Nephi Kills Himself
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Nephi Kills Himself
Under the heading of strange thoughts about Nephi's killing of Laban:
Back in the 1980’s, I watched a move called “Raising Arizona.” During the movie, the protagonist, a ne’er do well small time crook played by Nicholas Cage, is being pursued by a mythical bad ass dude on a motorcycle. At the end, Cage and the biker have a confrontation in which Cage blows the biker up by accidentally yanking out the grenade pins on the biker’s vest while the biker is trying to break Cage’s back. Right before the guy blows up, Cage sees he has a tattoo on his arm identical to one on Cage’s arm. I realized that the biker was Cage in some sense, and that it was this negative aspect of himself that Cage had to destroy before he could finally be safe and lead a better life.
This made me think of Nephi and Laban. The connection between Nephi and Laban is forged after Nephi kills him and dons Laban’s clothing, even down to the last whit. Nephi becomes Laban such that not only does he look like Laban, but he speaks with Laban’s voice.
In an important sense, Nephi is Laban, and Nephi slays himself in the dark streets of Jerusalem. What does this mean? At least in part, I think it may indicate Laban is Nephi’s natural man, the natural man King Benjamin will later tell us is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. It is Nephi’s natural man that is preventing him from getting the brass plates as directed by the Lord.
Obviously, Laban himself has been the primary obstacle to Nephi getting the brass plates, repeatedly thwarting his attempts until this pivotal moment.
On another front, though, Nephi’s personal “natural man” has kept him from getting the plates, as well. By this I mean that Nephi (and his brothers) have been trying to get the plates on their own, by their own plans and on their own power. The command came from God, but they have their own ideas about how to accomplish it. Primary kids sing the song taken from 1 Nephi 3:7, “I will go, I will do, the thing the Lord commands.” But when Nephi says it, I think his emphasis is on the “I.” He is full of himself and his massive strength. He can do this on his own, thank you very much.
But the first plan of asking Laban pretty-please for the plates bombs. Then they regroup and Nephi brings all their treasure and offers a trade for the plates. Not only does he not get the plates, he loses the treasure. No wonder Nephi’s brothers are mad at him.
Everything Nephi has tried has failed and he is out of options. He can’t come up with any other plan to get the plates. His natural man is stumped. Now the critical turning point in the narrative, where Nephi has to rely on the Lord. He has to slay his natural man and yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.
He walks into Jerusalem in the dead of night, not having any idea what he is going to do but just trusting that God will guide him and open up a way. And God does. Nephi stumbles over something. It is Laban drunk in the street. What are the odds?
And now the Spirit comes to Nephi and tells him to kill Laban. Nephi resists, but eventually, Nephi “yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” and cuts off Laban’s head.
Through this narrative, Nephi has slain his natural man, represented by the drunk Laban, and through so doing, is enabled to obtain the plates.
Whaddya think?
All the Best!
--Consiglieri
Back in the 1980’s, I watched a move called “Raising Arizona.” During the movie, the protagonist, a ne’er do well small time crook played by Nicholas Cage, is being pursued by a mythical bad ass dude on a motorcycle. At the end, Cage and the biker have a confrontation in which Cage blows the biker up by accidentally yanking out the grenade pins on the biker’s vest while the biker is trying to break Cage’s back. Right before the guy blows up, Cage sees he has a tattoo on his arm identical to one on Cage’s arm. I realized that the biker was Cage in some sense, and that it was this negative aspect of himself that Cage had to destroy before he could finally be safe and lead a better life.
This made me think of Nephi and Laban. The connection between Nephi and Laban is forged after Nephi kills him and dons Laban’s clothing, even down to the last whit. Nephi becomes Laban such that not only does he look like Laban, but he speaks with Laban’s voice.
In an important sense, Nephi is Laban, and Nephi slays himself in the dark streets of Jerusalem. What does this mean? At least in part, I think it may indicate Laban is Nephi’s natural man, the natural man King Benjamin will later tell us is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. It is Nephi’s natural man that is preventing him from getting the brass plates as directed by the Lord.
