Stuff they don’t talk about in Sunday School
October 23rd, 2008 — Archeology, Book of Mormon, Central America, Geography, Mormon, New York, South America
I’ve posted previously on the various BoM geography theories, and I have to admit, it is one of my favorite topics. Very few Mormons realize how diverse some of the various theories are. Mormon Times recently ran an article on the various theories, and gave some criteria for evaluating them properly.
So, which of these theories sounds most plausible to you? I’ve studied quite a few, and am aware of both strengths and weaknesses of many of the theories. I’d love to hear what you think.
May 16th, 2008 — Archeology, Book of Mormon, DNA, Geography, History, Israel, Mormon, Science, South America
I’m certainly no DNA expert.
But here’s some thoughts anyway. First of all, finding any sort of Hebrew DNA anywhere in the Americas certainly gives critics of the Book of Mormon pause, as it directly refutes some of their arguments. But how important is this discovery?
Let’s talk about the name Cohen first. As I learned from Quest for the Lost Tribes, the name Cohen represents the Tribe of Levi. This is the priesthood tribe. As we go back to the 12 Tribes of Israel, remember that the Tribe of Levi was given no land of inheritance, but was instead granted the priesthood to administer among the other tribes.
May 13th, 2008 — Archeology, Book of Mormon, DNA, Geography, Mormon, Science, South America
| Ok, I’m going quote exactly from the Nephi Project Newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Nephi Project Newsletter 12 May 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hebrew DNA found in American Indian populations in South America? Just as George is preparing for his Book of Mormon research expedition to Peru and Bolivia, Scott R. Woodward, executive director of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation has announced that a DNA marker called “Cohen modal haplotype” has been found in native people in Columbia, Brazil and Bolivia. Why is this important? Although Woodward warns about using DNA as evidence for or against the Book of Mormon, it is the first time a Hebrew specific DNA marker has been discovered among native people in the New World. We encourage you to learn more about this discovery at: http://mormontimes.com/DB_index.php?id=1064 Keep Exploring, George Potter & Timothy Sedor |
February 19th, 2008 — Archeology, Book of Mormon, Geography, History, Mormon, Science, Scripture, South America
Many people have dismissed the Book of Mormon as non-historical because Nephi supposedly used iron, but no iron has been found (among many criticisms). I got an email newsletter from the Nephi Project about a new discovery by Purdue University researchers in Science Daily about an Iron Ore mine.
An excerpt from the article states, “The researchers determined that the mine is a human-made cave that was first created around 2,000 years ago. An estimated 3,710 metric tons was extracted from the mine during more than 1,400 years of use. The mine, which is nearly 700 cubic meters, is in a cliffside facing a modern ochre mine.”
January 25th, 2008 — Book of Mormon, Central America, Geography, South America
About 7 years ago, I was introduced to the idea that the Book of Mormon lands didn’t take place in Central America, but rather South America. Lately, I’ve been studying the issue again, and came across a theory that the Book of Mormon didn’t take place in the Americas at all, but rather in Malaysia (known as the Malay Peninsula.) Has anyone heard or studied this hypothesis?
So, I decided to learn more about the different ideas of BOM geography. James Sorensen has a book published in 1991 where he gives a short synopsis of the various (approximately 80) theories. Many are similar, and here are the major categories of theories. Continue reading →
