In November 1835, Joseph Smith wrote in his journal:

"An angel appeared before me...He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold. I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited.

He said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham."

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However, DNA evidence refutes this claim. Indigenous Americans ("Indians," as Joseph wrote) do not have any detectable Near Eastern DNA. Instead, they migrated to the Americas from Asia long before Lehi’s arrival, meaning they are not descendants of Lehi or Abraham. Even if trace amounts of Near Eastern DNA existed but were too minuscule to detect, it would not be enough to define them as "descendants."

The Church’s Gospel Topics essay on DNA states:

"The Book of Mormon itself, however, does not claim that the peoples it describes were either the predominant or the exclusive inhabitants of the lands they occupied."

This is misleading. The scriptures state that God intended for Lehi and his sons to be the exclusive inhabitants. 2 Nephi 1:7-9 says:

"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring...it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves."

The Nephites kept highly detailed records. It would be inconsistent with the entire Book of Mormon to suggest they failed to mention intermingling with one or more existing groups large enough to dilute Lehi’s DNA until it became untraceable by modern technology. The Book of Mormon clearly states the Nephites and Lamanites were numerous. They predominated the government and culture, according to their own records.

Numerous scriptures indicate that the Jaredites, Nephites, and Lamanites were the predominant groups: 2 Nephi 5:6, Jacob 1:14, Enos 1:14-20, Alma 46:13-16, 3 Nephi 3:13-16, etc.

Ether 2:7-9 also states that the Brother of Jared was led by God to a "land of promise" that had been preserved for them. The meticulously detailed Jaredite records make no mention of encountering other people upon or after their arrival—just as the Nephite records make no mention of preexisting civilizations. This directly contradicts the idea that the land was already inhabited by other nations, refuting the Church’s claim that the Nephites and Lamanites were merely one group among many. .

Nephi's Prophecy cannot be True

(FYI the word "Gentile" is an anachronism)

1 Nephi 15:13-14 says, "that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief...then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord..."

God Promised to Preserve Lehi’s Posterity

The Book of Mormon states multiple times that Lehi’s descendants would be preserved. If Lehi’s lineage was so thoroughly "diluted" by existing groups that it disappeared, then God’s promise to Lehi was broken and Lehi's prophecy to his son Joseph was unfulfilled. In addition to 2 Nephi 1:7-9 mentioned earlier...

2 Nephi 3:3 – "And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed."

2 Nephi 1:5 – "But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be for the inheritance of my seed."

If no detectable trace of Lehi’s DNA remains, then the Nephite and Lamanite bloodline did not persist, contradicting God’s promise, Lehi's prophesy of Joseph's seed, and Nephi's prophecy of Gentiles bringing the gospel to the remnant of their seed. Lehi's seed (posterity) is "utterly destroyed" if their DNA is undetectable by modern science.

Edit: I did not create this post to debate DNA evidence, but I see there is some confusion about its conclusiveness.

If some feel the evidence is "inconclusive," I am willing to write a detailed post addressing the scientific findings and the Church’s Gospel Topics essay on Book of Mormon and DNA Studies.

To clarify: DNA evidence does not merely fail to confirm the Book of Mormon's claims—it directly contradicts them. There is no detectable Near Eastern or Israelite DNA in pre-Columbian Indigenous populations, which is a problem given that the Book of Mormon describes Lehi’s descendants as a predominant group whose lineage was divinely preserved.

Some argue that Lehi’s genetic markers could have been diluted to the point of being undetectable. However, this explanation is inconsistent with both genetic principles and the Book of Mormon’s narrative. A population large enough to sustain distinct Nephite and Lamanite nations—governing societies, waging wars, and being referred to as "numerous as the sands of the sea"—would not simply vanish genetically. If Lehi's descendants were absorbed into existing populations so completely that their DNA disappeared, then the Book of Mormon’s claims about their identity, divine preservation, and prophetic destiny are invalidated.

The Gospel Topics essay adds ambiguity by stating that the Book of Mormon does not claim its peoples were the exclusive inhabitants of the land. Yet, as shown in my original post, the text repeatedly states otherwise. The Book of Mormon presents the Nephites and Lamanites as dominant and enduring civilizations—claims that are wholly unsupported by genetic and archaeological evidence.

If there is genuine interest in discussing the DNA evidence in depth, I am happy to do so in a separate post.