Historical Parallels to the Destruction at the Time of the
Crucifixion John A. Tvedtnes Abstract: To the nonbeliever, the
wide variety of destructive forces unleashed in the New World at
the time of Christ's crucifixion seems preposterous or, at the
very least, unscientific. The account in 3 Nephi 8–9 mentions
the simultaneous occurrence of earthquake, fire, strong winds,
extensive flooding, the complete burial of cities, and thick
darkness. An examination of known great natural disasters in
historical times reveals that the Book of Mormon in no way
exaggerates. All of the destructive forces mentioned in 3 Nephi
8–9 can be readily explained in terms of the tectonic forces
that result from the encounter of the plates on which the
continents and the oceans lie. The complex variety of
destructive forces that we normally consider to be separate
phenomena of nature is, in reality, strong evidence for the
historicity of the Book of Mormon account. The great
destructions which took place among the Nephites and Laman