My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

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_tapirrider
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _tapirrider »

why me wrote:
tapirrider wrote:
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSumma ... %931836#25
"he said the indians, were the literal descendants of Abraham"

The issue is not going to go away. LDS members who are ignoring it will find themselves seeming more and more foolish when trying to discuss it.


http://www.LDS.org/ensign/1991/01/of-th ... l?lang=eng

Next problem?


You have not made your point. The source you provided in fact indicates the very opposite of what you suggest. Another problem that LDS have not answered is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, 57:4. This canonized scripture alleges to be revelation from God, stating that the American Indians west of Missouri's border were Jews. Again, this is "literal descendants" as described in the link you provided.

Also D&C 107:40 states that literal descendants means from father to son, handed down. LDS attempts to excuse the lack of DNA markers ignore this succesive descendant requirement. The dilution theory in a vast pool of "others" is contrary to LDS scriptures in this case.
_Darth J
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _Darth J »

why me wrote:
tapirrider wrote:
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSumma ... %931836#25
"he said the indians, were the literal descendants of Abraham"

The issue is not going to go away. LDS members who are ignoring it will find themselves seeming more and more foolish when trying to discuss it.


http://www.LDS.org/ensign/1991/01/of-th ... l?lang=eng

Next problem?


From your Ensign article:

Hebrews is used to refer to those who are direct, literal descendants of Abraham.


The next problem is that American Indians are not Hebrews.
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _DrW »

tapirrider wrote: The dilution theory in a vast pool of "others" is contrary to LDS scriptures in this case.


The dilution theory is simply not viable in this case, anyway. It simply cannot explain the missing Lehite DNA, given the precision of mtDNA analysis and the large number and wide variety of relevant DNA samples that have been analyzed. With every sample that does not show pre-Columbian insertion Old World mtDNA into the founding Amerindian lineages, the door is closed more tightly on the claims of the Book of Mormon and the LDS Church.
Last edited by Guest on Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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_tapirrider
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _tapirrider »

why me wrote:
tapirrider wrote:
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSumma ... %931836#25
"he said the indians, were the literal descendants of Abraham"

The issue is not going to go away. LDS members who are ignoring it will find themselves seeming more and more foolish when trying to discuss it.


While identifying the Lamanites as some of the children of Abraham, President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:

“The Lamanite is a chosen child of God, but he is not the only chosen one. There are many other good people including the Anglos, the French, the German, and the English, who are also of Ephraim and Manasseh. They, with the Lamanites, are also chosen people, and they are a remnant of Jacob. The Lamanite is not wholly and exclusively the remnant of Jacob which the Book of Mormon talks about. We are all of Israel! We are of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph through Ephraim and Manasseh. We are all of us remnants of Jacob.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, pp. 600–601.)

We are all Lamanites. And as such we should unite. :=)


That is not what it says. It does not say "We are all Lamanites". It says that Manasseh is not exclusively Lamanite. But Lamanite is exclusively indigenous American (and Polynesian). Europeans are not indigenous Americans.
_tapirrider
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _tapirrider »

why me wrote:
DrW wrote:If faithful Mormons are not interested, it is because they have been conditioned to ignore facts and evidence that shows that their unfounded beliefs are not valid.

.


I think that most can rationalize it away. First, we have a small group of people landing on a shore and this small group of people mixed with the dominate populations over time. I have no idea just how much orginal dna would still be represented. And I think that for LDS, it is looking at the big picture. The Book of Mormon can work miracles in people's lives and at the end of the day, this Trump's science.


The problem with rationalizing it away using a "dominant population" is that it leads to a preadamite doctrine and requires discarding the universal flood. It is a very serious matter to label a group of people as not being from Adam and Eve. Without revelation from a living prophet, this is a risky path for individual LDS members to take. History shows that instead of "working miracles", the theory of people not being from Adam and Eve culminated most recently in the Holocaust. Is this really a suitable way to justify the Book of Mormon in the face of science?
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _bcspace »

The problem with rationalizing it away using a "dominant population" is that it leads to a preadamite doctrine and requires discarding the universal flood. It is a very serious matter to label a group of people as not being from Adam and Eve.


