According to joseph smith and subsequent presidents and apostles of the lds church, the geographical extent of book of mormon lands included virtually all of north and south america. Archaeological and historical evidence where did the book. The book of mormon begins in a wellknown location, jerusalem, in 600 b. Archaeology research in precolumbian americas and the book of mormon. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. As we begin to explore mormon archaeology, it seems appropriate to introduce the fascinating history of thomas ferguson, an attorney by trade, whose true passion manifest as an amateur archaeologist who dedicated decades of his life to the search for evidence to validate the book of mormon as a historical record. Proof that the book of mormon is true, excerpt from. Proof that the book of mormon is true book of mormon facts. Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith science magazine. Dec 12, 2007 therefore, there is a consensus from professional archaeologists, mormon and non mormon alike, that there is no specific confirmation of the book of mormon from archaeology. Matheny at the 1984 sunstone theological symposium in salt lake city. Watch presentations about american archaeology and its parallels to the book of mormon civilizations. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place.
Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement generally believe that the book of mormon describes ancient historical events in the americas, but historians and archaeologists. Mormon is allegedly a prophethistorian who was the native american believed by mormons to have written the book of mormon the main religious text of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints mormonism. It also claims the presence of animals in the americas that simply werent there until the europeans bought them. Jan 18, 2018 how a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. The book of mormon makes a handful of references to horses existing on the american continents in these ancient times. The factitious unsupported idea that the book of mormon was plagiarized from other books. The book of mormon claims the existence of foundries, metalworking, mines, and huge cities. Is there archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. Critics have often pointed to the mention of metalworking in the book of mormon as anachronistic and proof of its modern invention. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it.
Jan 23, 2016 deseret book stories that won hearts and awards this year from the association for mormon letters lds living the association for mormon letters aml awards were presented online on saturday, may 2. Deseret book stories that won hearts and awards this year from the association for mormon letters lds living the association for mormon letters aml awards were presented online on saturday, may 2. Jan 18, 2018 how a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith science magazine. The book of mormon is really there so one can have book of mormon studies, and archaeology is really there so one can study archaeology, but the two are not wed.
This is another in my series of article on challenging questions that missionaries will likely face. The factitious unsupported idea that joseph smith, alleged to be an ignorant man, wrote the book of mormon 2. Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. Come see a live presentation on archaeological discoveries and their correlation to the book of mormon cultures. The book of mormon teaches that the redemption of christ was planned before the world began, and the mayans likewise believed in gods who. If the claims made by the book of mormon are confirmed through archaeology, then the claims are true, the book of mormon is true, joseph smith was a true prophet and the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is true. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon. Book of mormon central archaeological evidence for the. Two of the most prevalent claims for the book of mormon are, there is much archaeological proof to the book of mormon, and the american indians are descendants of israelites who came to america as described in the book of mormon.
Archaeological evidence for the book of mormon book of. The book of mormon describes migrations of people from the middle east to central america, and further describes some features of their civilizations in the new world. Therefore, the mormon can have confidence that the bible is the word of god and that it can be accurately translated. There is no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The factitious unsupported idea that joseph suffered from a mental illness. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on not only the subject of archaeology, but also on the reality of both biblical and book of mormon archaeology. As such, i propose josephs initial study of stephens in the times and seasons in 1842 was the beginning of book of mormon archaeology, and may have even been the first invitation to pursue archaeological investigations of stephens ruins in middle america. Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. Preearth life similar to mormon teachings, mesoamericans believed gods existed before the world was created. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in transition. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. There are no writings, bones, city ruins, pottery, cave writing, or artifacts that can be found that verifies that the book of.
None of these finds have been verified by objective, nonmormon archaeologists. The book of mormon suggests that the original native americans descended from a small band of israelites. When they say directly support, they typically mean that they are looking for a direct corroboration, such as the presence of the name nephi or zarahemla in association with ancient american archaeological data. At least they are not wed in reality since no book of mormon location is known with reference to modern topography.
