The Lost 116 pages - part 1

Don Bradley's new book, The Lost 116 Pages, is exceptional. He has done an outstanding job accumulating and explaining what we know about the translated pages Martin Harris lost from the original Book of Mormon.

This week I'm going to discuss several aspects of the book and offer some additional thoughts on specific topics. In important ways that are not apparent at first, Don's book addresses the geography and historicity issues that we discuss on this blog.

A few years ago Don gave me some material to use in my presentation at the Mormon History Association titled "Mormons and the Mounds." He mentions this material on page 218:

While memorializing Elder Lorenzo Barnes on April 16, 1843, Joseph made reference to a detail from the Book of Mormon text: 

"[T]he place where a man is buried has been sacred to me.--this subject is made mention of In Book of Mormon & Scriptures. to the aborigines regard the burying places of their fathers is more sacred than any thing else."

Joseph appears to refer to a description from the Book of Mormon that its peoples regarded the burial places of their fathers as sacred... if Joseph Smith cited an unknown Book of Mormon text, he was not speaking from inferior knowledge to ours but from superior knowledge [i.e., the lost 116 pages].

Don took the excerpt of Joseph's sermon from the Ehat/Cook book, Words of Joseph Smith, but as printed in Don's book, the quotation lacks the line-outs from the original as recorded by Willard Richards in Joseph's journal.

There is something good. & sacred to me— <​in this thing.​> the place where a man is buried has been sacred to me.— <​this subjct is made mention of—​> In Book of Mormon & Scripturs. & <​to​> the aborigines <​regard​> the burying places of the<​ir​> fathers as <​is​> more sacred that than any thing else.

You can see the original document in the Joseph Smith Papers here:
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/discourse-16-april-1843-as-reported-by-willard-richards/3

Another version appears in History, 1838-1856. This one appears to include editorial insertions, or else it relies on an unknown alternative record of the sermon.

There is something good and sacred to me in this thing; the place where a man is buried is sacred to me; this subject is made mention of in the Book of Mormon, and the Scriptures; even to the aborigines of this land, the burying places of their fathers, are more sacred than any thing else.

here: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-d-1-1-august-1842-1-july-1843/177

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Here are three things to notice about this sermon.

First, as Don mentioned, because our current Book of Mormon does not mention burial places being sacred, the passage appears to allude to information from the lost 116 pages, aka the Book of Lehi. More accurately, this was the first part of Mormon's abridgment, from the time Lehi left Jerusalem to the time when King Benjamin ruled over the combined people of Zarahemla and the Nephites. Joseph dictated the translation, Martin Harris (and maybe others) wrote it down, but Martin Harris lost the pages when someone stole them.

We can infer that the lost pages described sacred burial sites, perhaps of Lehi, Nephi, or another leader. Perhaps they described burial mounds generally.

Such burial mounds dating to Book of Mormon time frames are found in the southeastern U.S. as well as along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and in the plains of the Midwest.

Joseph had a specific interest in the burial mounds in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. During Zion's Camp, he identified a skeleton from a large mound in Illinois as Zelph. He wrote to Emma that the camp had been "wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionaly the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity."

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

Look carefully at the excerpts from Joseph's sermon above. In 1842, 1843, and 1844, Joseph referred to the people of the Book of Mormon as the aborigines of this country. 

I was informed also concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came;

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/church-history-1-march-1842/2 and

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/latter-day-saints-1844/2

the Book of Mormon as the history of the aborigines of this continent,

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/general-joseph-smiths-appeal-to-the-green-mountain-boys-december-1843/6

In context, we can reasonably infer that Joseph had the Nephites in mind when he spoke of the burial teachings in the lost pages of the original Book of Mormon.
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Second, Joseph Smith delivered the sermon in Nauvoo, where Joseph and his audience likely had a view of the large mound due west of the temple site.

Joseph himself is buried along with members of his family in Nauvoo. Elsewhere in the sermon, Joseph said,

I would esteem it one of the greatest blessings, if I am to be afflicted in this world, to have my lot cast where I can find brethen & friends all arou[n]d me, <​but​> this is not. <​thing. I referred to is <​it​> is​> to have the privilige of having our dead buri[e]d on the land where god has appointd to gather his saints together,— & where there will be nothing but saints, where they may have the privelige of laying their bodies where <​the​> Son will make his appearance. 

This is fascinating because Joseph Smith and his family are buried in a Hopewell cemetery.

