Hard evidence of ancient american horses book of mormon. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted. Why are horses mentioned in the book of mormon lds living. He was an ignorant farm boy who knew nothing about mesoamerica, so he.
There are three possible ways to approach this puzzle, dealing with archaeology, ancient cultural practices, and difficulties in translation. There are five incidences where horses are mentioned in the book of mormon, and are portrayed as being in the forest upon first arrival of the nephites, raised, fed, prepared in conjunction with chariots, used for food, and being useful unto man. We will examine some of the more important claims put. Horses are mentioned in eight different book of mormon episodes that involve. A related discussion is in my post, update on horses in the book of mormon, mormanity blog, feb. Horses, cattle, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheels, chariots, wheat, silk, steel, and iron did not exist in precolumbian america during book of mormon times. Horses in the book of mormon farms did nephites ride horses. Scientists, historians, and other scholars have long maintained the view that there were no horses in the americas during book of mormon times. Sorenson, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, deseret book, 1985. Since 1830, their mention has seemed a bit problematic, but.
Continue your search below with this informative exerpt from michael r. The book of mormon has been criticized for its lack of significant female characters in the narrative. Contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf, book of mormon central, or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the anachronism of horses in the book of mormon as. Discover magazine just posted an article about the oldest archaeological evidence for the invention of the wheel that sparked some thoughts about wheel technology in ancient america, as mentioned in the book of mormon. Anachronisms in the book of mormon religious studies center. There is no evidence that horses existed on the american continent during the timeframe of the book of mormon. The book of mormon mentions horses, yet these animals seem not to have been known to native americans who greeted the spaniards upon their arrival in the new world in the sixteenth century. When most of us recontextualize book of mormon horses, we tend to envision nephites riding traditional horses into battle or using them to pull chariots.
Each coloured link within the article will lead you to a related topic on a different page on this site. Apr 11, 2016 why are horses mentioned in the book of mormon. As stated in this book, this does not mean that descendants of book of mormon peoples did not eventually migrate to other parts of the hemisphere and the world during or following book of mormon times. Strengthening ones testimony in the face of criticism and doubt an anachronism is something that does not fit the time frame for which it is claimed. The anachronism of horses in the book of mormon as an. The book of mormon mentions several animals, plants, and technologies that are. Horses evolved in north america, but are believed to have become extinct on the american continent at the end of the pleistocene.
There does not appear to be archeological proof for their existence in the new world during the time period in which they are mentioned 600 b. This was followed in 1992 by reexploring the book of mormon, edited by john welch, and in 1997 by book of mormon authorship revisited. Miller author matthew roper when the book of mormon first appeared, skeptics said that references to horses, asses, elephants, and other animals such as swine and cows were out of place. Obviously, growing up on a farm, joseph smith knew horses did not behave this way. Apr 11, 2016 the mention of horses among domesticated animals kept by book of mormon peoples has raised questions in some peoples minds, due to the prevailing view that horses were not found in the americas during precolumbian times. In light of this view, latterday saints have approached this question in one of two ways. In alma there is a reference to horses, however there were no horses in the americas before columbus got here in 1492. Failed to mention they were about 8,000 years old and were extinct in the americas not long after that. Horse remains have been found in california which radiocarbon date before the spanish arrival to the area. Since horses were supposedly extinct in the americas during book of mormon times, the mention of horses is seen to be anachronistic.
May 26, 2018 in his letter to a ces director, jeremy runnells asks why horses are mentioned in the book of mormon when, supposedly, no horses existed in precolumbian america. Horses are mentioned once, in moronis retelling of the record of ether, as one of the animals that were useful unto man among jaredites during the reign of emer ether 9. Horses were present but their remains have not been found. In the old testament, male pronouns he and his are mentioned 6. In spite of difficulties in defending this claim, and although the evidence is incomplete, the geological and archaeological record does provide support for horses and even wheeled vehicles in ancient america. As enos describes nephite life in his day fifth century bc, he says that they raised many horses. The author of this article may or may not agree with the views expressed on those pages.
Why are these things mentioned in the book of mormon as being made. The book of mormon mentions that horses were known and used by the jaredites and the people of lehi. Readers can interpret the presence of horses in the book of mormon in a variety of different ways. Apr 28, 2018 the mention of horses among domesticated animals kept by book of mormon peoples has raised questions in some peoples minds, due to the prevailing view that horses were not found in the americas during precolumbian times.
