Scripture Study

Many of the figures modern readers encounter in the pages of the Book of Mormon can be seen as examples or warnings. But it is important to remember those figures as actual people who experienced joy and laughter as well as trauma and sorrow. Prominent in the book is its final recordkeeper, Moroni, the son of Mormon. While Moroni’s life and wanderings are mentioned by many modern commentators, few have discussed in detail the psychological impact that the destruction of his people and then his decades of solitude certainly could have had on the man.

In an insightful student symposium paper entitled “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” Collin Russell analyzed several instances in which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might have occurred amongst people anciently and proposed that Moroni, among other individuals, “may have dealt with PTSD during [his lifetime].”1

Potential Causes of PTSD and Its Symptoms

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, risk factors can increase a person’s chances of developing PTSD. These factors include, for example, trauma during childhood; being injured or witnessing the injury or death of another; experiencing horror, helplessness, or extreme fear; not receiving sufficient support following a traumatic event; and experiencing stress after a traumatic event such as losing a loved one, or a home, or dealing with pain and injury.2

Symptoms of PTSD will manifest in numerous ways that are often unique to the individual and their circumstances. A person may have flashbacks and recurring dreams about the traumatic event. They may stay away from locations or events that remind them of their experience and may be easily startled and put on guard. They will sometimes have “exaggerated feelings of blame” and think negatively about themselves and the world. They will “[lose] interest in previous activities.”3

Other factors—called resilience factors— reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD. These can include learning to accept one’s actions in response to trauma, having coping strategies to move through and learn from that trauma, and being able to seek out and receive support from others.4

Moroni’s Experiences

Moroni’s experiences at the final battle and in its lonely aftermath no doubt contained many of these risk factors for PTSD, but for most of his life, Moroni rarely knew peace.5 He experienced the difficulties of coming of age during the moral and political collapse of his people and was exposed to many of the traumatic exigencies of warfare—likely at a young age—both firsthand and as brought home by his father, Mormon, the Nephite commander in chief.

During the final battle, his father fell injured in the midst, and the ten thousand whom Moroni led were hewn down by the Lamanites (Mormon 6:11–12). As he witnessed the overwhelming defeat of the Nephites, Moroni undoubtedly experienced feelings of horror, helplessness, and extreme fear. Following the battle, he was one of only a very few survivors, who were swiftly reduced in number until he alone remained, without support (Mormon 6:18; 8:2).

The text of the Book of Mormon does not clarify how old Moroni was during the climactic battle at Cumorah, but afterward, he wandered alone for thirty-six years.6 During that time, he and other Nephites were pursued because they would not deny Christ: “I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life” (Moroni 1:2–3).

Potential Indications of PTSD

Russell examined Moroni’s writings, identifying in them a few potential signs of PTSD. For example, Moroni repeatedly reflects negatively on his own writing abilities. He asks readers to not condemn the record for its imperfections or him for his imperfections, and he expresses his concerns to the Lord that the Gentiles will “mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing.”7 Such repeated insecurities and concerns about failing are strong symptoms of the PTSD experienced by many war-stricken soldiers and civilians. But despite Moroni’s concerns, Russell notes that “it is obvious that Moroni had a powerful and confident writing style, which shows that his feelings of weakness were indeed distorted or exaggerated.”8

The Why

As Russell stated in his article, the point of discussing the risk factors of PTSD alongside the events of Moroni’s life is “not to provide official diagnosis” of his conditions or challenges. Instead, it is “to show how [Moroni] may have dealt with it . . . [and] to establish a connecting point between the Book of Mormon and those facing serious mental strains.”9 Therefore, a good way for readers to glean lessons from how Moroni may well have dealt with the traumas he experienced is to begin by considering what he chose to write about.

