Joseph Smith was born in 1805, and he was killed in 1844. My assumption is that he was 38 years old at the time of his earthly death. Smith died in Illinois when a mob stormed the facility in which he was imprisoned. Joseph Smith Jr. was the founder of Mormonism. Yes, he published the Book of Mormon, and he attracted many followers then and until the present day. In fact, a very well known gentleman that ran for president recently is a Mormon. The Book of Mormon is supposedly based on an apparition or revelation in which he had involving an angelic type being named Moroni. The Book of Mormon, according to Moroni, was written on golden plates. Moroni revealed to Smith the place where they were hidden from ancient times. I don’t know if it is of any significance, but the day in which the revelation came was on September 21, 1823. Including himself, there were 11 men who witnessed the plates in total. However, Smith wasn’t supposed to reveal them to anyone other than those commanded. I am basically summarizing the story; it is a little more detailed. My question for many years has been: is this story credible? Obviously, many people seem to think it is, and I am not more knowledgeable than many.
Twenty years ago, if you mentioned Smith, I would have probably laughed and asked you to tell me more about the planet Kolov? Of course, today we know that that stars normally have planets that orbit them; therefore, the existence of strange planets isn’t a farfetched idea. Smith wrote many texts about cosmology, family, and God…. The fact is that some of these crazy things he may have written about probably aren’t so crazy based on today’s knowledge of things like archeology and DNA, for instance. Okay (Oll Korrect), here is where we take off into the unknown. Hopefully, Smith will seem more convincing than you ever imagined at the end of this post.
I am not sure how I am developing the post. I will be asking questions, and if you do not know what it is I am referencing, I hope you do the research to learn more about…; however, I strongly suggest that you put any fundamentalist thoughts aside for a while. Here we go!
Did you know that we recently discovered more than 60,000 archeological ruins under the jungle in Tikal, Guatemala? Those ruin were only seen because of a new laser scanning technology. Although, these ruins have only been buried for about a thousand years, perhaps, they tell us that the Mayan empire was much bigger, and populated by millions more people than previously believed. Fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith?
The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. Basically, this happened 106 years ago. In just about a century there is very little remaining of this once biggest ship of the time. Why? Well, it is under the North Atlantic waters and metal rusts. Basically, this once 882 foot long vessel that had a tonnage of about 46,000 GRT is almost completely rusted away. Again, fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith?
Have you ever heard of Gobekli Tepe? In case you have never heard of it, I strongly suggest learning more about what it is. Either way, I will brief you on it, regardless. Gobekli Tepe is an archeological site in Turkey that is believed to be the oldest megalithic site on the planet, by our current understanding. It possibly dates to the 10thmillennium BC. It consists of more than 200 pillars in 20 circles. The pillars weigh up to ten tons and are 20 feet tall. The question many people have with relevance to this place is how did hunter gatherers make something like it using primitive tools when it is difficult for us to assemble something like it with our own modern technology today? Oh, I also want to add that the site is almost 2,500 feet above sea level. Again, fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith? Let’s move on, and I will get to explain the reason.
Everyone has heard about Atlantis. I won’t talk much about it. I will simply reference what Plato said. In Timaeus, Plato said that Solon travelled to Egypt, and in Sais he spoke to a priest, who told him a story about how 9,000 years before a very advanced nation named Atlantis existed. Solon lived 600 years before Plato. My apologies, I meant around 600 BC, around 200 years before Plato. If Atlantis actually existed along the timeline in the story, it must have existed almost 12000 years ago. This might not have anything to do with Joseph Smith, yet, but it sure sounds like Atlantis may have existed around the time Gobekli Tepe was built if we do the math. Moving along; I will introduce something about Joseph Smith, at this point in the story.
In the Book of Mormon there is a book titled: The Book of Ether. The Book of Ether contains the story of the Jaredites. The book says that the language of the Jaredites was not confounded during the Tower of Babel. The book provides the genealogy of Jared. The Tower of Babel in the Bible does not seem to predate the flood in which Noah survived by building an Ark. The story of Noah is in Chapter 6 of Genesis, and The Tower is in chapter 11. Either way, both of these stories seem to be included in Sumerian texts, and also predate the story of Abraham which starts in chapter 12 of the Book of Genesis. In the Book of Ether, Jared’s brother is told by the Lord to build 8 barges. Skipping some details, in “the floods” the Jaredites spend 344 days on these barges, and eventually reach the Promised Land which seemingly was, you guessed it, what is the present day United States, but in ancient times. Was the time of the Jaredites about 12,000 years ago, if they actually existed? I have no clue, but I can tell you a little about some recent studies in DNA that may be mind boggling. Moreover, these studies make this story somewhat believable.
