[Cato1]

The Catholic Church has to work harder to teach the faith to its members so that they are not suceptible to silly stories about jews migrating to latin america on boats in 600 AD. Kind of like UFO's. If you make up a story so fantastic that it cannot be proved false or true, and wrap it in biblical ethics that were the basis of most peoples worldview, you can start a religion. L. Ron Hubbard is widely rumored to have said "The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion."

[gondramB]

The Catholic church should just show them the South Park episode on Joseph smith..... Dum dum Dum Dum...

[PaxMacian]

Nobody is taking into account that Washington and others committed multiple genocide in the north. Entire tribes were annihilated, men, women and children.

[AppyPappy]

DNA testing telling us what we already know

[Old Seadog]

"You mean I don't have to trade in my headress for a yarmulke?"

[Ma3lst0rm]

The book of Mormon is a lie. It has been proven so many times.
That aside I love Mormons and they have impressed me as some of the most devout and moral religious people I know but I believe they are devoutly wrong in hanging onto a book written by a con man.

The mythology of Mormonism is vast and starting with the seer stones that Smith managed to translate letter by letter into King James style English from Egyptian tablets really leaves the core of Smith's account empty as an obvious half-plagiarized fantasy. One could easily go on and talk about demon protecting underwear, baptizing the dead, and Quakers on the moon.

Joseph Smith crafted what could be best described as "historical" fiction with a scifi twist. Here is a good link for those who are interested.

http://sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/miscoh07.htm

One of my relatives wrote an equally fictional "bible" called Oahspe.

http://archives.nmsu.edu/exhibits/shalam2/shalam1.html

[ConservativeMind]

A good article on the DNA stuff I'd heard about.

The Mormon faith has many more problems that discredit it beyond this controversy. At least its members are generally decent people.

[snarks_when_bored]

How many religions have been started by delusional narcissistic egomaniacs? I guess it's best not to start a list...

[Pharmboy]

DNA never lies ping...

[martin_fierro]

	Genetic Genealogy
Send FReepmail if you want on/off GGP list Marty = Paternal Haplogroup O(2?)(M175)
GG LINKS: African Ancestry DNAPrint Genomics FamilyTree DNA mitosearch Nat'l Geographic Genographic Project Oxford Ancestors RelativeGenetics Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Trace Genetics ybase ysearch
The List of Ping Lists

[Utah Girl]

Most of us who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints didn't realize the foundations were challenged until we read this article in the Los Angeles Times last month, which was posted here at FR: Bedrock of a Faith Is Jolted. If you would like to read an article about DNA and the Book of Mormon, this is a good one to start with: DNA and the Book of Mormon. And here is another essay from Jeff Lindsay who links even more articles by authors who Does DNA evidence refute the Book of Mormon?". And from the official news site of the LDS church, DNA and the Book of Mormon. I know that Hugh Hewitt interviewed William Lobdell on his program (Lobdell was the author of the LA Times article.) And a week later, Hewitt did interview Dr Daniel Peterson from BYU and Dr John Butler who is a project leader at the Human Identity DNA Technologies Group, Biotechnology Division for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Other side of the Book of Mormon DNA debate.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

bookmark for later.

[hlmencken3]

A certain kind of religious mind is completely undeterred by facts or common sense. DNA evidence won't be accepted by Mormon true believers any more than it will be accepted by our 'BritAm' FReepers.

[Alex Murphy]

Ping, after I go to the concession stand...

[caseinpoint]

So, if you can't prove scriptural claims by scientific evidence, that means that claim is false? Tread carefully, Bible believers, because scientific evidence is not especially kind to Biblical claims either. Or maybe you can point to hard scientific evidence of a worldwide flood. Have scientists found the Noah haplotype through which, according to the Bible, all modern people descend? If you believe claims that 30,000 year old DNA refutes the Book of Mormon, what does that do to the Adam claim? Since there's no scientific proof of the presence of Israelites in Egypt or of their migration across the Sinai, does that mean it didn't happen? Scientists also dispute any evidence of an extensive David/Solomon kingdom in the middle east--according to your standard, that means it didn't happen? Was Christ not resurrected because there is no objective scientific proof it happened?

Or do you think it is all right to use scientific evidence, especially negative (can't prove it) evidence to refute only those religious claims with which you don't believe? Be consistent. If Mormonism lives or dies according to current scientific evidence, then Christianity as a whole should do so also.

Faith means just that. It requires faith and that means science will never, in this mortal existence, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that religion is true or false because then faith is not necessary.

[dread78645]

GGG Ping

[SunkenCiv]

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Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church by Simon G. Southerton

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I wonder if there's one about "The Donation of Constantine"? ;')

[george wythe]

I love these American cults; they provide a never ending source of entertainment.

This week in South Park, the Super Adventure Club [SAC] brainwashed Chef into becoming a pedophile. The SAC cult sounded like a mixture of Scientology and Children of God.

Since so many Freepers belong to cults like Mormonism, these thread exposing cults are usually moved to Religion or Chat forum, or deleted altogether.