King Josiah and Letter VII

Lesson 30 in Gospel Doctrine includes the story of King Josiah and the re-discovery of the book of the law. You will have this lesson in another week or two, depending on where you live.

Here's the summary:

2 Chronicles 34. After Hezekiah’s son and grandson rule in wickedness, Hezekiah’s great-grandson Josiah becomes king of Judah. Josiah destroys the idols in the kingdom and repairs the temple (34:1–13). 

The book of the law is found in the temple and read to Josiah, who weeps when he learns how far the people have strayed from the law (34:14–21). 

https://www.lds.org/manual/old-testament-gospel-doctrine-teachers-manual/lesson-30?lang=eng

You can see the parallel to Letter VII.

During Joseph Smith's lifetime, he made sure Church members everywhere knew about President Cowdery's eight gospel topics essays, which he published as letters. Each is important, but Letter VII unambiguously declares that the hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York.

Letter VII was frequently republished, but the last official republication was in 1899 in the Improvement Era (Joseph F. Smith of the First Presidency was editor). Since then, Letter VII has been lost, like a lot of other things about Cumorah. Certain scholars have successfully censored and suppressed the teachings of the prophets, including Letter VII.

But now it has been rediscovered in the Joseph Smith Papers. You can read the Cumorah part right here: http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90

Like Josiah and his people, today we are thrilled to re-learn what the prophets have taught all along about the hill Cumorah in New York. Letter VII is causing many Church members to reject the traditions of their fathers regarding the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C).

As in Josiah's day, there are some people who don't want to know what the prophets have taught because it threatens their craft, their income, or even their reputation (for the M2C scholars who have spent their careers developing and defending M2C).

The biggest challenge for these scholars is acknowledging they've been wrong because they rejected the prophets.

But most members of the Church still believe the prophets and embrace Letter VII once they learn about it.
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The Church has a great video that explains the Josiah account.

The parallel to Letter VII seemed obvious to me, so I made a little video to explain it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4_71A8DCsg&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy.

And when your Gospel Doctrine class studies Josiah in Lesson 30, be sure to bring up the parallel to Letter VII today.

M2C intellectuals terrified of Letter VII

The Council of Springville* has long been seeking to usurp the authority of Church leaders to declare doctrine. Now the council is outright telling Church members how to "understand and use" President Cowdery's historical essays in No-wise #453. 

This no-wise is a sign that the M2C intellectuals feel threatened, like the Ephesian sellers of idols who tried to silence the Apostle Paul.

To write and publish a no-wise such as #453, the M2C intellectuals must be desperate.
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The book the M2C intellectuals
don't want you to read

Years ago I allowed Book of Mormon Central to publish in their archive, for free, the first edition of my book, Letter VII: Oliver Cowdery Explains the Hill Cumorah. For a long time it was the most popular, or one of the most popular, items in their archive.

Lately, they removed it from their archive. 

This is typical of the way the M2C citation cartel censors any information that contradicts the M2C dogma. The last thing they want is for members of the Church to be fully informed about what the prophets have taught. They can control BYU, CES and the Departments in the Church Office Building by keeping people ignorant.

Fortunately for the truth, in the age of the Internet, censorship backfires. 

More and more people are reading and talking about Letter VII for the first time--including many Church leaders.

The trend is accelerating, too.
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Because of Letter VII, the stark contrast between the M2C intellectuals and the prophets is becoming clearer.

Once Church members understand what the M2C intellectuals are up to, most of them still choose the prophets over the intellectuals. But that's only when they realize the intellectuals have been misleading them for decades by suppressing the words of the prophets.

This no-wise #453 exposes the efforts of the M2C intellectuals to cast doubt on the teachings of the prophets.

The only thing I wish is that it had been #451, as in Fahrenheit 451.

(I blogged about that here: http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2017/08/fahrenheit-451.html)
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This no-wise #453 is a beauty. It's my all-time favorite because of the way it exposes, in their own words, the audacity of these intellectuals who are teaching our youth to disbelieve the prophets.

Look at the title:

How Are Oliver Cowdery’s Messenger and Advocate Letters to Be Understood and Used?

This title demonstrates the unrelenting arrogance of these intellectuals. They are not merely suggesting or proposing an interpretation; they declare how these letters "are... to be understood and used."

I never agreed to join a church run by intellectuals, but that's what these M2C "scholars" are attempting to establish. Sadly, they have a lot of converts. That's not a surprise because of the positions of responsibility they possess as employees of BYU, CES and COB.

Innocent, trusting students are diverted every day away from the prophets because of the teachings of these M2C intellectuals.

