Keywords
Nephite apostasy, Book of Mormon, socioreligious context, ancient Mesoamerica
Abstract
Nephite apostates turned away from true worship in consistent and predictable ways throughout the Book of Mormon. T heir beliefs and practices may have been the result of influence from the larger socioreligious context in which the Nephites lived. A Mesoamerican setting provides a plausible cultural background that explains why Nephite apostasy took the par ticular form it did and may help us gain a deeper understanding of some specific references that Nephite prophets used when com bating that apostasy. We propose that apostate Nephite religion resulted from the syncretization of certain beliefs and practices from normative Nephite religion with those attested in ancient Mesoamerica. We suggest that orthodox Nephite expectations of the “heavenly king” were supplanted by the more present and tangible “divine king.”
Recommended Citation
Wright, Mark Alan and Gardner, Brant A.
(2012)
"The Cultural Context of Nephite Apostasy,"
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: Vol. 1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/interpreter/vol1/iss1/5
