2016 Gospel Doctrine course

In 2016, the Gospel Doctrine course of study is the Book of Mormon. Lesson supplements each week are being posted here: http://www.2016gospeldoctrine.com/

2016 will be a significant year in Book of Mormon studies as many Church members worldwide will learn about the North American setting for the first time.

Wherever I go, the most common feedback I get from LDS members is "North American just makes sense. Central America never really made sense." Percentage-wise, in my experience fewer than 10% of members stick with the Mesoamerican theory once they learn about just these items:

- Letter VII,

- Joseph Smith's statements about the plains of the Nephites and Zelph,

- Benjamin Winchester at the Times and Seasons,

- D&C 125,

- the explanation of how the text itself describes North America, and

-the archaeological, anthropological, geological, and geographic data that supports the North American* geography.

This is going to be an awesome year for the Book of Mormon as Church members around the world will hear much more about all of these items.
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*for Dan Peterson and the rest of the Interpreter citation cartel, North America means north of the Rio Grande, not Central America or Mesoamerica.