Come Follow Me Podcast Book of Mormon #35, Helaman 1-6, “The Rock of our Redeemer”

Maurine

In Helaman chapters 1-6, the Lamanites become the righteous and the Nephites the wicked. How does this switch come about? And the new enemy are the Gadianton robbers, who capture the allegiance of many of the Nephites. Things happen fast in the Book of Mormon, a roller coaster of righteousness and wickedness. I used to think it was hard to imagine such reversals and drama in such a short period of time, until we all entered these tumultuous times in our own nation.

Scot

Hello friends, we’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and this is Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast, this week looking at the first six chapters of Helaman and called “The Rock of Our Redeemer.” Also if you aren’t coming to Meridian Magazine every day, you are missing great content that is inspiring and insightful from some of the best Latter-day Saint writers. Get all the breaking news of the Church right at latterdaysaintmag.com. You’ll be glad you did.

Maurine

Today we start the study of the book of Helaman. To remind you of this prophetic line: we have Alma, who served in the court of King Noah, followed by Alma the Younger, followed by his son Helaman, and now his son Helaman, whose record this is.

Sometimes you think you’d like to see the end of the Nephite contentions and issues, but in these chapters they continue to spill out. The Pahoran who was the chief judge and wrote Moroni the forgiving letter now has passed away, and as we open our story there is a hot contention about who will assume his place. He has many sons but only three are interested, and there are three contesting divisions among the people about who should get the position.

Scot

Finally, Pahoran, his father’s namesake, is appointed by the voice of the people, and while the next son Pacumeni, united with his brother, the third contender, Paanchi did not and “raised up in rebellion and sought to destroy the liberty of the people” (Helaman 1:8). Someone is always ready to pounce and steal liberty. Through history, liberty is most precious, and always up for grabs by the tyrants.

For leading a rebellion, Paanchi is sentenced to death, and his followers sent one nasty man, Kishkumen, to the judgment seat where he assassinated Pahoran.

“And he was pursued by the servants of Pahoran; but behold, so speedy was the flight of Kishkumen that no man could overtake them.

“And he went unto those that sent him, and they all entered into a covenant, yea, swearing by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran
(Helaman 1: 11,12).

Maurine

Since Kishkumen had been disguised when he did the murder, he and the others simply melted like a stream of underground rot into the Nephite society. Pacmeni became the chief judge, but this, too, wasn’t to last for long.

Meanwhile, with the Nephites attention diverted to the dissension in their own government, it was the perfect time for the Lamanites to attack, and they came with fierce weapons and “with head plates and breast plates and shields of every kind” (Helaman 1:14). Clearly, they had learned their lesson from the way Moroni had protected his army.

And note the sleight of hand. While everyone’s eyes are upon the drama of murder and contention in Zarahemla, the Lamanites, coming from the south, boldly march an army right into the center of the Nephite land into Zarahemla itself. Nothing makes a nation more vulnerable to attack from the outside than contention within.

Scot

The leader of the Lamanites, who is an apostate Nephite named Coriantumr, kills the people in his way in Zarahemla, including women and children, and pushes Pacumeni right up against the city wall where he is slain.

The Nephites are again minus a chief judge, but Coriantumr has horribly miscalculated. Moronihah, the leader of the armies has fortified all the cities on the borders of the Nephite land and the Lamanites are surrounded and must yield themselves to the Nephites.

You would think this was a happy ending, but it never is. Peace is established and Helaman is put on the judgment seat, but the Gadianton robbers are still a reality.

Maurine

Now Kishkumen comes to murder Helaman as well. The band has now been taken over by one man named Gadianton, who being expert with words and the “secret work of murder and of robbery” has promised the group that if they would put him in the judgment seat, he would give them “power and authority among the people” (Alma 2:4).

Yet, as Kishkumen went forth to destroy Helaman, one of the chief judge’s servants had been out by night himself and had “obtained, through disguise, a knowledge of those plans which had been laid by this band to destroy Helaman” (Helaman 2:6).

The suggestion is that Helaman’s servant is some kind of spy, for he knows the secret sign to give to Kishkumen, who then, in turn reveals all his dark plans and expects the servant to lead him to the judgment seat to murder Helaman.

Scot

The servant stabs Kishkumen to the heart, who falls without a sound, and though Helaman sends forth to catch this band of robbers and secret murderers, when Kishkumen did not return, they took their flight into the wilderness. So we have murder, intrigue, dark plots in high places, attempts to take over the very seat of power. This is a secret combination at work.

So what do we know from scriptures about secret combinations? First we learn that secret combinations were the demise of both the Nephite and Jaredite nations. We are reminded of that as if to say, “Take note.” The manner of their oaths and combinations are had among all people. (Ether 8:20) That means even in our times.

Maurine

Secret combinations are Satanic in nature, receiving revelation from him, authored by him and held up by him.

“And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men” (Alma 6:30). It is more organized, more systematic, more universal than we ever imagine.

Cain founded the first secret combination and the oaths and covenants were passed down to subsequent leaders of secret combinations.

Scot

We learn that in the Nephite society, “they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do, he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant (Helaman 6:22).

Their goal is to murder to get gain and often to grab governmental power. They work in darkness, under the radar, and lie to get their way. Members of secret combinations believe their secret works and society to be good. They pretend to act on behalf of their people in reclaiming their rights.

The secret combination in this Nephite period, did not get their oaths and covenants from the records that Helaman held. His father Alma had warned Helaman about them. They came directly from Satan himself.

Maurine

Satan lies, plots, pretends his plans are for the good of humanity all to wrench power and destroy the work of God. He always finds many willing allies among mortals for his great power grab.

In a talk in 1988 when Ezra Taft Benson was the president of the church, he spoke of many things he testified to be true, including giving his witness of Jesus Christ.  He said then:

“I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society (See D&C 1:14-16; D&C 84: 49-53). It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world. (See Ether 8:18–25.) Ezra Taft Benson, “I Testify”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1988/10/i-testify?lang=eng

If secret combinations have always been among mortals, of course, they would be now when so much power is at stake.

Scot

Helaman came to fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity, seeking to do “that which was right in the sight of God continually” and, of course, leading his people to do the same. This is a very Book of Mormon moment. What we see is that it is not weapons or strategy or being stirred to passionate anger about their injustices that brings peace to the Nephites, but staying true to their covenants. The result is peace and happiness and the protection that was promised them.

The gate of heaven is open to all who will make Christ the center of their lives, but the Nephites always ultimately resist.  They turn from the bright promises they have of peace to weep in division and misery.

Maurine

“Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide  asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

“And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out (Helaman 3:29,30).

The only safety is in Christ and His covenants. All these chapters and chapters on war are to remind us of this and shows us what heartache comes to people when left to their own devices. Any corruption in mortal beings is exploited without the safety of the Spirit. We must have Christ to be safe. The world’s bombardments are bigger than any of us without Him.

Scot

Whatever peace the Nephites find, does not last long because dissenters, yet again, side with the Lamanites and begin to gobble up vulnerable cities in the south of the Nephite land.

We read, “Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness  and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God.

“And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—(Helaman 4:11,12).

Maurine

Anyone who studies the Book of Mormon learns about the pride cycle. We can say it easily. The righteous prosper and therefore become proud and wicked. They face destruction, war and division, which humbles them and the cycle starts again. Sometimes I think we can even get cartoonish ideas about pride. We think it is the Nephites wearing fine apparel, like maybe fancy feathers, strutting around like they are better than others.

Our thinking has to be more sophisticated than that about pride, because living in a fallen world, pride is our great temptation and is the author of most other sins.  Because it is laced into our environment, it hard not to absorb its poison.

What makes it even harder, is that most of us are blind to our own pride. As President Ezra Taft Benson said in his classic General Conference address called “Beware of Pride”, “Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride—it is always considered a sin.”

Scot

He said, “Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.’ It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

Pride is essentially competitive in nature.”

Let’s talk about competition for a minute. We live in a world that most of us conceive as hierarchal and dominance matters. We can easily tell who are the winners or losers. We afford great importance to wealth, to how one dresses, to ones position or resume or even calling in the Church.  Just like hens with a pecking order, we have a sense that some people are more important or more worthwhile than others. They have got it. They have figured it out, and we just didn’t.

Maurine

That pecking order does call to us, like it or not—even in a family or a small gathering. We want our opinion to matter the most, our point of view to be well heard. We want to right and admired. We want our word to have weight. We want our life to amount to something noteworthy. We want to be noteworthy. We want to be noticed. We want to be smart. We want to be competent. We want to be seen.

We want our goodness to be clear and we want to be rewarded for our goodness.

Now, isn’t all that just natural? And, after all, don’t we have to have these needs met? That doesn’t sound to me like feeling like a big deal, wallowing in arrogance, and pridefully letting other people know how important you are.

Scot

Yes, but, what is ironic is that the state of pride is on a spectrum with arrogance at one end and humiliation or worthlessness or shame or never feeling like you are measuring up at the other. They are all manifestations of pride, because all of this puts you at odds with other people. It keeps you at enmity with them. Others are not brothers and sisters who need your service and love, but people you are competing against for some limited prize. Instead you are on a ladder either looking up or looking down, hoping you can hustle enough to be good enough to find your place in a hierarchal dominance.

Other people can sometimes become just objects to you. They are your audience or your competition or those who overlook you. In all those cases they lose their personhood. It is a form of enmity to refuse to see people, because your own needs to be built up are clamoring so loudly.

Maurine

President Benson said, “We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: ’Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.’” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)

It is like the man who was so happy to get a raise at work, only to have it spoiled by finding out that a colleague had received a higher raise.

Scot

President Benson said, “Fear of men’s judgment manifests itself in competition for men’s approval. The proud love ‘the praise of men more than the praise of God.’ (John 12:42–43.) Our motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest. Jesus said He did ‘always those things’ that pleased God. (John 8:29.) Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?

“Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.

When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod. (See 1 Ne. 8:19–28; 1 Ne. 11:25; 1 Ne. 15:23–24.)

Maurine

President Benson continued, “Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.”[endquote]

No wonder pride is so serious. It is also the source of anger, self-centeredness, whining, resentment and entitlement.

It is pride that goes around complaining that it didn’t get what it deserved.  It is pride that is forever seeking to protect itself and blaming others. It is pride that won’t accept life’s trials and suggests that they are unjust to you. It is also pride that may sometimes raise a fist and blame God for all the things that didn’t happen that you think should have happened, for life not turning out quite as you prescribed. Pride says, “I want what I want and I want it now.”

Scot

Pride exhibits itself when you are slightly ruffled when someone corrects you or when you resist counsel. Maurine and I are not only married, we work together all day every day to produce Meridian Magazine. It has been a great opportunity to see how we each respond to the others’ helpful suggestion on a project. Even as we record this podcast, one of us will say to the other, “I think you should do that line again. You need a different emphasis.” How easy it is to find some resistance in your spirit when someone else only wants to help you. It assaults the idea that you are always right and you don’t like it. That’s pride.

