Christianity: Details about 'Nephite'
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In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites are a people descended from or associated with Nephi, a prophet who traveled with his family from Jerusalem to the Western Hemisphere circa 600 B.C. at the urging of God. The Nephites, initially a righteous people, eventually fell into wickedness, and were utterly destroyed by their rivals the Lamanites circa A.D. 421. Most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the Nephites were a historic people. However, most mainstream archeologists argue that there is currently no compelling evidence that this group existed. The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), recently absorbed by Brigham Young University, performs extensive archeological research in this area, and publications on this subject and other historical topics are issued regularly by the FARMS organization. Most LDS scholars, however, note that interpreting findings in a way that might seem favorable to the Book of Mormon is cautiously avoided by mainstream archaeologists, creating an inherent bias, logically, against it. Evidence, for example, such as statuettes of bearded men of Caucasoid appearance (found in South America), legends regarding giant white men (among tribes in the eastern United States), and other archaeological/ethnological data which frequently appear are, rather artificially some might say, interpreted as anomalies rather than as part of a comprehensive trend. Many mainstream archaeologists accuse LDS scholars of "missing the forest for the trees"; LDS scholars might respond that they keep pointing out tree after tree, but nobody else wants to admit there's a forest. See also
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