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If the Lehites met "others" in the New World, why
are they not mentioned?
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This assumption comes from a naive reading of the text that was filtered through the 19th century misunderstanding of the human migrations that
populated the ancient New World.
When we examine issues like Book of Mormon DNA, geography and
archaeology, we need to approach these topics with real science and
scholarship -- not pseudo-science and soft assumptions.
Seeing people and buildings in vision is not the same as seeing a map or
satellite image. There is no evidence God revealed the location of
Book of Mormon events to Joseph Smith.
I felt it was important to tackle a couple of less-conspicuous yet
primary and subversive anti-Mormon claims that have direct bearing on
many Mormon issues.
It's important to understand how the words "true," "correct," "historicity" and "verisimilitude" apply to the Book of Mormon.
Knowing the ambiguity of language and the context of author and reader
becomes important when we look at the reasons why Book of Mormon
authors expressed some things in the Nephite text.
This "co-creative" view of revelation explains why Joseph Smith updated some
of his revelations, including some passages in the Book of Mormon and
D&C, as his learning increased.
While there are interesting evidences for a "tight control" over the
Book of Mormon translation, there are also evidences and logical
reasons to assume a "loose control."