Hellenistic Ports

One of the criticisms of the Book of Mormon concerns the claim that Nephi built a ship and sailed to the American continents. The critics claim the Jewish people in 600 BC didn't have the knowledge or skills to build ocean-going ships.

Archeologists recently discovered ancient ports dating to the Hellenistic period (300  BC). These ports are on the coast of Israel. This shows the ancient people of that era did have sophistic knowledge of ships and shipping. Critics ignore these discoveries by noting the ports are dated to the Hellenistic period and not to 600 BC. It is important that believers in the Book of Mormon know that this discrepancy in dates exists, but the fact that the knowledge of these ports was recently discovered shows that not all knowledge of ancient peoples is currently known by archeologists, and that our argument is valid that additional knowledge will come forth that will strengthen our belief in the Book of Mormon.

The critics say that even if ancients ports and ships are discovered that date back to 600 BC, those artifacts won't prove the ancient Israelites had the knowledge and skills for transocean migrations, because peoples of that era sailed and traded in the Mediterranean area. These critics ignore the statement that Nephi was instructed by the Lord in ship building. Certainly, the Lord had sufficient knowledge and skills to build ships capable of crossing oceans.

Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men (1 Nephi 18:2).

I believe in the Book of Mormon and am content to wait for the Lord to bring forth additional knowledge about peoples in 600 BC and later.

Dating and Courtship

Dating and courtship are part of social relationships that may lead to marriage. However, the practices of dating and courtship vary with the customs of the people. In some groups, the choices of marriage partners are made by parents or others not part of the marriage, and the bride and groom accept the decision made, even though they may not have love for each other. In other societies, dating and courtship give people opportunities to make their own choices of marriage-partners.

Dating was a time for people to get to know each other. Dating was a time for them to have fun in a social context. It was common for people to have a lot of dates with others, because no serious relationships were established. Eventually, people began to have greater interest in certain persons, and they began to think about the other person as one with whom they might want to spend their life in marriage. As their interest grew in a particular person, they entered the courtship phase in which they got to know more about each other. During courtship, they stopped dating others and focused on developing a serious relationship with the other person. If the results of their courtship were positive, they culminated their relationship with engagement, a promise of marriage, and marriage followed engagement. In marriage, they entered a life-long relationship devoted to the companionship and love of their marriage-partner.

However, social customs have changed during recent decades. Dating has almost disappeared, and people are now "going steady" almost from the time they meet someone. That is, they meet someone and soon enter a courtship phase with that person. It is normal for people to become infatuated with a person they have recently met, but as they develop their relationship together, they may find they no longer have a serious interest in the other person. They may find they don't really want to have a close relationship with the other person for the rest of their lives. They stop serious contacts with the other person, and if their relationship had developed into marriage, they terminate the marriage with divorce or sometimes just abandonment. As might be expected, divorce rates have risen as dating has been phased out and going steady and courtships have become the norm for social interactions between people.

Mormon,Mormonism Trade Routes In Ancient Arabia

When we think of Book of Mormon migrations, we usually think of migrations to the American continents. Almost all of the Book of Mormon concerns migrations to the Americas and life after the migrations of the Book of Mormon peoples were completed. However, another migration that should be discussed is migration by the Lehites from Jerusalem to the place where they built their ship.

The Book of Mormon explains that the Lehites traveled three days and then made camp in a valley containing a river that flowed into the Red Sea.

And it came to pass that when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.

And it came to pass that he called the name of the river, Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof.

And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!  (1 Nephi 1:6, 8-9)

LDS researchers have studied various trade routes out of Jerusalem and have found interesting parallels between the text of the Book of Mormon and the archeological and historical information now known about those trade routes. Cooper Johnson has written an interesting article for Fair that describes LDS research that parallels the descriptions given in the Book of Mormon. Excerpts from that article are not given here, because one needs to read the full article.

As we study possible routes used by the Lehites after they left Jerusalem, we need to realize that the Lehites were led by the Lord to find the more fertile parts of the desert, and they may not have followed traditional trade routes. However, a study of trade routes used in 600 BC or later will help us understand the context of the travels of the Lehites.

Life Before Adam

The book of Genesis in the Bible gives a brief description of the creation of this earth. A literal interpretation of that story indicates that plants and animals were created about 7000 to 8000 years ago and that humans were created about 6000 years ago The scientific story, however, is that plants and animals evolved billions of years ago and that hominids, the early ancestors of modern humans, evolved a few million years ago. We thus see that there is a significant discrepancy between a literal interpretation of the Bible and dating of the earth by scientists. One way of resolving this conflict is with the correlation between hominids and the Fall of Adam that is given in Reconciliation of the Fall of Adam and Evolution.

