Here we have a doctrinal statement.
We have Nehor preaching to the members of the church, and he is preaching salvation. In this brief discussion of Nehor’s preaching, the most important is the phrase “for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men…”
First, note that we have the Lord creating all men. This is the task of Jehovah, the God of Israel (and the Nephites). At this point, we must also remember the nature of Abinadi’s argument before the priests of Noah. Abinadi preaches:
“Mosiah 13:27-8
27 And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.
28 And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.”
Abinadi was preaching to the priests of Noah who were denying the need for an atoning Messiah. Abinadi’s Messiah was yet in the future, but was to be the source of redemption and salvation for man.
Nehor is picking up on this critical issue of redemption, but notes that Jehovah (the Lord who has created everything) has already redeemded mankind. Nehor is preaching that salvation has already occurred, and that it is currently available to all. Abinadi preached that salvation was in the future person of the atoning Messiah, that “god himself” who would come down and atone for sin.
Another important aspect of Abinadi’s preaching was the more narrow application of salvation; not all would be saved:
“Mosiah 15:11-12
11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.
12 For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?”
Nehor is directly contradicting this aspect of Abinadi’s preaching of the atoning Messiah.
What Nehor is doing is bringing into Zarahemla some of the essential heresies into which the priests of Noah had fallen. How ironic that so soon upon the death of Alma the Elder the very things he had preached prior to his conversion by Abinadi would enter the Zarahemla community!
Historical: Where does such a disruptive man come from? The simplest answer is that he comes from the land of Zarahemla. However, there is a possibility that more is communicated through his name. Nehor was the main city in the land of Nehor described in the Book of Ether (Ether 7:4,8). Thus Nehor is a Jaredite name. Nehor appears to be old enough that his naming would have preceded Mosiah’s translation of the record of Ether (recorded in Mosiah 28:11-18). Had he been named after the translation, we might suppose that he could have been named for the city because of the translation. Since this does not appear to be the case, he must have received his name through some other connection to the Jaredite culture and lands.
While a name in and of itself does not clearly indicate an affiliation, it is likely that Nehor’s differences in religion have something to do with outside influences coming from the Jaredite regions. In this time period in Mesoamerica, the Olmec influence (the Olmec living at the time of the Jaredites, and the Jaredites likely living in the lands of the Olmec) had waned.
Nevertheless, there were still cultural remnants that pushed south as the more “pure” Maya culture pressed north. In the borderlands between the two there was known interaction of the cultural influences. The location of Zarahemla places it in one of these border zones where such influence would be possible.
Once again, we cannot tell for certain more than that Nehor carries a Jaredite name, but it is possible in both time and space for his family to be influenced by the remnants of the Olmec culture. That culture held many beliefs that would be contrary to the Nephite religion, and the nature of priests among the Olmec would be much closer to what Nehor preached. It is an interesting possibility.