.” The scriptural text matches the 1970 version and uses the words “into the wilderness among the Lamanites.” As you can see, the 1980 version is drifting away from the “mission to the Lamanites” verbiage. I didn’t compare with the online version.” Bruce Lloyd Pleasant Grove, UT
In my opinion it is sad that this book review below, describes what actually happens when the SAINTS editors start adding or taking away from Church History. It clouds truth and I feel many in the correlation department want to keep the 2 Cumorah theory as their pet theory. I don’t think they are bad people, but they are more interested in their theory than allowing others to understand geography differently. Overall the SAINTS book is a wonderful addition to our libraries. We understand the Brethren have approved this book and we support them in all they do. We believe that the Brethren trust those editors who are in charge. We just want to make you aware to read and study on your own all good books and scripture and pray about it. The Lord will always guide you to absolute truth.
SAINTS Book Review
“One of the tactics that critics have used recently to try to destroy faith is to describe a lesser known event in church history in a way that is intended to shock the reader. By sensationalizing and removing it from its context, and often even misrepresenting what actually happened, the victim is left feeling betrayed by the Church, thinking they have been lied to or that the Church has been hiding or whitewashing its history.” Book Review: Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth 1815-1846 September 17, 2018 by Trevor Holyoak
Before we answer the question about how the Maya Civilization of Mexico links to Ancient India, let’s ask another related question. Were the Mayans & Aztecs Scattered by the Gentiles? The simple answer is No! However the Native American Lamanite in the USA was SMITTEN and SCATTERED during the “Trail of Tears.”
Mayans from Cambodia and India. Not Scattered by the Gentiles
“In the book The Conquest of the Maya by J. Leslie Mitchell, he explains that the basis of the old Maya empire was not of the work of the ancestors of the present day Maya, but was an import from the same foreigners that built the palaces and temples of the Chams and Khmers in Cambodia, and the temples in Java.
“The Mayan people, also known as technicians, were no doubt named as such because of being connected with this person named Maya or Mayasura and Maya Danava. They were a part of his clan or tribe. They had fallen away from the Vedic way of life and were sent or escaped to the region of Central America. They also carried with them much of the science of astronomy and navigation for which this Mayasura was known…
“South American pyramids are of course related to Egyptian pyramids. If the Mayans have much in common with the Egyptians, then they must share a common origin… Dr. Ganapati Sthapati of Chennai, a foremost expert on Vastu shatra, the ancient Hindu architecture, has visited the Mayan structures in Central America and found many similarities between the design and construction methods of the Mayans and that of the ancient Hindus.” Mayan Origins in Ancient Southern IndiaPosted by Bhaktivedanta Ashram
Hugh Nibley Quotes about the Book of Mormon in North America
“Though such piles as the great pyramid-temple of Chichén Itzá yield to few buildings in the world in beauty of proportion and grandeur of conception, there is something disturbing about most of these overpowering ruins. Writers describing them through the years have ever confessed to feelings of sadness and oppression as they contemplate the moldy magnificence—the futility of it all: “They have all gone away from the house on the hill,” and today we don’t even know who they were
The great monuments do not represent what the Nephites stood for; rather, they stand for what their descendants, “mixed with the blood of their brethren,” descended to. But seen in the newer and wider perspective of comparative religious studies, they suggest to us not only the vanity of mankind and the futility of man’s unaided efforts, but also something nobler; the constant search of men to recapture a time when the powers of heaven were truly at the disposal of a righteous people.” Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify? By Hugh Nibley September 1972
“If my insistent harping on central Asia annoys you, let me remind you again that the book of Ether gives us no choice. It never lets us forget that what the Jaredite kings did was a conscious imitation and unbroken continuation of the ways of “the ancients,” of “them of old” on the other side of the water. This, incidentally, is another indication that we are not to regard the Jaredite migration as taking place immediately after the flood, for the fall of the tower saw the destruction of an ancient and established order. The Jaredites left their homeland driving great herds of cattle before them in the immemorial Asiatic manner, and even if they had never been nomads before, they certainly lived the life of the steppes during those many years before they set sail (Ether 3:3), and when they embarked, they crammed all they could of their beasts into their small boats, “flocks and herds” and other beasts (Ether 6:4), and upon reaching the New World continued to cultivate “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep” just as their ancestors had in the old country (Ether 9:18). Now you know, how the Nephites could have had sheep in North America brought to this land by the Jaredites. The Nephites could continue practicing the Law of Moses in the land of The New Jerusalem.” (2 Nephi 25:24 Mosiah 2:3) Hugh Nibley from Lehi in the Desert; The Great Open Spaces
Sheep, Rams, Bullocks, Doves, Wine and Goats are not found in Mesoamerica dating to the Book of Mromn timeline. There are all those animals, grain, and wine found in North America during 600 BC to 400 AD.
Maya Civilization of Mexico. Baffling Links with Ancient India
The archaeological remains of ancient Maya civilization of Mexico are lying scattered in the parts of Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco and eastern half of Chiapas as well as in the territory of Quintana Roo of the republic of Mexico. Covering an area of about 125,000 square miles, its traces are to be found in the western section of Honduras Republic, Peten and adjacent highlands of Guatemala and practically in the whole of Honduras.
Admiral Christopher Columbus mistakenly called the New World inhabitants as Indians. Although he corrected himself subsequently, the natives of Americas continued to be called ‘Indians’. During the course of his third journey, Columbus came into contact with ‘Maya’ people.
Many theories have been advanced by scholars to explain the origins of these American Indians and if there were any links between the ancient civilizations of the Old World and the New World. There are historians who believe that the American civilizations were purely native in origin and also those who maintain the theory of Asians crossing over through Bering Strait via Alaska and reaching the American continent some 12,000 – 15,000 years ago. (The editor of this blog doesn’t believe in the Bering theory). However, the antiquity of American Indians remains shrouded in the veil of mystery. In spite of a great deal of investigations, explorations and deep study by scholars and innumerable historians during the last many centuries, what we know about pre-Columbus America is very little in comparison to what we do not know. To quote Glyn Daniel from his book ‘The First Civilizations’, “within 15 years, between 1519 to 1533, the Western world discovered and brutally destroyed three civilizations – the Aztecs of Mexico, Maya of Yuacatan and Guatemala and Inca of Peru.”
The unique elaboration of the Mayan civilization has been a challenge to the imagination of explorers and students of history. The Mayans had attained the highest maturity in art, craft, sculpture and hieroglyphs. Innumerable theories exist about these ancient people. Their magnificent achievements in social, economic, political and religious fields, their calendar and hieroglyphic writings, reasons of the sudden collapse of their classic culture everywhere in Mesoamerica, the reality of ‘Kulkulkan Quetzal-Coatl’ myth are some of the riddles of Mexican history challenging modern research. The ‘Maya’ Indians spent thousands of years in building their magnificent monuments and Mayapan, Palenque, Copan, Tikal, Kaminalijuyu and Piedras Negras were the centres where Mayan culture flourished in splendour. How and why these places were deserted in the past is still a mystery. Although modern scientists have achieved significant success in deciphering Maya calendar system, none has been able to decipher their hieroglyphic system of writing.
The possibility of links of these people with Old World civilizations and particularly with ancient India is not acceptable to many historians. However, there are those who hold a different view. Eminent scholar-writers like Mackenzie, Hewitt, Tod, Pococke and Mrs. Nuttal have collected plenty of data to show that ancient American civilizations were influenced by Old World civilizations. We have to remember that the post-Columbus history of America for 300 years was the story of ruthless destruction and fanatics like Bishop Diego da Landa burnt a huge bonfire of valuable documents and nothing but the three codices of ‘Chilam Balam’ could survive the holocaust.
Piedras Negras, Guatemala
There are two specific archaeological discoveries pertaining to 761 AD, about which most Mexican historians are silent, that attract our attention as possible links of Maya civilization to ancient India.The first one is a wall panel (Panel No. 3 of Temple 0-13, at Piedras Negras, Guatemala; reproduced as Plate 69, page 343 of ‘The Ancient Maya’ by S.G. Morley) belonging to the Later Classic Stage of Mexican history, associated with the peaking of Maya architecture and sculpture. Mexican historians have not given any interpretation of this panel. It appears that the scene depicted in the panel relates to the great Indian epic ‘Ramayana’. It shows a king sitting on the throne and one maidservant with two children standing on the right side of the throne. A guard stands behind the three. On the other side of the king, three important personages are standing whereas the vassal chiefs and important feudatories are sitting in front of the throne. The king on the throne is believed to be Suryavanshi Ram with his three illustrious brothers standing by his side. The two little children are his two sons with a maid and a guard behind them. Amongst the three persons on the right, two are engaged in a discussion whereas the third one, apparently Lakshman, is standing with a bold, brave and confident demeanour which was characteristic of him. The above panel is a beautiful piece of sculpture and an evidence of great Mayan heritage, their artistic taste and superior creative ability and, above all, an archaeological evidence to prove India’s link with Mexico in the 8th century at least.
The artistic design and postures of the figures carved can be compared to those found at Ajanta and Ellora caves in India. This interpretation, however, remains only a plausible one till the hieroglyphics and frescoes surrounding the wall panel are deciphered.
Plate I — Stela 12 from Piedras Negras, Guatemala Image Number: 19318
Another archaeological discovery at the same place i.e. Piedras Negras, Guatemala, is a stone stela (No. 12, Plate No. 18, page 61 of ‘The Ancient Maya’ by S.G. Morley). A mythological scene has been carved in this stela, depicting the architectural and artistic maturity of the Maya people of the Classic Stage (594 – 889 AD).
There is a beautiful image of a deity with eight hands (ashtabhuja). The art style is discernibly Indian as in no other religion of the world deities of this type were worshipped.It may be mentioned that the ruling dynasty of Mexico at the time of the conquest by Spaniards was ‘Aztec’ or Ashtak (Eight). The evidence in the form of such images leaves little doubt about the presence of Indian culture amongst the ancient Mexicans. The stela pertains to the period of more than eight centuries before Columbus set foot on the soil of the so-called New World.
The place where these pieces have been discovered – Piedras Negras – appears to
be a distorted form of ‘Priyadarsh Nagraj’ in Sanskrit, as has been the case with so
many words distorted by European pronunciation.
These stone sculptures are adornments of a Mayan temple and depict some popular mythology prevalent amongst the people of the time. Both human sacrifice
and idolatry were much in practice amongst Maya people. Morley has given a
detailed and vivid account of Maya culture and society in his book ‘The Ancient Maya’, profusely quoting Bishop Diego de Landa.
Bishop Landa states that Maya people “…had a very great number of idols and
temples which were magnificent in their own fashion and besides the community
temples, the lords, priests and leading men also had oratories and idols in their houses where they made their prayers and offerings in private”. Not only of gods but idols of even animals and insects were prepared by Maya people, who believed in immortality of soul and afterlife. This definitely smacks of an Indian connection.
More serious efforts to connect the ancient American civilizations withthose of ancient India have to be made. The Trans-Pacific contacts of the people of south-east Asia with the people of ancient America have been established beyond doubt. It is also a well-proven fact of history that Indians of ancient times were great sea-farers.In pre-Mahabharata era as well as in the subsequent period, the kings of southern India possessed large fleets used for trade with the Arabian and European countries where Indian merchandise was much in demand. India’s links with south-east Asia and other far-off islands of the Pacific Ocean are an established fact of history. The conquest of Malaya by Rajendra Chola, the story of Buddhagupta the Great Sailor (Mahanavik), the religious expeditions of Indians to preach the gospel of Buddhism in the distant lands of Cambodia, Annam, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and China are proofs of the impact of Indian culture.
A remarkable feature of the Indian culture has been that colonialdomination was never identified with economic exploitation. The Buddhist Jatakas (folk tales) narrate many stories relating to maritime adventures and daring sea journeys which establish that such activities were an essential part of Indian life at that time.
Among the many theories about which civilization first sailed to the Americas and discovered them, there is also the theory that the ancient Phoenicians were the first.
This theory became popular in the 18th century and is closely connected with the petroglyphs on Dighton Rock which are still of unknown origin. This theory is not quite as popular as the one that says that the Norse made the discovery first, but still, it is worth mentioning. (See my blog here about the Dighton Rock)
Back in the 18th century, a lot of scholars started to offer ideas about the true origin of the inscriptions on the rock. Ezra Stiles, a theologian, author, and also the seventh President of Yale College, claimed that the inscriptions are in Hebrew.
Antoine Court de Gébelin, who is mainly known for the popularization of the Tarot, had his own idea about the rock. He believed that the inscription was made by Carthaginian sailors who commemorated their journey to the shores of Massachusetts.
A copy of the symbols on Dighton Rock.
In the 19th century, the theory that a group of Israelite people visited the New World was widely adopted in the Mormon community.
“The known enterprise of the Phoenician race, and this ancient knowledge of America, so variously expressed, strongly encourage the hypothesis that the people called Phoenicians came to this continent, established colonies in the region where ruined cities are found, and filled it with civilized life.It is argued that they made voyages on the ‘great exterior ocean,’ and that such navigators must have crossed the Atlantic; and it is added that symbolic devices similar to those of the Phoenicians are found in the American ruins, and that an old tradition of the native Mexicans and Central Americans described the first civilizers as ‘bearded white men,’ who ‘came from the East in ships’.“
Photograph of the Dighton Rock taken in 1893.
A stone tablet with an inscription that was supposed to be of Phoenician origin appeared in Brazil in the 1870s. The tablet was given to Ladislau de Souza Mello Netto, who was the director of the National Museum of Brazil at that time, and he immediately acknowledged the artifact as genuine. The inscription allegedly told the story of some Sidonian Canaanites who visited the shore of Brazil. It was later discovered that the symbols that appear on the tablet were variations of letters that appeared in different periods over a span of 800 years. It was impossible for all the letters to appear on the same tablet at the same time, so the artifact and the inscription were dismissed as fake.
In the 20th century, a few new artifacts appeared that again spiked the theory of Phoenician or Semitic discovery. One of these artifacts was the Bat Creek inscription. Cyrus Herzl Gordon, Near Eastern cultures and ancient languages expert, believed that the inscription of this tablet was in Paleo-Hebrew.Gordon thought that this was proof that Semitic people visited the continent prior to Columbus. Later, the Bat Creek inscription, together with another artifact called the Las Lunas Decalogue Stone, were proven to be forgeries and Gordon’s claim was dismissed. (The Editor believes the Bat Creek Stone and Dighton Rck are authenic.)
The Bat Creek inscription.
In 1996, Mark McMenamin, an American paleontologist, speculated that Phoenician sailors visited the Americas around 350 BC.He based his theory on some gold stater coins that were allegedly made by the state of Carthage. On the back of the coins was a map of the Mediterranean and another land on the west, across the Atlantic. McMenamin interpreted that land as the Americas but later discovered that those coins were actually a modern forgery. The Editor normally believs artifacts that are labeled forgeries by historians and intelectuals are usually authentic. Historians try and hide facts that don’t paralell their conclusions.)
Another form of written evidence that slightly goes in favor of the arrival of Phoenicians in the Americas can be found in Ptolemy’s Geography. Lucio Russo, an Italian physicist, mathematician, and historian of science, analyzed Ptolemy’s book and noticed that he gives the coordinates of the Fortunate Isles.
The fortunate Islands were a group of legendary islands mentioned by various ancient Greek writers. Russo also noticed that the size of the world in Ptolemy’s Geography is smaller than what Eratosthenes measured. After he gave the same coordinates of the Fortunate Islands to the Antilles, the map irregularities in Ptolemy’s descriptions disappeared. According to Russo, Ptolemy could have known about the Antilles from his source, Hipparcos, who lived in Rhodes.It is possible that Hipparcos heard about the Antilles from Phoenicians sailors who controlled the western Mediterranean in those days. This is a far-fetched idea, but still, an interesting one.
A carving of a Phoenician ship / Author: Elie plus CC BY-SA 3.0
Most of the modern-day scholars deny the idea that Phoenicians, Canaanites, or Carthaginians discovered the Americas first. (This editor seems to feel the opposite)
Throughout history, the Lord has always provided the best way for each of us to get back to live with Him again. One of the greatest gifts the Lord has given us is free agency.
The Lord does not choose favorites, ever. Because of the wisdom of God, He makes covenants with some people or groups offering them a Sacred Land, Protection, Productivity and a Posterity, in exchange for Godly obedience.
With this covenant between God and some people such as; Adam, Noah, Jaredites, Abraham, Moses, Lehi, David, Christ, Pilgrims, Washington, and others, there is always a two way agreement or this agreed upon covenant will become obsolete, and those blessed with the blessings of the covenant will be smitten if not obedient and are held to be more accountable than those who had never entered into the Covenant.
We read, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48
Also the Apostle James says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17
Thus, Where much is given, much is expected”. And “If you know to do good and doeth it not it is a sin.
Now think of the Lamanite who sinned because of their forfathers, not after making a covenant with God. The Lamanites learned from their mothers and fathers but no covenant was made between them and God. The Nephites learned from prophets who had made a covenant with God as their learning was from a prophet and not just their parents. “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgression.” Second Article of Faith
Prophets making Covenants with Christ:
Adam: 4070 BC
Enoch: 3313 BC
Noah: 2943 BC
Shem: 2441 BC
Jaradites: 2200 BC
Abraham: 2052 BC
Jacob (Israel): 1892 BC
Judah: 1804 BC
Joseph: 1801BC
Moses: 1542 BC
David: 1057 BC
Lehi: 600 BC
Limhi: 122 BC Mosiah 21:32
Moroni: 72 BC Alma 46:21
Pilgrims: 1620
Washington:1789
Joseph Smith: 1820 Dates From Johnpratt.com
“If We Do Not Do Right They Will Be A Scourge” 1853
“What do I care for what the world says? I care no more about it than I do for the squawking of a goose. It is none of their business if I have a mind to be a Saint, and keep the commandments of God; and as you have heard it said, so say I—the time will come in which you will dwell in peace and safety; and when the time comes that you will go back to Jackson County, you will be independent, and live without any opposition at all. Can the Lord do it? Yes. All the people are in His hands, and He can turn the nations as I can an obedient horse. They are governed and controlled by the Almighty as much as we are. What can they do against us? Why nothing whatever, but if we do not do right they will be a scourge in the hands of God to scourge us, just as the Indians are at this time. There never would have been a disturbance if this people had done as they were told.
I am not speaking of the people in this city any more than of the people of other settlements. To my certain knowledge there is not a settlement in these mountains but were instructed by brother Brigham to build good forts and live in them; and on these conditions alone were volunteers permitted to go out and make new settlements.
Have any of them built forts? Tell of one settlement, if you please, excepting they commenced one in Iron County which remains unfinished yet. The Indians are now upon us, and our brethren are scattered off, three, four, and five families in a place, away off in this and in that direction, exposed to the Lamanites. They have been called into the city that they might be safe, and they are now teasing us, and wanting to go back again, and live in those exposed locations without a fort… I have lived in the State of New York, town of Bloomfield, Monroe County, right in the heart of the country where the ancient Lamanites, and other veterans, destroyed each other, root and branch; where the Book of Mormon was discovered in the hill of Cumorah.From among those rich hills the people are flocking to these mountains. Why? Because this is the richest place in the world.” A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered at the Special Conference in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 13, 1853
President Kimball Loves the Lamanites
“The converted Lamanite is devout. Few ever apostatize. Some lose their way as they partake of the worldliness about them, but generally the children of Lehi of the twentieth century have inherited that grace and ability to believe like their ancestors of the long ago. We read in Hel. 6:36: ‘And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words’” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], p. 178; emphasis added).
“The Lamanites must rise again in dignity and strength to fully join their brethren and sisters of the household of God in carrying forth his work in preparation for that day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to lead his people, when the millennium will be ushered in, when the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory and its lands be united and become one land. For the prophets have said, ‘The remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.’ (Eth. 13:8.) “In this I have great faith.” Spencer W. Kimball (“Our Paths Have Met Again,” Ensign, Dec. 1975, p 5, 7.)
“Have you ever tried to recover something that you have lost in your memory all at once, as you strain and struggle, here it comes back? That is the way the Gospel is to the Lamanites. One good Navajo man said to me: “All our lives we knew that we were off line. We used to be with you folks in the long ago; then we came to a division in the road with a great stone in the middle. We went one way and you went the other, but now we are around it and we are all coming back together(Lamanite Conference April 24, 1971 President Kimball). Ether 13:8
“Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they (Lamanites) shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old;… (In parenthesis added)
Alma 9:16-17
16- For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land.
17- And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.
“And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved.” (D&C 3:18–20.)
“The Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western Tribes of Indians, having been found through the ministration of an holy Angel translated into our own Language by the gift and power of God, after having been hid up in the earth for the last fourteen hundred years containing the word of God, which was delivered unto them, By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the Land of America is a promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come. with as many of the gentiles as shall comply with the requisitions of the new covenant. But the tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem.” ~Joseph Smith.
In July of 1866 Elder Wilford Woodruff said the following: “If the Elders of Israel had always treated the Lamanites as they should, I do not believe that we should have had any difficulty with them at all. This is my firm conviction, and my conclusion according to the light that is in me. I believe that the Lord permits them to chasten us at the present time to convince us that we have to overcome the vindictive feelings which we have harbored towards that poor, downtrodden branch of the House of Israel.”
We are Relatives
“Truly our paths have met once more—we a mixed remnant of Israel, principally Ephraim, even referred to as gentiles, now come forth out of captivity (see, e.g., 1 Ne. 13:19, 39), a people with a long history of apostasy and darkness and persecution, now only through the grace of Almighty God restored to the blessings of the gospel, that we in turn might be a blessing to the nations of the earth; and the Lamanites, also a people of disobedience now returned to the fold, whose sufferings have been sore, and punishment severe, and humiliation complete, whose affliction these many centuries must certainly be fruit meet for repentance. And what should be the nature of our reunion? We are relatives. We are brothers and sisters under the skin. We should receive each other with great joy, as the prodigal son was received, who, “when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20.)
I rejoice that it has been my privilege to carry the gospel to the Lamanites from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the reaches of Canada to southern Chile, and in the islands from Hawaii to New Zealand. I have eaten with and visited with these my brethren and sisters and have been a guest in their homes.
I have met some who are a little bit ashamed that they are Lamanites. How can it be? Some would rather define themselves as Nephites, or Zoramites, or Josephites, or something else. Surely there must be a misunderstanding. Would they separate themselves from the great blessings the Lord has promised to his covenant people? Would they cast off their birthright? For the Lord himself has chosen to call these people Lamanites—all the mixed descendants of Father Lehi, and Ishmael, and Zoram, and Mulek, and others of the Book of Mormon record; all of the literal seed of the Lamanites, “and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.” (D&C 10:48.)
You who are Lamanites remember this: Your Lamanite ancestors were no more rebellious than any of the other branches of the house of Israel. All the seed of Israel fell into apostasy and suffered the long night of spiritual darkness, and only through the mercy of God have any of the branches been saved from utter destruction—the gentile-Ephraimite mixture first, and then the Lamanite remainder of Joseph, that the saying might be fulfilled, “the last shall be first, and the first last.” (Matt. 20:16.) You who are Lamanites remember: In your past are men such as the Nephi and his brother Lehi who, cast into prison while in the service of the Lord as missionaries, were so righteous and full of faith that though they were encircled by fire they could not be burned; whose faces shone like that of Moses when he descended from the mount; whose persecutors asked, “Who is it with whom these men do converse?” And the reply came: “They do converse with the angels of God.” (Hel. 5:38–39.)
You are a chosen people; you have a brilliant future. You might possess all of the wealth of this earth, but you would be nothing compared to what you can be in this Church. You might rule over many nations, but you would have nothing compared to what you can have, through the holy priesthood, as a king or a queen unto the Most High God.
You non-Lamanites who, looking at these your brethren and sisters, can only see that which is “dark and loathsome,” take heed to yourselves! Look into your own past—any of our pasts—and you will find centuries of loathsomeness and unrighteousness. And then look to the scriptures and discover the Lord’s opinion of his chosen people, among whom the Lamanites are numbered. You who “pass by on the other side” when you meet one of these who have, as one may say, gone down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fallen among thieves and been stripped and beaten; in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and Kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it.” (Wilford Woodruff, General Conference Report,April 8, 1898, p. 57.) if you had been with me recently to witness a chorus of small Lamanite children singing “I Am a Child of God,” you would have begun to see a vision of what the Lord has in mind for these, his people….)
The Covenant Again!
There is one point I would like to make clear as I repeat what the Lord said: “I will give this land to you on one condition.” The title to the land of America is a conditional title, and only those who live the laws of God and serve him faithfully can inherit it. He wanted the Jaredites to come over. They found America. They lived for a long while here and ripened in iniquity before they encountered the people of Mulek. The land then was given to Lehi and to his sons and their families, but when a fulness of iniquity arose among these children of the land, they were swept off. Therefore, I want us to keep in our minds the fact that this land is ours only so long as we live the commandments of God. Whether it is Greeks or Italians or Norwegians or whoever is going to enjoy this land, they are going to serve God or they shall be swept off.
That is what makes me so frightened today when I read the magazines and the newspapers and see that the gentiles who are living upon this land today are failing, to some extent at least, to live the commandments. There is much evil, much wrong, much wrongdoing in this land of ours. Many people break the laws of God, and the day will come when he just cannot tolerate it. He says he won’t. When they become ripe in their iniquity, the day will come when they will be swept off. That day frightens us a little bit, doesn’t it, when people get so near the edge with their immoralities and their ugliness.
So, my appeal today is for the Lamanites, all the Lamanites, the Mexicans, the Polynesians, the Indians, to live the commandments of God and prove themselves worthy of this choice land. And a further word of caution: Keep your strength up to high purpose. Keep your eye single to the glory of God. Maintain your faith and live the principles of the gospel. Remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not compatible with radicalism or communism or any other of the “isms.”There could be those who would profess to be your saviors. They could enslave you with their force or their strange philosophies. If some of their leaders have motives that are selfish and questionable, have nothing to do with them. Perhaps some would even excite you to unwise actions. Beware of them. Keep your feet on the ground and your heads high. Listen to your duly elected tribal leaders and stay with those who want independence, equality, and full freedom for the Indian people by peaceful means alone. Only these kinds of successes will be enduring.
The Lord has a comprehensive plan, and I have a firm conviction that the blueprint he worked out many millennia ago will be carried out through the programs of the Church. Even now the Church is bringing to bear its resources to educate the Lamanites, to improve their living conditions and their health, to bring them to a knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer. I have asked for increased effort in the missionary work among the Lamanites, and I have been most gratified by the response. The missions in the Lamanite areas are the most active and most productive of all, with many more converts per missionary than in any of the other missions. It is as in days of old: “And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words.” (Hel. 6:36.) We have many Lamanite missionaries in the field now, and there will be many, many more, I am sure.
And can we not exercise our faith to expand this work even further? Enos prayed a prayer of mighty faith and secured a promise from the Lord that the Lamanite would be preserved. How glorious it would be if a million Latter-day Saint families were on their knees daily asking in faith that the work among these their brethren would be hastened, that the doors might be opened.
The Lamanites must rise again in dignity and strength to fully join their brethren and sisters of the household of God in carrying forth his work in preparation for that day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to lead his people, when the millennium will be ushered in, when the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory and its lands be united and become one land. For the prophets have said, “The remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.” (Ether 13:8.)
In this I have great faith.” Our Paths Have Met Again BY PRESIDENT SPENCER W. KIMBALL 1978
Conclusion
I believe there are great Lamanites all over North, South and Central America today and in other countries, but they all are not necessarily the ones spoken of in the Book of Mormon who originally come to settle in the Heartland of the U.S. The Book of Mormon only contains a fraction of the history of the Promised Land Lehites. But I believe that small fraction of Book of Mormon history speaks about Lehi, and Nephi, and Alma, and Mormon as they lived and fought in these United States.
I spent over 40 years looking and studying the Mesoamerican theory and other many theories, and found them very lacking. Like I mentioned, I will have an open mind until the church acknowledges the specific location. I will follow the 15 chosen Prophets and Seers.
I know the Brethren of the Church take a neutral position on the geography of the Book of Mormon. For you and me to take a neutral stand is not required. The Lord told us to read and study, and in the promise to Moroni, He said we may know the truth of ALL things, and I feel that would include knowing the location of the Book of Mormon events. I believe knowledge of the Spirit and of the head, are both important in learning truth. As Elder Holland in 2018 said, “truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling.”
Heartland Research with President John Lefgren, and Vice Presidents Mike and Betty LaFontaine, are doing wonderful things to share the gospel world-wide. It is simply amazing all the doors that are being opened up to the world about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heartland Reseach are instumental in spreading the word that there are 3 and 4 additional witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
This article by John Lefgren is an amazing explanation of the bridge between the Old and New worlds. I challenge each reader to investigate and ask these amazing people more questions about their research and how they are instuments in the hand of God to wake up the world to wonderful truth that the world has not known before.
Ask them:
What is the Phoenicia?
Why is it important to the Tribes of Judah and Joseph?
How does the Phoenicia connect the Old and New world?
What are the similarities between the City Sidon in Lebanon and the River Sidon in Iowa?
Who is Mulek and how is he involved in the Old and New World?
How is the Phoenicia gathering the children of Israel today?
How are they attracting non LDS members to their Iowa Museum?
What makes these people gather in Iowa and how is Christ involved?
What is the connection between Mulek and the Nephites?
Who is Zedikiah and how is he important in the New World?
How are the voyages of Phoenicia so important in knowing the Book of Mormon is true?
Are the Phoenicians related to the Israelites?
Phoenician is a name given to what group by the Greeks?
What is the significance of Tunisia in the narrative of the Bible and North America?
Where did some of Judah flee after 587 BC, that is a critical part of the Phoenician story?
Who is Hanno and Herodicus and how are they important in our Church today?
These questions and others are very important to expand your knowlwdge about the amazing great work the Heartland Group is doing in Montrose Iowa. Why Montrose? See D&C 125.
John Lefgren wrote, “Fortunately, for our purposes, there are many biblical people who were contemporaries at the height of Carthage’s sea power at the time of Hanno the Navigator. The story of PHOENICIA connects with the great stories of the ancient world. All in the same generation, there are so many people who were living at the early part of the sixth century before Christ. There was Necho II, the great Pharaoh of Egypt, who commissioned Phoenician ships to sail around Africa. There was Admiral Hanno whose navy and ships made Carthage the richest city in the Ancient World. There was Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Jewish Bible. In Jerusalem, there was Zedekiah, the Last King of the Jews. There was King Nebuchadnezzar who was a prominent figure in the Ancient World, appearing in the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and Ezra. Indeed, some have calculated that as much as twenty percent of the verses of the Old Testament are associated with this generation of time. These are the connecting points across an ocean six centuries before Christ from King Zedekiah in Jerusalem to his youngest son, Mulek, in the New Work.
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In Montrose, Iowa, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, we have the oldest replica that has sailed 30,000 miles crossing two oceans. The square rigged ship came from the Old to the New Worlds. Her design came from Phoenician shipwrecks from the Ancient World. The wrecks are found in ten places on the bottoms of waters that are connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The replica was assembled in a manner that Hanno the Navigator would have recognized in his time from the early 6th century before Christ. We are grateful for the people in our generation who have helped us and recognize the value of what we are doing. Click here for more information.
600 BC Phoenicia Expedition Ship with Horse-Head Prows
600 BC is a significant time in history because it marks the beginning of the “Classical Era,” a period where major civilizations like the Persian Empire, Ancient Greece, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire were flourishing, with important developments in philosophy, art, and political structures taking place across the ancient world; it’s often seen as a time of great cultural and political change, laying the foundations for our civilization.
The Jews were taken into captivity and went to the rivers of Babylon during this time. The Jewish captivity dominates the background for the Book of Daniel. A forgotten dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, interpreted by the Prophet Daniel illustrates God’s sovereignty over history. It is clear from the King’s dream that God is aware of the histories of nations even before they exist. Throughout Daniel Chapter 2, we see that God’s knowledge extends beyond the immediate into the future.
The dream tells of five distinct periods: (1) the gold head represents Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, 606 BC; (2) the silver arms represent the Persians, 538 BC; (3) the brass thighs represent the Greeks, 330 BC; (4) the iron legs represent the Romans, 146 BC; and (5) the iron mixed with clay represents Roman provinces, AD 1453. The climax of the King’s dream was when the Kingdom of God was cut out of the mountain without hands rolling down to consume the kingdoms of the earth.
God gave Daniel the ability to interpret the King’s dreams when no one else could. Despite the interpretation of his dream by Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar would conquer the Kingdom of Judah and the King’s captain would order the burning of Solomon’s Temple on Sunday, July 24th on the 10th Day of Av in the Hebrew Calendar in our year of 587 BC. The First Temple continued to burn throughout the night and into the following day. This burning was a major turning point for the history of the Jews.
Come to Iowa to learn more about the Bible and the Ancient World. PHOENICIA welcomes scholars, Jews, Mulims and non-believers from around the world. There are few places on earth where the Old and New Worlds are so closely connected.
Regards, John
See their newsletter, videos, or donate here: phoenicia.rocks
WHY APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA IS PLAUSIBLE FOR THE LAND OF LEHI’S LANDING 591 BC 1 Nephi 18:23-25
Archaeology, Bees, Honey, Climate, Latitude, Wind Currents, Promised Land (USA), Abundance of Food, Scripture Text, Seeds, No large number of indigenous peoples, and “It Just Makes Sense”
Thesis: The Mulekites c. 589 BC may have landed at the Gulf of America by the Mississippi River, and continued up the Mississippi and settled upriver at Montrose, IA or Zarahemla. (D&C 125:3) The Mulekites had always remained at their first location when Mosiah found them. Omni 1:16 “And they journeyed in the wilderness and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” The Lehi Landing c. 591 BC or the Land of First Inheritance was possibly near Tallahassee Florida. Nephi could then travel up the Chattahoochee River to its source at Unicoi Gap, GA. The source of the Hiwassee River could then take the Nephites where the first temple may have been built in Chattanooga, TN.
