January 2004
Latest Word on Book of Mormon Geography

Though sure to be ignored, slighted, quibbled about and rationalized by many who seek to put their own preference upon the geography of the Book of Mormon, the lasted 'word' concerning the Book of Mormon geography can be found in the First Presidency's message in the January issue of the Ensign magazine. Those who read myopicly, selectively or without comprehension may have either missed it or failed to recognized the significance of the so related statements. Let them be quoted here for consideration. Under the sideheading of 'What It Is and Is Not' comes two paragraphs which speak much about the geography of the Book of Mormon.

"It is important to know what the Book of Mormon is not. It is not primarily a history, although much of what it contains is historical. The title page states that it is an account taken from the records of people living in the Americas before and after Christ; it was "written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. . . . And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations." ~ Ensign, January 2004, page 4.

Now did you catch the key words which define what the Book of Mormon geography is and is not in this first paragraph, or did it slip by you due to a lack of comprehension or some other bias perspective? President James E. Faust, speaking for the First Presidency of the Church, states that the Book of Mormon 'is an account taken from the records of people living in the Americas before and after Christ'. Now immediately quibblers will begin to rationalize what the President has said into something other than what he has just said. The last time I checked, by objective understanding, 'the Americas' included North America, Central America and South America, all three. When one states 'the Americas', they are not stating 'a limited area in Central America' known as Mesoamerica'. The significance of this singular statement is, as it has always been, that the people of the Book of Mormon, whose records the Book of Mormon is taken from, did live upon the Americas, all three. And the account thus given in the Book of Mormon involves events which occured upon all three of the 'Americas' and were not confined to a very limited geography in Mesoamerica, which is but a fractional part of 'the Americas'. To qualify the statement any other way is to place one's own interpretation upon it rather than reading and understanding what it does clearly state.

But the message from the First Presidency does not end there. It makes a further statement concerning the geography of the Book of Mormon which will be selectively qualified by those who seek their own personal perspective concerning the Book of Mormon geography.

"President George Q. Cannon (1827-1901) First Councelor in the First Presidency, stated, "The Book of Mormon is not a geographical primer. It was not written to teach geographical truths. What is told us of the situation of the various lands or cities ... is usually simply an incidental remark connected with the doctrinal or historical portions of the work."" ~ Ensign, January 2004, pages 4-5

The Book of Mormon is a highly abridged work. It does not present a detailed historical chronology of the people of the Americas. It does not give a detailed picture of the geography of the land, though many will take what condensed and particle information therein and attempt to build their preferred geographical picture of it, it is a fallacious attempt to do so because it just cannot so simply be done. Too much is missing, the Book of Mormon was never intended to be a geographical primer despite the contentions upon the part of some to present that it is and that the geography can be ascertained and discovered from its pages. Yet there are some who prescribe that they have so determined it and teach it as though their perspective is 'the' one and only true perspective upon the matter. Such seems contradictory from what is logically feasible.

So there you have it. The geography of the Book of Mormon remains unknown, despite the promotions of some to state it otherwise. This is the lastest word upon the matter. Stated in a manner as not to be directly confrontational, it is so clearly stated that any who read what is said objectively should understand that there is no accepted geography to the Book of Mormon. And to limit it to a mere fraction of the 'Americas', such as just one sector of Central America alone, would seem to be very problematic as it ignores what the First Presidency has stated in their message of January 2004 as just presented.