"of worth unto my brethren"

The first verse of Moroni relates something important if we have eyes to read and minds to think.

4 Wherefore, I write a few more things, contrary to that which I had supposed; for I had supposed not to have written any more; but I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord.

(Moroni 1:4)

Mormon had explained that he "made this record out of the plates of Nephi" when he was at Cumorah.

(Mormon 6:6)

Moroni reiterated this when he told Joseph Smith that "this history was written and deposited not far from that place," referring to Joseph's home near Palmyra, New York.

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/69

Because Moroni was writing for his brethren, the Lamanites, it makes sense that he deposited the record in the area where they lived; i.e., western New York.

Cumorah "not far from" Joseph's home

That first night Moroni identified the location of the record by name: 

"the record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place remove the Grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone pry that up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars."

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41

Joseph Smith explained he knew about Cumorah before he even got the plates. 

"And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed." 

(Doctrine and Covenants 128:20)

This is all common sense, well documented in Church history.

Next, we consider what Moroni meant by "my brethren, the Lamanites."

Mission to the Lamanites

We know from D&C 28, 30, and 32 that the Lord described the Indians in New York, Ohio and Missouri as Lamanites when he commanded Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, and Peter Whitmer to go on a mission "to the Lamanites." They taught members of the Seneca, Wyandot, and Delaware nations.

- Moroni wrote his part of the record so it would be of worth to his brethren, the Lamanites. 

- That history was "written and deposited" not far from Joseph's home. 

- Cumorah is about three miles from Joseph's home. 

- The Lamanites, whom Moroni identified as his brethren, were the Indians living in western New York and those tribes who had been pushed westward from their ancestral homes.

Joseph Smith teaching the Lamanites

While in Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph Smith told the Sac and Fox Indians who lived in the area that the Book of Mormon was the record of their ancestors.

He also wrote the "Wentworth letter" which described the Book of Mormon. Joseph adapted an 1840 pamphlet by Orson Pratt and replaced Orson's speculation about Central America by writing that the remnant of Lehi's people "are the Indians that now inhabit this country." 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/times-and-seasons-1-march-1842/5

For a comparison between Orson's pamphlet and the Wentworth letter, see 

https://www.mobom.org/wentworth-orson-pratt

So far, so good.

_____

But some LDS scholars reject all of that. They claim the early accounts about Cumorah in New York were all false speculation by the people involved. They claim that the "real Cumorah" is somewhere in southern Mexico, hence the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory ("M2C").

The M2Cers claim that instead of the history being "written and deposited not far from" Joseph's home, it was actually "written" thousands of miles away. 

Then, according to them, Moroni went on a long solitary march of thousands of miles to deposit the records in western New York, an area where his "brethren, the Lamanites" had never visited during the thousand-year history recorded in the Book of Mormon.

The M2C version of Moroni's route
(click to enlarge)

The M2Cers point to some non-scriptural and non-historical usage of the term "Lamanites" that conveyed a broad, generalized sense of the term to apply to native people throughout the western hemisphere and the Pacific basin. E.g., https://ldsmag.com/who-are-the-descendants-of-the-lamanites/

People can believe whatever they want, of course.

But everyone wants to make informed decisions. And most Latter-day Saints have never heard or seen the references from the Joseph Smith papers set out above.

And we can ask, which makes more sense?

What Joseph, Oliver, Lucy and others reported, versus what modern M2C scholars claim?

"head of the river Sidon"

People are still asking me about the head of the river Sidon. I discussed this almost 10 years ago on this blog, but most people have no idea about that.

I'm reposting it here, with some additions.

Several verses are implicated.

17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.

(1 Nephi 8:17)

 

the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west

(Alma 22:27)

nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side;

(Alma 22:29)

11 And thus he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the river Sidon

(Alma 50:11)

 25 Neither durst they march down against the city of Zarahemla; neither durst they cross the head of Sidon, over to the city of Nephihah.

