December 5, 1834

I wasn't able to post this on December 5th, so I'm posting it today instead.

December 5, 1834, was an important day in Church history. It was the day when Oliver Cowdery was ordained Assistant President of the Church.

Many members of the Church today are unaware of this event. For example, did you know it was John the Baptist who directed that Oliver Cowdery be ordained to this office?

You can read the minutes of the meeting in Joseph Smith's History, 1834-1836, here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/19

5 December 1834 • Friday

Friday Evening, December 5, 1834. According to the direction of the Holy Spirit, President Smith, assistant Presidents, 

[Sidney] Rigdon

 and 

[Frederick G.] Williams

, assembled for the purpose of ordaining <​first​> High Counsellor 

[Oliver] Cowdery

5

 to the office of assistant President of the High and Holy Priesthood in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints.

It is necessary, for the special benefit of the reader, that he be instructed <​into, or​> concerning the power and authority of the above named Priesthood.

First. The office of the President is to preside over the whole Chu[r]ch; to be considered as at the head; to receive revelations for the Church; to be a Seer, and Revelator <​and Prophet—​> having all the gifts of God:— having taking <​Moses​> for an ensample. Which is Second.

6

 the office and station of the above President Smith, according to the calling of God, and the ordination which he has received.

7

Second. The office of Assistant President is to assist in presiding over the whole chu[r]ch, and to officiate in the abscence of the President, according to their <​his​> rank and appointment, viz: 

President Cowdery

, first; 

President Rigdon

 Second, and 

President Williams

 Third, as they <​were​> are severally called. The office of this Priesthood is also to act as Spokesman—taking Aaron for an ensample.

8

The virtue of this the <​above​> Priesthood is to hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven, or the Church militant.

9

The reader may further understand, that Presidents <​the​> reason why President <​High Counsellor​> 

Cowdery 

was not previously ordained <​to the Presidency,​> was, in consequence of his necessary attendance in Zion, to assist 

Wm W. Phelps

 in conducting the printing business; but that this promise was made by the angel while in company with President Smith, at the time they recievd the office of the lesser priesthood.

10

 And further: The circumstances and situation of the Church requiring, Presidents 

Rigdon

 and 

Williams

 were previously ordained, to assist President Smith.

_____

Why are we discussing this in this blog about M2C?

Because the M2C advocates claim that Oliver Cowdery was wrong when, as Assistant President of the Church, he wrote in Letter VII that it is a fact that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York.

It takes a lot of audacity to repudiate the teachings of an Assistant President of the Church who was called to that position by John the Baptist directly.

Oliver was truthful about everything except...

Letter VII from Messenger and Advocate, July 1835

Those who reject Letter VII cite no justifications for disbelieving President Cowdery other than their preference for a different location for the Hill Cumorah (M2C).

Consider Oliver Cowdery's participation in the Church to put Letter VII in context. When he wrote it, he was the Assistant President of the Church. He had been commanded by revelation to select materials to publish. All eight of Oliver's letters about history are accepted by Church historians as important insights into the early events of the Church.

The only ones who object to any of Oliver's writings are the M2C advocates who reject a few paragraphs out of one of the eight letters.

Oliver published Letter VII in July 1835. In February 1835, he, as one of the Three Witnesses, had selected the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He gave them their aspostolic charge. In April 1836, he, along with Joseph Smith, was visited in the Kirtland temple by Moses, Elias, Elijah, and the Savior Himself. Oliver and Joseph were given the keys of the gathering of Israel and the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham.

M2C advocates expect you to believe that Oliver Cowdery could faithfully record the entire Book of Mormon, most of the Book of Moses, and much of Church history. Oliver could faithfully edit and publish two Church newspapers, the Book of Commandments, and the original Doctrine and Covenants. He could accurately write the statement for the Three Witnesses. Of all the writing he did, you're supposed to believe he was faithful and accurate except for a few paragraphs in one letter, solely because those paragraphs establish the New York Cumorah as a fact, which contradicts the opinions of the M2C scholars.

Here is the chronology. Everything that is okay is marked green. The items the scholars object to is marked red.

	Date	Event
	1829 April	Transcribes Book of Mormon as Joseph dictates
	1829 May	Receives Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist, baptizes Joseph and is baptized by him
	1829 May	Receives Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James and John
	1829 June	Sees the plates and angel as one of the Three Witnesses
	1829 June	Completes Book of Mormon and makes a printer’s copy, supervises printing and publication
	1830 April	Helps organize the Church as a Second Elder and apostle, ordains Joseph Smith as First Elder
	1830 June	Transcribes Book of Moses 1:1 through 5:43
	1830 Oct.	Leaves on mission to the Lamanites
	1830 Nov.	Baptizes Sidney Rigdon
	1831 Jan.	Arrives in Jackson County, Mo.
	1831 Summer	Meets Joseph in Jackson County
	1831 Nov.	Takes revelations from Ohio to Missouri for publication
	1832	Helps Phelps with printing operation in Missouri
	1832 Apr.	Approves Book of Commandments
	1833 Nov.	Sets up printing press in Kirtland, reprints Evening and Morning Star
	1833 Dec.	Begins editing Evening and Morning Star
	1834 Feb.	Chosen as founding member of Kirtland Council
	1834 May-Aug.	Leader in Kirtland after Zions Camp left
	1834 Oct	Edits LDS Messenger and Advocate and Northern Times
	1834 Oct	Publishes Letter I about Church history, part of which is in the current Pearl of Great Price
	1834 Nov	Publishes Letter II about Church history
	1834 Dec	Publishes Letter III about Church history
	1834 Dec	Ordained by Joseph Smith as “Assistant President of the Church”
	1835	Publishes Letter IV about Church history
	1835 Feb	With David Whitmer and Martin Harris, selects first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
	1835 Feb	Gives apostolic charge to the Twelve Apostles
	1835 Mar	Publishes Letter V about Church history
	1835 Apr	Publishes Letter VI about Church history
	1835 May	Resigns from Messenger and Advocate
	1835 July	Publishes Letter VII about Church history
	1835 Aug.	Gets Doctrine and Covenants approved for printing
	1835 Oct.	Publishes Letter VIII about Church history
	1836 Mar.	Resumes editing the Messenger and Advocate
	1836 Apr.	Visited in Kirtland temple by Moses, Elias, Elijah, and Christ, receives the keys of the gathering of Israel and dispensation of gospel of Abraham
	1836 July	Accompanies Joseph to Salem, MA
	1837 Feb.	Turns over printing company to Joseph and Sidney
	1838 July	“Excluded from fellowship” for accusations against Joseph
	1848 Nov.	Rebaptized into the Church
	1850 March	Dies in Richmond at home of David Whitmer

Now, read the ordination of President Cowdery and decide what you think about his credibility.

