A friend of mine named Glenn asked me this question, “If the New York Hill is the one spoken of by Joseph Smith, why does Mormon 6:6 state the plates for the Book of Mormon were not deposited in Cumorah?” I believe Glenn was asking me about Mormon 6:6 which says, “save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.” This led me into a thoughtful response I share below.
“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…Here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the Book of Mormon, you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. In this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites—once so highly favored of the Lord, but at that time in darkness, doomed to suffer extermination by the hand of their barbarous and uncivilized brethren. From the top of this hill, Mormon, with a few others, after the battle, gazed with horror upon the mangled remains of those who, the day before, were filled with anxiety, hope, or doubt.” Oliver Cowdery’s Letter VII Joseph Smith Papers “Letter VII,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, 1:155–159 .
“Many members of the Church believe the events in the Book of Mormon began in Mesoamerica and a “hill” somewhere in Mexico was “the hill” (maybe a hill like Cumorah in New York) where the majority of Jaredite and Nephites records were hidden. They do believe the plates found by Joseph Smith in New York were the ones translated to become today’s Book of Mormon. Most of these members however, also believe the final battles between the Nephites and Lamanites happened somewhere in Mexico and not in New York at what we call hill Cumorah. Here is what the heading in the Book of Mormon says in regard to Mormon 6:6. “The Nephites gather to the land of Cumorah for the final battles—Mormon hides the sacred records in the hill Cumorah” Heading chapter 6. These Mesoamericanists believe this heading refers to what happened in Mexico, not America.
We read Mormon 6:6 saying, “And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.” First if Mormon would “not suffer the records…to fall into the hands of the Lamanites…”, wouldn’t that include ANY records including “these few” plates that Moroni had left? Yes!
Let’s assume “all the records” were hid up in the hill Cumorah as Mormon says above, except the very few plates that Mormon had left and gave those to his son Moroni. Which few plates would those be? Possibly those plates that had not been written upon by Mormon so that Moroni could write upon those plates himself. We read in Mormon 8:1, “Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.” That probably means Mormon chapter 1-6 were written on plates by Mormon. The remainder of the few plates then would allow Moroni to write a “few things” in Mormon Chapter 8 and 9. Moroni then abridges the 24 plates of the Jaredites which he includes before he finishes writing on those “few plates” as we see in Ether chapter 1-15.
We sense it was not the complete record of the plates of Nephi, nor was it “all the records”, because we know Moroni also writes his final words in Moroni chapter 1 through 10 on some of those “few plates”, Mormon had left him, and then Moroni runs out of ore as recorded in Mormon 8:5 saying, “Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone.” Mormon 8:5
We know it had been 15 years since the death of Mormon as we read in Mormon 8:6 saying, “Behold, four hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.” That means Moroni on these few plates was writing Mormon 6 verses 8 and 9, and abridging the 24 Jaredite records, and writing his own words in Moroni chapter 1-10. Were the 24 Jaredite records abridged using the “few plates” Mormon had left him, or were the few plates only Mormon 6 verses 8-9, and the Book of Moroni?
@ 2 Depositories in One Hill Cumorah, NY
My conclusion: I believe there were two depositories at hill Cumorah in New York. One was called Cumorah’s Cave which had wagon loads (See Journal of Discourses, vol. 19, pp. 36-39 by Brigham Young) of Jaredite and Nephite records, along with the Sword of Laban, the Liahona, and many other sacred artifacts. But, the “few plates” Mormon gave to Moroni were added to the original plates of Nephi, as were the 24 Jaredite records, and then Moroni buried them all in the Stone Box at Cumorah not in the Cave of Cumorah.
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)
In relation to these records, Orson Pratt commented in 1873: “But will these things be brought to light? Yes. The records, now slumbering in the hill Cumorah, will be brought forth by the power of God, to fulfil the words of our text, that ‘the knowledge of God shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the deep.’” (Orson Pratt, May 18, 1873, in Journal of Discourses 16:57)
QUESTION: Was Joseph Smith literally taught by Gods and Angels?
QUICK ANSWER: Yes, well over 20 Prophets and Angels are said in scripture, and history, to have visited and taught Joseph.
SCRIPTURE: HC 6:50; D&C 135:3 D&C 107:53
SHORT ANSWER
“Joseph Smith’s six years of advanced training were anything but ordinary, for his tutors were celestial beings who taught eternal truths that would never change or become obsolete. Whereas much of man’s formal education is tentative, wrong, or outdated within a few years of graduation, Joseph said of his own education: “Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.” (History of the Church, 6:50.) This was the quality of the heavenly instruction Joseph Smith enjoyed…
How Many Personages Visited Joseph? “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 See Moroni—Joseph Smith’s Tutor
“Following is a list of some of the personages who appeared to Joseph Smith to restore priesthood keys, to deliver divine instructions, or to perform other functions. The sources History of the Church and Journal of Discourses are abbreviated as HC and JD. The Prophet Joseph communicated with other messengers who previously had lived righteously on earth, but the precise nature of these visits is not known. These personages include Seth, Isaac, Jacob, and the Jewish and Nephite Apostles [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiatic continent. see Journal of Discourses, 21:94]. In addition, Joseph Smith saw other angels in vision, some of whom are identified in recorded revelation (see, for example, D&C 107:53; compare History of the Church, 3:388).
It is not unrealistic to believe that Joseph Smith was visited over 50, maybe 75 times by special witnesses from God. I am confident that Joseph had to be taught with Spiritual Eyes, and in a non-physical way perhaps. I am confident that when Spirit teaches Spirit, it is far more effective than Spirit teaching flesh. Joseph had to be one of the most intelligent beings in the history of the World. He was literally taught by Gods and Angels.
I believe many LDS and Non-LDS academics love to promote the idea that Joseph was an uneducated and ignorant farm boy. It allows them to bring up ideas that seem more intellectual than Joseph, as they sometimes show our Prophets weaknesses in order to allow their theories to be more plausible.
John Sorensen who is one of the leaders of the Mesoamerican theory of geography of the Book of Mormon said, “What may startle some about this situation is that most of what Joseph Smith said or implied about geography indicates that he did not understand or was ambiguous about the fact, as it turns out, that Mesoamerica was the particular setting for Nephite history.
Until he encountered the Stephens’s book, Joseph gave no hint that he was aware that such a limited area with a distinctive civilized culture even existed in the Americas. Even with Stephens’s material in mind, he made no more than a passing attempt to relate the Book of Mormon’s story to the newly-found ruins. And in the long run, the little blip on the Latter-day Saints’ mental screen caused by the explorer’s book faded as the mistaken folk view reasserted its dominance.” John Sorenson Mormon’s Codex
It’s amazing to me that Mr. Sorensen can seem so confident as to what Joseph knew, believed or taught. I strongly disagree with Mr. Sorensen. Joseph Smith was taught by angels many times, and I believe I will take his words over any of the intellects of today.
DETAILED ANSWER: Joseph Taught by Angels and God’s about Geography
You can read all the quotes yourself below. It makes sense the answer to me is, the man who appears at the wagon carrying the knapsack on his back, was one of the Three Nephites, probably named Nephi. David and his mother Mary gave very similar descriptions at different times which is very conclusive to me.
John C. Whitmer’s 1878 account
As recorded by Andrew Jenson (see his Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia 1:283, Salt Lake City, Utah: 1901):
“I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi.
Edward Stevenson Accounts
“And an aged man about 5 feet 10, heavy set, and on his back an old fashioned army knapsackstrapped over his shoulders and something square in it, and he walked alongside of the wagon and wiped the sweat off his face, smiling very pleasantly. David asked him to ride and he replied, ‘I am going across to the Hill Cumorah.’ Edward Stevenson, Journal, Dec. 23, 1877 quoted in Richard L. Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1989), 30.
Tickets Now
“I wish to mention an Item of conversation with David Whitmer in regard to Seeing one of the Nephites, Zina Young, Desired me to ask about it. David Said, Oliver, & The Prophet, & I were riding in a wagon, & an aged man about 5 feet 10, heavy Set & on his back, an old fashioned Armey knapsackStrapped over his Shoulders & Something Square in it.” “Edward Stevenson Interview (1) 22-23 December 1877, Richmond, Missouri Diary of Edward Stevenson,” LDS Church Archives, Lyndon W. Cook, ed., David Whitmer Interviews, 1993, p. 13; also Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents, 2003, vol. v, p. 30
Anita Murdock Account
The reason she was interested in the Three Nephites, is because the same one stopped by their family home in Watertown, Jefferson, NY and taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ…
The family was having what we might call a family home evening one night, discussing scriptures and playing music, when they had a knock at their door, and when opened, they found a man dressed in old fashioned clothes, who said that he usually takes sequestered paths…
Joseph confirmed it was one of the three Nephites sent to prepare them to receive the gospel. Since Zina had spent an entire evening with one of the three Nephites, not a moment, but an entire night learning from him, you can imagine why she was so interested in this story. -Anita Murdock
David Whitmer Account
“It was the messenger who had the plates [of the Book of Mormon], who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony” David Whitmer to Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith in 1878 and in Andrew Jensen, Historical Record, p. 209), and in 1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 508
Jonathan Neville’s Account
“The simplest, historically justified explanation is that David told Zina and her family the story when he contacted them as a missionary. Zina remembered it and told Stevenson to ask David about it in 1877. Stevenson recorded it and wrote about it.” Jonathan Neville
Who is the messenger spoken of? One of the Three Nephites!
I have studied this part of Church History very thoroughly and I know Rod and Jonathan have as well. The story about the “messenger” who appeared at the Whitmer wagon with Joseph and Oliver riding, on their way to Fayette, and the story about the “Cave at Cumorah” that Joseph Smith entered many times. Both stories scream out truth which validates that Book of Mormon events happened in North America in my opinion.
Editors Account
These two stories make the events of the Book of Mormon happening in Mesoamerica as not likely. Showing two repositories of records at Hill Cumorah is significant. One depository is the Stone Box where the original gold plates were found by Joseph Smith, and a second depository in a different location in Hill Cumorah where wagons full of records were found. In this large cave was also the Sword of Laban and the Liahona which were not found with the gold plates and the Urim and Thummim. Both of these accounts have been published in Church History since 1923 in the Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary shown below.
If the Cave at Cumorah really existed (which it did, see page 47 Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary), there would be no reason for Moroni to walk all the way from Mesoamerica to NY to deposit the plates. In fact think about it. If there was a cave at Cumorah with wagon loads of plates (all Nephite and Jaredite records) and the sword of Laban and the Liahona, how would Moroni bring all of this back to the hill Cumorah in New York? Would he have made 5 or 6 trips of over 3,000 miles each way? My friend Val Chadwick Bagley illustrates that idea below that I asked him to draw. Before he drew the picture he believed the Meso story, but was soon converted after realizing the absurdity of these many trips to Mesoamerica and back to NY.
