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Mar262011
Archaeology
The scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, especially those that have been excavated.
— Dictionary.com
— Dictionary.com
If the Book of Mormon is an authentic historical record of real people, language, and cultures, then we would expect to find tangible evidences that corroborate it—unless of course it is a work of Joseph Smith's imagination.
The Archaeological Record
Comparing the Book of Mormon narrative with the Archaeological record.| Book of Mormon | Archaeology |
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People Nephites, Lamanites, Mulekites. Jews are the principle ancestors of the indigenous inhabitants. |
Book of Mormon peoples are unknown. Analysis demonstrates indigenous inhabitants are of Asian descent.
Evidence indicates extremely strong biological and cultural affinities between New World and Asian populations and leave no doubt that the first migrants into the Americas were Asians, possibly from Siberia.
Michael H. Crawford Dept. of Anthropology University of Kansas The Origins of Native Americans, p.3-4 |
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Geography The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides no answer as to where the events in the Book of Mormon take place. See Book of Mormon Locations |
Because of this vacuum, Mormon apologists and members are left to speculate, of which there is no consensus:
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Language Reformed Egyptian and possibly Hebrew. |
The Book of Mormon suddenly appears with no other extant copies, fragments, quotations, citations, inscriptions, engravings, carvings, parchments, scrolls, etc. found. Hebrew and Egyptian have never been found in the ancient New World.
Of all the peoples of the pre-Columbian New World, only the ancient Maya had a complete script.
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Agriculture Wheat, Barley, Figs |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Animals Cattle, oxen, ass, horses, goats, sheep, swine, elephants |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Coinage Alma 11.5-20 |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Industry Chariots, Compass, Windows |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Metallurgy Steel, Smelting, Dross |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Weaponry Chariots, Steel Swords, Archery, Scimitars |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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Religion Judaism, Christianity, Synagogues |
See Book of Mormon Anachronisms
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New World Archaeological Funding (NWAF)
The NWAF is part of BYU. It was financed from inception by the church to perform archaeological research for Book of Mormon evidences throughout Mesoamerica. After 17 fruitless years, its founder, Thomas Stuart Ferguson, lost his testimony and declared:
You can't set Book of Mormon geography down anywhere — because it is fictional and will never meet the requirements of the dirt-archaeology. I should say — what is in the ground will never confirm to what is in the book.
Smithsonian Institute
The Smithsonian Institute has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archaeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.
National Geographic
Smith's narration is not generally taken as a scientific source for the history of the Americas. Archaeologists and other scholars have long probed the hemisphere's past, and the Society does not know of anything found so far that has substantiated the Book of Mormon.
Conclusion
The Book of Mormon is an unverified translation from non-existent records written in an unknown language by unknown people from an unknown land.
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