Science and History in the Book of Mormon

Posted by: Andee / Category: ,

Good Monday everyone, I decided to share some things I found on "The Skeptics Annotated Book of Mormon" page about the problems in the BoM. The Book of Mormon talks about things that didn't exist at the time... how is that possible? It's an interesting read. Please check out the site for more inaccuracies in the Book of Mormon.

Science and History in the Book of Mormon

I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel.--1 Nephi 16:18

    1 Nephi

  1. "I make a record in the language of my father ... the language of the Egyptians." That's a strange language an Israelite around 600 BCE to write in! There is no evidence of the use of Egyptian writing in pre-Columbian America. 1:2

  3. It only took Nephi and his family three days to travel from Jerusalem to the Red Sea. (A distance of 250 miles) 2:6

  5. Nephi named a "continually running" river that flowed from Arabia to the Red Sea after his son Laman. But there are no permament rivers n Arabia, and there hasn't been since the Pleistocene. 2:8

  7. God made the New World just for Nephi and his family. (For though it had been occupied by the Native Americans for tens of thousands of years, God made it for Nephi, not for them.) 2:20

  9. Laban's sword blade was made of steel, long before steel existed. 4:9

  11. Laban's servant figured Nephi was Laban and that he spoke for the church. What church? The Jews in 600 BCE didn't have churches, did they? 4:26

  13. Nephi sees "many cities" settled by the Nephites in the New World. Yet no evidence of them has ever been found. 12:3

  15. A round brass ball "of curious workmanship" leads Lehi through the wilderness. A compass, perhaps? But compasses didn't exist in 600 BCE. 16:10, 16

  17. Nephi breaks his bow, "which was made of fine steel." But the technology for making steel did not exist in 600 BCE. 16:18

  19. They come to a place that they call Bountiful, "because of its much fruit and also wild honey." But the Arabian coastline does not abound in fruit or honey, and hasn't for many thousands of years. 17:5

  21. "We did work timbers of curious workmanship." But where did Nephi get the lumber? There are very few trees in the Arabian desert. 18:1

  23. Nephi used a compass to navigate with about 1800 years before compasses were discovered. 21

  25. After arriving in the New World, Nephi and company planted all of the seeds that they brought from "the land of Jerusalem" and "they did grow exceedingly." Yet there is no evidence that Near Eastern crops ever grew in the New World
    in pre-Columbian times. 18:24

  27. Nephi found cows, horses, oxen, asses, and goats and goats when he arrived in the New World in 590 BCE. Yet none of these domesticated animals existed in North America before the Europeans brought them over 2000 years later. 18:25

    2 Nephi

  28. In 590 BCE, Lehi and company found the Americas completely uninhabited. 1:8-9

  30. Nephi brought along the brass plates and the magic ball (or compass) that God made with his own hands. This was about 1600 years before compasses were used in navigation. 5:12

  32. Nephi makes many swords [like Laban's, made of "the most precious steel" (1 Ne 4:9)]. Yet there is no evidence of metal swords in the New World before Columbus. 5:14

  34. Nephi teaches his followers to build buildings and work in iron, copper, brass, steel, gold, and silver. But evidence is lacking for such pre-Columbian metallurgy, and it would be well beyond the capabilities of a handful of immigrants from the ancient Near-East around 590 BCE. 5:15

  36. Wasn't it God that cut Rahab (the sea monster) to pieces, wounded the dragon, and dried up the sea? Yeah, it was him all right. Who else could do that? 8:9-10

  38. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb...." I wonder what will become of the spiders. Will they be more friendly toward flies? And will the parasitic wasps find another way to feed their larvae? Or will they continue to feed off the living bodies of caterpillars? 21:6

  40. "And the weaned child shall put his hand in the cockatrice' den." A cockatrice is a serpent, hatched from a cock's egg, that can kill with a glance. They are rare nowadays. 21:8

  42. According to this verse, the moon produces its own light and the earth does not move. 23:10

  44. When God gets really angry, he causes earthquakes. 23:13

  46. Dragons will live in Babylonian palaces and satyrs will dance there. 23:21-22

  48. "Out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." What ever happened to these fascinating biblical creatures? 24:29

  50. "And the weaned child shall put his hand in the cockatrice's den." A cockatrice is a serpent, hatched from a cock's egg, that can kill with a glance. They are rare nowadays. 30:14

    Enos

  51. A Cmimeter is a curved sword with the sharp edge on the convex side. This type of sword did not exist at the time Enos was supposedly written (ca. 500 BCE). Indeed there is no evidence that swords of any kind existed in pre-Columbian America. 1:20

  53. The Nephites planted "all manner of grain" and all manner of cattle, goats, and horses. (Cattle, horses, and European grains were absent in pre-Columbian North America.) 1:21

    Jarom

  54. The Nephites fortified their cities. (Why is there no evidence for these fortified cities?) 1:7

  56. The Nephites "multplied exceedingly" and "became exceedingly rich" in gold, silver, iron, copper, brass, and steel making tools and weapons "of every kind." This was before steel existed, of course, and no evidence for any of these Nephite weapons, tools, cities, or technologies have ever been found. 1:8