Art by Val Chadwick Bagley
Historical Information from Church History
The First Presidency in 1923 of Heber J Grant, Charles W. Penrose and Anthony W. Ivins and again in 1950 The Publication Committee of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee and Marion G. Romney, assigned by Pres George Albert Smith, approved some historical information from Church History (page 508 below) that has much to do with Book of Mormon Geography. The last edition of the commentary was also published in 1978 by Deseret Book and approved by Pres Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney.
Within this Commentary speaking about section 84, contains comments pertinent to Book of Mormon geography by telling the historical account by David Whitmer saying, “the messenger who had the plates [of the Book of Mormon], who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony.” Again I ask, who is the messenger spoken of? We report, you decide!
On page 508 of the The Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary (picture above) it says,
Approved commentary from 3 Presidencies
“The following anecdote, which was told by David Whitmer to Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith in 1878, may be retold here: When I was returning to Fayette, with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon. Oliver and I on an old- fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us — while traveling along in a clear open space, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of the wagon and saluted us with, ‘Good morning, it is very warm,’ at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and, by a sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if he was going our way; but he said very pleasantly, ‘No, I am going to Cumorah.’ This name was something new to me; I did not know what Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked around inquiringly of Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again. “Whitmer described his appearance and added, it was the messenger who had the plates [of the Book of Mormon], who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony”(Andrew Jensen, Historical Record, p. 209) 1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 508More Details at this blog
David Whitmer and the Messenger by Jonathan Neville
“Some people still dismiss David Whitmer’s account of the messenger taking the plates from Harmony to Cumorah before arriving in Fayette with the plates of Nephi.
I discussed this in 2016, but there are a lot of new readers who probably missed those posts so I’m posting updated versions of them here.
Note on Cumorah, David Whitmer and Zina Young
I realize the topic of Cumorah has been discussed a lot lately, but there are still people who claim the founding prophets and their successors were wrong when they taught that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in western New York. I’ve covered this topic in detail here. This post covers a new bit of information that’s always been available but a lot of people don’t know much about it.
If you’re new to this topic, it has to do with two of the Three Witnesses. Those who advocate the Mesoamerican/two Cumorah geography (M2C) reject Oliver Cowdery’s description of Cumorah in Letter VII. They also reject David Whitmer’s explanation of the first time he heard the word Cumorah (which he said was in June 1829, before he’d ever read the text, and he heard it from a heavenly messenger).
The rationale for rejecting David Whitmer’s testimony is that he supposedly never talked about it until 50 years after the fact, in interviews he gave to Edward Stevenson in 1877 and to Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt in 1878.
Here’s how one scholar articulated the argument:
Edward Stevensen
“The earliest possible connection between the New York hill and the Book of Mormon Cumorah comes from an 1878 interview with David Whitmer by Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith,… This report [the Whitmer interview] would be much more conclusive had it not been recorded nearly fifty years later. The passage of time and the accepted designation of “Cumorah” as the name of the New York hill by the time of the recollection argue against the second-hand report from Whitmer as being a definitive statement.”
There are all kinds of logical errors in that statement, but I’ve addressed those before. Today, I want to point out something in the Stevenson statement, taken from his contemporaneous journal.
I obtained a copy of Stevenson’s journal recently and here’s what his entry says:
Page from Stevenson journal
“I wish to mention an Item of conversation with David Whitmer in regard to Seeing one of the Nephites, Zina Young, Desired me to ask about it. David Said, Oliver, & The Prophet, & I were riding in a wagon, & an aged man about 5 feet 10, heavy Set & on his back, an old fashioned Armey knapsack Straped over his Shoulders & Something Square in it, & he walked alongside of the Wagon & Wiped the Sweat off his face, Smileing very Pleasant David asked him to ride and he replied I am going across to the hill Cumorah. Soon after they Passed they felt Strangeley and Stoped, but could see nothing of him all around was clean and they asked the Lord about it. He Said that the Prophet Looked as White as a Sheet & Said that it was one of the Nephites & that he had the plates.”*
Art by Brooke Mahlia Mann
Edward Stevenson was a general authority (one of the seven presidents of the Seventy). He was a well-known missionary (one of the MTC buildings is named after him). There’s no reason to doubt the credibility of his interview with David Whitmer.
What I find fascinating is that Zina Young asked Stevenson to ask David Whitmer about seeing one of the Nephites. That was the focus of the interview, not the Cumorah question.
Zina Young
This means that Zina had heard this story earlier.
Why Zina Young? And when could she have heard it? And from whom?
It could not have been from the interview with Joseph F. Smith, which occurred a year later.
Instead, the evidence indicates she heard it from David Whitmer directly!
Zina was born in 1821. Her family lived in Watertown, New York. In 1835, when she was 14 years old, two missionaries came to town: Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer. Hyrum baptized her on August 1, 1835. The family moved to Kirtland, and eventually to Far West, and then to Nauvoo along with most of the rest of the Saints. Zina married, had two children, and then also married Joseph Smith. After his death, she married Brigham Young. (That’s a topic for another day.)
David Whitmer left the Church in 1837-1838 and lived in Missouri for the rest of his life. Zina would have had no contact with him after about 1837, at the latest. If that’s the case, then she could only have heard the story from him between 1835 and 1837–just a few years after 1829, when David said the event happened.
Of course, modern Mesoamerican scholars will dispute this somehow, but the argument that David’s testimony is unreliable because it was 50 years late contradicts the Stevenson account.
Interestingly, Zina was also the one who inherited Joseph’s seer stone after Brigham Young died.
The simplest, historically justified explanation is that David told Zina and her family the story when he contacted them as a missionary. Zina remembered it and told Stevenson to ask David about it in 1877. Stevenson recorded it and wrote about it.
Then Joseph F. Smith asked David about it, and he reiterated his account of the event.
It’s not a 50-year-old story related from a feeble and tainted memory. It’s a retelling of an account related by a missionary to his investigators just a few years after the event. Other than to defend the M2C ideology, there’s no reason to cast doubt on the testimony of the Three Witnesses. ________________
David Whitmer
The bottom line is this: To accept M2C, you have to disbelieve two of the three main witnesses to the Book of Mormon: Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer. The M2C advocates seek to persuade you these two men were not reliable witnesses when it comes to the issue of Cumorah being in New York.
By contrast, to accept the North American setting (Moroni’s America or the Heartland), you fully embrace what these two men said.
*You can find this account in these references, although apparently not transcribed exactly: “Edward Stevenson Interview (1) 22-23 December 1877, Richmond, Missouri Diary of Edward Stevenson,” LDS Church Archives, Lyndon W. Cook, ed., David Whitmer Interviews, 1993, p. 13; also Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents, 2003, vol. v, p. 30._____
This post offers more detail on David Whitmer and Zina Young.
I’ve had some feedback on the previous post that there is no evidence Zina had heard about David Whitmer’s Cumorah experience from David himself. It’s true we don’t have written evidence of when she heard the story or from whom, but Stevenson’s journal shows Zina had heard it from somewhere before Stevenson visited Whitmer. That’s why she told Stevenson to ask Whitmer about it. I imagine the conversation being something such as this:
Zina: “You’re going to visit David Whitmer?” Stevenson: “I plan to. I hope he’ll see me.” Zina: “Ask him about the Nephite he met.” Stevenson: “He met a Nephite?” Zina (nodding): “And he was carrying the plates to the hill Cumorah because Joseph didn’t want the responsibility. David, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were riding in a wagon from Harmony to the Whitmer farm. He’ll tell you all about it.” Stevenson: “Sounds interesting.” Zina: “You should publish it when you get back.”
The M2C advocates who reject David’s testimony rely on the “late” retelling to Stevenson and Joseph F. Smith. Their objection is based on the premise that David’s experience hearing the term “Cumorah” for the first time occurred in 1829, but he did not tell the story before 1877. Certainly, 50 years after the fact could be considered late; each person has to assess that “lateness” in light of the detail of Whitmer’s account, the surprising and unusual circumstances (most people probably remember their first encounter with divine messengers), and the presence of Joseph and Oliver when the event occurred.
The Stevenson account undermines the “lateness” objection, however. Whether Zina heard the story directly from Whitmer in 1835, or heard it from someone else, the point is that she did hear it before Stevenson asked Whitmer about it. From his journal, we have to infer that Stevenson had not heard the story before.
There is no record of anyone knowing this story before Stevenson’s interview with David, except for Zina. So all the evidence we have suggests that before the interview, the only two people who knew the story were Zina and David (and Oliver and Joseph, if David’s testimony is to be believed, but Joseph and Oliver were dead by then).
And the only evidence we have of David and Zina interacting was when David and Hyrum Smith were missionary companions in 1835 in Watertown, NY, where Hyrum baptized her. [This is no minor point. David Whitmer didn’t go on a lot of missionary journeys. When you read Zina’s account, notice how she emphasizes how hard David worked to persuade her to get baptized. It seems reasonable to infer he tried everything he could, including his viewing of the golden plates as one of the Three Witnesses. In this context, his claim he saw one of the Nephites carrying the plates to Cumorah would naturally be another thing to bring up.
Later, Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt visited David Whitmer and elicited the same story from him. This suggests they first heard it when Stevenson published it (or told them about it).
Zina published an article, probably taken from parts of her journal we don’t otherwise have now, in the April 1893 issue of The Young Woman’s Journal. Titled “How I Gained my Testimony of the Truth,” the article gives details on how she joined the Church in 1835. It is available online here. In the next section, I show the relevant aspects of Zina’s article.
In the following summer Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer came to our house and stayed several days. Father and mother had been baptized in the April of that same year, but neither myself nor my sister were baptized.
David Whitmer persuaded me to be baptized while they were at our home, but some way I did not accept his offer. I had told my sister-in-law, Fanny Huntingdon, that when she was baptized I would go with her.
The morning for the departure of these men from our house arrived, and I had not as yet become a member of the Church. That morning, a short time before they were to start, Hyrum Smith’s cousin rode up with a message that they could not leave that day, as my brother Dimick and his wife Fanny, my dear sister-in-law, were desirous of being baptized.
That morning at prayers I had presented to me a heavenly vision of a man going down into the water and baptizing someone. So when this message came I felt it was a testimony that the time had come for me to receive baptism. Brother Hyrum Smith was mouth in prayer, and in my secret soul I had a wish that he should baptize me. I had refused the coaxing of Brother Whitmer, as I told myself, because mother and father were going away from home, and I had all the home cares on me, and I feared I would be tempted to speak crossly or say something I ought not to after so sacred an ordinance as that; but this strong testimony that the proper time had arrived I did not dare treat lightly.