After addressing the throne of mercy,

14

 President Smith laid hands upon 

High Counsellor Cowdery

, and ordained him to the Presidency of the High priesthood in the Church, saying:

Brother, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was crucified for the sins of the world, that we through the virtue of his blood might come to the Father,

15

 I lay my hands upon thy head, and ordain thee a President of the high and holy priesthood, to assist in presiding over the Chu[r]ch, and bearing the keys of this kingdom—

16

 which priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek— which is after the order of the Son of God—

17

 And now, O Father, wilt thou bless this thy servant with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding— give him, by the Holy Spirit, a correct understanding of thy doctrine, laws, and will— Commune with him from on high— let him hear thy voice, and receive the ministries ministring of the holy angels— deliver him from temptation, and the power of darkness— deliver him from evil,

18

 and from those who may seek his destruction,— be his shield, his buckler, and his great reward—

19

 endow him with power from on high,

20

 that he may write, preach, and proclaim the gospel to his fellowmen in demonstration of the Spirit and of power—

21

 may his feet never slide— may his heart never feint— may his faith never fail. Bestow upon him the blessings of his fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Joseph— Prolong his life to a good old age, and bring him in peace to his end, and to rejoice with thy saints, even the sanctified, in the celestial kingdom;

22

 for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

23

Presidents Rigdon, and Williams, confirmed the ordinance and blessings by the laying on of hands and prayer, after which each were blessed with the same blessings and prayer.
_____

Every member of the Church ought to be grateful to and respectful of Oliver Cowdery for the important role he played in the Restoration of the Gospel.

Voice of the people

There are many faithful members of the Church who still believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. There are also many faithful members who have differences of opinions about all of this. One's beliefs regarding Cumorah are no reflection of overall faith, testimony, commitment, etc.

That said, many Church members are perplexed that M2C is so widely taught and accepted.

A common justification given by the M2C scholars is that the prophets and apostles alive today have neither affirmed nor rejected Letter VII and the teachings of all their predecessors who taught that the Hill Cumorah is in New York.

M2C on Temple Square

The M2C scholars claim that silence on the part of Church leaders is tantamount to acceptance of M2C, because M2C is being taught by CES, BYU, the MTC, Church curriculum, visitors centers, etc.

But is that really what silence means?

Let's think about this a moment.
______

For over 150 years, the prophets and apostles have consistently taught that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 (the one and only Hill Cumorah) is in western New York. This includes not only Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Letter VII) and their contemporaries, but members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference, such as President Romney's detailed address.

No prophet or apostle has ever repudiated the teachings of his predecessors about the New York Cumorah.

But many scholars and their followers have rejected those teachings.

M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorah's theory) is based on the claim that the prophets are wrong because the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is actually somewhere in southern Mexico.

Book of Mormon Central is spending millions of dollars to promote M2C. FairMormon and other organizations also support M2C and reject the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

There are indications that many, if not most, members of the Church are following the M2C scholars instead of the teachings of the prophets.

How can we explain this?
_____

This is hardly the first time the people have preferred intellectuals over the prophets. Here's one example to consider:

6 ¶ But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
(1 Samuel 8:6–7)

_____

The Lord told Samuel to do what the people wanted because the people had rejected Him in favor of their desire for a king.

In our day, the M2C intellectuals have rejected the teachings of the prophets on this topic.

Although many members of the Church follow the intellectuals because they don't know what the prophets have taught (e.g., the de-correlation of Cumorah in the Saints book), others have deliberately chosen the teachings of the intellectuals instead of the teachings of the prophets (e.g., the Kno-Whys of Book of Mormon Central).

We're all free to believe whatever we want. We can be faithful, devoted followers of Christ regardless of our position on the Cumorah question.

But we are also each responsible for what we believe and teach.

And we have precedent for people choosing to believe intellectuals over the prophets.

Where will all this lead?

Stay tuned.

M2C relies on fictional version of Church history

For our Thanksgiving enjoyment, Meridian Magazine, aka M2C magazine, published another delightfully fictitious version of "Church History" lately. We looked at the first one here.

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/11/meridian-m2c-magazine-and-loserthink.html

Let's take a look at this second article now.

Here's the link: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/obtain-knowledge-of-countries-and-kingdoms/

Most readers of Meridian M2C Magazine are unaware of the magazine's editorial policy to promote M2C and mislead readers about the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

Long-time readers of this blog can readily spot the errors, of course, but it's always helpful to have a peer review.

Had the editors asked us for a peer review, this is what we would have offered. To do the peer review, we have to provide the full article (sans photos), which also shows we're not taking anything out of context, as the anonymous trolls sometimes claim we're doing. Original in blue, comments in red.

