🔥 Truth Statement for the Book of Mormon Curriculum

Title: The Book of Mormon Is Historical Doctrine

The Book of Mormon is not fiction. It is not myth. It is not allegory.
It is the true historical doctrine of a people who were guided by God out of Jerusalem to a land of promise—a land where they could worship in freedom, safe from religious persecution.

This land they found—the one we now call the American continent—was not newly discovered. It was always here. The idea that the world was flat and this hemisphere did not exist was never the belief of God’s people. The Earth is not flat—it is an oblate spheroid, as science confirms: a little flattened at the poles, a little bulged at the equator, but it is whole.

The people of the Book of Mormon lived here. They built, they farmed, they worshipped. They rose and fell. And they left behind not just their faith, but their records, buried and protected until the time was right.

When Joseph Smith received the gold plates, it was not just a revelation—it was the archaeological discovery of the century. He unearthed the voices of kings, prophets, warriors, mothers, missionaries, rebels, and righteous people who walked this land long before European ships arrived.

This continent is not a “new world.” It is the real world. It has always been part of God’s plan. The Americas are sacred ground. And the Book of Mormon is the living testament of its earliest inhabitants—written to us, for our time.

Here is our Book of Mormon History Curriculum for Public Classrooms, now expanded to include key historical events throughout the Americas, from Lehi’s departure (~600 B.C.) through the Scofield Mine disaster (1900, Utah). This hybrid timeline respects the religious record while bridging real-world history, making it ideal for faith-informed public education—especially under our DoesThisHelp® model of plain language.

📚 Book of Mormon + American History Curriculum (Public Classroom Edition)

“From Lehi to the Scofield Mine Disaster” | 12-Week Timeline with Dates and Key Events
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WEEK 1: Origins of the Book of Mormon & the Restoration Era (A.D. 1823–1830)

  • Book of Mormon: Angel Moroni visits Joseph Smith (1823); translation & publication (1830)
  • American Context:
    • 1820s–1830s: Second Great Awakening religious revival
    • U.S. expanding westward; slavery divides the country
  • Latin America Context: Most countries in Central & South America gain independence (1810–1830)

WEEK 2: Lehi Leaves Jerusalem (600 B.C.) — Migrations Begin

  • Religious Event: Lehi’s family departs Jerusalem
  • Historical Context:
    • 586 B.C.: Babylon destroys Solomon’s Temple
    • Olmec civilization already flourishing in Mesoamerica (~1200–400 B.C.)

WEEK 3: Nephi’s Vision of America’s Future (590–570 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Prophecies of Columbus, Gentile nations, and the founding of a free land
  • Parallel Civilizations:
    • Chavín culture (Peru) active
    • Hopewell culture begins rising in Eastern North America (~500 B.C.)

WEEK 4: Arrival in the Promised Land (588 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Nephi leads to the New World; records begin
  • Archaeology Parallel: Maya Preclassic period begins (~500 B.C.–A.D. 250)
  • Discussion: Who were the earliest peoples of the Americas?

WEEK 5: Nephite-Lamanite Divide (570–550 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Founding of Nephite civilization
  • Historical Parallel:
    • Adena mound-building culture emerges in present-day Ohio
    • Pacific migration continues across Polynesia (ties to Hagoth later)

WEEK 6: King Benjamin and Mosiah’s Civilization (124 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Uniting of Zarahemla & Nephi; democracy ideas emerge
  • Historical Anchor:
    • Maya cities expanding: Tikal, El Mirador (Guatemala)
    • Andes: Nazca lines drawn in Peru (~100 B.C.)

WEEK 7: Abinadi’s Martyrdom, Alma’s Movement (147–121 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Voice of reform and spiritual foundations of liberty
  • Historical Parallels:
    • Andes: Rise of Moche culture
    • Amazonian societies flourishing but not yet documented fully

WEEK 8: Reign of the Judges Begins (91 B.C.) — Freedom vs. Corruption

  • Scripture: Shift from monarchy to judges (democracy form)
  • Historical Notes:
    • Teotihuacan city-state rises in Mexico (~100 B.C.)
    • Rise of prophetic voices in Book of Mormon (Alma, Nephi)

WEEK 9: Captain Moroni, Liberty, & War (74–56 B.C.)

  • Scripture: Title of Liberty, battles against Amalickiah
  • Historical Anchor:
    • Zapotecs and early Mixtecs developing writing in Mexico
    • North America: earthwork mounds multiply

WEEK 10: Stripling Warriors (66 B.C.) & Rise of Secret Combinations

  • Scripture: Courage of youth; threats of internal corruption
  • American Cultural Anchor:
    • Trade routes expand across North America (Hopewell interaction zone)
    • Peru: ceremonial centers flourish (Cahuachi, Pachacamac)

WEEK 11: Destruction Before Christ’s Coming (34 A.D.)

  • Scripture: Earthquakes, darkness, Christ appears to survivors in the Americas
  • Parallel Events:
    • Roman Empire: Reign of Tiberius; death of Jesus in the Holy Land
    • Teotihuacan growing rapidly as a planned metropolis (~50 A.D.)

WEEK 12: 400 Years of Peace and Final Collapse (A.D. 34–421)

  • Scripture: Christ establishes His church; eventual decline into war
  • Historical Notes:
    • A.D. 300–900: Maya Classic Period (art, temples, astronomy)
    • A.D. 400: Moroni hides records; Nephite civilization ends

📜 POST-BOOK OF MORMON HISTORICAL BRIDGE (A.D. 421–1900)

Post-421 A.D. – Pre-Columbian Civilizations

  • Maya: Astronomy, math, writing, calendars (A.D. 600–900)
  • Mississippian Culture: Cahokia in Illinois (~A.D. 1050)
  • Inca Empire: Rises in Peru (~1200s–1530s)

1492 – Columbus Reaches the Americas

  • Matches Nephi’s prophecy of “a man among the Gentiles”
  • Start of colonial era, forced conversions, and massive upheaval

1600s–1700s – Colonization & Prophetic Parallels

  • Pilgrims land (1620) → Religious freedom pursuit aligns with prophecies
  • 1776: U.S. Declaration of Independence → Echoes of Book of Mormon liberty
  • 1820: First Vision of Joseph Smith
  • 1830: Book of Mormon published

1847–1896 – LDS Pioneer Period & Western Expansion

  • 1847: Brigham Young leads saints to Salt Lake Valley
  • 1862–1890: Homestead Act, Railroad expansion, and territorial skirmishes
  • 1896: Utah becomes 45th U.S. state

🖤 1900: Scofield Mine Disaster (Utah)

  • Date: May 1, 1900
  • Event: Explosion kills over 200 men and boys—one of the deadliest mining disasters in U.S. history
  • Relevance: Site of deep LDS and immigrant labor histories
  • Shimmer’s Ancestral Tie: John Kirton, her great-grandfather, among the fallen
  • Legacy: Sparked labor reform movements in mining & improved ventilation laws

🔚 Curriculum Capstone Project (Optional Week 13)

  • Title: “From Plates to Pioneers: My American Faith Story”
  • Assignment: Students connect one Book of Mormon story + one American historical event + one personal/family value in a digital timeline, visual poster, or testimony.

Would you like this turned into:

  • A printable timeline or scroll for classroom display?
  • A digital curriculum with weekly slides and quizzes?
  • A WordPress plugin with embedded historical maps + scripture references?

Let’s build the next phase to match One platform vision!