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Long ago, when I was 18, a friend at work asked me to go to a Mormon meeting with her. The meetings were held in a house near her home and she was curious. We went, and continued to attend those meetings for over a year. Why? We were welcomed, it was all new to us, the meetings were followed by family games which we enjoyed, we made new friends, refreshments did not include caffeine or liquor, and no one hit on us — right away. (Mormon missionaries were supposed to only date Mormons.) All in all, it was innocent pleasure and even educational.
In all truth, I should add that the first man ever to hold my hand was a Mormon named Glen, whom I really, really liked. At that very point his employer transferred him to Oak Ridge TN (leaving me in Connecticut) and he eventually married a Mormon.
I have always held Mormons in high esteem for their devotion to family life, clean living, tithing, and the way they provided for those in need. During those meetings they asked me to give a talk about why I was still a Catholic. The gist of my talk was that Catholics had produced the Bible, which I likened to the golden egg. Mormonism, to me, was just another sect that had run off with the golden egg — and ignored the goose that laid it!
Today Mormonism is receiving unusual attention in that Mitt Romney and Glenn Beck both profess to be Latter Day Saints. Romney’s Mormonism is described as his “biggest political hurdle.” Romney, in reply, says, “Most people in South Carolina want a person of faith as their leader” … “But they don’t care what brand of faith that is … I believe Jesus Christ is my savior. I believe in God. I’m a person of faith and I believe that’s the type of person Americans want.”
Then there’s Glenn Beck, known as a Mormon, who has recently rocketed into political prominence. In this clip Beck says he became a Mormon because his Mormon girlfriend wouldn’t have married him otherwise, but that he later embraced that religion. Mark Dice calls Beck evil and manipulative, sold out to the establishment.
In my humble opinion the following video is the most devastating thing that has ever been aimed at the Latter Day Saints. Toward the end Simon Southerton, Ph.D., a former LDS bishop and plant molecular biologist, considers the DNA evidence that Joseph Smith was a “false prophet” and that the Indians in North America could not possibly have had a Hebrew origin (as stated in the Book of Mormon) but rather originated from Northeast Asia or Siberia. He describes his difficulty in having to abandon Mormonism in the face the scientific DNA evidence which he was fully equipped to understand, not to mention the archeological and linguistic evidence.
Sometime soon Romney and Beck will have to respond to the DNA data. How staunch is their faith? How reasonable is their faith? What will be the outcome? Stay tuned.
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But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that person be condemned! — Galatians 1:8
Dorothy,
This is nothing new. Ever since our church was restored in 1830, we have been ridiculed, and criticized. We do not do this to other churches however. I realize many churches actually have classes preaching against us.
We do not have any paid ministry in our church. We are all here because we love the Lord and want to live a life pleasing Him. My religion is the very foundation of my life and I love it with all my heart. It has brought myself and my family great joy.
The DNA attack on the Book of Mormon is touted by those who either don’t understand population genetics, or don’t understand the Book of Mormon, or both.
Few points here:
1. No one today even knows what 600 BC Middle Eastern DNA even looked like to begin with.
2. DNA tracing is done via mitochondrial DNA or “mtDNA.” This is passed via the matrilineal line. So the only DNA in the Book of Mormon we would be looking for is that of Lehi and Ishamael’s WIVES. About whom, we have no information.
3. The group who traveled to America in the Book of Mormon was headed by two fathers – Lehi and Ishmael. These men were not “Jewish” but rather of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh
4. Southerton is simply wrong about the scope the Book of Mormon is claiming. He claims that the Book of Mormon is talking about an empire that spanned two continents and provided most of the population of North and South America.
This is flat-out false. The Book of Alma within the Book of Mormon has many chapters chronicling military campaigns, complete with major cities to be defended, rivers, and march times. Careful analysis of these and other chapters has led the vast majority of Mormon scholars to conclude that the Book of Mormon – in its entirety – took place in an area no larger than modern day Guatemala.
So Southerton has grossly inflated the scope of the Book of Mormon based on outdated opinions of past Mormons that are no longer held today. This matters for his assertions because if the Book of Mormon was limited in geography, then it is quite likely that all genetic traces of it were swallowed up in the larger Asiatic-descended population. You would not expect to find any Middle Eastern traces from such a geographically limited area that only held a fraction of the population of the Americas.
5. And it gets even better. If Lehi’s party, after landing, mingled with the indigenous native populations (which most Mormon scholars today believe they would have), the genetic traces would be even further diluted.
In short, even if the Book of Mormon events took place exactly the way the book says they did, it would be utterly impossible to find any genetic evidence for it.
Lehi’s party was simply swallowed up in the Asiatic-descended surrounding population leaving no genetic footprint.
This is not an uncommon occurrence in population genetics. Genetic markers are lost all the time.
This dog won’t bark, I’m afraid.
A very nice post! I did not know of Dennis O’Rourke and his studies. I am going to have to read some more . . . . thank you!
Blessings,
Soutenus
Dear Jill, I hope you have listened to the second video. With the love of Jesus in our hearts he will lead us both to the truth – He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot go wrong seeking him. God bless.
l. Even today we can distinguisth Middle East DNA from that of other areas.
2. DNA is traced in both women (mitochondrial DNA) and the male Y chromosome.
3. Weren’t they Israelites?
4.Doesn’t the BOM state that Lamanites populated the whole continent?
5. The “outdated opinions” of past Mormons were based on the BOM.
Please listen to the video again. God bless.
1. Even today we can distinguisth Middle East DNA from that of other areas.
2. DNA is traced in both women (mitochondrial DNA) and the male Y chromosome.
3. Weren’t they Israelites?
4.Doesn’t the BOM state that Lamanites populated the whole continent?
5. The “outdated opinions” of past Mormons were based on the BOM.
Please listen to the video again. God bless.
Actually, the “outdated” opinions of past Mormons were based on an incorrect reading of the Book of Mormon.
The war chapters in Alma make the geographic scope of Nephite lands quite clear.
Size of Guatemala at the largest. I can link you to a detailed analysis on this if you wish.
LDS scholars have also addressed the male Y chromosome issue.
The fact remains that Sorenson’s analysis absolutely depends on the Book of Mormon describing a vast intercontinental empire, or his entire critique utterly falls apart.
Well, the continental model has been pretty much discredited and refuted.
So Sorenson’s argument is a total wash. And the TEXT of the Book of Mormon emerges completely unscathed.
“The gist of my talk was that Catholics had produced the Bible, which I likened to the golden egg. Mormonism, to me, was just another sect that had run off with the golden egg — and ignored the goose that laid it!”
That was brilliant! absolutely brilliant! I have heard of the goose and the golden egg but I’ve never heard catholicism explained that way before. Thank you!
More like we ignored the NEST the golden goose had laid the golden egg in, claiming that the goose had moved on to another nest.
Interesting, Seth. Are you implying that there was another nest in the Americas, and another egg laid there? If so, if it was the same goose, the “eggs” should be identical. Are they?
P.S. I don’t mean identical identical. I mean both should teach the same gospel.