This is a possible location for the Nephite settlement. The rivers most likely were the highways of the Nephites. The Land in Tennessee is higher in elevation than Zarahemla (Montrose, IA) and that is why in the scriptures you will always hear of Nephites traveling “up to” the Land of Nephi and “down to” Zarahemla, as it is a reference to elevation not direction. The Moccasin Bend Archaeological District is rich in head plates, breastplates of copper, and other artifacts dating from 3000 BC to 1500 AD. Today from the top of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, you can see 7 different states. ‘Mosiah 11:12 relates that King Noah, Zeniff’s son, built ‘a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites, and he could look over all the land round about.’ If Noah wanted to look over all the land round about, there could hardly be a better place to do so than Lookout Mountain which rises out of the river valley above Chattanooga to a height of almost 2,400 feet. On clear days, mountains 100 miles away are visible from the summit. The tower was near the temple, but there is no description of where the temple was. It may have been enclosed in walls within the city, or it may have been built on a high place, which would explain why Noah built his tower near the temple.” Jonathan Neville Moroni’s America page 128
“Speaking about Lehi’s people, “Joseph wrote, “They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph.” It is possible that Joseph Smith was referring to Zoram after all, clarifying he was not a Jew. He may have been referring to those who accompanied the Mulekites (presumably Phoenicians). But it is also possible that he was referring to others who accompanied Lehi… To summarize: I think Lehi brought servants and landed in a mostly uninhabited area in Florida, among a small population of hunter/gatherers who lacked a well-organized society.” Jonathan Neville Moroni’s America page 84-86
“I think Lehi landed in Florida for all the reasons I’ve explained in Moroni’s America. He may have sailed south of Cuba to get there because of ocean currents and wind, but it’s interesting that Mulek, Lehi and Columbus converge on the same areas.” [Below are some reasons].” Jonathan Neville Moroni’s America.
1- Wind current routes across the Atlantic (in the fall when honey and fruits were available, and the natural currents in the fall take you west) would put them somewhere in the Caribbean. This route was proven to be possible by the Phoenicia Expedition of 2009.
2- They went where the Lord directed them with the Liahona, so I don’t think they would have just landed wherever the wind blew them (which would probably have been Hispaniola or maybe the East Coast of Florida or South Carolina).
3- I think it makes sense they landed about the same latitude [Similar climate for seeds] as Jerusalem, which they could tell from the stars. Lattitudes Similar 30° 26′ 17″ N (Tallahassee, FL) and 31° 46′ 48″ N (Jerusalem) Not similar 15° 30′ 0″ N (Guatemala)
4- Crops grew abundantly. This would be difficult in the jungles or islands.
5- It had to be a mostly unoccupied area (not Mesoamerica). Only small groups of hunter/gatherers in Southeastern U.S. at the time. [A large group of people wouldn’t have allowed Nephi to be their king]
6- It had to be the same general land where the Jaredites lived. [Cumorah and Ramah]
7- Should have archaeological evidence. (See Nancy White article below)
8- There should be signs of Hebrew writing or relics. (Holy Stones, Bat Creek Stones, Los Lunas, etc.)
9- Lehi and Nephi brought much honey with them from Bountiful in Oman. 1 Nephi 18:6 “And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.” It would make sense that the Lord may have led them to another land (Apalachicola FL) that had an abundance of honey producing vegetation, or Lehi may have brought the seeds from Israel to grow the White Tupelo Gum trees, nyssa ogeche, that are found naturally in Florida. Remember the Jaredites also brought bees with them to the Promised land. Ether 2:3 “And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus, they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.”
“Pierce Mounds, at the mouth of the river (Apalachicola) and overlooking both north-south and east-west traffic, were part of a major multi-component center with remarkable Middle Woodland mounds. Materials clustered around the Apalachicola delta and coast close to Pierce and spread from there up the river. Prestige goods were possibly traded down to major mound centers then moved to other centers along the valley, ending up in burial mounds all over the valley, perhaps interred with important people during Swift Creek times, (100-800 AD) and interred in mass deposits in slightly later Weeden Island times. Such items likely were transported down the river to Pierce, where they were distributed to the inhabitants of nearby coastal mounds involved in the procurement and management end of the trade network, and then traded up the river to other trade partners. Since nearly all the mound sites documented in this thesis have both Swift Creek and Weeden Island pottery, the suggestion is also that these systems endured for a long time as ceramic styles and possibly associated archaeological cultures changed. This research should contribute to a better understanding of Middle Woodland ceremonialism in the Southeastern United States and the Apalachicola watershed, and the systems through which ceremonial artifacts moved around the land. In the future, data from higher up the river in Georgia and Alabama could be compared to help create a picture of Middle Woodland manifestation in the entire valley for comparison with the rest of the Southeast and discussion of differences between trade routes along major waterways and overland historic trails. Further testing of the exotic materials in the mounds for trace elements or other data could shed light on trade routes along which these artifacts and raw materials were traded. With better understanding of the major and minor routes, questions regarding the role of sites in Middle Woodland exchange can be answered. Mounds like Poplar Springs Mound are facing destruction from development and looting. It is essential that these sites are studied before they are gone.
In northwest Florida, the great Apalachicola River system is formed from the confluence of the Flint River, which originates near Atlanta, and the Chattahoochee River, which flows out of the Blue Ridge mountains of north Georgia. The Apalachicola runs over 100 miles to the Gulf of Mexico (Figure 1). It is Florida’s largest river in terms of flow, and the only one containing snowmelt. Its valley is home to several kinds of rare plants and animals and more reptile and amphibian species than anywhere else north of Mexico, amid an exceedingly rich biotic system. Where the river flows into Apalachicola Bay, the abundant life possible in estuarine systems provides the shrimp, oysters, and other seafood for which this region is famous today. The bays and sounds are protected by beautiful barrier islands with white sugar-sand beaches. At the mouth of the river sits the small town of Apalachicola, today known for oysters and picturesque old houses from its historic past. But for about 2000 years of prehistoric time, this location was an important Native American capital centered around the Pierce mounds.
The Pierce site consists of a long shell midden ridge, a large village area, and 13 mounds, constructed and inhabited over a period of time estimated to extend from perhaps 600 B.C. until around A.D. 1400. Its archaeological evidence indicates day-to-day occupation by indigenous peoples who fished, gathered, and hunted, leaving their food garbage and discarded artifacts piled along the riverbank. The evidence shows other aspects of their lives as well, in the construction of burial mounds and inclusion of elaborate ritual artifacts for the honored dead, expressions of ancient beliefs and probably spirituality.
Pierce is one of the most famous sites in southeastern U.S. archaeology, but in reality we have known very little about it. Artifacts and other materials from the site are known to have been collected as early as the mid-nineteenth century, and probably such finds were routinely made far earlier by whoever settled nearby. The first published record was produced well over century ago by Clarence Bloomfield Moore (1902:217-229; Brose and White 1999:219-231), a wealthy Philadelphian whose digs into Indian mounds all over the South are well known because he did describe them in journal articles. Moore’s excavations into two of the mounds at Pierce unearthed elegant ceramic vessels, stone spear and arrow points and plummets, freshwater pearls, copper and silver ornaments, shell beads and drinking cups, and even a bison-bone ornament, associated with many burials of the honored dead, 99 of whom he unearthed from Mound A. Moore noted five mounds, and also described other mound sites nearby (named after the landowners or geographic features), such as the Cemetery Mound, Mound near Apalachicola, and Cool Springs and Singer Mounds, all of which are now thought to make up the whole Pierce complex.
The location of the Pierce site is optimal for obtaining all the resources prehistoric people needed. Upland animal species would have included deer, many small mammals, turtles and other reptiles and amphibians. There would also have been abundant wetland wildlife in the marsh, and fish and aquatic species, including the molluscs whose shells are so abundant at the site, in the river, creeks, and bay. Hardwood bottomland trees such as oaks and magnolia, stands of pine, and wetland cypress and tupelo(Honey) would have produced food from fruits to nuts and acorns. Given the thick forests, prehistoric peoples most likely made the majority of their material culture from wood and other plant materials. What we see in the archaeological record – stone, ceramic, shell artifacts and ecofacts that have been preserved – is probably just a very small part of what people made and used.
In addition to the bounty of its natural environment, the location of the Pierce site is also a great strategic position, with easy access to movement not only east-west along the Gulf, but also north-south on the river system hundreds of miles into the interior. In prehistoric times the only way to go anywhere was to walk or take a boat; water travel was much more efficient. Thus, Pierce was ideally situated not only for obtaining and moving resources, but also for the flow of information and of people, for social, economic, and political interaction.
Deptford-period pottery, (700 BC- 400 AD) indicating people were at Pierce at least as early as 2000 to 3000 years ago. They may have begun mound building at that early time too. Even though the social and political systems changed over time, presumably becoming more complex by the Fort Walton period, when the site must have been a chiefly center with its platform mound and large village, subsistence did not seem to change. Based on the faunal remains from the site, it appears that prehistoric peoples were making a living in the same way their ancestors did one or two millennia earlier: fishing and shellfishing in the rich streams and bays, supplemented by gathering and hunting on land. Such a stable subsistence system supported other enormously complex economic activities at Pierce. Especially for the late Early Woodland and Middle Woodland peoples who built the burial mounds, accumulation of wealth items was very important and probably linked with spiritual beliefs. Elaborate artifacts, either from distant sources or locally crafted in fancy styles, were a significant part of life and markers probably of social, political, and religious status. Some materials were imported from as far as the Appalachian mountains, as the river provided a major highway for the exchange of materials and ideas. However, these expensive possessions were interred with the dead, along with some strikingly plain everyday items, and evidence of burning and other ritual accompanying burial.
PIERCE MOUND A (8FR14A) Location and Description The most spectacular mound at Pierce has been Mound A, mostly because Moore (1902:217-228) dug it thoroughly and recovered 99 burials and exotic and elaborate grave goods. He devoted the most pages to its description and clearly stated that it was the southwesternmost mound in the group, so it is unknown why later researchers thought it was one of the other mounds. Moore’s original field notes locate Mound A at the “edge of scrub” and say “to E & W md extends in sort of roadway,” a setting much changed, as it was recently in heavy forest and then cleared, with little evidence of a roadway. Moore said it was 8 feet high, 96 feet east-west and 76 feet north-south, implying an oval, which is indeed its shape in the unpublished notes. He referred to the “summit plateau” as 40 x 34 feet but much broadened “to prepare for interments made in recent times “– a statement with no explanation. It is hard to believe he would be allowed to dig in a cemetery with recent graves.”
Pierce Mounds Complex An Ancient Capital in Northwest Florida Nancy Marie White Department of Anthropology University of South Florida, Tampa nmw@usf.edu Final Report to George J. Mahr, Apalachicola, Florida December 2013
Ken Godfrey notes in his 1989 article (“Joseph Smith, The Hill Cumorah, and Book of Mormon Geography: A Historical Study, 1823-1844) “that when an ancient stone house, including household furniture, was found imbedded in the earth in Rowan County, North Carolina, the editor of The Star commented on the event: “No people that have lived on this continent, since the flood, understood many of the arts and sciences better than the Jaredites and Nephites, whose brief history is sketched in the Book of Mormon. The facts following from the Star of the West is not only proof of their skill but it is good proof to those that want evidence that the Book of Mormon is true.” (Vol. 2, June) Again when “an artificial peach and pear tree cut out of stone with a complete imitation of the stem and blossom end,” was found in another part of the United States this too was, in the same article, cited as proof of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. In those early issues of the Star each new archaeological discovery in either North or South America was dutifully cited as proof that the Book of Mormon was “a history of those groups who had peopled this continent” (see Vol. 1 February 1833). A Vol. 2 July 1833 article declared that the book unfolded “the history of the first inhabitants that settled this continent.” When a fifty-foot fissure in a rock in Virginia was found full of bees, the editor of the Star reported that fact as “proof that the Jaredites brought bees with them to the American continent.” Even the W. W. Phelps-authored poem, “The Red Man” identified the American Indian as having descended from Jacob through Ephraim. W.W. Phelps, Editor Evening and Morning Star, February-July 1833 Quoted in “Step by Step through the Book of Mormon” by Alan C. Miner
Tupelo honey is produced from the tupelo gum tree which grows profusely along the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers of northwest Florida. Here in the river swamps, this honey is produced in a unique fashion. Bees are placed on elevated platforms along the river’s edge, and they fan out through the surrounding Tupelo-blossom-laden swamps during April and May and return with their precious treasure. This river valley is the only place in the world where Tupelo Honey is produced commercially.
Real Tupelo honey is a light golden amber color with a greenish cast. The flavor is delicious, delicate and distinctive; a choice table grade honey. Good white tupelo, unmixed with other honeys, will not granulate, and due to this high fructose low glucose ratio some diabetic patients have been permitted by their physicians to eat Tupelo honey. Average analysis: fructose 44.03% glucose 29.98%.
Tupelo Honey Bloom
Black tupelo, ti-ti, black gum, willow, and several other honey plants bloom in advance of white tupelo and are used to build up colony strength and stores. Since these sources produce a less desirable, darker honey, which will granulate, the product is sold as bakery honey. Possibly it is just that or a blend which is a cheaper honey for which the buyer may be paying a premium price.
The important point which we wish to make here is that all honey that is being labeled Tupelo is not top quality Tupelo honey as the bees make it and as skilled beekeepers produce it. Some honey may be very light in color and could very well have a high percentage of gall berry. Gall berry blooms right after Tupelo. It is attractive, as it is a light white honey, but it is not Tupelo and will soon granulate. Some honey is labeled Tupelo and wildflower. In this case the buyer has no guarantee of just how much real Tupelo he may be getting.
Fine Tupelo is more expensive because it cost more to produce this excellent specialty honey. To gain access to the river locations where the honey is produced requires expensive labor and equipment. In order to get fine, unmixed Tupelo honey, colonies must be stripped of all stores just as the white Tupelo bloom begins. The bees must have clean combs in which to place the Tupelo honey. Then the new crop must be removed before it can be mixed with additional honey sources. The timing of these operations are critical and years of experience are needed to produce a fine product that will certify as Tupelo honey.
The new honey always comes in by the middle of May to late May. When we bottle the new honey, and it has not been allowed time to settle. It will have foam and small black particles come to the top of the honey jar as it sits. The honey takes a month or two to settle after it is extracted. It’s fine to eat this or it can be spooned off the top of the honey. The small black particles are bees wax and pollen. This is something that tells you that the honey has not been heated or processed. It’s untouched just as nature intended. All we do to our honey during the extracting process is strain it through cheese cloth. We use absolutely no heat on our honey.
L.L. Lanier & Son’s Tupelo Honey – Since 1898 318 Lake Grove Road P.O. Box 706 – Wewahitchka, FL 32465 Phone or Fax: (850) 639-2371
Email: info@lltupelohoney.com
The genus name Nyssa refers to a Greek water nymph. The name tupelo, the common name used for Nyssa, is of Native American origin, coming from the Creek words ito ‘tree’ and opilwa ‘swamp’; it was in use by the mid-18th century.
The city of Tupelo, Mississippi, is named for this tree.
Tupelo wood is used extensively by artistic woodcarvers, especially for carving ducks and other wildfowl. It power carves excellently and holds good detail in the end grain. In commerce, it is used for shipping containers and interior parts of furniture and is used extensively in the veneer and panel industry for crossbanding, plywood cores, and backs. The wood can be readily pulped and is used for high-grade book and magazine papers.In the past, the hollow trunks were used as “bee gums” to hold beehives.
Tupelos are popular ornamental trees for their mature form, shade, and spectacular Autumn leaf colors.
Tupelos are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including Endoclita damor.[citation needed]
The Ogeechee Tupelo, sometimes referred to as the Ocheechee Lime, which is native to Georgia and north Florida produces an edible fruit in the form of a sour, oblong drupe.
Honey
Tupelos of the species Nyssa ogeche are valued as honey plants in the southeastern United States, particularly in the Gulf Coast region. They produce a very light, mild-tasting honey. In Florida, beekeepers keep beehives along the river swamps on platforms or floats during tupelo bloom to produce certified tupelo honey, which commands a high price on the market because of its flavor. Monofloral honey made from the nectar of Nyssa ogeche has such a high ratio of fructose to glucose that it does not crystallize.
“The Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle is the center for tupelo honey. The honey is produced wherever tupelo trees (three species) bloom in southeastern USA, but the purest and most expensive version (which is certified by pollen analysis) is produced in this valley. In a good harvest year, the tupelo honey crop produced by a group of specialized Florida beekeepers has a value approaching $1,000,000.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo
“The basin of the Apalachicola River is also noted for its tupelo honey, a high-quality monofloral honey, which is produced wherever the tupelo trees bloom in the southeastern United States. In a good harvest year, the value of the tupelo honey crop produced by a group of specialized Florida beekeepers approaches $900,000 each spring.” https://www.visitgulf.com/tupelo-honey
“Generations of beekeepers have been harvesting this delicacy in Wewahitchka, north Gulf County, for decades. It is harvested from the White Tupelo Gum tree (nyssa ogeche). These trees average 50 to 75 feet in height, and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The trees are most content when standing in several feet of water. An abundance of Tupelo trees are found in the Apalachicola and Chipola river basins in our part of Florida (Gulf and Liberty counties).
The Tupelo tree blossom starts out as a round bud, about the size of a small pea. It then swells into what looks like a miniature cauliflower. Finally, it explodes with dozens of little spikes. The nectar is at the base of each spike.
Tupelo blossoms are very fragile and unpredictable. In some years, the nectar flow lasts for a few weeks. In other years, the fragile blooms may be ruined by wind, hard rain or cold weather just a few days after opening. One thing, however, is certain. Each year, the demand for Tupelo Honey increases!” Content provided graciously by GCTDC Partner, SmileyHoney.com
Interesting facts about Tupelo honey
Bees use nectar from the white Tupelo trees to make the unique southeastern “Tupelo Honey”!
Tupelo honey has a light amber golden color with a unique flavor and a delicate and distinctive taste.
Pure Tupelo Honey, produced from only the White Tupelo, is the only honey that will not granulate.
Due to it’s high laevulose (44.3%), low dextrose (29.98%) ratio (average), doctors have been able to recommend some diabetic patients to consume Tupelo Honey.
This honey was topic in a movie starring Peter Fonda as a beekeeper (Ulee’s Gold, 1997).
Tupelo Honey is also the name of a Van Morrison’s songand album released in November of 1971.
Tupelo Honey is a unique product of the southeast USA.
Pure Tupelo Honey is produced from the White Ogeechee Tupelo
Tupelo, Ogeche’s native habitat in the South Eastern US, from South Carolina to Northern Florida to Mississippi.
Ogeechee tupelo requires a very moist site and is distributed along the borders of rivers, swamps, and ponds that are frequently flooded.
Thousands of hectares of Ogeechee tupelo have been planted in bee farms along the lower Apalachicola River and around swamps, where it grows also naturally. hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/nysogea.pdf http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/oh-gee-ogeechee-lime.html
Summary:
APALACHICOLA FLORIDA IS PLAUSIBLE FOR THE LAND OF LEHI’S LANDING 591 BC 1 Nephi 18:23-25
Archaeology: 500-700 BC pottery, copper, tools, and bones at Pierce Mounds. Buried Mammoths at Wakulla Springs which is also a first magnitude spring and aquifer. Route of Hopewell Indians. Bees and Honey: This river valley is the only place in the world where Tupelo Honey is produced commercially. Latitude: Similar 30° 26′ 17″ N (Tallahassee, FL) and 31° 46′ 48″ N (Jerusalem) Seeds would grow. Wind Currents: Leaving Oman in Sept (after honey and fruits are ripe), wind currents flow toward horn of Africa, not towards India Promised Land: Book of Mormon speaks of a Land of Liberty. USA, not Mesoamerica Abundance of Food: Oman and Florida both called “A” Land Bountiful Navigation: Phoenicia 2009 Expedition proved Lehi could have traveled around Africa and could land in the Gulf near Apalachicola Resources prehistoric people needed: Deer, small mammals, turtles and other reptiles and amphibians. Abundant wetland wildlife. Fish, molluscs. Hardwood bottomland trees, fruits to nuts and acorns. Thick forests No large number of indigenous peoples: “I think the text shows Lehi’s colony landing in the promised land, planting their own seeds, finding animals and ore in the wilderness, all while completely unimpeded by any existing civilization. (1 Ne. 18:23-5). I think Lehi’s observation that “this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations” was accurate; i.e., that there were no “other nations” in the promised land where they landed, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Nephi 1:8). I do think think there were some indigenous people who went with Nephi when he fled (2 Nephi 5:6), but I infer they were unorganized hunter/gatherers that did not qualify as any sort of “nation” and were impressed by the Jewish immigrants’ technology, language, etc.
In my view, it is difficult enough to believe that Lehi’s family, a relative handful of immigrants from a distant culture speaking a different language, could have arrived and started planting crops on unclaimed land in Mesoamerica, encountering no resistance, but it is even more difficult to believe Lehi’s descendants could have managed to rule as kings and chief judges over even a part of a Mayan civilization, and that in the midst of this Mayan civilization, King Mosiah could have escaped with the Nephites into the wilderness and found a much larger group of illiterate people (the people of Zarahemla) who possessed exactly one engraven stone.
Now that we are learning from LiDAR that the Mayan civilization was even larger, more densely populated, and more sophisticated than we previously realized, the Book of Mormon seems even less plausible in that setting. IOW, the grander the Mayan civilization, the less likely it is that Lehi landed anywhere near that civilization.This view is based on the text and has nothing directly to do with the New York Cumorah, but it does confirm my bias in favor of the New York Cumorah.” Jonathan Neville
For many years I have been researching the method of Translation by Joseph Smith, and I have been studying the Joseph Smith Papers Project, [JSP] that I believe is the best source we have ever had on the words, papers, and documents to validate the truth of the History of the Restoration of The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am thankful to the many editors and the extreme amount of time it took to publish such an amazing library of reference material. JSP has enhanced and added much value to the Church History information we had previously.
With that said, I have come across a few areas within this work of papers, a few errors that I wanted to discuss today. It is not unusual to have errors in such a large and and lengthy manuscript as the JSP. The errors I feel mostly stem from the JSP use of the word, Eyewitness.
Eyewitness, noun
A person who has seen someone or something and can bear witness to the fact.
One who testifies to something he has seen.
One who sees a thing done; one who has ocular view of anything.
Hearsay, n.
1) second-hand evidence in which the witness is not telling what he/she knows personally, but what others have said to him/her.
2) a common objection made by the opposing lawyer to testimony when it appears the witness has violated the hearsay rule.
3) scuttlebutt or gossip.
There are only three(3) eyewitnesses who saw and felt the three items found in the stone box at hill Cumorah in New York:
1- Joseph Smith
2- Oliver Cowdery
3- Lucy Mack Smith
There are only two eyewitnesses that saw the three items being used to translate the gold plates.
1- Joseph Smith
2- Oliver Cowdery.
Joseph Smith Eyewitnesses and Canonized Scripture
“Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. JSH 1:35
Oliver Cowdery Eyewitness and Canonized Scripture:
“Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’” JSH 1:75*
Lucy Mack Smith Journals Quote
Lucy saw and felt the three items, the spectacles and breastplate were under a cloth or linen, but she saw and felt the gold plates.
“I have myself seen and handled the golden plates; they are about eight inches long, and six wide; some of them are sealed together and are not to be opened, and some of them are loose. They are all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate, and are covered with letters beautifully engraved. I have seen and felt also the Urim and Thummim.They resemble two large bright diamonds set in a bow like a pair of spectacles. My son puts these over his eyes when he reads unknown languages, and they enable him to interpret them in English. I have likewise carried in my hands the sacred breastplate. It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.” Lucy Mack Smith (in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 2nd ed. revised and enlarged, (London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 26)
[The Breastplate and Spectacles] “He kept these things constantly about his person”
“Joseph termed a key… nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim” Lucy Mack Smith
“That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in, vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.
“it [Key] consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made”
Joseph kept the urim and thumim constantly about his person and he could by this means ascertain at any moment if the plates were in danger having just looked into them before Emma got therehe perceived her coming and came up out of the well and met her.” Lucy Mack Smith Journal
JSP Account of Eyewitnesses
In the Joseph Smith Papers, [JSP] we read the following in the glossary about Seer Stones, with the appropriate note numbers attached as well. My comments are in purple after the quotes. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/topic/seer-stone under the title “Seer Stone”, it says,
Seer Stone
“A special stone used for seeing visions and aiding translation.(1
Correct, it is also a stone used by only those allowed by God to see into the future, find treasure, protect from danger and any other thing the Lord choses to reveal through his special instruments.
JSP Continued, “According to a European tradition of folk belief reaching back at least into the middle ages, quartz crystals or other stones could be used to find missing objects or to see other things not visible to the natural eye.(2
Is this statement preparing the readers to read about seer stones and relate them to folk belief or quartz crystals? Yes in my opinion.
JSP Continued, “This practice accompanied European immigrants to North America and was part of JS’s cultural environment in western New York in the 1820s, though by then the practice was waning.(3
Yes the idea of “scrying” or “peeping” was part of Joseph Smiths’ culture, just like Ouija boards and crystal balls were part of my early culture in the United States when I was young. That doesn’t mean Joseph ever used these items with any wrong intent, but only as the Lord instructed Joseph. Joseph was never part of the occult as some Church Historians suggest.
JSP Continued, “In his youth, JS occasionally used seer stones to help neighbors find missing objects or search for buried treasure.(4
Again Joseph was asked,“Was not Joseph Smith a money digger? Yes, but it was never a very profitable job for him, as he only got fourteen dollars a month for it.” —Joseph’s tongue-in-cheek response to one of a list of questions that were asked of him during a visit at Elder Cahoon’s home. (Elders’ Journal 1/3 (July 1838): 43) [1]
“Joseph Smith’s critics often tried to disparage him by calling him a money digger or a treasure seeker. Rather than deny the charge, Joseph acknowledged in his official history that Josiah Stowell had hired him in 1825 to assist in a treasure-seeking venture in northern Pennsylvania… Joseph Smith and his family, like many around them, accepted these familiar folk practices… Joseph Smith Sr. considered his son’s ability sacred and hoped he would cease using it to look for earthly treasures. As Joseph prepared to translate the Book of Mormon, he was commanded to have nothing further to do with those who sought treasure and instead use his gift to translate and seek revelation.” Church History Topics
JSP Continued, “By 1826, JS had at least two seer stones, and according to Brigham Young he eventually had five seer stones.(5
It is true that Joseph Smith is known to have a stone or two that he found early before he found the items in Hill Cumorah.
JSP Continued, According to JS, in 1823 an angelic messenger revealed to him the location of gold plates and an instrument with which to translate them.(6
This is very accurate as the JSP agreed the instrument, not a stone, would be used to translate the plates.
JSP Continued, This instrument consisted of “two stones in silver bows” that had been used by “seers in ancient times.”(7
True, see JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25
JSP Continued, “The Book of Mormon itself referred to “interpreters” that were to be kept with the plates.(8
True. As a matter of fact the word “Interpreters” was the only word used in the entire Book of Mormon text to describe the two stones in a silver bow. the words Urim and Thummim are never spoke of in the Book of Mormon.
JSP Continued, “JS explained that he used the pair of stones found with the plates in his translation of the Book of Mormon.(9
True
Eyewitnesses reported that he also translated using a dark brown seer stone placed in a hat to exclude exterior light and that he used a seer stone for many of his early revelations.(10
This is false in my opinion. There were no eyewitnesses [Remeber the definition of eyewitness at the beginning], who ever saw Joseph use a brown stone or any other colored stone placed in a hat to translate. It is not found in the scriptures.
JSP Continued, “JS referred to the pair of stones found with the plates as “spectacles,” and he later referred to these stones and his other seer stones with the term “Urim and Thummim,” the name of the instrument used by the high priest of Israel in the Bible.(11
Where did Joseph call the two stones in silver bows, either as spectacles, or as Urim and Thummim? Not in the Scriptures, only insecond hand phrases or wording written down by other people in the church or otherwise.
JSP Continued, “In 1830, JS apparently began dictating most of his revelations without the aid of a seer stone.(12
Notes 10, 11, and 12 from the JSP, I explain in more detail, how I feel the editors of the JSP either miss-quoted or didn’t explain properly, or may have mislead their readers when it speaks about eyewitnesses and other things in notes 10-12.
Note 10 from JSP glossary under Seer Stone
The following notes appear under note 10 that says,
10 Eyewitnesses reported that he [Joseph Smith] also translated using a dark brown seer stone placed in a hat to exclude exterior light and that he used a seer stone for many of his early revelations.
I ask who were these supposed eyewitnesses? Look at the list of quotes the JSP gives us below, highlighted in Green.
“Mormonism,” Kansas City Daily Journal, 5 June 1881, 1; “Testimony of David Whitmer,” Saints’ Herald, 15 Nov. 1879, 341; Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Emma Pilgrim, 27 Mar. 1870, in John Clark, “Translation of Nephite Records,” The Return, 15 July 1895, 2; see also Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 71–72; and “Joseph Smith Documents Dating through June 1831,” in JSP, D1:xxx–xxxi.
The line above that says, Joseph Smith Documents Dating through June 1831, says the following under the title in the JSP.
“This volume contains the earliest surviving documents written, dictated, authorized, owned, or received by Joseph Smith. They originated from July 1828 to June 1831.1 Almost no original records remain of Smith’s life from 1805 to 1827. What is known of that earlier period is derived from reminiscent accounts, augmented by a few details from contemporaneous government documents.
Two of the most important reminiscent accounts are Joseph Smith’s 1832 and 1838 histories, both of which provide detailed descriptions of the angelic visits and manifestations he experienced in the 1820s.2 Although recorded later, these histories provide important context for the documents herein.”
None of the above mentions an Eyewitness so once again the JSP editors have it wrong.
Kansas City Daily Journal. Kansas City, MO. 1878–1891.
Saints’ Herald.Independence, MO. 1860–.
The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.
Bushman, Richard Lyman.Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.
JSP, D1 / MacKay, Michael Hubbard, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, and William G. Hartley, eds. Documents, Volume 1: July 1828–June 1831. Vol. 1 of the Document series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2013.
None of these “Eyewitnesses” mentioned in the JSP below, ever saw Joseph Smith Translate, so they couldn’t be Eyewitnesses!
Emma Smith
David Whitmer
Kansas Journal
MacKay, Michael Hubbard, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, William G. Hartley, Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, Richard Lyman Bushman.
There are no quotes above from Joseph Smith or Oliver Cowdery who are the ONLY TWO Eyewitness accounts! The JSP either is not telling the truth or they miss-quoted or they don’t really know what an eyewitness is!
Note 11 from JSP glossary under Seer Stone
JS referred to the pair of stones found with the plates as “spectacles,” and he later referred to these stones and his other seer stones with the term “Urim and Thummim,” the name of the instrument used by the high priest of Israel in the Bible. (11
Where in the quotes from note 11 below, did Joseph Smith himself refer to these (two stones with the plates) and his other stones with him, by the name of U&T and did Joseph ever associate these stones with the same ones in the OT?
Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; JS History, ca. Summer 1832, 5; JS History, vol. A-1, 5; Woodruff, Journal, 27 Dec. 1841; compare “History of Brigham Young,” LDS Millennial Star, 20 Feb. 1864, 26:118–119; see also Van Wagoner and Walker, “Gift of Seeing,” 53.
JS History, ca. Summer 1832 / Smith, Joseph. “A History of the Life of Joseph Smith Jr,” ca. Summer 1832. In Joseph Smith, “Letter Book A,” 1832–1835, 1–[6] (earliest numbering). Joseph Smith Collection. CHL. MS 155, box 2, fd. 1.
JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
Van Wagoner, Richard S., and Steven Walker. “Joseph Smith: ‘The Gift of Seeing.’” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 15 (Summer 1982): 49–68.
Note 12 from JSP glossary under Seer Stone
In 1830, JS apparently began dictating most of his revelations without the aid of a seer stone.12
What the editors seem to be saying here, is that Joseph Smith after the translation of the Book of Mormon, he didn’t use seer stones. What do they mean by not using seer stones?
1- Two stones in a silver bow, fastened to a breastplate?
2- One single seer stone?
3- Urim and Thummim?
4- Regular rocks?
5- Any stone?
6- Joseph used nothing at all, or just his mind?
7- Suing a Peep stone?
What do the editors say Joseph used to receive revelations or instructions such as the Doctrine and Covenants. We know Joseph definitely used the Urim and Thummim to translate some of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
“Not only did Joseph Smith use the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon, but he also used it to receive revelation from God. Specifically, Doctrine and Covenants sections 3, 6, 11, and 14 were all given through the Urim and Thummim.
We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that “the place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.” In addition, “this earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon.” And each person who receives the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will be able to use the Urim and Thummim (D&C 130:8–10).” http://www.ldsliving.com/10-Things-We-Know-About-the-Urim-and-Thummim/s/90115
Many Times the Urim and Thummim was Used to Translate
“In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
Other ways Joseph Smith utilized the Urim and Thummin
The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, is an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history from the first century through the early sixteenth centuries, emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the reign of Mary I. Commonly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, one fuller title of the work is Acts and Monuments of these Latter and Perilous Days, Touching Matters of the Church.
During the fall of 1834, the Prophet Joseph Smith paid a visit to the home of Edward Stevenson, a faithful member of the Church who would later become a prominent missionary and one of the seven presidents of the Seventy. While there he noticed a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by the sixteenth-century English cleric John Foxe. Brother Stevenson recorded the Prophet’s remarks in reference to Christian martyrs massacred during the Dark Ages:
“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.
On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” 1
Where did Joseph begin as the JSP says, “JS and other church members began referring to the instrument as the Urim and Thummim by 1832?” This doesn’t make sense if the JSP is trying to equate the Urim and Thummim, the Interpreters, the Seer Stones, and a Stone in a Hat, all to mean the same thing at ever time one of those items is mentioned.
Published in “Ethnological Researches, Respecting The Red Man of America – Information Respecting the Human Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States”, Bureau of Indian Affairs (1856), Part IV, by Henry R. Schoolcraft, p.120
Having visited the locality of the Dighton Rock, and examined the inscription, in 1847, its true character, as an example of the ideographic system of the Indians, was clearly revealed to my mind. I had no hesitation in adopting an interpretation of it made in 1837 by an Algonquin pictographist, called Chingwauk, in which he determined it to be the memorial of an ancient Indian battle.
