Archaeology and the book of mormon still have much to say to each. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. Those who make claims that there is no archaeological evidence supporting the book of mormon are right in one respectwe dont know where the cities mentioned in the book of mormon are located. Depending on the scope of this question, it can be very difficult to give any satisfactory answer to. Is there any archeological evidence that the events in the. However, unlike the bible which has multiple lines of archaeological support for its historicity and authenticity, the book of mormon is totally lacking in such corroborative evidence. In fact, several mormon organizations have been founded in order to prove these very.
Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. Apr 06, 2018 the comparatively rich archaeological corroboration of the old testament j. Aug 10, 2010 the book of mormon, as a secular history, would be the most astounding document is secular american studies ever known if its historicity were supported by evidence. Book of mormon archaeology and anthropology byu studies.
One last topic on the subject of archaeological evidence for the book of mormon that i want to talk about is horses. The book of mormon has not a shred of such evidence, not even a single coin as evidence for the stories which supposedly took place in america. If the book is accurate, archaeologists would expect to find numerous pieces of hard evidence in central america that confirm the presence of these societies. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Nwaf findings did not back up the veracity of the book of mormon claims. To begin looking for archaeological evidence you have to know where to look.
Book of mormon central archaeological evidence for the. Welcome to the book of mormon archaeological forum. Until we see book of mormon scholarship accepted by and spread into a secular forum, i withhold my exuberance over perceived evidence. Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. The record tracks the history of two civilizations. Archaeology primarily concerns itself with artifacts that have been left behind from ancient days, whereas the book of mormon deliberately avoids going into too much detail on the culture of its people and explaining details that might aid archaeological research, preferring to focus on more. For example, in the book of mormon, proper names of places and people have no substantiation from outside sources. Yet throughout this diversity the bible remains unified in its message and has archaeological evidence backing it. Supporting evidences of the book of mormon are broadly identifiable. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Does archaeology support the book of mormon institute for.
Too many historical and cultural references mightve undermined or watered down its spiritual objectives. In the last chapter we saw that the bible is reliable, being textually pure and verifiably accurate in many places. Book of mormon the book of mormon has absolutely no credibility. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. The first nation, known as the jaredites, claims to have. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Also, the book of mormon contains grave errors and contradictions. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient evidence. In 1972, christian scholar hal hougey wrote to ferguson. This is important because the latterday saints make such a point about it containing the fullness of. Yes, there is sufficient evidences from all the sciences and scholarship to support the book of mormon as a true book, given by the power and glory of god. After all, their church is labeled as the church of. I had sincerely hoped that bookofmormon cities would. Archaeological science versus claims of the book of mormon.
Well, the book of mormon is a migration story, similar to the idea of the book of exodus in the old testament, except there are three migrations involved in this. The smithsonian institute has issued a statement regarding archaeological evidence and the book of mormon. Bpin the last part in this series, we saw that the bible is reliable, being textually pure and verifiably accurate in many places. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. There is no good evidence that these are scripture. Many critics of christianity think so, but archaeological discoveries show otherwise.
For some followers of the latter day saint movement, unresolved issues of the books historical authenticity and the lack of conclusive archaeological evidence have led them to adopt a compromise position that the book of mormon may be the creation of smith, but that it was nevertheless created through divine inspiration. Anderson, personal writings of the book of mormon witnesses, in book of mormon authorship revisited. The smithsonian institution has never used the book of mormon in any way as a scientific guide. But ultimately god requires faith, and is most likely making it intentionally difficult to prove the book of mormon is true, secularly. There is no historical or archeological evidence to support the book of mormon. Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. Fortunately now changed to the department of anthropology and archaeology, with such qualified men as. The book of mormon claims to be an ancient scripture rooted in the historical setting of the american continents. T he book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament of jesus christ and specifically of the account of his supposed visit to the american continent the book of mormon, 3 nephi 11. First, it utterly lacks historical or archaeological support, and there is overwhelming empirical evidence that refutes it. Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as never before. Therefore, the mormon can have confidence that the bible is the word of god and that it can be accurately translated. Smithsonian archaeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of the new world and the subject matter of the book.
Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. Facts are facts and truth is truth, ferguson once wrote about the archaeological evidence for the book of mormon that he was sure was about to be discovered in southern mexico. Allegedly, joseph smith found the text for the book of mormon inscribed on gold plates buried near a hill named cumorah in upstate new york. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations. Archaeological evidence for the bible is the bible a collection of fables and myths. Today we will talk about some common criticisms of the book of mormon around archaeological evidence that some say proves or disproves the truthfulness of the book of mormon. Does archaeology support the book of mormon institute. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book of mormon is advertized by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as another testament. There are also some powerful evidences for the book of mormon, including important correlations from the book of mormon text to mesoamerica and hebrew language and customs.
Dever, cited in gordon govier, biblical archaeologys dusty little secret, christianity today, october 2003, 38. Mormonism is there any archaeological evidence for the. Stated on the title page, the book of mormons central purpose is for the convincing of the jew and gentile that jesus is the christ, the eternal god, manifesting himself unto all nations. Claims book of mormon archaeology is based upon scant evidence is deception for the masses. I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting. Archaeological evidence for the bible the stones cry out. There is absolutely no archaeological evidence to directly support the book of mormon or the nephites and lamanites, who were supposed to have numbered in the millions. Reply toa few objections to mormonism, by professor d. Aug 09, 2011 yes, there is sufficient evidences from all the sciences and scholarship to support the book of mormon as a true book, given by the power and glory of god. As you have seen, we mormons have more than plenty of solid, profound, and irrefutable physical evidence to support the claims of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is said to have been written in a reformed egyptian characters, but no archaeological, linguistic, or other evidence of the use of egyptian writing in ancient america has been discovered. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon.
