126 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
126 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
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Information from the
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NATIONAL MUSEUM OF OF NATURAL HISTORY
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Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C.
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Your ÿrecent ÿinquiry ÿconcerning ÿthe Book ÿof ÿMormon ÿhas ÿbeen
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received in the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology.
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The ÿbook ÿof Mormon is a religious document and not a ÿscientific
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guide. ÿÿThe Smithsonian Institution does not use it in archeological
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research. Because the Smithsonian Institution receives many inquiries
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regarding the book of Mormon, ÿwe have prepared a "Statement Regarding
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the Book of Mormon," a copy of which is enclosed for your information.
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This statement includes answers to questions most commonly asked about
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the Book of Mormon.
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PREPARED BY
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THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
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STATEMENT REGARDING THE BOOK OF MORMON
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--------------------------------------
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1. ÿÿThe Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in
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any way as a scientific guide. ÿThe Smithsonian archaeologists see no
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direct ÿconnection between archeology of the New World and the subject
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matter of the book.
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2. The physical type of American Indian is basically Mongoloid, being
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most closely related to that of the peoples of eastern, ÿcentral, ÿand
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northeastern ÿÿAsia. ÿÿArcheological ÿevidence ÿindicates ÿthat ÿÿthe
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ancestors ÿof the present Indians came into the New World -- ÿprobably
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over ÿa land bridge known to have existed in the Bering Strait ÿregion
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during the last Ice Age -- ÿin a continuing series of small migrations
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beginning from about 25,000 to 30,000 years ago.
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3. ÿÿPresent ÿevidence indicates that the fist people to ÿreach ÿthis
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continent from the East were the Norsemen who who briefly visited ÿthe
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northeastern part of North America around A.D. ÿ1000 ÿand then settled
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in ÿGreenland. ÿThere is nothing to show that they reached Mexico ÿor
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Central America.
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4. ÿÿOne ÿof ÿthe main lines of evidence ÿsupporting ÿthe ÿscientific
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finding ÿthat contacts with Old World civilizations, ÿif ÿindeed ÿthey
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occurred at all, ÿwere of very little significance for the development
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of ÿAmerican ÿIndian ÿcivilizations, ÿÿis the fact that ÿnone ÿof ÿthe
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principal ÿOld World domesticated ÿfood plants or animals (except ÿthe
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dog) ÿÿoccurred in the New ÿWorld ÿin pre-Columbian times. ÿÿAmerican
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Indians had ÿno ÿwheat, ÿbarley, ÿoats, ÿmillet, rice, ÿcattle, ÿpigs,
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chickens, horses, ÿdonkeys, ÿcamels ÿbefore 1492. ÿ(camels and horses
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were in the Americas, along with the bison, mammoth, mastodon, but all
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these animals became extinct around 10,000 B.C. ÿat the time the early
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big game hunters spread across the Americas.)
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5. Iron, steel, glass, and silk were not used in the New World before
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1492 ÿ(except for occasional use of unsmelted meteoric iron). ÿNative
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copper ÿwas worked in various locations in pre-Columbian ÿtimes, ÿÿbut
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true ÿmetallurgy was limited to southern Mexico and the Andean region,
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where its occurrance in late prehistoric times involved gold, ÿsilver,
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copper, and their alloys, but not iron.
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6. ÿThere is a possibility that the spread of cultural traits ÿacross
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the Pacific to Mesoamerica and the northwestern coast of South America
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began several hundred years before the Christian era. ÿHowever, ÿÿany
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such ÿinter-hemispheric ÿcontacts appear to have been the ÿresults ÿof
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accidental voyages originating in eastern and southern Asia. It is by
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no ÿmeans ÿcertain that even such contacts occurred with ÿthe ÿancient
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Egyptians, ÿÿHebrews, ÿor other peoples of Western Asia and ÿthe ÿNear
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East.
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7. ÿÿNo ÿreputable ÿEgyptologist or other ÿspecialist ÿon ÿOld ÿWorld
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archeology, ÿand no expert on New World prehistory, ÿhas discovered or
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confirmed any relationship between archeological remains in Mexico and
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archeological remains in Egypt.
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8. ÿÿReports of findings of ancient Egyptian, ÿHebrew, ÿand other Old
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World ÿwritings ÿin ÿthe ÿNew World ÿin ÿpre-Columbian ÿcontexts ÿhave
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frequently ÿappeared in newspapers, ÿmagazines and sensational ÿbooks.
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None ÿof ÿthese ÿclaims ÿhas ÿstood up ÿto ÿexamination ÿby ÿreputable
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scholars. ÿNo inscriptions using Old World forms of writing have been
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shown to have occurred in any part of the Americas before 1492 ÿexcept
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for a few Norse rune stones which have been found in Greenland.
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9. ÿÿThere ÿare ÿcopies of the Book of Mormon in the library ÿof ÿthe
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National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
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NOTE: ÿÿThis article is an exact reproduction of a letter compiled ÿby
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The Smithsonian Institution that was received by Computers for Christ,
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and has been graciously provided free of charge by them.
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For your own copy, write to:
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The Smithsonian Institute
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National Museum of Natural History
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Department of Anthropology
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Washington D.C. 20560
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Computers For Christ, Panama City, Fl.
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