Plus, there's always the possibility that the editors of Meridian M2C Magazine will revise their editorial policy to accurately inform, rather than mislead, their readers. Hope springs eternal...
_____

CHURCH HISTORY

“Obtain knowledge of countries and kingdoms.”
By V. Garth Norman · November 26, 2019

Why is this misquote in quotation marks? The actual quotation is "obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms" 
(Doctrine and Covenants 93:53)

Ancient Migrations from Central America to North and South America

Many discoveries of antiquities throughout the Americas relating to the Middle East bring to mind a Biblical statement in Deuteronomy 28:64: “And the Lord shall scatter thee [Israelites] among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other.” This helps us realize that there were more than three migrations (Jaredite, Mulekite, Lehite) by ancient people from the Middle East to the Americas. Also, ancient Central American people traveled outside their principle cities and concourses, such as in the first century BC at the time of Hagoth’s shipping, as well as migrations on land to regions north and south (Alma 63: 4-9; Helaman 3: 3-14), taking with them the Maya Calendar and cubit measuring rods to measure art and architecture throughout the Americas (Norman: 2018 [4] 2015 [19]). [4] Ancient Migrations from Central America to all Americas.

This is a rehash of an article Meridian M2C Magazine published in 2010, also written by Brother Norman. It's found on the web page of the parent corporation of Book of Mormon Central, here:
http://www.bmaf.org/articles/measuring_mesoamerica_cubit__norman

This is a great example of bias confirmation because the "cubit" measurements are based on measurements from particular points, chosen because they are the right lengths. But there are always other points that could be measured that don't fit the cubit narrative.

Ironically, John Lloyd Stephens himself, who had also studied ancient Egypt, concluded that the Mesoamerican culture had no connections to ancient Egypt. But Brother Norman doesn't mention that. Wikipedia explains it this way: "As a result of their explorations, Stephens and Catherwood argued convincingly that the Mayans built the ancient Central American cities in contrast to the theory that ethnic groups from European or Asian civilizations had built them." 

John Lloyd Stephens and the Prophet Joseph Smith

A pioneering explorer in Central America was John Lloyd Stephens, born in 1805, the same year the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. was born. Stephens was born in New Jersey, just southeast of New York, Joseph Smith was born in Vermont, just northeast east of New York. 

This is no kind of meaningful connection between these two men who never met.

Both were tutored in New York, Stephens at Columbia College in New York, Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York where he was taught by his Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, and numerous visitations from resurrected beings. 

Stephens graduated from Columbia at age 17 and became a lawyer in New York City. Joseph's educational experience was a little different from that.

Joseph studied the Bible diligently, and had scribes write as he translated words from gold plates of ancient American people—known as the Book of Mormon. Joseph wondered who the people were that he learned of in this Testament of Jesus Christ. 

The idea that Joseph "wondered who the people were" contradicts the previous paragraph and Joseph's own explanations. 

Joseph didn't wonder who the people were--he learned about them directly from Moroni and other divine messengers. His mother explained that he told his family about these ancient inhabitants even before he translated the plates. In the Wentworth letter, Joseph wrote, "I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people, was [also] made known unto me."

Steadily he became an avid reader of history, politics, novels, and poets as well as studying foreign languages, primarily Hebrew and German. 

There is historical evidence that Joseph studied foreign languages, but not that he became an "avid reader" of novels and poets. Notice the lack of a footnote to support such an idea. 

During 1839-1842, as the Saints were establishing the city of Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph Smith led his people in business, church administration, temple building, and as newspaper editor. [11] 

Joseph's brother, Don Carlos, started and edited the Times and Seasons until his death in 1841. In 1842, Joseph became the nominal editor for a few months. His other activities precluded him from doing any actual editing; Wilford Woodruff noted that in 1842, Joseph barely had time to sign his name to important documents prepared for him.

John Lloyd Stephens practiced law until in 1834, when he traveled abroad to explore Europe, the Middle East, and Mediterranean countries. He wrote his own publications, including Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia, Petraea, and the Holy Land (1835) [3] which was extremely popular. He explored the lands of the Bible, whereas Joseph studied the Bible diligently! When Stephens returned to the USA, in 1839, as a newly appointed United States Diplomat to Central America, he and his artist colleague, Frederick Catherwood combined government duties with exploration of ‘nearly three thousand miles in the interior of Central, America, Chiapas, and Yucatan,” traveling to some 50 ruined cities, making comparisons of Old World and New World antiquities.

He saw in Central America “plausible religious motivation in the monumental art and architecture in ruins choked by jungle growth”. [4] He stated: “With an interest perhaps stronger than we had ever felt in wandering among the ruins of Egypt, we followed our guide, who . . . conducted us through the thick forest, among half-buried fragments, to fourteen monuments of the same character and appearance, some with more elegant designs, and some in workmanship equal to the finest monuments of the Egyptians” [5] Stephens wondered who the people were who built the pyramids and antiquities of Central America. That knowledge was even lost among the dwellers of the ruins. [6] Frederick Catherwood’s drawings and lithographs (see below) show, without question, the Maya to have been the authors of some of the most artistic and intellectual works of pre-Columbian America.

As we noted above, John Lloyd Stephens concluded that the Mesoamerican culture had no connections to ancient Egypt or any other Asian civilization. 

Just 11 years after the Book of Mormon was published in New York, Stephens published his personal writings in the accounts of his travels in Central America in two volumes in Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (1841 Harper & Brothers, New York). Through his explorations and writings, Stephens was recognized as the founder of American Archaeology.

This is an odd claim because Stephens himself was inspired by Alexander von Humboldt, who had traveled through the Americas and documented ancient ruins in Mesoamerica even before Stephens was born. The English translation of von Humboldt's book, which contained drawings of ruins similar to Catherwood's, was published in 1810 and widely available in New York, including in Palmyra. 

In 1839, in Nauvoo, Illinois, the leaders of the Church began publishing the Times and Seasons periodical (the same year that John Lloyd Stevens began his explorations in Mesoamerica). Its motto, “Truth will prevail,” expressed a goal to promote truth, and correct falsehoods, and was the main organ for publishing truths pertaining to the restored gospel to the Church members and the world. 

Among these truths were the 8 essays on Church history written by Oliver Cowdery, with the assistance of Joseph Smith, in 1834-5. Joseph gave the essays to his brother Don Carlos to publish in the Times and Seasons in 1840-41. Letter VII was published in the Times and Seasons in 1841, establishing "the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed." 

Of course, Oliver was describing the Hill Cumorah in western New York, but neither Brother Norman nor Meridian M2C Magazine want their readers to know that. 

