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 | Thursday, Mar 12, 2009, at 08:26 AM Rodney Meldrum And Michigan Relics Original Author(s): BartBurk RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| Has anyone ever attended a Rodney Meldrum seminar? I have heard that he is working with Wayne N. May and that both of them are supporters of the so-called "Michigan Relics" as proof of the Book of Mormon. Even James Talmadge rejected the authenticity of the Michigan Relics. They are bonified fakes. I would think this would undercut any credibility that Meldrum might pretend to have. I know there are Mormons in my area who believe the Michigan Relics are authentic, but the evidence doesn't support them.
http://www.sos.state.mi.us/history/mi... Alas Poor Rodney, That Skull is a Fake . . . Yep, Talmage even said so . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan... In the July 28, 1911 issue of the Detroit News, professor Frederick Starr of the University of Chicago declared that the so-called relics were fakes. Also Mary Robson, who lived a room next door to Scotford's sons Percy and Charles, stated that the boys manufactured more "relics" all the time. No one filed charges.http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal... |
| | Thursday, Nov 19, 2009, at 02:47 PM Did FARMS Intervene In Meldrum's Book Publication? Original Author(s): Doctor Scratch RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| This morning in my inbox I received a startling bit of information from an anonymous tipster who appears to have deep sources within the power structure of Mormon intellectuals. I hesitated to post this thread, hoping to gather more evidence and corroboration, but in the end I decided that the story seemed plausible, and that it was important to pass it along to the rest of the board. This particular bit of "intel" concerns everybody's favorite Chapel Mormon: Rodney Meldrum. It seems that last week was to mark the debut of Meldrum's latest book, Prophecies and Promises. He trumpeted this proudly on his website:
http://www.bookofmormonevidence.org/i... Meldrum wrote: Prophecies and Promises now at Deseret Book! Nov. 12, 2009It seems, however, that Bro. Meldrum's excitement may have been a bit premature. If you go to Deseret Book's website and do a search for "Meldrum," it turns up zero results. So, what happened? Has the website not been updated? Is the book available only in Utah stores? Certainly, it's available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Prophecies-Prom... Of course, it is less likely to find its way into the hands of its intended audience on Amazon. Purely from a readership and business perspective, the ideal sales point for the book is Deseret Book. So why is the text absent from their website? According to my source, it was none other than FARMS who intervened: Agent Q wrote: It seems that Deseret Book had consented to carry Rod Meldrum’s newly published book “Prophecies and Promises.” They had also made arrangements for book signings at various stores in the region. But FARMS people were somehow able to put the kibosh on the whole deal, and now DB has reversed itself and Meldrum has been kicked to the curb. I guess internet Mormonism has triumphed.We already know that the book is absent from Des. Book's website. Further, we know that FARMS in the past has moved to prevent Signature Books texts from being sold at BYU. In other words: there is an established history of censorship on the part of the Maxwell Institute. I wondered, though, if the professors and academic bureaucrats at the MI would have enough power to influence Deseret Book in this way. This is how my source responded: Agent Q wrote: Meldrum was all set to have his book sold at DB and to do book signings in their stores. It was shot down by influence from FARMS people who have the ear of "The Brethren".So, according to this, people at FARMS literally contacted the Brethren who then ordered Deseret Book to shoot down publicity for a book that argues in favor of traditional Church doctrine. But is it true? Meldrum's excited announcement appeared on the 12th (Thursday of last week), which would mean that the Brethren's "termination order" was doled out within the last couple of days. On Meldrum's website, there has been no update concerning the book's publication, which does seem a bit odd. On the one hand, you would expect him to be announcing upcoming book signings in the Utah area, but on the other hand, if FARMS really did bring about this censorship, then perhaps Meldrum has been busy trying to figure out what to do. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. |
 | Thursday, Sep 2, 2010, at 08:33 AM On Silly Meldrum's Phylogeny Mutation Rates Of 20x Faster Original Author(s): Jesus Smith RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| Nick Humphrey talked about R. Meldrum's claim that human mtDNA mutation rates are 20x faster than previously thought. That this was evidence for (HAHAHAHA) a young earth to support revealed doctrine.
