The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. Sorenson, the retired byu anthropologist and farmsmaxwell institute contributor whom many credit with originating that hypothesis. In this text, sorenson reconstructs the internal geography of the book of mormon. 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. In his scholarly career, sorenson has written more than 200 books and articles, among them an ancient american setting for the book of mormon deseret book and farms, 1985, a landmark study that matches empirical data from scientific research with hundreds of geographical, historical, and cultural details gleaned from the book of mormon narrative. Its been quite some time since i blogged about book of mormon geography theories. At the time he angrily defended the book of mormon and hinted that smgf scientists were finding exciting new evidence that supported the book of mormon must be still finding it. Thats why they censor alternative views and evidences, including the teachings of the prophets. The conceptual map of the land of the book of mormon. Sorensons groundbreaking book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, published in 1985. Read the classic biography of the founder of the mormon church. Mormon s map carefully and concisely accomplishes what it sets out to do. James levoy sorenson was a real estate magnate, inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of sorenson companies, which is the parent company of over thirty corporations.
Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information. 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. Jan 01, 2000 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 study. Michael coe at his home in new haven, connecticut to learn what he has been up to since our wildly popular first interview with him. For the general reader, sorensons text is informative and outlines parallels between mesoamerican cultures. Stapley i read ardis recent report on her gospel doctrine introducing the book of mormon you should too. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. In this video i have placed an overlay of john sorenson. For that reason, we have designed and prepared this artistic rendering in such a way that you can get a basic idea of approximate directions and theoretical. It has been accepted for inclusion in byu studies quarterly by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. The book is a translation of golden plates that smith reports to have dug up in surrounding. Book of mormon in north america maps book of mormon evidence.
In my case a testimony was not something i had to acquire at a given moment as a response to doubts. Book of mormon geography, archives edition by common. No effort should be made to identify points on this map with any existing geographical location. Book of mormon geography, archives edition december 28, 2015 by j. The lamanite city jerusalem in the land of nephi was named by lehite migrants after the.
I always post stuff on my blog first, but there have been. Book of mormon geography in nevillenevilleland book of. Sorenson were fellow graduate students at byu in the early 1950s. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1996 1985, 1. This episode helps establish that the scattering of israel was taking place even among the nephites. Mormon developments on march 26, 1830, joseph smith publishes the first edition of the book of mormon.
These maps are not drawn to scale and are for illustration only. Michael coe lidar, response to john sorenson, and the book of mormon mormon stories april 18, 2018 apologetics, book of mormon 25 comments we are excited to revisit dr. A sourcebook, he laid out his thinking on the subject in detail. Views on book of mormon geography, privately circulated book of mormon working paper. Muleks party first arrived in the land north see helaman 6. As far as i can recall, there was never a time from my earliest years growing up in smithfield, a village in northern utah, that i did not have an assurance that the gospel i was taught was from god and that the church of jesus christ of latterday saints was the. Practically since the book of mormon was published, its geography has been the subject of discussion and debate. The first of these peoples, called jaredites, are supposed to have come to. He was an entrepreneur, real estate magnate and inventor of numerous medical devices.
The book is composed of 128 pages of understandable text including seventeen maps illustrating geographical features mentioned in the text. Sorenson has 15 books on goodreads with 934 ratings. He provided his interpretation of over seven hundred verses he deemed relevant to the book of mormon. 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.
Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormon s map using information in the text. Sorenson molecular genealogy foundation book of mormon and dna. The book of mormon reports that an exceedingly curious man named hagoth went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship alma 63. The lecture is cosponsored by book of mormon central and the department of anthropology at byu, and is being held in honor of john l.
Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other. I would recommend that the reader keep a book of mormon map close by such as the one shown above the next time you read through the book of mormon. The only narrow neck of land book of mormon evidence. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Unfortunately, exploring and testing his geographic model in. An ancient american book see a video further down the page. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. Jan 01, 2000 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. He was listed as the 68thrichest american in september 2007. The book of mormon is one of the greatest sources of spiritual power given to men and women on earth to guide us on our quest for eternal life. First published in 1830, the book of mormon tells of the transoceanic migrations of two ancient near eastern peoples to the americas. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place.
This website has been around since 1994 and has a troubling mix of topics and styles. I propose that this location is a prime candidate for the land northward in the book of mormon. This map was created by me to help bring the book of mormon stories to life. Visualizing book of mormon life are impressive, making a real contribution for the latterday saint who has an interest in mesoamerica as it relates to the book of mormon. Ever since the publication of the book of mormon, its readers have asked this question. Sorenson, one of the foremost students on the subject, identified over 600 passages relevant to geography. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. Sorensons magnum opus is the culmination of a lifetime of research on the book of mormon as a translation of an ancient mesoamerican text.
Finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. Sorenson outlined his model in his seminal 1985 work, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, john l. Sorenson s most recent compilation and discussion of book of mormon passages relating to geography. Mormons codex is the culmination of a lifetimes labor by mormonisms preeminent mesoamerican specialist. In the case of western ny, down tends to be northward exactly as the book of mormon describes. James sorenson mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Mormons map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of. Unlike the mighty southward rolling mississippi, the book of mormon river sidon flowed northward, on the east of the land of zarahemla just as buffalo creek does today, near east aurora ny. Our changing understanding of ancient america and its scripture. View phone numbers, addresses, public records, background check reports and possible arrest records for john sorenson in utah ut.