Letter VII was republished many times and was copied into Joseph's own journal, which you can read here.

Many of the Prophets revelations, and his Book of Abraham translation, for instance, appeared in print for the first time in the Times and Seasons. 

This is an interesting point. Letter VII also appeared in the Times and Seasons, but unlike the other materials, it also appeared in the Messenger and Advocate, the Gospel Reflector, the Millennial Star, and the Prophet (two days after Joseph was martyred in Carthage). 

In the spring of 1842 (May 11), in consequence of too many errors appearing in print, the Prophet Joseph Smith took over the editorship and announced his personal responsibility for the contents of the paper. 

This is another reprint of the same error that appeared in Brother Norman's first article on this topic, so we'll repeat what we pointed out there.

Joseph's name first appeared as editor, printer and publisher in the Feb. 15, 1842 issue. After Don Carlos died in September 1841, his former business partner took over the paper. Benjamin Winchester, who had started his own Mormon newspaper in Philadelphia but ran out of money, moved to Nauvoo in October 1841 to work for the paper. The paper began publishing Winchester's articles anonymously. In January 1842, Winchester was rebuked and Joseph announced that the Quorum of the Twelve should take over the newspaper. 

The March 1, 1842, Times and Seasons (which contained the Wentworth letter) also contained this statement:

"TO SUBSCRIBERS.
This paper commences my editorial career, I alone stand for it, and shall do for all papers having my signature henceforward. I am not responsible for the publication, or arrangement of the former paper; the matter did not come under my supervision. JOSEPH SMITH."

This statement, combined with the boilerplate, is the rationale for attributing to Joseph Smith everything that appeared in the newspaper between March 1 and October 1, 1842.

Historians have assumed that "my signature" referred to the boilerplate at the end of each paper, which stated the paper was "Printed, published and edited by Joseph Smith, Jr." Of course, no one claims that Joseph actually set type, operated the printing press, cleaned the equipment, etc. He was listed as printer in name only.

Likewise, there is no evidence that Joseph ever actually edited the paper. No journal entries, no observations by others, etc. But there is evidence that he did not know what was in the paper until he read it after it was printed. This evidence indicates that Joseph was merely the nominal editor, just as he was merely the nominal printer. 

Plus, there were errors in the paper that, if he was actually editing the paper, Joseph should have recognized and corrected. One error appears in Joseph's own history, which states that it was Nephi, not Moroni, who appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823.

There is also evidence that William Smith, Joseph's brother, who was editing the Wasp newspaper in Nauvoo that was printed on the same printing press as the Times and Seasons, was actually editing both papers, probably with the assistance of W.W. Phelps.

During the next six months he endeavored to raise the paper’s standard of excellence (May-Nov. 1842). One of the distinctive features of Joseph’s six-month editorial career was the attention given to antiquities as they might relate to the Book of Mormon. 

Such antiquities were discussed before and after Joseph's nominal editorship, both in the Times and Seasons and in other Church and private periodicals and books. Letter VII is the only authoritative publication about Book of Mormon geography, however; it was written by the Assistant President of the Church, with the assistance of the President and approval of the First and Second counselors in the First Presidency, and approved by every member of the Twelve who ever addressed the topic.

In the November 15, 1842 edition, he announced that Elder John Taylor should be the Editor to maintain the high quality of excellence that had developed.  [11]

Stephens’ Incidents of Travel (1841) taken to the Prophet Joseph Smith

Bishop John Bernhisel, in New York, had Wilford Woodruff, who was on his way home to Nauvoo from his mission in England, take copies of Stephens’ 1841 Volumes I & II to Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. 

This is accurate and explains why Woodruff wrote the thank-you note to Bernhisel.

After reading about and seeing the exquisite drawings by Frederick Catherwood of the magnificent ruins of Central American pyramids and stone monuments with hieroglyphic writings on them, Joseph had a new “vision” opened to him of the remains of large civilizations that fit the descriptions of the people in the Book of Mormon who had come to the Americas anciently from the Middle East.

This is fictional conjecture. Apart from the thank-you note, there is no evidence that Joseph every saw or read these books, and especially no evidence that he had a vision on the matter. 

The Prophet Joseph recorded in his personal journal the importance of these discoveries for the Book of Mormon.[12] 

This is demonstrably false, as we saw in the peer review of the previous article.

In the Nauvoo Times and Seasons Editorial of Oct. 1, 1842, titled “Zarahemla”, Joseph compared the ruins of Quirigua, Guatemala from Stephens’ writings, and stated: “The city of Zarahemla, burnt at the crucifixion of the Savior and rebuilt afterwards, stood upon this land.”[13] A year later, John Taylor wrote a similar editorial expounding the importance of Stephens’ books in the Times and Seasons. [14] Taylor also marveled that these magnificent ruins came to light so soon after the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, when there was no knowledge of American Archaeology and Geography to sustain it.

American Archaeology places the beginning of this science with Stephens’ discoveries. It can also be viewed as the birth of Book of Mormon Archaeology. 

Of course, in the previous peer review we saw that "the birth of Book of Mormon Archaeology" occurred when Joseph got the plates, when he and Oliver visited the depository of Nephite records inside the Hill Cumorah in New York, and during Zion's camp when Joseph's companions actually dug up Zelph's skeleton and artifacts. 

The lives of John Lloyd Stephens and Joseph Smith, who never met, paralleled each other in many ways. Consider the following:

Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.	Explorer John Lloyd Stephens
1.Born 1805 in Vermont (by NY)	1.Born 1805 in New Jersey (by NY)
2.Bible Name-Joseph	2.Bible Name-John
3.Learned & Published in Palmyra, NY.	3.Student: Cambridge College, NY. Published in NY.
4.Studied the Bible (& edited it). Studied History, learned Hebrew & German, and other languages.	4.Explored Bible Lands, Middle East, Europe & published books about them.
5.Translated the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, published in N.Y. in 1830, and organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830.	5.Explored Central America and saw antiquities of high civilizations with pyramids and stones with hieroglyphic writings; published  about Central America in 1841, N.Y.
6.1842: Read Stephens’ books of Central American discoveries & related them to Book of Mormon lands in Journals & 1842 Times & Seasons articles.	6.1841 Published: Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (NY) taken in 1842 to Joseph Smith in Nauvoo.
7. Early death: Joseph Smith martyred at age 39, (1844) in Carthage, Illinois.	7. Early death: John Lloyd Stephens died at age 46 (1852) in N.Y. from diseases contracted in his Central American jungle travel.

