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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Index: Difference between revisions

 
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#REDIRECT [[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church]]
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=[[../]]
|author=Dr. Simon G. Southerton
|noauthor=
|section=Index of Claims
|previous=<!-- [[../Overview|Overview]] -->
|next=<!-- [[../Use of sources|Use of sources]] -->
|notes={{AuthorsDisclaimer}}
}}
 
==Index to claims made in ''Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church''==
This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIR Wiki. An effort has been made to provide the author's original sources where possible.
 
===Introduction===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
|
====xiii====
||
* The Book of Mormon talks primarily of a small group of Jews who sailed from Jerusalem in 600 B.C.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: Lehi was a descendant of ''Manasseh'', and was not a Jew, however, author later makes the correct statement regarding Lehi's ancestry on [[#5|page 5]]. The author makes the same error, however on [[#188|p. 188]].  This is our first hint that the author's familiarity with the necessary detail in the Book of Mormon is not adequate.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence#What are we looking for?|Book of Mormon and DNA evidence&mdash;What are we looking for?]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Jews}}
||
*
*No specific verse given. This is an incorrect statement.&mdash;
|-
|
 
====xiii====
||
* Mormons believe that the dark skinned race constitutes the principal ancestors of the American Indians
||
*This is based upon a phrase added in the 1981 introduction to the Book of Mormon.
*The 1830 Book of Mormon contains no such claim.
* [[Search for the Truth DVD:DNA#Claim: "The introduction to the Book of Mormon says after thousands of years all were destroyed except the Lamanites and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians." - Pamela Robertson|Are the Lamanites the principal ancestors of the American Indians?]]
||
* {{attn}}
 
|-
|
 
====xiv====
||
* Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book on earth.
||
* [[Book of Mormon as the most correct book]]
||
*
*No source given.
*The common source for this statement is ''History of The Church'' 4:461
|-
|
====xiv====
||
* The Israelites are said to have arrived in a land kept from the knowledge of other nations.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Demographics|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Demographics]]
||
*
*{{s|2|Nephi|1|8}}
|-
|
====xiv====
||
* There is no mention of any non-Israelite people in the New World.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: At the very least, there are the Jaredites who are not Israelite.  But, there are clear evidences of others.
* [[Book_of_Mormon_demographics|Book of Mormon demographics]]
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*None given.
|-
|
 
====xiv====
||
* The Book of Mormon describes the farming of Old World domesticated plants.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Plants|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Plants]]
||
*
*None given.
|-
|
====xiv====
||
* The Book of Mormon mentions horse, oxen, cattle and goats in the New World.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Animals|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Animals]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Horses}}
||
*
*None given.
|-
|
 
====xv====
||
* Little has been discovered to support the civilizations described in the Book of Mormon.
||
*
* [[Book of Mormon archaeology]]
* [[Book_of_Mormon_archaeology/Thomas_Stuart_Ferguson|Thomas Stuart Ferguson]]
 
||
*
*No specific sources.
*General reference to "anthropologists and archaeologists."
|-
|
====xv====
||
* The Mesoamerican cultures worshipped multiple gods and performed human sacrifice, which is not consistent with the culture of the Book of Mormon people.
||
* The Book of Mormon Nephite culture is a minority culture in a larger cultural "sea."  Human sacrifice and idol worship are mentioned by wicked Book of Mormon peoples.
* See {{SecondWitness1|vol=all 6 vols|start=1&ndash;}} for a close reading of the Book of Mormon in just such a context.
||
* None given
|-
|
 
====xv====
||
* Many LDS scholars criticize mainstream scientific views in their defense of the Book of Mormon.
||
* Without evidence this is a difficult claim to assess.
* Can no mainstream view be challenged?  Are all such views inherently correct?
||
* None given
|-
 
|
 
====xv====
||
* The Church employs academics to professionally defend the Book of Mormon.
||
* [[Apologetics#Does the Church employ or pay LDS apologists?|Does the Church employ or pay LDS apologists?]]
* The same charge appears on [[#42|p. 42]].
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*None given.
*This is an accusation frequently made on anti-Mormon discussion boards.
|-
|
 
====xv====
||
* The weight of evidence has forced LDS scholars to scale back the scope of the Book of Mormon.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Forced by evidence}}
||
*
*None given.
|-
|
 
====xvi====
||
* LDS leaders ignore LDS scholarship and continue to teach that Native Americans and Polynesians are literal descendants of the Israelites.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
* None given
|}
 
===Chapter 1: A Chosen Race in a Promised Land===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====3====
||
* Attempts to describe Mormon doctrine are "fraught with peril."
||
* {{Prejudicial}}
* [[Changing doctrine]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
====3====
||
* Reversals of doctrine regarding polygamy and regarding Blacks and the priesthood were "painful and damaging" to the Church.
||
* [[Changing doctrine]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
*No examples of the "pain" and "damage" are provided.
|-
|
====4====
||
* The idea that the words of living prophets supersede the words of dead prophets has been "recently" promoted.
||
* {{Absurd}}: This has ''always'' been the doctrine of the Church:
::[When invited by Joseph Smith], Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: "There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,' said he, 'when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.' That was the course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation, "Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.'"{{ref|by.prophets}}
* If living prophets outrank scriptures, then living prophets clearly supersede dead prophets: whether written or spoken.
* [[Changing doctrine]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====4====
||
* Mormon doctrine is "fluid and changeable."
||
* [[Changing doctrine]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====7-8====
||
* The Nephites raise "herds of cattle, goats and horses."
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Animals|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Animals]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Horses}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====8====
||
* The Nephites raise Old World wheat and barley.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Plants|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Plants]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====8====
||
* The Nephites construct a temple that is "similar in splendor" to Solomon's.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: Nephi explicitly says that he uses Solomon's temple as a model, but "it [was] not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple" ({{s|2|Nephi|5|16}}).
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Temple in New World|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Temple in New World]]
||
*
*No source given.
*Common source used is {{s|2|Nephi|5|16}}
|-
|
 
====8====
||
* The Nephites are skilled in the use of metals such as iron, copper, brass, gold and silver.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Metals|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Metals]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====8====
||
 
* The Nephites use steel to fashion swords, breastplates, and arm and head shields.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: "steel" is applied to two Old World weapons (Nephi's bow and the sword of Laban).  Only in Ether are swords made of steel ({{s||Ether|7|9}}).  Nephites are said to use steel ({{s||Jarom|1|8}}), but it is never described for breastplates, arm, or head shields.
* The author is again shown to be woefully ignorant of the Book of Mormon text.
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Metals#Swords|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Metals&mdash;Swords]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Steel}}
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Swords}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====8====
||
* The Nephites built defensive mounds around their cities.
||
* [[Book of Mormon and warfare#Fortifications|Book of Mormon and warfare&mdash;Fortifications]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====8====
||
* The Lamanites vastly outnumber the Nephites.
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Demographics|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Demographics]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====8====
||
* The "skin of blackness" is occasionally removed from the Lamanites when they are righteous, and returns to the Lamanites when they become unrighteous.
||
* {{Presentism}}: the author (like many members) reads the text through modern lenses, instead of as an ancient document.
* [[Lamanite_curse|Lamanite curse&mdash;literal versus metaphorical]]
* [[Skin color in LDS thought]]
|| * No source given
|-
 
|
 
====8====
||
* The Book of Mormon links the color of a person's skin to morality.
||
* {{Presentism}}: the author (like many members) reads the text through modern lenses, instead of as an ancient document.
* Parts of the Book of Mormon directly repudiate this attitude (e.g., {{s||Jacob|3|8-9}}).
* [[Lamanite_curse|Lamanite curse&mdash;literal versus metaphorical]]
* [[Skin color in LDS thought]]
||
*
*{{s|2|Nephi|5|21}}
*''Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate'', March 1835
|-
|
 