1842 map of Nauvoo

Some of the Hopewell bones dug up in that field are on display in Nauvoo. The early Saints used dirt from mounds to fill in the swamps around Nauvoo. When Parley P. Pratt returned from England, he remarked that he hardly recognized the place because all the mounds had been torn down.

Joseph Smith's store was built on a mound, using some of the recovered artifacts.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/council-of-fifty-minutes-march-1844-january-1846-volume-1-10-march-1844-1-march-1845/164

In Nauvoo, Joseph sometimes left the city to visit a large mound in the country for personal reflection. On April 9, 1844, he rode to the mound with Emma.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/372

Large mound in front of temple site

When Gustavus Hills drew the plat of the city in 1842, there was just one large mound, or tumulus, remaining. It was a large mound, due west of the temple site.

This has special meaning to those of us who think the Nephites lived among the Hopewell civilization.

Joseph wanted to be buried "on the land where God has appointed to gather his saints together." That would apply to faithful Nephites of old just as much as to modern Latter-day Saints.

Reading this sermon, it become apparent how important a burial spot was to Joseph Smith.

What better place for him to be buried than among the Nephites whose record he translated and published to the world? 
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The third item relates to more information about the lost manuscript.

Don devoted a lot of space to explain the significance of Joseph in Egypt in the Book of Mormon narrative. It's an impressive discussion that we'll consider later this week, but I didn't notice Don commenting on the reference to Joseph in Egypt in this funeral sermon. Here's the passage.

When I. heard of the death of our beloved bro <​

Barns

 it would not have affected me so much​> if I had the opp[o]rtunity of burying him in the land of 

Zion

. I beleive, those who have buried their friends here their condition is enviable. Look at Joseph in Egypt how he required his friends to bury him in the tomb of his fathers,— see the expence & great company— & <​which attended the​> embalming. <​&c <​and​> the going up of the great company. to his burial.​>

It has always been considird a g[r]eat curse not to obtain an honorable buryal. <​& one of the gratest curses the anci[e]nt prophets could put on any one was. that he man should go without a burial.​

The Bible doesn't articulate the situation quite this way. Nor does our present Book of Mormon. That leads us to the inference that when Joseph wrote "ancient prophets" here, he was including the ancient prophets whose teachings were in the lost pages.

For the Biblical references to this curse, see
https://jbqnew.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/404/jbq_404_deathinwar1.pdf

Wilford Woodruff also recorded parts of this sermon:

he said it was upon this principle that the ancients were so particular to have an honorable burial with their fathers as in the case of Joseph, before his death he made his kindred promise to carry his bones to the land of Canann & they did so they embalmed his body took it to the land of Canaan & buryed it with his fathers their is a glory in this that many do not comprehend,

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/discourse-16-april-1843-as-reported-by-wilford-woodruff/1

The Book of Mormon we have today doesn't discuss the sacred nature of burial sites, but this sermon by Joseph Smith indicates that this topic was discussed in the original Book of Mormon. Using Joseph of Egypt as an example correlates with the importance of Joseph of Egypt in the text we do have.

The Hopewell and Adena civilizations left few artifacts outside of their burial sites and other earthworks. It's a reasonable inference that to these people, burial sites were "more sacred than anything else."

Joseph himself identified Hopewell and Adena burial sites as Nephite and Jaredite, respectively.

All of this suggests that Joseph correlated the Book of Mormon people with the aborigines whose burial sites he was closely familiar with and among whose descendants he both lived and was buried.

 

Rethinking the entry on Book of Mormon Geography

A lot of people have cited a "Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography" as doctrine, but it turns out, it's not even one of the Gospel Topics Essays. It is merely one of about 300 entries on various topics. Maybe that's because it hardly qualifies as an essay when it omits scripture references and the many quotations from General Authorities on the topic.

There's a good reason why the entry is not listed as a Gospel Topics Essay. The introduction to the Gospel Topics Essays sets forth a standard that the entry on Book of Mormon Geography doesn't come close to meeting.

the Lord invited members of the Church to seek wisdom by study and by the exercise of faith:

“And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118).

This is more than a simple exhortation to learn about the gospel. It is an invitation from the Lord to recognize that not all sources of knowledge are equally reliable. Seeking “out of the best books” does not mean seeking only one set of opinions, but it does require us to distinguish between reliable sources and unreliable sources.

What is a more reliable source than the scriptures? Yet the entry on geography avoids any mention of relevant scriptures.

The introduction also says this:

The Church places great emphasis on knowledge and on the importance of being well informed about Church history, doctrine, and practices.

