FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Book of Mormon > New World Context

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to New World Context. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

• Anachronisms [107]
• Archaeology and the Book of Mormon [67]
• Geography [14]
• Queztlcoatl [1]

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

"Book of Mormon demographics," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article examines the claim that the initial Lehite colony is too small to produce the population sizes indicated.

Michael R. Ash, Were the Lehites Alone in the Americas?. This FAIR Brochure gives evidence that the Lehites were a small part of a pre-existing cultural mix.

Brant A. Gardner, "A Real People, Time and Place: Contextualizing the Book of Mormon," (2000 FAIR Conference presentation.) The Book of Mormon as Mesoamerican culturals.

Brant A. Gardner, "A Social History of the Early Nephites," (2001 FAIR Conference presentation.) This essay demonstrates several of the ways in which the Book of Mormon fits an ancient Mesoamerican context.

Brant A. Gardner, "A Social History of the Early Nephites," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, May 2003) Learn about striking similarities between events in the Book of Mormon and during the same timeframe in Central America.

Brant A. Gardner, "The Case for Historicity: Discerning the Book of Mormon's Production Culture," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2004) Gardner's essay was delivered at the 2004 FAIR Conference and analyzes hints within the Book of Mormon that confirms that it was produced in an ancient American setting.

Brant A. Gardner, "The Gadianton Robbers in Mormon's Theological History: Their Structural Role and Plausible Identification," (2002 FAIR Conference presentation.)

Matthew Roper, "Nephi's Neighbors: Book of Mormon Peoples and Pre-Columbian Populations," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, January 2005) Critics of Book of Mormon historicity frequently rely on a particular premise to argue their case: Native Americans are all descended from Lehi and that non-Lehite ancestry is minor if not altogether non-existent. To prove this point, these critics turn to statements made by early LDS leaders as well as to specific verses in the Book of Mormon itself. These same critics also argue that the idea that the Lehites may have integrated into a pre-existing culture and that Lehite genetic material may form a minuscule part of modern day Amerindian genes is a recent invention by LDS apologists. In his paper, Roper looks at the evidence and arguments used by advocates of the Lehi-only ancestry theory. He points out that statements by early leaders do not exclude the possibility of significant non-Lehite cultures before, during, and after the Book of Mormon period. Roper also shows how the idea of a limited geography Book of Mormon and an extra-Lehite cultural environment is not new at all, but has been suggested from the earliest days of the Church by a number of LDS individuals and publications. Roper concludes that although "the assumption that Native Americans are of exclusively Israelite heritage" such an assumption is neither canonical nor revelatory, that many Latter-day Saints have held the belief in extra-Lehite cultures, and that neither the Book of Mormon nor scriptural revelations prohibit other nations and cultures from existing in the New World. Instead "they insist upon a place for Israel in the ancestral heritage of Native Americans, but they do not insist upon an exclusive one.

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

"Book of Mormon Update," Ensign, April 1992, 62. Democratic government in ancient America, silk and linen in the Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon references to Deity.

Allen J. Christenson, "Chiasmus in Mayan Texts," Ensign, October 1988, 28. New research suggests that the Book of Mormon and old mesoamerican texts have something in common--a now-familiar Near Eastern literary device called chiasmus.

C. Wilfred Griggs, "The Tree of Life in Ancient Cultures," Ensign, June 1988, 27. This symbol from antiquity finds a full and highly consistent portrayal in the Book of Mormon.

Lane Johnson, "Who and Where Are the Lamanites?," Ensign, December 1975, 15.

V. Garth Norman, "What is the current status of research concerning the 'Tree of Life' carving from Chiapas, Mexico?," Ensign, June 1985, 54.

John L. Sorenson, "Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 1," Ensign, September 1984, 27.

John L. Sorenson, "Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 2," Ensign, October 1984, 12.

John A. Tvedtnes, "Since the Book of Mormon is largely the record of a Hebrew people, is the writing characteristic of the Hebrew language?," Ensign, October 1986, 64.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

"New Light: Smithsonian Statement on the Book of Mormon Revisted," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 77

Stewart W. Brewer, "The History of an Idea: The Scene on Stela 5 from Izapa, Mexico, as a Representation of Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 12-21 Many LDS are familiar with the "Tree of Life Stone" from Stela 5 in Izapa, Mexico. Brewer some of the history regarding the LDS perspectives of this find and some of the directions new research is taking.

