David read the surprising new dna evidence supports the. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of. Over the past several years there has been a lot of debate over dna and the book of mormon. One useful new resource in this area is dna and the book of mormon by david stewart, m. Rediscovering the bom remnant through dna book of mormon. In this article, we will provide some background on this issue focusing on the book of mormon itself, 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. He insightfully addresses the tension between science and religion as he turns the question of dna ancestry studies to the book of mormon. Who were the lamanites in the book of mormon and who are their modern descendants. Dna science challenges lds history christian research institute. Addressing questions surrounding the book of mormon and dna. The book of mormon makes several scientific claims that can be tested. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The lds church released an essay on their website titled book of mormon and dna studies.
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. I argue that dna testing challenges some common faulty assumptions some people have made about. How a dna test unexpectedly connected this mormon to a. This page is an appendix to dna and the book of mormon. 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. 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.
I am familiar with dna sequencing and testing including forensics and a couple of things bothered me about the premise of this movie. 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. In an essay titled does the dna evidence refute the book of mormon. The mormon churchs quest to save souls helped fuel the dna. How a dna test unexpectedly connected this mormon to a father. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon by rich deem introduction. Jun 09, 2009 in an essay titled does the dna evidence refute the book of mormon. Sep 10, 2016 as to why this is the most concise dna evidence for the book of mormon is two fold. Although dna testing for genealogy research first became available around years ago, julie johnson, a genealogy specialist from the brigham city, utah, area. 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. 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. It is not widely known that haplogroup x is one of the 12 primary jewish lineages, and is found in the cherokee.
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. For these same reasons, arguments that some defenders of the book of mormon make. Eyring announced that the closing song would be a prerecorded version of we thank thee, o god, for a prophet by the tabernacle choir and six other choirs from around the world. The book of mormon documentary examines and compares genetic evidence. Now, for the first time in one volume, respected dna scientists, geneticists, and book of mormon scholars provide their views on dna and the book of mormon. The book of mormon details the history of two groups called the nephites and the lamanites. The controversy stems from dna studies of native american peoples. Book of mormon is neither easily corroborated nor refuted by dna evidence. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence youtube. When it comes to family history research and genealogy, dna is the new buzzword, and according to steve rockwood, the ceo of familysearch who gave the keynote address that kicked off rootstech 2018, its changing everything. Thousands of native americans from more than 150 tribes have been tested to determine their ancestry.
I found it to be a very helpful summary of the limitations of genetic dna testing and ascribing or designating a genetic history. 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. The churchs response to recent summaries of the scientific evidence in this regard, most notably provided by tom murphy in various published papers, has been to indicate that all is well on its official website, followed by a reference to articles from the journal of book of mormon studies respecting dna and the book of mormon. Attacks on the validity of the book of mormon using dna data dna studies by two investigators. 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 mainstream scientific consensus about the origin of the ancient americans and peoples is at odds with the claims put forth in the book of mormon, though mormon apologists have made efforts to reconcile these contradictions. 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. Critics claim that such studies prove conclusively that there is no evidence of a middle eastern strand within the native american gene pool. Thomas murphys analysis of dna data a number of investigators have used genetic and blood testing studies to show that native americans are related closely to the inhabitants of siberia. The book of mormon claims that native americans are principally descended from a people group called lamanites, who are of israelite origin. Dna research, however, indicates that native americans are. Identifying ancient dna related to book of mormon people summary.