Ordinarily, faithful Church members look to the prophets for guidance on how to understand and use declarations made by the prophets. When Oliver Cowdery published these letters (letters III - VIII) he was Assistant President of the Church. As a member of the First Presidency, he was a prophet, seer and revelator, as are all the apostles. Subsequent prophets have shown us how to "understand and use" these letters by quoting from them and relying upon them, as we've seen many times on this blog.

No prophet has ever questioned the New York Cumorah, let alone repudiated it. To the contrary, many have specifically reaffirmed it, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference.

Nevertheless, the Council of Springville and their adherents at BYU/CES.COB insist the prophets are wrong. 

These intellectuals assert superior knowledge based on their academic credentials and their M2C citation cartel that reinforces their academic arrogance through a phony "peer-review" process that creates an illusion of academic rigor.

Now they purport to tell Church members how to "understand and use" the statements of members of the First Presidency.
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This no-wise demonstrates all the classic techniques of the M2C citation cartel, which they have adapted from George Orwell's book 1984. "Who controls the present controls the past, who controls the past controls the future.")

No-wise 453

- cites only other members of the citation cartel
- will be reprinted in Meridian Magazine, another charter member of the M2C citation cartel
- will be covered by the Deseret News, whose editors have decided to participate in the M2C citation cartel
- will be cited at FairMormon, another charter member of the M2C citation cartel
- will be promoted to LDS youth, especially missionary-age youth, as part of the ongoing effort to persuade the youth to believe the M2C intellectuals instead of the prophets
- will be cited by other disciples of the M2C intellectuals and taught throughout BYU, CES, and materials produced by employees at COB, especially the Church History and Correlation Departments.

One delightful attribute of the citation cartel is how effectively they collude to suppress contrary views (and facts). For example, my observations will not appear in any of the publications of the citation cartel.

Consequently, unwary members (and leaders) of the Church who trust these intellectuals but are themselves ignorant of the facts will accept what these M2C intellectuals are teaching.
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I post my comments about the No-wise articles on another blog, so you can read my detailed analysis there. http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2018/07/no-wise-453-how-are-oliver-cowderys.html

But you don't have to read that analysis to see how arrogant the Council of Springville has become. Just read the title of No-wise #453.
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The influence of these M2C intellectuals is alarming. 

I've had several people tell me that they side with the intellectuals against the prophets. Among them are senior missionary couples, Stake and local Church leaders, and of course many employees at BYU, CES, and the Church Office Building, especially those in the Church History and Correlation Departments.

When we realize that every new student at a BYU campus is taught that the prophets are wrong, we should also realize we have a problem.

When we realize that every high school student in Seminary is taught that the prophets are wrong, we should also realize we have a problem.

When we realize that every college student in Institute is taught that the prophets are wrong, we should also realize we have a problem.

When we realize our own visitors centers are teaching guests that the prophets are wrong, we should also realize we have a problem.

But really, these are only a few tips of the iceberg.

The real problem is not that these M2C intellectuals are lying to their students, like "the long smoothed faced hypocrites" Joseph Smith denounced.

The real problem is that so many members of the Church are willing and even eager to believe the intellectuals instead of the prophets.

I continue to hope that will change as more and more members and leaders become familiar with Letter VII. I don't think most readers of this no-wise are going to find it persuasive unless they have already chosen to follow the intellectuals instead of the prophets.
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*The Council of Springville is Book of Mormon Central. Like the Nicean council, the intellectuals at Book of Mormon Central have assumed responsibility for telling Church members what to think. See the explanation here: http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2016/08/the-council-of-springville.html. As I pointed out there, "It's reassuring to know that the current prophets, seers and revelators are bound by the limits imposed by the Council of Springville."

This is the same mentality behind the Interpreter, Dan Peterson's successor to FARMS, that also purports to tell people how to interpret the scriptures, Church history, etc. The title alone--the Interpreter--reflects the arrogance of these intellectuals.

In contrast to the Council of Springville and the Interpreter, we have an observation by a previous prophet in 2 Peter 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of private interpretation." 

The intellectuals will tell you that this epistle wasn't actually written by Peter, that it shouldn't have been included in the New Testament, etc.

But let's read the passage in context:

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Our M2C intellectuals want Church members to consider them as the light, as the day star. They say the words of the prophets are merely their opinions as men.

Faithful members of the Church know how many times the actual prophets have warned us against following the intellectuals, even if those intellectuals teach at BYU or CES.

