LDS Objections: Founder Effect

  • All males descended from Lehi and all females descended from Ishmael

  • Requires mutations of at least:

    • 6 Y-chromosome polymorphisms

    • 4 mtDNA haplotypes

    • 5 polymorphic Alu insertions

    • Helicobacter pylori

    • Canine mtDNA haplotypes

  • All mutations must occur simultaneously and must result in Asian haplotypes

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Slide 41 of 56


How could founder effect and genetic drift account for the data from these genetics studies? In the Book of Mormon, all the male founders of the Nephites and Lamanites were descended from one man, Lehi. If Lehi harbored some kind of skewed genetics, it would be reflected in his sons and their offspring. This could explain some of the Y-chromosome data, which is passed on only through the male line. However, since there are many different Y-chromosome haplotypes found at many loci, it is virtually impossible that all of those loci would be mutated in any one individual. It gets much worse for the Mormon apologist. Lehi’s genetics could not explain the mtDNA genetics, since these genes are passed on only though the female line. The wives of Lehi’s sons were also from one family line - Ishmael. Since there are four main Native American specific mtDNA haplotypes, one would have to hypothesize that all of these haplotypes were developed in the wives of Lehi’s sons or their immediate daughters and that those haplotypes just happed to match those of East Asians. A third genetic technique examined the polymorphic Alu insertions found in the autosomal (non-X or Y) chromosomes. With results similar to the two other genetic techniques, the founder effect would require the additional simultaneous mutation of at least 5 polymorphic Alu insertions in Lehi’s sons and son’s wives - not likely!

Not only do Mormon apologists have to deal with human genetics, they also have to explain the genetics of certain intestinal bacteria and domesticated dogs. In order for Native Americans to have been founded by Israelites, the Helicobacter pylori in their gut would have had to mutate to match that of the Asian variety. In addition, the dogs they took over to the Americas would have had to mutate to an Asian type genetics. All of these five extremely improbable, multiple mutation effects would have had to have happened within one or two generations in the same small populations. The idea is scientifically ludicrous.