How does an entry on Book of Mormon geography that omits relevant scriptures and teachings of Church leaders help readers become well informed?
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The entry skirts a key question by essentially censoring Cumorah, the same way the Saints book (Vol. 1), Come Follow Me, and other references do. There's another example from the student manual on the D&C, here. This effort to "de-correlate" Cumorah is causing confusion, not resolving the issue. It is antithetical to the "importance of being well informed about Church history, doctrine, and practices."

Lately, our favorite M2C scholars are saying the location of Cumorah is unimportant. We get that they don't like to discuss the issue because they like to say they follow the prophets while they outright repudiate them on this topic, but Cumorah is the core issue about Book of Mormon historicity. 

This is simple and obvious.

- If the prophets were correct when they taught that Cumorah is in New York, their teachings should inform and drive the discussion.

- If they were not correct--if they were merely teaching as fact their own private, wrong opinions--then we should all know that.

For many Latter-day Saints, it's unbelievable that there is even a debate whether or not the prophets were correct. 

The amazing thing is that the New York Cumorah has been consistently and persistently taught by every Church leader who has addressed the topic. It has never been contradicted by Church leaders. It has been contradicted only by scholars, beginning with RLDS scholars in the late 1800s who rejected the teachings of LDS leaders on several topics. Then, in the mid-1900s, LDS scholars began claiming the prophets were wrong because of M2C. Now, thanks the academic cycle, M2C has spread its influence throughout the Church.

Now we are at the point where the entry on Book of Mormon Geography implies that the teachings of the prophets, as well as D&C 128:20, are merely false opinions. That implication needs to be clarified, one way or another.
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There are 12 Gospel Topics Essays, listed here:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/essays?lang=eng

Notice that Book of Mormon Geography is not among them.

Instead, that topic is addressed in a separate category of over 300 "Gospel Topics" here:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/book-of-mormon-geography?lang=eng

These are shorter articles on numerous topics that lack the detail and analysis found in the formal "Gospel Topics Essays."

Here's an example from the entry on Book of Mormon Geography.

Since the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, members and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have expressed numerous opinions about the specific locations of the events discussed in the book.

Are we supposed to infer from this that D&C 128:20 (which is never cited in this entry) is merely an opinion by Joseph Smith?

128:20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed.

Our M2C friends claim this was just Joseph's opinion. We've seen that they claim that in this verse, Joseph Smith merely adopted a false tradition that existed among early Church members.

Those who read D&C 128:20 in historical context know that it was first published in the Times and Seasons in October 1842. In 1841, the same newspaper republished Letter VII, which declares it is a fact that the Hill Cumorah in western New York is the same Cumorah referenced in Mormon 6:6.

The question of Cumorah is a simple question that the entry on Book of Mormon Geography completely avoids.

These entries, like the Gospel Topics Essays, are subject to change at any time, without notice. Many of us hope that this entry on Book of Mormon Geography will be revised to address the real issue of Cumorah.

M2C does not stick to the text of the Book of Mormon

Our M2C friends often justify their repudiation of the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah by claiming they stick to the "text of the Book of Mormon" and that anything the prophets have said beyond that is pure speculation.

Do you see how that is a fundamental logical thinking error?

Nowhere does the text of the Book of Mormon identify the "Western hemisphere," the "Americas," or even "America" as Lehi's land of promise.

There is no basis in the text for looking at any particular part of the world. 

The only place the text excludes is the Arabian peninsula (because the directions given for Lehi's journey from Jerusalem lead to the coast of the Arabian peninsula).

Based on the text alone, the only requirement is that Lehi crossed "large waters" and arrived at a land mass.

Based on the text alone, Lehi could have landed literally anywhere. He could have landed in Australia, Chile, Guatemala, Florida, or Japan. He could have circumnavigated Africa and ended up in Italy.

Based on the text alone, choosing the "Americas" is as arbitrary as choosing Malaysia or Eritrea or anywhere else on the planet.

To discover the location of Book of Mormon events, we have to look outside the text for more information.
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Some M2C scholars claim Moroni had to live in the Americas because he hid the abridged plates in the hill in western New York.

They say he could have easily carried the plates from Mesoamerica to New York.

By the same reasoning, Moroni could have carried the plates from Japan, Australia, or Italy. He just needed a boat to cross the same way Lehi did.
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Because the text never mentions the name of Lehi's promised land, how do we know that Lehi's promised land of the Book of Mormon was in America?

Solely because Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery said it was. They reported what Moroni told Joseph and what they learned from their own experience. This includes both the American setting of the Book of Mormon and the location of Cumorah in New York.