Dighton Rock 1856
The details of this are given in Part I., p. 114. It was perceived that no exact representation of it had ever been made, and no new attempt to make one was then attempted, being without proper apparatus; certain discrepancies were pointed out in Part I., Plate 36, of this work. These, after a lapse of six years, are indicated in a daguerreotyped view of the inscription, taken during the summer of the present season (1853). By this process of transferring the original inscription from the rock, it is shown to be a uniform piece of Indian pictography. A professed daguerreotypist from Taunton attended the artist (Capt. E.) on this occasion. On the uniform dark surface of the rock, no incidence of light could be obtained, after the most careful cleansing of the surface, sufficient in power to reflect the lines of the inscription. These lines are deeply sunk, as if by rubbing with a hard substance; and appear, when carefully studied, of nearly uniform breadth. As the solar rays are, however, reflected with great perfectness from a white surface, the lines were traced with chalk, with great care and labor, preserving their original width.
On applying the instrument to the surface, the impression herewith presented (Plate 14) was given. It presents a unity of original drawing, corresponding to the Indian system, which cannot fail to strike the observer. It is entirely Indian, and is executed in the symbolic character which the Algonquins call Kekeewin, i. e., teachings. The fancied resemblances to old forms of the Roman letters or figures, which appear on the Copenhagen copies, wholly disappear.
The only apparent exception to this remark, is the upright rhomboidal figure, resembling some forms of the ancient 0, but which appears to be an accidental resemblance. No trace appears, or could be found by the several searches, of the assumed Runic letter Thor, which holds a place on former copes. Rock inscriptions of a similar character have, within a few years, been found in other parts of the country; which denotes the prevalence of this system among the aboriginal tribes, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. It is more peculiarly an Algonquin trait, and the inscriptions are called by them Muzzinabiks, or rock-teachings; while the elements of the system itself are called, as above stated, Kekeewin and Kekeenowin. Nor does this discovery militate against the general body of Scandinavian testimony respecting the Ante-Columbian discoveries in America. That testimony remains undisputed, even in more southerly latitudes of the United States. These comprise the notices of the Scandinavian monuments of the United States, so far as they have been recognize. http://www.strange-new-england.com/2018/02/22/leifs-rock/
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Leif’s Rock
There has been a debate in New England as to who were the first visitors to our shores. Centered in this debate are several inscriptions in stone that were found in the Narragansett Basin. The first was the well-known Dighton Rock which was initially recorded in 1680. After that, over 20 other inscriptions were discovered along the shores of southeastern New England. These inscriptions have inspired many theories concerning possible pre-colonial visitors. Such theories suggest Vikings, the Portuguese, the Chinese, the Phoenicians and even Irish monks were possibly the first people to set foot in the northeast.
In 2012 we began hunting down many of the lesser known rock inscriptions in the Narragansett Basin. So far we have located the Tiverton Petroglyphs, Mark Rock, the Portsmouth Cupstone, King’s Rock, and Leif’s Rock. We were able to find the inscriptions on all the stones but King’s and Leif’s Rocks. King’s Rock is currently covered by so much dirt and forest debris it will be difficult to locate the inscription if it does still exist
Though we knew exactly where the inscriptions were located on Leif’s Rock, we could not see any remaining. Leif’s rock is in the tidal zone and has been weathered extensively. In addition, more modern inscriptions have been made on its surface.
Having recently had a great deal of success in using photogrammetry to bring forward details that normal photography will miss, we decided to make a return to Leif’s Rock and see if we might be able to reveal the original inscription. On Feb 19, we hiked out to the rock, and took a series of high resolution photographs, and built a 3D model from them.
At first, we could not see much more detail than we had seen in our original images. So we used a Matcap view of the model, which removes the images, revealing only the detailed shape of the object. As we rotated the model to encourage shadows in the shallower marking, we then saw the inscription of a boatand the markings that were thought to be Viking runes. After over 200 years of weathering and twentieth century graffiti, the inscription still barely holds a grip on its corner of the stone.
This spring we plan to return to the other rocks to create high resolution 3D models for them as well. Hopefully it will also be able to reveal many details thought to have been lost. We also will try to do high resolution images of the famous Dighton Rock to make its many inscriptions easier to view. Who knows? It might just reveal details that others might have missed in the past!
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Narragansett Rock or Pojac Point Rock
Many know of the Dighton Rock. Another popular rock with a rune inscription is called the Narragansett Rock or Pojac Point Rock. It is the second most commonly spoken of landmark in Rhode Island concerning the possible pre-colonial visit by Vikings. The most popular landmark in Rhode Island that is claimed to have been built by Vikings is the Newport tower. What many do not know is that there are many other rocks in Rhode Island that are believed to also have runes inscriptions. Though most are believed to be hoaxes, Indian markings, or just natural features, they are interesting curios of Rhode Island culture and history. Read More
Narragansett Rock or Pojac Point Rock.
Tiverton Petroglyphs, Mark Rock, the Portsmouth Cupstone, King’s Rock, and Leif’s Rock.
In 2012 we began hunting down many of the lesser known rock inscriptions in the Narragansett Basin. So far we have located the Tiverton Petroglyphs, Mark Rock, the Portsmouth Cupstone, King’s Rock, and Leif’s Rock. We were able to find the inscriptions on all the stones but King’s and Leif’s Rocks. King’s Rock is currently covered by so much dirt and forest debris it will be difficult to locate the inscription if it does still exist. Read More:
Scandinavia’s oldest cup mark rock carvings discovered on Bornholm
Archaeologists have long suspected that Stone Age Scandinavians produced cup mark rock carvings, but until now they had no examples to prove it.
Charlotte Price Persson PUBLISHED Monday 14. August 2017
Archaeologists have made a sensational discovery during an archaeological excavation on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea: two complete stones with cup mark stone carvings dating back to the early Stone Age.
This makes them the oldest known such cup marks–a type of petroglyphs–in Scandinavia by about 1,200 years and their discovery has surprised archaeologists.
The carvings contain figures and symbols, which have been cut, chipped, and ground, into the stone and are regarded as typical of the Bronze Age–the period following the Stone Age.
Many archaeologists suspected that they were in use long before this, and now they have the first evidence to show it.
“It’s a breakthrough. We’ve waited to be able to prove this and it’s fantastic that our assumption has finally been realised,” says lead archaeologist at Bornholm’s Museum, Finn Ole Sonne Nielsen, who also collaborates with the National Museum of Denmark, Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen.
Here is the latest arrival of the two stones. Both are dated to the early Stone Age. The carvings are one of the simplest type of rock carvings and resemble round indentations, but they were made by people. (Photo: Melissa Cherry Villumsen, archaeology student at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
01-29-2013: The Mark Rock petroglyph site is located on the Providence River in Kent Co., RI. It was first investigated and recorded by Edmund Delabarre of Brown University in the early 1900’s. In 1928, he published “Dighton Rock” which was a study of the Dighton Rock petroglyph site as well as every other site he could locate in RI, and to a lesser degree, bordering states. In 1979 I revisited the site, uncovered some glyphs that had been buried under the sands since Delabarre’s time, and recorded some glyphs for the first time that Delabarre had missed. In 2002, my friend, and former state archaeologist of NJ, Edward Lenik, published “Picture Rocks. American Indian Rock Art in the Northeast Woodlands”, which included a section on Mark Rock, and included a few of my photos. I will post links to these works at the end of this thread entry. The dot within a circle is one of the most common petroglyph motifs in the Americas. Perhaps the world? Tyson posted a photo of such a design on a panel in Colorado in the “Off the Wall” category. There are several examples at the Mark Rock site. First, is a human figure, which Delabarre interpreted as a native depiction of a colonial soldier with breast straps and buttons. It must be stated, though, that Delabarre believed natives only began creating petroglyphs after seeing Europeans write on paper, and these petroglyphs are of unknown age. At any rate, this is the best preserved human figure above the sands, although last I checked, it had become covered.
~ Moved from the shore on edge of water near Arnold’s Point in early 1990s
~ Others existed in Portsmouth but have been lost, one at McCorrie Point and several at Melville. All were on the shore.
~ Cup Stones are found throughout the world. They date to the same time frame as Dighton Rock.
~ They are thought to have been used as part of pre-Christian religious beliefs and rites. Some in our region have been attributed to Wampanoag Tribe.
~ The holes are not perfectly round but rounded triangular holes. Our stone has weathered over time making holes rounder and channels shallower.
~ Appearance varies in number of cups/holes symbols on the stone and the presence of connecting lines. Our stone is thought to represent the big dipper with the seventh hole weathered.
~ Researchers have not conclusively indicated if our stone is authentic. Here are the pros & cons to authenticity.
Pros
Lines are primitive in their pecked nature
Hole shape & depth consistent with stone in Scotland
1910 opinion of Washington DC anthropologist was that it was cup-stone
1910 examination referred to traces of 7th hole with connecting line barely visible
Cons
Not inventoried in early Dr. Styles survey of Inscribed Stones
First recorded in 1910
1910 anthropologist could not conclude if our stone inscription was Wampanoag
Translation Method, “not intended to tell the world“
The matter of how the Book of Mormon was translated has been of considerable interest and discussion virtually from the time the book became public. This is illustrated in an exchange that took place between the Prophet and his brother Hyrum in a conference of the Church held 25 October On that occasion Hyrum said “that he thought best that the information of the coming forth of the book of Mormon be related by Joseph himself to the Elders present that all might know for themselves.” In response, Joseph Smith said that “it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon, & also said that it was not expedient for him to relate these things &c” (Cannon and Cook, Far West Record, 23).
This blog is dedicated to Len and Kathryn Matthews who are some wonderful people
Inquire for Yourself of Truth
“Suppose a leader of the Church were to tell you that you were supporting the wrong side of a particular issue. Some might immediately resist this leader and his counsel or ignore it, but I would suggest that you first apply the fourth great civic standard for the faithful Saints. That standard is to live for, to get, and then to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Said Brigham Young: “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. … Let every man and woman know, by the whisperings of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.” (JD, vol. 9, p. 150.)” Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Council of the Twelve. Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints. Ensign, July 1972, 59.
Why are they called Interpreters and where did they come from?
The Interpreters are holy and came from God. How do we know this? Where did the Interpreters come from and why is it so important that the Prophet Joseph Smith used them to translate the plates? Remember one of the greatest stories about faith is when the Brother of Jared (Mahonri Moriancumer) saw the finger of the Lord and could not be kept outside of the veil. Jesus Christ showed himself unto Mahonri and told him to write the doings of his people and also the Lord touched two additional stones for Mahonri to seal up until after Christ would appear in the flesh. These two stones were also given to Mosiah with the same promise of being kept secret. Then these two stones were given back to Moroni who finally sealed up these Interpreters with the plates for the last time before Joseph Smith received them.
With this spiritual background of the Interpreters it is essential to understand the significance of Joseph using these “two stones” to translate the plates. In Ether we read, “And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.”Ether 3:23-24.
It was “these two stones”, not A seer stone, not A stone, not A stone found in a well, but “these TWO stones” that were sealed up to come forth to Joseph the Prophet to translate the plates. Remember the translation was done “by the Gift and Power of God”, not by any other means. Not with one stone for convenience, or because I left the Interpreters home, or I just can’t carry two stones, so I will only use one; these things did not matter because the Prophet was to do the translation “by the Gift and Power of God” only! Joseph’s single stone he found in a well was not THAT spiritual method that the Lord planned from the beginning. Man’s way is not the Lord’s way. Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Lord translated the records of the Nephites and Jaredites with the spiritual means the Lord intended with the Interpreters (two stones and a breastplate) that were provided inside that most sacred stone box on Cumorah’s hill. Joseph said, “there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35) The Urim and Thummim is the tool those in the Old Testament called it, and many of the saints in Joseph’s day spoke of, but the separate Urim and Thummim in the book of Mormon was only called “Interpreters” in the entire Book of Mormon. Hence the Urim and Thummim Old Testament) and the Interpreters (Ancient North America) are separate instruments, called by two various names for translation. Now where in the Book of Mormon do we hear about a single stone, or a stone I found somewhere. To equate the two is not “by the Gift and Power of God.
What lead up to the discussion between whether the Urim and Thummim or the Seer Stone were used for translation?
SITH below refers to “Stone in the Hat Theory” – M2C refers to the “Two Hill Cumorah’s theory.“
“For over 150 years, LDS Church leaders taught that Joseph Smith translated the Nephite plates with the Urim and Thummim. From the early 1830s, critics said that Joseph produced the Book of Mormon by either (i) reading words off a seer stone he put in a hat or (ii) reading a manuscript written by Solomon Spalding and edited by Sidney Rigdon.
All three alternatives were set out in the 1834 book Mormonism Unvailed (Left). When that book was released in October 1834, Oliver Cowdery responded by declaring unambiguously that Joseph translated the record with the Urim and Thummim. You can see Oliver’s declaration in the Pearl of Great Price, at the end of Joseph Smith-History, or in the Joseph Smith papers here:
You might think that Oliver’s declaration, which Joseph Smith helped write and specifically endorsed multiple times, would end the debate.
But no.
A few decades ago, some LDS historians decided it was time to deal with “all the evidence.” They started what has been called the “New Mormon History” to bring out some of the evidence that differed from, and contradicted, the traditional Church history narratives.
Among these was SITH.
Historians largely rejected the Spalding theory, so they focused on SITH vs U&T.
(Sending the Spalding theory into oblivion is one reason why everyone has overlooked the key role it played, as I’ve discussed before.)
Rough Stone Rolling (left) was a key part of the New Mormon History’s focus on SITH, but lots of people contributed. The historians in the Church History department largely embraced the New Mormon History (as well as M2C), and the result is the presentation of SITH in the Ensign (which I discussed here), the lesson manuals, the videos, etc.
Several justifications have been proposed.
Some have claimed that when Joseph and Oliver said or wrote “Urim and Thummim” they really meant the peep stone Joseph found in a well. That obviously contradicts both what they said and the historical record. Others claim Joseph used both, but that also contradicts both what Joseph and Oliver always said. Some say the “SITH sayers” were all liars who hated Joseph Smith, but that also contradicts the historical record. Besides, people on the other side just say Joseph and Oliver were liars. Stalemate.
In a recent presentation, I summarized it this way, leading to my own conclusions. (click to enlarge)
Now we will hear from the only First Hand Witnesses
5 Names of the same Instrument used to Translate the Book of Mormon
1- Interpreters (Word found in the Book of Mormon, PGP) 2- Urim and Thummim (Word found in the D&C, PGP, and the Old Testament, 4 times in THE TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH in the preface of the BofM) 3- Directors (Alma37:21,24 “Interpreters” was changed to “Directors” in 1920 version of the BofM) 3- The Key 4- Two stones in silver bows, fastened to a breastplate 5-Two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow(Words found similar in many places)
Words that aren’t defined as the named instruments above:
1- Peep Stone 2- Seer Stone 3- Seer Stones 4- Seer’s Stone 5- Stone in the hat 6- Stone
7+ First hand witnesses who saw this Instrument.
1- Christ 2- Brother of Jared 3- Moroni 4- King Benjamin, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and each following generational leader 5- Joseph Smith 6- Oliver Cowdrey 7- Lucy Mack Smith (Saw, felt, and described the breastplate and spectacles through a thin linen. Painting below) 8- William Smith?
Buried in the Stone box, the Interpreters, Spectacles & Breastplate. Not a Brown Seer Stone in a Hat.
Christ’s Words
Now behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them. And you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened. Nevertheless, it is now restored unto you again; therefore see that you are faithful and continue on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work of translation as you have begun.” D&C 10:1-3
“Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.” D&C 17:1 Now here is the witness by the Lord of Joseph’s translation. “And he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, andas your Lord and your God liveth it is true.” (D&C 17:6)
Brother of Jared
Do you realize the 16 stones touched by Christ for the Brother of Jared were for the 8 barges, but the Lord also touched two separate stones to be sealed up for the Prophet Joseph Joseph Smith later for translation?
1 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying: Ether 3:1
6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. [16 stones] And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was with fear. Ether 3:6parenthesis and color added.
13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
17 And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites. Ether 3:13,17
20 Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.
21 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard, and show it to no man.
22 And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up, that no one can interpret them; for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read.
23 And behold, these two stones[different than the previous 16 stones] will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write.
24 For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones [2stones] shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.Ether 3:20-23parenthesis added
Moroni
4 Behold, I [Moroni] have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.
5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord. Ether 4:4-5parenthesis added
“Two Stones, Fastened to a Breastplate” JSH 1:35 New Art at the 29th Expo
Joseph Smith
“34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
35 Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35)
“With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God” (History of the Church, 4:537).
Joseph Smith Again
“He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. …
Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when I visited it. Joseph Smith—History in the Pearl of Great Price or History of the Church, 1:2–79.
Oliver Cowdery A View of the Contents of the Stone Box
“The manner in which the plates were deposited: First, a hole of sufficient depth, (how deep I know not) was dug. At the bottom of this was laid a stone of suitable size, the upper surface being smooth. At each edge was placed a large quantity of cement, and into this cement, at the four edges of this stone, were placed, erect, four others, their bottom edges resting in the cement at the outer edges of the first stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed a box, the corners, or where the edges of the four came in contact, were also cemented so firmly that the moisture from without was prevented from entering. It is to be observed, also, that the inner surface of the four erect, or side stones was smoothe. This box was sufficiently large to admit a breast-plate, such as was used by the ancients to defend the chest, &c. from the arrows and weapons of their enemy. From the bottom of the box, or from the breast-plate, arose three small pillars composed of the same description of cement used on the edges; and upon these three pillars was placed the record of the children of Joseph, and of a people who left the tower far, far before the days of Joseph… I must not forget to say that this box, containing the record was covered with another stone, the bottom surface being flat and the upper, crowning. But those three pillars were not so lengthy as to cause the plates and the crowning stone to come in contact. I have now given you, according to my promise, the manner in which this record was deposited; though when it was first visited by our brother, in 1823, a part of the crowning stone was visible above the surface while the edges were concealed by the soil and grass, from which circumstances you will see, that however deep this box might have been placed by Moroni at first, the time had been sufficient to wear the earth so that it was easily discovered when once directed, and yet not enough to make a perceivable difference to the passer-by.” Oliver Cowdery, “Letter VIII,” October 1835
Joseph Smith said, “The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them” (Joseph Smith—History 1:52). This is why I show the picture above with two stones crossways as I feel joseph Smith is the most accurate of the witnesses. Lucy Mack Smith says 3 stone pillars here: and See my blog here about 4, 3, or two stones
Oliver Cowdery Canonized Scripture
Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’ JSH 1:75*
The most factual statement we have is the scripture above. You can’t find any scripture that explains using a seer stone anywhere.
Oliver Cowdery’s Return
“This testimony written while Oliver Cowdery was out of the Church is now in my keeping. It is a letter in his own handwriting. In October, 1848, he made his way from Tiffin, Ohio, his residence, to Kanesville, Iowa, to take up again his association with the Latter-day Saints. At a conference held there, October 21st, 1848, presided over by elder Orson Hyde, Oliver Cowdery asked for the privilege of speaking, and he said:
Friends and Brethren: My name is Cowdery, Oliver Cowdery. In the early history of this Church, I stood identified with her, and one in her councils. True it is that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance; not because I was better than the rest of mankind was I called, to fulfill the purposes of God. He called me to a high and holy calling. I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, “holy interpreters.” I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated.I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “holy interpreters.” The book is true. Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet. It contains the everlasting gospel, and came forth to the children of men in fulfillment of the revelations of John, where he says he saw an angel come with the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. It contains principles of salvation; and if you, my hearers, will walk by its light and obey its precepts, you will be saved with an everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God on high. Brother Hyde has just said that it is very important that we keep and walk in the true channel, in order to avoid the sand-bars. The Holy Priesthood is here. I was present with Joseph when an holy angel from God came down from heaven and conferred on us, or restored, the Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, and said to us at the same time, that it should remain upon the earth while the earth stands. I was also present with Joseph when the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood was conferred by holy angels from on high. This Priesthood we then conferred on each other, by the will and commandment of God. This Priesthood, as was then declared, is also to remain upon the earth until the last remnant of time. This holy Priesthood or authority, we then conferred upon many, and it is just as good and valid as though God had done it in person. I laid my hands upon that man, yes, I laid my right hand upon his head (pointing to Elder Hyde) and he holds that Priesthood now. He was also called through me, by the prayer of faith, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
One month later in November, 1848, at another meeting Oliver Cowdery said:
Brethren, for a number of years I have been separated from you. I now desire to come back. I wish to come humbly and to be one in your midst. I seek no station. I only wish to be identified with you. I am out of the Church. I am not a member of the Church, but I wish to become a member of it. I wish to come in at the door. I know the door. I have not come here to seek precedence. I come humbly and throw myself upon the decisions of this body, knowing, as I do, that its decisions are right, and should be obeyed.
His request was granted and he was baptized and again was received in full fellowship in the Church, and in this fellowship, he continued to witness to the day of his death.” Restoration of All Things by Joseph Fielding Smith CHAPTER TWELVE, A TESTIMONY AGAINST THE WORLD Address delivered Sunday, August 20, 1944
Oliver Under Oath
The principal scribe, Oliver Cowdery, testified under oath in 1831 that Joseph Smith “found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates.” In the fall of 1830, Cowdery visited Union Village, Ohio, and spoke about the translation of the Book of Mormon. Soon thereafter, a village resident reported that the translation was accomplished by means of “two transparent stones in the form of spectacles thro which the translator looked on the engraving.” Gospel Topic Essays.
William Smith
With these quotes below, I am assuming William Smith saw the Urim and Thummim and maybe even the translation process. He gives an amazing description of the entire process. I am also intrigued by William being quoted as saying, “[Joseph] always used it in connection with the breastplate when receiving official communications, and usually so when translating as it permitted him to have both hands free to hold the plates.”
William Smith’s description: “A silver bow ran over one stone, under the other, around [sic] over that one and under the first in the shape of a horizontal figure 8…[T]hey were much too large for Joseph and he could only see through one at a time using sometimes one and sometimes the other.” These stones, he continued, “were attached to the breastplate by a rod which was fastened at the outer shoulde[r] edge of the breastplate and to the edge of the silver bow.” (Tyrell Givens, By the Hand of Mormon, p.22)
Another account from William Smith: “Among other things we inquired minutely about the Urim and Thummim and the breastplate. We asked him what was meant by the expression “two rims of a bow,” which held the former. He said a double silver bow was twisted into the shape of the figure eight, and the two stones were placed literally between the two rims of a bow. At one end was attached a rod which was connected with the outer edge of the right shoulder of the breast-plate. By pressing the head a little forward, the rod held the Urim and Thummim before the eyes much like a pair of spectacles. A pocket was prepared in the breastplate on the left side, immediately over the heart. When not in use the Urim and Thummim was placed in this pocket, the rod being of just the right length to allow it to be so deposited. This instrument could, however, be detached from the breastplate and his brother said Joseph often wore it detached when away from home, but always used it in connection with the breastplate when receiving official communications, and usually so when translating as it permitted him to have both hands free to hold the plates.” (J. W. Peterson in The Rod of Iron I:3 (February 1924), 6—7.)
The earliest mention of the translation
“The earliest mention of the translation that we have is from August 11, 1829, just six weeks after the translation was completed. The Palmyra Freeman published an article that said this: By placing the spectacles in a hat, and looking into it, Smith could (he said so, at least,) interpret the characters.
This article was promptly republished in several newspapers, including the Painesville Telegraph on September 22, 1829. Another article published in Rochester on September 5, 1829, directly attributes the account to Martin Harris. “A man by the name of Martin Harris was in this village a few days since endeavoring to make a contract for printing a large quantity of a work called the Golden Bible. He gave something like the following account of it…. By placing the spectacles in a hat and looking into it, Smith interprets the characters into the English language.”
These accounts predated the publication of the Book of Mormon and the organization of the Church. Martin Harris was hardly an apostate at the time and he certainly was not trying to denigrate Joseph Smith. That’s the last thing he would do because he was mortgaging his farm to pay for the publication.
This is only one of the reasons why I disagree with those who insist the stone in the hat is a fabrication or lie. The error, IMO, is that people (including Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Emma) who witnessed the demonstration in the Whitmer home inferred they were witnessing the actual translation instead of a demonstration. The demonstration downstairs was rapid and consisted of the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi (assuming that what Joseph dictated became part of the manuscript); the translation, which took place upstairs, was laborious and consisted of 1 Nephi and the non-Isaiah material from the small plates. We can see all of this in the original manuscript, as I showed in detail in A Man that Can Translate.
David Whitmer said, “In order to give privacy to the proceeding a blanket, which served as a portière, was stretched across the family living room to shelter the translators and the plates from the eyes of any who might call at the house while the work was in progress. This, Mr. Whitmer says, was the only use made of the blanket, and it was not for the purpose of concealing the plates or the translator from the eyes of the amanuensis. In fact, Smith was at no time hidden from his collaborators, and the translation was performed in the presence of not only the persons mentioned, but of the entire Whitmer household and several of Smith’s relatives besides.” David Whitmer, as interviewed by the Chicago Tribune (1885). “The Book of Mormon,” Chicago Tribune, December 17, 1885
In regards to the above quote, my good friend and associate Jonathan Neville believes it is possible that Joseph Smith showed many of the Whitmer’s a demonstration of the stone in the hat. It is a very interesting idea, but I don’t think it is correct. In my opinion I have a question about Joseph showing a demonstration to appease others curiosity and I don’t think that was necessary. I don’t think Joseph was obligated to show anyone a sneak preview so to speak. As you read my idea about the breastplate under Joseph’s shirt and the spectacles hidden with the hat as a prop only, I think it is a better possibility. As usual, you all can decide for yourself, and you can also contribute what you feel happened. None of us know for sure. Full Article Here:
Lucy Mack Smith The Key Joseph Kept Constantly About His Person
Joseph Kept the “Key” ‘Constantly about his person’. Little room and no need for seer stones. Joseph used the “Key” to translate the Book of Mormon, not the seer stones. I believe Lucy Mack and not Martin, David or Emma.
Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.”
I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record….
That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)
Lucy Mack Smith About the Breastplate
“After bringing home the plates, Joseph now commenced work with his father on the farm in order to be as near as possible the treasure that was committed to his care.
“Joseph kept the Urim and Thummim constantly about his person” by Anne Marie Oborn
Soon after this, he came in from work one afternoon, and after remaining a short time, he put on his greatcoat and left the house. I was engaged at the time in an upper room in preparing some oilcloths for painting. When he returned, he requested me to come downstairs. I told him that I could not leave my work just then, yet upon his urgent request, I finally concluded to go down and see what he wanted, upon which he handed me the breastplate spoken of in his history.
Editors Note: See Painting above titled, “Joseph kept the Urim and Thummim constantly about his person”by Anne Marie Oborn. Completed Sep. 2023 which is the 200 year anniversary of Sept 22, 1823 when Joseph first was shown the plates. The setting for this painting in Sept 22, 1827 when Joseph received the actual plates, Interpreters and Breastplate.
Lucy continues, “It was wrapped in a thin muslin handkerchief, so thin that I could see the glistening metal and ascertain its proportions without any difficulty.
It was concave on one side and convex on the other and extended from the neck downwards as far as the center of the stomach of a man of extraordinary size. It had four straps of the same material for the purpose of fastening it to the breast, two of which ran back to go over the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips. They were just the width of two of my fingers (for I measured them), and they had holes in the end of them to be convenient in fastening.
The whole plate was worth at least five hundred dollars. After I had examined it, Joseph placed it in the chest with the Urim and Thummim.”(History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced)
“I have myself seen and handled the golden plates; they are about eight inches long, and six wide; some of them are sealed together and are not to be opened, and some of them are loose. They are all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate, and are covered with letters beautifully engraved. I have seen and felt also the Urim and Thummim. They resemble two large bright diamonds set in a bow like a pair of spectacles. My son puts these over his eyes when he reads unknown languages, and they enable him to interpret them in English. I have likewise carried in my hands the sacred breastplate. It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.”Lucy Mack Smith (in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 2nd ed. revised and enlarged, (London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 26)Other source
Mosiah and Alma and Handed Down
11 Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi;
12 And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people who had been destroyed.
13 And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.
14 Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages;
15 And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people;
16 And whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times.
17 Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.
18 Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice.
19 And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account.
20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.Mosiah 28:11-20
Mosiah Interprets the Jaredite Stone by Minerva Teichert.
“The Prophet Joseph Smith used the same Urim and Thummim that was “given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face” (D&C 17:1). President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote a brief history regarding the Urim and Thummim: “King Mosiah possessed ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ called by the Nephites Interpreters, with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purposes of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these two stones or Urim and Thummim the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this gift or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the Brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. “That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the Brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from Book of Mormon teachings. The Brother of Jared was commanded to seal up his writings of the vision he had when Christ appeared to him, so that they could not be read by his people. … The Urim and Thummim were also sealed up so that they could not be used for the purpose of interpreting those sacred writings of this vision, until such time as the Lord should grant to man to interpret them. When they were to be revealed, they were to be interpreted by the aid of the same Urim and Thummim [Ether 3:21–28]. …“Joseph Smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the Brother of Jared [D&C 17:1]” (Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation, 3:223–25).The Prophet inquired of the Lord, and D&C Section 17 was given in answer through the Urim and Thummim.
Alma the Younger tells Helaman to Preserve Interpreters & Director
21 And now, I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye keep them, that the mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of those people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this people; yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; yea, and that ye preserve these interpreters. Alma 37:21
38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness. Alma 37:38-39
47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell. Alma 37:47
Lucy Mack says Joseph gets U&T back
[Note: The essay doesn’t explain what “lost the ability to translate” means, but Lucy Mack Smith explained that Joseph had to give up the Urim and Thummim after losing the 116 pages.
Later, Joseph told her that “on the 22d of September [1828], I had the joy and satisfaction of again receiving the Urim and Thummim; and have commenced translating again, and Emma writes for me; but the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and I trust his promise will be verified. He also seemed pleased with me, when he gave me back the Urim and Thummim; and he told me that the Lord loved me, for my faithfulness and humility.
“Soon after I received them I inquired of the Lord, and obtained the following revelation”:
Lucy Mack Smith
“Now, behold I say unto you, that, because <you> delivered up those writings, which you had power given you to translate, by the means of the Urim and Thummim into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them; and you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened;”[11] [11] D&C 10:1-2; Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, online at https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/143
Lucy Mack Smith reported this:
“After the angel left me’, said he [Joseph], “I continued my supplications to God without cessation; and, on the 22d of September [1828], I had the joy and satisfaction of again receiving the Urim and Thummim; and have commenced translating again, and Emma writes for me; but the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and <I> trust his promise will be verified. The angel He also seemed pleased with me, when he gave me back the Urim and Thummim; and he told me that the Lord loved me, for my faithfulness and humility…
4. This is consistent with Emma acting as scribe after the 116 pages were lost, but inconsistent with her claim that he did not use the Urim and Thummim.
Key point: If Emma started writing the translation in the fall of 1828, the common assumption that Joseph translated the plates in 90 days is wrong. Oliver arrived in Harmony in April 1829, seven months after Joseph received back the Urim and Thummim and began translating. http://www.moronisamerica.com/changing-church-history-and-emma-smith-2/
“on the 22 of September I had the joy and satisfaction of again receiving the record Urim and Thummin; and have commenced translating again, and Emma writes for me; but the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and <I> trust his promise will be verified. The angel He also seemed pleased with me, when he gave me back the Urim and Thummim; and he told me that the Lord loved me, for my faithfulness and humility.” https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/145 (emphasis added) Jonathan Neville Page 52-53 “A Man that can Translate”
2nd Hand Witness of Interpreters by Joseph Fielding Smith
“While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22–24. These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation,” Vol. 3, 225-26).
From here we discuss the testimonies of the three witnesses who saw the gold plates.
“Restoration of All Things” by Joseph Fielding Smith
CHAPTER TWELVE A TESTIMONY AGAINST THE WORLD Address delivered Sunday, August 20, 1944
In the Mouth of Three Witnesses
When Moroni was about to seal up the record of his people that it might be preserved to be brought forth in the last days, he added these words of counsel for those who were to be privileged to bring it forth:
And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work;
And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true.
And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.
And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God.
And now, if I have no authority for these things, judge ye; for ye shall know that I have authority when ye shall see me, and we shall stand before God at the last day. Amen.
Strength of the Testimony
What a bold, dangerous thing it would have been for Joseph Smith to have made such a statement as this to the world, if the Book of Mormon were a fraud. He would have taken a risk where the chances for success would have been all against him. The calling of three witnesses to testify with him to the fraud, and to declare that they would have the privilege of testifying by the “power of God,” which in this case meant in the presence of an angel sent from the Almighty, was so bold, so unlikely to succeed if not true, that even a fool would have hesitated to present such a thing. Joseph Smith was no fool, even his bitter enemies gave him credit for being not that.
Among the difficulties confronting him would be, first, that there would be so many errors open to detection in the scheme, that it could not have succeeded; second, he would never have dared to permit any one of these witnesses to become estranged from him and he would have been subject to their dictation; third, to hold them he never could have permitted any one of the three to be estranged from the others, and fourth, the conspirators never could have hung together in the face of the persecutions and hatred which followed them, for under the stress of such opposition as they received, the story would unquestionably have fallen apart and been exposed.
The Witnesses True to Testimony
We have considered the nature of the testimony these three men, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris gave to the world. How positively, frankly and without any coercion, they declared that in the presence of the angel they beheld the plates, examined the writing upon them, and heard the voice of God speaking to them from the heavens commanding them to bear record of what they had seen and heard. The question now is, were these three men true to that testimony under all circumstances and all the days of their lives? The answer to this question is one of the greatest weight, carrying a responsibility which cannot be easily ignored, and which leaves every soul unto whom their testimony comes, subject to the warning of Nephi: “Wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!” For if the testimony of these three is true, no man can reject it without rejecting the word of God.
