Thank you Royal Skousen

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a national holiday in the United States. Our first President, George Washington, issued a proclamation that started this way:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor...

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091

The day became a National Holiday when President Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 during the Civil War. Lincoln implored Americans to “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union..”

In that spirit, I hope this Thanksgiving will be a time when Latter-day Saints will pray for and implement greater peace, harmony, tranquility and union among themselves and with others.

This is the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding that we discuss on this blog and at nomorecontention.com.

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Clarity is the predicate or foundation for unity. And, because so much contention arises from our LDS academics, their theories, and their obsession with seeking acceptance of their theories, we should all thank Royal Skousen for stating the obvious about the implications of SITH (the stone-in-the-hat narrative about the origin of the Book of Mormon).

The unity I refer to is not a unity of belief, but 

(i) unity in knowledge (clarity), 

(ii) unity in charity (love and good faith), and 

(iii) unity in understanding (acceptance and appreciation for differences without a compulsion to have everyone think the same).

Unity among Latter-day Saints on the questions of the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon will naturally follow once everyone recognizes that their opinions are based on their assumptions about whether Joseph and Oliver told the truth. We can all be faithful, productive, harmonious Latter-day Saints when we accept the reality that some of us accept what they taught, while others reject what they taught, without insisting everyone must do one or the other.

IOW, unity through diversity.

But for that to happen, we must all be crystal clear about the facts and their implications. And we must fully own our respective beliefs without trying to enforce our own through censorship, obfuscation, and sophistry.

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In his latest book, Brother Skousen makes plain this reality: everyone who teaches SITH is also teaching that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery deliberately misled everyone about the origin of the Book of Mormon.

"Joseph Smith’s claim that he used the Urim and Thummim is only partially true; and Oliver Cowdery’s statements that Joseph used the original instrument while he, Oliver, was the scribe appear to be intentionally misleading."

While this point has been obvious to those of us who still believe what Joseph and Oliver taught about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon, the various scholars who promote SITH have managed to skirt the issue by simply not telling their followers what Joseph and Oliver taught.

It's amazing, really, that this tactic has succeeded for so long. The LDS scholars who wrote Saints (vol. 1), the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation, innumerable articles, commentaries, Kno-Whys, videos, podcasts, etc., have carefully avoided Brother Skousen's point by simply omitting (I call it censoring) what Joseph and Oliver taught about the origin of the Book of Mormon.

But now Brother Skousen has "unvailed" the truth about SITH.

To be clear, I completely disagree with Brother Skousen's conclusion, which is based not on fact but on assumptions and inferences; but every Latter-day Saint should recognize that Brother Skousen's conclusion necessarily follows from the SITH narrative.

That's why E.D. Howe spelled it out in his 1834 anti-Mormon book titled Mormonism Unvailed in the first place.

Next week, we'll apply the FAITH model to examine Brother Skousen's claims. I'll show that he either was unaware of, or chose not to include, some of the most relevant facts regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon. This suggests he was more focused on confirming his bias than on fully informing his readers, but we'll let people decide for themselves about that.

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Brother Skousen's clarifying point also applies to the setting of the Book of Mormon. Those who accommodate and/or promote M2C (the Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory of Book of Mormon geography) necessarily reject, repudiate, and renounce what Joseph and Oliver said about the setting of the Book of Mormon hill Cumorah/Ramah. Like the SITH sayers, the M2C scholars skirt the issue by not telling their followers what Joseph and Oliver taught.

Thus, like the SITH sayers, the M2Cers reach a conclusion similar to Brother Skousen's SITH conclusion:

Both Joseph Smith’s claims about Cumorah and Oliver Cowdery’s statement that it is a fact that Cumorah/Ramah is in New York appear to be intentionally misleading.

 

The elephant in the room was born as M2C, which started a little over 100 years ago when faithful scholars began rejecting what Joseph and Oliver taught about Cumorah.

The elephant grew larger when faithful scholars adopted SITH by rejecting what Joseph and Oliver taught about the origin of the Book of Mormon.

