Review

Title: MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition
Author: Rian Nelson, writer; Jonathan Neville, editor; www.worksofjoseph.com, artwork compilations
Publisher: NA
Genre: Non-fiction/Reference Book
Year Published: 2018
Number of Pages: 141
Binding: Laminated soft cover with spiral binding
ISBN10: 978-1-944200-31-2
ISBN13: NA
Price: $19.95

Reviewed by Sherry Ann Miller for the Association for Mormon Letters

MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition is not a book just to be read and reviewed. It is a book to be read and studied, a book to be pondered over and yes, a book to be prayed about. One truly needs divine inspiration when attempting to understand the complex and diverse locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon as explained in MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition. Just as Moroni asked readers of the Book of Mormon to ask God regarding its authenticity, I feel it absolutely essential that readers of this work do exactly the same thing…ponder and pray for guidance.

I would also suggest that when reading MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition, you have two other books with you: The Book of Mormon, and the book titled MORONI’S AMERICA — The North American Setting for the Book of Mormon, by Jonathan Neville. These two books are referenced heavily throughout MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition. You might also want your iPad or PC handy, as well, if you are at all curious about any of the archaeological evidence supporting the theories you will find on this reading/studying adventure.

MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition states on the front cover that the book contains maps and explanations of the Book of Mormon in North America. Further, it quotes Oliver Cowdery’s statement in Letter VII, as found in the Joseph Smith Papers (JS History 1834-1836) that between the Hill Cumorah, New York, USA, and a neighboring hill called Shim (Mormon 1:3, Mormon 4:23, 6:6) both the Jaredites (Ether 15:11) and Nephites (Mormon 6) were destroyed. That being true, the author and editor have created MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition to disprove the second Cumorah theory, which theory has led several people to believe that the Hill Cumorah, where the Jaredite and Nephite battles took place, is somewhere in Mesoamerica, perhaps in Guatemala or a number of other locations south of the US border. Within the pages of MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition, there are strong, plausible arguments against the second Cumorah theory, and the reader will need to understand this before opening the book.

First, however, let me explain that I learned of the second Cumorah theory in a series of fictional novels set in imaginary, somewhat scriptural geography. I dismissed the idea because I was reading fiction, which allows one to probe the depths of the sea or fly off to another planet, dimension, time or realm without leaving the comfort of one’s home. I had no idea the second Cumorah theory was an actual non-fictional theory considered by some as even plausible until I read some of Jonathan Neville’s books and did some serious digging in the Joseph Smith Papers and reading/studying other early Church leaders. I had always believed (and still do) that Joseph Smith had correctly identified the Palmyra, New York, Hill Cumorah as the same Hill Cumorah described in the Book of Mormon.

I had difficulty understanding why the second Cumorah theory had even been considered. Then, I recalled something my brother, a prominent chemist, had taught his family:

“If you torture the data sufficiently, it will confess to anything.”

My brother’s logic taught me that God had laid out a perfect plan to enable his children to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, to learn for ourselves that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and to enjoy all the benefits and responsibilities that come with such beliefs. There is no need to torture the data because God has already shown us His straight and narrow path. Sorry, but…no side trips to a theorized second Cumorah for me.

If I have learned nothing else in my mortal sojourn, I have learned this: God has a reason for everything. We may not realize it at the time, but eventually we will come to know that the Lord allows events to occur and gives revelations to us for specific purposes. When Nelson and Neville, in MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition, suggest a reason why God gave the name Zarahemla to the area across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Joseph Smith, this finally made sense to me. It is entirely possible, probable even, that this area was Zarahemla millenniums earlier. As I contemplated that possibility, a generous share of the other pins on the map began to make sense, as well, including the use of rivers as the primary means of travel.

The current archaeological evidence (the data) needs no torturing; documentation by archaeological researchers is astounding and many historical sites actually prove what the Book of Mormon has recorded within its pages. I was especially impressed with the evidence of altars found in some North American sites which match what the Lord instructed in . The research on the Hopewell Culture is profoundly moving; I was surprised to learn of its abrupt end about 400 A.D. Does that sound familiar to anyone else besides me?

The artwork in MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition is excellent. The maps are clear and easily identifiable. I wish there was space in my review to bestow praise on each and every artist who had a hand in the beautifully portrayed scenes and map designs.

