The South Countries

[justamere10]

Jerry Ainsworth expressed a few of his thoughts on "the south countries" in this morning's issue of "Nephite Evidences", the free monthly newsletter from Mormon Sites.

Here's a link to Ainsworth's article:

Ask a Mormon LDS Forum Discussion Board • View topic - Newsletter September, 2009 - the south countries

[Hemidakota]

Interesting....

[Traveler]

Every place that someone has thought the Nephits could have been has problems as far as I know. I know everybody has their ideas but as far as I am concerned we just do not know where the Nephits were. If anyone is interested in validating the Book of Mormon from a historical perspective - I would suggest the references to Lehi's travels on the Arabian Peninsula.

I have yet to fine a western scholar and critic of the Book of Mormon that knows more about the ancient Arabian Peninsula (600 BC) than Joseph Smith; especially if we take into account when Joseph translated the Book of Mormon.

The Traveler

[Moksha]

Cumorah is southward some miles from the narrow neck of land above.

:)

[Hemidakota]

but as far as I am concerned we just do not know where the Nephits were. If

The Traveler

As church but I do believe Joseph did indicate later that Meso-America was the area of the Nephites.

I have no problems with it since I do believe it was also.

[Hemidakota]

LAND SOUTHWARD

Helaman 2

and did go forth from the land southward, to the land northward, and did spread ... were slain and driven out of the land, and they did go unto ... their design to obtain the remainder of their lands, for so numerous was the Lamanites that it became impossible

Nephi, the Son of Nephi, Which Was the Son of Helaman 2

astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi, demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people, and ... cause that they should gather themselves together in the land southward,

The Book of Mormon 1

old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla: the whole face of the land...my people that they should gather themselves together at the land Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which lead

3 Nephi 3

astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging... that they should gather themselves together in the land southward,

Mormon 1

years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla. 7 The whole face of the land ... robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures

Helaman 3

and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread ... And in this year there was continual rejoicing in the land of Zarahemla, and in all the regions round ... great riches and their prosperity in the land;

Helaman 5

they had gone forth among all the people of Nephi who were in the land southward; and from thence into the land of ..., insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance,

Ether 4

to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceeding fast, because of... began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites, Zarahemla.

Ether 9

to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because ... began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.

Ether 10

built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land. 21 And they did preserve the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And ... days of Com there began to be robbers in the land;

Edited September 3, 2009 by Hemidakota

[Hemidakota]

Getting back to what I was referring too with Joseph Smith believe Mesoamerica, there was a map that now resides in the church archives showing the travel of the late Prophet Moroni.

Charles Tate stated the following -

Several years ago, I came across two copies of a map in the Archives Division of the Historical Department of the Church relative to Moroni's North American journeys (see Figures 1 and 2, "Fourth Nephi through Moroni: From Zion to Destruction"). On the back of the map in Figure 1 is written the following:

A chart, and description of Moroni's travels through this country. Got it from Br. Robert Dickson. He got it from Patriarch Wm. McBride at Richfield in the Sevier and also from Andrew M. Hamilton of same place. And they got it from Joseph Smith the Prophet.

On the map "land Bountifull [sic]" is listed in "Sentral [sic] America." The cartographer wrote "starting point" below the reference to Central America. Above the "land Bountifull" is "Sand hills in south part of Arizona," and above it to the left is "Salt Lake." To the right is "Independens, Jackson Co, Mo." and above that is "Adam on Diamon, Davis Co, Mo." To the right of that is "Nauvoo, Hancock C.Ill." Below that is "Mound Kinderhook, Pick, Co, Ill, 6 Plates Bell shape were found" (were was was on one copy). Then to the right and above that is "Kirtland, Ohio," and to the right of that is "Commorre [Cumorah], N.Y." Below this on the right-hand side of the map is written:

"Moroni's Travels starting from Sentral America to the Sand hills Arizona then to Salt Lake U[tah], T[erritory], then to Adam on Diammon Mo, then to Nauvoo, Ill, then to Independence Mo, then to Kirtland Ohio then to Cumoro NY."

The second map appears to have been drawn by the same hand and is quite similar to the first, though it twice spells Arizona as Arisony (one "y" has an "a" written over it); "eden" is written near the circle identifying "Independense"; "where adam blessed his posterity" is written near the circle identifying "Adam on Diammon"; the "missisipy river" is listed near Nauvoo; Kirtland is twice misspelled "kertland"; and Cumorah is misspelled "Cunora" and "Cumora."

It is interesting to note that the brethren mentioned on these documents were contemporaries of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and they credited him with the notion that the travels of Moroni began in the land Bountiful, which was in Central America, and went through the western New York. Why Moroni took the route he did is still without answers. These men stated that the Prophet Joseph believed Bountiful is in Central America while the Hill Cumorah, the burial place of the plates, is in New York State.