Jesus Visits The Americas! (check.)

In the Book of Mormon, Jesus visits the Americas after he’s crucified. Mormons talk about Jesus visiting “The Americas” for a few days as though it was sufficient to put a checkmark next to the whole western hemisphere. It’s an example of what I have noticed about my mormons — we are often satisfied by overly simplistic one-liner answers as explanations for problem issues that should cause us to question our understanding or consider its limitations. Over and over during my life I have heard Mormons trumpet the line that Jesus visited “the Americas” because he had “other sheep” who are not of the middle-eastern fold. As though Jesus’ three day visit to the american continent, as recounted in the Book of Mormon, was a natural occurrence and sufficient to accomplish his ministry and establish his church here. He’s even quoted as saying things like (paraphrasing), follow my example and do as you have seen me do”. — But who ? and when? would anyone have seen him do anything? No mormon I’ve ever heard has ever raised the point that America is a big place. If a supernatural being visited Los Angeles and you were at Disneyland, you likely wouldn’t see the chariots of fire. Let alone if you were in Texas, or Alaska, or Argentina! “The Americas” is a big place. But Jesus visiting here, someplace, for three days, is good enough for most Mormons to give him a pass at fulfilling prophecy. Visited his other sheep? Check.