Where did the Book of Mormon actually take place? It's one of the most divisive internal debates among Latter-day Saints — and one of the most misunderstood.
In this episode, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Brant Gardner — author of the six-volume Second Witness commentary on the Book of Mormon and one of the most widely published Book of Mormon scholars working today — to lay out the methodological, archaeological, anthropological, and textual case for Mesoamerica, and why the Heartland model doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
Read Brant Gardner's "Heartland vs. Mesoamerica" article series at The Interpreter Foundation, and check out his brand new book The Record and Explorations in Book of Mormon Authenticity, published by FAIR.
Use discount code INFORMED15 for 15% off at the FAIR bookstore.
https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/the-record-and-the-reading-explorations-in-book-of-mormon-authenticity/
===Informed Saints Credits===
Produced by The Ancient America Foundation
Producer: Spencer Clark
Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
Episode Resources:
www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/book-of-mormon-geography
https://bhroberts.org/records/HcTowb-KL5WGb/observer_and_telegraph_reporter_mentions_the_three_witnesses_and_reports_on_lds_missionary_activity_in_ohio
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/guatemala-mirador-calakmul-karst-basin-lidar-maya-settlements-2235254
https://www.newsweek.com/hidden-ancient-mayan-megalopolis-60000-structures-discovered-guatemala-using-797865
arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/lidar-reveals-hundreds-of-long-lost-maya-and-olmec-ceremonial-centers/
www.sci.news/archaeology/lidar-olmec-maya-ceremonial-complexes-mexico-10206.html
www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/world/maya-civilization-causeways-lidar-discovery-scn
scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-did-nephis-people-want-him-to-be-a-king
https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/unavailable-genetic-evidence-multiple-simultaneous-promised-lands-and-lamanites-by-location-possible-ramifications-of-the-book-of-mormon-limited-geography-theory
scripturecentral.org/knowhy/what-was-the-nature-of-nephite-fortifications
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/archaeological-trend...
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - The Book of Mormon
- (00:00:52) - The Book of Mormon Geography
- (00:07:32) - The population scale of the American heartland
- (00:12:59) - Mesoamerica and Political Organization
- (00:19:14) - Mesoamerican and Heartland Proposals
- (00:23:20) - on Book of Mormon Geography
- (00:29:07) - Isaac 10,000 on the hill
- (00:30:45) - Wonders of the World
- (00:32:17) - The Book of Mormon Fortifications
- (00:35:08) - The Book of Mormon and the Mountains of New York
- (00:41:12) - Neville on the Heartland Geography
- (00:44:58) - Geography in the Book of Mormon
- (00:47:42) - How Does Mesoamerica vs Heartland Account for the Destruction
- (00:53:22) - The Book of Mormon Heartland vs. Mesoamerica
- (00:59:23) - Meticulous Metal Artifacts in the Book of Mormon
- (01:04:50) - Do Things Change in the Book of Mormon?
- (01:06:04) - How Does the Book of Mormon End?
- (01:11:05) - Brandt on the Book of Mormon
- (01:13:34) - Brant Gardner's New Book, The Record and the Explor
