View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14

{{FairMormon}}  
{{H1
|L={{check}}
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 14: Moving the Spirit"
|S=
|L1=
|T=[[../../|Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church]]
|A=Simon G. Southerton
|<=[[../Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
|>=
}}
{{ChartLosingChapter14}}
==Quick Navigation==
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 199 - No Semitic languages have been found in the New World|Response to claim: 199 - No Semitic languages have been found in the New World]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 199 - No wheeled chariots or horses to pull them have been found in the New World|Response to claim: 199 - No wheeled chariots or horses to pull them have been found in the New World]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 199 - No swords or steel have been found in the New World|Response to claim: 199 - No swords or steel have been found in the New World]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 200 - The Israelites of the Book of Mormon made no noticeable contribution to the native gene pool in the New World or in Polynesia|Response to claim: 200 - The Israelites of the Book of Mormon made no noticeable contribution to the native gene pool in the New World or in Polynesia]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the Book of Mormon is from reality"|Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the Book of Mormon is from reality"]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the apologists have strayed from traditional Mormon beliefs"|Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the apologists have strayed from traditional Mormon beliefs"]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 201 - The author presents a supposition that the Church as a history of ancient America may some day be de-emphasized|Response to claim: 201 - The author presents a supposition that the Church as a history of ancient America may some day be de-emphasized]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 202 - A limited Book of Mormon setting has "not been granted the church's official blessing in any way"|Response to claim: 202 - A limited Book of Mormon setting has "not been granted the church's official blessing in any way"]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 202 - The general membership would not believe a limited Book of Mormon geography|Response to claim: 202 - The general membership would not believe a limited Book of Mormon geography]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 202 - Millions of Mormons believe that Lehi stands at the head of their own family pedigrees|Response to claim: 202 - Millions of Mormons believe that Lehi stands at the head of their own family pedigrees]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 202b - The work of LDS apologists is not discussed in any public forum sponsored by the Church|Response to claim: 202b - The work of LDS apologists is not discussed in any public forum sponsored by the Church]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 202-203 - The genetic support for an Israelite presence in the New World is "slim to none"|Response to claim: 202-203 - The genetic support for an Israelite presence in the New World is "slim to none"]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in the islands of the Pacific|Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in the islands of the Pacific]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in Central America|Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in Central America]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - Apologists have chosen to reinterpret the statements of modern prophets regarding Book of Mormon geography|Response to claim: 203 - Apologists have chosen to reinterpret the statements of modern prophets regarding Book of Mormon geography]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were placed on the Earth 6000 years ago|Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were placed on the Earth 6000 years ago]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that the Earth was re-colonized after the Flood|Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that the Earth was re-colonized after the Flood]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 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|Response to claim: 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]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 203 - BYU professors have been "compelled to shrink the scale of the assumed Israelite incursion into the Americas"|Response to claim: 203 - BYU professors have been "compelled to shrink the scale of the assumed Israelite incursion into the Americas"]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 204 - In 1938 Joseph Fielding Smith opposed a limited geography for the Book of Mormon|Response to claim: 204 - In 1938 Joseph Fielding Smith opposed a limited geography for the Book of Mormon]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 204 - The youth of the Church have been assured that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon to guide their research|Response to claim: 204 - The youth of the Church have been assured that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon to guide their research]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 204 - The Book of Mormon depicts the settlement of an area of the world that was previously unpopulated|Response to claim: 204 - The Book of Mormon depicts the settlement of an area of the world that was previously unpopulated]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 205 - General Authorities tell members in certain areas of the world that they are the offspring of Lehi|Response to claim: 205 - General Authorities tell members in certain areas of the world that they are the offspring of Lehi]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 205 - The Church disregards people's own cultural history and local mythologies|Response to claim: 205 - The Church disregards people's own cultural history and local mythologies]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 205 - The Church does not officially endorse apologetic scholarship|Response to claim: 205 - The Church does not officially endorse apologetic scholarship]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 205 - The Church officially tells members not to attempt to link the Book of Mormon to any geographical location|Response to claim: 205 - The Church officially tells members not to attempt to link the Book of Mormon to any geographical location]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 206 - There is no evidence of a Hebrew influence in Mesoamerica|Response to claim: 206 - There is no evidence of a Hebrew influence in Mesoamerica]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists believe that the "miniscule Lehite colony" had no lasting impact on the Americas|Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists believe that the "miniscule Lehite colony" had no lasting impact on the Americas]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists are cut off from the larger church community because of differences in their beliefs|Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists are cut off from the larger church community because of differences in their beliefs]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 206 - Millions of members feel a "familial bond" with Lehi that played a central role in their conversion to the church|Response to claim: 206 - Millions of members feel a "familial bond" with Lehi that played a central role in their conversion to the church]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 206-207 - The General Authorities have not found a way to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from real history|Response to claim: 206-207 - The General Authorities have not found a way to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from real history]]
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Chapter 14#Response to claim: 207 - The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals|Response to claim: 207 - The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals]]
{{parabreak}}

