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I have a question that I believe will spark quite a discussion. What do all of you here think the Three Nephites and John the Revelator? Do any of you believe they exist or do they believe they are myths. I believe they could exist, but, since the ancient scriptures and early days of the LDS Church, the leadership in Salt Lake City doesn’t talk about them all that much anymore. I wonder why! Anyway, what are your thoughts about them? Ilovechrist77 wrote:I have a question that I believe will spark quite a discussion. What do all of you here think the Three Nephites and John the Revelator? Do any of you believe they exist or do they believe they are myths. I believe they could exist, but, since the ancient scriptures and early days of the LDS Church, the leadership in Salt Lake City doesn’t talk about them all that much anymore. I wonder why! Anyway, what are your thoughts about them?
I am agnostic about them. I have chosen indecision on this, and many other church claims.
I was actually thinking about this recently, since I just finished up third Nephi. It’s certainly given us some unique urban legends. At the least, I think there is an inspiring teaching about selflessness in the story. I like SD’s use of the word agnostic in this case. That’s my view as well – I’m not saying they don’t exist but I need more proof. Call me a Doubting Thomas. I think just like I don’t have to believe the entire earth was flooded in the story of Noah, I don’t feel my salvation depends on me believing this. I personally do not believe in the 3 Nephites as traveling the world doing good never getting old or dying. Perhaps that would make a good premise for a Sci-Fiction book series. A young person encounters the three nephites and goes on adventures with them – killing demons and doing good. Kinda like the LDS version of the TV series supernatural.
I do not believe in this because it does not fit with what I understand about God. Supposedly God does not send angels or perform miracles to achieve what we humans/ church members can achieve ourselves. What would be the purpose of undying do-good hitchhikers (many of the stories involving them lately depict them hitchhiking
😯 ).I would be ok with the idea of God having a contingent of translated and/or resurrected beings in heaven/kolob that he can activate for specific tasks that require a physical body.
I am likewise incredulous of the ten tribes from the north (with thier own unique scriptures and prophets) that will someday return as a cohesive people. At least the 3 nephites isn’t immortalized in our “Articles of Faith.”
I suppose in general I take a fairly humanist view.
I don’t believe in them (being that I don’t believe in the historicity of the BofM would make it hard to believe in the 3 Nephites). However, it would make a fascinating sci-fi series. I have commented many times to my wife that I think it would be cool to be a vampire and live for hundreds of years (not saying the 3N’s are vampires). If they were alive wouldn’t they have to be filthy rich by now? I mean 1000’s of years of interest has to be worth something right? They could not have been just going around depending on other people’s kindness all this time. They must have had to work at some point for shelter, supplies, etc. Also, if they have been constantly doing kind deeds for the last 100’0’s of years wouldn’t there be even a larger myth or urban legends being attributed to those guys?
Do the 3N’s and JtheR get together for a beer? (I mean those guys didn’t have the WofW when they were alive).
And if the Lord had let them hang around, don’t you think He might have tipped them off to some good investment opportunities so they could be self-funded and use the money for good?
Such a fun topic to speculate about
🙂 -SBRed
SunBeltRed, those are interesting questions. Roy, I’m actually writing a novel that has John the Revelator helping a detective fight Cain (Master Mahan) in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, during Halloween season. It’s title at the moment is called The Griffin and the Serpent. Ilovechrist77 wrote:SunBeltRed, those are interesting questions. Roy, I’m actually writing a novel that has John the Revelator helping a detective fight Cain (Master Mahan) in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, during Halloween season. It’s title at the moment is called The Griffin and the Serpent.
Please let me know how I can get a copy once you publish.
:thumbup: I don’t take those stories literally. They just don’t make sense or resonate with either my heart or my mind. Yesterday my home teacher taught me and my 4 children that the earth is 6000 years old and the 2nd coming is any day now. I put the entire Old Testament, the 3 Nephites, and immortal John in the symbolic category. I suppose I have a little more belief in the 3 Nephites because my family has a 3 Nephites story. It was actually told by a grandfather several times removed about an experience he had before he joined the church. He was cutting wood and severely injured his leg. He was alone at the time and expected to bleed to death. Apparently a man appeared and handed him a vial of liquid and instructed him to pour it on the wound. The bleeding stopped immediately and the man had disappeared. It was only later when this grandfather joined the church that he learned of the 3 Nephites and he believed with all of his heart that one of them had saved his life. It’s a cool story and one I honestly never doubted. Whether it was Nephite or an angel, it doesn’t matter to me. But I do believe that our Heavenly Father can send us help when it suits His purposes, I just don’t think it happens but rarely.
Quote:Whether it was Nephite or an angel, it doesn’t matter to me. But I do believe that our Heavenly Father can send us help when it suits His purposes, I just don’t think it happens but rarely.
I have a friend whose family shares a story of unexpected rescue by an unnamed messenger. I think of Elizabeth Smart’s explanation of her deceased grandfather bringing her water one night, when she felt doomed to die in her situation. I don’t have any personally but I will leave those to people who do receive them.
Has time and humanity made legends or myths out of things, yes, this makes it hard to believe. I have had personal experiences I can only attribute to something/someone divine. If someone has a face to face, person to person experience and feels compelled to attribute it – they have my full support, and my dedication to not spread it around like gossip. Leave it to the holiness it is.
Thanks for sharing those stories! I personally have never had and I don’t know anyone personally who has had an experience like that, but I can’t completely discount other people’s experiences either. Thus the wondering continues…
🙂 I don’t know anyone who has had something like this happen to them, either, but I don’t disbelieve those who say they have had such experiences. It’s like the experiences of people who say they died and went to heaven and came back. I don’t know anyone who has experienced that but I believe them. And in actuality it’s like Joseph Smith. I don’t know anyone who has professed to have seen God or angels, but I do believe he had a profound experience where he certainly did see something – and I believe him because he could have just faded into the frontier and farmed if that’s what he desired to do, but he stuck to his story.
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