Deseret News | MormonTimes.com: Raiders of the lost Book of Mormon DNA

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MormonTimes.com: Raiders of the lost Book of Mormon DNA

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Rancor | 7:24 a.m. June 3, 2008

To my Christian brothers and sisters who marvel in the evidence of the Bible's historicity: we 'Mormons' are right there with you, excited about all that can be found out about the ancients. In fact, the Lord commanded us and the world to through the prophet Joseph Smith. We do not feel that any real truth discovered threatens our faith in any manner, and in the end everything will be clear. I believe that this effort will reveal the hand of the Lord, but not in a way that is irrefutable.

No one is asking anyone to believe the unbelievable: but the Lord asks you to believe the miraculous. He always has.

However, does it not seem strange to you that God championed one smallish nation for thousands of years, taught during his mortal ministry there, and apparently never taught any other nation's prophets? Why should the entire world accept such a God? Why shouldn't Christ want to reveal himself to and perform his works for every nation?

In fact, He has, to the exact extent that He could. He will not quickly condemn the world by giving more than we are ready to live up to.

Rancor | 7:40 a.m. June 3, 2008

To the science-agnostic types that marvel in how much mankind knows, compared to the ancients, and feel that this has replaced mysticism amongst the non-fundmentalists. Some good, non-LDS reading for you: The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. People have been feeling this way for hundreds of years. I think that the Roman's mostly felt this way--their religion became for them just fairy tales to help justify this and that--not really something to believe in.

I think that if I hadn't received a testimony, and if the Restored Gospel wasn't before my eyes, thanks to my faithful parents,faithful examples at church, and rock-solid prophets and apostles, I'd have fit right into your camp. I feel like I have questioned everything, and still have questions as to the wisdom of God on this or that. But the Restored Gospel is believable.

I wonder whether many of the ancients didn't know more than we give them credit for. Imagine for a moment that they did: What will it be like someday to stand next to them and have to tell them how enlightened our age was. Humility. An easy word to say, a harsh concept to internalize.

lloyd | 9:22 a.m. June 3, 2008

The major distiction between mormon believe and other religious believe is that mormon believe is supposedly based on reason unlike other mystical believes. But many of the supposed true believing mormons who post sound more superstitious than non-mormons, it seems they may not really understand the basic mormon doctrine.

Comments continue below

chris | 1:24 p.m. June 3, 2008

The South America THEORY never made sense to me...Joseph Smith even said it was in North America numerous times. All these nay-sayers need to actually go and listen to Rod Meldrums presentation or watch his video. You can't decide if he's full of it or not just by reading a one page news article. And as far as textual evidence that many other are claiming Rod needs to rely on...he's got loads of it, and nothing supports the South America THEORY (which just because they used to put pictures of Myan temples in the Book of Mormon isn't proof that it took place there- PS - those Myan temples are definitly NOT "built after the manner of Solomons Temple" as Nephte says he built them)...once again go actually listen to his presentation instead of solely relying on a one page article to base your decision off of.

I have seen several people | 1:44 p.m. June 3, 2008

say that if a person has the belief of common sense, non-literalism and so forth that we are "anti's". Not necessarily so! I'm sure anti's are out there, but I am not one of them. I simply share my knowledge with you like you like to share it with me. I don't dis-respect you, but you, however, usually dis-respect people that don't think like you. I have had old Mormon friends who will no longer speak to me. Is this because I did anything against them? No. It is simply because I am no longer in their Mormon group and they are warned that people like us can take them down. And before anyone denies this, don't (I've heard it with my own ears when I was still a member). Maybe there is starting to be a change of heart. If so, good for you.

tom | 6:57 p.m. June 3, 2008

Two things, one: Jeff Meldrum and Rod Meldrum are not the same person. The confusion is that both men have commented on the Book of Mormon and DNA. Two: Both Meldrums in fact are Mormon apologists, but the two men come down on opposing positions on the issue. A fact far more interesting than the forgone conclusion that Native American haplotypes including X are Siberian in origin. Too bad the reporter didn't report on the four major and opposing apologetic groups that have commented on DNA vs The Book of Mormon. Hemispheric geographists, North American geographists, limited geographists and Alternative geographists.

