The illusion of scholarship

For decades, I was perplexed that so few people found LDS scholarship persuasive.

Now that I realize M2C is a hoax, though, I can see why it is so unconvincing to most people.

M2C scholarship looks like the real thing, but it is only an illusion. It is pure M2C confirmation bias, supported by censorship.

I've given examples in my reviews of selected Interpreter articles and Kno-Whys, which I refer to as "no-wise." You can see some examples here:

http://interpreterpeerreviews.blogspot.com/

Readers frequently send me comments and materials pointing out other logical and factual fallacies in the work of the M2C citation cartel. I can't possibly put them all on this blog or anywhere else. But I can remind readers of what to be aware of when you are faced with the M2C arguments that rely on the intellectuals instead of the prophets.

I encourage everyone to study the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets from General Conference. With those as a firm foundation, we can proceed to consider additional information.

Don't start with the M2C intellectuals, because they are trying to persuade you to disbelieve the prophets.
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What prompted this post was another fine article by an employee of Book of Mormon Central titled "7 Ways to Recognize Bad Gospel Research." You can see it here:
https://bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/7-ways-to-recognize-bad-gospel-research

This is one of the best explanations of the M2C citation cartel's editorial approach I've seen yet. It is well-written, interesting, and practical--and it focuses entirely on assessing the qualifications of experts. Not once does the article suggest considering the teachings of the prophets and apostles.

Of course, Book of Mormon Central and its employees cannot encourage people to consider the teachings of the prophets and apostles in General Conference as conclusive or even relevant because M2C specifically repudiates what they have taught in General Conference about the New York Cumorah. 

Instead, Book of Mormon Central and its employees want members of the Church to rely on the "experts," as defined by Book of Mormon Central. It's unbelievably self-serving, but it's on full display every day at Book of Mormon Central.

They'll throw in a few quotations from the prophets from time to time, but they don't want members of the Church to even know what the prophets have taught to the extent it contradicts M2C. And they are just as adamant about censoring information that supports the teachings of the prophets.

(And I reiterate again that I really like, respect and admire every one of the scholars involved, even though I disagree with their approach to these issues, their conclusions, and most of all, their continuing practice of censorship.)

Here are the article's 7 ways "to help you navigate the murky waters of religion on the internet."
1. Know WHO wrote it
2. Know what STANDARDS they are expected to meet
3. Know WHY they wrote it
4. Pay attention to the TONE
5. Know how it stacks up to WHAT is already out there
6. Pay attention to the CONTEXT they are offering
7. You must end with the CORRECT SOURCE
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With all this focus on credentials and experts, let's look at the illusion of scholarship.
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M2C logo of FARMS and
Book of Mormon Central

In the 1980s and 1990s, FARMS published all kinds of scholarly books and articles. When that organization disintegrated, the participants formed the Interpreter Foundation and Book of Mormon Central (BMC) and continued publishing scholarly material.

The BMC and FairMormon websites collected and organized the material by topics and FAQs to make it more accessible.

At first glance, the scholarly material looks impressive.

It has the appearance of scholarship. There are credentials (PhD, JD, MS, etc.). There are citations. There is "peer review." There is source checking and editing and all the other elements of publication that confer an illusion of scholarship.

But underlying much of it is a shared assumption that was never challenged: the assumption that the prophets are wrong about the New York Cumorah, because the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica and there are Two Cumorahs (M2C).

Everyone involved believed in M2C.

No views that challenged M2C were expressed in these publications, except as targets of attack and ridicule.

These groups were citing one another, over and over.

It was a citation cartel.

And it still is.

The M2C citation cartel does produce some great research on topics related to the Book of Mormon separate from M2C, but the overriding editorial stance is M2C. And as a hoax, M2C cannot survive except through censorship and repudiation of the teachings of the prophets.
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Many members of the Church (me included) wanted to believe and trust these LDS intellectuals because we thought they were supporting our faith in the Book of Mormon. I accepted their teachings for decades, just like the employees at Book of Mormon Central today do.

Once I realized M2C was merely hoax, with the fundamental premise being that the prophets are wrong, I took another look. I soon noticed that, to sustain the hoax, these groups were engaging in all kinds of logical thinking errors.

Some of these are matters of debate. It's normal, even expected, for people to interpret facts differently, make a variety of inferences, reach opposite conclusions, etc. All of that is fine. Even healthy.

What's not fine, and what is not healthy, is the ongoing practice of censorship.

