Book of Mormon archaeology

From FAIRMormon

FAIRwiki portal
Book of Mormon Geography
FAIRwiki articles
Geography: Book of Mormon Geography LDS statements Old World New World Hemispheric Limited Plates to New York? Great Lakes? Lists of models DNA: Geography and DNA Haplotype X2A? DNA Wiki articles Archaeology: Archaeology and the Bible Archaeology and Book of Mormon Hill Cumorah archaeology Smithsonian Lamanites in North America: D&C Lamanites Borders of the Lamanites Other: "Anachronisms" Zelph Comoros Islands and Moroni
FAIR Wiki Topical Guide
Geography
FAIR web site
Topical guide Articles
FARMS web site
Online resources
Additional reading
Online In print
Other portals
Book of Mormon DNA and Book of Mormon

Contents 1 Criticism 1.1 Source(s) of the Criticism 2 Video 3 Response 4 Further reading 4.1 FAIR wiki articles 4.2 FAIR web site 4.3 External links 4.4 Printed material

Criticism

Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.

Source(s) of the Criticism

The following argue there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon:

• Richard Abanes, Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism (Harvest House Publishers: 2005). 66, 362 n. 88-89. ( Index of claims )
• Richard Abanes, One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003), 75, 514n75 ( Index of claims )
• Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Revised) (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997), 200. ( Index of claims )
• Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Mormonism 101. Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2000), Chapter 8. ( Index of claims ) (Review by chapter)
• Simon Southerton, Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 2004) 142. ( Index of claims )
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Moody Press, 1979), 139–141. ( Index of claims )
• John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 163–71
• James White, Letters to a Mormon Elder: Eye Opening Information for Mormons and the Christians Who Talk with Them (Southbridge, MA: Crowne, 1990), 275, 282–90

Other archaeological criticism:

• Joel P. Kramer and Scott R. Johnson, The Bible vs. the Book of Mormon (Brigham City, UT: Living Hope Ministries, 2005). [This is an anti-Mormon video presentation.]
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Archaeology and the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1969; reprinted with second appendix, 1972), .

Video

Part(s) of this criticism are addressed in a video segment from a forthcoming FAIR production. Click here to see video clips on other topics.

Response

This page directs readers elsewhere in the wiki where aspects of this question are discussed:

• Archeology and the Bible: comparing and contrasting the archaeological "state of the art" between the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
• Book of Mormon "anachronism" page: critics charge that a specific concept or item was not present in ancient America even though mentioned in the Book of Mormon. This page explores these issues.
• Book of Mormon geography: successful archaeology requires an appreciation of how the Book of Mormon situates and relates various places to each other.
• DNA evidence
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: much of the geographical and cultural information in the Book of Mormon is included in accounts of war. Thus, comparing ancient American and Book of Mormon warfare is enlightening.
• /Thomas Stuart Ferguson and the New World Archaelogical foundation are often used by critics.

Further reading

FAIR wiki articles

Mormonism and science

• Mormonism and science (Summary article)
  • Age of the Earth
  • Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
    • Thomas Stuart Ferguson
  • Burning in the bosom
  • Changing doctrine
  • Cold fusion
  • Dinosaurs
  • DNA and the Book of Mormon
  • Evolution
  • Free will and science
  • Global or local Flood

FAIR web site

• FAIR Topical Guide: Archaeology and the Bible FAIR link
  
• FAIR Topical Guide: Book of Mormon geography FAIR link
  
• Brant Gardner, "Behind the Mask, Behind the Curtain: Uncovering the Illusion (Review of: The Bible vs. the Book of Mormon)," FARMS Review 17/2 (2005): 144–196. off-site PDF link FAIR link; originally available on FAIR link

