Jonathan Neville

April 19, 2018Uncategorized

Why M2C intellectuals persist

People who still believe the teachings of the prophets that Cumorah is in New York often ask, why do the M2C intellectuals continue to oppose the teachings of the prophets?

While there is no one answer, these factors play a role.

1. The M2C intellectuals think the evidence disproves New York and proves Mesoamerica (archaeology, anthropology, geology, etc.).

2. The M2C intellectuals think the prophets were merely expressing their opinions, so it’s okay to repudiate what they taught.

3. The M2C intellectuals have established an elaborate academic framework around M2C that they cannot easily restructure or dismantle.

4. The M2C intellectuals have trained their minds to think M2C and are unable, psychologically, to see the issues differently. The psychological box they are in has spread throughout the Church because these intellectuals have imprinted the M2C catechism on thousands of students in CES and BYU, as well as every Church member who views M2C artwork in lesson manuals, Church buildings, Visitors Centers, etc. To unwind all of this is unthinkable for the M2C intellectuals who have perpetrated M2C.
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Let’s look at factor 4, which I describe with the shorthand term Mesomania.

It is not easy to persuade active, faithful LDS that the prophets and apostles are wrong.

Even after decades of concerted effort through CES, BYU, and COB Departments (History, Correlation, Missionary, Curriculum, etc.), the M2C intellectuals have not persuaded all members of the Church that the prophets were wrong. In fact, the tide may be turning.

The M2C intellectuals have long felt under attack by non-LDS scholars who find zero connection between Mesoamerican culture and the Book of Mormon. M2C has long been an obstacle for investigators who know what non-LDS scholars have said. That obstacle is even greater now with the Internet, as we see with the sharp decline in convert baptisms among English-speaking, Internet-accessing investigators.

Lately, more and more LDS people are reaching the same conclusion as the non-LDS scholars. Because BYU, CES and COB have so adamantly promoted M2C, the cognitive dissonance continues to build. People who leave the Church cite this as a major reason for their decision.

The whole situation is a tragic fulfillment of Joseph Fielding Smith’s prophetic warning that M2C would cause members to become confused and disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.

And yet, the M2C intellectuals persist. Why?
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I think the underlying factor for the persistence of M2C is #1; i.e., they think the evidence disproves the New York Cumorah.

Let’s set aside the teachings of the prophets for a moment and look at what the M2C intellectuals have been taught about the evidence.

First, the only reason M2C intellectuals focus on Mesoamerica is because of the false tradition that Joseph Smith wrote or endorsed the anonymous articles in the 1842 Times and Seasons. These intellectuals have worked for decades to vindicate what they thought Joseph taught in 1842, to the point where they reject what he (and all the other prophets and apostles) actually did teach.

Second, to vindicate the anonymous articles, M2C intellectuals adopted an interpretation of the text that describes Mesoamerica.

Third, today’s M2C intellectuals have been taught that “correspondences” between Mayan culture and their interpretation of the text constitute evidence. John Sorenson is probably the best-known advocate of this approach, as exemplified by his book, Mormon’s Codex. The “correspondences” approach is how we have PhD experts in Mesoamerican history/culture coming up with all kinds of “correspondences” that confirm their biases.

It’s obvious to anyone who doesn’t share the M2C bias that these “correspondences” are illusory. They are characteristics of all, or most, human cultures around the world and throughout history. Like the interpretations of the geographical passages in the text, these “correspondences” could be found literally anywhere in the world.
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Because the text and the “correspondences” can be found anywhere in the world, why do the M2C intellectuals utterly reject the New York Cumorah?

The answer is found in a single paragraph on pages 81-2 in David Palmer’s book, In Search of Cumorah.

The Moundbuilders

Prior to 1,000 A.D., the most advanced culture in the United States was that of the “moundbuilders.” Their very impressive mounds throughout the eastern United States were the subject of curiosity, looting, and debate from the time of the colonists to the time of Joseph Smith. As previously mentioned, they figured into Mormon church history during the march of Zion’s camp through Ohio and Illinois. Though Joseph Smith took an interest in them, he never equated them with Book of Mormon cities or events, as he later would do with ruins in Mesoamerica.

There you have it.

The basic premise of M2C.

Everything else published by the M2C citation cartel on this topic is pure confirmation bias, intended to validate Palmer’s thesis.

And yet, Palmer’s thesis was wrong on both counts.

Whether Palmer knew about it or not, he didn’t tell readers that Joseph did actually equate the moundbuilders [Now called Hopewells] to the Book of Mormon during Zion’s camp, as well as later in Nauvoo.

While traversing Ohio, Indiana and Illinois during Zion’s Camp, Joseph Smith explained to the Brethren that they were crossing the plains of the Nephites. He wrote to Emma, describing what he was seeing: “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionaly [sic] the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity.”
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letterbook-2/62

These plains are mentioned three times in the text: i.e., “meet them upon the plains between the two cities” (Alma 52:20); “pitch their tents in the plains of Nephihah” (Alma 62:18) and “battle against them, upon the plains” (Alma 62:19). The Jaredites referred to the “plains of Agosh” (Ether 14:15-16) and the “plains of Heshlon” (Ether 13:28-29).

Palmer’s claim that Joseph equated the ruins in Mesoamerica with the Book of Mormon is based on the anonymous Times and Seasons articles, which were written by anyone but Joseph Smith, Jr.

Confirmation bias, even when it seeks to validate false premises is so powerful that it leads faithful members of the Church to reject the prophets if the teachings of the prophets contradict the bias.

As President Ezra Taft Benson warned, “The learned may feel the prophet is only inspired when he agrees with them, otherwise the prophet is just giving his opinion—speaking as a man…

https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson/chapter-11-follow-the-living-prophet?lang=eng_____

Palmer’s book contains an entire chapter on the New York model. On page 80, he claims that “there are a number of other criteria that are definitely not satisfied [by the New York model]:

– near a narrow neck of land
– the presence of fountains
– in a land of volcanoes susceptible to earthquakes
– in a temperate climate with no cold or snow
– the hill must be a significant landmark (it only stnads out because of the monument of Moroni on top)
– the abundance of water must provide a military advantage
– near the eastern seacoast
– on a coastal plain, and possibly near other mountains and valleys
– there is an escape route to the land southward
– the hill must be large enough to provide a view of hundreds of thousands of bodies

By now, I trust readers can see the logical and factual fallacies in these “criteria” so I won’t go through them. But you can see how an M2C intellectuals who accepts these “criteria” would reach the same conclusion Palmer did.

To be fair, Palmer published this book in 1981. Quite a bit of work has been done on the Hopewell in the ensuing 37 years.

