What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About Mothers?

What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About Mothers?

     First of all I want to wish a late happy mothers day to all of the mothers out there!

     There is a wonderful story of the power of mothers in The Book Of Mormon. As mentioned in earlier posts there are two main nations or groups of people in The Book Of Mormon: the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites are the descendants of Nephi or those that believe in God and Jesus Christ. The Lamanites are the descendants of Nephi's older brother Laman or those who don't believe.  The two nations don't get a long well, in fact much of The Book Of Mormon is about their wars and contentions. It was normal for Lamanites to be hostile towards any Nephite found in their lands. Around 90 BC a handful of brave Nephites go on a mission to attempt to teach Christianity to the Lamanites. Against all odds and with miraculous help from God these men are able to convert thousands of Lamanites.

     The Lamanites are known to be a people of war, raised with a strong hate of the Nephites. These converted Lamanites are convinced of the wrong doings of their fathers and of the grace of God to forgive them of their sins. They are ashamed of their murders and make a life long promise to never fight or murder again. Not only do they make this promise internally but they literally bury in the ground all of their weapons of war.

     These people no longer wished to be called Lamanites and give themselves the name of "Anti-Nephi-Lehis". They separate themselves from the Lamanites and the Nephites grant them a place to live in a place called Jershon. The King of these converted Lamanites proposed that they would be slaves to the Nephites but it was against the Law of the Nephites to have slaves. So the Anti-Nephi-Lehis payed taxes to the Nephites in return for living on their land.

     The unconverted Lamanites were angry with these people's decision to leave as well as with the Nephites' warm welcome to the converts. They waged an attack on the Anti-Nephi-Lehiis and met no resistance. Eventually, when the Lamanites saw that these people would not fight back they became even more angry and began to attack the Nephites. The Nephites respected the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's desire to abstain from fighting. From then on the Nephites protected the Anti-Nephi-Lehis and were given support for their armies in return.

     About 27 years later (63 BC) The Nephites were involved in another brutal war with the Lamanites. The Anti-Nephi-Lehis felt so compelled to help that they almost broke their covenant to join the Nephites in battle. A man named Helaman who was one of the military leaders of the Nephites urged the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's to keep their promise to God. He did observe however that the sons of those original converts had never entered into that same promise with God.

     Two Thousand of these brave young sons voluntarily joined the military under the command of Helaman. They are famously known in The Book Of Mormon as The Two Thousand Stripling Warriors.

     The first time they were faced with an opportunity to battle this was their response according to Helaman:

 "For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should 
overpower the army of Antipus. Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught 
by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

     Because their mothers taught them as children to trust God they fought fearlessly knowing that God would protect them. Looking back on the occasion Helaman related the miracle:

"And now it came to pass that when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain. But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength."

After the two thousand stripling warriors' next encounter with battle Helaman said this of them:

"Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and 
even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said 
unto me that their mothers had taught them"

"And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonis-hment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and n-either was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds. And now, their preservati-on was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of t-heir exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelo-us power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."

     I love this story because it illustrates the great power and influence that mothers have. These young men trusted in God because they had good moms who taught them to do so by their words and by their example.

     I'm grateful to my mom for always teaching me to trust in God. She also taught me that God will someday hold me accountable for my actions. I'm also grateful for my wife who has become a wonderful mother over the past 9 months. I want to give a shout out to all the mothers out there who put so much time and effort into teaching their children to trust in God. Where would the world be without you?

How The Book Of Mormon Was Published

     How The Book Of Mormon Was Published

     Sorry, no time for a real post again this week. I'm really excited to finish the Laws, Government, and Politics in The Book Of Mormon series but I just haven't had time.

     If you have not seen this movie you need to see it! It is my favorite movie. It tells the true story of Joseph Smith and how The Book Of Mormon went from an ancient artifact to a book of scripture published in the english language.

     It chronicles the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints and tells the story of the the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. It makes a case for the need for revelation in every chapter of history and continually declares the need for man to "trust in God".

     I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that God the Father and his son Jesus Christ appeared to him as a boy and spoke with him. He was called as a prophet in his youth just as Samuel in the Old Testament. I know that God spoke through Joseph Smith just as he spoke through prophets of old. I know that Joseph Smith translated The Book Of Mormon from Reformed Egyptian into English through the power of God. The Holy Ghost has told me that these things are true. Here's how it happened.

