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Some Mesoamerican theorists believe there is only one Hill
Cumorah but place it in Central America closer to the territory they speculate
was Book of Mormon territory. Sorenson justifies the fact that the Golden Plates
were retrieved from the Hill Cumorah in New York State by suggesting that Moroni
carried them across the continent during those years following the destruction
of the Nephites. Advocates of the theory justify their position by insisting that the
greater storehouse of records were deposited in the Hill Cumorah by Mormon, but
that the final repository for those kept by Moroni was not mentioned.
. . . I, Mormon, began to be old;
and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been
commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been
handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the
Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this
record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the
records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were
these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni. (Mormon 6:6.)
Now, because Joseph Smith retrieved the golden plates from
the Hill Cumorah in New York State, Mesoamerican theorists could only suppose
that Moroni must have carried the golden plates thousands of miles to the Hill Cumorah
in New York State to deposit them so that Joseph Smith would find them when the
time was right. Thus, the notion was born that there were two Hill Cumorahs, a
suggestion made popular by David Palmer, another noted theorist, who said:
There are two
hills called Cumorah. The one in the state of New York was where Moroni
buried the plates later given to Joseph Smith. The original hill Cumorah is
in Mexico. It was the place where Mormon buried the Nephite library and
where the Nephites were destroyed.[1]
Not surprisingly, Sorenson noted that research done in the the Tuxtla Mountains of Veracruz - is not sufficiently detailed to identify evidence
of battles,"[2]
which seems strange
considering millions were slain on that battlefield over the course of the
Nephite and Jaredite eras. Regardless of the lack archaeological evidence, many
of the Saints have a problem with the suggestion that there were two Hill
Cumorahs, and always have. In response to the rather unorthodox notion, Mark E.
Peterson, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stood In General
Conference on March 5th, 1953, and tried to dissuade the Saints from
accepting the newly proposed theory. He said:
I do not believe that we should
accept every theory advanced by men of science as though it were true. These
men change their minds much too often for that. I do not believe that we
should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon
geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in
Central America, and the other one in New York, for the convenience of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to
Central America to get the gold plates. I do not believe we can be good
Latter-Day Saints and question the integrity of Joseph Smith. [3]
Moreover, if, as Palmer and other Mesoamerican theorists
suggest, the greater Nephite library of records is still in Mexico, what
storehouse of books did Joseph Smith and Oliver see in the New York setting?
Brigham Young recounts the experience Joseph and Oliver had when returning the
plates to the Hill Cumorah.
The hill opened up and they walked
into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did
not think, at the time, whether they had light of the sun or artificial
light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a
table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there
was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in
this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up on
the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of
Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down
and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it
was written these words: "This sword will never be sheathed again
until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his
Christ.[4]
This experience tells us that the great
Nephite library deposited by Mormon rests in the Hill Cumorah in New York state
and has been there for a very long time. Thus, they could not be in the
Mesoamerican hill. Moreover, since Joseph retrieved the golden plates from a box
unearthed on that very hill, how can we doubt that the hill near his home had
been the guardian of those sacred records since Moroni placed them there
fourteen centuries earlier. Thus, book of Mormon lands must also be in that
region, for the scriptures themselves reveal that the hill of their final battle
was relatively close to their own homeland.
All New York theorists firmly believe the Hill Cumorah in
western New York is the very same Hill Ramah/Cumorah described by the Nephites
and Jaredites. They believe it was on that very hill Joseph Smith received the
Golden Plates from the Angel Moroni. Furthermore, archaeological evidence proves
beyond doubt that it was the site of a major battle.
The museums in New York state are
filled with the instruments of warfare that had been fashioned by the red
men and so freely used in that historic area. The opinion is expressed in
all those relic halls that western New York was the site of an ancient
battlefield. There is more evidence of a well planned defensive warfare in
that locality than there is in any other region on the American continent.
It is the opinion of most scholars that the defenses on the drumlin hills
were prepared by a people more civilized than the Indians and were
exterminated by the inferior race who were still in possession of the
country when Columbus discovered the land.[5]
And for those wondering what the General Authorities have to
say on the matter, the following statement by Joseph Fielding Smith should
suffice. It was first printed in the Church News, Sept. 10, 1938, and
then a second time sixteen years later on February 27, 1954. It was later
included in the Doctrines of Salvation.
We cannot say
that the Nephites and Lamanites did not possess the territory of the United
States and that the Hill Cumorah is in Central America. Neither can we say
that the great struggle which resulted in the destruction of the Nephites
took place in Central America . . . From all the evidence in the Book of
Mormon, augmented by the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, these final
battles took place in the territory known as the United States and in the
neighborhood of the Great Lakes and hills of Western New York. And here
Moroni found the resting place for the sacred instruments that were
committed to his care.[6]
The Apostle Smith continued:
This modernistic theory of
necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum
and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central
America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for
upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have
become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon .
. . .
It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were
destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was
known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of
Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, ‘by interpretation, is large, or
to exceed all." Mormon adds: "And it came to pass that we did
march forth to the land of Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters,
rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the
Lamanites . . . ." (Ether 15: 8-11.)
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly
the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation
of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of
the Great Lakes, and also in the land of many rivers and fountains.
Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely
declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in
the Book of Mormon.
Further, the fact that all of his associates from the
beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and
Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a
reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and
many others, could speak frequently of the spot where the Prophet Joseph
Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the
Prophet if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the
days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of
history. [7]
Once again - because the Book of Mormon details cities which
Mesoamerican theorists have placed in Central America they conclude the Hill
Cumorah must be in that land as well. However, those same cities and territories
can be accurately mapped out in a New York scenario as well, thus making the
necessity of moving the Hill Cumorah several thousand miles away totally
unnecessary.
We must also remember that the Jaredite records found in the
land of many waters by Limhi’s search party were found relatively close to
their own homeland. Thus, once we reconcile the fact that the Hill Cumorah in
New York State is the very same hill mentioned in the scriptures, we must also
conclude that Book of Mormon territory was likewise located in that region, for
both the lands described in the scriptures were surprisingly close to the Hill
Cumorah, not thousands of miles away.
End Notes,
1- David Palmer, Why Search for Cumorah, FARMS Reprint, p. 26.
2- John Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon,
p. 133.
3- Mark E. Peterson, The Improvement Era, 123 Annual Conference of the
Church, April 4-6, 1953; pp. 83-84.
4- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 19, p. 38.
5- McGavin & Bean, Book of Mormon Geography, quoting I. H. Smith, History
of Duchess County, p. 13.
6- Church News, Sept. 10, 1938, pp.1-6; reprinted, Feb. 27, 1954, pp.
2,3. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of
Salvation, Vol. 3, p. 240.
7- Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 233-234.
Copyright © 1998 by Phyllis Carol Olive
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