Another funny, prideful moment comes to mind. Taking our very large family on a driving trip across the country, we stopped at a charming country rest stop. Our children all went in and were friendly with the owners, and I was the last one in the store. The owners gave us suckers for everyone in the car.

Do you remember what you said, Maurine?

Maurine

Yes, I asked you where you had gotten them?

Scot

And I answered that the store owners had given them to us because we were so nice. Then, Maurine, you said something that was so much better. “No, Scot” you said. “They gave us those suckers because they are so nice.” That was just a little moment of truth, that made my pride clear.

Maurine

Pride is sneaky and we are blind to it in our own souls, but it isn’t small. It is a powerful tool of Satan, and the reason why he fell from heaven and we find it taking several iterations as we make our way day by day through life. We might say, “Oh no, there it is again” as we begin to come to see it in ourselves.

President Benson said, “When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they ‘seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.’ (Philip. 2:21.)

Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)

“The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.”

Scot

President Benson said, “Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng )

Those who are proud are so busy looking down on others that they cannot look up and see God.

Maurine

Now we learn something compelling:

“And because of this their great wickedness, and their ^aboastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands” (Helaman 4:13).

We learn from Paul the apostle, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13), but when we boast in our own strength, we are left in our own strength. What a terrifying idea to be left in your own strength.

I remember lying in bed the night before I was to face a great challenge the next day, thinking I can’t do this. I don’t have the strength or competence or intelligence for this. Then I remembered that Christ could give me His strength in the challenge I met the next day, and my fear began to evaporate.

What I’ve learned is that I can’t handle life’s very complex challenges in my own strength. I can’t think of how to give the counsel my children sometimes need without God’s strength. I can’t think how to solve the problems life sends my way without God’s solution. I wouldn’t know how to stay hopeful in this tumultuous time without God’s strength or endure the trials that I sometimes face. I couldn’t have endured the loss of our daughter without the strength of the Lord. If life has taught me anything, it is certainly that my strength is not sufficient.

Scot

President Henry B. Eyring said, “When I was a young man, I served as counselor to a wise district president in the Church. He tried to teach me. One of the things I remember wondering about was this advice he gave: ‘When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.’

I thought then that he was pessimistic. Now, more than 40 years later, I can see how well he understood the world and life. As time passes, the world grows more challenging, and our physical capacities slowly diminish with age. It is clear that we will need more than human strength. The Psalmist was right: ‘But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.’

So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us. That’s what the words in the scripture ‘Ye must … endure to the end’ seemed to mean to me when I first read them. It sounded grim, like sitting still and holding on to the arms of the chair while someone pulled out my tooth.

Maurine

President Eyring continued, “It can surely seem that way to a family depending on crops when there is no rain. They may wonder, “How long can we hold on?” It can seem that way to a youth faced with resisting the rising flood of filth and temptation. It can seem that way to a young man struggling to get the training he needs for a job to support a wife and family. It can seem that way to a person who can’t find a job or who has lost job after job as businesses close their doors. It can seem that way to a person faced with the erosion of health and physical strength which may come early or late in life for them or for those they love.

“But the test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us. And to endure well is to keep those commandments whatever the opposition, whatever the temptation, and whatever the tumult around us. We have that clear understanding because the restored gospel makes the plan of happiness so plain.”

Scot

He said, “That clarity lets us see what help we need. We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us. For some it may be poverty, but for others it may be prosperity. It may be the ravages of age or the exuberance of youth. The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as are the children of our Heavenly Father. No two are alike. But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us?”

(Henry B. Eyring, “In the Strength of the Lord” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/04/in-the-strength-of-the-lord?lang=eng

Doing what the Lord has asked us is what qualifies us for His strength and even here, it is the Lord who gives us the strength to do that.

Maurine

As Elder David A. Bednar said, “

The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own….

“The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, ‘No one understands. No one knows.’ No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power.” (David A. Bednar “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng

Scot

Another name for the strength we are given is grace, and it is always through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Elder Bednar notes, “In Alma 31, Alma is directing a mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites, who, after building their Rameumptom, offer a prescribed and prideful prayer.

“Notice the plea for strength in Alma’s personal prayer: ‘O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people’ (Alma 31:31; emphasis added).

Alma also prays that his missionary companions will receive a similar blessing: ‘Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them because of the iniquities of this people’” (Alma 31:33; emphasis added).

Maurine

“Alma did not pray to have his afflictions removed. He knew he was an agent of the Lord, and he prayed for the power to act and affect his situation.” (David A. Bednar “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng

In our own lives that strength comes in so many ways, and it may not be dramatic. Fear will ease. Despair is comforted. Wounds are healed. Consolation given. An idea will come right when we need it.

Chase Olson, a young friend we met when we were serving at BYU, recently wrote this on his Facebook page.

Scot

“I had a special moment yesterday. I was praying to God. I was thanking him for what I had. I was telling him about how I haven’t had a lot of peace lately with the things going on in my world. Not long after I was saying that, alone in my car, I felt something in my heart. It was an overwhelming sense of peace. Like something I can’t exactly put into words. It made me cry. I wanted to stay in it. Soak it in. Let it fill me up with calmness. It was sweet.

“These moments happen from time to time for me. For some reason, God seems to recognize that I need to feel his presence in that moment. I call them pockets of peace (because I like alliteration). I learned about peace in Christ from the restored gospel. And I would say that is one of the best things that helps me overcome today’s challenges – waiting as patiently as I can for those pockets of peace.”

Maurine

This is how strength is poured into our souls. “Nevertheless, they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation..because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:35).

Humility opens heaven’s doors and our hearts to receive the direction from the One who is “more intelligent than they all.”

Waxing stronger and stronger in humility is the opposite of waxing stronger and stronger in pride. For the proud, as the Nephites were in these wars with the Lamanites, “the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power” until “they must unavoidably perish.” What a stark contrast. Where do we want to stand in our own lives?

Scot

Helaman has two sons, Nephi and Lehi, and eventually Nephi wearies of the iniquity of the people, gives up the judgment seat and seeks “to preach the word of God all the remainder of his days” (Helaman 5:4).

Nothing he can do as the most powerful man in the land can stabilize the people. It is as his father taught him, “

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall (Helaman 5:12).

Maurine

Now note what happens in the strength of the Lord. “They did preach with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters who had gone over” from the Nephites. They did have “power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them.” They did speak to the “great astonishment of the Lamanites.” (See Helaman 5: 17-19.)

When they are thrown into prison, God’s power penetrates those walls, too. They are “encircled about as if by fire”, and Nephi and Lehi stand forth, saying, “Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing”. The others are “overshadowed with a cloud of darkness and an awful, solemn fear” (See Helaman 6: 23-28).

Scot

Then the voice of God speaks and “when they heard this voice…it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul” (Helaman 6:30) The walls of the prison come tumbling down and thousands are converted.

Could we have a more visible demonstration of the strength of the Lord and its power as we walk in our life. If we can just sacrifice pride, seek the Lord in humility, what a profound treasure we receive.

Maurine

Thanks for being with us. We’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and this has been Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me Podcast. Next week we will be studying Helaman 7-12 called “Remember the Lord”. Thanks to Michaela Proctor Hutchins our producer and to Paul Cardall for the music that begins and ends this podcast. See you next time.

Captain Moroni’s Famous Epistle—and the Revelation Behind It

This article was originally published in BYU Studies Quarterly 58, no. 4 (2019): 155–59. It is re-titled and slightly revised to appear here. For a variety of excellent articles, essays, book reviews, and poetry on topics relevant to the Latter-day Saint experience, please visit byustudies.byu.edu.

Cover image: “The Title of Liberty” by Larry Winborg

Moroni reports receiving a revelation in which the Lord told him, “If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them” (Alma 60:33). Apparently, it was largely because of this revelation that Moroni wrote his famous epistle of rebuke to Nephite leadership (Alma 60)—an epistle that quoted this message from the Lord. Pahoran’s reply to Moroni is equally famous, of course; in it he declares both his innocence of Moroni’s charges and his forgiveness for Moroni’s leveling of them (Alma 61).

This series of events has often been thought to pose problems. On one hand, it seems to show Moroni’s lengthy epistle as overly suspicious and even wrong (in response to which Pahoran was impressively magnanimous). On the other hand, it also raises questions about the revelation itself. Although Moroni reports the revelation straightforwardly, how can it be straightforward when Pahoran turns out to be innocent of the charges contained in it and in Moroni’s subsequent epistle? This disparity seems to indicate that the revelation itself—not just Moroni’s epistle—is mistaken in some way.^[1]

The logical implication of this conclusion is that Moroni himself must have some defect. Even though he presents the revelation as a quotation from the Lord, either he did not actually receive a revelation, or he misunderstood the revelation he did receive, or, at a minimum, he recorded the revelation inaccurately.

An Overlooked Detail

Such an interpretation overlooks a significant detail in the text, however: Pahoran is not the only recipient of the epistle Moroni wrote following this revelation. Because Moroni mentions Pahoran by name (60:1) and because Pahoran both takes the letter personally and responds to Moroni (Alma 61), it is easy to think that Pahoran was the only one who received this epistle. But this is a mistake. In addition to Pahoran, Moroni directed his epistle “to all those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the affairs of this war” (60:1, emphasis added). It would seem natural for Moroni to mention Pahoran by name since he was the preeminent civil authority among the Nephites, but we learn from the text that Pahoran was not alone. Multiple leaders had governing power in Nephite society, and, as a group, they were responsible for mobilizing the Nephite population and supporting the Nephite armies (verse 2). It was to these multiple leaders—not only Pahoran—that Moroni sent his epistle.

We see this fact evidenced numerous times in Moroni’s letter. Throughout his epistle, he consistently speaks in the plural. On fifteen separate occasions, he makes it clear that he is talking to all the governors of the Nephites. For instance, he refers to “all” who were responsible for managing the war (verse 1) and says that he is speaking by way of condemnation “unto them” (verse 2). He also speaks of what “ye yourselves know” (verse 2), describes the Nephite leaders as sitting upon their “thrones” (verse 7), writes to them as “brethren” (verse 10), and says that “the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads” (verse 10). He then speaks again of their “thrones” (verse 11) and also of the government and “their exceeding slothfulness” and “their exceedingly great neglect” (verse 14). Later, Moroni speaks of what “ye yourselves are seeking” (verse 18), questions whether they are “traitors” to their country (verse 18), and again refers to those receiving his epistle as sitting upon their “thrones” (verse 21). He then speaks of “any among you” and of “those” who are usurping power (verse 27) and admonishes them to “bestir yourselves” (verse 29, emphasis added throughout).

This emphasis on the plural is universal in Moroni’s epistle, which of course is completely consistent with what the Lord had initially told him—namely, that if the “governors” did not repent, he was instructed to go to battle against “them” (verse 33).

We learn in Pahoran’s response that Moroni was right: Pahoran had experienced dissensions, and the government was riddled with treason (Alma 61)—which is exactly what Moroni’s revelation had indicated. Pahoran’s innocence does not falsify the revelation, therefore, because the revelation was not specifically about Pahoran. Indeed, because the government was generally corrupt, the message contained in the revelation was completely accurate.