====9====
||
* The Book of Mormon promotes the view that the "white race" is superior.
||
* {{Presentism}}: the author (like many members) reads the text through modern lenses, instead of as an ancient document.
* Parts of the Book of Mormon directly repudiate this attitude (e.g., {{s||Jacob|3|8-9}}, {{s|2|Nephi|26|33}}).
* [[Lamanite_curse|Lamanite curse&mdash;literal versus metaphorical]]
* [[Skin color in LDS thought]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====10====
||
* In 1966 the Book of Abraham papyri were discovered.
||
* {{CiteCritic}}
* [[Book of Abraham papyri]]
||
*
*{{CriticalWork:Larson:By His Own Hand|pages=no pg. given}}
|-
|
 
====10====
||
* The translation of the papyri does not resemble the Book of Abraham.
||
* Hugh Nibley announced this in the Church magazine within two months of the papyri being given to the Church.
* [[Book of Abraham/Book of the Dead|Book of Abraham&mdash;Book of the Dead]]
||
*
*Larson, 1992
|-
|
 
====10====
||
* The denial of the priesthood to the Blacks was based upon the Book of Abraham.
||
*{{HistoricalError}}: The use of Abraham as a proof text was a relatively late development.
* [[Blacks and the priesthood/Origin of the priesthood ban|Blacks and the priesthood&mdash;Origin of the priesthood ban]]
* [[Blacks_and_the_priesthood/LDS_scriptures|LDS scripture and the priesthood ban]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====10-11====
||
* The Church publicly taught racist principles in the 1950's.
||
* Some ''leaders'' taught ideas that would now be seen as racist.  Others did not.
* {{Fundamentalism}}
* [[Racist statements by Church leaders]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
||
 
*Mark E. Petersen, "Race Problems—As They Affect the Church," Talk given at Brigham Young University on Aug. 27, 1954
|-
|
 
====11====
||
* The 1978 revelation allowing all men to hold the priesthood came in response to "public pressure."
||
* {{MindReading}}
* {{FalseStatement}}: social and public pressure was low at the time.
* [[Blacks and the priesthood/Social pressure|Blacks and the priesthood&mdash;Social pressure]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====12====
||
* Many General Authorities believed that the priesthood prohibition would remain in place until Christ's return.
||
* {{Fundamentalism}}: the Saints do not believe in [[Fallibility_of_prophets|infallibility]] of members or leaders.
* [[Blacks and the priesthood]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====12====
||
* Passages in the Book of Mormon were rewritten to "tone down references to skin color."
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: This change was made by Joseph Smith in 1836.
* [[Book of Mormon textual changes/"white" changed to "pure"|Book of Mormon textual changes&mdash;"white" changed to "pure"]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:White}}
||
*
*{{s|2|Nephi|30|6}}
|-
|
 
====12====
||
* LDS scripture states that those with lighter skin color "are favored because of what they did as spirits in a pre-earth life."
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: This statement is false&mdash;there is no LDS scripture that makes this statement.
* Some LDS drew this conclusion, but it is not in the scripture.  It has also been [[Blacks_and_the_priesthood/Repudiated_ideas|repudiated]].
* [[Blacks_and_the_priesthood/LDS_scriptures|LDS scripture and the priesthood ban]]
* [[Blacks and the priesthood/Pre-existence|Blacks and the priesthood&mdash;Pre-existence]]
||
*
*No source given.
|}
 
===Chapter 2: Race Relations in Colonial America===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====17====
||
* A similarity exists between the degraded Lamanites and the Native Americans of the 19th Century.
||
* Note again only a dated anti-Mormon work is cited for this claim.  No engagement with the large body of work done in response to Brodie is cited or engaged.
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=no pages given}}
|-
|
====22====
||
* The Book of Mormon portrays the Lamanites as naked, head shaven, tent dwelling, arrow wielding and idle, similar to stereotypical perceptions of the Native Americans at the time.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
 
|
====22====
||
* Joseph Smith may have woven "frontier prejudices" into the Book of Mormon.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* The author needs to present actual evidence.  In fact, the Book of Mormon sees the Lamanites as the equals of others, descendants of Israel, and blessed by God. This is a far cry from the frontier prejudice, where often "the only good Indian was a dead Indian."
||
* No source given.
|
 
|-
|
====27====
||
* Joseph Smith "fell under the spell of the mounds and could not resist the lure of buried riches."
||
* {{MindReading}}
* [[Book of Mormon and the Mound Builders]]
||
*
*Silverberg, ''The Mound Builders'', 1968.
*{{CriticalWork:Vogel:Indian Origins|pages=no pages cited}}
*Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'', 1971.
|-
|
 
====27====
||
* Joseph Smith used a "seer stone" or "peep stone" to search for buried treasure.
||
* [[Joseph Smith and seer stones]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====27====
||
* Joseph Smith was charged with being "disorderly" for his money digging activities in 1826.
||
* [[Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====28====
||
* Scholars have "concluded" that Joseph Smith was inspired by ''View of the Hebrews''.
||
* Critics of the Church have concluded this, after their favorite theory ([[Book_of_Mormon_and_Spaulding_manuscript|the Spalding manuscript]]) disintegrated in the early twentieth century.
* {{CiteCritic}}
* [[Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews]]
||
*
*Persuitte, 2000.
|-
|
 
====28====
||
* The New World history in ''View of the Hebrews'' "shares close parallels with the plot of the Book of Mormon."
||
* {{SecondaryFact}}: the author cites only Ethan Smith's book, who says nothing about whether his book matches the Book of Mormon.  This is standard anti-Mormon fare.
* [[Book_of_Mormon_and_View_of_the_Hebrews/Unparallels|"Unparallels" with ''View of the Hebrews'']]
* [[Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews]]
||
*
*Ethan Smith, ''View of the Hebrews'', 1825.
|-
|
====29====
||
* Joseph Smith was inspired by the myths surrounding the Moundbuilders in writing the Book of Mormon.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* [[Book of Mormon and the Mound Builders]]
||
*
*Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'', 1971.
|-
 
|
====30====
||
* Joseph "likely" added the story of the Jaredites to account for the speculation about the diversity of Indian cultures and languages.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* We are told earlier that Joseph mirrored frontier prejudices.  Yet, Vogel's book demonstrates that early settlers had little appreciation of the diversity of Amerindian culture.  They regarded Amerindians as a monolithic group.  These two claims do not mesh.
* [[Jaredites added to the Book of Mormon as an "afterthought"]] {{nw}}
||
* {{s||Ether|2|1-3}}
|-
|
====30====
||
* Joseph "likely" added the story of the Jaredites to account for how animals arrived in the New World after the Flood.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* [[Story of Jaredites added to explain presence of animals in New World]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Flood}}
||
*
*{{s||Ether|2|1-3}}
*No additional source is given by the author for this claim.
*The same exact claim is made by {{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=70&ndash;72}}
|}
 
===Chapter 3: Lamanites in the Latter Days===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
|
====37====
||
 
* Mormonism does not assign value to native cultures, their histories or mythologies.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* [[Mormonism and native cultural traditions]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====37====
||
* The Lamanite "family" has expanded to include Native Americans and Polynesians.
||
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*''Gospel Principles'', 1997, p. 268.
|-
|
 
====38====
||
* The patriarchal blessings of Native Americans and Polynesians often state that they are of the tribe of Manasseh (through Lehi).
||
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*{{s||Alma|10|3}}
|-
|
 
====38-39====
||
* Modern day prophets repeatedly declare Native Americans and Polynesians to be descendants of Lehi.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
* If Lehi had any descendants, then ''all' Amerindians are his descendants.
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*Gordon B. Hinckley, ''Church News'', Mar. 13, 1999. (Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Temple dedication)
*James E. Faust, ''Church News'', Mar. 18, 2000. (Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple dedication)
*Thomas S. Monson, ''Church News'', May 27, 2000. (Villahermosa Mexico Temple dedication)
*Gordon B. Hinckley, ''Church News'', Aug. 7, 1999. (Guayaquil Ecuador Temple dedication)
*Gordon B. Hinckley, ''Church News'', May 13, 2000. (Cochabamba Bolivia Temple dedication)
|-
|
 
====40====
||
* The Church believed that Lamanites who accepted the Gospel would become light-skinned.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
* Leaders were in some cases unaware of a clarification made [[Book_of_Mormon_textual_changes/%22white%22_changed_to_%22pure%22|by Joseph Smith in 1836]].
* [[Lamanite curse|Lamanite curse&mdash;literal or metaphorical]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:White}}
||
*{{s|3|Nephi|2|14-16}}
*Spencer W. Kimball, "The Day of the Lamanites," ''The Improvement Era'', December 1960, 922-923.
|-
|
 
