Book of Mormon - Historical Authenticity

Historical Authenticity

Main article: Historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon See also: Criticism of the Book of Mormon, Archaeology and the Book of Mormon, Genetics and the Book of Mormon, Linguistics and the Book of Mormon, Origin of the Book of Mormon, and Book of Mormon anachronisms

The archaeological, historical and scientific communities are generally skeptical about the claims of the Book of Mormon. Critics of such tend to focus on four main areas:

• The lack of correlation between locations described in the Book of Mormon and American archaeological sites.

• References to animals, plants, metals and technologies in the Book of Mormon that archaeological or scientific studies have found no evidence of in post-Pleistocene, pre-Columbian America, frequently referred to as anachronisms. Items typically listed include cattle, horses, asses, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheat, steel, brass, chains, iron, scimitars, and chariots.

• The lack of linguistic connection between any Native American languages and Near Eastern languages.

• The lack of DNA evidence linking any Native American group to the ancient Near East.

Most adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement consider the Book of Mormon to generally be a historically accurate account. Within the Latter Day Saint movement there are several apologetic groups that seek to reconcile the discrepancies in diverse ways. Among these apologetic groups, much work has been published by Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), and Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), attempting to defend the Book of Mormon as a literal history, countering arguments critical of its historical authenticity, or reconciling historical and scientific evidence with the text. One of the more common recent arguments is the limited geography model, which conjectures that the people of the Book of Mormon covered only a limited geographical region in either Mesoamerica, South America, or the Great Lakes area. The LDS Church continues to declare that science can support the Book of Mormon.