Before I talk about DNA, I want to recommend doing a little reading and research with relevance to Graham Hancock and his work. Many claim that Hancock’s ideas are about pseudoscience and pseudo-archeology; however, I think some of his ideas about ancient civilizations may have a great deal of credibility based on simple logic alone. It is said that his work has never been peer reviewed nor published in academic journals, but I have my own opinions with relevance to peer reviewed anything. Peer reviewed does not necessarily make something accurate or true. Peer reviewed can sometimes very well mean that all are in on the deception to try to save themselves because perhaps they have all agreed on wrong information, and most don't want to lose the status of recognition. Of course, collective complicity isn't a new thing. "Et tu, Brute?" I am done with this point, so please allow me to move on to DNA, although I am sure I just made a few enemies, unintentionally.
DNA is a genetic code in us, it is hereditary material. These days most people know exactly what it is, so I really don’t have to go into details explaining it, not that I actually could if I tried…lol. What I really want to write about is based a recent article in The Epoch Times titled: Anomalous Native American DNA: New Tests Show Middle East Origins? The article reads that Geneticist Dr. Donald Yates has been studying Cherokee DNA. The article says:
"He found what he sees as strong evidence that Cherokee Native Americans have Middle Eastern ancestry—ancestry that cannot be accounted for by modern admixture, but which is rooted in the ancient origins of the people (theepochtimes.com)."
Fascinating! One can read the full article at the following link.
https://m.theepochtimes.com/
My thoughts with relevance to this article and Joseph Smith is that I wonder if this DNA in Cherokees somehow could be relevant to that of the Jaredites. Does it really matter? I don’t know, but 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to make the connection. Well, there you have it, this is my short defense of Joseph Smith.
Oh, before closing I have a question that one might think is irrelevant. Here is the question: If all the ice in Antarctica was to melt because it was hit by a comet, did you know that sea levels would probably rise about 190 feet? Well, they most likely would. Did you know that most humans live in coastal areas? Yes, they do! I did mention earlier that the Titanic has almost completely rusted away under water in about 100 years. Do you think that if all the ice in Antarctica melted, and most cities went under water that they would completely rust away and vanish in 200 years time? I don’t know, but it is a huge possibility. I remember seeing the construction of the Twin Towers from a distance overlooking the Hudson, as a child living in New Jersey. It took years to build them. On September 11, 2001, it took about a couple of hours for the steel structure within them to melt, and in disbelief I saw them come down very quickly. I will leave you with that thought. In very little time things can often change drastically. Being arrogant about anything is not a good attribute. Humility is often the best road to follow. But, please don't get me wrong, what Jesus is quoted as saying in Matthew 10:16 is also very significant. That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading. Blessings!
References:
https://m.theepochtimes.com/
The Book of Mormon
Twenty years ago, if you mentioned Smith, I would have probably laughed and asked you to tell me more about the planet Kolov? Of course, today we know that that stars normally have planets that orbit them; therefore, the existence of strange planets isn’t a farfetched idea. Smith wrote many texts about cosmology, family, and God…. The fact is that some of these crazy things he may have written about probably aren’t so crazy based on today’s knowledge of things like archeology and DNA, for instance. Okay (Oll Korrect), here is where we take off into the unknown. Hopefully, Smith will seem more convincing than you ever imagined at the end of this post.
I am not sure how I am developing the post. I will be asking questions, and if you do not know what it is I am referencing, I hope you do the research to learn more about…; however, I strongly suggest that you put any fundamentalist thoughts aside for a while. Here we go!
Did you know that we recently discovered more than 60,000 archeological ruins under the jungle in Tikal, Guatemala? Those ruin were only seen because of a new laser scanning technology. Although, these ruins have only been buried for about a thousand years, perhaps, they tell us that the Mayan empire was much bigger, and populated by millions more people than previously believed. Fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith?
The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. Basically, this happened 106 years ago. In just about a century there is very little remaining of this once biggest ship of the time. Why? Well, it is under the North Atlantic waters and metal rusts. Basically, this once 882 foot long vessel that had a tonnage of about 46,000 GRT is almost completely rusted away. Again, fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith?
Have you ever heard of Gobekli Tepe? In case you have never heard of it, I strongly suggest learning more about what it is. Either way, I will brief you on it, regardless. Gobekli Tepe is an archeological site in Turkey that is believed to be the oldest megalithic site on the planet, by our current understanding. It possibly dates to the 10thmillennium BC. It consists of more than 200 pillars in 20 circles. The pillars weigh up to ten tons and are 20 feet tall. The question many people have with relevance to this place is how did hunter gatherers make something like it using primitive tools when it is difficult for us to assemble something like it with our own modern technology today? Oh, I also want to add that the site is almost 2,500 feet above sea level. Again, fascinating! But, you are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Smith? Let’s move on, and I will get to explain the reason.