The Witnesses Estranged
For a number of years, after the publication of the Book of Mormon, and the organization of the Church, these three men were faithful, earnest members of the Church, sustaining and fellowshipping with Joseph Smith. There came a time, however, because of persecution and misunderstanding when all three of these men were estranged from Joseph Smith. Two of them, Oliver Cowdery, who had been a witness with Joseph Smith on many occasions of the opening of the heavens, and David Whitmer, were severed from the Church. The third man, Martin Harris, just drifted away for a season from the body of the Church. Joseph Smith not only permitted these men to take this course, but sustained the councils of the Church when action was taken. For eleven years Oliver Cowdery was estranged from Joseph Smith and the Church and during that time he went into the practice of law, but always during those years he bore the same testimony in relation to his association with Joseph Smith and his heavenly manifestations. After the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Oliver Cowdery felt his way back to the Church. In March, 1846, while he was out of the Church, he wrote to his brother-in-law, Phineas Young, as follows:
I have cherished a hope, and that one of my fondest, that I might leave such a character as those who might believe in my testimony, after I should be called hence, might do so, not only for the sake of the truth, but might not blush for the private character of the man who bore that testimony. I have been sensitive on this subject, I admit, but I ought to be so, you would be, under the circumstances, had you stood in the presence of John with our departed brother, Joseph, to receive the Lesser Priesthood, and in the presence of Peter, to receive the greater, and looked down through time, and witnessed the effects these two must produce—you would feel what you have never felt, were wicked men conspiring to lessen the effects of your testimony to man, after you have gone to your long-sought rest.
This testimony written while Oliver Cowdery was out of the Church is now in my keeping. It is a letter in his own handwriting. In October, 1848, he made his way from Tiffin, Ohio, his residence, to Kanesville, Iowa, to take up again his association with the Latter-day Saints. At a conference held there, October 21st, 1848, presided over by elder Orson Hyde, Oliver Cowdery asked for the privilege of speaking, and he said:
Oliver Cowdery’s Return
“Friends and Brethren: My name is Cowdery, Oliver Cowdery. In the early history of this Church, I stood identified with her, and one in her councils. True it is that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance; not because I was better than the rest of mankind was I called, to fulfill the purposes of God. He called me to a high and holy calling. I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, “holy interpreters.” I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “holy interpreters.” The book is true. Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet. It contains the everlasting gospel, and came forth to the children of men in fulfillment of the revelations of John, where he says he saw an angel come with the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. It contains principles of salvation; and if you, my hearers, will walk by its light and obey its precepts, you will be saved with an everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God on high. Brother Hyde has just said that it is very important that we keep and walk in the true channel, in order to avoid the sand-bars. The Holy Priesthood is here. I was present with Joseph when an holy angel from God came down from heaven and conferred on us, or restored, the Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, and said to us at the same time, that it should remain upon the earth while the earth stands. I was also present with Joseph when the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood was conferred by holy angels from on high. This Priesthood we then conferred on each other, by the will and commandment of God. This Priesthood, as was then declared, is also to remain upon the earth until the last remnant of time. This holy Priesthood or authority, we then conferred upon many, and it is just as good and valid as though God had done it in person. I laid my hands upon that man, yes, I laid my right hand upon his head (pointing to Elder Hyde) and he holds that Priesthood now. He was also called through me, by the prayer of faith, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
One month later in November, 1848, at another meeting Oliver Cowdery said:
Brethren, for a number of years I have been separated from you. I now desire to come back. I wish to come humbly and to be one in your midst. I seek no station. I only wish to be identified with you. I am out of the Church. I am not a member of the Church, but I wish to become a member of it. I wish to come in at the door. I know the door. I have not come here to seek precedence. I come humbly and throw myself upon the decisions of this body, knowing, as I do, that its decisions are right, and should be obeyed.
His request was granted and he was baptized and again was received in full fellowship in the Church, and in this fellowship, he continued to witness to the day of his death.
It must be a strange being with a soul not susceptible to penetration by simple facts, who cannot see in the story of Oliver Cowdery the sincerity of his testimony. When we stop to think that while absent from his former associates and not fellowshipping with them, he still maintained and defended his testimony, and then in the darkest hour of the history of the Church, when all the world felt that the Mormon people had gone from Nauvoo to their destruction, for they could not exist under the circumstances in their drivings and poverty, it was at that very hour that Oliver Cowdery sought out these exiled refugees and asked if he could join them again. He was aware of the fact that in doing so he would have to share their distress and poverty. He knew that they had been driven from their homes for the sake of their religion. Such scenes were not new to him; in the early days he had passed through such scenes and he was now willing to endure such scenes again. That was not the action of a man guilty of perpetrating a fraud.
David Whitmer Maintains His Testimony
David Whitmer likewise retained the integrity of his story after he was excommunicated from the Church. Some years after the death of Joseph Smith, he gathered about him a group of followers and taught them, as he understood it, the gospel. He prepared an address which he dedicated to all believers in Christ. In this publication he maintained his story in the most emphatic manner. Thousands of persons out of curiosity and for information, interviewed him, and all received the same story—that the angel appeared to him and the others and revealed the plates of the ancient record. There are hundreds of people still living who heard his testimony and were convinced that he told them the truth. March 19, 1881, in the spirit of indignation, because his veracity had been questioned, David Whitmer published the following statement in the Richmond “Conservator,” the paper of his home town:
Unto all nations, kindred, tongues and people unto whom these presents shall come:
It having been represented by one John Murphy of Polo (Caldwell County), Missouri, that I had in a conversation with him last summer, denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon….
To the end, therefore, that he may understand me now if he did not then, and that the world may know the truth, I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this public statement:
That I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that book, as one of the three witnesses.
Those who know me best, will know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do now again affirm the truth of all my statements as then made and published.
He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear; it was no delusion. What is written is written and he that readeth let him understand. And if any man doubt, should he not carefully and honestly read and understand the same before presuming to sit in judgment, and condemning the light which shineth in darkness, and showeth the way of eternal life, as pointed out by the hand of God?
In the Spirit of Christ who hath said follow thou me, for I am the life, the light and the way, I submit this statement to the world, God in whom I trust being my Judge, as to the sincerity of my motives and the faith and hope that is in me of eternal life.
My sincere desire is that the world may be benefited by the plain and simple statement of the truth.
None of these 3 ever saw the Interpreters or the Two Stones attached in the two rims of a bow. And non of them saw Joseph’s Translation methods. Only Martin Harris had a curtain between him and Joseph as he was the scribe for Joseph for the lost 116 pages. These 3 were at best, 2nd or 3rd hand witness of something heard about the translation. The only 3 eyewitnesses of all three items was Joseph, Oliver and Lucy Mack Smith who touched and felt all articles under a linen cloth in 1827 according to her journal.
And all the honor be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
David Whitmer
Richmond, Missouri, March 19, A.D. 1881.
The original document which I have just read is now in my possession. I obtained it from the family of David Whitmer. This document bears the endorsements of leading citizens of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, as follows:
We, the undersigned, citizens of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, where David Whitmer, Sr., has resided since the year, A.D. 1838, certify that we have been long and intimately acquainted with him, and know him to be a man of the highest integrity, and of undoubted truth and veracity—Given at Richmond, Missouri, this March 19, A.D. 1881.
A. W. Doniphan George W. Dunn, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit T. D. Woodson, President, Ray County Savings Bank Jacob O. Child, Editor of “Conservator” H. C. Garner, Cashier Ray County Savings Bank W. A. Holman, County Treasurer J. S. Hughes, Banker, Richmond, Missouri James Hughes, Banker, Richmond, Missouri D. P. Whitmer, Attorney at Law James W. Black, Attorney at Law L. C. Cantwell, Postmaster, Richmond, Missouri George I. Wassen, Mayor James A. Davis, Probate Judge and Presiding Judge, Ray County Court George E. Trigg, County Clerk W. W. Mosby, M.D. Thomas McGinnis, Late Sheriff, Ray CountyW. R. Holman, Furniture Merchant J. P. Queensbury, Merchant Lewis Slaughter, Recorder of Deeds George W. Buchannan, M.D. A. K. Reyburn
The following comment was also published in the Richmond “Conservator”:
Elsewhere we publish a letter from David Whitmer, Sen., an old and well known citizen of Ray, as well as an endorsement of his standing as a man, signed by a number of the leading citizens of this community, in reply to some unwarranted aspersions made upon him.
There is no doubt that Mr. Whitmer, who was one of the Three Witnesses of the authenticity of the gold plates, from which he asserts that Joe Smith translated the Book of Mormon (a facsimile of the characters he now has in his possession with the original records) is firmly convinced of its divine origin, and while he makes no effort to obtrude his views or belief, he simply wants the world to know that so far as he is concerned there is no “variableness or shadow of turning.” Having resided here for a half of a century, it is with no little pride that he points to his past record, with the consciousness that he has done nothing derogatory to his character as a citizen and a believer in the Son of Mary to warrant such an attack on him, come from what source it may, and now, with the lilies of seventy-five winters crowning him like an aureole, and his pilgrimage on earth well nigh ended, he reiterates his former statement and will leave futurity to solve the problem that he was but a passing witness of its fulfillment.
Martin Harris
Martin Harris, the third witness, died a faithful member of the Church, at Clarkston, Cache County, July 10, 1875, nearly ninety-three years of age, firm in his testimony, which was borne for the last time on earth but a few hours before he passed away.
Martin may have used a curtain but I don;t believe any other scribe did. I believe Joseph had the breastplate under his shirt and the glasses were hidden by a farmers hat, as you see below.
These men were not deceivers; they were not deceived, and their united testimony will stand as a condemnation against an unbelieving world, at the last day.” Restoration of all things CHAPTER TWELVE A TESTIMONY AGAINST THE WORLD Address delivered Sunday, August 20, 1944 by Joseph Fielding Smith
The Witnesses movie is generating a lot of discussion on social media because of SITH (the stone-in-the-hat). The movie adopts the approach taken by Mormonism Unvailed, the 1834 anti-Mormon book that claimed Joseph never even used the plates but produced the Book of Mormon by reading a “peep stone” he put in a hat. John Dehlin (picture right) of Mormon Stories is delighted. SITH is one of his key points, as he explains on TikTok (31.7k views in one day, 800 views on twitter) https://www.tiktok.com/@drjohndehlin/video/6973701578431778053?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Stone in a Hat Theory. (SITH) We don’t believe this SITH method ever happened for translation of the Book of Mormon.
There’s no pushback against SITH from any Church leaders or prominent scholars. Instead, Kawku promotes SITH as a feature, not a bug. Our scholars fall all over themselves trying to justify SITH (much as they did with the Hoffman documents decades ago). Like other intellectual trends, we can see the origins of SITH among LDS academics even before Rough Stone Rolling came out, but that book pushed it into the mainstream. I think Rough Stone Rolling is an exceptional, timely, and useful book, but it portrayed some interpretations as fact and overlooked other facts, as I indicated in Part 1 of my summary, here: http://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/p/rough-stone-rolling-analysis-part-1.html.
The words “cumorah” and “Lamanites” are not present in the book Saints! We find that shocking.
Saints and the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation formalized SITH, mainly by ignoring historical sources that corroborate what Joseph and Oliver taught and instead relying on sources that, on a surface level, contradicted what Joseph and Oliver taught. The Essay never even quotes what Joseph and Oliver said about the translation with the Urim and Thummim. Instead, it focuses on the theories of various academics.
The Urim and Thummim is essentially de-correlated. No one is claiming any revelation about what happened in Church history to overturn what Joseph and Oliver taught. The new narrative is based purely on revisionist historical interpretation of the same facts everyone has known for over 150 years. People today, looking at some historical evidence while ignoring other evidence, thereby conclude Joseph’s contemporaries and successors were wrong. This is the same process by which Cumorah was de-correlated. Consequently, SITH has become the prevailing narrative in our day. And that’s great for those who believe it. If you think it’s awesome that the Book of Mormon is the product of words appearing on a stone in a hat, and not a translation of the ancient Nephite plates (as Joseph and Oliver claimed), good for you. I’m not going to say you’re wrong. People can and will believe whatever they want.
But it seems likely (and statistics indicate) that most people will not accept that narrative, whether they are inside or outside the Church. In 1834, Mormonism Unvailed promoted SITH because the author knew it undermined the credibility of Joseph and Oliver. Detractors today promote SITH for the same reason. _____There are alternative interpretations of the evidence.
For example, the Stoddards and others reject SITH by saying David Whitmer, Emma, Martin Harris etc. were liars. (Rian Nelson believes these three did possibly lie, or had a convenient fact left out). However, that plays into the critical narrative that the witnesses were dishonest. This is the mirror image of the SITH/M2C approach; i.e., we can believe some of what the witnesses said, but we have to reject other things they said, based on what we want to be true. Similarly, our M2C scholars (M2C=Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory) reject what the witnesses said about Cumorah because they want Cumorah to be in Mexico to fit their theories. But they still expect people to believe SITH based on what the witnesses said. It’s transparent cherry picking.
Now you see why I’ve been saying that: Interpreter=CESLetter=FAIRLDS=MormonStories=BookofMormonCentral=BYUStudies.
They’ve all reached a consensus that the prophets are wrong any time they disagree with the prophets.
If they disagree, they disagree only with regard to which things the prophets were wrong about–a distinction without a difference._____
I realize there are numerous interpretations of the evidence, ranging from Joseph seeing the words on a stone (or in vision) to Joseph composing, memorizing or reading the text. Some even say that when Joseph and Oliver testified about the Urim and Thummim, they deliberately misled people because they knew they were really referring to the stone Joseph found in a well; i.e., they used misleading terminology.
People can believe whatever they want, and that’s fine with me. But I’ve looked at all these explanations and none of them make sense to me. That’s why I looked at the evidence for myself. So far, the only explanation I’m aware of that reconciles Joseph and Oliver as credible, and David and Emma as credible, is the demonstration narrative I set out in A Man that Can Translate. (Rian Nelson does not believe in thedemonstration level of Jonathan Neville).
I’m completely open to any better explanations. (Here is the editors explanation. Joseph kept the Breastplate “upon his person constantly” Lucy Mack Smith. If you know of one, email me at lostzarahemla@gmail. (Jonathan and I have spoke about our difference). There are still some Latter-day Saints who believe what the prophets have taught about both the translation and the historicity of the Book of Mormon, including the New York Cumorah. This is not “blind faith” or “blind obedience.” This is recognizing that the people involved with the events are more credible than arm-chair commentators distant in time and space. It is also recognizing science- and fact-based, rational analysis supports and corroborates the teachings of the prophets.” Source: About Central America(Visited 20 times, 14 visits today) http://www.moronisamerica.com/witnesses-sith-and-the-tipping-point/
How the Book Saints frames the Translation
I first believe Personal Revelation. Then I trust Canonized Scripture, Then I trust the words of the Prophets. “Saints” is a feel good book, I enjoy it but don’t believe everything in it. Historians make mistakes.
With Emma’s father around, translating would not be easy, but Joseph tried his best. Assisted by Emma, he copied many of the strange characters from the plates to paper.10 Then, for several weeks, he tried to translate them with the Urim and Thummim. The process required him to do more than look into the interpreters. He had to be humble and exercise faith as he studied the characters.11
A few months later, Martin came to Harmony. He said he felt called by the Lord to travel as far as New York City to consult experts in ancient languages. He hoped they could translate the characters.12
Joseph copied several more characters from the plates, wrote down his translation, and handed the paper to Martin. He and Emma then watched as their friend headed east to consult with distinguished scholars.13
The historians claim that Joseph sent the copied characters to Anthon to get them translated because he was unable to translate them. He merely “tried” to do it. Of course, that directly contradicts JS-History 1:62.
62 By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following.
(Joseph Smith—History 1:62)
Read the first paragraph. Clearly states that Joseph “spent considerable time and effort becoming familiar with the language of the plates and learning how to translate.”
“I then continued <said> Joseph my suplications to God without cessation that his mercy might again be exercised towards me and on the 22 of september I had the Joy and satisfaction of again receiving the record Urim and Thummin into my possession and I have commenced translating and Emma writes for me now but the angel said that if I got the plates again that the Lord woul[d] send some one to write for me and I trust that if it will be so. he also said that the <he> angel seemed <was> rejoiced when he gave him <me> back the plates <urim and Thummim> and said that he <God> was pleased with his <my> faithfulness and humility also that the Lord was pleased with him and loved him <me> for his <my> penitence and dilligence in prayer in the which he <I> had performed his duty so well as to receive the record <urim and Thummin> and be <was> able to enter upon the work of translation again.” (emphasis added) https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/91
Lucy’s History 1845 revised the passage but kept the essence of her original history on this point.
Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years.
Did Joseph Smith study and master the Nephite language? Did the Prophet tutor some of the early Brethren in ancient Nephite characters?
Did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon using a dark seer stone in a hat?
Why are progressive historians creating a new history using sources from a man who vowed to wash his hands in the blood of Joseph Smith, while boasting that he had deceived the Prophet and his God?
Has The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covered up its history for nearly 200 years? Length: 240 pages
“Traditionalists believe that progressives are destined to inherit ignorance because they reject revelation. Progressives believe that traditionalists are mired in ignorance because they do not fully accept and embrace the philosophies and teachings of the learned. Regardless of which position one takes, nearly all agree—an unbridgeable gulf separates the two.” FAITH CRISIS: Did the LDS Church Lie? (Part 1) We Were NOT Betrayed! By James and Hannah Stoddard
“In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!“ (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
As the nay-sayers explain Joseph used the seer stone because the U&T was taken away, how would they explain Joseph using the U&T to translate the Bible and the other sections of the D&C?
“Not only did Joseph Smith use the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon, but he also used it to receive revelation from God. Specifically, Doctrine and Covenants sections 3, 6, 11, and 14, 15,16, were all given through the Urim and Thummim. (See headings to these sections) We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that “the place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.” In addition, “this earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon.” And each person who receives the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will be able to use the Urim and Thummim (D&C 130:8–10).” by Jay A. Parry and Larry E. Morris, adapted from “The Mormon Book of Lists” | Jan. 18, 2019 LDS Living
The earliest known description of the process of translating the Book of Mormon is found in an article titled “History of the Mormonites,” published 9 June 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio. The writer, Josiah Jones, claims as his source the first Latter-day Saint missionaries to that territory Elders Cowdery, Pratt, Whitmer, and Peterson, from whom he learned that the book was translated by “looking into a stone or two stones, when put into a dark place, which stones he said were found in the box with the plates. They affirmed while [Joseph] looked through the stone spectacles another sat by and wrote what he told them, and thus the book was written. . . .
“A few days after these men appeared again, a few of us went to see them and Cowdery was requested to state how the plates were found, which he did. He stated that Smith looked onto or through the transparent stones to translate what was on the plates. I then asked him if he had ever looked through the stones to see what he could see in them; his reply was that he was not permitted to look into them. I asked him who debarred him from looking into them; he remained sometime in silence, then said that he had so much confidence in his friend Smith, who told him that he must not look into them, that he did not presume to do so lest he should tempt God and be struck dead” (Allen, “Historian’s Corner,” 308). As told in: The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
In describing the quote from Josiah Jones, Joseph looked through one or two stones, he didn’t mention a hat, the stones were found in the box with the plates, and he looked through stone spectacles, it is clear that while Mr. Jones had never seen the U&T he described the process as a U&T not as a single seer stone. See the incredible article below.
The Best Historical and Research Article about the Urim and Thummim vs. the Seer Stone
The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
Joseph Smith said, “I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83
“The Nephite prophet Abinadi holds a singular place in the Book of Mormon. He is the first Nephite of whom we have record to die as a martyr.”Robert J. Matthews
Additional Urim and Thummim Usage
1- How many revelations were given in the Doctrine and Covenants using a seer stone? Zero. How many revelations were given vusing the Urim and Thummim? At least 8 sections (Sections 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17).
Dates of Revelations by Joseph Smith while using the Urim and Thummim
Section 3– Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages “In July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49.
Section 6– Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, Oliver Cowdery began his labors as scribe
Section 7- Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John.
Section 11– Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to his brother Hyrum Smith, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 1829.
Section 14– Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
Section 15- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to John Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, June 1829
Section 16- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Peter Whitmer Jr., at Fayette, New York, June 1829
Section 17- Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829.
2- “While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found they held different views on the meaning of a passage in the Bible. They “mutually agreed to settle” the question “by the Urim and [Thummim].” As a result, Joseph received a revelation giving the translation of an account by the ancient disciple John, [D&C 7] written on parchment but lost to history. This early experience seeking revelation that illuminated the text of a Bible passage was an important precedent. About a year later, during the summer of 1830, Joseph and Oliver received by revelation an account of visions experienced by Moses but not found in the Bible. This revelation marked the beginning of Joseph Smith’s efforts to prepare an inspired revision or translation of the Bible. For the next three years, Joseph worked on his “new translation of the Bible” with Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other scribes, considering the project a “branch of [his] calling” as a prophet of God.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/joseph-smith-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng
3- Joseph Smith Translation (JST). “A revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as “a branch of his calling” as a prophet. Although the major portion of the work was completed by July 1833, he continued to make modifications while preparing a manuscript for the press until his death in 1844, and it is possible that some additional modifications would have been made had he lived to publish the entire work. Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/joseph-smith-translation?lang=eng
4- “Dec. 27, 1841: I met with the Twelve at Brother Joseph’s. He conversed with us in a familiar manner on a variety of subjects, and explained to us the Urim and Thummim which he found with the plates, called in the Book of Mormon the Interpreters. He said that every man who lived on the earth was entitled to a seer stone, [Not a Urim and Thummim, editor’s note] and should have one, but they are kept from them in consequence of their wickedness, and most of those who do find one make an evil use of it; he showed us his seer stone.”(Brigham Young, Mill. Star 26:118)
5- The Prophet Joseph Smith was not the only individual in this dispensation to use the Urim and Thummim and to receive revelations from God. Heber C. Kimball testified that Brigham Young also used these sacred instruments. “The question is asked many times, “Has brother Brigham got the Urim and Thummim?” Yes, he has got everything; everything that is necessary for him to receive the will and mind of God to this people. Do I know it? Yes, I know all about it; and what more do you want? That is true, gentlemen; I am one of his witnesses in the last days, and to bear testimony of the truth of “Mormonism.”” (Heber C. Kimball, J.D. 2:111 Quote from August 13, 1853)
5- Urim and Thummim used to Translate the Bible. “In this respect the testimony of Lorenzo Brown about the preparation the Prophet made for his translation of the Bible may be instructive. He records the Prophet as saying: “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
6- Translation of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. “While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he (Josoeph Smith) expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.
On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83
Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr
Robert J. Matthews
“The Nephite prophet Abinadi holds a singular place in the Book of Mormon. He is the first Nephite of whom we have record to die as a martyr. His doctrinal teachings are some of the most valuable in the Book of Mormon, clarifying the purpose of the law of Moses, identifying who the Redeemer would be, and declaring some facts about the Resurrection not previously mentioned in the Book of Mormon. He was capable of exquisitely colorful language sparked with fiery metaphor, yet at times was plain-spoken to the point of bluntness.
Abinadi confronted the wicked establishment—in the person of king Noah and his priests—single-handedly. The record gives no hint of any other prophet being present with whom he could share the burden of his ministry. So far as we know, he converted but one man; yet that one man, Alma, became the progenitor of a posterity that kept the sacred records and served the Nephites as their ecclesiastical leaders (and sometimes their political leaders) for the remainder of their history, a period of well over 400 years. (This is seen in the lineage of Alma1, Alma2, Helaman2, Shiblon, Helaman3, Nephi2, Nephi3, Amos1, Amos2 and Ammoron. We do not know if Mormon was also a descendant of Alma, since the abridged record that we have does not give Mormon’s lineage, other than to say he was a descendant of Lehi [3 Nephi 5:20] and of Nephi [Mormon 1:5].) Abinadi’s history and teachings were preserved in the writings of his one convert, Alma, and Alma’s posterity kept the records down to the time of the prophet Mormon, thus making the remainder of the Book of Mormon possible. Abinadi’s ministry influenced the entire second half of Nephite history. Because Abinadi’s story is in the Book of Mormon, it has already influenced millions of readers in this dispensation and will yet influence billions more…
In this paper I will deal with two general subjects. First, I will discuss the historical and circumstantial record of the man Abinadi—his life, ministry, and death. Second, I will discuss his doctrinal teachings. As we review these things, I invite you to think of the prophet Mormon, at the end of his nation’s struggles in the fourth century AD, searching what must have been by that time a wagonload of the large plates of Nephi and selecting those things of greatest worth to include in his abridged and summarized record. Mormon was not a freelance writer, but was called of God to prepare a record of his people. He was divinely appointed to be the editor and compiler of a sacred record that would deliver a specific message. We can be grateful that he was inspired to include the story and the teachings of the prophet Abinadi. The Book of Mormon would lack continuity, and a major part of its message would be missing, without the Abinadi portion.
Abinadai
Several times in Mosiah 11 the point is made that the bad example of the leaders led the people into wrong-doing (vv 2, 6–7, 15, 19). Pointing out this cause-and-effect relationship is a major contribution of the story: people have a tendency to follow their leaders, and corrupt leaders corrupt the whole kingdom.” Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr Robert J. Matthews
Editor’s Note: As you read the sins of the leaders below, think of the government today and its leaders. Think about the greedy business people and those who seek out riches daily and compare these sins in the Book of Mormon to those sins we see and hear about today. This sins of today seem even more horrific than those listed. I know the Lord is not pleased.
As defined in the record, the people’s catalog of sins included the following (Mosiah 11:1–19):
1. having many wives and concubines 2. doing all manner of wickedness 3. levying heavy taxes, with which they supported their opulence and luxury 4. consecrating priests who were lifted up in pride 5. being lazy 6. worshiping idols 7. enjoying whoredoms 8. speaking lying and vain words 9. placing their hearts upon riches 10. spending their time in riotous living 11. becoming winebibbers 12. boasting of their own strength 13. delighting in the shedding of blood
Interesting Note about BOMC (Why do they lookdown at Heartlanders?)
Little Barley in Iowa
Side note about Abinadi: Book of Mormon Central (BOMC) prides itself in highlighting evidence for the Book of Mormon found in both North America and Central America to show they are being neutral by including North American evidence. They do this by sharing an article about Abinadi and him being tortured using faggots. BOMC claims that the North American Indians used this method as well as the Mesoamericans. BOMC sites the following quote and reference for proof of this; “More recent work by Mark Wright and Kerry Hull, however, documents the practice among the ancient Maya in pre-Columbian times. Wright and Hull also show that the practice was widespread among Native American cultures in both Mesoamerica and throughout North America.6“ If you visit here reference 6 as noted it says, “Mark Wright and Kerry Hull, “Ethnohistorical Sources and the Death of Abinadi,” unpublished manuscript in our possession.” So BOMC’s proof of faggots used by North American Indians is in an UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT IN POSSESSION OF THEMSELVES? How convenient! I love much of the work from BOMC but their opinion on being neutral about geography is not correct. They only want to appear neutral because that is what the Church’s official position is.
The odd thing about this idea of using faggots, the only other thing BOMC says comes from North America information about Barley, which doesn’t come from Mesoamerica. In Book of Mormon Central’s own words they say “While the connection between Mesoamerica and Barley is not made, it would seem odd that trade of “principal crops” would take place without the trade of barley. Whether the trade came from Mesoamerica to Arizona, or the other way around, it would make sense that barley was part of the crop trade between the cultures. Why make a trade of major crops and not trade barley? They very well may have. But, because of the moisture content and acidity of the soil in Mesoamerica, it may be difficult to find “little barley” in archaeological digs in Central America.” Tyler Livingston “Barley and the Book of Mormon New Evidence” See my blog about Barley and how it comes from North America in many places here: https://www.bofm.blog/barley-in-iowa-not-in-mesoamerica/
Little Barley in Iowa
BOMC Continues, “Our policy is to utilize the most reliable academic scholarship on the Book of Mormon and follow the evidence wherever it might lead. Our process in selecting and highlighting Book of Mormon evidence is based on the following principles:
“In our hierarchy of evidence, the text itself is primary because it is closest to the divine.”
“If profound and compelling location-specific insights shed light on the text, we highlight these regardless of their geographic provenience.”
“We favor authors with credentials in their areas of interest.”
“We favor formally published works from reputable presses.”
As explained in BOMC’s statement on geographical neutrality, “We welcome good work from any geographic persuasion that is responsive to these principles.”BOMC
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, documents the persecution and suffering endured by faithful men and women from the 1st to early 16th centuries for their faith in Jesus Christ. Commonly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, one fuller title is Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church.
Teach your children the true history of the lives, sufferings, and triumphant deaths of the early Christian martyrs. May it never be said that the blood of the saints has been spilled in vain and their testimonies forgotten. “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). Thanks to Joseph Smith foundation for most of this information. See them here
Edward Stevenson
Taken from They Knew the Prophet
During the fall of 1834, the Prophet Joseph Smith paid a visit to the home of Edward Stevenson, a faithful member of the Church who would later become a prominent missionary and one of the seven presidents of the Seventy. While there he noticed a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by the sixteenth-century English cleric John Foxe. Brother Stevenson recorded the Prophet’s remarks in reference to Christian martyrs massacred during the Dark Ages:
“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.
On returning it he said, ‘I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.’” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, pg. 83
What did Joseph Smith see? Who were these martyrs?
The Reformation was the fuel for the colonization of America and a study of this period brings a deeper appreciation for scripture. To understand this era of persecution, is to appreciate why the Lord established a government of liberty in America. To comprehend this era of “rebirth” in civilization through sacred scripture is to envision how Christians in the 21st century can rebuild a broken world and fragmented society. To remember the Reformation is to remember the captivity and deliverance of our fathers. (Alma 36:2, 29, 29:11-12, 60:20)
Teach your children the true history of the lives, sufferings, and triumphant deaths of the early Christian martyrs. May it never be said that the blood of the saints has been spilled in vain and their testimonies forgotten. “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11).
CHAPTER I
History of Christian Martyrs to the First General Persecutions
Under Nero
Christ our Savior, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, hearing the confession of Simon Peter, who, first of all other, openly acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, and perceiving the secret hand of His Father therein, called him (alluding to his name) a rock, upon which rock He would build His Church so strong that the gates of hell should not prevail against it. In which words three things are to be noted: First, that Christ will have a Church in this world. Secondly, that the same Church should mightily be impugned, not only by the world, but also by the uttermost strength and powers of all hell. And, thirdly, that the same Church, notwithstanding the uttermost of the devil and all his malice, should continue.
Which prophecy of Christ we see wonderfully to be verified, insomuch that the whole course of the Church to this day may seem nothing else but a verifying of the said prophecy. First, that Christ hath set up a Church, needeth no declaration. Secondly, what force of princes, kings, monarchs, governors, and rulers of this world, with their subjects, publicly and privately, with all their strength and cunning, have bent themselves against this Church! And, thirdly, how the said Church, all this notwithstanding, hath yet endured and holden its own! What storms and tempests it hath overpast, wondrous it is to behold: for the more evident declaration whereof, I have addressed this present history, to the end, first, that the wonderful works of God in His Church might appear to His glory; also that, the continuance and proceedings of the Church, from time to time, being set forth, more knowledge and experience may redound thereby, to the profit of the reader and edification of Christian faith.
As it is not our business to enlarge upon our Savior’s history, either before or after His crucifixion, we shall only find it necessary to remind our readers of the discomfiture of the Jews by His subsequent resurrection. Although one apostle had betrayed Him; although another had denied Him, under the solemn sanction of an oath; and although the rest had forsaken Him, unless we may except “the disciple who was known unto the high-priest”; the history of His resurrection gave a new direction to all their hearts, and, after the mission of the Holy Spirit, imparted new confidence to their minds. The powers with which they were endued emboldened them to proclaim His name, to the confusion of the Jewish rulers, and the astonishment of Gentile proselytes.
I. St. Stephen
Illustration from a 1583 edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, showing Papists torturing Protestants, in this case by scraping their bodies with shells.
St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the passover which succeeded to that of our Lord’s crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the following spring. Upon this a great persecution was raised against all who professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah, or as a prophet. We are immediately told by St. Luke, that “there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;” and that “they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”
About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the “persecution that arose about Stephen.”
II. James the Great
The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apsotles’ Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle’s extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time. Thus did the first apostolic martyr cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our Savior he was ready to drink. Timon and Parmenas suffered martyrdom about the same time; the one at Philippi, and the other in Macedonia. These events took place A.D. 44.
III. Philip
Was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was first called by the name of “disciple.” He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54. IV. Matthew
Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
V. James the Less
Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any other children except our Savior. He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.
VI. Matthias
Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
VII. Andrew
Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew’s Cross.
VIII. St. Mark
Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.
IX. Peter
Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, “Lord, whither dost Thou go?” To whom He answered and said, “I am come again to be crucified.” By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.
Illustration from a 1583 edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, showing Papists torturing Protestants, in this case by scraping their bodies with shells.
X. Paul
Paul, the apostle, who before was called Saul, after his great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero. Abdias, declareth that under his execution Nero sent two of his esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death. They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might believe; who told them that shortly after they should believe and be baptised at His sepulcher. This done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the sword.
XI. Jude
The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.
XII. Bartholomew
Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.
XIII. Thomas
Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
XIV. Luke
The evangelist, was the author of the Gospel which goes under his name. He travelled with Paul through various countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
XV. Simon
Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.
XVI. John
The “beloved disciple,” was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
XVII. Barnabas
Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed to have taken place about A.D. 73.
And yet, notwithstanding all these continual persecutions and horrible punishments, the Church daily increased, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and of men apostolical, and watered plentously with the blood of saints.
CHAPTER II
The Ten Primitive Persecutions Continued at the Link Below
I think there is importance when the Prophet and Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brethren, are being neutral on geography, evolution and other difficult issues. They want us to gain our own witness to secondary information. They have given us sound doctrine and that is what we should focus on. I know through the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. I also love to seek for other truth, such as secondary physical evidence, because as Moroni has said, “You may know the truth of all things”
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America. The Constitution was created by the Lord, Adam and Eve were placed on this same land at Missouri, and the New Jerusalem will be on this same land. No need for me to check out Mesoamerica anymore as I did for 40 years.
Just like evolution. I don’t believe we came from an ape and I know that matter cannot come from nothing. I don’t have to look into science to figure this out, but by the witness of what the scriptures tell us.
I don’t expect President Nelson to come right out and tell me where the Book of Mormon events happened, or if we came from an ape, I know through sound reasoning the answer that makes most sense to me. Now if the Brethren say otherwise, I would always listen to them first, and then pray about it, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on secondary evidence that exists, to help each of us individually come to a knowledge of the “truth of all things” by personal revelation, as promised in the Book of Mormon. I don’t need to be commanded in all things!
