This site is provided to give you an overview of what reasonable evidences there may be of the book of mormon. The nhm inscription is the most important piece of geographical evidence book of mormon supporters have for their claims. All of these things, and many more found in the book of mormon, are certainly compelling, but they do not prove that the. This page is a continuation of book of mormon evidences, part one and part two. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations. Archaeological evidence of the book of mormon latterday. Archaeological science versus claims of the book of mormon. This view finds no acceptance outside of mormonism.
Contrary to the claims of our critics, there are impressive findings that make it difficult to explain away the book of mormon as a nineteenthcentury. These facts establish how plausible it is that the book of mormon really is an artifact of the ancient world. Think joseph smith could have gotten that right by sheer chance. Many readers have posed this question, both out of genuine interest and also as a challenge to the book. The evidence indicates that the book of mormon is in fact an amalgamation of ideas that were inspired by josephs own environment new and themes from the bible old. The history accounts for three migrations of people from the middle east. No evidence has been found in the americas of iron being hardened to make steel in ancient times.
A strong case can be made for the authenticity of joseph smiths account of the coming forth of the book of mormon first, the eyewitness testimony of those directly involved with the translation unanimously agree that joseph was not copying from another book or manuscript, but rather the text of the book of mormon as he peered into the sear. Native american writings are potentially strong evidence that the occurrences described in the book of mormon actually happened. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in. Internal evidence of widespread literacy in the book of mormon. I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting.
A journal of latterday saint faith and scholarship. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted. Oct 05, 2019 evidences in proof of the book of mormon by charles thompson, minister of the gospel. Evidences in proof of the book of mormon book of mormon. Supporting evidences of the book of mormon are broadly identifiable. It is a thriving field of study, with hundreds of pieces of evidence that correlate the book of mormon. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence rick branch 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. Mormon apologists have proposed multiple theories to explain apparent inconsistencies with the archaeological, genetic, linguistic and other records.
The 1st rule of book of mormon evidence there is no. What to say to mormons so what evidence is there that mormonism is true. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence rick branch 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. Emma smith gave the following testimony, as reported by her son joseph smith. Wayne may presents book of mormon evidence in north american geography, archaeology and historical records. I have produced a video on dna and the book of mormon called the book of mormon and new world dna, and interviewed and spoke with many lds geneticists. The lds church has always been careful to never provide physical objects as proof of mormon claims, never to give us relics. Book of mormon evidences, part 3 presents further evidence supporting the book of mormon as an ancient document. Solid evidence that the book of mormon is totally legit.
It was a television show, of all things, that led cache valley resident james peterson to his current interest in the book of mormon, traveling. Evidences in proof of the book of mormon, being a divinely inspired record, written by the forefathers of the natives whom we call indians, who are a remnant of the tribe of joseph, and hid up in the earth,but come forth in fulfilment of prophesy for the gathering of israel and the reestablishing of the kingdom of god upon the earth. My name is nephi and i wrote the book of mormon, we would descend into a narrative of physical evidence and the role of faith would diminish. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, members and leaders of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints have expressed numerous opinions about the specific locations of the events discussed in the book. Disproves mormonism using the bible, mormon scripture, statistical analysis and common sense. Most who have studied the subject conclude that this signifies writing the hebrew language in modified egyptian characters.
Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a religious and chronological history of a fallen people who lived in the americas from 600 b. Examples of authentic ancient book of mormon names a. I spoke to them specifically about the x haplogroup that meldrum is using as evidence, and they all cautioned me against using it as evidence. Much evidence exists to support the claims made by the book of mormon native american evidences of book of mormon contents. Jan 18, 2018 how a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. We believe that it is scripture that testifies of gods dealings with prophets and followers of jesus christ in the ancient americas. In the paper revisiting sariah at elephantine, neal rappleye, a research project manager here at book of mormon central, explains that scholars have identified a jewish woman named. Due to the nature of its origin, that would support the existence of god. Book of mormon geography, lands, map, dna true evidence. Nov 30, 20 these facts establish how plausible it is that the book of mormon really is an artifact of the ancient world. There are many evidences, but for the sake of time i refer to but one, because it is personal to me. Textual evidences for the book of mormon religious studies.
