Like the church, book of mormon central bmc is officially geography neutral. The controversy arises from dna studies of native american peoples. However, this attack ignores several key points, among which is the fact that the book of mormon states that lehi and his family are. Defenders of the book of mormon have made arguments that center on the idea that the book of mormon peoples from the middle east formed only a small contribution to the population of the americas, and that their genetic heritage may have been diluted beyond what can now be detected. Dna evidence of the book of mormon in north america, linking native americans to the jewish population in the middle east. Certain passages of the book of mormon suggest that it would be impossible to support or refute the claims of the book or mormon with dna evidence. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints affirms that the book of mormon is a volume of sacred scripture comparable to the bible. While critics may believe that book of mormon dna testing entirely undermines mormon beliefs, it is important to realize that some underlying assumptions may have lead to faulty conclusions. Dna and population genetics a haplotype is a group of genes derived from dna that are inherited together from a single parent and a haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor with a singlenucleotide polymorphism mutation. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon.
The book of mormon documentary accurately presents the consensus of the scientific community that northern asia not israel is the place of origin of the native american indians. Haplogroup x2a dna in native americans book of mormon. If anyone tries to tell you differently in either direction, be very skeptical. May 11, 2009 a recently published book claims that dna evidence proves the book of mormon, one of the books of scripture used by the mormon church, incorrect. There are three ways in which the book of mormon is the keystone of our religion. The book of mormon dna debate an interview with ugo perego. There is generally no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the. Published in 2004 by signature books and available at amazon. On, a reader wrote in and complained that her native american ancestry did not show up in her dna test. Miraculous claims surrounding the coming forth of the book of. Wayne may presents the supporting evidence for the heartland model, that the book of mormon nephites and jaredites lived in north america. The critics are using tentative scientific findings to discredit common misconceptions about the book of mormon, not what the text actually teaches.
I did not leave because my feelings were hurt or because of sin. All that would be left would be for an interested mormon to compare the two findings to the dna of israelites who lived about 600 b. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. Some are informative, some are funny, some are faithpromoting and many are enlightening. On the other hand, if its origin is godgiven, then joseph smith was a prophet, and if he was a prophet, then the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is true. This video is part 5 out of 11 videos that im making, which is still only a very brief. Steven hassan what the mormon church can learn from cults to dobe better. I also sent a copy to byu university, to farms, the mormons branch that is in charge of protecting mormon beliefs, asking how i could refute this dvd. Recent research has been conducted on native american dna, studies potentially related to the book of mormon that may lend support to its claims.
Jan 29, 2019 the article concludes by emphasizing the churchs neutrality on book of mormon geography and quoting president russell m. Nov 06, 2006 the book of mormon teaches that these israelites are the principal ancestors of modernday native americans. On january 31, 2014, the lds church published an essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies in the gospel topics series on its official website. Fundamental historical claims of the book of mormon are challenged by new genetic research. Book of mormon evidence in american archaeology wayne may. The book of mormon dna debate an interview with ugo.
The church takes no position on the specific geographic location of book of mormon events in the ancient americas. This evidence is so damning that even high level mormon scholars have left the cult. The biggest problem with most antimormon attacks involving dna and the book of mormon is not so much the lack of scholarship about dna as it is the lack of scholarship concerning the book of mormon. Respected dna scientists, geneticists, and book of mormon scholars provide their views on dna and the book of mormon. The book of mormon claims native americans are descended from israelites. Once we have a foundational testimony of the book of mormon, then. Simon southerton is a native australian, geneticist, former lds bishop, and author of the book losing a lost tribe. Evidence for a faster evolutionary rate of mtdna lineages than y chromosomes.
Jan 21, 2016 a youtube clip entitled dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence is causing a stir among mormons as it has appeared on websites such as, ldsliving, prepare to serve youtube site and lds smile. At this point, dna evidence simply cannot disprove or prove the historicity of the book of mormon. Rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna. I purchased over 50 copies of this dvd and sent them to mormon temples in the united states and abroad.