As soon as I consented to go with my brother and sister-in-law David Whitmer began talking about performing the office for us. Happily for me, however, Brother Hyrum was chosen by the others to be the proper one and I added my preference to their words. Accordingly, we all went down to the water and were baptized by Hyrum Smith, and confirmed under the hands of Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer. [This was on August 1, 1835.]
Why does Book of Mormon Central say a “messenger” is Moroni?
Edward Stevenson’s journal said, “And an aged man about 5 feet 10, heavy set, and on his back an old fashioned army knapsack strapped over his shoulders and something square in it, and he walked alongside of the wagon and wiped the sweat off his face, smiling very pleasantly. David asked him to ride and he replied, ‘I am going across to the Hill Cumorah.’ Soon after they passed, they felt strange and stopped but could see nothing of him-all around was clear. And they asked the Lord about it. He said that the Prophet looked as white as a sheet and said that it was one of the Nephites, and that he had the plates.” See Edward Stevenson, Journal, Dec. 23, 1877
See the title assigned to the painting by Book of Mormon Central as, “Mary Whitmer and Moroni” by Robert T. Pack (See picture below)
In the actual article below, Book of Mormon Central never mention the messenger as “Moroni”, just as “a messenger“. Why would they call this messenger Moroni? Take a look at the description of Edward Stevenson below. He says that David Whitmer identified the messenger as 5’10” and heavy set. Does that describe the Moroni we all know as described by Joseph Smith? NO! https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/what-does-mary-whitmer-teach-us-about-enduring-trials
Original source (Joseph F. Smith, 1918):
“In the middle of this prairie, all of a sudden, there appeared a man walking along the road, and David said he raised his hat and rubbed his brow, as if it were a little warm, and said good morning to them, and they said good morning. Oliver and David looked at each other and began to marvel and wonder: Where did he come from, what does it mean? David described him saying he had on something like an old-fashioned knapsack, but of course a little differently formed, right across his shoulders, and on his back he was carrying something of considerable weight.
“They looked round to Joseph inquiringly: What does it mean? And Joseph said, “Ask him to ride.” So David, who was teamster, asked him if he would get in and ride with them. He said, “No, I am just going over to Cumorah.” David said, “Cumorah? Cumorah? What does that mean?” He had never heard of Cumorah, and he said, I thought I knew this country all around here, but I never heard of Cumorah” and he inquired about it. While he was looking around and trying to ascertain what the mystery was the man was gone, and when he looked back he did not seem him any more. Then he demanded, “What does it mean?”
“Joseph informed him thatthe man was Moroni, and that the bundle on his back contained plates which Joseph had delivered to him before they departed from Harmony, Susquehanna County, and that he was taking them for safety, and would return them when he (Joseph) reached father Whitmer’s home. There was a long talk about this.”
To be sure, there is a discrepancy in the accounts about whether this messenger was Moroni or one of the Three Nephites, a topic I’ve discussed elsewhere, but there is complete consistency among all the accounts that the messenger was going to Cumorah.” Jonathan Neville
John C. Whitmer’s 1878 account As recorded by Andrew Jenson (see his Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia 1:283, Salt Lake City, Utah: 1901):
5’10” Heavy Set Old Man Brother Nephi, one of the Three Nephites?
“I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi. (She undoubtedly refers to Moroni, the angel who had the plates in charge.)”
Why would John C. Whitmer change his grandmother’s name for the messenger from Brother Nephi, to Moroni?
Over 6 foot medium build Moroni?
We thinkthe messenger appearing at Joseph and David’s wagon, (picture left) and the same messenger that appeared to Mary Whitmerat her farm and the same messenger who knocked at the door of Zina to teach her about Christ, could very well be one of the Three Nephites named Brother Nephi, AND IT WASN”T MORONI!
You Choose!
More Information from Zina Huntington by Ryan and Anita Murdock below:
I read your blog this morning and have a bit more to add. Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs Smith Young is my husbands 3rd great grandmother and was the wife of two prophets, sealed twice to Joseph Smith (once by her brother Dimmock, best friend of the prophet, and then again by Brigham Young, after he returned from England.) She later married Brigham for time only. The reason she was interested in the Three Nephites, is because the same one stopped by their family home in Watertown, Jefferson, NY and taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ.It is mentioned in the book 4 Zina’s about her mother Zina, herself, her daughter Zina and granddaughter Zina. The family was having what we might call a family home evening one night, discussing scriptures and playing music, when they had a knock at their door, and when opened, they found a man dressed in old fashioned clothes, who said that he usually takes sequestered paths. the mother of the family, Zina Baker Huntington, had said she wished she could hear the gospel from someone who KNEW CHRIST. The man told them all about Jesus Christ in a manner that they had never heard before, as if he did know Christ, and stayed the night with them. Later after they were gathered with the Saints, William Huntington related the story to Joseph, who asked them the describe the man, which he did. Joseph confirmed it was one of the three Nephites sent to prepare them to receive the gospel. Since Zina had spent an entire evening with one of the three Nephites, not a moment, but an entire night learning from him, you can imagine why she was so interested in this story. -Anita Murdock
There was a critical desire of Joseph Smith to fulfill his work of sharing the Book of Mormon with the remnants of Jacob, even the Native Americans. Joseph understood his calling to find, translate, print, and share this sacred book with the world. How are we helping the Lord today? Can we do more? I say of course we can!
Are We Flooding the Earth?
In 1988, President Ezra Taft Benson said, “The time is long overdue for a massive flooding of the earth with the Book of Mormon.”
How are we as a church doing with sharing this sacred work? Overall very well I think. As of 2021 we have 16,805,400 Total Church Membership, 188 Published Languages, and 31,315 Congregations. Source
“As of 2021, the Book of Mormon has been translated into 115 languages,[1] and there are active projects to translate it into a number of other languages. Portions of the book, as opposed to complete translations, have also been conducted for another 20 languages.” Source
Audio recordings of the Book of Mormon in English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish are available at audio.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, with other languages to come. The electronic text of the Book of Mormon is available in 21 languages at scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org; more than 740,000 people use the online edition of the scriptures each month.
“We have the Book of Mormon,” President Benson said during October 1988 conference. “We have the members, we have the missionaries, and the world has the need. The time is now!”
President Thomas S. Monson, 16th president of the Church, has emphasized the book’s importance as well: “The Lord brought forth the Book of Mormon at a period of time [that] would enhance its distribution far and wide,” he said. “It is my personal testimony that the Book of Mormon changes human lives. It is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ.”
“According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Sales estimates for other printed religious texts include at least 800 million copies for the Qur’an and 190 million copies for the Book of Mormon.” Source
As of Oct 2020, “The church has now published 192 million copies of the Book of Mormon in 112 languages… Elder Gong also noted that the Book of Mormon is translated into most of the 23 world languages spoken by 50 million people or more. Collectively, those languages represent 4.1 billion of the world’s people.” Deseret News. Retrieved 2021-03-15. Source
“We live in a time of widespread war and violence. News sources report incidents of these awful events every day. The Lord’s prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, said, “We have come to the earth in troubled times.” He affirms what President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) said: “We live in a season when fierce men do terrible and despicable things. We live in a season of war.”
While sobering, this should not be surprising. The scriptures teach that in the last days Satan will “make war” (Revelation 12:17) with the faithful and that “peace shall be taken from the earth” (D&C 1:35).
God foresaw our day and called the Prophet Joseph Smith to bring forth the Book of Mormon to help us (see D&C 1:17, 29; 45:26). Of the 239 chapters in the Book of Mormon, 174 (73 percent) deal with war, terrorism, murder, political conspiracies, secret combinations, threats, family collusions, and other hostilities.
Why did the Book of Mormon record keepers preserve so many incidents of war? President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) answered, “From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war.” Following are insights that can guide us as we live in troubled times.” How Disciples of Christ Live in Times of War and ViolenceBy David Brent Marsh, Priesthood Department
Our Heartland friend, actor and film producer, Darin Scott said”, Of the Book of Mormon’s 239 chapters, 174 of them (73%) deal with war, terrorism, murder, political conspiracies, secret combinations, threats, family collusions, and other hostilities. These are universal themes 100% of the world understands. In contrast, the Book of Mormon also references Jesus nearly 4000 times as “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. It’s one of the most Christ-soaked books on the planet.
Remember the New Covenant
How critical is for us in the church today to share the Book of Mormon with the world and especially the Lamanites? According to the header in D&C 84 it says, The Saints must testify of those things they have received; Then the scripture says, “And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written.” D&C 84:57
How Hundreds of Thousands can hear about the Book of Mormon
Today we can reach hundreds of thousands of people with the Book of Mormon message through media and film. One example is the unreligious, ridiculous Broadway Play titled “The Book of Mormon” which I have never seen and I will not. This harsh movie has been an unusually successful missionary tool, which was hard to imagine at first, but the Church made it a success as I share below. Then I will speak about our friend and fellow Latter-day Saint, Darin Scott’s new movie, “The Oath”, which has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of people and inspire them to read the Book of Mormon. I support Darin’s huge effort to share this important movie. Neither of these films represent the church’s opinion but both movies can inspire.
How can we help the Lord accomplish that goal? After you read the important information about how Joseph Smith and the Saints loved the Book of Mormon and desired to share it with the Lamanites first, I will then speak about the two films I mentioned above.
Joseph Smith and the Lamanites
Here I share some information from “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites” by Byron R. Merrill. In my opinion the Lord not only wants the members to share the Book of Mormon with the Lamanites, but with the world.
“William W. Phelps wrote to Oliver Cowdery in 1835: “The Indians are the people of the Lord; they are of the tribes of Israel; the blood of Joseph, with a small mixture of the royal blood of Judah, and the hour is nigh when they will come flocking into the kingdom of God, like doves to their windows.” (193).
At a meeting in Kirtland, during that same year, Joseph Smith proposed a mission for the Twelve throughout the eastern states. It was there resolved that Brigham Young should “go immediately from this place to an adjacent tribe of the remnants of Joseph, and open the door of salvation to that long dejected and afflicted people” (HC 2:224–25). Brigham Young was not then president of the Quorum of the Twelve, but the promise that this appointment would “open the door to the whole house of Joseph” (222) seems prophetic in view of his labors among the Lamanites when the Saints moved to the Rocky Mountains. There is no record, however, that his early mission resulted in any substantial work among that people (see Young 11).
Indicative of the continued concern for this chosen remnant was the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland temple, received by revelation, wherein Joseph prayed:
And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the fullness of the everlasting gospel; That they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.
And . . . come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee. (D&C 109:65–67).”