The Cumorah Pageant 2018

We had a wonderful time in Palmyra this summer. It was fun to walk home after watching the pageant. It's cool to walk to the hill for a morning walk, too. We hope to spend more time there in the future. The Palmyra ward is very friendly, as are our neighbors and everyone we met in the area.

The day after the final presentation of the Hill Cumorah Pageant I took this photo of the Mayan temple being dismantled.

I hope they never construct it again, unless the Mesomaniacs at BYU and Book of Mormon Central finally locate the "real Cumorah" in southern Mexico and they haul this stage down there. That's where this stage belongs.

Sadly, thanks to the Correlation Department and the intellectuals at BYU/CES, the Hill Cumorah Pageant is an outward repudiation of all the prophets who have stood on this hill in New York and declared it to be the scene of the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites.
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Everyone in Palmyra knows about the Church's plans to move the pageant to a nearby location, but the timing has not been announced, so far as I know. Let's hope they don't rebuild another Mayan temple, though.
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Sometimes I edit cartoons to apply to the topic of Book of Mormon geography. Today there was a comic that I didn't have to edit. It's a behind-the-scenes look at Book of Mormon Central. I posted it here.

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2018/07/behind-scenes-at-book-of-mormon-central.html

Actually, maybe I should have edited it a little. Not everything they do is stupid. Just everything that is driven by their Mesomania. Which means about half of their no-wise.
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A lot of people visit Palmyra in the fall to see the leaves in New England. If you go, be sure to visit the Oliver Cowdery Memorial. Ask the missionaries about it. As far as I know, that memorial is the only place in the Church where members can learn what the prophets have said about the Hill Cumorah.

Those displays should all be in the Cumorah Visitors Center. I think they will be, eventually.

July 20 misc

4 items today.

1. Our Oliver Cowdery Memorial has had a steady stream of visitors here in Palmyra. 

Visitors are learning about Letter VII, the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah, and how Cumorah fits with the rest of the geography.

I'm posting the posters on the Letter VII blog.

The first one is here: http://www.lettervii.com/2018/07/cowdery-memorial-3-reasons-to-visit.html

Someday, I hope the Cumorah Visitors Center (as well as the Temple Square Visitors Center) also teaches visitors what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.

In the meantime, visitors to Palmyra and the missionaries who serve here finally have an opportunity to learn what the prophets have taught and why Cumorah is so important.

As a side note, it's fascinating to hear the reactions of people. Almost everyone says they've never heard of Letter VII before. They've never heard of the depository in the Hill Cumorah. They didn't know the final battles took place here. They didn't know about all the archaeology and anthropology that corroborates what the prophets have taught. 

Most of them say it never made sense to them that the Book of Mormon took place in Central America. 

How long it will take before all members of the Church recognize the absurdity of Mesomania I don't know, but we're reaching a tipping point, I think.

2. Nightly lectures. We've had lectures every night during pageant about Church history. I've spoken about the two sets of plates, Letter VII, and other related topics. Other speakers have addressed topics related to the Book of Mormon and the Palmyra area.

3. FairlyMormon blog. A lot of people ask about FairMormon, including their upcoming conference. I explain why I'm not attending this year on my FairlyMormon blog, here: 

https://fairlymormon.blogspot.com/

4. My post on FairlyMormon explains my concerns about the new Church history book, Saints, which I've discussed several times on this blog. I'll repeat those comments here:

As I've noted several times, the book Saints is being edited by revisionist Church historians who are methodically re-writing Church history to accommodate Mesomania. 

-They are deleting all original references to the New York Cumorah. 

-They are not explaining the two sets of plates that Joseph translated. 

-They are teaching that Joseph didn't use the plates when he translated, a theory built upon anti-Mormon sources that also ignores what Oliver Cowdery and Lucy Mack Smith specifically stated. 

-They are omitting Letter VII from the record. 

-They will attribute the anonymous 1842 Times and Seasons articles to Joseph Smith.

In my view, the book Saints will further erode faith among members of the Church and will deter sincere investigation of the Church by people who know how these revisionist LDS historians are actively re-writing Church history.

The implausibility of M2C in real life

Recently, 7 stakes and 53 wards/branches were discontinued in Mexico.
http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2018/07/seven-stakes-and-53-wardsbranches.html

Some, perhaps most, of this could be attributed to the migration of Mexican LDS to America.

But think about that a moment.

Are they migrating to or from the choice land of the Jaredites, the promised land of the Nephites, the "mighty nation among the Gentiles" foretold by Nephi in 1 Nephi 22:7?
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We love the people who live in Central America, including Mesoamerica. Among them are wonderful, faithful Saints. We wish they could be more prosperous and free. Many of us donate time and money to help them, but when we travel there, we see how difficult life is and how deep the problems are.