Now, the mature elephant in the room is what Brother Skousen has finally articulated; i.e., the assertion by the credentialed class of academics of the authority to cancel what Joseph and Oliver plainly taught because, according to them, Joseph and Oliver deliberately misled us all.

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We usually attribute this assertion of authority to organizations, including Scripture Central, the Interpreter Foundation, FAIRLDS, and BYU.

But Brother Skousen has shown that it is not an organizational behavior problem. It's an individual problem.

Hence the new acronym JTDS that we'll discuss in upcoming posts.

Buckle up.

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Meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving!

SITH interlude

We'll continue the popular discussion of Cumorah next week after Thanksgiving. I'm introducing a new acronym - JTDS - and we'll go through Scripture Central's videos, etc.

[For those who don't know, SITH = stone-in-the-hat narrative.]

Let's start today's SITH interlude by asking, Do you believe the following statement?

Joseph Smith’s claim that he used the Urim and Thummim is only partially true; and Oliver Cowdery’s statements that Joseph used the original instrument while he, Oliver, was the scribe appear to be intentionally misleading.

It's a serious question because this is the inevitable and obvious outcome of the SITH narrative. 

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To be clear, my answer to that question is no, I don't believe that statement. 

I, along with many Latter-day Saints, still believe what Joseph and Oliver said. 

But our friends at Scripture Central, the Interpreter, FAIRLDS, etc., along with their followers who believe SITH, do believe that statement. They actually think Joseph and Oliver misled everyone about the translations of the Book of Mormon.

The statement is a quotation from Royal Skousen's latest book.

Some time ago I uploaded a paper on Academia.org titled "Agenda-driven editorial content in the Joseph Smith Papers."

https://www.academia.edu/67756647/Agenda_driven_editorial_content_in_the_Joseph_Smith_Papers

On page 4 I made this statement:

Skousen has explained that he not only rejects the claim that Joseph used the Urim  and Thummim to produce the text we have today [i.e., he may have used that instrument for the lost 116 pages but stopped after those pages were lost], but he believes Joseph and Oliver intentionally misled the world about the translation. “Joseph Smith’s claim that he used the Urim and Thummim is only partially true; and Oliver Cowdery’s statements that Joseph used the original instrument while he, Oliver, was the scribe appear to be intentionally misleading.” 7 

At a minimum, the editors of Volume 5 should alert readers to their biases in favor of M2C and SITH. Ideally, they would do so while acknowledging alternative interpretations of the same historical facts, including interpretations that corroborate instead of repudiate what Joseph and Oliver claimed.

Footnote 7 went to this link.

https://interpreterfoundation.org/blog-update-of-the-pre-print-of-a-discussion-of-the-book-of-mormon-witnesses-by-royal-skousen/

Yesterday I bought the recently released Part 7: The Early Transmission of the Text by Royal Skousen, with the collaboration of Stanford Carmack, so now I can update that footnote to page 62.

Royal Skousen's claim that Joseph and Oliver
"misled" everyone about the translation
(click to enlarge)

Brother Skousen is an amazing, awesome scholar whose detailed work is invaluable. On January 25, 2022, in the Church Administration Building on Temple Square, President Russell M. Nelson thanked those who helped make the volume of the Joseph Smith Papers that contains the Original Manuscript possible, including Brother Skousen.

(click to enlarge)

But despite his meticulous, professional research, Brother Skousen inexplicably makes questionable assumptions about source material and draws inferences that lead him to theories and hypotheses that strike many people as unreasonable.

In Part Seven, for example, he carefully itemizes the statements from the various witnesses, which is great. But he seems to simply take them at face value--except for the statements from Joseph and Oliver, which he rejects as misleading or only partially true.

This is the same approach taken by the currently dominant LDS historians and other scholars, as we'll see when I publish my paper(s) about Part Seven and other current developments in this area.

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So, what do you think? 

Do you agree with Brother Skousen and the other SITH sayers that Joseph and Oliver deliberately misled everyone about the translation of the Book of Mormon?

Or do you not know enough about Church history to say?

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates.