The irrelevance of these "parallels" is typical of the M2C "correspondences" we read in all the M2C literature.

Latter Day Prophets visit Central America

On August 24, 2019, President Russell M. Nelson arrived in Guatemala City to speak to the Latter-day Saints in “The Land of Eternal Spring.” Upon arrival he said “his thoughts were with the ancient civilizations whose ruins still define this nation.  The lands of Central America and South America are studded with ruins—remnants—of ancient civilizations. . . .One wonders what life must have been like among those people. . . .Add to that the message on the title page of the Book of Mormon, that it is ‘written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel,’ [and] we . . . learn more about those ancient inhabitants.”[15] 

Aside from the punctuation errors here (you can see the original article here: https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-08-24/latam-president-russell-m-nelson-guatemala-158124), this statement says nothing about the location of Book of Mormon events. 

The beginning of this article includes a map that shows purported migrations from Central America to North and South America. Of course, in reality people migrated both ways. DNA shows that the native people in Latin America have ancient origins in East Asia; they didn't originate in Central America and spread out from there. 

Moroni told Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon related the history of the ancient inhabitants of "this country," a statement that Joseph reaffirmed in the Wentworth letter. It is perfectly consistent with the Book of Mormon that after Lehi landed in North America, his descendants migrated throughout the hemisphere and intermarried with the existing Asian inhabitants.

Speaking of temple dedications, though, the first temple dedicated in this dispensation was in Ohio. D&C 109 specifically speaks about the "remnants of Jacob" being converted. This reference to the American Indians is corroborated by passages in the Book of Mormon and the D&C. And the next temple dedicatory prayer to mention the Lamanites was in Cardston, Alberta.  

When President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Guatemala City Temple in December, 1984, he observed that “three fourths of the people in attendance were descendants of father Lehi.” [16]

Again, this says nothing about the location of Book of Mormon events. 

Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf dedicated the Quetzaltenango, Guatemala Temple on Dec. 11, 2011. In the dedicatory prayer he stated: “Thou kind and gracious Father, our hearts are filled with gratitude for Thy remembrance of the sons and daughters of Lehi. Thou hast heard their cries and seen their tears. Thou hast accepted their righteous sacrifices.” [17]

Again, this says nothing about the location of Book of Mormon events.

Explorer Stephens, Seaman Maury, Smithsonian Institute’s Matthew Stirling

Exciting archaeological discoveries are continually coming forth that bear witness to the world of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Stephens’ 1841 (11 years after the Book of Mormon publication) publications opened the door to the vast antiquities of Central America where Joseph Smith directed us to search and study. 

The anonymous author of that editorial did not exclude the antiquities in North America. In fact, the only specific antiquities that Joseph Smith personally identified were those in the "plains of the Nephites" in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

In 1847 (17 years after the Book of Mormon publication), seaman Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury studied and began publishing “wind and current charts” of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. In 1855, Maury’s The Physical Geography of the Sea became the first standard oceanography text showing ocean currents that propelled ancient and modern vessels on “natural paths” across the seas. [18]

One hundred years after Stephens’ publications on Central America, the Smithsonian Institute’s Matthew Stirling (Director of the Bureau of American Ethology, and associate of the National Geographic Society) visited the ancient site of Izapa, Southern Mexico in 1941, where he photographed the “Tree of Life” monument from the right side. [19] In the 1960’s the New World Archaeological Foundation (NWAF) began archaeological excavations at the Izapa Temple Center. 

Even most M2C scholars agree that the Izapa stone has nothing to do with the Book of Mormon.

Many other American institutions began serious archaeology reconnaissance throughout Central America discovering ancient cities, pyramids, and monuments. Today, LiDar imaging from airplanes shows even greater antiquities (covered in jungle growth) in Central America: massive cities, roads, fortifications, animal corals, and pyramids in Guatemala and Mexico—to be shared in future articles.

Those Church members who still believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah are interested in the Mesoamerican discoveries, but they recognize that the more we learn about ancient Mayan culture, the less that culture has anything to do with the Book of Mormon.

At the same time, the more we discover about the ancient inhabitants of North America, especially the eastern U.S., the more we see how well the Book of Mormon describes those ancient societies. 

Notes

[1] John Lloyd Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. Volume 1. (1969    Reprint by Dover Publications, New York, of 1841 Edition by Harper & Brothers, New York). P. iv                (Hereinafter referred to as JLS-1.)

[2] Rachel Norman Williams – 2003 Drawing of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

[3] John Lloyd Stephens. Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia, Petraea, and the Holy Land. New York.

[4] V. Garth Norman, Cubit Connection in Ancient World Migrations. (2018, Arconbooks, www.amazon.com) p. 86, 106.

[5]  Ibid. P. 86, 106.

[6] Unfortunately, because of the many wars, and massive movements within Central America, most written records of the ancient inhabitants were destroyed. Yet stone pyramids and stone   monuments with hieroglyphic writing on them, art and architecture remain today.

[7] JLS-1. P. 11.

[8] John Lloyd Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. Volume 2. (1969    Reprint by Dover Publications, New York, of 1841 Edition by Harper & Brothers, New York). P. iv (Hereinafter referred to as JLS-2) P. 420.

[9] JLS-1. P. 140.

[10] JLS-2. P. 435 

[11] History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Deseret Book, SLC. No. 9 Vol. III, p. 710.

[12] Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, revised edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah:             Deseret Book, 2002), 533.