According to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were in a constant state of warfare and retreat from Zarahemla and Bountiful to Cumorah from the time Mormon became their leader until his death. This is roughly 300-400 A.D.

The archaeological record shows that Hopewellian societies in Ohio also ended around 350-400 A.D. Between 300-400 A.D., Hopewellian residential sites were aggregated into defensive, often enclosed communities that were formed on the margins of the lands used by earlier generations. The inhabited valleys were abandoned, and smaller and smaller groups migrated to Western New York, where there are dozens of sites featuring Hopewellian artifacts, including weapons.

Soon we’ll start going through this archaeological evidence in more detail.

In my view, though, it is more important for members of the Church to accept the teachings of the prophets on faith than to decide whether or not to accept the prophets based on whether we agree with them.

If the M2C intellectuals took the same approach, they would find a way to dismantle their M2C contraption and help unify Church members instead of dividing them.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 18, 2018Uncategorized

Weighing the evidence

Because of confirmation bias, it is nearly impossible for people to weigh evidence identically. We don’t even see it identically.

Our minds filter the deluge of data we absorb through our senses so we can sort it all out according to our priorities (and biases). That’s why two people can observe the exact same event or consider the exact same set of facts yet reach two completely different conclusions.

In terms of Book of Mormon geography/historicity, there are dozens of plausible models, all of which honestly think they are faithfully applying the descriptions in the text to the real world. One group believes the entire Book of Mormon took place in Baja California. Another thinks it was in Panama. Others claim it took place in Chile, or Mesoamerica, or New York, or the Heartland, etc. Within each of there there are multiple possibilities that people discuss and even debate.

All of these groups can be sorted into one of two categories:
(i) those who accept the New York Cumorah, and
(ii) those who reject the New York Cumorah.

There are two additional groups that we won’t discuss in detail here:

(i) those who say the geography doesn’t matter (because they have the gift of “exceedingly great faith” (Moroni 10:11) and expect everyone else to have the same gift, contrary to Moroni’s explanation that “there are different ways that these gifts are administered”); and

(ii) those who don’t believe Cumorah even exists because they think the Book of Mormon is fiction (which includes both non-LDS and LDS who think the Book of Mormon is a parable).
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How confirmation bias divides people. Every proponent of one model thinks the other models are wrong because they are misinterpreting the text or are making invalid assumptions about cultures, languages, habitats, genetics, geology, changes in the physical structure of the land, and many other variables.

Confirmation bias makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people in one group to see the evidence the way people in another group see it. Hence, the confusion.

But really, all of these models have been developed by faithful members of the Church who believe the Book of Mormon is true. That common belief should be a unifying factor, but confirmation bias overrides the common belief in many respects.

For every item of evidence or every scriptural passage one group cites, there is an equal item of evidence and scriptural passage for another group.

We can pile evidence on evidence, but it’s all highly subjective because what each person considers to be persuasive evidence is based on his/her interpretation of the text. That’s what makes the semantic debates so futile. Everyone who thinks they have “won” a semantic debate is living a delusion.

This is akin to the semantic debates about religion. Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Evangelicals, Baptists, Methodists–for that matter Hindus, Muslims, and everyone else–has a set of beliefs based on their respective (and subjective) interpretation of what they, subjectively, decide is the Word of God.

These differences generate an emotional attachment to one’s beliefs that reinforces the confirmation bias that prevents them from understanding others’ views. We become attached to our worldviews. We identify with them. We also identify with “our team,” the people who share our worldview.

One of the most important functions of the prophets and the scriptures is to proclaim truth without regard to confirmation bias and emotional attachment to the “traditions of our fathers.” When we heed the prophets and the scriptures, we can measure our own beliefs against a standard of truth and make informed, deliberate decisions.
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With respect to the Book of Mormon geography issues, the dominant theory is M2C (Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory). The fundamental premise of M2C is that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah. Consequently, the M2C intellectuals rely on sophistry and absolute thought control through the citation cartel and the Correlation Department.

Of course, there is no majority rule in determining truth. Mormonism is far from the majority even within the Christian world. Every time I hear an LDS person say they “go with the scholars” or “accept the consensus” I wonder why if they realize how irrational that approach is. After all, the scholars and consensus in the world at large completely reject Mormonism.

But since it is the majority or “consensus” view in the Church today, let’s take a look at M2C.

The M2C citation cartel is a group of intellectuals who have all been taught by CES/BYU to think of the Book of Mormon in terms of Mesoamerica and the two-Cumorahs. Other groups are also insular, of course, but in my interactions with the various groups, it is the M2C intellectuals who are the most heavily invested in their model. They have published books and articles, raised millions of dollars from donors, and taught M2C to thousands of students for decades. The COB* employees have imposed M2C on members through the Correlation, History, and other Departments.

The psychological cost of changing their views–of accepting the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah–is sky high. As a result, the stakes are very high for M2C intellectuals and their followers.

For this reason, they often respond with anger when challenged. Try it next time you run into a CES or BYU instructor. Tell them you think Cumorah is in New York and the Mesoamerican theory is a huge mistake. You’ll see how angry they get. Or, if not angry, they’ll demonstrate a passive/aggressive behavior in some way.

(You may find a CES/BYU/COB employee who has rejected M2C. If so, consider yourself lucky.)

There is a real sense among many Mormons that because CES/BYU/COB promote M2C, it must be “true.”

And yet, there is a way for us to weigh the evidence in a meaningful manner.

That’s what prophets are for.

Without prophets, we exist in a semantic battle with equivalent evidence that confirms everyone’s biases.

But with the prophets, we have an unambiguous, well-defined and specific pin in the map which the prophets and apostles have not only consistently and repeatedly taught since the Church was organized, but which has never been revoked, repudiated, or even questioned by any of the prophets and apostles.

I’m referring, of course, to the New York Cumorah.

Even with the New York Cumorah, there are many ways the text can be interpreted and applied in the real world. But the prophets have given us an important constraint on our consideration of Book of Mormon geography that all members of the Church should be aware of, even if they choose to reject it.

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*COB is the acronym for Church Office Building.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 17, 2018Uncategorized

Why is there a visitors center at the Hill Cumorah in New York?

Hill Cumorah Visitors Center, April 2018

Because the exhibits in the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center teach that Cumorah is in Mexico (M2C, or the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory), it’s a bit of a puzzle why the Church even has a Visitors Center at the Hill Cumorah in New York.

Site missionaries are allowed to tell visitors only that this is the location where Joseph Smith got the plates from Moroni. They cannot mention Letter VII or the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah and the Book of Mormon.

They cannot even read Mormon 6:6 with visitors, let alone Ether 13.

Any discussion of the hill Cumorah as the site of Mormon’s depository of Nephite records or the location of the final battles of the Jaredites and Nephites is forbidden.

