This article is from a presentation given at the 2001 FAIR conference.  This year’s conference, August 7^th and 8^th is at UVSC in Orem, UT.  The conference is open to the public, but you must register in advance.  For more information, or to register for the conference, click here: FAIR conference information.

Lehi In The Wilderness:

81 New Evidences Documenting the Book of Mormon Is a True History

There is only one Book of Mormon geographical area that scholars have identified with a high degree of certainty.  It is Nephi’s description of his family leaving Jerusalem and crossing Arabia in the early years of the sixth century B.C.  It is for this reason that critics of the Book of Mormon see Arabia as their ‘O.K Corral’.  If they can show that 1 Nephi is fallacious, they believe it will document that the book is a fabrication. In a very real way, 1 Nephi’s description of Arabia has become “ground zero” in the battle being waged against our sacred book. 

Here are just a few red herrings the critics have been chasing: 1) There is no river of Laman – scientist have shown that there are no continuously flowing rivers or streams in Saudi Arabia, nor has the climate changed significantly in that area since Lehi’s era, 2) There is no firm, steadfast and immovable valley among the sandstone hills of northern Arabia, 3) there are no ‘most fertile parts’ (1 Nephi 16:14) in Arabia,  4) there was no land of Bountiful, abounding in fruit and wild honey in Arabia, 5) Nephi could not have built a ship in southern Arabia, for there is, nor ever has been, timber growing in Arabia from which a ship could be built, and 6) Nephi was a native of Jerusalem, a land with virtually no seamanship lore, thus despite any number of divine revelations, he would not  have been capable of building and sailing a large ship.

On the surface, these challenges to the Book of Mormon seem daunting. But after 5 years and 75,000 miles of field work in Arabia, George Potter and Richard Wellington are ready to challenge the critics. Both have said in effect “go ahead and draw your guns”.  They believe their research shows that the Book of Mormon 1) accurately describes a passage to southern Arabia in ancient times, 2) provides actual instructions on how to find a magnificent valley with a river that still runs through it, 3) discloses the location of the one site in southern Arabia where fruit grows on the seashore and where ALL the resources needed to launch, construct and learn to sail a large ship existed in Lehi’s time. 

Potter and Wellington’s work is based on the latest archeological research in Arabia. Potter and Wellington believe that the more that scientists uncover in the Arabian sands, the more the findings will support Nephi’s account.  The two LDS explorers believe that the book of 1 Nephi is a very precious historical account.  They believe it is the earliest written record of a passage down the Frankincense trail, one of the key routes that shaped history.

Their work has been consolidated into a book “Lehi in the Wilderness, 81 New Evidences Documenting the Book of Mormon Is a True History (available August 2003). George Potter has produced six films on Lehi’s Trail. You can learn more about their research on Lehi’s trail and on the Jaredite trail at www.nephiproject.com. 

As part of their annual conference on August 7th and 8th, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) will feature a presentation by George Potter (USA) and Richard Wellington (United Kingdom). In a conference session on the afternoon of August 8th, Potter and Wellington will show video footage, slides and maps of what they believe is the Valley of Lemuel, the River of Laman, the Most Fertile Parts, Nahom, and the harbor where Nephi built his ship.

The FAIR conference is sponsored by faithful Latter-day Saints and is open to all.  FAIR is a non profit organization.  For information about the conference, and to register to see this presentation, click here:  http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?fair005  or go to the FAIR website at www.fairlds.org.