Were the Nephites and Muleites Separated?

Sorenson, in his book “An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Momon,” on page 156, would have us believe the Mulekites and Nephites were separated. To do this, he writes, after stating that a large pyramid in Santa Rose (Yucatan) was recently found with a line dividing the area in two equal parts:

“Could these two groups have been the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Nephi? Mosiah 25:4 supports the possibility: “And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies.” Also, the ”churches” Alma organized (Alma 25:19-21) were probably based on ethnic-residential units. If two distinct peoples did live in separate sections within the city, the arrangement would agree with later Mesoamerican practice.”

However, Sorenson ignores two important points found between these two citings:

1. These events took place in 122 B.C., about three generations after the end of Omni 1:30, when Mosiah and the Nephites discovered the people of Zarahemla. At this time, these two peoples were indeed separated, both by numbers—-the Muleites considerably outnumbered the Nephites (Mosiah 25:2)—-and by linguistic background—-the Mulekites' corrupted language was not understood initially by the Nephites, though by this time they had been taught the Nephite language (Omni 1:17-18).

2. Alma had just returned to Zarahemla after his escape and lengthy journey from the city of Lehi-Nephi, as had Limhi with his group. Mosiah received both groups with joy (Mosiah 24:25) and called for all the people to gather together to hear their reports (Mosiah 25:1).

At this time, after Mosiah had read the records kept by Zeniff (Mosiah 25:5) and that of Alma (Mosiah 25:6), the people were perplexed, both in gratitude for the salvation of their brethren (both Nephites and Mulekites were among those returning), and also sorrowed at those who had been killed as well as their concern over the “polluted state” of the Lamanites, who were their brethren.

At this time the children of Amulon—King Noah’s evil priests who married Lamanite women—were displeased with the conduct of their fathers and “took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites” (Mosiah 25:12). In addition, “all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi” (Mosiah 25:13).

At this time Alma went among these two large bodies “preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord” (Mosiah 25:15), Limhi and all his people were baptized (Mosiah 25:17), and Mosiah authorized Alma to establish churches in the land. It took seven in all to accommodate the large number of Nephites-Zarahemlites-Amulonites that, from this point forward in the scriptures are never again mentioned as separate groups, but all were called Nephites. These churches, like churches of today, were undoubtedly organized by location and population size. Whether these church divisions “were probably based on ethnic-residential units” is not known nor implied. One can surmise that people lived together or near one another because of family relationships, friendships, and similar interests—but overall, there was one church (Mosiah 25:22) and all were called “the people of God” (Mosiah 25:24).

To try and create a division between these people as Mesoamerican Theorists do is nothing short of disingenuous. Wards and Stakes today are made up of all types of people with numerous ethnic backgrounds and various stages of wealth and poverty. While some members sometimes make issues out of this, the Lord does not and the membership in general does not. Only Mesoamerican Theorists want to create problems where none exist in order that “the arrangement would agree with later Mesoamerican practice.”