Moroni 9:6-20
9:6-9 - Even though it appears like the Nephites are a lost cause, Mormon encourages Moroni "notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God." I thought it was interesting that Mormon referenced rest in the kingdom of God, but prefaced it with what they would rest, their souls. This goes back to the teaching we learned a couple of weeks ago that "the rest of the Lord" isn't a physical rest, but a spiritual rest, in which we have inner peace based on the gospel and the Savior no matter what's going on around us. I had some insight into this concept earlier this week when I had some drama, and even though I was sitting down or lying in bed, my spirit was going 100 miles an hour and it was terrible, I would have much rather been physically busy than spiritually busy. I also thought about the prophets and the leaders of the Church vs. national and world leaders. I looked at world politics through the lens of Church leaders and I thought that it wouldn't matter who was president, it wouldn't matter what the economy was doing, it wouldn't matter what group was doing what to who, the work would be the important matter, spreading the gospel and strengthening the saints, that's what would change the world, not some sanction or made up law. Mormon recognizes that too, he doesn't ask Moroni to help him come up with a treaty or a strategy, he says that the only way out of this is preaching the word of God, and asks Moroni for his assistance in that endeavor, nothing else. He gives his son a break down of what's been going on in the war, and honestly, it's horrific. Lamanites have taken prisoners and killed the men and "they feed the women upon the flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and no water, save a little, do they give unto them." Who even thought of this? Who even said, "hey, want to know what's a good idea?" Really, terrible, but that's not the worst part, the worst part is what the Nephites are doing to the Lamanite prisoners, rape and murder. It's interesting because with my kids we are reading the account of the priests of king Noah who kidnap the daughters of the Lamanites and my heart aches for these poor girls, and my daughter had some questions, like "how did they force the girls to marry them," and stuff like that, and it's hard because I don't want to scare my daughter about the real dangers that face women, but I don't want her to be oblivious to it either, that's not safe, and this is just another example of maybe the worst possible act on person can commit against another, and which is so prevalent that statistically, my daughter will very possibly be a victim of rape. Rape is so horrific that it's easy to associate the opposite of "that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue" as being the most violent and crushing tragedy that can happen to a person, and here the Nephites were doing it with bells on. The IM quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley as teaching, "And now just a word on the most common and most difficult of all problems for you young men and young women to handle. It is the relationship that you have one with another. you are dealing with the most powerful of human instincts. Only the will to live possibly exceeds it. The Lord has made us attractive one to another for a great purpose. But this very attraction becomes as a powder keg unless it is kept under control. It is beautiful when handled in the right way. It is deadly if it gets out of hand... My dear young friends, in matters of sex you know what it right. You know when you are walking on dangerous ground, when it is so easy to stumble and slide into the pit of transgression. I plead with you to be careful, to stand safely back from the cliff of sin over which it is so easy to fall. Keep yourselves clean from the dark and disappointing evil of sexual transgression. Walk in the sunlight of that peace which comes from obedience to the commandments of the Lord. Now, if there be any who have stepped over the line, who may already have transgressed, is there any hope for you? Of course there is. Where there is true repentance, there will be forgiveness. That process begins with prayer. The Lord has said, 'He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.' Share your burden with your parents if you can. And by all means, confess to your bishop, who stands ready to help you." It's interesting because sometimes I think about what I would say to the young women who are growing up in the world today, or what I wish I could have told myself when I was young and one of the things that I would tell myself is the importance of the law of chastity, what it's really all about and how it can be absolutely incredible, and absolutely horrible depending on the circumstances, I wish I would have known that. But the instance of the Nephites wasn't about immorality, but actual rape, to which the IM quotes Elder Richard G. Scott as teaching, "I solemnly testify that when another's acts of violence, perversion, or incest hurt you terribly, against your will, you are not responsible and you must not feel guilty. You may be left scarred by abuse, but those scars need not be permanent. In the eternal plan, in the Lord's timetable, those injuries can be made right as you do your part... If you are now or have in the past been abused, seek help now... Talk to you bishop in confidence. His calling allows him to act as an instrument of the Lord in your behalf. He can provide a doctrinal foundation to guide you to recovery. An understanding and application of eternal law will provide the healing you require. He has the right to be inspired of the Lord in your behalf. He can use the priesthood to bless you." I love that he says that abuse can be "made right" in the Lord's time, in the eternal perspective, I don't know how, I don't know anything about what will make it right, but I have to believe that it can and will be made right. As I thought about the atonement earlier this week, one of the thoughts that really hit me was the essentially, the Savior has been raped, as many times as any person in the whole world combined. He felt the pain, the terror, the fear, the self-loathing, the guilt, the heart ache, he felt all of that, and because he was perfect, because he knew his role in the plan of salvation, because he had perfect faith, I thought that perhaps he hadn't felt fear before the atonement and if that was one of the worst parts of it for him, being totally unfamiliar with it previously. This is just my own speculation, but I thought about the aspect that fear might have played in the atonement and thought how foreign it must have been for Jesus when it first happened.
