Joseph smith and the geography of the book of mormon book. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new. Alma 2 the punctuation in the above verse may or may not. Sorenson, one of the foremost students on the subject, identified over 600 passages relevant to geography. Clark book of mormon geography digging into the book of mormon.
Jan 29, 2019 and i have read palmers in search of cumorah, sorensons mormon s map and sourcebook, and ancient american setting, poulsons fair talks has his website come down with his death. This book deals with the varoius proposed geographies of the book of mormon since its initial publication in 1830. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Adena and hopewell peoples lived in pennsylvania and western new york, but this region represented the impoverished fringe of their culture. Hedges in the course of his efforts to chart the development of ideas regarding book of mormon geography, john l. Jan 24, 2018 brother clark points out that brother curtis relies exclusively on mcgavin and beans book of mormon geography, which, as brother clark points out, was out of date even in 1948 when it was published, and anyway included a section on mesoamerica as part of book of mormon lands. Archaeologist john clark has outlined ten essential features that any proposed nephite geographical location must have in order for it to be consistent with the text of the book of mormon. Joseph smith and the geography of the book of mormon.
Visual aids for personal study and teaching provo, utah. Peay, verneil simmons, multiple internal models, authors supporting the north and south america. Feb 17, 2008 archaeologist john clark, in his 2005 fair conference address part 3, continues his parallels between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. Our changing understanding of ancient america and its scripture part 1, part 2, part 3, by john l. In 2016, it adopted a policy on book of mormon geography in which it stated, book of mormon central at this time is officially geography neutral. Archaeology, relics, and book of mormon belief by john e. Reviews of old research the book of mormon in north america. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith andrew h.
Of all lgl proposals i have seen, astons return to cumorah makes the strongest case for a credible geography. Clark titled archaeology and cumorah questions, published by the journal of book of mormon studies, 12 2004. Jan 30, 2019 book of mormon central is an independent lds organization focused on defending the authenticity and truth of the book of mormon. It is marvelous, however, for the old world portion of the narrative. The first question in dealing with book of mormon geography should. The river sidon ran through, not along the land of zarahemla 15 and it came to pass that the amlicites came upon the hill amnihu, which was east of the river sidon, which ran by the land of zarahemla, and there they began to make war with the nephites. Cannon noted there were several different and conflicting book of mormon geographies in circulation, and no two of them agree on all points. Clark,4 randall spackman determined that there are upwards of passages of potential geographic. To those trusting the johns of book of mormon geography john clark, john sorenson, john welch, john lund, or john tvedtnes when it comes to book of mormon geography, one must understand that they believe their bias is justified, even though it is against church canon, church history, prophecy, and the text of the book itself. Clarifies the geography questions that still linger in minds. Review of deciphering the geography of the book of mormon 1988, by f. Book of mormongeographynew worldgreat lakes geography. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. The four seas of the book of mormon mormons in transition.
It should be noted that while nephites do not refer to being located near an isthmus specifically, they do refer to a narrow neck of land that separates the. Joseph smith and the geography of the book of mormon by. In 1975, he submitted a paper to a symposium about book of mormon geography outlining the failure of archaeologists to find old world plants, animals, metals, and. For good overviews of book of mormon geographies and related issues, see sorenson, an ancient american setting. The book of mormon was not an ordinary translation. A cautionary tale is the failed cluff expedition of 1900, which, assuming a hemispheric model of book of mormon geography, traveled from provo as far as colombia looking for the city zarahemla.
He is also director of the new world archaeology foundation nwaf. The church has been neutral when it comes to issues relating to book of mormon geography, as is fairmormon. As near as i can tell, the primary source that the mesoamerican proponents rely on to reject the new york cumorah from an archaeological standpoint is an article by john e. John clark true book of mormon geography lands western. A key for evaluating nephite geographies by john e. Archeology, relics, and book of mormon belief john e. Jan 20, 20 world renowned john clark in his 2005 fair conference lecture on archaeology and the book of mormon, debating the foundations of mormonism. The book of mormon states that war among the nephites was seasonal omni 1. Cumorah true book of mormon geography lands western new. The complicated production of the book of mormon, from its original writing by nephi, mormon, moroni, and others to its most recent editings and printings, is a human process that has been well described. We seek deep understanding of the book of mormon text. John edward clark born 1952 is an american archaeologist and academic researcher of precolumbian mesoamerican cultures and holds a position as professor of anthropology at brigham young university.
