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The Book of Mormon is the most printed book of the nineteenth century. The Church of Latter Day Saints(LDS) has financed countless archeological searches for evidence to support the stories from the Book of Mormon. There is nothing found in the last 190 years that could be considered valid evidence. As the chairman of the School/Department of Archeology at BYU says, “Archeology is silent on the Book of Mormon”. Go figure that one.
Dennis, I’m afraid you have received some incorrect information. It is true that the Church provided funding for the New World Archaeological Foundation, but they also informed that Foundation that they were to do good work and not to speculate (as part of the work of the Foundation) about the relationship of archaeology and the Book of Mormon. I worked for them for a while one summer, and that was explicit instructions I received.
Similarly, you have pulled a statement from Dr. Metheny out of its context.I suspect that wouldn’t be your fault because I have seen that quotation passed around quite a bit.
As for the relationship between texts and archaeology, it would do for you to be more aware of some of the issues in correlating the Bible to archaeology. Since they know where to look, there are some correlations, but there is still much that isn’t known. In the New World, and study was done on the Codex Xolotl to see how well it matched with archaeological evidence. There was little correlation.
There is, in fact, quite of bit of archaeological evidence that correlates with the Book of Mormon. You might check that before accepting some of the Internet rumors that are too easy to dismiss.
I greatly enjoyed this article. It expounds on beliefs that I have held for a while, namely that the later writers of the small plates were not lazy, unrighteous, or uninspired simply because they strove to preserve space on the plates. I am very glad to have additional support for my interpretations! Thank you very much for taking the time to write this excellent treatise.
I can’t help but notice the parallels with our modern open canon, which started with a burst of revelation, but then slowed to a trickle, and currently we haven’t added to it in 40 years.
Thanks for your comment. I hadn’t considered this parallel, but it may help any with concerns about limited growth in our canon. The article suggests that the limited small-plate record needn’t indicate a lack of prophecy or revelation. It appears that, during the 200 years covered by the book of Omni, prophetic leadership continued unabated even though the small-plate record grew very little. Today’s circumstances are somewhat different, but our official canon hasn’t grown recently. Nevertheless, God’s word continues to flow to prophets. Of course, God has promised to provide us with much more scripture as we faithfully use all we have received (see Ether 4:7).
These conclusions only become likely when The Book of Mormon is read as a whole record rather than reading verses and chapters in isolation. I enjoyed and was persuaded by your conclusions.
Thanks. There are so many resources available today to help us read the Book of Mormon as a whole record. The greater context helps us better understand this amazing testament of Jesus Christ.