Obviously, Laban himself has been the primary obstacle to Nephi getting the brass plates, repeatedly thwarting his attempts until this pivotal moment.
On another front, though, Nephi’s personal “natural man” has kept him from getting the plates, as well. By this I mean that Nephi (and his brothers) have been trying to get the plates on their own, by their own plans and on their own power. The command came from God, but they have their own ideas about how to accomplish it. Primary kids sing the song taken from 1 Nephi 3:7, “I will go, I will do, the thing the Lord commands.” But when Nephi says it, I think his emphasis is on the “I.” He is full of himself and his massive strength. He can do this on his own, thank you very much.
But the first plan of asking Laban pretty-please for the plates bombs. Then they regroup and Nephi brings all their treasure and offers a trade for the plates. Not only does he not get the plates, he loses the treasure. No wonder Nephi’s brothers are mad at him.
Everything Nephi has tried has failed and he is out of options. He can’t come up with any other plan to get the plates. His natural man is stumped. Now the critical turning point in the narrative, where Nephi has to rely on the Lord. He has to slay his natural man and yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.
He walks into Jerusalem in the dead of night, not having any idea what he is going to do but just trusting that God will guide him and open up a way. And God does. Nephi stumbles over something. It is Laban drunk in the street. What are the odds?
And now the Spirit comes to Nephi and tells him to kill Laban. Nephi resists, but eventually, Nephi “yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” and cuts off Laban’s head.
Through this narrative, Nephi has slain his natural man, represented by the drunk Laban, and through so doing, is enabled to obtain the plates.
Whaddya think?
All the Best!
--Consiglieri
You prove yourself of the devil and anti-mormon every word you utter, because only the devil perverts facts to make their case.--ldsfaqs (6-24-13)
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
I think your post represents far too many braincells being fried in the service of making an abominable text somehow true in some philosophical way. It is a prime example of what enabled homo sapiens to dominate this world in the last few thousand years, ie: our strong and vibrant ability to solve problems.
I mean, well done and all, seriously, but in the service of what? It still didn't really happen, in the real world, apart from in our minds.
I mean, well done and all, seriously, but in the service of what? It still didn't really happen, in the real world, apart from in our minds.
Mormonism ceased being a compelling topic for me when I finally came to terms with its transformation from a personality cult into a combination of a real estate company, a SuperPac, and Westboro Baptist Church. - Kishkumen
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
I've seen similar interpretation of the myth. It is the one I preferred before letting go of the book altogether.
You can find somewhat similar symbolic interpretations of the Abraham story.
You can find somewhat similar symbolic interpretations of the Abraham story.
~Those who benefit from the status quo always attribute inequities to the choices of the underdog.~Ann Crittenden
~The Goddess is not separate from the world-She is the world and all things in it.~
~The Goddess is not separate from the world-She is the world and all things in it.~
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
I like it. But I think the symbolism is a little different. Before Nephi slays Laban he is the innocent young man trying to do the right thing. Laban is a powerful man, a leader and a tyrant. When Nephi slays Laban and puts on his clothes, he becomes Laban. He is no longer the naïve young man, he is now a leader. The brass plates are like the one ring. When they arrive in the promised land, Nephi becomes the leader, and is a bit of a tyrant by casting out the unwanted Lamanites and having his god curse them with dark skin and laziness.
"We have taken up arms in defense of our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children; we are determined to preserve them, or die."
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
consiglieri wrote:Under the heading of strange thoughts...
Whaddya think?
All the Best!
--Consiglieri
In terms of increased tithing revenue, I think if the church would have a huge ROI on hiring you well to re-write the Gospel Doctrine curriculum.
It’s relatively easy to agree that only Homo sapiens can speak about things that don’t really exist, and believe six impossible things before breakfast. You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.