==Response to claim: 199 - No Semitic languages have been found in the New World==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
No Semitic languages have been found in the New World.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|Nobody is expecting to find Semitic languages in the New World.
}}
{{:Question: Is finding links between Hebrew and ancient American languages realistic?}}
{{:Question: Have any relationships been found between New World languages and Hebrew?}}

==Response to claim: 199 - No wheeled chariots or horses to pull them have been found in the New World==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
No wheeled chariots or horses to pull them have been found in the New World.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|''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.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Horses}}
{{:Question: In what context are chariots mentioned in the Book of Mormon?}}
{{:Source:Gardner:SecondWitness:4:287:Mesoamerican king, litter and battle beast}}

==Response to claim: 199 - No swords or steel have been found in the New World==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
No swords or steel have been found in the New World.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{disinformation|Swords are well-known in the New World, just not European-style swords.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Steel}}
{{:Question: What was known about steel in ancient America?}}
{{:Source:Madden et al:How the Iron Age Began:Scientific American 237:4:by the beginning of the tenth century B.C. blacksmiths were intentionally steeling iron}}
{{:Source:Roper:Laban’s Sword of “Most Precious Steel”:Sophisticated iron technology}}
{{:Source:Roper:Laban’s Sword of “Most Precious Steel”:archaeologists have discovered a carburized iron sword near Jericho}}
{{:Source:Sorenson:JBMS 15:2:By 1400 BC, smiths in Armenia had discovered how to carburize iron by prolonged heating in contact with carbon}}
{{:Source:Hamblin:Steel in the Book of Mormon:there are no references to Nephite steel after 400 B.C.}}

==Response to claim: 200 - The Israelites of the Book of Mormon made no noticeable contribution to the native gene pool in the New World or in Polynesia==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Israelites of the Book of Mormon made no noticeable contribution to the native gene pool in the New World or in Polynesia
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{information}}
{{:Source:Book of Mormon and DNA Studies:Gospel Topics:Basic principles of population genetics suggest the need for a more careful approach to the data}}
{{:Questions: What are the criticisms related to the Book of Mormon and DNA?}}

==Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the Book of Mormon is from reality"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the Book of Mormon is from reality"
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{propaganda|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.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}
{{:Question: Do Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon describes real historical events?}}

==Response to claim: 200 - Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the apologists have strayed from traditional Mormon beliefs"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Many LDS are disquieted by "how far the apologists have strayed from traditional Mormon beliefs"
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{propaganda|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}}

==Response to claim: 201 - The author presents a supposition that the Church as a history of ancient America may some day be de-emphasized==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The author presents a supposition that the Church as a history of ancient America may some day be de-emphasized.
|authorsources=
*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).
}}
{{propaganda|This is pure speculation.
}}

==Response to claim: 202 - A limited Book of Mormon setting has "not been granted the church's official blessing in any way"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
A limited Book of Mormon setting has "not been granted the church's official blessing in any way."
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{disinformation|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://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/09/digging-into-the-book-of-mormon-our-changing-understanding-of-ancient-america-and-its-scripture?lang=eng}} For second part of the article, see {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/10/digging-into-the-book-of-mormon-our-changing-understanding-of-ancient-america-and-its-scripture-part-2?lang=eng}}

Dallin H. Oaks reminisced about his time at BYU, and noted:
<blockquote>
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>{{Paper:Oaks:Historicity and the Book of Mormon}}</ref>
</blockquote>

