DNA and the Book of Mormon

Deception 3

An example of Joel Kramer’s intentional neglect of the proper scientific process is his initial assumption—that the Mormons believe that all the Indians in North, South, and Central America come from the Lamanites...that there were no other humans on the North and South American continent when Lehi and his family arrived. This is understood as the “Global Colonization Hypothesis.” Joel Kramer grasped this hypothesis into his theory that is not believed by knowledgeable Mormons. The statement used by Joel Kramer to support his “Global Colonization Hypothesis” is from the introduction page of The Book of Mormon and states: “After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”

An article named “Before DNA”, written by John L. Sorenson and Matthew Roper, both LDS Church members, reminds the readers that this statement first appeared in the 1981 edition of The Book of Mormon and is “(1) is not found in scripture, (2) was never used by Joseph Smith, and (3) did not appear in any previous edition of The Book of Mormon.”

I do not propose that this statement is wrong; I propose that Joel Kramer uses this “Global Colonization Hypothesis” because it is easy to prove wrong. Joel Kramer briefly mentions another possible hypothesis that is called the “Local Colonization Hypothesis” but he totally ignores it in his research. There are two reasons why Joel Kramer ignores the “Local Colonization Hypothesis.” One is because it is the theory that the knowledgeable Mormons believe is correct and two is because using only the “Global Colonization Hypothesis” is the only way he can arrive at his own predetermined conclusion.

NOTE: It is understandable and accepted by the Mormon Church that a person first reading The Book of Mormon that has no knowledge of the current archeological findings for The Book of Mormon could possibly believe the “Global Colonization Hypothesis.” Once a person who studies all the possibilities, he/she will accept the “Local Colonization Hypothesis” as the most probable hypothesis.

It is also accepted that there have been LDS leaders who have commented on the American Indians being descendants of the Lamanites. I challenge Joel Kramer to find any LDS leaders who have stated that the American Indians are all the blood descendants of the Lamanites.

It is correct and acceptable to identify a group of different people as one entity. An example is identifying Americans as all the people in the North, Central, and South America. Even though many people have come from Europe, Africa, and the Orient, they still are Americans. Like the Lamanites of The Book of Mormon who became backwards tribes’ people, most of the American Indians were tribes’ people without the benefit of a written language with modern technology (similar to the written languages and technology of the European people).

It is a fact that in The Book of Mormon the Lord promises that the descendants of the Lamanites, in the last days, will blossom like a rose. The LDS leaders who have commented on all the American Indians in North, Central, and South America are descendants of the Lamanites have basically included that it will be all the American Indians who will participate or receive the blessings spoken of in The Book of Mormon.

Deception 2	Deception 4
INTRODUCTION | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | CONCLUSION | APPENDIX