DNA vs. the Book of Mormon (2003 Video) User Reviews

An important topic

[Elim_ACS · 6/10 · 9 July 2005]

Wow people either seem to love or hate this movie. I thought it was powerful. A little unsettling. This is the first major religious historical claim that I know of that can be tested with hard evidence. It doesn't leave much room for doubt. It wasn't harsh and nasty about it, though, the facts pretty much speak for themselves. A geneticist friend said that the science was accurate, and the conclusions seemed logical. As with most challenges to religious claims, it will get resistance, but I can't see any resistance from reason or science. It was promoted by a church so there's an evangelistic closure you can take or leave, but the documentary itself isn't preachy.

Horrible, biased

[PharaohKB · 1/10 · 6 July 2004]

I'm not a Mormon now, nor ever have been but I sat down to watch this video out of curiosity. The run time isn't too bad at just under an hour but it is obviously a biased production. Supposedly, all the experts on the video whom they cite for evidence for their case are, of course, Mormon scholars (which I doubt). There is not even the smallest hint of another opinion other than that the producers are trying to make. Now I'm not Mormon so I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough about the BoM to make a good argument either way, but I've got to believe that there is/was an entire other side to this argument that wasn't given a second of airtime.

THe intro was good filling in and explaining some of the background of the Mormon movement and BoM history but the evidence for the whole DNA thing wasn't there, IMHO. Just feels like an hour of Mormon bashing...

Avoid this if you can.

Straightforward and credible

[bc_mojo · 9/10 · 8 July 2005]

The review that was first posted for this video strikes one as a bit reactionary and defensive. While I've never been a Mormon, I do have a scientific background, and I found the science (and the scientific conclusions) very straightforward and solid, and yet it is done in such a way to make it accessible to the layperson. I didn't find it at all "bashing" or disrespectful; on the contrary, as a scientific documentary it is quite dispassionate, though there are some personal stories and struggles interwoven through it. Although I can understand how it might cause some discomfort for some LDS viewers, I would nonetheless recommend it to them. As a production it is simple and uncomplicated, but there are a lot of very interesting and challenging sound bites. Even if the subject matter doesn't pique your interest, you might give this one a try.

DNA is a tricky science...

[cschwab-1 · 1/10 · 25 March 2006]

I graduated from UT (Texas) with a degree in Biochemistry... I am familiar with DNA sequencing and testing (including forensics) and a couple of things bothered me about the premise of this movie: 1. DNA markers do not always transfer and may easily be lost over a few hundred years through interbreeding, (let alone thousands of years as they are testing in this film).

You may have Celtic blood, but may be lacking some of their recessive DNA markers and only have Anglo-Saxon DNA markers because you had relatives in what is now England from 800 years ago.

2. The film does not conform to the scientific method in the testing of their hypothesis (a group of peoples from the Eastern hemisphere traveling to the Americas and establishing a society)... in other words it is all opinion and proves only that there are Asian genetic markers found in what is left of the Native American population still surviving today.

Assuming there even was a tribe at some point containing markers that would verify the claims of the Mormons, the majority of pure-blooded Native American tribes have completely vanished or died off. It is impossible to prove or disprove their claims through limited samples of DNA testing trying to find one (or maybe even several) tribe(s) from a thousand years ago. To really disprove the claims of the Mormons, you would need to test every tribe's blood since before the time of Christ, with a sufficient number of random samples to generate reliable statistical measures.

Also... the movie is clearly biased based on the sponsor. Just because someone has a degree or is on T.V. doesn't make their claims holy writ.

Take this movie with a grain of salt... it may be INTERESTING, but it is NOT PROOF in the least in terms of supporting or disproving the beliefs of the Mormons.

If you want my personal opinion, it is a waste of time trying to disprove any religion. They are all unique and interesting and tell us all something about ourselves as a human race. It would do people well to learn more about the facts and beliefs of religions to further their own knowledge of the world and its many unique and wonderful cultures.

Dreafully awful

[Taylor_Evenson · 1/10 · 30 January 2005]

This video was terrible. The evidence presented was nothing more than circumstantial at best. No convincing evidence was presented and somehow the video comes to its conclusion a tad premature and lacking any semblance of evidence. This video is just another thing to create divisions in the religious community and into the whole We're right/You're wrong mindset. This movie demonstrates everything that's wrong with organized religion. The big groups attack the small groups with stuff like this when they should be working together, isn't that what their little scripture book tells them to? Horrible video! DO NOT WATCH THIS!