Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Alma 56-63
NO CLASS FOR TWO WEEKS
We will resume on January 7, 2020
Reading for January 7—Helaman 1-5
BOOK OF ALMA
“The book of Alma is a sprawling book, but it is not without its principle of organization. It divides naturally into halves (Alma 1-29 and Alma 30-63) that tell parallel stories.
Mormon’s overarching aim in the book of Alma thus seems to be to spur his readers to reflect on (1) the similarities between two distinct periods of Alma’s ministry (Alma 1-16, Alma 30-42) and (2) the differences between the peaceful missionizing of the sons of Mosiah and the warmongering interests of the usurping family of Amalickiah (Alma 17-29, Alma 43-63).”
Joseph M. Spencer,Women and Nephites Men
THE SECOND AMALICKIAHITE WAR (SEVEN YEARS’ WAR)
Source:Alma 51-62.
Dates: 25-31 R.J. (67-61 B.C.).
Location:Throughout the land of Zarahemla.
Causes: Return of Amalickiah, coinciding with the armed revolt of the king-men and his brother Ammoron’s assumption of Lamanite kingship. Initial Lamanite successes in the east and west were partly attributable to the king-men issue at home. Tactics:Protracted warfare; full-scale attempts to conquer cities and occupy lands surrounding Zarahemla on the west, south, and north; concurrent campaigns on several fronts, including Nephite efforts to control internal insurrection.This time, commanders who personally knew the Nephite lands and cities led the Lamanite forces.
Results:A very costly Nephite victory.These wars were evidently hard on the Nephite rulers, for Helaman, Moroni, Pahoran, Shiblon, Corianton, and others were all dead or gone by Alma 63.
2000 STRIPLING WARRIORS
“The same God who gave Mosiah a promise of safety gave the mothers of this untested army the similar promise, on the condition that they would not doubt (Alma 56:47). Even the most caring mothers would not make a promise like that without the confirmation of the Lord.A promise of deliverance such as this, spoken without the inspiration and confirmation of the Spirit, is (at best) a good intention left dangling. But, the sure word spoken through inspiration gave comfort and hope to the mothers and strength to their sons.At this point the Lamanites were not the enemy, they were the test of obedience—the fire in which these young men would be refined.The only possible enemy to these young warriors would be to waver in their faith in the power of God to deliver them.
Wendell Philips once said, “One on God’s side is a majority” (Burns, Burns, and Ward 399). Mormon is making the same point by including the story of the sons of Helaman in his record that he did with the story of the sons of Mosiah.When the Lord is on your side, the size and strength of the opposition makes no difference.”
K. Douglas Bassett, “Nephi’s Freedom Thesis and the Sons of Helaman,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D.Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 291–303, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/ book-mormon-alma-testimony-word/18-nephis-freedom-thesis-18-and-sons-helaman
“More striking still, however, is the way that each of these contrasting stories of preaching peace and promoting war centers on a turning point that concerns women. The unmistakable turning point in the Nephite-Lamanite mission comes when Abish, the Lamanite servant woman, takes the necessary initiative to gather her people to the site of the royal household’s conversion. She is in the right place at the right time, the text says,‘on account of a remarkable vision of her father.'The turning point of the parallel story of the Nephite-Lamanite wars occurs when the so-called stripling warriors turn out to fight in defense of the Nephite nation.They are, of course, Lamanite boys, young men who are in the right place at the right time, according to the text, because ‘they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.’ Successful Nephite preaching among the Lamanites, like successful Nephite military defense against invading Lamanites (used, really, as pawns in a war launched by dissenting Nephites), depends immensely on Lamanite domestic relations: daughters taught by fathers, and sons taught by mothers.”
Joseph M. Spencer,Women and Nephites Men
MORONI AND PAHORAN
“The correspondence between Moroni and Pahoran also provides important glimpses into the personalities of these men. Although a man of great faith, it is clear that Moroni was also susceptible to anger, frustration, doubt, and misplaced outrage at those whom he assumed had slighted him.At the same time Pahoran is revealed in his letter to be a man of patience in the face of being wrongfully accused. His reply is a remarkable example of emotional restraint. By choosing not to take offense, he was able to communicate clearly and work toward resolving the problem.
Readers can learn an important lesson from Moroni’s shortcoming. Moroni’s anxieties
and frustrations were undoubtedly real. He and his army were facing serious Lamanite
threats, and no assistance from the government was forthcoming. Nevertheless, he
might have benefited from giving Pahoran the benefit of the doubt and being careful
not to jump to hasty conclusions or pass unwarranted judgment. His example cautions
readers to be careful not to allow anger, doubt, or uncertainties to create a negative
influence.”
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/why-was-moronis-correspondence-with-pahoran- significant
“The question arises why Mormon made the editorial decisions he did.Why did he include the letters to and from Pahoran? Were they to support his assertion that Moroni was a man of God, or were they to show, as many in our dispensation have stated, that even great men make mistakes? There is nothing in Mormon’s narrative to support the latter.There is no apology from Captain Moroni, nor even any hint of chagrin, only rejoicing to find out that Pahoran is not a traitor.Also, it seems unusual for Mormon to set up Moroni in such superlative terms, then include his letter to Pahoran, if his intent were to show what we view as Captain Moroni’s pique. Another problem with this ‘fallible Moroni’ view is that it is inconsistent with the character that Moroni has displayed thus far. Moroni was always guided by principle.”
OraLyn Moran, Moroni and Pahoran, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-15-no-3-2014/moroni-and-pahoran-0
“In his response to Moroni, Pahoran states, ‘I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren’ (Alma 61:19). Two millennia later we can read this verse and admire Pahoran’s desire to make the right decision. However, his contemporaries surely must have wondered about it. About ten years earlier, during the judgeship of Nephihah, Pahoran’s father, Captain Moroni had to order the execution of ‘whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom’ (Alma 46:35).Then, five years before, the kingmen rose up against the newly elected Pahoran. Once again, ‘Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty’ (Alma 51:17). Surely Pahoran did not wonder at the justifiability of going against their brethren in these former occasions.Why would he wonder about it in this new but familiar situation? In addition, we are left to wonder if Pahoran turned to God for guidance in this decision as Moroni did.”
OraLyn Moran, Moroni and Pahoran, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-15-no-3-2014/moroni-and-pahoran-0
“With these things in mind, Pahoran becomes a much more puzzling person.Why would he debate the justifiability of going against his brethren when it had already been done twice? Why did the kingmen rebel, once immediately after Pahoran was installed as chief judge, and then again when Moroni was no longer there to back him up? Was this a reflection on Pahoran? Why would he not inform the entire Nephite nation of the rebellion instead of limiting his proclamation to “this part of the
land” (Alma 61:6)? Why wouldn’t he immediately inform his armies of the coup so they would understand why more reinforcements weren’t coming instead of allowing them to languish in a starved state? Why did it take the deaths of many of his citizens, whom he had sworn to protect, and the consequent threatening letter from Captain Moroni before he shared the problem with his chief captain?”
OraLyn Moran, Moroni and Pahoran, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-15-no-3-2014/moroni-and-pahoran-0
“The answers to these questions may reveal in Pahoran what many of us find in ourselves.We correctly honor him for his ‘long-suffering’ in not reviling against Moroni’s accusations and threats. Given the anger and contention that we so often see in our day, we value his example. But what if his greatest strength (long-suffering) was also his greatest weakness (passivity)? If his enemies knew him to be even a little passive, they would be very anxious to take advantage of it, once when he became chief judge and then again when his chief captain was busy elsewhere. If he knew the armies needed support, but he didn’t know how to get it for them, he might send smatterings of supplies and troops (‘the best he could’) without explaining why. He might try to fix the problem himself ‘in this part of the land,’ not wanting to distract Captain Moroni and the other armies. If he loved peace but felt unsure about enforcing it, he would worry about the justifiability of going against his brethren.And once his chief captain laid out a strong plan for correcting the situation, he would embrace it and encourage it. Besides being a sterling example of long-suffering, perhaps Pahoran also serves as a cautionary example of what Elder Dallin H. Oaks described as the dangers of our strengths becoming our downfall. But Pahoran also illustrates Elder Richard G. Scott’s statement that ‘the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion.’"
OraLyn Moran, Moroni and Pahoran, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-15-no-3-2014/moroni-and-pahoran-0
“In many scriptural instances, including with Moroni and Pahoran, the Lord shows us that we should be willing to help all those who are willing to try. Pahoran expressed the desire to fight against the kingmen, though he had not yet mustered sufficient force to do so. Captain Moroni turned his attention to gathering people to reinforce Pahoran, and they successfully defeated the kingmen.
We often think we must accept excuses in order to show love.When we do so, we tend to follow the same pattern of sympathy and recrimination many have done with Pahoran and Moroni, respectively.We see through Moroni that if the excuse allows undesirable behavior to continue, we should not indulge it. Just as mercy cannot rob justice, accountability must accompany compassion.
Pahoran also serves as a cautionary tale of how an uncontrolled strength can also be a weakness. His slowness to anger is definitely a lesson worthy of emulation for our day. On the other hand, his apparent passivity likewise becomes a warning to us against seeking peace at any price.
Men such as Pahoran can offer us encouragement.When our strengths are still our weaknesses, we can know that as we strive to do our duty, the Lord will accept our offerings even though we don’t yet have the strength of Captain Moroni. Most of us are not born with that kind of strength and will. But with patience, work, and the grace of God, the good in us can become great.”
OraLyn Moran, Moroni and Pahoran, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-15-no-3-2014/moroni-and-pahoran-0
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Alma 50-55
READING FOR NEXT WEEK
Alma 56-63
CHRISTMAS BREAK DECEMBER 24 AND 31. CLASS WILL RESUME ON JANUARY 7
AMALICKIAH
“One can understand why Mormon wrote, ’We . . . can see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.’ Amalickiah’s life followed the pattern one would expect of Satan were he given a mortal probation. Like Lucifer, Amalickiah rebelled against the gospel plan in his thirst for glory and power, and he led others away from the truth. It was Amalickiah’s intent, as it was Lucifer’s, to destroy the liberty of men.They both sought to make war against the righteous, and in the end both rewarded their followers with sorrow, misery, and suffering. The life of Amalickiah exposes the pattern followed by many who are the enemies of Christ.”
Clyde Williams, Book of Mormon Reference Companion
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/ why-did-teancum-slay-amalickiah-on-new-year’s-eve
“Notice that it is the first day of the first month — NewYear’s Day.Why does Mormon occupy any space on the plates with dates? And why should we care? In the ancient Near Eastern culture, which likely influenced Book of Mormon culture, New Year’s Day was the time when the king of the land would sally forth to demonstrate his vitality and liveliness to successfully rule as a king for another year.The rising forth of the king on this day was like a divine foreshadowing of a prosperous year.A dead king was a sure sign of a disastrous future.
Hence, no act could be more psychologically demoralizing to an opposing army than to find their king dead on NewYear’s Day.Teancum chose NewYear’s Eve to assassinate Amalickiah. He sought to win a massive psychological victory against the Lamanites by sending a message of disaster, despair and fear.
The seemingly small details in the text of the Book of Mormon matter. In narrative context, they signify the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as an ancient text.”
Taylor Halverson, https://www.deseret.com/2015/1/1/20555708/taylor-halverson-evidences-for-the-book-of-mormon-in- cover-of-darkness-and-the-turning-of-the-new-year
DESSENSION
“Moroni’s views concerning dissension and disunity can be best understood within his covenantal perspective. He coupled a love of freedom and liberty with the knowledge that these could only be secured by faithfulness and obedience to covenants. Dissidents, in his view, were covenant-breakers.Their lack of trust in God or concern for the community of the saints put the whole people in jeopardy.Their alliances with Nephite enemies only compounded the problem. Both Moroni and Mormon saw dissension as a root cause of Nephite problems.
One cannot blame Moroni for his sensitivity to dissension.Without exception, every enemy specifically identified by Mormon in Alma 43–63 is a body of Nephite dissenters or a group led by a Nephite dissenter.”
Thomas R.Valletta, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-alma-testimony-word/14-captain-and-covenant-0
ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW
“If we assume that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, and that Captain Moroni and Amalickiah were real people, then we really have to push back against Mormon’s simplistic account of their motives.As Mormon presents it, the contrast could not be clearer: Moroni wants only to preserve freedom and Amalickiah has no other objective than to destroy it. But human beings don’t work that way. Nobody ever does anything for just one reason. Life is messy that way.
Here is how the story might the story look from the perspective of Amalickiah’s supporters.This perspective is just as limited and just as one-dimensional as the one in the text, but it oversimplifies in a different direction, which may help us get closer to the messy and complicated truth.”
We have already seen that the major divide in the Nephite world is both religious and political.The Christians are essentially a permanent majority party.They control the chief judgeship, which has become a lifetime appointment passed down from father to son.To the majority, this looks like democracy, since it is ratified by “the voice of the people.” To the minority, it looks a lot like a monarchy, since their side always loses.
Amalickiah comes from the minority, non-Christian faction that also produced Nehor, Amilici, and Korihor—all of whose lives ended badly at the hands of the majority. For people on this side of the divide, the Reign of the Judges is fundamentally oppressive, as it aligns itself unapologetically with the established church and, while claiming to support religious freedom, has frequently enforced religious orthodoxy with the coercive power of the state. Amalickiah is a charismatic enough leader to make inroads with regional officials (46:4) and moderate Christians (46:7). He forges a coalition with a real chance of winning political power.
With this coalition behind him,Amalickiah agitates to change the system of government to something more sensitive to the beliefs of non-Christians. He initially gains some traction with the people, but then the military steps in to defend the government and the Church. Captain Moroni rallies the people around the flag, and both Church and State tell Christians that they cannot support Amalickiah without rejecting God. Moroni solidifies the Christian majority behind him and goes on the offensive. In the name of “freedom,” he executes anyone who will not swear allegiance to the political-religious status quo. Amazingly (not!) almost all of the Amalickiahites take the oath.
