Ore in Old World Bountiful (Howlers # 20)

Although the territory is one that in expanse is comparable to that portion of the United States lying between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean, yet in all that range of territory there has been no metal discovered that would be suitable for ship construction, except in the central part of the Sinaitic peninsula, either of which is hundreds of miles distant from the reputed spot where the vessel was built. And this fact goes far to strengthen the oft repeated assertion that the `author and proprietor’ of the Book of Mormon was illiterate.

     Samuel Traum, Mormonism Against Itself, 1910, 98.


Nephi indicates that after his family's arrival at Bountiful that the Lord commanded him to build a ship. "And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me. And it came to pass that the Lord told me wither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools (1 Nephi 17:9-10).

I love the example of Nephi's faith. He does not ask the Lord to do that which he could do himself. Nephi is willing to work and make tools if he can only find the materials to do so.

The passage suggests that ore resources may not have been abundant, but that they were available nearby. This appears to fit the the Dhofar region in southern Oman, the proposed region for Old World Bountiful. Research, sponsored by Brigham Young university and FARMS over the last two decades has yielded evidence for iron ore that could have been used to make Nephi's tools, which you can read about here and here.

Another Preview of Mormon's Codex

The Maxwell Institute Blog has provided another brief preview from John L. Sorenson's forthcoming book, Mormon's Codex: An Ancient American Book on the subject of Wine in the Book of Mormon which readers can access here.

Hyrum and Lucy Mack Smith1838 Testimonies of the Book of Mormon Plates and the Breastplate (Historical Documents)

I have not heard but one sermon since we have been in the place, and that by hyrum Smith as he was moving to Missouri [.] he tarried with us a little while [.] his discourse was beautiful [.] we was talking about the Book of Mormon which he is one of the witnesses [.] he said he had but too [two] hands and too [two] eyes [.] he said he had seene the plates with his eyes and handled them with his hands and he saw a brest plate and he told how it wass maid [.] it was fixed for the brest of a man with a holer [hollow or concave] stomack and too [two] pieces upon eatch side with a hole throu them to put in a string to tye <it> on but that wass not so good gold as the plates for they was pure [.] why i write this is because they dispute the Book so much. I lived by his Mother and and [she] was wone [one] of the finest of wimen [.] always helping them that stood in need [.] she told me the [w]hole story [.] the plates wass in the house and some times in the woods for eight months and on account of people trying to get them [.] they had to hide them [.] wonce [once] they had these under the hearth [.] they took up the brick and put them in and put the brick back [.] the old lady told me this hur self with tears in hur eyes, and they ran down her cheeks too [.] she put hur hand upon her stomack and said she [ha]s the peace of god that rested upon us all that time [.] she said it wass a heaven below [.] I axter [asked her] if she saw the plates [.] she said no it wass not for hur to see them but she hefted and handled them and I believed all she said for I lived by hur eight months and she was wone [one] of the best of wimen [.]

[From Sally Parker to John Kempton, 26 August, 1838, In Private Possession, Microfilm in LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City].

Popularity Statistics

Based on conference talks of the last several decades, the following are the most popular, that is most cited, chapters in the Book of Mormon:

2 Nephi 2 (522 citations)
Moroni 10 (400 citations)
Moroni 7 (399 citations)
3 Nephi 11 (369 citations)
2 Nephi 9 (339 citations)
Alma 34 (332 citations)
Alma 5 (330 citations)
3 Nephi 27 (314 citations)
Mosiah 3 (305 citations)
Mosiah 4 (301 citations)
2 Nephi 31 (281 citations)
2 Nephi 28 (244 citations)
Mosiah 18 (233 citations)
Mosiah 2 (227 citations)
Ether 12 (220 citations)
Alma 42 (209 citations)

If, looking over the list, you cannot remember why a particular chapter is on this list, perhaps it is time to refresh your memory.

Limitations of Human Knowledge

I am often reminded of King Benjamin's counsel to his people which is a reminder to me of the limitation and imperfections of human knowledge:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend (Mosiah 4:9).

Robert Jastrow in his interesting book, God and the Astronomers observes:

When an astronomer writes about God, his colleagues assume he is either over the hill or going bonkers. In my case it should be understood from the start that I am an agnostic in religious matters. However, I am fascinated by some strange developments going on in astronomy--partly because of their religious implications . . . . Consider the enormity of the problem. Science has proven that the Universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It asks, What cause produced this effect? Who or what put the matter and energy into the universe? Was the Universe created out of nothing, or was it gathered together out of pre-existing materials? And science cannot answer these questions, because, according to the astronomers, in the first moments of its existence the Universe was compressed  to an extraordinary degree, and consumed by the heat of a fire beyond human imagination . . . . The scientist's pursuit of the past ends in the moment of creation. This is an exceedingly strange development . . . . For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries [From Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers, 1978, 11, 114-16].

Perceptions of Early Christians, Mormons, and the Book of Mormon

[From Joseph  J. Walsh, "On Christian Atheism," Vigiliae Christianae 45 (1991): 255-77].

Joseph Walsh discusses the accusation that early Christians were atheists, an accusation that may puzzle many Christians today. Much of this, he writes can be attributed to simple ignorance. He writes:

Clearly there was a lack of accurate information concerning Christianity, and many pagans had not yet made the fundamental distinctions about the Christians. But as the number of Christians grew and proselytization constantly brought Christianity to the attention of the pagan population, the Roman world became better acquainted with Christian beliefs and practices. Eventually everyone knew some Christians and apostates who could testify in word and deed to the falsehood of the scurrilous accusations. Non-Christians would discover that exotic libertine sects (to the extent that they existed) formed a small minority and were execrated more by mainstream Christians than by the pagan community. The tenacity of these charges, current long after they ought to have been dispelled, testifies to their significance and to the power of our second factor: pagan hatred for the Christians (Walsh, 265).

Walsh also writes:

Some Americans who have never read the Book of Mormon and have virtually no knowledge of Mormon theology nurse a powerful hatred towards the religion. Perceptions and impressions of Mormon abstemiousness, proselytizing, prosperity, self-righteousness, cliquishness, political conservatism, and bigamy arouse this animosity. So too loathing of Christians is to be explained  by a melange of characteristics which irritated and affronted pagans, although many of Christianity's enemies had little knowledge of the new sect's message (Walsh, 268).

Howler's Index

An index to the various howlers has been posted as a separate page. It is organized both alphabetically by subject and by book in the Book of Mormon.