External links

Book of Mormon archaeology articles

• William J. Adams Jr., "Synagogues in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/1 (2000): 4–13. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• Anonymous, "Book of Mormon Archaeology,": A Rich Source for LDS Folklore," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/1 (1999): 19–19. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• Warren P. Aston, "Newly Found Altars from Nahom," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10/2 (2001): 56–61. off-site PDF link wiki
• David E. Bokovoy, "The Bible vs. the Book of Mormon: Still Losing the Battle: Review of The Bible vs. the Book of Mormon by Joel P. Kramer and Scott R. Johnson," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 3–19. off-site PDF link wiki off-site
• Stewart W. Brewer, "The History of an Idea: The Scene on Stela 5 from Izapa, Mexico, as a Representation of Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/1 (1999): 12–21. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• Jeffrey R. Chadwick, "Has the Seal of Mulek Been Found?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/2 (2003): 72–83. off-site PDF link wiki
• John E. Clark, "Archaeology and Cumorah Questions," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13/1 (2004): 144–151. off-site PDF link wiki mp3 offsite
• John E. Clark, "Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005): 38–49. off-site PDF link wiki
• John E. Clark, "Looking for Artifacts at New York's Hill Cumorah," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005): 50–51. off-site PDF link wiki
• John E. Clark, "A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5: A Step toward Improved Interpretation," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/1 (1999): 22–33. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• John E. Clark, "Searching for Book of Mormon Lands in Middle America (Review of: Sacred Sites: Searching for Book of Mormon Lands)," FARMS Review 16/2 (2004): 1–54. off-site PDF link
• Allen J. Christenson, "The Sacred Tree of the Ancient Maya," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 6/1 (1997): 1–23. off-site PDF link wiki
• Brant Gardner, "The Other Stuff: Reading the Book of Mormon for Cultural Information (Review of: Nephite Culture and Society: Selected Papers)," FARMS Review of Books 13/2 (2001): 21–52. off-site PDF link
• Brant Gardner, “A Social History of the Early Nephites,” FAIR Conference presentation (August 2001). FAIR link
• Brant A. Gardner, "Too Good To Be True: Questionable Archaeology and the Book of Mormon," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, September 2002). FAIR link
• John Gee, "New and Old Light on Shawabtis from Mesoamerica," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 6/1 (1997): 64–69. off-site PDF link wiki
• William J. Hamblin, "Review of Archaeology and the Book of Mormon by Jerald and Sandra Tanner," FARMS Review of Books 5/1 (1993): 250–272. off-site PDF link
• William J. Hamblin, "Review of Explorers of Pre-Columbian America?: The Diffusionist-Inventionist Controversy;Legend and Lore of the Americas before 1492: An Encyclopedia of Visitors, Explorers, and Immigrants by Eugene R. Fingerhut & Ronald H. Fritze," FARMS Review of Books 7/1 (1995): 120–122. off-site PDF link
• V. Garth Norman, "Review of Angular Chronology: The Precolumbian Dating of Ancient America by Michael M. Hobby, June M. Hobby, and Troy J. Smith," FARMS Review of Books 8/1 (1996): 112–117. off-site PDF link
• Matthew Roper, "On Cynics and Swords (Review of Of Cities and Swords: The Impossible Task of Mormon Apologetics)," FARMS Review of Books 9/1 (1997): 146–158. off-site PDF link
• Matthew Roper, "Swords and "Cimeters" in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/1 (1999): 34–43. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• Cherry B. Silver, "Connecting the Nephite Story to Mesoamerican Research (Review of: Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life)," FARMS Review of Books 12/1 (2000): 23–34. off-site PDF link
• John L. Sorenson, "Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From "Impossible" to "Certain"," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 4–17. off-site PDF link wiki
• John L. Sorenson and Matthew Roper, "Before DNA," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/1 (2003): 6–23. off-site PDF link wiki
• John L. Sorenson, "Last-Ditch Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 44–53. off-site [No PDF link] wiki
• John L. Sorenson, "Review of Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory by Stephen Williams," FARMS Review of Books 4/1 (1992): 254–257. off-site PDF link
• John L. Sorenson, "Viva Zapato! Hurray for the Shoe! (Review of "Does the Shoe Fit? A Critique of the Limited Tehuantepec Geography" by Deanne G. Matheny," FARMS Review of Books 6/1 (1994): 297–361. off-site PDF link GL direct link
• Brian D. Stubbs, "Looking Over vs. Overlooking: Native American Languages: Let's Void the Void," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5/1 (1996): 1–49. off-site PDF link wiki
• Terrence L. Szink, "Jerusalem in Lehi's Day(Review of: Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem)," FARMS Review 16/2 (2004): 149–160. off-site PDF link
• John A. Tvedtnes, "Can Early Chinese Maritime Expeditions Shed Light on Lehi’s Voyage to the New World? (Review of: 1421, the Year China Discovered America)," FARMS Review 16/1 (2004): 427–428. off-site PDF link
• John A. Tvedtnes, “Historic archeology and the Geographic Imperative,” FAIR (2005). FAIR link
• John A. Tvedtnes, "Jewish Seafaring and the Book of Mormon (Review of The Children of Noah: Jewish Seafaring and the Book of Mormon)," FARMS Review of Books 10/2 (1998): 147–155. off-site PDF link
• Bruce W. Warren, "Review of Angular Chronology: The Precolumbian Dating of Ancient America by Michael M. Hobby, June M. Hobby, and Troy J. Smith," FARMS Review of Books 8/1 (1996): 118–121. off-site PDF link
• Diane E. Wirth, "Review of Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life," FARMS Review of Books 11/1 (1999): 10–17. off-site PDF link
• Diane E. Wirth, "Quetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 11/1 (2002): 4–15. off-site PDF link wiki
• Diane E. Wirth, "Review of Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory by Stephen Williams," FARMS Review of Books 4/1 (1992): 251–253. off-site PDF link

