Book of Mormon Roundup

I've added on my left sidebar a number of links to what I consider the best web pages on the Book of Mormon.  Several address the DNA/Lamanite issue.  DNA studies have struck a death blow to the notion that the Book of Mormon is an actual history of the ancestors of the Native Americans who populated the Western Hemisphere when European explorers arrived. 

There are also two sites I want to call out for special attention to anyone interested in engaging in an in-depth look at significant issues relating to the question of Book of Mormon historicity from an archaeological and anthropological standpoint.  The first is the site called The Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica.   The second is a blog associated with that site.   It is impossible to read through the wealth of information on these sites without coming away with a transformed view of the Book of Mormon.  Anyone in or out of the LDS church with an interest in the Book of Mormon ought to pull up a chair, pop some popcorn, and set aside some hours for a little self-education.

BTW, if any of my readers have suggestions for other sites on the Book of Mormon, please do not hesitate to suggest them in the comments or drop me an email at equalitytime at gmail dot com.  Thanks.

Comments

[Chris Smith]

I second the recommendation of MormonMesoamerica.com. The proprietor, who posts over at MDB, has put a tremendous amount of time and energy into reading mainstream archaeological works and fact-checking the apologists. If you have an apologetic claim relating to Mesoamerican archaeology that you find compelling, the odds are that it is dismantled on that website.

[Sophocles]

A link to an archive of the July 1971 Ensign might be valuable. This issue, dedicated to the Lamanites, effectively documents the prevailing beliefs about the ancestry of Native Americans (and Polynesians, etc.) before the existence of DNA evidence.

It stands in stark contrast to the historical revisionism going on in the church today. No one can read this issue and continue to claim that the idea that all Native Americans were descended from Lamanites was just was just a cultural tradition that was never really taught as doctrine.

[Equality]

I've added Spencer W. Kimball's address "Of Royal Blood" to the Book of Mormon sidebar. It clearly states that Lamanites are ancestors of all Indians in North, Central, and South America.