Book of mormon and dna research kindle edition by daniel c peterson. Dna controversy is an issue that most critics believe completely undermines mormon beliefs in the truthfulness of the book. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad the book of mormon and dna. 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. The documentary is a must see for all those who view the book of mormon as an accurate history of the native american indians. The book of mormon documentary examines and compares genetic evidence identifying the dna fingerprints of the jewish populations and american indian populations, and presents the testimony of several dna experts in seeking to answer the question, are israelites the principal ancestors of native american indians. The dna challenge to the book of mormon main street. Cherokee dna from history channel documentary book of. During the 2018 rootstech conference, many speakers discussed how dna testing is revolutionizing genealogy. Click to view on the internet rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna by rod meldrum. If one were to design a research program with the stated goal of testing the validity of the book of mormon based on dna information, what specific hypotheses would one test, what experimental design is best suited to test each of. There is strong evidence that book of mormon peoples likely interacted with indigenous peoples almost immediately,8 forever complicating efforts. Much as critics and defenders of the book of mormon would like to use dna studies to support their views, the evidence is simply inconclusive.
Dna research and mormon scholars changing basic beliefs. In the last few years, the topic of how dna research fits in with the text of the book of mormon has become increasingly divisive. As far as antimormon claims are concerned, the antimormon critics had been jumping to conclusions based on lowresolution dna tests that are used for population studies. The issue of dna and the book of mormon involves quite a number of interesting issues. The chief claim, and the premise of the entire book, is that hebrews carried the message of the coming messiah on a voyage across the atlantic. Its incredible that people actually believe they can discredit the book of mormon when the evidence simply can not be obtained. Mormon scientist jeff lindsay wrote, for the book of mormon, it now appears that a nineteenthcentury assumption that many leaders and members of the church made about the text is incorrect. But being the strongest evidence so far against the book of mormon is a relative thing, akin to selecting the best smelling skunk in your local forest.
This evidence is so damning that even high level mormon scholars have left the cult. Nov 03, 2019 read rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna this short version article is here and the long version may be downloaded here, titled rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna by rod meldrum effectively and powerfully addresses, and provides supporting evidence about the dna questions you may have. 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. 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. Cherokeephoenician dna connection book of mormon evidence. There is generally no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the. Murphy set out to test a key principle of his mormon faith with the latest technology. Nowhere in the book of mormon does it say that if you take the dna of native americans and compare it to the dna of modernday israelites the dna will match. 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 clearly not jews. Thus, the book of mormon record does not supply sufficient information to provide a reliable calibration point in the past that may serve as a reference for modernday dna comparisons. Addressing questions surrounding the book of mormon and.
Could other people have lived in ancient america concurrently with book of mormon. Dna research, however, indicates that native americans are from the region of asia around mongolia. Would dna analysis show as taught by the book of mormon. Dna and the book of mormon mormanity a mormon blog. When highresolution tests the type used by police forensics scientists to identify individuals, not large population. What the heck who knows lehis wife could have had asian ancestry.
David read the surprising new dna evidence supports the book of mormon 40m. The identity of the lamanites, including especially their identity in the latterdays among native american peoples, remains an open question which readers of the book of mormon grapple with. Oct, 2010 nowhere in the book of mormon does it say that if you take the dna of native americans and compare it to the dna of modernday israelites the dna will match. As to why this is the most concise dna evidence for the book of mormon is two fold. How dna is changing everything about genealogy church. The book of mormon tells us exactly where the three founding groups came from, and in the case of the lehites and mulekites, we have a very precise date and a specific city or origin. Would dna analysis show as taught by the book of mormon that many. But i would also expect to see much closer matches with any of josephs descendants that were potentially scattered all over the world. With affordable athome dna kits available, many people can map their ancestors movement, confirm oral histories, and, for adoptees, find biological family members. 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. Nothing is known about the dna of book of mormon peoples.
If one were to design a research program with the stated goal of testing the validity of the book of mormon based on dna information, what specific hypotheses would one test, what experimental design is. During the past few years, i have been reading extensively about dna testing and particularly about its relationship to genealogy or family history. An essay on book of mormon and dna studies was added on 114 in the topical guide of the website. For these same reasons, arguments that some defenders of the book of mormon make based on dna studies are also speculative. I have been reading through all of the gospel topics recently and read this one about the book of mormon and dna studies.