Some of the anachronistic animals found in the book of mormon include horses, cattle, oxen, donkeys, goats, wild goats, sheep, swine and elephants see 1 nephi 18. The book of mormon and the lack of precolumbian wheels mormon. The evidence for ancient origins, edited by noel reynolds. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. If joseph had created a fictional story, why doesnt the book of mormon reflect horses in ways that were familiar to nineteenthcentury americans. The book of mormon claims that horses were found on the american continent after the arrival of at least two groups of people. They are as busy as bees with this mission impossible task. Rediscovering the book of mormon, edited by john sorenson and melvin thorne, appeared in 1991. Latest why visualization might help with your prayers and how you can try it yourself greyson gurley when we think of prayer, many of us think of simply speaking to god. That would be as true for the book of mormon as it is for any other text if the book of mormon claimed to be an ancient text, but it does not.
Farms scholar robert bennett argues the following to deal with this. Mormon challenges are anachronisms in the book of mormon. Animals in the book of mormon byu studies quarterly. Farms fair shields mormon apologetics farms and fair and shields apologize for the book of mormon and the book of abraham. Apr 11, 2016 and it came to pass that the people of nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds and also many horses. Some people believe that references to horses are out of place since it is widely believed that they were extinct long before book of mormon times. For reference, the following are the horse verses from the book of mormon. The book of mormon mentions horses a few times, even though were not in the americas before the spanish arrived, according to current expert opinion. Horses were reintroduced to the americas caribbean by christopher. During the first century after its publication, book of mormon critics argued that such animals never existed anywhere in the americas before the arrival of columbus and west.
In fact, book of mormon horses are never mentioned in a combat narrative. Thus, the mention of horses in the americas during book of mormon times presents an anachronismsomething that doesnt fit the time frame for which it is claimed. Horses did not reappear in the americas until the spaniards brought them from europe. New evidence for horses in america book of mormon central. In fact, the last mentions of horses indicates that they were plentiful. The mention of horses among domesticated animals kept by book of mormon peoples has raised questions in some peoples minds, due to the prevailing view that horses were not found in the americas during precolumbian times. Notice the horse in this lds depiction of the stripling warriors from the book of mormon.
Many critics ridicule the mention of horses in the book of mormon, for it is widely assumed that horses were not known to man in the americas prior to contact with europeans. Have precolumbian horses been discovered in america. Nineteenthcentury horses were also used to plough fields, but there is no mention of this in the book of mormon. Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon mormon. The suggestion of horses and chariots in precolumbian america has long been an easy target for critics of the book of mormon. Miner book of mormon anachronisms money and the book of mormon, compiled by glen w. Image via book of mormon central, featuring horses running by tns. The nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every.
Horses are mentioned only on a few occasions in the book of mormon the last mention is around the time of christ. Moreover, archaeological evidence for the presence of the horse in the precolumbian americas is presently scant and inconclusive. Nov 01, 2008 but, now the lds church is saying the horse referred to in the book of mormon is probably a tapir or deer like animal known in central and south america, as is noted in an article from the fairlds site horses in the book of mormon by mike ash. The farms owned by the mormon church are an integral part of this welfare system. The book of mormon has a few different mentions of horses in different verses, but horses in the book of mormon arent used in the way we understand horses to be used. Some horses eventually escaped and multiplied in the wild. Sep 12, 2007 the food will be shipped all over the world to help mormons and nonmormons alike. Solomon spalding, in manuscript story, mentions horses in connection with the. Home horses in the book of mormon horses in the book of mormon the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
Why does the book of mormon mention horses when there were no. They need to read the book of mormon again enos 1 21 and it came to pass that the people of nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses. There are at least two possible resolutions to the horse problem in the book of mormon. Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon archaeological. There are a small number of mentions in the book of mormon of horses. Mormon challenges are precolumbian horses in book of. Many have assumed that anachronisms in the book of mormon should similarly prove that it must be false, and it is a modern text only posing as an ancient one. Book of mormon horses do not function anything like nineteenthcentury farm or field horses, nor are they utilized by either the nephites or lamanites as were the horses belonging to the farmers, explorers, or native americans in joseph smiths milieu. Nov 12, 2010 the book of mormon is allegedly about a lost tribe of israel that made it to north america and lived with the indians here. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints has formed what may be the largest private welfare system in the world. Jan 29, 2018 one of the most persistent questions about the book of mormon has been the mention of horses among the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites. Farms owned by the mormon church mormonism, the mormon. And it came to pass that the people of nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds and also many horses. Recently, however, farms began a project to date the horse remains that were.