As I acknowledged earlier, this version of events is just as hostile to Captain Moroni as Mormon’s narrative is to Amalickiah. Both narratives reduce their opposition to a single set of clear and easy-to- understand motives—which is a pretty clear indication that neither one gets to what actually happened with the messy and inconsistent human beings involved in the story.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, the two narratives are built around two very different definitions of “freedom.” And they are two definitions that remain with us today.”
Michael Austin, Captain Moroni’s “Religious Freedom” Problem–and Ours #BOM2016, https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/08/20/captain- moronis-religious-freedom-problem-and-ours-bom-2016/
DISAGREE VS. DISSENT
“Not all disagreement leads to dissent. In fact, the clear expression of conflicting views, especially in council settings, frequently serves as preparation for revelation. For example, members of the Council of Fifty, a deliberative body organized by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, were under obligation both to disclose concerns when a proposal was put forward and to work toward unanimity in the process of reaching a decision. One reason groups sometimes failed to succeed, Joseph Smith taught the council members, was ‘because in their organization they never could agree to disagree long enough to separate the pure gold from the dross by the process of investigation.’"
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/dissent-in-the-church?lang=eng
“Disagreements and dissent differ because the latter one is from the latin dis and sentire, which literally means to feel apart from others. In contrast, disagreement means having a lack of consensus or having a different or contradicting opinion about a subject.
People who dissent are more likely to end up broken physically, emotionally, or spatially.”
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparison-of-disagreement-vs-dissent/
BEING FED SPIRITUALLY
“These are just morsels–a few samples of the different kinds of food that adults might require as they continue to grow.There is much more to say regarding how adults go about finding nourishment at each of these very unique stages, but you can start to see the progression at play. For so long, we’ve just assumed that adults uniformly need the same spiritual nutrition to grow and fulfill their potential.We know better now.
For some adults, belonging to the collective and focusing on strict obedience is their lifeblood. For others, excessive focus on the letter of the law leads to spiritual atrophy. Not that those adults stop being obedient to principles and deep spiritual truths, but there is a new need to source wisdom from within, to follow one’s inner authority, while still aligning with the wisdom that comes from our leaders.
Certainty and knowing without a doubt are other kinds of nutrition that can feed some members, helping them stabilize in their own autonomy, while that same certainty can feel like spiritual junk food to others. At certain stages of adult development, we start to develop intense cravings for ambiguity, uncertainty, even doubt.
The trouble we get into as a community is when one person insists that the nutrition they derive from one stage of development is adequate to nourish everybody everywhere. It is natural to believe that what feeds us will feed others, but the science tells us something very different.What nourishes us in one phase of growth can quickly become toxic at the next stage’s unfolding.”
“What we’ve been taught to eat our whole lives does not always square with our deeper nutritional needs.What we try to feed others does not always nourish them. In the words of Mary Oliver, we can trust our soft animal body to love what it loves.We can trust others as they find sustenance, too.When we do this, we find food in unexpected places, springing up from the unimaginable generosity of the Divine, and filling our storehouse so full that there is not room enough for the bounty.”
Thomas McConkie, https://mormonstages.com/blog/articles/feed-my-sheep/
Alma 56-63
CHRISTMAS BREAK DECEMBER 24 AND 31. CLASS WILL RESUME ON JANUARY 7
AMALICKIAH
- Descendant of Zoram
- Nephite traitor who through deception became the commander of the Lamanite army and their king
- Lower judges of the land and other Nephites were deceived by his flattery
- His rebellion led Moroni to rally faithful Nephites in defense of liberty and •religious freedom
- He incited the Lamanites’ anger against the Nephites
- He waged war against the Nephites and was able to take possession of many of •their cities
- Teancum, following a particularly difficult battle, crept by night into the camp of the Lamanites and put a javelin through his heart
“One can understand why Mormon wrote, ’We . . . can see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.’ Amalickiah’s life followed the pattern one would expect of Satan were he given a mortal probation. Like Lucifer, Amalickiah rebelled against the gospel plan in his thirst for glory and power, and he led others away from the truth. It was Amalickiah’s intent, as it was Lucifer’s, to destroy the liberty of men.They both sought to make war against the righteous, and in the end both rewarded their followers with sorrow, misery, and suffering. The life of Amalickiah exposes the pattern followed by many who are the enemies of Christ.”
Clyde Williams, Book of Mormon Reference Companion
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/ why-did-teancum-slay-amalickiah-on-new-year’s-eve
“Notice that it is the first day of the first month — NewYear’s Day.Why does Mormon occupy any space on the plates with dates? And why should we care? In the ancient Near Eastern culture, which likely influenced Book of Mormon culture, New Year’s Day was the time when the king of the land would sally forth to demonstrate his vitality and liveliness to successfully rule as a king for another year.The rising forth of the king on this day was like a divine foreshadowing of a prosperous year.A dead king was a sure sign of a disastrous future.
Hence, no act could be more psychologically demoralizing to an opposing army than to find their king dead on NewYear’s Day.Teancum chose NewYear’s Eve to assassinate Amalickiah. He sought to win a massive psychological victory against the Lamanites by sending a message of disaster, despair and fear.
The seemingly small details in the text of the Book of Mormon matter. In narrative context, they signify the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as an ancient text.”
Taylor Halverson, https://www.deseret.com/2015/1/1/20555708/taylor-halverson-evidences-for-the-book-of-mormon-in- cover-of-darkness-and-the-turning-of-the-new-year
DESSENSION
“Moroni’s views concerning dissension and disunity can be best understood within his covenantal perspective. He coupled a love of freedom and liberty with the knowledge that these could only be secured by faithfulness and obedience to covenants. Dissidents, in his view, were covenant-breakers.Their lack of trust in God or concern for the community of the saints put the whole people in jeopardy.Their alliances with Nephite enemies only compounded the problem. Both Moroni and Mormon saw dissension as a root cause of Nephite problems.
One cannot blame Moroni for his sensitivity to dissension.Without exception, every enemy specifically identified by Mormon in Alma 43–63 is a body of Nephite dissenters or a group led by a Nephite dissenter.”
Thomas R.Valletta, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-alma-testimony-word/14-captain-and-covenant-0
ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW
“If we assume that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, and that Captain Moroni and Amalickiah were real people, then we really have to push back against Mormon’s simplistic account of their motives.As Mormon presents it, the contrast could not be clearer: Moroni wants only to preserve freedom and Amalickiah has no other objective than to destroy it. But human beings don’t work that way. Nobody ever does anything for just one reason. Life is messy that way.
Here is how the story might the story look from the perspective of Amalickiah’s supporters.This perspective is just as limited and just as one-dimensional as the one in the text, but it oversimplifies in a different direction, which may help us get closer to the messy and complicated truth.”
We have already seen that the major divide in the Nephite world is both religious and political.The Christians are essentially a permanent majority party.They control the chief judgeship, which has become a lifetime appointment passed down from father to son.To the majority, this looks like democracy, since it is ratified by “the voice of the people.” To the minority, it looks a lot like a monarchy, since their side always loses.
Amalickiah comes from the minority, non-Christian faction that also produced Nehor, Amilici, and Korihor—all of whose lives ended badly at the hands of the majority. For people on this side of the divide, the Reign of the Judges is fundamentally oppressive, as it aligns itself unapologetically with the established church and, while claiming to support religious freedom, has frequently enforced religious orthodoxy with the coercive power of the state. Amalickiah is a charismatic enough leader to make inroads with regional officials (46:4) and moderate Christians (46:7). He forges a coalition with a real chance of winning political power.
With this coalition behind him,Amalickiah agitates to change the system of government to something more sensitive to the beliefs of non-Christians. He initially gains some traction with the people, but then the military steps in to defend the government and the Church. Captain Moroni rallies the people around the flag, and both Church and State tell Christians that they cannot support Amalickiah without rejecting God. Moroni solidifies the Christian majority behind him and goes on the offensive. In the name of “freedom,” he executes anyone who will not swear allegiance to the political-religious status quo. Amazingly (not!) almost all of the Amalickiahites take the oath.
As I acknowledged earlier, this version of events is just as hostile to Captain Moroni as Mormon’s narrative is to Amalickiah. Both narratives reduce their opposition to a single set of clear and easy-to- understand motives—which is a pretty clear indication that neither one gets to what actually happened with the messy and inconsistent human beings involved in the story.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, the two narratives are built around two very different definitions of “freedom.” And they are two definitions that remain with us today.”
Michael Austin, Captain Moroni’s “Religious Freedom” Problem–and Ours #BOM2016, https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/08/20/captain- moronis-religious-freedom-problem-and-ours-bom-2016/
DISAGREE VS. DISSENT
“Not all disagreement leads to dissent. In fact, the clear expression of conflicting views, especially in council settings, frequently serves as preparation for revelation. For example, members of the Council of Fifty, a deliberative body organized by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, were under obligation both to disclose concerns when a proposal was put forward and to work toward unanimity in the process of reaching a decision. One reason groups sometimes failed to succeed, Joseph Smith taught the council members, was ‘because in their organization they never could agree to disagree long enough to separate the pure gold from the dross by the process of investigation.’"
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/dissent-in-the-church?lang=eng
“Disagreements and dissent differ because the latter one is from the latin dis and sentire, which literally means to feel apart from others. In contrast, disagreement means having a lack of consensus or having a different or contradicting opinion about a subject.
People who dissent are more likely to end up broken physically, emotionally, or spatially.”
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparison-of-disagreement-vs-dissent/
BEING FED SPIRITUALLY
“These are just morsels–a few samples of the different kinds of food that adults might require as they continue to grow.There is much more to say regarding how adults go about finding nourishment at each of these very unique stages, but you can start to see the progression at play. For so long, we’ve just assumed that adults uniformly need the same spiritual nutrition to grow and fulfill their potential.We know better now.
For some adults, belonging to the collective and focusing on strict obedience is their lifeblood. For others, excessive focus on the letter of the law leads to spiritual atrophy. Not that those adults stop being obedient to principles and deep spiritual truths, but there is a new need to source wisdom from within, to follow one’s inner authority, while still aligning with the wisdom that comes from our leaders.
Certainty and knowing without a doubt are other kinds of nutrition that can feed some members, helping them stabilize in their own autonomy, while that same certainty can feel like spiritual junk food to others. At certain stages of adult development, we start to develop intense cravings for ambiguity, uncertainty, even doubt.
The trouble we get into as a community is when one person insists that the nutrition they derive from one stage of development is adequate to nourish everybody everywhere. It is natural to believe that what feeds us will feed others, but the science tells us something very different.What nourishes us in one phase of growth can quickly become toxic at the next stage’s unfolding.”
“What we’ve been taught to eat our whole lives does not always square with our deeper nutritional needs.What we try to feed others does not always nourish them. In the words of Mary Oliver, we can trust our soft animal body to love what it loves.We can trust others as they find sustenance, too.When we do this, we find food in unexpected places, springing up from the unimaginable generosity of the Divine, and filling our storehouse so full that there is not room enough for the bounty.”
Thomas McConkie, https://mormonstages.com/blog/articles/feed-my-sheep/
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Alma 45-49
READING FOR NEXT WEEK:
Alma 50-55
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH WAR IN THE BOOK OF MORMON?
“Indeed, most military events in the Book of Mormon have both religious and political importance. The Nephites did not dichotomize their world between church and state as we do. Ancient peoples generally viewed war as a contest between the gods of one people and the gods of another. For the Nephites, however, God’s will was often revealed through the ordeal of battle: God scourged and punished his people by the ravages of war, or God blessed his people by marching at the head of their armies and giving them the victory (this was a deeply held religious belief of Captain Moroni, but one scoffed at by his enemy Zerahemnah). To the Nephites, the matters of war were all-important religious affairs and sacred obligations, not the optional exploits of imperialistic monarchs or of mercenary soldiers of fortune.
Points like these suggest that having the Nephite worldview in mind (as one piece of useful equipment) would be helpful as we strive to understand the attitudes, words, teachings, and important lessons God revealed to these people and as we strive to take those lessons and experiences to heart.”
“The wars in the Book of Mormon were not just a series of reruns, the Nephites against the Lamanites. Each war had different causes, different parties, unique problems, and distinctive consequences. We as a people have not yet come to know the wars of the Book of Mormon as individual conflicts and campaigns (as we know World War II, or the Revolutionary War), but when we come to know each distinctive Book of Mormon war as we know the distinctive wars of the last few centuries, the pages of the book will become more alive to us.”
John W. Welch, “Why Study Warfare in The Book of Mormon,"
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1097&context=mi
MORONI
“Mormon masterfully abridged the scriptural record about Moroni, chief captain of the Nephite armies, demonstrating to his anticipated readers that this was a man most needed not only for his day, but also for our own. In accordance with Mormon’s hopes, Captain Moroni endures as a model of courage and righteousness to many Latter-day Saints. His powerful example is obscured only by ignorance and misunderstanding of the world in which he lived. Brigham Young taught that the scriptures can best be understood by reading them “as though [we] stood in the place of the men who wrote them” (Journal of Discourses 7:333; hereafter JD). There is an immense historical and cultural distance separating Moroni from modern comprehension. This distance can be narrowed by striving to view Moroni within the context of his own world.”
Alma 50-55
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH WAR IN THE BOOK OF MORMON?
“Indeed, most military events in the Book of Mormon have both religious and political importance. The Nephites did not dichotomize their world between church and state as we do. Ancient peoples generally viewed war as a contest between the gods of one people and the gods of another. For the Nephites, however, God’s will was often revealed through the ordeal of battle: God scourged and punished his people by the ravages of war, or God blessed his people by marching at the head of their armies and giving them the victory (this was a deeply held religious belief of Captain Moroni, but one scoffed at by his enemy Zerahemnah). To the Nephites, the matters of war were all-important religious affairs and sacred obligations, not the optional exploits of imperialistic monarchs or of mercenary soldiers of fortune.