Articles About Other Worlds

The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that there are worlds without number, and they serve as homes for the Father's children. Here are my articles about other worlds that show that scientists are learning about the cosmos and about planets (exoplanets) outside our solar system.

• One World Follows Another
• Exoplanets
• Galaxies

Articles About the Next Life

In addition to traditional Christian teachings of life after death and salvation through Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a unique belief about the condition of the earth in the next life. Here are links to my articles about that topic.

• The Resurrection: A Parallel With Science
• The Earth will Become Celestialized

Mormonism: Articles about Migrations in the Book of Mormon

The study of migrations is important for Latter-day Saints for at least two reasons. First, the Book of Mormon claims three migrations to the Americas occurred. Second, the Americas were settled by migrations of people, and knowing about those migrations will help LDS have a broader understanding of settlements in the Americas. Following are links to various aspects of migration.

• Dates of Book of Mormon Migrations
• Methods of Travel by Book of Mormon People
• Book of Mormon Geography
• DNA that Disappeared
• Hellenistic Ports
• Phoenicia
• Trade Routes In Ancient Arabia

Articles About The Mormon LIfestyle

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their religion is not just something they do on Sundays. It is more than just a "religion". It is a way of life. The following posts speculate about the lifestyle of the Latter-day Saints.

• Overview
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Tea and Coffee
• Meat
• Drugs
• Sleep
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Vitamin D
• Fasting
• Honesty
• Video Games & TV Watching
• Stress
• Marry at an Appropriate Age
• Moderation in All Things
• Seek Learning By Study and By Faith

Articles about Law

A controversial question in Christianity is, Does God go against natural law in performing his works and miracles? Many if not most Latter-day Saints answer that question with a loud, "No!" We believe that God does follow natural laws in performing his works, including the creation of this earth and all of the cosmos. The posts shown below explain why I answer "No" to that question.

• God's Use of Eternal Matter and Laws
• Blessings come through Obedience to Law

Mormonism Articles about Mormon Folklore

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators. Many members believe that their General Authorities always speak for God and that any pronouncement made by a General Authority is from God. Many persons who have left the Church advocate the same thing, that the General Authorities have a conduit straight to God and always speak for God. Thus, if those persons can find one thing said by a General Authority that isn't true, then the General Authorities do not have a conduit to God, and the LDS church is false. In effect, these persons, including active members as well as inactive members or former members are saying that in order to be true prophets, the General Authorities must be infallible.

Many members, including myself, believe that the General Authorities are human and thus commit sin and make mistakes. The posts listed below explore these questions: are the LDS authorities infallible? Can the authorities make mistakes? Do the authorities always speak for God? Visitors to the site are invited and encouraged to leave their opinions as comments to the posts.

• Speaking for God?
• My Experience With Folklore
• Adam lived in the General Missouri Area of the US?

Articles about Family

One of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that we should be grouped in families and that parents are responsible to the Lord to teach the children to have faith in and to follow God. Following are articles about families, and the articles present both religious and scientific viewpoints about families.

• Families Should Consist of a Father, a Mother, and Children
• Sexual Activity
• Dating and Courtship

Articles Concerning Evolution

Discussions about evolution and religion are controversial, because many people think that evolution implies atheism. These people say that God would not leave to chance and random mutations his creation of men and women. In making the posts shown below, I am attempting to explain my personal view that God did create the earth and men and women, but he did so by following the natural laws of nature. The scriptures tell us *why* God created the earth and men and women, but they don't tell us *how* God did his creations. Science is attempting to tell us *how* the earth was created, and I accept evolution, because it is the best answer science can give at this time.

• Evolution Used by God
• Reproducing "after their kind" is Necessary
• Reconciliation of the Fall of Adam and Evolution
• Why Would God Use a Slow and Laborious Way to Create Man?
• Official LDS statements about evolution and the origin of man
• My Reasons for Believing Evolution Is Not a Matter of Chance
• The Concepts of Evolution Are Being Proved True
• Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

Articles Concerning Creation

Basic Religious Concepts

• Creation Started with Nothing but Energy 
• Two Creations of the Earth
• Humans Have a Soul
• Time Pertains to Mortality 
• People Were Raised from the Dead (not a resurrection)

Scientific Viewpoint

• Scientific Attempts at Creation

States of Existence

• States of Existence
• State-Changes 
• Religious View of State-Changes