Now think about M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) from their perspective.

They see generations of young Mormon missionaries from the United States come to their countries to share the gospel. Because they have been taught M2C, these missionaries tell the people that they live in the promised land of the Nephites, the choice land of the Jaredites, etc.

But what do the missionaries do when their missions are completed?

They return to the U.S., most of them never to return to what they taught was the promised land, the choice land.

The Saints (and investigators) in Central America observe this. They know the United States offers the blessings of liberty and prosperity described in the Book of Mormon, while their own countries, thanks largely to the corruption of their governments and the criminal organizations that prevail, do not.

They recognize that the missionaries are saying far more with their actions than they are with their words.

Even the M2C intellectuals who promote Mesoamerica as the promised and choice land of the Nephites and Jaredites choose instead to live in the United States.
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When missionaries teach something that contradicts the obvious facts, how does that build faith? 

Imagine you live in Guatemala. Your home is protected by bars on the windows. You don't go out at night. If you have a business, you are likely to be robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight.

Like everyone you know, you are Catholic or Evangelical, and your faith makes life bearable despite the political and economic conditions. Many of your relatives have escaped to the United States, legally or not. You have thought about it, maybe even made plans, but it seems dangerous and difficult and expensive.

Then Mormon missionaries from the United States knock on your door. They give you a Book of Mormon and tell you that you live in the promise land of the Nephites. You live in the choice land, choice above all other lands.

You sit there, wondering if these rich Americans actually believe what they are saying.

Maybe you join the Church anyway, because the power of the Holy Ghost tells you the Book of Mormon is true even if you don't believe what the missionaries tell you about the promised land. Or maybe you like the idea that you live in the promised land and you ignore the cognitive dissonance that the idea generates.

Here's something to consider. Sacrament meeting attendance for the Central American region was around 117,000 in March of 2015. This includes all of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. According to http://cumorah.com/index.php, these countries reported a combined total of about 743,000 members in 2015. This suggests an activity rate of about 16%, which is consistent with other statistics I've seen from that area (as well as my own anecdotal experiences).

None of this diminishes the wonderful vitality of faithful members of the Church in those areas. Zion is where the pure in heart are, and every land is a gathering point for the people who live there. The stakes of Zion are a refuge no matter where they are located.

But maybe if the American missionaries stopped teaching the people in Central America that they lived in the promised land of the Book of Mormon, investigators (and members) would find their message more credible.
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People from all over the world seek to come to the United States because it remains the mighty nation among the Gentiles that offers liberty and freedom and opportunity and prosperity, thanks to the Constitution that was established by God.

This may sound nationalistic to some, but these are facts within everyone's knowledge and experience.

It's time to get real.

I think the M2C intellectuals are condescending to the people of Mesoamerica. To satisfy their selfish intellectual needs, they teach their students an inexcusable falsehood that nobody living in the real world actually believes.

I've even seen examples of M2C intellectuals claiming that the New York Cumorah is an attempt to steal the heritage of the Saints in Central America.

We don't know everything about migrations after 421 A.D., but it seems likely that Lamanites in North America intermarried with people throughout the Americas. In that sense, it would be true that the indigenous people throughout the Americas are descendants of Lehi as well as many other ancient explorers who came to the Americas.

But none of that means the Book of Mormon events took place in Latin America.

Watching BYU/CES

I frequently hear from students in classes at BYU/CES who tell me their teachers are still promoting M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) without also telling the students what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.

A minimum standard of integrity would require that every BYU/CES teacher tell students what the prophets have taught about Cumorah and then let the students decide whether to believe the prophets or the M2C intellectuals.

This fall we're going to observe what is being taught by BYU/CES, especially the introductory Book of Mormon classes at BYU. If the professors continue to teach M2C without also teaching Letter VII and the other teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah, we'll publicize it.

If the professors want to also tell students that the prophets are wrong, that's on them. But we want students to at least have the option of choosing to follow the prophets or the M2C intellectuals.
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This is not merely a problem at BYU/CES.

Letter VII is nowhere to be found in the curriculum. Nor are any of the other teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. The M2C citation cartel has successfully suppressed all of these things in academic writings. The Correlation Department has cooperated by making sure Church artwork, videos, and visitors centers promote M2C.

Lately, revisionist historians in the Church History Department are censoring all mention of the New York Cumorah in the new book Saints. They are actually re-writing Church history by omitting historical references and replacing them with M2C euphemisms.

