- Hebrew cities of refuge allowed those guilty of killing unawares to be protected until a trial was conducted. The land of Jershon in the Book of Mormon appears to be such a city of refuge that was set aside for the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who had committed murders. James Adair, in his book The History of the American Indians, published in 1775, documents that American Indians also included cities of refuge to protect those who had committed murders unawares. His observations that the American Indian was a lineal descendant of the Jew helped convince his descendants to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after they had read the Book of Mormon.
2. “The strength of language evidence is that if enough of it has been preserved to be documented linguistically, then language is among the strongest kinds of evidence. Language families cannot be fabricated. Written records unearthed in the Americas are often labeled hoaxes … but language ties, when apparent, show specific ties from ancient to modern times, and the thousands of speakers of the related languages are beyond fabrication ties, when apparent, show specific ties from ancient to modern time, and thousands of speakers of the related languages are beyond fabrication.” Brian D. Stubbs, Changes in Languages: “From Nephi to Now,” 2nd ed. (Blanding, UT: Four Corners Digital Design, 2020).
3. The Book of Mormon was published in 1830 in Palmyra, NY. Unique words and phrases are found throughout the text. Suggested geographical settings can be deduced from these words and phrases. Applying a “real-world” setting for the narrative allows one to increase their testimony to the truthfulness of the book. Other words or phrases not found in the Old Testament, but in other ancient books discovered after 1830, would be significant.
4. Where is the Land of Promise that the Lehite colony was sent to? Some clues are found within the text that mention climate. “Driven snow,” “shafts in the whirlwinds” and “some seasons of the year” all point to a North America setting. The Prophet Joseph Smith, by way of commandment from God said, “we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.”
5. Is the Hill Cumorah in New York, the hill where the final battles of both the Jaredites and Nephites occurred and where Mormon abridged the large plates of Nephi? Or is it located in Mesoamerica? What do the prophets teach? What do BYU professors teach? And what is the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Book of Mormon geography?
6. What is the “manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon?” The dimensions and purpose of the temple is reviewed. Artwork promoted in churches, temples and instructional manuals depict Mayan pyramids. This presentation provides an overview on why such artwork is not in keeping with Christ’s infinite atonement as symbolized in the Jewish temple.
7. How do the Nicene Creed and the Times and Seasons anonymous editorial on Zarahemla being located in Guatemala correlate? The nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost has been attributed to a later addition to the book of John, not found in the original Greek translation discovered by Sir Isaac Newton. Jonathan Neville likewise has discovered that the anonymous editorial was the work of an over-zealous missionary that wanted to popularize the Book of Mormon using a best-selling book on archaeology of Mesoamerica.
8. There is a parallel to the conquest of the land of Canaan in the Old World and Joshua clearing the land of the giants, the Anakims as recorded in Numbers 13, and the settling of the New World where the large and mighty Jaredites were destroyed. Building barges with holes in the top and bottom is problematic, yet, a novel engineering solution explains the genius behind the design.
9. Captain Philip Beale of the Phoenicia and Boyd Tuttle, crew member and owner of Digital Legend Press, discuss the second voyage of the Phoenicia.
10. The Phoenicia Ship Expeditions of 2009-2010 and 219-2020 demonstrated that a single sail sailing ship could reach North America via the Atlantic Ocean route. The names Cumorah, Sidon and Zarahemla may have been ‘discovered’ by the Lehi and Mulek parties during layovers enroute to North America.