See my blog here for more detail about an apologist. As I discuss things below I am not claiming to speak for any other member of M2C, (Mesoamerican Two Hill Cumorah theory or Heartlander, (Believers that events of the Book of Mormon began in the Heartland of North America), and I am definitely not speaking on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love the Lord and His Church and I am a lifelong member in good standing.
I define myself as a Traditional & Conservative Believer in Christ, as well as many of my Heartland Geography friends would. I am also Traditional on Social, Financial, Political and Constitutional values.
Traditional is an advocate of maintaining tradition, especially so as to resist change. A person who believes the old ways are best. Truth cannot be changed. God’s in charge not man as a generalization. Judgmental of unusual behavior. Conservative is a person who is averse to change and holds traditional values. A person favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas and an adherence to God and His principles. Apologist is a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.” A person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial. Both M2C and Heartlanders are Apologists.
A great many of believers about the Mesoamerican two Cumorah Theory (M2C) belief of geography, I would say are Liberal, & Progressive Apologists.
Liberal a supporter of a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. One who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways. Man’s more in charge not God, as a generalization. Less judgmental of norms. Progressive a supporter of policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare. Favoring or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas. Developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step until traditional values become more liberal or progressive.
Difficult Questions and Answers
Many Heartlanders are Conservative or believe in the Traditional history of the Church. Many in the M2C camp are more Liberal or Intellectual and believe in the Revisionist history of the Church. Many Traditional Mormons would answer questions about sensitive issues similar to me as follows:
Purchase here:Universal Model Volume II, The Living System
DNA- We believe there may be Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Article Here: Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, and Central America and amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, but we haven’t found DNA yet. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed as during the time of Lehi.
Evolution: We do not believe a cat could evolve into a dog and we don’t believe an ape can evolve into Man. We do believe in Evolution defined as change or adaptation within a species. Most intellectuals believe we evolved from an ape and change can happen outside of a species.
Translation of the Gold Plates: We believe they were translated by the gift and power of God, with Joseph using the breastplate and two clear stones attached to a silver bow (Like spectacles) that were found in the same hill as the plates. Most M2C followers believe the stone in the hat method of translation (SITH). They believe Joseph Smith rarely looked at the gold plates during translation.
Seer Stones: We believe Joseph had several seer stones that were used for faithful things by Joseph, but Joseph did not use a seer stone in his hat to translate the Book of Mormon. If he did use this method, he would be just reading words from a seer stone that someone told him to be written down so he wouldn’t have “translated” the plates but just would have dictated the words he saw in the stone to Oliver. Joseph could have used any item if he never had to look at the plates and Nephi and Moroni would never of had to write and preserve the plates. Joseph also used the Urim and Thummim (Spectacle’s) to translate parts of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Bible and other books.
Politics- We believe the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon as Elder Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012. We are mostly very conservative, love the US Constitution and our Founding Fathers. We believe in the right to bear arms and freedom of speech. Most of us don’t agree with RINO Republican’s (Republican in Name only), and we believed John F. Kennedy had great visions on taxes and freedom, but we disagree with most Democratic platforms today. Most of us love the great freedoms that Reagan and Trump have given us, as they have kept their words, as few politicians do. We highly respect George Washington, and other great founding fathers, and we love Abraham Lincoln. We disagree strongly with Woodrow Wilson. We don’t approve of the socialized version of government. We don’t agree with Socialism, Marxism, Communism, Totalitarianism, or Progressivism. We believe rights can only come from God not from Government, “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Polygamy: We believe Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were following the commandments to practice polygamy just as Abraham and others were instructed. Satan just uses this highly controversial idea to get us to doubt things. As I understand, only about 3% of the entire church ever practiced polygamy. We believe when the Lord commands us, we should listen. Spiritual Celestial Marriage is a higher law of God and has nothing to do with a physical relationship.
Science: We believe the dinosaurs lived during the Old Testament with Adam and were killed during the great world wide flood. We also believe that most all rocks were created during the flood which was an event that happened at about 2345 BC. Most Intellectuals believe the dinosaurs are millions of years old. We believe Noah’s worldwide flood was real. Many M2C think it may have been a myth or a local flood. We have shown in a laboratory that wood can be fossilized in 2 days not in millions of years. (See Universal Model by Dean Sessions).
Creationism: We believe Adam was the first man and Eve the first woman placed on this earth around 4,000 BC and the earth’s is only about 13,000 years old, but the material of the earth used to organize the earth is billions of years old as matter cannot be created but has existed forever. Many intellectuals believe the earth is 4.5 billion years old as the consensus on google says. They also believe in cave men and men on earth before Adam. I do not.
Testimony: Most of the M2C theory are just as valiant as Heartlanders are in the Church and they are both trying to help others as good members of this Church. We just have different beliefs in some matters. Both sides should strive to love one another.
I realize I can’t put each of you into the box I have created with each definition above. We each have our own opinion on various issues and that is why it is important to listen to each other, study it out for ourselves, and then based on the spirit, develop our own witness of truth. I am thankful for free agency and I love listening to many differing opinions as it builds my knowledge base, and helps me make more accurate decisions. I base most initial findings as I ask, “Does it make sense” and then I study scripture an other good books and then take it to the Lord to understand His Spirit concerning the matter.
Personal Revelation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral when it comes to Book of Mormon Geography and many of the other subjects from my above list. We should learn and study the revelations and doctrine that the Prophet and Apostles teach us and the standard works. Remember we are told that we may know the truth of all things. We as members should gain our own personal revelation on the scriptures, and the doctrine and revelations of the Church, including the things that are not doctrinal, just as the Prophet says below:
“Does God really want to speak to you? Yes! “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course … as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”
You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.
I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives by President Russell M. Nelson
Different Apologists
M2C Apologists: They say they are neutral and open to hearing about other geographical theories of the Book of Mormon. I don’t believe they are neutral. The may vaguely listen to others, but they are staunch in the Mesoamerican belief. I believe they say they are neutral to stay in a supportive role with the Church.
John L. Sorenson a leader of the Mesoamerican Theory said, “There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundreds of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.” John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex (Deseret Book, 2013), p. 688.
Heartland Apologists: We love and support The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we are mostly life long members in good standing. We are not neutral in our opinions about Book of Mormon Geography. We believe Book of Mormon events happened in the heartland of North America. The Book of Mormon is only a small percent of history and through marriage and migration we acknowledge there are other Lamanites that live outside of this Heartland, not spoken of in the Book of Mormon, including in the western United States, Canada and Central and South America.
Mesoamerica Two Cumorah Theory
M2C means, “Mesoamerica Two Cumorah Theory”, as defined by Jonathan Neville. In other words those who believe there are two Hill Cumorah’s, one in New York where Joseph deposited the plates, and a second Hill Cumorah somewhere in Mexico where the final battles of the Nephites and Lamanites took place. YES, they really believe this! Why? 1. They need to justify that their theory has to have happened in Mesoamerica. 2. They insist the area around NY Cumorah is too small to be a place for such disaster. 3. They claim no bones, arrowheads, iron, copper and other artifacts have ever been found near the NY Cumorah. My Evidence Here 4. They believe the Cave at Hill Cumorah that Joseph entered and saw wagon loads of plates, was just a dream or vision and didn’t really happen. Blog, Other Blog 5. They believe Moroni traveled over 3,500 miles to NY to bury the plates.
John L. Sorenson a Mesoamerican believer, begins his Preface to Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book, with these observations:
“This book presents a wide array of evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient historical record that could only have been produced by a writer who lived in Mesoamerica (southern Mexico and northern Central America) many centuries before Spanish explorers reached that area…. Numerous theories have, of course, been proposed to correlate Book of Mormon geography with the modern map of the Americas. None of these theories have been considered definitive by authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In chapters 2 and 7, I explain why I consider only one of those theories–involving a particular area in Mesoamerica–to escape the fatal flaws exhibited by all the others.”
I suspect most readers glide right over this sleight-of-hand rhetoric. The truth, though, is that Church authorities have always made a clear distinction between fact and theory regarding Book of Mormon geography.
Fact: The Hill Cumorah is in New York. This was established as a fact in Letter VII, written by President Oliver Cowdery who was an eye-witness to the depository of Nephite records in that hill (Mormon 6:6). Joseph Smith helped write these letters, had them copied into his personal history, and endorsed their republication for the rest of his life. The fact that Cumorah is in New York has been repeated many times by Church leaders, including by members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference. No member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve has ever repudiated this teaching of his predecessors.
Theory: Church leaders have always said don’t know for sure the locations of other Book of Mormon events, so every proposed geography other than the New York Cumorah is necessarily a theory.
All of this means that, starting right from the outset, Mormon’s Codex is propaganda, not scholarship…
Brother Sorensen also says, “There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundred of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.” Mormon’s Codex, p. 688…
The treatment of Cumorah in Mormon’s Codex or in the Book of Mormon Archaeology Forum, see to be an illusion of scholarship, as you’ll see if you read it carefully. Here are some examples:
“In the final stage of their retreat, all the identifiable Nephites assembled near the hill Cumorah, probably Cerro El Vigia in south-central Veracruz….
When all the remaining Nephites were ‘gathered in,’ the numerically superior Lamanite horde waged battle. In a single day they exterminated all 23 units of the defenders (each nominally of 10,000 men)….
Finally, the hill where the end came for the Jaredites, who called it Ramah, and the location of the last battle of the Nephites at the same hill (they called it Cumorah), have a highly likely correspondence to Cerro El Vigia (see fig. 7.2), an outlier on the northwest of the Tuxtla Mountains. In overall location and in a dozen other features, the textual information in the Book of Mormon agrees with the geographical situation. 72″
In classic M2C citation cartel fashion, Footnote 72 (page 142) cites David A. Palmer, In Search of Cumorah (Bountiful, UT: Horizon Publishers, 1992). Brother Palmer, of course, encouraged Brother Sorenson to write his books…
Jonathan Neville said, “Brother Palmer is the one who wrote the self-serving entry on Cumorah in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism that cites only his own book for authority, again in classic M2C citation cartel fashion. You can read my discussions of his book if you search for “David Palmer” on this blog. Brother Palmer cites the anonymous articles in the Times and Seasons for authority, while ignoring the teachings of the prophets entirely, except for a brief dismissal of Letter VII, which he doesn’t even quote. _____
As you go through the “criteria” for Cumorah set forth in Mormon’s Codex and In Search of Cumorah, you’ll see that the criteria are derived not from the text but from the assumed Mesoamerican setting. There must be volcanoes, for example, which Mormon and Moroni forgot to mention but which Brothers Sorenson and Palmer thoughtfully provide.
As I noted at the outset, once you recognize that Mormon’s Codex is a long-winded justification for repudiating the prophets, you see the logical fallacies and circular reasoning throughout.
To be clear, I do not reject the Mesoamerican setting and I won’t until it has not been rejected by the prophets. However, I think it is implausible, given the New York Cumorah. I think the evidence from ancient North America aligns far better with the text of the Book of Mormon than the evidence from Mesoamerica, Baja, Panama, etc.
For me, the distinction between fact and theory, between the New York Cumorah and everything else, is so well established by the prophets that it is inexcusable to censor, let alone repudiate, the teachings of the prophets…
It’s a side benefit that the fact of the New York Cumorah is so well supported by available archaeology, anthropology, geography, and geology. Mormon’s Codex is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.” Jonathan Neville Illusion of scholarship – Mormon’s Codex part 3
“Sorenson’s analysis of Alma 22 seems to be influenced by the Times and Seasons article published on 1 October 1842, which declares that the Nephite city of Zarahemla “stood upon” “Central America or Guatimala [sic].” Sorenson cites this passage from the Times and Seasons, although he recognizes the “fact that the geography question had not been settled authoritatively.”[1] In Mormon’s Codex, Sorenson relegates the Times and Seasons articles to a footnote in support of his unequivocal conclusion: “Joseph Smith became convinced in the last years of his life that the lands of the Nephites were in Mesoamerica.”[1]
Sorenson’s assumptions about Central America lead him to a preconceived concept of Book of Mormon geography; i.e., a narrow neck of land between two larger land masses. Perhaps he felt somewhat bound by the Times and Seasons articles and his inference that Joseph Smith agreed with them. As such, Sorenson’s work could be viewed as an effort to vindicate the Prophet’s words.” Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville pages 26-28
You Choose- Fantasy Map? or Heartland Real-World Map?
I received an email a few years ago from a fellow Latter-day Saint and I found it most enjoyable to answer him. If someone is struggling with faith, many times a great part of the problem is struggling by not receiving answers that make sense to us. We have many Apologists in the Church who are trying to help.
I define myself as an Apologist or better a defender of truth about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As well, those on the Mesoamerican side of Geography, are also Apologists, which is defined as: “a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.” We just need to know by the Spirit which apologist to believe. Here is the email I received in blue:
“I have been a member of the LDS Church for 42 years having converted in my hometown Liverpool England at age 20 years of age. I have not been active in the Church for a number of years but always had a testimony despite my not being that active. I kept the word of wisdom and would defend the Church from critics.
I have recently had my doubts about the truthfulness of the Church having started to study the history of the Church and the things that have come to light such as Seer Stones, Joseph Smith polygamy, polyandry and the age of some of his wives. I have read articles from ex-members and non-members who are critical of the Church and they make some powerful points however, I look at all points of view and also read and view articles from Fair Mormon and Wayne May. One question I have is related to archaeology. I know that digs and excavations have taken place in Central and South America. Given the plates were buried in Hill Cumorah and that there was a battle conducted in the area why has there not been any digs or finds in that area that would correlate to the Book of Mormon people. I would be grateful if someone could respond.” Many Thanks John …
Below is the response I shared with him.
I received your email from Joseph Smith Foundation, who are my good friends named James Stoddard and the family including Hannah Leah, Isaiah, Ephraim and Mary. James oldest daughter, Hannah leads them very faithfully.. They are very active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as I am. I work with Rod Meldrum, and Jonathan Neville who are also very active members of the Church. I think the most important people for you to speak with about your questions are as follows:
#1 The Lord
#2 The Scriptures
#3 Your Bishop
#4 Church’s websitechurchofjesuschrist.org
#4 Apologists (Defined as people in good standing with the Church that share very informed opinions and serve as a strong defense for the Church), like us. *Don’t speak with someone who is opposed to your beliefs or Church. *Call on the Lord again and again and you can receive Personal Revelation
Remember all humans including Prophets, Bishops and members, make mistakes. Most of your answers should come from the scriptures and from the spirit of the Lord. You may not always feel you get answers that way, so at times we rely too much on the Church Prophet speaking as a man, or on a website or with an apologist, but we should then always take everything to the Lord for confirmation. Man has opinions and suggestions, but not ultimate answers of truth, as the Lord’s Spirit does testify.
Brigham Young said, “There is nothing that would so soon weaken my hope and discourage me as to see this people in full fellowship with the world and receive no more persecution from them because they are one with them. In such an event, we might bid farewell to the Holy Priesthood with all its blessings, privileges, and aids to exaltations, principalities and powers in the eternities of the Gods. (JD 10:32)” Brigham Young
Since your question is so important to me I want you to know where I am coming from so you can make up your own mind if I speak the truth or not. I want to give you the websites of some Apologists like me and the people above I mentioned that could help you.
I would like you to know the most important thing I learned from your email, is that you are hanging on [Better stated, Enduring to the end], due to your faith in the Savior. You understand that the only way to know the Book of Mormon is true is to read, ponder and pray about it, and if you are sincere, the Spirit will witness of its truthfulness as it has to you and it has to myself. If that book is true, then Joseph Smith is, and was a Prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t get caught up in all the chatter about polygamy and seer stones until your faith is so strong that you absolutely know by the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. I will give you some ideas to help reduce that clutter as well.
Here is a wonderful article to read from Elder Holland that will explain that things of the Spirit and of the Head are both important, and those things we research and learn are a necessary second witnesses to the truth of the Book of Mormon. See the Article Here: and You Tube Here:
Understand there are many Apologists and most all of us love the Lord and this True Church, but we all have a different interpretation of some very important issues. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral on some positions that we as Apologists are not neutral. For example the Church is neutral on the questions about geography, evolution, and DNA. No apologist can receive revelation about any Doctrine of the Church. We can only share our personal witnesses and beliefs.
There are many complicated issues and the Church tells you many non-doctrinal answers on the Gospel Topic Essays Here. Since the Church is neutral on some of these issues, you will find that very few Apologists are neutral on their personal opinions. We each answer the questions below differently. There are however two main apologist groups.
1-Those who believe the Book of Mormon first events happened in Mesoamerica (Called M2C) which means they believe there are two Hill’s, one in NY where the plates were buried, and one on a hill someplace in Mexico where the final battles of the Book of Mormon happened). 2- Those like myself who believe the events of the Book of Mormon happened in the Heartland of the United States (Called the Heartland Model), we believe the Hill Cumorah in upstate NY is both the place the plates were found, and it is also the same place where the final battles happened for both the Nephites and the Jaredites.) Ether 15:11Mormon 6:6
There are over 50 other theories of where the events began or happened (Baja, South America, Malaysia, New York area, etc), but the above two are the majority of beliefs in the vast majority of the Church.
I am happy to answer where I stand on each subject listed below. It really comes down to this. Is there one Hill Cumorah which many Prophets and Apostles speak about [See Here], or are there two Hill’s as those with many different theories say, there has to be a 2nd Hill in Malaysia, Baja, South America, Mexico, Chile, etc. There is a third theory that is very small called the New York Theory, who believe in one Hill Cumorah but they believe all events happened only in New York around the Great Lakes which we think is too small of an area. I believe the Book of Mormon geography includes the City Zarahemla (D&C 125) which is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo called Montrose, Iowa, and extends to Hill Cumorah in NY and is the area north of the Ohio River to the south.
Hinterland Theory or Limited Model [LM]
In the early 1900’s the Church and many others believed the entire South America was the land South and where the Lamanites lived, and the entire North America was North and where the Nephites lived, and the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec or Panama, between the two Continents was the narrow neck of land. This was called the “Hemispheric Theory” [HM] of the Book of Mormon, which the Mesoamerican Theory people, and the Heartland Theory people, don’t believe any more. Both groups believe in the Hinterland Model of LM. [As shown in the map left. Most all under stand the events of the Book of Mormon could not be held in that large of an area as the entire Western Continent. Both sides agree that Lehi traveled from Jerusalem paralleling the Red Sea and then heading east at Nahom to Oman near Khar Kharfoot, where the first Land Bountiful was. The M2Cer, believes that Lehi traveled east by boat toward India and around the Pacific Ocean to land near Guatemala and spreading out in a Limited area surrounding Mexico near Guatemala. Heartlanders believe Lehi traveled SW from Oman sailing around Africa and landed in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee Florida [Both called Limited Models LM, or Hinterland Hypothesis].
Many Heartlanders are Conservative or believe in the Traditional history of the Church. Many in the M2C camp are more Liberal or Intellectual and believe in the Revisionist history of the Church. I feel many Traditional Mormons would answer questions about sensitive non-doctrinal issues, similar to me as follows:
DNA- We (Heartlanders) believe there is Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, Central and Western America, such as amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, (Hagoth or Mixture of Joseph and Judah) We haven’t found Hebrew DNA markers for those in South and Central America. We have found DNA evidence of Natiive Americans in the Great Lakes area with Hebrew Haplogroup X, that is also found in the Jerusalem area. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed during the time of Lehi. Evolution: We do not believe a cat could evolve into a dog and we don’t believe an ape can evolve into Man. A poodle may be able to become a a different species of dog, however. We do believe in evolution defined as change or adaptation within a species. Most intellectuals believe we plausibly evolved from and ape. Translation of the Gold Plates: We believe they were translated by the gift and power of God, with Joseph using the breastplate and two clear stones in a silver bow (Like spectacles) attached to the breastplate [see JSH 1:35], that were found in the same hill as the plates. Most M2C followers believe the stone in the hat method of translation. Seer Stones: We believe Joseph had several seer stones that were used as beautiful stones or for faithful things by Joseph, but Joseph did not use the seer stones he found near Palmyra, by putting one or more stones into his hat to translate the the Book of Mormon. If he did use this method, he would be just reading words from a seer stone that someone gave him to be written down so he wouldn’t have “translated” the plates but just would have dictated the words to Oliver. Politics- We are mostly very conservative, love the US Constitution and our Founding Fathers. We believe in the right to bear arms and freedom of speech. Most of us don’t agree with many of the politics of liberal left leanings, and we love the great freedoms that have been given to us as conservatives. We don’t approve of the socialized version of big government. We believe in prayer to choose our best leaders. Polygamy- [better understood as “Celestial Plural Marriage” in the Church]. We believe Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were following the commandments of God just as Abraham and others were instructed. Satan just uses this highly controversial idea to get us to doubt things and creates evil ideas between sides. Only about 3% of the entire church ever practiced polygamy, [Celestial Plural Marriage]. We believe when the Lord commands us, we should listen. Joseph Smith restored an important part of the Gospel. Science- We believe the dinosaurs lived during the Old Testament and were created just before Adam, and were killed during the great world wide flood. We also believe that most rocks you see today were created during the flood which was an event that happened at about 2345 BC. Most Intellectuals believe the dinosaurs are millions of years old and some believe the flood was a regional flood, as Heartlanders believe the flood was universal. Creationism- We believe Adam was the first man on earth and Eve the first woman placed on this earth around 4,000 BC, and the earth is only about 13,000 years old, [Young Earth] but the material of the earth is billions of years old, or eternal, as matter cannot be created but has existed forever. Many intellectuals believe the earth is 4.5 billion [Old Earth] years old as the consensus on google says. Many M2Cer also believe in cave men and men on earth before Adam. We don’t.
Just so you know, many who we call the M2C [Mesoamerican 2 Cumorah] theory, do not believe the way many Traditionalists believe. Those of the M2C theory are just as valiant as Heartlanders are in the Church, and both are trying to help others as we are. We just have different beliefs is some matters that are not doctrinal.
Below are the websites that believe M2C: Also many BYU professors are part of these websites. Some of these websites are listed on the Church website as approved Apologists for the Church. What that means to many on these M2C websites is they are neutral on the questions I answered, which I don’t believe. I believe many in these organizations are against Heartlanders beliefs about geography, translation instruments, age of earth and other non-doctrinal issues. Heartlanders are not neutral on geography, as we believe there is only one Hill Cumorah, and the final battles happened around the Hill Cumorah, and the majority believe Joseph did not use a rock in a hat to translate, but as scripture says, in JSH 1:35, and other places, that Joseph used the breastplate and the spectacles that were in the stone box with the gold plates. Please don’t just take my word for it, read and ponder and pray and the Lord will help you.
Here are several articles I wrote about artifacts found around Hill Cumorah. At my blog, just do a search for any subject and you will find some help. https://bookofmormonevidence.org/many-bones-at-cumorah/ https://bookofmormonevidence.org/history-near-hill-cumorah/
https://bookofmormonevidence.org/cumorah-not-a-clean-hill/
I love truth and it is seldom an easy thing to find, yet finding it, is most enjoyable when we understand it. If we pass this test of life, as the Lord has promised we may have all the things that He has. I know part of the test is how we treat others who disagree with us. No one knows all truth, and we try and work together to ultimately live as the Savior wants, and build up the Kingdom of God on earth. What a wonderful goal to work towards. May the Lord bless you my friends.
Rian Nelson
Below is a video about coming together of two side’s with Rod Meldrum of FIRM Foundation speaking on the same stage at the FIRM Foundation Conference April 20, 2024, with new President of Scripture Central [Book of Mormon Central] Richard Ferguson, about working together to find truth about the Book of Mormon.
Gazelem: Joseph Smith, A Title, A Nephite Prophet, A Stone?
“And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations. And now, my son these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will bring forth out of darkness unto light…” Alma 37:23-25
The above scripture as translated by Joseph Smith only seems confusing because someone other than Joseph added a comma between the word Gazelem[,] and a stone. As you will see below the word Gazelem in Alma 37 seems to be a title and refers to Joseph Smith as a Seer. In the 1835 Edition of D&C See Here, you can see that Joseph Smith was named Gazelam, Newel K. Whitney was called Ahashdah and Sidney Rigdon was called Pelagoram.
My Conclusion as I then Explain:
The quote from Alma 37 including the words Joseph Smith a Seer, without the comma between Gazelem[,] a stone, it would read that Joseph Smith was being called Gazelem as his personal name, or Gazelem as a title that is a seer, and the singular word “a stone” would mean in this case a single stone means Joseph Smith or Gazelem is “a seer”, not necessarily a singular stone. I explain below.
Gazelem may also be the name or Title of a Seer or the name Gazelem may be a title meaning “A Stone” like in the name for Peter in the Bible. We read in the Bible, “That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 I believe like in Alma 37 a stone could mean, “Revelation”, or Seer, or Reveal, etc.
As Elder Hunter said, “This is a very significant statement. The Lord in effect said to Peter that this knowledge that Jesus was the Christ did not come to him from mortal men or from the reasoning or learning of men, but by revelation from on high, that is, direct, divine revelation of the divinity of the Master. In answer to the statement ‘Thou art the Christ’ Matt. 16:16 Jesus replied, ‘. . . thou art Peter’ Matt. 16:18 in friendly acknowledgment of his disciple. The Lord then added, ‘. . . and upon this rock I will build my church’ Matt. 16:18Upon what rock? Peter? Upon a man? No, not upon a man, upon the rock of revelation, the thing which they were talking about. He had just said, ‘. . . flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven’ Matt. 16:17 This revelation that Jesus is the Christ is the foundation upon which he would build his Church.” CONFERENCE REPORT, OCTOBER 1965, HOWARD W. HUNTER
JST, John 1:42.
Cephas means “seer” or “stone.”
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer, or a stone. And they were fishermen. And they straightway left all, and followed Jesus.” JST John 1:42
“And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” KJV John 1:42
So Gazelem in Alma 37 could read like this: “And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant [Joseph Smith a Seer], which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations. And now, my son these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will bring forth out of darkness unto light…” Alma 37:23-25
Notice that with the quote from Alma 37 including the words Joseph Smith a Seer, without the comma between Gazelem[,] and the extra word “and”, a stone it would read that Joseph Smith was being called Gazelem as his personal name, or Gazelem as a title that is a seer, and the singular word “a stone” would mean in this case a single stone means Joseph Smith or Gazelem is “a seer”, not necessarily a singular stone.
Also the Lord continues after calling Joseph Smith a Seer, he later in Alma 37 says “these interpreters”, not singular stone, but plural “these interpreters”. We also know through scripture that the plural “interpreters” refers to these two stones, fastened to a breastplate, as canonized scripture says, *”Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’ JSH 1:75*
THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS MODERN DAY REVELATION
Code Names
Some revelations were altered to employ code names when they were included in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants in order to protect the identity of people and places. These code names were used in sections 77, 81, 89, 93, 101, and 102.
While the code names may have been necessary at the time, they no longer are. At this point they are relics which make reading the sections a bit more difficult.
In light of this, I decided to revert the code names back to their original names in the text itself. This is the only change that I have made to the text.
I have catalogued all of the changes, linked to the verses they can be found at, and then linked to where they can be found in earliest extant copy of the revelation.
Ahashdah = Newel K. Whitney
Alam = Edward Partridge
Baneemy = mine elders
Baurak Ale = Joseph Smith Jr.
Cainhannoch = New York
Enoch = Joseph Smith Jr.
Gazelam = Joseph Smith Jr.
Horah = John Whitmer
Lane-shine-house = the printing office in Kirtland, Ohio
Mahalaleel = Sidney Gilbert
Mehemson / Mahemson = Martin Harris
Olihah = Oliver Cowdery
Ozondah = Newel K. Whitney’s white mercantile store in Kirtland, Ohio
Pelagoram = Sidney Rigdon
Proclaiming = Printing
Shalemanasseh = W. W. Phelps
Shederlaomach = Frederick G. Williams
Shinehah = Kirtland, Ohio
Shinelah = Print
Shinelane = Printing
Shule = Ashery
Tahhanes = The tannery
Talents = Dollars
Zombre = John Johnson
D&C 78:2 “And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, that ye should, who are joined together in this order: or in other words, let my servant Ahas[h]dah [Newel K. Whitney], and my servant Gazelam [JS], or Enoch, and my servant Pelagoram [Sidney Rigdon], sit in council with the saints which are in Zion; otherwise satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded, and understand not the things which are prepared for them: wherefore a commandment I give unto you, to prepare and organize yourselves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken.” [p. 204-205] JSP
Bruce R. McConkie (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)
With reference to the name Gazelam, it is interesting to note that Alma in directing Helaman to preserve both the Urim and Thummim and the plates containing the Book of Ether, says that such record will be brought to light by the Lord’s servant Gazelem, who will use “a stone” in his translation work. (Alma 37:21-23.) It may be that Gazelem is a variant spelling of Gazelam and that Alma’s reference is to the Prophet Joseph Smith who did in fact bring forth part at least of the Ether record. Or it could be that the name Gazelem (Gazelam) is a title having to do with power to translate ancient records and that Alma’s reference was to some Nephite prophet who brought the Book of Ether to light in the golden era of Nephite history. (Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed. [1966], p.307)
Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet (Professors of Religion, BYU)
I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone] This may well be a play on words. Is Gazelem the seer stone or the servant? It is difficult to tell from the passage and depends very much on the placement of a comma in the sentence. Perhaps it could refer to both. It is interesting to note that when Jesus called Simon Peter to the ministry he said: “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer, or a stone” (JST, John 1:42). Though this name or title of Gazelem may be used in regard to any seer who utilizes seer stones,it seems in this instance to be a direct reference to Joseph Smith the Prophet. (Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4 vols.[1991], 3:.278)
In three different revelations, spanning a period of two years (1832-34), Joseph Smith was called “Gazelam” by the Lord (D&C 78:9; 82:11; 104:26, 43, 45, 46; pre-1981 edition). His name was disguised in order to prevent his enemies from discovering what plans the Lord had in mind at that particular time (HC 1:255). (Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia , p.204) D and C Encyclopedia Page -222- https://archive.org/details/doctrinecovenant0000brew/page/204/mode/2up?q=Gazelam
A servant of God, or stone directors/interpreters. (Alma 37:23).
Lehite prophetic name for a future “servant” of God (Gazelam = Joseph Smith in D&C 78:9, etc.), or of stone “directors” (Alma 37:21, 24, O P mss 1830-1911 eds > “interpreters” in 1920 1981 eds.), depending on whether the word within the phrase is read as an appositive to the preceding noun or as the noun of the following appositive (Alma 37:23).
An etymology based on North-west Semitic gzl, gṣl, ǵzl or ǵṣl would be the most likely, with a dual ending –êm.[1] The dual ending would tend to reinforce reading GAZELEM as the noun of the following appositive, because the “directors”/“interpreters” consisted of two (=dual) stones set in a silver bow.[2]
Because “r” and “l” are both “liquid” consonants, they often interchange from one language to another, such as between HEBREW and EGYPTIAN.[3] Therefore it would not be amiss to derive from Semitic gzr, yielding a very attractive etymology along the lines of biblical Aramaic gāzrîn, the “deciders/determiners (of fate),” used for the Babylonian magi (Daniel 2:27; 4:4; 5:7, 11). This root is represented in biblical HEBREW by gzr “cut, divide; decree (fate)” (Isaiah 9:19; 2 Nephi 19:10, Isaiah 53:8; Job 22:28)…
Less likely are readings from the Arabic root for “gazelle,” ģzl, the initial syllable as the root gzh or gzz, having to do with cutting and shearin (JH). Reynolds and Sjodahl[8] suggest possibly HEBREW*gāz-ʿālêm, or gazê-ʿalem (V???), “cut-stones of the Most High,” from gzh, “cut, hew” (cf. ’ăbnê-gāzît, “hewed stones, squared stones” in 1 Kings 5:17; 6:36; 7:9, 11, 12; Exodus 20:25; Isaiah 9:9, 10‖2 Nephi 19:10) + ‘alem (V???), “(he who is) on high”? Or *ga-ṣelem, “exalted image, magnificent likeness,” from gāʾā, “exalted, glorious, proud, magnificent” (Exodus 15:1, 21) + ṣelem, “image, likeness.”
Variants
There are no variations of this name in the Book of Mormon text, but there are other spellings outside the Book of Mormon: Gazelum Orson Pratt, JD, 16:156 (16 Aug 1873); Gazelam 1835 D&C (6xx), D. J. Whittaker, “Substituted Names in the Published Revelations of Joseph Smith,” BYU Studies, 23/1 (1983):103-112.
Jump up↑–êm is the early contracted form of the plene –ayim dual ending in Semitic languages. This is reflected in the English pronunciation (no doubt coming from the KJV, but which matched the early form of the GN) of JERUSALEM from the late plene writing and pronunciation of HEBREWyrwšlym.
Jump up↑This also happens in other language families. For example, see Spanish “playa” and Portuguese “praya,” both meaning beach; and Japanese where the difference between the two sounds is not phonemic.
Jump up↑George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. IV, P. C. Reynolds, ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1955-1961.), 162.Bibliography Daniel H.udlowA Companion to your Study of the Book of Mormon. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1969Source: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content//index.php/GAZELEMSo in conclusion I believe Gazelem in Alma 37 could read like this: “And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant [Joseph Smith a Seer], which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations. And now, my son these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will bring forth out of darkness unto light…” Alma 37:23-25
Notice again that with the quote from Alma 37 including the words Joseph Smith a Seer, without the comma between Gazelem[,] a stone it would read that Joseph Smith was being called Gazelem as his personal name, or Gazelem as a title that is a seer, and the singular word “a stone” would mean in this case a single stone means Joseph Smith or Gazelem is “a seer”, not necessarily a singular stone.
I would appreciate any feedback you have about this interpretation. Many of those who believe that Joseph used a stone in a hat to translate and that Joseph didn’t even look at the gold plates also try and convince me that the word “a stone” in Alma 37 may validate their error in thinking Joseph used an individual stone to translate. I just don’t believe it. I believe the following words as my personal interpretation of Alma 37:23.
Original Lamanites had to begin somewhere. I believe it was in Florida where Lehi landed, and his sons, Laman and Lemuel rejected the Lord’s words near that area. Wayne May likes the 500 BC area of Crystal Springs, FL and Rod Meldrum likes Clearwater FL, where a dear Native Friend of his named Blue Dolphin, told Rod about many years ago. Personally I love the Apalachicola, FL area where is found pure “tupelo” honey, 600 BC artifacts and Mounds everywhere, including Turtle Mound, and Pierce Mounds.