Maybe someday they’ll transfer the building to the “real Cumorah” in Mexico. Just as soon as Book of Mormon Central America, or Fairly Mormon, find that location.
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But at least there is a consensus that Joseph Smith got the plates from the “hill in New York” where the Visitors Center is located. I was curious how we even know that this hill is the one from which Joseph obtained the plates.

It turns out, it’s all because of Letter VII.
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Joseph Smith-History says this about the hill:

51 Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, stands a hill of considerable size, and the most elevated of any in the neighborhood. On the west side of this hill, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in a stone box.

Hills in the village of Manchester, Ontario County

There are lots of hills in the area, and it’s not easy to tell which is the highest. Joseph referred to a “neighborhood,” but how extensive was this neighborhood?

In Joseph Smith’s day, one distinguishing feature of the hill Cumorah was the embankments around it. These have been leveled and farmed now for nearly two centuries, but after Heber C. Kimball joined the Church in April 1832, he visited the site.

He wrote, “The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it.”

When he was 14 years old, Kimball worked in his father’s blacksmith shop in the Bloomfield area west of Canandaigua and east of Avon. His observations of the area are quoted in his biography, Life of Heber C. Kimball, on p. 25:

“From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing.

“In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself.

“I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, and the outlet of Honeyoye Lake….

“The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States.”

Heber’s biographer, Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve, commented “Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A.D., 385.

“Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now ‘whispering from the dust.'”

But still, this description gives us no specifics about which of the hills was the actual hill Cumorah.

For that, we must refer to President Cowdery’s description in Letter VII:

You are acquainted with the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne Co. to Canandaigua, Ontario Co. N.Y. and also, as you pass from the former to the latter place, before arriving at the little village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say large, is because it is as large perhaps, as any in that country. To a person acquainted with this road, a description would be unnecessary, as it is the largest and rises the highest of any on that rout. The north end rises quite sudden until it assumes a level with the more southerly extremity, and I think I may say an elevation higher than at the south a short distance, say half or three fourths of a mile. As you pass toward canandaigua it lessens gradually until the surface assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills or ridges, water courses and ravines. I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north, must attract the notice of the traveller as he passes by.

At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/89

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We find it fascinating that the Church built the Visitors Center at this location by relying on President Cowdery’s Letter VII, but the displays and literature in the Visitors Center never mention Letter VII today.

Members of the Church have to dig hard to find out what President Cowdery and the other prophets and apostles have taught about the New York hill Cumorah.

Source: Letter VII

April 17, 2018Uncategorized

If the Correlation Department was honest…

Anyone who writes to Church leaders asking about Book of Mormon geography will receive a response from the Correlation Department. I discussed this before here, but I’ve had so many questions about this that I wanted to summarize the situation and offer a viable solution to the Correlation Department.

I’m not encouraging anyone to write to the Church about this topic, but I’m also not discouraging anyone from doing so. I’m just explaining what the answer you get will be, and suggesting what the answer would be if the Correlation Department was honestly relaying the teachings of the prophets instead of trying to establish M2C* as the Church’s position.

The quick summary is this:

M2C intellectuals have taken over BYU, CES, and departments of the Church including the History and Correlation Departments. But these are employees, and there’s a big difference between the employees and Church leaders.

Church leaders (apostles and prophets) have consistently taught two things about the Book of Mormon historicity/geography:

1. The Hill Cumorah is in New York.
2. We don’t know where the other events took place.

These are sound positions. Joseph and Oliver, the founding prophets of the Restoration who received all the Priesthood keys, translated and published the Book of Mormon, and organized the Church as the First and Second Elders, established the New York Cumorah as a fact. They had visited Mormon’s depository of Nephite records in that hill. Their contemporaries and successors repeatedly reaffirmed what they taught about Cumorah. No prophet or apostle has rejected their position, and it’s difficult to imagine that any future prophet or apostle will repudiate his predecessors.

As for the rest of the geography, there are so many sites that fit the Book of Mormon narrative (over a million mound sites in North America alone), that it would be very difficult to identify any specific Book of Mormon site (other than Cumorah) in the absence of future discoveries and/or revelation (or the translation of the additional records promised). It’s not a lack of evidence in North America that is the problem; it’s too much evidence.

In sharp contrast, M2C intellectuals (including those working for the Correlation Department) have no qualms about saying the prophets are wrong. The M2C intellectuals have sown confusion by conflating the two clear points articulated by the prophets and apostles, replacing them with these twin assumptions:

1. The prophets and apostles were wrong about the New York Cumorah.
2. We know the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica.
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“Neutrality.” The purported “neutrality policy” we often hear about is really neutrality about which version of M2C is correct; i.e., the History and Correlation Departments, as well as CES and BYU, completely suppress and censor any artwork, quotations, lessons, presentations, etc. that explain what the prophets and apostles have actually taught. Instead, they approve only materials that depict versions of M2C. This is evident at the Visitors Centers, where millions of people every year are taught M2C instead of what the prophets have taught. LDS students throughout the Church are taught in Seminary, Institute and BYU that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

Because M2C intellectuals disagree about which river in Mesoamerica is the Sidon, or which mountain in Mesoamerica is the “real hill Cumorah,” Church employees are “neutral” about which M2C theory is correct. But they are anything but neutral regarding Book of Mormon geography if you want to talk about what the prophets and apostles have actually taught about the New York hill Cumorah.

The rejection of the prophets by the M2C intellectuals has led millions of Mormons confused and disturbed in their faith–exactly as Joseph Fielding Smith warned when he tried to prevent M2C from taking over. Members of the Church who trust the prophets have no problem. But those who trust the M2C intellectuals definitely have a problem.
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If the Correlation Department was honest, it would send something like the following to Church members (and nonmembers) who inquire about Book of Mormon geography.

Prophetic Statements on Book of Mormon Geography

Beginning with President Joseph Smith, Jr., and President Oliver Cowdery, the prophets and apostles have consistently and repeatedly taught two principles about Book of Mormon Geography:

1. The hill Cumorah (described in Mormon 6:6) is in western New York.

2. The rest of Book of Mormon geography has not yet been determined.

Essays written by President Cowdery with the assistance of Joseph Smith set out these basic facts:

The Hill Cumorah in New York is the site where Joseph Smith found the ancient plates that he translated into the Book of Mormon. This was also the site of Mormon’s depository of all the Nephite records, including those he and Moroni abridged to produce the Book of Mormon. This was also the site of the final battles of the Jaredites and the Nephites.

These essays are available in the Joseph Smith Papers in Histories, Volume 1, pages 38-89, available online at http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/48.