Everyone has heard about Atlantis. I won’t talk much about it. I will simply reference what Plato said. In Timaeus, Plato said that Solon travelled to Egypt, and in Sais he spoke to a priest, who told him a story about how 9,000 years before a very advanced nation named Atlantis existed. Solon lived 600 years before Plato. My apologies, I meant around 600 BC, around 200 years before Plato. If Atlantis actually existed along the timeline in the story, it must have existed almost 12000 years ago. This might not have anything to do with Joseph Smith, yet, but it sure sounds like Atlantis may have existed around the time Gobekli Tepe was built if we do the math. Moving along; I will introduce something about Joseph Smith, at this point in the story.
In the Book of Mormon there is a book titled: The Book of Ether. The Book of Ether contains the story of the Jaredites. The book says that the language of the Jaredites was not confounded during the Tower of Babel. The book provides the genealogy of Jared. The Tower of Babel in the Bible does not seem to predate the flood in which Noah survived by building an Ark. The story of Noah is in Chapter 6 of Genesis, and The Tower is in chapter 11. Either way, both of these stories seem to be included in Sumerian texts, and also predate the story of Abraham which starts in chapter 12 of the Book of Genesis. In the Book of Ether, Jared’s brother is told by the Lord to build 8 barges. Skipping some details, in “the floods” the Jaredites spend 344 days on these barges, and eventually reach the Promised Land which seemingly was, you guessed it, what is the present day United States, but in ancient times. Was the time of the Jaredites about 12,000 years ago, if they actually existed? I have no clue, but I can tell you a little about some recent studies in DNA that may be mind boggling. Moreover, these studies make this story somewhat believable.
Before I talk about DNA, I want to recommend doing a little reading and research with relevance to Graham Hancock and his work. Many claim that Hancock’s ideas are about pseudoscience and pseudo-archeology; however, I think some of his ideas about ancient civilizations may have a great deal of credibility based on simple logic alone. It is said that his work has never been peer reviewed nor published in academic journals, but I have my own opinions with relevance to peer reviewed anything. Peer reviewed does not necessarily make something accurate or true. Peer reviewed can sometimes very well mean that all are in on the deception to try to save themselves because perhaps they have all agreed on wrong information, and most don't want to lose the status of recognition. Of course, collective complicity isn't a new thing. "Et tu, Brute?" I am done with this point, so please allow me to move on to DNA, although I am sure I just made a few enemies, unintentionally.
DNA is a genetic code in us, it is hereditary material. These days most people know exactly what it is, so I really don’t have to go into details explaining it, not that I actually could if I tried…lol. What I really want to write about is based a recent article in The Epoch Times titled: Anomalous Native American DNA: New Tests Show Middle East Origins? The article reads that Geneticist Dr. Donald Yates has been studying Cherokee DNA. The article says:
"He found what he sees as strong evidence that Cherokee Native Americans have Middle Eastern ancestry—ancestry that cannot be accounted for by modern admixture, but which is rooted in the ancient origins of the people (theepochtimes.com)."
Fascinating! One can read the full article at the following link.
https://m.theepochtimes.com/
My thoughts with relevance to this article and Joseph Smith is that I wonder if this DNA in Cherokees somehow could be relevant to that of the Jaredites. Does it really matter? I don’t know, but 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to make the connection. Well, there you have it, this is my short defense of Joseph Smith.
Oh, before closing I have a question that one might think is irrelevant. Here is the question: If all the ice in Antarctica was to melt because it was hit by a comet, did you know that sea levels would probably rise about 190 feet? Well, they most likely would. Did you know that most humans live in coastal areas? Yes, they do! I did mention earlier that the Titanic has almost completely rusted away under water in about 100 years. Do you think that if all the ice in Antarctica melted, and most cities went under water that they would completely rust away and vanish in 200 years time? I don’t know, but it is a huge possibility. I remember seeing the construction of the Twin Towers from a distance overlooking the Hudson, as a child living in New Jersey. It took years to build them. On September 11, 2001, it took about a couple of hours for the steel structure within them to melt, and in disbelief I saw them come down very quickly. I will leave you with that thought. In very little time things can often change drastically. Being arrogant about anything is not a good attribute. Humility is often the best road to follow. But, please don't get me wrong, what Jesus is quoted as saying in Matthew 10:16 is also very significant. That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading. Blessings!
References:
https://m.theepochtimes.com/
The Book of Mormon
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