Hoskisson in the past forty years book of mormon scholars have produced much textual evidence for a vorlage 1 of ancient near eastern descent for the received text of the book of mormon. Deanna draper buck, internal evidence of widespread literacy in the book of mormon, religious educator 10, no. These testimonies, born under difficult circumstances or under threat of life and reputation, are compelling, even irrefutable evidence of the divine origin of the book of mormon, he said. When prophet saying that the righteous would sit on the right hand of god, another layer of evidence comes from some of the book of mormon s, parallel structures. Sorenson claims that there is fossil evidence that some new world horses may. This was the first location that nephi referenced by name, without having named it himself. Other evidences that the book of mormon is not manmade. 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. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Proof that the book of mormon is true, excerpt from. A great example can be found in a lengthy kayak promise, six chapter of human at its center. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence.
Of course, the ultimate evidence is divine personal revelation and the witness of the spirit. What are the criticisms related to the book of mormon and dna. It systematically exposes fraudulent assertions by presenting irrefutable evidences drawn from the findings of historians, anthropologists and archaeologists. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. The names that kayak is accompanied by the word lord. A combination of factors, including the evidence appearing at the right time, at the right place, and in the right relative distance to another site mentioned in the record, converge to make nahom strong archaeological evidence for the book of mormon.
Yet, these names have meaning in ancient languages andor have been found as actual names from ancient history. Despite the plethora of external circumstantial evidence, the most persuasive and conclusive direct evidence of the book of mormon is internal. Dean sessions how practical scientific applications of the um help us learn truth. The internal consistency of these descriptions is one of the striking features of the book of mormon. We believe that it is scripture that testifies of gods dealings with prophets and followe. Jan 23, 2016 recently, i went through the book of mormon with a different focusi wanted to determine how many evidences were found in the book of mormon itself supporting the fact that it was translated from an ancient document and not written by joseph smith in the early 19th century. For example, after the cataclysmic last battle fought between the nephites and lamanites, hundreds of thousands of men and beasts had allegedly perished, and the ground would have been strewn with weapons and armor. Many scientific volumes have been written about evidence for the book of mormon civilizations. Further, there is no evidence at all that joseph smith did any scholarly research, or even that he read very much, before the book of mormon appeared.
One last topic on the subject of archaeological evidence for the book of mormon that i want to talk about is horses. Steel and iron are mentioned several times in the book of mormon. It was written by prophets anciently, preserved, and translated in our era by the power of god as a tool to bring souls to christ. Brian stubbs lehite language evidence in native american languages. Book of mormon evidence the mormon church, mormonism. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up.
But ultimately god requires faith, and is most likely making it intentionally difficult to prove the book of mormon is true, secularly. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or. Palmer scholars reject smiths explanation of the origin of the book of mormon. John clark of the new world archaeological foundation has compiled a list of sixty items mentioned in the book of mormon.
Admittedly, evidence surrounding the book of mormon is not our greatest strength, while the bible itself contains hundreds of verifiable events, wars, cities, historical figures, and factual. Only the holy spirit tm would be able to perform such a miracle, to impress upon the minds of the walter family to use the exact names from the book of mormon. And while we will never prove the book of mormon true, the trajectory of the evidence strongly suggests that it is exactly what it claims to be, a book worthy of our. The book of mormon the book of mormon claims to be a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. 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. What other evidence do we have that the book of mormon was a godgiven translation and not a manmade creation. For example, critics of mormonism have shown convincing proof that the book of mormon is a synthesis of earlier works written by other men, of the vivid imaginings of joseph smith, and of plagiarisms from the king james bible. Dean sessions latter day saint creationism the doctrine and science.
The book of mormon is the only explanation for this scripture. Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or even the existence of god. There are also some powerful evidences for the book of mormon, including important correlations from the book of mormon text to mesoamerica and hebrew language and customs. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon. A core belief of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is that the book of mormon is a translation of an ancient record that was written on golden plates. Vaughn, discovered a 2000yearold hematite mine near nazca, peru. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. The book of mormon claims to have been written in reformed egyptian morm. One of the possibilities is, as you state, that the book was written by persons who had a knowledge of ancient texts.
Tell me why all the evidence in the book of mormon. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted. Check out this interesting video that will help to affirm your faith in the book of mormon. Before delving into archaeological matters, it is helpful to take a step back and consider what archaeological evidence means in.
The material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Callister, emeritus general authority seventy, speaks during an lds business college devotional in the assembly hall on march 3, 2020. Both the bible and the book of mormon declare themselves to be ancient, historical, and reliable rules of faiththe very word of god. While mormon scholars admit valid challenges to mormonism from archaeology and the book of abraham, they say the evidences of mormonisms truthfulness is the book of mormon itself, gods confirmation in your spirit, and the number of changed lives. Lost civilizations of north america documentary4, deborah bolnick on haplogroup x.
Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. The only bible that joseph smith relied on was the king james version. These hits provide additional evidence that the book of mormon is indeed an ancient record. Evidences in proof of the book of mormon book of mormon evidence. May 10, 2011 43 evidences for the divine authenticity of the book of mormon has anyone ever asked you, is there any proof or evidence for the book of mormon. Book of mormon evidences mormonism, the mormon church. Dna evidence proves book of mormon claims about ancient. Deanna draper buck was a support specialist for seminaries and institutes of religion in louisville, kentucky when this was written. Roberts wrote a letter in 1932 citing a few sources for cement work that predated the book of mormons publication, but this information was highly obscure until the middle of the 20 th century. One of these evidences of the book of mormon is the location nahom. Boyd tuttle out of darkness into light a decade of discovery in book of mormon research. Between 2004 and 2007, a purdue university archaeologist, kevin j. In recent years, we have learned that several ancient documents were written in precisely that fashion.
Is there archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. A challenge to the critics is a carefully documented book that covers a wide spectrum of anti mormon claims concerning the book of mormon. The purpose of the book of mormon is to convince the world that jesus is the christ, our lord and redeemer. Evidence of the truthfulness of the book of mormon lds. This clue that nephi leaves us has been invaluable in providing archaeological proof of the. The textual evidences narrow the possibilities for the origins of the book of mormon, but do not prove any of them. Do christian critics of the book of mormon have a double standard regarding dna evidence. Proof that the book of mormon is true book of mormon facts. Bloom actually found the book of mormon to be tedious and admitted that. Textual evidences for the book of mormon religious. 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. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on not only the subject of archaeology, but also. The most compelling evidence for the truthfulness of the book of mormon is spiritual. 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.
Because of these conflicts with mormon tradition and book of mormon internal evidence, the limited geography theory has been repeatedly condemned by lds leaders, including joseph fielding smith, jr. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. Nephis clue to evidence of book of mormons authenticity. The book is used by nearly thirteen million individuals who read it along with the holy bible, believing that both were written by prophets and contain the words of god. Most, but not all, mormons hold the book s connection to ancient american history as an article of their faith.
Intro to the list of claims and evidences of the book of mormon. The awkward part for the mormon church is the total lack of historical and archaeological evidence to support the book of mormon. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. How could there be so many witnesses of the book of mormon and the plates and not one of them deny their testimony even when some of them became bitter toward joseph smith. New evidence for the book of mormon name sariah 1 nephi 2. Many book of mormon names are not found in the bible, and were unknown to joseph smith. Employing the word cement was cited as anachronistic proof of the book of mormons fabrication.
He once had promised that archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The list includes items such as steel swords, barley, cement, thrones, and literacy. The book of mormon makes a handful of references to horses existing on the american continents in these ancient times. Book of mormon evidence streaming faithfully exploring. For one particular physical evidence, look no further than a plethora of. Tell me why all the evidence in the book of mormon is wrong. Book of mormon evidences the book of mormon is a religious and chronological history of a fallen people who lived in the americas from 600 b. Echoes and evidences of the book of mormon parry, donald w. Is there any archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
Why is there no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The book of mormon has several evidences within its pages that give evidence to it being exactly what joseph smith purported it to be. Mormon beliefs are also shown to contradict both the bible and the book of mormon. While there is still much to learn about the people and stories in the book of mormon, some of the best archaeological evidence to support the book of mormon comes from lehis journey to the promised land. The book of mormon geography and map with dna evidence and the location of lands and cities such as zarahemla, cumorah, the narrow neck, mexico, caribbean sea, american indians, and true evidence are all here. Many members of the latter day saint movement claim historical authenticity of the book of mormon. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Jun 12, 2019 as will be demonstrated, the intimate relationships between his account and the known geography in the middle east provide excellent evidence of the book of mormons authenticity. He once had promised that archaeological evidence for the book of mormon would be found. To answer that question ive spent some time compiling a list of evidence for the divinity of the book of mormon.
There is not an ounce of credible evidence to support the book of mormon as. The nahom case provides evidence, not of the authenticity of the book of mormon, but of the willingness of lds scholars to look anywhere to find validation for a historically accurate reading of the book of mormon. I think this keeps our belief in the book of mormon grounded on faith. Introduction to the list of claims and evidences of the book of mormon. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Provides concrete evidence disproving the book of abraham, demonstrating that joseph smith was a false prophet. Although hematite is today mined as an iron ore, vaughn believes that the hematite was then being. The theory that the book of mormon is an ancient american history is not accepted as scientifically verifiable by the mainstream academic community. For many years, critics have challenged the veracity of a religious text called the book of mormon. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. Intellectual evidence of book of mormon authenticity is an issue worthy of careful consideration.
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