(Alma 56:25)

The John Sorenson translation--he always writes "headwaters" instead of "head" when he refers to this--seems to have replaced Joseph Smith's translation in the minds of many M2Cers. They think these passages refer to the "source" of the Sidon river, which is one step removed from even the Sorenson translation.

For purposes of this discussion, I'll agree to set aside the Joseph Smith translation in favor of the Sorenson translation. Let's say, for sake of argument, that the "head of Sidon" is the same as "headwaters of Sidon." Now let's look at how the term was used in Joseph's Smith's day.

In the Zarahemla book, p. 273 (2nd Ed.) I pointed out that:

"Even “headwaters” does not always mean the source of a river. In 1842, Jesse W. Crosby kept a journal about his missionary journey from Nauvoo to Michigan. “I set off on a northeasterly course towards Michigan, crossing the headwaters of the Illinois at Ottawa, thence up the Knakakee River.” The Illinois River extends another 30 miles east of Ottawa, so what was Crosby referring to? The Fox River joins the Illinois River at Ottawa. To Crosby, “headwaters” meant a confluence."

I used to live along the Fox River in Illinois. It's not a major river, but it is notable and there are several towns along the river (as in most of the Midwest, people settled along the rivers, just as they did in Book of Mormon times). If I canoed down the Fox River behind our house I would end up entering the Illinois River.

Here's a map showing the "headwaters" vs. the "source" of the Illinois River.

Next, let's see how Oliver Cowdery used the term.

In his Letter VIII, Oliver Cowdery wrote "This gentleman, whose name is Stowel, resided in the town of Bainbridge, on or near the head waters of the Susquehannah river. Some forty miles south, or down the river, in the town of Harmony, Susquehannah county, Pa...." I quoted letter VIII previously here:

https://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2015/08/oliver-cowdery-and-stone-box.html

  

Bainbridge, NY, is at least 40 miles from Cooperstown, the location of the source of the Susquehannah River. (South Bainbridge, today known as Afton, was where Stowell lived, and it is another 5 miles downriver.

Did Oliver not know the source of the river was nowhere near Bainbridge? Of course he did. Then why did he say Stowel resided "on or near" the head waters in Bainbridge?

You can see from the map that tributaries flow into the river at or near Afton. Oliver used the term "head waters" the same way Jesse Crosby did.

Some say "headwaters" may refer to a crossing or bridge. That definition also makes sense in the Book of Mormon. One thing for sure is when Oliver wrote "head waters" he did not mean the source of the river.

These are two actual uses of the term head waters, contemporaneous with Joseph Smith, that don't mean the source. The fact that Oliver Cowdery of all people used the term to mean a confluence should be enough to settle the matter, but I suppose this debate will never be settled until Moroni sets us straight.

_____

Then there is Jonathan Edwards.

Edwards wrote a couple of letters referring to the "head of the river" that anyone can read at the Edwards Center at Yale University. 

As to the affair of preaching the gospel to the Indians, Mr. [Elihu] Spencer went the last fall, far into the western wilderness; to the Oneidas, one of the tribes of Indians called the Six Nations, living on Susquehanna River, towards the head of the river , to a place called by the Indians, Onohquauga, about 180 miles southwest from Albany on Hudson's River, where he continued almost through the winter; and went through many difficulties and hardships, with little or no success, through the failing of his interpreter.

There had been here the last summer a man whose name was Jonah [Tonaughquunnaugus] from Onohquaga, a town of the Oneidas situated on Susquehanna River near the head of the river about 200 miles southwest from Albany. He was one of the principal inhabitants of the town, who, having heard of the things which were doing here for the instruction of the Indians, came to visit this place and make report to his people. 

Naturally, we wonder where this Indian town was located.

Wikipedia explains: Onaquaga (also spelled many other ways) was a large Iroquois village, located on both sides of the Susquehanna River near present-day Windsor, New York. 