Nick Humphrey: ME: can you please cite your reference for this claim? are either of you two lds? what percentage of cherokee is yates? i see yates has a PhD in *classical studies*, not genetics, as the description of this video seems to imply. i would also like to bring to attention to your viewers the article on fairlds entitled? "misguided zeal and defense of the church" about false scientific claims by yourself: "FAIR cannot support or endorse Mr. Meldrum's theories or presentation."As evidence, Meldrum sent two references: Science Vol. 279, 2 Jan. 1998 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content... Genetics, Vol. 172, Jan. 2006 http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/f... In the former, a single anomalous (and outdated) data point is being used. In the latter, the data doesn't support the mutation rate change Meldrum supposes. For an update on the status of phylogeny-base mutation rates, take a look at: http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/con... And you'll see there are corrections needed and being made based on population flow dynamics. But they no where near support any of the wacky ideas meldrum proposes. |
| | Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010, at 08:18 AM They're Trying To Confuse The Picture By Going Off On A Tangent Original Author(s): rudi RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| They're trying to confuse the picture by going off on a tangent. Here's a brief summary of how DNA is used:
1) We inherit our DNA from both our parents, roughly half from each.. BUT there are TWO major exceptions 2) Our Y-DNA (from father to son) is passed straight on, and is NOT diluted. 3) Our mt-DNA (from mother to BOTH sons and daughters) is also passed straight on and is NOT diluted eiher. 4) Both Y-DNA and mt-DNA are subject to occasional mutations which are passed on to descendants. These markers are used both to identify people descended from the same ancestor, and are also used to group people descended from a common ancestor. Based on the number of markers used you can go from the present (siblings) to tens of thousands of years ago (e.g back to mankind's common ancestors). 5) This is the basis of DNA genealogy. These sets of mutations are used to group sets of population that share them together. They are known as Haplogroups. 6) There's a set of Haplogroups for Y-DNA and another one for mt-DNA 7) Occasionally a new mutation will arise, on top of the ancestral ones, which will show that one group is descended from its parent group. 8) No matter how many thousands of years pass, or how many male descendants I have, they will ALL inherit my sets of Y-DNA markers (plus the occasional mutation), no matter where they live or who they marry and they will show as my descendants, just as my own Y-DNA can be traced back to my ancestors. Likewise with their mother's mt-DNA. For instance my own Y-Haplogroup is "I1". This is a variant found mainly in Scandinavia. A slight variant "I2" is found mainly in part of the Balkans. Both groups are descended from the parent group which is "I", and is found mainly in Europe. In turn, "I" is descended from its parent group "IJ", etc., all the way back to "A" the ancestral group of ALL modern humans, back in Africa. This how scientists for instance determine the peopling of the Americas. Based on their Y-DNA and mt-DNA the various native populations can be placed in certain haplogroups, and their distant ancestry traced back. THIS CAN BE DONE FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL. There is much more to it than can be covered here. A good place to start is to check "Haplogroup" somewhere like Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogro... (scroll down to the section called Haplogroup population genetics and below for more info) Either there is a conspiracy by nearly every DNA researcher, scientist, archeologist, paleo-linguist, most serious LDS academics, etc,, and they are ALL lying their teeth off, or else Mr Meldrum is wrong. I know which one is most likely. |
| | Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010, at 08:21 AM Rod Meldrum's DVD About DNA Evidence For The Book Of Mormon Original Author(s): SL Cabbie RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| I Just Went Through My Saved Stuff...
And though I did an extensive return-and-report last spring when Meldrum was promoting his video at the South Town Exhibition Center, I couldn't find a copy of it. Since I just stumbled in from a cab shift and a quick "Howdy" at the Exmormon Conference, I'll just shorthand some of this; I have no wish to engage in any personal attacks or ad hominems, but basically Rodney Meldrum's claims amount to such utter nonsense that most scholars would ignore them (as Wayne May's "Ancient American" is similarly disregarded) and suggest a few tinfoil hats would be in order if anyone gives thoughts to believing them. BTW, if anyone archived my post, I would be grateful if the information was posted here... Meldrum's video amounts to a selectively edited mix of legitimate scholars and others who represent the "diffusionist fringe" of archaeology. There are extensive claims of pre-Columbian Old World/New World contacts for which the evidence is sparse to non-extistent. Moreover, there's a claim of a "Grand Conspiracy" that began with the Smithsonian in the 19th Century when the great Civil War Hero and explorer, John Wesley Powell, was named to head the Bureau of Ethnology. Powell's "co-conspirator" is identified as Lewis Henry Morgan, who headed the American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_H.... Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist, and one of the greatest social scientists of the nineteenth century in the United States. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evolution, and his ethnography of the Iroquois. Due to his study of kinship, Morgan was an early proponent of the theory that the indigenous peoples of the Americas had migrated from Asia in ancient times.At the root of Meldrum's claims is that Book of Mormon events took place in the Great Lakes area, and that the Hopewell Indians were part of the BOM people. This contrasts with the "Limited Geography Theory" that has found favor among Mormon apologists and orginated with John L. Sorenson. Here's a piece of mine demonstrating Sorenson's utter lack of critical understanding on subjects of elementary science and resorting to sheer fantasy in stretching information to fit his beliefs. http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon606.htm As I note, though, Meldrum's ideas are equally gonzo. The only potential genetic evidence in favor of a Hebrew/Native American connection rests with the "X Haplogroup" of mitochondrial DNA (which is passed on maternally). X is a very old lineage, found in Europe as well as in Siberia, among the Altai people. The sequences among the Altai are much more closely related to Native American mtDNA than the ones in Europe, which is overwhelming evidence that it arrived via the Beringia land bridge and not on a transoceanic voyage (an absurdity in and of itself in the days before the development of the maritime compass). The conspiracy claim suggests that evidence of Native American's Hebrew ancestry was suppressed to provide "scientific justification" for "Manifest Destiny," which included the displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands and the resultant genocide. Unfortunately, all of the "evidence" they point to has proven to be archaeological frauds that have been repeatedly debunked by legitimate scientists. These include the Kensington Runestone (claimed to be proof of Viking presence in Minnesota, never mind that the St. Lawrence river was unnavigable until modern times), the Bat Creek Stone, and the "Newark Holy Stones." Here's a sample article describing the "Newark Holy Stones" as discussed by a legitimate archaeologist... http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article... Meldrum, who's a former used car salesman, insists that there's a controversy over their authenticity (see "Intelligent Design" and the "Wedge Approach" for another example the M.O.) There is none, however, and as I recall, Meldrum (and May) also cite the "Michigan Relics" which were also recognized as frauds by none other than James Talmage. http://www.mormonapologetics.org/topic/48151-the-michigan-relics/ Note that this one is from the "Mormon Apologetics and Discussion Board." Hey, even a stopped clock is right once in a while... Finally, here's a link to a couple of posts Simon Southerton made that were archived in the Short Topics section. This one pretty much reviews the major issues... http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon534.htm YAWN! |
| | Monday, Jun 6, 2011, at 07:30 AM Rodney Meldrum Gets A Public Smack Original Author(s): Simon Southerton RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| About a year ago Rodney Meldrum produced a DVD called "The Lost Civilizations of North America". In the DVD he includes interviews with a number of scientists to add credibility to his Heartland model.