I don't think it's a problem. There doesn't seem to be any modern revelation on the extent of Flood. Hebraically from the Old Testament, the Flood could easily have been local. So I certainly don't think it unreasonable for the Church to have stuck with traditional christianity on the issue pending further revelation as to the details.

The Church itself doesn't seem to have a problem with pre Adamites as per the 1931 statement. Whether or not there were pre Adamite lines that passed by/around the garden and Adam and Eve doesn't seem to be of any consequence. The Church has already stated doctrinally that the rib story is "surely figurative" so while I believe Adam and Eve must be actual historical people, what other details are/are not figurative or metaphorical is generally not stated.
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_harmony
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _harmony »

bcspace wrote:The Church has already stated doctrinally that the rib story is "surely figurative" so while I believe Adam and Eve must be actual historical people, what other details are/are not figurative or metaphorical is generally not stated.


On what do you base your belief that Adam and Eve were actual people?
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _Brackite »

ldsfaqs wrote:Further, I find it funny Brent is actually confirming an LDS claim, that there were others. Of course, he only tells a half truth I'm assuming (haven't read the article) ignoring the fact that there were others of "unknown" lineage, not of Israelite.

Remember, Israelite is Twelve Tribes, not Lehi..... Thus, I find it funny Brent is actually supporting LDS scholarship here.



Were there others in the Promised land among the Nephites according to the Book of Mormon???
Let Us Go to 1st Nephi Chapter 18, Verse 25:

1 Nephi 18:

[25] And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.



If there were others within the Promised Land when Lehi and his family first arrived in the Promised Land, why didn't Nephi mentioned about them in this Passage???

In the Book of Omni, when the Nephites were commanded by the Lord to leave the land of Nephi, there is mentioning of the Nephites discovering a People.
Let us now go to the Book of Omni, Verses 12 through 16:

Omni 1:

[12] Behold, I am Amaleki, the son of Abinadom. Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of Zarahemla; for behold, he being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness --

[13] And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness, until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla.

[14] And they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla. Now, there was great rejoicing among the people of Zarahemla; and also Zarahemla did rejoice exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of Mosiah with the plates of brass which contained the record of the Jews.

[15] Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.

[16] And they journeyed in the wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.



The People here that the Nephites discovered were the People of Zarahemla (Sometimes called the Mulekites among a lot of the Latter-Day Saints.)



The Following is from the LDS Apologist, Jeff Lindsay's DNA Book of Mormon Web Site Page:

In reviewing a work of John Sorenson (Nephite Culture and Society: Selected Papers, Salt Lake City: New Sage Books, 1997), Brant A. Gardner notes additional factors that point to the presence of others that Lehi and his group almost certainly encountered upon coming to the Americas (Gardner, 2001; see also Brant Gardner's online article, "A Social History of the Early Nephites"). For example, 2 Nephi 5:5,6 lists people in Lehi's group who went with Nephi as he split from Laman and Lemuel and their followers. Nephi lists his family, Sam and his family, Zoram and his family, Jacob and Joseph, his sisters, "and all those who would go with me." He then explains that "all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words" (2 Nephi 5:6). It appears that Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, who had been antagonistic to Nephi, are those left behind. The group of unnamed "others" seems by necessity to have included people other than those who came with Nephi from Jerusalem. If there were only one or two others, we would expect Nephi to list them. It's hard to say how many there might have been, but perhaps members of a local hamlet or group of hamlets may have allied with the technologically superior Old World group, helping the latter to learn how to survive in the New World while benefiting from their technology (particularly knowledge of metals).


Link: http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/DNA.shtml



Is this really a correct interpretation of 2nd Nephi Chapter five, verses five and six? We Must Remember that the Prophet Nephi does Not mention any other People within 1st Nephi Chapter 18, Verse 25.
Here is that Scriptural Passage again:

1 Nephi 18:25:

[25] And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.