I think repudiating and censoring the teachings of the prophets will have disastrous consequences in the future. 

The prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah for good reasons. Among them is the historicity of the Book of Mormon itself. The New York Cumorah is not idle speculation; it's a core anchor, a touchstone between the Book of Mormon and the real world.

BYU fantasy map of
the Book of Mormon

Eliminate that, and we end up with the Book of Mormon in a fantasy world, the way it is being taught at BYU/CES right now.

BYU/CES are teaching the youth to believe the Book of Mormon is a true history that took place in a fantasy land. Does anyone really think this will lead to enduring faith?

The answer should be obvious.

Followup on controversial post "Jack Welch tells the prophets they are wrong"

My June 26 post titled "Jack Welch tells the prophets they are wrong," generated some unintended controversy so I want to clarify it by making two points.

First, I greatly admire and respect Brother Welch. I recognized and praised his contributions in my book Moroni's America and elsewhere. He's awesome and has done immensely important research and writing on many aspects of the Restoration. His work has built and fortified faith.

Second, his influence and credibility is probably the single most important factor for the perpetuation of M2C.

In other words, I think if Brother Welch decided to accept the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah, M2C would vanish. Maybe not immediately, because too many people have too much invested into M2C for them to change their minds, but gradually, and inevitably, members of the Church would unite behind the prophets at least regarding the location of Cumorah.

(By this I mean the Cumorah of Mormon 6:6; i.e., there is one Cumorah and it is in New York.)

The New York Cumorah doesn't resolve the rest of the geography issues, of course; the prophets have been just as clear about that as they have been about the location of Cumorah in New York. But clarity and unity about Cumorah is even more important today than it was in 1835 when President Cowdery wrote Letter VII in response to attacks against the historicity of the Book of Mormon.
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I like to imagine what it would be like if all our LDS scholars would align themselves with the prophets, at least on the topic of the New York Cumorah. 

- They would teach their students that the prophets are correct instead of teaching their students that the prophets merely express their own opinions and are wrong whenever they disagree with the intellectuals.

- They would teach their students that President Oliver Cowdery was reliable and credible instead of attacking him as an ignorant speculator who misled the Church when he wrote Letter VII.

- They would teach their students that Joseph Smith was actually taught by Moroni about Cumorah instead of criticizing him as an ignorant speculator who misled the Church when he endorsed Letter VII and referred to Cumorah in D&C 128:20.

- They would teach the words of the prophets instead of the words of the intellectuals. For example, compare these two:

President Marion G. Romney:

In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation....the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites’. 

BYU Professor John L. Sorenson, Mormon's Codex (Deseret Book, 2015), p. 688:

“There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundreds of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.”






 - They would stop teaching their students that Cumorah is in Mesoamerica (BYU Studies, Book of Mormon Central, and the rest of the M2C citation cartel).

BYU Studies map that teaches the prophets are wrong

- They would stop teaching their students that Cumorah is in a fantasy world (BYU/CES).

BYU fantasy map that teaches the prophets are wrong

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People often ask me why the LDS intellectuals, as well as the employees at BYU, CES, and COB, continue promoting M2C.

No one knows what others are thinking or what motivates them unless they tell us what they are thinking, the way Brother Sorenson did in the quotation above. But it doesn't really matter why the M2C intellectuals are doing what they are doing.

What matters is that they are teaching the youth in the Church, as well as investigators and long-time members, to disbelieve the prophets. 

In some cases, I think they are doing this unintentionally. That is, they simply don't know what the prophets have taught. It continues to astonish me how few members of the Church have ever heard of Letter VII. Few if any mission presidents, stake presidents, temple presidents (or their wives) have ever heard of it. Most are stunned when they find out that President Cowdery identified the New York Cumorah as a fact, and are even more stunned when they find out how ubiquitous Letter VII was during Joseph Smith's lifetime.

This is understandable because the M2C citation cartel has deliberately suppressed Letter VII and the teachings of the prophets, as I've documented many times on this blog and elsewhere.

But there are some M2C intellectuals who know perfectly well what the prophets have taught.

They simply think the prophets are wrong. Then they take it upon themselves to teach this to their students, often by simply not telling the students what the prophets have taught.

That's the topic of tomorrow's post.
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Back to the controversial post.

It included this graphic:

"But you were all ignorant speculators who misled the Church," 
the lawyer insists.

I don't think the prophets depicted in this graphic as Supreme Court Justices were wrong about Cumorah. Had it been only one or two, and had the New York Cumorah been taught as speculation, fine. That would have left the door open for M2C.