The M2C citation cartel has deluded itself, and its readers, into thinking scholarship justifies censorship. They don't trust their readers to make informed decisions. You'll know that changes when they allow even a modicum of faithful intellectual diversity in their publications.
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Thinking fast and slow

In one of my presentations at the conference, I featured Daniel Kahneman's book, Thinking, Fast and Slow.

I encourage everyone to read that book. Understanding psychology would enhance both ministry and missionary work.

And, it would eliminate a lot of the nonsense that circulates among LDS.

Because psychology is so important to understanding the issues, I've created new pages about psychology on the BookofMormonCentralAmerica.com page so you can see and share direct links:

http://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/2019/04/basic-psychology-new-pages.html

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Everyone should think about what President Nelson has taught.

It's also true that informed decisions can only be based on good, complete information. That is why the ongoing censorship by purportedly academic LDS publications and websites is so devastating.

People can't make informed decisions when they are not informed.

Ask around. Ask your friends, family members, ward members, and other associates whether they know what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah.

In most cases, they will have no idea.

Especially if they are around 40 years old or younger.

Worse, they will never learn what the prophets have taught because of a concerted effort by M2C intellectuals and their followers (and employees) to censor these teachings.

If they were educated at BYU and/or CES, and if they read the material published by the M2C citation cartel, they have no idea what the prophets have taught, except when those employees are explaining why the prophets were wrong.

But you can overcome the censorship by sharing my BYU packet, which you can see here:

http://www.lettervii.com/p/byu-packet-on-cumorah.html

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One commentator summarized Kahneman's book this way.

The central thesis is a dichotomy between two modes of thought:

"System 1" is fast, instinctive and emotional;

"System 2" is slower, more deliberative, and more logical.

The book delineates cognitive biases associated with each type of thinking. From framing choices to people's tendency to replace a difficult question with one which is easy to answer, the book highlights several decades of academic research to suggest that people place too much confidence in human judgment.

A key point about System 1: It can only handle activated ideas.

Censorship is effective because it forces System 1 to manufacture an artificial reality.

From the book, p. 85:

Information that is not retrieved (even unconsciously) from memory might as well not exist. System 1 excels at constructing the best possible story that incorporates ideas currently activated, but it does not (cannot) allow for information it does not have.

This explains why people continue to believe in the M2C hoax. Their System 1 thinking makes sense of M2C because they don't have information about (i) what the prophets have taught and (ii) the evidence that supports those teachings.

Continuing:

The measure of success for System 1 is the coherence of the story it manages to create. The amount and quality of the data on which the story is based are largely irrelevant.

When information is scarce, which is a common occurrence, System 1 operates as a machine for jumping to conclusions.

Hence we have such M2C propositions that Moroni hauled the plates from southern Mexico to "a hill in New York," that Oliver Cowdery was honest and correct about everything except the New York Hill Cumorah, that Joseph Smith was an ignorant speculator who misled the Church until he learned Book of Mormon geography from a travel book, etc.

Graphically, we can summarize all of this in three images:

Conference report and new M2C logo

The Book of Mormon Evidence Conference last week was amazing. People had a good time and learned a lot. Many ideas exchanged, etc. There were serious topics and discussions, all in a spirit of love and kindness and optimism.

If you missed it, the presentations should be available in the near future. I highly recommend them.

I made some announcements at the conference that I'll cover eventually on this blog. Exciting stuff.

There was some discussion about the M2C hoax (M2C being the acronym for the Mesoamerican/Two Cumorahs theory of Book of Mormon geography).

Because M2C is a hoax, one of the attendees suggested a new logo for M2C. It was a fun idea, so here it is.

Evidence Conference

I'm making some announcements about this blog at the Evidence Conference. If you're in Utah, you ought to come. If not, I'll explain everything next week.

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07efzuoq79bdcb2cad&oseq=&c=&ch=

http://firmfoundationexpo.org/bios/

Where will this lead?

There are lots of great things to discuss out of General Conference, but I'm traveling so I only have time for a quick note.

President Oaks asked a thought-provoking question.

"As we make current decisions, we should always be asking, 'Where will this lead?'"

As we think about this in the context of Book of Mormon studies, we can ask ourselves a related question:

What is the inevitable long-term consequence of teaching the youth of the Church that the best way to understand the Book of Mormon setting is by putting it an imaginary, fantasy world of mythology?

The map is designed to teach the M2C interpretation of the text.

It seems to me that as CES and BYU imprint this fantasy map on the minds of the youth, the youth (and new converts) will think of the Book of Mormon in such terms.

It's no wonder that millennials report a decreasing belief that the Book of Mormon is actual history.

We can also ask "Where will this lead?" in the context of Church history.