The Substantial Accuracy of Moroni’s Epistle

A similar point applies to Moroni’s epistle. If we think he wrote only to Pahoran, then, judging by Pahoran’s response, Moroni was seriously mistaken. What we have seen, however, is that Moroni did not write only to Pahoran. His audience was more general. Thus, while it is true that Moroni was mistaken in lumping Pahoran in with all the other governors, this error is minuscule in the scheme of things. The epistle is certainly far less erroneous than it is frequently thought to be.

Recognizing this feature of the text informs our perspective on Captain Moroni. His only mistake, after all, was not being sufficiently nuanced in his greeting. To be more exact in his opening, he could have said: “I know that many, if not all, of you are guilty of ‘sins and iniquities’ in not supporting our defensive war effort. Whoever you are, what I’m about to say is directed to you.” That would have been technically more accurate.

It is worth noting that Moroni actually does capture a nuance of this sort in one place in his letter. He speaks of rousing whatever governors might have at least a “spark” of freedom remaining in them and of making extinct “those who have desires to usurp power” (verse 27). This indicates that Moroni thought that some of the governors might be different from others and that they could and would join him in uniting against the Lamanite assault. Moroni thus appears to have had in mind the possibility of both better and worse governors; he just didn’t display this possibility in his opening greeting as he might have.

This, as mentioned, is a minuscule error, however, and, given the circumstances, would hardly seem to justify faulting Moroni. In the context and exigencies of war, it seems completely understandable that capturing nuance in a greeting was not Moroni’s highest concern.

What we see in the end, therefore, is that, except for this lack of nuance in its opening, Moroni’s epistle was accurate—just as his revelation had been. It was both consistent with that revelation and subsequently confirmed in its essence by Pahoran himself. ^[2]

Captain Moroni’s Spiritual Character

Once we understand that the revelation Moroni reports receiving is completely accurate, we can understand something else we might not have appreciated previously—namely, that Moroni was a person of sufficient spiritual refinement that he could receive revelation from the Lord in complete sentences. We don’t notice this quality if we think Moroni’s revelation (or at least how he quoted it) contained errors. But once we understand that the revelation was accurate, we can appreciate that it confirms numerous other indications in the text of Moroni’s commitment and faithfulness to the Lord. ^[3]

Because Moroni is immersed so fully in defending Nephite lives from Lamanite assault, and because we observe his military activities in such detail, it is easy to overlook indications of his spiritual refinement and to see him one-dimensionally. This tendency is especially reinforced if we think he errs on something as significant as receiving revelation from the Lord. When we correct our misreading, however, we can see Moroni more richly: he is a man who, though immersed for years in defensive military action, nevertheless qualifies for specific, tangible spiritual direction from the Lord, and receives it.

Notes: 

[1] Grant Hardy, for example, refers to this revelation at various points and calls it—and/or Moroni’s report of it—“mistaken” and an “off-the-mark revelation.” Indeed, Hardy speaks of the revelation as a “claim” made by Moroni. See Grant Hardy, Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 176, 177, and Kindle location 6815.

[2] It is also possible that Moroni’s epistle was more accurate regarding Pahoran than we generally think—that is, that Pahoran actually did deserve some of the generalized condemnation Moroni meted out. This notion is not implausible, since Pahoran was the chief judge, with ultimate authority over Nephite affairs, and yet he was equivocal in his response to the “exceedingly numerous” dissenters who (1) were actively seeking to overthrow Nephite society; (2) had driven Pahoran out of Zarahemla and occupied the city; (3) had appointed their own king; (4) had formed an official alliance with the Lamanites—specifically to help them conquer the Nephites; and (5) were preventing the delivery of men and supplies to support the Nephite army (Alma 61:3–8). Although Pahoran reports that he had assembled sufficient support that the insurrectionists “do fear us and durst not come out against us to battle” (61:7), he also tells us that he was unsure if pursuing military action against his Nephite brethren was just (61:19)—this, despite their armed treason and their explicit alliance with the Lamanites to overthrow the society Pahoran had been appointed to lead and protect. Considering these elements of the text, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to conclude that Pahoran’s inaction placed him—at least to some degree—among those who deserved the Lord’s condemnation, in which case Moroni’s epistle, regarding Pahoran himself, is not as inaccurate as it might appear on the surface.

[3] Although this is a topic that deserves attention in its own right, it is too large a matter to be addressed here. Relevant passages, however, include: Alma 44:3–6, 11; 46:12, 13, 16–18, 20, 23–27; 54:10; 60:25, 28, 34–36; and 62:2. Mormon also describes Moroni in significant spiritual terms; see Alma 48:7, 10, 12, 13, 16–18.

Captain Moroni Exemplifies the Sermon on the Mount—Here’s Why

This article is condensed from a much longer and more detailed article in BYU Studies Quarterly. That complete treatment can be found here.

A Seeming Contradiction

When you think about it, there seems to be a huge disparity between two features of the Book of Mormon: the Sermon on the Mount on one hand, and the wartime activities of numerous Nephite leaders, including Captain Moroni, on the other.

After all, the Sermon on the Mount clearly seems opposed to violence. In it, we hear about not resisting evil, turning the other cheek, going another mile when compelled to go one, loving our enemies—and so forth (3 Ne. 12:39–44). Numerous Nephite leaders, in contrast, were immersed in violence. It is handy to think of Captain Moroni as representing such figures, since his wartime activities are so dominant in the book of Alma: we see him in significant detail.

So the question is: How can the Book of Mormon highlight Captain Moroni’s wartime efforts––and even praise him––when it also includes the Sermon on the Mount, whose teachings would seem to condemn him?

Mormon’s Perspective

This is a natural question. It is helpful to notice, however, that Mormon himself did not seem to see any kind of conflict between the Lord’s Sermon and Nephite leaders’ war efforts––including Captain Moroni’s. He included both in the record, but he did not seem to think there was any contradiction between them. If he had, surely he would have found a way to criticize the wartime involvement of multiple Nephite leaders––a list that includes Nephi, King Benjamin, Captain Moroni, and Mormon himself. But Mormon doesn’t do this. He even goes out of his way to praise Captain Moroni for his spiritual qualities—and he does so specifically in the context of Moroni’s wartime efforts (Alma 48:11–18). He does the same regarding King Benjamin, calling him a “holy man” while simultaneously describing his leadership in war (W of M 1:13–18).

For Mormon, then, there was actually no contradiction between the Lord’s Sermon––which he included in the record––and these leaders’ war efforts. This suggests that we should not be quick to assume such a contradiction either. Indeed, we can actually gain Mormon’s perspective––and dissolve the apparent conflict between Captain Moroni and the Sermon on the Mount––by making important observations under six central topics.

1. The Savior’s Personal Conduct

It is easy to think there is an inherent conflict between the Sermon on the Mount and violence, and therefore that the Sermon is completely anti-violence in character.

But this cannot be true, since the Lord Himself commits acts of violence, and He gave the Sermon.^[i] Moreover, He has also instructed that His people can exercise violence in certain circumstances––specifically, when they are forced to defend themselves against aggression.^[ii] And not only has He instructed in this way, but He has also helped His people defend themselves militarily.^[iii] Such features of the scriptural record clearly preclude the idea that the Lord’s Sermon prohibits violence per se: the Lord cannot really be forbidding in the Sermon what He Himself explicitly teaches and does elsewhere.

2. The Moral Difference between Aggressors and Victims

The Sermon on the Mount, then, does not prohibit violence in itself. But it obviously does not permit all violence. We can start to see what the dividing line might be by noticing the fundamental moral distinction between acts of aggression and acts of defense. Most recognize, for instance, that the violent conduct of a victim who is defending herself against rape is nothing like the violent conduct of her assailant. Both might be acting violently, but, morally speaking, no one would think to compare their actions. Nor would we compare the conduct of a victim—who, say, is merely defending himself against being murdered—with the conduct of the aggressor who is attempting to murder him

This is why, although both Alma and Amlici exercised violence toward one another (Alma 2), including in hand-to-hand combat (vv. 29–31), Amlici was wrong, and Alma was right. Although both wielded swords, their wieldings were not remotely the same. One was an aggressor, while the other was merely defending against that aggression. And, of course, the Lord actually intervened to help Alma in his defense (vv. 30–31)––something He did with regard to the Nephites generally. Thus, while the Nephites were prohibited from committing acts of aggression or offense themselves (see 3 Ne. 3:20 and Mormon 3:14), the Lord specifically approved the violence necessary for the Nephites to defend themselves.

3. The Sermon on the Mount and the Righteous State of Heart

One reason the Lord’s Sermon seems to contradict the behavior of Captain Moroni and others is that it is easy to assume that its instructions (for example, “turn the other cheek”) are meant to apply to every dimension and scale of life.

This is a mistake, though. Notice that the Lord does not use images of serious threats to one’s life or limb in the Sermon on the Mount (rape and murder, for example); much less does he employ images of military peril to a whole society. The scale of life the Lord chooses to speak of is the scale of everyday living. He is addressing his audience as normal, everyday citizens faced with the circumstances of ordinary life. Thus, rather than speaking of extreme circumstances like murder and war, he simply speaks of cheeks, miles, and cloaks.

A second reason the Sermon seems to contradict the behavior of Captain Moroni and others is that it is easy to assume its instructions are behavior oriented––that they are about our physical conduct. If we think this way, it is natural to suppose that if merely slapping someone’s cheek is forbidden, how could something like wielding a sword not be forbidden—indeed, forbidden even more stringently?

But the Lord’s Sermon is not really about our outward behavior. Its injunctions actually teach a larger point than just what to do if someone literally slaps us. The prescriptions are metaphorical expressions that teach us a certain way of living, evoking in us a sense of the kind of people we are to be. After all, the Lord condemns lust, not just physical immorality, and he condemns anger, not just murder. “Suffer none of these things to enter into your heart,” he emphasized (3 Ne. 12:29).

The Lord is thus teaching a higher standard than simply avoiding certain kinds of behavior; he cares about who we are inside. This is reinforced when we realize, (1) that, as New Testament commentators frequently point out, the references in this passage to smiting, going another mile, and so forth, relate specifically to the circumstances of the Jews—i.e., to the Roman customs of slapping and of forced labor; and (2) that the Lord nevertheless repeated these very same expressions to the Nephites—who experienced no such customs from Roman occupiers. This repetition clearly indicates that the specifics of these edicts are secondary and that what matters is the state of heart they exemplify.

Not only that, but if the Sermon were concerned specifically with behavior, it would simply be adding to the Law of Moses, not replacing it. It would just be giving us new rules to follow––rules regarding cheeks, miles, and articles of clothing.^[iv] But of course the Sermon on the Mount is not doing that. Rather than giving us new rules for our outward behavior, it is, again, teaching what we are to be like inside. We are to have righteous hearts. This means an attitude of humility and earnestness toward following the Lord and an attitude of patience and unselfishness in dealing with others.

