Ugo A. Perego: From Seminary Teacher to Scientist, to Institute Director: Learning by Study and Also by Faith

from A Thoughtful Faith for the 21st Century

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Working late one evening as a doctoral student at the University of Pavia in Italy, I was in the middle of preparing several plates containing DNA samples from individuals carrying maternally-inherited genetic profiles specific to Native American ancestry. During that time, I was well aware that no one had at their disposal as much data and DNA samples as I had to address questions pertaining to the origins, dispersal, and expansion routes of indigenous groups of America’s double continent. These samples resulted from several collaborative efforts with institutions and universities in diverse parts of Central and South America, and from volunteer submissions from the general population of the United States and Canada. As often happened in those days, I was the only one in the lab at that late hour, alone with my thoughts. Although my research objectives as part of Professor Antonio Torroni’s scientific team had nothing to do with religious matters, I could not help but reflect about the genetic origins of these people and the controversy surrounding the narrative found in the Book of Mormon. Because of the nature of my doctoral work, my employment with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, and my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I had been approached several times with questions and high expectations that such research could shed some light on whether “Lamanite DNA” could be detected, settling once and for all the question of an Israelite origin of the people of the Book of Mormon. For some reason, although I was interested in providing some science-based answers to such queries, I was not troubled by them. My understanding of the principles governing population studies based on genetic evidence had deepened and expanded, and it was clear in my mind that the answers to Book of Mormon people's origin questions were not to be found in the DNA samples in my hands.

That experience was one of many that helped me sort through a number of issues pertaining to the apparent conflict between faith and science-based matters. Things that I have learned, studied, and researched, and things that I do not have an answer for, including occasional personal struggles, doubts, or confusion, have gradually and steadily faded into the background in the face of my relationship with the Divine. Yes, I, like many others, have experienced faith challenges and times of loneliness and loss. During those moments, I learned to stop what I was doing, sit back, and ponder whether my heart and mind were set on what really mattered, and whether my faith was rooted where it was supposed to be. Years later, I found great similarity between how I occasionally felt and the words of Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge given at a 2019 BYU devotional. Elder Corbridge taught the importance of focusing on a set of “fundamental questions” rather than running in circles over the “marginal questions.” From personal experience, I can attest that this pattern has worked for me. Elder Corbridge summarizes the primary questions as follows:

1. Is there a God and is He our Father in Heaven?

2. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Savior of the world?

3. Was Joseph Smith a prophet?

4. Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth?

Working on the most important questions first requires diligence, humility, faith, and patience. In a recent conversation with a friend from another faith, I felt impressed to share my sense that sometimes a lack of knowledge on a specific matter, including the nature of the Godhead, is an act of mercy from a loving Father in Heaven so that we can be accountable for our actions based on our knowledge. “To want more from Him means to do more for Him and in doing more for Him, we become more like Him,” were my words to my good friend. I am therefore persuaded that an open and willing heart and mind will eventually be filled with God’s light. I also believe that what we currently acquire as knowledge in this mortal journey is very, very little when compared to the wealth of divine knowledge He is waiting to share with us. Coming to an understanding that everything in life has a purpose and that our Heavenly Parents really care about us and want the very best for us is the most important element to a peaceful and meaningful experience on this earth.

In my adult life, as I have continually worked on becoming a better scientist and a more committed disciple of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have had a number of experiences that required a recentering on the fundamental questions, as outlined by Elder Corbridge. One of them happened in 2002, when I was a young and inexperienced researcher at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under the mentorship of molecular biologist Scott R. Woodward, I began working on the reconstruction of Joseph Smith Jr.'s genetic profile. That project was an early experiment, or template, for what was quickly becoming a worldwide interest in combining family history with DNA information. During that process, I was contacted by a descendant of early apostle Parley P. Pratt, asking if I could use the knowledge on the Smith family’s DNA to address questions related to Joseph Smith’s polygamy and alleged children born to women other than Joseph’s first wife, Emma. I was somewhat familiar with the practice of plural marriage in early church history, but I had never spent much time learning about it. The man who reached out to me explained that there were records in his family history supporting the possibility that one of Parley’s sons, Moroni Pratt, was actually the biological son of Joseph Smith.