That said, I do have some issues with the book that I hope will be resolved before another printing is run. Correct spelling is a must in a book of maps: Buntiful, paralells, and burried are simply not acceptable, nor is Helaman likely to appreciate his name being misspelled…several times. I would not, ordinarily, mention spelling in a book review, but there were too many to ignore and this is a book of maps where identification is crucial.

It is clear from the very beginning that MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition is a companion guide to Jonathan Neville’s book, MORONI’S AMERICA — the North American setting for the Book of Mormon. While you can understand what Nelson and Neville portray in MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition, you will understand a lot better if you use the two books together.

I cannot agree with some suppositions found within this book, suppositions that are not supported in the Book of Mormon, nor by Joseph Smith’s statement that Lehi’s people were principally Israelites. There is no need to torture data by supposing the Phoenicians brought Mulek to America when the Book of Mormon clearly says the Lord did that, nor by supposing people were already at Lehi’s landing place when they arrived in the promised land, because Nephi never recorded that. If the ship Nephi and his family built had sailed around Cape Horn (and as a former sailor, this also made sense to me) it was because the Liahona showed them that route, not because Isaiah 18 pronounced an Ethiopian woe; and there is no evidence to support the supposition that they stopped along the African continent for supplies. Nephi did not record that, and there is no reason to torture data when it is clear that the Lord provided for them while they were on their voyage as long as they were obedient to Him.

Some things in MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition are just plain wrong. On page 54, it states that Ammonihah was completely destroyed by Zoram and the Nephites, when Alma clearly recorded that Ammonihah was destroyed by the Lamanites in one day, as had been prophesied. (Alma 9; Alma ; Alma )

The reference for Helaman 2 on page 74 has nothing to do with the page, and should be adjusted to the correct chapter(Helaman 1).

The timeline on page 94 shows that it took the Jaredites 104 years to land in America, but I think a more accurate accounting can be found in the book of Ether, chapter 6, particularly verse 11, which states “344 days.”

The Kensington Stone (page 95) has been shown to have a questionable authenticity, so it should probably be excluded in the maps edition.

Page 107 seems to suggest that Joseph Smith didn’t know he was supposed to translate the plates himself. After four yearly visits with Moroni, I am certain Joseph would have been taught and understood completely that he was to translate the records himself through the use of the Urim and Thummim. That Joseph needed a scribe is obvious, but a professional linguist? I think not. Martin Harris may not agree with me, I can’t say. I believe Joseph Smith knew from the yearly interviews with Moroni that he, Joseph, was to be the seer.

There is a photo of a mound on page 111 with no identifier. I would have liked to have learned where the photo was taken. Perhaps it could have been researched a little for the readers’ benefit.

The scriptural reference on page 131 should be 2 Nephi , not 2 Nephi .

My conclusions are still favorable, regardless of the imperfections. MORONI’S AMERICA — Maps Edition is a book that would be very useful to all seekers of truth because it points us toward the geography of the Promised Land, toward the reality that Joseph’s Hill Cumorah in New York is the very same Hill Cumorah where the Nephites and Jaredites were destroyed.

I was taught in a literature class once that readers need to understand the author’s feelings and intentions. For instance, if an author wrote that the curtain was blue, my teacher wanted me to see that the author had used the words curtain and blue metaphorically. She said the curtain likely meant that the author was representing the heroine’s view of the world as imperceptible or restricted, while the color blue likely meant sadness or depression. I remember thinking how silly these metaphors were because, in my writer’s mind, the author likely meant that the curtain was blue. I guess that’s why, when Joseph Smith said (and Oliver Cowdery recorded in his Letter VII) that the Hill Cumorah in New York was the place where the last great Nephite and Jaredite battles were fought, I accepted that literally. For me, the curtain was blue. If in doubt, read Letter VII, Mormon 6 and Ether .

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the message of the Book of Mormon is spiritual, that it is a second witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His ministry here in America. While geography is interesting, it is neither Mormon’s nor Moroni’s message. The Book of Mormon gives us just enough geography to hang ourselves when we torture the data. Apparently, torturing data led to the second Cumorah theory a few decades ago. Why would anyone do that when the curtain is clearly blue?