Vernal Holley put the controversy in another light by minutely comparing parallels between the Book of Mormon and the existing Spaulding manuscript.16 The following are his documented conclusions, with which the author concurs after a personal analysis of Manuscript Found.17
1. The outlines of the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding text are "essentially the same."18
2. Both records claim to have been found in "the same way."
3. Both were "written for the same purpose."
4. Both "tell the story of the same ancient American inhabitants."
5. Both "have the same sea voyage."
6. Both "have light-skinned and dark-skinned people.
7. Both "tell of the same arts and sciences."
8. Both "have a comparable Christian theology."
9. Both "present a white God person."
10. Both "involve use of seer stones."
11. Both claim to "contain an abridged history of the extinct inhabitants of ancient America."19
12. Both describe how the record was deposited, protected supernaturally, and how its finder made a translation of it.
13. Both state that it "will come forth . . .when the Europeans (gentiles) inhabit this land (M.F., 3-4; I Nephi 13:35; 3:184-185).
14. Both "translators" testify of the truthfulness of the work and request that the readers read it "with a pure heart" (M.F., 2-3; Moroni 10:4-5; 10:4-5).20
15. Both have the earth revolving about the sun-something unknown until 1543 A.D. (M.F., 16; Helaman 12:13-15; 4:61-62).21
16. A theological address by an Indian chief in Spaulding's manuscript contains "the same thoughts" and they are "in the same order" as in a similar address in the Book of Mormon by King Benjamin (M.F., 26-32; Mosiah 1-4; 1-2).
17. Spaulding's leader teaches from a "sacred roll," while King Benjamin teaches from "plates of brass."
18. The religious section of Spaulding is written in the chiastic style, which is found throughout the Book of Mormon.22
19. Lobaska's rule over two empires and his golden age of peace parallels Christ's effect on the peoples in the Book of Mormon.23
20. Both include coins and fortifications.24
21. Both have similar scenes of bloodshed, even down to the final combats between enemy commanders.
22. Both depict a "little band" of warriors, 3,000 in M. F. and 2,000 Nephi-Lehis in the Book of Mormon.25
Besides these parallels, there are literally hundreds of identical or similar word combinations. In order to conserve space, only a few are listed below:26
rights of their country (M.F., 31; 3 Nephi 6:30; 3:35)
Crying with a loud voice (80; Alma 46:19; 21:48)
He put forth his hand and (28; Alma 30:51; 16:63)
An immense slaughter (101; Alma 49:21; 21:174)
mourning and lamentation (84; Helaman 7:15; 3:16)
according to their numbers (54; 3 Nephi 6:3; 3:4)
Even more surprising than these parallels, however, is the land area described in the two books. Holley emphasizes that Book of Mormon geography quite neatly matches the land described in Manuscript. Thus the "sea east" becomes Lake Ontario and the "sea west" becomes Lake Erie rather than, as Mormons have assumed, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Locating the River Sidon has always been a difficulty for Book of Mormon scholars.27 With this model, however, the River Sidon handily becomes the present-day Genesee River.28
Another problem has been the width of the "small neck of land" in the Book of Mormon, which is described as "a day and a half's journey" from sea to sea (Alma 22:32; 13:76). The distance of thirty-seven miles between these two lakes fits the description much better than the distance of over one hundred thirty miles at the Isthmus of Panama. 67 ancient fortified earthworks have been found at this location.29
Spaulding lived in this area and had first-hand knowledge of the earthworks, names and geographical locations that are portrayed in his writings. By imposing the Book of Mormon descriptions on maps of these areas, the following modern place names are found to coincide with the cities and lands in the Book of Mormon:30
Modern B of M
Angola Angola
Boaz Boaz
Jerusalem Jerusalem
Jordan Jordan
Lehigh Lehi
Rama Ramah
St. Agathe Ogath
Alma Valley of Alma
Antrim Antum
Antioch Anti-Anti
Conner Comner
St. Ephrem Hill Ephraim
Hellam Helam
Jacobsburg Jacobugath
Kishkiminetas Kishkumen
Mantua Manti
Monroe Moroni
Minoa Minon
Moraviantown Morianton
Morin Moron
Noah Lake Land of Noah
Oneida Onidah
Oneida Castle Hill Onidah
Omer Omner
Ripple Lake Waters of Ripli- ancum
Sodom Sidom
Shiloh Shilom
Shurbrook Shurr
Tenecum Teancum
Holley bolsters his case for Spaulding authorship of the Book of Mormon with a quotation by Mormon archaeologist Joseph Vincent, who said:
If a sincere student of the Book of Mormon will conscientiously read and study the book itself and will plot out all the locations mentioned,...he will find that all Book of Mormon lands lie within a five or six hundred mile radius, and that this area could not possibly extend from Chile to New York.
I found this on the web at the following site: http://yourgoingtohell.com/mormon.html
Spalding's Manuscript similarities:
http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_s...anuscript.html
http://www.archive.org/details/spauldingenigma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OffQbvLY5M0
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