April 27, 2003 -- Date I first watched the DNA documentary.
Having been one who was raised with a second-nature belief in the Book of Mormon as a factual
historic document, and having had numerous epiphany spiritual experiences in conjunction
with the Book, and having personally discovered many unique evidences in the Book
especially relating to Parallel and Chiastic linguistic
patterns, and Alphabetics word-number
patterns within it, as well as a huge
historic/prophetic parallel between Book of Mormon history and the history of the house of
Israel from beginning to end, focusing on our day and what lays ahead; and having had even
personal spiritual experiences in which I have felt to be in the unseen angelic presence of
ancient Book of Mormon personages; and being privy to modern discoveries of North
American relics that bear Hebrew religious philosophy; I am not so quick to dismiss the Book
of Mormon as a fraud, even though my B.S. in Microbiology and two years of graduate work in
Virology and Physiology have given me adequate scientific background to know that the DNA testing
is very reliable.
There are too many signatures of angels and of the Holy Spirit of God on the book for me to
dismiss it as bogus because of this recent revelation regarding a lack of DNA evidence to support
the claim that the Book of Mormon is a factual historic document.
It's not that I'm not being dishonest with myself about the facts when they are
presented. Rather, it is because I also consider spiritual phenomenon to be factual, and I
know of many times when science is not always right -- a fact that is borne out by later science.
So rather than base my conclusions on what science is telling me now, I choose to hold out for
better science.
Meanwhile, I will say that even if it were indeed shown that the Book of Mormon is a work of
inspired fiction struck off by the pen of Joseph Smith, this will not cause me to disregard the
Book of Mormon as worthless. The literary evidences I have personally discovered, as
mentioned above, bear strong witness that the book is extraordinary and worthwhile as a book of
spiritual guidance.
That said, let me present to you a piece of contemporary archeological evidence
for the Book of Mormon and the religion it spurred. This is something that is overlooked by
most scholars.
I draw your attention to the headquarters of the Mormon faith -- Salt Lake City, and the
surrounding Wasatch Front. There are some remarkable unique geographical parallels between
this location and the country of Israel. Both regions sit on a major north-south fault that
has pent up potential for a huge quake. Both are situated near a dead body of water -- the
two largest and only such significant bodies of water on earth: the Dead Sea, and the Great Salt
Lake. Both are filled with a river named Jordan, which comes from a large lake: Utah Lake,
and the Sea of Galilee. Both are surrounded by large mountains. Both are headquarters
to a peculiar religious body of people noted by people worldwide -- the Jews and the
Mormons. Both are situated at a crossroads of trade: Salt Lake City is considered the
"crossroads of the West."
The notable difference is that the arrangement is North-South in one, while being South-North
in the other, which calls to mind the chiastic scripture: "the first shall be last, and the
last shall be first."
The prevailing thesis of the GreaterThings.com website I
operate is that the Mormons were ordained of God to be his chosen people in these latter days,
even as the Jews were chosen to be his peculiar people anciently, and that as the Jews rejected
their Messiah on religious grounds, the Mormons are rejecting the Lord on political grounds.
The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. North, south, south, north.
The grand Chiasm -- manifest right before our noses in the modern archeological setting of the
Mormons.
Now there's a double helix for you to think about!
Sterling D. Allan
p.s. The last portion of the documentary
in which Pastor Joel Kramer makes an alter call to all Mormons who have been deceived, taints the
presentation significantly. The video loses its objective, professional touch at that
point. It would be much more effective without it.
