Mesoamerican Pictures in My Book of Mormon?

My intent is not to pit the USA vs Guatemala, when it comes to which is or is not a Promised Land, but contrast them in the Lord’s eyes and why He chose the United States and not Guatemala, or Baja, or Chile or any other place. I ask those of other theories to come to the table and realize that a second hill in Cumorah makes no sense and there is no scriptural reason for it.

I think the following quote from Orson F. Whitney gives great commentary about why the Lord chose the USA as a Chosen Land. “…in culmination of the grand scheme of schemes, this great nation, the Republic of the United States, might be established upon this land as an asylum for the oppressed; a resting place, it might be said, for the Ark of the covenant, where the temple of our God might be built; where the plan of salvation might be introduced and practiced in freedom, and not a dog would wag his tongue in opposition to the purposes of the Almighty. We believe that this was His object in creating the Republic of the United States; the only land where his work could be commenced or the feet of his people find rest. No other land had such liberal institutions, had adopted so broad a platform upon which all men might stand. We give glory to those patriots for the noble work they did; but we give the first glory to God, our Father and their Father, who inspired them. We take them by the hand as brothers. We believe they did nobly their work, even as we would fain do ours, faithfully and well, that we might not be recreant in the eyes of God, for failing to perform the mission to which He has appointed us.” Bishop Orson F. Whitney, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, April 19, 1885. Reported by John Irvine. Journal Discourses Volume 26  Page 201

Learn below about the Colonization of Guatemala and our 1957 Book of Mormon

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“America… it is God’s land”

Mark E. Petersen said, “You from other lands don’t need to become jealous of America. Who is jealous of Palestine, where Jesus was born? We are not jealous of the country; we merely recognize the hand of God in sending him there. We must also recognize the hand of God in sending the gospel to this land. We learn to love America because it is God’s land!”

Now, I think The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the earth and I love the Church with all my heart. I also know people in the Church are not perfect and make mistakes, but our Historians, Intellectuals, and Publishers have made some real silly and reckless mistakes. Take for example the Book of Mormon that was published during my mission to the great people of Fiji, and of the Kiribati Islands, and many more Islands. While on my mission in 1975 we of course had those light blue copies of the Book of Mormon, (picture above left) with the large Angel Moroni on the cover. (Similar to the one in this article but this one in the article was the larger edition and the 1957 version which meant I was 1 year old when printed. My Father-in-law Robert Mehl, today 90 years old gave me this 1957 version.) I do remember my 1975 edition had many of the same pictures you will see in this 1957 edition which was printed in 1976.

Why is the House of the Magician Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico-Temple Crowned Pyramid, pictured in color in our Church published 1957 copy of the Book of Mormon? (Picture Below)

You can see some of the art above and also inside was art of Arnold Friberg’s famous paintings, mostly in the setting of Central America. The Church had pictures in our copies of the Book of Mormon of Chechen Itza and gold plates found in Mexico and pearls and trinkets from Central America which all indicated a belief, that our Church thought the events of the Book of Mormon happened in Mesoamerica. It seemed to me the Church was not neutral but actually presenting a Mesoamerican probability for the events of the Nephites and Lamanites.

Why were the Arnold Friberg Paintings (which by the way I love and they are beautiful), show a Central American location for the Book of Mormon, printed in our church published 1957 Book of Mormon? (Pictured Below)

During my time after a mission I would look everywhere to find the connection of the Book of Mormon with Central America, and I finally gave trying as to where the Book of Mormon events happened and I turned to ignoring the entire situation for over 20 years. In about 2011 I met Rod Meldrum and him just mentioning in passing about an ancient mound site in North America that ties to Book of Mormon time frames, is all I needed to begin this wonderful discovery that I now believe deeply. The events of the Book of Mormon happened in the United States, that Joseph Smith did indeed tell his wife while in Illinois during Zion’s Camp in 1834 that he was on the Plains of the Nephites, and in D&C 125 the Lord in a Revelation to Joseph told him that Montrose, Iowa was indeed Zarahemla and the inspiration of Joseph telling us about Zelph in Illinois as a great warrior who fought in one of the last great battles of the Book of Mormon, and hundreds of Prophets and Apostles witnessing and revealing (Quotes Here) that the Hill Cumorah of NY is the only place the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites happened. My common sense and spirit say all of this is true, and Mesoamerica is simply a man made idea that makes no sense anymore.