Points like these suggest that having the Nephite worldview in mind (as one piece of useful equipment) would be helpful as we strive to understand the attitudes, words, teachings, and important lessons God revealed to these people and as we strive to take those lessons and experiences to heart.”
“The wars in the Book of Mormon were not just a series of reruns, the Nephites against the Lamanites. Each war had different causes, different parties, unique problems, and distinctive consequences. We as a people have not yet come to know the wars of the Book of Mormon as individual conflicts and campaigns (as we know World War II, or the Revolutionary War), but when we come to know each distinctive Book of Mormon war as we know the distinctive wars of the last few centuries, the pages of the book will become more alive to us.”
“These wars are remarkable and intriguing. Each has a life and character of its own, yet, as a group, they are similar enough that we can see that they arose in the same civilization. Viewed as a whole, some interesting patterns emerge. For example, several of the wars arose when one group attempted to separate from another. Obviously, freedom of travel was limited in this civilization; defection, or dissension in one group that opened up possible involvement with another, was viewed as treason and grounds for armed intervention.
Note also that warring parties consistently picked opportune moments to strike. Many of these wars occurred at the time of transitions of political power. Amlici waged his war [3] while the nature of Nephite government— kingship or judgeship —was still in question. The Amalickiahite Wars [7-8] were fought immediately after Alma left and his son Helaman assumed office. Thus, the transfer of political office from one person to the next was obviously a problem in the small Nephite world, as one would expect, since the Nephite rulers came from a minority population group (see Mosiah 25:2). With considerable social, political, and military difficulty, the Nephite ruling families clung tenuously to the leadership of their community.
There are also many types of wars here: Some were single attacks; others involved protracted sieges, split fronts, announced wars, or surprise attacks. Differing and developing uses of armor, technology, strategy, and weaponry can all be observed in the detailed records of the history of warfare in the Book of Mormon.
These and similar details help in assaying the historicity of this record. The purpose of inquiring into historicity is not to subject revelation to the constraints of reason or scholarship, but rather to use the techniques of scholarship as a limited means to a spiritual end. By thinking carefully, systematically, and acutely about the warfare material in the Book of Mormon, a diligent student will appreciate more fully the truth, miracle, and meaning of this ancient record.”
John W. Welch, “Why Study Warfare in The Book of Mormon,"
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1097&context=mi
MORONI
“Mormon masterfully abridged the scriptural record about Moroni, chief captain of the Nephite armies, demonstrating to his anticipated readers that this was a man most needed not only for his day, but also for our own. In accordance with Mormon’s hopes, Captain Moroni endures as a model of courage and righteousness to many Latter-day Saints. His powerful example is obscured only by ignorance and misunderstanding of the world in which he lived. Brigham Young taught that the scriptures can best be understood by reading them “as though [we] stood in the place of the men who wrote them” (Journal of Discourses 7:333; hereafter JD). There is an immense historical and cultural distance separating Moroni from modern comprehension. This distance can be narrowed by striving to view Moroni within the context of his own world.”
“This seemingly simple list of character qualities, scrutinized within the context of modern times, raises important questions. For example: What constitutes “perfect understanding” and how is it obtained? For one who “does not delight in bloodshed” but rejoices in the “sacred word of God” (Alma 44:5), why is Captain Moroni seemingly so committed to the sword? What is the source and meaning of his ancient law of liberty? What is the origin and nature of the Nephite oaths that might cause him to commit “even to the loss of his blood?” (Alma 48:13). The list of questions goes on, but reflection is persuasive that Moroni’s character and actions are more understandable within their historical, cultural, and theological context.”
“To state, therefore that Captain Moroni was “a man of a perfect understanding” is to declare that he diligently studied and lived by the sacred word of God, and that he understood the consequences of not giving heed to the covenants.”
“While twentieth-century readers correctly view this moment as a time of great patriotism, it is important to note that any such feelings of the Nephites were founded in their covenants. The focus in the record is not upon an emotional flag-waving fervor, but upon the necessity of keeping covenants with the Lord in order to be preserved in the land.
The covenant renewal pattern of Captain Moroni’s compatriots is more properly understood within the framework of ancient Israelite thought. Nephite social cohesion, like the “unity of the Israelite people and its relationship with God, was founded on covenant, and this covenant was in its original form a purely religious affair” (McCarthy, Old Testament Covenant 23). While most Latter-day Saints are familiar with covenants, few realize that anciently the covenant was the very foundation for government. Moroni’s sentiment parallels ancient Israel’s view that government was based upon covenants between God and his children, as well as between God’s children. When Moroni rallies the forces, it is not to some partisan political cause but to the cause of their covenants with God.
Moroni realized that freedom came from diligence and giving heed to the word of God, and not from Nephite cunning and military might.”
“Reading the Captain Moroni chapters in the book of Alma through the lens of the “covenant” allows us a better grasp of the mind and heart of this great servant of God, a chance to see as he saw, and to feel as he felt. We can liken these classic stories of the “war” chapters in Alma, such as the raising of the “Title of Liberty,” to us when we study them within the context of the ancient covenantal perspective. One of Mormon’s many editorial summaries makes it clear that he meant these chapters to be understood this way. Noting the Nephite prosperity and strength in the twenty-first year of the reign of Judges, Mormon attributes these blessings to the mercy and justice of the Lord, “to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men” (Alma 50:19).”
Thomas R. Valletta, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-alma-testimony-word/14-captain-and-covenant-0
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Reading Assignment Correction
READING ASSIGNMENT FOR DECEMBER 3
Alma 43-49
NO CLASS NEXT WEEK--HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Alma 43-49
NO CLASS NEXT WEEK--HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Alma 40-42
NO CLASS NEXT WEEK--HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
READING FOR DECEMBER 3
Alma 45-50
ALMA'S DOCTRINAL STUDY
39: 15-19 The Coming of Christ
40: 1-14 The State of the Soul between Death and the Resurrection
40: 15-26 The Resurrection
41: 1-15 The Plan of Restoration
42: 1-10 The Justice of God and Probation of Humankind
42: 11-28 Justice and Mercy
42: 29-31 Alma’s Final Counsel to Corianton
NATURE OF REVELATION
“…revelation, ancient or modern, cannot be simplistically equated with ‘factual correctness.’ Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process which sometimes becomes frozen as scripture. Think of scripture as a snapshot in time of the progress that is being made through revelation at a certain time, place and context. Scripture thus contains human elements and understanding common to the time. This can account for differences between inspired texts, which according to common assumptions should be identical.”
Ben Spackman, https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/ben-spackman-2
WHY WAS CORIANTON SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE RESURRECTION?
“One likely possibility is that Corianton was exposed to religious philosophies that either dismissed or corrupted the true doctrine of the resurrection. Early in the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his son Jacob taught the reality of the resurrection explicitly (2 Nephi 2:8; 9:6).1 It seems, though, that sometime between the death of Jacob and the reign of King Mosiah a portion of the people rejected this teaching.
For instance, the way Abinadi emphasized the resurrection when he confronted King Noah and his priests suggests that this doctrine was not being correctly or sufficiently taught among the people in the city of Nephi. Likewise, when Alma the Elder strove to perpetuate Abinadi’s teachings, many of the rising generation “did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead” (Mosiah 26:2).”
“What is more certain is the way that Nehor negatively influenced attitudes toward this doctrine. Unlike Korihor, who completely denied the existence of God, Nehor introduced the concept that the “Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.”. Nehor’s divergent theology obviously had influenced the young Corianton’s views of resurrection and judgment, and yet it conflicted with the eternal laws of justice and judgment embedded in the true doctrine of the resurrection.
Despite his trial and execution, Nehor’s enticing doctrines became popular among the people—so much so that his philosophy was formally designated as “the order of Nehor.” Unfortunately, Nehor’s heresy was promulgated by the Amlicites, who, by the time of Corianton’s ministry, had gained prominent influence.”
THE STATE OF THE SOUL BETWEEN DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION
READING FOR DECEMBER 3
Alma 45-50
ALMA'S DOCTRINAL STUDY
39: 15-19 The Coming of Christ
40: 1-14 The State of the Soul between Death and the Resurrection
40: 15-26 The Resurrection
41: 1-15 The Plan of Restoration
42: 1-10 The Justice of God and Probation of Humankind
42: 11-28 Justice and Mercy
42: 29-31 Alma’s Final Counsel to Corianton
NATURE OF REVELATION
“…revelation, ancient or modern, cannot be simplistically equated with ‘factual correctness.’ Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process which sometimes becomes frozen as scripture. Think of scripture as a snapshot in time of the progress that is being made through revelation at a certain time, place and context. Scripture thus contains human elements and understanding common to the time. This can account for differences between inspired texts, which according to common assumptions should be identical.”
Ben Spackman, https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/ben-spackman-2
WHY WAS CORIANTON SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE RESURRECTION?
“One likely possibility is that Corianton was exposed to religious philosophies that either dismissed or corrupted the true doctrine of the resurrection. Early in the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his son Jacob taught the reality of the resurrection explicitly (2 Nephi 2:8; 9:6).1 It seems, though, that sometime between the death of Jacob and the reign of King Mosiah a portion of the people rejected this teaching.
For instance, the way Abinadi emphasized the resurrection when he confronted King Noah and his priests suggests that this doctrine was not being correctly or sufficiently taught among the people in the city of Nephi. Likewise, when Alma the Elder strove to perpetuate Abinadi’s teachings, many of the rising generation “did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead” (Mosiah 26:2).”
“What is more certain is the way that Nehor negatively influenced attitudes toward this doctrine. Unlike Korihor, who completely denied the existence of God, Nehor introduced the concept that the “Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.”. Nehor’s divergent theology obviously had influenced the young Corianton’s views of resurrection and judgment, and yet it conflicted with the eternal laws of justice and judgment embedded in the true doctrine of the resurrection.
Despite his trial and execution, Nehor’s enticing doctrines became popular among the people—so much so that his philosophy was formally designated as “the order of Nehor.” Unfortunately, Nehor’s heresy was promulgated by the Amlicites, who, by the time of Corianton’s ministry, had gained prominent influence.”
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/why-was-corianton-so-concerned-about-the-resurrection
ALMA’S TEACHINGS ON THE RESURRECTION
- No one is resurrected until after the coming of Christ (Alma 40:2).
- There is a specific time appointed when every person will be resurrected, but only God knows that time (Alma 40:4, 9).
- There will likely be multiple times of resurrection since there will be righteous people who live and die after Christ dies and is resurrected (Alma 40:5, 8).
- Alma believed that the righteous till the time of Christ would be resurrected with Him (Alma 40:20).
THE STATE OF THE SOUL BETWEEN DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION
“Many times I’ve heard people interpret this passage this way: “See, it shows in the scriptures there that the righteous are in paradise and the wicked are in spirit prison.” However, you’ll notice that Alma never uses the term spirit prison anywhere. Nor does he define who the righteous are. Yet we often make our own assumptions and say, “Well, those are members of the Church, and it is only members of the Church that can be in paradise.” But Alma doesn’t say that. The point I want to make here is that the words we use a lot when we talk about the spirit world in the context of Latter-day Saint doctrine are paradise, prison, and hell. We create in our own minds clean, clear, and concrete definitions of and delineations among those terms, but the scriptures don’t.”
“The hell that Alma is talking about is not experienced by those who have not heard the gospel or haven’t been as faithful to their degree of knowledge as perhaps they should have been. He is talking about the spirits of the wicked who “have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness” (Alma 40:13). He’s talking about sons of perdition. That verse doesn’t tell us anything about the vast majority of the spirits who have ever lived on the earth. Alma is talking about the righteous (remember he doesn’t define that term for us) on one end of the continuum and the wicked on the other end of the continuum; he’s not telling us anything about those in between. Yet we take this passage in Alma 40 and try to say that it is the definitive declaration concerning conditions of the spirit world. I don’t believe that’s what Alma is saying or intending to imply. I think Alma is only explaining these two extremes. So when we ask ourselves what we know about the spirit world from the standard works, the answer is ‘not as much as we often think.’
“Expressions of the eternal nature of love and the hope for heavenly reunion persist in contemporary Christianity. Such sentiments, however, are not situated within a theological structure. Hoping to meet one’s family after death is a wish and not a theological argument. . . . Priests and pastors might tell families that they will meet their loved ones in heaven as a means of consolation, but contemporary thought does not support that belief as it did in the nineteenth century. There is no longer a strong theological commitment to the modern heaven.
The major exception to this caveat is the teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The modern perspective on heaven—emphasizing the nearness and similarity of the other world to our own and arguing for the eternal nature of love, family, progress, and work—finds its greatest proponent in the Latter-day Saint understanding of the afterlife. While most contemporary Christian groups neglect afterlife beliefs, what happens to people after they die is crucial to LDS teachings and rituals. Heavenly theology is the result not of mere speculation, but of revelation given to past and present church leaders. . . .
There has been . . . no alteration of the LDS understanding of the afterlife since its articulation by Joseph Smith. If anything, the Latter-day Saints in the twentieth century have become even bolder in their assertion of the importance of their heavenly theology. . . . In the light of what they perceive as a Christian world which has given up belief in heaven, many Latter-day Saints feel even more of a responsibility to define the meaning of death and eternal life.”
Brent L. Top, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-14-no-2-2013/whats-other-side-conversation-brent-l-top-spirit-world
RESURRECTION AND RESTORATION
“The twist here is clever: After listing four pairs of terms, Alma pairs two lists of four terms and reverses their order at the same time.” (Welch) Notably, this chiasm focuses mostly on the positive aspects of restoration. It is true that evil, carnal, and devilish behavior will in some way return to afflict the sinner, but in this instance Alma chose instead to emphasize the blessings of goodness, righteousness, justice, and mercy that will be restored to the righteous. Although he was very explicit and emphatic in his denunciation of sin, Alma ultimately wanted Corianton to “let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in [his] heart”
THE PLAN
“As Joseph found affirmed in the book of Moses, the Fall was enabling, not damning. Needing to pass through mortality as a stage in their internal progress, all premortal spirits ‘were born into the world by the fall.’”
