Comments about ‘MormonTimes.com: Hebrew DNA found in South America?’

Interesting article, but if you need science to prove the Book of Mormon's truthfulness in order to keep your testimony, then you obviously don't understand how true religion.

When studying the Book of Mormon from a sceintific point of view, one needs to keep in mind several important things.

Including the Book of Ether, the entire Book of Mormon records a period of about 2000 years. However, about 1600 of those years are discussed only briefly. For example, Enos to Omni, (three very small books) cover a period of about 400 years; 4th Nephi (one book with only one chapter) covers a period of about 250 years. And the Book of Ether, which is 15 chapters long, covers about 1,000 years.

The point is, how can anyone claim the Book of Mormon has been scientifically proven to be either true or false, when we have such a tiny (very tiny) record to go on?

The Book of Mormon discusses many wars, destructions, movements of certain groups of people, and other population shifts which are often written in such non-specific terms, specualtion can be as big as the Grand Canyon.

I know some critics will dismiss me as just a stupid racist going on blind faith. To them I say, if your research is so air tight, why do you have to call people names when they disagree?

I've also heard that researchers consistently find something around 99% Siberian/East Asian DNA in South American indigenous populations as well. So if a single haplotype "sometimes" associated with Hebrews was found in some people in South America, what does that say when thousands of genetic markers always associated with East Asians are found in *ALL* indigenous South Americans? It sounds like someone's trying to force the square peg of factual science into the round hole of wishful mythology.

When I was on my mission a long time ago, we had been teaching a university instructor, his educational background was ancient American Culture. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon.

He did so and then told us a very startling piece of information, everything had a familiar ring of truth to it.

He then told us the truth is very dangerous and that the truth does hurt, so therefore I can't continue reading this book.

Enough evidence to back up the claim of the Book of Mormon as being the second wittness to Jesus Christ.

Woodward says that most likely, when higher-resolution tests are used, we will learn that the Hebrew DNA in native populations can be traced to conquistadors whose ancestors intermarried with Jewish people in Spain or even more modern migrations.

There have been thousands of civilizations that have come and gone without a trace. We just returned from Turkey which has one of the highest concentrations of anthropological sites in the world, but many artifacts are just now being uncovered and most will likely never be brought to light.

I am constantly amazed at what we presume to know about the past and how easily we close the door on new discovery.

Well written article - I liked how it emhpasized the need to careful with the discovery. I hate it when scientists make a discovery and run straight to the media, hold a press conference, and eventually get exposed later on.

The Hebrew DNA can also be found in New York City.

I just can't believe grown adults believe this stuff.

I would not have had a problem had the marker never been found for the following reason.

The lamanites were changed to have a darker skin. This change would have had to be a change in DNA. Once a change in DNA takes place, then it will be different and not necessarily the same as it was in the past.

Therefore if the looked for markers are not found, there are now two possible explanations, not just one.

1. The markers were never there.
2. The markers were there but were erased.

The town where I live just had an election for mayor. One of the candidates said that he had been an All-American in football, and had played for an NFL team with a famous quarterback. It turned out neither was true, and what does football have to do with being mayor? (He lost, badly).

The late Neal A. Maxwell told members of the church to not allow anti-mormons any "uncontested slam dunks."

If I were investigating the LDS church, I would go to google, which is scary because we are savaged online. We are mocked because our beliefs are called "un-scientific" and we believe in the crazed tales of a teen-aged backwoods frontiersman. Unfortunately in this day and age we need this kind of proof. Or, at least some evidence to deflect criticism. Now if this discovery were to be in Guatemala as opposed to Bolivia, I'd be ecstatic . . .

I just can't believe that grown adults don't believe this stuff.

The DNA issue does not prove or disprove the Book of Mormon narrative.

But one thing the discovery does in fact prove: Tom Murphy's claims about the Book of Mormon requiring DNA evidence are nonsense.

You misspelled Colombia.

Kevin, Are you saying you can't believe that people believe in DNA tests? Or are you saying that you believe DNA tests but don't believe people who accept scientific results that support their views while rejecting scientific results that tend to discount their views? My view is that the truth prevails and that we all would be wise to seek the truth from whatever source it comes. Still, I don't abandon principles that I consider true regardless of what others believe based on their interpretations of evidence available at a point in time.

VCan't you spell the country Colombia rather than Columbia. It is embarassing to see such simple errors in a newspaper.

This is a VERY misleading headline. NO, Hebrew DNA was NOT found in South America! Read the article carefully. Better yet, read the original study results carefully. Better even yet, learn more about DNA science and you will see that there is absolutely NO DNA evidence supporting ANY of the Church's claims that Native Americans (Indians) are descendants of Lehi. None.

FARMS spin machine: "sometimes associated with Hebrew people:
LOL
Actually this prooves it to me.

If scientist could find the DNA that directly linked Lehi to the state of California I would not be anymore certain than I am today that the Book of Mormon is true. I don't need man made evidence when I have a witness from the Heavens. That being said, I would love to have evidence to show the doubters. But if there is evidence you take away the need for faith and all of the blessings that go with it.

The Cohen modal haplotype occurs in many non-jewish populations (Italians, Hungarians, Kurds, Armenians). Why exactly are we supposed to be excited by its presence in South America?