How can we explain things in the Book of Mormon that I’ve heard didn’t exist in ancient America?

Some scholars have, in fact, put forward many plausible explanations for the things in the Book of Mormon that may seem inconsistent with what we know about the ancient New World (see, for instance, fairmormon.org or bookofmormoncentral.org). But the best answer to this question is simply to be patient.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught, “Don’t suppose … that a lack of evidence about something today means that evidence doesn’t exist or that it will not be forthcoming in the future.” He pointed out that research eventually showed that certain supposed “errors” in the Book of Mormon actually weren’t errors (Laban’s “steel” sword, for example). Then he said, “Where answers are incomplete or lacking altogether, patient study and patient waiting for new information and discoveries to unfold will often be rewarded with understanding” (“The Prophet Joseph Smith,” BYU–Idaho devotional address, Sept. 24, 2013, byui.edu/devotionals).