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.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}

==Response to claim: 202 - The general membership would not believe a limited Book of Mormon geography==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The general membership would not believe a limited Book of Mormon geography.
|authorsources=
Author's opinion.	
}}
{{disinformation|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.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Most Mormons}}

==Response to claim: 202 - Millions of Mormons believe that Lehi stands at the head of their own family pedigrees==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Millions of Mormons believe that Lehi stands at the head of their own family pedigrees.
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{propaganda|"Millions" may be an exaggeration.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}

==Response to claim: 202b - The work of LDS apologists is not discussed in any public forum sponsored by the Church==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The work of LDS apologists is not discussed in any public forum sponsored by the Church.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{disinformation|This is false. The FairMormon Conference is discussed in the Deseret News and the Church News.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}

==Response to claim: 202-203 - The genetic support for an Israelite presence in the New World is "slim to none"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The genetic support for an Israelite presence in the New World is "slim to none."
|authorsources=
Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
}}
{{information|LDS scientists do not expect that such evidence would exist.
}}
{{:Question: How does one identify "Jewish" or "Middle Eastern" DNA?}}

==Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in the islands of the Pacific==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in the islands of the Pacific.
|authorsources=
Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
}}
{{misinformation|LDS scientists would not expect that such a signature exists. LDS apologists aren't even attempting to find an "Israelite genetic signature" in the Pacific islands.
}}

==Response to claim: 203 - Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in Central America==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Apologists are unable to find an Israelite genetic signature in Central America.
|authorsources=
Author's conclusion based upon preceding chapters.
}}
{{misinformation|LDS apologists aren't even attempting to find an "Israelite genetic signature" in Central America.
}}

==Response to claim: 203 - Apologists have chosen to reinterpret the statements of modern prophets regarding Book of Mormon geography==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Apologists have chosen to reinterpret the statements of modern prophets regarding Book of Mormon geography.
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{propaganda|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}}

==Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were placed on the Earth 6000 years ago==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Most Mormons believe that Adam and Eve were placed on the Earth 6000 years ago.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|''Some'' Mormons do, but the Church has no official position on such matters.
}}
{{:Source:Brigham Young:JD 14:116:whether the Lord...made the earth in six days or in as many millions of years, is and will remain a matter of speculation}}
{{:Source:John S. Lewis:Interpreter 8:71:Considering that Doctrine and Covenants 77:6 refers to “…this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence,” what led Phelps to speak of Earth as 2,555 million years old?}}
{{:Source:Improvement Era 1909 regards an ancient earth as consistent with scripture}}
{{:Source: John A. Widtsoe in ''Improvement Era'' 1909 on the age of the earth}}
{{:Source: Charles W. Penrose in ''Improvement Era'' 1909 on the age of the earth}}

==Response to claim: 203 - Most Mormons believe that the Earth was re-colonized after the Flood==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Most Mormons believe that the Earth was re-colonized after the Flood.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|''Some'' Mormons believe this, others do not.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Flood}}

==Response to claim: 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==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
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.
|authorsources=
Author's opinion.
}}
{{propaganda|Why must LDS apologists defend a global flood or its implications when a global flood is not an official doctrine of the Church?  FairMormon 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.
}}
{{:Question: How do Latter-day Saints reconcile scriptural accounts of the Flood of Noah with scientific evidence of continuous human habitation on the earth?}}

==Response to claim: 203 - BYU professors have been "compelled to shrink the scale of the assumed Israelite incursion into the Americas"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
BYU professors have been "compelled to shrink the scale of the assumed Israelite incursion into the Americas"
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{propaganda|The only thing that has "compelled" them to do so is a careful reading of the Book of Mormon text itself, and this has been going on since the 1920s, long before "BYU professors" were involved.
}}

==Response to claim: 204 - In 1938 Joseph Fielding Smith opposed a limited geography for the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
In 1938 Joseph Fielding Smith opposed a limited geography for the Book of Mormon.
|authorsources=
Unspecified statement by Joseph Fielding Smith in 1938.	
}}
{{propaganda|Why is this supposed to be significant? In 1984, the ''Ensign'' actually ''published'' the Limited Geography theory.
}}