For example, as Moroni takes up the record after his father’s death, his opening verses reflect a degree of hopelessness about the events of that grim day. “I even remain alone,” he stated. “[The Nephites] are gone. . . . And whether [the Lamanites] will slay me, I know not. . . . I am alone.” (Mormon 8:3, 5). However, as Greg Smith has noted,

Rather than simply holding on grimly, Moroni is nearly obsessed with his on-going duties regarding his father’s record. After he has fulfilled his guardianship of the record, “it mattereth not” what happens to him, or where he goes. But, the record is vital, and this on-going duty seems to have grounded Moroni and kept him doggedly persisting, especially through his initial survivor shock.10

In addition, Lisa Bolin Hawkins and Gordon C. Thomasson have written about the syndrome of survivor-witnesses—that is, people who have endured incredible losses and difficulties, whose “paramount desire [is] to remember and record their experiences and those of others that did not survive.”11 In thus recording these experiences, survivor-witnesses bear witness of their determination in the face of horrific trials. Among numerous examples of such individuals in the Book of Mormon, Hawkins and Thomasson state that Moroni is “perhaps the best example of the survivor-witness in the Book of Mormon . . . [as he] sees his major responsibility as the completion and preservation of the records of his people.”12

Moroni also found and embraced his purpose quickly. John Bytheway noted, “The Moroni who talks to us at the beginning of Mormon chapter 8 sounds a lot different from the Moroni who speaks to us toward the end of the chapter.”13 Moroni’s people were gone, and he mourned their loss, but he already looked positively towards a future day and gave wise guidance to future generations. “[Moroni] dedicated his life to sharing something with people he would never meet in mortality, in hopes that those things would be of worth ‘to [his] brethren, the Lamanites . . .’ and to all of us (Moroni 1:4).”14

Following a reflection that he had not expected to write anymore—he had bid farewell to his audience twice already—he elected to “write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth.”15 As Bytheway observes, “Not only is Moroni’s choice of topics interesting, but the sequence in which they are shared is very instructive, almost like a list of priorities for life.”16

Among these invaluable contributions—including several magisterial addresses and letters from his father—he gifted his readers several short chapters detailing ordinances and some of the practices of the Nephite church. As he inscribed these upon the plates, he bridged the gap of years and made that church come alive, allowing him as a survivor-witness to preserve the memory of his fellow Saints.

Thus, in Moroni 2, Moroni related the Savior’s instructions to His disciples on giving the gift of the Holy Ghost.17 As Bytheway notes, “The importance of the Holy Ghost for the lone man Moroni cannot be overstated.” That gift would prove to be a factor of resilience for Moroni, for with that gift, Moroni was never truly alone. Furthermore, “Moroni knew of the privilege of the Holy Ghost, and he felt it important enough to devote precious space on the plates to teach future generations.”18

That unspeakable gift laid the foundation for what Moroni would write in Moroni 3–6, which included:

• the ordination of priests and teachers, performed by the power of the Holy Ghost (Moroni 3:1–4)
• the administration of the sacrament, during which they would seek to “always have his Spirit to be with them”19
• the conducting of meetings “after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 6:9)

However, having purpose and the power of the Holy Ghost are not a pure panacea. Even Moroni still dealt with deep inadequacies—some of which are potential signs of PTSD—throughout the rest of his mortal tenure. He was deeply concerned with his faults and mistakes, perhaps even until to the last leaf of the plates, on which he wrote, “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men.”20

Even as Moroni mourned his weakness, the Savior reached out to him with words that echo down through the ages as a comfort to those who struggle today: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

As Greg Smith has noted, this didn’t necessitate a marvelous transformation; most of the record had been written already. Instead, what the Lord promised Moroni was that “because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong.”21 Moroni, Smith says, “has the courage, in short, to be weak: ‘if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God (Moroni 10:32).’”22

As Moroni’s writings are examined, readers—both those who struggle with PTSD in any form as well as those who do not—can find some comfort in the comfort the doctrines of the gospel brought to Moroni and in the same power and friendship of the Holy Ghost that steadied him.23 Most importantly, that same Savior who spoke to Moroni and helped him as he wandered alone, enduring the trauma and trials of his day, still stands with His caring hand outstretched to all those suffering today.

1. Collin Charles Russell, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” in 2019 BYU Religious Education Student Symposium (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2019), 132. For his short discussion on PTSD in antiquity, specifically in Greek and Roman literature and histories, see pp. 134–136.

2. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” Mental Health Information, National Institute of Mental Health, last modified July 2023, https://nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd.