Windsor, NY, is about 13 miles upriver from Harmony, Pa, where Joseph translated the abridged plates (which included the passages of Alma quoted above). On the map below, you can see it would take over 4 hours to walk from Windsor, NY (formerly Onaquaga) to Harmony, PA.

(click to enlarge)

The source of the Susquehanna River is Otsego Lake, at Cooperstown, NY, about 67 miles upstream from Windsor, NY. 

Obviously, Edwards was not referring to the source of the Susquehanna River when he referred to the "head of the river." Instead, he referred to the "head of the river" at Onaquaga (now Windsor) because at that location, there is a tributary to the Susquehanna. 

Windsor is about 100 miles from Albany as the crow flies. Edwards said it was "about 180 miles southwest from Albany on Hudson's River" because the Hudson River is on the other side of the watershed from the Susquehanna River. To get to Onaquaga, you can sail down the Hudson part of the way, then paddle upstream to the watershed divide and portage your boat over to one of the rivers on the other side that feeds into the Susquehanna. 

The point is that to Edwards, the "head of the river" was only a few miles upstream from where Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, using that very term. And neither Joseph nor Edwards used it as a synonym for "source."

But people can disagree and still claim Joseph should have dictated the word "source" because (in their minds) that is what Joseph meant. 

Other Latter-day Saints, such as me, prefer Joseph's translation to the Sorenson or other M2C translations.

Another account of the repository in Cumorah in New York

Jesse N. Smith kept a journal from 1834-1906. He was at an evening meeting in Cedar City in February, 1874, when Brigham Young came to visit.

Jesse wrote:

"I heard him at an evening meeting in Cedar City describe an apartment in the Hill Cumorah that some of the brethren had been permitted to enter. He said there was great wealth in the room in sacred implements, vestments, arms, precious metals and precious stones, more than a six-mule team could draw."

You can see this in his published journal here:

https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/391cd59a-72e8-4b45-bf35-9a2e2aadfd22/0/235?lang=eng

  

Simple comparison: scholars vs prophets

In the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, and in the spirit of no more contention, the table below compares two alternative approaches to the Cumorah question.

The purpose is to simplify and clarify the differences while: 

(i) assuming all parties are acting in good faith and 

(ii) seeking understanding of both sides with no contention about "who is correct." 

“All parties should strive to avoid contention on these matters.” 

Cumorah: prophets vs scholars
Prophets	M2C Scholars
New York Cumorah	M2C (Mesoamerican/two-Cumorah’s theory that puts Cumorah in Mexico)
Basic premise
Basic premise: Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, their contemporaries and their successors in Church leadership told the truth about Cumorah/Ramah in New York.	Basic premise: Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, their contemporaries and their successors in Church leadership did not tell the truth about Cumorah but instead were merely speculating because a few RLDS and LDS scholars have figured out that the “real” Cumorah must be in Mexico to make their maps of the Book of Mormon fit.
Specific examples
Moroni called the hill Cumorah during his first visit to Joseph Smith	Joseph Smith, Lucy Mack Smith, and Oliver Cowdery were all wrong
Joseph referred to the hill as Cumorah even before he translated the plates	Lucy Mack Smith was wrong
The messenger took the abridged plates from Harmony to Cumorah	David Whitmer was wrong
Joseph and Oliver visited the repository in Cumorah multiple times	Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball were all wrong
Joseph’s contemporaries and successors in Church leadership, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference, reaffirmed that Cumorah is in New York	They were all wrong.
Who discusses which approach (with no more contention)
Ordinary Latter-day Saints who accept the teachings of the prophets have taught and who confirm their bias by assessing the extrinsic evidence that supports and corroborates the teachings of the prophets and Cumorah/Ramah in New York. Often referred to as “Heartlanders.”	Scholars in legacy organizations such as FAIRLDS, Interpreter, FARMS, BMAF, Book of Mormon Central, etc., all of whom reject the teachings of the prophets and confirm their bias by interpreting the Book of Mormon to fit in a Mesoamerican setting. Often referred to as “M2Cers.”