Sorenson, a pioneering book of mormon scholar and founder of the anthropology department at byu, who is among the most influential latterday. As a result, i felt rfm readers would benefit from a critical examination of the writings and claims of john l. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning. 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. Clark,4 randall spackman determined that there are upwards of passages of potential geographic. Sorenson, fortifications in the book of mormon account compared with mesoamerican fortifications, in warfare in the book of mormon, ed. Walters, 1990, page 30 our own computer study of the book of mormon has certainly not been as sophisticated as that of david i. Buy a cheap copy of an ancient american setting for the book. The map, though admittedly tentative, offers three services to readers of the book of mormon. Jeff lindsay lives in shanghai but has roots in utah and wisconsin. Sorenson first developed his model in 1953 and committed it to paper in 1955. It is based on sorenson s best guesses from his 1985 book an ancient american setting for the book of mormon in which he correlates nephitelamanite cities with presently known archaeological sites. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. 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.
Book of mormon geographymodelslimitedsorenson 1955. This notion, of course, purports to offer a mesoamerican locale for book of mormon events. Sorenson was born in 1924 in smithfield, utah, where he grew up. I met woodward when i visited the sorenson molecular genealogy foundation smgf in salt lake city a few years ago. According to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon church, the book of mormon is a divinely inspired revelation that is complimentary to the bible. 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. 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. 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. No effort should be made to identify points on this map with any now existing geographical locations cf. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. John sorenson in utah ut 12 records found whitepages. For years, book of mormon central and the rest of the m2c citation cartel have framed m2c as the only plausible and acceptable theory of book of mormon geography. Jerry grovers book, which uses geological principles to explain the occurrence of natural events in the book of mormon, is not as widely known.
Compare them to a map of palestine to view the correlations. 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. The likelihood of such a setting was greatly strengthened by john l. Underwater archaeology and the book of mormon in sorenson. Sorensons most popular book is an ancient american setting for the book of mormon. Sorenson himself expresses confidence in his interpretation of book of mormon geography. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. 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. Based on the reasons i listed above as well as others, i currently favor a mesoamerica setting for book of mormon geography, similar to the map presented below. Land of helam, land of zarahemla, land of antionum, land of ishmael, sea south, hill cumorah, sea east, land of desolation, land of bountiful. Salt lake city often shortened to salt lake and abbreviated as slc is the capital and the most populous municipality of the u. This map plausibly positions these and other book of mormon locations in the general mesoamerican arena. Currently the book of mormon is published in 100 languages with approximately 6 million copies distributed each year.
Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormons map using information in the text. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. 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. 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. Maps true book of mormon geography lands western new. 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. Sorenson was born on july 30, 1921, in rexburg, idaho, to joseph levoy and emma blaser sorenson. Sorenson maps book of mormon narratives in detail on the realworld landscape, and he asserts close chronological parallels between the book of mormon and developments in mesoamerican cultures. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other possible relationships of sites in the book of mormon, based on internal evidence.
Includes book of mormon geographical references on verso catrda digitalmapproject description based on print version record scanned map showing possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other dpi 600 and 400 1. Sorensons geography has been featured in the ensign sorenson 1984 and has become the favored model among apologists. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. Forced migrations american experience official site. Sorenson, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, utah. Very good book, it gave a very plausible realworld setting for the book of mormon, and i think sorenson is definitely on to something.
An ancient american setting for the book of mormon by john l. Sorenson s 1992 the geography of book of mormon events. Internal book of mormon geography map prophecy fulfilled book of mormon geography map the holland land purchase external book of mormon geography map watershed book of mormon geography map true lay of the land moraines and drumlin hills map. For the past 55 years, john sorenson has inhaled every detail of book of mormon life and history. 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. The map spans jaredite and nephitelamanite periods during which settlements changed over time. The devil colony novel is available as ebook in epub and pdf format. John sorenson, the geography of book of mormon events, pp. 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.
How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. James rollins ebooks are available for free download from. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship will publish john l. Deseret book and farms, 1990, 438443 for all references to fortifications in the book of mormon. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading mormon s map. Site correlations more about these maps land northward.
Hagoth eventually built even more ships and many people set sail in these vessels toward the land northward. At level 2, m2c presents a take it or leave it approach to the book of mormon. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Since 1949 john sorenson has been collecting archaeological and anthropological evidence to show that joseph smith translated the book of mormon from a native mesoamerican codex, or book. I am personally assured that the nephite map is now known with quite high probability. Sorenson biography book of mormon archaeological forum. Place the book of mormon in your heart byu speeches. 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. Willes book of mormon studies lecture, presented september 8, 2011 on the campus of brigham young university.
Cate tiernan immortal beloved book 2 pdf darkness falls immortal beloved book two on free shipping on qualifying offers. He ran the new world archaeological foundation from 1959 to 1987. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from. His interests include china and chinese the language and the food, intellectual property, chemical engineering, magic a hobby, reading, writing, travel, photography, and his lds faith. I admit that my own model was tainted by preconceptions. Jul, 2011 the use of the old testament in the book of mormon, by wesley p.
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