One of the scientists he interviewed is so annoyed about the way their words were twisted that she just published a stinging criticism of the DVD and its producers. "...the producers of the DVD, Barry McLerran and Rick Stout, interviewed researchers with expertise on North American archeology...at length. Then they skillfully edited the interviews to make it appear that we agreed with the film’s thesis: that various artifacts shown in the film gave evidence supporting the Mormon story. The producers sent the scholars a rough version of the film in March 2010, provoking immediate e-mail demands for rectification of this misrepresentation. Two of the younger scholars contacted legal counsel at their universities about possible lawsuits, should the film be released with distortions of their interviews.Meldrum is exposed as a complete fraud. He arranges numerous interviews with scientists on the pretense that he is celebrating the achievements of Native Americans, then slices and dices their words to advance his money making apologetics. http://reports.ncse.com/index.php/rnc... |
| | Thursday, Nov 3, 2011, at 07:27 AM Meldrum Is Using This As Evidence The Bat Creek Stone Is Hebrew Original Author(s): hoggle RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| Meldrum is using this in his presentation to prove the Bat Creek Stone is real:
http://www.ampetrographic.com/files/BatCreekStone.pdf It excited Glenn Beck anyway ... None of this has been submitted to professional journals of science for scholarly peer review. It is important to note that the man who found the Bat Creek stone knew how hoax artifacts could be made. Mr. Emmert was sent to Haywood County, North Carolina to expose a hoax. It was there he learned how to give hoax artifacts the appearance of age. This was before he "found" the Bat Creek Stone. See the 12th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Smithsonian for 1890 to '91, page 347. http://www.archive.org/details/annual... "Mr. Emmert was sent into that region to procure, if possible, some specimens of this singular class of articles and to ascertain whether they were ancient or modern. After considerable difficulty he was entirely successful in his effort. He ascertained that these articles were made from the soapstone found in that region by some persons who had learned how to give them the appearance of age. This is done by placing them, after being carved, in running water which is tinctured with iron, as most of the streams in that region are. As a proof of the correctness of his statement Mr. Emmert had the same parties who stated they had made some articles for Mr. Valentine make quite a number of similar articles for the Bureau."About the president of the company that "tested" the Bat Creek Stone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_F.... Scott F. Wolter (president of American Petrographic Services) is a Minnesota geologist and author most well known for his theories and books about the Kensington Rune Stone. Wolter was hired in 2000 by the Runestone Museum to conduct a forensic geological investigation of the artifact. The Kensington Stone was brought to his company, American Petrographic Services in St. Paul, for the investigation. Using both transmitted and reflected light micorscopy, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis, he and his staff found mica degradation on the man-made surfaces. Wolter reported that his investigation clearly indicated the inscription had weathered at least 200 years after carving.[1] Wolter became intrigued with the Kensington Stone, and based on his geological findings and additional research, has become a dedicated supporter of its authenticity. In his 2009 book The Hooked X Wolter claims that the stone was made by the Knight Templar in 1362, 50 years after the dissolution of the Knight Templar. He also claims Columbus was a member of the Knights of Christ order and had a map used to find his way around the West Indies in 1492.[2] |
| | Thursday, Nov 3, 2011, at 07:49 AM What Is The Deal With Meldrum? Original Author(s): Anonymous RODNEY L. MELDRUM -Guid- | ↑ |
| Check out his Native American Relations Board for The Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism
http://www.firmlds.org/boards.php Found this on Karen Johnson. Creationism and evolution: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/ev... Karen Johnson holding the arm of a neo-nazi: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-1... Does Rod Meldrum hope to convert Native Americans to the Book of Mormon? |