August 27 – Lack of BoM Evidence Speaks for Itself. Exodus 20:16 “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
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On September 10, 2004 I asked the Smithsonian Institute what their view is of the Book of Mormon. I had been told by numerous Mormons that this institution had archaeological proof of the evidence of the claims by Joseph Smith. This is the response I received:
“The Smithsonian considers the Book of Mormon a religious document and not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian Institution has never used it in archaeological research and has found no archaeological evidence to support its claims.”
Book of Mormon Artifacts and Metallurgy
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“Latter-day Saints love ancient religious records. We have dozens of them in the Bible under such names as Genesis, Judges, Ruth, Isaiah, and John. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith a great number of other ancient records were restored-the books of Nephi, Alma, Mormon, and Moroni in the Book of Mormon, as well as Abraham and selections from the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price.” Donald W. Parry and Dana M. Pike, LDS Perspectives on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Provo: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997.
Does the church give guided tours of BoM holy spots? It’s easy to book a tour in Israel to see where the Savior walked. What website can I book my Zarahemla tour?
There are actually archaeology tours they take people on in South and Central America. Of course they’re all built on speculation so the disclaimer when they take people to the Aztec, Mayan, or Incan sites they tell them it’s similar to what the BoM lives were like.
I’ve not kept up w/ the latest schemes they’re doing but about 5+ yrs ago I was on one of their sites that promoted their ‘exciting’ finds…oh dear…
Adding to my comment above…not sure why they’d take them to the southern regions since Smith claimed it all took place in North America.
I have heard their explanations before but I can go to Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, etc., etc. Name a city today that is mentioned in the BofM where a person can sit in a sidewalk cafe and order some coffee! Crickets. (Not interested in ‘those cities could have looked like this’) Wow…..they have chutzpah. BTW, thank you so very much for all the work you do.
You’re welcome! 🙂
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