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Book of Mormon Geography represented by water and terrain

Book of Mormon

Geography

Locations

 

Where did the Book of Mormon take place?

Looking for the probability that the Book of Mormon correctly identifies a world location and that the text was written by first-hand observers who lived in that location prior to Columbus?
Many places in the world have been proposed for the seeting of the Book of Mormon. There are a number of geographical references in the Book of Mormon that people have tried to match with a specific location. Many people have failed to find a location where the Book of Mormon took place. There are some common reasons for not finding a suitable place:
  1. Using only a few of the places and locations described in the Book of Mormon in order to suggest a world location. When using just a few location descriptions, several possible places in the world can be found.  But, when you try to add more of the places described in the Book of Mormon, those places can easily be found as not matching the Book of Mormon descriptions. There are at least 173 places described in the Book of Mormon.  It has to be the exact location in the world that will match ALL of those descriptions.
  2. Not using or creating an internal map.  An internal map uses only the information in the Book of Mormon and does not specify any specific location in the world.  Unless the geographical references can be placed in their proper north / east / south / west relationships with each other (all 173 geographical locations), there is no means for interpreting any world location accurately.
  3. Adding precepts in addition to the descriptions in the Book of Mormon.  Precepts are the thoughts and biases of people. By adding these additional information that are NOT found in the Book of Mormon, people try to justify a location that does not fit the Book of Mormon descriptions.  It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  Phrases with absolute statements like, "it is logical to assume," or "can only mean" indicate the addition of biased information that is not found in the Book of Mormon.  Only by using just the information in the Book of Mormon can the location be found.
So, where to start?

After making an internal map (here), let us look at some major criteria where the internal map might fit.
  1. Sea West
  2. Sea East
  3. Narrow Neck
  4. North Flowing River
  5. Shipped Timber
  6. Elevated Area South
  7. Elevated Area West
  8. Elevated Area East
  9. Two or more Bodies of Water North of the Narrow Neck
  10. Survivable Low January Temperature
  11. Significant Geological Forces
  12. Destructive East Wind

In addition, there are 6 very specific locations considered as proofs since these do not appear on any maps published before 1830.  Look at the Probability of getting these 6 locations correct.
  1. Intersecting Valleys
  2. Hill Riplah + East / West Valleys
  3. Hill Amnihu
  4. Cities Destroyed by Water
  5. Plains - Proof the Book of Mormon is Pre-Columbian
  6. Narrow Passages
The best match for the Book of Mormon Geography is Mesoamerica with the narrow neck being the Ithmus of Tehuantepec.  This is the only location where all of the 173 geographical locations and the proofs match the Book of Mormon descriptions.  Not only do the locations match, but the travel patterns and distances described in the Book of Mormon also match.

The 6 Proofs involve 24 locations. For example:
Proof Locations Counted and Geography Types
  1. Intersecting Valleys:
  2. Hill Riplah and East/West Valleys:
  3. Hill Amnihu:
  4. Destruction of Cities:
  5. Plains:
  6. Narrow Passages:

What is the probability that 24 locations in the 6 Proofs fit a specific set of relative positions (North / East / South / West) to each other and the possible combinations of 9 geography types describe an actual world location by chance?
To put this 44 septillion number in perspective, for the 6 proofs, the chance that someone could make-up an accurate, actual world location of the correct description of geography and proper North / South / East / West relationships without the aid of any map or other document is 1 chance in 100 million times the number of seconds in the lifetime of the universe.  That is as close to an absolute fact as you can get.  So, it is a fact that the Book of Mormon occurred in Mesoamerica around the Ithmus of Tehuantepec.  And because none of these proofs were on any maps at the time, Joseph Smith could not have authored the Book of Mormon - he translated the Book of Mormon from a text that was written by people who lived prior to Columbus who had first-hand knowledge of the geography of Mesoamerica.

Eastern United States (Heartland Model)

One geography model that does not match the Book of Mormon descriptions is the Eastern United States (Heartland Model). In addition to the assessments in the above criteria, here are some additional assessments that indicate that the Eastern United States does not match the Book of Mormon Geography.


© 2002- Aric Turner