Everyone else relied on what Joseph and Oliver taught.
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Do you see the problem for M2C scholars, their employees and followers? 

The sources they rely on to claim the Book of Mormon events took place in the Americas also taught that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 was in New York.

Our M2C friends simply choose to:
- accept the teachings of the prophets about America generally, while they
- reject the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

There's nothing logical about this. It's pure bias confirmation.

Ask any M2C believer why they are looking in Mesoamerica. They'll give you lots of rhetoric about north-flowing rivers, the "narrow neck of land," various "correspondences" with the extensive Mayan civilization, and, sooner or later, they'll throw in some teachings from the prophets about America. They'll probably tell you Joseph Smith wrote about Mesoamerica in the 1842 Times and Seasons. 

What they won't tell you is that ultimately, the source of authority for America as the setting for the Book of Mormon boils down to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who both also taught that the "hill in New York" is Cumorah.

This is the same irrational approach taken by the people who support SITH by quoting Emma Smith's so-called "Last Testimony" or David Whitmer's various statements. They accept the SITH material but they outright reject the rest of what Emma and David had to say.

To promote both SITH and M2C, our intellectuals simply reject what Joseph and Oliver taught in favor of their own private theories.
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As always, I emphasize that people can believe whatever they want. There are faithful members of the Church who believe M2C. There are faithful members who don't even believe the Book of Mormon is a real history.

But there are also many faithful members who still believe the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah, the Urim and Thummim, etc.

These members have difficulty agreeing with the intellectuals that the prophets are wrong. They think M2C and SITH contradict the teachings of the prophets. They think the teachings of the prophets not only make more sense, but are corroborated by historical and extrinsic evidence.

Because our intellectuals mostly favor M2C and SITH, their citation cartels exclude those Church members who still believe the teachings of the prophets on these issues.

But maybe that will change someday. Especially as more and more Church members learn enough to make informed decisions.

Kept from the knowledge of other nations--except the Mayans

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord....
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
(2 Nephi 1:8)

Either the Lord didn't tell Lehi about the Mayans, or Lehi forgot about the Mayans who already inhabited Mesoamerica long before he and his family arrived.

http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/aguada-fenix-monument-08503.html

An international team of archaeologists has discovered an artificial structure — which is 1,400 m in length, 10-15 m in height, has 9 causeways radiating out from it, and is about 3,000 years old — at the archaeological site of Aguada Fénix in Tabasco, Mexico, near the northwestern border of Guatemala. This is the oldest monumental construction ever found in the Maya area and the largest in the entire pre-Hispanic history of the region.

No doubt our M2C friends will adjust their M2C theories to fit this new discovery, the way they always do. 

Seer ("peep") stones vs Urim and Thummim

We discuss the stone-in-the-hat (SITH) theory on this blog because it is so closely tied to M2C. The M2C scholars have apparently embraced SITH, with a few notable exceptions which we'll discuss eventually.

SITH has lots of problems because it contradicts what Joseph and Oliver taught, not to mention what the scriptures teach.

Nevertheless, M2C scholars and revisionist historians love SITH because it plays into their narrative that scholars are more important than prophets; i.e., Joseph was an ignorant speculator so we need modern scholars to discover Book of Mormon geography and we need modern linguists to discover that the text was actually created in the 16th century and we need modern historians to discover that Joseph and Oliver misled the Saints (and the world) by using the wrong terminology when they described their experiences. All of this "need" for scholars translates into funding and job security.

Today I'm posting some comments from a reader who posts comments on moronisamerica.com. That site compiles this and other blogs, but a lot of people read this blog directly here or on Amazon or other sites that republish it.

Here's the comment. He makes some points that a lot of people ask themselves about SITH.

Have you ever thought about how silly the seer stone in a hat really is? The idea that whole sentences appeared on the 3x4x5cm oval shaped opaque stone is totally wrong for many reasons.

The Book of Mormon didn’t have punctuation. It was added by the typesetter. Some say the average sentence length is about 25 words. That many words wouldn’t fit on a small object unless it was a size 1 font and that would be unreadable. It would also be very hard to read at the ends of the oval where it curves from the flatter part of the stone with the best chance for some kind of focal distance.

No special lighting was required to use the Urim and Thummim or Liahona (words would appear on spindle from time to time) or a modern-day teleprompter? Why would God provide an underpowered seer stone that couldn’t be read in normal lighting conditions?