Ether, Edwards, and extras

Ether: LetterVII.com has a new post about Ether 5, here:

https://www.lettervii.com/2024/11/ether-5-answers-questions.html

Edwards: Mobom.org has new annotated chapters from the Book of Mormon, here:

https://www.mobom.org/jonathan-edwards

Extras:

Overview of Joseph Smith's early years:

https://www.mobom.org/joseph-smith-early-years

Museum info. Because many museums in the United States are removing their artifacts related to ancient North America, MOBOM (Museum of the Book of Mormon) will offer information about the exhibits. For example, photos from the National Great Rivers Museum are available here.

https://www.mobom.org/archaeology

Updated analysis of Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation.

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2022/09/analysis-gospel-topics-essay-on-book-of.html

Cumorah 2024 - 3. Origin and promotion of M2C

The Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C), which claims that the Book of Mormon events in the promised land took place in Mesoamerica (Central America), originated over 100 years ago. 

For an article about the origins of M2C, see

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/p/the-m2c-narrative-origin-and.html

Currently, M2C is being heavily promoted by influential LDS scholars and organizations, including 4 whom we will discuss next week. They're all awesome people and careful scholars who have many followers. 

And we respect M2C as one of multiple working hypotheses. On this and other blogs, we encourage people to learn all they can about M2C. We host comparisons of different hypotheses, such as this one.

https://www.lettervii.com/p/rationality-comparison-chart-cumorah.html

We want people to make informed decisions for themselves, all in the spirit of understanding instead of persuasion, compulsion, compliance, etc. We reject deference to others' opinions, regardless of how many credentials they claim, their positions at BYU, or how much money they have.

We think the teachings of the prophets and the scriptures are clear, simple, and profound--and more than sufficient for every Latter-day Saint to understand the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

As part of the pursuit of clarity, next week we will discuss the four principal promoters of M2C in our day. These include:

1. Scripture Central, led by John W. (Jack) Welch, who co-founded FARMS, then Book of Mormon Central. He and Kirk Magleby, the current "Evangelist" for Scripture Central, are awesome people who have been promoting M2C for decades.

2. FAIRLDS, led by Scott Gordon.

3. Interpreter Foundation, led by Dan Peterson.

4. Tyler Griffin, who developed the BYU Fantasy Map and who is featured on Scripture Central's Come Follow Me podcasts.

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Despite the efforts of these fine scholars, there remain many Latter-day Saints who still believe the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah/Ramah. For us, the evidence from Church history and the scriptures is unambiguous. The New York setting is corroborated by extrinsic evidence from archaeology, anthropology, geology, geography, etc.

We recognize that others have different interpretations and opinions, and that's fine with us. We hope that everyone interested in the Book of Mormon can make informed decisions for themselves about such topics as these:

(i) whether Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Lucy Mack Smith, and David Whitmer told the truth about the New York Cumorah/Ramah;

(ii) whether subsequent prophets were correct about the New York Cumorah/Ramah; 

and 

(iii) whether the modern M2C theory should be the only theory taught to Latter-day Saints.

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Disencumbering Latter-day Saints from the confusion and complexity of M2C reveals the beauty and simplicity of the New York Cumorah/Ramah.

It's like freeing a water lily from spirogyra.

  

Cumorah 2024: 2 The Saints book

The fourth volume in the Saints series was recently published. There's an excellent article about the series here: 

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/11/20/saints-diversity-of-a-global-faith/

The historians have done a phenomenal job bringing all these accounts together. The current volume, Sounded in Every Ear, brings the history up through the year 2020.

The Saints books are a wonderful compilation of Church history that helps unify Latter-day Saints around the world. Every ward and branch in the Church has examples of faith, miracles and gifts of the Spirit that could be contributed to the ongoing historical narrative of the Restoration.

There is a world-wide, awe-inspiring and expanding collection of narratives that individually and collectively testify of the Restoration and the truthfulness and power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

And it's fun to see it unfold while also being part of it.

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Readers here may know that the first volume of Saints had some problematic narratives that veered away from the historical sources, particularly regarding the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon. While we all realize the book cannot include every detail, we can also see that editorial decisions create narratives that become accepted as facts. When these narratives contradict the historical record, or create a false narrative present, readers who later discover the authentic historical sources become disillusioned and skeptical. 

