Back from the Hill Cumorah Pageant

Returned from the L.D.S.-sponsored Hill Cumorah Pageant outside of Palmyra, New York, earlier this afternoon. As few non-L.D.S. know, the Hill Cumorah Pageant is an exceedingly festive re-enactment of significant scenes from the Book of Mormon, with a cast of over 700, elaborate costumes, and an audience of about 9,000 (last night). The pageant is held outside of Palmyra, at this particular hill, for two, closely related reasons. First, the Hill Cumorah is where Joseph Smith supposedly discovered the golden plates (in the 1820's) on which the Book of Mormon was written, in "Reformed Egyptian," by Mormon, sometime around 400 A.D. Smith the Prophet was led to the plates by the Angel Moroni, who was one of the captains of the Nephite Army wiped out at the climactic battle held at Hill Cumorah, in the 400 A.D.'s. (Moroni was also the son of Mormon.) Did I say climactic battle? Nephite Army? This would take so long to explain. (The pageant takes about 75 minutes.)

The Book of Mormon describes the ancient history of the American continent--at least, if you're a member of a Restoration church, you believe it does. Everyone else thinks it was just made up. About 600 years before the birth of Christ, a prophet in Jerusalem named Lehi was warned by God to leave the city, to build a boat, and to sail to the Promised Land--America. (In Mormon belief, the New World is the Promised Land, not "Palestine," as they refer to it in the pageant.) Lehi has two good sons, Nephi and Sam, and two evil sons, Laman and Lemuel. Eventually, Nephi becomes the leader of the good people in the New World (Nephites), and Laman becomes leader of the bad people (Lamanites). And so on. Christ visits the New World, after the resurrection, and thus establishes his church in the New World as well as in the old. But the Nephites eventually fall away from righteousness and are destroyed (there's a warning for you). But God made sure that the record of these events was preserved for a new prophet, to re-establish his Church--Joseph Smith.

BTW, Mormon doctrine teaches, I believe, that the Hill Cumorah is a gigantic burial mound for the Nephite Army.

Before the performance, the participants in the pageant walk through the crowd, in costume. Many of the costumes are very elaborate. I'll try to post some pictures.