An ancient American setting for the Book of Mormon [Paperback]

John L Sorenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1996

"Where did the Book of Mormon events take place?" Ever since the publication of the Book of Mormon, its readers have asked this question. And the book itself provides some intriguing clues. But only recently has enough information come to light to make it possible to place the book in a plausible geographical, historical, and cultural setting. In An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, Dr. John L. Sorenson, chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Brigham Young University, presents a credible model for an ancient American background for the Book of Mormon. This model takes notice of extensive details given in the Book of Mormon descriptions of the land southward and of the land northward, of battle movements, of cities built and abandoned, of population and demographic data. Hundreds of geographical, historical, and cultural facts fall into place as his model is carried to its logical conclusions. How does Dr. Sorenson proceed? In a word, he asks more questions than he answers. His words are probing and carefully weighed. The results are great surprises and rewarding insights on every page. He asks questions like "Who were these people?" "What might they have looked like?" "Who were their neighbors?" "How many of them were there?" "How did they live, eat, speak, work, or fight?" He finds plausible answers to these questions by matching specific data from reliable archaeological and anthropological studies of Mesoamerica with the entire spectrum of cultural and historical information from the Book of Mormon. An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon is a thorough work of scholarship, a book that must be read by every serious student of the Book of Mormon.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573451576
• ISBN-13: 978-1573451574
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helping the reader see what the Book of Mormon actually says rather than what others claim for it, January 30, 2006

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Hardcover)

We all know a lot of things that aren't so. This may because of the way we receive knowledge from others. An individual bit of knowledge might have been garbled in its path to us, it may have always been nonsense, it might have been state of the art understanding that has since been supplanted, or it might be a decent approximation of reality. This book is, I believe, quite important because it is part of a serious effort to let the Book of Mormon speak for itself rather than imposing on it a mix of interpretations that come from certain hopes and guesses about what the Book of Mormon was actually saying without studying it thoroughly.

Sorenson first builds a map based upon the information provided in the book. This does away with the notion of the so-called "continental" view of the range of the Book of Mormon. He then shows us the very complex cultures in Meso-America and how things seem to have been in the centuries the Book of Mormon took place. While I have my own views and interpretations, I admire Sorenson for sticking to what the Book actually says and what the archaeological and anthropological evidence actually shows us. He doesn't try to get to the point of fitting it together and claiming that this is actually that or anything of the sort. That is a trap too many have fallen into over the years and it actually blinds more than it enlightens.

He compares what the Book of Mormon people say about their lives, the culture and its wars with the way the people of that region lived, adapted, and fought. Sorenson shows us how the rising population and the expansion of the Mayan kingdoms put pressure on the large mix of smaller tribes that "filled in the gaps". The author also helps us see quite clearly what was happening at the time of the end of Nephite civilization. This is a very interesting set of insights.

I think this is a terrific book. Yes, Sorenson is a believer (so am I). Still, this book does a very fine job of stating things on the basis of evidence. No, it does not provide a photograph of Lehi and Nephi on the beach holding the Liahona with the boat in the background. However, even if it did, non-believers would find a way to explain it away, and believers would still believe (because the belief comes from something beyond photographs).

The book has many helpful maps, illustrations, and photographs. It also has a very useful index.

Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brave and Influential, Yet Problematic, March 16, 2010

By 

P. C. Miller (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An ancient American setting for the Book of Mormon (Paperback)

First of all, let me say that I am sorely disappointed that this volume has not been peer-reviewed. Potential readers would be much better off reading the assessment of Sorenson's peers rather than the musings of anonymous internet reviewers. Ah, but therein lies the rub. As much as Sorenson conveys an academic tone, this book is not a product of "mainstream" academia. Take that for what you will--some people will undoubtedly see that as a positive, while others will see it as a negative.

In order to give a fair review, I need to address three potential audiences. Decide which one you are a part of and skip to that paragraph: Mormon apologists, casual readers, and students/academics.

For the Mormon apologist, this book is absolutely indispensable. While Sorenson goes out of his way to assure the reader that he is not "proving" anything, he has compiled a great deal of supporting evidence and data for Mormons who wish to set the BoM in Ancient America. Here in this book is where you will find the most convincing and helpful theories about how to "fit" the narratives of the BoM to archaeological and historical reality. If you are a Mormon and are interested in apologetics, buy it and consider it a valuable amalgamation of ammunition.

For the casual reader, the book will still prove to be valuable. Sorenson tries to shift the burden of proof to those claiming that the BoM is not historically accurate, and any reasonable person who holds those views should accept the challenge. For those wishing to imagine how BoM events could have plausibly happened in an Ancient American context, this book will not disappoint. It is, to use a trite phrase, "a fun read".

For the scholar, however, Sorenson's book is of limited value. It is not peer-reviewed, and its method is suspect. Rather than start with the evidence and try to reach a conclusion, Sorenson starts with a conclusion and selects the evidence that supports it. Though this method may be acceptable for some people, academics will likely find it reprehensible.

Overall, I give it a 3. It is not Hugh Nibley and Jan Shipps material, but it is a great deal more carefully thought out and systematically approached than most books in this vein.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and provocative insights to the Book of Mormon., September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Hardcover)

This book really prompted me to think about and reconceptualize many of the assumptions I held about Book of Mormon geography and study. It was inspiring to develop a deeper understanding of the people in the Book of Mormon, and answered many questions. It's well researched and doesn't pretend to be decisive in its conclusions. Definitely the most authoritive book on the subject of Book of Mormon geography and a must read for all interested in the subject.