Joseph Fielding Smith said it best, “…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all…

It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill (See Letter VII Here) spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12

Why is a Gold Breastplate and Jewelry from the Guatemala National Museum pictured in our 1957 Book of Mormon? And, why do we also see pictured Gold Objects taken from Ancient Peruvian Tombs from The National Museum of Lima, Peru? (Below)

Yes I agree with Joseph Fielding Smith which says, “It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe… that they (Church Leaders) did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” This Meso theory has been perpetuated by the maps of LE Hills of the RLDS Church since 1917, by a statement of Orson Pratt or others about landing in Chile at 30 degrees, by Benjamin Winchester who put articles in the Times and Seasons about how the new book from Stephens and Catherwood said they found ancient pyramids in Central America so they MUST be related to our Book of Mormon. Winchester simply wanted hard proof and evidence that he could tie some real pyramids to our book even though those pyramids dated at 800 AD long after the Nephites were destroyed.

How did this picture of an “Elephant or Mammoth Skeleton from the Denver Museum” (Picture below bottom left) get in the Book of Mormon? It isn’t from Mesoamerica. Did our church editors get it correct when including the North American Animal? We know there were no elephants, in Mesoamerica as there were no animals to practice the “Law of Moses” either. There were no sheep, goats, rams, bullocks, doves, wheat, barley or wine in Mesoamerica during the times of the Nephites. We know the Nephites practiced the Law of Moses but they didn’t have the necessary animals, plants or wine to perform their rituals. There were no horses or elephants or mastodons or mammoths in Mesoamerica. Isn’t that a witness of it’s own that the Book of Mormon events had to happen in North America where all of these animals were available? Of course!

 

If you look at the picture above in the bottom left corner, you will see something unusual in my opinion. What is a picture of a Mammoth in Denver Colorado doing in our Book of Mormon surrounded by Mesoamerican pictures? It seems so out of place doesn’t it? What are the Church Historians telling us?

Neutrality

First of all I hope you realize our church is neutral on where they say Book of Mormon events took place. They just say “Somewhere in the Americas.” Our Church is also neutral about the age of the earth, age of dinosaurs, evolution, and type of instruments used for the translation of the Book of Mormon. I am not neutral, as I have a strong belief that the Book of Mormon events began in North America, the Prophet Joseph used “these stones fastened to a breastplate”, JSH 1:35 to translate the plates, Dinosaurs lived at the time of Adam, the age of the earth is thousands of years not millions, humans cannot evolve from apes, and the material of the earth was not and never could be created out of nothing. If the Church told us these things it would be too easy, and not allow each of us an opportunity to grow and exercise our free agency. I am thankful I know these things by personal revelation and I never depend on historians or intellects, and I also validate any personal opinion of the brethren through the spirit.

Our church hires historians and educators and then allows them to suggest their opinions on matters of secondary importance to the doctrine of the Church. In other words, our wonderful Prophet and Apostles trust the opinions of good people they have hired. However I do have a quote from a very ideological Book of Mormon Central employee that shows me why I can’t trust many of the opinions of these so-called historians. This Ideologue said, “The Church hires us to help them guide the church.” That is egotistical and sad. This man thinks a lot of himself, and that is why I trust my own research and then a confirmation with the spirit for truth. 

Why Keep the Fantasy Going?

