True Book of Mormon Geography
Land - Seas - Prophecies
[Due to the effort Vincent Coon has put into the subject we gave him a page. More on his model is at: H38 Virus.]
The following critique is from his web page: http://www.bookofmormonpromisedland.com/American%20Land%20of%20Israel.htm
Having a Narrow Passage on the east side is unworkable for a number of reasons: First, the City of Bountiful was on the west side by the Narrow Passage; Second, Hagoth sailed north not west; Third, there was a "sea that divides the land" east of it; Fourth, there must be a 1.5 day stretch of land to the east of it; Fifth, the Sea West was west of the Narrow Passage, which sea was likewise west of the land just south of it: the Land Southward, and west of the land just north of it: the Jaredite Land Northward.
Vincent Coon, Phyllis Olive, Duane Aston and Delbert Curtis have failed to respect the Narrow Passage/West Sea dynamic.
1. Because the Jaredite Land Northward declined toward the north, the Sea West and Sea East flowed into the Sea North.
2. There is not another set of seas in Canada. The Limhi Expedition did not cross a body of water to discover the abandoned Jaredite Land Northward.
3. Nor did Mulek sail through multiple great lakes landing "so far northward" only to walk back through Canada, build a second boat to cross the Niagara Gorge, then land on the other side and proceed to walk "up into the south wilderness" through the Narrow Passage when they could have sailed past it like Hagoth did:
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called DESOLATION it being SO FAR NORTHWARD that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed of whose bones we have spoken which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla IT BEING THE PLACE OF THEIR FIRST LANDING.
31 And THEY CAME FROM THERE UP INTO THE SOUTH WILDERNESS. (Alma 22)
4. Lastly, the prophecy of a New Jerusalem being built on Jaredite lands will not occur in a land ruled by a Queen(Canada), which prophecy was fulfilled with the United States. (See New Jerusalem)
Coon published a 284 page book in 2008 entitled "Choice Above All Other Lands." The contents are as follows:
It goes without saying, an Index would have been nice to have, which is another feat entirely. Perhaps Coon will in another edition. Coon has a unique background with a master's degree in physics, and Hebrew as his foreign language. He lived in Israel, and frequently references Israel and Hebrew throughout the book.
Coon claims a better knowledge of Joseph's statements which he feels places his model above others based on Joseph Smith. Can there be so much variance based on what Joseph said?
The "purpose" Coon says is "not to pinpoint the location of Zarahemla, or any other Book of Mormon city" but rather to demonstrate "that the scriptures, together with verifiable statements from the Prophet Joseph Smith, are enough to bring the general location of Lehi's covenant land into better focus." (xi, emphasis added)
Here, as with the title, we take an interest. The subtitle of our site says: "Respecting the Boundaries of the Promised Land." To date, we are the ONLY ones doing that, i.e. the United States. Many models begin, end, or extend outside of the boundaries of the U.S. It is ironic, because they are all claiming that America is fulfilling Book of Mormon prophecy. If the land is the anchor, the boundaries are important.
The cover of the book has a picture of all things - Canada (Ontario), whose head is a queen - contrary to Book of Mormon prophecy. This error was previously overlooked by Vernal Holly (1983), Duane R. Aston (1998), Delbert W. Curtis (1998), Phyllis Carol Olive (2000), Wayne May (2002), Rodney Meldrum & Bruce R. Porter (2009).
Of those, Coon only cites Phyllis Carol Olive and Wayne May in his Bibliography. Coon used May's books primarily to show pictures of fascinating artifacts, which, unfortunately, were discovered beyond the bounds of his model.
To make Canada work, several facts were not shown, the greatest of which was the promise there would be no kings/queens on the land (which Coon admitted on page 2, even listing the dictator's of Mexico). Coon and Olive claim the Narrow Neck is the Batavia Moraine, thus, the Jaredite Land Northward begins south of Lake Ontario, but somehow skips the gigantic Niagara Gorge and crosses into Ontario. It's weird, there's no mention of how the ancients crossed this gorge, or how that land was "choice above all others."
My guess is Coon never walked or traveled the areas he prescribes, and doesn't know how farfetched it is to believe the gorge was not THE land barrier, which no one crossed but Hagoth.
To make this model work, certain verses had to be twisted:
Siser Olive points out, that there are formidable boundaries to the Book of Mormon "land northward" consisting of a "sea north" (Helamn 3:8, Georgian Bay), "large bodies of water" (Alma 50:29, Lake Simcoe etc.) and "the waters of Ripliancum" (Ether 15:8, 10-11, ancient Lake Iroquois/Ontario and the St. Lawrence). (p. 31)
By isolating expressions like "the furthermost parts of the land northward" and the "northernmost part of the land" Olive and Coon interpret those to mean the "Jaredite Land Northward" when in truth, it is referring to the northern parts of the Nephite Land Southward. This is the background for the verse:
21 ...we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.
23 And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation. (3 Nephi 3)
Note, Zarahemla was the "center" of the land - of the Land Southward. The expression "furthermost parts of the land northward" meant from where they were in the Land Southward:
21 And the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by night, and falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by thousands and by tens of thousands.
22 And thus it became the desire of the people of Zemnarihah to withdraw from their design, because of the great destruction which came upon them by night and by day.
23 And it came to pass that Zemnarihah did give command unto his people that they should withdraw themselves from the siege, and march into the furthermost parts of the land northward. (3 Nephi 4)
One must differentiate between the "Jaredite" Land Northward from the Nephite "land northward" (lower case) (Alma 22:29). The verse is referring to the furthermost parts of the Nephite land northward. Same is true for the "northernmost part of the land." (3 Nephi 7:12)
The twisting of verse is apparent. Nowhere does it say after passing through the Narrow Neck that they had to cross a giant gorge, river, or sea to get into what they call the "further reaches of the land," into Canada, which isn't north - it's west.
Coon touches on most criticisms against a Western New York setting including cold, barley, honey bees, silk, etc., and for those he should be thanked. Below are other deficiencies:
His map is critiqued on the H38 Virus page.