Allen J. Christenson, "The Sacred Tree of the Ancient Maya," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 1-23 Are their parallels between the Mayan Sacred Tree and the Book of Mormon's Tree of Life?

John E. Clark, "A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5: A Step Toward Improved Interpretation," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 22-23 Professional Mesoamerican archaeologist, John E. Clark (LDS) examines current research on Izapa Stela 5 (dubbed the "Tree of Life Stone" by many LDS) and the claim that it may have connections to the ancient Old World or the Book of Mormon.

John Gee, "New and Old Light on Shawabtis From Mesoamerica," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 64-69 In 1992 FARMS published a notice that two Egyptian shawbtis (figurines) had been discovered in Mesoamerica in the 1920s. Gee takes a new look at these Egyptian figurines and questions their authenticity.

Ray C. Hilam, "The Gadianton Robbers and Protracted War," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The Gadianton wars were different from most other wars in the Book of Mormon in that they were internal, often covert, and protracted. In part they grew out of internal dissent stemming from alienation and were fueled by a satanic lust for power. The characteristics of these protracted wars, are like some of the insurgencies and counterinsurgencies of modern times. Since World War II we have witnessed many forms of such wars in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa--strikingly similar to those in the Gadianton era.

Wallace E. Hunt, Jr., "The Marketplace," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1995), 138-141 Helman 7:10 speaks of the "chief market" near a highway. Wallace shows that the "marketplace" was central to Mesoamerican activities.

Benjamin R. Jordan, "Volcanic Destruction in the Book of Mormon: Possible Evidence from Ice Cores," JBMS (City Unknown: FARMS, 2003), 78-87 The destruction in 3 Nephi suggests that Book of Mormon lands experience volcanic activity around the time of the Savior's death. Jordan examines evidence that indicates that the likely Mesoamerican lands in which the Nephites lived did, in fact, experience volcanic activity in about 3-40 AD.

Bart J. Kowallis, "In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologist’s View of the Great Destruction in 3 Nephi," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) Geological studies and eyewitness accounts of volcanic activity show the likelihood that the massive destruction reported in 3 Nephi was caused by an explosive volcanic eruption. About three hundred years ago, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption occurred off of the northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea. No written history of this eruption exists, but local legends abound concerning the event. In 1970, Russell Blong began collecting many of these legends and piecing together the effects of the eruption. The native legends refer to this period as the “time of darkness”: "I am going to tell the story of darkness. I am going to tell the story of the great darkness which appeared on this ground/area. I did not see it. People told me and so I know it. It was while they were asleep, in the night, that it was so dark on this earth, and they slept/lay for about three nights. And when they took flares and went up the hills and made signs, going with flares in the pitch blackness, they said: Can you see my flare? But the flares did not light up the place! So they said: No!"

Jerry K. Loveland, "Hagoth and the Polynesian Tradition," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) In what amounts to an aside in the story of the Book of Mormon peoples, there is in the 63rd chapter of Alma a brief reference to a “curious man” named Hagoth. What we have here, is an account of a colonizing movement of men, women, and children who went out in ships presumably into the Pacific Ocean sometime between 53 and 57 B.C. And they were never heard of again. According to tacit Mormon belief, Hagoth sailed into the Pacific where he and his shipload (or shiploads) of people became at least part of the progenitors of the Polynesian people. The primary question we will deal with in this essay, then, is whether there is any evidence from Polynesia itself to support the Latter-day Saint contention that Hagoth and his people were among the ancestors of the present-day Polynesians.