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration

     Feel free to share this movie on social media with anyone you think would benefit from it's message. 

God's Army

God's Army

No time to make a real post this week. Here's a great movie. It's produced by a private company (not officially produced by the church or anything). It teaches a little bit about The Book Of Mormon. It's also a great insight into the life of missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Very entertaining.

What does The Book Of Mormon teach about laws, government, and politics? (Part Two)

What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About

Laws, Government, and Politics?
(Part TWO)

     In Part One we discussed the government of the book of mormon people from about 600 BC to about 130 BC. We'll start where we left off.

     In about 124 BC Mosiah (grandson of the first king Mosiah, son of king Benjamin) becomes king of the Nephites at age 30. This Mosiah remains king until he dies in 91 BC at age 63. Mosiah, like his father, is a righteous king. He works side by side with his people "that thereby he might not become burdensome to [them]". Mosiah, like his grandfather, has the gift of translation. 

     “for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer.” 

-Mosiah 8:13

     Mosiah gives power to Alma Sr. (the high priest) to establish a church organization in the city of Zarahemla. Mosiah publishes legislation that promotes equality, religious freedom, and freedom from persecution. 

     “And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of God. And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men; That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.” 

-Mosiah 27:2-4

     When he is about to die Mosiah looks to his sons to take the kingdom but all of them refuse the position because of their desire to be missionaries. Instead of finding another king he proposes the idea of adopting a system of judges to govern the people. This is a key turning point in the political system of The Book Of Mormon. 

"And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people. Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God... Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you."

-Mosiah 29:10,11,13

     In the time of the first king Mosiah a group of Nephites left Zarahemla and went back to settle in the land where Lehi's family first settled. This group had a righteous king but when that king died his son ruled wickedly, made his buddies his priests and counsellors, overtaxed his people for his own gain, and taught the people to sin. The pride and wickedness of this king led to much destruction and suffering. This king's son luckily learned from his father's mistakes and eventually brought his people back to the land of Zarahemla. After hearing of this tragedy the second Mosiah feared that a monarchy may not be the best system of government for the future generation.

     "Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction! ... Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord." 

-Mosiah 29:17,25

     So before king Mosiah dies he lays out this idea of a government of judges. His plan includes laws, voting, and leadership positions with checks and balances. 

"Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge. If your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people."

-Mosiah 29:26-29

     The people then "cast in their voices" and choose Alma Jr. as their first "Chief Judge". On top of being Chief Judge Alma is also the High Priest over the church. Thus once again aligning the political leadership with the ecclesiastical leadership of the Nephite nation.

"Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them. 

And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea,they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure. 

And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land. And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest, his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church. 

And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi."

-Mosiah 29:39-47

This change in their form of government is so significant that the Nephites begin to recon their time from that year (e.g.: the seventh year of the reign of the judges). There are three of these events in The Book Of Mormon that the Nephites measure their time from.

1. From the time Lehi left Jerusalem

2. From the beginning of the reign of the judges

3. From the the time the sign was given of the birth of Christ (when the new star appeared)

  This shows how important this political event is to the book of mormon people.

What does The Book Of Mormon teach about laws, government, and politics? (Part One)

What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About

Laws, Government, and Politics?
(Part One)

     At the very beginning of The Book of Mormon, before Lehi's family leaves the middle east and sails to the American continent (about 600-592 BC), Nephi and Sam (the younger brothers) get beat up by Laman and Lemuel (the older brothers). This is the first of many attempts Nephi's brothers take on his life. When they begin to beat Nephi with a rod an angel appears to them and commands them to stop, saying, "Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?" (1 Nephi 3:29)

     When Lehi's family arrives in the promised land (about 588-570 BC) and Lehi passes away Nephi does indeed become the leader and teacher of his family. After the Nephites separate themselves from the Lamanites (about 570-559 BC) Nephi's people make him a king. Nephi was also the Prophet, making him the political and religious leader of the people. "And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power. And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher." (2 Nephi 5:18-19)

     Before Lehi dies he prophecies of a "land of liberty", "But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord...Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." (2 Nephi 1:5-7)

     When Nephi was about to die (about 544 BC) he passed his ecclesiastical responsibilities down to his faithful younger brother Jacob but he passed his political position as king down to another man who is unnamed. "Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings. The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defense, and having labored in all his days for their welfare— Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would. And it came to pass that Nephi died." (Jacob 1:9-12)