The Saints book deliberately changed Church history regarding the Hill Cumorah to accommodate M2C.

Eventually, Church members will learn what the prophets have taught about the New York Cumorah. But they won't learn it in Church settings, which will cause them to become confused and disturbed in their faith.

Think of how much better it would be for members of the Church to learn what the prophets have taught in the first place. But instead, those teachings are being censored, solely to accommodate M2C.

Where will this lead? 

Conference Classic - "America's Destiny"

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/americas-destiny?lang=eng

America’s Destiny

Marion G. Romney

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My beloved brothers and sisters, I invite you to join in a prayer that while I speak you and I may both enjoy the Spirit. I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us.

Among the questions frequently raised in connection with our upcoming national bicentennial is “Can we maintain our basic freedoms, peace, and prosperity for another 200 years?”

The answer to this question is yes, if we shall individually repent and conform to the laws of the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ.

He has stated the basics of his laws in the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and in the two great commandments:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. …

“And … thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:37, 39.)

Millennia ago he declared: “There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

“… this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them.” (2 Ne. 1:6–7.)

Another ancient prophet said,

“This is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.” (Ether 2:12.)

It is my purpose in making these remarks to point out from the record of ancient inhabitants of America that the foregoing decrees have been carried out.

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.

You who are acquainted with the Book of Mormon will recall that during the final campaign of the fratricidal war between the armies led by Shiz and those led by Coriantumr “nearly two millions” of Coriantumr’s people had been slain by the sword; “two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.” (Ether 15:2.)

As the conflict intensified, all the people who had not been slain—men “with their wives and their children” (Ether 15:15)—gathered about that hill Cumorah (see Ether 15:11).

“The people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz. …

“Both men women and children being armed with weapons of war … did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.

“And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and … took up a howling and a lamentation for the loss of the slain of their people.” (Ether 15:13, 15–16.)

This routine was repeated day after day until “they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz.” Shiz himself “had fainted with the loss of blood.

“And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, [and] rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.

“And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.

“And it came to pass that Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.” (Ether 15:29–32.)

Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, “There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth.” (Ether 1:43.)

As I contemplated this tragic scene from the crest of Cumorah and viewed the beautiful land of the Restoration as it appears today, I cried in my soul, “How could it have happened?”

The answer came immediately as I remembered that some fifteen to twenty centuries before their destruction, as the small group of their ancestors was being divinely led from the tower of Babel, the Lord “would that they should come forth even unto [this] land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.

“And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared [their prophet-leader], that whoso should possess this land … from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

“And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land,” wrote the ancient prophet-historian, “that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.” (Ether 2:7–10.)

Pursuant to this decree concerning the land of America, the Jaredites were swept off in the manner we have reviewed, because, rebelling against the laws of Jesus Christ—the God of the land—they “ripened in iniquity.”

Nor were they the only people who anciently were divinely led to this choice land to grow in righteousness to be a mighty nation and then to deteriorate in wickedness until they ripened in iniquity and were, pursuant to God’s decree, swept off.

I emphasize “divinely led” because, as above indicated, the Lord told them that they were being so led, and “that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

“Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.” (2 Ne. 1:6–7.)

This second civilization to which I refer, 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’. From the account of their death struggle, I quote:

“And now,” says Mormon, their historian, “I finish my record concerning the destruction of my people, the Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites … to the land of Cumorah. … And when … we had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah, … my people, with their wives and their children, did … behold the armies of the Lamanites marching towards them; and with that awful fear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked, did they await to receive them.

“And it came to pass that they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war.

“And it came to pass that my men were hewn down, yea, even my ten thousand who were with me, and I fell wounded in the midst; and they passed by me that they did not put an end to my life.

“And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow … from the top of the hill Cumorah, [230,000] of my people who were hewn down, …

“Even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me, and also a few who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had dissented over unto the Lamanites, had fallen. …

“And my soul was rent with anguish, … and I cried:

“O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! … How could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!

“Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. …

“O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, … how is it that ye could have fallen! …

“O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you.” (Morm. 6:1, 4, 5, 7, 9–11, 15–19, 22.)

Moroni a little later wrote:

“Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. …

“… after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, … the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed.

“And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people.” (Morm. 8:1–3.)

The tragic fate of the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations is proof positive that the Lord meant it when he said that this “is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.” (Ether 2:9.)

This information, wrote Moroni, addressing himself to us who today occupy this land, “cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles” (now, Gentiles is the term used by the Book of Mormon prophets to refer to the present inhabitants of America and to the peoples of the old world from which they came), “[this] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.

“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.” (Ether 2:11–12.)