4. The Righteous State of Heart and Violent Conduct

This righteous condition of heart does not prohibit all violent conduct. This is obvious when we think about the Lord: although His state of heart is not only righteous but perfect, He Himself commits acts of violence. Since the Lord performs such acts with a perfect and devoted heart, it should not be surprising that mortals can be expected to have a righteous state of heart under violent circumstances as well—situations in which the Lord countenances and even commands the violence necessary for self-defense.

Think of King Benjamin. Many write and speak of his saintly demeanor in the early chapters of Mosiah. What might be less familiar is the degree to which he was forced to engage in war prior to this time (Words of Mormon 1:13–14). And specifically around the time of these wars, Mormon explicitly describes King Benjamin as reigning over his people “in righteousness”—indeed, as a “holy man” (W of M 1:17). And, of course, Nephi, Mormon, and Mormon’s son Moroni all enjoyed visions, revelations, and angelic ministrations, clearly demonstrating the righteousness of their hearts. And yet, with such hearts, all of them took up the sword to defend their people against Lamanite assault.[v]

5. The Conduct of Book of Mormon Leaders

With such righteous hearts, we would expect these Nephite leaders to conduct themselves in war differently than others might. And that is what we see. From Shule in the book of Ether to numerous Nephite leaders throughout Mormon’s record, we see leaders: (1) who are righteous, and who encourage righteousness in their people; (2) who demonstrate surprising generosity of spirit toward those who are attacking them; and (3) who fight only in defense, never initiating aggression of their own. The record displays all of this in detail (a matter fully covered in the original article in BYU Studies Quarterly).

All of this indicates that these leaders actually did live the standard taught in the Sermon on the Mount: they lived it as it applied to their threatening and violent circumstances. As already indicated, and as will be discussed further below, not all circumstances are the same—which guarantees that the application of central gospel principles, including the Sermon on the Mount, will not always look the same. That is what we see in numerous prophetic Book of Mormon leaders.

6. The Conduct of Captain Moroni

All of this leaves us with one question: What about Captain Moroni: did he behave like these other leaders in the Book of Mormon? Did he possess, as they did, the righteous state of heart taught in the Sermon on the Mount?

The reality is that he did. The record shows us in detail that Captain Moroni conducted himself in war the same way these others did—figures who were actually prophets. Possessing the same state of heart, he behaved the same way they behaved. Here is a brief review (many details and nuances are addressed in the original article in BYU Studies Quarterly).

Personal Righteousness and the Encouragement of Righteousness in Others

Among numerous other examples,^[vi] the text reports Moroni engaging in “mighty” prayer (Alma 46:13, 16, 17) and receiving revelation from the Lord in the form of a full sentence (Alma 60:33). He also: straightforwardly declares that the Nephites “owe all our happiness” to “the sacred word of God” (Alma 44:5); explains the purpose of the Nephites’ defense against Lamanite invasion in terms of “our religion and the cause of our God” (Alma 54:10); and states that he is engaged in defense specifically to honor “the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God” (Alma 60:34). And, of course, Mormon says of him that: his heart “swelled” in thanksgiving to God (Alma 48:12); he was a man “firm in the faith of Christ” (Alma 48:13); he “gloried” in keeping the commandments of God (Alma 48:16); and he rejoiced in “doing good” (Alma 48:16).

And Captain Moroni was not interested only in his own righteousness. He also implored the people at the time of the title of liberty (when they were faced with treacherous Nephite dissenters) to “keep the commandments of God,” framing all their efforts in the context “the faith of Christ” (Alma 46:23–27). Later, when they were facing Lamanite assault, his very first effort in preparing the Nephites to defend themselves was to prepare them spiritually—to be faithful to the Lord (Alma 48:7). Indeed, his purpose was to allow the Nephites to “live unto the Lord their God” and to maintain “the cause of Christians” (Alma 48:10).

In all of these ways, and more, Captain Moroni clearly demonstrates his own spiritual devotion, as well as his encouragement of the Nephites generally to be faithful to the Lord.

Generosity of Spirit

Mormon also tells us that Captain Moroni, though embroiled in war, “did not delight in bloodshed” (Alma 48:11). Indeed, like other Book of Mormon leaders, Moroni displayed a surprising generosity of spirit in view of his circumstances. Note, for example, that he gave Zerahemnah’s army every chance to end the battle it was losing (Alma 44:1), and later ceased this battle altogether on the simple condition that the Lamanite attackers enter a covenant that they would never again aggress against the Nephites (Alma 44:19–20). He also managed on two occasions to completely surround an army of Lamanites, and, although he could have slain them at will (and although the Lamanites had been attacking them for years), spared their lives and permitted them to surrender (Alma 52:31–39; 55:20–24). This was in stark contrast to the Lamanites who, in one theater of the war, spared only the chief captains of the Nephites whom they took prisoner—and actually killed all of their other prisoners of war (Alma 56:10–12). And later, at the end of one battle in the final year of the war, Moroni extracted a covenant from the Lamanite invaders that they would no longer aggress against the Nephites, and then simply sent them in peace to live with the people of Ammon (Alma 62:14–17). He did the same a second time, later that same year (Alma 62:19–28).

These are only examples, of course; similar generosity is evident multiple other times.^[vii]

It is not uncommon for those embroiled in war to become hardened, cynical, and even cruel in their conduct—to actually seek blood and to lust after revenge (think of Mormon’s soldiers, for example, in Mormon 3:9–11, 14). Indeed, as mentioned above, in one theater of the war, the Lamanites actually killed most of the Nephites they took as prisoners. But this was not true of Moroni. Although he was engulfed in war for nearly fifteen years, even in the final year of war he was willing to spare his attackers. Time and again he demonstrated the same generosity of spirit that was exhibited by other Nephite leaders.

Fighting Only in Defense

With all this in mind, it is no surprise that Captain Moroni also fought purely in defense. This was a Nephite principle, and we are told more than once that Moroni’s motivation in taking up the sword (as well as the motivation of those he led) was the same: strictly to defend Nephite lives and Nephite society.^[viii]

It is true, of course, that Captain Moroni pursued offensive tactics as he led such military defense, but that’s just what they were: tactics. Such actions were not aggressions, but instead  integral and legitimate elements of the Nephites’ defense—and they were necessary in the first place only because the Nephites were already engaged in a defensive war that was not their doing. Much like the Allies in World War II—who conducted countless offensive actions in defense against the Axis powers’ aggression—the Nephites’ actions were similarly entirely defensive in character. They had not instigated the hostilities, after all, but were merely defending against them. Think of Captain Moroni himself. He initiated no aggression, he invaded no lands, and he sought no power over other populations. He fought only because, and when, the Lamanites were invading and assaulting his people in their own lands.

In sum, it turns out that Captain Moroni was just like other leaders in the Book of Mormon: he was not only personally righteous, but also encouraged righteousness in the people; he repeatedly demonstrated generosity of spirit toward his Lamanite attackers; and he fought only in defense, never starting a war or initiating aggression of his own. Every indication is that Captain Moroni possessed the same state of heart possessed by prophetic Nephite leaders who also faced enemy assault: the condition of heart taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

Why It is Easy to Trip Ourselves Up in Thinking about Captain Moroni

The biggest reason, I think, why it can seem hard to reconcile Captain Moroni (and other prominent Book of Mormon leaders) with the Sermon on the Mount is that our circumstances are so different from theirs. Life with family, friends, neighbors, and so forth supplies the domain in which most of us practice the teachings of the Lord’s Sermon. For us, having a righteous state of heart means that we are to be patient and unselfish toward these people in our lives and that we are to resist the temptation for retaliation when we suffer insult, for example.

Prominent Book of Mormon leaders did not enjoy such luxury. If we want to consider their conduct against the standard taught in the Sermon on the Mount, we have to recognize at the outset that their circumstances were very different from our own. They repeatedly faced invaders who were trying to kill them—and not only them, of course, but their families, their people, and their way of life. What does living the standard taught in the Sermon on the Mount look like in circumstances like that? This is the central question in all efforts to understand the Lord’s Sermon: What does the righteous state of heart entail, not just in situations of ordinary life, but in circumstances of literal peril—where one’s land is being overrun, one’s very society is under violent attack, and one’s family is being slaughtered?

That is precisely what the Book of Mormon shows us. Prominent Book of Mormon leaders—from Shule and King Benjamin to Mormon and Moroni—faced exactly these circumstances. And, possessed of the righteous state of heart, they behaved in completely identifiable ways: they led active military defense against their aggressors’ onslaughts, but they simultaneously: (1) were personally righteous, and encouraged righteousness in those they led; (2) treated their attackers in surprisingly generous ways; and (3) fought only in defense, never seeking to gain power and never initiating hostilities of their own.

Such behavior was completely consistent with the Sermon on the Mount; indeed, their extraordinary conduct demonstrates what living the Sermon simply meant in their extraordinary circumstances—circumstances of pervasive threat and violence. When we appreciate this, we see that they did not violate the Sermon on the Mount in their circumstances. They actually manifested it.

This, I believe, is why Mormon was so content both (1) to include the Sermon on the Mount in his record, and yet (2), in the same record, to extol the righteousness of multiple leaders who engaged in war. He saw no contradiction, because, once we understand certain key concepts, there is no contradiction.

This is what we see in Captain Moroni. When we read with care, we see that he, too, possessed the righteous state of heart in war, and that he, too, conducted himself accordingly. In view of the extreme circumstances imposed on him, it is hard to imagine anyone who could have done better. Far from contradicting the Sermon on the Mount in his violent and threatening circumstances, Captain Moroni actually manifested it.

In the end, while it might seem ironic, the Lord’s most famous Sermon is actually exemplified by the Book of Mormon’s most famous warrior.

****

Duane Boyce is co-author, with his daughter Kimberly White, of the recent book, The Last Safe Place: Seven Principles for Standing with the Prophets in Troubled Times.

Click here to learn more.

Notes:

[i] The scriptures regularly demonstrate the Lord’s willingness to employ violence. Incidents range from the destruction at the time of Noah (Gen. 7:13; Moses 7:34, 43), to His destruction of numerous Nephite cities following his crucifixion (3 Ne. 9:3–12), to the destruction He will visit on the wicked incident to his Second Coming (e.g., Malachi 4:1; Isaiah 11:4; 66:15–16; 1 Nephi 22:23; 2 Nephi 30:10; Doctrine and Covenants 1:13; 29:17; 45:50; 63:34; 133:50–51)—to multiple episodes in between (e.g., Exodus 9, 12, 14; John 2:14–17; Matthew 21:12–13; Jacob 7:15–20; Alma 19:21–23; Alma 33:10).

[ii]  See Alma 43:46–47; 54:10; 60:28, 33–34; D&C 134:11; 98:33–36.

[iii] See Alma 2:29–31; 16:6–8; 43:23–24; 48:15–16. Other passages that either report or presuppose the Lord’s help include: Words of Mormon 1:13–14; Mosiah 1:13–14; Alma 2:16–19, 28; 44: 3–5; 57:25–26, 35, 36; 58:10–12, 33, 37, 39; 59: 3; 60:20-21; 61:13, 21; Helaman 4:24–25; 7:22; 12:2; 3 Nephi 3:15, 21, 25; 4:10, 31, 33; Mormon 3:3, 15.