The seer stone in a hat story is simply an attempt to discredit the truth and destroy Joseph Smith. Sadly, Intellectuals and scholars are trying to hijack church history.

Joseph’s history in the PGP uses the term Urim and Thummim 6 times–never the seer stone. With your head buried in a hat, the focal distance would be too close, out of focus, and unreadable! It would also be hard for the scribe to hear your muffled voice buried in a hat.

I’m sick of Sunday School teachers saying the seer stone in a hat is like your cell phone screen. You can’t read it very well in broad daylight. That is because your phone is designed for long battery life. If your phone had enough power you could read the screen on a sunny day. Also, Joseph was inside a house with small windows and low lighting conditions. Why would he bury his face in a hat with even less light?

Can you imagine how uncomfortable that would be to be bent over a hat with your voice muffled? It would be hard for the scribe to hear and for Joseph to breath.

Do you remember how Joseph described Moroni’s visit in the log home in 1823? He said the light around Moroni seemed brighter than farther away. Why would God give Joseph an underpowered teleprompter? Why put limits on God?

Why didn’t the Lord give the Brother of Jared a hat along with the 2 seer stones? Don’t be swayed by the foolish revisionist history and their bogus artwork depicting the FALSE seer stone in a hat translation method!

Eber D. Howe tried to sell that false notion in Mormonism Unvailed [sic] in 1834. David Whitmer tried to perpetuate the lie it in his 1887 tirade, AN ADDRESS TO ALL BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. David was a faithful witness for the Book of Mormon. However, he opposed Joseph on the Restoration of the Priesthood, Doctrine and Covenants, etc. and he started his own church. He is definitely not a creditable source for the translation method.

D&C 17:1 says the 3 Witness would be able to view the plates, breastplate, Urim and Thummin, Sword of Laban and the Liahona. No seer stone is mentioned.

Also remember that Hiram Page tried to lead the church astray with a seer stone in 1830 (D&C 28). Satan loves a counterfeit!

How many revelations were given in the Doctrine and Covenants via a seer stone? Zero. How many revelations were given via the Urim and Thummim? At least 8 sections (Sections 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17).

Why would God preserve the Urim and Thummim and records for about 4,000 years if a seer stone was used? Mormon and Moroni spent many years abridging all the records. That would be a huge waste if the plates were not even used as many scholars now claim. The seer stone in a hat doesn’t pass the common sense test! Follow the prophets, not the intellectuals and scholars.

Glad tidings from Mexico?

Lately some of our most famous LDS scholars have been saying it doesn't really matter where Cumorah is. They are sensitive to my observation that they are repudiating the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

But that's a simple fact that they admit in their publications, even if they're not proud of it. The core teaching of M2C is that the prophets are wrong.

Some have asked me to stop writing about this because it's a divisive topic that "causes contention." Others have accused me of writing on this topic to make money. (Meanwhile, those complaining are (i) employed (or retired) at tithe-payer expense and/or (ii) collect a percentage of the money they raise for their nonprofits.)

M2C promoters want you to believe Joseph was an ignorant speculator who misled the Saints about Cumorah. We'll look at a specific example below, right from Book of Mormon Central.

Any time you get a chance, challenge these scholars and their followers about M2C. None of us have to stand for their ongoing efforts to persuade the Saints that the prophets were wrong. You don't have to accept M2C no matter who is teaching it.
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Let's start with D&C 128:20.

And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. 

Our M2C scholars, their employees, and their followers, insist Cumorah is in southern Mexico. They have rewritten this passage to say "Glad tidings from Mexico" because the only "true" Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is somewhere in southern Mexico.

It's incredible that any members of the Church have fallen for this, but many have. Let's see why.
_____

D&C 128 in the Times and Seasons

D&C 128:20 is a letter Joseph wrote to the Saints on September 6, 1842. He sent it to the Times and Seasons, which published the letter in the October 1, 1842, issue of the newspaper.

(BTW, this is another indication that Joseph was not editing the paper. The same Oct 1 issue contains the infamous (and ridiculous) anonymous editorial titled "Zarahemla" that the M2C promoters claim Joseph wrote or "edited" somehow.)