What of Joseph’s Efforts? There seems to be a perception that Joseph’s efforts among the Lamanites were not only relatively unsuccessful but even superficial. It has been argued that “the initiative for [such] missionary work lay more with the members of the Church than with Joseph Smith” (Parry 74), and that Joseph did not see the redemptive work among the Lamanites “as essential to the ‘building up of Zion’” (72). To the contrary, Joseph’s commitment to the Book of Mormon promises to the Lamanites and the need to find a long term home for his people appear to have been closely connected priorities. Oliver B. Huntington recorded that early in the settlement of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, Sr., confided in him that it had been revealed to the Prophet that the Church would stay in Nauvoo just seven years and “when we left there, we would go right into the midst of the Indians, in the Rocky Mountains” (18). Similarly, efforts by Lyman Wight and Jonathan Dunham appear to have combined proselyting the Lamanites and exploring for a new home for the Saints in their midst (Esplin 90–97). An 1845 mission call by the Council of the Kingdom was to “fill Joseph’s measures originally adopted . . . to seek out a location and a home where the Saints can dwell in peace and health . . . and proceed from tribe to tribe, to unite the Lamanites. . . .” (Ehat 269).
Had Joseph done nothing more than translate the Book of Mormon, his contribution would have been greater than all other efforts to help the Native Americans; yet an examination of his life indicates his concern for and involvement with them went much further. But his time and energy were limited. He was faced with continual personal persecution, legal battles, and imprisonment. He conducted the defense, movements, and growth of the Church and the founding of cities. The Lord gave him many assignments including the new translation of the Bible, the translation of the Egyptian papyri, the organization of the Priesthood, the revelation of temple ordinances and their dissemination, etc. All of these required concentrated effort and substantial time. Spencer W. Kimball summarized:
The very first thing before the Church was organized, Joseph Smith caught the vision of this work. He sent Oliver Cowdery, Ziba Peterson, and Parley P. Pratt and Peter Whitmer to the Indians immediately. They didn’t do very much. The brethren had their hands full: there were persecutions and the expulsions and the exodus and the settlement of this country. So missionary work with the Indians was limited in the Church to whom the great responsibility came. (Kimball, “The Children” 6)
Brigham Young indicated that “there was a watch placed upon [Joseph] continually to see that he had no communication with the Indians” (Journal of Discourses 4:41; hereafter JD). Perhaps the Lord inspired Joseph to proceed cautiously in the face of false accusations which so negatively impacted the Saints. One wonders if the Lord also revealed to him that as important as this work was, only the seeds thereof were then being planted, that the fulfillment of the promises awaited a future day. Whereas this effort had originally been a primary objective of Joseph’s ministry, as the flood of revelation broadened his assignments, it became one of the principal objectives in the midst of many others. In the Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles issued 6 April 1845, many of the 115 paragraphs discuss the Lamanites, giving a more balanced perspective of their place in the overall picture than perhaps would have been the case had such a mission statement been issued in 1829 (see Clark 252–66).
In Nauvoo, Joseph was heavily occupied in the restoration of the blessings given to Abraham as part of the gathering of the house of Israel, the initial stages of which were just then beginning. Who, in Joseph’s mind, would have fit more prominently into the family of Abraham (for whom the blessings were being restored) than the Lamanites? It seems Joseph knew they were of Israel before he knew he was. Was it not the spirit of the Book of Mormon and the continual leadership of the Prophet in this regard that led individual members of the Church to have special personal encounters with the Lamanites? (see Johnson 76). Contrary to general assumption, there were a few Lamanites baptized in his day. Panina S. Cotton, a Cherokee, and Lewis Dana, an Oneida, received their temple blessings in Nauvoo (Black 11:760, 13:194).”
Ultimately, what did Joseph accomplish? By the gift and power of God, he translated the Book of Mormon which revealed who the Native Americans are, their heritage of prophets and priests, of repentance and righteousness, and of pride and destruction. It discloses promises to this remnant of Israel, so diligently sought by their ancestors and vouchsafed by the covenants of the Lord. It proclaims their glorious future in the face of their state of poverty. In a personal way, Joseph seemed to feel a kinship to this people whose culture was so very distant from his own. He knew he and they were both descendants of Joseph of old, the son of Israel. He knew that Joseph of old, their prophet ancestor, had foretold that a mighty seer would be raised up from his posterity to bring to pass much restoration to the remnant of his seed (2 Nephi 3:6–12). From his early tutoring by Moroni to his personal visits with numerous Native American chiefs, Joseph Smith sought to bring to this chosen people the glad tidings of the restoration.
But what did he see in the way of fulfillment for his efforts? In mortality he saw very little, but in vision he must have seen the Lamanites “blossom as a rose” (D&C 49:24). Byron R. Merrill, “Joseph Smith and the Lamanites,” in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, ed. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 187–202
How the LDS Church’s response to ‘The Book of Mormon’ musical is actually working
By Morgan Jones Nov 16, 2016
The Eugene O’Neill Theatre and the marquee for “The Book of Mormon” are seen in New York, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)
Andrew Rannells, left, and the cast of “The Book of Mormon” perform during the 65th annual Tony Awards, Sunday, June 12, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)
When “The Book of Mormon” musical opened on Broadway in 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement:
“The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.”
When the musical came to Los Angeles in 2012, the LDS Church bought ad space in the show’s playbill and similar ads later appeared in productions of “The Book of Mormon” musical throughout the country. The ads said things like, “The book is always better” and “You’ve seen the play, now read the book.”
Tyler Todd saw the play and it drove him to read the book, the Tennessean reported on Tuesday.
“I just thought it was really funny and obviously I knew it was kind of making fun of the religion,” Todd said. “I was like, ‘Well, I’ve heard their side of things, I want to hear what people who actually believe think about it.’”
Then there’s the story of Richard Marcus, a former California mayor whose viewing of the musical served as a catalyst in his investigation of the church.
The LDS Church has been applauded by both public relations professionals and media outlets for its response to the production in the more than five years since its release. Just this month, INC.com highlighted the Mormon strategy as a model for how to respond when “someone is rude to you.”
Award-winning public relations professional Chris Thomas offered his take on the church’s response in 2012.
“The playbill ad is another example of the LDS Church’s savvy response to ‘The Book of Mormon’ musical,” Thomas said. “Instead of protesting the musical, which is something that many would do, especially religious organizations, they made a bold and deliberate decision to embrace the situation. They have taken something that could have been detrimental to the church’s missionary efforts and made it positive.”
In fact, the creators of the musical told NPR that they “had faith” that the church would respond favorably.
“Before the church responded, a lot of people would ask us, ‘Are you afraid of what the church would say?’ And Trey (Parker) and I were like, ‘They’re going to be cool.’ And they were like, ‘No, they’re not. There are going to be protests,’” co-creator Matt Stone said. “And we were like, ‘Nope, they’re going to be cool.’ We weren’t surprised by the church’s response. We had faith in them.” Email: mjones@deseretdigital.com
Also, in case you missed our update explaining the name change to The Oath and other important things: Last 8 minute update below, which includes a FIRST LOOK TEASER of our first full feature, The Oath, based on our Reign of Judges pilot short film. A lot to unpack since our last update but the video says it all. Get excited!
Also, this week we had another amazing investor come in with significant funds to help us across the production finish line. We are still raising capital for MARKETING. Our offering will remain open until The Oath is released, so you may direct any potential investors to fill out our brief INVESTMENT FORM and we can reach out to them personally. Thanks again for your continued support!
Below Darin Scott has answered a few questions about his two movies, Reign of the Judges and The Oath.
Are the filmmakers behind this all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
No. This film is entirely independent of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we are independently funded by over 43 amazing investors. 90% of the cast and crew on our pilot short film were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ, and an even higher number than that is true of our first full feature. We’re proud of the fact that so many of all faiths (and of no faiths) have joined our production team and lent their inspiring talents to this meaningful endeavor. Nearly all the Hollywood professionals we’ve consulted have been very supportive of (and genuinely intrigued with) what we are doing.
Yes, the Writer/Director, Darin Scott, is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has made a lifelong study of the Book of Mormon and is an enthusiastic fan of Captain Moroni.
Mark Burnett did a masterful job of producing the Bible and Son of God. Mel Gibson did the same with The Passion of The Christ. Should we not see these movies because they’re both Catholic? Of course not. Likewise, we will employ the best talent in Hollywood, regardless of religious or irreligious affiliation, but we also feel it’s important to have a few team members who are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ and can provide the necessary knowledge of the source material.
I’m a Christian, should I support this movie?
Absolutely, YES! If you are a freedom-loving patriot of liberty, you will support making this film. It’d be the “Christian” thing to do ;).
Of course, as Christians, we read many books about Christ that are not the Bible. C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”, Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling”, or Max Lucado’s “Fearless”, for example, are excellent Christian choices. But these books may be (and often are) written by pastors from Church denominations other than our own. Does this mean we up and change our Church just because we read a book from a different denomination? Of course not.
Of the Book of Mormon’s 239 chapters, 174 of them (73%) deal with war, terrorism, murder, political conspiracies, secret combinations, threats, family collusions, and other hostilities. These are universal themes 100% of the world understands. In contrast, the Book of Mormon also references Jesus nearly 4000 times as “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. It’s one of the most Christ-soaked books on the planet.
With these merits, Reign of Judges: Title of Liberty is a war epic based on a book capable of attracting one of the largest, most ideologically-diverse audiences in history. It’s no wonder the Book of Mormon will soon be the 9th most translated book in the world approaching nearly 150 languages. But here’s the thing, if you’re not member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the book is just another book about Jesus that’s also chock full of universally-relatable themes. Whether in a different religion or in no religion at all, you should support this epic film. Reign of Judges: Title of Liberty is really just an action-packed entertaining story about the blood cost price of LIBERTY that is soaked in the Spirit of Freedom. A period action film that follows a people who fled Jerusalem to declare independence from the oppressive king Zedekiah.
If you want to know something really interesting, the man our story centers around, Captain Moroni, actually coined the phrase “Christian” in 73 BC. Think of it, the inhabitants of ancient America had such faith in Christ they took upon themselves His name, even before He became flesh on earth. “And thus (Moroni) was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians. And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored (Alma 48:10).”
Please, especially if you’re Christian, buy and share our concept short film, make a donation, or make an investment in our film, which represents your love of liberty, peace, and freedom that Christ affords His children. You won’t regret it
What will the Nephites and Lamanites look like in Reign of Judges (as well as their armor)?
This is a long one, sorry :). Need to be thorough here.
