Mormons: Explain 1 Nephi 6-9?

Question

1 Nephi 2:6-9
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 built an altar of stones, and made an coffering unto the Lord, and gave dthanks unto the Lord our God.
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!

The geography of Saudi Arabia shows no rivers running into the Res Sea. In fact no rivers at all in whole country. Saudi Arabia has been in this condition for at least the last 5,000 years.. Doesn't this prove, that the Book of Mormon is an invention of Joseph Smith's mind and not that of an all knowing God? IHS Jim

You all seem to know all about the "alter" (Pile of stones) with a label on it NHM. It is FARMS and the LDS Church that insist that this is Nahom. They are alone in archeology to confirm such a leap. As for the River.. There may indeed be a flash flood on the west coastal areas of Saudi Arabia these floods can be deadly but are always of short duration. A flash flood is not considered a river. They normally last minutes but in a down pour which they do have they could last hours but definitely not days.. Hardly the "rivers" of the 1 Nephi.. If anyone would like to discuss the alter at NHM further that would be fine but not as a part of this question.. None of your evidence can point to rivers that aren't there. The trade routes in ancient time included every well, every oasis not any of the wet spots was a river.. Rivers don't exist anywhere in Saudi Arabia. imamormon2 I don't know what your pictures are of, but it isn't the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia .. IHS Jim

Answer 1

This website can explane alot of the lies in the book of mormon..

Answer 2

We teach the same gospel that was taught by Paul, the other apostles, and Jesus Christ so there's nothing to reconcile. Hope that helps. Edit: The Book of Mormon is called "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" not another testament/gospel. If you really wanna get picky look at the full names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each of them has their own gospel. But all are compatable. The same with the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. John received a vision from an angel and recorded it as the Book of Revelation and no one has a problem with that. Paul himself was converted through a heavenly visitation from Jesus Christ. Paul is not saying that all angelic or heavenly visions are wrong. He's asking the Galatians how they could have fallen away so quickly from what he just taught them. Sorry my thoughts are a little disjointed, it's been a long day for me and going to be longer still, but I hope that clears a few things up. Your's is not the first question to address this issue. If you look at some other sites rather than carm you'll find great LDS responses to it.

Answer 3

No, it doesn't. There are rivers in the Middle East that are 'seasonal' they only have water at certain times of the year. I am not sure if the particular one mentioned would still turn into a river when it rains or if it has been filled in with dirt and such throughout the years, but I would say that this is a small piece of evidence if it is to disprove the whole Book of Mormon. I would also like to point out that Joseph Smith only had the education of a fourth-grader and it would therefore be inconceivable to believe that he could write the whole book without divine assistance. If you have any further questions www.mormon.org is a helpful website.

Answer 4

So you are an expert on the geography of the Red Sea and surrounding areas for the last 5000 years?

GOOD ONE!!!

You know how truly stupid you sound right now?

How about you look at the Alluvial Fan formations and ancient river gaps between Israel and the Red Sea. You can see them clearly on Google Earth.

Now look where the Red Sea connect to Saudi Arabia at the Northern Inlet and head north on that sandy beach thats about 100 miles long. SEE THE BIG RIVER GORGE?

Man you are a true idiot!!!

Answer 5

Actually, there is at least one body of water that would qualify as the river of Laman.

edit: This river of Laman they found is year round. Not a flash flood. Read the link.

Answer 6

Dear friend, you are misinformed, almost certainly because you've read one to many anti-Mormon sites. These sites are not at all reliable; they'll tell just about any lie to "discredit" Mormonism. There are indeed "garden" spots in the Arabian peninsula, and in the very locations described in the Book of Mormon. These rivers are called "wadis," by the way. Most people in the 19th century also thought that there were no rivers in the Arabias; the fact that the Book of Mormon talks about these rivers is actually an evidence of the truthfulness of the book, not an evidence against it. To see some pictures of these rivers, check out these sites:

http://www.jefflindsay.com/gif/dhofar2.jpg
http://www.jefflindsay.com/gif/salalah2-x.jpg
http://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml

Also, feel free to check out my site at http://www.allaboutmormons.com . It's much more reliable than the anti-Mormon junk you've probably been reading. :)

Answer 7

Faith must be exercised before truths are made manifest. You, my friend, are simply set in your ways to disprove the Book of Mormon in any fashion you can because you have been misled by the many antagonists to the LDS religion.

If you are reading the Book of Mormon with only the mission to disprove its truthfulness then you are missing much more than you can ever realize.

If you don't wish to believe the book then don't. That is your perogative.

Answer 8

Like others have stated...the river has been found...in fact they are pretty sure they have found the path that Lehi and his family took...the FARMS and Jeff Lindsey site are great for the information. Check it out.

Answer 9

think again.

http://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml#geography

press Ctrl+F and type in "Red Sea". there's your answer.

Answer 10

Is there really a reason to answer this question? You have made up your mind.

Answer 11

Sounds like Joseph Smith found a mushroom patch in the woods.