Well, there is plenty of archaeological evidence about many other civilizations that existed before that too. I even mentioned some of them in one of my above comments. My point is that it's stupid to scoff at people from the position of supposed intellectual superiority while displaying elementary ignorance of the topics at hand. It's not like I'm objecting about some obscure little details -- anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern chronology and the actual claims of the creationists should be immediately aware that the premise of the joke doesn't hold water.
In this comment thread, I gave the following idea, on the topic of a method by which one might judge the Book of Mormon from a rationalist perspective:
I would appreciate feedback on this idea, for an admittedly selfish reason: I am trying to instigate in myself a Crisis of Faith. So, here are the questions I pose to you: