Because they didn't exist as stated. It's messy and there are people who have done lots of research to show the evidence. Of course everyone has to come to their own conclusions.Imwashingmypirate wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 10:31 pmAbsolutely follow you on this. The danger here though is that are we adjusting the story to explain the problems away? To make it somehow still work?Valo wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 10:22 pmGood observation as far as the gold plates. Where are they? Of course we have the story that they were taken by Moroni. But fact is they are not available to us. The Book of Mormon makes no claims as far as where it took place, etc.
There is ample evidence to indicate that in the early days of the LDS Church lots of stories and events were tall tales, fabrications, or molested truth to make the events seem more than what they were.
When we look at physical evidence, of the claims made by the book itself, it doesn't give us a name of a place we can recognize as the Americas.
Another thing that I posted earlier but it was ignores is the connection between the British Isle and the Book of Mormon. The holy grail legends etc. are very much aligned with the symbolism and ideas discussed in Ether about a vessel to cross the great deep.
I saw your mention of the UK possibly being the land but I don't have enough understanding to respond. I would have to study the Book of Mormon and research it to be able to respond to that idea. Perhaps there are people more knowledgeable than might be able to answer that. I don't see a problem in considering the possibility that America wasn't the promised land, it was just where the plates ended up. My personal problem is that I do not believe the plates existed. And so it's all defunct. It's a pointless argument. You could say Joseph Smith was inspired by God to write the Book of Mormon and so it's still the works of God just brought to us through inspiration rather than direct translation.
But then why talk about plates? Why hide the plates but not hide other documentation translated by Joseph Smith? I would need a better explanation as to why we aren't able to see the plates.
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The Backyard Professor has done some good research on this I think. I can find you some resources if interested.