FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon/Money
Contents
Criticism
Critics claim that Book of Mormon references to Nephite coins is an anachronism, as coins were not used either in ancient America or Israel during Lehi's day.
Source(s) of the Criticism
- Duwayne R. Anderson, Farewell to Eden: Coming to Terms with Mormonism and Science (Bloomington, IN: 1st Books Library, 2003), 240, note 125.
- John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 285–86.
- John L. Smith, "What about those Gold Plates?" The Utah Evangel 33:6 (September 1986): 8.
Response
The text of the Book of Mormon does not mention coins. The pieces of gold and silver described in Alma 11꞉1-20 are not coins, but a surprisingly sophisticated[1] system of weights and measures that is consistent with ancient proto-monetary practices.
The mention of "Nephite coinage" in the chapter heading of Alma 11 in the 1981 LDS Book of Mormon is in error. The chapter headings are not part of the inspired text.
Endnotes
- [note] See "The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": Table 1 and Table 2, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999); John W. Welch, "Did the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica use a system of weights and scales in measuring goods & their values?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). link; John W. Welch, "Weighing & Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). [36–46] link
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
Book of Mormon/Money
FAIR web site
- FairMormon Topical Guide: Book of Mormon Anachronisms FairMormon link
- Michael Ash, "Book of Mormon Anachronisms Part 6: Compass, Coins, and Other Miscellaneous" PDF link
External links
- Michael Ash, "Coins in the Book of Mormon"] (MormonFortress.com) off-site
- Jeff Lindsay, "Why Are 'Coins' Mentioned in the Book of Mormon Before The Invention of Coins?" (LightPlanet.com) off-site
- John W. Welch, "Did the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica use a system of weights and scales in measuring goods & their values?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). link
- John W. Welch, "Weighing & Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). [36–46] link
- "The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": Table 1 and Table 2, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999).