Beyond the New York Cumorah, the prophets and apostles have never specifically identified any particular site relating to the Book of Mormon. Moreover, they have specifically declined to do so.

Members of the Church are free to pursue their own studies within the framework established by the prophets and apostles, but no individual is authorized to claim any official position of the Church. Only the official statements of the prophets and apostles as published by the Church, including statements made in General Conference, may be considered authoritative.

Over the years, some Church leaders have made statements that could be interpreted as relevant to Book of Mormon geography, but these were not, and are, not intended to represent any official Church position. Scholarly works, including web pages, that address these topics represent the views of the respective authors.

Church members are encouraged to read and study the teachings of the prophets and apostles, along with the scriptures, for guidance in this area. Members would do well to follow the example of President Russell M. Nelson, as explained by Elder Neil L. Andersen in the April 2018 General Conference:

In 1982, two years before being called as a General Authority, Brother Russell M. Nelson said: “I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’” And he added, “My [philosophy is to] stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead.” This is how a humble and spiritual man chose to order his life. Now, 36 years later, he is the Lord’s prophet.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/the-prophet-of-god?lang=eng

Official statements from the prophets and apostles are found in books published by the Church such as Jesus the Christ and Articles of Faith by Elder James E. Talmage and General Conference addresses such as those by President Marion G. Romney (1975), Elder Mark E. Petersen (1975), and President Anthony W. Ivins (1928).

For example, President Romney’s address titled America’s Destiny, available online at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/americas-destiny?lang=eng, explains how the Book of Mormon provides guidance for current issues.

While understanding the geography and historicity of the Book of Mormon may be useful, Church members should keep these issues in perspective.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught:

“I would like to add my testimony of the divinity of this book. I have read it many times. I have also read much that has been written about it. Some authors have focused upon its stories, its people, or its vignettes of history. Others have been intrigued by its language structure or its records of weapons, geography, animal life, techniques of building, or systems of weights and measures.

“Interesting as these matters may be, study of the Book of Mormon is most rewarding when one focuses on its primary purpose—to testify of Jesus Christ. By comparison, all other issues are incidental.” [Ensign, November 1999, 69.]

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*M2C is the acronym for the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory, taught by BYU/CES, etc., that the New York hill is not the “real Cumorah.” M2C claims Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and all the other prophets and apostles who have taught that Cumorah is in New York were merely expressing their opinions and they were wrong because the M2C intellectuals know better; i.e., these intellectuals know the “real Cumorah” is somewhere in Southern Mexico.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 17, 2018Uncategorized

Book of Mormon Central America in the news

On April 15, 2018, there was an important news item about Book of Mormon Central America. Or maybe it was about BYU Studies, the Interpreter, Meridian Magazine, Fairly Mormon, or another member of the M2C citation cartel.

Or maybe it was the Correlation Department?

The news item specifically addressed submissions to the citation cartel, especially material that contradicts M2C.

Here’s the link:

http://dilbert.com/strip/2018-04-15

Source: About Central America

April 16, 2018Uncategorized

M2C exposed on Facebook

Last week a Facebook interview was brought to my attention. I made some notes, but this is not a complete transcript or analysis. These are just a few of my observations and thoughts. Watch it yourself if you’re interested. As always, I emphasized that everyone involved with this topic is an awesome, nice, well-meaning person. People just have different biases they seek to confirm.
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The fundamental fallacy of the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C) is currently on display on Facebook. The degree of self-delusion it takes to accept M2C has rarely been seen so clearly.

Thanks to the M2C intellectuals, people such as Dr. Michael Coe still think Joseph Smith wrote the anonymous articles in the 1842 Times and Seasons that linked the Book of Mormon to Mesoamerica. Then we end up with interviews such as this on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mormonstories/videos/10156488092564301/

Some M2C intellectuals asked questions during the presentation. E.g., Michael Ash asked, “So Joseph read Stephen’s widely read books (published 1841/2) while he was writing the BoM (1830)?” And Zander Sturgill, who works for Book of Mormon Central America, wrote “Good question by Michael Ash.”

If you watch the video, Dr. Coe had never made such a claim and he easily responded by explaining that after Joseph read these travel books, he identified the Mayan ruins as having been built by Book of Mormon people.

If you’re not blinded by Mesomania, you realize that Joseph never read those books and never commented on them. The entire premise of M2C is a mistaken attribution of anonymous articles in the 1842 Times and Seasons to Joseph Smith. Dr. Coe takes that premise on its face and uses it to undermine faith.

Dr. Coe also points out that all ancient civilizations had roads.

Zander asked, “Did roads connect to marketplaces in the Maya world, as mentioned in the Book of Mormon?”

This is a funny question that reflects M2C confirmation bias because the Book of Mormon mentions exactly one market (Helaman 7:10). Besides, what would a road do if not connect places, and where there are people, there are products and services.

Dr. Coe points out that warfare, defensive structures, etc. are ubiquitous; every human civilization has them. “The Mayans were like everyone else. They had wars…”

The Book of Mormon says the people had wars, but so did every other human civilization. M2C is based entirely on such illusory correspondences, and on the basis of these illusory correspondences, M2C intellectuals want members of the Church to disbelieve the prophets and apostles about the New York Cumorah.

Coe pointed out that “One thing Joseph Smith didn’t get was the Mayan inscriptions…. They’re not in an old world language.”

This is the compound fallacy of M2C regarding language. While the Book of Mormon describes the Nephites as literate, the larger group they joined (people of Zarahemla) were explicitly illiterate. And the even larger group of Lamanites were not only illiterate, but they sought to destroy the Nephite records, from beginning to end (Enos and Mormon both talk about this). Mormon had to conceal the Nephite records in the Hill Cumorah in New York specifically because the Lamanites would destroy them if they found them. And the only written languages mentioned in the text are Hebrew and Egyptian. The last place the Book of Mormon could have taken place is in the midst of a literate society with widespread writing and records that are neither Hebrew nor Egyptian.

IOW, the last place the Nephites could have lived was in Mesoamerica, where Mayan writing exists everywhere, even after the Spanish destroyed so many records. This was a highly literate society, with careful historical records and stone monuments, all in Mayan language that is never mentioned or even alluded to in the Book of Mormon.
_____

In the face of all the evidence about Mayan civilization, M2C intellectuals have lately resorted to the argument that the huge, sophisticated Nephite society was also a tiny, unnoticed minority of Hebrews embedded within Mayan culture. The Nephites happened to have kings and a system of judges who interacted with the illiterate Lamanite royalty, all without being impeded in the least by the Mayans. In fact, the M2C intellectuals claim the Nephites influenced the Mayans!

