Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church/Index

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Index to claims made in Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church

This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIRwiki.

Chapter 10: The Lord's University

Page	Claim	Response
135	Mormons believe that if there is a conflict between science and religion, that the science is incorrect
135-136	Mormonism reserves the right to identify scientific truth
136	Mormonism declares that it "corners the market" on religious truth
136	Joseph Smith declared that all other religions were false
136	LDS think that all other religions are the "whore of the earth" and "church of the devil"	Whore of the earth
136	The current generation of Mormons is taught a selective view of Church history	Censorship and revision of LDS history
137	Many church members are "blissfully unaware" of Brigham Young's practice of polygamy
137	Senior church leaders prefer that members not question changes in church ordinances
138	Ecclesiastical leader expect "unquestioning obedience" of church members
139	The Church "unofficially" discourages prayer to "Mother in Heaven"	Heavenly Mother
140	Church leaders are "loath" to make unequivocal statement of doctrine
140	BYU's emphasis is on conformity rather than personal freedom
141	CES insists that gospel learning takes precedence over secular learning
142	CES instructs students not to attempt to locate Book of Mormon geographical locations
142	Limited geography theories advanced by FARMS are "much too controversial" for CES students	Book of Mormon geography:New World:LGT
142	Spencer W. Kimball believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography	Amerindians as Lamanites#Talking past each other?
142	Church members are shocked at the "limited archaeological evidence" for the Book of Mormon	Book of Mormon archeology
143	LDS apologists continue to tell members how "scientists continue to get it wrong."
143	Most members follow their leaders without question
143	LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the creation of man
143	LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the tower of Babel
143	LDS theology supports a literal interpretation of the Flood	Global or local Flood
143	The perception is that the Church has officially denounced evolution	Evolution
146	The Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri	Garden of Eden in Missouri?
146	Mormons believe that the continents separated only after a global flood
146	Mormons are "compelled" to believe in a global flood as symbolizing the "baptism of the earth"	Global or local Flood
148	FARMS reviews of books by General Authorities or FARMS staff are always given favorable reviews
148	FARMS' goal is to deter members from reading any book that challenges their faith	Does the Church discourage reading critical material?

Chapter 11: Plausible Geography

Page	Claim	Response
153	B.H. Roberts' manuscripts "Book of Mormon Difficulties" and "A Book of Mormon Study" were "clearly intended for publication."
153	Roberts' concluded that a 19th-century origin for the Book of Mormon was "entirely plausible"	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews
154	LDS scholars have made a "steady retraction" of claims regarding the scale of the Nephite/Lamanite presence since the 1920's
156	All Church presidents and General Authorities have believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography	Book of Mormon geography:Statements
156	The Book of Mormon states that the Lamanites are "the principal ancestors of the American Indians"
156	A hemispheric geography most closely aligns with an "uncontrived" reading of the Book of Mormon
159	Moroni makes no mention of traveling from Central America to New York in the Book of Mormon
160	There is no indication that the Book of Mormon people came in contact with others in the land
163	The shrinking of Book of Mormon geographical models corresponds with the growing research showing that ancient Americans came from Asia
164	A limited Book of Mormon setting is at odds with "a straightforward reading" of the Book of Mormon
164	The limited Book of Mormon setting contradicts D&C 54:8

Chapter 12: Faith Promoting Science

Page	Claim	Response
168	LDS scholars believe that Mayan cities are prime candidates for where Lehi's people lived
168	The Jaredites are usually identified as the Olmec
168	The history of Book of Mormon archaeology is "littered with apostacy"
170	Thomas Ferguson was one of the better known early "Mormon archaeologists"
172	There is no evidence of iron or steel smelting in the ancient New World
172	There were no wheeled vehicles in ancient America
172	There were no draft animals to pull wheeled vehicles
172	There are no archaeological remains of wheat or barley in Mesoamerica. The barley found in Arizona doesn't count because it was only in a limited region.
173	Deer or tapir were never ridden by Native Americans, therefore they could not be the "horses" referred to in the Book of Mormon
173	Dee Green said in 1973 that Book of Mormon archaeology does not exist
175	"Book of Mormon archaeology" has yielded little credible evidence
176	The Smithsonian issues a statement that discredits the Book of Mormon
177	LDS apologists claim that the simplification of the Smithsonian statement indicates that the original statement is now inconsistent with the current knowledge of Mesoamerican archaeology
177	There is little evidence of a cultural link between Polynesia and the Americas. The presence of a South American variety of sweet potato in Polynesia is not yet explained.