New painting to replace Chichen Itza M2C painting?

Ever since the May 2020 I’ve wondered why so many chapels we visit around the world still display the anachronous Chichen Itza painting.

(El Castillo, the stepped pyramid in the background, was built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization between the 8th and 12th centuries AD. I’ve heard of people wondering if Christ visited Mesoamerica twice: once after his resurrection, and once 8-1200 years later.)

The May 2020 letter from the First Presidency set out guidelines, including 22 wonderful paintings approved for display. The letter did not include the Chichen Itza painting.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/reverence-for-savior-in-meetinghouses.pdf

The Chichen Itza painting reflects a Mesoamerican setting, although it could arguably reflect a hemispheric model (with the clouds representing North America).

A far better painting now is on display in the Conference Center. Let’s hope it gets added to the list of approved paintings and promptly replaces the Chichen Itza painting.

h/t to Gary Boatwright

https://twitter.com/gboatman12/status/1623906057851654145?s=20&t=RCPScgR08j94sswLIux2Yg

Source: About Central America

This new painting is obviously a 2nd coming scene and NOT a 3rd Nephi scene. I see modern clothing, belts, shoes, etc. and no Nephite temple as described in 3rd Nephi. The 1969 Chichen Itza painting (Jesus Christ Visits the Americas) by John Walter Scott is promoting a false narrative. I don’t blame the artists. They painted what they were taught. It would be a huge mistake to replace the bogus Scott painting with this new painting because they represent two entirely different time periods and events! Someone needs to paint an authentic painting of Christ in ancient America in Ohio.

Benjamin Winchester (1817-1901) and others probably thought the giant Mayan structures would encourage more church converts in the 1840s after the first Stephens and Catherwood books were published. I believe Winchester was the likely author of the Times and Seasons articles endorsing Stephens and Catherwood’s work. “The stories told by Stephens in his Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (1841) and Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843) complemented by Catherwood’s illustrations, focused international attention on the Maya civilization. Catherwood’s publication of his book of lithographs Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (1844) furthered the world-wide interest and lifted the Maya civilization out of obscurity and into world consciousness.” https://www.worldhistory.org/article/419/early-explorers-of-the-maya-civilization-john-lloy/

Governor Thomas Ford (1800 to 1850) wrote a history of Illinois called, “A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847.” It was published after he died in 1854. Sadly, he paints a false narrative about Joseph Smith and the origins of the Book of Mormon (Solomon Spalding) and a very bizarre 2nd crucifixion of Christ in ancient America. He also states, “Several nations and people, from the Isthmus of Darien to the extremities of North America, were arrayed against each other in war. At last, the great battle of Cumorah was fought in Palmyra, New York, between the Lamanites, who were the heathen of this continent, and the Nephites…” At least, he got the location of the hill Cumorah correct. See Page 252 at https://archive.org/details/ahistoryillinoi00shiegoog/page/n252/mode/2up

As you know, the false Mesoamerican narrative has been taught since about 1894 by RLDS researchers Henry A. Stebbins (1844-1920) and Rudolph Etzenhouser (1856-1918). Stebbins’ book was called “BOOK OF MORMON LECTURES Being a Series of Nine Sermons Delivered in the Saints’ Church, Independence, Missouri, on the Evenings of February 13-21, 1894.”

Rudolph Etzenhouser wrote a very interesting book “From Palmyra to Independence.” This book was published in 1894 and talks about Mesoamerica and contains many interesting comments. On page 10, talking about California relics, he states, “There have been brought to light the fossils of nine mastodons, twenty elephants, various pachyderms in the Table Mountains, numerous evidences of animal life in the calcareous formations in the Texas flats, obsidian spearheads, fossils of the elephant, horse and camel about Hornitos, bones and evidences of prehistoric human industry in Tulare, and in Trinity and Sisklyon many proofs of the contemporaneous existence of man and extinct mammals.” See https://archive.org/details/frompalmyranewyo00etzerich/page/10/mode/2up

RLDS researcher Louis E. Hills (1857-1925) was perpetuating his two Cumorah Mesoamerican geography theory about from 1917 to 1925. He was rejected twice by his own First Presidency.
https://bookofmormonevidence.org/the-rejection-of-the-two-cumorah-mesoamerica-geography-theory-for-the-book-of-mormon/

Thomas Stuart Ferguson (1915-1983) was an American lawyer and amateur archaeologist who dedicated his life to finding Book of Mormon evidence in Mesoamerica. He studied under M. Wells Jakeman who was a Mesoamerican proponent. Ferguson tutored John L. Sorenson during many trips to Mesoamerica. In the 1950s, Ferguson obtained over $200,000 from David O, McKay to fund research in Mesoamerica. He eventually became skeptical of his research due to the lack of evidence.
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-mormon-lawyer-transformed-archaeology-mexico-and-ended-losing-his-faith

Sadly, the 3, Come Follow Me Manuals (Student, Teacher and Primary) for the 2020 Book of Mormon Study included at least 1/3 of the artwork promoting the Mesoamerican model. I’m hearing there will only be 1 manual for 2024. Hopefully, the Mesoamerican artwork will be purged, but I’m skeptical because more artwork keeps being created reflecting a Mesoamerican theme. Look at https://mi.byu.edu/the-book-of-mormon-art-catalog-is-live/. Unfortunately, artists paint what they have been taught. We need to start teaching the truth so artists will be inclined to paint authentic artwork.

