I would also say there are parallels to the Koran.
I find the claims in the BoM paralleling the Bible and the Quran. The book of revelations alone is a weird piece of literature. I know it shouldn't be taken literally. This is just one example. The garden of eden, great worldwide flood and other stories borderline on mythology......paralleling Sumerian stories. The NT stories of Yeshua resemble stories of other cultures who recorded there events long before there was a Yeshua......
As far as the bible is concerned I can at least come across some information and confirm it with archaeological findings. I can do the same with Islam.
For mormons I understand, at least now I do, that no one knows where this great battle took place. We can certainly narrow it down to either North America or South America. Please correct me if I'm wrong. So far, that I know of, no north american indian tribes have recorded such a battle of such great magnitude or multitude. The massive amounts of deaths I discovered in south america seemed to center around religious rituals. So far I haven't discovered the tribes in south america writing about such a battle of great multitude or magnitude.
I'm wondering now why there is talk of this great battle being unknown. As far back as the 1800's there were leaders in the LDS Church stating that the battle was in fact at the Hill Cumorah in New York. For such a claim to be made that this IS NOT the location could mean that the church has done a dig to discover nothing is there. Scoutting around I did find some of the leaders relating Cumorah to the battle or where the plates were found;
"The great and last battle, in which several hundred thousand Nephites perished was on
the hill Cumorah, the same hill from which the plates were taken by Joseph Smith, the boy about whom I spoke to you the other evening." (Talk given by
Apostle Orson Pratt, Feb. 11, 1872
Journal of Discourses Vol. 14, pg. 331)
"Thirty-six years prior to this time his nation was destroyed in in what we term
the State of New York, around about a hill, called by that people the Hill of Cumorah, when many hundreds of thousands of the Nephites-men, women and children, fell, during the greatest battle that they had had with the Lamanites." (Talk given by
Apostle Orson Pratt, Aug. 25, 1878
Journal of Discourses Vol. 20, pg. 62)
"Finally, they became so utterly wicked, so fully ripened for destruction, that one branch of the nation, called the Nephites, gathered their entire people around
the hill Cumorah, in the State of New York , in Ontario County; and the Lamanites, the opposite army, gathered by millions in the same region. The two nations were four years in gathering their forces, during which no fighting took place; but at the end of that time, having marshalled all their hosts, the fighting commenced, the Lamanites coming upon the Nephites, and destroying all of them, except a very few, who had previously deserted over to the Lamanites." (Talk given by
Apostle Orson Pratt, April 6, 1874
Journal of Discourses Vol. 17, pg. 24)
"The passages which I have quoted from the Book of Mormon and the more extended discussion of this subject by Elder B. H. Roberts which was published in The Deseret News of March 3, 1928,
definitely establish the following facts: That the Hill Cumorah, and the Hill Ramah are identical; that it was around this hill that the armies of both the Jaredites and Nephites, fought their great last battles; that it was in this hill that Mormon deposited all of the sacred records which had been entrusted to his care by Ammaron, except the abridgment which he had made from the plates of Nephi, which were delivered into the hands of his' son, Moroni.
We know positively that it was in this hill that Moroni deposited the abridgment made by his father, and his own abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, and that it was from this hill that Joseph Smith obtained possession of them. " (
President Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, April 1928-Morning Session)
"The hill, which was known by one division of the ancient peoples
as Cumorah, by another as Ramah, is situated near Palmyra in the State of New York ." (Apostle James E. Talmage,
Articles of Faith , chapter 14)
"
It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Rama. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, "by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all." Mormon adds: "And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites."
"
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover,
the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon.
"Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact.
That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history...." (Joseph Fielding Smith,
Doctrines of Salvation , Vol.3, Bookcraft, 1956, p.232-43.)
I have plenty of other quotes but if this is no longer the official stance then what has changed to now take focus away from what was taught to now say Hill Cumorah is not in New York but central america? Back on October 16 1990 Bishop Darrel L. Brooks wrote a letter stating
"The Church has long maintained, as attested to by references in the writings of General Authorities, that the Hill Cumorah in western New York state is the same as referenced in the Book of Mormon."
If all of this is incorrect then what else is wrong?
Again, I'm still researching.