    Mosiah

  57. Lehi, a 7th century Israelite, was taught in the language of the Egyptians. 1:4

  59. The Nephites had to hand over half of their barley to the Lamanites. But that wouldn't have been a big deal since barley didn't exist in the New World at the time. 7:22

  61. Ammon finds ancient swords. If swords existed in pre-Columbian America, why is there no evidence of it today? 8:11

  63. Zeniff and his people plant all kinds of crops, including wheat and barley, neither of which were present until the Europeans brought them to America. 9:9

  65. Zeniff arms his people with swords and cimeters. No evidence for these pre-Columbian weapons has ever been found. 9:16

  67. More swords and cimeters. But no evidence for these pre-Columbian weapons has ever been found. 10:8

    Alma

  68. The Amlicites were armed with swords and cimeters (ca. 87 BCE). But no evidence for these weapons has ever been found. 2:12

  70. No metal coins (ezrons, senines, ontis, etc.) have been found from pre-Columbia America. 11:4-19

  72. The New World in 78 BCE had many temples, sanctuaries, and synagogues that "were built after the manner of the Jews." Yet no evidence of these magnificent buildings has ever been found. 16:13

  74. Swords (presumably made of metal) are again mentioned as though though they were common in pre-Columbian America. But no evidence for their existence has ever been found. 17:7

  76. Ammon had lots of horses an chariots, at a time when neither horses nor chariots existed in the New World. 18:9-10

  78. Lamoni had horses and chariots. But horses and wheeled transportation didn't exist in the Pre-Columbian New World. 20:6

  80. Just another of the many swords that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon at a time and place where swords did not exist. 20:16

  82. More metal swords, cimeters, and breastplates, none of which has ever been found. 43:18-20, 43:37-38, 44:8, 44:17

    Helaman

  83. The Lamanites (Native Americans) had "an innumerable army" that was armed with swords and cimeters. Yet no evidence for such weapons in the Pre-Columbian New World has ever been found. 1:14

  85. The Nephites "began to cover the whole earth." Yet no evidence for Native Americans of Israelite descent has ever been found. 3:8

  87. The Nephites built cities, temples, synagogues, sanctuaries, "and all manner of buildings." But no trace of them has ever been found. 3:9

  89. The Nephites had a large timber industry. They exported "much by the way of shipping." Of course, there is no evidence for any of this now.

  91. The Nephites built "many cities, both of wood and of cement." No evidence of them exists today. 3:11

  93. The Nephites built ships, temples, synagogues, and sanctuaries. But no one has found any evidence of them. 3:14

  95. The Nepites wrote many books and records "of every kind", but no evidence for them exists today. 3:15

  97. "From the west sea [Pacific], even unto the east [Atlantic]; it being a day's journey for a Nephite." (Nephites could walk 5000 kilometers in one day.) 4:7

    3 Nephi

  98. And God's prophecy came true! That night "there was no darkness when night came ... but it was as light as thought it was mid-day." 1:15, 19

  100. More talk of horses and chariots at a time and place in which neither existed. 3:22

  102. Domesticated horses did not exist in per-Columbian America. 4:4, 6:1

  104. When Jesus died, the inhabitants of many great cities died with him. Entire cities were sunk into the ocean, or were burned, or destroyed by earthquakes. 8:8-10, 14

  106. When Jesus died, "the face of the whole earth became deformed." 8:17-18

  108. For three days after Jesus died, there was absolutely no light -- not from the sun, moon, or stars, or from candles, campfires, or fireflies. 8:20-22

    4 Nephi

  109. "They did build cities."
    (But no evidence of them can be found today.) 7

  111. "But there were many cities which had been sunk."
    (But no evidence of them can be found today.) 9

    Mormon

  112. "They would struggle with the sword for their lives."
    (There were no swords in the pre-Columbian New World.) 2:15, 6:9, 15

    Ether

  113. The Jaredites were Israelites who lived at the time of the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:1-9) 1:33

  115. The Jaredites brought domesticated old world animals and plants "of every kind" to the New World. 1:41

  117. "They did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee."
    There were no honey bees in the New World before they were introduced by Europeans in the 17th century. (Wikipedia: Origin and distribution of the genus Apis) 2:3

  119. The brother of Jared made 16 small stones, as clear as glass, out of molten rock. He then asked God to touch the stones to make them into lights to light up the inside of the barges. God did as the brother of Jared requested. 3:1-6

  121. "He ... made swords out of steel." 7:9

  123. "All manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and swine, and of goats ... horses, and asses, and elephants"
    None of these animals existed in the New World at the time it was supposedly occupied by the Jaredites . 9:18-19

  125. "Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was an hundred and forty and two years old." 9:24

  127. "There came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people." 9:31

  129. "Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And ... the poisonous serpents were destroyed." 10:19

  131. Brass, iron and silks -- none of which existed in the Pre-Columbian New World. 10:23-24

  133. "There had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children." Millions of people were "slain by the sword", yet no swords have ever been found from pre-Columbian America. 15:2


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