Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Paperback)

by Simon G. Southerton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
From the time of its publication in 1830, both the Book of Mormon and its translator, Joseph Smith Jr., have been the focus of admiration as well as criticism. The book's account of pre-Christian journeys from the Middle East to the Americas and subsequent identification of North American indigenous populations with Israelite tribes was not uncommon among Smith's contemporaries. Southerton, an Australian molecular scientist, explores these claims from a scientific standpoint and concludes that there is no evidence of Israelite descent among American Indians, Polynesians or others identified as ancestors of Book of Mormon peoples. Discussions about genetics and heredity can be a bit impenetrable to the nonscientist, but these constitute only part of the book. The author, raised Mormon but no longer a believer, uses the DNA issue to launch an attack on both bad science and what he perceives as widespread racism in the LDS Church. He blames the Book of Mormon for what he calls the church's "insidious view of a superior white race." Southerton proffers a book that is part scientific exploration and part anti-Mormon polemic, so it's likely to be closely studied by the Mormon apologetic community. Readers will decide for themselves how credible his arguments are.
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Product Description
The Book of Mormon narrates voyages to the Americas by ancient Israelites. "2 Nephi 1:9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; [The Americas] and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves" The descendants of these ancient seafarers are said to be the tribes of Native Americans who were on hand to greet Columbus, the Spanish Conquistadors, and the Pilgrims. Israelites are also said to be the ancestors of the Polynesians.

Enter DNA. With the advent of molecular genealogy, scientists now have a tool to test hypotheses about Indian origins, previously based on skull shapes, blood types, linguistics, and cultural studies. By means of DNA genealogy, Native Americans have been traced to an area surrounding Lake Baikal in Siberia before their migration to the New World over 14,000 years ago. The evidence is definitive and unequivocal.

What do Latter-day Saint scientists have to say about this? Is it possible that a few, not all, Native Americans could be of Israelite origin? Could Polynesians represent an admixture of Southeast Asian and Israelite heritage? Professors at Brigham Young University are proposing a radical new reinterpretation of the Book of Mormon to accommodate this new field of science.

Explaining the scientific and theological issues in this debate is Dr. Simon Southerton, a molecular geneticist from Australia. He particularly responds to the issues raised by the BYU professors such as the implications of the mysterious lineage X, absent in Mesoamerica, and supposed anomalies in the genetic picture such as Kennewick Man and even the genetic history of the lowly sweet potato. Having been raised Mormon, Southerton knows the theological side of the issue as intimately as he knows the science.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Signature Books; 3rd Printing edition (August 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560851813
• ISBN-13: 978-1560851813
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #420,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Losing a Lost Tribe , October 9, 2004

By	Steven R. Clark (Happy Valley, Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After having just read "Losing a Lost Tribe" from cover to cover I give Dr. Southerton's research and writing a well deserved five star rating.

The author demystifies and simplifies what the Mormon apologists mystify and complicate. For example Southerton asks this basic but brilliant question. "Ten centuries ago a handful of Norse sailors slipped into Newfoundland, established small colonies, traded with local natives, the sailed back into the fog of history. In spite of the small scale of their settlements and the brevity of their stay, unequivocal evidence of their presence has been found. Just six centuries earlier the Book of Mormon tells us, a climactic battle between fair-skinned Nephites and dark-skinned Lamanites ended a millennial dominion by a literate, Christian, Bronze Age civilization with a population numbering in the millions. Decades of serious and honest scholarship have failed to uncover credible evidence that these Book of Mormon civilizations ever existed. How is it that they remain a great civilization vanished without a trace, the people along with their genes?" (page 199)

From Southerton's expert vantage point he vividly describes the widening three-way chasm between Latter-day prophets, their own BYU based apologists and their faithful flock The DNA science that Southerton clearly lays out is forcing the Mormon prophets, apologists and LDS adherents to bend themselves into pretzel like positions in order to maintain their faith and keep their church in a more politically correct big business.

