Science in the The Mormon Scriptures (107)
1 Nephi
- "I make a record in the language of
my father ... the language of the Egyptians." That's a strange language an Israelite around
600 BCE to write in!
1:2
- Apparently the 400+ km hike from Jerusalem to the Red Sea took only three days.
2:5
- Lehi named a "continually running" river that flowed from Arabia to
the Red Sea after his son Laman. But there are no permanent rivers in Arabia and there is no evidence that such rivers existed in 600 BCE.
2:8
- God made the New World just for Nephi and his family. (For though it
had been occupied by the Native Americans for tens of thousands of years, God made
it for Nephi, not for them.)
2:20
- Laban's sword blade was made of steel, long before steel existed.
4:9
- "And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he
did follow me."Laban's servant figured Nephi was Laban and that he spoke for the church.
What church? The Jews in 600 BCE didn't have churches, did they?
4:26
- Lehi's brass plates told the story of Adam and Eve "who were our first parents." (So Mormons know Evolution is false.)
5:11
- Nephi sees "many cities" settled by the Nephites in the New World.
Yet no evidence of them has ever been found.
12:3
- And then it came to pass that Nephi broke his steel bow. Of course steel didn't exist at the time, wouldn't work
well for a bow anyway, and would be hard to break. But, oh well. This is the Book of Mormon.
16:18
- They come to a place that they call Bountiful, "because of its much fruit and
also wild honey." But the Arabian coastline does not abound in fruit or honey, and hasn't for
many thousands of years.
17:5
- "We did work timbers of curious workmanship." But where did Nephi get the lumber? There are
very few trees in the Arabian desert.
18:1
- After arriving in the New World, Nephi and company planted
all of the seeds that they brought from "the land of Jerusalem" and "they did grow
exceedingly." Yet there is no evidence that Near Eastern crops ever grew in the New
World in pre-Columbian times.
18:24
- Nephi found cows, horses, oxen, asses, and goats and goats when he arrived in the
New World in 590 BCE. Yet none of these domesticated animals existed in North America
before the Europeans brought them over 2000 years later.
18:25
2 Nephi
- In 590 BCE, Lehi and company found the Americas completely uninhabited.
1:8
- Nephi brought along the brass plates and the magic ball (or compass) that God made with his own hands. This was
about 1600 years before were used in navigation.
5:12
- Nephi makes many swords [like Laban's, made of "the most precious steel"
()]. Yet there is no evidence of metal swords in the New World before
Columbus.
5:14
- Nephi teaches his followers to build buildings and work in iron, copper, brass, steel, gold, and silver.
But evidence is lacking for such pre-Columbian metallurgy, and it would be well beyond the capabilities of a handful of
immigrants from the ancient Near-East around 590 BCE.
5:15
- Wasn't it God that cut (the sea
monster) to pieces, wounded the dragon, and dried up the sea?
Yeah, it was him all right. Who else could do that?
8:9
- Jacob tells the Nephites that they are on an isle of the sea, and since the Bible mentions "isles of the sea" (see for example ),
there must be other isles that are inhabited by the descendants of other ancient seafaring Jews. (As I'm sure you've guessed by now, the other inhabitants of the "isles of the sea" are the .)
10:20
- "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb...." I wonder what will become of the spiders.
Will they be more friendly toward flies? And will the parasitic wasps find another way to feed their larvae? Or will they
continue to feed off the living bodies of caterpillars?
21:6
- "And the weaned child shall put his hand in the cockatrice' den." A cockatrice is a serpent, hatched from a
cock's egg, that can kill with a glance. They are rare nowadays.
21:8
- According to this verse, the moon produces its own light and the earth does not move.
23:10
- When God gets really angry, he causes earthquakes.
23:13
- Dragons will live in Babylonian palaces and satyrs will dance there.
23:21
- "Out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying
serpent." What ever happened to these fascinating biblical creatures?
24:29
- "And the weaned child shall put his hand in the cockatrice's den." A cockatrice is a serpent, hatched from a
cock's egg, that can kill with a glance. They are rare nowadays.
30:14
Enos
- "My father ... taught me in his language."
Enos' father (Jacob) taught him in his language -- which, of course, was reformed Egyptian.
(All native Americans spoke reformed Egyptian in 500 BCE.)
1:1
- A Cmimeter is a curved sword with the sharp edge on the convex side. This type of sword did not exist at the time
Enos was supposedly written (ca. 500 BCE). Indeed there is no evidence that swords of any kind existed in pre-Columbian
America.
1:20
- The Nephites planted "all manner of grain" and all manner of cattle, goats, and horses. (Cattle, horses,
and European grains were absent in pre-Columbian North America.)
