Horses book of mormon

Scientists, historians, and other scholars have long maintained the view that there were no horses in the americas during book of mormon times. Horses in america this is one issue that i knew was fishy as a tbm although it never bothered me enough to get me out. I was reading about horses in the book of mormon at the farms mormon apologetics group website today. The topic of horses in the book of mormons depiction of the ancient new world is undoubtedly a controversial one.

Jun 21, 2016 in the book of mormon, however, chariots are never actually mentioned in a battle context. 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. There is a documented report from a french baron fighting the iroquois in 1687 near rochester, new york, that reads, in all these villages, we found plenty of horses, black cattle, fowl and hogs. Critics argue that the archaeological record suggests that all elephantlike creatures became. They throw out a half dozen conflicting theories using phrases like may.

The claims made by the book of mormon mention specific tools, technologies, crops, and animals that simply didnt exist in those regions at the times stated. New evidence for horses in america book of mormon central. What is the nature and use of chariots in the book of mormon. Nov 01, 2008 isnt the lds church using double speak and confusion regarding hoses in the book of mormon. The book of mormon never claims that the horse was universally known or used in the new world.

Horses true book of mormon geography lands western new. There is no evidence that horses existed on the american. The first book of mormon videos are scheduled to be released in the fall of 2018. Church begins filming book of mormon videos church news. There are a small number of mentions in the book of mormon of horses. Horse remains have been found in california which radiocarbon date before the spanish arrival to the area. But its also another one that clearly shows that ole joe was clearly talking out his ass. There were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and. 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. 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.

Hard evidence of ancient american horses byu studies. Horses are mentioned only on a few occasions in the book of mormon the last mention is around the time of christ horses are mentioned once. Discussion of christianity, religion, and faith in general is welcome. Horses are mentioned in eight different book of mormon episodes that involve an ancient new world setting. 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.

There are at least two possible resolutions to the horse problem in the book of 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. This paper is based on a talk and powerpoint presentation given to the book of mormon lands conference, 20 october 2007. One of the most persistent questions about the book of mormon has been the mention of horses among the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites. Feb 05, 2018 one of the toughest challenges for the book of mormon is the issue of horses.

There are many other anachronistic plants and animals present in the book of mormon, such as wheat, cattle, ox, sheep, elephant and the ass. As enos describes nephite life in his day fifth century bc, he says that they raised many horses. How they were used, when, and by whom, is left unsaid. Erekson this story appeared in the marchapril 2020 issue of lds living. If anything, though, the occurrence of the horses in the book of mormon should serve as an invitation for further scholarship, not as a reason for ending it. 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.

We have seen pictures of elephants, horses and asses and so when we read the word, we form a picture in our minds. Further work needs to be done to better understand what horses in the book of mormon actually refers to and how they were used. Aug 03, 2018 i was hoping to be at the fair conference this week but work had other plans. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading science and the book of mormon. Horses did not reappear in the americas until the spaniards brought them from europe. While the mention of horses is thought to be anachronistic to the book of mormon, we can find germane parallels in mesoamerican culture. The most likely animals to have been included in the expanded definition of the book of mormon horse are the deer and the tapir. This article contextualizes the use of horses in the book of mormon to better understand their function in society. 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.

Why are horses mentioned in the book of mormon lds living. Dec 01, 2017 horses, scholars believe, were only reintroduced by columbus to the carribbean in 1493, and by cortez to the continent over two decades later in 1819. Others believe that the word horse in the book of mormon does not refer to. At first glance, its a simple case for rejecting the book. Readers can interpret the presence of horses in the book of mormon in a variety of different ways. Americas first elephant arrived in 1796 on captain jacob crowninshield. First, the lds church answers critics who say joseph smith plagiarized from the king james bible, by saying joseph smith translated in the language of the day so people could clearly understand the book of mormon. Over the last three decades, word of the churchs acquisition of a book of mormon supposedly written in by elvis presley spread easily through fireside speakers, classroom teachers, and newspaper.

If the book of mormon truly is an ancient history of america, we can search the book of mormon, then search archaeology to discover if the book of mormon is accurate. The tapir was a key source of transportation and, thus, commerce in book of mormon times. Scholars go over evidence and discuss horses found in precolumbian times, chariots, and elephants. 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. Apr 11, 2016 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 present but their remains have not been found. There were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. Others believe that the word horse in the book of mormon does not. In fact, horses went extinct in the americas thousands of. One of the toughest challenges for the book of mormon is the issue of horses. Many people who believe in the mesoamerican theory try very hard to explain why horses are mentioned in the book of mormon, when they. One should be aware of these possibilities while reading references to horses and other plants and animals not commonly thought to be in the americas during book of mormon times.

Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon mormon. Hard evidence of ancient american horses book of mormon. Horses in the book of mormon general discussions mormon. Jul 16, 2019 although hard evidence is available to consider, so far no incontrovertible proof of book of mormon horses existsthat is to say, physical remains conclusively dated to around 500 bc and earlier from supposed book of mormon lands in mesoamerica are yet to be found. Notice the horse in this lds depiction of the stripling warriors from the book of mormon. Horses in the book of mormon discussions toward a better understanding of lds doctrine, history, and culture. In other words, critics claim that the book of mormon is a fraud, since horses mentioned in the book of mormon couldnt have lived here at the time of the nephites. Excerpt from the horses in the book of mormon article on fair mormon. Cureloms and cumoms are perhaps the most intriguing beasts mentioned in the book of mormon because they are unfamiliar names.

