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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Christianity - Restorationism > Latter-day Saints > Book of Mormon
Expert: Hannah - 11/27/2007
Question
Hello,
As you can deducte from my e-mail I am also a LDS guy. I am writing from Colombia.
I have a doubt. Why don`t empirical evidence about ancient America (Prehispanic America) and Book of Mormon's America match?
For example, the book of mormon talks about fancy horses but in the real history, those animals were introduced to our continent latter?
Thank you.
Guille
Answer
Well, that's a good question, and a commonly asked one. There are actually some historians who have worked to show how they actually do match. However, I'm not one of those historians. I don't know enough about the empirical evidence or the history of Ancient Central and South America. I wish I did. However, I do remember from a friend of mine who has studied Book of Mormon to Ancient American as a hobby for awhile, and he had this whole supported theory about how the horses died out with the Nephites. It was actually fairly interesting, and even though it's not my area, I could definitely appreciate it. He has done a lot with it, and he feels that the evidence goes the other way. But there's definitely evidence against it as well.
However, for me, I've found that I don't need to know the empirical evidence. We can't exclusively decide anything through science--scientists themselves admit it. Eventually things have so much evidence that we consider them scientific assumptions, however, they are always placed precariously enough that one counter-example can crush years of evidence. The gospel (thank heavens) is not like that. There is a knowing in the gospel. And this is found through faith. Knowing God is impossible through the evidence or the science of it--that just doesn't happen. I wish it did. But through prayer, every human being must come to accept and know.
I like academics, so I can definitely sympathize with you. I like everything to have an explanation that is obvious to me, and it's always been a really huge struggle to believe in something that I can't see or I have no, "here's your proof" evidence for. However, if we pray, we will know the truth--not through evidence but through the Holy Ghost. On the other hand, perhaps, if you pray, the Holy Ghost will manifest the truth through evidence. Who knows? God works in mysterious ways.
I would say, pray about it. That's how you know. If you want to understand the evidence (because it admittedly does make it easier to have faith), I would look up the historians who have been working on their proofs. There're quite a few out there. I wish I had the names written down somewhere.
Sorry that I couldn't be of more help.
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