First, I think it best to acknowledge nobody really knows what either people looked like (if we are taking the events as historical). Everything we have put into our film is derived from or inspired directly by the record itself (The Book of Mormon). This includes the necessary creative liberties that have been taken to fill story gaps and pertinent details. Sadly, much of what people believe with regard to how Nephites and Lamanites looked anciently and where Book of Mormon events took place is derived from outside of the record itself (from “Scholarly” sources), which inherently involve someone else’s interpretation. Moreover, embracing the temptation to view these events through modern political vernaculars would also be detrimental to their authenticity. It’s also important to note, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not have an official position on what the Nephites looked like, nor where Book of Mormon events took place. To get caught up in these matters would miss the mark and be exactly the kind of distraction the opposition would love to create. And certainly to withhold support based on such opinions would be an even greater advantage to the opposition.
That said, here is what we do know. There was a lot of mixing between the Nephites and Lamanites, per the record, throughout their 1000 year cohabitation in the New World. At times, the Lamanites were “more righteous” than the Nephites and visa versa. At times, the Nephites where “white” and the Lamanites “dark” and visa versa. As far as the way they looked and skin color, the prophet Nephi, the first (in the Book of Mormon), saw in vision the “Gentiles” taking possession of what is now America. We do know the Gentiles, or the people who established America, essentially looked (and still do look) like Europeans. We can readily observe this even today.
Nephi said in his vision:
“And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land (the land that Nephi also possessed with his people) for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.” 1 Nephi 13:15
Here Nephi describes the Gentiles in great detail and then giving us the astonishing link directly to his people by saying the Gentiles looked “like… my people before they were slain.”
There are three critical points to consider in this vision.
1. If Nephi was a prophet we must believe he had this vision and he meant what he said. His words should not have projections placed on them to mean anything other than what he wrote, even if it doesn’t fit modern political vernaculars.
2. Nephi himself professed to be one who “(gloried) in plainness” and therefore his words must be taken plainly to mean exactly what they were intended to mean. White means white, fair means fair, and beautiful means beautiful. We also know that Lehi (Nephi’s father) and their families came from Jerusalem so that means they were white and fair Hebrews, essentially.
3. Nephi says, very importantly, that the Gentiles looked like his people “BEFORE they were slain”. The Native Americans found in America when the Gentiles drove them off the land, as was prophesied would take place in the Book of Mormon itself, were not the way the Nephites looked. There were nearly 1400 years of war, conflict, decivilization, and degeneration that took place among the Lamanites after they had destroyed the Nephites off the face of the land; so even the Lamanites in Nephi’s time likely looked very different from those found here at the time of Columbus and the early explorers.
The Lamanites were described many times as having a darker skin color, shaved heads, and fighting in loincloths. So that gives us one image. But there were other times when the Lamanites looked just like the Nephites, a few years after Christ’s post-resurrection visit to the Americas, for example.
That said, again, there was much mixing so there were Lamanites who joined the Nephites and visa versa. Usually the white Nephites who dissented to the Lamanites did so for political purposes and used the Lamanites’ hatred of the Nephites to incite war. The ultimate end of such conflict was to supplant the Nephites’ free republic with a monarchy. This will all be portrayed in Reign of Judges: Title of Liberty.
Finally, the Nephites would not have looked Roman necessarily. The Nephites appealed more to Egypt than anything else. They spoke often of (and held in highest regard) Joseph of Egypt. This is why the armor we designed hints of Egypt. We also know there was Greek influence from the descendants of Mulek, son of Zedekiah, who also came to the Northern part of the Americas before Lehi’s group arrived. We have names like “Archeantus”, a Greek name, found among the Captains of the Nephites, for example. What is a Greek name doing in the pre-Columbian New World? As far as armor is concerned, we also know the Nephites had possession of breastplates from the fallen civilization of the Jaredites. These breastplates were likely highly influential in the armor designs that Captain Moroni developed for his soldiers. What influences did the Jaredites have, hailing from the Tower of Babel? There is much to consider but the armor we have designed and the actors who will be featured will reflect what we know, as taken from the Book of Mormon itself.
We want to strike a tone similar to Terrance Malick’s The New World for the Lamanites and Exodus: Gods and Kings or The Ten Commandments for the Nephites, with mixing on both sides.
There will be many people of color in our film. There will also be many white people, as described by the record. In this sense, Reign of Judges will be an extremely diverse saga and the first film, Title of Liberty, will feature a Lamanite group who joins the Nephites, laying down their weapons of war in a covenant of peace. A very moving story as a backdrop to the heroic action of Captain Moroni’s defensive warfare.
View the successful Short film, “Reign of Judges below.
View the new Prequel called “The Oath- A Redeeming Love. A Transcending Mission”
https://youtu.be/wKq8hMcMdI4
We showed the first full cut of the movie “The Oath” at the 29th Book of Mormon Evidence Conference at the Davis County Conference Center, in 2021. We love and appreciate Darin’s dedication and hard work to share this film with us.
Today July 4th, 2022, we all have the special privledge of remembering the history of this great country called The United States of America and thanking the Lord for the freedoms we are blessed with. Today think of Captain Moroni, Angel Moroni and George Washington.
As you read the visions of George Washington, remember he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a High Priest since 1877, when his work was completed in the St George Temple with many other Founders, exceptional Women and Native American Chiefs. Blog here titled “Eighty-Five Chiefs, Five High Priests, Hundreds of Prominent Men & Women- Bless Our Lives”
Did the Angel Moroni Appear to George Washington?
by Timothy Ballard, adapted from his book, “The Washington Hypothesis”
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The following excerpt from The Washington Hypothesis is a small piece of what the title describes, a hypothesis about George Washington and what he may have known about America as a land prepared by God. As stated in the Publisher’s Note at the opening of the book, “A hypothesis is not a statement of fact, though it often reads like one. It is, rather, a jumping-off point, a tentative assumption made that provides a framework for examining and organizing facts.” This book includes both “demonstrable facts” and “bold conjecture” based on historical documents, published accounts, the author’s own investigative research and, admittedly, some speculation. The author is not a historian. The following excerpt is speculative, both second-hand and anecdotal, told years later by an aging gentleman whose identity and credibility has been questioned. Whether you agree with the author’s hypothesis or not, we hope that “readers will gain a new appreciation for the events that shaped America as a nation and for the greatness of its first president, George Washington.” LDS Living Magazine
Editor’s Note: In my opinion LDS Living Magazine and Deseret Book are more concerned with their reputation to remain politically correct, than they are with sharing truth. Maybe that is necessary for them as they are a for profit business. In my opinion however I have seen a lot of bias by these companies. For example, Deseret Book would not allow Tim Ballard’s newest book, “Pilgrim Hypothesis” be sold nor published by them. Deseret Book once again was taking a politically correct position of distancing themselves with Mr. Ballard’s opinions. Mr. Ballard was opposed to the editing that Deseret Book would require for his new book to be promoted or sold so he sold it at Seagull Book, which ironically Deseret Book also owned. It was silly.
As a side note, I am one of the Editorial Contributors to the “Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon.” Our book was sold at Deseret Book for a few weeks and then so-called intellectuals like Stephen O. Smoot [Not our fellow Heartlander Stephen Edgar Smoot], Jack Welch, Dan Peterson, Scott Gordon, and Karl Magleby with others convinced Deseret Book that our book was full of lies and misquotes and many pictures weren’t even used with permission. It was not a nice attack and you can still see Mr. Smoot’s critiques here.
Stephen O Smoot said, “While the AEBOM may be popular, it is also deeply and fundamentally problematic.” and also said, “In this review series I have tried very deliberately not to personally attack the editors of what I call the AEBOM. Instead, I am criticizing and attacking their ideas and theories about Book of Mormon geography and “evidence” because I believe their theories aren’t just debatable, but in many cases demonstrably in error” Stephen O. Smoot quoted from the hot link above.
Our book was taken off the shelves of Deseret Book during the busy Christmas season of 2018. We did get it back in Deseret Book where it is today, and we are also selling many in Costco. There are always blessings from opposition.
Anthony Sherman Washington’s Soldier
“On July 4,1859, Anthony Sherman—one of Washington’s soldiers at Valley Forge who was now 99 years old—was one of the last remaining veteran soldiers of the Revolution.
Before he died, he wanted to tell someone of an event he had witnessed at Valley Forge. So he asked his friend and journalist Wesley Bradshaw to meet him at Independence Hall—the place where the Declaration of Independence had been signed.
They sat down on a bench inside the hall, and the old man recounted a vision and prophecy Washington reportedly had received at Valley Forge. The prophecy spoke of a series of conflicts America had faced and would face, including wars and rumors of wars, whose descriptions sounded a lot like the war for independence, the American Civil War, and other future conflicts. The point of the vision was to tell Washington that America was God’s creation and would endure and be victorious over all these conflicts.” LDS Living continued below.
Two of my greatest hero’s along with Joseph Smith, are Moroni and George Washington. Moroni’s Title of Liberty was a motto that Washington lived by also. Washington said, “We have taken up Arms in Defence of our Liberty, our Property, our Wives, and our Children, we are determined to preserve them, or die.”George Washington’s Address to the Inhabitants of Canada (14 September 1775) As written in Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon page 297 seen below.
George Washington’s Vision at Valley Forge
LDS Living continued, “Below is an excerpt from the report entitled “Washington’s Vision,” as told directly from the memory of Sherman while sitting in Independence Hall:
The darkest period we had, I think, was when Washington, after several reverses, retreated to Valley Forge, where he resolved to pass the winter of 1777. Ah! I have often seen the tears coursing down our dear commander’s careworn cheeks, as he would be conversing with a confidential officer about the condition of his poor soldiers. You have doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going to the thicket to pray. Well, it was not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort from God, the interposition of whose Divine Providence brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation.
One day, I remember it well [in Valley Forge], the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly, [Washington] remained in his quarters nearly all afternoon alone. When he came out I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual, and there seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance.
Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of the officer I mentioned who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command, said to the latter: “I do not know whether it is owing to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of her presence. A second, a third, and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor . . . . By this time I felt strange sensations spreading through me. I would have risen but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible.
“Presently I heard a voice saying ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn’while at the same time my visitor extended her arm eastwardly. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay spread out in one vast plain all the countries of the world—Europe, Asia, Africa and America. . . . ‘Son of the Republic,’ said the same mysterious voice as before, ‘look and learn.’ At that moment I beheld . . .[another] angel, standing or rather floating in mid-air, between Europe and America. Dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand he sprinkled some upon America . . . . A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean, and sprinkled it out as before . . .”
Was the Angel Moroni One of the Angels?
Before continuing with the report of this vision, I want to pause and take you to Salt Lake City. It was July 4, 1854, five years to the day before the old man Sherman recounted his witness of what happened to Washington at Valley Forge. Orson Hyde, an ordained Apostle of God, stood at the pulpit in the Tabernacle and boldly declared that the angel Moroni was in the camp of Washington. He stated:
“It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones, and remains of towns, cities, and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world . . . . Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water.”