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-Yuval Noah Harari
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
Con (I will use this appellation as I can not remember how to spell your full name and am too lazy to look it up),
that is some truly amazing wild speculation, demonstrating true creative genius. It is the type of literary creation of meaning in a story where there was none that my English professor who saw Christ figures in every thing and who couldn't just accept that "the old man and the sea" was just a story about a dude and a fish without multiple layers of deep hidden meanings would applaud.
Sir, I salute you!
that is some truly amazing wild speculation, demonstrating true creative genius. It is the type of literary creation of meaning in a story where there was none that my English professor who saw Christ figures in every thing and who couldn't just accept that "the old man and the sea" was just a story about a dude and a fish without multiple layers of deep hidden meanings would applaud.
Sir, I salute you!
It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener at war.
Some of us, on the other hand, actually prefer a religion that includes some type of correlation with reality.
~Bill Hamblin
Some of us, on the other hand, actually prefer a religion that includes some type of correlation with reality.
~Bill Hamblin
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
Consig,
I, of course, have no problem at all with this kind of fun interpretation of the stories in the Book of Mormon.
There is a problem in the logic, however. Nicholas Cage was already that guy then he killed that guy. Whereas, Nephi wasn't that guy then killed the guy then became that guy? Very problematic indeed. Well, maybe the soul of Laban possessed the body of Nephi after he was murdered. Now that could have some traction! Are there signs in the story of Nephi having a dual personality?
Whatcha think?
I, of course, have no problem at all with this kind of fun interpretation of the stories in the Book of Mormon.
There is a problem in the logic, however. Nicholas Cage was already that guy then he killed that guy. Whereas, Nephi wasn't that guy then killed the guy then became that guy? Very problematic indeed. Well, maybe the soul of Laban possessed the body of Nephi after he was murdered. Now that could have some traction! Are there signs in the story of Nephi having a dual personality?
Whatcha think?
Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given... Zeus (1178 BC)
The Holy Sacrament.
The Holy Sacrament.
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
DarkHelmet wrote:I like it. But I think the symbolism is a little different. Before Nephi slays Laban he is the innocent young man trying to do the right thing. Laban is a powerful man, a leader and a tyrant. When Nephi slays Laban and puts on his clothes, he becomes Laban. He is no longer the naïve young man, he is now a leader. The brass plates are like the one ring. When they arrive in the promised land, Nephi becomes the leader, and is a bit of a tyrant by casting out the unwanted Lamanites and having his god curse them with dark skin and laziness.
I think you are brilliant, DH!
(Okay, now THAT is funny. I type in the initials D and H and it ends up translating it as "Dear Husband.")
The story can be read as Nephi taking up himself the character of Laban, as well.
Bravo!
You prove yourself of the devil and anti-mormon every word you utter, because only the devil perverts facts to make their case.--ldsfaqs (6-24-13)
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
Analytics wrote:In terms of increased tithing revenue, I think if the church would have a huge ROI on hiring you well to re-write the Gospel Doctrine curriculum.
Thanks, Analytics.
But I don't know how huge the ROI would be in hiring me because I don't come cheap.
On a related note, I first suggested this idea in a proposition paper to FARMS in the late 1980's. I think John Sorenson was the editor of the JOBMS at the time, because he wrote me a nice letter back saying he thought it an intriguing idea. Nothing ever came of it though, and I sort of forgot about it until reading the first chapters of 1 Nephi recently.
All the Best!
--Consiglieri
You prove yourself of the devil and anti-mormon every word you utter, because only the devil perverts facts to make their case.--ldsfaqs (6-24-13)
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Re: Nephi Kills Himself
SteelHead wrote:Con (I will use this appellation as I can not remember how to spell your full name and am too lazy to look it up),
that is some truly amazing wild speculation, demonstrating true creative genius. It is the type of literary creation of meaning in a story where there was none that my English professor who saw Christ figures in every thing and who couldn't just accept that "the old man and the sea" was just a story about a dude and a fish without multiple layers of deep hidden meanings would applaud.
Sir, I salute you!
Steel. The Old Man and the Sea isn't "just a story about a dude and a fish." It has some of the most heavy-handed Christian symbolism in American literature.
Consig. I love your interpretation.