Wrong Place | 8:46 p.m. June 3, 2008

The scientists are looking in the wrong place for the DNA evidence. They need to read the Book of Mormon more closely. Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh who was the eldest son of Joseph whose wife was an Egyptian. (see your bible) When Lehi left Jerusalem, and settled in the Americas, the rest of the Jews were taken captive into Babylon and their DNA has become mixed with their captors then and later on other conquers including the Romans and then with the Europeans. Lehiï¿½s descendants kept their DNA intact at least for 1000 years. If the Asians and the natives from North and South America have similar markers, they both came from a common ancestor. The scientists need to check the DNA of the Egyptians and they may find the common ancestor to both groups there.

Eric | 9:11 p.m. June 3, 2008

Hey you guys, at least Meldrum has pointed out that the DNA vs. The Book of Mormon video is wrong. That video seemed to state flatly that nothing but Asian DNA had been found in the Americas. Well, it turns out otherwise. Meldrum pointed out that several scientific journals have said that haplogroup X is associated with European, including some Israelis.

I agree that people should more thoroughly investigate Meldrum's claims before attacking him.

Eric2 | 10:08 p.m. June 3, 2008

And I should point out I've seen his four-hour DVD and found it quite interesting. Because this article is the first of a two-part series you'll read more of his arguments next week and some of you critics might have a change of heart in regards to Meldrum.

Anonymous | 10:18 p.m. June 3, 2008

If you have faith you need nothing more; however it would be alarming to me if I was mormon and my faith had not one inking of evidence. But I can see the urgency in gaining historical evidence as I am and of a Christian faith and have the historical evidence and it is comforting to know there is factial evidence behind my beliefs. Sorry for the mormons but perhaps they will find what they are looking for soon, if not I am sure the Christian faiths will grow will converts.

Keith | 10:41 p.m. June 3, 2008

Stay tuned Brothers and Sisters, it is all falling into place. Let the anti's rant as they feel but in the end thier efforts are all just wastes time as we have received the spirit and there comments are in jest! Truth is in the air and the knee-biters are gathered in plenty to try and bring it down.

DRS | 10:25 p.m. June 19, 2008

Did anyone actually watch this documentary? From reading many of the comments, it seems like people are jumping to conclusions without even seeing the actual presentation.

Meldrum's presentation (dvd) is 4 hours long, I watched it from beginning to end. Even though the LDS Church doesn't endorse his theories, he makes a compelling and interesting argument, which made so much more sense to me than the ones I've heard about the BOM taking place in Mesoamerica. Perhaps you should watch it and then comment.

Laura | 12:29 a.m. Aug. 24, 2008

It does fit. The Church is true. I have watched the video. I have so much respect for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Watch it and you will see!

Chris | 4:46 p.m. Oct. 25, 2008

I thought this was about the newspaper article on BoM evidences. I have seen the presentation ï¿½Book of Mormon DNAï¿½ several times. I liked the presentation because it answered several questions I had about South American maps that could not be answered. The DNA information does not prove anything, but it does allow for the BoM to occur in the Mississippi valley area. I liked Meldrumï¿½s comments about migrating beasts. During the Vietnam War I live in a climate much like Guatemala / Central America. Beasts do not migrate in tropical climates because there is no reason to do so. Buffalo do migrate in North America. South American city fortifications do not look like the BoM descriptions, but the Mound Builders fortifications do look like what we read about in the BoM. There are no two hill Cumorahs yet. Finally, present day archaeologists say that Nahom means ï¿½stone cutterï¿½ or ï¿½mourningï¿½. Ancient people buried they dead under a pile of stones near Nahom. So, we see that the mound builders buried they dead under mounds (no stones like back home). Of course this is not proof, just coincidences. But, I find them fun.

duh | 2:01 p.m. July 23, 2009

Jeff Meldrum and ROD Meldrum are two different people. Jeff researched Big Foot and ROD researched Book of Mormon DNA evidence!!!

I've seen the DVD and it is fascinating and possible.

jp | 3:03 p.m. July 31, 2009

Where does one have DNA checked?

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