3. National Institute of Mental Health, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

4. National Institute of Mental Health, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

5. An exception here would be the ten years of peace mentioned in Mormon 3:1.

6. While a firm age cannot be precisely determined, Moroni was old enough to have become very well taught in reading sacred records, working with metal and inscribing plates, and in commanding a large unit of soldiers. Though Moroni could have been wandering for his safety, Russell points out that it could “be considered an avoidance symptom.” Russell, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” 143.

7. Mormon 8:12; 9:31; Ether 12:23; Russell, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” 143. Noteworthy here is Moroni’s note for his latter-day readers that the Lord has “made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” Mormon 9:31.

8. Russell, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” 143.

9. Russell, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Book of Mormon,” 131–132.

10. Gregory L. Smith, “Moroni’s Courage: Cultural Devastation, Radical Hope, and the Book of Mormon,” in Remembrance and Return, Essays in Honor of Louis C. Midgley, ed. Ted Vaggalis and Daniel C. Peterson (Interpreter Foundation, 2019), 189.

11. Lisa Bolin Hawkins and Gordon C. Thomasson, “I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee: Survivor Witnesses in the Book of Mormon,” FARMS Preliminary Reports (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies [FARMS], 1984), 1.

12. Hawkins and Thomasson, “I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee,” 10.

13. John Bytheway, Moroni’s Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times (Deseret Book, 2017), 14.

14. Bytheway, Moroni’s Guide, 42.

15. Moroni 1:4. See Scripture Central, “Why Did Moroni Write So Many Farewells? (Mormon 8:1),” KnoWhy 233 (November 17, 2016).

16. Bytheway, Moroni’s Guide, 4.

17. As was noted in a previous KnoWhy, Moroni was filling a gap left by his father Mormon, who had “alluded to the giving of the Holy Ghost several times” but “did not provide some of the details about this event that the reader might like to have.” See Scripture Central, “Why Did Moroni Keep Writing? (Moroni 2:3),” KnoWhy 249 (December 9, 2016).

18. Bytheway, Moroni’s Guide, 45, 59–60. As Bytheway notes on p. 59, interestingly, Mormon—through a letter recorded by Moroni—described his people’s demise in terms of their relationship with the Holy Ghost.

19. Moroni 4:3; Moroni 5:2. John Bytheway made a beautiful observation on the potential power and significance of the sacrament to Moroni. “Imagine how important and comforting the sacrament might have been to Moroni as a symbol and promise or renewal, restoration, resurrection, and Christ’s overcoming spiritual and physical death for each of us and our families. As we contemplate being reunited with our loved ones because of Jesus’ resurrection, we might suppose that Moroni also thought of his loved ones and their reunion made possible by Christ. Moroni had lost nearly everything, but he didn’t lose his faith.” Bytheway, Moroni’s Guide, 80.

20. Title page of the Book of Mormon. For Moroni’s concern over his faults, see Mormon 8:12; 9:31; Ether 12:23–25, 40.

21. Ether 12:37, emphasis added; Smith, “Moroni’s Courage,” 195.

22. Smith, “Moroni’s Courage,” 196.

23. “War is a time of frightening uncertainty. Yet, with the hope the gospel gives us, all can know that death is not the end. Jesus Christ has broken the bands of death. All will be resurrected and can move forward in the Father’s great plan of mercy, joy, and peace. It can be incredibly discouraging to face the horrors of war. Yet, Latter-day Saints can use the scriptures to find peace and meaning in times of war. The Saints can be encouraged by recognizing that the many authors of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon personally knew the soldier’s pain. Bible scholar Anathea Portier-Young summed up the work of US Army chaplain Mel Baars saying, ‘For soldiers who had experienced and even committed atrocities in war, there is tremendous value in learning that Scripture knows their horror and shame and knows the dehumanizing effect of war. Finding these horrors contained within sacred Scripture might suggest to combat veterans that they are not cast outside the orbit of God’s power to redeem.’” Scripture Central, “How Can the Book of Mormon Provide Peace and Meaning to Those in Military Service? (Alma 43:47),” KnoWhy 496 (January 1, 2019).