It is interesting that one of the communal responses to the Nephites’ religious revival was the desire to share their new insights with the Lamanites. Of course, the Lamanites had not had the Nephites’ preparation nor such a dramatic episode as the Sherem-Jacob encounter. It is not surprising that the Nephite preaching had little effect. Nevertheless, it is true that one of the effects of receiving a testimony by the Spirit is the desire to share it.
This desire, from a historical perspective, raises a question. Nephite expressions toward the Lamanites had been universally negative up to this point, so why, in the aftermath of Sherem’s confession, were the Nephites so concerned about their salvation? I hypothesize that the cause was Sherem himself. As an outsider, a non-Nephite, Sherem is by definition a “Lamanite.” This term is a generic, not a genetic, designation. After being impressed and entertained by Sherem, after witnessing the curse that fell upon him, after nourishing him in his final illness, and after witnessing a confession so powerful that it triggered their own repentance, the Nephites would almost instinctively turn their attention to his people. He was a convert to the law of Moses who became a convert to Christ. Would not other Lamanites follow his trajectory?
Culture: Jacob rather tersely notes that the Lamanites continued to make war against the Nephites. After these many years, it is difficult to ascribe such wars to the personal hatred Laman and Lemuel felt for Nephi—although it is not impossible. It is just as likely, however, that the Lamanites adopted Mesoamerican social models that focused more strongly on warfare than early Mesoamerican scholars had supposed. It is also possible that the town of Nephi was desirable because of its wealth.