Could this corroborate Sherman’s account? The principal angel in Valley Forge was, of course, described as a woman. But it was a male angel (or male angels) who anointed the land.
As Washington’s vision continues, the Moroni hypothesis becomes ever more interesting. After the principal angel described to Washington what sounds like yet another conflict to hit the land—“thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat”—the male angel performed a familiar act, familiar to the LDS student, at least.
“Son of the Republic,” said the female angel, “look and learn.” Washington then beheld a male angel and, according to Sherman, told of how he watched as the angel “placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long, fearful blast.”
Washington continued:
“Instantly a light, as of a thousand suns, shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud, which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel . . . who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of bright spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks, and renewed the battle.
“Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice, saying: ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious.
“Then once more I beheld the villages, towns, and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice: ‘While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last!’ . . . while the people, kneeling down, said ‘Amen.’”
Joseph Smith and the Angel Moroni by Tom Holdman (Stained glass) Hill Cumorah Visitors Center, Palmyra, New York (Photo courtesy of J. Stephen Conn,
I cannot read this account without thinking of the biblical prophecy of the angel Moroni found in Revelation 14:6–7: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
The Restoration of the gospel did not simply begin in 1820. The foundation was being laid years earlier in the battlefields of America—in Boston, Long Island, Saratoga, and Valley Forge. George Washington was a power player in the story of the Restoration, as he was building the nation, the foundation, for Christ to return, that He might bring His priesthood and truths of salvation.
Indeed, the forthcoming Restoration had nowhere safe to land. God needed to create the asylum, and Washington knew that he was helping God do just that. Writing from Valley Forge, he declared: “Even if the rest of the world continues to ignore us, we will fight on. For we are fighting not only for ourselves, but for all mankind. We are fighting for freedom and human dignity and the right to worship the God of our choice.” [Similar to Washington’s address to Canadians above]
Washington, no doubt, was doing his part to get this message out. Like Joseph at Liberty Jail, and like Lincoln in 1862, Washington was compelled to his knees while in the darkness of Valley Forge. And he was blessed for it. He had received an assurance from the Lord about the fate of America. As he led the nation in righteousness, he would be victorious. He needed to know this. Now he did. Learn more about the inspiration and miracles surrounding George Washington in Timothy Ballard’s new book, The Washington Hypothesis. Available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.
Also Read Tim’s two volume series called “The American Covenant”
We know that George Washington was a moral man and an inspiring leader, but did he possibly know more than we suppose? Was he a national covenant maker like Moses, Abraham, Lehi, or Captain Moroni? Did he understand that he was fighting for the liberty of a promised land protected by God, a place where the Lord’s holy temples could be built? The Washington Hypothesis explores the intriguing evidence that Washington and the other Founding Fathers knew the Lord had a greater purpose for America. It takes us on a fascinating historical journey through the miracles of the Revolutionary War to the foundational documents of this great nation to the symbolism evident in every corner of the nation’s capital. Exploring how Washington’s beliefs framed his every action, author Timothy Ballard draws compelling conclusions about the divinity of that great leader’s calling. As we see the evidence of the Lord’s hand in Washington’s life, we may discover a much grander design at work in the founding of our nation—and thus a greater desire to strive to preserve those promised blessings.”
Elder Benson said, “To all who have discerning eyes, it is apparent that the republican form of government established by our noble forefathers cannot long endure once fundamental principles are abandoned. Momentum is gathering for another conflict — a repetition of the crisis of two hundred years ago. This collision of ideas is worldwide. Another monumental moment is soon to be born. The issue is the same that precipitated the great premortal conflict — will men be free to determine their own course of action or must they be coerced?
We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” (July 19, 1840, Joseph Smith Collection, LDS Church Historical Department.” Source: CHB 27-28; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 623-24 )
Other Witnesses of Moroni?
“Indeed this land of America and its leaders have been blessed with the protection of the Lord. ‘As details of the battle emerged, it turns out that either George Washington was extremely lucky, was bulletproof, or was being supernaturally protected. One Indian warrior testified that he had shot at him 17 times. He exclaimed that ‘Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet!’ Another Indian, Red Hawk, had shot and missed him 11 times. He had not missed a shot before, and became convinced that Washington was being supernaturally protected by the Great Spirit. In 1770, fifteen years after the battle, an old Indian told Washington that he had sought out to meet him. He had been fighting in the battle that day, and he had told all the Indians with him to shoot at him, and make sure that he died. When they all missed, he told them to stop. On that evening, he predicted that Washington would never die in battle, and would be ‘the founder of a mighty empire.’ David Barton, The Bulletproof George Washington
“…By whose power victory so often perched on our banner? It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones, and remains of towns, cities, and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world. This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World…Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water… When Justice is satisfied, and the blood of martyrs atoned for, the guardian angel of America will return to his station, resume his charge, and restore the Constitution of our country…One positive decree of Jehovah, respecting this land, is, that no king shall ever be raised up here, and that whosoever seeketh to raise up a king upon this land shall perish…” Moroni Guardian Angel of America Orson Hyde Journal of Discourses 6:65.
“Many locations in this land of America have been blessed by its guardian angel. Moroni had the great privilege, as he walked across this American Continent, of finding a place and designating the place where the St. George temple was to be built. He also designated where the Manti Temple was to be. And it’s been written that he designated Kirtland and Nauvoo and probably others. Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith 22 different times during the life of the Prophet Joseph that we know of.” The Angel Moroni by Elder Glen L. Rudd
This United States of America is indeed, “A Land of Promise.” Moroni presides over the destinies of the United States, holds the keys of the Stick of Ephraim (D&C 27: 5), and is the guardian angel of this wonderful land. The Lord has said, “…repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon…” (D&C 84:57). As we study The Book of Mormon, we learn to love even more this blessed America we call “A Land of Promise”, and the Land of the Book of Mormon.” Moroni’s America Maps Edition page 123 Rian Nelson/Jonathan Neville
He should have died at the Battle of the Monongahela
Near what we today call Pittsburgh, a British force under General Edward Braddock was soundly defeated by a force of French Canadians and Indians during the French and Indian War. Braddock died of wounds sustained in the fighting, but Washington survived despite having two horses shot out from under him. When all was said and done, he also found four musket-ball holes in his coat.
Like Unto Moroni
“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” Alma 48:17
“And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.” Alma 50:1
Alma 50 by Clark Kelley Price
Moroni’s Fortifications
My good friend and artist Clark Kelley Price, painted this beautiful rendition above of Moroni fortifying the Nephite Lands as described in Alma 50. Clark read this chapter over and over trying to make this fortification as realistic as possible as it would have been in the Untied States of America. https://clarkkelleyprice.com/
I place this fortification somewhere near Pittsburgh, PA or Moundsville, WV as those locations would make a good fort along the Ohio/Allegheny Rivers to protect the Nephites with the rivers at their back and the East Wilderness in front as they began pushing the Lamanites east and south. (Alma 50:9) You will understand better as you read this blog.
Alma Chapter 50 I believe is one of the best sources for geography of the Book of Mormon in North America. I love creating maps as I read the text. Everything comes alive for me and I hope it does for you as well. See on maps below as this fortification could represent Pittsburgh, PA or Moundsville, WV
Read Alma 50: verse 1-6 below to understand Clark’s painting better.
ALMA CHAPTER 50
Moroni fortifies the lands of the Nephites—They build many new cities—Wars and destructions befell the Nephites in the days of their wickedness and abominations—Morianton and his dissenters are defeated by Teancum—Nephihah dies, and his son Pahoran fills the judgment seat. About 72–67 B.C.
1 And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.
3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high.
4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.
5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.
6 Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.
If Moroni prepared strongholds in every city in all the land, can you imagine how many that would be? Not 10 or even 100, I would guess hundreds of strongholds. Here is a good quote concerning this number of fortifications.
“ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF LAKE ERIE, THERE IS A SERIES OF OLD FORTIFICATIONS, RUNNING FROM THE CATTARAUGUS CREEK TO THE PENNSYLVANIA LINE, A DISTANCE OF FIFTY MILES; some are two, three, and four miles apart, and some within half a mile. Some contain five acres… Still further south, there is said to be another chain of forts running parallel with the former, and about the same distance from them as those are from the lake… Whether the nations, which possessed our western country before the Iroquois, had erected those fortifications to protect them against their invaders, or whether they were made by anterior inhabitants, are mysteries which cannot be penetrated by human sagacity; nor can I pretend to decide whether the Eries or their predecessors raised the works of defense in their territory; but I am persuaded that enough has been said to demonstrate the existence of a vast population, settled in towns, defended by forts, cultivating agriculture, and more advanced in civilization than the nations which have inhabited the same countries since the European discovery.” Clinton, De Witt. A Memoir On The Antiquities Of The Western Parts Of The State Of New-YorkComplete Book at the end of this blog; (Note: Map and comment Below: Remember not even the Native Americans know who built these fortifications, meaning a much earlier people than the Native Americans (perhaps the Hopewell or Nephite people) built these strongholds.
“It appears to me that there are two distinct eras in our antiquities; one applicable to the remains of old fortifications and settlements which existed anterior to European intercourse…. The old fortifications were erected previous to European inter course. The Indians are ignorant by whom they were made; and in the wars which took place in this country it is probable that they were occupied as strongholds by the belligerents; and it is likely that the ruins of European works of a different construction may be found in the same way that Roman and British fortifications are to be seen in the vicinity of each other in Great Britain. It is remarkable that our ancient forts resemble the old British and Danish.” Clinton, De Witt. A Memoir On The Antiquities Of The Western Parts Of The State Of New-York
Chief Joseph
“When Chief Joseph, a renowned Nez Perce leader, surrendered to Europeans in 1877, he gave a special gift to General Nelson Appleton Miles, wrote Vine Deloria, Jr. in his book Red Earth white Lies. The gift received by the general was a pendant that turned out to be an ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet. According to Benjamin Daniali of AssyriaTimes.com, the tablet was translated by Robert Biggs, professor of Assyriology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Professor Biggs found that it was a sales receipt for a lamb dating back to 2042 B.C.
Mary Gindling of Helium’s History Mysteries wrote, “The chief said that the tablet had been passed down in his family for many generations, and that they had inherited it from their white ancestors. Chief Joseph said that white men had come among his ancestors long ago.” ICT News, covers the latest stories and issues affecting Native American communities across the continent.
