Columbus and America

The older ones among us may remember learning in school that Cristopher Columbus discovered America. Well, the Bahamas actually. Well, he just sort sailed into them accidentally. Now we all know that he didn't really 'discover' anything. It's debatable whether he even realized that he had discovered a new continent hitherto unknown to most Europeans. And it's no longer controversial to recognize that Viking explorers made it to this hemisphere much earlier.

But were there others to arrive here even earlier? Obviously, the Book of Mormon mentions three groups that arrived outside of the accepted historical record, but we are often alone in asserting its veracity. However, the idea that many groups from various lands may have sailed to the Americas throughout its ancient history is gaining greater acceptance outside of the Church. A video on the History channel's website entitled Did Columbus Really Discover America? gives a more realistic view of his accomplishments, while suggesting that many others may have arrived, in addition to the indigenous populations that were already here, including Israelites fleeing Babylonian destruction in 600 b.c. More of this 'complicated truth' about the discovery of America (as the video states) is coming to light and we believe the Book of Mormon's account will stand the test of time. We may just need to continue to have faith.

Click here to watch the video on history.com.