Brandley'S "North American Setting For Book Of Mormon"

[David T]

Link: "A North American Setting for the Book of Mormon", by J. Theodore Brandley

Has there been any FAIR or otherwise responses to this paper? I have HPG members reading and discussing this, sharing links through Google+, and loving the idea that some of the BoM events took place near Atlanta, GA.

Any thoughts or comments?

Edited August 2, 2011 by nackhadlow

[cinepro]

I have HPG members reading and discussing this, sharing links through Google+, and loving the idea that some of the BoM events took place near Atlanta, GA.

"HPG"?

Edit: High Priest Group?

Edited August 1, 2011 by cinepro

[rameumptom]

Have them read the textual requirements for a plausible location: population size, writing, cement used in towns, distances for the Nephite nation (about 250 square miles), etc.

The distance issue is perhaps the biggest one on this North American claim. For the Limhites, it took about 20 days to get from the land of Nephi to Zarahemla, including children and flocks. This means they traveled no more than 10-15 miles per day, as there were no established trails between the two (Ammon and his companions got lost finding the land of Nephi and wandered many days, and Limhi sent a scouting party to find Zarahemla, and they didn't find it).

That his map shows a distance of about 800 miles between the Land of Nephi and Zarahemla would require them to march 40 miles a day for 20 days straight. Highly unlikely without decent roads and with flocks and children. Even with some trails to follow, Mormon pioneers averaged only about 10 miles a day.

No writing is known for any of the peoples of the Eastern and Southern United States area for the timeframe of the Nephites. In fact, the only known writing developed occurred AFTER white men showed up, such as the development of the Cherokee alphabet.

Populations of Native Americans in 400 AD would not have been sufficient to have a final war at the NY hill Cumorah, with more than 120,000 dead on Mormon's side alone. Again, the Jaredites had millions die in their wars, and that is much more likely to have occurred in Central America where there were millions, than in North America where such numbers have never existed.

Just in these three instances, we find that the setting given here is impossible. It could not have occurred.

[Anijen]

The author of the paper likes Poverty Point as a location for Zarahemla. This IMO is highly problematic being Poverty Point predates Zarahemla and even though poverty point had a large population for the Mississippi Valley Mounds it in no way can replicate the population of Zarahemla. Other aspects I see that could be a weakness in the theory are the same ones a Great Lake setting has such as lack of volcanic activity, no writing system, no cement cities and there is plenty of game and wildlife to the North which the BofM claims was sparse (my words).

It is my thoughts that Sevenbak, Rccroket and other good guys have a stronger argument with a mesoamerican beginning and ending in a final battle in New York, compared to a U.S. only setting. Not that I subscribe to their theories either. I just find the LGT in Mesoamerica the strongest candidate for the BofM over any other setting out there. I can give a detailed analysis of why I see this one as weak as well, but it will in all likelihood come back to what early church leaders have said on the matter and then it becomes a battle of quoting General Authorities.

I am more impressed with matching the text of BofM with archaeological support more than I am with ethnocentric theories of only in the U.S.

[Anijen]

See pg 14 of Brandleys paper here. He [brandley] makes the following remark;

There are too many similarities to be a coincidence between the Poverty Point Bird Relief Carving and the Symbol of Jehovah in the Book of Abraham.

Using images like those to make a connection to the Book of Abraham thereby somehow validating this as a legitimate setting for the Book of Mormon is highly discouraging.

[David T]

See pg 14 of Brandleys paper here. He [brandley] makes the following remark;

Using images like those to make a connection to the Book of Abraham thereby somehow validating this as a legitimate setting for the Book of Mormon is highly discouraging.

I completely agree with that. I was just wondering if there was a compact and pre-written response worth presenting to those who are being taken in by it.

"HPG"?

Edit: High Priest Group?

Yes, High Priest Group. Sorry for the confusion.

Edited August 1, 2011 by nackhadlow

[Anijen]

To continue, on page 19 of Brandleys paper he writes;

In the spirit of Gibson’s statement, The Book of Mormon may shed more light on

what many of these Poverty Point Objects were used for.

I have Gibsons book and Gibsons knows exactly what these were used for since many of these plummets were found with artifacts associated with fishing nets (they were used to sink the nets).