When asked about whether the Nephites could have lived apart from the Mayans somehow, Coe said, “These explanations are so involved…” He points out that the Mayans were fully literate and they lived throughout the area for thousands of years. None of their extensive literature has anything to do with the Book of Mormon. There are thousands of examples, with no indication of ancient Hebrew or Egyptian.

According to Coe, John Sorenson’s writings are a fantasy, an insult to the people who made the inscriptions.

Anyone not afflicted with Mesoamania recognizes that Coe’s points about Mesoamerica and the Book of Mormon are sound, factual, and rational.

He notes many similarities between the civilizations of Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica that are difficult to explain. If you really want to look for overseas connections, look to Asia, not the Middle-East. (-1:52:00). Dr. Coe says he couldn’t even publish his findings about the links to Southeast Asia because he’d be ridiculed.

Different directions have different colors among Navajo. Also among Mayans and Asians. But not in the Bible. In East Asia, the full moon don’t see the man in the moon, they see a rabbit, with a woman holding it. Also in Mesoamerica.

Central Asians migrated to Mesoamerica, according to DNA, language, culture, etc. They didn’t go with empty minds.

The paradox of large Nephite civilizations against the absence of their influence.

Zander Sturgill · 1:16:39 So the National Geographic said, “Most people had been comfortable with population estimates of around 5 million,” said Estrada-Belli, who directs a multi-disciplinary archaeological project at Holmul, Guatemala. “With this new data it’s no longer unreasonable to think that there were 10 to 15 million people there—including many living in low-lying, swampy areas that many of us had thought uninhabitable.”

This is the Tikal Area. The Book of Mormon goes up to 400AD.

This is exactly the point I’ve been making. The larger the Mayan population, the less it fits the Book of Mormon. Plus, the larger the claimed Nephite population, the more striking it is that none of the Book of Mormon appears in the extensive Mayan writings.

Michael Ash · 1:19:50 So Dr. Coe _admits_ that he hasn’t followed the current LDS scholarship addressing BoM issues. No offense to Dr. Coe– who is obviously a brilliant scholar on Mesoamerica, but if he isn’t familiar with LDS scholarly arguments, he can’t really address them.

Michael Ash · 1:20:54 Cara Amsden. Try earlier FARMS, Book of Mormon Central, the Interpreter. John Sorenson, & Mark Wright. Lots to read.

Look at how Brother Ash cites the M2C citation cartel. “Current LDS scholarship” consists of repudiating the LDS prophets and apostles, while trying to impose M2C on members of the Church by suppressing those teachings, all because the only “evidence” to support M2C consists of illusory correspondences and wishful thinking.

Zander Sturgill · 1:25:24 Coe does not understand the LDS argument that the Nephites were a small small group among the vast Maya. NOT the Maya themselves.

If you watch the video, you see how Dr. Coe specifically addressed this absurd M2C argument.

Michael Ash · 1:27:43 Brandon Riches. Are you seriously wanting me to write the equivalent of a multi-volume library that already addresses these issues? I’ll pass.

This is the age-old argument that more volume = more substance. There is nothing in the M2C argument apart from twin assumptions:

1. The modern prophets and apostles are wrong about the New York Cumorah.
2. Evidence for the Book of Mormon consists of illusory correspondences; i.e., the common attributes of most human societies are present in both the Book of Mormon and Mayan culture, which means the Nephites were Mayans (or lived among the Mayans, depending on which version of M2C you follow).

Dr. Coe boils this M2C argument down to its essence: The Nephites were a bunch of “secret people” no one has heard of or found.

Michael Ash · 1:34:32 Mary Thompson Vogwell. My point is that neither of these two men known the current LDS scholarship so they can’t adequately address it. Perhaps Dr. Coe should read the writings of Brant Gardner & then formulate a response.

Dr. Coe points out that propositions should not only be provable, but also falsifiable. How do you disprove something that is so small you can’t see them or detect them. “It’s a complete fantasy from beginning to end.”

Brother Gardner’s work is voluminous, for sure, but it all boils down to the same twin M2C points:

1. The prophets and apostles are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

2. Illusory correspondences between Mayan culture and the Book of Mormon (actually, Brother Gardner’s view of how Joseph should have translated the text) are evidence to justify point #1.

Zander Sturgill · 1:37:31 Coe isn’t aware that there are things we see, but just not to the extent that Dehlin has been phrasing things this whole interview. Would Coe be willing to sit down with another organization for an interview?

Tim Birt · 1:37:35 Ash we are dealing with the popular understanding of Mormons and their prophet leaders not obscure apologetic responses how it could still be shown.

Dr. Coe points out that “What is true is so much more interesting than what is fanciful. In science, we deal with things that can be verified or falsified.”

This is an interesting point. The M2C intellectuals like to claim their work is scientific and peer-reviewed, but of course it is really only peer-approved; the citation cartel never submits its work to people who disagree with M2C, whether members of the Church or not. That’s why I ended up doing my own peer reviews for a while. http://interpreterpeerreviews.blogspot.com/2015/08/intro-why-peer-reviews.html I haven’t spent time on that for a while because everything the M2C intellectuals write is a version of the same twin premises, over and over again.

I invite anyone interested to do your own peer reviews of the citation cartel. You’ll quickly discover that if you don’t accept the twin premises of M2C, their work doesn’t hold up.

Dehlin: Mormon apologists are shrinking the target to something so small that we can’t verify or falsify it.

My only problem with Dehlin’s comment is he lumps all “Mormon apologists” into the same M2C camp.

Dr. Coe reiterated the M2C position about the Times and Seasons when he said Smith himself said Zarahemla was in Guatemala, so why look elsewhere? -46:00

Another comment was fascinating.

Rob Thomas Damascus · 2:29:54 Josh Gallant *** It is page 12 of the CES letter but I got my people mixed up. It was John E. Clark.whatsoever has been found at this site. John E. Clark, director of BYU’s archaeological organization, wrote in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 17:
“ I n a c c o r d w i t h t h e s e g e n e ra l o b s e r v a t i o n s a b o u t N e w Yo r k a n d
Pennsylvania, we come to our principal object – the Hill Cumorah.
Archaeologically speaking, it is a clean hill. No artifacts, no walls, no
trenches, no arrowheads. The area immediately surrounding the hill
is similarly clean. Pre-Columbian people did not settle or build here.
This is not the place of Mormon’s last stand. We must look elsewhere
for that hill.”

The John Clark article is immensely misleading, IMO. Everyone cites it, but no one has examined it critically because it fits the M2C narrative. It’s confirmation bias at its worst. I’ve addressed it here:

http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2016/04/fun-with-john-e-clark-archaeology-and_17.html

http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2016/04/more-fun-with-brother-clark.html

Then there was this comment about the hemispheric model.