“The universal inheritance of Adam’s choice is death, not sin. Immersion in the world is not punishment, it is education.”
Joseph Smith’s expansive, ennobling innovation was to see our Heavenly Parents’ plan—from the beginning—as being about human elevation rather than remedy, advancement rather than repair, exaltation rather than reclamation.”
“The human condition is one of vulnerability to temptation, susceptibility to the natural predispositions of a human body, and a soul still untried and untested in the crucible of mortal existence. When Paul wrote of his fear lest we be ‘overcome of evil,’ it was likely the world’s pain and suffering, not our personal proclivities, that were his concern. Succumbing to despair, not wickedness, is the temptation of the tenderhearted. In the Mormon thought, humans are neither capable of unaided advancement to godliness nor accurately described as depraved. They are agents made free by Christ’s Atonement, enticed by darkness while yearning for the light.”
Givens, Fiona. The Christ Who Heals: How God Restored The Truth That Saves Us
“That Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love—a day when broken hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of gratitude, when all will be made right. Yes, there will be deep sorrow because of sin. Yes, there will be regrets and even anguish because of our mistakes, our foolishness, and our stubbornness that caused us to miss opportunities for a much greater future.
But I have confidence that we will not only be satisfied with the judgment of God; we will also be astonished and overwhelmed by His infinite grace, mercy, generosity, and love for us, His children.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf,https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/generalconference/2016/10/o-how-great-the-plan-of-our-god?lang=eng
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Alma 36-39
READING FOR NEXT WEEK: ALMA 40-42
PARALLELISM
“Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism within couplets or, less commonly, triplets, which are related either grammatically or semantically. Grammatical parallelism can be recognized by similar syntactic structures for successive lines, while semantic parallelism occurs when an idea is rephrased, reformulated, or developed from line to line.”
Grant Hardy, Maxwell Institute Study Edition, The Book of Mormon
“The Book of Mormon is replete with parallelisms. The poetic patterns serve, as they do in the Bible, to emphasize messages, define and expand them, make them more memorable, and structure them.”
Donald W. Parry, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/10/research-and-perspectives-hebrew-literary-patterns-in-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
ISABEL
“In a book where women rise so infrequently to the surface of the narrative, why should this woman be among those graced with this rare privilege? Is it evidence, as one author somewhat sentimentally suggests, that ‘Alma was aware of someone as lowly as a harlot,’ demonstrating his ‘knowledge and familiarity with his people?’ Or is it evidence, as another author critically suggests, that Alma principally saw a woman like Isabel as ‘merely a vehicle for male degeneracy?’ Are there other and perhaps better approaches to Isabel’s peculiar place of privilege in the Book of Mormon?”
“Careful study of the details of the book’s structure suggests that the few women who appear within it are strategically placed. This is perhaps clearest in the contrasting but parallel stories of the Nephi-Lamanite mission and the Nephrite-Lamanite wars. Each of these stories begins with a Nephi man in line (or wishing to be in line) to be a Nephite king. Each figure finds himself eventually among the Lamanites and discovers that he must negotiate his place among that people through an encounter with a Lamanite queen—a woman wielding power in a fashion apparently foreign to the Nephites."
"The unmistakable turning point in the Nephite-Lamanaite mission comes when Abish, the Lamanite servant woman, takes the necessary initiative to gather her people to the site of the royal household’s conversion.”
Joseph Spencer, https://religion.byu.edu/event/2019-sidney-b-sperry-symposium
CORIANTON
“Yet immediately after noting the abominable nature of Corianton’s actions and the fact that his actions were second only to murder, which was second only to denying the Holy Ghost, Alma launches into a description of the unpardonable sin—to knowingly deny the Holy Ghost. Following this explication, Alma continues by explaining that ‘whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness’ (Alma 39:6). Denying the Holy Ghost is unforgivable, but those who murder ‘against the light and knowledge of God’ can receive forgiveness, albeit with great difficulty.
What does it mean to murder “against the light and knowledge of God,” and why does Alma feel the need to convey this information to Corianton at this time? Some have supposed that to “murder against the light and knowledge of God” refers to the shedding of innocent blood. And this certainly is a possible interpretation. I believe, however, that in context of Corianton’s sin, there is a better interpretation.”
"It appears that Alma framed his argument thusly: Corianton is guilty of leaving his mission to chase a harlot (either literally and/or figuratively). This harlot has damaged many testimonies already, and Corianton’s actions have also led some of the people to destruction instead of to God. Among Corianton’s sins is one that ranks next to the shedding of innocent blood, which ranks second only to the unpardonable sin of willfully denying the Holy Ghost. Corianton’s grievous sin, for which forgiveness is still possible albeit difficult, is murdering “against light and knowledge.” To murder or shed innocent blood (the most serious of the pardonable sins) is to extinguish someone’s life. To murder against light and knowledge is, I believe, in Alma’s logic, to extinguish someone’s testimony.”
PARALLELISM
“Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism within couplets or, less commonly, triplets, which are related either grammatically or semantically. Grammatical parallelism can be recognized by similar syntactic structures for successive lines, while semantic parallelism occurs when an idea is rephrased, reformulated, or developed from line to line.”
Grant Hardy, Maxwell Institute Study Edition, The Book of Mormon
“The Book of Mormon is replete with parallelisms. The poetic patterns serve, as they do in the Bible, to emphasize messages, define and expand them, make them more memorable, and structure them.”
Donald W. Parry, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/10/research-and-perspectives-hebrew-literary-patterns-in-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
ISABEL
“In a book where women rise so infrequently to the surface of the narrative, why should this woman be among those graced with this rare privilege? Is it evidence, as one author somewhat sentimentally suggests, that ‘Alma was aware of someone as lowly as a harlot,’ demonstrating his ‘knowledge and familiarity with his people?’ Or is it evidence, as another author critically suggests, that Alma principally saw a woman like Isabel as ‘merely a vehicle for male degeneracy?’ Are there other and perhaps better approaches to Isabel’s peculiar place of privilege in the Book of Mormon?”
“Careful study of the details of the book’s structure suggests that the few women who appear within it are strategically placed. This is perhaps clearest in the contrasting but parallel stories of the Nephi-Lamanite mission and the Nephrite-Lamanite wars. Each of these stories begins with a Nephi man in line (or wishing to be in line) to be a Nephite king. Each figure finds himself eventually among the Lamanites and discovers that he must negotiate his place among that people through an encounter with a Lamanite queen—a woman wielding power in a fashion apparently foreign to the Nephites."
"The unmistakable turning point in the Nephite-Lamanaite mission comes when Abish, the Lamanite servant woman, takes the necessary initiative to gather her people to the site of the royal household’s conversion.”
“Mormon seems to wish his readers to see the book of Alma as, among other things, providing readers with a sense for the respective statuses of women among the Nephites and women among the Lamanites."
"He seems to hope in the book of Alma to help make that difference apparent. His stories alternately highlight the way that Nephite wickedness repeatedly culminates in oppression for women, and the way that Lamanite repentance rests on the foundation of the right relations between women and men that characterize their society.”
CORIANTON
“Yet immediately after noting the abominable nature of Corianton’s actions and the fact that his actions were second only to murder, which was second only to denying the Holy Ghost, Alma launches into a description of the unpardonable sin—to knowingly deny the Holy Ghost. Following this explication, Alma continues by explaining that ‘whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness’ (Alma 39:6). Denying the Holy Ghost is unforgivable, but those who murder ‘against the light and knowledge of God’ can receive forgiveness, albeit with great difficulty.
What does it mean to murder “against the light and knowledge of God,” and why does Alma feel the need to convey this information to Corianton at this time? Some have supposed that to “murder against the light and knowledge of God” refers to the shedding of innocent blood. And this certainly is a possible interpretation. I believe, however, that in context of Corianton’s sin, there is a better interpretation.”
"It appears that Alma framed his argument thusly: Corianton is guilty of leaving his mission to chase a harlot (either literally and/or figuratively). This harlot has damaged many testimonies already, and Corianton’s actions have also led some of the people to destruction instead of to God. Among Corianton’s sins is one that ranks next to the shedding of innocent blood, which ranks second only to the unpardonable sin of willfully denying the Holy Ghost. Corianton’s grievous sin, for which forgiveness is still possible albeit difficult, is murdering “against light and knowledge.” To murder or shed innocent blood (the most serious of the pardonable sins) is to extinguish someone’s life. To murder against light and knowledge is, I believe, in Alma’s logic, to extinguish someone’s testimony.”
Michael R. Ash, https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/143-34-43.pdf
“It is clear that Alma is deeply concerned with a kind of spiritual murder, and the patterns of his speech in Alma 39 suggest that he fears Corianton has ventured into that extremely dangerous territory. It thus seems likely that what Alma himself means to suggest is that not one’s own sexual transgressions but rather one’s efforts (intentional or not) to lead others astray is ‘most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost.’”
Joseph Spencer, https://religion.byu.edu/event/2019-sidney-b-sperry-symposium
ISABEL
“Perhaps, then, Isabel is best read not simply as a wicked woman, a figure for temptations that men should know to avoid. Perhaps she is better understood as a symbol of the unnecessary struggles for power that perpetuate patterns of sexual oppression at the very moment those patterns begin to disappear. She seems to be a woman at the end of a long history of oppression, glimpsing the possibility of female ascendency for the first time (unfortunately through the eyes of Korihor). She was victimized before, but now she victimizes in turn.”
“Is the story of Isabel and Corianton of real value in the twenty-first century? It is certainly true that the Book of Mormon leaves modern readers wondering about the relative absence of women and women’s voices in scriptural text and raises questions about issues of equality and the meaning and authority that these texts can or should have for us today. And yet it also seems important that when Nephi reports on his vision of the last day, he worries explicitly that the latter-day readers might not regard ‘male and female’ as ‘alike unto God.’ It may be, in fact, that it implicitly asks readers to reflect on how certain cultures might claim to model righteousness before God while embracing social practices that produce ‘sorrow’ and ‘mourning’ among their more vulnerable members."
"It seems that one of the reasons for people’s fall concerns the failure on the part of their men to repent, while those among them who survive do so because they do not forget God’s equal regard for women and men.”
Joseph Spencer, https://religion.byu.edu/event/2019-sidney-b-sperry-symposium
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Alma 32-35
READING FOR NEXT WEEK: ALMA 36-39
WHY ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST?
“No man that clearly seeth the beauty of God’s face can, when he sees it clearly, willingly or wittingly forsake Him.” Thomas Traherne
READ THE FOLLOWING AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE TWO EVENTS:
ALMA 32: 1-5
ALMA 35: 1-9
What can we learn relevant to our circumstances today?
“HARD SAYINGS AND SAFE PLACES”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLmNIiVJAM0#action=share
“We have been commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and when it comes to neighbors, there are no outsiders. Perhaps even more important, when our fellow Saints find themselves outside the formal church fellowship or membership, they should never find themselves outside of the fellowship of our friendship and the circle of our love.”
“We must open our hearts wider, reach out father, and love more loudly.We must make space for the struggle and faith as we await the final victory, which is assured if we come to Christ.”
Eric D. Huntsman, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/eric-d-huntsman/hard-sayings-and-safe-spaces-making-room-for- both-struggle-and-faith/
Hale: In Mormon pockets — whether that's a congregation or a group of friends — those groups can be more receptive and forgiving to comments that might be a little bit racist or a little bit homophobic than they might be to things that are seen as "too inclusive."
Huntsman:That's exactly why individuals need to speak up.You know, I've got a lot of straight-white-male-priesthood privilege. It's pretty important that I speak up for a sister or speak up for a person of color or that I speak up for an LGBTQ person. Because Christ said to stand up. He said to be like him.When Jesus went to synagogue he often didn't say what everyone was expecting. So yes, it's a natural desire to fit in, but we want to fit in with Jesus. I think it's important that we make sure that those who are in the corners know that they're loved.
Hale: Some say that you can't be a believer of Mormon doctrine and also be a true feminist or a true ally — that you can't hold those two things together. What do you think?
Huntsman:What I often tell my students when they raise these issues, and I know that they may not be coming from the same place I am, but I'm just speaking as a faithful Latter-day Saint. I sustain the leaders of my church. So I leave the church policies and doctrines between the church's leaders and the Lord. But what I tell my students is incumbent upon every baptized member of this church is how we treat each other.And that's between us and the Lord.
https://www.kuer.org/post/byu-professor-asking-mormons-stand-marginalized#stream/0
FAITH
“I sometimes regret the fact that we use the word "faith" in religious discussions.Why? Because I think it's become a technical term that obscures for many what should be and is a very simple concept.This has created serious controversies and unnecessary misunderstandings.The Greek word "pistis," which English Bibles typically render as "faith," also means "confidence" or "trust," and these ordinary, everyday terms convey very neatly what scriptural faith entails.The first readers of the New Testament didn't have to ask what "pistis" meant. Paul hadn't invented the word.They knew it already; it had been common in Greek for centuries.And in the standard English lexicon of classical Greek, the first definition of "pistis" is "trust in others." While theological factions might argue -- and, in fact, have argued -- for decades over the definition of "faith," we all have a reasonably clear idea of what it means to have "trust" in someone.When the Greek New Testament was translated into Latin, "pistis" was rendered as "fides," which again meant "trust" or "confidence." Our English word "faith" comes from the Latin "fides," but today we tend to think of "faith" as "belief in something without proof," and, often, more as agreement with a set of propositions than as trust in a person. But God is a person, and saving faith -- although it surely entails agreeing with certain propositions -- is trust in him, as a person, to love us and to keep his promises to us.”