You can see a copy of the original publication at this link:

https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/9963

Click on the "expand" button at the upper right of the document and then scroll down to the end of page 935 to see the reference to Cumorah.
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When you read this, put yourself in the place of the Saints to whom Joseph wrote the letter. In September 1842, you're probably living in Nauvoo or England. You read the Times and Seasons regularly. The year before, in the same newspaper, you read yet another republication of Oliver Cowdery's Letter VII, which Oliver wrote in 1835 with the assistance of Joseph Smith. Joseph asked his brother Don Carlos to republish it in the Times and Seasons. Here's what you read:

You are acquainted with the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne Co. to Canandaigua, Ontario Co. N. Y. and also, as you pass from the former to the latter place, before arriving at the little village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say large, is, because it is as large perhaps, as any in that country.... 

At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.

By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the book of Mormon you will read Mormon's account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. (It is printed Camorah, which is an error.) In this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites-once so highly favored of the Lord, but at that time in darkness, doomed to suffer extermination by the hand of their barbarous and uncivilized brethren. From the top of this hill, Mormon, with a few others, after the battle, gazed with horror upon the mangled remains of those who, the day before, were filled with anxiety, hope, or doubt.... 

This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah: by it, or around it, pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tents. Coriantumr was the last king of the Jaredites. The opposing army were to the west, and in this same valley, and near by, from day to day, did that mighty race spill their blood, in wrath, contending, as it were, brother against brother, and father, against son. In this same spot, in full view from the top of this same hill, one may gaze with astonishment upon the ground which was twice covered with the dead and dying of our fellowmen.

You can see a copy of this issue of the Times and Seasons here:

https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/8864/rec/3

Letter VII in the Times and Seasons

Click on the "expand" button at the upper right of the document and then scroll down to the end of page 378 to read about Cumorah. Continue on page 379 and 380.

Every Church member who read Joseph's 1842 letter understood this context.

But our modern M2C scholars keep trying to persuade the modern Saints that Joseph didn't know what he was talking about.

They say Oliver didn't know what he was talking about.

They say that all of Joseph's contemporaries and successors were misled by the incorrect speculations from Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

Consequently, if you believe M2C, then you also believe that Joseph and Oliver were ignorant speculators who misled the Church about Cumorah. 

And that's fine with me. People can believe whatever they want.

I object only when these M2C intellectuals prevent ordinary members of the Church from making informed decisions.
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One of my favorite rationalizations about  D&C 128:20 comes from Book of Mormon Central (America) in no-wise #489.

Look at how they try to persuade the Saints to question Joseph Smith's credibility and reliability, solely to defend and promote M2C.

Original in blue, my comments in red.

As far as can be determined, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself only associated the hill in New York with the Cumorah in the Book of Mormon towards the end of his life. 

Notice the clever rhetoric "as far as can be determined." Informed Church members can easily "determine" from historical sources that Joseph first identified the hill as Cumorah in 1827 before he even got the plates. They know that in 1831, missionaries were explaining that Moroni himself called the hill Cumorah. But if you have only been taught M2C, you don't know these things. 

In an 1842 epistle the Prophet spoke of hearing “Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20).7 Before then, Joseph left the name of the New York hill where Moroni gave him the plates unnamed in his accounts of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.8 

This is a red herring fallacy because the name Cumorah meant nothing to nonmembers who were the intended audience for these references. 

For members, Joseph and Oliver had explicitly identified the hill as Cumorah in Letter VII, which was republished in every Church magazine during Joseph's lifetime. It was sung in a popular hymn.

Look at Note 8: See History, circa Summer 1832, 4; History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834], addendum, 7; Elders’ Journal (July 1838): 43.

1. The 1832 history doesn't even mention a hill, so there was no point in naming it.

2. The 1838 history was intended for the general public. "I have been induced to write this history so as to disabuse the publick mind, and put all enquirers after truth into possession of the facts as they have transpired in relation both to myself and the Church as far as I have such facts in possession." James Mulholland added a description of the hill because, as he explained "I mentioned to President Smith that I considered it necessary that an explanation of <​the location of​> the place where the box was deposited would be required in order that the history be satisfactory." Once again, the name Cumorah was irrelevant as a matter of Church history and would not be understood by nonmembers anyway.

3. The Elders' Journal answered questions posed by nonmembers to whom the name Cumorah would be meaningless.

Whether the Prophet arrived at this conclusion about the location of Cumorah by revelation, by conforming to usage that had become common among the early members of the Church about Book of Mormon geography, or in some other way is historically unknown.9

The M2C claim that Joseph Smith adopted a false tradition when he wrote D&C 128 and that his successors canonized his false speculations is audacious sophistry. 

It is inexcusable, really.

