Mormonism - Damaged by DNA
As far back as the mid-1960s, our Director, Adrian van Leen, put together a paper: THE BOOK OF MORMON — TRUTH OR FANCIFUL FICTION? His opening comments then, have now regained recent relevance.
’The Book of Mormon claims to present a history of the people of ancient America. There were three migrations from the Middle East to America. The first was in about 2 200 BC when the Jaredites came away from the Tower of Babel. The next migration about 600 BC leaving from Jerusalem under the leadership of Lehi and Nephi. This second migration of Israelites from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh is of major importance. These Israelites are considered the ancestors of the American Indians. However, as we shall see, there are many problems associated with this claim.
Indians have come under much study by anthropologists and are recognised as belonging to the class “Mongoloid” [Asiatic] and not “Semite”, as are the people of Israel and others from the Middle East region. Mongoloid [Asiatic] characteristics are to be found amongst those countries and peoples bordering the Pacific Ocean, particularly those from Eastern Asia.
Let us briefly examine some characteristics of both Mongoloids [Asiatics] and Semites.
MONGOLOIDS [ASIATICS]
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Lack of facial and body hair
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Hair is black, course and straight
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Skin pigmentation varies from saffron to a dark mahogany with a reddish cast
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The head is characteristically brachycephalic (wide headed) — the skull’s width being 80% of it height
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Prominent cheek bones
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Eyes have epicanthic folds giving “slanted-eyes” appearance.
SEMITES
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Hairy people — consider long Jewish beards
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Hair has brownish cast, moderately fine and wavy
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Skin varies from white to reasonably dark with an olive-grey cast
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The head is characteristically dolichocephalic, the skull being less than 80% in width
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Cheek bones lack prominence
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No epicanthic fold, usually have deep seated eyes
These are some contrasting characteristics of these two groups which conflict with the idea of the Book of Mormon story as the only authentic history of the early Americans.’
These comments indicating anthropological evidence to show that the American Indian was of Asiatic, rather than Middle Eastern Semitic origin, have been significantly strengthened by developments in the field of genetics and particularly current DNA evidence.
Simon Southerton was a Mormon bishop in Brisbane, Queensland. He is also a scientist and, in the late 1990s, did medical and biological studies, focusing on molecular genetics. With his Mormon background he became very interested in recent research on the DNA of American Indians. The more Simon studied the scientific evidence, the clearer became the contradiction between the Book of Mormon myth and the DNA evidence for alternative historical realities. Apart from his scientific studies, Simon also did some Internet research after reading an article in the official Mormon magazine, The Ensign. The January 1998 article was on the Flood and the Tower of Babel. His Internet surfing led him to discover a statement published by the Washington based Smithsonian Institution, which shocked him as a Mormon bishop and as a scientist.
CCG Ministries has been showing Mormons, and others, the official statement of the Smithsonian Institution since our Ministry officially commence in late 1979. The opening of the statement, a couple of decades ago, reads:
’STATEMENT REGARDING THE BOOK OF MORMON
1. The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.’
(Copies of this statement from the Smithsonian Institution on the Book of Mormon, mailed out to enquirers over the past few decades can be found on many Internet websites, including: http://www.godandscience.org/cults/smithsonian.html)
As a Mormon bishop, Simon Southerton, realised that he (and many others as well) had been lied to by leaders in his own church, about American archaeology, the Book of Mormon, and the Smithsonian Institution.
He acknowledged: ’I had been told in seminary that the Smithsonian had been known to use the Book of Mormon in their research. The statement utterly refuted this claim.’
During 1998 he reached a crisis point in his faith in the Book of Mormon and in Mormonism. He wrote:
’As much as I wanted the Book of Mormon to be true, I suddenly knew that it wasn’t. It might be full of some remarkable stories and scriptural writings, but it wasn’t history about real people. My belief in the Book of Mormon was the foundation for my belief in Mormonism. When it was shattered it brought a lot down with it…I became aware for the first time in my life about many other issues surrounding the origin of the Church. I was particularly troubled to learn more about the Book of Abraham, another Latter-day Saint scripture originating with Joseph Smith.’
