This interpretation, still dominant among members of the lds church, remained in the introduction to the book of mormon until recently. However, documents show, researchers also found unusual fluctuations in water levels. 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. The book of mormon and the origin of native americans from a. An essay on book of mormon and dna studies was added on 114 in the topical guide of the website. 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. Would dna analysis show as taught by the book of mormon that many american indians are descended from ancient. It was released by the church to help explain how the book of mormon s credibility is not harmed due to recent dna evidence which concludes that the native americans are not the descendants of the book of mormon people, and to explain why the churchs credibility is not harmed due to having such a. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence youtube. Annotated book of mormon by david hocking and rod meldrum page 91.
The church of jesus christ of latterday saints affirms that the book of mormon is a volume of sacred scripture comparable to the bible. Traditional astrology calls this mighty lord of the planets zeus, to the greeks a the greater benefic,a meaning the most powerful and favorable influence venus being the a lesser benefic. To contend with these arguments, some mormons dismiss dna studies as being unreliable for reconstructing history, while others are quick to embrace any news. The conflicts have caused some commentators to conclude that the book of mormon is a human document and was not translated by joseph smith from golden plates given to him. While the church has pinned its hopes on the work of limited geography apologetics, the essay makes no mention of geography at all. Some have contended that the migrations mentioned in the. The strongest evidence yet against the book of mormon. Cherokeephoenician dna connection book of mormon evidence. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship formerly farms, who explains his position. In 2014 the church quietly published book of mormon and dna studies, an essay which distills an avalanche of mormon apologetics published solely in lds journals, and attempts to address population genetics.
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. A phylogenetic perspective, journal of book of mormon studies 12, no. The following essay is the official lds released essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies. 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. The lds church released an essay on their website titled book of mormon and. To date, genetic studies indicate that native americans are most closely related to east asians,4 while no clear genetic relationship with the. The essay asserts that dna studies cannot be used decisively to either affirm or reject the historical authenticity of the book of mormon. 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. Dr ugo perego, a respected population geneticist, speaks at the fairmormon conference in kungsbacka, sweden, 18 june 2016. Im about to run out of credit nnbook every year jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, changes signs. The book of mormon tells the story of a family from ancient jerusalem that crossed the ocean and colonized somewhere in the western. David stewart in his online article found on the churchs website titled dna and the book of mormon, quotes fellow lds scholar martin tanner, contributor to the neil a. Scientific studies of dna, facial structure, blood types, and migration patterns have indicated that natives are of siberian origin and are totally unrelated to ancient jews.
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. The discussion has centered on the field of population genetics and developments in dna science. Technical studies beginning in the late 1980s and a later pilot project concluded las posas could hold huge amounts of water. 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. Does dna evidence prove the book of mormon is false. 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 church says the studies are being twisted to attack its beliefs.