====41====
||
* A general authority claimed that the writings of Ixtlilxochitl corroborated the Book of Mormon.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
||
*
*Milton R. Hunter, sometime in the 1960's.
|-
|
 
====42====
||
* Most Mormons are unaware that the New World has been continuously inhabited for 14,000 years.
||
* Do Mormons differ substantially from others?  Do "most Americans" know this?  Most people in the world?
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====42====
||
* The New World shows no sign of having experienced a universal flood.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Flood}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====42====
||
* The Church employs apologists to defend the "myths" surrounding the Book of Mormon.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: [[Apologetics]]
* This is a repeat of a claim on [[#xv|p. xv]].
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====43====
||
* Members are encouraged not to try and determine where the Book of Mormon occurred.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Members discouraged}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====45====
||
* Church leaders "seem reluctant or powerless to curtail" the belief among Mesoamerican and South American saints that they are descendents of the Lamanites.
||
* {{Prejudicial}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
* Why would the Church wish to curtail such a belief, when all South American saints ''are'' descendants of Lehi if ''any'' descendants exist?
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|}
 
===Chapter 4: The Lamanites of Polynesia===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
|
====47====
||
* The assumption that Polynesians are descendents of Lehi is the "most precarious" belief taken from the Book of Mormon.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====47====
||
* "Mormon folklore" suggests that Hagoth colonized the Pacific.
||
* It is not clear what normative value "folklore" has.
* LDS scripture suggests that Hagoth probably voyaged to the Pacific.  If he left any descendants, they probably persist among Pacific Islanders.
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{s||Alma|63|5}}
|-
|
====48====
||
* George Q. Cannon taught the Polynesians that they were descendents of the Israelites.
||
* {{Fundamentalism}}: The LDS are not [[Fallibility of prophets|prophetic infalliblists]], but in this case Cannon may well be right.
* If Lehi had descendants, then population genetics tells us that the Polynesians are probably among them.
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*Scott G. Kenny, "Mormons and the Smallpox Epidemic of 1853," ''The Hawaiian Journal of History'', 31:1-26 (1997).
|-
|
====49====
||
* Brigham Young stated in 1958 that the Polynesians were descendents of Abraham.
||
* {{Fundamentalism}}: The LDS are not [[Fallibility of prophets|prophetic infalliblists]], but in this case Brigham may well be right.
* If Lehi had descendants, then population genetics tells us that the Polynesians are probably among them.
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*Norman Douglas, "The Sons of Lehi and the Seed of Cain: Racial Myths in Mormon Scripture and Their Relevance to the Pacific Islands," ''Journal of Religious History'', 8:90-104 (1974).
|-
|
====49====
||
* The "curse was redefined" to apply only to people of African descent.
||
* {{HistoricalError}}: there is no evidence that the Book of Mormon curse on Lamanites ever forbade them the priesthood if they repented.  The author is confusing two quite separate issues.
* [[Lamanite curse]]
* [[Blacks and the priesthood]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====52====
||
* Words spoken in General Conference are considered to be "akin" to scripture.
||
* {{Fundamentalism}}: [[General authorities' statements as scripture]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====53====
||
* Research has confirmed that there are strong links between Polynesia and the Orient.
||
* There is nothing about the Book of Mormon that would preclude this.
* Throughout this section, the author reads the Book of Mormon in the most naive way possible.  But, for at least a hundred years before, leaders and members were [[Book_of_Mormon_geography/Statements|saying very similar things]].  He is simply uninformed about LDS thought on the topic.
||
* No source given.
|-
 
|
 
====54====
||
* Spencer W. Kimball and Heber J. Grant believed that the islanders were descendents of Lehi.
||
* {{Fundamentalism}}: The LDS are not [[Fallibility of prophets|prophetic infalliblists]], but in this case these two Church presidents may well be right.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*Spencer W. Kimball, "First Presidency Message: Our Paths Have Met Again," ''Ensign'', 5:2-7 (1975)
|-
 
|
 
====54====
||
* The Church invested "vast sums of money" to build church schools in Polynesia, Mexico and Central and South America, but "denied" these benefits to Micronesia and Melanesia.
||
* {{Prejudicial}}: the Church gets no credit for what it has done, only what it has not done.
* Could the presence of schools have something to do with LDS membership levels, missionary efforts, etc.?
||
* No source given.
|-
|
<!--====55====
||
* Mormons have not attempted to replace Polynesian culture like they did with Native American culture.
||
-->
|}
 
===Chapter 6: Science and the First Americans===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====83====
||
* LDS Scholars frequently associate the Olmec and Maya with the Jaredite and Nephite civilizations.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites/Maya and Olmec|Amerindians as Lamanites&mdash;Maya and Olmec]]
||
*
*No source given.
|}
 
===Chapter 9: The Outcasts of Israel===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====120====
||
* We should expect the common culture, history and ancestry to be revealed in the genes of the lost 10 tribes and those of the kingdom of Judah if they are actually related.
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====128-129====
||
* The Lemba can be genetically tied to the line of Aaron.
||
* This is irrelevant for a Book of Mormon context.  Only 2% of modern Jews can be identified by genetic testing.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence#Lemba and Cohen modal haplotype|Lemba and Cohen modal haplotype]]
*{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Lemba}}
||
*
*Webber Ndoro, "Great Zimbabwe," ''Scientific American'', Nov. 1997, 62-67.
*Tudor Parfitt, ''Journey to the Vanished City: The Search for a Lost Tribe of Israel'', 1997.
*Thomas, et al., "Y Chromosomes Traveling South: The Cohen Modal Haplotype and the Origins of the Lemba 'Black Jews of Southern Africa'," ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' 66:674-86 (2000).
*{{s||Ezra|2|35}}
|-
|
 
====129====
||
* In Mesoamerica, there is no genetic support for European lineages.
||
* Most Church experts do not expect to find such genetic support.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*No source given.
|}
 
===Chapter 10: The Lord's University===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====135====
||
* Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect.
||
* ''Some'' Mormons may believe this.  Many others believe that there is no true conflict between science and religion, but realize that scientific ideas may be inaccurate based on limited data, ''or'' that religious understandings or preconceptions may need to be modified.  The Church believes that the Lord "will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" ({{s||A+of+F|1|9}}), which presupposes that previous ideas may be inadequate.
* [[Mormonism and science]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*{{MD1|start=no page number given}}
* ''Note'': this reference is useless for establishing what statement of Elder McConkie's is being referenced.
|-
|
 
====135-136====
||
* Mormonism reserves the right to identify scientific truth.
||
* {{Absurd}}: the author presents no evidence of this assertion.
* [[Mormonism and science]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*No sources provided.
|-
|
 
====136====
||
* Mormonism declares that it "corners the market" on religious truth.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: Latter-day Saints recognize that there is truth and good in all religions, and that God works through men of science to reveal truth as well.
* [[Salvation of non-members]]
||
*
*{{s||JS-History|1|19}}
|-
|
====136====
||
* Joseph Smith declared that all other religions were false.
||
* [[MormonFAQ/Myths and Questions#"But Joseph Smith said that all churches were wrong, and that they were an 'abomination' in God's sight. Doesn't that sound bigoted?"|"Joseph Smith said that all churches were wrong, and that they were an 'abomination' in God's sight. Doesn't that sound bigoted?"]]
* Joseph also said:
: Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true "Mormons."{{ref|hc.5.517}}
||
*{{s||JS-History|1|19}}
|-
|
====136====
||
* LDS think that all other religions are the "whore of the earth" and "church of the devil"
||
* {{FalseStatement}}
* [[Whore of the earth]]
* [[Salvation of non-members]]
||
*
*{{s|1|Nephi|14|10}}
|-
|
 
====136====
||
* The current generation of Mormons is taught a selective view of Church history
||
* ''All'' teaching is selective, in any domain or field.
* {{SourceDistortion}}: [[One_Nation_Under_Gods/Use_of_sources/Boyd_K._Packer_on_the_truth|Boyd K. Packer &mdash; Mantle and Intellect]]
* [[Censorship and revision of LDS history]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*Boyd K. Packer, "The Mantle is Far, Far Greater than the Intellect," ''BYU Studies'', 21:259 (1981)
|-
|
 
