"Interesting DNA on mis-Mormonisms" Part II

Officially, the Mormon Church says that nothing in the Mormon scriptures is incompatible with DNA evidence, and that the genetic studies are being twisted to attack the church.

"We would hope that church members would not simply buy into the latest DNA arguments being promulgated by those who oppose the church for some reason or other," said Michael Otterson, a Salt Lake City-based spokesman for the Mormon church.

"The truth is, the Book of Mormon will never be proved or disproved by science," he said.

Unofficially, church leaders have tacitly approved an alternative interpretation of the Book of Mormon by church apologists — a term used for scholars who defend the faith.

The apologists say Southerton and others are relying on a traditional reading of the Book of Mormon — that the Hebrews were the first and sole inhabitants of the New World and eventually populated the North and South American continents.

The latest scholarship, they argue, shows that the text should be interpreted differently. They say the events described in the Book of Mormon were confined to a small section of Central America, and that the Hebrew tribe was small enough that its DNA was swallowed up by the existing Native Americans.

"It would be a virtual certainly that their DNA would be swamped," said Daniel Peterson, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, part of the worldwide Mormon educational system, and editor of a magazine devoted to Mormon apologetics. "And if that is the case, you couldn't tell who was a Lamanite descendant."

Southerton said the new interpretation was counter to both a plain reading of the text and the words of Mormon leaders.

"The apologists feel that they are almost above the prophets," Southerton said. "They have completely reinvented the narrative in a way that would be completely alien to members of the church and most of the prophets."

The church has not formally endorsed the apologists' views, but the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — http://www.lds.org — cites their work and provides links to it.

Reactions have varied among the faithful. One said, "There's not very much in life — not only in religion or any field of inquiry — where you can feel you have all the answers. I'm willing to live in ambiguity. I don't get that bothered by things I can't resolve in a week." Phil Ormsby, a Polynesian who grew up believing he was a Hebrew had a different reaction: "Some days I am angry, and some days I feel pity. I feel pity for my people who have become obsessed with something that is nothing but a hoax."

February 23, 2006

Dear Frank,

Thanks Frank for this interesting article. I am amazed at how faith has shifted in almost all our cultures from being - Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" to trusting only science to reveal the things which cannot be seen. What many disregard is that if the eye can see it and science proves/disproves it then trusting or having faith in such a thing is not faith any longer but transcends itself to human knowledge and sometimes wisdom. Man's curiousity compels him to seek out truth wherever he may and when science cannot adequately answer man's quest for truth then man is often relegated to relying once again on a kind of faith, however blind it may be. Darwinists have faith and their science has become not unlike a religion. Mormons too have a religious faith but their faith is without substance because in both cases, neither of the two use the Word of God to prove or disprove their beliefs and/or revelations. Nothing is confirmed in Mormanism by what we know and learn in the historical Hebrew accounts (Old & New Testament) and everything that Darwinists propose is sharply contrasted by what Scripture records and Jesus declares.

Therefore, Mormons live by a faith which cannot be substantiated or confirmed by any other witnesses. Their faith is as dead as a Darwinist faith because neither produces a Christ-like conversion. I call this dead faith and it is not unlike what devils have. A True faith however is one that transforms a believer into a Godfearing person made useful to glorify all the things that are truly of God. That's why we call a Christ-centered faith a "living faith." A living faith is most easily substantiated by historical accounts, many witnesses and also good science but is not dependent on the virtues of science to confirm it's validity. The way that I understand faith... it cannot be measured in a laboratory but is measured by the standards, patterns and testimonies found in the Word of God. Thus, the Word of God remains to be the only measuring rod to determine if one's faith is valid or not.

That being the case... the Word of God disproves all of what the Book of Mormon declares and needs no science to strengthen the case against Mormonism. Mormonism is just simply another occult like all of mankinds other religions have become. Religion therefore is the enemy where faith in Christ became our only salvation. Do we trust (have faith in) the many divided churches? -or- Do we trust (have faith in)Jesus and His example implicitly? Where does one's faith truly dwell?

The very name the Mormons took for their Temple Assembly is an oxymoron of GREAT magnatude! Oh, there are latter day saints that dwell among us and they are surrendered disciples to Christ alone but what they are not is the Mormon Church. The Mormon Church is yet another diseased branch of apostasy. There is NO SALVATION in their doctrines or perverted beliefs.

Thanks again for writing and sharing this article. I will gladly pass this on to Rita and share it with her.

With all sincerity and love for the truth and our scattered brethren abroad,

Nicholas A. Stivers, humbled God fearing man, scribe and messenger.
Author; Apostasy Revealed published 2003 by Mountainview Publishing ISBN: 1-928602-92-4
http://nicholasscrolls.cephasministry.com
http://abide-in-truth-events.cephasministry.com/
http://cephasministry.com

From: Frank Fields
To: Nicholas A Stivers
Subject: " Interesting DNA on Mormonism."
Date: Mar 27, 2006 6:23 AM

May God bless you and your family Nick. Thanks for sharing the Good News. Be encouraged and never let the fire of truth be dimmed. The information on the book is timely. Just last week a young pastor tried to get as much details as possible on Mormonism because he saw Mormons inviting friends of his to a social gathering.

Thanks again!
Frank.