That's why it's better to be accurate in the first place.

In the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, I wrote about these narratives on another blog in the hopes that the errors and omissions could be corrected in future editions, particularly the electronic editions. These are very simple and obvious corrections.

I'm still hopeful that this can be accomplished so Latter-day Saints everywhere can have access to the most accurate history.

Here are a few of the most popular posts from that blog:

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-mary-whitmer-problem.html

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2018/09/chapter-4-be-watchful.html

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2021/09/checking-references-seer-stones-foreign.html

https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-historians-explain-censorship-in.html

Cumorah 2024 - 1: decision tree analysis

In the ongoing pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, we'll spend the next week or so reviewing multiple working hypotheses about the Hill Cumorah/Ramah by applying the FAITH model.

Facts

Assumptions

Inferences

Theories

Hypotheses

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As we'll see, there are no disagreements about the relevant facts. We can all read for ourselves the teachings of the prophets about Cumorah/Ramah.

Multiple working hypotheses arise from differences in assumptions, inferences, and theories regarding those teachings. One way to view these is through the all/some/none framework that we will discuss. 

Proponents/believers then corroborate their assumptions, inferences, and theories by assembling evidence to support their hypotheses, using basic techniques of confirmation bias. 

This might sound complicated to people who are new to the Cumorah issue, so we can summarize it with this general decision tree analysis:

(click to enlarge)

Applying basic decision tree analysis to the Cumorah issue produces this simple, clear explanation for how and why we have multiple working hypotheses. You can use the same decision tree for any of the multiple working hypotheses about the location of the Hill Cumorah/Ramah.

In this example, we follow the logic of the Mexico setting for Cumorah promoted by Scripture Central, BYU Studies, the Interpreters, etc.

(click to enlarge)

BYU Studies "Cumorah"
(click to enlarge)

This example we follow the logic of Tyler Griffin's fantasy setting for Cumorah.

Tyler Griffin's fantasy map Cumorah
(click to enlarge)

 

This north country and the whole of America

In the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, we will consider two specific points today.

This north country.

This week we're reading Ether 1-5 in Come Follow Me. Moroni opened the book by writing, "1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country." (Ether 1:1)

"This north country" means Moroni was writing where the Jaredites were destroyed; i.e., near the hill they called Ramah, which the Nephites called Cumorah. 

First consider which alternative better fits the description of "north country" on the map below.

Scripture Central and other M2C advocates (M2C=Mesoamerican/Two-Cumorahs theory) want people to believe that when Moroni referred to "this north country," he was referring to a site in southern Mexico.

We can see why the M2Cers make this claim. Their site is somewhat north of the rest of Mesoamerica. It is north of South America.

But it can hardly be considered "this north country" when even the M2Cers agree that Nephites lived far north of there. 

(M2Cers claim that the Nephites who lived in North America, as explained by Joseph Smith, lived in the "hinterlands.")

  

By comparison, just looking at the map, we see that the area around Palmyra, New York, where the traditional Hill Cumorah is located, does qualify as "this north country." 

But that's just one data point.

We know that when he visited Joseph Smith at his home near Palmyra, Moroni said "this history was written and deposited not far from that place."

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/69

The abridged plates described in the Title Page were deposited in a stone box on the Hill Cumorah about three miles from Joseph's home. That qualifies as "not far from that place." And it means that when Moroni referred to "this north country" he was referring to what we now call western New York.

The M2Cers disagree, of course, and that's fine. In the spirit of charity we assume they are acting in good faith and we want everyone to understand one another.

For that reason, we encourage the M2Cers, especially those at Scripture Central and the Interpreter Foundation, to join in the pursuit of clarity and share this comparison with their followers so they can make informed decisions for themselves.

And in the process, they should read Ether 2 and consider which area it better describes.  

The whole of America

M2Cers often claim that because Joseph Smith said "The whole of America is Zion itself,  from North to South," he was referring to the setting of the Book of Mormon. It's a non sequitur argument to begin with, but let's look at what Joseph meant.

