Question
Gramps,
What patriarchal lineage do those of African descent come from? I thought they would be adopted into the lineage of Ephraim but I have found that is not the case. Do you know?
Aurora
Answer
Dear Aurora,
We can’t just give a blanket statement as to which tribe a certain group of people would belong to or adopted into. That can vary greatly and that is why it is part of our patriarchal blessings, because revelation is needed. That said I can tell you that most of the members of the Church are of tribe of Ephraim, but many are from other tribes as well. Some are adopted. Some are literal descendants. Blacks would be no different than those of any other race. You’d see roughly the same distribution as any other race. I have also heard about Jewish Mormons who–sure enough–turn out to be of the tribe of Judah (I once knew a man who was pronounced to be a Levite).
Another “fun to know” idea about lineage:
FairMormon: DNA and the BOM from 2006
Dr. David Stewart shared:
“I had confirmed from missionaries and members that modern patriarchal blessings have identified members of all of the tribes of Israel in Mongolia–a greater number than I am aware of being found in any other country to date. These blessings were given independently by patriarchs in stakes throughout the world where ethnic Mongolian missionaries served, as Mongolia had no stakes or patriarchs at the time. More recently, a similar phenomenon has been reported from Siberia.”
(FairMormon is provided by volunteer members of the church and is provided here for information purposes. They, like me, don’t necessarily represent the opinions of the church, though we certainly try to do so.)
Gramps
