What Evidence Suggests the Book of Mormon is Based on a Novel?

Within the Mormon faith, the Book of Mormon is seen as self - validating. The spiritual experiences of believers while reading and living by its teachings are considered evidence. But from an objective, non - religious standpoint, the evidence is lacking. There is no historical documentation outside of the Book of Mormon itself to support its stories. The languages and writing systems described in the book have no known counterparts in historical records. And the geographical features and migrations detailed in the Book of Mormon do not match up with current archaeological and geographical knowledge of the Americas.

Seismic evidence. Earthquake waves travel through the Earth in ways that are only possible if the Earth has a solid - like structure. For instance, P - waves and S - waves behave in specific ways when they encounter different layers of the Earth. If the Earth were hollow, these wave patterns would be completely different.

Some might point to the lack of contemporaneous non - religious accounts that detail every aspect of the Jesus story as evidence it could be fiction. However, this is a weak argument as there are some non - Christian historical mentions. But some skeptics may say that the long passage of time between the events and the writing of the Gospels allowed for embellishment and fictionalization.

Regarding evidence for Moses, religious texts are a major source. The detailed accounts in the Torah, for instance, are seen as evidence by believers. But from a scientific and archaeological perspective, it's more complex. There are no inscriptions or artifacts that directly name Moses. However, some historians believe that the general story of a group of people leaving Egypt could be based on real events. And if there were such an event, it's likely there was a leader, which could be Moses. So, the evidence is not conclusive either way.

Some point to similarities in plot or themes between the Book of Mormon and certain novels as evidence. But these could be coincidences.

Yes, the Book of Mormon is often considered by some to be based on a novel. It has elements that seem to follow fictional narrative structures, but it is also a religious text for the Latter - Day Saints. However, from a non - religious academic perspective, its origins and the way it was composed can be analyzed in a similar way to how one might analyze a work of fiction.

No, it isn't. The Book of Mormon is not based on a novel but has its own unique religious and scriptural background.

The 'Book of Mormon' is likely fiction because there is no evidence in linguistics. If there were these large - scale civilizations as described in the book, there would be some trace in the languages of the Americas. But there is no such connection found. Also, the book's account of religious history doesn't match with what we know from other reliable historical and religious sources. It seems to be a self - contained and unproven narrative.

Some historical records mention outlaws in Sherwood Forest around the time the Robin Hood legend is set. These could be the basis for the story.

There are some geographical locations that seem to be associated with Arthur in the legends. For instance, Tintagel in Cornwall is often linked to him. Archaeological excavations there have found evidence of a high - status settlement from the right time period, which might be related to the Arthurian stories. Also, some place - names in Britain seem to have Arthurian origins, which could imply that there was a real person behind the legend who left an impact on the local area.