The phrase comes from a single source, now available in the Joseph Smith Papers here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/354?highlight=whole%20of%20america

This is a report of a sermon Joseph Smith gave in April 1844. This is the relevant excerpt:

"You know there has been great discussion in relation to Zion; where it is, and when the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you. The Prophets have spoken and written upon it, but I will make a proclamation that will cover a broader ground. The whole of America is Zion itself, from North to South; and is described by the Prophets who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain of the Lord should be, and that it should be in the centre of the land; when Elders will take up and examine the old prophecies in the bible they will see it."

Joseph Fielding Smith included this excerpt in his book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (TPJS), and many have adopted the interpretation that Joseph Smith meant the continents of North and South America, but that contradicts the idea that Zion (identified as Missouri in the Doctrine and Covenants) is in the center of the land. 

Joseph's sermon (apparently not recorded verbatim), invoked terminology from an earlier revelation, now D&C 84 ("described by the Prophets" = "spoken by the mouth of the prophets," "mountain of the Lord" = "Mount Zion," etc.). 

"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem."

The Book of Mormon refers to the New Jerusalem several times.

22 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. (3 Nephi 20:22)

23 And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem. 

24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem. (3 Nephi 21:23–24)

2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;

3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.

4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.

5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel—

6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

(Ether 13:2–6)

We know that the New Jerusalem will be in Missouri.

8 And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall build up my church in every region—

9 Until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the New Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be gathered in one, that ye may be my people and I will be your God. (Doctrine and Covenants 42:8–9)

62 Thou shalt ask, and it shall be revealed unto you in mine own due time where the New Jerusalem shall be built. (Doctrine and Covenants 42:62)

65 And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you.

66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;

67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. (Doctrine and Covenants 45:65–67)

2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.

3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.

4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.

(Doctrine and Covenants 84:2–4)

Because Missouri is in the center of the United States, some people infer that Joseph Smith was referring to America, the country, not America, the hemisphere. That interpretation fits with D&C 87:2, which refers to the future Civil War between the Southern States and the Northern States. 

Later in the sermon, Joseph Smith seemed to make this clear when he said, "I have received instructions from the Lord that from henceforth wherever the Elders of Israel shall build up churches and branches unto the Lord throughout the States, there shall be a stake of Zion; in the great cities as Boston, NewYork &c. there shall be stakes. It is a glorious proclamation, and I reserved it to the last."

Notice he specifically said "throughout the States," not "throughout the hemisphere."

In 1844, Joseph Smith was running for President of the United States of America. A couple of months before giving the April sermon, he had published a lengthy campaign pamphlet that set out his platform. 

He had sent campaign missionaries to all 26 states, both slave and free states. Likely with D&C 87 in mind, Joseph addressed the citizens of the slave states in his campaign platform: "Petition also, ye goodly inhabitants of the slave states, your legislators to abolish slavery by the year 1850, or now." 

That he had the nation he called America on his mind is evident from other parts of his platform.  

No honest man can doubt for a moment, but the glory of American liberty, is on the wane; and, that calamity and confusion will sooner or later, destroy the peace of the people.

and his Zion-like aspirations for the nation:

"the neighbor from any state, or from any country, of whatever color, clime or tongue, could rejoice when he put his foot on the sacred soil of freedom, and exclaim: the very name of “American,” is fraught with friendship!"

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/general-smiths-views-of-the-powers-and-policy-of-the-government-of-the-united-states-circa-26-january-7-february-1844/9

In Joseph Smith's day, America (the United States) was the gathering place and "Zion itself." 

In 1973, though, President Harold B. Lee explained that in our day, "every nation is the gathering place for its own people." (1973, April, Harold B. Lee, ‘Strengthen the Stakes of Zion,’ Ensign, July 1973, ¶ 35)

Since then, the prophets have re-emphasized that every nation is the gathering place for the people who live there; i.e., the entire world now has the full blessings of the gospel and thus is (or can be) Zion. Zion is not limited to America, whether Joseph Smith was referring to the United States or to the western hemisphere.

This is why the Book of Mormon is relevant for everyone in the world. The covenants described in the Book of Mormon apply in our day to every nation.

In that sense, it doesn't matter where the Book of Mormon events took place.

But it does still matter whether we accept or reject the teachings of the prophets about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.