[iv] Kimberly Sloan pointed this out to me.

[v] The central role of our hearts (vs. just our outward behavior) is a common thread in scripture. Jesus, for example, told the Pharisees: “Ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matt. 23:27–28; see generally verses 23–39). Similar denunciations appear in Matt. 6:1–8 and Luke 7:37–50; they also appear in Luke 18:9–14, where the Lord contrasts the prayer of a humble publican with that of a proud Pharisee: both were performing the same outward behavior—praying—but inwardly they could not have been more different, and that is what the Savior emphasizes. All of this is related to Mormon’s general statement (apparently quoting the Lord) that “a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness” (Moro. 7:6–7). There are multiple other examples as well, of course.

[vi] For numerous indications of Captain Moroni’s spiritual devotion, see: Alma 46:12, 18, 20; 44:3–6; 54:10; 56:2; 60:34; 61:19.

[vii] The generosity of both Captain Moroni and the people he led is evident in multiple places. This includes his complete willingness to end the war if the Lamanites would cease their assault. See, for example: Alma 48:21–23; 50:25–36; 55:18–19; 54:6–11; 60:32.

[viii] See, for example, Alma 35:14; 43:9–10, 45, 47; 48:10, 12–14, 24; 49:7; 56:46; 60:17; 61:10.

Come, Follow Me for Sunday School: “Look to God and Live”, Alma 36 – 38

Cover image: Illustration of a man praying by Joshua Dennis via Gospel Media Library.

In the past few chapters of the book of Alma we’ve spent quite a bit of time looking at Alma’s attempts to strengthen the Church and to reclaim the souls of those who have fallen away.  As we leave that scenario for a while, we now see that the most pressing event for the Nephites is a series of wars with the Lamanites which is going to consume 44 consecutive chapters.  This is the longest period of war contained in the Book of Mormon.

How does one prepare for war?  There are the obvious fortifications that can be built—something that Captain Moroni goes to a lot of trouble to accomplish—but if we look to Alma we find that he concentrated his efforts on the spiritual fortifications of his sons.  Ultimately, he was more concerned with the death of their spirits rather than the death of their bodies. We are told in Alma 35:16 that, “Therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness.” This “gathering” of his sons may well have occurred during Passover, when the children of Israel were taught to teach their sons to remember the story of their deliverance from Egypt. (See Book of Mormon Central, “Did Alma Counsel His Sons During the Passover? (Alma 38:5),” KnoWhy 146 (July 19, 2016). For the ancient Israelite practice of telling the Passover story and how this relates to Alma, see Gordon C. Thomasson and John W. Welch, “The Sons of the Passover,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, (Provo UT: FARMS, 1992), 196–198.)

In these next few chapters, we gain insights into the soul of Alma. We have seen him as the chief High Priest of the Church. As the Chief Judge of the land, he had been a mighty missionary—responsible for the spiritual well‑being of thousands of people.  But at this point of great danger, he turns to his sons and pours out his soul to them.  In so doing he uses a theme that is central to just about all of the public discourses that he delivered.

Alma 36:1‑2; 28‑30 

The Theme of Deliverance

At Zarahemla, Alma asks his audience if they have “sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of [their] fathers” (Alma 5:6).  At Ammonihah, he similarly asks “Do you not remember that our father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God. . . And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies,” later reminding them how their fathers had been “brought out of bondage time after time” (Alma 9:9-10, 22).

In Alma 29:12 he exclaims, “Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers.” When counseling his son Helaman, he says, “I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except [God]” (Alma 36:2).  And then, not very surprisingly, after two dozen verses, he again picks up the theme: “Yea, and he has also brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power, delivered them out of bondage and captivity, from time to time even down to the present day; and I have always retained in remembrance their captivity” (Alma 36:29).

As recounted in Mosiah 27, an angel reproached Alma for his wickedness and commanded, “Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam [Alma’s settlement in the wilderness], and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them” (v. 16). Alma fell to the earth and was in a coma-like state for three days.  When he awoke, he declared himself a changed man, saying:

I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.  And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 27:24-26)

The appearances of these phrases in the Book of Mormon are an indication of how deeply Alma was affected by this experience. He spent the rest of his days urging his people to remember the captivity of their fathers and to receive the same spiritual transformation that he had undergone.

Physical bondage is a distinct possibility at this time for the Nephites.Note that this is not necessarily going to be a war between the good guys and the bad guys.  Alma explicitly states that the Nephites are also in a state of apostasy, and that is the reason for the wars.  In preparation, the Nephites went to a lot of trouble to prepare themselves physically for the upcoming war. We can read about all these fortifications in Alma 43:17‑20; 49:3‑4.  In contrast to all of this activity, notice what Alma counseled Helaman in Alma 37:6. He talked about other types of fortifications. He speaks of “small and simple things” by which “great things [are] brought to pass.” The central event in Alma’s discussions with both Helaman and Shiblon was his own personal theophany. Even though Mormon has already told this story in Mosiah 27, he includes a second version in Alma’s own voice. It does this for several reasons according to Grant Hardy:

1. To claim historical specificity  (i.e. this is how Alma actually came to understand his own experience, with no paraphrases or prejudicial phrasing)
2. Spiritual immediacy (and one of the most compelling expositions of the effects of the atonement to be found anywhere In the Book of Mormon)
3. Literary quality (as will be seen in the care with which Alma has constructed his account)  (Grant Hardy, Understanding the Book of Mormon, 137.)

Alma 36

Chapter 36 of Alma is one of the masterpieces of holy writ. It is not surprising that Mormon chose to embed it whole into his narrative. I am sure that you have all heard that this chapter is a wonderful example of chiastic poetry.  Chiasms are a special inverted type of parallelism, or Hebrew thought rhyme.  The name comes from the Greek letter chi which is equivalent to our letter “x.”

As one scholar, Bishop Lowth, has pointed out, “this structure, based as it is on meaning, survives translation into the prose of any language with remarkable little loss” unlike the poetry that we are used to which relies heavily on complex metre or a special vocabulary.^[1]  Alma 36 is probably the most perfect example of chiasms in the Book of Mormon.  Jack Welch, the man who first identified this form of Hebraic poetry in the Book of Mormon, described Alma 36 thus:

Alma 36 was one of the first chiasms I discovered within the Book of Mormon in 1967.  [It was while he was serving his mission in Europe.]  Many years later, it still remains one of my favorites.  It is a masterpiece of composition, as good as any other use of chiasmus in world literature, and it deserves wide recognition and appreciation.  I cannot imagine that its complex and purposeful structure happened unintentionally.  Its sophistication as a piece of literature definitely shows Alma’s skill as a writer.^[2]

Chart — Chiastic Structure of Alma 36. 

As with any chiasm, the central message (or turning point of the chiasm) is found in the middle, not at the end where we would expect to find it.  In Alma’s account, that turning point comes when he discusses his calling on the mercy of Jesus Christ. 

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.  Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy (Alma 36:17‑20).

Although this account features the appearance of an angel, and an earthquake, the focus of this account is on Alma’s psychological and spiritual state, rather than the miraculous nature of his experience. He focuses on the coming of the Messiah, and then focuses on what it means to him.  The message is clear to Alma – “Jesus has come to save ME, the vilest of sinners!”

I love this quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

Most people in trouble end up crying, “What was I thinking?” Well, whatever they were thinking, they weren’t thinking of Christ. Yet, as members of His Church, we pledge every Sunday of our lives to take upon ourselves His name and promise to “always remember him.” So let us work a little harder at remembering Him—especially that He has “borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … , [that] he was bruised for our iniquities … ; and with his stripes we are healed.” Surely it would guide our actions in a dramatic way if we remembered that every time we transgress, we hurt not only those we love, but we also hurt Him, who so dearly loves us. But if we do sin, however serious that sin may be, we can be rescued by that same majestic figure, He who bears the only name given under heaven whereby any man or woman can be saved. When confronting our transgressions and our souls are harrowed up with true pain, may we all echo the repentant Alma and utter his life-changing cry: “O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me.”
(Holland, Jeffrey R. “Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul.” General Conference April 2010.)

When I think of Alma’s cry for someone to save him from his sins, I think of young man I met a few years ago. He was a convert to the Church from Cambodia named Sokhom Heng. He had been introduced to the Church through the proverbial “free English class” that was being offered by the Cambodian missionaries. He had no interest in the religion they preached, however, being very happy with his own Buddhist religion. He had grown up in a pagoda, and was taught the eightfold path, which include principles similar to the ten commandments – right speech, right conduct, right mindfulness, etc.  He was taught to avoid lying, slander, gossip, and drinking, and to cultivate kindness, morality, forgiveness, and insight. He felt that if everyone lived by these principles, it would be enough, and the world would be at peace.

After he told me this, I said, “It sounds like you had it all figured out. What got your attention? What did you learn from your English teachers that changed your mind?” He told me, “I didn’t like doctrine of karma, which says that whatever you do, you get punished for it. According to Buddhist thought, there is no way to get rid of the punishment earned by doing wrong deeds. Even if you repented, you couldn’t get rid of the punishment you earned by your poor behavior. At a young age, this really concerned me. I thought that there must be another way. There must be a redeemer or a savior. Buddha prophesied of another that would come after him, who would have the power save people from punishment and sin, but he himself didn’t have that power. My heart was opened to look for this Redeemer. When the missionaries told me about a Redeemer who would pay for everyone’s sins, it really appealed to me! They had me read a scripture from the Book of Mormon in 3 Ne. 11:10-11.  I loved reading about a Savior that appeared to his people after His resurrection, saying, ‘I am the light and life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup . . in taking upon me the sins of the world.’ I loved reading how the people touched the nail prints on his hands. I had found what Buddha prophesied!”

“The missionaries laid out the steps to getting saved. They taught me about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They taught me about justice and mercy, and that the Savior satisfied the demands of justice by taking upon him the sins of all mankind. They had me read Alma 7:11-13, where I learned that the Savior did just that, he took upon him ‘the pains and sicknesses of his people.’  He Himself suffered pains for man, ‘that he might blot out their transgressions.’  I learned that I must repent and be ‘born again.’ Only then does Christ have the power to save.  I loved the idea that the Redeemer would pay for my sins!”

“Buddhism had taught me to forgive and to love. But no one would forgive me of my sins. I was taught that after my life was over, I would be judged, and a specific punishment would be pronounced. After I had paid the price, whatever good I had done would send me to paradise or on to another life, because reincarnation was a Buddhist belief. But Alma 34:32  teaches that ‘this life is the time to prepare to meet God.’ We only have one shot at earth life.  Buddhism taught me a partial truth, but the restored gospel taught me the complete truth. I love the quote from President Hinckley, ‘Let me say that we appreciate the truth in all churches and the good which they do. We say to the people, in effect, you bring with you all the good that you have, and then let us see if we can add to it. That is the spirit of this work.’”