The yellow lines in the map above represent a day for a Nephite, and a day and a half for a Nephite, and the Narrow Passage spoken of in Mormon 2:29. This is the “SERIES OF OLD FORTIFICATIONS, RUNNING FROM THE CATTARAUGUS CREEK TO THE PENNSYLVANIA LINE, A DISTANCE OF FIFTY MILES” [Red dots above], spoken of in this quote. This 44 miles from the Land Northward as shown on the map above at Irving, NY to the Land Southward to Salamanca, NY needed to be protected. Also, this 66 miles from the Land Northward at Buffalo NY to the beginning of the Land Southward at Kill Buck, NY is the proposed day and a half for a Nephite. See map below.
(See Moroni’s America page 241 quoted below).
“What is Mormon’s frame of reference here? (Mormon 2:29) He is writing from his own homeland, where he grew up. It is the same perspective he had when, as a boy, his father took him “into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla” (Mormon 1:6). The Lamanites received all the land southward.
This is the only mention in the text of a “narrow passage.” It is not a neck or even a pass; it may not be a natural feature at all. A passage is a “road; way; avenue; a place where men or things may pass or be conveyed.”
As part of a treaty, it appears to be an agreed-upon route or way—a corridor—through which access between the two lands would be permitted.
The narrow passage specified in this treaty reminds me of the narrow passages, also established by treaty, between West Germany and Berlin during the cold war. One could travel within these passages, but veering outside could mean arrest and imprisonment.
In terms of real world geography, there are numerous valleys, long narrow rises and hills, and other features in western New York that could have served as the narrow passage defined by this treaty. Presumably this narrow passage would give access to the river system that led into the land southward—the very river system Mormon’s father took him on when he was eleven years old.” Moroni’s America page 241-242.
This quote from De WittClinton again here saying, “ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF LAKE ERIE, THERE IS A SERIES OF OLD FORTIFICATIONS, RUNNING FROM THE CATTARAUGUS CREEK TO THE PENNSYLVANIA LINE, A DISTANCE OF FIFTY MILES;” I use this quote often which I believe is describing the Narrow Passage in the Book of Mormon in Mormon 2:29 which says, “And the Lamanites did give unto us the land northward, yea, even to the narrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward.”
MORONI FORTIFIES THE LANDS OF THE NEPHITES – Alma 50:1-15 About 72–67 B.C.
1 “And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites. 2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities. 3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high. 4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them. 5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city. 6 Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land. 7 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his armies should go forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth and drove all the Lamanites who were in the east wilderness [Map Below] into their own lands, which were south of the land of Zarahemla. 8 And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course [Map below with Latitudes] from the east sea to the west. 9 And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness, which was north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants who were in the land of Zarahemla and in the land roundabout should go forth into the east wilderness, even to the borders by the seashore, and possess the land. 10 And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect fortifications that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their enemies. 11 And thus he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the river Sidon—the Nephites possessing all the land northward, yea, even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful, according to their pleasure. 12 Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession. 13 And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a city, and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites. 14 And they also began a foundation for a city between the city of Moroni and the city of Aaron, joining the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the land, Nephihah. 15 And they also began in that same year to build many cities on the north, one in a particular manner which they called Lehi, which was in the north by the borders of the seashore.”
In the map above there are some very interesting things. In Alma 50 the main border between the Lamanites and the Nephites is the light blue rivers above, the Ohio and the Allegheny. In verse 8 is says, “And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west.” Clearly the East Sea is represented by the Atlantic Ocean. The words “to the west” could represent and border or barrier along the Ohio River.
Notice above that the straight course would imply a common latitude and there are many cities on the East Sea that match up with cities on the Ohio River. In my opinion the most likely straight course would be from the Head of the river Sidon (confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers) with the city of Norfolk, VA which is a strait course both being about 37 degrees latitude.
As you read in verse 13 above it says, “And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a city, and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites. Where is the line of possessions of the Lamanites? At that 37 degree latitude or the 38 degrees of Washington DC and Huntington WV or Moroni could be from Philadelphia to Moundsville at nearly 40 degrees latitude.
I have reasoned that wouldn’t it be fairly cool if the ancient city of Moroni was either Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC or Norfolk? I have done some wonderful research around the Washington DC area to see what signs of the Hopewell people we could find. Amazingly there are many mounds and sites that date to the time of the verses in Alma 50 which would be around 73 BC. See map below of the sites in DC area.
City Moroni
Also in verse 14 of Alma 50 it says, “And they also began a foundation for a city between the city of Moroni and the city of Aaron, joining the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the land, Nephihah.” If the city Moroni that “was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites” (verse 13), if we find that line of the Lamanite possessions which is the same as the straight course line, we could find the ancient city of Moroni and the Land of Nephihah which would be north of Moroni.
I have overloaded you with maps in this blog. Unless you are willing to follow the rivers, artifacts, geology, terrain, text, and all evidence, it will be difficult for you to find secondary evidence for the Book of Mormon. Each map created here has a specific purpose and I challenge you to read for yourself the text of the Book of Mormon and I believe some of this geography will begin to make sense to you. Please don’t get caught up in the maps however. Read by the Spirit and the Lord will guide you in finding truth of whatever you seek, if it be the Lord’s will and your righteous desire.
Below is pages 131-142 of On the Antiquities of the Western parts of the State of New York
A MEMOIR by the Honourable Samuel L. Mitchill
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, Professor of Natural History in the University of the State, etc., etc. Page 131-142
“As the progress of cultivation extinguishes the remains of Antiquities mentioned in this Memoir, the view of the writer, in publishing it, is to awaken enquiry to a subject of great importance, before the means of investigation are entirely lost.
…The town of Pompey, in the county of Onondaga, is the highest ground of that country,* and divides the waters which flow into the bay of Chesapeake and the Gulph of St. Lawrence. The most elevated parts of the town exhibit the remains of ancient settlements, and in various other parts of it, the vestiges of a numerous population appear. About two miles south from Manlius Square, and in the town of Pompey, I examined the remains of a large town, which were obviously indicated by large spots of black mould in regular intervals of a few paces distant,! in which I ob served bones of animals, ashes, carbonized beans or grains of Indian corn, denoting the residence of human beings. This town must have extended at least half a mile from east to west, and threequarters of a mile from north to south. This extent I could de termine \vith considerable accuracy from my own view, but I was assured by a gentleman of veracity that its length from East to west was one mile. A town covering upwards of five hundred acres must have contained a population greatly transcending all our ideas of credibility. A mile to the east of the settlement there is a burying-ground containing three or four acres, and close to the west end there is another. This town was on elevated ground, about twelve miles distant from the Salt Springs on Onondaga, and was well calculated for defense. On the east side there is a perpendicular descent of one hundred feet into a deep ravine, through which a fine stream flows, and on the north side a similar one. There are three old forts situate distant about eight miles from each other, and forming a triangle which encloses the town; one a mile south of the present village of Jamesville, and the other north-east and south-east in Pompey ; and they were, in all probability, erected to cover the town and to protect the inhabitants against the attacks of an enemy. All these forts are of a circular or elliptical form; there are bones scattered all over the ground; an ash tree growing on it was cut down, and the con centric circles showed it to be ninety-three years old. On a heap of mouldered ashes, composing the site of a large house, I saw a white pine tree, eight and a half feet in circumference and at least one hundred and thirty years old. On the line of the north side the town was probably stormed.
There are graves on each side close to the precipice; sometimes five or six persons were thrown promiscuously into the same grave. If the invaders had been repulsed, the inhabitants would have interred the killed in the usual places; but from the circumstance of there being graves near the ravine and in the village, I am induced to believe that the town was taken. On the south side of this ravine a gun-barrel, several bullets, a piece of lead, and a skull perforated by a bullet, were dis covered. Indeed, gun-barrels, axes, hoes and swords were found all over these grounds, and I procured the following articles, which I now transmit to the Society to be deposited in their collection: two mutilated gun-barrels, two axes, a hoe, a bell without a clapper, a piece of a large bell, a finger-ring, a sword blade, pieces of bay onets, gunlocks and earthenware, a pipe, door-latch, beads and several other small things. These demonstrate European inter course, and from the attempts which were evidently made to ren der the gun-barrels useless by filing them, there can be little doubt but that the Europeans who had settled here were defeated and driven from the country by the Indians.
Near the remains of this town I observed a large forest, which was in former times cleared and under cultivation; and I drew this inference from the following circumstances: There were no hillocks or small mounds which are always the result of uprooted trees; no uprooted or decaying trees or stumps, no underwood, and the trees were generally fifty or sixty years old. Many, very many, years must elapse before a cultivated country is covered with wood. The seeds must be slowly conveyed by winds and birds. The town of Pompey abounds with forests of a similar character; some are four miles long and two wide, and it contains a great number of ancient places of interment. I have heard them estimated at eighty. If the present white population of that county were entirely swept away, perhaps in the revolution of ages similar appearances would exist.
It appears to me that there are two distinct eras in our antiquities; one applicable to the remains of old fortifications and settlements which existed anterior to European intercourse,and the other referring to European establishments and operations; and as the whites as well as the Indians would frequently resort to the former for protection, habitation or hunting, they must necessarily contain many articles of European manufacture, and thereby great confusion has resulted by blending together distant eras greatly remote in point of time. The French had, undoubtedly large establishments in the territory of the Six Nations. A quarto volume in Latin, written by Francis Creuxines, a Jesuit, was published at Paris in 1664, and is entitled Historicae Canadensis sen Novae Franciae Libri deceum ad annum usque Christi, MDCLVI. 134
…The traditions of the Indians agree in some measure with the French relations. They represent that their forefathers has several bloody battles with the French and finally compelled them to abandon the country; that the French, after being driven to their last fortress, capitulated and agreed to depart on being furnished with provisions; that the Indians filled their bags with ashes, covered with corn, and that the greater part of the French in consequence fell victims to famine at a place called by them anse de famine and by us, Hungry Hill. There is a hill in Pompey which the Indians will not visit, and which they call Bloody Hill.[See map above] It is surprising that no old Indian weapons, such as stone knives, axes and arrowheads, are found in this country*. It appears that they were superseded by French substitutes of iron.
The old fortifications were erected previous to European inter course.The Indians are ignorant by whom they were made; and in the wars which took place in this country it is probable that they were occupied as strongholds by the belligerents; and it is likely that the ruins of European works of a different construction may be found in the same way that Roman and British fortifications are to be seen in the vicinity of each other in Great Britain. It is remarkable that our ancient forts resemble the old British and Danish. Pennant, in his Tour in Scotland, says: “On the hill, near a certain spot, is a circular British entrenchment, and I was told of others of a square form at a few miles’ distance, I suppose Roman” — and in his Tour through Wales he describes “a strong British post on the summit of a hill in Wales, of a circular form, with a great foss(e) and dike and a small artificial mount within the precinct.” How exactly does this correspond with our old forts! The Danes as well as the nations which erected our fortifications, were in all probability of Scythian origin.According to Pliny, the name of Scythian was common to all the nations living in the north of Asia and Europe.