====137====
||
* Many church members are "blissfully unaware" of Brigham Young's practice of polygamy
||
* {{MindReading}}: how does the author know what members know?  Brigham Young's polygamy is well known ''out'' of the Church. How likely is it that members remain unaware?
* [[Brigham Young and polygamy]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*''Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young'', 1997
|-
|
 
====137====
||
* Senior church leaders prefer that members not question changes in temple ordinances.
||
* Church leaders "prefer" that members keep their covenants and not discuss the temple ordinances outside the temple.
* {{MindReading}}: members may discuss the endowment only in the temple; they may ask any question they like there of the temple president.
* [[Temple endowment changes]]
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====138====
||
* LDS ecclesiastical leaders expect "unquestioning obedience" of church members.
||
* Most bishops and stake presidents would find this unlikely, if not laughable.
* The author is a former LDS bishop.  Did he go contrary to Church teaching and demand this?  If so, his action was wrong.  If not, he is evidence against his own claim.
* [[Authoritarianism and Church leaders]]
* {{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Unselfish Service|date=May 2009|start=93–96}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=118b230bac7f0210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====139====
||
* The Church "unofficially" discourages prayer to "Mother in Heaven"
||
* Surely it is the Church's privilege to instruct its members in what it believes and condones, and what it does not?  Members then make their own decision.
* [[Heavenly Mother]]
||
*
*AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure. 1998. "Report of Committee A," ''Academe: Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors.'' Sept./Oct.: 71-4.
|-
|
====140====
||
* Church leaders are "loath" to make unequivocal statements of doctrine.
||
* {{Absurd}}: a review of any general conference demonstrates that leaders are quite happy to make unequivocal statements.
* If an area has no unequivocal statements, this is probably because it is not "doctrine," and the Church has no official position.  Leaders are rightly wary of being misconstrued in such areas.
* [[Changing doctrine]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====140====
||
* BYU's emphasis is on conformity rather than personal freedom.
||
* {{Absurd}}: the only source is the student honor code.  How does this erode personal freedom?  Every prospective student is aware of it, and agrees to abide by it.  If he/she wants to do otherwise, he/she can easily choose to go elsewhere.
* [[Authoritarianism and Church leaders]]
||
*
*Student Honor Code, Brigham Young University
|-
|
====141====
||
* CES insists that gospel learning takes precedence over secular learning.
||
* {{Absurd}}: Why is it strange that a group hired for ''religious'' instruction to supplement college or university work should want ''religion'' taught?
* [[Mormonism and education]] {{nw}}
||
*
*The only sources referred to are "parents."
|-
|
====142====
||
* CES instructs students not to attempt to locate Book of Mormon geographical locations
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Members discouraged}}
||
* No source provided.
|-
 
|
 
====142====
||
* Limited geography theories advanced by FARMS are "much too controversial" for CES students
||
* {{Prejudicial}}: where is the evidence for this claim?
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory]]
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
====142====
||
* Spencer W. Kimball believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Leaders}}
||
*
*A talk by President Kimball given in 1977 (not listed in "Works Cited" section)
|-
|
 
====142====
||
* Church members are shocked at the "limited archaeological evidence" for the Book of Mormon
||
* [[Book of Mormon archeology]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====143====
||
* LDS apologists continue to tell members how "scientists continue to get it wrong."
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
* {{Absurd}}: Some LDS DNA apologists, for example, are world-class experts in their field.  These authors object to the misappropriate and misapplication of science, including that found in the work here under review:
* {{JBMS-12-1-3}}<!--Butler-->
*{{FR-18-1-6}}<!--Butler-->
* {{JBMS-12-1-4}}
* {{JBMS-12-1-5}}
* Note that the author merely dismisses these experts, he does not engage their evidence or arguments.
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====143====
||
* Most members follow their leaders without question.
||
* Most bishops and stake presidents would find this unlikely, if not laughable.
* The author is a former LDS bishop.  Did he go contrary to Church teaching and demand this?  If so, his action was wrong.  If not, he is evidence against his own claim.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
* [[Authoritarianism and Church leaders]]
* {{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Unselfish Service|date=May 2009|start=93–96}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=118b230bac7f0210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
 
====143====
||
* LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the creation of man.
||
* [[Evolution]]
* [[Mormonism and science]]
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
====143====
||
* LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the tower of Babel.
||
* [[Mormonism and science]] {{nw}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
====143====
||
* LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the Flood
||
* [[Global or local Flood]]
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
|
====143-144====
||
* The perception is that the Church has officially denounced evolution.
||
* This perception, however, is false.
* [[Evolution]]: all official statements.
||
*
*McConkie, ''Mormon Doctrine'', 1979.
*Boyd K. Packer, "Our Moral Environment," ''Ensign'', May 1992, p. 66. (This talk does not specifically mention the theory of evolution - Packer is stating that we are not simply "advanced animals," which the author includes in his quote.)
|-
|
144
||
* Henry Eyring (father of Henry B. Eyring) indicated that he could accept evolution.
||
* If a well-known scientist could publicly express support for evolution and differ with some Church leaders, how does this contribute to the "perception" that the Church has "officially denounced evolution"?
* The book cited was published and distributed to LDS youth&mdash;hardly the act of a Church trying to stamp out any support for evolution.
||
*
*Henry Eyring, ''Reflections of a Scientist'', 1998.
|-
|
====145====
||
* Eyring "avoided singling out senior leaders of the church for the bad press that evolution has received in LDS circles."
||
*  Eyring was not shy about demonstrating where he and (say) President Joseph Fielding Smith differed on this subject.
||
*
*Henry Eyring, ''Reflections of a Scientist'', 1998.
|-
|
====146====
||
* The Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri
||
* [[Garden of Eden in Missouri?]]
||
*
*{{s||DC|116|}}
*{{s||DC|117|8-11}}
|-
|
====146====
||
* Mormons believe that the continents separated only after a global flood.
||
* ''Some'' Mormons believe this.  Others do not.  The Church has no official view on the matter.
* [[Global or local Flood]]
||
*
*{{s||DC|133|23-24}}
|-
|
====146====
||
* Mormons are "compelled" to believe in a global flood as symbolizing the "baptism of the earth"
||
* {{Absurd}}: how can Mormons be "compelled" to believe in anything?
* ''Some'' Mormons believe this.  Others do not.  The Church has no official view on the matter.
* [[Global or local Flood]]
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
<!--
|148
||
* FARMS reviews of books by General Authorities or FARMS staff are always given favorable reviews.
||
* [[Apologetics]] {{nw}}
||
*
*No sources given.
|-
-->
|
====148====
||
* FARMS' goal is to deter members from reading any book that challenges their faith
||
* {{MindReading}}
* [[Does the Church discourage reading critical material?]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*The author states that this is an "obvious" conclusion.
|}
 
===Chapter 11: Plausible Geography===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
|
====153====
||
* B.H. Roberts' manuscripts "Book of Mormon Difficulties" and "A Book of Mormon Study" were "clearly intended for publication."
||
* The author needs to demonstrate this assertion.  Many others have not agreed.  Roberts' cover letter suggests otherwise.
* [[B.H. Roberts and "Studies of the Book of Mormon"]] {{nw}}
||
*
*Brigham H. Roberts, ''Studies of the Book of Mormon'', 2nd edition, 1992.
|-
|
====153====
||
* Roberts' concluded that a 19th-century origin for the Book of Mormon was "entirely plausible"
||
* {{HistoricalError}}: [[B.H. Roberts and "Studies of the Book of Mormon"]]
* [[Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews]]
||
*
*Brigham H. Roberts, ''Studies of the Book of Mormon'', 2nd edition, 1992.
|-
|
====154====
||
* LDS scholars have made a "steady retraction" of claims regarding the scale of the Nephite/Lamanite presence since the 1920's.
||
* Authors and leaders have done so.  If the author knows this is true, why does he suggest (e.g., [[#xv|p. xv]]) that recent science has been behind the different view of geography and demography?
* [[Book_of_Mormon_geography/Statements|Statements]] by LDS leaders, scholars, and publications.
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====156====
||
* All Church presidents, General Authorities and "most church members" have believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: leaders and members have differed on a point about which the Church has no official doctrine.
* {{Fundamentalism}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Forced by evidence}}
||
*
*{{s||Alma|22|28-32}}
*{{s||Alma|50|34}}
*{{s||Alma|52|9}}
*{{s||Alma|63|5}}
*James E. Talmage, ''Jesus the Christ'', 1915.
*1981 introduction to the Book of Mormon.
|-
|
 