[13] Times and Seasons. Joseph Smith, Jr.—Editor.  Oct. 1, 1842, Nauvoo, Illinois. P. 1.

[14] Times and Seasons. John Taylor—Editor. Oct. 1, 1843, Nauvoo, Illinois. P. 1.

]15] Deseret News, Church News Saturday, September 1, 2019. P. 3-5.

[16] Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward With Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley. (Deseret Book, Salt Lake             City, Utah, 1996) P. 419.

[17] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/quetzaltenango-guatemala-temple/  prayer/2011-12-11 

[18] The Physical Geography of the Sea by Matthew Fontaine Maury. 1855  in Glyph Notes: A Book of      Mormon Report, Sept. 2019: 6.

[19] V. Garth Norman Izapa Sacred Space, Sculpture Calendar Codex. BYU Press, Provo, Ut. 2015, p.x.

Singapore, and then more M2C sophistry

We've been away for a few days because we went to Singapore. I wrote about one specific event during the trip in another blog, here:

https://presidentnelsonspeaks.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-gracious-and-loving-prophet-president.html

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I would much rather focus on President Nelson's message in Singapore than write about M2C, but I'll discuss those teachings in the other blog in the next few days.

In this blog, we offer an alternative to M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory of the Book of Mormon). We also alert readers to the tactics and methodology of M2C intellectuals so they can make informed decisions and help others do likewise. In our view, there is abundant evidence for the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, but not in Mesoamerica.

I emphasize, as always, that we're all free to believe whatever we want. We can be faithful Latter-day Saints regardless of what we believe about Book of Mormon historicity, geography, the teachings of the prophets, etc.

However, there are many people who think M2C is the quasi-official position of the Church. It's easy to see why. M2C intellectuals continue to enforce censorship of competing ideas. Their peers in the Church History Department have de-correlated the New York Cumorah to accommodate M2C, as we've seen in the Saints book, Volume 1, as well as the Joseph Smith and Brigham Young lesson manuals, the CES manuals, etc.

We have groups such as Book of Mormon Central, the Interpreter, FairMormon, etc. that are spending millions of dollars to promote M2C while simultaneously censoring and repudiating the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

This leaves many people with the mistaken impression that you have to accept M2C to believe the Book of Mormon is a real history. Because M2C is implausible to many members of the Church (and even less plausible to nonmembers), M2C can cause people to become confused and disturbed in their faith.

When we understand the M2C techniques, we can better help those who seek alternatives to M2C so they can retain and strengthen their faith.
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Today's topic was prompted by another reader inquiry. It involves yet another Interpreter article, this one an excerpt from a book.

The author is a well-known M2C proponent, as you will see. I like much of his work, but his obsession with M2C undermines his objectivity and even credibility, IMO.

For example, in this chapter, the author writes, "Books have been written to examine the geography and history described in the Book of Mormon. This isn’t one of those books." But as a dedicated M2C advocate, he inserts M2C anyway. In fact, starting on page 39 he delves into one of the "correspondences" that, IMO, are pure bias confirmation; i.e., "it is important to note that this method of recording annalistic history was part of the cultures of Mesoamerica, which I consider the most plausible location of the Book of Mormon events. Perhaps the change to the way time was recorded was influenced by the introduction of the long count among the Maya." He spends a few pages comparing Mayan annals to the Book of Mormon text.

My reaction to such "correspondences" is to consider whether they have any relevance or are merely examples of Loserthink bias confirmation and pattern recognition.

Annals are ubiquitous on human history. The history of China includes "The Basic Annals" dating to around 2853 B.C. Ancient Roman and Christian annals were well known by the time Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, as were the Chaldean annals, the Phoenician annals, and others. Josephus discussed the annals of the Tyrians.

It may be more difficult to find an ancient civilization that did not keep annals than to find one that did. The Nephites and the Mayans were no exception, but that doesn't make the Nephites Mayans.

But you're free to take these correspondences as facts if you want to.
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Getting back to the reader's inquiry... It involves footnote 5, which you can read here:

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/labor-diligently-to-write-the-ancient-making-of-a-modern-scripture-1/#sdfootnote5sym

First, here's the paragraph from the article that establishes M2C:

Mormon’s writing career was bracketed by plates buried in a hill. The same plates Mormon removed from the hill Shim at the beginning of his writing career (Mormon 1:3, 4:23), he interred in the hill Cumorah at the end (Mormon 6:6). In the intervening years, Mormon’s relationship to those plates shifted from recorder of events to interpreter of events. Mormon buried the Nephite archive in the hill Cumorah to preserve it, but he gave Moroni a more important set of plates to preserve. Those were later buried in a hill. 5 (emphasis added)

This is a clever way to frame the issue. He contrasts "the hill Cumorah" with "a hill."

Readers here know that M2C is the acronym for the "Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs" theory. M2C intellectuals and their followers claim that the "hill in New York" where Joseph found the plates has nothing to do with the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6.

Instead, these M2C intellectuals claim that
(i) the "real Hill Cumorah" is in southern Mexico and
(ii) all the prophets who taught about the New York Cumorah misled the Church with their false personal opinions.

The author is clever because the paragraph does not overtly declare M2C. We have to read the footnote for that.

Here's the footnote:

5. Mormon tells us that he buried plates in Cumorah but that they were not those on which the Book of Mormon was written. Perhaps he returned to Cumorah, but that is speculation. All the text tells us for certain is that the Book of Mormon plates were not buried in Cumorah, although others were. (emphasis added)

This is a patently false claim. It's true that the text does not tell us where Moroni hid up (buried) the abridged plates, but it never says the abridged plates were not buried in Cumorah.

Orson Pratt explained there were two departments in the hill Cumorah in New York, one for the depository and one for the abridgment. Nothing in the text contradicts that scenario. Letter VII establishes it as a fact.

The footnote then quotes Mormon 6:6.

And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.” (Mormon 6:6)

Mormon never states or implies that he ever left Cumorah. He gathered his people there for the "last struggle." After describing the final battle, he explained that he hid up in the hill Cumorah all these records. He never says he left the area before he died.