1:21
Jarom
- The Nephites fortified their cities (cities that left no evidence of their existence).
1:7
- The Nephites, "multiplied exceedingly" and "became exceedingly rich" in gold, silver, iron, copper, brass,
and steel making tools and weapons "of every kind." This was before steel existed, of course, and no evidence
for any of these Nephite weapons, tools, cities, or technologies have ever been found.
1:8
Omni
- The people of Zarahelma sailed from Israel to America in 586 BCE
1:0
- Coriantumr's parents sailed from the Tower of Babel to America 1:0
Mosiah
- Lehi, a 7th century Israelite, was taught in the language of the Egyptians.
1:4
- The Nephites had to hand over half of their barley to the Lamanites. But that wouldn't have been a big deal
since barley didn't exist in the New World at the time.
7:22
- Ammon finds ancient swords. If swords existed in pre-Columbian America, why is there no evidence of it
today?
8:11
- Zeniff and his people plant all kinds of crops, including wheat and barley, neither of which were present
until the Europeans brought them to America.
9:9
- Zeniff arms his people with swords and cimeters. No evidence for these pre-Columbian weapons
has ever been found.
9:16
- More swords and cimeters. But no evidence for these pre-Columbian weapons
has ever been found.
10:8
- "And of their brass and their iron ... fatlings ... and grain." -- none of which existed in the New World before being introduced by
Europeans.
11:3
- "King Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings" ornamented with gold, silver, iron, brass, copper, and ziff.
Why is there no evidence for these fancy buildings? There were many of them, decorated with gold and silver. Where are they now? And
the metallurgy technology for iron and brass didn't exist prior to European contact. But there was plenty of ziff around at the time
so that wouldn't have been a problem.
11:8
Alma
- The Amlicites were armed with swords and cimeters (ca. 87 BCE). But no evidence for these weapons has
ever been found.
2:12
- No metal coins (ezrons, senines, ontis, etc.) have been found from pre-Columbia America.
11:4
- "Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and
heal him according to his faith which is in Christ. And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk."
15:10
- The New World in 78 BCE had many temples, sanctuaries, and synagogues that "were built after the manner
of the Jews." Yet no evidence of these magnificent buildings has ever been found.
16:13
- Swords (presumably made of metal) are again mentioned as though though they were common in pre-Columbian
America. But no evidence for their existence has ever been found.
17:7
- Ammon had lots of horses an chariots, at a time when neither horses nor chariots existed in the New World.
18:9
- Lamoni had horses and chariots. But horses and wheeled transportation didn't exist in the Pre-Columbian
New World.
20:6
- Just another of the many swords that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon at a time and place where
swords did not exist.
20:16
- More metal swords, cimeters, and breastplates, none of which has ever been found.
, , ,
44:17
Helaman
- The Lamanites (Native Americans) had "an innumerable army" that was armed with swords and cimeters. Yet
no evidence for such weapons in the Pre-Columbian New World has ever been found.
1:14
- The Nephites "began to cover the whole earth." Yet no evidence for Native Americans of Israelite descent has
ever been found.
3:8
- The Nephites built cities, temples, synagogues, sanctuaries, "and all manner of buildings." But no trace of
them has ever been found.
3:9
- The Nephites had a large timber industry. They exported "much by the way of shipping."
Of course, there is no evidence for any of this now.
3:10
- The Nephites built "many cities, both of wood and of cement." No evidence of them exists today.
3:11
- The Nephites built ships, temples, synagogues, and sanctuaries. But no one has found any evidence of them.
3:14
- The Nepites wrote many books and records "of every kind", but no evidence for them exists today.
3:15
- "From the west sea [Pacific], even unto the east [Atlantic]; it being a day's journey for a Nephite."
(Nephites could walk 5000 kilometers in one day.)
4:7
3 Nephi
- And God's prophecy came true! That night "there was no darkness when night came ... but it was as light as thought it
was mid-day."
1:15
- More talk of horses and chariots at a time and place in which neither existed.
3:22
- Domesticated horses did not exist in per-Columbian America. ,
6:1
- When Jesus died, the inhabitants of many great cities died with him. Entire cities were
sunk into the ocean, or were burned, or destroyed by earthquakes.
8:8
- When Jesus died, "the face of the whole earth became deformed."
8:17
- For three days after Jesus died, there was absolutely no light -- not from the sun, moon,
or stars, or from candles, campfires, or fireflies.
8:20
4 Nephi
- "They did build cities."
(But no evidence of them can be found today.)
1:7
- "But there were many cities which had been sunk."
(But no evidence of them can be found today.)
