Warfare in the Book of Mormon

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Warfare in the Book of Mormon

Jump to details:

• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Defense
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Oaths taken by warriors
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Seasonality of Warfare
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Tactics
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Secret combinations
• Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Weapons

Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Defense

Jump to details:

• Question: Is the armor described in the Book of Mormon consistent with armor used in ancient Mesoamerica?
• Question: Are the fortifications described in the Book of Mormon consistent with those built in ancient Mesoamerica?
• Question: Are gunpowder, pistols or firearms mentioned in the Book of Mormon?

Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Oaths taken by warriors

Jump to details:

• Terrence L. Szink: "An oath of allegiance is administered...The well-known title­ of-liberty episode in Alma 46 of the Book of Mormon includes an interesting example of just such an oath"
• Mark J. Morrise: "The simile curse is a type of curse that appears in ancient Near Eastern, Old Testament, and Book of Mormon texts"
• John W. Welch: "people of Ammon...the grant of this exceptional privilege was consistent with ancient Israelite law"
• Stephen D. Ricks: "every conflict...was considered to be prosecuted under the divine direction of the gods or of God"
• Donald W. Parry: "This prophetic symbolic action by Isaiah represented a prophetic curse that destruction and ruin would come upon the Egyptians"

Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Seasonality of Warfare

Summary: A fascinating issue on climate is the seasons of war and agriculture described in the Book of Mormon, mostly between Alma 9 and Alma 47. Several examples provide specific months and days of the battle (e.g., Alma 16:1). A comparison of the seasons of war and agriculture between the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerica shows a high correlation.

Jump to details:

• John L. Sorenson: "war was normally carried on by the pre-Columbian inhabitants during a short annual period"
• Question: Why do most of the battles in the Book of Mormon occur between the 11th and 3rd months of the year, and none in the 6th through 9th months?

Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Tactics and strategy

Jump to details:

• Question: What is known about battle tactics in Book of Mormon?
• Question: What is known about strategy in Book of Mormon warfare?
• John W. Welch: "Alma effectively showed in the record that this fate befell them in accordance with divine law"
• John W. Welch: "On closer examination, however, even war cannot be conducted successfully in a total state of anarchy or chaos"

Warfare in the Book of Mormon: Secret combinations

Jump to details:

• Bruce W. Warren: "The source of secret combinations in the Book of Mormon"

Weapons in the Book of Mormon

Jump to details:

• Bows and arrows in the Book of Mormon
• Book of Mormon anachronisms: Cimeters/Scimeters
• Slings in the Book of Mormon
• Book of Mormon warfare: Swords

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Source(s) of the criticism

Critical sources

John Dehlin, "Why People Leave the LDS Church," (2008).

Notes