Garth L. Mangum, "The Economics of the Book of Mormon: Joseph Smith as Translator or Commentator," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1993), 78-89 From 1830 to the present those who find it difficult to accept "angelic visitations in the age of railroads" have searched Joseph Smith's nineteenth-century environment for sources of the subject matter of the Book of Mormon. For example, in 1990 Susan Curtis explains the economic subthemes of the book as Joseph Smith's commentary on "market capitalism." But the economic conditions of Joseph Smith's time and place are not reflected in the Book of Mormon. Its economic descriptions are consistent with our vast knowledge of the economic conditions of the ancient Middle East and not inconsistent with the little known of the economics of Mesoamerica of the relevant time period. Those more comfortable with Joseph Smith as universal commentator on the issues of his day would be well advised to ignore economics or limit that topic to the Doctrine and Covenants. Those who accept him as translator of ancient scriptural documents can gain additional reassurance from the economics of the Book of Mormon.

Paul Mouritsen, "Secret Combinations and Flaxen Cords: Anti-Masonic Rhetoric and the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormons Studies (Provo: FARMS, 2003), 64-77 Some critics claim that the Book of Mormon reflects the anti-Masonic rhetoric of Joseph Smith's day.

Steven L. Olsen, "Cosmic Urban Symbolism in the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The Book of Mormon's full significance cannot be reduced to early nineteenth- century American concerns. This article examines a basic aspect of the Book of Mormon which is viewed more adequately from the perspective of ancient civilizations rather than that of the American frontier. Ancient world civilizations believed that the perceived order of territorial environment, in its “natural” and built-up features, revealed the structure of a sacred universe. The epitome of this symbolic order was a capital city or ceremonial center. “In those religions which held that human order was brought into being at the creation of the world there was a pervasive tendency to dramatize the cosmogony by constructing on earth a reduced version of the cosmos, usually in the form of a state capital.” Characteristic of complex societies throughout the ancient world, this phenomenon is referred to as cosmic urban symbolism. The principles of cosmic urban symbolism account for many ideas and events in the Book of Mormon which are otherwise unexplained within a nineteenth-century American context.

Daniel C. Peterson, ""Secret Combinations" Revisted:," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1992), 184-188 Dr. Peterson looks at the accusation that the Book of Mormon's "Gadianton Robbers" reflect anti-Masonic sentiments of Joseph Smith's day.

Gerald Smith, And It Came To Pass in Maya and Book of Mormon.

Gerald Smith, Finding the Nephites in America.

Gerald Smith, Incan Legends and the Book of Mormon.

Gerald Smith, Samaipata, Pre-Incan Religious Fortress.

Gerald Smith, The Maya and Mormonism. Discusses Michael D. Coe's book, "Breaking the Maya Code" and how issues brought up in the book tie into Book of Mormon archaeology.

Gerald Smith, The Peruvian Heart, and Egyptian Tie.

John L. Sorenson and Brian D. Stubbs, "Was There Hebrew Language in Ancient America?," JBMS (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000), 54-63 John Sorenson interviews linguist Brian Stubbs regarding the possiblity that traces of Hebrew can be found in some Native American languages.

John L. Sorenson and Brian Stubbs, "Was There Hebrew Language in Ancient America?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) Dr. Sorenson interviews linguist Brian Stubbs (who specializes in Near Eastern and Native American languages) who has found some interesting paralles between the Hebrew and Uto-Aztecan languges.

John L. Sorenson, "When Lehi's Part Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1992), 1-34

Brian D. Stubbs, "Looking Over vs. Overlooking: Native American Languages: Let's Void the Void," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1996), 1-49 The time-depth of the Romance language family (ca. 2,000 years) yields an abundance of similarities among languages descended from Latin: Spanish, French, Italian, and so forth. The time-depth of Lehi is not much greater (2,600 years), yet no similar abundance of accepted linguistic evidence for Lehi's presence in the Americas has emerged. Is this because of a lack of evidence or a lack of looking? We cannot know until we look. The relative absence of effort in Native American languages relevant to Book of Mormon research is a huge void in Latter-day Saint scholarly endeavor. This paper discusses the value of and need to void this existing void, and presents from one Native American language family an example of the possibilities.

John W. Welch, "Did the ancient peoples of mesoamerica use a system of weights and scales in measuring goods and their values?," JBMS (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999), 36-46 How does the Book of Mormon system of weights and measure compare to what we know from Ancient America?

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