Clark, john e a new artistic rendering of izapa stela 5. As of 2008 he holds a position as professor of anthropology at brigham young university byu, and is also the director of the new world archaeology foundation. Clark, book of mormon geography, in encyclopedia of mormonism, ed. Dont know much about book of mormon geography the faith. Any geography that tries to accommodate a north and south sea, i think, is doomed to fail. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1992. The articles linked below will describe the various theories and examine the strengths and weaknesses of each. For those who believe the book of mormon took place in present day u. Clark, john e book of mormon geography in encyclopedia of mormonism, edited by daniel h. The mesoamerican core and north american periphery of book of mormon geography. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins byu. Sorenson does an excellent job in showing the requirements of the book of mormon volume and the antiquity of a limited geography model among latterday saints, contra critics who claim it is nothing short of a construct by sorenson from the 1980s and a mormon tactic to protect. The book of mormon and archaeology category education.
Dunn and william green, terminal archaic and early woodland plant use at the gast spring site la152. Clark harks true book of mormon geography lands, western. Even though joseph smith, oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and a nephite messenger irrefutably identified the hill and land of cumorah in palmyra, ny, there remain diehards in favor of a distant location like kirk magleby a. Olsen has proposed a malay site for the book of mormon, and says, in particular, ive focused on the problems associated with the mesoamerican setting proposed by john l. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Clark reconstructs an elemental geography and examines internal clues for distances between locations and the surrounding terrain. Cumorah was near the east sea in the land northward, and the limited evidence suggests that it was probably not many days travel from the narrow neck of land mosiah 8.
John edward clark born 1952 is an american archaeologist and academic researcher of precolumbian mesoamerican cultures. He speaks about lehis trail, bom internal geography, and. Sorenson demonstrated that warfare in the book of mormon generally took place in months 11 3, occasionally in months 4, 5, and 10, and seldom in months 6 9. Jun 27, 2016 practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate. Any model can be checked against these textual requirements to assess its plausibility. This was followed by a book on the subject by lds anthropologist john l. Captain kirkexecutive director of book of mormon centr. Clark writes that all seas that bordered new world book of mormon lands had to be the.
The river sidon is key to locating the southern border of the land of zarahemla. Clarks article archaeology and cumorah questions in the journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Smith, barley in ancient america, in reexploring the book of mormon. John sorenson notes in his book, the geography of the book of mormon. Joseph smith and the geography of the book of mormon by john. He also serves as editor of journal of book of mormon studies. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Book of mormon fringe theory was inspired by geography enthusiast john e. Part 1, john clark the book of mormon in north america. Sorenson in ancient american setting and in many other books and articles, which is currently the. Most interesting is the process of discussing an alternate geography by contrasting it with sorensons. Archaeology has much to offer as a scientific means of gathering independent evidence of the book of mormons authenticity. Statement on book of mormon geography page 7 general. Although the book of mormon is primarily a religious record of the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites, enough geographic details are embedded in the narrative to allow reconstruction of at least a rudimentary geography of book of mormon lands.
See more ideas about book of mormon, america and ancient civilizations. Clark, professor of anthropology at brigham young university, proposes a key for judging realworld models of book of mormon geography, based exclusively on what the book itself says about locations, distances, and directions. Sep 21, 2016 any geography that tries to accommodate a north and south sea, i think, is doomed to fail. Of course all of this has quite a bit of uncertainty, but these are the best explanations i have come. Aston paul hedengren searching for book of mormon lands in middle america volume 16 issue 2. World renowned john clark in his 2005 fair conference lecture on archaeology and the book of mormon, debating the foundations of. Clarkmormon scholars today are confident that the main histories of the book of mormon peoples in the new world took place almost entirely in a small region of central america known as mesoamerica. Author john clark prepared a list of ten key elements which the book of mormon text requires for its geography.
John clark true book of mormon geography lands western new. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Byu professor sorensons book catalogs all the book of mormon geographical models up to 1992, and also sets forth the requirements in the book of mormon itself for constructing a geography. Book of mormon geography presents a serious challenge because the only city location known with certitude is old world jerusalem, and this does not help us with locations in the promised land. Mormon scholars today are confident that the main histories of the book of mormon peoples in the new world took place almost entirely in a small region of central america known as mesoamerica. The geographical setting of the book of mormon has been the subject of serious study and casual speculation since before the book was first published. A source book the following on page 102, this map is identical in practically all substantive details to ludlow et al. Jun 10, 2019 see book of mormon geography, gospel topics. Further testifies to the prophetic calling and divine mission of the prophet joseph smith.
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