     The Nephite political figures in The Book Of Mormon are almost always righteous, just, God fearing men. The next Nephite king that we hear of by name is king Mosiah. Mosiah and "as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord" move out of the land the Nephites originally moved into and establish the land of Zarahemla which becomes the Nephite's capital city and remains the center of all Nephite government throughout the rest of the narrative. Mosiah seems to be just as much as a religious leader as a political leader. "And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God." (Omni 1:20)

     When Mosiah dies (about 130 BC) his son Benjamin reigns in his stead. King Benjamin is one of the most famous kings in The Book Of Mormon because of the speech he gave from a tower by the temple in Zarahemla. Along with the gospel principals taught in his sermon, king Benjamin also recounted some of the ways he ran his kingdom, "I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you; Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you— And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day." 

     Before king Benjamin dies he passes the kingdom on to his son who is also named Mosiah...

     

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

     The Atonement of Jesus Christ

     So for this weeks post I'm sharing a journal entry I wrote last week for a Book of Mormon class I'm taking at BYU. After each class period we write one of these to reflect on what the professor taught us in class. I am changing the name of my professor to "Jones" to protect his identity. This particular journal entry is about the atonement of Christ. For those of you who don't know, the word "atonement" according to Christian theology is "the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ" -google

     The event of the atonement encompasses Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, his crucifixion on the cross, and his resurrection from death. The Book Of Mormon and the Holy Bible teach that this event is the key to God's plan to save his children. 

     Here is my journal entry about it:

            I love learning about the atonement of Jesus Christ, especially around this sacred holiday we call Easter (which we celebrated on Sunday). It is the center of our faith. Everything else we learn about is an appendage to it. It is the key to the plan of salvation. God’s plan would fail without it. In effect it is God’s plan to save his children: The Plan of Salvation.

            Today’s focus text was centered on the famous verses Alma 7:11-12. Jones said that there is a website called scriptures.byu.edu in which BYU religion scholars index all of the scriptures that The Brethren have ever quoted in general conference and their commentary on those passages. Jones found it interesting that this passage about the atonement was hardly ever talked about until the 1980s. At this time Elder Neil L Maxwell started a commentary on it that has over time made it one of the most well known verses in The Book Of Mormon. Jones said that it basically changed the way the church talks about the atonement.

            What the passage teaches is that Jesus can help us because he knows everything we go through. He knows how we feel. He can always comfort us because he can relate. He can have true empathy because he has experienced it all. In Alma’s words to the members in Gideon, “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11-12).

It sounds like he didn’t just pay the penalty justice demands for our sins by suffering pain. It sounds like he also felt what it must feel like to be blind. It sounds like he felt what it feels like to be guilty of sin. It sounds like he felt the crippling temptation that a drug addict feels to give in to their bodily urges. It sounds like he felt the pain a mother feels when she gives birth, as strange as that sounds. It sounds like he went through what it feels like to have cancer and go through chemotherapy, etcetera, and etcetera.

Jones said it’s the same phenomena as when you meet someone from your home state and you automatically have a connection because you have that one thing in common. Jones told us that he had a younger brother that died in a drunk driving accident. He said that when he meets other people who have siblings that died in the same way it genuinely comforts him because he feels like he’s not alone. Isn’t that interesting an “At –One-Ment” is there to help us feel like we’re not alone. It’s there to help us feel like we are “at one” with someone who cares about us. That’s powerful. Whenever I read these verses it reminds me of the song “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.

“Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain, we all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on

You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

If there is a load
You have to bear that you can't carry
I'm right up the road, I'll share your load
If you just call me”

Like the Father ran to the prodigal son and embraced him, I know that we can again be “at one” with our Eternal Father through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Garden of Gethsemane

 Hill of Calvary

The Garden Tomb

The Testaments

     The Testaments

     The scriptures testify of Christ. We hear the voice of Christ through the Jehovah of the Old Testament. We get to see the life of Christ in the new Testament. The Book Of Mormon is "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" in which we get to see an exclusive visit that Christ makes to the ancient people of the American continent roughly 600 years after Lehi's family travels from Jerusalem to America.

     This movie (The Testaments: of one fold and one shepherd) aligns the Book of Mormon story with what was going on in the holy land during the time of Christ. It gives you a feeling of what it would've been like to be a Christian in ancient america. It is a beautiful depiction of Christ's love and teachings. It is one of the best movies I've ever seen. 

     Check it out.