1:9
Mormon
- "They would struggle with the sword for their lives."
(There were no swords in the pre-Columbian New World.) , ,
6:15
Ether
- The Jaredites were Israelites who lived at the time of the Tower of Babel. ()
1:33
- The Jaredites brought domesticated old world animals and plants "of every kind" to the New World.
1:41
- "They did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee."
There were no honey bees in the New World before they were introduced by Europeans in the 17th century.
()
2:3
- The brother of Jared made 16 small stones, as clear as glass, out of molten rock. He then
asked God to touch the stones to make them into lights to light up the inside of the barges. God
did as the brother of Jared requested.
3:1
- "He ... made swords out of steel."
7:9
- "All manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and swine, and of goats ... horses, and
asses, and elephants"
None of these animals existed in the New World at the time it was supposedly occupied by the Jaredites .
9:18
- "Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was an hundred and forty
and two years old."
9:24
- "There came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people."
9:31
- "Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And ... the poisonous serpents were
destroyed."
10:19
- Brass, iron and silks -- none of which existed in the Pre-Columbian New World.
10:23
- "There had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children."
Millions of people were "slain by the sword", yet no swords have ever been found from pre-Columbian America.
15:2
The Book of Abraham
- When this woman discovered Egypt it was under water. Later her sons settled there.
So in this way the curse of Ham was preserved in that race. 1:24
- But I'll try to provide you with a history that extends back to the beginning of creation, because I have all the records for that. 1:28
- But I had the records of the creation of the planets and stars. And I still have them. I'll try to write down some of that for you. 1:31
- But I had the records of the creation of the planets and stars. And I still have them. I'll try to write down some of that for you. 1:31
- And I saw the stars, one of which was nearest to God's throne. 3:2
- The Lord said to me, "The bright star is Kolob, because it is near me." 3:3
- He said, "This is Shinehah, the sun; and Olea, the moon. Kolob is a star, and Kokaubeam are the stars." 3:13
- Kolob is the greatest of all the Kokaubeam, because it is the nearest to me. 3:16
The Book of Moses
- Moses, I'm going to tell you about heaven and earth. Write it all down.
In the beginning I created these things with my only begotten. 2:1
Doctrine & Covenants
- Cast out devils, and heal the sick. And you won't be hurt by poisonous snakes or deadly poison.
24:13
- After that, a trumpet will sound, the earth will quake, and dead bodies will come alive.
29:13
- But before any of that happens, the sun will darken, the moon will turn into blood, and stars will fall.
29:14
- Great hailstorms that will destroy crops.
29:16
- God will take vengeance on the wicked. Then he'll send flies and maggots to eat their flesh.
29:17
- Then the end will come, heaven and earth will be destroyed, and there'll be a new heaven and earth.
29:23
- Before the earth is destroyed, Michael my archangel will blow his trumpet, and all the dead people will come forth.
29:26
- Before I come, the sun will darken, the moon will turn into blood, the stars won't shine, and some of them will fall.
And the wicked will be destroyed.
34:9
- Whoever asks me in my name can cast out devils, heal the sick, blind, deaf, dumb, and lame.
35:9
- Those who have faith in me will be healed and won't die.
42:48
- Blind people who have faith will see, deaf people will hear, and lame people will leap.
42:49
- The sun will darken, the moon will turn to blood, and the stars will fall from heaven.
45:42
- The the Lord will put his foot on the mountain and split it two, and the heavens and earth will shake.
45:48
- Some sick people have enough faith to be healed. And others have enough faith to heal them.
46:19
- Some can work miracles.
46:21
-
God created everything on earth, including all living things, just for humans.
All things dull and ugly
All creatures short and squat
All things rude and nasty
The Lord God made the lot
Each little snake that
poisons
Each little wasp that stings
He made their brutish venom
He made their horrid wings
All things sick and
cancerous
All evils great and small
All things foul and dangerous
The Lord God made them all
Each nasty little hornet
Each beastly little squid
Who made the spiky urchin
Who made the sharks? He did
All things scabbed and ulcerous
All pox both great and small
Putrid, foul and gangrenous
The Lord God made them all
- Amen
()
59:16
-
Now its time for you to go to Zion. But don't hurry, or you'll be confused. And confusion causes disease. 63:24
- Touch sick people with your hands, and they'll recover.
66:9
- The earth will exist for a total of 7000 years.
It has existed for 4.54 billion years so far, and will last another few billion years until the sun enters the red giant phase
of its evolution.
77:6
Joseph Smith - Matthew
- It be just like it was in the days of Noah. Everyone ate and drank and got married. Then the flood came and drowned them all. That's how it'll be when I come. 1:41