Alma’s Rebirth: A Chiasm of Deliverance

Alma must have spent many hours crafting the recitation of the story of his rebirth. He first starts by noting the captivity and deliverance of his ancestors, and then moves on to the circumstances of his own life. In the center of his chiasm, he focuses on the powerful effect his understanding of Jesus and his power to save him. After this, he lists how his life has been reordered because of his spiritual turnaround, and then gives another recital of Jewish history, and how God has saved the nation of Israel.

He illustrates that, just as the Lord has saved the children of Israel as a group, he has saved Alma himself as an individual. We see now that the Lord is able to see each member of the group as a unique individual. Alma strikingly juxtaposes accounts of both physical and spiritual deliverance. Grant Hardy suggests, “Indeed, the order and purposeful design of Alma 36 suggest a world in which God – like the writer – is in control, where the lives of individuals fit into some overarching (though perhaps not always immediately perceptible) plan. (Grant Hardy, Understanding the Book of Mormon, 140-141.)

To me, a splendid chiasm like this is evidence that the Book of Mormon is an authentic example of ancient Hebrew literature. Contained within this framework, we see the anguish of a wicked man, the crisis moment of his conversion, and the joy of his redemption. Alma provides us a wonderful example of how to repent, how to call on our Redeemer for salvation, and how to make amends through a life of service.

The balance and beauty of this chiasm indicate that Alma spent a great deal of time and effort constructing the remembrance of an event that had occurred twenty years earlier. This experience clearly meant a great deal to Alma, and at the end of his career, he wanted to present it in a compelling form to give guidance to his son. Just as his being converted unto Christ marked the major turning point in his life, his appeal to Jesus at the center of this chiasm marks the pivotal point of his account.

In Alma 36:8, Alma tell us that the angel appeared and used a peculiar Semitic expression, “If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the kingdom of God.”  We would normally say, “If you don’t want to be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.” We are missing an important not here.  Hugh Nibley explains that in Hebrew,  that is how you have to say it.  It sounds contradictory, but that is the normal way. (Nibley, Hugh, Teachings of the Book of Mormon 56:1)

Along with a distinctive literary form, Alma’s narrative uses evocative language. He speaks of being “harrowed up” and “racked with torment.” We can easily picture the long tines of a farm harrow ripping up the soil, and a Medieval body being stretched upon a rack of torture. He describes a pain and a joy that were equally “exquisite,” and a happiness so palpable that he can taste it.  He definitely wants to engage his sons in his experience. He wants them to imagine themselves in his situation. He wants them to feel what he felt. After the one sentence uttered by the angel, he loses contact with the outside reality and we only hear the voice of his own mind. We might note here that a provocative word from an outsider, at just the right time, might be enough to send a person on an inner spiritual journey toward redemption.

We might wonder why Alma makes repeated reference to the deliverance of his ancestors in the chiastic recital of his conversion. Alma 36:28: “I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever, for he has brought our fathers out of Egypt, … and he led them by his power into the promised land.” The central focus of this chapter is not about the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, but about Alma’s remarkable conversion to the Lord. Yet Alma appears to have been emphasizing the similarities between his own journey out of his sinful life and the Hebrews’ journey out of Egypt. As S. Kent Brown noted, Alma stated that “trusting in the Lord leads to divine support and deliverance (36:3, 27),” just as the Israelites were delivered from Egypt and were supported while in the wilderness when they trusted in God (S. Kent Brown, “The Exodus Pattern in the Book of Mormon,” in From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1998), 82-83.)

In addition, Book of Mormon Central KnoWhy #419 gives the following information:

“Alma’s early life was characterized by rebellion,” just as the ancient Israelites often rebelled against God.^[9] Like Israel, Alma was blessed in spite of his lack of worthiness, not because of it.^[10] Finally, “the entire chapter consists of Alma’s recitation of his own story; it resembles in a general sense the memorized recitations learned by Israelites of God’s wondrous acts performed on their behalf during the Exodus.”^[11] Deuteronomy 6:20–25 commands the ancient Israelites to tell their sons about how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt.^[12] Alma seems to have fulfilled this commandment while also applying this story to his own life.^[13]

Alma looked at the Exodus narrative and saw his own life. As Kent Brown put it, he “linked his deliverance from the bonds of sin to Israel’s deliverance from the bondage of slavery.”^[14] We may not have had exactly the same experiences as Alma the younger. But in some ways, we are all in bondage to sin, just as the Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians. Trusting in the power of Christ’s Atonement is the only way for us to be freed from this bondage

I think that this was and is the “small and simple thing” that Alma was trying to impress upon his sons.  There are two examples that Alma uses to impress upon Helaman, in particular, the effect that “small and simple things” can have.

Small and Simple Things

President Dallin H. Oaks talked about “small and simple things:”

We are taught many small and simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be reminded that in total and over a significant period of time, these seemingly small things bring to pass great things. There have been many talks on this subject by General Authorities and by other respected teachers. The subject is so important that I feel to speak of it again.

I was reminded of the power of small and simple things over time by something I saw on a morning walk. Here is the picture I took. The thick and strong concrete sidewalk is cracking. Is this the result of some large and powerful thrust? No, this cracking is caused by the slow, small growth of one of the roots reaching out from the adjoining tree. Here is a similar example I saw on another street.

The thrusting power that cracked these heavy concrete sidewalks was too small to measure on a daily or even a monthly basis, but its effect over time was incredibly powerful. So is the powerful effect over time of the small and simple things we are taught in the scriptures and by living prophets. Consider the scripture study we’ve been taught to incorporate into our daily lives. Or consider the personal prayers and the kneeling family prayers that are regular practices for faithful Latter-day Saints. Consider attendance at seminary for youth or institute classes for young adults. Though each of these practices may seem to be small and simple, over time they result in powerful spiritual uplift and growth. This occurs because each of these small and simple things invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the Testifier who enlightens us and guides us into truth.
(Oaks, Dallin H. “Small and Simple Things.” General Conference April 2018.)

Alma was talking about two seemingly “small and simple” things –  the Nephite records and the Liahona.

What is the power of the written scriptural record? Alma 37:8 

What three things does Alma say that the records accomplish?

1)  It “enlarged the memory of this people”
2) It “convinced many of the error of their ways”
3) It “brought them to a knowledge of their God and unto the salvation of their God.”

I love what Elder D. Todd Christofferson had to say about how the scriptures enlarge the memory:

The scriptures enlarge our memory by helping us always to remember the Lord and our relationship to Him and the Father…. The scriptures also enlarge our memory by helping us not forget what we and earlier generations have learned…. Those who either don’t have or ignore the recorded word of God eventually cease to believe in Him and forget the purpose of their existence. You will remember how important it was for Lehi’s people to take the brass plates with them when they left Jerusalem. These scriptures were key to their knowledge of God and the coming Redemption of Christ.
(Christofferson, D. Todd. “The Blessing of Scripture.” General Conference April 2010.)

When Lehi awoke one morning and found the Liahona on the ground outside his tent door, this seemingly “small” thing had great impact on the future course that Lehi and his family would take in the wilderness.  However, its workings were not what I would call “simple.”  The Three Witnesses were also shown the Liahona, as well as the plates of gold. Doctrine and Covenants records they had a view of “miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.” These “directors” apparently refer to the “spindles” which “pointed the way” that Lehi’s family should travel through the wilderness (1 Nephi 16:10).

According to the prophet Alma, this was “the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it” (Alma 37:38). Book of Mormon scholar Jonathan Curci has proposed an etymological explanation for the name Liahona, based on the Hebrew idioms used at the time of Lehi. He presents the grammatical elements used to form the name Liahona, which he shows to mean literally “to Yahweh is the whither” or by interpretation, “direction of – to the Lord.” The entire article is available at

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1431&context=jbms.  Perhaps the Three Witnesses were permitted to see the Liahona because it gives credibility to the story of the exodus of Lehi and the founding of the Nephite nation.

Don Bradley has proposed that just as the Ark of the Covenant held sacred religious artifacts related to the founding of the Israelite nation, the Nephites had their own national treasures—including the Liahona—which they held in their own sacred repository. (See Don Bradley, “Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages,” FairMormon presentation, 2012, online at fairmormon.org) Hebrews 9:4 tells us that the Ark of the Covenant contained a golden pot of manna, the rod of Aaron which budded, and the stone tablets from Mt. Sinai. Remarkably, the Liahona has parallels to each of these items. The strongest resemblance is between the Liahona and the manna. Both were discovered in the morning, both were discovered upon the ground, both were round in appearance,7 and both evoked wonder or astonishment.

(See Book of Mormon Central KnoWhy #405)

Further, both the manna itself and the Liahona helped feed the wanderers in the wilderness. While the manna was eaten as food, the Liahona was used by Lehi to direct his son Nephi to productive hunting grounds. Perhaps Nephi intentionally designed his story to help us, as readers, to make the connection between manna and the Liahona. In each account, the miraculous food appeared after major murmuring from the hungry wanderers. Both groups expressed a desire to return to their own homes.

We are told in Numbers 17:1–11 that Aaron’s rod, among other staffs, was used as a means of determining the will of the Lord. The rod-like shape of the Liahona’s “spindles” or “directors” functioned in a similar manner. They were a means by which the Lord could communicate with his people. The use of sticks or arrows for divination practices was well known in the ancient world, and these are corroborated in a number of biblical narratives. (See Hugh Nibley, “The Liahona’s Cousins,” Improvement Era, February 1961, 87–89, 104–110; Hugh Nibley, “The Arrow, the Hunter, and the State,” in The Ancient State, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 10 (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1991), 1–32. For a different treatment of divination practices in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, see Amanda Colleen Brown, “Out of the Dust: An Examination of Necromancy as a Literary Construct in the Book of Mormon,” Studia Antiqua 14, no. 2 (2016): 27–37.)

And finally, just as the Lord inscribed the Ten Commandments with his own finger, he also caused writing to appear on the “pointers” of the Liahona. (See 1 Nephi 16:26–29). These words changed from “time to time,” according to the new circumstances of Lehi’s party. The pointers on the ball worked “according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them” (1 Nephi 16:28). When counseling his son Helaman, Alma said, “it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land” (Alma 37:44).

Don Bradley has noted that the “Jerusalem temple was, in one sense, a house for the Ark of the Covenant.” With this in mind, he asked, “How could the Nephites keep the Law of Moses without access to the Ark of the Covenant? … Something, presumably something remarkable, would have to sit in the Ark’s place” in their own temple. (See Don Bradley, “Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages,” FairMormon presentation, 2012, online at fairmormon.org. See also, Gordon C. Thomasson, “Mosiah: The Complex Symbolism and Symbolic Complex of Kingship in the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 2, no. 1 (1993): 28–32.) The Liahona was kept and revered by Nephite prophets as one of their sacred treasures. Its very existence verifies the reality of Lehi’s exodus to the promised land. The fact that it was shown to the Three Witnesses as part of the Restoration is not surprising.

I love what President Thomas Monson has said about Liahonas in our day:

“Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers. … Your patriarchal blessing is to you a personal Liahona to chart your course and guide your way.”

