Can rigorous DNA research and religious scripture coexist? Years ago, Murphy’s groundbreaking DNA research directly challenged traditional Book of Mormon claims about Native American origins. It was a stance that put him at odds with his own stake president and nearly cost him his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many in the Mormon studies world, Murphy’s name has been synonymous with that controversy ever since.
Now, Murphy returns to Gospel Tangents with something new: his first full-length book, Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon. And this time, the conversation isn’t just about DNA — it’s about history hiding in plain sight.
Don’t miss our other conversations with Thomas: https://gospeltangents.com/people/thomas-murphy/
Copyright © 2026
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Check out a transcript of the interview on Amazon.
Book of Mormon Connection Few Have Considered
Murphy’s central argument in this episode is striking: the Smith family had real, documented contact with Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) communities living near Palmyra, New York, in the years leading up to the Book of Mormon’s publication. Rather than treating the Book of Mormon’s narrative as emerging in a vacuum, Murphy asks what it means that Joseph Smith grew up in close proximity to a living, sophisticated Native nation with its own oral traditions, history, and worldview. It’s a question that doesn’t get asked nearly often enough in Mormon history circles — and Murphy brings decades of anthropological training to bear on it.
Why This Conversation Matters
Whether your interest lies in:
- Mormon history and the origins of the Book of Mormon
- DNA and genealogy research as it intersects with religious claims
- Native American history, specifically Haudenosaunee/Iroquois communities
- Or the broader question of how faith and scholarship can coexist
— this conversation offers a rare perspective from someone who has spent his career at the intersection of all three.
Chapters
0:00 Thomas’s Background in Indigenous Studies/DNA
3:29 DNA Research Impact
8:10 FARMS/FAIR attacks, taking a break from Mormon studies
12:02 Unsettling Scripture Overview
16:31 Parallels between Book of Mormon and Haudenosaunee narratives
Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation
This is the first of four segments in our conversation with Dr. Thomas Murphy. Subscribe to Gospel Tangents to catch the rest of the series, where we’ll dig into topics ranging from seer stone divination to the ongoing Heartland versus Mesoamerica geography debate. Or you can get the whole episode at Patreon.com/gospeltangents
Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon by Dr. Thomas Murphy is available now.
Don’t miss our other conversations with Thomas: https://gospeltangents.com/people/thomas-murphy/
Copyright © 2026
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Check out a transcript of the interview on Amazon.
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