What's in a Word?

If you haven't heard, there was a single word change made in the introduction of the Book of Mormon. Instead of identifying the Lamanites as the principal ancestors of the American Indians it now says they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.

Predictably, the change has led sceptics to become more sceptical. The reaction I have witnessed from members of the church in Central Texas has been underwhelming -- nothing more than a shoulder shrug here and there. It really is not a topic of conversation.

I bring it up, however, because the Associated Press distributed a story on the change and it was picked up by at least two newspapers in the region.

To me the word change is a simple acknowledgement that there may have been more groups come to the American Continent than just Lehi and his group, or the brother of Jared and his group, or the Mulekites. There may also have been people who traveled over on an ice bridge or in other sea going vessels.

I attended a meeting yesterday where a leader of a community service organization talked about how it is beneficial to talk to the press because "if a reporter can't find a public official to interview they will find somebody to talk to and sometimes that person is a Wal-Mart shopper who doesn't have any teeth."

I'm not saying that the people interviewed in the AP article are equivalent to a toothless Wal-Mart shopper. I just wish the story would have articulated better that in most Latter-day Saint circles the change from principal to among is really a non-issue.