Rns the book of mormon both challenged and reinforced 19thcentury ideas about race and set the stage for a religions controversial subsequent. These traditions truly conflict with the book of mormon, the word of god, so the heartland model can be. According to the book of mormon at least some of their. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. This theoryreferred to as the hemispheric geography theory hgt posits that north america is the land northward, that south america is the land. Moronis america today in 1936, when lds scholars first began accepting the twocumorah theory, apostle joseph fielding smith warned the saints. Although church members continue to discuss such theories today, the churchs only position is that the events the book of mormon describes took place in the ancient americas. Mormons in america demographics mormonism, the mormon. In the last few years i have read over 5000 pages about the south. Geographical, and other evidences in support of the book of mormon landscape, as found in north america. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography.
Because of this theory, he wrote, some members of the church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the book of mormon. For instance, assuming mesoamerica is the land of the book of mormon, the traditional belief that moroni left to survive with the gold plates after his father died about 400 a. See the maps below permission to replicate the maps given by vernal holley. The church adds about 300,000 new members each year worldwide, so its growth is steady rather. While recently attending a book of mormon evidence conference that was put on by the firm foundation which included presentations from rod meldrum and wayne n. Naturally some people applied this to the language in the book of mormon. Dec 20, 2017 aware of this, the early missionaries cited evidence. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may.
Compare them to a map of palestine to view the correlations. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. Book of mormon geography in north america wayne may. Book of mormon geography in north america the products services offered by wayne may are neither made, provided, approved nor endorsed by intellectual reserve, inc.
The heartland model or heartland theory of book of mormon geography states that the book of mormon events primarily occurred in the heartland of north america. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. After several months of intense careful study of the text i have put together the following proposed map, showing the relative positions of book of mormon lands, cities, rivers, etc. Book of mormon geography, the near cumorah setting book of. The north america model for the book of mormon home. America was the land northward and south america was the land southward, with the narrow neck of land at. The book of mormon does not say that the entire land northward resides in land occupied by the united states of america. The theory is that the land and continent formation is the same as today for the most part and that the archeological findings in that area could be related to book of mormon people. The purpose of this series of articles is to open a forum for the proponents of the two major north american theories on book of mormon geography and to explore a possible connection between them.
I still think there is a serious problem of imprinting a particular geographyeven an abstract onebut if the people involved accept the scripture on faith alone, they may never care about the realworld geography, so a mental abstract map is no problem. Mar 23, 2017 wayne may presents archaeological support of the book of mormon to a group in malad, idaho in february of 2017. In mormon s map, sorenson implied that the seas could not be taken literally. Book of mormon may have migrated to other parts of the americas. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new york. John sorensons tehuantepeccentered model of book of mormon geography. It was the very hill in new york where joseph obtained the plates, where mormon deposited the ne. As expected, our friends at book of mormon central, the front for book of mormon archaeological forum, inc. The first race, labeled by some as the archaics were living in the ohio river valley around bc. First publication of the smithsonian book of mormon evidence.
Links the legends of a great white god with the book of mormon account of. The second race, labeled the adenas moved into the area from the south at a later date and claimed control. The state of utah has the highest percentage of mormons. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in. Book of mormon map and geography high def duration. Exploring book of mormon in americas heartland photobook.
Zoom in to maximum zoom level to see the actual spot close up from overhead. After years of studying maps, mormon scripture, and spanish. One intriguing theory, known as the vernal holley theory after the man who proposed it, provides some interesting book of mormon maps, placing the books events in the great lakes area of north america. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. As the book of mormon puts it, all are alike unto god.
This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. The first hundred pages of mormon america cover the early history of the church, but readers who are expecting a comprehensible account of mormon beginnings and the development of the church should look elsewhere. A pew forum report released in july, 2009, explains mormon demographics in the united states. May 07, 2020 as expected, our friends at book of mormon central, the front for book of mormon archaeological forum, inc. Watch as wayne may presents many of the ancient american artifacts found in north america and see how they line up with the nephite, lamanite and jaredite culture. Mar 26, 2016 the material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon. Dec 25, 2019 it contains the earliest study of the remains of the moundbuilders whose civilization thrived in the heartland of north america from 500 b. Moronis americamaps edition 150 maps of the bofm in north america quantity.
Jan 01, 2011 220 pages 11 x 9 full color case bound heirloom edition. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. When confronted with the anti mormon claim that the book of mormon was fiction, joseph and oliver cowdery wrote and published letter vii, stating it was a fact that cumorah was a real place. The north america model for the book of mormon home facebook.
Site correlations more about these maps land northward. It contains a record of gods dealings with three groups of people who migrated from the near east or west asia to the americas hundreds of years before the arrival of europeans. May and a few others, i was impressed by some of the findings in particular of one of rod meldrum s presentations entitled, the phoenicia expedition. Book of mormon geography, the near cumorah setting book. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning. According to book of mormon central, the most important material in volume 10 are the anonymous times and seasons articles. Book of mormon and dna studies church of jesus christ. At the time there were over,500,000 members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints worldwide, with more members outside the u. Various amateur archaeologists and mormon authors have cited controversial evidence that north american mound builder cultures were familiar with the. Hamblin, basic methodological problems with the antimormon approach to the geography and archaeology of the book of mormon, journal of book of mormon studies 21 1993.
Then more recently north america theories including heartland, etc. As you can see in this map, this theory is the one in which people believe the main location for the book of mormon is in central america and mexico. The first was a slender bodied race with long narrow heads the other was a race with a massive bone structure and short heads. In 2018, there were 16,118,169 members worldwide with the highest population found in the united states at 6,592,195 members. The book of mormon and the hopewell of ancient north america. Moronis america the book of mormon in north america.