After reading Southerton's account I liken the conflict brewing between the current Mormon prophet Gordon B. Hinckley and BYU's FARMS to the maneuvering in a professional wrestling tag-team match where opponents fail to pin the other down while the faithful fans cheer them on. The bluffing bravado between the opponents smacks of image cosmetics lacking any substance to the event itself. However, there indeed may be a continuing entertainment factor in watching subsequent rounds of this comedy of errors. In my opinion Southerton's DNA science "body slams" both rivals.

Southerton displays a keen sensitivity toward Native Americans ethnicity and culture while the Book of Mormon treats these people as objects of a "1820's frontier whiteman" racial bias and prejudice. After contemplating the author's writings I recommend that the LDS Church offer a written official apology to the hundreds indigenous nations of the Western Hemisphere for hoisting such Book of Mormon insults and racial slurs upon them. Sadly, the book after which Mormonism obtained its name sake may become its own "darkened curse."

Ironically Southerton's work points out how the Mormon Church views science as an enemy to the Book of Mormon tradition rather than as a liberating tool of truth. Unfortunately current Mormon leaders interpret DNA as "Do Not Acknowledge."

I commend Dr. Southerton for the personal courage required to publicly disavow his LDS faith of origin rather than sweep his discoveries under the proverbial carpet.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simon knows his stuff, September 20, 2004

By	Moroni's Little Helper - See all my reviews

LDS "wannabe" marine's histrionic meltdown notwithstanding, Southerton's book lays out clearly, concisely, and accurately the case against the Book of Mormon being the literal history of a group of Israelites in the Western Hemisphere from 600 BCE to 421 CE. Use of DNA testing has put the final nail in the BoM as historical text's coffin. Previous efforts to find archaelogical and linguistic support for the book have failed, with one noted investigator losing his faith and cursing its founder. Southerton's book should give faithful Mormons cause to evaluate their faith and reconsider assumptions about the book's historicity.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Mormon, DNA, and Native Americans, September 1, 2006

By	Crack Reviewer (USA) - See all my reviews

Simon Southerton, a scientist from Australia, and former Mormon Bishop was uniquely qualified to write this analysis of what we can say about the origins of Native Americans based on DNA evidence. In summary, Southerton reviews DNA evidence compiled by scientists around the world and concludes that it disapproves an essential claim of the Book of Mormon. In fact, Southerton felt so strongly about this it caused him to leave the church.

Strong believers in the LDS Church who have read the Book of Mormon are generally familiar with the basic story or claims. It is claimed that a group of people known as the "Nephites" who lived around Jerusalem at approximately 600 BC, left the Middleast, and sailed by ship until they reached the Americas. The church has never specifically said where the Nephites emigrated to on the American continent. Further, there is virtually no archaelogical evidence that would prove such a group of people ever lived. Supposedly, this group of people spread out throughout the land and established huge communities. They were an advanced civilization with horses and chariots. They made clothing from silk. They grew crops of wheat and barley. They were engaged in ship building and metal working. They used steel swords.

Despite the lack of archaelogical evidence that exists to support these claims, it was hard to specifically dispprove them. LDS theology has stubbornly maintained there was a strong genetic link between American Indians and a group of people with dark skins who broke off from the Nephites known as the "Lamanites". The introduction to the Book of Mormon speaks of the American Indians being descendants of the Lamanites. So the church appears to endorse this position.

In recent years, many scientists have used DNA testing to try and discover what races and groups of people in the world are related to one another. Studies have been done by scientists with no axe to grind against the LDS Church. The studies are uniform in finding that there is no possible genetic linkage between 99% or more of modern Native Americans and peoples from the Middleast such as Jews and Egyptians. Perhaps, one percent of American Indians could be argued to have a possible genetic link with individuals from the Middleast. However, this is unlikely too, because they probably represent the fact that some Europeans who came after Columbus (1492) interbred with Native Americans.

Southerton also reviews criticisms of the opposing arguments or criticisms of this research made by LDS Apologists. He does a good job of debunking these arguments one by one.

Its an excellent book written by a scientist with a gift for communicating sophisticated ideas in clear, understandable English to people without a scientific background. Anyone who wants an objective (as opposed to merely "faith promoting") review of the DNA controversy should read Southerton's book.

Southerton succeeds in earning respect for being honest, forthright, and communicating his ideas effectively.