====156====
||
* The Book of Mormon states that the Lamanites are "the principal ancestors of the American Indians"
||
* [[Search for the Truth DVD:DNA#Claim: "The introduction to the Book of Mormon says after thousands of years all were destroyed except the Lamanites and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians." - Pamela Robertson|Are the Lamanites the principal ancestors of the American Indians?]]
||
*
*1981 introduction to the Book of Mormon.
|-
|
====156====
||
* A hemispheric geography most closely aligns with an "uncontrived" reading of the Book of Mormon.
||
* {{Absurd}}: the issue of travel distances has yet to be reconciled with a hemispheric reading.
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Hemispheric Geography Theory]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
====159====
||
* Moroni makes no mention of traveling from Central America to New York in the Book of Mormon.
||
* {{SourceDistortion}}: the author cites Sorenson, but does not explain how Sorenson responds to this very issue.
* The final battle of the Jaredites makes it clear that they did not migrate a long way from the starting point (e.g., Ether was able to observe matters from a cave and return easily to hide.)
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory/Plates to New York|Plates to New York]]
||
*
*John L. Sorenson, ''An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon'', 1985.
|-
|
====160====
||
* There is no indication that the Book of Mormon people came in contact with others in the land.
||
* The author cites Sorenson's work, but does nothing to engage his arguments for just such indications.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:No others}}
||
*
*Brigham H. Roberts, ''Studies of the Book of Mormon'', 2nd edition, 1992.
*John L. Sorenson, ''An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon'', 1985.
|-
|
 
====163====
||
* The shrinking of Book of Mormon geographical models corresponds with the growing research showing that ancient Americans came from Asia.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Forced by evidence}}
* {{DoubleStandard}}: Even if the author's claim was true, why complain?  He has argued that Mormons always make their religious beliefs trump science.  But, if Mormons respond to science in changing their perceptions, this is seen as a bad thing!
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory|Limited geography theory]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====164====
||
* A limited Book of Mormon setting is at odds with "a straightforward reading" of the Book of Mormon.
||
* Others have disagreed.  The limited model came out of a reading of the text, not out of scientific pressure or apologetic need.
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory|Limited geography theory]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
====164====
||
* The limited Book of Mormon setting contradicts D&C 54:8
||
* By Joseph's day, ''all'' Amerindians were descendants of Lehi.  This does not help fix Book of Mormon era geography.
* [[Amerindians_as_Lamanites#All_From_Lehi|All from Lehi?]]
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Borders of the Lamanites]]
||
*{{s||DC|54|8}}
|}
 
===Chapter 12: Faith Promoting Science===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====168====
||
* LDS scholars believe that Mayan cities are prime candidates for where Lehi's people lived.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites/Maya and Olmec|Amerindians as Lamanites&mdash;Maya and Olmec]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====168====
||
* The Jaredites are usually identified as the Olmec
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites/Maya and Olmec|Amerindians as Lamanites&mdash;Maya and Olmec]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====168====
||
* Joseph Smith declared the city of Palenque was a Nephite city, but modern scholarship indicates this city wasn't built until 600 A.D.
||
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Statements#15 Sept. 1842: Speculation that Palenque is a Nephite city|Book of Mormon geography&mdash;Statements&mdash;15 Sept. 1842: Speculation that Palenque is a Nephite city]]
||
*
*No source given by the author.
*The statement made by the author about Palenque is incorrect. The earliest recorded ruler was K'uk Balam (Quetzal Jaguar), who governed Palenque for four years starting in the year 431 A.D.
*Pottery shards show that Palenque was occupied as early as 300 B.C. <!-- http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/mexico/palenque.html -->
*If one assumes, as Joseph apparently did, that Palenque ''was indeed'' a Nephite city, and knowing as we do now the tendency for Mesoamerican conquering rulers to destroy the monuments or records of previous ones, it would not at all be surprising to see the record go back only to the time that the Lamanites conquered the Nephites (approximately 400 - 420 A.D.).
*A known reference to Joseph's statement about Palenque is {{TS1 | author=Joseph Smith (editor) | vol=3|num=22|article=Extract from Stephens' 'Incidents of Travel in Central America'|date=15 September 1842|start=915|start=915}}
|-
|
====168====
||
* The history of Book of Mormon archaeology is "littered with apostacy"
||
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Apostacy|Book of Mormon geography&mdash;Apostacy]] {{nw}}
||
*
*Michael D. Coe, "Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' 8:40-48 (1973).
|-
 
|
====170====
||
* Thomas Ferguson was one of the better known early "Mormon archaeologists"
||
* Ferguson was not an archaeologist.  He was an amateur, with an unrealistic idea of what constituted archaeological proof, and what help archaeology would be.
* [[Book_of_Mormon_archaeology/Thomas_Stuart_Ferguson|Thomas Stuart Ferguson]]
* [[Book_of_Mormon_archaeology|Book of Mormon archaeology]]
||
* No source given.
* {{CrossRef:Abanes:Becoming Gods|pages=77 368n145-147}}
|-
 
|
 
====172====
||
* There is no evidence of iron or steel smelting in the ancient New World
||
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Metals#Iron|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Metals&mdash;Iron]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Steel}}
||
*
*Michael D. Coe et al., ''Atlas of Ancient America'' (1986).
|-
|172
||
* There were no wheeled vehicles in ancient America
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: There is no mention of wheels in the Book of Mormon (save an Isaiah citation).
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Chariots|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Chariots]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====172====
||
* There were no draft animals to pull wheeled vehicles
||
* There is no mention of the wheel in the Book of Mormon
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Chariots|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Chariots]]
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Animals#Horse|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Animals&mdash;Horse]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====172====
||
* There are no archaeological remains of wheat or barley in Mesoamerica. The barley found in Arizona doesn't count because it was only in a limited region.
||
* The fact that barley was unknown in the Americas before the 1980s demonstrates that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.  Would we want to bet on barley ''never'' being found outside that restricted area?
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Plants#Barley|Book of Mormon anachronisms&mdash;Plants&mdash;Barley]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====173====
||
* Deer or tapir were never ridden by Native Americans, therefore they could not be the "horses" referred to in the Book of Mormon
||
* "Horses" are never said to be ridden in the Book of Mormon.  They never act like "old world" horses.  They are often treated as a foodstuff.  This might match some other animal quite well.  The author has here proven the Book of Mormon advocates' point.
* [[Book of Mormon anachronisms/Animals]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Horses}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====173====
||
* Dee Green said in 1973 that Book of Mormon archaeology does not exist
||
*{{SourceDistortion}}: Green argued&mdash;''in 1969''&mdash;that the requisite work had not been done (the author also gets the date wrong by four years).
* [[Becoming Gods/Use of sources/Dee F. Green on Book of Mormon archaeology|Dee F. Green on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
* It is telling that the author must resort to a source that is 35 years old.  A more current assessment is available:
** {{JBMS-14-2-8}}
*[[Book of Mormon archeology|Book of Mormon archaeology]]
 
||
*
*{{CitationError}}: Dee F. Green, "Book of Mormon Archaeology: The Myths and the Alternatives," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' 4:71-80 (1973).
* The correct citation is: {{Dialogue1|author=Dee F. Green|article=Book of Mormon Archaeology: The Myths and the Alternatives|date=Summer 1969|vol=4|num=3|start=72-80}}
* {{CrossRef:Abanes:Becoming Gods|pages=66, 362n88}}
|-
|
 
