Heartland Model of Book of Mormon geography

Model Name	Date Proposed	Scope	Narrow Neck	Land North	Land South	Cumorah	River Sidon	Nephi's Landing	Religion	Type of model Model name: Meldrum 2003 Date proposed: 2003? Scope: LGT Narrow neck: Niagara Peninsula Land north: Upper Canada Land south: Mississippi river system to Gulf of Mexico Cumorah: New York Sidon: Mississippi Landing: Gulf of Mexico Religion: LDS Type: External

This geography is based on a DVD presentation (which is in turn based on fireside presentations) produced by Rodney (Rod) Meldrum: Rodney Meldrum, DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography: New scientific support for the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon; Correlation and Verification through DNA, Prophetic, Scriptural, Historical, Climatological, Archaeological, Social, and Cultural Evidence (Rodney Meldrum, 2007), mail-order DVD. ( Index of claims ).

Heartland model

FAIR Reviews

FAIR has a review of some of the contents and tactics used by this presentation:

• Full Review html

Other reviews

• Jerry L. Ainsworth, Dr. Ainsworth responds to Rod Meldrum DVD, mormonsites.org blog, 20 September 2008. FAIR endorses no Book of Mormon geography, and does not necessarily endorse all the conclusions in this off-site link. It is provided to properly credit the source.

Blog posts

• FAIR Blog: Allen Wyatt, "A Faulty Apologetic for the Book of Mormon" (3 July 2008) FAIR link
• FAIR Blog: Gregory L. Smith, "Advice from a Nobel Prize Winner" (6 July 2008) FAIR link
• Mormanity: Jeff Lindsay, "Misguided Zeal: DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography," (4 July 2008) off-site
• FAIR Blog: Allen Wyatt, "Examining the Secular Side," (3 Sept 2008) FAIR link
• FAIR blog: Scott Gordon, "Helping Those Struggling with Anti-Mormonism," (3 Sept 2008) FAIR link
• Dr. Jerry Ainsworth responds to DVD, blog, 20 September, 2008.
• Steven Danderson, Using and misusing scholarship and revelation…. (October 5, 2008)
• Robert White The Truth Will Out At Last (October 7, 2008)
• Steven Danderson, A look at Meldrum’s revised DVD…. (March 31, 2009)

Other resources

• Rod Meldrum homepage off-site

Index of geographical claims made in the DVD DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography

The following tables respond to specific geographical claims made in the DVD. Only the geographical claims are treated here. For other issues related to this DVD and the presentation "Introduction to Book of Mormon Evidences," see the following:

A note about DNA claims

It is claimed in the DVD and associated seminars that criticisms related to DNA and the Book of Mormon have not been addressed by LDS scholars. This is incorrect. For a detailed discussion of DNA related claims, see the following:

Heartland (Meldrum) Geography claims

• DNA_Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography (DVD)
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Introduction
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 1:DNA
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 2:Geography
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 3:Joseph Smith
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 4:Promised Land
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 5:Prophesies and Promises
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 6:Tents, Temples, and Teepees
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 7:Weather and Climate
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 8:Buffalo Evidence
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 9:Chronological Evidence
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 10:Nephite Defenses
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 11:Nephite Structures
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 12:Mound Builders
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 13:Nephite Culture
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 14:Nephite Implements
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 15:Book of Mormon Lands
• Book_of_Mormon_geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum_2003/Section 16:Travel Indications

Endnotes

1. [note]  Joseph Smith (editor), "American Antiquities," Times and Seasons 3 no. 18 (15 July 1842), 860. off-site GospeLink
2. [note] Martha Jane Knowlton Coray, [edited by Dean C. Jessee], "Joseph Smith's July 19, 1840 Discourse," Brigham Young University Studies 19/ 3 (Spring 1979): 392.
3. [note] Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 15:279.
4. [note] Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report (April 1929): 16.