Laban's death defies logic and reality

[_just me]

It is genuinely disturbing that children are taught these stories from a young age. It's disturbing that they are taught to celebrate and aspire to the kind of "faith" that is willing to manifest behavior that is essentially indistinguishable from murderous psychopathology.

So true!!!

[_MCB]

The reason why Judith did what she did was presented in mere factual statements, there was no "God told me to do this." It was to stop a siege and starvation, or prevent a bloody war. Either way, she and her people would have been destroyed.

[_karl61]

Why would a parent give a child a Book of Mormon without stapling parts of it closed. What good is achieved from reading threating language when as child you really have done nothing wrong.

[_Mooseman]

Forget Book of Mormon anachronisms, DNA, lack of archeologic evidence, and blatant KJV plagerisms. Laban's death gives the Book of Mormon a black eye in credibility.

1. Dude is sh*tfaced and passed out. If you have ever dealt with anyone as inebriated as Laban was described in the Book of Mormon, you would know that it wouldn't take too much effort or protest to disrobe Laban. No murder necessary.

2. Which of the following scenerios is less likely to trigger an all out manhunt for Nephi and his brothers in the morning?

A. Laban wakes up naked with a hangover and chalks it up to a night of hard partying.
B. Laban's guards discover their master's naked, headless corpse in the street in a pool of blood and gore. The blood trail leads straight to the vault. "Hey, weren't Lehi's sons here last
night causing a commotion about wanting Laban's plates?" The alarm is sounded, and its all hands on deck to apprehend these violent criminals.

3. If Nephi had to kill Laban, why not just strangle or smother him? He was incapacitated, so it would be simple. The human body contains 6 qts of blood. That is one hell of a mess. Are you telling me none of that blood sprayed all over Nephi or soaked Laban's clothes? So, Nephi put on those disgusting bloody clothes and Zoram didn't even flinch when what he thought was his boss approaching him with an ass load of congealed blood all over his body? Zoram: "Let me lead you to the vaults sir, nothing seems out of the ordinary here."

4. Nephi was commanded to kill Laban because according to God it is better to let one man perish than let a nation dwindle and perish in unbelief (1Nephi 4:13). If this was the case, why didn't God command Nephi to kill Laman and Lemuel? Because of the Lamanites, didn't the Nephites get wiped out and a whole nation perished and dwindled in unbelief? So, in the end killing Laban didn't prevent a nation from perishing and dwindling in unbelief. Didn't God forsee this? Oops, so much for omnipotence.

I think I hate Tannerisms more than even atheist BS. It is all BS a bunch of spiritual politics seeking only to demonized the other side.

Nephi was no idiot. Beheading would tend to make the Jews think it was a barbarian and not one of their own. NO? Nephi wanted to spare Laban's clothes and could have facilitated that quite easily curbing Laban's neck. He even might have killed him before taking his head and reduced the blood pressure first with a throat cut. We do not have to imagine always in the stupidest way possible. The angel that rebuked Laman and Lemuel for smitting their brother with a rod told Nephi that the Lord would DELIVER Laban. In the parlance of the day that means the Lord intended for Laban to be killed.

Taking Laban's head would not cast suspicion on the Lehi's sons as it would appear he was killed for his sword of pure gold and clothes.
We have no details as to if Nephi hid or disposed of the body either.

Why would a just God kill Laban? The Lord is under no obligation to preserve the wicked who seek to slay the righteous. And Laban would have pursued Nephi to the ends of the earth had he lived.

Let's see, what other junk logic (bile) have you spleened (written) on the page?

The Brass Plates are far from finished in their saving the nations. Lehi prophesied that these same plates would remain bright and all nations, kindreds, and tongues and his own seed would have them, and perhaps read upon the very house tops, unto the convincing of all that Jesus Christ is Lord. The prophets on the Brass Plates made very specific and detailed prophecies of Christ. Since Lehi's prophecy has NOT been fulfilled yet it is still coming. And precisely what the House of Israel needs to begin to gather in from their long dispersion and become the people of the living God in truth before he comes again.

Oliver Cowdery was told that he would be allowed to bring forth hidden wisdom and treasures of great worth. He was a Second Witness with Joseph Smith but he failed and another is to take his place. Eventually.
So you can expect a prophet to stand up in the last days with the Brass Plates in hand to show them and not keep them secret but allow them to be hands on evidence that the Book of Mormon is true and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that the Lord has set his hand a second time to gather in his people.

[_Mooseman]

When I got to the whole killing of Laban story the last time (Aug, 2005), I just had to stop. It occurred to me, as Racer pointed out, that it really didn't make sense, within the context of the narrative, for a just God to command Laban's death. It appears unnecessary, arbitrary and immoral.

Plus, in reality, we don't celebrate people who are willing to listen to "promptings from God" that lead them to behead people, or sacrifice their children on altars. We lock those people up (if we're lucky). It is genuinely disturbing that children are taught these stories from a young age. It's disturbing that they are taught to celebrate and aspire to the kind of "faith" that is willing to manifest behavior that is essentially indistinguishable from murderous psychopathology.

You waded into the Book of Mormon three or four chapters obviously wanting an excuse to stop. I bet you failed to notice that the gospel had already been mentioned one way or another more than three times? No? Figures.

[_angsty]

You waded into the Book of Mormon three or four chapters obviously wanting an excuse to stop. I bet you failed to notice that the gospel had already been mentioned one way or another more than three times? No? Figures.

That must be it. Strange how it took reading it over thirty times to find that excuse. I'm nothing if not persistent.

[_Mooseman]

You waded into the Book of Mormon three or four chapters obviously wanting an excuse to stop. I bet you failed to notice that the gospel had already been mentioned one way or another more than three times? No? Figures.

That must be it. Strange how it took reading it over thirty times to find that excuse. I'm nothing if not persistent.

Oh, right, You did say :the last time: THIRTY? Get out!

[_angsty]

Oh, right, You did say :the last time: THIRTY? Get out!

What can I say? I was brought up in a deeply observant family. It's a hard habit to break.

[_TruthPrevails88]

Exactly right ~ Laban's death defies God's logic. Nephi sinned as he was influenced by his "own will" and not God's. Because of that sin, murder throughout the history of LDS Inc has been justified as seen with the past and present Danite Warriors. Everyone sins especially prophets who should know better. Look at today's profits a.k.a. Kings which the Book of Mormon warns against!

The only way that I could visualize that grotesque murder was that Laban's head was in the gutter? Therefore, gravity helped keep the blood off of the clothes? Maybe Joseph was thinking of Fannie Alger while translating this part and got carried away?

[_Mooseman]

Oh, right, You did say :the last time: THIRTY? Get out!

What can I say? I was brought up in a deeply observant family. It's a hard habit to break.

And you never once asked "how come the gospel was one way in the Book of Mormon and so NOT that way today"?