====175====
||
* "Book of Mormon archaeology" has yielded little credible evidence
||
* If the author is going to cite these sources, he needs to engage their evidence, not simply declare it not credible.
* [[Book of Mormon archaeology]]
||
*
*John E. Clark, [http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Book_of_Mormon_Geography "Book of Mormon Geography,"] ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' (1992).
*Hugh W. Nibley, ''An Approach to the Book of Mormon'' (1964).
*Hugh W. Nibley, ''Lehi in the Desert: The World of the Jaredites; There Were Jaredites'', (1988).
*Bruce W. Warren, Review of F. Richard Hauck, ''Deciphering the Geography of the Book of Mormon: Settlements and Routes in Ancient America'', and John L. Sorenson, ''An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon'' in ''BYU Studies'' 30:127 (1990).
*David J. Johnson, [http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Archaeology "Archaeology"] ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' (1992).
|-
|
====176====
||
* The Smithsonian issues a statement that discredits the Book of Mormon
||
 
* [[Smithsonian statement on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
||
*
*Smithsonian Institution.
|-
|
====177====
||
* LDS apologists claim that the simplification of the Smithsonian statement indicates that the original statement is now inconsistent with the current knowledge of Mesoamerican archaeology
||
* [[Smithsonian statement on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
||
*
*Sorenson critique, 1995.
|-
|
====177====
||
* There is little evidence of a cultural link between Polynesia and the Americas. A linguistic link between a South American variety and Polynesian variety of sweet potato is not yet explained.
||
* It is not necessarily reasonable to expect much of a cultural link if a small group (e.g., Hagoth) entered the larger Pacific cultural sphere.
* [[Polynesians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*No source given.
|}
 
===Chapter 13: LDS Molecular Apologetics===
{| valign="top" border="1" style="width:100%; font-size:85%"
!width="5%"|Page
!width="40%"|Claim
!width="30%"|Response
!width="25%"|[[Use of sources]]
|-
| style="width:5%"|
====180====
||
 
* Most Mormons have had their ancestors posthumously "baptized into the Mormon faith."
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: Those who receive baptism for the dead are not "baptized into the faith."  Members believe that non-members are thereby given the ability to accept or reject the gospel when they hear it.  Baptism for the dead does not make them "Mormons."
* [[Baptism for the dead]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====181====
||
* FARMS has downplayed the potential of James Sorenson's "global molecular geneaology project."
||
* The author needs to provide actual evidence of this claim.
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====181====
||
* The Molecular Genealogy Foundation may reveal disconcerting "surprises" in LDS family trees that trace back to "well known polygamists" in the early church.
||
* [[Joseph Smith and polygamy/Children of polygamous marriages]]
||
*
*Author's opinion that the project may reveal embarrassing information about the descendants of Joseph Smith and other Church leaders through plural wives.
|-
|
====184====
||
* The Indian Student Placement Program was an attempt to turn them "white and delightsome."
||
* [[Lamanite curse]]
||
*
*Thomas Murphy, doctoral thesis.
|-
|
====184====
||
* "Mormon folklore" claims that Native Americans and Polynesians carry a curse based upon "misdeeds on the part of their ancestors."
||
* [[Lamanite curse]]
||
*
*Thomas W. Murphy and Simon G. Southerton. 2003. "Genetic Research: A 'Galileo Event' for Mormons," ''Anthropology News'', 44:20.
|-
|
====185====
||
* LDS scholars experienced in DNA research have spoken only to Mormon audiences.
||
* {{FalseStatement}}
* {{Absurd}}: one LDS author on DNA matters is John Butler, an internationally recognized expert in the use of forensic DNA&mdash;he literally wrote the textbook used by law enforcement on this matter.  Butler has spoken to many audiences about DNA matters.
*{{JBMS-12-1-4}}<!--Butler-->
*{{FR-18-1-6}}<!--Butler-->
||
*
*Scott R. Woodward, "DNA and the Book of Mormon," FAIR. (2001)
|-
|
 
====185-186====
||
* In response to the DNA issue, the Church linked to an article written by Jeff Lindsey, "a chemical engineer with no professional training in DNA research."
||
* This is classic ''ad hominem''.  What matters are not Lindsey's credentials, but whether his argument is accurate.  The author never engages Lindsay's evidence or argument; he simply treats it as unworthy of attention.
* Ironically, the author of the book here under review has no professional training in population genetics (he is a plant biologist), and yet he expects ''us'' to accept his assessment.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}
||
*
*www.lds.org, "Mistakes in the News," 2003.
*Jeff D. Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/DNA.shtml "Does DNA Evidence Refute the Book of Mormon?"] (2003)
|-
|
 
====186====
||
* LDS scientists have responded to DNA findings by claiming that it would be improbable to find evidence of an Israelite presence in the Americas.
||
* The author has actually elsewhere expressed his agreement with this claim, noting that LDS scientists have argued that "Bottleneck effect, genetic drift, Hardy-Weinberg violations and other technical problems would prevent us from detecting Israelite genes [in Amerindians].  I agree entirely.  In 600 BC there were probably several million American Indians living in the Americas. If a small group of Israelites entered such a massive native population it would be very, very hard to detect their genes 200, 2000 or even 20,000 years later."{{ref|southerton.1}}
* Interestingly, this admission was later removed from the website of Southerton's publisher.  Southerton goes on to argue that the Book of Mormon "doesn't say this," but as we've noted some leaders and scholars have been reading the text that way for at least a century.  The author even admits as much on [[#154|p. 154]].
* So, this attack works only if one reads the text in the most naive, ill-informed way possible&mdash;as the author seems determined to do.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Forced by evidence}}
||
*
*{{FR-15-2-6}} <!--McClellan, 2003-->
*Michael F. Whiting, [http://farms.byu.edu/multimedia/viewmovie.php?id=1 "Does DNA Evidence Refute the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon? Responding to the Critics,"] (2003)
|-
|
 
====186====
||
* LDS writers claim that the presence of other people in the Americas actually supports "careful readings of the Book of Mormon."
||
* LDS writers have been saying this for at least a hundred years, as the author admitted back on [[#154|p. 154]].
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{FR-15-2-1}} <!--Peterson 2003a-->
*{{FR-15-2-7}} <!--Roper, 2003a-->
|-
|
====186====
||
* LDS scholars "have come to the conclusion" that Book of Mormon populations comprised a very small part of a much larger group of people on the continent.
||
* Some LDS leaders and scholars have been saying this for at least a hundred years, as the author admitted back on [[#154|p. 154]].
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{FR-15-2-1}} <!--Peterson 2003a-->
|-
|
====187====
||
* LDS suggest that it would impossible to use DNA technology to identify a small local colony of individuals.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{JBMS-12-1-5}} <!--Meldrum and Stephens, 2003.-->
|-
|
====188====
||
*The author claims that it is not likely that "founders effect" or "genetic drift" would "completely frustrate the identification of Israelite DNA in the Americas."
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====188====
||
* The author claims that Book of Mormon states that the Lehite/Mulekite groups were both descended from Jewish ancestors
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: Lehi was a descendant of ''Manasseh'', and was not a Jew, however, author later makes the correct statement regarding Lehi's ancestry on [[#5|page 5]]. The author makes the same error, however on [[#xiii|p. xiii]].  This is our another hint that the author's familiarity with the necessary detail in the Book of Mormon is not adequate.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence#What are we looking for?|Book of Mormon and DNA evidence&mdash;What are we looking for?]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Jews}}
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence#General genetics issues]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====189====
||
* The author claims that the ancestry of Israelites living today will all "meet at the Caucasian branch of the human family tree."
||
* It is not clear what this has to do with the Book of Mormon.
||
* No source provided.
|-
|
 
====190====
||
* The Lemba prove that it is possible to detect Middle Eastern genes in a foreign environment
||
* The Lemba are a special case, only made possible by their links to Jewish priestly families.  98% of known modern Jews cannot be identified by genetic testing.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence#Lemba and Cohen modal haplotype|Lemba and Cohen modal haplotype]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Lemba}}
||
*
*{{JBMS-9-2-11}} <!--Sorenson, 2000b-->
|-
|
 