But these prophets taught the New York Cumorah specifically and consistently and persistently over generations, often in General Conference.

President Cowdery, who had actually visited the depository of Nephite records in the New York hill, declared it was a fact that the final battles took place there.

When any latter-day intellectual claims that these prophets were wrong, he/she better be absolutely positive and confident, because no matter who the lawyer is who represents him/her, I don't think the Justices are going to be persuaded.

M2C circular reasoning-no-wise #245

Everything we read from the M2C citation cartel consists of circular reasoning driven by confirmation bias. This is understandable because these intellectuals suffer from severe cognitive dissonance and the only way they can cope psychologically is to develop these bizarre, irrational arguments for M2C.

If someone has an example of an M2C argument that is not confirmation bias, I'd like to see it ASAP. Send it to lostzarahemla@gmail.com.

We love the people who promote M2C as brothers and sisters. But that's all the more reason for us to encourage them to change course and embrace the prophets instead of repudiating them.

Book of Mormon Central America is the most prolific purveyor of M2C nonsense lately. People send me links of the things they post on Facebook, which typically consist of another no-wise from the past.

From time to time I comment on the no-wise. I don't have time to address most of them, but sometimes I hear enough comments that I feel there's a need.

Here's a recent example:

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2018/07/no-wise-245.html

Where the evidence takes us

First, many people have asked about the Oliver Cowdery Memorial in Palmyra. I posted photos on the Letter VII blog, here: http://www.lettervii.com/2018/07/oliver-cowdery-memorial-palmyra.html.

Second, we need to address an argument made by the M2C* intellectuals. The argument we consider today is the claim by M2C intellectuals that "we go where the evidence takes us."

Two problems immediately come to mind.

First, the M2C intellectuals reject the evidence provided by the prophets. President Cowdery declared it was a fact that the final battles took place in the mile-wide valley west of the hill Cumorah in New York. Joseph Smith embraced this declaration multiple times, as have all the prophets and apostles who have ever addressed the topic, including members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference.

President Cowdery was an eye-witness to Mormon's depository of Nephite records in the New York Cumorah, as was Joseph Smith and at least some of Joseph's brothers. Eye witness testimony is strong evidence, especially when it comes from someone credible and reliable--someone such as President Cowdery.

It is laughable to watch the current M2C intellectuals declare President Cowdery wrong.

And yet, it is a very serious matter because they are teaching M2C throughout CES and BYU.

Second, instead of going "where the evidence takes them," the M2C intellectuals are selectively choosing evidence that confirms their biases.

It is axiomatic that everyone thinks his/her opinions are correct; otherwise, they would change their opinions. Opinions are manifestations of deep biases, driven largely by upbringing, environment, and peers (and possibly DNA). Everyone seeks to confirm their biases.

In most cases, facts don't matter. Confirmation bias is a filter that enables us to reject facts that contradict our biases, while we accept facts that confirm our biases.

The M2C is a textbook example of confirmation bias.

I discussed this somewhat in my short book Mesomania. I'd expand that book with much more detail, but we're only dealing with a dozen or so M2C intellectuals, and they are much too deeply invested in their M2C ideology to change their minds, no matter how many contradictory facts they confront.

After all, these are faithful, dedicated members of the Church who openly repudiate the prophets because of their M2C ideology. It's difficult to imagine a more serious example of confirmation bias.

We are talking about BYU professors who teach their first-year Book of Mormon students that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

But their repudiation of the prophetic evidence is not the only problem.

They use circular reasoning to develop the "evidence" that they claim takes them to Mesoamerica.

The technique goes like this:

1. The Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica (because of the anonymous Times and Seasons articles).

2. Mesoamerica has volcanoes.

3. The Nephites must have experienced volcanoes because they lived in Mesoamerica.

4. Therefore, the destruction in 3 Nephi must have been caused by volcanoes.

5. Mormon just forgot to mention volcanoes, so we, the M2C intellectuals, need to fix his mistake and declare the Book of Mormon describes volcanoes.

6. The existence of volcanoes in Mesoamerica therefore leads us to Mesoamerica as the setting for the Book of Mormon.

You can see how foolish this line of reasoning is. It starts with the premise that the M2C intellectuals want to "prove," so they create these requirements that are satisfied only in Mesoamerica and then claim the evidence "took" them there.

They do this with cement cities, the north-flowing River Sidon, the written language, Mayan banners, Mayan warfare, massive populations, etc.

Literally everything you read about M2C is circular reasoning.

