Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon. Book of mormon geographymodelslimitedsorenson 1955. Underwater archaeology and the book of mormon in sorensons. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. Mulekites land near nauvoo illinois book of mormon evidence. It was sorenson who first proposed that the scriptures action likely took place in guatemala and southern mexico, rather than encompassing both north and south america. Sorenson has been studying the relationship of the book of mormon to mesoamerica for over 60 years. According to joseph smith and subsequent presidents and apostles of the lds church, the geographical extent of book of mormon lands included virtually all of north and south america. Jan 01, 2000 as the ancient prophet mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that comprised the setting for the events described in that book.
Sorenson, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, utah. Sorensons groundbreaking book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, published in 1985. The only narrow neck of land book of mormon evidence. The book of mormon claims to be an historic document and contains hundreds of geographical and ethnological references within its text. The four seas of the book of mormon mormons in transition. This is a large coffeetable book with gorgeous fullcolor pictures. After attending utah state agricultural college now utah state university, he enlisted in the army air corps, where he was trained at the california institute of technology as a meteorologist and served in the south atlantic theater of operations. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints does not officially endorse any one particular geographical model for where the events in the book of mormon transpired in the new world. Sorenson, siberian dna, and book of mormon directions wheat. Sorenson was born in 1924 in smithfield, utah, where he grew up. Confusions of tongues and a map book of mormon central.
Before we examine some of the possible locations for book of mormon geography however, i would like to stress the fact that as of today, the lord has not revealed where the nephites or lamanites lived, and as such, the lds church has taken no official stance on anything related to book of mormon geography. The following map contains probable locations for book of mormon related locations in modern mexico and central america. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of. Sorenson s most recent compilation and discussion of book of mormon passages relating to geography. A model for the book of mormon in baja the forgotten. John l sorenson is one of the best book of mormon scholars, having written seveal excellent texts, such as an ancient american setting for the book of mormon and images of ancient america. There is of course the excellent possibility that none of them are even close, but i have in the past attempted to find one that i would like to use in my stu.
The most influential proponent of this view is prof. No effort should be made to identify points on this map with any existing geographical location. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the book s narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. As the ancient prophet mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical. Sure and even more reason to not accept that area as the setting. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning. Sorenson in his book, mormon s map which i recommend for anyone who would like to study what the book of mormon says about its own geography. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. I admit that my own model was tainted by preconceptions.
List of evidence of the book of mormon john sorenson. Sorenson outlined his model in his seminal 1985 work, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, john l. Sorenson restricts the book of mormon setting to an approximately 400milelong section of central america, with the isthmus of tehuantepec in southern mexico corresponding to the narrow neck of the hourglassshaped land mass described above. This book of mormon map along with a wall map are available for down loading in color and the book of mormon geography book a promised land, the land of promise with all the mormon maps and details is also available at alpha publishing at. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon by john. He received an ma in archaeology from byu and a phd in anthropology from ucla. For example, modern western nations define east to be the direction of sunrise, and west as the direction of sunset. As a result, i say that the book of mormon is an ancient mesoamerican record, derived ultimately from a native book written in the fourth and fifth centuries ad. Its testimony of the master is clear, undiluted, and full of power. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. The only way to have seas north and south on a literal or descriptive basis would be for the two major bodies of land to be oriented at an angle somewhat off true northsouth. The book makes a lot of seemingly good approximations of where the book of mormon predominately took place. Brother john sorenson summarized the basic idea on p.
John sorenson, the geography of book of mormon events, pp. There are 31 references to alma 22 in sorenson, mormons map. John sorenson s tehuantepeccentered model of book of mormon geography. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. For reasons i understand, this is a frequently asked question. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. Sorenson born april 8, 1924 is an emeritus professor of anthropology at brigham young university byu and the author of an ancient american setting for the book of mormon as well as many other books and articles on the book of mormon and archaeology.
He ran the new world archaeological foundation from 1959 to 1987. I have tremendous respect for the many book of mormon studies john sorenson has previously written. Sorenson s 1992 the geography of book of mormon events. I now know that the book of mormon happened in the usa in the historic heartland that is such a significant part of american and book of mormon history. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the. Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormons map using information in the text. Although the book of mormon is primarily a religious record of the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites, enough geographic details are embedded in the narrative to allow reconstruction of at least a rudimentary geography of book of mormon lands.
