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Book of Mormon/Demographics
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Contents
Criticism
Critics charge that the initial Lehite colony is too small to produce the population sizes indicated.
Source(s) of the Criticism
Response
A superficial reading of the Book of Mormon leads some to conclude that the named members of Lehi's group were the only members of Nephite/Lamanite society.
However, the Book of Mormon contains many mentions of "others" that made up part of both societies; indeed, many Book of Mormon passages make little sense unless we understand this.
Fate of Original Colonists
In 2 Nephi 5, Nephi and his group finally make a break with Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael:
5 And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me. 6 Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words. 7 And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after we had journeyed for the space of many days we did pitch our tents. [italics added] (2 Nephi 5:5 - 7)
| "Nephites" | Fate | "Lamanites" | Fate | Other | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nephi & family | flee | Laman [+wife?] | flee | Ishmael | Dies in Old World |
| Sam & family | flee | Lemuel [+wife?] | flee | Ishamel's wife | Unknown (dies?) |
| Jacob [no wife?] | flee | Sons of Ishmael [+wives?] | flee | Lehi | Dies prior to split |
| Joseph [no wife?] | flee | -- | -- | Sariah | Unknown (dies?) |
| Nephi's sisters | flee | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Zoram & family | flee | -- | -- | -- | -- |
The majoriy of the original immigrants leaves with Nephi. And, despite all the members that he mentions, he also says he took "all those who would go with me." There is no one of the original colony unaccounted for; those who went with Nephi (and later made him their teacher and ruler) were likely 'others' who have "believed in the warnings and revelations of God."
Relative Size of Nephites vs. Lamanites
Conclusion
A summary of the argument against the criticism.
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
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- FAIR Topical Guide:
External links
- Links to external web pages
Printed material
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