It Just Makes Sense

The Heartland “Feels” Right!

Common sense and the voice of the Spirit have a lot of similarity. These things are also understood with our conscious or a “gut” feeling or intuition.

We all lack knowledge in many things, and only after a lot of study and prayer do we gain a correct knowledge of some things. In those things we just don’t understand, we learn to say, “just makes sense” are ofttimes that answer was what we were looking for.

My great friend and cartoonist Val Chadwick Bagley keeps reminding me of this. Val has done cartoons for over 40 years for the Church Magazines and continues today. He received the 1,000,000 sale mark with Covenant Publishing which has only been reached by one other person ever!

After meeting Val 6 years ago I have been hiring him to do all kinds of cartoons for me. He has done over 100 wonderful and funny pieces for me to enjoy and share with others. I came up with an idea on how to spoof the Meso boys and he would create art to represent it. (See Below) After creating about 10 pieces for me, he became confused. He wasn’t sure why I thought some of these were funny. You see he was Mesoamerican Cartoonist and knew nothing about the heartland. I told him that doesn’t matter, you keep doing these for me as I have over 20,000 people that think these are truly funny and they are purchasing copies from me. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “ok” as he was also making money.

Then It finally made sense to Val after I asked him to do the following cartoon.

Val called me and said, “wow, I finally get it”. There is no way Moroni could have carried all those plates from Mesoamerica to New York. The Book of Mormon has to have happened in the United States. Then he went on to make the point I have never forgotten. He said, “It Just Makes Sense”, and then he sent me this cartoon:

The Book of Mormon happened in the Heartland of the United States. Sure there are many Lamanites in South and Central America, but that is from intermarriage and migration. Remember Moroni said : “the hundredth part I have not written” Ether 15:33. The events happened between about Nauvoo, IL, to Hill Cumorah and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The rest of the United States and the Americas would be called the Hinterlands which means Lamanites living outside of the main area of Book of Mormon events.

See Inside the Book (93 More Pages)

To see more of Val’s cartoons and to purchase, visit here:

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Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville Chapter 23 – Evidence, Proof, and Historicity

People often ask me, “How much evidence does it take to prove something?” My answe”r: “It depends on the individual and what he or she wants to believe.”

When I was a prosecutor, preparing a case for trial involved assembling and presenting evidence to prove elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil cases, the burden of proof is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not. There are statutes and rules and court decisions about the fine points of these formal standards of proof.

But no such rules apply to our individual lives.

A person who wants to believe something will be convinced by little, or no, evidence. A person who doesn’t want to believe something may not be convinced by any amount of evidence. But most people, in most aspects of their lives, do tend to want to know the truth, even if it is “hard” because it contradicts what they’ve been taught or what they’ve believed before.

I wrote this book to offer evidence about the historical authenticity—the historicity—of the Book of Mormon. 

In my view, the Mesoamerican theory has eroded faith in the Book of Mormon among those who look objectively at the evidence and arguments. The “evidence” usually cited to support Mesoamerica as the setting for the Book of Mormon narrative is illusory. Proponents find similarities between Mesoamerican culture and the culture described in the text of the Book of Mormon, but such similarities occur in many human cultures. Worse, they contradict the plain meaning of the text, which describes a Hebrew culture, not a Mayan one.

These similarities or “correspondences” are often dressed up in sophisticated rhetoric, but they boil down to this:

1. Nephi planted seeds and harvested them.

2. The Mayans planted seeds and harvested them.

Therefore, Nephi was a Mayan.

I realize no Mesoamerican proponents have made that specific argument, but the correspondences you read about—John Sorenson alone had 140 such correspondences in his book, Mormon’s Codex—follow that logic.

Meanwhile, the Mesoamerican proponents distort the text so it will fit their theory. Mormon’s Codex and many other publications and web pages that support the Mesoamerican theory claim the textual term “north” doesn’t really mean north. They substitute Mayan animals and plants for those mentioned in the text. They also insist Joseph Smith was merely speculating about where the Book of Mormon took place.

If you’re wondering where the Mesoamerican theory originated, Chapter 29 addresses that.

Any standard of proof is subjective. Proof is whatever is sufficient to satisfy an individual about the truth or falsity of a given proposition. Because of different backgrounds, priorities, and values, some people require more proof of a given proposition than others. This subjectivity explains why we use juries in courts of law and peer reviews in science. In both cases, we assume that if evidence persuades a group, it is more likely to be accurate. Convince enough people—members of a jury, qualified scientists—and the law and public opinion will generally go along with the conclusion.