For the past 55 years, john sorenson has inhaled every detail of book of mormon life and history. If you took off the cover of the book of mormon and had 100 people from the northeast read the whole text and then asked them, if the stories in this book occurred in the western hemisphere, where do you think it would have occurred i really believe the number saying the northeast us would be about the bottom of the list. Does the book of mormon have archaeology to back up any of. This book is out of print but cheap used copies are plentiful on amazon. Facts, reason, filters and byus abstract map moronis. Sorenson, including rediscovering the book of mormon, and an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, and more on. Wayne may true book of mormon geography lands western. For example, bountiful is south of the land desolation. This book is great, but like i said, is the tip of the iceberg. He shows clearly that the book of mormon occured in a rather limited geographical scope, in the order of a few hundred miles or so, and that the lds church has no official position on the book of mormon s geography. Exploring the book of mormon in americas heartland deseret. The intellectuals use the term neutral because it has a connotation of unbiased, but this internal map is based on the sorenson translation of the book of mormon, adjusted 90 degrees so it goes northsouth instead of using sorensons west means coastline theory.
The map spans jaredite and nephitelamanite periods during which settlements changed over time. You can read a transcript of this lecture on the fair website at. This map plausibly positions these and other book of mormon. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. Sorenson s groundbreaking book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, published in 1985. Sorenson were fellow graduate students at byu in the early 1950s. In mormon s map, sorenson implied that the seas could not be taken literally. Mapping the book of mormon is a monument to one mans faith and excitement of discovery.
For our purposes in understanding this book of mormon event, and using sorenson s geography as a. Book of mormon geography in nevillenevilleland book of. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate. Dec 02, 2016 to help with the increasing amount of new information, a blog site has been setup for research relating to the book of mormon lands in baja california. The map, though admittedly tentative, offers three services to readers of the book of mormon. Sorenson biography book of mormon archaeological forum. His best known book prior to this was an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, published in 1985. Nov 26, 2011 in his book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, john l. Jerry grovers book, which uses geological principles to explain the occurrence of natural events in the book of mormon, is.
Mormon s map carefully and concisely accomplishes what it sets out to do. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in. Jerry grovers book, which uses geological principles to explain the occurrence of natural events in the book of mormon, is not as widely known. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. He then shows us the very complex cultures in mesoamerica and how things seem to have been in the centuries the book of mormon took place. I propose that this location is a prime candidate for the land northward in the book of mormon. As mormon edited the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of.
Sorenson s geographical model in his other books point to mesoamerica. The book of mormon was written for the purpose of convincing those who are sincere abou. Views on book of mormon geography, privately circulated book of mormon working paper. In addition, sites and artifacts are also provided that give additional indirect support to the book of mormon story, such as evidence associated with other precolumbian hebrew travelers to the american continents. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1996 1985, 1.
Im going to first answer the question, and then explain my answer and offer background. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. The trajectory of book of mormon studies by john sorenson. The potential connection with the book of mormon is not proven, but the discovery of an underwater city within miles of sorensons earlier proposed location, and the evidence for its rapid submergence two thousand years ago, is striking. Restoring the original text of the book of mormon by royal. Sorensons most popular book is an ancient american setting for the book of mormon. Sorenson first developed his model in 1953 and committed it to paper in 1955. Very good book, it gave a very plausible realworld setting for the book of mormon, and i think sorenson is definitely on to something. Other m2c intellectuals make the same argument, but sorenson s book is still the highwater mark of scholarship among m2c believers. Having been privileged to work with him on some of. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. An ancient american book see a video further down the page. And in my estimation there was little evidence they were necessa.