2 thoughts on “New painting to replace Chichen Itza M2C painting?”

Michael Williamson says:

February 10, 2023 at 8:49 am

Maybe they’ve come to their senses, considering Brother Joseph said that the American Indians of the Ohio River Valley were the descendants of the Lamenites and Nephites. That’s my bet!
Bruce Lloyd says:

February 11, 2023 at 6:34 am

This new painting is obviously a 2nd coming scene and NOT a 3rd Nephi scene. I see modern clothing, belts, shoes, etc. and no Nephite temple as described in 3rd Nephi. The 1969 Chichen Itza painting (Jesus Christ Visits the Americas) by John Walter Scott is promoting a false narrative. I don’t blame the artists. They painted what they were taught. It would be a huge mistake to replace the bogus Scott painting with this new painting because they represent two entirely different time periods and events! Someone needs to paint an authentic painting of Christ in ancient America in Ohio.

Benjamin Winchester (1817-1901) and others probably thought the giant Mayan structures would encourage more church converts in the 1840s after the first Stephens and Catherwood books were published. I believe Winchester was the likely author of the Times and Seasons articles endorsing Stephens and Catherwood’s work. “The stories told by Stephens in his Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (1841) and Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843) complemented by Catherwood’s illustrations, focused international attention on the Maya civilization. Catherwood’s publication of his book of lithographs Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (1844) furthered the world-wide interest and lifted the Maya civilization out of obscurity and into world consciousness.” https://www.worldhistory.org/article/419/early-explorers-of-the-maya-civilization-john-lloy/

Governor Thomas Ford (1800 to 1850) wrote a history of Illinois called, “A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847.” It was published after he died in 1854. Sadly, he paints a false narrative about Joseph Smith and the origins of the Book of Mormon (Solomon Spalding) and a very bizarre 2nd crucifixion of Christ in ancient America. He also states, “Several nations and people, from the Isthmus of Darien to the extremities of North America, were arrayed against each other in war. At last, the great battle of Cumorah was fought in Palmyra, New York, between the Lamanites, who were the heathen of this continent, and the Nephites…” At least, he got the location of the hill Cumorah correct. See Page 252 at https://archive.org/details/ahistoryillinoi00shiegoog/page/n252/mode/2up

As you know, the false Mesoamerican narrative has been taught since about 1894 by RLDS researchers Henry A. Stebbins (1844-1920) and Rudolph Etzenhouser (1856-1918). Stebbins’ book was called “BOOK OF MORMON LECTURES Being a Series of Nine Sermons Delivered in the Saints’ Church, Independence, Missouri, on the Evenings of February 13-21, 1894.”

Rudolph Etzenhouser wrote a very interesting book “From Palmyra to Independence.” This book was published in 1894 and talks about Mesoamerica and contains many interesting comments. On page 10, talking about California relics, he states, “There have been brought to light the fossils of nine mastodons, twenty elephants, various pachyderms in the Table Mountains, numerous evidences of animal life in the calcareous formations in the Texas flats, obsidian spearheads, fossils of the elephant, horse and camel about Hornitos, bones and evidences of prehistoric human industry in Tulare, and in Trinity and Sisklyon many proofs of the contemporaneous existence of man and extinct mammals.” See https://archive.org/details/frompalmyranewyo00etzerich/page/10/mode/2up

RLDS researcher Louis E. Hills (1857-1925) was perpetuating his two Cumorah Mesoamerican geography theory about from 1917 to 1925. He was rejected twice by his own First Presidency.
https://bookofmormonevidence.org/the-rejection-of-the-two-cumorah-mesoamerica-geography-theory-for-the-book-of-mormon/

Thomas Stuart Ferguson (1915-1983) was an American lawyer and amateur archaeologist who dedicated his life to finding Book of Mormon evidence in Mesoamerica. He studied under M. Wells Jakeman who was a Mesoamerican proponent. Ferguson tutored John L. Sorenson during many trips to Mesoamerica. In the 1950s, Ferguson obtained over $200,000 from David O, McKay to fund research in Mesoamerica. He eventually became skeptical of his research due to the lack of evidence.
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-mormon-lawyer-transformed-archaeology-mexico-and-ended-losing-his-faith

Sadly, the 3, Come Follow Me Manuals (Student, Teacher and Primary) for the 2020 Book of Mormon Study included at least 1/3 of the artwork promoting the Mesoamerican model. I’m hearing there will only be 1 manual for 2024. Hopefully, the Mesoamerican artwork will be purged, but I’m skeptical because more artwork keeps being created reflecting a Mesoamerican theme. Look at https://mi.byu.edu/the-book-of-mormon-art-catalog-is-live/. Unfortunately, artists paint what they have been taught. We need to start teaching the truth so artists will be inclined to paint authentic artwork.

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2 thoughts on “New painting to replace Chichen Itza M2C painting?”