In 1492, in harmony with the Lord’s statement heretofore quoted, “that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord” (2 Ne. 1:6), Columbus was divinely led to America.

Away back between 590 and 600 years B.C., Nephi, looking in vision down the stream of time, “beheld a man among the Gentiles [that is, among the nations of Europe], who was separated from [this promised land] by the many waters; and I beheld,” said he, “the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto … the promised land.

“And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth … upon the many waters.

“And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise.” (1 Ne. 13:12–14.)

Columbus himself corroborated the fact that he was divinely led to this land.

“In the royal presence of Isabella, Irving [his biographer] says: ‘He unfolded his plans with eloquence and zeal for he felt himself, as he afterwards declared, kindled as with a fire from on high, and considered himself the agent chosen of heaven to accomplish the grand design. …

“His son Fernando, in the biography of his father quotes him as saying on one occasion: ‘God gave me the faith and afterwards the courage so that I was quite willing to undertake the journey.’

“And the will of Columbus reads:

“ ‘In the name of the … holy trinity, who inspired me with the idea and afterwards made it perfectly clear to me that I could navigate and go to the Indies from Spain, by traversing the ocean westward.’ ” (Nephi Lowell Morris, Prophecies of Joseph Smith and Their Fulfillment,Deseret Book, 1945, pp. 289, 294–95; italics added.)

Because Columbus was led, we are here in this choice land.

God gave us victory in the Revolutionary War. We are indebted to him for our nation’s independence. He has prospered us in every righteous endeavor. He established the Constitution of the United States “by the hands of wise men whom [he] raised up unto this very purpose.” (D&C 101:80.)

He himself with his Beloved Son appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith to open a new dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ here in this land. He has established his Church here and has sent and is sending representatives thereof into every nook and corner of the land—and as far as possible to all the earth—to declare and teach the laws of Jesus Christ, the God of this land.

He has revealed anew and repeated over and over again the ancient decree: “This is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God” concerning this land. (Ether 2:10.)

This knowledge has been revealed to us that we “may know the decrees of God—that [we] may repent, and not continue in [our] iniquities until the fulness come, that [we] may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon [us] as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.” (Ether 2:11.)

We are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times, which will be climaxed by the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning the approach of that event and what is in store for the inhabitants of the earth between now and then, the Lord said 144 years ago:

“The wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure. …

“Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear.”

And this is his message: “Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

“And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth. …

“The hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.

“And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon … the world.” (D&C 1:9, 11–13, 35–36.)

Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come. The issue we face is clear and well defined. The choice is ours. The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity?

That we will repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

A positive step? I hope so.

Readers tell me that BMAF has changed its corporate mission. This is a nice step in the right direction--I hope.

It's nice to see a sort of olive branch extended just before General Conference, so I wanted to recognize it and remind readers here that I like and respect the people affiliated with BMAF and its subsidiaries and affiliates. Everyone has good intentions and wants to share the Book of Mormon.

I think we can all work together. All it takes is a mutual commitment to full disclosure and tolerance of others' views.

Maybe we can all remember what President Nelson said about how good inspiration is based upon good information--a powerful indictment of censorship.

https://presidentnelsonspeaks.blogspot.com/2018/11/good-inspiration-and-good-information.html
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Before we look at the change at BMAF (in the table below), we need to consider some context.
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Despite what this logo claims, Book of Mormon Central is a subsidiary of BMAF (Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum). BMAF.org has long been a promoter of M2C (the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory) and their web page still archives some of the articles that attracted my attention to this topic in the first place.

Years ago, I was a strong believer and supporter of M2C. After all, I had been educated by CES and BYU, which means I didn't know what the prophets had taught about the New York Cumorah.

Just like today's youth in the Church, I was a victim of M2C censorship.

Just like today's fine young scholars employed by Book of Mormon Central, I trusted my mentors and BYU professors who taught M2C as the only possible explanation for the Book of Mormon.

I used to read all the FARMS materials. I attended conferences and lectures. I viewed everything through the M2C filter and confirmed all my biases. I worked with an archaeologist who did early peer reviews of John Sorenson's book, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon. I visited sites in Mesoamerica. I was "all in" on M2C.

Then I noticed that FARMS was resorting to logical fallacies, such as ad hominem attacks on critics, including critics of M2C who were good members of the Church. I read some of the articles (they are still archived on bmaf.org) and thought to myself, "this is nonsense."