The entire early church and historians figured in a “Hemispheric Model” for the Book of Mormon originally, in thinking all of North and South America were Nephite lands. They reasoned that all of South America was the home of the Lamanites and all of North America was the land of the Nephites and Panama was the narrow neck of land. (almost all church members Meso and Heartlanders, began believing this ridiculous idea without facts, just speculation, including me). That speculation was around for years until both of those on the side of Mesoamerica and those on the side of the Heartland, both agreed that the Hemispheric model just doesn’t work because of the vast distances of travel. In about 1978 John Sorensen in his book “An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon” began saying the Hemispheric Model didn’t work any more. Heartlanders as well believed in a “Limited Geography Theory” Between Iowa and New York down to Florida. This is also called The Hinterlands idea. We believe the area of the Nephites is pictured in the map below in green:

Defining Hinterlands

“Hinterlands is defined here as meaning the unknown area of North and South America that are not within the scope of the writings of the Book of Mormon. In other words, since we believe main events of the Book of Mormon happened in a limited area of North America around the Great Lakes  in the east,  and Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri to the west, and south in Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, all other areas will be discussed as “The Hinterlands”. We propose that Mesoamerica is the Hinterlands along with many other areas of the continent. As Mormon has said, “…I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Words of Mormon 1:5).  There are many people in South and Central America that are Lamanites and part of the Hinterlands.” Jonathan Neville

 

The Meso groups say today all events began in Mesoamerica somewhere, probably Guatemala and those Natives of North America were simply offshoots or remnants of the original Nephites in Guatemala. On the other side, those of us in the Heartland movement conclude that the events of the Book of Mormon began in Florida and Tennessee then to Missouri, and Indiana, and to Ohio and finally to Cumorah in NY. (The same trail as the Hopewell Culture) and some Nephites in South America have migrated there or through marriage and curiosity went other places to establish. Isn’t is amazing that Archaeologists and Historians all over the world and not of our faith know as a fact that the Hopewell Culture abruptly ended near the Great Lakes in about 400 to 500 AD. Coincidence? No. What does common sense say?

Below is the BYU fantasy map and the old 1917 LE Hills map of the RLDS that Mesoamericans have used. Below it also shows how the Meso map had continued to rotate so the new fantasy map shows a direct N to S configuration like the Book of Mormon talks about. Their old Meso map is configured E to W and never fit the dialogue in the Book of Mormon, which is why they rotated it 45 degrees.

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THE HOPEWELL CULTURE (100 BC TO AD 400)

“Great new inspirations marked the coming of Ancient Ohio’s “Golden Age.” People began to assemble over many generations, creating complex earthworks, enormous in scale, precise in geometry, and often aligned with celestial events. And beneath carefully mounded layers of earth they left elaborate burials and beautifully crafted objects, evidence of their artistic skill and the great reach of their trade networks. This culture is called “Hopewell” because its richest ceremonial site was part of Mordecai Hopewell’s farm, just west of Chillicothe, at the end of the 19th century. From its southern Ohio heartland, Hopewell practices and interactions spread across much of North America. By about AD 400, forests were reclaiming the geometric earthworks, and the communities’ focus shifted from these vast ceremonial centers to growing villages, and new ways of life.” Ohio Earthworks Timeline.

Here is the bottom line. Believe what you would like. The Church is neutral which is just fine. They are also neutral on Evolution and Adam-God Theory, and DNA, and dates of dinosaurs, which is just fine. Knowing the answer to many of these so-called controversies will not determine whether I receive exaltation, but they will tell me more “truth of all things”, that Moroni promised me from the Lord. Today, you know where the Savior grew up, and where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac, and I now feel strongly I know where Nephi grew up and where Moroni fought and it was not in Mexico, it was in the Heartland and near Hill Cumorah the place Joseph said it was, and the place Prophets and Apostles have testified of, over and over again.

I love and respect those good members of the church who believe differently than I do about the location of the Book of Mormon. Until the next life or unless the Brethren receive geographical revelation, I know there is only one Hill Cumorah and that is just how it is. The silliness of two Cumorah’s is like the great cartoon of my dear friend Val Chadwick Bagley below. One Cumorah just makes sense!

President Russell M. Nelson

“Does God really want to speak to you? Yes! “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course … as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.”

You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.

I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives by President Russell M. Nelson (Bold and italic added)

Prophets Quotes

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

“I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah” (Mormon. 6:6). [There] perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, ‘There shall be none greater… upon all the face of the earth’ (Ether 1:43, p. 461). “As I contemplated this tragic scene from the crest of Cumorah and viewed the beautiful land of the Restoration as it appears today, I cried in my soul, how could it have happened?… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites…I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come.” (President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency 145th Semiannual Conference, Saturday Morning Session, October 4, 1975; emphasis added.)