Oct 24, 2014 this video will help you understand that the foundation of the lds faith is built upon myth. Sorenson claims that there is fossil evidence that some new world. Therefore, as things stand at the moment, current new world archaeological evidence tends to verify the claims made by the book of mormon. This paper examines the myriad of problems brought about by the lack of historical and. In a previous post, i discussed questions about the exodus.
This volume features articles on archaeological and anthropological aspects of the book of mormon, such as the use of the wheel in ancient america, hagoth and the polynesian tradition, the mulekites, ancient writing in the americas, and the use of metal. It is all based on the word of one man joseph smith who has been proven to be a. This video will help you understand that the foundation of the lds faith is built upon myth. Book of mormon central archaeological evidence for the book. Is there sufficient archaeological evidence to support the. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted. Archaeologists, when examining ancient evidence, are working with a very fragmentary record. But since the book of mormon is so hugely and internally selffalsifying, it predicts. The book of mormon describes migrations of people from the middle east to central america, and further describes some features of their civilizations in the new world. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. The comparatively rich archaeological corroboration of the old testament j. Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as. The comparatively rich archaeological corroboration of the. Thus, it can be seen that archaeological evidence for the book of mormon which does exist, as will be discussed shortlydoes not constitute proof, nor does it translate into belief.
The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. Wayne may presents the supporting evidence for the heartland model, that the book of mormon nephites and jaredites lived in north america. Illuminating the credibility of the book of mormon through archaeological photographs. As always, i invite you to study the issues, evaluate what we know and what we dont know, and pray for the guidance. Are the persons, places, and events in the bible just fabrications by deceitful men. And to be less sardonic about the matter, this is also why direct evidence actually can sometimes di. Wilson, professor of egyptology at the university of chicago, wrote. This is another in my series of article on challenging questions that missionaries will likely face. Many books have questionable authorship, and many places remain unidentified. Most people believe the bible is on solid archaeological footing, but that isnt actually true. Also keep in mind that according to the book of mormon the new world christians were a persecuted minority who were. Among other errors, the book of mormon makes numerous claims about society in precolumbian north america which totally contradict the archaeological evidence. Eleven years after ferguson was no longer affiliated with the nwaf, in 1972 christian scholar hal hougey wrote ferguson. Two of the most prevalent claims for the book of mormon are, there is much archaeological proof to the book of mormon, and the american indians are descendants of israelites who came to america as described in the book of mormon.
Much left to discover between archaeology and the book of mormon. The book of mormon makes a handful of references to horses existing on the american continents in these ancient times. See the references at the end of this page for details. Therefore, the mormon can have confidence that the bible. Dever, save us from postmodern malarkey, bar, marchapril 2000, 28. According to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon. Warner april 6, 2018 biblical reliability, writings 14,220 views when i first began examining the claims of the book of mormon, i was an atheist who had just become interested in the person of jesus. Ancient israelites did come to america over 2400 years ago.
Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement generally believe that the book of mormon describes ancient historical events in the americas, but historians and archaeologists. Archeology alone, no not for the whole book, but yes on its beginnings. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds doesnt take an official position on. Allegedly, joseph smith found the text for the book of mormon inscribed on gold plates buried near. While it is important and nice to have such evidence, such evidence is miniscule in its strength of conversion compared to the beautiful, powerful, wonderful witness of the truth through the. The type of faith mormons exhibit is the third type and is not the way god works as modeled throughout the bible.
This paper examines the myriad of problems brought about by the lack of. See richard lloyd anderson, investigating the book of mormon witnesses salt lake city. Id like to discuss both biblical and book of mormon archaeology. Evidence for nephis bountiful, journal of book of mormon studies, 71 1998. The book contrasts the evidence for christianity and the bible. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. But ultimately god requires faith, and is most likely making it intentionally difficult to prove the book of. The lack of correlation between locations described in the book of mormon and american archaeological sites. Second, the book of mormon contains none of the key mormon doctrines. The people and places are not proven to exist, it was written by a man and not godbreathed. According to the smithsonian institution, archaeological evidence shows that the western hemisphere was populated by east asian peoples migrating across the bering strait and rules out alternatives involving long sea voyages 23 as a significant contribution to new world settlement, as proposed by the book of mormon. Have mormonfunded archaeological digs refuted mormonism. If the book of mormon is actually a novel, why would a protestant minister say there are multiple gods, etc.
With mitt romney, a mormon and former bishop of the mormon religion, having run for president, many wonder are mormons christians. Christianity there is a lot in the press today concerning mormonism verses traditional christianity. Archaeological evidence of the book of mormon latterday. Book of mormon archaeology is real, authentic, scientifically researched, a proven fact.
You do not find evidence for the book of mormon, the doctrine and covenants and the pearl of great price at my web site because i am convinced that these books, written by joseph smith, with some help from brigham young and later mormon prophets are not the inspired word of god. His library research spurred his first hunt for archaeological evidence. Book of mormonarchaeologycompared to the bible fairmormon. This burning in the bosom must provide the best evidence the book of mormon has going for it, since scientific and archaeological evidence certainly doesnt support its claims. The book of mormon contains doctrinal and philosophical teachings on a wide range of topics, from basic themes of christianity and judaism to political and ideological teachings jesus. No direct geographical, archaeological or any other scientific field supports fictional narratives. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement believe that it. Non mormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. In this post i wanted to emphasize physical evidencesstuff you can touch, see, feel. There is no archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. What evidence do you have for the book of mormon, the. Mike licona has produced a practical book to help in our apologetics witness to mormons. Is there archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. Truth shall spring forth out of the earth, journal of book of mormon studies, vol.