One of the best examples is BYU Professor John Sorenson's massive book, Mormon's Codex. The entire book is absurd once you understand the circular reasoning behind it.
_____

Another way to consider the logical fallacy of the M2C approach is that everyone uses the exact same rationale, but reaches different conclusions.

Think about critics of the Book of Mormon. They also claim they follow the evidence where it takes them, but of course it leads them to conclude the Book of Mormon is fiction.

In all cases, people follow "the evidence" to the place where they wanted it to take them.

No one should be fooled by the M2C intellectuals. They have fooled themselves, but that doesn't mean we should let them continue to fool faithful members of the Church.

_____
*For new readers, M2C is the acronym for the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory, which is the idea that the hill in New York is not the "real Cumorah" of Mormon 6:6; instead, the "real Cumorah" is in southern Mexico or somewhere else in the world. Of course, this contradicts the consistent and persistent teachings of the prophets, but the M2C intellectuals openly repudiate the prophets so they don't care. Plus, they are teaching M2C at BYU and CES, so if your kids are going to seminary and institute, they are learning M2C.

M2C intellectuals need you to disbelieve the prophets

Whenever you read about Book of Mormon geography published by the citation cartel (BYU Studies, Interpreter, Book of Mormon Central, Meridian Magazine, FairMormon, etc.), you need to realize they are still trying to persuade Church members that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

Everything they write and say about the topic assumes the prophets are wrong.

This includes BYU/CES teachers who teach the Book of Mormon itself.

The M2C intellectuals and their followers don't care what the text of the Book of Mormon says. They are focused on their interpretation of the text instead.

They will express all kinds of reasons why their Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory is correct, but their whole theory is confirmation bias and circular reasoning; i.e., because there are volcanoes in Mesoamerica, they claim the Nephites lived among volcanoes, even though no volcanoes are mentioned in the text.

It's the same with their circular reasoning about population sizes (they claim millions of Nephites because there were millions of Mayans), "cement cities" because the Mayans had big cities built of stone and cement (even though the text refers to buildings made of wood and cement, and then only as an exception to the normal use of wood to build buildings), and all the other tired arguments.

The last thing the M2C scholars want you to believe is what the prophets have taught about Cumorah in New York.

July 4th and Captain Moroni

The saga of Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty is far more meaningful when we consider it taking place in the latter-day land of liberty.

Alma 46:12 explains that "he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.


13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—"
_____

Certain LDS intellectuals don't think the Book of Mormon took place in North America because they think such an idea stems from nationalism.

They want believers in the Book of Mormon to think Captain Moroni was operating in the jungles of Central America, or in the imaginary lands currently being taught by the abstract maps at BYU/CES. According to the intellectuals who teach M2C, anyone who believes Cumorah is in New York is a nationalist.

Even if they live in another country.

And yet, most if not all of these intellectuals choose to live in the U.S.
_____

This 4th of July, think about the liberties you enjoy wherever you live in the world. Then remember what the Lord said about the U.S. Constitution:

80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.

Doctrine and Covenants 101:80

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101?lang=eng&verse=80#p80

Mistakes in Church History-History of the Church

One of the biggest mistakes in Church history has been the false attribution to Joseph Smith of anonymous articles in the Times and Seasons. This led to the development of M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) that in turn has led to faithful Church educators at BYU/CES rationalizing that the prophets are wrong.

Another contributor to M2C has been History of the Church.

Here's one example:

25 June 1842 - The Prophet Joseph "sat for a drawing of my profile to be placed on a lithograph of the map of the city of Nauvoo." He also mentions the work of "Messrs. Stephens and Catherwood" who have "succeeded in collecting in the interior of America a large amount of relics of the Nephites, or the ancient inhabitants of America treated of in the Book of Mormon" (History of the Church, 5:44).

This entry suggests Joseph actually read the Stephens book and approved it, but the entry is false. Our M2C scholars know this but they don't tell people about it because it supports their M2C theory.

When your theory relies on a premise you know is false, I think it's time to revisit the theory.
_____

Here's the explanation:

The quotation comes from History, 1838-1856. This portion was created in 1845, after Joseph died, by Thomas Bullock and others. Here's the link:

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-2-november-1838-31-july-1842/522

When you go to the passage for 25 June 1842, about half way down the page, you see two notes. The first one is irrelevant, but the second one says:  JS, Journal, 25 June 1842.  

That link goes here:

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/30

It reads:

25 June 1842 • Saturday

Saturday 25 Transacted Business with 

Bro. [Edward] Hunter

. 

Mr Babbit [Almon Babbitt]

. & set for the drawing of his profile. for Lithographing on city chart.