==Response to claim: 204 - The youth of the Church have been assured that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon to guide their research==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The youth of the Church have been assured that the Smithsonian uses the Book of Mormon to guide their research.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{disinformation|Any youth being told this is being misled. There is nothing in the Church curriculum that states this. Where is the author's evidence?
}}
{{:Question: Does the Smithsonian Institution send out a letter regarding the use of the Book of Mormon as a guide for archaeological research?}}

==Response to claim: 204 - The Book of Mormon depicts the settlement of an area of the world that was previously unpopulated==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Book of Mormon depicts the settlement of an area of the world that was previously unpopulated.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|The Book of Mormon describes a land that was kept from others. The extent of this land is not specified. The author assumes that this reference is to the entire North and South American continents.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:No others}}

==Response to claim: 205 - General Authorities tell members in certain areas of the world that they are the offspring of Lehi==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
General Authorities tell members in certain areas of the world that they are the offspring of Lehi.
|authorsources=
Author's conclusion based on preceding chapters.	
}}
{{information|That is correct. Assuming that Lehi existed and that his descendants entered the existing population of ancient America, then at this point everyone living in those areas of the world have Lehi among their ancestors. He is not, however, their ''exclusive'' ancestor.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:All from Lehi}}

==Response to claim: 205 - The Church disregards people's own cultural history and local mythologies==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Church disregards people's own cultural history and local mythologies.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{disinformation|The only cultural traditions that the Church would "disregard" would be those that are inconsistent with becoming followers of Jesus Christ. The Church actually ''values'' cultural traditions among its various members around the world.
}}
{{:Question: Does the Church disregard people's own cultural traditions?}}

==Response to claim: 205 - The Church does not officially endorse apologetic scholarship==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Church does not officially endorse apologetic scholarship
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{disinformation|"Apologetic scholarship," as the author puts it, has been published in the ''Ensign'', the ''Church News'', the ''Deseret News'' and on LDS.org.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Apologists not official}}

==Response to claim: 205 - The Church officially tells members not to attempt to link the Book of Mormon to any geographical location==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Church officially tells members not to attempt to link the Book of Mormon to any geographical location.
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{misinformation|This is incorrect. The Church emphasizes the spiritual value of the Book of Mormon, and does not encourage attempts to link its geography to a real world location. However, the Church does not tell its members not to attempt it.
}}
{{CriticalWork:Southerton:Losing:Repeat:Members discouraged}}

==Response to claim: 206 - There is no evidence of a Hebrew influence in Mesoamerica==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
There is no evidence of a Hebrew influence in Mesoamerica.
|authorsources=
Author's conclusion.	
}}
{{misinformation}}
{{:Question: Have any relationships been found between New World languages and Hebrew?}}

==Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists believe that the "miniscule Lehite colony" had no lasting impact on the Americas==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
LDS apologists believe that the "miniscule Lehite colony" had no lasting impact on the Americas.
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{disinformation|LDS apologists believe that the Lehite colony had a ''cultural'' impact on the Americas, not a genetic impact.
}}

==Response to claim: 206 - LDS apologists are cut off from the larger church community because of differences in their beliefs==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
LDS apologists are cut off from the larger church community because of differences in their beliefs.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{propaganda|This claim is absolutely 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}}

==Response to claim: 206 - Millions of members feel a "familial bond" with Lehi that played a central role in their conversion to the church==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
Millions of members feel a "familial bond" with Lehi that played a central role in their conversion to the church.
|authorsources=
No source given.
}}
{{information|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}}

==Response to claim: 206-207 - The General Authorities have not found a way to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from real history==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The General Authorities have not found a way to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from real history.
|authorsources=
Author's opinion.
}}
{{propaganda|That is because the General Authorities believe that the events in the Book of Mormon actually happened: They are not even ''attempting'' to detach or reinterpret the Book of Mormon from "real" history.
}}

==Response to claim: 207 - The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Losing a Lost Tribe
|claim=
The Church takes a "dim view" of scientists and intellectuals.
|authorsources=
No source given.	
}}
{{propaganda|No, 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.
}}

{{endnotes sources}}



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