Daniel C. Peterson
ALMA’S EXPERIMENT
“Alma illustrates the correlation between hope and faith through metaphor, comparing the word of God to a seed. Just as one must exercise faith in planting a seed that will eventually develop into a fruit-yielding tree, so must a person exercise faith by applying God’s word before experiencing spiritual transformation. The analogy relies upon a series of highly calculated literary allusions to the biblical stories of creation. As impressive as Alma’s sermon is at inspiring audiences to live in accordance with the divine will, as readers we can appreciate this learned text at an even deeper level by identifying the ways in which Alma’s discourse invokes biblical creation to encourage audiences to develop the type of faith that brings everlasting life
“Through metaphor,Alma invites his audience to ponder the miraculous way in which the power of creation (as depicted through his word in the Bible’s opening stories) appears reenacted every time a seed develops into a fruit-bearing tree. He uses biblical creation imagery to encourage his audience to cultivate the type of faith that brings everlasting life. God’s word is powerful from Alma’s perspective. We should take that word and plant it in our hearts. By invoking the miracle of creation of the past in a present context of seed growth and re-creation,Alma encourages his readers to fulfill the measure of their own creation by experimenting upon the divine word. In other words, obtaining the type of faith Alma describes is the very purpose of human existence.And it has been, from the beginning.”
David E. Bokovoy, “The Word and the Seed: The Theological Use of Biblical Creation in Alma 32” scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1555&context=jbms
OUR DISCIPLESHIP
“The problem with institutional religion, even one divinely restored, is the temptation it affords us to make our own spirituality the goal. Rules, standards, and commandments provide us with a means to measure our own progress, our own prospect for happiness. That is not discipleship, that is pious self- interest.”
“Anything but a belief structure based on anything other than a loving, trusting response to Christ will fail us.”
Terryl L. Givens, https://mi.byu.edu/video-givens-1/
WHY ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST?
“No man that clearly seeth the beauty of God’s face can, when he sees it clearly, willingly or wittingly forsake Him.” Thomas Traherne
READ THE FOLLOWING AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE TWO EVENTS:
ALMA 32: 1-5
ALMA 35: 1-9
What can we learn relevant to our circumstances today?
“HARD SAYINGS AND SAFE PLACES”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLmNIiVJAM0#action=share
“We have been commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and when it comes to neighbors, there are no outsiders. Perhaps even more important, when our fellow Saints find themselves outside the formal church fellowship or membership, they should never find themselves outside of the fellowship of our friendship and the circle of our love.”
“We must open our hearts wider, reach out father, and love more loudly.We must make space for the struggle and faith as we await the final victory, which is assured if we come to Christ.”
Eric D. Huntsman, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/eric-d-huntsman/hard-sayings-and-safe-spaces-making-room-for- both-struggle-and-faith/
Hale: In Mormon pockets — whether that's a congregation or a group of friends — those groups can be more receptive and forgiving to comments that might be a little bit racist or a little bit homophobic than they might be to things that are seen as "too inclusive."
Huntsman:That's exactly why individuals need to speak up.You know, I've got a lot of straight-white-male-priesthood privilege. It's pretty important that I speak up for a sister or speak up for a person of color or that I speak up for an LGBTQ person. Because Christ said to stand up. He said to be like him.When Jesus went to synagogue he often didn't say what everyone was expecting. So yes, it's a natural desire to fit in, but we want to fit in with Jesus. I think it's important that we make sure that those who are in the corners know that they're loved.
Hale: Some say that you can't be a believer of Mormon doctrine and also be a true feminist or a true ally — that you can't hold those two things together. What do you think?
Huntsman:What I often tell my students when they raise these issues, and I know that they may not be coming from the same place I am, but I'm just speaking as a faithful Latter-day Saint. I sustain the leaders of my church. So I leave the church policies and doctrines between the church's leaders and the Lord. But what I tell my students is incumbent upon every baptized member of this church is how we treat each other.And that's between us and the Lord.
https://www.kuer.org/post/byu-professor-asking-mormons-stand-marginalized#stream/0
FAITH
“I sometimes regret the fact that we use the word "faith" in religious discussions.Why? Because I think it's become a technical term that obscures for many what should be and is a very simple concept.This has created serious controversies and unnecessary misunderstandings.The Greek word "pistis," which English Bibles typically render as "faith," also means "confidence" or "trust," and these ordinary, everyday terms convey very neatly what scriptural faith entails.The first readers of the New Testament didn't have to ask what "pistis" meant. Paul hadn't invented the word.They knew it already; it had been common in Greek for centuries.And in the standard English lexicon of classical Greek, the first definition of "pistis" is "trust in others." While theological factions might argue -- and, in fact, have argued -- for decades over the definition of "faith," we all have a reasonably clear idea of what it means to have "trust" in someone.When the Greek New Testament was translated into Latin, "pistis" was rendered as "fides," which again meant "trust" or "confidence." Our English word "faith" comes from the Latin "fides," but today we tend to think of "faith" as "belief in something without proof," and, often, more as agreement with a set of propositions than as trust in a person. But God is a person, and saving faith -- although it surely entails agreeing with certain propositions -- is trust in him, as a person, to love us and to keep his promises to us.”
Daniel C. Peterson
ALMA’S EXPERIMENT
“Alma illustrates the correlation between hope and faith through metaphor, comparing the word of God to a seed. Just as one must exercise faith in planting a seed that will eventually develop into a fruit-yielding tree, so must a person exercise faith by applying God’s word before experiencing spiritual transformation. The analogy relies upon a series of highly calculated literary allusions to the biblical stories of creation. As impressive as Alma’s sermon is at inspiring audiences to live in accordance with the divine will, as readers we can appreciate this learned text at an even deeper level by identifying the ways in which Alma’s discourse invokes biblical creation to encourage audiences to develop the type of faith that brings everlasting life
“Through metaphor,Alma invites his audience to ponder the miraculous way in which the power of creation (as depicted through his word in the Bible’s opening stories) appears reenacted every time a seed develops into a fruit-bearing tree. He uses biblical creation imagery to encourage his audience to cultivate the type of faith that brings everlasting life. God’s word is powerful from Alma’s perspective. We should take that word and plant it in our hearts. By invoking the miracle of creation of the past in a present context of seed growth and re-creation,Alma encourages his readers to fulfill the measure of their own creation by experimenting upon the divine word. In other words, obtaining the type of faith Alma describes is the very purpose of human existence.And it has been, from the beginning.”
David E. Bokovoy, “The Word and the Seed: The Theological Use of Biblical Creation in Alma 32” scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1555&context=jbms
OUR DISCIPLESHIP
“The problem with institutional religion, even one divinely restored, is the temptation it affords us to make our own spirituality the goal. Rules, standards, and commandments provide us with a means to measure our own progress, our own prospect for happiness. That is not discipleship, that is pious self- interest.”
“Anything but a belief structure based on anything other than a loving, trusting response to Christ will fail us.”
Terryl L. Givens, https://mi.byu.edu/video-givens-1/
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Alma 29-31
READING FOR NEXT WEEK: ALMA 32-35
THE YEAR OF THE JUBILEE
“The Hebrew word yobhel means the horn of a ram. Now, such a horn can be made into a trumpet, and thus the word yobhel came to be used as a synonym of trumpet. According to Leviticus a loud trumpet should proclaim liberty throughout the country on the 10th day of the 7th month (the Day of Atonement), after the lapse of 7 sabbaths of years = 49 years. In this manner, every 50th year was to be announced as a jubilee year. All real property should automatically revert to its original owner, and those who, compelled by poverty, had sold themselves as slaves to their brothers, should regain their liberty.
In addition to this, the Jubilee Year was to be observed after the manner of the sabbatic year, i.e. there should be neither sowing nor reaping nor pruning of vines, and everybody was expected to live on what the fields and the vineyards produced "of themselves," and no attempt should be made at storing up the products of the land.”
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/jubilee-year/
THE YEAR OF THE JUBILEE
“The Hebrew word yobhel means the horn of a ram. Now, such a horn can be made into a trumpet, and thus the word yobhel came to be used as a synonym of trumpet. According to Leviticus a loud trumpet should proclaim liberty throughout the country on the 10th day of the 7th month (the Day of Atonement), after the lapse of 7 sabbaths of years = 49 years. In this manner, every 50th year was to be announced as a jubilee year. All real property should automatically revert to its original owner, and those who, compelled by poverty, had sold themselves as slaves to their brothers, should regain their liberty.
In addition to this, the Jubilee Year was to be observed after the manner of the sabbatic year, i.e. there should be neither sowing nor reaping nor pruning of vines, and everybody was expected to live on what the fields and the vineyards produced "of themselves," and no attempt should be made at storing up the products of the land.”
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/jubilee-year/
WHY WAS ALMA’S WISH SINFUL?
“In order to officiate effectively as the High Priest, Alma would have needed to guard himself against any sins, including secret sins. Thoughts, wishes, and desires are potent. The culminating prohibition in the Ten Commandments is “Thou shalt not covet.” The circumstances here, being around the beginning of a jubilee year, only added to the seriousness of anything that even approached coveting or any other transgression.
Especially the High Priest needed to be completely pure and free from sin in order to officiate in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, the beginning of each Jubilee, on the tenth day of the seventh month. Finding himself discontented with the things which the Lord had allotted him would have stricken Alma to the heart. He would have recognized this as a serious sin, more so than readers today might otherwise have thought.”
KORIHOR
“The text gives no indication whatever of his ethnic or tribal origin, his city or land of residence, or his religious or political affiliations. All these omissions cannot be accidental. Indeed, the text wants readers to see Korihor as an isolated individual defying the foundation of collective responsibility that undergirded the concepts of justice, ethics, prosperity, and well-being in Nephite and Israelite societies. In the Book of Mormon array of typologies, Korihor represents the radical individual thinker, detached from community and unconcerned about the consequences of his ideas, who is bound and determined above all to speak his mind. Speech was his stock-in-trade.”
The Trial of Korihor, John Welch, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/322
DECEIVE ME NOT
“The adversary does not easily abandon his destructive motives to deceive and demean us.
May we withstand and see through the lies and influences of the one who seeks to destroy our souls and steal from us our present joy and future joy.”
Gary E Stevenson, General Conference, October 2019
ALMA’S PRAYER
“Alma and his companions were in a desperate situation: they needed to restore cohesion to the Nephite polity through gospel conversion, or risk war. Under these circumstances, his repetition of the Lord’s name ten times likely reflects his urgency to bring down the power of God upon him and his companions. For ancient Israelites, the number ten symbolized perfection or completion. By calling on the Lord’s name ten times, Alma called upon His perfect power to aid them in their mission.
Alma’s prayer also sought to calm and comfort his fellow missionaries at that desperate time. ‘O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and … also my fellow laborers who are with me … yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ.’ By invoking the name of the Lord ten times, Alma probably hoped to remind them of the Day of Atonement, and the recently passed jubilee year and the associated joy and peace that followed.
On the Day of Atonement, Alma and his companions, along with the rest of the Nephites, would have renewed covenants and remembered the Atonement of Christ. Not only would this calmingly reassure them of God’s promises, it would make them eager to bring those same blessings and covenants to the Zoramites. With everyone being one with God, all can then be united or reunited, with each other. Most importantly, the atoning reconciliation with God would remind all of them that the souls of the Zoramites were precious to God, and thus should be equally precious to them.”
“In addition to his ten supplications to Jehovah with the words O Lord, Alma also speaks the words O God four times in this prayer, but in those four cases he is either speaking about or quoting from the apostate prayers of the Zoramites, and in such a context he would not want to mention the holy name of the true God whom he served and called upon. Hence, Alma shifts his terminology to reflect this shift in meaning.”
John W. Welch, “Counting to Ten,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 2 (2003): 42–57, 113–114.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Alma 23-28
READING FOR NEXT WEEK: ALMA 29-31
…NATURE OF REVELATION
“Revelation, scripture, and Church directives are not necessarily composed divinely-revealed-and-ideal-eternal facts, but inevitably contain human elements and understanding common to the time. Ultimately, the qualifying characteristic of revelation is not a complete lack of human aspects, but the guiding hand of the divine with that humanity, in a joint composite, iterative, and progressive process, which we call the Restoration.”
Ben Spackman,www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
DOCTRINE: MODELS TO EVALUATE TYPES AND SOURCES OF LATTER-DAY SAINT TEACHING
“Though scripture, personal experience, tradition, and our own reason are constantly part of our evaluation of doctrine, prophetic declaration reigns supreme. The concept of continuing revelation, expressed in the ninth article of faith, has allowed for prophets to address each generation and the Church to build “line upon line, precept upon precept” with a certain kind of flexibility that is limited when doctrine can only be found within the pages of the Bible, or to being only that which is eternal and unchanging. All of this implies that new ideas, altered concepts, expanded teachings, and additional knowledge will be given, thus requiring what we teach—our “doctrine”—to also be expandable. The very notions of a living Church and continuing revelation suggest that any statement on doctrine is not a declaration of eternal finality but temporary understanding or expediency.”
rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-17-no-3-2016/doctrine-models-evaluate-types-and-sources-latter-day-saint-teachings
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GOD
When we are struggling there is no way we can determine what God is up to, how He might be working in our lives, tutoring us, or supporting us. When we struggle, the only thing we can do is to cling to what we KNOW about Him.
ANTI-NEPHI-LEHIES
“Recall that the record tells us more than once that the Lamanites delighted in shedding Nephite blood. Far from being reluctant, the Lamanites’ killings had in fact been wanton and deliberate, in both large-scale aggressive wars and in smaller-scale marauding and banditry. Furthermore, one of the Lamanites’ motives for attacking Nephites was to rob them—to take from them gold and silver so they would not have to mine it for themselves. And finally, note that in all of their conflicts, the Lamanites, not the Nephites, had been the aggressors. So the wars Anti-Nephi-Lehi is speaking of here are not wars involving legitimate disputes that simply escalated out of control, but rather aggressive wars and acts of plunder that were motivated by hatred and were instigated and pursued in the first instance by the Lamanites themselves.
