I am sure you have seen the LDS Church film Testaments. If Testaments were made today with the same producer and director, it would have a North American backdrop (not central America) and the actors would be clad in Buffalo furs (not loin cloths and thin dresses) – so says Testaments filmmaker Keith Merrill.

In a recent presentation at the Book of Mormon prophecies conference in Midway, Utah, Merrill said that he now believes that BofM events took place in the area of the United States. He said that he cannot wait to redo the film and put buffalo in it (instead of an exotic monkey named “Chio”?). 

How would this film be received by the LDS community? It would be difficult to pull off because so many Latter-day Saints are used to the paradise, jungle imagery in Testaments. There is less glamour in history’s portrayal of the ancient native American lifestyle than there is in history’s portrayal of the ancient Central American lifestyle. Conditions in North America were much harsher than they were in Central America. Visit some Anasazi ruins in Southern Utah or look at some earliest photos of native Americans and you get an idea of the struggles North Americans faced long ago.

So if Merrill had his way, we might see an plain looking Laneah sitting on the ground, wearing buffalo furs, gnawing on piece of dried meat while Jacob pulled critters out of her hair. And Kohor’s caravan might be comprised of corn, furs, and dried fish rather than fruit, jewelry, and precious stones from the sea. Regardless of whether these images are a true representation of how things used to be, I think that a North American Testaments would have to be somewhat consistent with our anachronistic expectations of what life was like for ancient North American societies. 

Why did Merrill change his mind on the location for BofM events? He was persuaded by recent DNA evidence gathered by Rod Meldrum. Meldrum argues that scientific DNA evidence points to Nephites and Lamanites living in the same area where the church was founded. If the evidence was enough to change Merrill’s mind then perhaps it is somewhat convincing, to say the least. 

If you want to see the evidence in favor of a North American setting, I suggest viewing Meldrum’s DVD titled “DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography” (available for purchase from Amazon - click here). If you want to read a critical perspective on this theory from LDS scholars, I suggest reading the critique of Meldrum’s DVD by FAIR (Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research - click here). 

I have always believed that Central America is the setting for the BofM, however, I am willing to change my mind if the evidence definitively points to North America (I am skeptical though). Location aside, what is important, as Testament’s filmmaker Keith Merrill points out, is not the location - it is our testimony that the BofM is true. 

I couldn’t agree with him more.
 


Comments

Stan

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 8:23:25 pm

Sure, why not? There are at least two major competing theories of Book of Mormon geography and both would probably not agree with most (or is it just a lot these days) people's image of the whole continent model. Why not enlighten the membership? If people's testimonies are bound to one theory or another then they have something to learn. Why not learn it from a good source?

 

S.Faux

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 3:23:27 am

I generally agree with Keith Merrill. It is a mistake to localize the Book of Mormon story into a particular place. The Book of Mormon does NOT give many clues on geography, other than enough to say the book is internally consistent. Finding an external environment that fits the book is an entirely different problem. (I refuse to go on any "Book of Mormon" tours).

I am pleased that Merrill has taken the DNA evidence seriously. We Mormons should NEVER be afraid of science. And, yes, sometimes because of science, we will have to change our religious preconceptions.

For example, based in archeological and DNA evidence I would rather avoid calling any Native American a "Lamanite." For me, there is not enough evidence to justify using that term for any modern peoples. We do not know "locations," and so let's not pretend that we know "genealogies."

My testimony is NOT based in science, except loosely in the sense of "experimenting upon the word." But, I am certainly willing to modify any portion of my belief system that does not fall under the label "doctrines of salvation." There would be very few doctrines that would fall under that label (e.g., perhaps the A. of F.).

We Mormons do not have ALL truths. Instead, we
have a few select religious truths, just enough to allow us to be servants. That's it. Our Mormon position is a humble one, NOT an arrogant one.

 

Jared

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 9:03:55 pm

Interesting post. Have you read/heard of 1491 by Charles C. Mann? He does not write about Book of Mormon geography - he's not LDS - but he does try to counter many of our misconceptions of what "Native" Americans were like (including what their lifestyles were probably like). I saw many cultural similarities between Book of Mormon peoples and the civilizations Mann writes about (whether they lived in South America or the Northeast). Your post just made me think of that book - even if that was a tangential thought.

 

Stan

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:49:55 pm

Jared

I've read that book. It was amazing!

 

Tyler

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 5:58:56 pm

I agree that it doesn't matter where the BOM took place, but only that it did. It is a great spiritual record, and I am sure that we could gain so much more insight with a cultural background. That is why I think it is important to be focused in the correct areas of the world in the search for Book of Mormon lands.
Rod Meldrum is a great speaker and his work sounds very convincing....until you start looking into it a bit more. I wouldn't mind a few mistakes, but his work has so many that I thought I was reading an anti-Mormon book with elipses omitting important information that didn't agree with his theory.
He stated that Joseph Smith "knew" that the Book of Mormon took place in North America (I am not saying it didn't, but after researching Meldrums claims, am much less inclined to a North American model), but ignores the fact that Joseph Smith also taught a Central and South American setting as well. If you look at all of Joseph Smiths statements, as well as what he allowed to be published, it begins to take on a Hemispheric Geography covering all of the Americas. I don't believe that is what the Book of Mormon teaches and think Joseph Smith was making parallels between BOM peoples, culture, and beliefs in American cultures, no matter where they may have been.

FAIR has a great review of Meldrums work here:
http://www.fairlds.org/DNA_Evidence_for_Book_of_Mormon_Geography/

livy111us@yahoo.com

 

Dave C.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 9:24:30 am

Tyler,

RE: "Rod Meldrum is a great speaker and his work sounds very convincing....until you start looking into it a bit more. I wouldn't mind a few mistakes, but his work has so many that I thought I was reading an anti-Mormon book with elipses omitting important information that didn't agree with his theory."

Wow! That says a lot IMO. Thanks for letting us know how you feel about Meldrum's work.

 

Steve Nelson

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:12:17 am

Yeah, and there's a guy here in Utah Valley who's convinced that Baja is the place.

Who cares?

 

Rod

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:01:55 am

Tyler, don't you think that your accusation that I was omitting important information that 'doesn't agree' with my research is a little hypocritical given that you funded and produced the FAIR Mesoamerica promotion DNA video which is devoid of a single solitary reference to ANY scientific journal? Where is full disclosure from you and FAIR?

To read an entire organizations personal smear campaign and character attack on a faithful member of the Church with a new and exciting viewpoint, see FAIR's so called 'review' of my research and ask yourself, why did the FAIR organization spend the better part of a year attacking a fellow member of the Church? What are they so afaid of?

Has FAIR now been authorized as the perveyors of all truth? Why then are you so sure that FAIR has it all correct, Tyler?

 

Dave C.

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:11:13 am

Rod,

Thank you for sharing your perspective with us. I think you could argue that FAIR's efforts to discredit your work involved some overkill, especially given that we are not 100% certain on the location of BofM events.

 

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