Sep 08, 2016 on january 31, 2014, the lds church published an essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies in the gospel topics series on its official website. Now i m not a geneticist but if you want to hear a population geneticist give you the long version of what i just said, check out the links in the description and have. Undeniable archaeological evidence of the book of mormon in. Theres a good lds article concerning this, but its on my old computer, which i dont feel like starting up again and looking for. The book of mormon and the origin of native americans from a maternally inherited dna standpoint, by ugo perego. The book of mormon tells the story of a family from ancient jerusalem that crossed the ocean and colonized somewhere in the western.
M odern dna evidence in no way disproves the traditional lds belief that book of mormon peoples represent the principal ancestors of the american indians. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence youtube. The dna truth that the mormon belief that they are related to the american indians is false. Rod is a friend of mine and a member of my hp group, but he has oversimplified this dna matter, aside from falsely stating 1 that the maya are the center of interest of those who consider the book of mormon to be a mesoamerican codex, and 2 that they focus on the maya because they think that joseph smith did so as well. Officially, the mormon church says that nothing in the mormon scriptures is incompatible with dna evidence, and that the genetic studies are being twisted to attack the church. However, this attack ignores several key points, among which is the fact that the book of mormon states. Nelson on the importance the books primary purposeto testify of jesus christ and his gospel. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence general. Native americans, dna, and the mormon church, by simon g. Many of those false notions were hurled at the believers of the book of mormon as proof that it must be a fraud. In this article, we will provide some background on this issue focusing on the scientific issues, followed by a point by point response to various statements made in the essay about the book of mormon. Critics of the lds church recently latched onto dna studies that point to a predominant asiatic origin to the american indians and conclude that the book of mormon cannot be. After the children of lehi separated into the nephites and the lamanites, the lord changed the physical appearance of the lamanites to discourage intermarriage between the believing nephites and the.
Genetic attacks on the book of mormon focus on the fact that amerindian dna seems closest to asian dna, and not dna from the middle east or jewish dna. Identifying ancient dna related to book of mormon people summary. The book of mormon claims that the native american peoples are descended from the house of israel, but the dna evidence, according to this book, points to an asiatic origin for the american continents native people. Byu students cast as members of the book of mormon visual library project have been asked to rock beards and long hair on campus. Thomas murphy on the book of mormon, dna, his cancelled disciplinary council, and native american anthropology share this episode 938939. What does dna science have to say about this doctrine. The controversy stems from dna studies of native american peoples. Dr ugo perego, a respected population geneticist, speaks at the fairmormon conference in kungsbacka, sweden, 18 june 2016. Does dna evidence prove the book of mormon is false. It is hoped that this exciting new information leads to insights that provide support for the historic reality of the book of mormon.
The documentary is a must see for all those who view the book of mormon as an accurate history of the native american indians. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon by rich deem introduction. As far as i know, there is no credible evidence that there ever was a book of mormon people, civilization or ancient record written on gold plates. Thousands of native americans from more than 150 tribes have been tested to determine their ancestry. Church releases statement on book of mormon geography. The descendants of these ancient seafarers are said to be the tribes of native americans. The new essay begins with this declarative statement. Top 100 most popularimportant episodes mormon stories. An essay on book of mormon and dna studies was added on 114 in the topical guide of the website. Over 66,000 people viewed the video in the two weeks after it appeared. There are countless youtube videos that deal with mormonism available on the internet. Another testament of jesus christ, is true, not false. It is thus not surprising that in the final analysis, f.
A list of the exmormon foundation video presentations for 2008 and 2009 are available at their website. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence duration. I have looked at the historical accounts and supposed evidences for the book of mormon. Critics of the lds church recently latched onto dna studies that point to a predominant asiatic origin to the american indians and conclude that the book of mormon cannot be an ancient record as claimed by joseph smith. Amazing language artifacts from the book of mormon. Jun 25, 2016 from time to time church leaders will counsel with someone in their flock that has concerns and confusion related to how science relates to the book of mormon. Book of mormon and dna studies church of jesus christ. Archaeological and historical evidence dna and the book of. Response to rodney meldrums incredible new dna evidence. Dna controversy is an issue that most critics believe completely undermines mormon beliefs in the truthfulness of the book. Response to the genetic challenge from book of mormon defenders book of mormon population models. Order the dvd at for more than 170 years, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints has declared the book of. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence that proves the book of mormon.