Rex Shupe · 2:29:30 Joseph was presented a travel book that described the great cities of Meso America and identifies them as proof of the great civilizations in the BoM. But also most every prophet and apostle since has described the BoM and the Lamanites covering all indigenous “from Barrow to Terra del Fuego”. It is most likely and evidence points that all prophets including Joseph had a hemispheric interpretation of the BoM. The text of the BoM points that direction as well. As does it discount the melding of the Nephites and Lamanites being subsumed into larger populations. I’ve read it over twenty times. To me, and being tutelage by the Church educational system, I was taught that the Jaredites and Lehi came to an empty continent preserved for them.

This is an interesting point, and reflects multiple misperceptions. First, many Mormons have been taught that the entire Jaredite civilization was destroyed at Cumorah, but Moroni specifically limits his account to the people living “in this north country,” meaning the area around Cumorah. Ether was writing about his own family line, but the Jaredites had spread throughout the continent. Recent evidence indicates that the earliest Americans arrived by sea, not overland across Beringia, and then migrated north to Alaska and Canada as well as south. This is consistent with the Book of Mormon account of the Jaredites, aside from the dating issue, which I’ve addressed in the past and will do again soon. The DNA of the indigenous people in the Americas is consistent with this evidence. And there are indications in the text that Lehi’s group encountered people when they arrived, but the text explicitly excludes “nations” such as the Mayans. They encountered hunter/gatherer groups, which is consistent with the archaeological record in the Southeastern U.S. We’ll be discussing this more in the next few months, but the point is, science contradicts M2C but supports the Moroni’s America scenario.

Dr. Coe also points out that the Mayans never had large armies, but Aztecs had a force of 400,000, others 200,000. Maybe 700,000 men in Aztec army. 5,600,000 people slain in a battle. -26:00

I don’t think the Nephites has very large armies. Mormon describes an army as “a great number of men, even to exceed the number of thirty thousand.” The largest army Mormon ever enumerates was 50,000 (Lamanites) and 42,000 (his Nephite army). (I know, some say Mormon had 230,000 men at Cumorah, but I think that’s a misreading of the text.)

In this sense, one could say that, if Dr. Coe is correct, the Nephites fit the Mayan model because they both had small armies. But ironically, the M2C intellectuals are trying to say a much more numerous Mayan civilization is a better fit for the Book of Mormon than the actual numbers Mormon gave us.

Dehlin: “What millions of Mormons are trying to figure out is whether their Church has told them the truth.”

On this point, Dehlin conflates M2C intellectuals with the Church. Church leaders have consistently taught two things about the Book of Mormon historicity/geography:

1. The Hill Cumorah is in New York.
2. We don’t know where the other events took place.

M2C intellectuals (including those working for the Correlation Department) have sown confusion by conflating those two clear points, replacing them with these:

1. The prophets and apostles were wrong about the New York Cumorah.
2. We know the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica.

Dr. Coe: “If it’s [faith in the Gospel] resting on the Book of Mormon, it’s not resting on a firm foundation.” Paraphrasing: If you believe the Mormon religion gives you a set of values that are good, don’t leave it. But if it depends on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, it’s a bad foundation. Stay Mormon if it makes you happy and gives you a better life and for your children and grandchildren. But don’t use it to tell scientists that they’re wrong.

This is the inevitable outcome of M2C. It leaves people such as Dr. Coe with a false interpretation of the Book of Mormon that doesn’t line up with archaeology, anthropology, geology, etc.
_____

Dr. Coe made another comment that was interesting but I don’t have time to delve into right now.

Garreth Lowe, an archaeologist for the NWAF, had 3 different families. He was a “bothered Mormon.” He believed in Celestial marriage. It only came out when he died. He had two Mexican wives. There were plenty of polygamous Mormons at that time in Mexico. He was bothered at first by evolution. At the end he pretty much lost his faith.

Dee Green at BYU, etc.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 16, 2018Uncategorized

Elder Holland and the importance of place

Saturday in Jerusalem, Elder Holland provided perspective on the significance of sacred sites. He observed how sacred sites have an inherent significance and influence.

There should be a consensus that a site becomes sacred because of what happens there. Modern prophets have repeatedly identified the Hill Cumorah in New York as such a sacred site. Those who say it doesn’t matter where the Book of Mormon took place are denying the significance of sacred sites. Would they also say it doesn’t matter where Jerusalem was?

Worse, there are some who reject what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah, thereby depriving members of the Church of the opportunity to appreciate what the prophets have taught about this sacred site when they visit the Palmyra area.

When I was in Palmyra, New York, last week, I walked quite a bit through the battlefield west of the hill Cumorah. Latter-day prophets have spoken and written about the importance of that site because both the Jaredite and Nephite civilizations were extinguished there.

It is also a sacred space because it is where Mormon and Moroni wrote much of the Book of Mormon, including the final chapters of the text.

_____

Elder Holland is accompanying President Nelson on his trip around the world. Their second stop was in Jerusalem. They emphasized the importance of place in choosing the itinerary. One article explained it this way:

Elder Holland said President Nelson “decisively and instantly” determined that his first major gesture beyond LDS Church headquarters would be a visit to Jerusalem.

“He wanted to walk where the Savior walked and stand where prophets have stood and feel what we all feel here,” said Elder Holland. “The rich powerful influence of this land is palpable. I think he wanted that personally, as well as for the church.”

President Nelson said he had symbolic reasons for planning the global trip as he did.

“We wanted to start in Jerusalem to fortify ourselves with the message of the Lord Jesus Christ right from its very inception, here where he was born, where he lived, where he ministered and where he was crucified,” President Nelson said.

Elder Holland also said, “You don’t have to come to a scene, a setting, to appreciate the Savior, or the prophets or the events, you could do that in the privacy of a missionary apartment in South America or Asia or you could do it in a primary class in Eastern Europe,” said Elder Holland. “But to add to that the privilege of being in the land that [the Savior] loved and on the soil that he walked, it really is a magnificent personal experience and I will never grow tired of that.”

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900015841/president-nelson-cancels-visits-to-local-sites-leaves-jerusalem-as-tensions-rise-in-middle-east.html

Likewise, we don’t have to visit Cumorah to appreciate the events that took place there. But we can add to our appreciation of the events the privilege of being in the land that Mormon and Moroni and their people walked, making such a visit a magnificent personal experience of which we will never grow tired.

Source: Book of Mormon Concensus

April 13, 2018Uncategorized

Visitors to Cumorah never learn what the prophets have taught

Church members find it difficult to believe that the Visitors Center on Temple Square still teaches the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C). If you don’t live in Utah or haven’t visited Temple Square lately, you can see this for yourself here:
http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2016/12/yes-they-do-teach-two-cumorahs-theory.html

While it’s ridiculous for the Temple Square Visitors Center to teach M2C (so much for the so-called neutrality policy), what’s happening at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center near Palmyra, New York, is even worse.