Most of the Heartland theorists feel that Florida was a very likely place of Lehi’s first inheritance of this Promised Land. See the map left, to see the beginning stages of the Hopewell Sphere of influence, from about 600 BC to 400 AD.
A unique aspect of many secular historians research, is their belief that for some unknown reason, this network of people ended abruptly in about 400 AD in New York. We of course know that to be the final battle at Hill Cumorah, NY.
Deptford culture, 500 BCE – 200 CE, with Atlantic region in red and Gulf region in gold
If you research the the Deptford Culture (800 BCE—700 CE), it was an archaeological culture in southeastern North America characterized by the appearance of elaborate ceremonial complexes, increasing social and political complexity, mound burial, permanent settlements, population growth, and an increasing reliance on cultigens.” Wikipedia.
A cultigen is a plant whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity.
“The Hopewell tradition, also called the Hopewell culture and Hopewellian exchange, describes a network of precontact Native American cultures that flourished in settlements along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern Eastern Woodlands from 100 BCE to 500 CE, in the Middle Woodland period. The Hopewell tradition was not a single culture or society but a widely dispersed set of populations connected by a common network of trade routes. At its greatest extent, the Hopewell exchange system ran from the northern shores of Lake Ontario south to the Crystal River Indian Mounds in modern-day Florida. Within this area, societies exchanged goods and ideas, with the highest amount of activity along waterways, which were the main transportation routes.” Wikipedia
Pierce Mounds Complex An Ancient Capital in Northwest Florida
“The importance and longstanding fame of the site notwithstanding, Pierce Mounds complex [Apalachicola, FL], has been poorly understood and neglected. It is often mentioned in passing during syntheses of Middle Woodland [200 BCE – 500 CE] burial mound ceremonialism, and many southeastern archaeologists have not even realized that it also has a sizeable Fort Walton component, not to mention some of the very earliest evidence (Early Woodland) for burial [1000–200 BCE)], for burial mound activity in this region. It is certainly comparable to centers such as the great Bottle Creek mound complex in the Mobile Delta area of Alabama (Brown 2003). The long history of Native American occupation and ritual activity at Pierce is not surprising given its strategic geographic location and the rich array of resources available here from so many and varied terrestrial and aquatic ecological zones. Introducing his description of Pierce, Willey (1949:279) said, “The delta country of the Apalachicola was undoubtedly one of the most favorable and most densely populated areas for prehistoric peoples.” Pierce Mounds Complex An Ancient Capital in Northwest Florida by Nancy Marie White Department of Anthropology University of South Florida, Tampa nmw@usf.edu
Wakulla Springs, FL
It is very likely Lehi landed near Apalachicola where close by is also Wakulla Springs, an amazing natural spring and a location that today you can see actual giant Mastodons under the water on a glass bottom boat cruise. See my blog here:
“Wakulla cave is a branching flow-dominated cave that has developed in the Floridan Aquifer under the Woodville Karst Plain of north Florida. It is classified as a first magnitude spring and a major exposure point for the Floridan Aquifer. The spring forms the Wakulla River which flows 9 miles to the southeast where it joins the St. Mark’s River. After a short 5 miles the St. Mark’s empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay.
Scientific interest in the spring began in 1850, when Sarah Smith reported seeing the bones of an ancient mastodon on the bottom. Since that time, scientists have identified the remains of at least nine other extinct mammals that date to the last glacial period, deposited as far as 1,200 feet (360 m) back into a cave. Today, at a depth of about 190 feet (58 m), the fossilized remains of mastodons are in full view along with other fossils.
Wakulla Springs
Flow rate of the Wakulla Spring is 200–300 million US gallons (760,000–1,140,000 m3) of water a day. A record peak flow from the spring on April 11, 1973 was measured at 14,324 US gallons (54,220 L) per second – equal to 1.2 billion US gallons (4,500,000 m3) per day.
Wakulla, is as impressive as Big Spring, Missouri which Rod Meldrum initially thought may be the Waters of Mormon location. With Big Spring, MO being over 400 miles from Chattanooga, TN (Plausible location of City Nephi), Rod, and Jonathan Neville, along with myself, now believe the Waters of Mormon are more likely located in part of the over 700 natural springs in Northern Georgia, with Catoosa Springs and Crawfish Springs being two great possibilities of being that famous place of the Book of Mormon.
Waters of Mormon may be near Crawfish Springs, GA or Catoosa Springs, GA only 12-18 miles from the City Nephi at Chattanooga, TN
Lamanites likely settled south of the Ohio River where Nephi passed away, then Mosiah in about 300 BC took the Nephites north the Head of Sidon, [Confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi], and found the Mulekites near Iowa, and Illinois, which is where the principle history Mosiah begins. This is common sense to me, mixed with tons of research, scriptures, artifacts and other common sense ideas, that have led me to personal revelation on many unanswered questions in the politically correct society we live in. Of course my witness by the Spirit, is that the Book of Mormon is true.
My personal revelations are just that, “personal” and have nothing to do with the opinions of Firm Foundation, and nothing to do with doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I listen to and love Prophets and Apostles personal opinions, and consider them often, and I also hold sacred the Doctrine they give by revelatory means about all doctrinal issues to help us in these troubles times.
Joseph KNEW Original Lamanites and was Taught by Angels
“It is impossible to determine the number of “interviews” Joseph had with Moroni, but twenty-two visits are often identified.” Moroni—Joseph Smith’s Tutor By H. Donl Peterson
The importance of Moroni and Joseph Smith communicating with each other is of vital importance. How could a young unlearned farm boy become a great Prophet of the Lord? Being taught by angels and having a personal tutor in the form of Moroni and many others is the answer.
Joseph’s life seemed surrounded with Native Americans of North America. This is the first common sense question about whether the Book of Mormon began in Mesoamerica or in the Heartland. This is not a discussion about where the Lamanites live today. I believe their blood is all over the world and especially all over North America, Central America and South America. This seems obvious.
Common Sense is Key to Personal Revelation
The purpose of this blog is to show you how close Joseph Smith and his family were to Native Americans and their culture during their lifetime. Joseph learned from Native Americans such as this huge list below. It makes sense the beginning of the Lamanites was right here in North America, not some far away place that Joseph never visited, or an place he never interacted with people, like in Central America. Common sense is the key,to finding personal revelation in my opinion. Don’t be deceived by lack of common sense before you explore further. An important common sense question has been answered by prophets like Pres Monson below. And Elder Perry here, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012
President Monson said, “The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). “Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson 2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)
This is where common sense begins, with solid evidence that I am on the right track. Joseph Smith loved, lived close to, and learned from, North American Native Americans, and our Prophets say that the Book of Mormon is, and was, the history of “this land” of the United States of America, and not any other place in the world. It began in “this land” of North America.
Joseph Learned from Many Native Americans
Native American Chiefs
A non Common-Sense Statement
I don’t agree with the Mesoamerican theory posed below. Michael Ash said, “To the critics (and some members) this suggests that Joseph knew everything about the Book of Mormon peoples, saw exactly what their lives were like, and would know where the events took place. Firstly, Lucy dictated her thoughts nearly two decades after Joseph’s vision. Her retelling may not have been as accurate as if she had recorded the event immediately after it transpired… Secondly, just because Joseph saw such things in vision does not mean that Joseph knew the location of the events.” Book of Mormon Geography Author(s): Michael R. Ash Source: Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony In the Face of Criticism and Doubt Published: Redding, CA; FairMormon, 2013 (2nd Edition)
How could an inspired Prophet of God, not know the very places of the Nephites as he lived among them and saw them? They lived in the same, “this land”, that Joseph lived in. Joseph had visions and angel visits, and common sense disputes the comment above that says, “Joseph saw such things in vision does not mean that Joseph knew the location of the events.”Wow, that has NO common sense as all. I am not disputing Brother Ash’s testimony, or his love of the gospel, just his words which make no sense to me. I honestly don’t mind what other Historians and Intellects believe about Book of Mormon Geography as it is their decision. I only know what I feel deeply, as I share it with my readers.
Lucy Mach Smith Journal
The quote by Brother ash above said, “Lucy dictated her thoughts nearly two decades after Joseph’s vision”, which does not agree with the words of the Church today that say it was completed “by October 1845.
“In 1844, a few.” months after the deaths of Joseph, Hyrum, and Samuel Smith, Lucy Mack Smith began compiling her history, assisted by scribes Martha and Howard Coray. Though aging and in poor health, she felt “it a privilege as well as my duty … to give (as my last testimony to a world from whence I must soon take my departure) an account.” Lucy’s manuscript was completed by October 1845, and she publicly announced the project at general conference. When the majority of Church members migrated west toward the Great Basin after 1846, Lucy’s health was declining, and she chose to remain with her family in Illinois. She spent the remaining years of her life with her daughter Lucy Millikin, her daughter-in-law Emma, and her grandsons. Lucy Mack Smith passed away in 1856. Apostle Orson Pratt first published Lucy’s history in 1853…” Source
Lucy Mack Smith whose journal is known as one of the most accurate journals in the Church along with Wilford Woodruff’s journal said, “We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice, the sweetest union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquility reigned in our midst. During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, pp. 82-83.
Speaking about the quote from Lucy above, Eldred G. Smith our former long standing Patriarch of the Church said, “This was before he received the plates. He must have received this by revelation, for he knew the whole story of the content of the record that is now the Book of Mormon. He had had five long visits with Moroni, and his mother says he received many revelations.” Eldred G. Smith, Conference Report, October 1967, pp. 82-84 To me this is undisputable common sense.
Facts and Common Sense about Book of Mormon Geography:
A. Joseph Smith grew up near Native Americans B. Joseph read about and heard from many Native Americans during his life C. Joseph lived just 3 miles from the most important Hill in the history of the Lord’s kingdom which was located in Ontario county New York. D. Joseph and his family are likely buried in a Hopewell Mound in Nauvoo which has been dated to Book of Mormon times. (See map and quote below)
Nauvoo Map with Tumuli (Mounds)
“Nauvoo appears to have been a destination for the living and the dead for centuries. According to Community of Christ Historic Sites Coordinator Lachlan Mackay, workmen digging a power wiring trench between the Smith Cemetery and Red Brick Store during the 1970s uncovered bones and artifacts, including a cardinal platform pipe from the Hopewell era (ca. 200 BC to 500 AD). This means that the Smith Family Cemetery was most likely built over an ancient graveyard. Lachlan Mackay referred to Gustavus Hills 1840 map of Nauvoo which revealed ancient tumuli, or burial mounds, including some on Partridge Street below the temple hill. In 1844, Henry Brown quoted John C. Bennetts 1842 description of Nauvoo: “The surface of the ground upon which Nauvoo is built, is very uneven. . . A number of tumuli, or ancient mounds, are found within the limits of the city, proving it to have been a place of some importance with the extinct inhabitants of this Continent” (History of Illinois, 1844, p. 490). Settlers, however, leveled the land for houses and gardens.” Laid to Rest in Nauvoo By Rosemary G. Palmer · July 17, 2014 Meridian Magazine
E. Joseph shared his witness of a Prophet named Onandagus who was known from the Rocky Mountains to the Hill Cumorah. Onondaga Tribes live near Syracuse NY. F. Joseph named in vision a man named Zelph, who was a White Lamanite fighting for the Nephites in one of the great last struggles of the Book of Mormon. G. It’s also a fact that young Mormon in 321 AD began the great last battle between the Lamanites and Nephites in the “Land of Zarahemla”. H. In D&C 125:3, Joseph receives a revelation telling the brethren in Nauvoo, “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” I. Oliver Cowdery said, “At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.” Letter VII J. Joseph in his letter during Zion’s Camp on the banks of the Mississippi River, said to his wife Emma, “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56 K. Joseph and Oliver entered a “Cave of Records” in the hill cumorah and found wagon loads of Jaredite and Nephite records and the sword of Laban. L. The Lord’s Law of Moses could not be practiced in Mesoamerica as they would not have had the proper wheat, barley, wine, doves, lambs, bullock, or goats required in the Lord’s law, as none of the previous grains and animals did not exist n the time frame or location of Mesoamerica. M. No where in scripture does it ever say that Joseph used a stone in a hat to translate. In over 9 scriptures it says he used the Interpreters or Urim and Thummim attached to a breastplate. JSH 1:35,75 N. The Hopewell Culture in history began in 600 BC in Florida and ended in 400 AD New York just as the events of the Book of Mormon happened. This is the world’s largest coincidence of common sense in history. O. In Ether when Mormon abridges the Jaredite record the says “this land”, not “that land”, not “the land over there”, not “this land all over the place”, but “this land” referring to the very land where the Jaredites and Mormon together stood, even the land of the United States of America where the New Jerusalem will be built in Independence Missouri. which constitutes “this land.” Ether 13:2-4 P. Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three viz.: the Cattaraugus Indians, near Buffalo, N.Y., the Wyandots, of Ohio and the Delawares, west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 56-6; Documentary History of the Church Vol 1: Footnotes 183:2-18
If that preceding list is not enough of “common sense” belief, that the Heartland is more than likely the land of the first Nephites, that is hard to believe for me. But if that is how you feel that is fine with me.
East Lawn of Red Brick Store. Fence is the Joseph Smith Family Cemetery and Nephite Cemetery
Joseph hears Red Jacket speak in Palmyra
“On the one hand, there are parallels between Handsome Lake’s teachings and Book of Mormon, economic and social interactions between Iroquois and white settlers at the time were still extensive during the early decades of the 19th century, and Lucy Mack Smith wrote that Joseph talked about Indians “as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S.W. Richards, 1853.“Joseph Smith was interested in the people who lived around him. Young Joseph was a member of the juvenile debating club in Palmyra during 1822 when Red Jacket, arguably the most widely-known Seneca of this period, delivered a speech in town. Joseph also liked to hang out on Ganargua Creek in the area where Iroquois travelers camped. He had interest and access.” Joseph Smith and the Code of Handsome Lake Lori Taylor, Ph.D.
“The Onondagas: These have special interest… this warrior, Zelph, was an Onondaga, as well as a “white” Lamanite, and that the Onondagas (of New York), consequently must be of Lamanite lineage.” J.M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon
Oliver Cowdery Knows the Lamanites of America
“Now, to my story again. Besides the Delawares, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Wyandots, Pottowattomies, Senecas, Osages, Choctaws, Cherokees, Kaskaskias, Kansas, &c. &c. which our nation and the missionaries are domesticating as they are gathered, upon the southern limits of the land of Israel, the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Rickarees, the Mandans, the Nespersees, the Blackfeet, the Sacs, the Foxes, and many other tribes, rove and hunt from prairie to prairie, from river to river, from hill to hill, and from mountain to mountain, and live, and are blessed before the face of heaven daily as well as their contemporary whites; and, perhaps I may add, are as justifiable before God, as any people on the globe, called heathens. No church bell from its elevated steeple, rings “Go to meeting; it is Sunday,” while a dozen lesser ones, for stages and Steam boats, peal a ding dong “for parties of pleasure, as a holiday,” among these rude sons of the west.—And it is a difficult matter to make one soul of them believe the Great Spirit ever said, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” while they know, that the majority of the white nation, use it for a holiday. No politicians boast of freedom and equal rights, while thousands are imprisoned for debt, or are in bondage: No; when the tribes are at peace, the Indian is free; his land is free; his game is free; his time is free, and all is free.” LETTER NO. II. From WW Phelps to Oliver Cowdery Liberty, Mo. Nov. 6, 1834
Extra Credit Reading Below: Great Information to Research
Jerusalem Torah Voice in Exile
This is part 1 on a six part series of information from a man called Maggid ben Yoseif , who posts many articles of Jewish, Native American, and Christian information. The post is called Jerusalem Torah Voice in Exile. I will be adding my opinion of these articles in the next few months as I feel they are a good source of information. Although Maggid is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his parallels and interpretation of Joseph Smith among the New York Indians is noteworthy. He says the Book of Mormon is fiction, but it is interesting how much value and credence he at times gives it. I feel we need to listen to others opinions to solidify our own feelings of truth.
My notes in orange below:
Bio: Maggid ben Yoseif
ELDERSGATE-BRIGHTSTAR Hebrew Native American Council; Gileadite School of Theological Research; House of Joseph Beit Din. Currently constructing Eldersgate Hebrew-Native American Council promoting restoration of Native American spiritual sovereignty on about 25 acres in rural Brightstar, Arkansas. However, we continue our intercession for the LAND wherever Creator takes us.
We also help ministries and pastors align w/ the “Spirit of Reconciliation” and with the “other flocks” in the Kingdom, especially Native American flocks influenced by the migration of 38 Athap(b)ascan Language Group nations. Traced to ancient pre-Jewish “Gilead” and widely assimilated across Turtle Island (the Americas) this Hebrew priesthood has “evolved” into an End-Times voice of Elijah THE Gileadite to help protect our LIVING Earth Mother, reconcile the factions of the House of Joseph and restore Native American spiritual sovereignty.
Research below links these nations with the migration of DAN, (the “Na Dene”) JOSEPH EAST M’NASHE and priests and Levites of GILEAD. Exiled from their home east of the Jordan River 17-23 years before the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel, unlike the 10 Tribes they were never severed from Covenant. Thus the Sundance and other Native ceremonial chants permute the Divine Name, YHW and H. Restoration of Native spiritual sovereignty is found in Scripture pertaining to purification lodges (sweats) in Hosea 2:18ff, a covenant with the four legged, winged and creatures who crawl to end “sword, bow and violence (FRACKING) in the Earth.” “Goring with the horn of a re’eim” (buffalo) found in Deut 33:15ff describes the buffalo horn used in the lodge by the “n’zir” (East M’nashe). Isaiah 49:6 refers to the RESTORATION — NOT SALVATION — of the “n’zirei Yisrael” as a major part of the assignment of the servant-messiah.
We are eager to share these and many other truths communicated by Elijah over the past 33 years, to lodge with elders and sundancers and perform ceremony that ministers to Mother Earth
A’Ho mitakuye oyasin “All My Relations” – is a greeting from the Lakota (Sioux) people reflecting their worldview of oneness, interconnectedness, and harmony with all living things: people, animals, plants, even wind, rocks, and rivers. To most people, a “relation” means a family member – a blood relative.
Names: ben Yoseif(son of Joseph) . Although ben Yoseif is a “junior”, who shares the given name of his late father, neither are named “Joseph.” Rather the name ben Yoseif was given by a bat Kol (voice from Heaven) in 1994, confirmed in Torah code of ben Yoseif’s father’s and his given name in 1998 and has been validated by a number of rabbis in Jerusalem since 2000. ben Yose’(south of the border); Tohokwahu (used primarily between he and a few Hopi friends, this is ben Yoseif’s given name — Griffin or Lioneagle — in Hopi).
ben Yoseif holds a B.A. degree in journalism, an M.B.A. degree in business administration and the equivalent of a Ph.D in theology and advanced Pentateuch (Torah) including three years of study at the ORU Graduate School of Theology, where he pursued Hebrew and Aramaic.More bio information here:
Joseph Smith knew the Iroquois
There is a belief that the Iroquois Nation played an important role in the life of Joseph Smith. He lived in an area with many Iroquois chiefs and may have even met many of these great men. Ganargua Creek (Mud Creek) was a primary stopover point for the Iroquois on their trade routes. Joseph Smith also had an interest in the creek after hearing a speech from Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket at Palmyra in 1822.
Moroni’s America-Maps Edition page 109. Purchase Here
Many historians believe that Iroquoian ideas of federalism, and balance of power directly influenced the US system of government. Benjamin Franklin admired native American government structures. In 1744, Canassatego advocated in Washington the federal union of the American colonies. See Here
The Iroquois or Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) are a historically powerful northeast Native American confederacy. They were known during the colonial years to the French as the Iroquois League, and later as the Iroquois Confederacy, and to the English as the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. After 1722, they accepted the Tuscarora people from the Southeast into their confederacy and became known as the Six Nations.
Names and Tribes of the Iroquois
“The Iroquois or Haudenosaunee. (“People of the Longhouse”) are a historically powerful northeast Native American confederacy in North America. They were known during the colonial years to the French as the Iroquois League, and later as the Iroquois Confederacy, and to the English as the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. After 1722, they accepted the Tuscarora people from the Southeast into their confederacy, as they were also Iroquoian-speaking, and became known as the Six Nations.
The Iroquois have absorbed many other individuals from various peoples into their tribes as a result of warfare, adoption of captives, and by offering shelter to displaced peoples. Culturally, all are considered members of the clans and tribes into which they are adopted by families.
The historic St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Wyandot (Huron), Erie, and Susquehannock, all independent peoples, also spoke Iroquoian languages. In the larger sense of linguistic families, they are often considered Iroquoian peoples because of their similar languages and cultures, all descended from the Proto-Iroquoian people and language; politically, however, they were traditional enemies of the Iroquois League.[2] In addition, Cherokee is an Iroquoian language: the Cherokee people are believed to have migrated south from the Great Lakes in ancient times, settling in the backcountry of the Southeast United States, including what is now Tennessee” Wikipedia
Iroquois Confederacy Leaders from five Iroquois nations (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca) assembled around Dekanawidah c. 1570, French engraving, early 18th century. From Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880-1881, edited by J.W. Powell, 1883
Part III: Haudenosaunee Corn Clan Mother first to propose ‘moneyless society’ Six Nations ties to Smith family examined
“If the European settlers, including followers of Joseph Smith had listened to the Yagowaneh of the Haudenosaunee, there may not be an economic recession at this writing, no Federal Reserve System even a currency other than money running this nation.
Elements of the Book of Mormon and Smith’s later doctrine of the Law of Consecration agree with the “moneyless society” taught by the Yagowaneh (YAH-GO-WAN’-EH), the Corn Clan Mother. This was also the lifestyle among the Haudenosaunee (HO-D’NO-SAW-NEE) also known as the Iroquois or Six Nations for centuries before the Europeans arrived. The Europeans’ failure to adopt the moneyless society and other tenets of the Great Law has resulted in the present usury-driven capitalism regulated by the suppliers of money. Consequently, we have a system that takes advantage of the impoverished and the wage-earner, which was never the America envisioned by Native Americans or our Peacemaker.
This picture shows one of the Interpreters of The Canandaigua Treaty of 1794 is Joseph Smith. We know Joseph Smith Sr died in 1840 and this plaque is dated 62 years later. However it it seems the words on the plaque are from 1794.
At the time Joseph Smith wrote that he first made contact with the angel, Moroni, he was living in West Central Upstate New York, in the heart of the Seneca, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). The Canandaigua Treaty of 1794was interpreted for theHaudenosauneeby four men, including a “Joseph Smith,” who is believed by geneaologists to be Joseph Smith, Sr. (before Joe Jr. was born). The same Smith, interpreted three such treaties for the Haudenosaunee. Such an intimate link to the Haudenosauneeby the Smith family means that Joseph Smith Jr., would surely have been told the story of Daganawida, (the Peacemaker born of a virgin, Jikohnsaseh. The proximity of the Smith home to Ganondagan (GAN-NON’-DAY-GON), the Haudenosaunee House of Peace from which the Jikohnsaseh ruled, assures that the entire Smith family was probably familiar with this story and its tie to a moneyless society. This would apply as well to Oliver Cowdery and the Harrises, Whitmers and Pages who lived nearby and comprised the 11 witnesses who stated they saw and held all of the plates that Smith had translated at that time (presumably the autographs of the 116 pages Smith translated, which was later stolen). *However, none were witness to the plates when the text of the Book of Mormon was received by Smith while gazing inside of a deep hat at his “seer stone.” And no one — not even the 11 witnesses listed in the front of the Book of Mormon whose witness was “in the form of visions” actually saw physical writings on physical plates “for fear of death.”Maggid
*Editors note: Of course we don’t agree with Maggid about the stone in the hat, but know Joseph Smith used the two clear stoned spectacles fastened to a breastplate (JSH 1:35), to translate the gold plates. Also see The Canandaigua Treaty of 1794 at the bottom of this blog signed by “A” Joseph Smith. We know Joseph Smith Sr. (July 12, 1771 – September 14, 1840) was the father of Joseph Smith Jr.
Maggid continues,
“Do plates validate Kingdom established by Daganawida?
Looking beyond the Six Nations across the Americas, many stories emerge of the *Great White Brother and his message of Peace, including the Hopi prophecy of the return of Pahana in the American Southwest. Christian missionaries have told us this is “the God, Jesus.” But Native Americans know the one who has walked across the Americas by many names, as others have documented. And he has appeared to many Native American prophets and seers and grandmothers — many, not as Grandfather our Creator but as our “Big Brother.” Within the circles of the Sundance lodge of the Membreno Apache is such a prophet, who has had several conversations with his “Bro.” Daganawida is believed to be only one of the many names of this Great White Brother whose message is always Peace.” Maggida
*Editors note: As you read in the Book of Mormon from Alma Chapter 18 that King Lamoni supposes that Ammon is the Great Spirit. As we read in verse 24 to 29 the King does not know the name “God”, but when Ammon said that is the same as the Great Spirit, the King now believed. We each may know the name of God differently in various cultures. Also in Alma Chapter 22, Aaron teaches Lamoni’s father about the Creation, the Fall of Adam, and the plan of redemption through Christ, and in verse 9-12, Aaron calls the Great Spirit by the name “God” which is strange to King Lamoni’s father. Again when he ties the name God as the same as the Great Spirit, he is converted. This is very similar to what the Six Nations Tribes may call the Great White Brother or Big Brother or the God, Jesus. We know Jesus has hundreds of names just in the Book of Mormon.See page 115 in Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum.
Maggida continues, “Confident that Smith knew the story of Daganawida and his Jikohnsaseh, these questions follow:
1) Do the plates record a history leading up to the “second coming” of Daganawida? (Assuming the Book of Mormon accurately reflects the writing on the plates — even though as explained above, it cannot technically be called a translation* — the book already refers to Jesus‘ earlier appearance in Jerusalem. Anything but Peace resulted in the interim, according to the outcome of the book). This means the plates could validate — as a glimpse of Kingdom Rule — the precedent established at his later appearance as Daganawida. That precedent gave the Native Americans the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee, the propriety of matriarchal rule and the command to leave the decision of going to war only in the hands of clan mothers and grandmothers as instruments of making and protecting the peace. The Great Law would naturally flow out of the dismal failure of the partriarchal rule of the sons of Lehi. Mary Jemison, for instance, was a captive of the Haudenosaunee, but refused to leave as she had more rights as an adopted Iroquois under matriarchal rule, than she had as a free American white woman.
*Editors note: See how others in the Church and non-members will get a mixed message if the intellectuals say Joseph didn’t use the plates and he didn’t translate but transcribed, where I say Joseph did use the plates and DID translate with the Urim and Thummim by the gift and power of God. Mixed messages don’t teach correctly.
Story of ‘messiah figure’ living among Native Americans 15 miles from Smith’s front door
2) Is the Book of Mormon an attempt to retell the story of Daganawida? A story that possibly told of Jesus living among the Native Americans and setting up his kingdom less than 15 miles from Smith’s front door would certainly have impressed any young, impressionable and inquiring mind. Young Smith was all of that when the plates were first revealed to him. All a Peacemaker would need would be wars to resolve and people to reunite. This presupposes that the plates were never correctly translated and were used as a “backdrop” or “platform” for Smith’s *imagination and/or his inspired writings and doctrine.” Maggid
*Editor’s note. Why do people have to say the Book of Mormon is fiction? As I was a missionary in 1975 in Fiji, one of our flip chart pages said “Ask yourself this question, could any man have written this book?” As our investigators would sit and ponder that question for a few minutes, and then answer, no!
Maggid continues,
3) Whether or not the translation is genuine, is Grandfather using this book in the Latter Days among the Saints to point to the story of Daganawida at a time when war drums are again beating on a global scale?
Any of these three possibilities mandate that the plates be brought forth so they may be translated by skilled Native American translators. Joseph Smith Jr. was initially told to bring the Book of Mormon (some say the plates themselves) to the Native population. It is hard to imagine that the Iroquois in the area, when presented with the Book, would not demand to have the plates since they were on Iroquois land. If the Great Law is a miniature of Kingdom Rule, presented by the Anointed One, any writings found in proximity of the Haudenosaunee where he appeared may be of global importance. Show me the plates!” Maggid
Representatives from various Native American tribes: from left to right, an Iroquois, an Assiniboine, a Crow, a Pawnee, an Assiniboine in gala dress, a Dakota or Sioux warrior and a Dakota or Sioux woman. (Original artwork engraved by JJ Crew after a drawing by A Huttula.) HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY
Editor’s Note: Maggid reverts to ask the question that Laman and Lemuel would ask. “Prove it to me.” I say, “oh ye of little faith?” This information about similarities between the Book of Mormon teachings and the Law of Peace are intriguing. I believe the ancient Native Americans were the Lamanites of the Book of Mormon and they did have the true gospel at some point in the Book of Mormon. We know the Lamanites kept no records so this oral tradition of the Great Peacemaker Daganawida seems a good fit as an oral tradition haned down.
The Canandaigua Treaty of 1794
November 11, 1794
The President of the United States having determined to hold a conference with the Six Nations of Indians, for the purpose of removing from their minds all causes of complaint, and establishing a firm and permanent friendship with them; and Timothy Pickering being appointed sole agent for that purpose; and the agent having met and conferred with the Sachems, Chiefs and Warriors of the Six Nations, in a general council: Now in order to accomplish the good design of this conference, the parties have agreed on the following articles, which, when ratified by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, shall be binding on them and the Six Nations.
Article I. Peace and friendship are hereby firmly established, and shall be perpetual, between the United States and the Six Nations.
Article II. The United States acknowledge the lands reserved to the Oneida, Onondaga and Cayuga Nations, in their respective treaties with the state of New York, and called their reservations, to be their property; and the United States will never claim the same, nor disturb them or either of the Six Nations, nor their Indian friends residing thereon and united with them, in the free use and enjoyment thereof: but the said reservations shall remain theirs, until they choose to sell the same to the people of the United States who have right to purchase.
Article III. The land of the Seneca nation is bounded as follows: Beginning on Lake Ontario, at the north-west corner of the land they sold to Oliver Phelps, the line run westerly along the lake, as far as O-yong-wong-yeh Creek at Johnson’s Landing-place, about four miles eastward from the fort of Niagara; then southerly up that creek to its main fork, then straight to the main fork of Stedman’s Creek, which empties into the river Niagara, above Fort Schlosser, and then onward, from that fork, continuing the same straight course, to that river; (this line, from the mouth of O-yong-wong-yeh Creek to the river Niagara, above Fort Schlosser, being the eastern boundary of a strip of land, extending from the same line to Niagara River, which the Seneca Nation ceded to the King of Great Britain, at a treaty held about thirty years ago, with Sir William Johnson;) then the line runs along the river Niagara to Lake Erie; then along Lake Erie to the north-east corner of a triangular piece of land which the United States conveyed to the state of Pennsylvania, as by the President’s patent, dated the third day of March, 1792; then due south to the northern boundary of that state; then due east to the south-west corner of the land sold by the Seneca nation to Oliver Phelps; and then north and northerly, along Phelps’ line, to the place beginning on Lake Ontario. Now, the United States acknowledge all the land within the aforementioned boundaries, to be the property of the Seneca nation; and the United States will never claim the same, nor disturb that Seneca nation, nor any of the Six Nations, or their Indian friends residing thereon and united with them, in the free use and enjoyment thereof: but it shall remain theirs, until they choose to sell the same to the people of the United States, who have the right to purchase.
Article IV. The United States having thus described and acknowledged what lands belong to the Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, and engaged never to claim the same, nor to disturb them, or any of the Six Nations, or their Indian friends residing thereon and united with them, in the free use and enjoyment thereof: Now the Six Nations, and each of them, hereby engage that they will never claim any other lands within the boundaries of the United States; nor ever disturb the people of the United States in the free use and enjoyment thereof.
Statue of Hiawatha (Longfellow’s Hiawatha) carrying Minnehaha at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Image by Mulad. A plaque at the site says: Hiawatha and Minnehaha by Jacob Fjelde Erected in 1911
Article V. The Seneca Nation, all others of the Six Nations concurring, cede to the United States the right of making a wagon road from Fort Schlosser to Lake Erie, as far south as Buffalo Creek; and the people of the United States shall have the free and undisturbed use of this road, for the purposes of traveling and transportation. And the Six Nations, and each of them, will forever allow to the people of the United States, a free passage through their lands, and the free use of their harbors and rivers adjoining and within their respective tracts of land, for the passing and securing of vessels and boats, and liberty to land their cargoes when necessary for their safety.
Article VI. In consideration of the peace and friendship hereby established, and of the engagements entered into by the Six Nations; and because the United States desire, with humanity and kindness, to contribute to their comfortable support; and to render the peace and friendship hereby established strong and perpetual; the United States now deliver to the Six Nations, and the Indians of the other nations residing among and united with them, a quantity of goods of the value of ten thousand dollars. And for the same considerations, and with a view to promote the future welfare of the Six Nations, and of their Indian friends aforesaid, the United States will add the sum of three thousand dollars to the one thousand five hundred dollars, heretofore allowed them by an article ratified by the President, on the twenty-third day of April 1792; making in the whole, four thousand five hundred dollars; which shall be expended yearly forever, in purchasing clothing, domestic animals, implements of husbandry and other utensils suited to their circumstances, and in compensating useful artificers, who shall reside with them or near them, and be employed for their benefit. The immediate application of the whole annual allowance now stipulated, to be made by the superintendent appointed by the President for the affairs of the Six Nations, and their Indian friends aforesaid.
Article VII. Lest the firm peace and friendship now established should be interrupted by the misconduct of individuals, the United States and Six Nations agree, that for injuries done by individuals on either side, no private revenge or retaliation shall take place; but, instead thereof, complaint shall be made by the party injured, to the other: By the Six Nations or any of them, to the President of the United States, or the Superintendent by him appointed: and by the Superintendent, or other person appointed by the President, to the principal chiefs of the Six Nations, or of the nation to which the offender belongs: and such prudent measures shall then be pursued as shall be necessary to preserve our peace and friendship unbroken; until the legislature (or great council) of the United States shall make the equitable provision for the purpose.