Perhaps the footnote meant to say it was Moroni who returned to Cumorah, but if so, that's not a matter of speculation because Moroni himself identified the "hill in New York" as Cumorah and we know from Letter VII that the hill where Joseph found the plates was also the setting for the final battles and the depository of Nephite records.

Nowhere in the text does Moroni say where he buried the abridgment, but he never says he did not bury them in Cumorah. In Mormon 8:4, Moroni says "I will write and hide up the records in the earth, and whither I go it mattereth not."

The Introduction explains it this way:

After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the Hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.
(Introduction, 4)

Although inconsistent with M2C, the Introduction is consistent with the historical record. Joseph learned the name Cumorah from Moroni before he even obtained the plates. Letter VII establishes the location of the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 as a fact.

Readers are susceptible to M2C if they are unaware of the historical accounts, the teachings of the prophets, and the abundant corroborative evidence from archaeology, anthropology, geology, geography, etc.
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Of course, we are all free to believe whatever we want. 

We just need to make sure we're making informed decisions, which means we can't simply read and accept whatever the M2C intellectuals write--even when they slip it into a footnote in a book on a supposedly unrelated topic.

"Neutrality" and the de-correlation of Cumorah

A reader posed this question about "neutrality," as many people do. I'm offering my response here because it involves the ongoing effort to de-correlate the New York Cumorah to accommodate M2C.*

Question: Have you ever received a good answer to why the church is “neutral” now when, as you claim, the prophets earlier where not neutral?

Answer: The question relates to the anonymous "Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography." To understand the essay, we need to review the background and context.

Church leaders have always made a distinction between (i) the New York Cumorah, which is a fact taught since before Joseph even got the plates, and (ii) the location of other events, which we don't know for sure.

The current version of the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography blurs that distinction. Let's look at the long-held position first, then assess what "neutrality" means.

Both of the long-held positions make sense. Joseph and Oliver personally visited Mormon's depository of Nephite records inside the Hill Cumorah in New York. Moroni himself called the hill Cumorah, as we know from Lucy Mack Smith's history and Parley P. Pratt's autobiography.

Oliver Cowdery memorialized this fact in Letter VII. You can read that in the Joseph Smith Papers here:

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

Recall that at the time, Oliver was the Assistant President of the Church. Joseph Smith, President, and Sidney Rigdon, First Counselor, both approved Oliver's letters and Frederick G. Williams, Second Counselor, copied them into Joseph's own history as part of Joseph's life story. These letters therefore originated with the First Presidency and have been reaffirmed by all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve who have ever publicly addressed the issue, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference.

As for other Book of Mormon locations in Lehi's promised land, Church leaders have always said we don't know for sure where they are. There are thousands of sites throughout North America that fit Book of Mormon timelines and geography, but it's impossible to tell which specific ones line up with the named sites in the Book of Mormon.

One well-known example was explained by Joseph Smith during Zion's Camp. Joseph referred to Illinois, Indiana and Ohio as the "plains of the Nephites," alluding to Alma 52:20, 62:18, 19, and possibly Ether 13:28, 29 and 14:15, 16. But he did not link any specific site to any specific passage in the text.

You can read this in the Joseph Smith Papers at the bottom of the page here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-to-emma-smith-4-june-1834/2

We saw in the first version of the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography that the authors of the essay made some obvious mistakes. Soon after it was released I pointed some out and suggested some revisions, which I posted here.

The essay was quickly revised. The new version was posted without notice and without comment about the changes (which has happened with other Gospel Topics Essays as well). The revised version did correct some errors, but in some ways it made things worse.

And, the current version still avoids mentioning Cumorah. By implication, the essay lumps Cumorah in with the uncertainty about other sites. Consequently, it misleads members of the Church about what the prophets have taught abut the New York Cumorah.

I discussed the changes in this post:

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/02/great-news-revised-gospel-topics-essay.html

The authors of the anonymous essay squandered an opportunity to educate Church members about the issue, solely because they wanted to accommodate M2C.

Most, but not all, of the members of the committee who wrote the essay believe M2C, so they think the prophets were wrong about the New York Cumorah. The essay was submitted to the Brethren for approval, but the committee apparently refused to even offer for consideration a version of the essay that contained the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah.

This is standard organizational behavior. When employees want a particular outcome, they guide the boss by giving the boss only what they want him/her to consider. If the boss wants alternatives, the employees provide the worst alternatives they can think of so their preferred outcome appears to the boss as the best choice.
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The "neutrality" position makes sense regarding specifics about Book of Mormon geography other than Cumorah. As we saw above, there are thousands of sites that match up with the relative few sites named and described in the Book of Mormon. At present, it is impossible to choose among them to identify specific sites.

However, what does it mean to be "neutral" about the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah?

Are we supposed to be "neutral" about whether Oliver told the truth about the visit of John the Baptist (Letter I)?

Are we supposed to be "neutral" about whether Oliver told the truth about Moroni's visit (Letter IV)?

Are we supposed to be "neutral" about whether Oliver told the truth about Moroni's stone box (Letter VIII)?

Are we supposed to be "neutral" about whether Oliver told the truth about the translation of the plates (Letter I)?

You get the drift...

Certain LDS intellectuals have long argued that we actually should be "neutral" on two key points:

1. Whether Joseph even translated the Book of Mormon (they teach the long-discredited "peep stone" narrative); and

2. Whether the Hill Cumorah is really in New York (they teach that Cumorah is in southern Mexico and that all the prophets and apostles who taught the New York Cumorah actually misled the Church).

Advocating "neutrality" about the teachings of the prophets causes people to become confused and disturbed in their faith, as Joseph Fielding Smith warned long ago.
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The current version of the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography is part of an effort to de-correlate the New York Cumorah as if it had never been taught. That was a key factor in the Saints book, Volume 1, which created a false historical narrative to accommodate M2C. We discussed that here, for example:

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-historians-explain-censorship-in.html

Does anyone think the de-correlation effort can succeed when anyone can read these teachings in the Joseph Smith papers, in General Conference reports, and in books such as Articles of Faith and A Marvelous Work and a Wonder?

