I was reading Dragonmystic's post a minute ago, and the part about the "maps" being "vague" got me to thinking ...

According to LDS beliefs, the Bible has been "corrupted" over time - mis-translated, misunderstood, etc. This is due to the evils of mankind, and to the sands of time.

It would seem, then, that with an uncorrupted heart and far less time, that the "true" information would be in much sharper focus. Wouldn't it make sense for the maps in the book of mormon to be much MORE exact? After all, they are "ancient", but they have been safe from corruption, hidden in a stone box, for thousands and thousands of years, and when JS pulled them out and published them for all to see, there was no other man who could have "corrupted" the information.

Why, then, aren't the maps in the BOM much clearer than the ones in the Bible?

Yes. It makes sense for the locations and geography for the book of mormon maps to be much more clear than the ones in a "corrupted" book like the bible. Especially since maps were available for the americas at the time the bom was "translated".

This issue shows that the geography described in the bom and the corresponding maps are as valid as the map showing the route from the shire to mordor in the front cover of the lord of the rings. The geography of the biblical lands can be tied to modern maps because it actually exists as described and the bible has valid historical tie ins.

God needed to invent Google first.

Did the original version have maps?

...but if you're referring to the geography described in the BOM, it cannot be matched with any known areas. Various Mormon writers over the years have drawn vague parallels between BOM descriptions and certain locales, but there is no actual evidence to connect them to BOM people or events.

In fact, some Mormon scholars believe that the BOM's events occurred somewhere in Central America, while others theorize that it all took place somewhere in the Great Lakes region. The fact that the two camps are so far apart on their proposed geography demonstrates that they really have no idea where any of it occurred. And of course, that means that they can't show that any of it occurred at all.

I'll try harder next time! ;)

A young man with a big imagination that lived in Palmyra NY fantasizes about early settlers and the Indians. When the mind runs wild with the imagination, one can dream up all kinds of stories. How did a race of people come to America? What life style did they live? Did they have riches like the Incas? Only the imagination knows for sure.

The area that the young man grew up in is the same area that the fantasy takes place in. Write what you know, it's more believable than writing about what you don't know. Make up stuff to fill in the blanks and the story will have some facts making it all appear believable.

Plagiarize a couple of books for details and facts, add that to your story and even you might believe it's true, or at least could be.

The truth is Smith was a narcissist having a huge ego, he boasted that he was superior to everyone around. He used the book "View of the Hebrew's; or the Tribes of Israel in America" and the bible, complete with all it's faults, and wrote the book of Mormon. His writing was so poor that the printer refused to print the pages if he couldn't edit the poor writing. Smith refused at first saying that this was directly translated from God himself, but later allowed the grammar corrections. Over 3,900 mistakes and changes so far, I ask you this, is God illiterate? Smith was.

Later Smith met up with a traveling Egyptian display that he bought the papyrus and claimed it to be the story of Abraham. Since proven to be from the Egyptian book of the dead, it's Osiris' funeral, nothing more.

Smith never imagined that the world would evolve and the internet would be born. All his lies have been proven to be lies but yet the church continues, they need revenue, so pay your tithing and don't worry, God will provide. At least God is providing the church with 10% of your money.

Spoiler alert: The Book of Mormon is shoddy fiction

Christ, I wanted to read it again, but now you have ruined the ending.

Sorry, I won't give away the book of Abraham

Nobody should give anybody the book of Abraham.

There are no maps. There never were in the BoM.

That they weren't originally there when they were "translated" never bothered me as a Mormon. What DID bother me was that nobody could seem to construct a good map from the words of the BoM.

When you have a book set in a real place (or a fantasy place with an obsessive author) you can easily track the motions of the people in it and their locations.

Historians can do that by working backwards if they need to, using how long people took to get places, the climate, and stuff. But they could never seem to do that to the BoM. Whenever they try, it's always this nebulous thing, with a forest that takes a variable time to get through, from hours to months. Sometimes between the same places. All that they can consistently agree on is that there are "Seas westward and Eastward" fairly close together--which is why people try to say it happens on the Central American Isthmus. (Anwhere from current day southern Mexico to Panama)

That's what I was taught in Seminary. But even then it always bugged me because then you had to get the Book of Mormon up to the Hill Cumorah up in New York. Are you telling me that Native Americans in the Costa Rica area chased Moroni, the last Nephite, all the way up to New York? I mean, I know they were mad at him, but SERIOUSLY? I mean, I would give up before Mexico, even if that!. That just seems like a ridiculous amount of effort to kill one man!

Looking back on it, it's obvious why nobody will say definitely where it is: because they can't. It's a made up book, and the discrepancies between distances isn't because the Lord made one group get lost for weeks on end in a journey that took another group a day, but because Joe didn't use a map when he was writing the made-up book!

It makes me angry whenever people talk about the "limited-geography" model...because limited to WHERE!?

Mormons are quickly running out of spots to hide their geography as technology marches on.

Just stumbled on this thread. Bravo and amen. BP up a little b/c so many ppl still believe the lie.....and sing, "Follow The Prophet". I don't keep up with the 'church' much but wonder if he's had any new revelations? Why can't he etch out a map?