(President Thomas S. Monson, “Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66.)

Elder Lowell M. Snow added another insight:

The Lord provides guidance and direction to individuals and families today, just as He did with Lehi. This very general conference is a modern Liahona, a time and place to receive inspired guidance and direction that prospers us and helps us follow God’s path through the more fertile parts of mortality.. .The teachings of this conference are the compass of the Lord. In the coming days you may, as Lehi did, walk out your front door and find a Liahona, Ensign, or other Church publication in your mailbox, and it will contain the proceedings of this conference. As with the Liahona of old, this new writing will be plain and easy to read and will give you and your family understanding concerning the ways and paths of the Lord.

(Snow, Lowell M. “Compass of the Lord.” General Conference October 2005.)

As we read Alma’s remarks in Alma 37:38‑46  we are told that “there is a type in this thing.” (v. 45) What does this refer to? The incident of the Israelites in the wilderness and their refusal to look to the serpent of brass created by Moses. (Numbers 21:4‑9 cp. Alma 33:18‑22, and John 3:14) The people refused to do what God commanded them because they thought that it was too simple. Do we ever do that?  If something is so simple, why do we want to look for complicated answers?

Alma’s Counsel to Shiblon

In Alma 38:8‑9 we see Alma counseling with his son Shiblon. His message is much the same that he gave to Helaman—salvation comes through Jesus Christ.

This is in stark contrast to the elaborate fortifications that the Nephites were building.  As I read the Book of Mormon, I see that this is one of the major underlying messages.  Alma is a prime example of a person whose life has been changed by Jesus Christ and then has gone out and literally changed the world.  It is certainly the case here with what Alma is trying to teach his sons.  It is the simple gospel of Jesus Christ which will ultimately be the only thing that will prevent wars.  All of the physical fortifications are merely ambulances waiting at the bottom of a cliff rather than putting a fence around the cliff’s edge.

In three short chapters Alma has made some significant points.  It was immensely important to him that his sons should understand on a personal level his commitment to Jesus Christ.  He wanted them to be prepared spiritually for the wars that he could see were coming.  He knew that it was only through the gospel of Jesus Christ that there could ever be any everlasting peace in the world.  Massive fortifications and armies would never be able to do it — but the converting power which comes through a commitment to Jesus Christ, could.  In a world where nations spend more money on their military budget than they do on feeding their own people, there is a definite lesson on priorities that we could learn from Alma’s actions.

I would like to close with a final subject that is so well illustrated in Alma 36-38. In his first public statement as President of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson said, “I thank God … for parents who are serious about their commitment to righteous, intentional parenting.” (Russell M. Nelson, “As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018, 5.)  These chapters teach wonderful lessons on effective parenting.

What was the environment in which Alma raised his sons?  Alma 35:15relates that “the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word.” The people were offended because of the strictness of the commandments.  “Strict” can also mean narrow. The people were offended because of the “strait and narrow path.”  Notice that the word strait is not spelled with a GH in it. It does not mean the shortest distance between two points. It means “narrow.” It does not accommodate certain behavior. Accordingly, the people seek to BROADEN the gate. (Does this sound familiar?) Society wants to change traditionally held values and replace them with more “tolerant” and “accepting” views.  They want the only Value (with a capital V) left to be Tolerance. We may do well to heed these keys to effective parenting:

1.  Teach them one by one.  Alma 35:16 What is the operative word here?
SEPARATELY
One by one parenting.  Using teaching moments.  While driving in the church parking lot.  We used to have “dates” with each child every month, to get a little one-on-one time.  The kids LOVED this.  If Godhood is eternal parenthood, then this is an apprenticeship.  3 Ne. 17:21   Jesus taking children one by one.

2.  Teach with testimony.
Joseph Smith’s Lectures on Faith 2:33-34, 56, God gives us another key to effective parenting.

33. From this we can see that the whole human family in the early age of their existence, in all their different branches, had this knowledge disseminated among them; so that the existence of God became an object of faith in the early age of the world. And the evidences which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of their fathers in the first instance.

34. The reason why we have been thus particular on this part of our subject, is that this class may see by what means it was that God became an object of faith among men after the fall; and what it was that stirred up the faith of multitudes to feel after him—to search after a knowledge of his character, perfections and attributes, until they became extensively acquainted with him, and not only commune with him and behold his glory, but be partakers of his power and stand in his presence.

56. We have now clearly set forth how it is, and how it was, that God became an object of faith for rational beings; and also, upon what foundation the testimony was based which excited the inquiry and diligent search of the ancient saints to seek after and obtain a knowledge of the glory of God; and we have seen that it was human testimony, and human testimony only, that excited this inquiry, in the first instance, in their minds. It was the credence they gave to the testimony of their fathers, this testimony having aroused their minds to inquire after the knowledge of God; the inquiry frequently terminated, indeed always terminated when rightly pursued, in the most glorious discoveries and eternal certainty.

Joseph Smith is basically saying, “I can give it to you in ONE sentence.  The TESTIMONY OF THEIR FATHERS is what STIRRED UP the faith of the children to want to FEEL AFTER God.  What is the most important thing you can do as a parent?  EXCITE and AROUSE your children to “inquire after” God.  How do you do that?  Human testimony.  When does my responsibility end?  “Until they are extensively acquainted with him.”  Human testimony is the WAY! It is the greatest gift you can give to a child!

Teach with testimony.  Children WANT to know what their parents know.  Why did Nephi have the vision he had?  What about the stripling warriors?  Notice “testimony words” in Alma 36:1 “I swear unto you.”

v. 3 “I do know”
v. 4 “I know of myself”
v. 5 “an angel made these things known unto me”
v. 26-27 “I do know.”  “Put it in the Lord’s hands.”
v. 28 “I know”
v. 30 “I do know”

Do you think Helaman had ever heard this before?  Children love to hear stories of parents’ testimonies! My own children have often heard me relate the story of my 3^rd grade Field Day experience many times.

In the spring at Eastwood Elementary, we had “Field Day,” right before school got out for the summer.  This was a special occasion because the girls got to wear pants to school.  Every other day of the year, girls had to wear dresses to school.  I remember my mother took me to Grand Central and bought me a new “Field Day” outfit.  It had turquoise blue shorts and a sleeveless blue plaid top with silver threads woven into the plaid.  It was the coolest!  I was a tall, skinny kid with little or no athletic ability.  When we would choose sides in class before P. E., I would inevitably be chosen last.  In my new blue outfit, I readied myself for the ordeal of choosing sides for the kick soccer team. (For those of you who do not know what this game is, I will try to describe it.  The rules are similar to baseball, but instead of a bat and a pitched baseball, the “pitcher” rolls a soccer ball on the ground to the player who is up at “bat.” and he or she kicks it and rounds the bases.)  As I had anticipated, I was again the last to be chosen.  It was humiliating, but alas, I was getting used to it.  I was assigned to left field, the safest place for one so unqualified, and the game began.  As I sat in left field, I thought about how cool it would be if I got lucky, caught a fly ball, made the winning out, and was a hero for once.  In Sunday School, we had been learning about prayer, and that if you prayed and had enough faith, God would give you the answer to your prayer.  Right at that moment, I was so sick of the mortification that accompanied every team activity in elementary school that I could scream.  I drew an “X” on the ground with my sneaker and silently prayed this prayer: “If I stand on this “X” with my arms out, will you please let me catch a fly ball?”  It was the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs.  Our team was one run ahead, and the other team was up and had the bases loaded.  Their best kicker was up.  I stood on the “X” and closed my eyes, dutifully holding out my arms.  Well, you can probably guess the end of the story.  I wouldn’t be telling the story if it didn’t happen just as I had prayed.  The kick was high to left field, and I caught it!  I was so excited.  Everyone was in shock.  That day I learned that my Heavenly Father really cared about me, a gangly, skinny girl with braids.  That he remembers “every creature of his creating” (Mosiah 27:30).

Alma tells Shiblon the story of his conversion in Alma 38: 6-24. This is FAMILY SCRIPTURE.  We all have “family scripture.”  What kind of an impact would this story have had on him? 

3.   Teach children when they are young.   Alma 37:35 “O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.” When was Shiblon taught?  Alma 38:2 tells us that Shiblon had “commenced in his youth to look to the Lord.”  Children need to have faith promoting stories shared with them when they are young.

4. Teach them by example. Testimony followed by lifestyle. 

We all use these “parent words” – I want you to ….  I wish…  You should….  When I…  They are effective ONLY when we can add “I would that ye should do as I have done,” as Alma does in Alma 36:2.

5. Teach them to love the scriptures – to have faith that in them they can find answers.  Arm them with the scriptures!

Alma 37:8-9  What the scriptures will do for us – “enlarged our memory,” “convinced many of the error of their ways,” brought them to the knowledge of their God, brought them to repentance,” “brought them to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.”

What to teach children:

Alma 37:29 – “to abhor wickedness” and that wickedness destroys
Alma 37:32 – to have “an everlasting hatred of iniquity”
Alma 37:33 – repentance, faith, humility, ability to withstand temptation because of their faith
Alma 37:38 – Alma likened the scriptures to the Liahona
Alma 37:39 – will show the course which they should travel
Alma 37:40 – works according to your faith in God

Probably my favorite verse in this chapter is Alma 37:11: “Now these mysteries are not yet fully made known unto me; therefore I shall forbear.” Alma admits that he does not have all the answers. We don’t need to know everything “right now.” We should have faith in what we have had revealed, and have faith that we will know all the answers we need to know in good time.  Think of that great fireside in the sky we are promised in D&C 101:32-33, where all things shall be made known to us. “In that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things – Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew. . . Things most precious.  . . things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.” Interesting thought:  Maybe the Liahona was just as demanding to the Lehi colony in giving guidance as the scriptures are to us.  We need to “look” to them, have faith that they will direct us, and be diligent in heeding them.

Chapters 39-42  Counsel of a parent to a troubled child  (We will discuss Alma’s counsel to Corianton in next week’s Come Follow Me discussion, but I just wanted to mention Alma’s method of dealing with a rebellious child.)

6. Reprove with truth – not with anger or irritability

InD&C 11:2,  the “word” is described as “sharper than a two-edged sword.” Therefore, the counsel found in D&C 121 “reprove with sharpness” does not mean “with cutting remarks,” but means to reprove (correct) with clarity and the truth of the gospel.

1) Show children where they went wrong
2) Show them the consequences of their mistakes
3) Show them how to prevent them from happening again
4) End with the hope of forgiveness and the love of God

Since chapter 41 is about Alma correcting Nehor’s false teachings on the law of restoration, he needs to tell Corianton in chapter 40 what the real story of restoration is – getting what you deserve, getting something you never had. Not that everything will be restored to happiness, as Nehor incorrectly taught.

7. Gift of discernment is used by effective parents

In counseling his son Corianton, Alma repeatedly uses the words,“I perceive.” (see Alma 41:1, 42:) He uses the gift of discernment to discern what his son was worried about, and what things were of great concern to him. Parents need to look beyond the words their children say, and learn to see into their hearts.