From that brief note, Bullock and others wrote the passage you mentioned in the History, 1838-1856:

25 June 1842 • Saturday

1597

1598

<​25​> Saturday 25 Transacted business with Brother Hunter, and Mr. Babbitt and sat for a drawing of my profile to be placed on a lithograph of the Map of the City of 

Nauvoo

— Messrs. Stephens and Catherwood have succeeded in collecting in the Interior of 

America

, a large amount of relics of the Nephites, or the Ancient Inhabitants of 

America

, treated of in the Book of Mormon, which have recently been landed in 

New York

.

I highlighted in red how they changed the wording to put the language in the first person. They also added clarification that it was the City of Nauvoo. Then they added the comments about Stephens and Catherwood. The entry for 26 June 1842 is another example of how they changed the original third person into first person.

Why would they add the Stevens and Catherwood comment here?

Stephens and Catherwood are never mentioned in Joseph's Journal, December 1841-December 1842, from which this entry was taken. Bullock often inserted articles as part of the history, though, so we can look for related articles. 

The Times and Seasons doesn't mention Stephens and Catherwood in the June 1, June 15, or July 1 editions. 

In the July 15th edition, though, an anonymous editorial in T&S says "Stephens and Catherwood's researches in Central America abundantly testify of this thing. The stupendous ruins, the elegant sculpture, and the magnificence of the ruins of Guatamala [Guatemala], and other cities, corroborate this statement, and show that a great and mighty people-men of great minds, clear intellect, bright genius, and comprehensive designs inhabited this continent. Their ruins speak of their greatness; the Book of Mormen [Mormon} unfolds their history.-ED."

I don't see a connection between 25 June (the entry in the history) and 15 July (the date of the Times and Seasons article). Plus, the T&S article doesn't mention relics, landing in New York, etc.

Another interesting aspect of this is Bullock, for July 15, says nothing in the History of the Church about Stephens and Catherwood, but he does mention another editorial that was published in the Times and Seasons on that date. This is further evidence that Bullock didn't get the Stephens and Catherwood article from theTimes and Seasons. 

However, the June 11, 1842, edition of the Wasp includes this short article:

"Central America.--We have the pleasure to announce, says Langley's (N.Y.) Advertiser upon the authority of a letter recently received from Messrs. Stephens and Catherwood at Guatemala, that these enterprising travellers will return early in the ensuing month. We learn also, from the same source, that their renewed explorations have been attended with singular success; large additions having been made to the interesting relics and remains previously discovered, and which have attracted so universally the public attention. A new work, supplemental to the agreeable volumes already published, will comprise the result of Mr. Stephens's observations and the discoveries during his second visit to these antiquities of the New World.--[Bay State Democrat."

The Wasp was published every 2 weeks, so the next edition came out on June 25th. It's possible that this article was cut from the paper and placed somewhere in the history in a way that Bullock assumed it was published on the 25th.  

That still doesn't answer why Bullock's history refers to New York. He may have had an article from another source (such as the ones Winchester was sending to Nauvoo) or a letter with that news. We just don't have a reference.

However, the Oct. 1, 1842, issue of the Wasp includes this note:

"American antiquities.--the relics from Central America brought by Stevens and Catherwood, it appears, were not burnt at New York, as was apprehended."

This suggests that previously in the Wasp, there had been a reference to this incident, but if so, I haven't found it. The short note suggests that the editor, at least, was following the story; otherwise, it doesn't make any sense to simply say the relics were not burnt. FWIW, I think the Oct 1 issue is the last one William Smith edited.

Ironically, the Stephens and Catherwood relics were destroyed in a fire in New York, along with most of Catherwood's drawings and paintings

Mexico City temple dedication

The M2C citation cartel made a point recently about the original dedication of the Mexico City temple, in which President Hinckley referred to the children of Lehi.

Of course, the modern locations of descendants of Lehi has little to do with where Book of Mormon events took place thousands of years ago. Hundreds of years after Moroni buried the plates in New York, the Mayan civilization collapsed. Some of them came north, intermarried with Lamanites in North America for several hundred years, then returned to Central America.

I blogged about this topic a while ago:

http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/2016/11/confusion-about-cumorah-lamanites-and.html

If you're interested in seeing what the M2C citation cartel is trying to say, go here:

http://bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com/2018/06/father-lehi-in-mexico-city-temple.html

http://bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com/2018/06/lehite-temples.html

https://www.ldschurchnews.com/history-revisited/2018-06-22/the-most-memorable-part-of-the-mexico-city-temple-dedication-were-these-words-from-president-hinckley-47415