Let Us Now go to Jacob Chapter Seven, verse 26:

Jacob 7:26:

[26] And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.


(Italic Emphasized Mine.)



We can see by comparing 1st Nephi Chapter 18, verse 25 with Jacob Chapter Seven, verse 26 that the Passage of 2nd Nephi Chapter five, verses five and six does not mean what the LDS Apologist Jeff Lindsay wants it to mean. There were Not any "members of a local hamlet" that joined with the people of Nephi. The Prophet Jacob describes the people of Nephi as "being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem" towards the end of his life. We must conclude in light of the Passages of 1st Nephi Chapter 18, verse 25 with Jacob Chapter Seven, verse 26 that the Passage of 2nd Nephi Chapter five, verses five and six means that there were only one or two others, who went with the People of Nephi, who were Not any "members of a local hamlet" who went with the People of Nephi.
Please Remember that Scripture interprets Scripture.




The Following important information is from Wikipedia:

Haplogroup X is also one of the five haplogroups found in the indigenous peoples of the Americas.[6] Although it occurs only at a frequency of about 3% for the total current indigenous population of the Americas, it is a bigger haplogroup in northern North America, where among the Algonquian peoples it comprises up to 25% of mtDNA types.[7][8] It is also present in lesser percentages to the west and south of this area—among the Sioux (15%), the Nuu-Chah-Nulth (11%–13%), the Navajo (7%), and the Yakama (5%).[9]
Unlike the four main Native American mtDNA haplogroups (A, B, C, D), and the Y-chromosome sub-haplogroup Q1a3a, X is not at all strongly associated with East Asia. The main occurrence of X in Asia discovered so far is in the Altay people in Southwestern Siberia,[10] and detailed examination[4] has shown that the Altaian sequences are all almost identical (haplogroup X2e), suggesting that they arrived in the area probably from the South Caucasus more recently than 5,000 BP.


Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_X_(mtDNA)



Haplogroup X is the only one of the five haplogroups found within the indigenous Peoples of the Americas that is not strongly associated with Eastern Asian. Haplogroups A, B, C, and D are all strongly associated with Eastern Asia.


in my opinion, The most damning evidence against John Sorenson's Isthmus of Tehuantepec Setting for the Book of Mormon are the DNA Results that have been Published from the Native Mesoamericans from Mexico. Out of one of the Published DNA Results, which consisted of 477 individuals from the Native Mesoamericans from Mexico, 241 of them belonged to haplogroup A2, 136 of them belonged to haplogroup C1, 84 of them belonged to haplogroup B2, 13 of them belonged to haplogroup D1, two of them belonged to haplogroup D4h3, while just one of them belonged to an European haplogroup.
Haplogroup X has Not been found within any of the indigenous Peoples that live South of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.


Linguistic and maternal genetic diversity are not correlated in Native Mexicans:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... =pmcentrez
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_bcspace
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _bcspace »

The Church has already stated doctrinally that the rib story is "surely figurative" so while I believe Adam and Eve must be actual historical people, what other details are/are not figurative or metaphorical is generally not stated.

On what do you base your belief that Adam and Eve were actual people?


Besides LDS doctrine? The notion that the rest of the doctrine, even if figurative, doesn't seem to work without Adam and Eve being actual people.
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Re: My First Encounters with Institutional Mormonism

Post by _why me »

Brackite wrote:

Were there others in the Promised land among the Nephites according to the Book of Mormon???
Let Us Go to 1st Nephi Chapter 18, Verse 25:

1 Nephi 18:

[25] And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.



If there were others within the Promised Land when Lehi and his family first arrived in the Promised Land, why didn't Nephi mentioned about them in this Passage???



He forgot? It wasn't important? He was writing on gold plates and did not feel like it? The book is an abridgement and perhaps it was on the unabridged version?
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