“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). “Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into  this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Monson, Thomas S., Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, 2011, pp. 14-15, 157-158

I Believe Joseph Smith and the Prophets and Apostles, not Historians and Intellectuals!

As you read this interesting article below about Guatamala, think to your self, does this sound like the Nephite people and does it look and sound like places and cities and buildings of the Nephites?

Hugh Nibley said, “The Book of Mormon is a history of a related primitive church, and one may well ask what kind of remains the Nephites would leave us from their more virtuous days. A closer approximation to the Book of Mormon picture of Nephite culture is seen in the earth and palisade structures of the Hopewell and Adena culture areas than in the later stately piles of stone in Mesoamerica…

Though such piles as the great pyramid-temple of Chichén Itzá yield to few buildings in the world in beauty of proportion and grandeur of conception, there is something disturbing about most of these overpowering ruins. Writers describing them through the years have ever confessed to feelings of sadness and oppression as they contemplate the moldy magnificence—the futility of it all: “They have all gone away from the house on the hill,” and today we don’t even know who they were

The great monuments do not represent what the Nephites stood for; rather, they stand for what their descendants, “mixed with the blood of their brethren,” descended to. But seen in the newer and wider perspective of comparative religious studies, they suggest to us not only the vanity of mankind and the futility of man’s unaided efforts, but also something nobler; the constant search of men to recapture a time when the powers of heaven were truly at the disposal of a righteous people.” Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify? By Hugh Nibley September 1972

The Colonization of Guatemala by Christopher Minster

June 08, 2019

The lands of present-day Guatemala were a special case for the Spanish who conquered and colonized them. Although there was no powerful central culture to contend with, such as the Incas in Peru or the Aztecs in Mexico, Guatemala was still home to the remnants of the Maya, a mighty civilization that had risen and fallen centuries before. These remnants fought hard to preserve their culture, forcing the Spanish to come up with new techniques of pacification and control.

Guatemala Before the Conquest

The Maya Civilization peaked around 800 and fell into decline shortly thereafter. It was a collection of powerful city-states who warred and traded with one another, and it stretched from Southern Mexico to Belize and Honduras. The Maya were builders, astronomers, and philosophers with a rich culture. By the time the Spanish arrived, however, the Maya had degenerated into a number of small fortified kingdoms, the strongest of which were the K’iche and Kaqchikel in Central Guatemala.

Editor’s Note: The DNA of those in Central and south America and even those of the Western United States is Asian, not Hebrew as you would expect a Nephite of Lehite to be. DNA of Native Americans has been found to match West Eurasian’s. See blog here, and I believe the Mayans are from India. See my blog here:

The Conquest of the Maya

The conquest of the Maya was led by Pedro de Alvarado, one of the top lieutenants of Hernán Cortés, and a veteran of the conquest of Mexico. Alvarado led fewer than 500 Spanish and a number of native Mexican allies into the region. He made an ally of the Kaqchikel and warred upon the K’iche, whom he defeated in 1524. His abuses of the Kaqchikel caused them to turn on him, and he spent until 1527 stamping out various rebellions. With the two strongest kingdoms out of the way, the other, smaller ones were isolated and destroyed as well.

The Verapaz Experiment

One region still held out: the cloudy, misty, north-central highlands of modern-day Guatemala. In the early 1530s, Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, a Dominican friar, proposed an experiment: he would pacify the natives with Christianity, not violence. Along with two other friars, Las Casas set off and did, in fact, manage to bring Christianity to the region. The place became known as Verapaz, or “true peace,” a name it carries to this day. Unfortunately, once the region was brought under Spanish control, unscrupulous colonists raided it for enslaved people and land, undoing just about everything Las Casas had accomplished.

The Viceroyalty Period

Guatemala had bad luck with provincial capitals. The first, founded in the ruined city of Iximche, had to be abandoned due to persistent native uprisings, and the second, Santiago de los Caballeros, was destroyed by a mudslide. The present-day city of Antigua was then founded, but even it suffered major earthquakes late in the colonial period. The region of Guatemala was a large and important state under the control of the Viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) until the time of independence.