I’ve been here in Palmyra for the last few days. (We have a house here.) I stood on the hill Cumorah yesterday, in fact, watching the sunset. It was an awesome sight–the same one Mormon and Moroni had when they saw the Lamanites in the distance, preparing for the final battle that would extinguish the Nephite nation.

And yet, most of the visitors here have no idea of what happened.

Visitors to Cumorah never learn what the prophets have taught.

At least, not in the Visitors Centers.

Grandin print shop M2C display

Even in the Grandin Print shop, where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed, visitors are taught M2C.

Look at this display. It shows Mormon abridging the records in Mesoamerica. The message of this artwork is specific and unmistakable: Mormon lived in Mesoamerica, Moroni had to haul the plates 3,400 miles all the way to New York State.

If you look closely, you’ll see Mormon inside a Mayan temple or building, with Mayan war implements, Mayan animal skins, etc. The fact that this painting is on display this way in Palmyra is a direct repudiation of what Joseph and Oliver taught about the Hill Cumorah in New York.

Hill Cumorah Visitors Center

Then you go to the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center itself. The entire Visitors Center teaches M2C, with not a word about what the prophets have actually taught about Cumorah.

One wonders why the Correlation Department allows them to still call it the Hill Cumorah. After all, according to the M2C intellectuals, including the staff in the Correlation Department, Joseph Smith never called the hill “Cumorah.” Instead, he passively adopted a false tradition started by someone else.

As if.

Look at this display in the rotunda. It features a statue of Christ, which is wonderful. On the side behind us, there is a painting of Christ in ancient Israel.

Christ asking for the Nephites’ records

But look at the painting in front of us here.

This is not Christ visiting his “other sheep” somewhere in the world.

This is the infamous painting of Christ asking the Nephites for their records during his visit to them. It is fully, 100%, M2C.

This blatant display of M2C, according to the Correlation Department, reflects the so-called “neutrality” policy.

IOW, the Correlation Department is neutral about Book of Mormon geography so long as you
(i) display, teach and advocate M2C and
(ii) never mention what the prophets have actually taught about the New York Cumorah.
_____

This summer, visitors to Cumorah are going to have an opportunity to learn what the prophets have actually taught about the Hill Cumorah, starting with President Cowdery’s Letter VII.

It’s going to be an interesting summer, for sure.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 12, 2018Uncategorized

Question marks or exclamation points?

Whenever you read about Book of Mormon geography, ask yourself whether the proponent puts a question mark or an exclamation point after the words of the prophets. The contrast between the M2C* intellectuals and the prophets is stark.

In General Conference two weeks ago, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Twelve made this observation:

Elder Neil L. Andersen, April 2018 General Conference

Some will try to overly dissect the prophet’s words, struggling to determine what is his prophetic voice and what is his personal opinion.

In 1982, two years before being called as a General Authority, Brother Russell M. Nelson said: “I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’” And he added, “My [philosophy is to] stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead.”

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/the-prophet-of-god?lang=eng

The basic premise of M2C is that the prophets and apostles who have taught that Cumorah is in New York were merely expressing their “personal opinions” and were wrong.

The M2C intellectuals at BYU, CES, and the Church History and Correlation Departments not only put question marks after the teachings of the prophets and apostles, but they try to censor their words entirely. That’s also what the M2C citation cartel** does.

Apply the question mark vs exclamation point test to everything you read about Book of Mormon geography. Recall that the prophets have consistently taught two things:

1. There is one hill Cumorah and it is in New York!
2. We don’t know for sure where the rest of the events took place!

It is up to each of us as individuals to determine for ourselves how best to apply these teachings.

In my view, the first question anyone should ask when assessing someone’s idea of Book of Mormon geography is whether it puts Cumorah in New York or someplace else. Any geography that puts Cumorah someplace else is also putting a question mark after the teachings of the prophets.

Readers of this blog know that I think Moroni’s America sets out the most plausible geography, based on the text, the teachings of the prophets, and relevant geology, geography, anthropology, and archaeology. But I’m fine with any proposed geography that puts an exclamation point after the teachings of the prophets.
_____

Here are some examples. Do you put an exclamation point after the teachings of the prophets, or do you put a question mark the way BYU, CES, the Church History and Correlation Departments, and the M2C citation cartel do?

! Letter VII:

At about one mile west [of the Hill Cumorah in New York] rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.

? BYU Fantasy map:

Book of Mormon classes at BYU, which every incoming student must take, teach the students that the prophets were wrong about the Hill Cumorah in New York.

Instead, students learn Book of Mormon geography by using this fantasy map. BYU professors teach students that the M2C intellectuals know more than the prophets about where Cumorah is.

Many BYU professors go beyond this fantasy map and actively teach M2C.

! President Marion G. Romney, General Conference, October 1975

In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation….

This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites’…

Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/americas-destiny?lang=eng

? CES fantasy map

Students in Seminary and Institute are taught that the prophets were wrong about the New York Cumorah.

All around the world, in every language, CES requires students to use this fantasy map that shows Cumorah is anywhere but in New York.

There are plenty more examples of question marks within the Church. As we’ve seen, the problem is even more extensive than BYU and CES.

The Visitors Centers teach M2C.

The Correlation Department teaches M2C.

The Church History Department teaches M2C.

The citation cartel teaches M2C.

Ultimately, of course, it doesn’t matter what the employees in these Church-affiliated organizations do. We each make our own choices. No prophet has ever taught that we should follow the teachings of the intellectuals in the Church instead of the teachings of the prophets.

Elder Andersen was pretty clear on what is going on with BYU, CES, and the various Departments in the Church:

Some will try to overly dissect the prophet’s words, struggling to determine what is his prophetic voice and what is his personal opinion.

The most important thing for each of us to consider is whether we, as individuals, put exclamation points or question marks after the teachings of the prophets.
_____

*M2C is the acronym for Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory.
**The M2C citation cartel includes Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, BMAF, the Interpreter, BYU Studies, Meridian Magazine, the Deseret News, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute, etc.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars

April 9, 2018Uncategorized

Two conferences compared

On March 21 I previewed two Book of Mormon conferences.
https://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2018/03/upcoming-bomc-conference-to-promote-m2c.html

Both conferences recorded many if not all of the presentations. I hope they both make their respective presentations available online so everyone in the world can compare for themselves. If they do, I’ll post links in this blog.