The references are available here:

https://www.mobom.org/church-history-issues

Horses in ancient America

Someone posted this on FB.

"The popular narrative that horses were brought to the Americas by Europeans is now being questioned. New evidence suggests that horses were in the Americas independent of European contact. Some native nations have contended that horses have been around since time immemorial, but unfortunately oral traditions and traditional knowledge frequently aren’t regarded as legitimate until Western science validates these claims.

It now looks like archeology is catching up with what some Native nations have always known,

providing yet another example of how Indigenous knowledge and Native ways of knowing must be given equal consideration with Knowledge from a Western scientific paradigm.

While this new evidence doesn’t confirm that horses have been in the Americas since time immemorial, it does demonstrate that the adoption of the horse is independent of European colonization.

“Native accounts contradicted the timeline centered on the Pueblo Revolt, suggesting some tribes had acquired horses much earlier, but “oral tradition was discounted,” says Comanche historian Jimmy Arterberry, a co-author of the Science study. “The end result has been to discredit the antiquity of the relationship between Native people and horses,” adds University of Colorado, Boulder, archaeologist William Taylor, also a co-author.”"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1519103878311682/

10 years ago at Cumorah...

I made this video about 10 years ago (October 2015). 

https://youtu.be/RD39bOvxPL4

Most Latter-day Saints today have no idea what Oliver Cowdery taught about the Hill Cumorah. Because the hill has been reforested, Latter-day Saints will never have the view of the valley west of Cumorah that Oliver described in Letter VII, which is the same view Mormon described in Mormon 6.

But videos and photos preserve the historic viewpoint so people can still understand what Oliver described.

For more info, see https://www.mobom.org/church-history-issues

Brigham Young's prophecy about Cumorah

Shortly before he died, Brigham Young discussed Cumorah in a special conference in 1877. He said, 

"I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost."

[See the full excerpt from his discourse below.]

Despite his efforts, Brigham's fear was realized. His prophecy that these things would be forgotten and lost has come to pass.

In our day, Latter-day Saints never learn what Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, his mother Lucy Mack Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff and other contemporaries of Joseph Smith said about Cumorah. 

No one who relies on the Saints book, volume 1, to learn about Church history knows anything about Cumorah. Regarding Cumorah, that book creates a false narrative present because in Joseph's day, everyone knew Cumorah was not merely the site of Moroni's stone box that contained the abridged plates, but also the site of the repository of Nephite records and the same hill called Ramah by the Jaredites.

In Joseph Smith's day, every Latter-day Saint knew about Cumorah/Ramah. 

-Oliver's account (Letter VII) was published in the 1835 Messenger and Advocate. 

-Joseph had it copied into his journal as part of his life history, where everyone can read it today in the Joseph Smith Papers.

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

-Joseph encouraged people to republish Oliver's account. In 1841, Benjamin Winchester republished it in the Gospel Reflector. 

-Parley P. Pratt republished it in the Millennial Star. 

-Joseph's brother Don Carlos republished it in the Times and Seasons. 

-Joseph's brother William republished it in The Prophet (a New York newspaper) in 1844.

-Joseph's nephew, Joseph F. Smith, republished it in the Improvement Era in Utah.

Oliver's explanation about Cumorah/Ramah was included in lesson manuals, books, articles, etc. It was discussed in General Conference as recently as 1975.

Today, apart from historical references such as the Joseph Smith papers, Cumorah/Ramah has been erased from the historical content such as Saints and media produced by Scripture Central.

But Latter-day Saints who are "engaged learners," who are not "lazy learners" who rely on scholars to tell them what to think, but are "learners who act" continue to learn what the prophets have taught about Cumorah.

For more info, see https://www.mobom.org/church-history-issues

_____

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at a Special Conference Held at Farmington, for the Purpose of Organizing a Stake of Zion for the County of Davis, on Sunday Afternoon, June 17, 1877.

When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” 

I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. 

I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost. Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.

(1870s1877, BY Trying to ¶7 • JD 19:38)