Such was the moral atmosphere that had existed among the Lamanites, and it is little surprise that Anti-Nephi-Lehi, in hindsight and from the perspective of a changed heart, could see such acts of hate-filled killing as thoroughly murderous in character.
Moreover, a close study of the text reveals the actual reason the Ammonites renounced war and entered a covenant to eschew all conflict: doing so was act of penitence—reparation (insofar as such was possible) for a past filled with aggression, violence, and hatred.”
Duane Boyce, journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-ammonites-were-not-pacifists/
SUFFERING FOR OTHERS
Suffering proved to be more than a purifying process for the donor; it also brought a redemptive power to the recipient. There is a certain compelling power that flows from righteous suffering. Such suffering for another is the highest form of motivation we can offer for those we love.
Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement
TEMPLE COVENANTS
They include the "covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the [human] race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive Jesus Christ.” (Talmage, p. 84).
eom.byu.edu/index.php/Temple_Ordinances
…NATURE OF REVELATION
“Revelation, scripture, and Church directives are not necessarily composed divinely-revealed-and-ideal-eternal facts, but inevitably contain human elements and understanding common to the time. Ultimately, the qualifying characteristic of revelation is not a complete lack of human aspects, but the guiding hand of the divine with that humanity, in a joint composite, iterative, and progressive process, which we call the Restoration.”
Ben Spackman,www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
DOCTRINE: MODELS TO EVALUATE TYPES AND SOURCES OF LATTER-DAY SAINT TEACHING
“Though scripture, personal experience, tradition, and our own reason are constantly part of our evaluation of doctrine, prophetic declaration reigns supreme. The concept of continuing revelation, expressed in the ninth article of faith, has allowed for prophets to address each generation and the Church to build “line upon line, precept upon precept” with a certain kind of flexibility that is limited when doctrine can only be found within the pages of the Bible, or to being only that which is eternal and unchanging. All of this implies that new ideas, altered concepts, expanded teachings, and additional knowledge will be given, thus requiring what we teach—our “doctrine”—to also be expandable. The very notions of a living Church and continuing revelation suggest that any statement on doctrine is not a declaration of eternal finality but temporary understanding or expediency.”
rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-17-no-3-2016/doctrine-models-evaluate-types-and-sources-latter-day-saint-teachings
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GOD
When we are struggling there is no way we can determine what God is up to, how He might be working in our lives, tutoring us, or supporting us. When we struggle, the only thing we can do is to cling to what we KNOW about Him.
ANTI-NEPHI-LEHIES
“Recall that the record tells us more than once that the Lamanites delighted in shedding Nephite blood. Far from being reluctant, the Lamanites’ killings had in fact been wanton and deliberate, in both large-scale aggressive wars and in smaller-scale marauding and banditry. Furthermore, one of the Lamanites’ motives for attacking Nephites was to rob them—to take from them gold and silver so they would not have to mine it for themselves. And finally, note that in all of their conflicts, the Lamanites, not the Nephites, had been the aggressors. So the wars Anti-Nephi-Lehi is speaking of here are not wars involving legitimate disputes that simply escalated out of control, but rather aggressive wars and acts of plunder that were motivated by hatred and were instigated and pursued in the first instance by the Lamanites themselves.
Such was the moral atmosphere that had existed among the Lamanites, and it is little surprise that Anti-Nephi-Lehi, in hindsight and from the perspective of a changed heart, could see such acts of hate-filled killing as thoroughly murderous in character.
Moreover, a close study of the text reveals the actual reason the Ammonites renounced war and entered a covenant to eschew all conflict: doing so was act of penitence—reparation (insofar as such was possible) for a past filled with aggression, violence, and hatred.”
Duane Boyce, journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-ammonites-were-not-pacifists/
SUFFERING FOR OTHERS
Suffering proved to be more than a purifying process for the donor; it also brought a redemptive power to the recipient. There is a certain compelling power that flows from righteous suffering. Such suffering for another is the highest form of motivation we can offer for those we love.
Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement
TEMPLE COVENANTS
They include the "covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the [human] race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive Jesus Christ.” (Talmage, p. 84).
eom.byu.edu/index.php/Temple_Ordinances
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
...Nature of Revelation
Welcome back everyone! Thank you for your patience today as I struggled with technical difficulties. I learned some important lessons today! While it was frustrating, I could feel your concern and support, which was a remarkable gift.
Reading for next week: Alma 23-28
Sources for additional information as you study:
The new Book of Mormon Central scripture study App--ScripturePlus
The Book of Mormon, by Grant Hardy (a different format with excellent footnotes)
Book of Mormon videos produced by the Church and can be found on the Gospel Library App
bookofmormoncentral.org
pearlofgreatpricecentral.org (a new website by the folks at Book of Mormon Central if you would like support for the study of the Pearl of Great Price)
fairmormon.org
interpreterfoundation.org
President Kerr--Invitation and Blessing
President Kerr opened our year with insightful and inspiriting thoughts and directions. Following are some of his remarks.
He reminded us of the three objectives he outlined for our study last year. The objectives for this year remain the same.
"... Nature of Revelation"
Our discussion today came from a presentation I heard at FAIRMormon Conference this past summer. The author is Ben Spackman. Following is his biographical information:
Ben Spackman did ten years of undergraduate (BYU) and graduate work in ancient Near Eastern studies and Semitics (University of Chicago) before moving on to general science (City College of New York). Currently a PhD student in History of Christianity at Claremont Graduate University, Ben’s focus is the intertwined histories of religion, science, and scriptural interpretation; most specifically, he studies the intellectual history of fundamentalism, creationism, and religious opposition to evolution in connection with interpretations of Genesis.
Ben taught volunteer Institute and Seminary for a dozen years in the Midwest, New York, and California, taught Biblical Hebrew, Book of Mormon, and New Testament at BYU, and TA’d a course on “God, Darwin, and Design” at Claremont. He has contributed to BYU Studies, Religious Educator, the Maxwell Institute, Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, Religion&Politics, the Salt Lake Tribune, and blogs at benspackman.com (previously at Timesandseasons) where he writes extensively about Gospel Doctrine, evolution, and Genesis, among other things. He has presented lectures, firesides, and papers at various conferences, including the Joseph Smith Papers, the Mormon History Association, the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology, the Maxwell Institute Seminar on Mormon Culture, the Mormon Theology Seminar, Mormon Scholars in the Humanities, BYU’s Sperry Symposium, BYU Late Summer Honors (lecture on Genesis and evolution), and this year, Education Week (Aug 21-24), on Reading the Bible in Context. He is a contributor to BYU’s ecumenical Reconciling Evolution project.
Here is the link to his presentation: fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
I hope you will read and ponder his words. Spackman provides support for this divine-human composite experience, which when understood helps us to develop spiritual resiliency. Knowing that revelation is a human-divine composite process helps us as we struggle with policies, scripture, revelation, and direction that we may not understand. It provides a framework for our faith and trust in our leaders who receive, interpret and convey revelation to a worldwide population. It helps us be patient and wait when things don't immediately become clear. We find safety in knowing that revelation is a process between the human and the divine.
Reading for next week: Alma 23-28
Sources for additional information as you study:
The new Book of Mormon Central scripture study App--ScripturePlus
The Book of Mormon, by Grant Hardy (a different format with excellent footnotes)
Book of Mormon videos produced by the Church and can be found on the Gospel Library App
bookofmormoncentral.org
pearlofgreatpricecentral.org (a new website by the folks at Book of Mormon Central if you would like support for the study of the Pearl of Great Price)
fairmormon.org
interpreterfoundation.org
President Kerr--Invitation and Blessing
President Kerr opened our year with insightful and inspiriting thoughts and directions. Following are some of his remarks.
He reminded us of the three objectives he outlined for our study last year. The objectives for this year remain the same.
Through study, try to develop:
- A deeper love and appreciation for the Book of Mormon.
- A better understanding of the process of receiving revelation.
- A deep love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
He reminded us what a great gift and miracle the Book of Mormon is. "Despite 189 years of constant scrutiny and criticism, no one has been able to explain away the Book of Mormon as an inspired text from God."
He taught us not to expect "your revelatory process to be free of difficulty; revelation requires accountability and initiative and at some point the Lord cannot afford to have us be commanded in all things." These patterns can be observed in the lives and stories of the Book of Mormon.
He continued, "The Book of Mormon reveals more about the true nature and characteristic of Jesus Christ that any canonized text that has ever been revealed to man."
He extended an invitation. "For you to receive the full power of this experience, may I invite you to live more obediently. May I invite you to be more righteous in your life.
And finally he promised blessings. "I bless you that you will have a greater witness that Jesus is the Christ, that Elohim is God our father and that the priesthood keys and the doctrines of the great plan of redemption have been restored. I bless you that you will have a greater witness of the Book of Mormon and of its pivotal role in the gathering of the covenant people in these last days. I bless you that you will have an even greater access to the powers of heaven and the rights and authority of the priesthood. Finally, you will have a greater witness of all those other things that matter to you, having a sure knowledge that because they matter to you they also matter to Father."
I hope we will all deeply consider his thoughts and invitations. Together we will grow in unexpected and marvelous ways. You are all needed in the process of discovery and enlightenment. What an amazing gift it is to be together with the common goal of developing a deeper connection to our Savior. I count myself very blessed to share this experience with you.
"... Nature of Revelation"
Our discussion today came from a presentation I heard at FAIRMormon Conference this past summer. The author is Ben Spackman. Following is his biographical information:
Ben Spackman did ten years of undergraduate (BYU) and graduate work in ancient Near Eastern studies and Semitics (University of Chicago) before moving on to general science (City College of New York). Currently a PhD student in History of Christianity at Claremont Graduate University, Ben’s focus is the intertwined histories of religion, science, and scriptural interpretation; most specifically, he studies the intellectual history of fundamentalism, creationism, and religious opposition to evolution in connection with interpretations of Genesis.
Ben taught volunteer Institute and Seminary for a dozen years in the Midwest, New York, and California, taught Biblical Hebrew, Book of Mormon, and New Testament at BYU, and TA’d a course on “God, Darwin, and Design” at Claremont. He has contributed to BYU Studies, Religious Educator, the Maxwell Institute, Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, Religion&Politics, the Salt Lake Tribune, and blogs at benspackman.com (previously at Timesandseasons) where he writes extensively about Gospel Doctrine, evolution, and Genesis, among other things. He has presented lectures, firesides, and papers at various conferences, including the Joseph Smith Papers, the Mormon History Association, the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology, the Maxwell Institute Seminar on Mormon Culture, the Mormon Theology Seminar, Mormon Scholars in the Humanities, BYU’s Sperry Symposium, BYU Late Summer Honors (lecture on Genesis and evolution), and this year, Education Week (Aug 21-24), on Reading the Bible in Context. He is a contributor to BYU’s ecumenical Reconciling Evolution project.
Here is the link to his presentation: fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
I hope you will read and ponder his words. Spackman provides support for this divine-human composite experience, which when understood helps us to develop spiritual resiliency. Knowing that revelation is a human-divine composite process helps us as we struggle with policies, scripture, revelation, and direction that we may not understand. It provides a framework for our faith and trust in our leaders who receive, interpret and convey revelation to a worldwide population. It helps us be patient and wait when things don't immediately become clear. We find safety in knowing that revelation is a process between the human and the divine.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Around the Corner!
We will be meet for the first time on Tuesday, October 15, 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the Old Gilbert building, Relief Society room. (2424 N. Old Gilbert Road, Mesa)
Our course of study will be the second half of the Book of Mormon. There is no reading assignment for our first class. President Kerr will share remarks and insights pertaining to our study and future discussions. We will then spend some time discussing something that will be a great guide as we study together this year.
I hope you will come and bring your friends! I look forward to seeing you and learning from you!
Our course of study will be the second half of the Book of Mormon. There is no reading assignment for our first class. President Kerr will share remarks and insights pertaining to our study and future discussions. We will then spend some time discussing something that will be a great guide as we study together this year.
I hope you will come and bring your friends! I look forward to seeing you and learning from you!
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Welcome Back!
Hello everyone. I hope you have had a spectacular summer with lots of exciting fun and learning. I know many of you have children back in school and are already in a "fall-time" schedule. Please include Institute in your schedule! We will be meet for the first time on Tuesday, October 15, 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the Old Gilbert building, Relief Society room. Our course of study will be the second half of the Book of Mormon. I will post here the reading assignment as we get closer. I hope you will come and bring your friends. It is by learning together that we are led to see the world more clearly, love others more deeply and see the Divine with new eyes and understanding. I am reminded of a quote as I think about beginning a new year of learning:
"Find a group of people who challenge you and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and
it will change your life." Amy Poehler
How grateful I am for the ways our time together challenges and inspires me! See you October 15!
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Alma 17-22
FINAL CLASS
Thank you all for a wonderful year of Book of Mormon study and learning. I appreciate each of you and the desire you have to learn and develop deeper understanding. You made this experience remarkable. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to be united in faith and effort. Have a wonderful summer! Stay curious!
Class will meet again
Tuesday, October 15, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Gilbert Building RS room
SPIRIT RESPONSE IN THE BODY
“Their brains and bodies physically responded to religious stimuli, researchers said.Their hearts beat faster.Their breathing slowed. Many participants were in tears by the end of the scan, according to Anderson.
And in each stage of the exam, the researchers saw the same regions of the brain light up.
They saw the most activity in the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain that is also associated with romantic love, parental love, appreciation of music, gambling and certain drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines.
Peak activity in the nucleus accumbens consistently spiked several seconds before participants pushed the button indicating that they were strongly having a spiritual experience, according to the study.”