Note: It is clearly understood by the parties to this treaty, that the annuity stipulated in the sixth article, is to be applied to the benefit of such of the Six Nations and of their Indian friends united with them as aforesaid, as do or shall reside within the boundaries of the United States: for the United States do not interfere with nations, tribes or families, of Indians elsewhere resident.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the said Timothy Pickering, and the sachems and war chiefs of the said Six Nations, have hereunto set their hands and seals.
Done at Canandaigua, in the State of New York, in the eleventh day of November, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.
Timothy Pickering
Witnesses: Israel Chapin William Shepard, Jr. James Smedley John Wickham Augustus Porter James H. Garnsey William Ewing Israel Chapin, Jr. Interpreters: Horatio Jones Joseph Smith(Joseph Smith Sr that we know, lived 1771- 1840. Could this be him?) Jasper Parrish Henry Abeele
Signed by fifty-nine Sachems and War Chiefs of the Six Nations Canandaigua, New York — November 11, 1794 O-no-ye-ah-nee Kon-ne-at-or-tee-ooh (Handsome Lake) To-kenh-you-hau (Capt. Key) O-nes-hau-ee Hendrich Aupaumut David Neessoonhuk Kanatsoyh (Nicholas Kusik) Soh-hon-te-o-quent Oo-duht-sa-it Ko-nooh-qung Tos-song-gau-lo-luss John Sken-en-do-a O-ne-at-or-lee-ooh (Handsome Lake) Kus-sau-wa-tau E-yoo-ten-yoo-tau-ook Kohn-ye-au-gong (Jake Stroud) Sha~qui-ea-sa Teer-oos (Capt. Printup) Soos-ha-oo-wau Henry Young Brant Sonh-yoo-wau-na (Big Sky) O-na-ah-hah Hot-osh-a-henh Kau-kon-da-nai-ya Non-di-yau-ka Kos-sish-to-wau To-he-ong-go Oo-jau-gent-a (Fish Carrier) Oot-a-guas-so Joo-non-dau-wa-onch Ki-yau-ha-onh Oo-tau-je-au-genh (Broken Axe) Tau-ho-on-dos (Open the Way) Twau-ke-wash-a Se-quid-ong-guee (Little Beard) Ko-djeoto (Half Town) Ken-jau-au-gus (Stinking Fish) Soo-noh-qua-kau Twen-ni-ya-na Jish-kaa-ga (Green Grasshopper, Little Billy) Tug-geh-shot-ta Teh-ong-ya-gau-na Teh-ong-yoo-wush Kon-ne-yoo-we-sot Ti-oo-quot-ta-kau-na (Woods on Fire) Ta-oun-dau-deesh Ho-na-ya-wus (Farmer’s Brother) Sog-goo-ya-waut-hau (Red Jacket) Kon-yoo-tai-yoo Sauh-ta-ka-ong-yees (Two Skies of Length) Oun-na-shatta-kau Ka-ung-ya-neh-quee Soo-a-yoo-wau Kau-je-a-ga-onh (Heap of Dogs) Soo~nooh-shoo-wau Tha-og-wau-ni-as Soo-nong-joo-wau Ki-ant-whau-ka (Corn Planter) Kau-neh-shong-goo
See my blog about the large contribution of the Iroquois Confederacy toward becoming a big part of our Constitution, and more about Joseph Smith and the Onondaga Indians here.
Also a blog about the 85 Native Americans who were baptized for the dead in 1877 at the St George Temple here. IT IS AWESOME!
The missionaries visited the Wyandots (Hurons), the Delaware’s, the Cattaraugus (Seneca Iroquois), and the Shawnees during this first Lamanite mission. While we do not know for sure why these groups were chosen for proselyting, Lori Taylor has noted that each of these Native nations claimed prophetic traditions. “The Hurons spoke of Deganawidah, the Master of Things and the Peacemaker, a Huron prophet who taught the Iroquois Confederacy a new social order of cooperation. The Delaware’s followed Neolin, a prophet who encouraged his people to reject European ways in favor of the old ways, in order to gain favor with the Great Spirit. Neolin was associated with Pontiac and his war in 1763-1764. The Iroquois believed in Handsome Lake, a prophet who received heavenly visitations in 1799-1800 from four visitors who encouraged him and his people to embrace traditional practices and to observe the ceremonial cycle. He encouraged his people to give up alcohol, witchcraft, and other vices. And lastly, the Shawnees followed Tenskwatawa, brother of the famous Tecumseh, who taught that the Shawnee needed to reject white ways in order to push back white settlement. Tenskwatawa learned from Handsome Lake and taught some things that appears to be influenced by Christianity. Although it is unclear how much the early Mormons knew about these prophets or the Native peoples who claimed them, Taylor’s speculation that the missionaries proselyted the Wyandots, Delaware’s, Cattaraugus, and Shawnees for this reason remains intriguing. Equally fascinating is Taylor’s analysis of a story told by some contemporary Iroquois that JS knew about Handsome Lake’s teachings (who was active in western New York until his death in 1815) and that the Book of Mormon was shaped by Handsome Lake’s ideas.[7] Whether there is any truth to such accounts awaits further investigation by ethnohistorians, but one thing is certain, the Book of Mormon and early white Mormon interpretations of it had more in common with the apocalyptic visions of Neolin, Tenskwatawa, and other Native prophets than with the views of most other white Americans of the nineteenth century.” Lori Taylor _______ [1] Deloria, Indians in Unexpected Places, 15-16. [2] Duffy, ?The Use of ‘Lamanite’ in Official LDS Discourse,? Journal of Mormon History 34, no. 1 (Winter 2008): 131. [3] Walker, “?Seeking the ‘Remnant’: The Native American during the Joseph Smith Period,? Journal of Mormon History 19, no. 1 (1993): 1-33. Walker argues that historians have largely failed to recognize the centrality of Native Americans in early Mormonism. Mormon historians are not alone in marginalizing the importance of Native Americans when writing about nineteenth-century America. See Susan Scheckel’s The Insistence of the Indian: Race and Nationalism in Nineteenth-Century American Culture for a discussion of the centrality of Natives in nineteenth-century America and the tendency of twentieth-century historians to emphasize slavery as the central race question of the century. Much of the new New Indian History of the last two decades has recovered the power and agency of Native peoples in early American history. See Richard White, The Middle Ground, Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground, Ned Blackhawk, Violence Over the Land, and Pekka Hamalainan, The Comanche Empire, for some of the best examples of this new literature. [4] As quoted in Underwood, The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, 80. [5] ?The Book of Mormon,? The Painesville Telegraph, 30 November 1830, 3. [6] Thanks to Robin Jensen, the 2004 Joseph Smith Papers Student Researcher of the Year, for checking the reference for me. [7] Taylor, ?Telling Stories About Mormons and Indians,? PhD. Diss, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2000, 141-60, 306-51. Taylor notes that Handsome Lake’s nephew, Red Jacket, spoke in Palmyra in 1822. Native Americans and early Mormonism. Juvenile Instructor
As I said many times, Common Sense is how Personal Revelation begins. Thanks for reading.
I am tired of many Archaeologists and Historians in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints constantly saying, “There is no evidence on Hill Cumorah of swords, or bones or arrowheads found on the hill. We have to have proof”, they say. Well, I will share with you here an abundance of evidence on and near the Hill Cumorah that will show there was a huge battle near Hill Cumorah. It is as well known in the Church as it is with non member archaeologists.
As you view the map below, you will see archaeological evidence of many forts, artifacts, bones, skeleton’s and weapons from the ancient NY area according to the NY Archaeological Society.
Bone Heaps on the Genesee River
“My flats were cleared before I saw them; and it was the opinion of the oldest Indians that were at Genishau, at the time that I first went there, that all the flats on the Genesee river were improved before any of the Indian tribes ever saw them. I well remember that soon after I went to Little Beard’s Town, the banks of Fall-Brook were washed off, which left a large number of human bones uncovered. The Indians then said that those were not the bones of Indians, because they had never heard of any of their dead being buried there; but that they were the bones of a race of men who a great many moons before, cleared that land and lived on the flats” (Nephites, Jaredites). A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison Author: James E. Seaver 1823 Chapter VII page 61
“In the position of the skeletons, there was none of the signs of ordinary Indian burial; but evidences that the bodies were thrown in promiscuously, and at the same time. The conjecture might well be indulged that it had been the theatre of a sanguinary battle, terminating in favor of the assailants, and a general massacre, A thigh bone of unusual length, was preserved for a considerable period by a physician of Lockport, and excited much curiosity.” (Turner, p. 27) [Sanguinary means: Eager for bloody violence; bloodthirsty].
One Half Mile from Mormon Hill
“In 1922 “on the Rose farm, one half mile from Mormon Hill” a number of large skeletons, stone implements, copper ornaments, a copper axe of unusual type, and other articles were found. At this historic spot were found “many of unusual physique, tall, long-limbed, finely formed skulls, teeth finely shaped.” (Fred Haughton, Seneca Nation, p. 48)
Previous Superior Native Cultures
“The battles are described as often having culminated in the destruction of previous, superior Native cultures which had taken final refuge in forts at the tops of hills, including the general region of the hill known to Mormons as Cumorah.In the town of Camillus, in the same county of Onondaga . . . there are two ancient forts . . . One is on a very high hill, and its area covers about three acres. . . . The ditch was deep and the eastern wall ten feet high. In the centre was a large lime stone of an irregular shape.” A Memoir on the Antiquities of the Western Parts of the State of New-York, Addressed to the Honourable Samuel L. Mitchill, a Vice-President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York . . . by Dewitt Clinton . . . Read Before the Society November 13th, 1817De Witt Clinton (1769-1828)
War with a Light Skinned People
“Chief of Seminole Tribe: “We had a war long ago with a light skinned people around the Great Lakes. We conquered them but we had so much respect for their warrior chief that we buried him at the mouth of the Oswego River that is in New York State. We don’t discuss this very much because it is an embarrassment to us. President Rawson then asked why this is an embarrassment, and the Chief replied, “ Our history is written on metal plates and buried in a hill in New York, but we don’t know which hill!” (Talk given to missionaries in training at the MTC, Provo, Utah 1979, by President Murray J. Rawson).
Archaeological Evidence for the Ancient Hopewell and Adena Culture
The purpose of the information below is to share with you significant archaeological evidence for the ancient Hopewell and Adena Culture nearby the Hill Cumorah. There is evidence of fortifications, pottery, copper, weapons, palisades, forts, mass burials, mounds, tools and other artifacts all around this area. I believe the Hopewell culture matches up with the Nephite culture extraordinarily well. (See Map Above) The Hopewell originated in 600 BC at the panhandle of Florida from Crystal River to Pensacola, Florida. History documents this. The Hopewell then traveled north into Georgia and Tennessee. There is evidence of a huge society of the Hopewell from Missouri to Illinois to Indiana and then to Ohio which was the dominant historical area of this people. History shows the end of the Hopewell civilization around the year 400 AD. Historians say the Hopewell just disappeared and historians have no idea what happened. I feel I have a good idea. The final battle at Cumorah was 385 AD. This is some of the best evidence of a possible link to the Hopewell and the Nephites.
My friend who is a very loving Christian Preacher and an Avocational Archaeologist, who has lived in Ohio his entire life, jokes with me and says, “I know the people of Ohio as Hebrews and you know them as Nephites. We have found the same people.” Doesn’t it really make sense that there has to be traces of Hebrew where Lehi and Nephi lived? Search for yourself. Many signs show Hebrew influence in North America and especially in Ohio. It’s sad that many professionals say all the artifacts are a hoax. They have to say that for over 20 various items that have been discovered. See my blog here and here:
After reading the material from only these two sources, you will come away with amazing enthusiasm that ancient people lived in North America during the same time period as the Nephites and the Jaredites. Those that lived from about 1,500 BC to 200 BC were historically called the Adena culture. See my blog here.
To access my two main sources of this blog, visit the links below:
THE ARCHEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK BY ARTHUR C. PARKER, ARCHEOLOGIST
New York State Museum JOHN M. CLARKE, Director
List of Sites Page 654 Ontario County, NY (Time Period 100 BC to 1700 AD)
1- Village and palisaded hilltop stronghold on Boughton hill 1 1/ 4 miles south of the village of Victor. This famous site is on the farms of M. E. McMahon, W. B. Moore and W. J. Greene. It occupies the top of Boughton hill and lies along the 800 feet contour line, which is 250 feet above the village of Victor. The hill points northward and is bounded on the eastern, western and northern sides by precipitous slopes that drop to the valleys of two brooks, both of which flow into the Mud creek. The westmost brook is known as White brook and takes its beginning in a spring on the side of a hill. This site is that of the Gandagora which was destroyed by DeNonville in 1687. It was visited by Greenhalgh in 1677 who said it resembled Onondaga. Before its destruction the Jesuits had established in this village, a mission which they called St Jacques, so that there are fairly adequate contemporaneous accounts of the village and its occupants. The site was excavated by Frederick Houghton for the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. His excavations are described in volume 10, number 2, of the bulletin of the society.
2- Fort and stronghold site known as Fort hill 11/2 miles west of Boughton hill in an air line. This corresponds with DeNonville’s account of the ” picket fort at the top of a little mountain, scarped on all sides.” Some fifty years ago traces of the earthwork or palisaded bases were to be seen, but this wall has now been destroyed by cultivation.
3 Burial place I mile from Boughton hill on the John Bunce farm ‘his is directly south and on the east side of the Bloomfield road near the county line. This site was excavated by Frederick Houghton who found more than fifty pits containing human remains and many objects of European manufacture intermixed with articles of native lake.
4 Village site on the farms of Jesse and George Marsh, and a burial site on Ira DeLong and David Thompson’s farms. This site is near the northeast corner of East Bloomfield and on lot 13. It is about one-fourth of a mile east of Mud creek and on the eastern slope of brook running into it. Without doubt it is the site of the Jesuit mission of St Michel, which was occupied mostly by the captive Neuter and Huron converts after the destruction of their nations, in historical accounts the site is known as Gandougarae.
5 Burial place near this village on the farm of Ira DeLong, excavated by Frederick Houghton.
6 Burial place also connected with the Gandougarae site on le farm of George Marsh, which has been excavated by Heman Coates, Fred Hamlin, William L. Bryant and Frederick Houghton. Mr. Houghton has described the site on page 42 of his monograph in the ” Seneca nation, from 1655 to 1687.”
7 Village and burial site on lot 35, East Bloomfield, on the Henry Fox farm. It is on the bank of Mud creek and most of the graves are found in the heavy red clay.
8 Village site on the Appleton farm on the eastern bank of Fish creek, at the forks of the road 2 miles northeast of Holcomb station. The village tract covers a considerable area of land and European objects have been found.
9 Village and burial site on the Beale farm, lot 7, East Bloomfield. This is on the south side of Cherry street one-half of a mile west of the road from Victor to Holcomb and just south of the Victor Township line. It is 1 1/ 2 miles south of Boughton hill and occupies an irregular knoll surrounded on three sides by small streams. Mr Houghton estimates the area as 15 acres. The usual material found on sites of the early historic period are present. Burials were located by Houghton on a knoll on the western edge of the village. They were- deep in the clay and sand and sometimes as many as six bodies were found in the burial pits. Houghton records thirty-four graves and describes the site on page 239 of the ” Seneca Bulletin.”
10 Extensive village site on the Augusta Warren farm, lot 75, West Bloomfield, near the railroad station. The site occupies the rolling land along the eastern site of Honeoye creek. Between the site which lies on the hill some 50 feet above the creek and the stream itself are wide flats some 200 to 300 feet from the base of the hill. The site seems to have been occupied for an extended period and has two cemeteries. More than twenty entire pottery vessels were found in the burials, together with many articles of shell, bone, stone and wood.
11 Village and burial site at Factory Hollow on lot 64, West Bloomfield. The site occupies the abrupt terrace above the Honeoye outlet and above the eastern slope. The hill is very steep ; a village i burial site lay upon its top 100 feet above the valley. The burials were found along the western edge of the hill a little distance from the main village site. Here more than one hundred graves have been opened but very few objects of European occupation have been found except brass kettles. The village site proper occupied the wider portion of the hill at the southern end and all along the edge of the numerous refuse deposits that contained many bone implements, notched and serrated potsherds, and other discarded and broken material. Locally the place is known as the ” Shattock site ” and the hill as ” Fort hill.” The period is the beginning of European contact.
12 On his map of the Seneca country, Gen. J. S. Clark placed an Indian village almost in the center of the town of East Bloomfield. Mr Hildburgh reported a cemetery there.
13 Village site reported by Fred H. Hamlin on lot 16, East Bloomfield, on the Nead farm.
14 Village site on the Andrews farm at the north angle of the road northwest of Bristol.
15 Just southeast of this in the upper portion of the valley of Mud creek is a river site on the Sears farm.
16 Site on the Jackson farm in the northeast corner of Bristol township, just south of the Richmond Mills road and southwest of Bristol hill.
17 Village and hilltop stronghold on the George Reed farm near the western boundary of Richmond township and on the southeast side of the Hemlock lake outlet. This site is on a sand hill that lies between two small streams running into the outlet; on the north side is a high slate bank running down into the brook. A pathway down the upper slope of this bank leads to a fine spring which probably supplied water for the village. The opposite ravine is less deep but separates the tract of land from the gradual sloping hillside beyond. Throughout the site, especially the lower portion facing the valley, many pits have been found from which excavators have taken numerous objects of flint and bone. The hillside refuse deposit are especially rich, but no object of European origin has yet been discovered. The site seems in every way a precolonial Seneca village; the type of the potsherds discovered are similar to those found on the sites of the colonial period throughout the region. The State Museum has a collection of some one thousand specimens taken from the site by Alva H. Reed. For detailed description
18 Burial site on lot 25 on the John C. Briggs farm west of the site of Honeoye, in the town of Richmond. About twenty skeletons have been found in a gravel pit. A small village site is just to the northeast.
19 Burial site on lot 23 in Richmond, on the Blackner farm, reported by Albert Van Buren.
20 Honeoye, at the foot of Honeoye lake one-half of a mile east of the outlet and south of Mill creek, was burned in 1779 (Sullivan, p. 130). There were recent articles on Phelp’s flat near the old Indian castle at the foot of the lake (Turner, P. & G., p. 199, 203). Clark placed the village on his map west of the outlet, but there are two older sites there, one village and one cemetery.
21 A small cemetery was 3 miles south of Canandaigua, west of the lake.
22 Randall reported a small cemetery 3 miles west of Canandaigua on a flattened ridge.
23 A mile east of Canandaigua was an oval work on a hillside overlooking the lake, with one gateway and half the wall remaining. The turnpike road from Canandaigua to Geneva passed through it. An early cemetery also (Squier, p. 55, pi. 6, no. 2). This appears in figure 66. Schoolcraft placed it on Fort Hill a mile north of Canandaigua and 1000 feet around (Schoolcraft, Report, p. 109).
24 Mr Hildburgh located a village and cemetery on Arsenal hill one-half of a mile west of Canandaigua, lot 32.
25 Village or camp at the north end of the lake near the outlet and camps along that stream.
26 There was an early site on the east side of the lake a little south of this.
27 On the west shore, just south of Canandaigua, was another early site with caches. A small burial site (21) is nearby (Clark).
28 Graves have been found near the courthouse and a cemetery just west of the village.
29 Ossuary containing eighteen skeletons was found in the park at the outlet. Mrs F. F. Thompson has erected a marker to these ” unknown graves.”
30 Relics have been reported from Squaw island, at the foot of Canandaigua lake.
31 A grave of burned clay was opened on the east side of Canandaigua lake in July 1893. It was 4 miles south of Canandaigua and one-half of a mile east of Gage’s landing. ” Many early relics were found in the vicinity.”
32 Village site on Darwin McClure’s farm, lot 20, Hopewell, 3 miles southeast of Canandaigua, one-half of a mile north of the turnpike. A recent cemetery is not far away, and modern relics have been found. The site is probably that of one of the Onaghee villages.
33 Burial site on the Albert Rose farm I mile north of Machester. Several graves have been opened and relics believed by Mr Follett to be of ” mound-builder origin ” have been found. Mr Follett describes a native copper axe from this site and says it is of an unusual type.
34 A small village was west of Manchester Center, on the south bank of Canandaigua outlet, nearly 21/2 miles northwest of the village west of Clifton. Earthenware and articles of stone occur. It was probably a fishing camp.
35 A large fortified town was in the town of Phelps, on the south side of the bluff facing Canandaigua outlet. A wall has been described there. No recent articles have been found; all are of stone or clay. The .site is northwest of the village of Phelps.
36 Five miles northwest of Geneva, in Phelps, was a stockade on Fort hill. This was not far from a hill on which was an earthwork. It was a long parallelogram through which the road ran, on one side of which the post holes remained. There were caches and early relics (Squier, p. 87, 88, pi. 13, no. 2).
37 Large village site just northeast of Naples, and lying between Naples and Old creek. The occupation is Algonkian. No bone articles are found. D. D. Luther has collected a large number of implements from this and adjacent sites.
38 Burial site in Naples village. Iroquoian. Pipes have been found.
39 Small village site with burials on the west side of Honeoye lake on the California ranch. Four skeletons were exhumed here during highway excavations.
40 Earthwork 3 1/2 miles northwest of Geneva, east of the Castle road. It was 800 feet long and an early site on high ground (Squier, p. 55, pi. 7, no. 1). There are graves in the southern part.
41 Among the pine barrens on Mr Swift’s farm 3 miles north of Geneva is a small site, with early relics, reported by Dr W. G. Hinsdale.,
42 In Geneva, on the old DeZeng place, west of Main street, were many early relics and also camps near the south end of Main street on the south side of Glass Factory bay.
43 Kashong, on Kashong creek, 7 miles south of Geneva, was burned in 1779, but the recent site is hardly well defined. A recent cemetery was opened near the lake in 1889.
44 Village and burial site on Wilson creek, lot 32, Seneca.
45 A small cemetery was opened near Melvin hill in 1896. The heads of skeletons were to the west.
46 There is a scattered site with early relics on the farm of John Laws on the county line north of the Waterloo road.
47 George S. Conover reported a group of recent sites on Burrell creek, which are here placed under one number. The creek is very crooked and the lots are not in regular order.
48 There was an orchard and a small cemetery on lot 36, Seneca, east of the creek on the Rupert farm. Fireplaces have been found.
49 A mile east of this and south of the creek was a recent village and cemetery on the old Wheadon farm, on lot 12.
50 A recent cemetery without relics and with longitudinal burial was on the Rippey farm, lot 9, south of the creek.
51 A trail from the southeast came to the center of the old Brother farm on which there was a village. It followed the highway north- westerly.
52 Site west of Flint on Flint creek. Stone age material. Reported by H. C. Follett.
53 Canaenda was removed to lot 32 on Burrell creek where there, was a large cemetery mostly on N. A. Read’s farm about 25 rods southwest of the creek. On that farm and east of the creek was one of the principal sites of the town.
54 On lot 31, west of the creek, was another recent cemetery.
55 Lodge sites and a cemetery were on the Hazlet farm, lot west of Burrell creek.
56 Burial mound, recent, at Clifton Springs ; explored by J. Sanborn.
57 Early village site just south of Clifton Springs, nearly a mil south of the Canandaigua outlet. It occupied a little over 2 acres. Explorations by J. W. Sanborn in 1889 revealed fireplaces very numerous and close together. It seems to have been long inhabited and was of early date. There are fragments of decorated pottery fine celts and arrowheads. Articles of bone have been found, none of shell. Reported by Irving W. Coates.
58 Early village, reported by Mr Coates, is 1 l / 2 miles west of one at Clifton Springs. The relics are similar to those found the site above mentioned excepting that no bone articles have been found. It was a small village, but the few fireplaces are large and deep. The site is a mile south of the Canandaigua outlet one-fourth of a mile west of Fall brook.
59 Skeletons have been exhumed and relics found at Littleville, a hamlet on the creek south of Shortsville. Some of the latter indicate early visitors, and several trails converged at the ford there.
60 Three-fourths of a mile south of Chapinville, near the creek, was a workshop. Flint chips, unfinished weapons and fine stone articles were once frequent there. Some other reputed Indian sites which he had not personally examined, Mr Coates did not describe.
61 Small village site reported by J. H. V. Clarke.
62 Village of Kanadesaga, situated just west of the city of Geneva. This was one of the important Seneca towns burned by General Sullivan in the punitive raid of 1779. Squier, who visited the site in 1840, said that the palisade traces were distinct, due to the fact that the Indians in ceding the lands stipulated that this, their famous town site, should not be used for cultivated ground. Their plea was, ” Here sleep our fathers, and they can not rest well if they hear the plow of the white man above them.” When Sullivan destroyed the village it consisted of fifty houses with adjacent fields of corn and large orchards. The raiders destroyed the corn, hay and other stored food and cut down the orchards. In robbing the houses they found many trinkets, pelts and other things of value. Near the village was a mound in which the body of a giant Seneca was reputed by tradition to be buried. In the center of the village was a stockade built by Sir William Johnson. Morgan and Squier have written in an interesting manner concerning Ga-nunda-sa-ga and the records of Sullivan’s expedition give a contemporary description of it. The Rev. Samuel Kirkland spent some time here and had an interesting adventure. It was here that the great Gaiyengwahtoh or Disappearing Smoke lived.
63 Village site and stockade site 2 miles southwest of Geneva.
64 Small village site a mile east of Littleville, and southwest of Manchester, on the southern portion of lot 25. Here have been found many beautiful specimens of chalcedony points. Mr Follett says that here in a lump of hard clay found 3 feet below the surface were found five ancient looking and crude chert points.
65 Camp site, evidently an extensive and permanent one, is situated just one-fourth of a mile north of
64. There is a fine spring here known as ” The Indian spring.” Relics of many sorts are found in the adjacent fields, but mostly on the Follett farm. There are places where the arrow and spear points are crude and primitive; other places where there is plain evidence of European contact, as Mr Follett points out in the instance of the finding of a copper spoon with a bullet hole through the bowl.
66 Village and camp sites at the head of Honeoye lake on the farm of Delevan Alger. Bolo stones or grooved weights have been found here, according to Mr Follett, who also reports several perforated disks of sandstone. Mr Dewey has two specimens of these from this site.
67 Village and camp sites on the east side of Honeoye lake, where hammer stones and notched points have been found.
This is the end of information about Ontario County, in THE ARCHEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK BY ARTHUR C. PARKER. There are hundreds of other pages of additional counties in New York as well. It’s amazing information.
RESOURCE #2
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF NEW YORK STATE BY WILLIAM A.
Section from Egan’s panorama showing the 1843 excavation of a mound on the plantation of william Feriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana. Dickeson, always the showman, appears twice in the painting; once on the left sketching the mound, and again in the center taking notes.
E-G-Squire Antiquities of New York In earlier articles we have discussed the skillful and precise construction of great cities, large temple mounds and military defenses. The information in these articles has come from a variety of sources, including personal visits to the sites. Some of the best information on the ancient civilizations of North America has been provided by Ephraim George Squier (1821 – 1888). Along with his research and publishing partner Edwin Hamilton Davis (1811 – 1888), he unknowingly provided us with great insight into the lives, religions, cities and social networks of the people of the Book of Mormon.
In his book, Antiquities of the State of New York, Squier chronicles something much different than is found in his previous publications, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley and Aboriginal Monuments of the State of New York. Instead of descriptions of beautifully aligned cities, or carefully laid out military forts, he reports of works “constructed in haste for temporary purposes”. He details evidence of “indiscriminate massacres” and “bone-pits”.
Connections to the Book of Mormon Joseph Knew Mormon Media Network Final Battle near Buffalo NYIn the Book of Mormon, in the 6th chapter of Mormon, the Nephites gather to the land Cumorah for the final battles with the Lamanites. If, as we have proposed in a previous article, the land Cumorah was in upstate New York near the Hill Cumorah, Rochester, and Buffalo, then the following passage from Squier’s chapter Ancient Work near Buffalo takes on significant meaning.
“Tradition fixes upon this spot as the scene of the final and most bloody conflict between the Iroquois and the ‘Gah-kwas’ or Erie — a tradition which has been supposed to derive some sanction from the number of fragments of decayed human bones which are scattered over the area.” (Antiquities of the State of New York, E. G. Squire, M. A., 1851, page 74)
Tens of Thousands Killed “And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten thousand each.” (Mormon 6:14)
The number of people slaughtered at Cumorah seems incomprehensible. Many non-believers cite these passages as evidence of Joseph Smith’s great imagination. Surely there would be evidence today of such large numbers of dead people. While excavating along the banks of the Erie Canal the following was recorded:
“In excavating the canal through the bank bordering the flats, perhaps thirty rods south of the fort, another burial-place was disclosed, evidently more ancient, for the bones crumbled to pieces almost immediately upon exposure to the air, and the deposits were far more numerous than in that near the river. The number of skeletons are represented to have been countless, and the dead had been buried in a sitting posture.” (Antiquities of the State of New York, E. G. Squier, M. A., 1851, page 144)
“One of these pits discovered some years ago, in the town of Cambria, Niagara County, was estimated to contain the bones of several thousand individuals.” (Ibid, page 99)
Squier uncovered evidence of savage warfare, which left “bone-heaps” and “bone-pits” throughout the Finger Lakes region of New York (Cumorahland).
“Besides the various earth-works, there are a number of other interesting objects of antiquarian interest in this county. Among them may be mentioned the ‘bone-pits’ or deposits of human bones. One is found near the village of Brownsville, on Black River. It is described as a pit, ten or twelve feet square, by perhaps four feet deep, in which are promiscuously heaped together a large number of human skeletons.” (Ibid, page 29 – italics in the original)
“Near the town of Fulton, on the west side of Oswego River, is an eminence called ‘Bone Hill’ in which have been found great numbers of human bones promiscuously heaped together. They are much decayed. Intermixed with them were discovered a number of flint arrow-heads.” (Ibid, page 31 – italics in the original)
In Genesee County the ruins of a large enclosure were discovered.
“It was called the ‘Bone Fort’ from the circumstance that the early settlers found within it a mound, six feet in height by thirty at the base, which was entirely made up of human bones slightly covered with earth. A few fragments of these bones, scattered over the surface, alone mark the site of the aboriginal sepulcher. The popular opinion concerning this accumulation is, that it contained the bones of the slain, thus heaped together after some severe battle.”
“There have also been discovered some heaps of small stones; which have been supposed to be the missiles of the ancient occupants of the hill, thus got together to be used in case of attack.” (Ibid, pages 66 and 69)
VIctor-New-York The “bone-pits” found in New York differ in one important way from burial grounds in the Mississippi Valley. Unlike those in Mississippi, the Cumorahland pits and mounds appear to be created in great haste. A mound near Greene Township, NY, near the Chenango River was discovered and excavated.
“Great numbers of human bones were found ; and beneath them, at a greater depth, others were found which had evidently been burned. No conjecture could be formed of the number of bodies deposited here. The skeletons were found lying without order, and so much decayed as to crumble on exposure. At one point in the mound a large number, perhaps two hundred, arrowheads were discovered, collected in a heap. They were of the usual form, and of yellow or black flint.” (ibid, pages 47 and 48)
The End of Two Great Nations The Book of Mormon tells of two great battles of genocide that took place in Cumorahland, the Jaredites and centuries later the Nephites. Could the two layers of burials described above be evidence of the end of these great civilizations?
In a previous article, we discussed the bones, arrowheads, and weapons that continue to be found in the Finger Lakes region of New York. There are many contemporary firsthand accounts of massive graves throughout the area known as Cumorahland. Students of the Book of Mormon looking for evidence of the great battles of the Jaredites and the Nephites can look in the Land of Many Waters in Upstate New York.
Where are the bones and steel? “In short, a bone is a living, self-maintaining, self-repairing organ—not an inert, cement-like substance that would tend to passively disintegrate with the passage of time. Bone is quite resistant to degradation but will eventually be broken down by physical breaking, decalcification, and dissolution. The rate at which bone is degraded, however, is highly dependent on its surrounding environment. When soil is present, its destruction is influenced by both abiotic (water, temperature, soil type, and pH) and biotic (fauna and flora) agents.” Ken Saladin, Textbook author, human anatomy and physiology.
How long for a sword to decompose: “It mostly depends on where it’s been stored. Wood, leather and iron materials don’t do well with moisture. If left in the rain or in a moist humid place, after a few months The sword will be completely worthless. Is long as it’s kept in a dry relatively clean location away from scavengers, years. Most iron swords are found under the dirt or mud where they fell during battle, and are completely useless by the time they are found. The metal would survive intact the longest, and if the location is wet it’s best for to be either underground or underwater completely. Trust is a byproduct of oxidation, and water speeds up the process. Underwater the oxygen available is limited to whatever is suspended in water, so counterintuitively it’s better to be at the bottom of the lake then laying in a puddle.” Greg Pavelka, Biomedical Technician
Bone Heaps on the Genesee River
“My flats were cleared before I saw them; and it was the opinion of the oldest Indians that were at Genishau, at the time that I first went there, that all the flats on the Genesee river were improved before any of the Indian tribes ever saw them. I well remember that soon after I went to Little Beard’s Town, the banks of Fall-Brook were washed off, which left a large number of human bones uncovered. The Indians then said that those were not the bones of Indians, because they had never heard of any of their dead being buried there; but that they were the bones of a race of men who a great many moons before, cleared that land and lived on the flats”. A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison Author: James E. Seaver 1823 Chapter VII page 61
“About three hundred acres of my land, when I first saw it, was open flats, lying on the Genesee River, which it is supposed was cleared by a race of inhabitants who preceded the first Indian settlements in this part of the country. The Indians are confident that many parts of this country were settled and for a number of years occupied by people of whom their fathers never had any tradition, as they never had seen them. Whence those people originated, and whither they went, I have never heard one of our oldest and wisest Indians pretend to guess. When I first came to Genishau, the bank of Fall Brook had just slid off and exposed a large number of human bones, which the Indians said were buried there long before their fathers ever saw the place; and that they did not know what kind of people they were. It however was and is believed by our people, that they were not Indians.” A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison Author: James E. Seaver 1823 Chapter IX
See Mary Jameson (Gardeau) on the Genesee River below.
