The Ironically Literal (and I mean that *literally*) Gathering of Israel

So, last night's heated discussion had something to do with me taking the 10th Article of Mormon Faith very literally.  

It goes like this....

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

For those dying to know more, you can read it from the source... 13 articles of Faith

So the part I am taking literally is "LITERAL" and "ISRAEL" -- as in, I think someone (i.e. Joseph Smith) has some idea that he has Jewish heritage.  I have some evidence to go on.  Husband believes me when I say he could have crypto-Jewish heritage, but thinks he would have been completely oblivious to the fact.  I disagree.

As I am reading this again after 20 plus years of completely ignoring anything faith-based, I also find a few other things striking.  I need to know who these Ten Tribes are.  Mostly I want to know if there is a genetic and historic record for their existence.  I'm of the opinion that most people probably have some Jewish ancestry unbeknownst to them, due to the math of Time to the power of Babies = Lots of People.  I mean really, if 2000 years ago, Jewish tribes scattered, that has been 2000 years of relocating, making new friends, and generations of new families.  Some who may forever have forgotten their true origins, and others who kept it going in subtle ways or with new twists.

Anyway, that's a side note.

Husband says that it is not anomalous that Mormons believe in a literal gathering of Israel.  He believes this is a common trait of many Christian organizations.  He cites Born Again Christians as an example.  Wife here had never heard of this possibility.  So now I'm doing another Google search and I find this article in Mother Jones about  "Christian Zionists".    Yea, these could be friends of Mormons.   Apparently Mitt Romney was really a favorite with right-wing Jews, most likely because of this same kind of Zionist political alliance.  

And of course it doesn't mean that these Christian Zionists or Mormons are Crytpo-Jews.  It also doesn't mean that they aren't.  So far, I think it just means they are politically motivated.  I don't agree with their politics.  But that's not why I'm writing this.  I'm writing to understand myself, and to find my own origin story.

So back to my two words I am taking very literally: LITERAL & ISRAEL.  Today's Google Search was trying to find other groups who believe in the literal gathering of Israel.  Only Mormon websites surfaced at first.  But then I found this gem, whose name I like.... The Eco-Kosher Rebbe.  This sounds environmentally friendly & healthy... I like it!


He has a great post called Christianity & the Gathering of Israel.    Here are a few things that stand out to me....


It is the personal belief of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg-Caudill, that although he does not agree with the THEOLOGICAL teachings of the LDS Church, nor with the thought-controlling and cult-like practices of the LDS Church, he DOES view the members of the LDS Church as representing members of the "Lost" Ten Tribes, in a spiritual sense, who are being gathered by the God of all of the tribes of Israel preparatory to their re-unification with the Judahite Tribes that is to take place during the ushering in of the "Messianic Age." 

He also says:


It is a historical fact that the LDS Church is one of the very FEW Christian churches that does not have a history nor a theology of anti-Semitism, and is a group who also have a view of themselves as being literal descendants of the ancient House of Israel, the Twelve Tribes, thus kin to the Jews.  

And also:


Again, it is a fact of history that the L.D.S. Church is one of the few Christian belief systems that has not persecuted Jews. Therefore, Rabbi Gershon does not see that the Jew who opts to become LDS is forever lost to the Jewish tribalhood and people, he/she just has become a hyphenated Jew; a Mormon-Jew, and, like Buddhist-Jews, are still a part of the greater Peoplehood of Israel.

As well as:



The Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the LDS were BLOOD KIN to the Jews, although DNA studies do not support that conception. So convinced of that premise were the LDS Presidents Joseph Fielding Smith, Heber J. Grant and Ezra Taft Benson (perhaps others) that they were willing to excommunicate members of their religion who became involved in anti-Semitic organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party during the pre-World War 2 period, as well as later on. 
  

So the question becomes how much can DNA prove or disprove about the possibility of an ancient or recent connection to Israel.  Of course, recent is easier.  I also need to find out more about the assertion of the LDS being blood kin to the Jews.  I had this impression as well, but I don't know where it is written, precisely.  My husband believes this was only a figurative allusion, and has more to do with believing in something like the divine right of kings, where authority must come from a chosen people. (Maybe I'm putting words into his mouth, but that seems like the other explanation if you aren't taking the idea of blood kin literally.)