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865668195/U-study-Spiritual-experiences-associated-with-brains- reward-center.html
MORMON’S INTENT
“Mormon’s history, like other ancient histories, is not primarily empirical. His account is shaped by a clear rhetorical purpose: to bear testimony of Christ and illustrate the consequences of accepting or rejecting him. Since his history is so brief, Mormon has the option—and has exercised it—of selecting material that is aesthetically unified, that can be arranged to feature narrative parallels and contrasts that anticipate, echo, and amplify.If we recognize his literary sensibility, we will be better prepared to see important dimensions of meaning that he communicates allegorically or implicitly in the micro and macro structure of his history.
Modern readers cannot be passive if they want to fully understand the testimony Mormon has handed down to them.They must meet him and his sources half way. Reading carefully between the lines, they must look for the subtle linkages that reveal the underlying unity and coherence of the real lives and real cultures he describes.They must do this because unconscious and unstated background knowledge and off-stage actions that are present only by implication will sometimes be the key to a fuller understanding of an intended meaning.Thus, to fully comprehend the reality Mormon experienced and what he meant to say (or not say), readers must sometimes ransack the nooks and crannies of his text looking for information it did not occur to him to explicitly tell us, i.e., cultural norms and implicit knowledge about life and people that form the matrix of the meanings he meant to communicate.”
Val Larsen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/in-his-footsteps-ammon-and-ammon/
AT THE WATERS OF SEBUS
“No episode in the Book of Mormon is more strange and, on its surface, incoherent than the account of Ammon’s fight at the waters of Sebus and its aftermath.”
“The most surprising facts connected with the narrative are these: (a) the plundering of the king’s flocks is routine and predictable, yet he doesn’t send a force capable of protecting his property; (b) the servants of the king make no effort to fight the marauders in spite of the fact that they will be executed if they fail to protect the flocks; (c) when they predictably fail, the king kills his own servants and, thus, weakens his forces; (d) the king refers to the marauders as “my brethren”; and (e) the marauders and their families are unafraid to hang around the king’s palace in the immediate aftermath of the fight.This is an improbable constellation of details. How are we to account for it? The answer must lie in the implicit dynamics of Lamanite politics in the land of Ishmael.”
“The back story at Sebus is a conflict between Lamoni, the titular king in the land of Ishmael, and another group of nobles whom Lamoni calls “my brethren,”, e.g., some mix of brothers, uncles, or cousins.The contest between the two groups is deadly earnest, but neither can do violence to the other because all are loved and protected by Lamoni’s father, the great king of the land, who has a short temper and who responds ferociously if anyone, including his own family, crosses him. Since they cannot directly attack each other without risking their lives by antagonizing their shared patron, Lamoni and his rivals seek to weaken their opponent by attacking their economic interests and by ruining their reputation in the eyes of the great king. It is in this context that Lamoni’s servants face doom at the waters of Sebus. The herdsman servants are ordinary citizens of the kingdom. Knowing the disposition of Lamoni’s father, they probably understand that they and their family will die a painful death if they do the slightest injury to any of the great king’s extended family. So if they are so unlucky as to be attacked at the waters of Sebus by the king’s noble relatives, they are doomed.They cannot raise a hand to prevent Lamoni’s flocks from being scattered and plundered by his noble rivals. And if they fail to prevent the scattering and loss of the flocks, Lamoni will put them to death.
But why will Lamoni execute them when they fail? Doesn’t he injure himself when he does that by reducing his political and military base in the land of Ishmael? In an ordinary political situation, that would be the case. Lamoni’s father believes a king should use aggressive violence to enforce his will. Lamoni retains his kingdom only if his father is persuaded that he, too, is a man of violence who will impose the severest sanctions on those who fail him. Lamoni executes his servants not because he is angry with them but as an act of political theater to appease his father”
“If we correctly interpret the political dynamics in the land of Ishmael, we can recognize in this narrative a profound allegory of the human condition and of the plan of salvation, including its key element, the Atonement.”
“Mormon apparently recognized the symbolic potential of Ammon’s adventure at Sebus and featured it precisely because, read allegorically, it testifies so powerfully of Christ.”
“Lamoni’s servants are caught on the horns of a horrible dilemma.They are bound by two incompatible laws that, taken together, seal their doom.They must not fail to keep the commandment of their lord to protect his flock and they must not raise a hand against any noble relative of the great king.When the nobles scatter the flock, hopeless and helpless despair is the only available response for the servants because their doom is sure. For their predecessors, that was the end of the story. But for these fortunate servants the story is wonderfully changed. A godlike nobleman—the most powerful of all, one who can vanquish even the great king himself—has condescended to come among them and voluntarily share their servant status.When the crisis comes and they fall into despair, he rallies them. From him they draw the courage and ability to keep their lord’s commandments. Placing their faith in him and doing as he commands (an essential element in their redemption), they gather the scattered flock and encircle them to prevent their flight.
He, the suffering servant, in turn, goes forth to bear the brunt of the violence meant for them which they were powerless to resist. Against all human odds, this godlike nobleman defeats forces arrayed against him and them. He reconciles the two laws, making it possible for his fellow servants to keep both.They have neither allowed the flock to be plundered nor lifted a hand against the great king’s relatives. Led by their savior, the servants return to their lord without blemish, their lives preserved by the gracious intervention of the godlike figure who condescended to be one with them.Their faith in this noble savior redeems not just their bodies but their eternal souls, for he brings them back not just to their temporal lord, Lamoni, but to their eternal lord, the Lord God.”
Val Larsen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/in-his-footsteps-ammon-and-ammon/
ABISH
The phrase “vision of her father” allows not only multiple possibilities for the content of the vision but also two possibilities for the one who had the vision. Although others may be educed, we have at least three interpretive possibilities for “understanding the phrase ‘remarkable vision of her father.’”
1. The text refers to a vision seen by Abish’s father.This interpretation takes the construction “vision of her father” as a subjective possessive — i.e., that the subject (Abish’s father) is the seer of the vision, whatever its content.
2. The text refers to Abish’s own vision, the content of which was a special or “remarkable” appearance of her own father to her.This interpretation takes the construction “vision of her father” as an objective — i.e., that Abish’s father himself is the object or content of the vision.Abish’s own status as a servant in the royal court (a royal dependent) may suggest that her father had died sometime previously and perhaps that he had appeared to her.
3. The text refers to Abish’s own vision, the content of which may have included a theophany beyond the personal appearance of her earthly father. In other words, did the Savior himself (the divine “Father” mentioned throughout the Book of Mormon) also appear to her? This interpretation, while not explicitly supported by the language of Alma 19:16, is perhaps partially inferred by the content of Lamoni’s previously-mentioned vision (“I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind,” Alma 19:13). Is the “remarkable vision of her father” (19:16) still “remarkable” by the (very high) standard of Lamoni’s vision and the other Lamanite visionary experiences (Alma 17:29–30, 34; 22:18)?”
“Abish the “woman-servant” plays the feminine counterpart to Ammon the “man” and “servant” and completes this miracle of faith.”
Matthew Bowen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/father-is-a-man-the-remarkable-mention-of-
the-name-abish-in-alma-1916-and-its-narrative-context/
“We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!
We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world.We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.”
Russell M. Nelson, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng
Thank you all for a wonderful year of Book of Mormon study and learning. I appreciate each of you and the desire you have to learn and develop deeper understanding. You made this experience remarkable. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to be united in faith and effort. Have a wonderful summer! Stay curious!
Class will meet again
Tuesday, October 15, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Gilbert Building RS room
SPIRIT RESPONSE IN THE BODY
“Their brains and bodies physically responded to religious stimuli, researchers said.Their hearts beat faster.Their breathing slowed. Many participants were in tears by the end of the scan, according to Anderson.
And in each stage of the exam, the researchers saw the same regions of the brain light up.
They saw the most activity in the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain that is also associated with romantic love, parental love, appreciation of music, gambling and certain drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines.
Peak activity in the nucleus accumbens consistently spiked several seconds before participants pushed the button indicating that they were strongly having a spiritual experience, according to the study.”
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865668195/U-study-Spiritual-experiences-associated-with-brains- reward-center.html
MORMON’S INTENT
“Mormon’s history, like other ancient histories, is not primarily empirical. His account is shaped by a clear rhetorical purpose: to bear testimony of Christ and illustrate the consequences of accepting or rejecting him. Since his history is so brief, Mormon has the option—and has exercised it—of selecting material that is aesthetically unified, that can be arranged to feature narrative parallels and contrasts that anticipate, echo, and amplify.If we recognize his literary sensibility, we will be better prepared to see important dimensions of meaning that he communicates allegorically or implicitly in the micro and macro structure of his history.
Modern readers cannot be passive if they want to fully understand the testimony Mormon has handed down to them.They must meet him and his sources half way. Reading carefully between the lines, they must look for the subtle linkages that reveal the underlying unity and coherence of the real lives and real cultures he describes.They must do this because unconscious and unstated background knowledge and off-stage actions that are present only by implication will sometimes be the key to a fuller understanding of an intended meaning.Thus, to fully comprehend the reality Mormon experienced and what he meant to say (or not say), readers must sometimes ransack the nooks and crannies of his text looking for information it did not occur to him to explicitly tell us, i.e., cultural norms and implicit knowledge about life and people that form the matrix of the meanings he meant to communicate.”
Val Larsen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/in-his-footsteps-ammon-and-ammon/
AT THE WATERS OF SEBUS
“No episode in the Book of Mormon is more strange and, on its surface, incoherent than the account of Ammon’s fight at the waters of Sebus and its aftermath.”
“The most surprising facts connected with the narrative are these: (a) the plundering of the king’s flocks is routine and predictable, yet he doesn’t send a force capable of protecting his property; (b) the servants of the king make no effort to fight the marauders in spite of the fact that they will be executed if they fail to protect the flocks; (c) when they predictably fail, the king kills his own servants and, thus, weakens his forces; (d) the king refers to the marauders as “my brethren”; and (e) the marauders and their families are unafraid to hang around the king’s palace in the immediate aftermath of the fight.This is an improbable constellation of details. How are we to account for it? The answer must lie in the implicit dynamics of Lamanite politics in the land of Ishmael.”
“The back story at Sebus is a conflict between Lamoni, the titular king in the land of Ishmael, and another group of nobles whom Lamoni calls “my brethren,”, e.g., some mix of brothers, uncles, or cousins.The contest between the two groups is deadly earnest, but neither can do violence to the other because all are loved and protected by Lamoni’s father, the great king of the land, who has a short temper and who responds ferociously if anyone, including his own family, crosses him. Since they cannot directly attack each other without risking their lives by antagonizing their shared patron, Lamoni and his rivals seek to weaken their opponent by attacking their economic interests and by ruining their reputation in the eyes of the great king. It is in this context that Lamoni’s servants face doom at the waters of Sebus. The herdsman servants are ordinary citizens of the kingdom. Knowing the disposition of Lamoni’s father, they probably understand that they and their family will die a painful death if they do the slightest injury to any of the great king’s extended family. So if they are so unlucky as to be attacked at the waters of Sebus by the king’s noble relatives, they are doomed.They cannot raise a hand to prevent Lamoni’s flocks from being scattered and plundered by his noble rivals. And if they fail to prevent the scattering and loss of the flocks, Lamoni will put them to death.
But why will Lamoni execute them when they fail? Doesn’t he injure himself when he does that by reducing his political and military base in the land of Ishmael? In an ordinary political situation, that would be the case. Lamoni’s father believes a king should use aggressive violence to enforce his will. Lamoni retains his kingdom only if his father is persuaded that he, too, is a man of violence who will impose the severest sanctions on those who fail him. Lamoni executes his servants not because he is angry with them but as an act of political theater to appease his father”
“If we correctly interpret the political dynamics in the land of Ishmael, we can recognize in this narrative a profound allegory of the human condition and of the plan of salvation, including its key element, the Atonement.”
“Mormon apparently recognized the symbolic potential of Ammon’s adventure at Sebus and featured it precisely because, read allegorically, it testifies so powerfully of Christ.”
“Lamoni’s servants are caught on the horns of a horrible dilemma.They are bound by two incompatible laws that, taken together, seal their doom.They must not fail to keep the commandment of their lord to protect his flock and they must not raise a hand against any noble relative of the great king.When the nobles scatter the flock, hopeless and helpless despair is the only available response for the servants because their doom is sure. For their predecessors, that was the end of the story. But for these fortunate servants the story is wonderfully changed. A godlike nobleman—the most powerful of all, one who can vanquish even the great king himself—has condescended to come among them and voluntarily share their servant status.When the crisis comes and they fall into despair, he rallies them. From him they draw the courage and ability to keep their lord’s commandments. Placing their faith in him and doing as he commands (an essential element in their redemption), they gather the scattered flock and encircle them to prevent their flight.
He, the suffering servant, in turn, goes forth to bear the brunt of the violence meant for them which they were powerless to resist. Against all human odds, this godlike nobleman defeats forces arrayed against him and them. He reconciles the two laws, making it possible for his fellow servants to keep both.They have neither allowed the flock to be plundered nor lifted a hand against the great king’s relatives. Led by their savior, the servants return to their lord without blemish, their lives preserved by the gracious intervention of the godlike figure who condescended to be one with them.Their faith in this noble savior redeems not just their bodies but their eternal souls, for he brings them back not just to their temporal lord, Lamoni, but to their eternal lord, the Lord God.”
Val Larsen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/in-his-footsteps-ammon-and-ammon/
ABISH
The phrase “vision of her father” allows not only multiple possibilities for the content of the vision but also two possibilities for the one who had the vision. Although others may be educed, we have at least three interpretive possibilities for “understanding the phrase ‘remarkable vision of her father.’”
1. The text refers to a vision seen by Abish’s father.This interpretation takes the construction “vision of her father” as a subjective possessive — i.e., that the subject (Abish’s father) is the seer of the vision, whatever its content.