By the end of 1998 Simon Southerton, his wife Jane, and their five children, left the Mormon Church. In March 2000 he posted details of his struggle over the implications of DNA studies to the historicity and accuracy of the Book of Mormon on the Internet.
(His full statement can be found at: www.exmormon.org/whylft125.htm)
Almost three years after Dr Simon Southerton posted his statement on the Internet, an American Mormon, Thomas W. Murphy, chairman of the Anthropology Department of Edmonds Community College in Lynwood, Washington State, became the media focus in the USA over his threatened excommunication.
Murphy, in his mid-thirties, was heading for expulsion from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for giving public talks in which he seriously questioned the authenticity and authority of the Book of Mormon. At high school Murphy had once been voted as ’most spiritual’ in his seminary class (special extra-curricular programme presenting official LDS teaching to Mormon high schoolers). Things began to change when he became involved in debating and had to research opposing viewpoints. His formally ’black and white’ Mormon world started to go somewhat grey, with a lack of supporting evidence for many of his church’s claims.
In more recent times the young anthropologist became disturbed by the blatant racism in the Book of Mormon and other significant Mormon writings. He also analysed data coming from DNA research undertaken (by others) at the major Mormon university, Brigham Young University. Murphy concluded that the DNA evidence, along with anthropological evidence clearly showed that, contrary to Book of Mormon and official LDS Church claims, the American Indians are not the descendants of ancient Semites from the Middle East.
The very title of his talks: ’Sin, Skin and Seed: The mistakes of Man in the Book of Mormon’, has stirred up Mormon anger. He placed the content of his talks, and his research, on the Internet. It was all this that led to the threat of his excommunication by his Stake Council (a ’Stake’ is a district made up of a number of ’wards’ — just like a district Parish made up of a number of congregations). However, the media (and Internet supporters’ network) got wind of the threatened expulsion and this result in public protest meetings. The Stake President stepped in and indefinitely postponed Murphy’s excommunication — knowing that to go ahead with it would only give greater attention and focus to these Book of Mormon problems — which officially the LDS Church is silently trying to ignore.
Murphy’s public (and reported) conclusion has been that: ’…the Book of Mormon is a piece of 19th century fiction. And that means that we [Mormons] have to acknowledge sometimes Joseph Smith lied.’
Unlike Australian, Simon Southerton, Murphy wants to remain an (American) Mormon — not as a devout believing Mormon, but as a Mormon intellectual who wants to remain part of the Mormon community because of its heritage and culture.
To add further to the DNA Mormon/American Indian controversy, a small independent church, The Living Hope Christian Fellowship, Brigham City (north of Salt Lake City in Utah) has poured its savings into making a documentary video on the DNA vs. the Book of Mormon story.
The video is basically a compilation of interviews with seven scientists, Mormons and non-Mormons, geneticists and anthropologists. These scientists discuss issues of Native American history; anthropological issues; DNA research; the process of DNA testing; what constitutes DNA evidence; the applicability and implications of this recent and current research to the Book of Mormon — and more. They also draw on their experience and knowledge to respond to some of the arguments against the evidence made by Mormons — but NOT made officially by the LDS Church. The official Mormon Church’s response is to do its best to ignore it all and pretend there is no problem.
The Living Hope Ministries sent 7,500 free copies of the video to every household in Brigham City in March 2003. It has produced, distributed and sold about 30,000 copies of the video worldwide. Even Mormon intellectuals have acknowledged the value and evidence of the video — and the challenge it presents for the Mormon Church and all thinking Mormons.
The video (and brief interview clips) can be viewed or ordered via the Internet at:
http://www.mormonchallenge.com
It is also worth visiting the following other websites on DNA and the Book of Mormon:
http://q13.trb.com/kcpq-022403mormon,0,996113.story
http://www.godandscience.org/cults/dna.html
(From TACL Vol 24 #5 Oct 2003)