Encomiendas

Conquistadores and governmental officials and bureaucrats were often awarded encomiendas, large tracts of land complete with native towns and villages. The Spaniards theoretically were responsible for the religious education of the natives, who in return would work the land. In reality, the encomienda system became little more than an excuse for legalized enslavement, as the natives were expected to work with little reward for their efforts. By the 17th century, the encomienda system was gone, but much damage had already been done.

Native Culture

After the conquest, the natives were expected to give up their culture to embrace Spanish rule and Christianity. Although the Inquisition was forbidden to burn native heretics at the stake, punishments could still be very severe. In Guatemala, however, many aspects of native religion survived by going underground, and today some natives practice an odd mishmash of Catholic and traditional faith. A good example is Maximón, a native spirit that was sort of Christianized and is still around today.

Editor’s Note: The Native Americans of North America are very religious and only believe in one God, The Great Spirit. They have been compared to the Lost 10 Tribes and the Jews. Those of South America just don’t fit this mold. See my blog here It is about my belief that the Native Americans are descendants of the Jews.

The Colonial World Today

If you’re interested in the colonization of Guatemala, there are several places you might want to visit. The Mayan ruins of Iximché and Zaculeu are also sites of major sieges and battles during the conquest. The city of Antigua is steeped in history, and there are many cathedrals, convents and other buildings that have survived since colonial times. The towns of Todos Santos Cuchumatán and Chichicastenango are known for their blending of Christian and native religions in their churches. You can even visit Maximón in various towns, mostly in the Lake Atitlán region. It is said that he looks with favor on offerings of cigars and alcohol!

Minster, Christopher. “The Colonization of Guatemala.” ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-colonization-of-guatemala-2136330 https://www.thoughtco.com/the-colonization-of-guatemala-2136330

Preserving the Western Hemisphere by Mark E. Petersen

There was no religious freedom for many years, and God knew that. But he knew also that this restoration of the gospel was to come, and he prepared for it by reserving the Western Hemisphere as a place where he would work out the conditions under which the gospel could be restored. He did not allow any colonization of the Western Hemisphere until he was ready for it.

We know that various explorers discovered America anciently, well before Christopher Columbus. The Norsemen came over to what they called Vinland, as you remember, and there were others. It is interesting to read about them, but, mark you, not one of them established permanent colonies. God would not allow them here. Colonization was reserved for the people whom the Lord himself would bring to this country. Even though there were earlier discoveries of America, none of them counted so far as God was concerned because he had his eye upon Columbus.

I hope that when you read the Book of Mormon you will read carefully the last chapter of first Nephi, which refers to the day in which we are living. In this chapter Nephi talked about this land and the gentiles who in latter days would be brought here. Then he said:

And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded [the scattering of the ten tribes and the Jews to all parts of the world], that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land [the United States]; and by them shall our seed be scattered. [Through the Indian wars the Indians were scattered by the early Americans.]

And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.

And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. [1 Nephi 22:7–9]

What does that language mean? It means that in the latter days upon this Western Hemisphere a great nation of the gentiles would be established and that from this nation of the gentiles the true restored gospel would be taken to all the house of Israel all over the world. The Savior said essentially the same thing, and I would like to read just one verse that he said in regard to this subject. He also was talking about the gentiles who would occupy this land in these latter days:

For it is wisdom in the Father that they [the gentiles] should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things [the gospel] might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel. [3 Nephi 21:4]

Here is the Savior of the world talking to these Nephites in America after his resurrection, telling them that in the latter days many gentiles would come to this land and that the Lord God would establish a mighty nation among them here in this land for one purpose: that these gentiles to whom the gospel would be restored would take it to the rest of the world. Isn’t this significant scripture? The Great Prologue by Mark E. Petersen.

E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean 

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

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

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

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

As our colleague Wayne May says often, “We report, you decide”. USA or Mesoamerica, or somewhere else? Review, Study and Pray.