FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians
< Book of Mormon | Lamanites
The relationship of Native Americans to Lamanites
Identity of the Lamanites in the Book of Mormon
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- Question: How have views within the Church regarding the origins of the American Indians changed over the years?
- Question: Are all Amerindians the exclusive descendants of the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi?
- Source:Gospel Topics:Book of Mormon and DNA Studies:The evidence assembled to date suggests that the majority of Native Americans carry largely Asian DNA
- Source:JBMS:Sorenson and Roper:Lehi saw from the beginning that Nephites and Lamanites were labels that would include a variety of groups that could have differing biological origins, cultures, and ethnic heritages
- Question: Does the fact that the Doctrine and Covenants refers to North American Indians as "Lamanites" contradict the theory that the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica?
- Statements by Church leaders related to the identity of the Lamanites
Is Lehi the exclusive ancestor or among the ancestors of Amerindians?
Summary: LDS leaders have expressed a variety of opinions regarding whether or not all Amerindians are literal descendants of Lehi. Population genetics indicate that Lehi can likely be counted among the ancestors of all native Americans—a position that the Church has reinforced by changing the 1981 Book of Mormon introduction from "principal ancestors" to "among the ancestors."Relationship of the Maya and the Olmec to the Lamanites and the Jaredites
Summary: A common criticism is that LDS associate the Nephites and/or Lamanites with the Maya, and the Jaredite civilization with the Olmec. It is easy, based upon typical artistic representations used by the Church, to see why LDS typically associate the Nephites or Lamanites with the Maya. The assumption by critics that LDS associate the Nephites and the Lamanites with "the Maya" is an oversimplification of the facts. Most Church members view "the Maya" as a single, homogeneous group of people whom they associate with the magnificent ruins of the Classic Mayan civilization found in Mesoamerica. However, the Classic period occurs after Book of Mormon times. LDS research has focused on identifying the characteristics of the Preclassic Mayan culture, which does indeed cover the time period addressed by the Book of Mormon.Referenced in the Doctrine and Covenants
Summary: Since in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to American Indians in North America as "Lamanites" (e.g., DC 28:8-9,14, DC 30:6, DC 32:2, DC 54:8), does this cause problems for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) or issues of Amerindian genetic data?Summary: A collection of all known statements made by Church leaders regarding the identity of the Lamanites
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- Statements by Church leaders regarding the Lamanites: 19th century
- Statements by Church leaders regarding the Lamanites: 20th century
- Statements by Church leaders regarding the Lamanites: 21st century
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