====190====
||
* Church leaders have consistently associated Lamanites with Central America.
||
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Statements|Statements by Church leaders regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
||
*
*Whiting, 2003b.
|-
|
====191====
||
* The Mayan Empire is claimed to considered by Mormons to the closest to the people of the Book of Mormon.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites/Maya and Olmec|Amerindians as Lamanites&mdash;Maya and Olmec]]
||
*
*No source specified.
|-
|
====191====
||
* There is too much genetic variation in the X lineage to account for Book of Mormon people to have arrived as recently as 2600 years ago.
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence/Geography issues/Haplotype X2a]]
||
*
*Brown, et al., 1998.
|-
|
====192====
||
* The X lineage occurs in North America and is not found in Central America.
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence/Geography issues/Haplotype X2a]]
||
*
*Hauswirth et al., 1994
*Ribeiro-dos-Santo et al., 1996
|-
|
====192====
||
* LDS writers have overlooked the fact that Mitochondrial DNA research shows that 99.6% of Native Americans migrated to the American continent thousands of years before the Israelites came into existence, and none of these are candidates for Israelite origin.
||
* LDS authors have anticipated such findings by at least a century (see, again, [[#154|p. 154]]).
* This attack works only if one reads the text in the most naive, ill-informed way possible&mdash;as the author seems determined to do.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
 
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====192====
||
* The remaining 0.4% is likely the result of genetic mixture with people who came to the New World after Columbus
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*Author's conclusion.
|-
|
====193====
||
* LDS scholars claim that the impact of Book of Mormon immigrants to the New World made an impact "so small that they barely mattered."
||
* The author has actually elsewhere expressed his agreement with this claim, noting that LDS scientists have argued that "Bottleneck effect, genetic drift, Hardy-Weinberg violations and other technical problems would prevent us from detecting Israelite genes [in Amerindians].  I agree entirely.  In 600 BC there were probably several million American Indians living in the Americas. If a small group of Israelites entered such a massive native population it would be very, very hard to detect their genes 200, 2000 or even 20,000 years later."{{ref|southerton.2}}
* Interestingly, this admission was later removed from the website of Southerton's publisher.  Southerton goes on to argue that the Book of Mormon "doesn't say this," but as we've noted some leaders and scholars have been reading the text that way for at least a century.  The author even admits as much on [[#154|p. 154]].
* So, this attack works only if one reads the text in the most naive, ill-informed way possible&mdash;as the author seems determined to do.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Forced by evidence}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====193====
||
* A great number of Native Americans are now assumed to have been absorbed into New World Israelite civilizations.
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====193====
||
* "Other people" in the Book of Mormon have "remained invisible" to most readers.
||
* {{MindReading}}
* Just because someone does not notice something does not mean it was there.  Again, the author seems determined to ignore any solution to his problem, and read the text in the most blinkered, ill-informed way possible.
* [[Book of Mormon demographics]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:No others}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====193-194====
||
* "Gentiles who inhabited the Americas before, during and after the Book of Mormon period are potential Lamanites."
||
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
||
*
*{{s|2|Nephi|1|5}}
*{{JBMS-12-1-2}} <!--Sorenson and Roper, 2003-->
*{{JBMS-12-1-5}} <!--Meldrum and Stephens, 2003-->
|-
|
====194====
||
* Mormons have "traditionally thought" that any Asian presence in the New World occurred ''after'' the Book of Mormon period.
||
* The author needs evidence for this claim.
* Even Bruce R. McConkie (a good example of "traditional views") say many sources and influence on Amerindian populations:
:The American Indians, however, as Columbus found them also had other blood than that of Israel in their veins. It is possible that isolated remnants of the Jaredites may have lived through the period of destruction in which millions of their fellows perished. It is quite apparent that groups of orientals found their way over the Bering Strait and gradually moved southward to mix with the Indian peoples. We have records of a colony of Scandinavians attempting to set up a settlement in America some 500 years before Columbus. There are archeological indications that an unspecified number of groups of people probably found their way from the old to the new world in pre-Columbian times. Out of all these groups would have come the American Indians as they were discovered in the 15th century.{{ref|md.33}}
* In any case, if the "traditional view" does not match the Book of Mormon text, then it should be set aside.
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====195====
||
* The children of Lehi were to be "kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves."
||
* {{SourceDistortion}}: This promise applies only as long as the children of Lehi were righteous.  They lost this blessing even within Book of Mormon times.
* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
* [[Book of Mormon demographics]]
* {{JBMS-1-1-2}} <!--Sorenson-->
||
*
*{{s|2|Nephi|1|8-9}}
*{{s|2|Nephi|1|10-11}}
*{{FR-15-2-7}} <!--Roper, 2003a-->
|-
|
 
====195====
||
* There are no explicit references to non-Israelites living near the Lehites or Jaredites.
||
* {{CiteCritic}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:No others}}
* See response to source: {{FR-16-2-5}} <!--Tvedtnes Reinventing-->
||
*
*Brent L. Metcalf, "Reinventing Lamanite Identity," ''Sunstone'', 131:20-25 (2004).
|-
|
 
====195====
||
* Five hundred years after their arrival, groups were still identified as having descended from Laman, Lemuel, Ishmael, etc.
||
* The author is ''assuming'' what he wants to prove&mdash;that all such labels were about descent, rather than political or religious affiliation.
* [[Book of Mormon tribal affiliations]]
||
*{{s||Alma|43|13}}
|-
|
 
====196====
||
* Familial terms used in the Book of Mormon imply a genetic link.
||
* {{Absurd}}: The Book of Mormon makes it clear that except in a very early period, tribal designation is a ''political'', not genetic matter.
* [[Book of Mormon tribal affiliations]] {{nw}}
||
*{{s||Moroni|9|1}}
*Author's conclusion.
|-
|
 
====197====
||
* Joseph Smith and other leaders taught that the Book of Mormon described the origins of the Indians in the western hemisphere.
||
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Statements|Statements by Church leaders regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
||
*
*{{FR-15-2-7}} <!--Roper, 2003a-->
*{{FR-15-2-8}} <!--Roper, 2003b-->
|-
|
====197====
||
* Mormons "tend to be hazy" regarding what past Church leaders have said regarding geography.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Statements|Statements by Church leaders regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
||
*No source given.
|}
 
===Chapter 14: Moving the Spirit===
{{BeginClaimsTable}}
|
====199====
||
* No Semitic languages have been found in the New World.
||
* It is not clear that such links ''ought'' to be expected.  There is, however, some preliminary influence that belies the author's claim.
* [[Hebrew and Native American languages]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====199====
||
* No wheeled chariots or horses to pull them have been found in the New World
||
* ''Wheeled'' chariots are never said to exist in the Book of Mormon.  Horses are never said to pull chariots.  They are ''associated'' with chariots, which is quite a different matter.
* [[Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Animals#Horse|Horses in the Book of Mormon]]
* [[Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Chariots|Chariots]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Horses}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====199====
||
* No swords or steel have been found in the New World
||
* {{FalseStatement}}: swords are well-known in the New World, just not European-style swords.
* [[Book_of_Mormon/Warfare/Swords|Swords]]
* [[Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Metals#Steel|Steel in the Book of Mormon]]
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Steel}}
* {{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Swords}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====200====
||
* The Israelites of the Book of Mormon made no noticeable contribution to the native gene pool in the New World or in Polynesia
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====200====
||
* Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the Book of Mormon is from reality"
||
* Only those who rely on the author for understanding how leaders and scholars have seen these issues for the last century would be disquieted.  The facts provide no reason for concern.
* [[Book of Mormon historicity]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====200====
||
 
* Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the apologists have strayed from traditional Mormon beliefs"
||
* Since when are "traditional" beliefs binding?  Only beliefs anchored in revelation or scripture are of ultimate value.
* Church dioramas and audio-visual productions have tended to emphasize the Mesoamerican model of the Book of Mormon&mdash;would the author have us believe that this is done against the wishes of the leaders of the Church?
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====201====
||
*The author presents a supposition that the Church has a history of ancient America may some day be de-emphasized
||
*This is pure speculation.
*[[Book of Mormon historicity]]
||
*
*Brent L. Metcalf, ''New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology'' (1993).
*Mark D. Thomas, ''Digging in Cumorah: Reclaiming Book of Mormon Narratives'' (1999).
|-
|
====202====
||
* A limited Book of Mormon setting has "not been granted the church's official blessing in any way."
||
* There ''is no official geography'', so of course no official endorsement is present.
* Sorenson's limited setting, however, was published in the Church's official magazine, the ''Ensign''.  This is hardly a sign that leaders of the Church disapprove.
** {{Ensign1|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 1|date=September 1984|start=27}}{{link|url=http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1984.htm/ensign%20september%201984%20.htm/digging%20into%20the%20book%20of%20mormon%20our%20changing%20understanding%20of%20ancient%20america%20and%20its%20scripture.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0}} For second part of the article, see {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1984.htm/ensign%20october%201984%20.htm/digging%20into%20the%20book%20of%20mormon%20our%20changing%20understanding%20of%20ancient%20america%20and%20its%20scripture%20part%202%20.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0}}
* Dallin H. Oaks reminisced about his time at BYU, and noted:
:Here [BYU, 1950s] I was introduced to the idea that the Book of Mormon is not a history of all of the people who have lived on the continents of North and South America in all ages of the earth. Up to that time, I had assumed that it was. If that were the claim of the Book of Mormon, any piece of historical, archaeological, or linguistic evidence to the contrary would weigh in against the Book of Mormon, and those who rely exclusively on scholarship would have a promising position to argue.
 
:In contrast, if the Book of Mormon only purports to be an account of a few peoples who inhabited a portion of the Americas during a few millennia in the past, the burden of argument changes drastically. It is no longer a question of all versus none; it is a question of some versus none. In other words, in the circumstance I describe, the opponents of historicity [i.e. those who argue that the Book of Mormon is not a literally true record, as it claims] must prove that the Book of Mormon has no historical validity for any peoples who lived in the Americas in a particular time frame, a notoriously difficult exercise. You do not prevail on that proposition by proving that a particular Eskimo culture represents migrations from Asia. The opponents of the historicity of the Book of Mormon must prove that the people whose religious life it records did not live anywhere in the Americas. {{ref|oaks.1}}
* Teaching for decades at the Church's flagship school and appearing in the ''Ensign'' are as close to "official" endorsement one is likely to get about a matter about which there is no revelation.  The Church is unlikely to ''ever'' endorse any scholarly position that does not have revelatory confirmation.
* [[Book_of_Mormon_geography/New_World#Is_there_an_.22official.22_or_revealed_geography.3F|No official geography]]
* [[Book of Mormon geography/Statements|Statements by Church leaders regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====202====
||
* The general membership would not believe a limited Book of Mormon geography
||
* {{MindReading}}
* The leaders of the Church apparently disagree, since they published John Sorenson's discussion of the same (see [[#202|p. 202]]).  Elder Oaks was likewise taught such ideas at BYU in the 1950s.
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory|Book of Mormon limited geography theory]]
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
 
====202====
||
* Millions of Mormons believe that Lehi stands at the head of their own family pedigrees.
||
* "Millions" may be an exaggeration.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====202b====
||
* The work of LDS apologists is not discussed in any public forum sponsored by the Church.
||
{{FalseStatement}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====202-203====
||
* The genetic support for an Israelite presence in the New World is "slim to none"
||
* LDS scientists do not expect that such evidence would exist.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in the islands of the Pacific
||
* LDS scientists would not expect that such a signature exist.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in Central America
||
* LDS scientists would not expect that such a signature exist.
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
||
*
*Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* Apologists have chosen to reinterpret the statements of modern prophets regarding Book of Mormon geography
||
* The author needs some evidence for this statement.  Apologists and scholars have always pointed out that a ''variety'' of views have been expressed by leaders and members.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* Most Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were placed on the Earth 6000 years ago.
||
* ''Some'' Mormons do, but the Church has no official position on such matters.
* [[Evolution]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* Most Mormons believe that the Earth was re-colonized after the Flood
||
* ''Some'' Mormons believe this, others do not.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Flood}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* LDS apologists need to explain how people have lived in Australia and the New World separately for tens of thousands of years without evidence of a global flood having disturbed them
||
* Why must LDS apologists defend a global flood or its implications when a global flood is not an official doctrine of the Church?  FAIR is committed to the proposition that there are a ''variety'' of logical and intellectually plausible solutions to such issues, and does not believe that one must be entertained to the exclusion of others.
* [[Global or local Flood]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
 
====203====
||
* BYU professors have been "compelled to shrink the scale of the assumed Israelite incursion into the Americas"
||
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World/Limited Geography Theory|Book of Mormon limited geography theory]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====204====
||
* In 1938 Joseph Fielding Smith opposed a limited geography for the Book of Mormon.
||
*Why is this supposed to be significant? In 1984, the ''Ensign'' actually ''published'' the Limited Geography theory.
*[[Book of Mormon geography/Statements|Statements by Church leaders regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
||
*
*Unspecified statement by Joseph Fielding Smith in 1938.
|-
|
====204====
||
* The youth of the Church have been assured that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon to guide their research
||
* Any youth being told this is being misled.  Where is the author's evidence?
* [[Smithsonian statement on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====204====
||
* The Book of Mormon depicts the settlement of an area of the world that was previously unpopulated.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:No others}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====205====
||
* General Authorities tell members in certain areas of the world that they are the offspring of Lehi.
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*Author's conclusion based on preceding chapters.
|-
|
 
====205====
||
* The Church disregards people's own cultural history and local mythologies.
||
* [[Mormonism and native cultural traditions]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====205====
||
* The Church does not officially endorse apologetic scholarship
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====205====
||
* The Church officially tells members not to attempt to link the Book of Mormon to any geographical location
||
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Members discouraged}}
* [[Book of Mormon geography/New World#Is there an "official" or revealed geography?|Is there an "official" or revealed geography?]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====206====
||
* There is no evidence of a Hebrew influence in Mesoamerica.
||
* [[Hebrew and Native American languages]]
||
*
*Author's conclusion.
|-
|
====206====
||
* LDS apologists believe that the "miniscule Lehite colony" had no lasting impact on the Americas.
||
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence ]]
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
====206====
||
* LDS apologists are cut off from the larger church community because of differences in their beliefs.
||
*{{Absurd}}: Just for example, members of FAIR include current or former bishops, elders' quorum presidents, stake presidents, mission presidents, and area authority seventies.  How can these groups be described as "cut off from the larger church community"?
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====206====
||
* Millions of members feel a "familial bond" with Lehi that played a central role in their conversion to the church.
||
* [[Conversion and the Book of Mormon]] {{nw}}
* If members felt a spiritual witness of their connection to Lehi, this witness is confirmed by the findings of population genetics.
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}
||
*
*No source given.
|-
|
 
====206-207====
||
* The General Authorities have not found a way to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from real history
||
* [[Book of Mormon historicity]]
||
*
*Author's opinion.
|-
|
====207====
||
* The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals.
||
* The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals (or any other members) who break their covenants or undermine the faith of others.
* [[Mormonism_and_education/Education_and_belief|Education]] tends to increase, not decrease, activity rates and religious conviction in members of the Church of Jesus Christ.
* [[Excommunication of scholars]]
||
*
*No source given.
|}
 
==Endnotes==
#{{note|brigham.prophets}} {{CR1|author=Wilford Woodruff|date=October 1897|start=18-19}}
#{{note|hc.5.517}} {{HC1|vol=5|start=517}}
#{{note|southerton.1}} Simon Southerton, e-mail, “Answering the DNA apologetics,” 15 February 2005, 18h42 (copy in author’s possession).
#{{note|southerton.2}} Simon Southerton, e-mail, “Answering the DNA apologetics,” 15 February 2005, 18h42 (copy in author’s possession).
#{{note|md.33}} {{MD1|start=33}}
#{{note|oaks.1}} Dallin H. Oaks, "Historicity of the Book of Mormon," Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies Annual Dinner Provo, Utah, 29 October 1993; cited in Dallin H. Oaks, "The Historicity of the Book of Mormon," (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1994): 2&ndash;3.
 
==Further reading==
{{FAIRAnalysisWiki}}
 
{{Suggestions}}

Latest revision as of 00:36, 16 December 2016