Difference between revisions of "Book of Mormon geography/Models/Limited/Meldrum 2003/Introduction"

High culture

• The presenter claims that Central America has become a popular location for Book of Mormon lands because they had a "high culture." The presenter asks: "When have the Lord's people ever been the highest culture?" The presenter claims that Israelites were "living on the mountains" and that the Lord's people have never been the "largest, greatest culture."

• What did Joseph Smith have to say about this? The presenter ignores the words of Joseph Smith on this matter. Joseph claimed that the Book of Mormon people had "high culture:"

...a great and a mighty people had inhabited this continent-that the arts sciences and religion, had prevailed to a very great extent, and that there was as great and mighty cities on this continent as on the continent of Asia. Babylon, Ninevah, nor any of the ruins of the Levant could boast of more perfect sculpture, better architectural designs, and more imperishable ruins, than what are found on this continent. (Joseph Smith, Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, [original edition] (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1984). ISBN 0877479747. GL direct link) (emphasis added)

• As noted below, the words "this content" are defined by Webster's 1828 dictionary as the Western continent, comprising the North and South American landmass.
• The search for a "high culture" area is also necessitated by the Book of Mormon text, since it describes a civilization with kings, cities, trade, settled agriculture, and writing. Mesoamerican theorists point out that only in Mesoamerica is there evidence of literacy and record-keeping.

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