How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. One last topic on the subject of archaeological evidence for the book of mormon that i want to talk about is horses. The book of mormon is a vast and epic story that spans hundreds of years on two continents while detailing the rise and fall of unique, previously unheard of civilizations. Both the bible and the book of mormon declare themselves to be ancient, historical, and reliable rules of faith the very word of god. Despite the fact that lds church leaders warn members not to use south american ruins as proof of the book of mormon, mormons persist in doing so. Join wayne on a book of mormon tour and see the archaeological discoveries of the nephites and jaredites. Titles on books full of archaeological halftruths, dilettante on the peripheries of american archaeology calling themselves book of mormon archaeologists regardless of their education, and a department of archaeology at byu devoted to the production of book of mormon archaeologists do not insure that book of mormon archaeology really exists. Thomas stuart ferguson lay in his hammock, certain that he had found. These claims have historically been taken on faith. It is a common claim by critics that there is absolutely no archaeological evidence to support the book of mormon. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new york state where. Archaeology, relics and book of mormon belief deseret news.
When they say directly support, they typically mean that they are looking for a direct corroboration, such as the presence of the name nephi or zarahemla in association with. In this post i wanted to emphasize physical evidencesstuff you can touch, see, feel. Archaeological proof of the book of mormon lds blogs. Archaeological evidence of the book of mormon latterday. Both missionaries and lay members state to potential converts, that the book of mormon is a record of the indians ancestors who built the great pyramidlike structures in central and south america.
One such group is the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, better known as f. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. John clark of the new world archaeological foundation has compiled a list of sixty items mentioned in the book of mormon. Clark, a respected authority on the archaeology of precolumbian mesoamerica, teaches at brigham young university. Nephi quotes isaiah for a whopping chapters straight in 2 nephi 1224, and continues to quote and refer to him throughout the small plates nephi is not the only one who uses isaiah. Ancient american magazine explore the precolumbian americas with this quarterly publication. While it is true that archaeology in america has not yielded up much in the way of advanced metallurgy, the topic of metals in the book of mormon is. The factitious unsupported idea that someone else wrote the book of mormon. Mormon cultural belief regarding book of mormon archaeology archaeological evidence of large populations. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. There is no proof supporting the book of mormon that the native americans called the lamanites and the nephites ever existed.
The aml is a nonprofit that promotes fellowship among scholars and writers of latterday saint literature. The book of mormon the book of mormon claims to be a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. The list of anachronisms that proved that the book of mormon was a 19th century fabrication has been whittled down from 65 to 2. In the last chapter we saw that the bible is reliable, being textually pure and verifiably accurate in many places.
Archaeology provides proof for book of mormon byu newsnetmay 25, 2004 by allison fors byu anthropology professor john clark revealed ways archaeology could help prove the credibility of the book of mormon at tuesdays forum. To begin looking for archaeological evidence you have to know where to look. Top 10 embarrassments of the mormon religion listverse. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth. In 2005, he published an article on archaeology and the book of mormon titled archaeology, relics and book of mormon belief see archaeology, relics, and book of mormon belief, journal of book of mormon studies 142 2005 publications. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in. Archaeology provides proof for book of mormon byu newsnetmay 25, 2004. The journal of book of mormon studies is a scholarly journal devoted to the latest research on the book of mormon, including articles on the geography, names, terms, and events in the book of mormon, as well as archaeological finds in the old world and the new world. Many scientific volumes have been written about evidence for the book of mormon civilizations. In fact, several mormon organizations have been founded in order to prove.
An additional criticism of the historical authenticity of the book of mormon concerns linguistics. Non mormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. October 1st is the anniversary of a little known event in early church history that i believe, in consequence of significant research progress, now deserves recognition for identifying a region of major book of mormon lands and for initiating book of mormon archaeological historicity research. Book of mormon archaeology major anachronisms one of the most competent and helpful evaluations of book of mormon archaeology is a paper delivered by brigham young university archaeology professor raymond t. As always, i invite you to study the issues, evaluate what we know and what we dont know, and pray for the guidance. Archaeological and historical evidence where did the. Archaeological science versus claims of the book of mormon.