2. The text refers to Abish’s own vision, the content of which was a special or “remarkable” appearance of her own father to her.This interpretation takes the construction “vision of her father” as an objective — i.e., that Abish’s father himself is the object or content of the vision.Abish’s own status as a servant in the royal court (a royal dependent) may suggest that her father had died sometime previously and perhaps that he had appeared to her.
3. The text refers to Abish’s own vision, the content of which may have included a theophany beyond the personal appearance of her earthly father. In other words, did the Savior himself (the divine “Father” mentioned throughout the Book of Mormon) also appear to her? This interpretation, while not explicitly supported by the language of Alma 19:16, is perhaps partially inferred by the content of Lamoni’s previously-mentioned vision (“I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind,” Alma 19:13). Is the “remarkable vision of her father” (19:16) still “remarkable” by the (very high) standard of Lamoni’s vision and the other Lamanite visionary experiences (Alma 17:29–30, 34; 22:18)?”
“Abish the “woman-servant” plays the feminine counterpart to Ammon the “man” and “servant” and completes this miracle of faith.”
Matthew Bowen, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/father-is-a-man-the-remarkable-mention-of-
the-name-abish-in-alma-1916-and-its-narrative-context/
“We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!
We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world.We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.”
Russell M. Nelson, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Alma 13-16
MAY READING
May 7—Alma 17-22 (final class)
MAIN CHIASM 13: 2-9
A order of his Son (v. 2)
B ordained (v. 3)
C called (v. 3)
D foreknowledge of God (v. 3)
E prepared (v. 3)
F foundation of the world (v. 5)
G Only Begotten Son (v. 5)
H high priesthood (v. 6)
I his rest (v. 6)
H high priesthood (v. 7)
G his Son (v. 7)
F foundation of the world (v. 7)
E prepared (v. 7)
D foreknowledge of all things (v. 7)
C called (v. 8) B ordained (v. 8)
A order of the Son (v. 9)
“In explaining the priesthood to the people of Ammonihah, Alma taught the doctrine of priesthood authority by expressing it in the form of a chiasm. He then called the attention of the people to the chiastic structure of his sermon by uttering the phrase “And thus it is, Amen.” In written form, the beginning of the chiasm is more difficult to identify than the conclusion because there is not formula that signals the start of the chiasm.As he spoke it,Alma may have indicated the beginning of the chiasm with a gesture or some other behavior that would have been recognized by his listeners.”
JamesT. Duke,https://publications.mi.byu.edu/pdf-control.php/publications/jbms/5/1/S00003-50aa69fb2f9aa3Duke
REST
“These verses indicate a connection between seeing the face of God, having the power of the priesthood, and having the key of the knowledge of God, and entering into the rest of God.
Alma understood that entering into the rest of God meant seeing the face of God and experiencing his fulness, and that this could only be accomplished through the power of the higher priesthood.
Rest is possible only through the atonement of Christ and is earned through faith, repentance and not hardening our hearts.
These scriptural passages afford the hope and comfort that all the faithful saints who have been valiant in the service of God and who have kept his commandments and loved their fellow beings may confidently look forward to
the rest of God.”
JamesT. Duke,https://publications.mi.byu.edu/pdf-control.php/publications/jbms/5/1/S00003-50aa69fb2f9aa3Duke
FOREORDINATION
“In the premortal spirit world, God appointed certain spirits to fulfill specific missions during their mortal lives.This is called foreordination. Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency, just as foreordination came as a result of righteousness in the premortal existence.
The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties.As people prove themselves worthy, they will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments they then received.”
https://www.lds.org/topics/foreordination?lang=eng
“The conventional interpretation of the opening verses of Alma 13 holds that Alma understood and taught the people of Ammonihah that all who receive the priesthood in mortality were foreordained to receive it on account of their exceeding faith and good works in the pre-existence.That interpretation includes the idea that others were not foreordained to receive the priesthood in mortality because they were not as faithful or valiant in the pre-existence.”
“What Alma specifies as the “manner of ordination” is the way in which any man may qualify to receive the Priesthood.That method of qualification is what Alma says was intended to provide a type, or teaching, as to how all people might “look forward to the Son of God for redemption.” And what was that method?
It is that,“being left to choose good or evil,” they exercise “exceedingly great faith” and are called, “while others ... reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds” when they might have received the same holy calling if they had also exercised exceedingly great faith.
In this way, the reference to “the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God” can be seen as a parenthetical observation that the worthiness qualification itself was foreordained “from the foundation of the world.” While God certainly foreknew which of His sons would qualify in mortality to receive the Priesthood, the standards He preset did not exclude any of them.All men would exercise their agency and choose for themselves. All were called, but fewer would be chosen, in exercise of their own free will and choice.”
A. Keith Thompson, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/were-we-foreordained-to-the-priesthood-or-was-the- standard-of-worthiness-foreordained-alma-13-reconsidered/
THE NARRATIVE
“A successful book is not made of what is in it,” MarkTwain wrote,“but of what is left out of it.” Though he would have never admitted it,Twain’s definition would have made the Book of Mormon a successful book.The book is full of things that are not there, from such cultural details as what Nephite cities looked like to the far more personal—emotions, doubts, and questions. Of course, the book does offer detail at times, but often information is left out at the moment in the narrative when readers are the most curious about what happened.The text frequently shows signs of having been carefully crafted, the narrator picking and choosing what should be said and what is best left to our imaginations.
Rather than taking quick looks at brief passages throughout the book, closely reading a single subject of a rather lengthy narrative can be more fruitful if we desire to see how the narrator left important story elements to us and our hearts and minds.”
Charles Swift, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/volume-13-number-1-2012/when-less-more-reticent-narrator-story-alma-
and-amulek
THE NARRATIVE
“What does he mean by the mysteries and power of God? What has he seen? What does he mean when he says that he was called many times but would not hear? Called to do what? How does a man know he is being called if he does not hear? What were the things that he knew but would not know? And when he says that he rebelled against God in the wickedness of his heart, are we to take him at his word and believe that he actually was someone like Alma in his youth, in open rebellion against God? Or, is he such a humble and spiritual man that he considers the slightest weakness to be rebellion, the tiniest of flaws enough to make his heart wicked? Rather than claiming that we do not know these details because they are not important to our salvation, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we do not know them because not knowing them may be important to our salvation. By leaving out this information, the narrator makes it easier for us to relate to Amulek. Many members may feel that they have, at times, fallen short in how they serve. Many may believe that they have been called, but would not hear, and that they knew, but would not know. If the narrator made clear exactly what Amulek was referring to, then perhaps fewer readers would see themselves in him. But since we really do not know how far Amulek had gone in being unrighteous, the narrator leads us to ask questions of ourselves. We reflect on how well we have heard the voice of the Lord, on how hesitant we may sometimes be to admit that we know what we know.These verses tell us something about Amulek, but they invite us to learn much more about ourselves.”
“Amulek has lost all that he has owned. He has seen the martyrdom of many innocent women and children, perhaps including witnessing the murder of his wife and children, by being burned alive, one of the most torturous ways to die. Perhaps worse of all, he was told that he could do nothing to save them. He has been imprisoned for days and tortured, then miraculously delivered by the Lord. He has had to meet with the men whose families he had seen murdered and tell them all that had happened, including how he and Alma could not save their families, but they could save themselves. And he has seen one of his enemies healed because of his faith in the word and then baptized. He has lost his friends, his father, and his kindred. He may have even lost his own wife and children. Does he remember how the angel had told him that Alma would be a blessing to him? Does he remember when he testified that Alma had indeed blessed him, his wife and children, and all his family?”
Charles Swift, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/volume-13-number-1-2012/when-less-more-reticent-narrator-story-alma-and-amulek
May 7—Alma 17-22 (final class)
MAIN CHIASM 13: 2-9
A order of his Son (v. 2)
B ordained (v. 3)
C called (v. 3)
D foreknowledge of God (v. 3)
E prepared (v. 3)
F foundation of the world (v. 5)
G Only Begotten Son (v. 5)
H high priesthood (v. 6)
I his rest (v. 6)
H high priesthood (v. 7)
G his Son (v. 7)
F foundation of the world (v. 7)
E prepared (v. 7)
D foreknowledge of all things (v. 7)
C called (v. 8) B ordained (v. 8)
A order of the Son (v. 9)
“In explaining the priesthood to the people of Ammonihah, Alma taught the doctrine of priesthood authority by expressing it in the form of a chiasm. He then called the attention of the people to the chiastic structure of his sermon by uttering the phrase “And thus it is, Amen.” In written form, the beginning of the chiasm is more difficult to identify than the conclusion because there is not formula that signals the start of the chiasm.As he spoke it,Alma may have indicated the beginning of the chiasm with a gesture or some other behavior that would have been recognized by his listeners.”
JamesT. Duke,https://publications.mi.byu.edu/pdf-control.php/publications/jbms/5/1/S00003-50aa69fb2f9aa3Duke
REST
“These verses indicate a connection between seeing the face of God, having the power of the priesthood, and having the key of the knowledge of God, and entering into the rest of God.
Alma understood that entering into the rest of God meant seeing the face of God and experiencing his fulness, and that this could only be accomplished through the power of the higher priesthood.
Rest is possible only through the atonement of Christ and is earned through faith, repentance and not hardening our hearts.
These scriptural passages afford the hope and comfort that all the faithful saints who have been valiant in the service of God and who have kept his commandments and loved their fellow beings may confidently look forward to
the rest of God.”
JamesT. Duke,https://publications.mi.byu.edu/pdf-control.php/publications/jbms/5/1/S00003-50aa69fb2f9aa3Duke
FOREORDINATION
“In the premortal spirit world, God appointed certain spirits to fulfill specific missions during their mortal lives.This is called foreordination. Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency, just as foreordination came as a result of righteousness in the premortal existence.
The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties.As people prove themselves worthy, they will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments they then received.”
https://www.lds.org/topics/foreordination?lang=eng
“The conventional interpretation of the opening verses of Alma 13 holds that Alma understood and taught the people of Ammonihah that all who receive the priesthood in mortality were foreordained to receive it on account of their exceeding faith and good works in the pre-existence.That interpretation includes the idea that others were not foreordained to receive the priesthood in mortality because they were not as faithful or valiant in the pre-existence.”
“What Alma specifies as the “manner of ordination” is the way in which any man may qualify to receive the Priesthood.That method of qualification is what Alma says was intended to provide a type, or teaching, as to how all people might “look forward to the Son of God for redemption.” And what was that method?
It is that,“being left to choose good or evil,” they exercise “exceedingly great faith” and are called, “while others ... reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds” when they might have received the same holy calling if they had also exercised exceedingly great faith.
In this way, the reference to “the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God” can be seen as a parenthetical observation that the worthiness qualification itself was foreordained “from the foundation of the world.” While God certainly foreknew which of His sons would qualify in mortality to receive the Priesthood, the standards He preset did not exclude any of them.All men would exercise their agency and choose for themselves. All were called, but fewer would be chosen, in exercise of their own free will and choice.”
A. Keith Thompson, https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/were-we-foreordained-to-the-priesthood-or-was-the- standard-of-worthiness-foreordained-alma-13-reconsidered/
THE NARRATIVE
“A successful book is not made of what is in it,” MarkTwain wrote,“but of what is left out of it.” Though he would have never admitted it,Twain’s definition would have made the Book of Mormon a successful book.The book is full of things that are not there, from such cultural details as what Nephite cities looked like to the far more personal—emotions, doubts, and questions. Of course, the book does offer detail at times, but often information is left out at the moment in the narrative when readers are the most curious about what happened.The text frequently shows signs of having been carefully crafted, the narrator picking and choosing what should be said and what is best left to our imaginations.
Rather than taking quick looks at brief passages throughout the book, closely reading a single subject of a rather lengthy narrative can be more fruitful if we desire to see how the narrator left important story elements to us and our hearts and minds.”
Charles Swift, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/volume-13-number-1-2012/when-less-more-reticent-narrator-story-alma-
and-amulek
THE NARRATIVE
“What does he mean by the mysteries and power of God? What has he seen? What does he mean when he says that he was called many times but would not hear? Called to do what? How does a man know he is being called if he does not hear? What were the things that he knew but would not know? And when he says that he rebelled against God in the wickedness of his heart, are we to take him at his word and believe that he actually was someone like Alma in his youth, in open rebellion against God? Or, is he such a humble and spiritual man that he considers the slightest weakness to be rebellion, the tiniest of flaws enough to make his heart wicked? Rather than claiming that we do not know these details because they are not important to our salvation, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we do not know them because not knowing them may be important to our salvation. By leaving out this information, the narrator makes it easier for us to relate to Amulek. Many members may feel that they have, at times, fallen short in how they serve. Many may believe that they have been called, but would not hear, and that they knew, but would not know. If the narrator made clear exactly what Amulek was referring to, then perhaps fewer readers would see themselves in him. But since we really do not know how far Amulek had gone in being unrighteous, the narrator leads us to ask questions of ourselves. We reflect on how well we have heard the voice of the Lord, on how hesitant we may sometimes be to admit that we know what we know.These verses tell us something about Amulek, but they invite us to learn much more about ourselves.”
“Amulek has lost all that he has owned. He has seen the martyrdom of many innocent women and children, perhaps including witnessing the murder of his wife and children, by being burned alive, one of the most torturous ways to die. Perhaps worse of all, he was told that he could do nothing to save them. He has been imprisoned for days and tortured, then miraculously delivered by the Lord. He has had to meet with the men whose families he had seen murdered and tell them all that had happened, including how he and Alma could not save their families, but they could save themselves. And he has seen one of his enemies healed because of his faith in the word and then baptized. He has lost his friends, his father, and his kindred. He may have even lost his own wife and children. Does he remember how the angel had told him that Alma would be a blessing to him? Does he remember when he testified that Alma had indeed blessed him, his wife and children, and all his family?”
Charles Swift, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/volume-13-number-1-2012/when-less-more-reticent-narrator-story-alma-and-amulek
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