Yet human judgments are fallible. History is replete with examples of a “consensus” being wrong. Einstein famously challenged the consensus of his day with his own theory of relativity. The germ theory revolutionized medicine. Technology in all its forms has challenged prior consensus and dramatically changed the way people live and think.

Along the way, every challenge to the consensus faced opposition. Individuals with strong convictions used evidence and rational arguments to persuade others, but it is almost always a gradual process. What may be considered as “fact” in one time and place may be shown to be error in another time and place. New knowledge supersedes old, but old knowledge may be sustained when seen from a different perspective. Even where people agree on a set of facts (which itself can be a challenge), they differ regarding the interpretation and importance of those facts.

Religious leaders face similar obstacles. Moses presented a tremendous challenge, not only to the Egyptians but to the Israelite slaves who had grown accustomed to their status. Many prophets and religious leaders have been killed for what they preached. Jesus was crucified. Stephen was stoned. Many of the original apostles were killed.

When it comes to personal convictions, the views of a majority are irrelevant. Belief in God is an individual choice, not the product of a vote. In the same way, one’s acceptance or rejection of the Book of Mormon is highly personal, and may be the product of objective reasoning based on facts, spiritual insights based on personal experience, or a combination of the two.

In my view, even spiritual choices are improved with consideration of the best available evidence.

This book—Moroni’s America: The North American Setting for the Book of Mormon—is part of a series that examines the setting for the Book of Mormon in detail.

The Lost City of Zarahemla: from Iowa to Guatemala and Back Again focuses on the origins of the Mesoamerican theory of Book of Mormon geography. It proposes that theory originated not with Joseph Smith but with a well-meaning, zealous missionary named Benjamin Winchester, a man whom the Prophet eventually described as having a “rotten heart.” Joseph prophesied that the man would “injure the Church as much as he could.” The evidence of the fulfillment of that prophecy may be found in the premises of the Mesoamerican theory; i.e., the proposition that some terms in the Book of Mormon were not properly translated and the assertion by Mesoamerican advocates that Joseph Smith didn’t know much about the Book of Mormon and merely speculated about the geography, culture, and legacy of its peoples.

Brought to Light covers 1842 Nauvoo and the Times and Seasons in even more detail, showing Joseph Smith could not have written many of the editorials long attributed to him and that Winchester and W.W. Phelps had more influence than has previously recognized.

Another in the series, Mormon’s History: Back to the Beginning, examines the historical context of the Book of Mormon. Early claims that Joseph Smith copied from another source are refuted, but more importantly, the unique and prescient elements of the Book of Mormon are placed in their historical context.

NEW!

This series of books responds to the modern demand for facts and evidence. As an empiricist myself, I seek physical confirmation of historical and scientific claims. In my opinion, Joseph Smith himself was an empiricist. He described Moroni’s visits with specific details about his appearance and apparel. He dug the plates out of the hill Cumorah, lugged them around, and protected them. But, as near as we can tell from the historical record, he did not use them for the actual translation.

Told he would be an instrument in the hands of God, Joseph knew he was responsible to translate the plates. First, he copied some of the figures and sent Martin Harris to find someone who could translate them. Only after Harris returned, unsuccessful, did Joseph realize he—Joseph—would have to translate them himself.

He had no way to learn the language written on the plates. However, his tutor, Moroni, had provided him the necessary context. He had informed Joseph about Lehi and his descendants, showing him their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, and their history of righteousness and iniquity. But in the economy of heaven, would it make sense for Moroni to teach Joseph a complex language he would use only once in his lifetime? How accurate a translation could Joseph have made even with such training? Translation is subjective; even professional, experienced translators never produce identical versions of a given text.

No, the only practical means for accurately translating an ancient religious text written in an unknown language was through the gift of tongues. As an empiricist, Joseph would understand this. The only solution was to use a seer stone, blocking out ambient light with a hat so he could see the words that appeared on the stone. Then why the plates?

I think he needed them as physical, tangible proof that the ancient record he was “translating” actually existed. It was one thing to have Moroni—a long-deceased ancient inhabitant of the land where Joseph lived—appear to him. It was one thing for a voice to speak to his mind or even for words to appear on a stone. But it was something else entirely to pry open an ancient stone box and find gold (or tumbaga) plates, a breastplate, a sword, and other artifacts. That the plates contained writing no one could read—a proposition confirmed by Dr. Charles Anthon—was confirmation, too, of their authenticity. Had they been written in legible Hebrew, they could have been dismissed like the many other artifacts containing forms of Hebrew found in North America.

