When the mishies were cruising me for conversion as I was on my way to Vietnam, one frequent expression was
“We know these things to be true.”
This was used to quell investigators’ doubts about
Nephites
Lamanites
Gold plates inscribed in `reformed Egyptian’
Book of Abraham
Umim & Thummim
Terrestrial/Celestial/Telestial Kingdoms
BoM books with names like Jarom, Omni, Mosiah, Ether, Alma, etc.
I'm SO glad you responded as you did...especially on a thread entitled: Dispelling the Anti-Mormon Myth
Well, yesterday I happened to be reviewing the word/topical index in the back of the 1990 Mormon church published "triple 'scriptures'" (Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) under the entry Lamanites.
Allow me to post the index entry as it's found on p.200:
"Alma 23:17 (24:3) Lamanite converts take new name, Anti-Nephite Lehies"
ALL: I kid you NOT!!!
Joseph Smith...in a "time period" supposedly between 90 and 77 B.C....inserts the gold plate etcher as supposedly saying in the Book of Alma:
* "And it came to pass that they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name and were no more called Lamanites." (Alma 23:17)
* Alma 24:1 talks about those who "had not taken upon them the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi"
* Alma 24:2 mentions how people "took up arms against the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi"
* Alma 24:3 says "Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son, and he called his name Anti-Nephi-Lehi."
Oh, sure.
Pre-Christ Native Americans readily id'd selves as "Anti-Nephi-Lehies."
I believe it. Don't y'all?
(But I do have some parcels of land in Anti-Nephi-Lehi land I want you to consider buying sight unseen...based upon your implicit trust in my ability to describe this land to you in narrative detail)
Quite obviously, Mormons LOVE to label people as "Antis"...from their very founder on down!
SHIZ!