The alternative M2C "requirement" that Joseph had to learn the "location of Cumorah" by revelation is equally audacious. Informed Latter-day Saints know that Joseph and Oliver actually visited the repository of Nephite records (Mormon 6:6) inside the hill Cumorah in New York. They know that Joseph learned the name of the hill before he even got the plates. And, of course, they have read and understood Letter VII, just as all of Joseph's contemporaries did.

If you want to see a perfect illustration of the M2C citation cartel, read footnote 9. It's a series of articles from FARMS and its successor, the Interpreter, both published by M2C advocates who repudiate the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. Here's the link: https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/where-is-the-location-of-the-hill-cumorah#footnote9_0bpjjij

In the decades after Joseph Smith’s death, other prominent early Latter-day Saints, including Lucy Mack Smith,10 Parley P. Pratt,11 and David Whitmer,12 recounted earlier incidents in which the New York hill was identified as Cumorah by the angel Moroni and by Joseph Smith. 

Let's look at each of these.

1. Lucy Mack Smith began her history a few months after Joseph and Hyrum were murdered (not "in the decades after"). She explained why:

"People are often enquiring of me the particulars of Joseph’s getting the plates seeing the angels at first and many other thing which Joseph never wrote or published I have told over many things pertaining to these matters to different persons to gratify their curiosity indeed have almost destroyed my lungs giving these recitals to those who felt anxious to hear them I have now concluded to write down every particular as far as possible and if those who wish to read them will help me a little they can have it all in one piece to read at their leasure—"

Lucy specifically recounted things "Joseph never wrote or published," yet these M2C scholars want us to disbelieve Lucy's account because Joseph never wrote or published what she recounted! 

Their objection is the entire reason why Lucy gave us her history. Lucy not only explained that Joseph knew the name Cumorah before he got the plates, but she actually quoted what Joseph said.

Although she began dictating her history in the fall of 1844, she pointed out that she had been reciting this history for some time before then.

Yet these M2C scholars frame her account as unreliable because it came "decades" later.

2. Parley P. Pratt's autobiography includes this quotation of what missionaries taught in 1831: "This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county." 

That's pretty specific; in fact, it's as specific as words can be, and it corroborates Lucy's quotation of what Joseph said. But our M2C scholars, in their effort to cast doubt and confusion, frame this as a "late" recollection by citing the date of publication in 1874.

Actually, Parley began writing his autobiography in 1854. 

More significantly, the 1839 hymnal includes Pratt's hymn "An Angel from on High" which includes these lyrics.

An angel from on high

The long, long silence broke;

Descending from the sky,

These gracious words he spoke:

Lo! in Cumorah's lonely hill

A sacred record lies concealed.

Lo! in Cumorah's lonely hill

A sacred record lies concealed.

Rather than Parley's teaching arising "in the decades after Joseph's death," Parley taught that Moroni referred to the "hill in New York" as Cumorah as early as 1839, and this was sung by the Saints during Joseph's lifetime. 

3. David Whitmer. Footnote 12 refers to David's 1878 account of meeting the divine messenger who was taking the Harmony plates to Cumorah. David repeated this account to others; Zina Young heard about it before 1878, probably in 1832, as we've discussed before. http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2016/05/more-on-david-whitmer-zina-young-and.html

The logical fallacy of the "late recollection" argument is that in David's case, it was precisely because this was the first time he heard the word "Cumorah" that he remembered the event. When he heard the messenger refer to Cumorah, David had not read the Book of Mormon; it hadn't even been completely translated yet. This is the type of detail that makes David's recollection more credible, not less.

 

Since these statements are somewhat late recollections, coming after the identity of Cumorah as a hill near Palmyra, New York, had become widespread, they should be used cautiously.13

As we've seen, these are not "late recollections." And how do they think "the identity of Cumorah... had become widespread" if not from the repeated republication of Letter VII and the singing of Parley's hymn, all with the approval of Joseph Smith? 

Our M2C intellectuals, their employees and followers, often use the phrase "used cautiously" as a euphemism for "repudiated." 

They know members of the Church are reluctant to outright repudiate the teachings of the prophets. Because M2C explicitly repudiates the teachings of the prophets, they frame the issue as "using cautiously" those teachings. 

Notice, they never encourage Church members to use their own M2C teachings "cautiously."
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The identify of the New York Cumorah has been well established by the prophets and apostles. Because of the influence of certain M2C intellectuals, however, most members of the Church have been persuaded to repudiate the teachings of the prophets in favor of an imaginary "Cumorah" somewhere in southern Mexico.