Eventually, the Cumorah issue will have to be addressed.
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I'm confident that Church leaders will reaffirm the teachings of their predecessors. That seems inevitable because the New York Cumorah is so well established and also corroborated by relevant archaeology, anthropology, geology, geography, etc.

However, for decades now the intellectuals have been teachings that the prophets are wrong about Cumorah. They have persuaded many LDS to follow them instead of the prophets. Now Book of Mormon Central is spending millions of dollars to promote M2C on the Internet and around the world. They've even weaved it into the scriptures through ScripturePlus.

M2C is nonsensical to many Church members. Even those who don't know what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah find M2C difficult to believe.

But thanks to the efforts of the M2C intellectuals, there are many Church members who believe M2C. They live within the M2C bubble. They don't know any different, and they have no idea what the prophets have taught.

It seems that M2C will have to implode completely before the M2C hoax becomes apparent to those who live within the M2C bubble.
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*M2C is the "Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs" theory of Book of Mormon geography. M2C claims the prophets were wrong when they taught that Cumorah is in New York. Instead, M2C teaches that the hill in New York has nothing to do with the Book of Mormon, except that Moroni hauled the plates from Mesoamerica to New York so Joseph could find them.

M2C is a separate issue from where Book of Mormon events (other than Cumorah/Ramah) took place. People can believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah and still believe other Book of Mormon events took place in Central, South, or North America.

The Jailers of your Mental M2C Prison - Loserthink

The M2C intellectuals justify their position because they are "experts" in ancient Mayan culture and languages, they are "experts" in studying the scriptures, and they are "experts" in Church history. They assert this "expertise" to justify their repudiation of the teachings of the prophets.

M2C jailers of your mental prison

The book Loserthink has an important section on "Listening to the Experts" summarized here:

We live in a world in which it is dangerous to ignore the advice of experts, but it is almost as dangerous to follow their advice. The trick is to know when the experts are the solution and when they are the jailers of your mental prison.

There are plenty of "experts" in Church history and Book of Mormon historicity. Some are inside the Church; others are outside the Church.

Critics of the Church and the Book of Mormon also rely on Loserthink tactics. They are jailers of the mental prisons of their followers.

Mormon Stories and CES Letter, two of the best-known critics, employ most of the Loserthink  strategies discussed in the book. We'll look more at their work in upcoming posts, but today we'll focus on M2C.

How can you determine whether these experts are the solution or the jailers of your mental prison?
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You can consider the tactics they use and their objectives. Are they supporting or repudiating the teachings of the prophets on these topics?

Tactic 1. The M2C jailers of mental prisons use patterns or analogies as arguments and rationales for M2C. The M2C intellectuals use the term "correspondences" to describe the patterns they cite to make people believe ancient Mayan culture has something to do with the Book of Mormon.

The book of
"correspondences"

The argument goes like this:

The Nephites were farmers.
The Mayans were farmers.
Therefore the Nephites were Mayans.

When explained that way, the futility of a theory based on "correspondences" is apparent. Yet the entire M2C theory consists of little more than such "correspondences."

Chapter 6 in Mormon's Codex, for example, is titled "About Correspondences" and argues that "The text of the Book of Mormon can be compared with the findings of Mesoamerican scholarship at several levels... In this volume, correspondences vary between two levels of persuasiveness. Some correspondences are so specific that there seems to be no explanation for their occurrence in both the Book of Mormon and data from archaeology or anthropology other than that some literal historical sharing must have occurred. Other correspondences are somewhat less striking, yet given the context provided by the strongest correspondences, it seems very likely that those that are less focused also are best explained as the result of direct historical connection rather than by a mental interventionism."

I give Brother Sorenson great credit and respect for addressing the issue of correspondences because the entire M2C theory depends on such comparisons and patterns. But just because he addressed the issue doesn't mean these correspondences are meaningful--or that they are so meaningful as to justify repudiating the teachings of the prophets because of them.

These correspondences can be persuasive because, as Loserthink explains, "humans use pattern recognition to understand their world. Humans are very bad at pattern recognition. And they don't know it. We can't tell the difference between valid patterns that might predict something useful and something that simply reminds us of something else but means nothing."

The psychological power of pattern recognition, or finding "correspondences," enables our M2C intellectuals to frame M2C as obvious and conclusive. In fact, they think these "correspondences" are so decisive that the teachings of the prophets, by comparison, are "manifestly absurd" (to use the description Brother Sorenson uses in Mormon's Codex).

Loserthink explains how the jailers use this tactic: "if your [theory] is based on pattern alone, you are probably in a mental prison. And your jailers are the people who try to dupe you with patterns that mean nothing."

That the "correspondences" cited by M2C intellectuals mean nothing is evident from the reality that experts in ancient Mayan studies who are not inside the M2C bubble see no connection between the Mayans and the Book of Mormon.
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Tactic 2. Another section of Loserthink, titled "Fake News Filter," explains the problem of people being stuck in silos. "It is one thing to disagree with an opposing viewpoint, but it is a far bigger problem if you have never heard of it."

Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, the Interpreter, Meridian Magazine--all these M2C publications share a common editorial policy of censoring information and commentary that contradicts M2C. In a word, they resort to censorship.

The logo includes a Mayan glyph, foreclosing the possibility that the Book of Mormon could have taken place anywhere else.

This logo represents a closed-minded organization that insists the prophets are wrong. They justify censorship because they claim that, as experts, they have the answers. Further inquiry, discussion, and debate is unwelcome.

Consequently, there are many members of the Church who have never heard that there is an alternative to M2C. Many of them have never heard that the prophets have consistently taught that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York.

Ignorance is one of the most powerful jailers of mental prisons possible.

As long as these organizations continue to censor ideas and information that contradicts M2C, including the teachings of the prophets, they will continue to function as jailers of mental prisons.
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