Anything short of such tangible, physical evidence could have left Joseph with an excuse to walk away from the project when opposition grew. He had plenty of reasons to rationalize it away, to succumb to the wishes of his peers and agree that the whole project was, in fact, a hallucination.

But the plates prevented that.

Joseph knew the plates were real. There was no denying that. The three witnesses, the eight witnesses, and the many other people who saw the plates confirmed what Joseph knew: he had an actual, ancient record.

In fact, the importance of physical evidence was emphasized by King Benjamin in the very first chapter Joseph translated after Martin Harris lost the original manuscript:

O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes. (Mosiah 1:6) (emphasis added)

And now, in 2016, we have the same kind of physical evidence.

Physical evidence is no substitute for spiritual connection and knowledge. As an empiricist, I recognize that a spiritual witness far exceeds any material witness in terms of impact on one’s mind and soul. Who would deny that the feeling of love is more powerful than a textbook knowledge of biochemistry? Another way to express this is that the things of God are made known by the Spirit of God.

And yet, physical evidence is an important component of any spiritual conviction. At the most fundamental level, no one could believe in the Bible if the Bible didn’t exist. Of course, the fact someone believes something does not make it real (let alone true), but the existence of the Bible—something one can touch and feel and read—provides the necessary premise for belief. Jesus performed miracles to give the people something physical to believe while they developed their spirituality. He knew most people cannot accept mere words; there must be evidence. Indeed, isn’t that why Christ became mortal in the first place?

No oyster can produce a pearl unless there is a grain of sand to build upon. So, too, faith builds upon some initial physical reality, whether that’s a book, an experience, a physical sensation—or a set of metal plates.

Since 1830, the existence of the Book of Mormon itself was sufficient for millions of people to accept it as a revelation from God. There were no viable explanations for its existence other than pure serendipity (itself a miracle) and Joseph Smith’s own explanation. Claims that Joseph copied it, collaborated with others, or even wrote it himself have all been advanced and exposed as highly implausible, at best. And yet, for most people, any shred of possibility that Joseph Smith composed the book is sufficient to reject it. Such rejection is far more palatable than the alternative of acceptance and all that entails. Accepting the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon requires first, acceptance of metaphysical reality—that God exists and intervenes in human affairs—and second, acceptance that whatever one had believed that contradicted Joseph’s explanation was incorrect.

Those are difficult propositions, no doubt, in any age of the world.

But now, in 2015, the mere existence of the Book of Mormon is hardly persuasive. There are over 150 million copies of the book in existence but only around 7.5 million people who actually believe its claims (assuming an activity rate of 50% among nominal Mormons, which might be high). Pure faith has become less and less prevalent in light of scientific advances that have explained so many things that were once the province of faith alone.

Which is what makes the Book of Mormon all the more convincing.

Critics have long focused on the inconsistency between the geography descriptions in the Book of Mormon itself verses the Mesoamerican setting that has long prevailed in the Church. Those critics have made some good points. I propose that the Book of Mormon events did not occur in Mesoamerica (or anywhere south of Texas). My conclusion that the Mesoamerican theory was initiated by an overzealous Mormon missionary whose efforts succeeded for over 170 years may reflect on the work of LDS scholars (who, by and large, sought to vindicate what they thought were Joseph Smith’s teachings), but can have no bearing on the Book of Mormon itself.

Only now, in 2015, can we see the Book of Mormon for what it has always been: a complex history of the Native American Indians who inhabited what was, in 1830-1842, the United States of America. Only now, with the benefit of modern archaeology, geology, and other tools can we understand what the Book of Mormon was saying about its time, place, and people.

The timing could not have been better. As I write, we live in a society and world that largely rejects any claims that are not supported by solid evidence. Rightly so. Science has exposed hundreds of false ideas and beliefs. But it has verified others. That science would establish the historicity of the Book of Mormon is an outcome that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. But now that it has happened, detractors are put to the test.

I’ll repeat the question I posed at the beginning: “How much evidence does it take to prove something?”

Only time will tell, and each individual must decide for herself or himself.

Moroni’s America by Jonathan Neville Chapter 23