Mormons and Native Americans

[Pantocrator]

Do Mormons still teach that Native Americans are descended from Jews, genetic evidence to the contrary notwithstanding? Or have they modified their position on this, as they have on numerous other issues?

 

[David_A_Reed]

The Mormons have an extensive article on this on their official web site at
https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-and-dna-studies?lang=eng, and they conclude with this thought:

"Nothing is known about the DNA of Book of Mormon peoples. Even if such information were known, processes such as population bottleneck, genetic drift, and post-Columbian immigration from West Eurasia make it unlikely that their DNA could be detected today."

The article allows for other people populating the Americas before the supposed Book of Mormon people, and still others arriving afterwards. Their thought now appears to be that today's native Americans descended from these others, not from the folks in the Book of Mormon story.

David

 

[Bill The Baptist]

Their thought now appears to be that today's native Americans descended from these others, not from the folks in the Book of Mormon story.

Isn't progressive revelation convenient

 

[arapahoepark]

Not long ago some Mormon apologist wrote a book aimed at those doubting the faith and had concluded that the DNA research didn't necessarily hurt the Book of Mormon. How? I am not sure other than the 'basis of faith.'
I'll try to dig the name of that book up later.

 

[Physeter]

It's called 'wiggle'. They don't seem to want to admit that they are wrong when confronted with the truth. So they try to wiggle out of it by revising what they say. Part of human nature.

 

[BGF]

Maybe magic spectacles are required to interpret DNA studies.

 

[GulfCoast Presbyterian]

Maybe magic spectacles are required to interpret DNA studies.

And special underwear.

 

[arapahoepark]

http://www.mrm.org/dna

Not long ago some Mormon apologist wrote a book aimed at those doubting the faith and had concluded that the DNA research didn't necessarily hurt the Book of Mormon. How? I am not sure other than the 'basis of faith.'
I'll try to dig the name of that book up later.

It was this book but, may be a different review. Review of Shaken Faith Syndrome | Mormonism Research Ministry

This is also of interest:

 

[Wayne]

Mel Brooks, if you will remember, had good fun poking at this Mormon nonsense in the movie Blazing Saddles, when he appears in the movie as an Indian chief, with a war bonnet emblazoned with headband bearing a Hebrew inscription.

 

[Physeter]

How do Mormons deal with the lack of evidence of of their stories? There is no evidence any of the Mormon myths every happened. Even their maps are wrong.

 

[jwright82]

How do Mormons deal with the lack of evidence of of their stories? There is no evidence any of the Mormon myths every happened. Even their maps are wrong.

They conclude its all faith. They are a cult so they simply doubt scholarly traditions in general. That's not to say that there are not scholars among them only that being treated like "weird" people makes them isolationist in general and faith is a good psychological defense against doubters. When I was meeting with them at their church to learn about their faith, no I was not thinking of converting just going undercover to hear their teaching from the horses mouth, they dodged all sorts of questions about scholarship by claiming that's all interpretation of things (very postmodern of them).

They feel like they are treated weird so that eases their mind about their blind faith interpretating all legitimate questions of their faith as just more persecution. They fall back on their "pope" the prophet of their faith as their only infallible source of truth, with the Book of Mormon to guide them but the prophet tells them how to interpret it. Since all scientific or rational questions are merely human interpretations they cannot cast "doubt" on their faith and the prophet's "revelations". I had fun meeting with them until they asked me basically not to come back.

 

[earl40]

Mel Brooks, if you will remember, had good fun poking at this Mormon nonsense in the movie Blazing Saddles, when he appears in the movie as an Indian chief, with a war bonnet emblazoned with headband bearing a Hebrew inscription.

Is this Hebrew?

 

[Physeter]

I have noticed that about cultists--the persecution complex. I was dealing with one on another website. This person sullied the entire forum with 'one trick pony' posting. When challenged with scripture then this individual would parade out the persecution complex. This person ended up getting themselves suspended from the board by the staff.

 

[David_A_Reed]

Like Jehovah's Witnesses whose chief doctrine is that the Watchtower Society is God's channel of communication, Mormons believe that the LDS leader is God's Prophet on earth today -- and everything else hangs on that. So, if the Prophet says something is so, then it must be so, even if the available facts say otherwise.

David