In 2005 and all years prior, the BOM Introduction page read, “all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” But if you look in your Book of Mormon starting in 2006 and onward, it now reads: “all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.”
So let that just sink in for a minute. That introduction page originally read that “the Lamanites are the principal ancestors of the American Indians” and then for some reason in 2006, the LDS Church decided to slightly change the wording to, “The Lamanites are AMONG the ancestors of the American Indians.” If I was a Latter Day Saint shoes, I would be curious enough to ask the questions:
- Why did they make that change?
- And why did they choose to make this change in 2006?
I think the timing of this change is important because if we understand the recent events that led up to this change, I think it can help shed light on why the change may have occurred.
Leading up to this change, people tested the DNA of the Indians and Mayans. The LDS Church was eager about this as they were seeking for evidence to demonstrate that the Book of Mormon was legitimate history. If they could prove that Native Americans genetically originated from the middle east, that would be a tremendous help to their cause.
However, the DNA test results showed that the vast majority, if not all of the Native Americans migrated from Southeast Asia. To say this more clearly, it’s been proven virtually by all DNA analysis experts that the Indians did not come from the Middle East as the Book of Mormon and LDS Church leaders have taught over the years.
The LDS Church acknowledged this and that is what led to that slight change on this introduction page. They know that their previous wording of the Lamanites being “the principal ancestors of the American Indians” is false. So they had to change it so that it now it reads that the Lamanites are “AMONG the ancestors of the American Indian.”
Does the truth matter to you personally? If so, are you willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads? For more information on evidence, check out my article called, “Geographic Evidence: The BOM vs The Bible.”
Please let me know your thoughts, things you appreciated or things that you disagreed with in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and God bless!
JLLDS Ministries 