It struck me that FARMS had devolved into pure advocacy. It was anti-scientific. The more I re-examined the material, the more I realized I had been duped by a hoax. The M2C hoax.
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FARMS was eventually merged into the Maxwell Institute, where it was defanged. But the principles just changed venue. They formed new organizations: the Interpreter Foundation, which publishes the Interpreter journal and Book of Mormon Central, a multi-million dollar organization that operates the web page and spreads M2C on social media.

Book of Mormon Central still uses the old FARMS logo that incorporates M2C (a Mayan glyph).

Both organizations started with lofty promises of openness and diversity, but like FARMS, both devolved quickly into advocacy organizations. They promoted M2C exclusively--and still do. They still resort to the same logical fallacies. They claim their work is "peer reviewed" but both terms are misleading. The only "peers" they run the material by are like-minded M2C advocates, and the only "review" they conduct is to assure compliance with the M2C orthodoxy. For examples, you can see my blog that looks at a few.
http://interpreterpeerreviews.blogspot.com/

Except now they raise and spend millions of dollars to promote M2C. Their employees are active on social media. They claim the support of the prophets and the Church, in direct violation of the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Geography. They coordinate with BYU Studies and Meridian Magazine, the Maxwell Institute, and other organizations to promote M2C and enforce censorship of alternatives, including (especially) the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.
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There have been moments of hope, however. Early on, I offered to let Book of Mormon Central put the first edition of my book, Letter VII, on its web page for free. They accepted because they recognized it was accurate Church history. Of course, Letter VII establishes the New York Cumorah as a fact, which contradicts that basic premise of M2C. By including the book in their archive, they took a step towards openness and diversity of thought.

But after a while, Book of Mormon Central removed Letter VII from its archive. They replaced it with a "Kno-Why" telling readers why they should distrust Oliver Cowdery and all the prophets and apostles who have reaffirmed the New York Cumorah.

It's the worst of FARMS all over again.

Years ago, I agreed with the M2C scholars that, in the interests of harmony, I would delete this blog if they would stop their censorship and remove their material that attacked alternatives to M2C. My offer remains open. I like and respect the M2C scholars. They are great people. I admire all their work apart from M2C advocacy.

About 90% of what is on the Book of Mormon Central web page is great material. I use their archive material all the time and I encourage others to use it.

(The Interpreter, by contrast, is hopeless. The name itself gives away the editorial conceit; i.e., the intellectuals there purport to interpret everything for their readers. There are very few Interpreter articles that I could recommend, which is a shame because with a little legitimate peer review, much of that material could be salvaged and become useful.)

However, the M2C advocates at Book of Mormon Central have doubled down on the M2C hoax, as we all see when we look at their web page. They could easily add some comparison tables, such as the one at the end of this post. They could put material in their archives that supports, instead of repudiates, the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah.

So far, they've refused. But maybe they're getting the message that insisting on M2C to the exclusion of everything else is not the best way to share the Book of Mormon.

Maybe they will decide to trust members of the Church to make informed decisions.

Maybe they'll recognize President Nelson's message that good inspiration is based upon good information.

I hope so.
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Which brings us to the change at BMAF.org.

They recently modified their Mission Statement page to portray an image of openness and diversity.

It's not much, but it is a step in the right direction. Whether it will produce any substantive changes remains to be seen.

Old	New (2019)
MISSION STATEMENT The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization dedicated as an open forum for presentation, dissemination, and discussion of research and evidences regarding Book of Mormon archaeology, anthropology, geography and culture within a Mesoamerican context.	MISSION STATEMENT The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization dedicated as an open forum for presentation, dissemination, and discussion of research and evidences regarding Book of Mormon archaeology, anthropology, geography and culture within Mesoamerican and other ancient contexts.
Our goals are	The specific and primary purposes of the organization are:
(1) to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon as an ancient Mesoamerican codex,	(1) to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon as an ancient book or codex,
(2) to correlate and publish works of LDS and CofC scholars,	(2) (a) to conduct archaeological, scientific, historical, sociological, anthropological and other research in the public interest in the areas of the peoples, places, and cultures described in The Book of Mormon, and/or (b) provide opportuities [sic] for the announcement, discussion, publication, distribution and other debate and dissemination to the general public with such research being in furtherance of the public welfare.
(3) to help promote unity and cooperation among scholars and students of the Book of Mormon, and	(3) to help promote unity and cooperation among scholars and students of the Book of Mormon,
(4) to provide a forum where responsible scholars can present current ideas and discoveries.	(4) to provide a forum where responsible scholars can present current ideas and discoveries.

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The comparison charts below allow readers to decide which approach aligns with their personal beliefs. Such a chart avoids the problem of censorship. By enabling informed decisions, the charts fulfill the purpose of the Church's position of neutrality that recognizes individual freedom to choose what to believe.

