Apparently there has been a wording change in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon.  The current change appears in the version of the scriptures that is published by Doubleday.  According to LDS Spokesman Mark Tuttle, the same change will be made in the next edition of LDS printed books as well.  Although, as of today the old wording still stands in the online version at the church website.

  According to the report from KSL.com:

From Joseph Smith to the present, church leaders have told followers that Native Americans and indigenous peoples of Central and South America are descendants of the Lamanites.

In 1981, an introduction was added to the Book of Mormon that included the phrase: "... all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians."

New editions from Doubleday now read: "... and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians."

The same story was also covered in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Why should I care about this?

According to these reports, the change in wording was done to portray the scripture account more consistently with findings from modern DNA testing.  Some people I know argue that "if your prophets were truly inspired they would have gotten the words right the first time.  This just proves that your church is not real."

Frankly, I don't buy that.  This is not the first time words have shifted in the scriptures.  Nevertheless, my surety of this book remains rock solid.

What I KNOW to be true is that Jesus Christ atoned for MY sins and that He taught His ministry in various parts of the world.  He taught the Jewish people in the Holy Land during His mortal life.  He taught a group of people somewhere in the Americas after His resurrection.  He may or may not have taught other groups.   Exactly who those people were and how they may or may not be related to current populations does not affect my testimony one way or the other.  I do not base my testimony of the Book of Mormon on how well it does or does not fit with archaeological history , studies in genetics or other worldly findings.  I believe in the Book of Mormon as the revealed word of God based on the witness I have received from the Holy Ghost that it is true.   I know the power of influence the book has had on my life and I would have far less peace without it.

Although I don't look to worldly evidence for proof of the book, I remain intrigued by the archeology of South and Central America.  In a couple weeks I will be headed to the Tulum ruins in Mexico.  I'm looking forward to seeing this land of Mayan culture and pondering the relationship those people may or may not have had with the Nephite/Lamanite people.

Much has been written elsewhere about whether or not current findings in archeology give evidence or contradiction to the Book of Mormon.

I've had some active LDS people suggest it is dangerous to even consider much of those arguments, out of fear it could shake my testimony.  That baffles me.   While I concede it is unwise to immerse myself in direct anti-Mormon literature, I do NOT see how gaining an understanding of scientific findings and various interpretations of those findings is going to be threatening to my spirituality. 

I believe my faith is STRENGTHENED when I am willing to study things out in my mind and then prayerfully go to the Lord for confirmation concerning what to believe.  I would be very wary of any belief system that I had so little confidence in that I had to swallow it whole while remaining blindfolded to alternate ways of thinking.

What's your take on this stuff?