Modern day Lamanites?

For discussing the Church, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mormonism, etc.
Post Reply
drtanner
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1850

Modern day Lamanites?

Post by drtanner »

Interesting article on who and where are the modern day Lamanites.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1975/12/who- ... s?lang=eng

Got me really thinking about who will actually fulfill these events. When we read statements from prophets and in scriptures about modern day events that will take place with this group, who exactly is this referring to in your opinion? Native Americans? Polynesians? Mexicans? Latin Americans? A combination?

"Before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed" D&C 49:24-25
Haven't had as much time as I'd like to dive into the research and am hoping we have a laminate expert here.

User avatar
marc
Disciple of Jesus Christ
Posts: 10353
Contact:

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by marc »

*raises hand*

http://latterdaylamanite.com/

Incidentally, Mexicans are the people of Mexica (Mesheeka) or in other words, Aztecs. We have always been Native Americans, though not politically US Americans because treaties and borders and stuff. What the US called the Mexican War, the Mexicans call the US invasion. In the Mexican American War, also known as the Invasion of Mexico happened between 1846 and 1847 and was initiated by the US, which was involved with expansion (President Polk's Manifest Destiny) and included the annexation of Texas, which was a republic unto itself. But Texas wasn't enough. The US engaged in an artillary barrage in Mexico City and on Sept of 1847, the New York Regiment stormed Chapultepec Castle and hoisted the US flag.

The war ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the forced Mexican cession of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming for $15 million. This was the focus of the war (invasion, depending which historians you talk to). Nicholas Trist had forced the treaty even after President Polk had recalled him. Trist was fired when he returned to Washington for his unauthorized negotiations. But it was all too late.

Anyway we are only one of many native tribes spread throughout the northern and southern continent. I am 52% Native American, 48% Iberian Peninsula (Spain), and Italy/Greece making up the majority of the difference. When Spain invaded and conquered the native tribes of Central America, they made efforts to integrate with and Christianize the indigenous peoples unlike much of the British who settled the northern hemisphere and by Manifest Destiny, wiped out most of the natives. We natives are quite mixed and very few at all are pure, whatever that even means anymore.

drtanner
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1850

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by drtanner »

I really love diving into the history of these countries. I grew up around several Native American Indian reservations where the Tanner name is synonymous with Trade and relationships with these wonderful people. I developed many great relationships with them while working at a trading post most of my early years and they always had a fascination with the Book of Mormon. It’s sad to see many of them struggle now. I’m hopeful that these Native American groups can rally once again but they are fighting an uphill battle. I love the history of Jospeh Smith and the Indians and his affinity towards them. Ultimately however I tend to think of the Mexican / Latin American groups as those with all of the motives, resources, and opportunities to blossom but I guess time will tell.

User avatar
marc
Disciple of Jesus Christ
Posts: 10353
Contact:

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by marc »

Those sound like some wonderful experiences you had!

User avatar
Robin Hood
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 13111
Location: England

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by Robin Hood »

We must remember that the Book of Mormon was written from a Nephite perspective.
It isn't long into the narrative before "Lamanite" loses it original meaning ie. those descended from Laman and Lemuel, and becomes 'anyone not identified with the Nephite cause'.
In other words it became largely a political label.

Could that be true in our day too?

buffalo_girl
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 7017

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by buffalo_girl »

You have to remember that ALL the Children of Lehi were initially Covenant People. The Promise to Prosper on This Land holds only for those who are repentant, have been baptized, and who live according to The Covenant.

Those left - after 'the Nephites' were made extinct by 'the Lamanites' - were a 'mixture' of descendants of ALL those Sons & Daughters of Lehi - with maybe a few surviving Jaredites thrown in for good measure.

My feeling is that 'the remnant of Jacob among the Gentiles' began their mission to fulfill the following scriptures at Standing Rock, North Dakota in 2016 when over 200 indigenous Nations from across the planet came together in prayer, fasting, and resolution to Protect the Creation according to guidance from the Holy Spirit.


3 Nephi 21:12
12 And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

3 Nephi 20:16
16 Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

drtanner
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1850

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by drtanner »

Robin Hood wrote: October 17th, 2017, 1:24 pm We must remember that the Book of Mormon was written from a Nephite perspective.
It isn't long into the narrative before "Lamanite" loses it original meaning ie. those descended from Laman and Lemuel, and becomes 'anyone not identified with the Nephite cause'.
In other words it became largely a political label.

Could that be true in our day too?
Interesting thought. If that were the case who would you classify as modern day Lamanites?

User avatar
marc
Disciple of Jesus Christ
Posts: 10353
Contact:

Re: Modern day Lamanites?

Post by marc »

3 Nephi 5:20 I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi...
There is a reason the Lord commanded his covenant people not to mingle with other nations. The Lord blessed Abraham's posterity with a covenant. It is his ethnic lineage, which has a covenant. The same is applied to Jacob who was renamed Israel. And although the Jews shunned and hated their Samaritan brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ spent time with them because they had Jacob's (Israel's) blood in them as we read in the gospel of John beginning with his conversation with the woman at the well. Similarly, Joseph, who was sold into Egypt obtained a unique covenant, which covenant was also given to Lehi. We read about what Lehi's posterity is promised in the first chapters of 2 Nephi.

The Nephites dwindled in unbelief, but many intermingled with Lamanites just as Lamanites intermingled with other people. Right from the start, Nephi's brother, Jacob condemned his small tribe because the men were breaking the hearts of their wives (Jacob 2) by their adulterous deeds. There was already a remnant of people when Lehi arrived, which I presume were random Jaredites (Mosiah 8:12), considering the Lord told the bro of Jared there were no other people inhabiting the promised land and he told Coriantumr at the end of the Jaredite war that he would witness a new people brought in and receive burial from them (Ether 13:21).

The Lord's covenant people have always belonged to one ethnic lineage, which began with the last patriarch, Abraham. But Lehi's seed have a unique promise, which I believe the Lord will keep for all who have the blood of Lehi flowing in their veins. This is also why Nephi considered himself a "Jew" even though he knew he descended through Joseph and not Judah (2 Nephi 33:8). Anyway:
2 Nephi 4:3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my firstborn, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.

4 For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

6 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

7 Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever.

8 And it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking to the sons and daughters of Laman, he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel to be brought before him.

9 And he spake unto them, saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my second son; behold I leave unto you the same blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman; wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed shall be blessed...
And from Enos:
Enos 1:11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

13 And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

14 For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.

18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.

19 And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come, and testifying of the things which I had heard and seen.

20 And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain
Lehi had obtained a similar covenant from the Lord as Jacob (Israel) and also Abraham. And so did Enos. Those who descend through Lehi today are blessed because of the faith of Lehi and others, though they may be mixed with other nations. I have spent years pondering these things and they are my thoughts on the matter for whatever it's worth. The very last leaf of the gold plates became the title page of the Book of Mormon written by Moroni who wrote in part:
Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile...
Moroni distinguishes the Lamanites from the rest of the ethnic lineage of the Lord's covenant people (Jews), which brings me back to what Nephi said about being a Jew in the beginning of his writings. The Gentile refers to those who brought forth the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith, etc) who received the fullness and are grafted in.

Post Reply