Printed material

Book of Mormon archaeology printed works

• Warren P. Aston and Michaela Knoth Aston, In the Footsteps of Lehi: New Evidence for Lehi's Journey across Arabia to Bountiful (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994), 1. ISBN 0875798470
• John E. Clark, "Archaeological Trends and the Book of Mormon Origins," Brigham Young University Studies 44:4 (2005): 83–104.
• Eugene England, "Through the Arabian Desert to a Bountiful Land: Could Joseph Smith Have Known the Way?," in Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins, edited by Noel B. Reynolds and Charles D. Tate (eds.), (Provo, Utah : Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University ; Salt Lake City, Utah : Distributed by Bookcraft, 1996 [1982]), 143–154. ISBN 0884944697 GospeLink GL direct link
• Alan Goff, "Mourning, Consolation, and Repentance at Nahom" in John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (eds.), Rediscovering the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book Co. ; Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1991), 92–99. ISBN 0875793878. off-site GospeLink GL direct link
• John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book Co. ; Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1996 [1985]), 1. ISBN 1573451576. GospeLink
• John L. Sorenson, "The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican codex," in Newsletter and Proceedings of the Society for Early Historic Archaeology No. 139: (Provo, UT, 1976): 1–9.
• John L. Sorenson, "The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican record," Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins, edited by Noel B. Reynolds, (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997), 391–521 ISBN 093489325X ISBN 0934893187 ISBN 0884944697. off-site GospeLink
• John L. Sorenson, "Fortifications in the Book of Mormon account compared with Mesoamerican fortifications" in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 425–444. ISBN 0875793002. GospeLink
• John L. Sorenson, "How could Joseph Smith write so accurately about ancient American civilization?," in Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, edited by Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and John W. Welch, (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2002), 261–306. ISBN 0934893721 off-site
• John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1998), 1. ISBN 0934893284 (Key source)
• John L. Sorenson, "The political economy of the Nephites," in Nephite Culture and Society: Collected Papers, edited by M.L. Sorenson, (Salt Lake City, Utah: New Sage Books, 1997), 195–226. ISBN 1890902012. ISBN 978-1890902018.
• John L. Sorenson, "Seasons of war, seasons of peace in the Book of Mormon" in John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (eds.), Rediscovering the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book Co. ; Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1991), 249–255. ISBN 0875793878. off-site GospeLink
• John L. Sorenson, "The significance of an apparent relationship between the ancient Near East and Mesoamerica," in C. L. Riley et al. (editors), Man across the Sea: Problems of Pre-Columbian Contacts (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1971), 219–241.
• John W. Welch, "Lehi's Trail and Nahom Revisited,," in Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1992), 47–49. ISBN 0875796001 off-site FAIR link GospeLink GL direct link
• Diane E. Wirth, Parallels: Mesoamerican and Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions (St. George UT: Stonecliff), 2003. ISBN 0960209603. 978-0960209606.