However, this attack ignores several key points, among which is the fact that the book of mormon states that lehi and his family are clearly not jews. Book of mormon dna help post by fivefingermnemonic. Critics claim that such studies prove conclusively that there is no evidence of a middle eastern strand within the native american gene pool. Stephens, experts in anatomy, anthropology, and embryology, examine the merits and challenges of using dnabased interpretations to either support or discredit the historicity of the book of mormon. Dna and the book of mormon, by cooper johnson does dna evidence refute the book of mormon. When the book of mormon was first published, most of what we knew about ancient literature and of ancient america has been proven false since. The research herein refutes the claim that dna analysis proves the book of mormon false, on the contrary it explores genetic dna evidence that may actually support the claims of the book of mormon. It contains information on the book of mormon, book of abraham, archeology and many other issues. I believe the book of mormon people resided somewhere in the americas. The book of mormon and the new world dna deseret book.
A populationwide coalescent analysis of icelandic matrilineal and patrilineal genealogies. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the book of mormon in the form of a new gospel topics essay titled book of mormon geography. As a result, if the book of mormon can be proved to be manmade, then the church is manmade. The topic of dna research is a timely one, as are the compelling views presented in this book.
Genetics and the book of mormonarchive 1 wikipedia. Sep 16, 2015 in response to mormon apologetics in 2004 he published losing a lost tribe, which explores the origins of amerindian and polynesian dna and its implications for lds beliefs arising from the book of mormon. The book of mormon teaches that these israelites are the principal ancestors of modernday native americans. It contains a record of gods dealings with three groups of people who migrated from the near east or west asia to the americas hundreds of years before the arrival of europeans. New discoveries in dna research currently allow scientists to test this historical claim. From time to time church leaders will counsel with someone in their flock that has concerns and confusion related to how science relates to the book of mormon. I cant imagine a scenario in which the book of mormon is scripture from god, but not a literal story. The book of mormon narrates voyages to the americas by ancient israelites. Simon is married to jane who is an english teacherlibrarian. In this episode, three geneticists respond to the lds essay book of mormon and dna studies, and to apologist michael ashs article entitled the dna challenge to the book of mormon that fizzled. Book of mormondna evidenceissues identifying ancient dna. Book of mormon dna mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs.
The official youtube channel of the book of mormon musical. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. Dna loses its original ethnic traces after so many hundreds of years. Simon was a member of the lds church for almost 30 years, serving a mission in melbourne 198183, marrying in the new zealand temple in 1983, and serving in numerous church positions including four terms as young men. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the church stand. A youtube clip entitled dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence is causing a stir among mormons as it has appeared on websites such as, ldsliving, prepare to serve youtube site and lds smile. As book of mormon students increasingly understand that the book of mormon actually describes a very limited geographical area in its accounts, and as they recognize that mesoamerica southern mexico, guatemala, and surrounding territory offers the best candidate for the setting of the book of mormon, they also recognize that the dna attacks. The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an account of three groups of people. Dna and the book of mormon using vetted genetic research, d. The largest genealogical group out there is the mormon church, so fundamentally every genealogy company makes their software compatible with the churchs free familysearch site, tries to market to mormons, and at. Read the book of mormon and research the moundbuilder civilizations especially the. All the stories together here have helped many people leave mormonism.
Before we begin to discuss book of mormon dna proofs and questions, here is an example that shows the difficulties in finding lamanite dna back to 600 b. Dna testing has conclusively proven the book of mormon is a work of fiction, as there are no traces of semitic dna markers in north american indians. I believe the book of mormon is to be taken literally. I always thought that the nephites and lamanites resided in central america, but im glad that you cleared that up for me. The essay asserts that dna studies cannot be used decisively to either affirm or reject the historical authenticity of the book of mormon. A recently published book claims that dna evidence proves that the book of mormon, a book of scripture used in conjunction with the bible by the mormon church, is incorrect and points to an asiatic origin versus a middle eastern origin for the inhabitants of the american continents. The book of mormon makes several scientific claims that can be tested. Byu students grow beards, long hair for book of mormon. I dont know enough about dna to comment on what can or cannot be concluded from the research. Lost civilizations of north america documentary4, deborah bolnick on haplogroup x. The book of mormon and lds prophets identify todays native americans as literal descendants of hebrews who traveled from jerusalem in 600.
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