I love the counsel that Alma gives to his son Shiblon (which means “young lion” in Arabic) in Alma 38. Is it because he is the middle child that he only gets eighteen verses?  He is characterized by steadiness – trying his best to do what he was told to do. I love his counsel and feel that it is a great example to all of us.

1. 38:2Future tense.  “I hope you will CONTINUE” 38:3 Present tense.  He PRAISES his son.  SO IMPORTANT!  We need to PRAISE our children.
2. 38:4What’s he doing here?He’s helping him by VALIDATING his testimony.  Don’t miss opportunities to validate a child’s experience.  He had been persecuted for the gospel’s sake, and even stoned (38:4), but had put his trust in God (v.5).
3. 38:6 Alma shares sacred experiences — these are family scriptures.  38:9 Shares his testimony of Christ.  38:10 Do my children know my expectations?  Alma’s children knew what he expected of them. “I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.”
4. 38:12  Shiblon has many good qualities but still is young and needs exhortation in certain areas:  bridle passions.  “Bridle” suggests the metaphor of a horse.  For Alma, passion is a POWERFUL horse that must be bridled.  Sexual passion is POWERFUL and needs to be controlled.  What really shows love?  The controlling of passion increases love. Alma also counsels Shiblon to be humble (v.11, 13-14).

Here is a summary of the keys to effective parenting::

Keys to Effective Parenting

1.   Teach them one by one.

2.   Teach with testimony.

3.   Teach children when they are young.

4.   Teach them by example.  Testimony followed by lifestyle. 

5.  Teach them to love the scriptures.

6.  Reprove with truth – not with anger or irritability.

7.  Gift of discernment is used by effective parents.

1.  PRAISE children.
2. VALIDATE your child’s testimony.
3. SHARE SACRED EXPERIENCES
4. LET THEM KNOW YOUR EXPECTATIONS
5. GIVE NEEDED EXHORTATION IN CERTAIN AREAS

Conclusion

Alma had become a very wise man. His conversion experience had made him into a “new creature.” No doubt, as he traveled and saw wickedness around him, he felt deep “sorrow,” “tribulation,” and “anguish of soul” (Alma 8:14). He felt something similar after returning from his mission to the Zoramites—he observed that “the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word,” and this made his heart “exceedingly sorrowful” (Alma 35:15). What did Alma do about what he saw and felt? He knew that the key to changing hearts was a knowledge of truth. He didn’t become discouraged or cynical about the state of the world. He didn’t build fortification for war. Instead, “he caused that his sons should be gathered together” and taught them “things pertaining unto righteousness” (Alma 35:16). He taught them that “there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. … Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness” (Alma 38:9). I echo his sentiments. Clinging to the truth is the object of my existence. I pray daily to know the “small and simple things” I can do to make the world a little bit better. I want to conclude with a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson on how we can change the world:

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature….  Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men can change the world.

(Ezra Taft Benson, “Born of God,” Ensign, July 1989, 2.)

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^[1]  See David Alexander and Pat Alexander, eds.  Eerdmans’ Handbook to the Bible, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), p. 316.

^{[2]Wednesday July 15, 2020}John W. Welch, “A Masterpiece: Alma 36,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon: Insights you may have missed before,” eds. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991) p. 116.

The Book of Mormon as Brilliant Literature

I’m not the most qualified person to write on the literary aspects of the Book of Mormon, but I’m not a neophyte either. With degreed work at a Bachelor and Master’s level in English, publication of 18 books including plays and short stories, I have some understanding and appreciation of the endeavors of Shakespeare, Milton, Hardy and James on the England side of the language, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Poe and Twain on the American side, and Dostoyevsky, Camus, and Conrad in the international world of letters.

In all, the blurry eyes from reading and the enjoyment from delving into the writings have left me to ponder the Book of Mormon as it might stack up against the standards, mores, artifices, and literary devices used by the geniuses to portray their ideas in print. Does it make the Book of Mormon any more true or false… no, but infinitely more interesting to me.

But first a word on the five ton elephant in the room: authorship. The Book of Mormon’s authorship is much in doubt to the world. To say its origins are curious would be an understatement. But only someone wishing to give a Nobel Prize for Literature will care all that much about authorship. For the rest of us, the Book simply is. You can hold it and read it and let it speak for itself. Whether Joseph Smith made it up, read it out of a hat, got it from someone and didn’t give him credit, found it or whatever, the Book is there. It either was produced as Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery and others claim or it wasn’t.

After examining all of the accounts I accept Ockham’s Razor which was best stated much earlier by Ptolemy, “We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible.” Applied to the fantastic rationalizations by the detractors of the Book of Mormon, I find the idea that an “angel did it” or it was a “deus ex machina” a far simpler possibility and I’ll leave authorship at that.

It also leaves people who write or read extensively with a challenge. Few writers can conceive writing 400+ pages in 90 days let alone a book that is so filled with literary accomplishments.

To that I specifically ponder the use of character development, allusion, symbolism, allegory in the general theme and specific usage in a story, effective vs. affected language usage, plot with its twists and interest development as well its didactic development methodology, human predicament resolution and exculpation, and the universality of themes which may have, in a Jules Verne manner, a greatly prophetic or predictive value. One could easily seek to discuss the actual text of the Book and the unusual nature of that, but I won’t touch that subject because it takes someone of the acumen of a Dr. Royal Skousen to accomplish that, which he has.

Space doesn’t allow me to go into detail so here is a brief overview of two of these subjects.

Character Development

The family of Lehi is a complex and compelling collection of characters. Nephi is the voice and protagonist of the first two books and is a character that belies simple description. He evolves, as a character should, over time and with experiences. He begins as a brash, idealistic nearly arrogant young man who naturally antagonizes his older brothers to the point of violence. Typical of family life, especially in a middle-eastern family where the law of primogenitor dominates. When the eldest brother speaks, you answer with “yes sir.”

Yet it is Nephi who stands up and leads and commits a major crime – justified though it becomes. Yet this crime becomes the central plot twisting point throughout the entire Book of Mormon and eventually leads – spoiler alert –, to the destruction to Nephi’s entire race. Yet he is the protagonist and his eldest brother who schemes against Nephi and several times tries to kill him, is the antagonist, and he argues against the crime Nephi committed. Yet it is his posterity that is cursed and becomes degenerated.

Father Lehi is no less complex. He begins as a pillar of granite and leads in divine manifestations but himself falters and ends up ceding authority voluntarily to young Nephi, supporting the crime, and justifying it as honorable.

Other characters are fleshed out a bit as minor characters are and play their parts and weave in and out of the story as they should. Sam and Zoram have little to say but are intriguing characters. They are not the character crafting of an amateur writer.

When Nephi dies, barely 70 years of the 1,000 year narrative has gone by. Throughout the rest of the Book, characters come and go, have their 15 minutes (pages) of fame and do so in a representative fashion. Many are quite memorable even though their time on the stage is brief. King Mosiah stakes his claim to government stardom as does his father Benjamin, although Benjamin manages to elevate government far higher than any king before or after has done, blending church and state into a rational government of goodness.

King Noah blusters his way into ignominious history. Alma the Elder evolves into a heroic figure, one of the truly great figures. His son has a Saul to Paul moment and becomes a giant of a leader although his character is less defined the older he gets for the editor lets his epistles speak for his life.

One of the strangest characters is one of the Book’s strongest cases. It manifests a writer, Mormon, who cares more about the Book than himself as a writer for he takes Nephi, son of Helaman, and shows him as a struggling prophet who toils in sorrow until one day he rises above the others and is given gifts from heaven that are greater than any gifts bestowed by the Gods from Olympus to the Greek heroes. He can say a mountain is to be removed and it will be, or floods to rage or disappear and they will be. But his choice of actions is to ask the Divine what His will is, setting a pattern for all mankind. This character stands as one of the greatest of prophets in scriptural writing, yet, in all of his pronouncements, the writer of the Book, lets the editor of the text let Nephi declare to his people that he wishes they could live in the time of Father Lehi when all was roses and paved streets of gold.

The writer clearly presents a prophet who could see the future but hadn’t a firm grip on what was in the past. Writers generally don’t let their best characters appear foolish, leaving the reader to wonder why neither the editor of the book – Mormon – nor the purported writer/translator, Joseph Smith, would not provide cover for this great man. Perhaps they just wanted to let the reader see that the characters were real people, warts and all.

Similarly, the Book’s greatest military mind, Captain Moroni, not only is shown to uncannily resemble the actions of ancient Tsun Tsu, but he has a vulnerable, emotional side that humiliates himself. As previously mentioned, the editor leaves in Moroni’s ironic epistle to his political leader that excoriates the leader for lack of support for the military. The leader humbly accepts the roasting and reveals they were worse off than Captain Moroni and his crew, something the Captain wasn’t expecting. He has to eat crow and back away from his bombastic epistle. Once again, a real human character is shown, warts and all.

Many other characters fill the pages: Helaman, 3^rd Nephi, Ether, the brother of Jared, Mormon and Moroni. And bad guys, plenty. The aforementioned King Noah, Korihor, and of course Gadianton.

More can be said of the characters of the Book of Mormon. They certainly fulfill the requirement of good literature to be complex, memorable, filled with humanity and universal appeal.

Allegory in the general overall structure

The Book of Mormon in its entirety is the life of mankind and individual mankind depending upon their honorable life trajectory. Mankind’s path has been described by numerous scholars similarly to the way a colleague of Adam Smith describes mankind. Alexander Frasier Tytler, the Scottish economist in the 19^th century predicted that democracies cannot last: The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.

The Book of Mormon follows this path or life cycle throughout making the entire book allegorical.

Specific usage in a story of Allegory

It’s one thing to effectively make the entire book a striking allegory. That takes talent. But an amazing literary feat is pulled off in the Book of Jacob in the telling of Zenos’s the Allegory of the Olive Garden. Having studied the world’s classic allegories like Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Dante’s Inferno, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Golding’s Lord of the Flies, CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and dozens more that make use of a loosely woven open story that carries deep symbolism throughout the story. But, I can say unequivocally that none are as tightly woven, as efficiently told, and as deeply layered with symbolic representations as the Allegory of the Olive Garden.

In a much shorter space than any of the other great allegories, the writer manages to incorporate into the allegory God, Christ, mankind as Hebrew tribes, Gentiles, apostates, the penitent person and the penitent movement, threat of destruction to enthronement, all while being exactly correct in the horticulture of grafting and the keeping of a huge olive orchard or garden. It’s brilliant. The Bible doesn’t publish this great Allegory but apparently some of the prophets knew of it because some, like Paul, they actually refer to it.

Next to it in style and skill, but greater in its universal application is Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life. It’s simple to understand and a powerful statement about religion, rebellion and devotion. Songs have been written with its imagery although not terribly good ones. But, still, the lyrical language is there awaiting better composers.

That’s enough for now. The Book of Mormon stands as it is. It exists and is a challenge to ponder how it was written as well as how brilliantly it was composed. Either accept its divine origins or give it a Nobel Prize for Literature.