It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon rodger i. The members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints whose faith is rooted in the book of mormon and who have a desire to understand more about the history, culture, and geography of the book of mormon. Sorenson notes in his work that it is not his purpose to test the truthfulness. The book of mormon has excited very little enthusiasm outside of mormonism, but it is a uniquely american piece of writing that merits wider attention. The four seas of the book of mormon mormons in transition. The book of mormon and the united states of america mendon, new york. These writers have poured over maps of both north and south america in trying to find book of mormon lands. As noted repeatedly in various sections of this book, josephlike all prophets was, in part, a product of his milieu. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The lost lands of the book of mormon takes the reader back in time to an era when ancient waters and primeval forests covered new york from one end to the other. The book of mormon is full of information about geography, but.
Traditional history of the church affirms that the hill in new york is, indeed, the hill cumorah referred to in. He never explicitly taught a specific geography, although he appears to have held a hemispheric view, just as many members today do. When he was 24, smith published the book of mormon. Allens exploring the lands of the book of mormon 1989 is one example. John lund joseph smith and the question of book of mormon geography by matthew roper.
One missionary, elder price, is an enthusiastic gogetter with a strong. One common argument for the book of mormon having taken place in. Joseph occasionally expressed ideas related to where the book of mormon occurred, which ranged from the area around new york to the lands of central america. The church emphasizes the doctrinal and historical value of the book of mormon, not its geography. This new 919 page book is expected to be the encyclopedia of book of mormon history and geography for years to come. Note the fundamental reasons for the book of mormon heartland not being in new york. Perhaps the time has come to concentrate more heavily on those lands surrounding the only known landmark we have of the book of mormon saga the hill cumorah in new york state, the very place the record of the nephites were deposited by moroni, the son of mormon, the last nephite prophet to walk the land after the destruction of his people. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers and founded a religion that continues to the present with millions of global adherents. His worldview, environment, and education no doubt influenced his interpretation of scripture, how it related to his surroundings, his understanding of past and future prophecies, and his interpretation of historical events. In 2017, such links prompted a group of latterday saints in new york city to launch the mormon arts center festival, which lds author terryl givens called a seminal event in mormonisms coming.
Excerpts from exploring the lands of the book of mormon. Testing book of mormon geography theories deseret news. Mormonism teaches that gods will is made known through. Despite the limited space on the plates, mormonas a historian and. There are times when there is not the opportunity to get a clear understanding of what the traveler saw and these bulletins will help with that understanding. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon byu. In a times and seasons editorial, october 1, 1842, the prophet joseph smith, after progressive study. Looking for artifacts at new york hill cumorah by bmaf staff. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon, rev.
Our mission statement is that the book of mormon is a true account of two. Bmaf articles by subject matter book of mormon archaeological. In 2008, the new second edition of exploring the lands of the book of mormon, with authors joseph and blake, and edited by dr. Having had some acquaintance with the geology of mexico, guatemala and belize during my employment with shell oil co. Pdf exploring the lands of the book of mormon joseph l. But his mormon lineage went back to the founder of the church, the prophet joseph smith. Amidst the hundreds of passages of potential geographic significance, alma 22. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement.
New light publications and book of mormon archaeological foundation, dvd allen, joseph l. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon byu studies. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon, p. Based upon this information, the authors conclude that the lord, through joseph, could not have been any clearer that this very mound was within the. True book of mormon geography lands, western new york model. Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor. Critique of a limited geography for book of mormon events. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Shortly after arriving in new york, most of these relics were lost when the building that housed them was destroyed by. Joseph allens exploring the lands of the book of mormon orem, utah. In the late 1800s, the rlds committee on american archaeology arranged for g.
The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon ought to be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in book of mormon geography. For most adherents of the movement, book of mormon historicity is a matter of faith. Anderson, joseph smiths new york reputation reexamined allan k. This significant volume, a large book of 437 pages with 147 maps, is a pleasure to read. Joseph lovell allen true book of mormon geography lands. Others view the modern hill cumorah to be distinct from the original, and simply to have been named after it. I have escorted hundreds of latterday saints on tours from new york to peru. All of allens claims are stated as givens, matteroffactly, with little supporting evidence, mostly unsubstantiated conjecture based on a fleeting glimpse of something. Here is more evidence showing that the lamanites of the book of mormon are in north america not mezoamerica as published in our book several years ago. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate. The question of whether it is an actual historical work or a work of fiction has long been a source of contention between members of the latter day saint movement and nonmembers.
Book of mormon tours and research institute, 2008 allen, joseph l. A significant latterday saint landmark in western new york. Book of mormon geography in the world of joseph smith. Others in the new york state, eastern united states, great lakes area. Tehuantepec geography, in new approaches to the book of mormon.
Study two dozen detailed, fullcolor maps that follow the footsteps of mosiah, alma, ammon, limhi, and lands from nephi to zarahemla. Before we examine some of the possible locations for book of mormon geography however, i would like to stress the fact that as of today, the lord has not revealed where the nephites or lamanites lived, and as such, the lds church has taken no official stance on anything related to book of mormon geography. 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. Quarterly articles and internet articles on book of mormon history, language, culture, and geography. Josephs environment and the book of mormon book of. The christians whose commitment to the christ is paramount, but whose minds are skeptical regarding new scripture. Allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon, 2nd ed.
As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model is. Imagined map of the book of mormon lands by tyler griffin, taylor. While some latterday saints have looked for possible locations and explanations for book of mormon geography because the new york hill cumorah does not readily fit the book of mormon description of cumorah, there are no conclusive connections between the book of mormon text and any specific site. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon, by joseph allen, sa publishers, orem, utah, 1989, pp. The reference to the last great struggle with the lamanites and nephites would exclude mesoamerica pp.
On my fourth visit to the book of mormon on a recent night, the show still had me at hello, the first word of the first song in this longrunning musical. Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. Lovell allen and blake joseph allen, exploring the lands of the book of mormon, rev. Weston to prepare six maps of book of mormon lands. Book of mormon lands discovering the lost lands of the. Purpose of the book of mormon tour helps these single page descriptions of a specific book of mormon site are designed to provide pertinent information to the traveler about the site. The committee reported that although the church never officially endorsed the maps, the proposed geographical locations of book of mormon cities and lands on the maps made a lasting impression which has been difficult to correct. Arent there other possible explanations for the plates finding their way from. Allen and the postulations in his book exploring the lands of the book of mormon, 1989.
Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Stephens ruined cities with those in the book of mormon. Allen makes convincing arguments in a style that is generally easy to understand. Book of mormon geography 81 the plains of the nephites and the hill cumorah the documents cited above, all of which were associated with josephs name in one way or another, were simply conveying the idea that the events in the book of mormon took place somewhere in the new world, and that the. The book of mormon purports to be a record of an ancient israelite migration to the new world. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon joseph l. Let the book of mormon change your life, again, as you investigate exploring the lands of the book of mormon.
Thus, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest a jewish or middleeastern migration to america. Light cleaves to light and facts are supported by facts. The book of mormon claims that jewish ancestry formed the majority of precolumbian inhabitants of america. Journey with the author through that ancient setting and discover just why the lands of the book of mormon have been lost for such a long time. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon by joseph l.