To satisfy the critic who believes the archaeological record of Western New York is complete, with no anomalies, we offer the fact that large bones, i.e. GIANTS were discovered there, which leaves a gapping hole in the status quo:
Some skeletons, almost entire have been exhumed, many of giant size, not less than seven to eight feet in length. (O. Turner, Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York, p. 35)
Human bones of gigantic proportions were discovered in such a state of preservation as to be accurately described and measured. The cavities of the skulls were large enough in their dimensions to receive the entire head of a man of modern times, and could be put on one’s head with as much ease as a hat or cap. (Harvery Rice, Pioneers of the Western Reserve, p. 303)
Erie County has yielded a vast store of ancient monuments, including many giant skeletons, spear points, war hatchets, and other weapons that seem too large for an average sized man to wield. Bones of “giant size” have been uncovered. (C. H. Johnson, History of Erie County, p. 124)
In 1922 “on the Rose farm, one half mile from Mormon Hill” a number of large skeletons, stone implements, copper ornaments, a copper axe of unusual type, and other articles were found. At this historic spot were found “many of unusual physique, tall, long-limbed, finely formed skulls, teeth finely shaped.” (Fred Haughton, Seneca Nation, p. 48)
Brine lists “large skulls” among the skeletons he examined. (Lindsay Brine, American Indians, – Their Ancient Earthworks, p. 97)
In the position of the skeletons, there was none of the signs of ordinary Indian burial; but evidences that the bodies were thrown in promiscuously, and at the same time. The conjecture might well be indulged that it had been the theatre of a sanguinary battle, terminating in favor of the assailants, and a general massacre, A thigh bone of unusual length, was preserved for a considerable period by a physician of Lockport, and excited much curiosity. (Turner, p. 27)
Were there giants in the Book of Mormon, if so, where?
Jaredites in the Land Northward:
And the brother of Jared being a LARGE and mighty man…(Ether 1:34)
And they were LARGE and mighty men as to the strength of men. (Ether 15:26)
Zarahemlaites in the Land Southward:
And they came down again that they might pitch battle against the Nephites. And they were led by a man whose name was Coriantumr; and he was a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was a dissenter from among the Nephites; and he was a LARGE and a mighty man. (Helaman 1:15)
Only Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw the three items in the stone box at Cumorah. The Gold Plates, The Breastplate and the Urim and Thummim, also called Interpreters, or “The Key”. Lucy Mack Smith saw the breastplate and the glasses at her home, as Joseph let her see and hold them both, as they were wrapped in a thin cloth where she describes them in detail below.NO ONE ELSE saw all three instruments!
What are the “two stones crossways?
“The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them” (Joseph Smith—History 1:52). See blog below, about either 2 stones crossways, or 3 three Pillars, or 4 Pillars, mentioned as what the gold plates rested on, while in the stone box. See three historical accounts of these pillars here; https://bookofmormonevidence.org/plates-laid-on-2, 3, or-4-pillars/
Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have received a spiritual witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it is a second witness with the Bible as a Testament of Jesus Christ.
There is a difference of opinion with some members of the Church however, about the method of translation of the Book of Mormon by the Prophet Joseph Smith, but all active members of the Church believe the Book of Mormon was translated by the “Gift and Power of God” as I do as well.
Scriptural Evidence vs Theorists New Narrative!
The Church and its Prophet and Apostles have not determined what the specific method of translation was, as just knowing the doctrine of the Church that the Book of Mormon is the word of God is most important, which I am in total agreement with. The Church is very supportive of anyone to have their own opinion about what instrument or method that Joseph Smith used. That is the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are blessed with knowing the Doctrine’s of the Lord’s Church through Prophets and Apostles, but on non-doctrinal issues, or our personal opinions we have our freedom to choose. Personal Revelation is critical.
No one except Joseph, Oliver and Lucy Mack Smith have ever seen the breastplate or the spectacles, so researchers could only share what their interpretation is of the information they have found. Many historians rarely look outside their bubble, and there is always a hat or a rock nearby, so that makes it easy to demonstrate. Many historians also like to come up with new theories. Our Prophet has re-shared many things which many historians have shared with him as what they believe to be true, although it is just their opinions. That’s why the Brethren don’t say exactly how the translation happened as it is not revelation, so it really doesn’t concern them. I suppose it shouldn’t matter to most of us, as the spiritual confirmation that Joseph used the gift and power of God is the best answer. However, I enjoy searching for additional answers as Moroni said, “ye may know the truth of all things.”
The stone in the hat is not a fact, but many historians and Church videos show it as the “New Narrative.”Nowhere in the scriptures does it even speak about it. Church Historians have developed consensus in their progressive thoughts, and they don’t like the traditionalist view. It’s just like the opinion that there is consensus that man causes global warming, so the intellectuals all agree on their non-provable THEORY.
The stone in a hat is a theory. Our scriptures tell us many times Joseph used “these two stones fastened to a breastplate” JSH 1:35.And Oliver Cowdery in scripture said, “Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.” JSH 1:75n. Latter-day Saints who testify that the Scriptures are true, should be able to agree that Joseph used those items which were in the stone box at the Hill Cumorah. Plates, Breastplate, and Interpreters. Joseph’s witness is powerful. I don’t believe David Whitmer, Martin Harris or Emma Smith as they have been quoted below that Joseph used a stone in a hat. Not according to the scriptures.
Joseph Smith said again, “I obtained them [gold plates], and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates; and thus came the Book of Mormon.” (History of the Church, 3:28)
Opinion of our Prophet, not Doctrine
Some members have a difficult time as the see the video of President Nelson showing a demonstration of using a hat. Speaking about the method of Translation President Russell M. Nelson said, in that video, at the 3:30 mark the following: “Quite miraculous really, we have through the gift and power of God, we have a lot of suggestions about how it was done…” President Nelson also in this video demonstrated with a hat in his hand and spoke about the possible use of, as he said, “Urim and Thummim Seer Stones” as he is quoted as saying in the video titled. “The Book of Mormon Is Tangible Evidence of the Restoration. (Link Here) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2020-05-0290-the-book-of-mormon-is-tangible-evidence-of-the-restoration?lang=eng&collectionId=9e790dc7ca744028bf6f1e1e4676fd60 The method of Translation is not a question about doctrine, but about belief or opinion, as our Prophet clearly said, “Quite miraculous really, we have through the gift and power of God, ‘we have a lot of suggestions’ about how it was done.” This means Pres Nelson was suggesting “one” way it may have happened, not “the” way it happened. He has obviously had historians tell him how it may have been done. You can’t find even one scripture that mentions a stone in a hat, but there are many that mention the two stones and a breastplate. I believe the scriptures. See, JSH 1:35,52,62,75*; Mosiah 28:13, 20; Ether 3:22-23; 4:5; Alma 37:21, 24-25
The details of this miraculous method of translation are still not fully known
Art left by Anne Marie Oborn. She shows the proper method of translation.
Elder Russell M. Nelson said this. “As Oliver Cowdery testified a few years later: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated *… the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’ (JS—H 1:75n. The details of this miraculous method of translation are still not fully known. Yet we do have a few precious insights. David Whitmer wrote” Quote from Elder Nelson.
[Elder Nelson then quotes David Whitmer, but why quote David? David was not present at the translation and neither was Martin and Emma never saw the method of translation.] They all just guessed because Joseph did have a type of stone, but Joseph did not use that single stone to translate. No where in the scriptures does it mention Joseph using a stone in a hat to translate. See JSH 1:35 for scriptural confirmation that Joseph used “these stones fastened to a breastplate” to translate.
First Anti-Mormon Book Lies about the Translation
On page 18, which you can read here,Mormonism Unvailed acknowledges two alternative explanations of the translation. The first involved the seer stone (which the book calls a “peep stone”) that Joseph put in a hat to read off the words that appeared. Setting aside the sarcasm of this passage, we can see that the first paragraph below is what our revisionist Church historians are teaching today (although they claim Joseph saw a group of words instead of a single word at a time).
“The translation finally commenced. They were found to contain a language not now known upon the earth, which they termed “reformed Egyptian characters.” The plates, therefore, which had been so much talked of, were found to be of no manner of use. After all, the Lord showed and communicated to him [Joseph] every word and letter of the Book. Instead of looking at the characters inscribed upon the plates, the prophet was obliged to resort to the old ”peep stone,” which he formerly used in money-digging. This he placed in a hat, or box, into which he also thrust his face. Through the stone he could then discover a single word at a time, which he repeated aloud to his amanuensis, who committed it to paper, when another word would immediately appear, and thus the performance continued to the end of the book.” Mormonism Unveiled page 18
Here is the truth about the translation from the article, The Process of Translating the Book of Mormonby Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) and Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
“The testimony of David Whitmer, which is laid forth below, clearly contradicts the principles established by the Lord in this revelation. It is also at odds with the testimonies of both Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. In our judgment, Mr. Whitmer is not a reliable source on this matter. We are entirely respectful of and grateful for the testimony to which he appended his name as one of the three witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and its divine origin. That, however, does not make him a competent witness to the process of translation. We too, like countless others, are competent witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Our knowledge of how it was translated, however, is limited to that which has come through the channels ordained by the Lord for that purpose.
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Joseph Fielding McConkie, and Craig J. Ostler continue, “As to David Whitmer’s explanation, it should be remembered that he never looked into the Urim and Thummim nor translated anything. His testimony of how the Book of Mormon was translated is hearsay. Spanning a period of twenty years (1869-1888), some seventy recorded testimonies about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon claim David Whitmer as their source. Though there are a number of inconsistencies in these accounts, David Whitmer was repeatedly reported to have said that after the loss of the 116 pages, the Lord took both the plates and the Urim and Thummim from the Prophet, never to be returned. In their stead, David Whitmer maintained, the Prophet used an oval-shaped, chocolate-colored seer stone slightly larger than an egg. Thus, everything we have in the Book of Mormon, according to Mr. Whitmer, was translated by placing the chocolate-colored stone in a hat into which Joseph would bury his head so as to close out the light. While doing so he could see “an oblong piece of parchment, on which the hieroglyphics would appear,” and below the ancient writing, the translation would be given in English. Joseph would then read this to Oliver Cowdery, who in turn would write it. If he did so correctly, the characters and the interpretation would disappear and be replaced by other characters with their interpretation (Cook, David Whitmer Interviews, 115, 157-58).
Seer Stone depicted in 2015 Ensign
Such an explanation is, in our judgment, simply fiction created for the purpose of demeaning Joseph Smith and to undermine the validity of the revelations he received after translating the Book of Mormon. We invite the reader to consider the following: First, for more than fifty years David Whitmer forthrightly rejected Joseph Smith, declaring him to be a fallen prophet. Though he never denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon, he rejected virtually everything else associated with the ministry of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel. His rejection included both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, which were restored during the time the Book of Mormon was being translated and, of course, the revelations which would eventually constitute the Doctrine and Covenants… Finally, the testimony of David Whitmer simply does not accord with the divine pattern. If Joseph Smith translated everything that is now in the Book of Mormon without using the gold plates, we are left to wonder why the plates were necessary in the first place. The Process of Translating the Book of Mormonby Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) and Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)
Seer Stone V. Urim and Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial! by Hannah Stoddard said, “Joseph definitely had and was using the Urim & Thummim in Fayette. One example is the revelation calling the Three Witnesses. According to Joseph’s account, that revelation was given through the Urim and Thummim.
See the Joseph Smith Papers below about the proper translation and other Revelations Joseph used the Urim and Thummin.
1 Behold I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the brother of Jared on the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the red sea; and it is by <your> faith that you shall obtain a view of them; even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
2 And after that you have obtained faith and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them by the power of God; and this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith jr, may not be destroyed, that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work. And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith Jr has seen them, for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith: and he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true. 3 Wherefore you have received the same power, and the same faith, and the same gift like unto him; and if you do these last commandments of mine, which I have given you, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; for my grace is sufficient for you: and you shall be lifted up at the last day.— And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring my righteous purposes unto the children of men. A[men. ] [HC 1:53]39
Not many days after the above commandment was given, we four, viz Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in this revelation; that they should have a view of the pl[ates] &c[.]40 we accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr Whitmer’s [house],41 to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith, to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of those promises. According to previous arrangement, I commenced by vocal prayer to our Heavenly Father and was followed by each of the rest in succession; we did not yet however obtain any answer or manifestation of the divine favour in our behalf. We again observed the same order of prayer each calling on and praying fervently to God in rotation; but with the same result as before. Upon this our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he would withdraw himself from us, believing as he expressed himself that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished for: He accordingly withdrew from us, and we knelt down again, and had not been [p. 24]
Other headings in the D&C also claim they were given through the Urim & Thummim.
History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834]
In the meantime, David, John, and Peter Whitmer Jr became our zealous friends and assistants in the work; And being anxious to know their respective duties, and having desired with much earnestness that I should enquire of the Lord concerning them, I did so, through the means of the Urim and Thummim and obtained for them in succession the folowing Revelations.
1 A great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto the children of men: behold I am God, and give heed to my word, which is quick [HC 1:49] and powerful, sharper than a two edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow: therefore give heed unto my word. 2 Behold the field is white already to harvest, therefore whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God: yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God: therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.
David Whitmer
3 Seek to establish bring forth and establish my Zion. Keep my commandments in all things, and if you keep my commandments, and endure to the end, you shall have eternal life; which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.
4 And it shall come to pass, that if you shall ask the father in my name, in faith believing, you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see; and also, that you may declare repentance unto this generation. 5 Behold I am Jesus Christ the son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, a light which cannot be hid in darkness: wherefore, I must bring forth the fulness of my gospel from the Gentiles unto the house of Israel. And behold thou art David, and thou art called to assist: which thing if ye do, and are faithful ye shall be blessed both spiritually and temporally, and great shall be your reward. Amen.
1 Hearken my servant John, and listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer, for behold I speak unto you with sharpness and with power, for mine arm is over all the earth, and I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone: for many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of most worth unto you.
2 Behold, blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have given [p. 22]
As Emma is writing, she cannot see the plates, spectacles nor the breastplate which were, as Lucy Mack Smith said, “constantly upon his person.” Joseph’s view. As you can see Emma’s view of the plates, spectacles and breastplate [under Joseph’s shirt] would be hidden.
Moroni, who deposited the plates in a hill in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, being dead and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were, and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them, and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates; and thus came the Book of Mormon. (History of the Church, 3:28)
These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God. (“The Wentworth Letter,” History of the Church, 4:536-541)
[T]he fact is, that by the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which was lost to the world, in which wonderful event I stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries, with a new revelation, which (if they would receive the everlasting Gospel,) would open the eyes of more than eight hundred millions of people, and make “plain the old paths,” wherein if a man walk in all the ordinances of God blameless, he shall inherit eternal life. (History of the Church, 6:74-77)
Oliver Cowdery (Eyewitness to the Events)
These were days never to be forgotten to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated, with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, “Interpreters,” the history or record called “The book of Mormon.” (Messenger and Advocate, 1:14)
I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, “holy interpreters.” I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “holy interpreters.” (as cited in Joseph Fielding Smith, Restoration of All Things, 113)
[2nd-hand account]. Oliver Cowdery, one of the three witnesses to the book, testified under oath [during the June 1830 Colesville trials], that said Smith found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates. (Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, 9 April 1831; see online account. Note: that this is quoted by an unbeliever, in an antagonistic magazine, in a spirit of incredulity adds to the force of Oliver’s statement)
The Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, & David Whitmer)
[We], through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. (“Testimony of the Three Witnesses”)
Yes, but we must live and follow the Lords commandments and allow His Atonement into our lives. We must STRIVE daily and perfection is possible, but we must not have hard heads and seek after comfortable gods.
Hard Heads
“There has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions” Joseph Smith, Jr. (January 21, 1844, History of the Church, 6:184-85
Comfortable gods
“Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.
Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?” The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 2014
Secondary Evidence
I think there is importance when the Prophet and Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brethren are being neutral on geography, evolution and other difficult issues. They want us to gain our own witness to secondary information. They have given us sound doctrine and that is what we should focus on. I know through the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. However, I love to seek for other truth like secondary evidence, as Moroni has said “I may know the truth of all things.” Are you willing to seek diligently for difficult answers, or continue to simply listen to prophets and other leaders, and wait to be told what to believe? What about personal revelation?
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America as Elder Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012.
The Constitution was created by the Lord, Adam and Eve were placed on this same land and the New Jerusalem will be on this same land of the United States of America. No need for me to check out Mesoamerica anymore as I did for 40 years.
What do the scriptures tell us about this Constitution [D&C 101:79] and this land of Promise? “For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.” Ether 13:2-4 [What Land? The United States of America near Independence Missouri according to scripture]
Just like evolution. I don’t believe we came from an ape and I know that matter cannot come from nothing. I don’t have to look into science to figure this out, but by the witness of what the scriptures tell us.
I don’t expect President Nelson to come right out and tell me where the Book of Mormon events happened, or if we came from an ape, I know through sound reasoning the answer that makes most sense to me. Now if the Brethren say otherwise, I would always listen to them first, and then seek personal revelation about it, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on secondary evidence that exists, to help each of us individually come to a knowledge of the “truth of all things” by personal revelation, as promised in the Book of Mormon. I don’t need to be commanded in all things!
Be Ye Therefore Perfect
I am perfect in my belief that Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York, and the final battles took place near that same hill. This is a great part of my testimony with the spirit of personal revelation assisting my beliefs.
Of course we have heard, the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. When will be become righteous enough to become a ressurrected being living with the Savior again? As recorded in “Life Everlasting by Duane Crowther it says, “I was told that the Prophet Joseph Smith has his body, as also his brother Hyrum, and that as soon as I could do more with my body than I could do without it, my body would be resurrected.” (Peter E. Johnson, The Relief Society Magazine, op. cit., Vol. VII, pp. 451-452.) page 244 .
Just when will we learn to do more with our body than we could do without? That is a long and steady progression speaking for most of us today. As it says in the Bible, “Everlearning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7
Yet, can we become perfect in this life? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” Ephesians 4:13, and in Matthew 5:48 it says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Is it then possible to become perfect?
With diligence, patience, and divine aid, we can obey the Lord’s command to be perfect.
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.” [Genesis 17:1.]
Lorenzo Snow said, “We ought to feel in our hearts that God is our Father, and that while we make mistakes and are weak yet if we live as nearly perfect as we can all will be well with us.”
“We may think that we cannot live up to the perfect law, that the work of perfecting ourselves is too difficult. This may be true in part, but the fact still remains that it is a command of the Almighty to us and we cannot ignore it. When we experience trying moments, then is the time for us to avail ourselves of that great privilege of calling upon the Lord for strength and understanding, intelligence and grace by which we can overcome the weakness of the flesh against which we have to make a continual warfare…
When the Latter-day Saints received the gospel in the nations afar, and when the voice of the Almighty to them was, to leave the lands of their fathers, to leave their kindred as Abraham did, so far as they complied with this requirement, so far they were walking in obedience to this law, and they were as perfect as men could be under the circumstances and in the sphere in which they were acting, not that they were perfect in knowledge or power, etc.; but in their feelings, in their integrity, motives and determination. And while they were crossing the great deep, providing they did not murmur nor complain, but obeyed the counsels which were given them and in every way comported themselves in a becoming manner, they were as perfect as God required them to be…
The Lord designs to bring us up into the celestial kingdom. He has made known through direct revelation that we are His offspring, begotten in the eternal worlds, that we have come to this earth for the special purpose of preparing ourselves to receive a fulness of our Father’s glory when we shall return into His presence. Therefore, we must seek the ability to keep this law to sanctify our motives, desires, feelings and affections that they may be pure and holy and our will in all things be subservient to the will of God, and have no will of our own except to do the will of our Father. Such a man in his sphere is perfect, and commands the blessing of God in all that he does and wherever he goes.
But we are subject to folly, to the weakness of the flesh and we are more or less ignorant, thereby liable to err. Yes, but that is no reason why we should not feel desirous to comply with this command of God, especially seeing that he has placed within our reach the means of accomplishing this work. This I understand is the meaning of the word perfection, as expressed by our Savior and by the Lord to Abraham.
A person may be perfect in regard to some things and not others. A person who obeys the word of wisdom faithfully is perfect as far as that law is concerned. When we repented of our sins and were baptized for the remission of them, we were perfect as far as that matter was concerned…
One of the chief difficulties that many suffer from is, that we are too apt to forget the great object of life, the motive of our Heavenly Father in sending us here to put on mortality, as well as the holy calling with which we have been called; and hence, instead of rising above the little transitory things of time, we too often allow ourselves to come down to the level of the world without availing ourselves of the divine help which God has instituted, which alone can enable us to overcome them. We are no better than the rest of the world if we do not cultivate the feeling to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.” Lorenzo Snow Study Manual, Becoming Perfect before the Lord: “A Little Better Day by Day” Lesson 6
Can You?
…be a perfect tithe payer?
…never cheat on your spouse?
…never lie?
…pray regularly?
…obey your temple covenants?
…brush your teeth daily?
…never speak ill of your spouse?
…read the book of Mormon daily?
…always partake of the sacrament worthily?
…repent daily?
You are on your way to perfection!
Hugh Nibley said, “Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting, he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stair’s facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and this is what determines whether we are good or bad.” Hugh Nibley Approaching Zion, pg. 301-302
The King James Old Testament refers to the Urim and Thummim in only seven passages. 
Lucy Mack Smith said, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings Lucy. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.” I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record…. That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)
“A revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as “a branch of his calling” as a prophet. Although the major portion of the work was completed by July 1833, he continued to make modifications while preparing a manuscript for the press until his death in 1844, and it is possible that some additional modifications would have been made had he lived to publish the entire work. Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime. “The translation process was a learning experience for the Prophet, and several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (and also other revelations that are not published in the Doctrine and Covenants) were received in direct consequence of the work (D&C 76–77; 91). Also, specific instruction pertaining to the translation is given in D&C 37:1; 45:60–61; 76:15–18; 90:13; 94:10; 104:58; 124:89. The book of Moses and the 24th chapter of Matthew (JS—M), contained in the Pearl of Great Price, are actual excerpts from the JST. Many excerpts from the JST are also given in the appendix and footnotes in the edition of the KJV that accompanies this dictionary. The JST to some extent assists in restoring the plain and precious things that have been lost from the Bible (see 1 Ne. 13–14). Although not the official Bible of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the JST offers many interesting insights and is an invaluable aid to biblical interpretation and understanding. It is a most fruitful source of useful information for the student of the scriptures. It is likewise a witness for the divine calling and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/joseph-smith-translation?lang=eng
“While looking over our copy of a large English Book of Martyrs, he (Josoeph Smith) expressed sympathy for the Christian martyrs and a hope for their salvation. He asked to borrow the book, promising to return it when he should meet us again in Missouri.
The summer of 1828 had been a traumatic one for the Smith family. On June 15, Joseph and Emma, then living in Harmony, Pennsylvania, near Emma’s parents, lost their firstborn child, a son named Alvin, who died shortly after his birth. For two weeks, Joseph nursed Emma, who seemed “for some time,” wrote Lucy, “more like sinking with her infant into the mansion of the dead, than remaining with her husband among the living.” With Emma slowly recovering, Joseph traveled to the Smith farm in Manchester, New York, only to discover that Martin Harris had lost the 116 transcribed pages of the Book of Mormon. The entire family was plunged into despair, and when Joseph departed for Harmony, Lucy wrote, “We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that all which we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratification, had in a moment fled, and fled for ever.”[5] About two months later, apparently in late August or early September, Joseph Sr. and Lucy traveled to Harmony because they had heard nothing from Joseph and were worried about him. To their surprise, he met them “with a countenance blazing with delight.”[6] Although the plates and the Urim and Thummim had been taken from Joseph, they had now been restored because of his penitence. He had also received a revelation (now section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants) in which the Lord told Joseph that he was “still chosen” and “again called to the work” (v. 10). Furthermore, reported Joseph, “the angel said that the Lord would send me a scribe, and I trust his promise will be verified.”[7] Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. NOTES [5] Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool, England: S. W. Richards, 1853), 122. [6] Lucy Mack Smith, Preliminary Manuscript [1844–45], Church History Library, in Anderson, Lucy’s Book, 424. [7] Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126. Reconstructing a precise chronology for this time period is problematic because of differences in Joseph Jr.’s and Lucy Mack Smith’s accounts. Joseph said that “immediately” after his return to Harmony, in July 1828, the heavenly messenger returned the Urim and Thummim (which had been taken in consequence of Joseph “having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings”). Joseph then received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 3 through the Urim and Thummim. “After I had obtained the above revelation,” recorded Joseph, “both the plates, and the Urim and Thummin were taken from me again, but in a few days they were returned to me” (Joseph Smith, Manuscript History of the Church, Book A-1, Joseph Smith Papers, Church History Library [hereafter “Manuscript History”], in Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996–2003], 1:73).
“Lucy, on the other hand, said in one portion of her reminiscences that the Urim and Thummim was returned on September 22, 1828, and that sometime after that, she and her husband visited Joseph (see Smith, Biographical Sketches, 126). Complicating the matter even further, she said in another part of her history that “nearly two months” had passed when she and Joseph Sr. decided to go to Harmony. Since Joseph apparently returned to Pennsylvania the first week of July, such reckoning places Joseph Sr. and Lucy’s trip south around the beginning of September rather than at the end of the month. I believe Lucy was simply mistaken about the September 22 date and that the plates and Urim and Thummim were returned to Joseph in July and that his parents visited early in September, arriving back in Manchester on or before September 11, the date when Gain C. Robinson visited the Smith family and charged Joseph Sr. for medicine (see note 10). This is one of a number of instances where a third-party account confirms details of Lucy Mack Smith’s history—rather impressive considering the fact that she dictated it in 1844–45.” Larry E. Morris, “The Conversion of Oliver Cowdery,” in Days Never to Be Forgotten: Oliver Cowdery, ed. Alexander L. Baugh (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 15–49. See additional blog here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/abinadi-foxes-book-of-martyrs/
An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth.
SAINTS, volume 1 leaves out the word “Cumorah” and instead uses the narrative calling Cumorah, a hill, or the hill. In the index under the title, “hill” it lists the following pages where “hill” in used, not Cumorah. See index under, hill (Cumorah) page 22, 24, 25, 29, 34
![“The Lord Permits them [Lamanites] to Chasten Us” 1866](https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/kickapoo-indian-almanac.jpg)
This article by John Lefgren is an amazing explanation of the bridge between the Old and New worlds. I challenge each reader to investigate and ask these amazing people more questions about their research and how they are instuments in the hand of God to wake up the world to wonderful truth that the world has not known before.
John Lefgren wrote, “Fortunately, for our purposes, there are many biblical people who were contemporaries at the height of Carthage’s sea power at the time of Hanno the Navigator. The story of PHOENICIA connects with the great stories of the ancient world. All in the same generation, there are so many people who were living at the early part of the sixth century before Christ. There was Necho II, the great Pharaoh of Egypt, who commissioned Phoenician ships to sail around Africa. There was Admiral Hanno whose navy and ships made Carthage the richest city in the Ancient World. There was Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Jewish Bible. In Jerusalem, there was Zedekiah, the Last King of the Jews. There was King Nebuchadnezzar who was a prominent figure in the Ancient World, appearing in the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and Ezra. Indeed, some have calculated that as much as twenty percent of the verses of the Old Testament are associated with this generation of time. These are the connecting points across an ocean six centuries before Christ from King Zedekiah in Jerusalem to his youngest son, Mulek, in the New Work.
The dream tells of five distinct periods: (1) the gold head represents Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, 606 BC; (2) the silver arms represent the Persians, 538 BC; (3) the brass thighs represent the Greeks, 330 BC; (4) the iron legs represent the Romans, 146 BC; and (5) the iron mixed with clay represents Roman provinces, AD 1453. The climax of the King’s dream was when the Kingdom of God was cut out of the mountain without hands rolling down to consume the kingdoms of the earth.
God gave Daniel the ability to interpret the King’s dreams when no one else could. Despite the interpretation of his dream by Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar would conquer the Kingdom of Judah and the King’s captain would order the burning of Solomon’s Temple on Sunday, July 24th on the 10th Day of Av in the Hebrew Calendar in our year of 587 BC. The First Temple continued to burn throughout the night and into the following day. This burning was a major turning point for the history of the Jews.
Thesis: The Mulekites c. 589 BC may have landed at the Gulf of America by the Mississippi River, and continued up the Mississippi and settled upriver at Montrose, IA or Zarahemla. (D&C 125:3) The Mulekites had always remained at their first location when Mosiah found them. Omni 1:16 “And they journeyed in the wilderness and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” The Lehi Landing c. 591 BC or the Land of First Inheritance was possibly near Tallahassee Florida. Nephi could then travel up the Chattahoochee River to its source at Unicoi Gap, GA. The source of the Hiwassee River could then take the Nephites where the first temple may have been built in Chattanooga, TN.
PIERCE MOUND A (8FR14A) Location and Description The most spectacular mound at Pierce has been Mound A, mostly because Moore (1902:217-228) dug it thoroughly and recovered 99 burials and exotic and elaborate grave goods. He devoted the most pages to its description and clearly stated that it was the southwesternmost mound in the group, so it is unknown why later researchers thought it was one of the other mounds. Moore’s original field notes locate Mound A at the “edge of scrub” and say “to E & W md extends in sort of roadway,” a setting much changed, as it was recently in heavy forest and then cleared, with little evidence of a roadway. Moore said it was 8 feet high, 96 feet east-west and 76 feet north-south, implying an oval, which is indeed its shape in the unpublished notes. He referred to the “summit plateau” as 40 x 34 feet but much broadened “to prepare for interments made in recent times “– a statement with no explanation. It is hard to believe he would be allowed to dig in a cemetery with recent graves.”
Fine Tupelo is more expensive because it cost more to produce this excellent specialty honey. To gain access to the river locations where the honey is produced requires expensive labor and equipment. In order to get fine, unmixed Tupelo honey, colonies must be stripped of all stores just as the white Tupelo bloom begins. The bees must have clean combs in which to place the Tupelo honey. Then the new crop must be removed before it can be mixed with additional honey sources. The timing of these operations are critical and years of experience are needed to produce a fine product that will certify as Tupelo honey.
Summary:
Dighton Rock 1856
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Narragansett Rock or Pojac Point Rock.
Words that aren’t defined as the named instruments above:
Lucy Mack Smith
Mosiah Interprets the Jaredite Stone by 
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Abinadi confronted the wicked establishment—in the person of king Noah and his priests—single-handedly. The record gives no hint of any other prophet being present with whom he could share the burden of his ministry. 
In this paper I will deal with two general subjects. First, I will discuss the historical and circumstantial record of the man Abinadi—his life, ministry, and death. Second, I will discuss his doctrinal teachings. As we review these things, I invite you to think of the prophet Mormon, at the end of his nation’s struggles in the fourth century AD, searching what must have been by that time a wagonload of the large plates of Nephi and selecting those things of greatest worth to include in his abridged and summarized record. Mormon was not a freelance writer, but was called of God to prepare a record of his people. He was divinely appointed to be the editor and compiler of a sacred record that would deliver a specific message. We can be grateful that he was inspired to include the story and the teachings of the prophet Abinadi. The Book of Mormon would lack continuity, and a major part of its message would be missing, without the Abinadi portion.
The odd thing about this idea of using faggots, the only other thing BOMC says comes from North America information about Barley, which doesn’t come from Mesoamerica. In Book of Mormon Central’s own words they say “While the connection between Mesoamerica and Barley is not made, it would seem odd that trade of “principal crops” would take place without the trade of barley. Whether the trade came from Mesoamerica to Arizona, or the other way around, it would make sense that barley was part of the crop trade between the cultures. Why make a trade of major crops and not trade barley? They very well may have. But, because of the moisture content and acidity of the soil in Mesoamerica, it may be difficult to find “little barley” in archaeological digs in Central America.” 
Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
VIII. St. Mark
Illustration from a 1583 edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, showing Papists torturing Protestants, in this case by scraping their bodies with shells.
XII. Bartholomew
XIV. Luke
The “beloved disciple,” was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
XVII. Barnabas
In the early 1900’s the Church and many others believed the entire South America was the land South and where the Lamanites lived, and the entire North America was North and where the Nephites lived, and the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec or Panama, between the two Continents was the narrow neck of land. This was called the “Hemispheric Theory” [HM] of the Book of Mormon, which the Mesoamerican Theory people, and the Heartland Theory people, don’t believe any more. Both groups believe in the Hinterland Model of LM. [As shown in the map left. Most all under stand the events of the Book of Mormon could not be held in that large of an area as the entire Western Continent. Both sides agree that Lehi traveled from Jerusalem paralleling the Red Sea and then heading east at Nahom to Oman near Khar Kharfoot, where the first Land Bountiful was. The M2Cer, believes that Lehi traveled east by boat toward India and around the Pacific Ocean to land near Guatemala and spreading out in a Limited area surrounding Mexico near Guatemala. Heartlanders believe Lehi traveled SW from Oman sailing around Africa and landed in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee Florida [Both called Limited Models LM, or Hinterland Hypothesis].
DNA- We (Heartlanders) believe there is Hebrew DNA in many Native American Indians near the Great Lakes of the Algonquian and Iroquois tribes. Only Asian DNA has been found amongst the people of South, Central and Western America, such as amongst other Western Native Americans of the United States and Alaska. We believe most of those living in the South Pacific Islands are of Israelite blood, (Hagoth or Mixture of Joseph and Judah) We haven’t found Hebrew DNA markers for those in South and Central America. We have found DNA evidence of Natiive Americans in the Great Lakes area with Hebrew Haplogroup X, that is also found in the Jerusalem area. M2C believe the Asian DNA found in Central America is because the Asian population over took any Hebrew DNA that may have existed during the time of Lehi.
Iroquois Confederacy Leaders from five Iroquois nations (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca) assembled around Dekanawidah c. 1570, French engraving, early 18th century. From Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880-1881, edited by J.W. Powell, 1883
One Half Mile from Mormon Hill
2- Fort and stronghold site known as Fort hill 11/2 miles west of Boughton hill in an air line. This corresponds with DeNonville’s account of the ” picket fort at the top of a little mountain, scarped on all sides.” Some fifty years ago traces of the earthwork or palisaded bases were to be seen, but this wall has now been destroyed by cultivation.
In the 2015 Ensign
“There has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. 
“Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that 
I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America as Elder Perry said, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012.
Just when will we learn to do more with our body than we could do without? That is a long and steady progression speaking for most of us today. As it says in the Bible, “
Lorenzo Snow said, “We ought to feel in our hearts that God is our Father, and that while we make mistakes and are weak yet if we live 