Nephi quotes isaiah for a whopping chapters straight in 2 nephi 1224, and continues to quote and refer to him throughout the small plates. Book of mormon archaeology and anthropology byu studies. Lost civilizations of north america documentary4, deborah bolnick on haplogroup x. I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting. Metal weapons and tools book of mormon archaeology forum. If the book is accurate, archaeologists would expect to find numerous pieces of hard evidence in central america that confirm the presence of these societies. T he book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament of jesus christ and specifically of the account of his supposed visit to the american continent the book of mormon, 3 nephi 11.
How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. It seems misplaced endnote 20, continuing from endnote 19 in part 2. The mayan gods gathered under the tree of life to hold a council all the gods had taken part in the creation of the earth. Today we will talk about some common criticisms of the book of mormon around archaeological evidence that some say proves or disproves the truthfulness of the book of mormon. Excluding the bible and similar writing, can you prove to an atheist or to someone that is agnostic that god exists. Numerous observers have suggested that the book of mormon appears to be a work of fiction that parallels others within the 19thcentury moundbuilder genre that was pervasive at the time. Matheny reports his conclusion that scientific evidence does not support the theory of a new world setting for the peoples and events chronicled in the book of mormon. This volume features articles on archaeological and anthropological aspects of the book of mormon, such as the use of the wheel in ancient america, hagoth and the polynesian tradition, the mulekites, ancient writing in the americas, and the use of metal. One of the most competent and helpful evaluations of book of mormon archaeology is a paper delivered by brigham young university archaeology professor raymond t.
According to the text, the nephites and the lamanites initially spoke hebrew 600 bc and might have spoken a modified semitic language until at least 400 ad, when the book of mormon ends. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or even the existence of god. The first myth that we need to eliminate is that book of mormon archaeology exists. Mormonism is a religion less than two centuries old, but in this short time it has managed to accrue a long list of embarrassments which the church leaders would prefer were kept silent. There is absolutely no archaeological evidence to directly support the book of mormon or the nephites and lamanites, who were supposed to have numbered in the millions. It is a thriving field of study, with hundreds of pieces of evidence that correlate the book of mormon with archaeology.
Isaiah is the most quoted prophet in the book of mormon. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. Watch wayne mays past presentations about american archaeology and its parallels to the book of mormon civilizations. In a times and seasons editorial, october 1, 1842, the prophet joseph smith, after progressive study. Book of mormon thought false by lds memberarchaelogist. New archaeological evidence for book of mormon prophet. It just doesnt seem to fit anything in anthropology or history. The book of first nephi, the first book in the volume, describes the actions of lehi and his family in leaving jerusalem before its destruction, following the counsel of the lord, and wandering through the wilderness for several years before embarking on a transoceanic voyage to somewhere in or near central america. Evidence, proof, and belief before delving into archaeological matters, it is helpful to take a step back and consider what archaeological evidence means in relation to the book of. Book of mormon map and geography high def duration. Both the bible and the book of mormon declare themselves to be ancient, historical, and reliable rules of faiththe very word of god. Therefore, there is a consensus from professional archaeologists, mormon and nonmormon alike, that there is no specific confirmation of the. He established the new world archaeological foundation, where his role as. Mormon scholars have estimated that at various periods in book of mormon history, the populations of civilizations discussed in the book ranged between 300,000 and 1.
Jun 22, 2016 archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. Supporting evidences of the book of mormon are broadly identifiable. The book of mormon spoke of cement being used which was impossible because they didnt have cement back then until cement buildings were uncovered at teotihuacan. In fact, several mormon organizations have been founded in order to prove these very presuppositions. It appears that the book of mormon had no place in the new world whatsoever. Oct 25, 2008 it appears that the book of mormon had no place in the new world whatsoever. New archaeological evidence for book of mormon prophet isaiah. Mormonism is a religion less than two centuries old, but in this short time it has managed to accrue a long list of embarrassments which the church leaders would prefer were kept. Jan 01, 2008 the journal of book of mormon studies is a scholarly journal devoted to the latest research on the book of mormon, including articles on the geography, names, terms, and events in the book of mormon, as well as archaeological finds in the old world and the new world. However, there exists no credible archaeological evidence proving that the book of mormon is a record of literate ancient american people of hebrew descent.
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