In the town of Camillus, in the same county of Onondaga, about four miles from the Seneca River, thirty miles from Lake Ontario, and eighteen from Salina, there are two ancient forts, on the land of Judge Munro, who has been settled there about nine teen years. One is on a very high hill, and its area covers about three acres. It had one eastern gate, and in the west there was another communicating with a spring about ten rods from the fort; its shape elliptical. The ditch was deep and the eastern wall ten feet high. In the centre was a large limestone of an irregular shape, which could be raised by two men; the bottom was flat and three feet long. It contained, in the opinion of Judge Munro, unknown characters plainly figured on the stone to the extent of eighteen inches in length and three inches in breadth. When I visited this place the stone was not to be seen, and my enquiries to find it were unsuccessful. I saw the stump of a black oak on the wall, one hundred years old; and about nineteen years ago there were indicia of two preceding growths. The second fort is almost half a mile distant, on lower ground, constructed like the other, and is about half as large. Near the large fort there are the marks of an old road, now covered by trees. I also saw in several places in this town, on high ground, considerable ridges stretching from the top to the bottom of the hills and the gullies between of no great width. This phenomenon occurs in very ancient settlements where the soil is loamy and the hills steep, and is occasioned by crevices produced and gradually enlarged by torrents. In a forest state this effect cannot result, and this evinces that those grounds were cleared in antient times. When settled by us they exhibited the same appearance as now, except being covered by wood; and as stumps are now to be seen in the gullies, the ridges and intervening small ravines could not have been made by the last clearing. The first settlers observed shells of testaceous animals accumulated in great masses in different places, and numerous fragments of pottery. Judge Munro found, in digging the cellar of his house, several pieces of brick. In various places there were large spots of deep black mould, demonstrating the former existence of buildings and erections of different kinds; and Judge Munro, seeing the appearance of a well, viz: a hole ten feet deep and the earth considerably caved in, he dug three and a half feet deep and came to a parcel of flints, below which he found a great quantity of human bones, which pulverized on exposure to the air.This is strong evidence of the destruction of an ancient settlement. The disposal of the dead was unquestionably made by an invading enemy.
I also observed on Boughton’s Hill, in Ontario county, where a bloody battle is said to have been fought, black spots of mould at irregular intervals, and yellow clay between. The most easterly fortification yet discovered in this region is about eighteen miles east of Manlius Square, with the exception of the one in Oxford, Chenango County, hereafter mentioned. To the north they have been discovered, as far as Sandy Creek, about fourteen miles from Sacket’s Harbor; near that place there is one that covers fifty acres and that contains numerous fragments of pottery. To the west there are great numbers. There is a large one in the town of Onondaga, one in Scipio, two near Auburn, three near Canandaigua, and several between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, there being three within a few miles of each other.The fort before referred to as being in Oxford, is on the east bank of the Chenango River, in the centre of the present village, which is on both sides of the river. There is a piece of land containing between two and three acres, which is about thirty feet higher than the adjoining flat land around it. This rise of land lies- along the river bank about fifty rods, and at the southwesterly end this fort was situated. It contained about three roods of ground, and on the river the line was nearly straight and the bank almost perpendicular.
The figure was nearly like this:[left]
At the places north and south, marked for gates, there were two spaces of about ten feet each where the ground has not been broken, which were undoubtedly the entrances or gateways by which the people of the fort went out and in, and particularly for water. The curve, except the gateways, was a ditch regularly dug; and although the ground on which the fort was situated was, at the first white settlement, as heavily timbered as any other part of the forest, yet the lines of the work could be distinctly traced among the trees, and the distance from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the embankment, generally about four feet.
The antiquity of this fortification is more particularly evident from the following fact:There was one large pine tree or rather dead trunk, fifty or sixty feet high, which being cut, one hundred and ninety -five circles of the wood could be easily distinguished; and many more could not be counted, as the sap wood of the tree was principally gone. Probably this tree was three or four hundred years old; certainly more than two hundred. It might have stood one hundred years after it had completed its growth, and even longer. It is also uncertain how long a time elapsed from the excavation of the ditch to the commencement of the growth of this tree.That it was not there when the earth was thrown up is certain; for it stood on the top of the bank, and its roots had shaped themselves to the ditch, running quite under the bottom of it; then rising on the other side near the surface of the earth, and then pursuing a horizontal direction. Probably this work was picketed in, but no remains of any wooden work have been discovered. The situation was very eligible, being healthy, commanding a beautiful prospect up and down the river, and there being no highland within such a distance that the garrison could be annoyed. No vestiges of any implements or utensils have been found, except some pieces of coarse pottery resembling stoneware, and roughly ornamented. The Indians have a tradition that the family of the Antones*, which is supposed to belong to the Tuscarora nation, are the seventh generation from the inhabitants of this fort; but of its history they know nothing. There is also a place at Norwich, in the same county, on a high bank of the river, called the castle where the Indians lived at the period of our settling the country, and some vestiges of a fortification appear there, but it is in all probability of a much more modern date than the one at Oxford.
*[Evidence of a Native American tribe called the Antones, who belonged to the Tuscarora Nation, may have been the builders of a mound on 2 1/2 acres, called Fort Hill in Oxford. The remains were noticed when Oxford was first settled in 1788, and is one of the oldest fortifications in the east, dating back to before the discovery of this country by the Europeans. The strategic location of the hill provided an unobstructed view up and down the river. The Fort area was semi-circular, about 30′ high and enclosed about 3/4 acre of birch and maple trees. An old Oneida oral tradition told of a terrible enemy chief called “Thick Neck” of the Antone tribe, which dated back seven generations to Fort Hill. (Documented in the 1906 “Annals of Oxford, NY”, by H.J. Galpin.) Thick Neck had fought with the Oneidas, but finally they defeated him by Lake Warn (then called Warn’s Pond). After his death, Thick Neck’s leaderless tribe joined with the Oneidas.
Human bones, ancient earthen cooking utensils and other relics were found when excavations were made at Fort Hill. In October, 1897, while workmen were engaged in trenching the village for the water works, they uncovered parts of two skeletons in the road near the crosswalk west of the Congregational church known today as the United Church of Oxford]. http://www.oxfordny.com/about/yesterday/forthill.php
Antiquities of the Western parts of the State of New York continues saying,“In the town of Ridgeway, in Genesee County, there have been discovered several ancient fortifications and burial places. About six miles from the Ridge road, and south of the great slope or mountain ridge, an old burying ground has been discovered within two or three months, in which are deposited bones of an unusual length and size. Over this ground lay the trunk of a chestnut tree, apparently four feet through at the stump. The top and limbs of this tree had entirely mouldered away by age. The bones lay across each other in a promiscuous manner; from which circumstance and the appearance of a for, in the neighbourhood, it is supposed that they were deposited there by their conquerors; and from the fort being situated in a swamp, it is believed it was the last resort of the vanquished, and probably the swamp was under water at the time.
There are extensive clearings in the Indian reservation at Buffalo, of which the Senecas can give no account. [Plausible truth about the Hopewell or Nephites before the Seneca]. Their principal settlements were at a great distance to the east, until the sale of the greater part of their country since the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.
Quote from article at the beginning of this article in reference to the map above.
On the south side of Lake Erie[From Irving to Salamanca, NY above] there is a series of old fortifications running from the Cattaraugus Creek [apx. 44 miles or a Day for a Nephite to go from the land northward to the land southward] to the Pennsylvania line, a distance of fifty miles. Some are two, three and four miles apart, and some within half a mile. Some contain five acres. The walls or breastworks [are] of earth; and they are generally on ground where there are appearances of creeks having once emptied into the lakes ; or where there was once a bay ; so that it is inferred that these works were once on the margin of Lake Erie, which has now retreated from two to five miles northerly. Still further south, there is said to be another chain of forts running parallel with the former,[Blue line in map above or apx 66 miles for a Day and a Half for a Nephite to get from the land northward to the land southward] and about the same distance from them as those are from the lake. The country here exhibits two different tables or sections of bottom, intervale or alluvial land; the one nearest the lake being the lower, and if I may so denominate it, the secondary table land; the primary or more elevated table land is bounded on the south by hills and valleys where Nature exhibits her usual aspects.
The primary alluvial land was formed from the first retreat or recession of the lake, and then, it is supposed, the most southern line of fortifications was erected. In process of time the lake receded further to the north, leaving another section of table land, one which the other tier of works was made. The soil on the two flats is very different: the inferior being adapted for grass, and the superior for grain ; and the timber varies in a correspondent (sic) manner. On the south side of Lake Ontario there are also two* alluvial formations; the most recent is north of the ridge road; no forts have been discovered on it. Whether there be any on the primary table land I have not learnt; south of the mountain ridge many have been observed. *In the original “too.”
In the geology of our country it is important to remark that the two alluvial formations before mentioned are, generally speak ing, characteristic of all the lands bordering on the western waters ; while on the eastern waters there is but one alluvial tract, with some few exceptions. This may be ascribed to the distance of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi from the ocean, their having prostrated, at two different periods, impediments or barriers, and in consequence of thus lowering the beds in which they flowed, having produced a partial exhaustion of the remote waters.
These distinct formations may be considered as great chronological landmarks. The non-existence of forts on the secondary or primary alluvial formations of Lake Ontario is a strong circumstance from which the remote antiquity of those on the high lands of the south may be deduced ; because if they had been erected after the first or last retreat of the lake, they would undoubtedly have been made on them as most convenient and best adapted for all military, civil and domestic purposes.
The Iroquois formerly lived, according to their traditions, on the north side of the Lakes. When they immigrated to their present country, they extirpated the people who occupied it, and after the European settlement of America the confederates destroyed the Eries, or Cat Indians, who lived on the south side of Lake Erie, Whether the nations which possessed our western country before the Iroquois had erected those fortifications to protect them against their invaders, or whether they were made by anterior inhabitants, are mysteries which cannot be penetrated by human sagacity; nor can I pretend to decide whether the Eries or their predecessors raised the works of defense in their territory; but I am persuaded that enough has been said to demonstrate the existence of a vast population, settled in towns, defended by forts, cultivating agriculture, and more advanced in civilization than the nations which have inhabited the same countries since the European discovery.
“On July 4,1859, Anthony Sherman—one of Washington’s soldiers at Valley Forge who was now 99 years old—was one of the last remaining veteran soldiers of the Revolution.
Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of the officer I mentioned who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command, said to the latter: “I do not know whether it is owing to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. 
ALMA CHAPTER 50
(See Moroni’s America page 241 quoted below).