When I posted this in August 2016, I tried to make it completely neutral and accurate, and I solicited comment. No one offered any corrections or changes, so I assume it remains valid. Of course, both sides could edit it as they see fit.

Publishing this would reflect the intellectual honesty, openness and cooperation that ought to prevail at Book of Mormon Central. Let me know if you see it posted there.
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Agree and Agree-to-Disagree lists

Here's my first look at areas in which the two theories agree and agree to disagree. I've tried to reflect both sides as accurately as possible. If anyone has more or different ideas, I'm open to editing this. In the interest of simplicity, I haven't provided links, but the material is widely available. Post a comment or email me if you want to know more about a particular item.

Proposition	M2C	Moroni’s America
1. The most important aspect of the Book of Mormon is its message.	Agree	Agree
2. The Book of Mormon is an inspired translation of an actual ancient record of actual people who lived in the real world.	Agree	Agree
3. The ultimate objective of our research/writing is to motivate people to read the Book of Mormon and strengthen their faith in Christ as a result.	Agree	Agree
4. Another objective of our research/writing is to help people better understand the text of the book by understanding its setting, culture and context.	Agree	Agree
5. The Church has no official position on where Book of Mormon events took place.	Agree	Agree
6. In Letter VII, Oliver Cowdery identified the valley west of the Hill Cumorah in New York as the location of the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites.	Agree	Agree
7. Joseph Smith instructed his scribes to copy Oliver’s letters, including Letter VII, into his journal as part of his life story.	Agree	Agree
8. Joseph Smith gave permission to Benjamin Winchester to republish Oliver’s letters, including Letter VII, in his newspaper called the Gospel Reflector	Agree	Agree
9. Don Carlos republished Oliver’s letters, including Letter VII, in the 1842 Church newspaper called the Times and Seasons (T&S).	Agree	Agree
10. On Sept. 9, 1841, Dr. Bernhisel gave Wilford Woodruff a copy of the Stephens' popular archaeology books about Central America to give to Joseph Smith	Agree	Agree
11. On Nov. 5, 1841, Wilford Woodruff wrote a letter to Dr. Bernhisel that is not extant.	Agree	Agree
12. A thank-you letter dated Nov. 16, 1841, was sent to Bernhisel on Joseph Smith’s behalf. No one knows who wrote the letter because the handwriting remains unidentified and no journals mention it.	Agree	Agree
13. A series of editorials were published in the T&S during 1842 that linked the Book of Mormon to archaeological findings in North and Central America. They cited the Stephens books and archaeology books by Josiah Priest. All were published either anonymously or over the signature of Ed. for Editor.	Agree	Agree
14. From February 15 through October 15, 1842, the boilerplate of the T&S said the paper was edited, printed, and published by Joseph Smith.	Agree	Agree
15. Joseph Smith originally obtained the plates from a stone box Moroni constructed out of stone and cement in the Hill Cumorah in New York.	Agree	Agree
16. Brigham Young said Oliver told him that he (Oliver) and Joseph had made at least two visits to a room in the Hill Cumorah in New York that contained piles of records and ancient Nephite artifacts.	Agree	Agree
17. Mormon said he buried all the Nephite records in the Hill Cumorah (Morm. 6:6), the scene of the final battles of the Nephites, except he kept out the plates he gave to his son Moroni to finish the record.	Agree	Agree
18. D&C 128:20 reads, “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,” followed by references to other events that took place in New York.	Agree	Agree
19. The geography passages in the Book of Mormon are subject to a variety of interpretations.	Agree	Agree
20. To date, apart from Moroni’s stone box and the plates and other objects Joseph Smith possessed and showed to the Witnesses, no artifact or archaeological site that can be directly linked to the Book of Mormon has been found anywhere.	Agree	Agree
21. Cultural characteristics can be discerned from the text.	Agree	Agree
22. The New Jerusalem Ether wrote about is located in Jackson County, Missouri.	Agree	Agree
23. Mayan civilization collapsed around 800 A.D. and Mayans migrated to North America, where they lived for several hundred years before returning to Central America.	Agree	Agree
24. The Newark Ohio earthworks are the largest earthworks in the world and demonstrate knowledge of astronomy and geometry.	Agree	Agree
25. There were a million ancient mounds in North America before the Europeans arrived.	Agree	Agree
26. There are two million skeletons buried in mounds in Illinois alone.	Agree	Agree
27. As an Apostle and Church Historian, Joseph Fielding Smith said the two-Cumorah theory caused members to become confused and disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. He reiterated this when he was President of the Quorum of the Twelve in the 1950s in his book Doctrines of Salvation.	Agree	Agree
28. The land of Zarahemla is north of the land of Nephi and lower in elevation than the land of Nephi.	Agree	Agree

And here's where we agree to disagree. Everyone can choose which position he/she agrees with on each topic. Other ideas are also fine.