In the meantime, here are my observations.
_____

The Book of Mormon Evidence conference lived up to its name, providing an abundance of evidence of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The conference exceeded expectations, with dozens of speakers on diverse topics that represented a variety of views and approaches, with speakers from diverse backgrounds (religious and cultural). There were six concurrent presentations from 9 am to 9 pm. The biggest problem was handling the crowds. Safety rules limited seating in some of the rooms and sessions had overflow. At least one added a second session over lunch, which was also full.

The conference was lively, spiritual, informative, intellectual, and motivational. Everyone I saw was having a great time, taking notes, asking lots of questions. Speakers took live questions from the audience, even during their presentations. There was a Board Room where audiences could meet with speakers after each presentation. I spent over two hours in the Board Room after one of my presentations, engaged in answering questions and having wonderful discussions.
_____

The Book of Mormon Central America conference was about as stark a contrast as I’ve ever seen. I really like the participants on a personal level, but that makes the Mesomania psychology that causes them to promote M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) all the more sad.

The conference was well organized, with slick technology, but there were only 8 30-minute individual presentations, plus a year-in-review and an award, for a total of about 5 hours of material. This did not even measure up to one hour at the Evidences conference (with 6 simultaneous events every hour).

Obviously, 30 minutes leaves little time to develop a message, but from what I saw, presenters had barely 30 minutes worth of material anyway. In fact, in 30 minutes, they still had some time for questions. BTW, they didn’t allow open mikes; questions had to be submitted on cards (which allows screening, of course). This contributed to the antiseptic feel of the conference, and I couldn’t tell why they were so afraid of an open mike, since there were only a few hundred people in the audience, probably about 99% of whom have been completely indoctrinated (brainwashed) to believe M2C. (I say 99% because in addition to me, I suspect there were at least 3-4 other people who see through the M2C smokescreen, but I can’t be sure of that.)

Even with such low attendance, there was no Board Room opportunity to question the speakers on a personal level. The presentations were academic and intellectual, but sterile, as I’ll explain in a moment.

Book of Mormon Central America once M2C
runs into the teachings of the prophets

Book of Mormon Central America (https://bookofmormoncentral.org/) is really nothing more than an elaborate, high-tech vehicle for bias confirmation. Attendees and presenters were trying to reassure one another that yes, M2C is “true” in some sense.

To anyone outside the Mesomania bubble, it is obvious that Book of Mormon Central America is desperately trying to keep afloat the leaky boat of M2C.

Worse, they actually think their boat is an invincible battleship instead of the Titanic it is.

If anyone questions that metaphor, you should have attended the conference. Watch the videos of the presentations for yourself when they’re available and you’ll see what I mean.

Book of Mormon Central America so highly insecure about M2C that they censor alternative perspectives. Just compare this blog, which freely and frequently links to BOMC and other members of the M2C citation cartel, with the things they publish and post. They studiously avoid any ideas that contradict, or even question, M2C. That’s why you will never read the teachings of the prophets and apostles about the Hill Cumorah on Book of Mormon Central America. They don’t allow diversity of thought (apart from the ongoing and absurd dispute about which river in Mesoamerica is the Sidon).
_____

The first presentation was a review of 2017’s activities by Book of Mormon Central America. The accomplishments consisted mainly of adding to the archive, developing some virtual reality “experiences,” posting more KnoWhys, attracting social media participation, and publishing the Knowing Why book (reviewed here https://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2017/11/knowing-why-bomc-censors-north-american.html).

The one accomplishment they forgot to mention is how many LDS (and potential investigators) they persuaded to disbelieve the prophets.

By now, we all realize M2C is entirely dependent on the idea that the prophets and apostles were merely expressing their opinions about the New York Cumorah, and they were wrong because the M2C scholars know better than the prophets and apostles.

I can’t tell if the young people who are helping to promote M2C at this conference realize what they are doing, because most LDS people below age 30 have no idea what the prophets have actually taught. But certainly the management of Book of Mormon Central America knows what they’re doing. They’re deliberately asserting their intellectual superiority over the teachings of the prophets.

I did my own review of Book of Mormon Central America’s activity here:
https://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2017/11/knowing-why-bomc-censors-north-american.html

I didn’t attend the Roper/Fields presentation because I’ve seen their work many times and commented on it plenty already. It’s always pure confirmation bias because they refuse to make their methods, database and software publicly available. In this case, I agree with their bias that the Book of Mormon had multiple ancient authors, so I didn’t need further confirmation. I spent the time visiting the exhibits.

After the break, Brother Mark Wright, a very personable, fun and bright guy, did a presentation titled “In the Fields and in the Forests”: Mesoamerican Ecology and Cosmology in the Book of Mormon

Looking back, I was astonished at how accurate my prediction was:

“This will be interesting and informative because Brother Wright is an excellent presenter, but it will be just another example of illusory correspondences between the Mayans and the Book of Mormon. Brother Wright has been one of the most reasonable and rational M2C promoters, but, IIRC, he’s one who has said he “can’t unsee” Mesoamerica in the Book of Mormon, and that bias is evident in his work.”

I couldn’t tell whether Brother Wright realized he actually made my argument during his presentation.

He spoke about religious syncretism, which is term for incorporating one religious tradition or belief into another (or the fusion/blending of two or more religious beliefs into a new system). His thesis, as I understood it, was that Nephite Christianity was incorporated by the Mayans into their religious beliefs and traditions that existed before Lehi landed. He gave as examples the early Christian use of Greek gods to avoid persecution.

That example alone suggested that religious syncretism is a common human practice. No need to get very academic about it; even Wikipedia gives plenty more examples (including the “Latter Day Saint movement”).

I think we can all agree that human societies incorporate many ideas into their beliefs and traditions. We wouldn’t expect the Mayans to be any different. But does that mean they incorporated the Nephites’ law of Moses and Christianity?

There is zero evidence of that. Instead, the M2C promoters offer evidence of similarities or “correspondences” between Mayan culture and the M2C interpretation of the text.

Mayan culture is definitely interesting, but it has nothing to do with the Book of Mormon. The “parallels” cited to support M2C and thereby repudiate LDS prophets are illusory because similar parallels can be found (or imagined) between the Book of Mormon and every human culture throughout time and throughout the world.

The Mayans, like most human cultures, had gods that represented various aspects of creation, sacrifice (including blood sacrifice), death and resurrection, etc. There are variations among cultures, but these elements are ubiquitous. E.g., http://www.deathreference.com/Py-Se/Sacrifice.html.

I’d be interested if anyone can find a human culture anywhere in time or space that doesn’t have “correspondences” to what the Book of Mormon text describes. In fact, it’s that universal quality that makes it possible for people of every culture to “liken the scriptures to themselves.”

But that is no reason (or excuse) to reject the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
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I’ll have more to say about the conferences later this week.

Source: Book of Mormon Wars