Ash, scholar, author of shaken faith syndrome and of faith and reason the charge that the book of mormon must be fiction. 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. Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon archaeological. The book of mormon video series is being filmed in english and will be available in additional languages. Elephants are mentioned twice in the earliest book of mormon record, the book of ether. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Most of these species were introduced in 1493 by christopher columbus. The book of mormon is set in north america in the first century. Excerpts from step by step through the book of mormon unpublished by alan c. Mormon challenges the book of mormon claims elephants in. Debunking the myth of elviss book of mormon keith a. Ammon made ready the horses and the chariots, in accordance with king lamonis command that his.

This is an abbreviated version of a fulllength video which fair. In the book of mormon, however, chariots are never actually mentioned in a battle context. My friends and i would always just replied with but there were horses bc the book of mormon says so. In my opinion, a more likely candidate for the nephite loanshift horse would have been the central american tapir. Horses and the book of mormon why the lds church is true. This is why folks like brant gardner suggest that horses refers to ceremonial battle beasts carried by royalty i hope i have that right. Update on horses in the book of mormon mormanity a 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. Horses in the book of mormon lds scripture teachings. Scientists believe that the horse originated in the americas and spread across land bridges to asia, eventually migrating into africa and europe. There are three possible ways to approach this puzzle, dealing with archaeology, ancient cultural practices, and difficulties in translation. 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.

Before i get flamed i would like to point out three of the more glaring anachronistic errors. 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. Mentioned in ether, mastodons and mammoths lived in north america during the pleistocene era, yet became extinct on this continent towards the end of the last ice age, predating the book of mormon by thousands of years. Although hard evidence is available to consider, so far no incontrovertible proof of book of mormon horses existsthat is to say, physical remains conclusively dated to around 500 bc and earlier from supposed book of mormon. I envision an a answer being something along the lines of. My guess is that the session was based upon his and steve jones work on dating horse bones that was published in th. Elder perkins said filming this summer will include scenes from 1.

While the jury is still out, there are a number of north american indian traditions which recount legends of giant stifflegged beasts which would never lie down, had a big head and large leaflike ears, round footprints, forwardbending knees. The suggestion of horses and chariots in precolumbian america has long been an easy target for critics of the book of mormon. For example, book of mormon references to horses suggest that they may have been uncommon or rare, being limited only to certain regions during specific periods of book of mormon history. Appealing to those horses does not support the book of mormon because the pleistocene ended long before the earliest parts of the book of mormon. Definitions of the word horse were expanded to include new meanings. Some researchers have suggested that references to horses in the book of mormon could refer to other animals in the land of promise that had characteristics that in certain ways resembled those of the horse or the ass. Each possible explanation also teaches important lessons about archaeology, ancient writings, and the. The book of mormon speaks of horses used by book of mormon peoples, and yet there is no proof of such a thing. One of the more obvious anachronisms contained in the book of mormon is the presence of horses.

Apr 28, 2018 one should be aware of these possibilities while reading references to horses and other plants and animals not commonly thought to be in the americas during book of mormon times. Scientists, historians, and other scholars have long maintained the view that there were no. Ancient horses and the book of mormon book of mormon. Here are some important points that are often overlooked when exploring this challenge. 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. Bennett suggests that the word horse in the book of mormon may have referred to a different animal, such as a tapir. Objections to the book of mormon continued roberts, b. The book of mormon mentions that horses were known and used by the jaredites and the people of lehi. Horses evolved in north america, but are believed to have become extinct on the american continent at the end of the pleistocene.

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. Anachronisms, or out of place items, have long been a subject of controversy with the book of mormon. Horses in america and book of mormon recovery from. The book of mormon, however, never says horses were ridden a curious thing if joseph was the author of the book of mormon or that they pulled chariots. In the bible we find the same animals as listed in the book of mormon with the exception of the elephant along with the lion, bear, ape, ostrich, hare, bat, badger. For example, horses, cattle, sheep, and swine werent roaming between 2500 bc and 400 ad, as claimed.

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. The session i was most intrigued by was wade millers this morning on horses. The highways of central america were designed for human foot traffic and are unsuitable for horses or oxen or llamas. In fact, the last mentions of horses indicates that they were plentiful. The question of horses in the book of mormon meridian magazine. 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. Book of mormon verses containing the reference to horses. The book of mormons horses werent actually equus ferus caballus, horses in the precise modern sense, but some other animal e. Mormon challenges are precolumbian horses in book of. However, researchers have found some anomalous remains that do appear to show that there were horses prior to the spanish conquestboth closer to and after book of mormon times. The elephant is mentioned only once in the book of mormon ether 9. The book of mormon claims that horses were found on the american continent after the arrival of at least two groups of people. This sounds like a good essay question for the economic development of book of mormon peoples course at byu. In fact, book of mormon horses are never mentioned in a combat narrative.

The question of horses in the book of mormon meridian. Each possible explanation also teaches important lessons about archaeology. 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. 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. Anachronisms in the book of mormon religious studies center.