What the worldwide general conference choir taught me about unity during isolation danielle christensen it was the conclusion of the last session of april 2020 general conference and president henry b. The essay asserts that dna studies cannot be used decisively to either affirm or reject the historical authenticity of the book of mormon. In the past few years, dna studies have been used to provide what may be the strongest and most convincing evidence so far against the authenticity of the book of mormon. The book of mormon teaches that these israelites are the principal ancestors of modernday native americans. Dna science challenges lds history christian research. Highly recommended for all lds and those interested in the lds response to the dna and book of mormon issue. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading book of mormon and dna research. The definitive proof of the book of mormons authenticity comes in the lords laboratory of spiritual revelation by following the formula laid out in moroni 10. One of the most popular arguments against the book of mormon involves results of dna testing. What is at the heart of the dna challenge to the book of mormon. Oct 01, 2019 click to view on the internet rediscovering the book of mormon remnant through dna by rod meldrum. While evidence against the book of mormon and its miraculous origins has been steadily accumulating for more than a century, modern dna techniques provide.
Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon. There is simply no way dna can have any bering on the book of mormon whatsoever. Anti mormon groups claim that a lack of dna evidence connecting the people of south and central america to the middle east is proof that the book of mormon is not a true record of jewish people in the new world. Book of mormondna evidenceissues identifying ancient dna. Testing of the ychromosome dna and mitochondrial dna are. Only 3% of chief sitting owls tribe had jewish dna, but 94% of those tested in the central band showed european dna that goes back thousands of years. What influence might the jaredites have had on new world dna. Testing of the ychromosome dna and mitochondrial dna are especially useful. I found it to be a very helpful summary of the limitations of genetic dna.
This work is the sum of over four years of nearly continuous research into possible dna connections between the native american peoples, and the prophesied remnant of the house of israel as contained in the book of mormon. Book of mormon and dna research kindle edition by daniel. The dna and scriptural narrative is nothing without the cultural evidence displayed by native american culture. Antimormon groups claim that a lack of dna evidence connecting the people of south and central america to the middle east is proof that the book of mormon is not a true record of jewish people in the new world. The mormon churchs quest to save souls helped fuel the dnatesting boom. New discoveries in dna research currently allow scientists to test this historical claim. 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. Book of mormon dna religionwiki fandom powered by wikia. Book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions. 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.
On its web site, under the mistakes in the news heading, the church declares, recent attacks on the veracity of the book of mormon based on dna evidence are ill considered. According to the book, two of these groups originated from ancient israel. Book of mormon dna mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Dna information alone therefore cannot disprove or prove the book of mormon. Dna research and mormon scholars changing basic beliefs lds. Respected dna scientists, geneticists, and book of mormon scholars provide their views on dna and the book of mormon. Dna markers do not always transfer and may easily be lost over a few hundred years through interbreeding, let alone thousands of years as they are testing in this film. Nov 20, 2018 the book of mormon details the history of two groups called the nephites and the lamanites. The book of mormon and existing data show that the events in the book took place in a limited geographical area about the size of israel and other people inhabited the lands along with them. Dna evidence of the book of mormon in north america, linking native americans to the jewish population in the middle east. More nailpounding into the mormon churchs lamanite dna.
The book of mormon and the new world dna deseret book. The strongest evidence yet against the book of mormon. Like many of you, my family and i are preparing to fast on good friday along with our dear prophet, russell m. Whitings dnarelated work on walking sticks that re. Would dna analysis show as taught by the book of mormon that many american indians are descended from ancient. Mar 31, 2019 this video discusses the many reasons why dna cant be used to prove or disprove the book of mormon this video is not sponsored or affiliated with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Nothing is known about the dna of book of mormon peoples, and even if their genetic profile were known, there are sound scientific reasons that it might remain undetected. The dna challenge to the book of mormon main street church. I have also written an extensive article on the topic. There are cultural and dna findings that match the book of mormon and old testament.