As long as Church members continue to value the teachings of the scholars over the teachings of the prophets, we can hardly expect the Lord to reveal more about the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

Instead of starting with the known pin in the map of the New York Cumorah, our scholars have led Church members on an adventure into confusion and ignorance.

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
(Alma 12:10)

Maxwell Institute podcasts are great, but the study edition not so much

If you haven't been listening to the Maxwell Institute podcasts, you are missing a chance to learn from some insightful scholars--so far, without any M2C or SITH.

Here's the link:

https://mi.byu.edu/mipodcast/

Blair Hodges is the host and he is one of the most effective interviewers around. He is well prepared and asks interesting questions.

I have especially enjoyed the podcasts on the new "Brief Theological Introduction" series.
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The podcasts (so far) have nothing to do with M2C. I mention the podcasts here because the Maxwell Institute does a lot of good things and we want to recognize and support legitimate scholarship.

Significantly, the Maxwell Institute is apparently shifting away from M2C in favor of neutrality.

They used to have an M2C logo for their podcasts, but they replaced it with a neutral logo:

Current logo - awesome

Old logo - M2C disaster

Another positive development I've mentioned before is that a former MI employee who is a strong M2C proponent (a great guy whom I won't name) left MI to work for Book of Mormon Central, where he is free to continue confirming the M2C bias. 
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However, the M2C bias remains in some aspects of the Maxwell Institute. For example, Terryl Givens, the M2C promoter who wrote the Foreword for Mormon's Codex, has joined the Institute as a "Senior Research Fellow." 

M2C readers edition

In 2018, the MI published a Study Edition of the Book of Mormon that explicitly teaches M2C under the guise of being "neutral."

There are at least a few Latter-day Saints who still believe what Joseph and Oliver taught, but their views are excluded from the Maxwell Institute Study Edition. 

In the book's "Chronology of the Translation" under 1824-1826, the authors write "For three consecutive years, Joseph meets the angel at the hill (later called Cumorah) on Sept. 22." But Lucy Mack Smith quoted Joseph calling the hill Cumorah even before he got the plates.

In the Index, the entry for Cumorah reads "Cumorah, land and hill: scene of the last Nephite battle and place where Mormon hid many records; Morm 6:2; see also Ramah, hill. The hill in upstate New York where Joeph Smith found the gold plates was named for this ancient site."

Of course, that is pure M2C propaganda. Not a single source in Church history claims "the hill in upstate New York" was named for some other Cumorah. That is M2C spin concocted within the last few decades. Every actual source declares that the "hill in upstate New York" is in fact the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6.

It's also astonishing that any study guide of the Book of Mormon omits the most detailed accounts we have of Moroni's visit to Joseph and the Hill Cumorah itself, accounts that were repeatedly republished and copied into Joseph's own history as part of his life story. See http://www.lettervii.com/.

But the M2C intellectuals reject those accounts so, naturally, they are omitted from this MI study edition.

A real study edition would at least inform readers about the facts of Church history and let readers make informed decisions. By contrast, this guide seeks to imprint M2C by censoring the facts.

We do not attribute this teaching of M2C to bad motives. Instead, we see that M2C is so deeply imprinted on the minds of these scholars that they don't even realize what they're doing.
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The study edition also promotes SITH by editing out any references to Joseph translating with the Urim and Thummim. It puts Emma Smith's so-called "Last Testimony" after the testimony of the 3 and 8 witnesses and before the testimony of Joseph Smith. 

Here is how the MI study edition explains the translation:

Joseph generally translated by putting a seer stone in his hat and then placing his face in the hat to block out the ambient light while he dictated to scribes. There is still no consensus among LDS scholars as to how the translation process worked. Some think that Joseph received spiritual impressions through the seer stone that he then put into his own words, while others believe—along with the early eyewitnesses—that Joseph read aloud a preexisting translation that appeared in the stone. Joseph himself never gave any details and simply asserted that it was done “through the gift and power of God” (title page).

That last sentence is the latest theme of the SITH scholars, but it is false. 

Joseph did not "simply assert" it was done "through the gift and power of God." He declared he translated the record "through the medium of the Urim and Thummim" that came with the plates. 

You won't find what Joseph wrote in the Wentworth letter, for example:

With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rims of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.

Maybe someday the Maxwell Institute will publish a second edition of their study edition that does not promote M2C and SITH by censoring Church history, but unfortunately that seems unlikely. These two theories are deeply entrenched at this point.

More likely, any future study edition will teach readers EMET.
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Still, there are a lot of good things happening at the Maxwell Institute and so long as they don't impose M2C and SITH, we can all appreciate their good work.