Zelph
 

I'd never heard of Zelph before fusnik mentioned it today. I couldn't tell you what the Kinderhook plates are. I'd be embarrassed to tell you when I learned the "Book of Abraham" papyrus had been found. I'm such an ignoramous about such details. They've never interested me much, I guess.

Don't be so hard on yourself, it's more than just the details.

White Lamanite prophet who was found about a foot deep in the ground in the hills of Missouri during Zion's Camp. He was known as a great warrior and died in the last great battle between the Lamanites and Nephites.

Joseph Smith believed that the Nephites and Lamanites extended from Missouri down to the Yucatan. With the recent changes in the introduction of the BOM current leadership feels differently.

Does current leadership really feel differently, or do they just think there isn't enough revealed on the subject to state with any certainty and so they decided the introduction was more of a distraction than a help; especially since the "offending clause" was completely superfluous to the purpose and mission of the Book of Mormon.

Never mind that "Zelph" was found in an Indian Mound that was common of the Mississippian (Cahokia) Indians of the region.

Indians are Lamanites, don't you know, you dufus. The Cahokia were Lamanites.

The Lamanites were generically referred to as Lamanites because they didn't believe in Christ. Thus, the terms Lamanite and Nephite relatively early on in the BofM were a religious/political convention rather than denoting genetic lineage.

Yeah, but that's like saying a Pharoah was buried in the local Evergreen cemetary. Out of place, out of time.

I guess I should have added a TIC. At least for some people here.

I knew it was TIC, bud. I was more rejecting the argument for myself.