Two Cumorah Mesoamerica Geography Theory for The Book of Mormon
As noted previously (Previous Blog here), the so-called Two Cumorah Mesoamerica Geography Theory for The Book of Mormon was created by a member of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The RLDS Church). His name is Louis E. Hills, or commonly noted as L.E. Hills. He copyrighted his books and maps in his name, his copyrights have expired and his books and maps are now in the Public Domain, allowing anyone to resell them. [Similar to the novels of Peter Pan and Gulliver’s Travels.]
This is his portrait from his 1918 book (scanned by Google):
A SHORT WORK ON THE POPOL VUH AND THE TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT AMERICANS BY IXT-LIL-XOCHITL
Source: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101078161690&view=1up&seq=4&skin=2021
To recap this history from my previous posts, of the creation of the so-called Two Cumorah Mesoamerica geography theory for The Book of Mormon, L.E. Hills offered two copies of his copyrighted map to the leadership of The RLDS Church on Thursday April 12, 1917 at 10:45 a.m.
Online 1917 calendar:
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1917&country=1
1917
Despite his map and ideas under review by a church committee, Hills went about promoting them in the course of his usual Church assignments while visiting different congregations or Branches of the RLDS Church.
This confused members of The RLDS Church, who then contacted the office of The First Presidency. “Numerous reports and inquiries have reached this office touching the recent activities of Elder L.E. Hills…” stated the Notice dated November 15, 1921. “He’s carrying on his work…on his own initiative.”
Sorry, this yellow map is not approved by the leadership of The Church. [It’s all make-believe. A fantasy. Like Scottish novelist Sir James Matthew Barrie’s creation of the fictional character, Peter Pan or the Travels of Lemuel Gulliver and his encounter with the Lilliputians, created by the Anglo-Irish satirist, Jonathan Swift.]
1921
Daniel MacGregor, a member of the Second Quorum of The Seventy of The RLDS Church and who wrote a book called “A Marvelous Work and A Wonder” first published, I believe in 1911, with several republications and “An Investigation of Presbyterianism and Why I l Left It,” was hopeful, as published in The Saints’ Herald on August 23, 1921:
While the appointed committee was reviewing L.E. Hills’ maps and ideas, Hills published two books, apparently, to help convince his fellow members and the members of the Committee.
The RLDS Church was very “Democratic,” if you will. This is noted in what historians today call the issue of “Supreme Directional Control.” Wikipedia mentions it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_directional_control
“In contrast to the Utah LDS membership, who tend to stress unquestioning conformity to the directives of church leadership, some RLDS laity and clergy held that even after adoption of a policy, members might continue to debate or even ignore its provisions if they felt it to be wrong. More authoritarian and blunt-spoken than his father, Joseph Smith III, Frederick Smith accepted the right of members to debate church policy prior to its formulation, but not afterwards.”
The two books published by L.E. Hills, during the review by the Committee, are found on line:
1918
1918 Book by L.E. Hills at HahtiTrust.org:
1918 A SHORT WORK ON THE POPOL VUH AND THE TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT AMERICANS BY IXT-LIL-XOCHITL
1919
HISTORICAL DATA FROM Ancient Records and Ruins OF Mexico AND Central America
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t39z9z24w&view=2up&seq=4&skin=mobile
1923
Then on Valentine’s Day,
Thursday February 14, 1923, The Saints’ Herald published the conclusions of said Committee, five years later, with its findings addressed “To the Presidency” of The RLDS Church. The RLDS Church President accepted the conclusions of the Committee, then dissolved the Committee.
The Committee “felt it unwise, at the present time, to give indorsement to any map of the Book of Mormon geography.”
The report states that L.E. Hills addressed the members of the Committee for 18 hours up to March 3, 1919.
Note the name of Elder F.F. Wipper, who spent 15 hours representing the position of the former Archaeological Committee, which created the Hemispheric Maps, mentioned in my first post.
Remember that name F.F. Wipper. He and L.E. Hills would later be involved in a public debate about these Book of Mormon maps. I’ll mention this along with documents about it currently in my possession.
But the Committee did recommend that someone travel to Central and South America on one of the many current public expeditions, on behalf of “archaeological interests” of the RLDS Church. But this was turned down by The President of The RLDS Church, Frederick M. Smith, who instead recommended someone do so at their and not church expense.
Now TWICE, L.E. Hills maps and ideas were rejected by The Leadership of The RLDS Church and by a committee appointed from among his peers.
In 1921 and in 1923.
In the remainder of this history, you’ll see this still did not deter L.E. Hills from promoting his maps, books and geography ideas and using the time and resources of his Church, to do so.
He was only stopped by his death.
NEXT: L.E. Hills continues to promote his map. Then a Public Debate in 1924 over the original Hemispheric Maps created by the RLDS Archaeological Committee and Hills’ newer map, which restricted the geography of The Book of Mormon and the “original” Hill Cumorah to the confines of Mesoamerica – a fantasy, ignorantly believed, adopted and promoted today by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This history can be read by any LDS Mesoamerica Scholar in “The Saints’ Herald.”
“Report of Archaeological Committee – Committee feels it is unwise to indorse any Book of Mormon map at the present time.” The report references the creation of the committee on November 1918, five years earlier and shortly after L.E. Hills offered his copyrighted map to The RLDS Church in April 1917.
[Note the appointment of a member of the Temple Lot Branch to that committee. The Temple Lot for the future New Jerusalem is a geographical marker for The Book of Mormon.]
“Emotional Motivation must be reduced to a minimum.” [Fantasies]
“The Committee is dissolved.”