Topic	M2C	Moroni’s America
1. Location of the Hill Cumorah	The hill in New York had nothing to do with ancient Nephites or Jaredites (apart from Moroni traveling to the area). The real Hill Cumorah which contains Mormon’s repository of records and was the scene of the final battles is elsewhere.	The hill in New York is the actual Hill Cumorah/Ramah where both the Nephites and the Jaredites were destroyed.  It also contained Mormon’s repository of the Nephite records.
2. Two-Cumorah theory described	There are two Cumorahs. The one in New York where Joseph Smith found the plates was just the place where Moroni buried his record. Unknown early Mormons gave this hill the name Cumorah and Joseph Smith later adopted this tradition. The real Cumorah where Mormon deposited the Nephite records is the scene of the final battles and it is in Mesoamerica.	There is only one Cumorah and it is in New York.
3. Joseph Fielding Smith’s comments on the two-Cumorah theory	Joseph Fielding Smith’s criticisms of the two-Cumorah theory are invalid because 50 years ago, someone heard a BYU professor say Pres. Smith told him he could teach whatever he wanted about Cumorah.	Joseph Fielding Smith’s criticisms of the two-Cumorah theory are valid, have caused and continue to cause members to become confused and disturbed in their faith of the Book of Mormon.
4. Oliver Cowdery’s Letter VII	Oliver Cowdery was speculating and was factually wrong about the New York location of the Hill Cumorah.	Oliver Cowdery stated a fact about the New York Cumorah based on his own experience in Mormon’s repository as related to Brigham Young and others.
5. Anonymous T&S article, Sept/Oct 1842	The articles linking the Book of Mormon to Central America were written, or at least approved by, Joseph Smith	The articles linking the Book of Mormon to Central America were not written, approved of, or even seen by Joseph Smith prior to publication
6. T&S Editor	Joseph was a hands-on editor of the T&S	Joseph was a nominal editor only. The paper was actually edited by William Smith and/or W.W. Phelps.
7. Book of Mormon overall geography	The text describes an overall hourglass shape.	The text does not describe an overall hourglass shape. Instead, Cumorah is a pin in the map in New York and Zarahemla is a pin in the map in Iowa.
8. Setting in Central America vs. North America	The description in the text best fits someplace in Central America, including Guatemala and Mexico.	The description in the text best fits North America, from Florida to New York and west to Missouri and Iowa.
9. Cultural elements in the text	The text describes an ancient Mesoamerican culture. Towers in the text refer to massive stone pyramids. Horses may be tapirs. The Nephites sacrificed agouti or other large rodents.	The text describes an ancient North American culture. Towers in the text refer to wooden towers. Horses are horses. The Nephites strictly observed the Law of Moses, including species.
10. Joseph Smith’s knowledge	Joseph did not leave a first-hand record of a revelation about Book of Mormon geography, so he had no revelation or inspiration regarding Book of Mormon geography	Joseph Smith knew where the Book of Mormon events took place because Moroni had shown him, as mentioned in the Wentworth letter and by his mother Lucy.
11. “Plains of the Nephites” (Joseph's letter to Emma refers to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois as the "plains of the Nephites")	Joseph speculated about a location not specifically mentioned in the text ("the plains of the Nephites").	Joseph recognized the plains referred to in the text of the Book of Mormon; i.e., "meet them upon the plains between the two cities" (Alma 52:20); "pitch their tents in the plains of Nephihah" (Alma 62:18) and "battle against them, upon the plains" (Alma 62:19).
12. Zelph	Zelph was a warrior killed in Illinois who was known to some of Lehi’s descendants who migrated northward from Mesoamerica into the Hinterland (areas not covered by the text)	Zelph was a warrior in the final battles of the Nephites, killed in Illinois between Zarahemla and Cumorah.
13. Location of Zarahemla	Zarahemla is located somewhere in Mexico or Guatemala; D&C 125:3 does not refer to the Nephite Zarahemla	Zarahemla is located across from Nauvoo as indicated by D&C 125:3 (near Montrose Iowa)
14. River Sidon	Because the land of Nephi is south of the land of Zarahemla and people travel down to the land of Zarahemla from Nephi, and because the river Sidon flows past the city of Zarahemla, the River Sidon flows north. Sidon is the Umacita or Grijalva river in Mesoamerica	Because the land of Nephi is south of the land of Zarahemla and people travel down to the land of Zarahemla from Nephi, the river between the two lands flows North. This is the Tennessee River, unnamed in the text. The text says that the river Sidon flows past the city of Zarahemla and along the land of Zarahemla, but not that it goes to the land of Nephi. These descriptions fits the Iowa location; Sidon is the upper Mississippi River.
