In these verses many find what they consider to be the key to Book of Mormon geography. However, this passage was written to furnish important information concerning the missionary travels of the elders and priests, and also to indicate the vast extent of territory over which the Nephites and Lamanites had spread.
From the limited information they give, a number of maps have been prepared. No two seem to agree. But, from the beginning of our prayerful studies of the Book of Mormon, when the beauties of the Sacred Record first became known to us, we have counseled against mapmaking. We believe that any attempt to pinpoint the locale of Book of Mormon cities and lands is guesswork, and represents only the opinion of the mapmakers, themselves. Such a course, we believe, is fraught with peril both to the narrative and to the teachings therein contained. Time has not changed our conclusions.
The trouble in mapping an unfamiliar area is that the amateur cartographer seeks to employ in his survey any and all points that he imagines will favor his peculiar notion, no matter how honestly intended. He, consciously or unconsciously, wrests divinely translated passages to substantiate a certain thesis. Thus, in presenting his conjectures, he gives a deceptive appearance to some plausible, but, nevertheless, unprovable theory. In the exploits of many novice mapmakers, this procedure had proved to be the case.
Then, too, there are many of our readers who permit others to do their thinking; they need to remember that it is easy to present an unreal and misleading inference and then to palm it off as reasoned judgment.
The Book of Mormon is not a geography. The writers of the Sacred Record gave little space, or much effort, to describe the physical features of the regions wherein took place, the events they recorded. It is not a record of borders and boundary lines, of rivers and highways, of areas of population and industry, but as is repeatedly shown, the Book of Mormon is a book of doctrine, intended to convince ... “the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting Himself unto all nations.” (Inspired Preface
But the modern-day attempts that are constantly being made to identify the cities and lands of the Book of Mormon with the old and obscure ruins found in Mexico and points farther south, will end in failure; this is the opinion of many reliable scholars who have made it an object of search and research. Certainly, such attempts will produce little good. It is folly to associate oneself with any peculiar notion and say of some particular ruin, “This is the City of Zarahemla,” or “There is the Land Bountiful.” Such ventures in thought are merely guesses, and such speculation leads to confusion.
There is a way the student of the Book of Mormon may avoid the distractions and pitfalls caused by mixed-up theories and selfish opinions of geography—that is to shun all speculation.
It does not matter one iota whether Lehi landed near the 30th Degree of South Latitude, where the Prophet Joseph Smith is alleged to have said that he did, or somewhere in Central America where others speculate his landing. What does matter, however, is whether or not we obey the voices of God’s Nephite servants. The Doctrines they proclaimed, the Path to which they point, and the sureness of the Way, reveal a vivid picture of our Father’s Plan of Salvation; too, they have a permanent authority about them that all may recognize who desire to know His holy mind and will. These doctrines are meat and drink to our souls, and the mysteries surrounding the Nephites’ geography can wait until that day “when what we know not now, we will know hereafter.” There is enough to establish beyond any doubt the hope in Christ which the Nephite Prophets proclaimed, and we can leave the solution of the geographic mysteries to Him whose wisdom we cannot fathom; “we can lean upon an Omnipotence we cannot grasp.”
In this connection a statement made in 1890 by George Q. Cannon will be sufficient:
There is a tendency, strongly manifested at the present time among some of the brethren, to study the geography of the Book of Mormon. We have heard of numerous lectures, illustrated by suggestive maps, being delivered on this subject during the present winter, generally under the auspices of the Improvement Societies and Sunday Schools. We are greatly pleased to notice the increasing interest taken by the Saints in this holy book. It contains the fullness of the Gospel of Christ, and those who prayerfully study its sacred pages can be made wise unto salvation. It also unravels many mysteries connected with the history of the ancient world, more particularly of this Western Continent, mysteries which no other book explains. But valuable as is the Book of Mormon both in doctrine and history, yet it is possible to put this sacred volume to uses for which it was never intended, uses which are detrimental rather than advantageous to the cause of truth, and consequently to the work of the Lord.
We have been led to these thoughts from the fact that the brethren who lecture on the lands of the Nephites or the geography of the Book of Mormon are not united in their conclusions. No two of them, so far as we have learned, are agreed on all points, and in many cases the variations amount to ... thousands of miles. These differences of views lead to discussion, contention, and perplexity; and we believe more confusion is caused by these divergences than good is done by the truths elicited.
How is it that there is such a variety of ideas on this subject? Simply because the Book of Mormon is not a geographical primer. It was not written to teach geographical truths. What is told us of the situation of the various lands or cities of the ancient Jaredites, Nephites, and Lamanites is usually simply an incidental remark connected with the doctrinal or historical portions of the work; and almost invariably only extends to a statement of the relative position of some land or city to contiguous or surrounding places, and nowhere gives us the exact situation or boundaries so that it can be definitely located without fear of error.
It must be remembered that geography as a science, like chronology and other branches of education, was not understood or taught after the manner or by the methods of the moderns. It could not be amongst those people who were not acquainted with the size and form of the earth, as was the case with most of the nations of antiquity, though not with the Nephites. Their seers and prophets appear to have received divine light on this subject.
The First Presidency have often been asked to prepare some suggestive map illustrative of Nephite geography, but have never consented to do so. Nor are we acquainted with any of the Twelve who would undertake such a task. The reason is, that without further information they are not prepared even to suggest. The word of the Lord or the translation of other ancient records is required to clear up many points now so obscure that, as we have said, no two original investigators agreed with regard to them. When, as is the case, one student places a certain city at the Isthmus of Panama, a second in Venezuela, and a third in Guiana or northern Brazil, it is obvious that suggestive maps prepared by these brethren would confuse instead of enlighten; and they cannot be thus far apart in this one important point without relative positions being also widely separate.
For these reasons we have strong objections to the introduction of maps and their circulation among our people which profess to give the location of the Nephite cities and settlements. As we have said, they have a tendency to mislead, instead of enlighten, and they give rise to discussions which will lead to division of sentiment and be very unprofitable. We see no necessity for maps of this character, because, at least, much would be left to the imagination of those who prepare them; and we hope that there will be no attempt made to introduce them or give them general circulation. Of course, there can be no harm result from the study of the geography of this continent at the time it was settled by the Nephites, drawing all the information possible from the record which has been translated for our benefit. But beyond this we do not think it necessary, at the present time, to go, because it is plain to be seen, we think, that evils may result therefrom. 1
From this we may feel sure that if, ever, the time comes, or that it is expedient for the Saints to have this information, it will come to them through the regularly established source, the prophet, seer, and revelator, the Presiding High Priest of the Church and no one else. However, the authors do not hesitate to urge upon all students of the Book of Mormon a further, prayerful, study of the Sacred Record, and leave all else to “Him who knoweth all things,” for “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.” (Job 28:23)
In the brief outline that follows, we give only what we think to be the facts as they are recorded in the Sacred Record, and leave to a minimum any supposition concerning the location of its cities and lands.