The history of racism and white supremacy in the mormon. When you have eliminated the javascript, whatever remains must be an empty page. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Exploring the book of mormon in americas heartland.
The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new. Possible insights on the sailing route of lehi and nephis. The material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor.
Jana riess, religion news service unlike many other works of race and mormonism, mueller pushes beyond only understanding white mormon identities. This north american setting has gained support from some notable members of the. I have watched more than 20 hours of wayne may book of mormon lecture videos and conversed with both wayne may and rod meldrum in person. It focuses on the north american setting with a book by book, chapterbychapter approach to the geography passages, illustrating the points with over 75 maps.
Traveling from the land of desolation in the north, to the land southward, we encounter the principal book of mormon lands of. Two hundred and twenty gorgeous full color pages filled with more than 500 stunning photos, artwork, maps, charts, artifacts, quotes, scripture and commentary introduce the reader to the rapidly mounting body of evidence that suggests the very real possibility of a north american setting for the events described in the book of mormon. According to the book of mormon where did the native. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in transition. A response to wayne may book of mormon archaeology in north america this is the video in question, and heres the thread that prompted the investigation. Book of mormon geography watch as wayne may presents the parallels between the geography of the hopewell and adena civilizations and the book of mormon records. Since the days of joseph smith most saints believed that the book of mormon took place across the entire expanse of north and south america. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning tools. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints affirms that the book of mormon is a volume of sacred scripture comparable to the bible. The nativeamerican race, like that of asia, africa, and europe, is not just one distinct group.
Rns the book of mormon both challenged and reinforced 19thcentury ideas about race and set the stage for a religions controversial subsequent history, says historian max perry mueller. These maps are not drawn to scale and are for illustration only. Book of mormon geography in north america wayne may duration. The hill cumorah in ontario county ny is the hill where joseph smith found the golden plates and is the same hill where the civilizations of the nephites cumorah and the jaredites ramah fought their last battles. Takes the viewer into central and south america and shows many of the archaeological evidences for the book of mormon.
Sidon, and lands to the north and south occupied by the nephites and their enemies, the lamanites. Book of mormongeographystatementstwentieth century. All markers have been placed at the exact locations with a few exceptions this will be noted in the marker text box if the exact location is not known. This page is dedicated to resources pertaining to the subject of mormonism, race, and the priesthood. A response to wayne may book of mormon archaeology in. Made popular by his 1985 publication an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, sorensons geographic model for the book of mormon has withstood the test of time and remains the preeminent geographic model for book of mormon events. This new revelation the book of mormon, they say is especially designed for the benefit, or rather for the christianizing sic of the aborigines of america. The four seas of the book of mormon mormons in transition.
The book of mormon is more than a history book of two ancient civilizations, it reveals the covenant land of joseph, the favorite son of jacob, israel who was sold into egypt by his brothers that being the promised land of america. See many of the territories, lands, cities, events and battles spoken of in the book of mormon with specific map detail. For example, many passages in the book of mormon speak of dark skin as a curse for sins, as opposed to the white and delightsome appearance of the righteous 2 nephi 30. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1985, p. Mormon traditions would have us believe that the book of mormon took place in the heartland and in new york. Limited geography and the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Book of mormonplagiarism accusationsplace names from. This book is truly very good if you just look past her mormonism. Moronis america moronis america is a mustread for anyone interested in the historicity and geography of the book of mormon. As mormons believe in jesus christ, they are considered to be christians. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi.
Vernal holley, book of mormon authorship selfpublished, 1989 t. The hill cumorah in ontario county ny is the hill where joseph smith found the golden plates and is the same hill where the civilizations of the nephites cumorah and the jaredites ramah fought their last. The only way to have seas north and south on a literal or descriptive basis would be for the two major bodies of land to be oriented at an angle somewhat off true north south. I am not a mormon but do believe the book of mormon is a true record of the seed of joseph that came to north america 600 years before christ was born. Moronis americamaps edition book of mormon evidence. This book of mormon map along with a wall map are available for down loading in color and the book of mormon geography book a promised land, the land of promise with all the mormon maps and details is also available at alpha publishing at.
Such maps can be a useful introduction for those who are new to the book of mormon. Latterday saints attend church services according to the geographical boundaries of their local ward, or congregation. While the book of mormon only discusses the lamanites, early church leaders believed that this applied to all races, and that everyone in the celestial kingdom would have white skin. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. Watch as wayne may presents many of the ancient american artifacts found in north america and see how they line up with the nephite, lamanite and jaredite. At least eighty versions of a book of mormon map have been produced.
The book of mormon is the sacred text of mormonism. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model is unique in this regard. The lost empires and vanished races of the book of mormon. A must read for anyone desiring to learn more about the nephites from one of the earliest sources. Argues that the book of mormon both reinforced and challenged nineteenthcentury americans ideas about race and that it set the stage for how mormonism would develop in the decades to come. Book of mormongeographystatementsnineteenth century. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. The conceptual map of the land of the book of mormon. The prophet joseph smith himself accepted what he felt was evidence of book of mormon civilizations in both north america and central america. Nov 10, 2016 book of mormon geography in north america wayne may duration. The american geography of the book of mormon has many. Sep 18, 2017 the book of mormon recenters the story of jesus on the americas, and the faith, which was founded in the 19th century, also tells the story through a very american lens. Purchase this new cd of maps, art, cartoons, and diagrams of the setting of the book of mormon in north america.