Did Somebody Say False Doctrine?

I was asked to speak in church last Sunday. I have never posted a talk to the blog before, but I thought I would do it this time. If you are not interested in my take on religion, you can skip this post.

"Good afternoon brothers and sisters. When Brother Sundahl asked me to speak he was less interested in the topic than the fact that this is my first talk as a high priest. He instructed me that this means that I need to be esoteric, boring and theoretical. I told him that I was grateful that someone finally asked me to play to my strengths. Actually, Brother Sundahl did not say that, though it would have been awesome if he had. He and Bishop Thompson have asked me to speak about the themes of bondage and deliverance in the Book of Mormon.

The theme of bondage and deliverance is a universal scriptural theme. It is a great metaphor for many aspects of life and for life in general. It is a scriptural theme that repeats often in the Book of Mormon. The story of bondage and deliverance repeats itself in the stories of the following people: the people of Limhi, Nephi/Sam, Gidgiddoni, Alma the Elder, the Lamanites during the time of Samuel, Captain Moroni and Mormon and the remaining Nephites. Each of these stories has a common theme while adding different colors. I have been asked to focus on the story of Captain Moroni and discuss how it relates to our life today.

The Lamanites had a large presence in the Nephites’ land when Captain Moroni was the head of the armies. Captain Moroni was charged with maintaining the safety of the land while the Lamanites were attacking on multiple fronts and doing so in somewhat unorthodox ways. For example, the Nephites knew they were under attack, but they had always assumed that the center of their land and the capitol was safe. This assumption proved to be false during this time. While the actual warfare was stop and go, the threat of war was constant. Under such circumstances, Captain Moroni faced a tactical question: How do I best protect a land when my opponent is attacking on multiple fronts in unexpected ways when I don’t know how much time for preparation I will have before they attack again?

Given the way I have worded the question above, I think all of us as individuals, as parents or members of families, and as members of the church can relate to this struggle in a religious context. Satan’s influence in the world at large shows no signs of diminishing. Our modern life is suffuse with evil influences that are more complicated and ingenious than those that have been seen in years past. While the attempts to sway us are more subtle than in times past, these forces are also more blatant and constant in our lives than ever before. Some of the language used today, behaviors and the manner in which we treat each other, and the topics in vogue in current conversations would have been considered taboo in years past. Satan has worked hard to change the context of our conversations and the world has ceded ground to him. What suggestions from Captain Moroni can we implement in our lives to increase our chances of successfully overcoming Satan in such circumstances? Let’s listen to the description of what Moroni did during a break between times of war in Alma chapter 50 verses 1 to 6 for ideas:

“And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.

And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.

And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high.

And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.

And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.

Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.”

Were there any phrases that stuck out to you in this passage besides the multiple uses of words with the root of “commence” in the first verse? Some phrases that stuck out to me were “digging up heaps of earth,” “timbers to the height of a man,” “towers,” “places of security,” “every city” and the description of fighting the fights from the tops of the towers. Moroni gave his people tools to protect them and gave them the means to dictate the terms of battle to those people that were trying to overthrow them. An interesting question is was this new technology and did Moroni adopt the newest technological step in warfare in order to protect his people? I believe that the answer is no. Walls had been around long before Moroni used them to thwart the Lamanites. Cities had been built on mounds with single entrances for generations in the old world. Moroni may have taken old technology and used it to his greatest advantage, though. And I think this is a lesson we can use in our families. Let me share an example from my personal life.

Two or so years ago, President Low counseled us to watch General Conference with our families. I was excited that it made for much easier preparation of Family Home Evening lessons since I only would have to lead a discussion, but I was much more apprehensive than excited. Didn’t President Low understand that I have small children? Doesn’t he know that they have a REALLY hard time sitting through conference speakers? We often come up to the chapel to watch the Sunday morning session of General Conference. The most our little family has accomplished is disrupting the viewing of the other members in the chapel. Mary and I believe General Conference is important to us and our children, but I was not convinced that watching more General Conference was going to be the answer. Mary and I talked about whether or not we should follow and obey President Low. In the end, we decided to give it a shot though there was some skepticism on my part. We decided that we would watch one talk on the computer each week for family home evening and discuss it. I wish I could say that from the first week it was a success, but it was not. But I can say that over time we had many more successes than failures. Not only that, but Grace and Caleb learned to recognize the voices of our leaders. Those two knew more about the church because they listened to the leaders. Joshua fell in love with the songs of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and learned lessons from those songs. Mary and I learned the wisdom that comes from obedience to an inspired stake president. But let’s think about the advice for a second. Is the advice to listen to General Conference particularly new? Have we ever heard that we need to listen to the words of our modern prophets? I think if you have been a member of the church one year or ever met with the missionaries, we all know that this is not novel counsel. Maybe we don’t always hear to review talks in family home evening, but that certainly has been suggested before. I believe that President Low’s council was not new technology, but an inspired use of currently available technology.