15. Correspondences in Central America between BoM and ancient cultures	Many correspondences suggest the BoM took place in Central America, including Mayan banners, pyramids, stone temples, warfare, symbols of the tree of life, state-level society, etc.	These correspondences are typical of most cultures and, to the extent they are unique to BoM, they reflect culture brought to Central America from North America when the Mayans returned after 900 AD.
16. Jaredites	The Jaredites lived in Central America and were destroyed at the Hill Cumorah (Ramah) in Mexico	The Jaredites likely expanded throughout the western hemisphere and only those who lived in “this north country” were Ether's ancestors who were discussed in the Book of Ether and were destroyed at Cumorah
17. Presence of ancient writing	The text requires the presence of ancient writing systems, which are found only in Mesoamerica	The text excludes the presence of ancient writing systems because Lamanites destroyed any records they could find, which is why Mormon had to hide the plates.
18. Western Hemisphere setting	Although Joseph merely speculated about BoM geography, he knew it took place somewhere in the Western Hemisphere	Joseph knew by revelation that the Book of Mormon took place in the Western Hemisphere because he identified the plains of the Nephites, identified the western tribes of Indians as Lamanites, etc.
19. 1842 Wentworth letter statement that the “Lamanites are Indians in this country.”	This refers to all indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere.	Joseph was writing from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Mr. Wentworth who lived in Chicago, Illinois. Joseph's statement refers to the Native American Indians in Illinois and what was then the United States.
20. 1830-31 Mission to the Lamanites (D&C 28, 30 and 32)	Early Mormons believed the American Indians were Lamanites, but the term actually refers to all indigenous people in the Americas	Referred specifically to those tribes they visited (and other culturally connected tribes) in New York, Ohio and Missouri
21. Archaeological evidence in North America between BoM and ancient cultures	The archaeology in North America during BoM times shows a tribal level society, but BoM describes a state-level society	The archaeology shows a tribal level society but also a long-lost state-level society with monumental architecture among Adena and Hopewell societies, just as BoM describes
22. Modern prophets/apostles have identified Lamanites in Latin America	These statements corroborate the Mesoamerican setting.	These statements are not limited to Mesoamerica and reflect post-Book of Mormon migrations (Mayans moving north after 800 AD, then returning to Mesoamerica).
23. DNA evidence	All known DNA in Mesoamerican is Asian in origin, but DNA evidence is inconclusive; cannot prove or disprove the Book of Mormon.	Only northeastern (Great Lakes) Indian tribes have DNA other than Asian; dating of X2 haplotype (Middle-Eastern) remains an open issue because scientists currently say the X2 haplotype appeared in the Great Lakes region thousands of years before Lehi.
24. Promised land covenant	Promised land and covenant land includes entire Western hemisphere	Promised land and covenant land refers to the United States
25. Statements recorded by Wilford Woodruff and Martha Coray and attributed to Joseph Smith say that Zion is all of North and South America	These statement mean Lehi’s descendants filled the hemisphere, but BoM took place in a limited geography (Mesoamerica)	These statements originally meant Northern and Southern states, but Zion is anywhere the pure in heart live. Winchester’s wing concept of the continents of North and South America was adopted by Hyrum Smith and successors, then applied retroactively (Wilford Woodruff, Martha Coray)
26. Uto-Aztecan languages have Hebrew and Egyptian influence	These language influences show transoceanic interaction with Indians in western U.S. and Mexico.	These language influences show transoceanic interaction with Indians in western U.S. and Mexico, but not on Mayans. In addition, Algonquin (Great Lakes Indians) languages also have Hebrew and Egyptian influence.
27. General Conference talks that affirm the New York Cumorah	Presidents Ivins and Romney of the First Presidency were merely expressing their own opinions and were wrong. Same with Elder Mark E. Petersen.	Presidents Ivins and Romney of the First Presidency testified to the truth of what President Oliver Cowdery and others taught. Same with Elder Mark E. Petersen.

There's also a useful decision tree here:

http://bookofmormonconsensus.blogspot.com/2017/02/cumorah-decision-tree-for-book-of.html