Could the book of mormon be used to evaluate the changes. All my studies suddenly made sense, all aspects of the book of mormon finally became clear. Unfortunately, it cannot be read for solid information on toponyms, languages, or cultural history. The book of mormon critical text project, under the editorship of royal skousen, began in 1988 and is now nearing completion. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other possible relationships of sites in the book of mormon, based on internal evidence. Sep, 2012 john sorenson s 2007 fair conference lecture. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. John sorenson notes in his book, the geography of the book of mormon. Imagined map of the book of mormon lands by tyler griffin, taylor. The book is composed of 128 pages of understandable text including seventeen maps illustrating geographical features mentioned in the text. It has been accepted for inclusion in byu studies quarterly by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. Sorenson, when lehis party arrived in the land, did they find others, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not.
After attending utah state agricultural college, he enlisted in the army air corps where he was trained at the california institute of technology as a meteorologist and served in the south atlantic theater of ww ii. Sorenson, one of the foremost students on the subject, identified over 600 passages relevant to geography. Land southward to land northward map animal migrations wayne may, book of mormon geography presentation, ancient american history conference, slc, april 1, 2011 wayne may says the land of nephi tennessee was a higher elevation than the land of zarahemla illinois. Sorenson first builds a map based upon the information provided in the book. Each pointer on the map can be opened clicked on to obtain information regarding the specific site, artifact, or other. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. I have watched more than 20 hours of wayne may book of mormon lecture videos and conversed with both wayne may and rod meldrum in person. That would allow part of the ocean to lie toward the.
Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. A sourcebook, he laid out his thinking on the subject in detail. This does away with the notion of the socalled continental view of the range of the book of mormon. In his speculations on book of mormon populations, vern elefson 1984 briefly discussed population figures contained in the book of mormon, and then reverseengineered them to estimate the growth rate that must have prevailed for those figures to be reached. I agree with sorenson about the importance of alma 22, as well as the utility of creating an abstract map and finding a fit in the real world. He provided his interpretation of over seven hundred verses he deemed relevant to the book of mormon. It can be read as a very long and complex testimony.
In 2001, facsimile transcripts of the two book of mormon manuscripts volumes 1 and 2 of the critical text were published by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. He had a lot of really good ideas as to how the book of mormon could fit into current knowledge of history, archaeology, and geography of ancient north america. For many years the smithsonian institution in washington has received inquiries concerning the book of mormon, its role in the institutions scientific activities, and a number of specific informational questions about ancient american archaeology. Destruction and disaster in 3 nephi and the geology of mesoamerica. Sorenson has 15 books on goodreads with 928 ratings. Our changing understanding of ancient america and its scripture. As the ancient prophet mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that comprised the setting for the events described in that book. The cover has some scuffs, and some additional wear along the edges. Wayne may presents book of mormon evidence in north american geography, archaeology and historical records. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of intensive. Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormons map. Mormons map is book of mormon scholar john sorensons reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of. Yeah, theres some text there too, but the real value is in the illustrations and photographs showing central american artwork, pottery, iconography, temples, animals, clothing, tools, weapons, people, and jungles. As mormon edited the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that were setting the events described in that book. In this video i have placed an overlay of john sorenson.
Overwhelming complexity and consistency the book of mormon contains over 600 geographical references to over fifty separate geographical locations. Made popular by his 1985 publication an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, sorenson s geographic model for the book of mormon has withstood the test of time and remains the preeminent geographic model for book of mormon events. Already in 1903, some were disputing proposals for book of mormon geography on the grounds that students could not reconcile the statements as to time consumed in traveling from one place to another with zarahemla being at the point claimed by him. I think he problem is that there is little it seems mention of the nature of the customs of the people other than whether or not they were obeying the law. The likelihood of such a setting was greatly strengthened by john l. The scientific search for nephite remains mormons in transition. Statement on book of mormon geography page 3 general. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Clark,4 randall spackman determined that there are upwards of passages of potential geographic. Mar 26, 2016 the material below covers the geography of the book of mormon in north america. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other.
There are many different maps available for use in studying the book of mormon, but theyre all so different i never know which one to use. This map was created by me to help bring the book of mormon stories to life. Sorenson spends some time explaining that the directions we use are cultural artifacts that are not universally shared. His best guess was an average annual rate of increase of 1. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from. Many attempts have been made to match these references to physical locations in the americas, but these have not yet built a consensus among lds scholars. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. Mar 29, 2018 i have been concerned for sixty years with the topic of the book of mormon in relation to the scientificscholarly picture of ancient america.