One thing I have learned from studying Captain Moroni’s approach is that it isn’t the latest technology that will save or condemn me. What will save me is taking the current technology (inspired counsel, in this example) and adapting it to my circumstances. As I do so, I need to make sure that I am proactive in building up towers, places of security, and circumstances to dictate how I engage Satan and how my children do as well.

Let’s read one more passage from Alma, verses 7, 9 through 12, from chapter 50.

“And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his armies should go forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth and drove all the Lamanites who were in the east wilderness into their own lands...

And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness... he caused that the inhabitants who were in the land of Zarahemla and in the land round about should go forth into the east wilderness, even to the borders by the seashore, and possess the land.

And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect fortifications that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their enemies.

And thus he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites...

Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession.”

These verses are a powerful reminder of what we can do to make sure our families and our lives are successful. Moroni cleaned up and cleared out things that would make it difficult for the cities to be viable. He cleaned up the wilderness and did so much that others would flock to him because of the protection from outside influences. I think that is something we would like for our families. This has also forced me to think about the influences that I bring into my home. Katherine Poulsen recently spoke about how a tiny device could bring a whole world of good and bad into our homes. I had to ask myself what influences am I escorting into our home with my latest purchases? Would Moroni be inspired by the things I have done to protect my home or would he see a vulnerable home?

I know that he would not think that I always measure up. Our Bishop has asked us to set aside 20 minutes a day to study the scriptures and ponder what God wants us to do. I have not consistently done this. I believe that I am missing out on blessing because I am not following the counsel of our Bishop. If my life and the life of my family is going to be more safe and secure, I need to follow the Bishop and gain a testimony of how I can implement this time for reading and pondering in my life.

There are many other lessons that we can learn from Captain Moroni, but there was one last lesson that I have learned that I wanted to share. You will remember that the king-men were trying to overthrow the government of the Nephites near the end of Alma. Many of us may be able to relate to the idea of a “house divided” either in our personal lives, in our families or during the course of our life. What should I do in such circumstances? I have learned that I must adapt this oft quoted counsel in Alma 60 verse 23: “Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.” While Captain Moroni and Pahoran used this as a justification to make the king-men submit, that is not what this passage of scripture has come to mean to me. I have learned that this means that I have to be the first to repent. If I am going to doing any cleaning in my home or anywhere else, I won’t be able to do it until I have repented, remain penitent and become humble. If I don’t maintain that disposition, my efforts are invariably fruitless.

While most of this talk has been couched in the language of the war chapters of Alma, I hope that is not the message that you take away. I am hesitant to use a war metaphor even though we are at war with Satan. This is not a call to fight, but a call to proactive fortification. The world is out there. We can change the world through our interactions with it, but the world’s course won’t soon change. But we can fortify ourselves and our families. We can do this by listening and obeying our leaders, using all the old technology we have and repenting. This is nothing new, but it is more than enough to save us. It has helped save me and continues to help me in my life. I know that following the little advice can have the biggest impact on whom and what we become. For me, the most significant decision I have made in my life was the decision to marry. I read my scriptures, prayed and attended the temple to try and find an answer. When it came time to make a decision, I fasted and attended the temple one more time. While I was there, I had a revelatory experience that helped me understand more about the gospel, the temple, and what I needed to do in this life. It was a clear answer to my question about whether or not I should be married. I knew that I should. I use this experience both as a description and a prescription. It is a description of how the ideas in Alma 50 changed my life and a prescription of how it can help you when you need clarity in your life. The same Sunday School answers of reading the scriptures alone and with your family, praying alone and with your family and attending the temple and church, are magnificently powerful when employed by the faithful in seeking those things that God wants to reveal to us.

I have a testimony of the power of inspiration over the leaders of our church and the power of obedience to that counsel by the faithful. I know that God watches over us and want us to grow in safety and love. I know that God cares about our families. As we fortify our lives through implementing the truths of the gospel, I know that God will bless us and our children. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."