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*'''Actual Place Names = Book of Mormon Place Names''' | *'''Actual Place Names = Book of Mormon Place Names''' | ||
*'''<span style="color:red">Alma</span> = Alma, Valley of'''—In the area indicated on the Holley map, modern maps show that there is a small, unincorporated community called Centerville, also known as Alma, in Tyler County, West Virginia, United States. Coordinates: 39°25′55″N 80°50′24″W. However, when we view the 1822 map of Virginia, we cannot find the name "Alma" anywhere. | *'''<span style="color:red">Alma</span> = Alma, Valley of'''—In the area indicated on the Holley map, modern maps show that there is a small, unincorporated community called Centerville, also known as Alma, in Tyler County, West Virginia, United States. Coordinates: 39°25′55″N 80°50′24″W. However, when we view the 1822 map of Virginia, we cannot find the name "Alma" anywhere. | ||
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+ | [[File:Location.of.alma.jpg|700 px]] | ||
+ | [[File:Vernal.holley.name.list.jpg|400 px]] | ||
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*'''<span style="color:green">Antrim</span> = Antum'''—"Antrim Township" is located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It was named after County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The township was organized in 1741. | *'''<span style="color:green">Antrim</span> = Antum'''—"Antrim Township" is located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It was named after County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The township was organized in 1741. | ||
*'''<span style="color:blue">Antioch</span> = <span style="color:red">Anti-Anti</span>'''—The name "Anti-Anti" doesn't even appear in the Book of Mormon, nor does the biblical name "Antioch." | *'''<span style="color:blue">Antioch</span> = <span style="color:red">Anti-Anti</span>'''—The name "Anti-Anti" doesn't even appear in the Book of Mormon, nor does the biblical name "Antioch." | ||
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*'''<span style="color:blue">Land of Midian</span> = Land of Midian'''—The name "Land of Midian" is from the Bible and it is located in Egypt. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places. We are unable to locate a "Midian" or "Land of Midian" on any modern map of Pennsylvania. | *'''<span style="color:blue">Land of Midian</span> = Land of Midian'''—The name "Land of Midian" is from the Bible and it is located in Egypt. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places. We are unable to locate a "Midian" or "Land of Midian" on any modern map of Pennsylvania. | ||
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[[Image:Holley Geography 1.png|thumb|250 px|right|('''Click to enlarge''') Geography as proposed by Vernal Holley (1983). Z = proposed city of Zarahemla site. Bright blue line is the model's "River Sidon." Names in red represent towns not in existence at the time of the Book of Mormon's publication. Note that the maps available at Mazeministries contain the following errors: 1) Jerusalem and Jacobsburg are too far apart; 2) Alma is too far to the east; 3) Mount Ephrim should be north-east, not north-west of Sherbrooke.]] | [[Image:Holley Geography 1.png|thumb|250 px|right|('''Click to enlarge''') Geography as proposed by Vernal Holley (1983). Z = proposed city of Zarahemla site. Bright blue line is the model's "River Sidon." Names in red represent towns not in existence at the time of the Book of Mormon's publication. Note that the maps available at Mazeministries contain the following errors: 1) Jerusalem and Jacobsburg are too far apart; 2) Alma is too far to the east; 3) Mount Ephrim should be north-east, not north-west of Sherbrooke.]] | ||
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<!--[[File:Modern map corresponding to holley map.jpg|thumb|250 px|right]]--> | <!--[[File:Modern map corresponding to holley map.jpg|thumb|250 px|right]]--> | ||
[[File:CES.Letter.Great.Lakes.Map.jpg|thumb|250 px|right|('''Click to enlarge''') An illustration of some of the geographical errors present in the version of the Holley geography that is used in "A Letter to a CES Director"]] | [[File:CES.Letter.Great.Lakes.Map.jpg|thumb|250 px|right|('''Click to enlarge''') An illustration of some of the geographical errors present in the version of the Holley geography that is used in "A Letter to a CES Director"]] | ||
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+ | Not only are the ''names'' claimed to be similar to those in the Book of Mormon, but also that the ''locations of those names'' are similar. In addition, since some of these names could have easily been taken from the Bible instead of the surrounding region, one must assume that their inclusion on the map also implies that their geographical locations relative to one another are important. | ||
Looking at the geography, it is clear from Holley's map that a number of locations have been selected to make the names match the existing geography. Some examples: | Looking at the geography, it is clear from Holley's map that a number of locations have been selected to make the names match the existing geography. Some examples: |
It is claimed that Joseph Smith is clearly the author of the Book of Mormon because many Book of Mormon place names supposedly have clear evidence of "borrowing" from geographic locations in the United States and Canada.
Examples of this include:
Book of Mormon City | Claimed Source | Book of Mormon City | Claimed Source |
---|---|---|---|
Teancum | Tecumseh | Ramah | Rama |
Moron | Morin | Ogath | Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec |
Morianton | Moraviantown | Angola | Angola |
Onidah | Oneida | Kishkumen | Kiskiminetas |
Jacobugath | Jacobsburg | Jerusalem | Jerusalem |
Alma | Alma | Land of Lehi-Nephi | Lehigh |
Shilom | Shiloh | Ripliancum | Ripple Lake, Ontario |
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]
The original idea behind this proposal was that Joseph picked up these place names and locations from a map in order to create his Book of Mormon geography. However, once it becomes apparent that the locations are in the wrong place, critics who support this proposal then fall back to the claim that the locations of the names are actually unimportant.
After the geography is thrown out, we are simply left with a list of names that Joseph supposedly found on a 19th-century map. However, once it also becomes obvious that many of the place names that were allegedly located on a 19th century map did not exist at the time that Joseph was dictating the Book of Mormon, the entire theory falls apart. Of the few that actually did exist, some of these names represent extremely small, distant sites about which Joseph almost certainly could have had no knowledge.
So critics rely on names which are in the wrong place, which didn't exist during Joseph's time, and which were too small and distant for him to be aware of. The final blow to this theory is that they also overlook the Biblical source for their American "parallels," which are far more likely and plausible than giving Joseph an encyclopedic knowledge of North American place names. Even if critics insist that Joseph forged the Book of Mormon, isn't the Bible a far more likely source for these names than obscure hamlets hundreds of miles away, which did not appear on a map, and most of which didn't even exist with those names at that time?
The Book of Mormon contains 345 names. The theory, proposed by Vernal Holley and posted by Mazeministries, is that 28 of these names were derived by Joseph Smith by looking at the names of places in the surrounding region, then altering the names slightly to create a map of Book of Mormon lands. The original map from which the author obtained this information included names of places which didn't even exist in Joseph Smith's time.
The following correspondences are listed. In order to obtain this list of parallels, a huge geographical area must be scanned: Five states and two Canadian provinces yield this list of parallels, and it gets even smaller when one actually tries to locate many of these places on a map. In the list below,
Not only are the names claimed to be similar to those in the Book of Mormon, but also that the locations of those names are similar. In addition, since some of these names could have easily been taken from the Bible instead of the surrounding region, one must assume that their inclusion on the map also implies that their geographical locations relative to one another are important.
Looking at the geography, it is clear from Holley's map that a number of locations have been selected to make the names match the existing geography. Some examples:
Notes
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