9:10-19 - And not only that, after "depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue- And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery." Sick, sick, sick. Mormon laments how quickly his people spiraled into darkness and asks, "How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?" Mormon, though righteous himself, associates himself with the wicked Nephites, identifying them collectively as "us." I've done this a few times when talking to someone about the wicked state of our society, saying, "we are a Nephite nation." Even though I know that I'm trying my best to be righteous, I still live in the society that largely shuns God and righteousness, and if we are destroyed because of that, then I can accept my part in it, trusting that I will be protected in the end by Jesus. Mormon says what I say many times, "Come out in judgment, O God, and his their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face!" I say, "the sooner the Lord comes again the better," and I truly believe that. Mormon gives more news about war, and honestly the over all sentiment of this chapter is how the women and children are the biggest victims in societal collapse. We've already seen the rape, torture and murder of the Lamanite daughters, now Mormon tells of the "many widows and their daughters who remain" being robbed of all their food by both Nephites and Lamanites, there's no loyalty there, and they are left "to wander whithersoever they can for food; and many old women do faint by the way and die." No wonder Jesus Christ is the ultimate champion of women, we are so vulnerable and exposed in almost all circumstances! Mormon even says it directly when describing his armies, "and they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written." The suffering of the women and children "doth exceed everything." Makes me wonder what a righteous woman is to do, because surely this wasn't or isn't the only instance of abuse and neglect of women during the history of the world, no, in fact, it's quite the opposite, most instances of war or rebellion or upheaval of any kind, ends in the suffering of women and children the most. They are the ones who pay the price for everything, so what is a righteous woman to do? How does she safe guard against that? Can she? Something to think about.
9:20 - Mormon decides to give it a rest, because Moroni already knows "that they are without principle, and past feeling." To rob an old woman of her food so that you can eat it yourself, as a younger man, you have to be past feeling in order to be able to do that, heart of stone is the only way. The IM quotes Elder Neal A. Maxwell as commenting on being "past feeling" saying, "Our capacity to feel controls our behavior in many ways, and by inaction when our feelings prompt us to do good, we deaden that capacity to feel. It was Jesus' striking sensitivity to the needs of those about him that made it possible for him to respond in action. At the other end of the spiritual spectrum are individuals such as Nephi's erring brothers; Nephi noted their increasing insensitivity to things spiritual; '(God) hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.' When we become too encrusted with error, our spiritual antennae wilt and we slip beyond mortal reach. This can happen to entire civilizations. In his lamentation to his son Moroni, Mormon notes the deterioration of the Nephite society. The symptoms include a wickedness so profound that Mormon's people were described by him as being 'past feeling.' The Apostle Paul lamented the destructive lasciviousness of Church members in Ephesus because they had developed such insensitivity in their satiation that they were 'past feeling.' A sex-saturated society cannot really feel the needs of its suffering members because, instead of developing love that looks outward, it turns man selfishly inward. Imperviousness to the promptings of the still small voice of God will also mean that we have ears but cannot hear, not only the promptings of God, but also the pleas of men." The IM continues by quoting President Boyd K. Packer as teaching, "The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Raucous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth... This trent to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless. The first issue by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both ming and spirit." I love that Elder Maxwell equated an obsession with sex to an obsession with self, thus making other people objects to be used, instead of children of God to be loved. The focus is shifted from others to self, and any message from the Spirit regarding another person's needs wouldn't even be recognized because other people aren't real to us. Interestingly, I was listening to the October 2009 general conference talk entitled "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance," in which Elder Scott addressed this very topic in which he said, "I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you... The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeno pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit. Sin is addictive; self-degenerating; conducive to other strains of corruption; deadening to spirituality, conscience, and reason; blinding to reality, contagious, destructive to mind, body, and spirit. Sin is spiritually corrosive. Unrestrained it becomes all-consuming. It is overcome by repentance and righteousness." I loved the comparison of the jalapeno to the grape, and the overpowering of the Spirit by emotions, so true, in our case as well as that of the Nephites.
9:10-19 - And not only that, after "depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue- And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery." Sick, sick, sick. Mormon laments how quickly his people spiraled into darkness and asks, "How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?" Mormon, though righteous himself, associates himself with the wicked Nephites, identifying them collectively as "us." I've done this a few times when talking to someone about the wicked state of our society, saying, "we are a Nephite nation." Even though I know that I'm trying my best to be righteous, I still live in the society that largely shuns God and righteousness, and if we are destroyed because of that, then I can accept my part in it, trusting that I will be protected in the end by Jesus. Mormon says what I say many times, "Come out in judgment, O God, and his their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face!" I say, "the sooner the Lord comes again the better," and I truly believe that. Mormon gives more news about war, and honestly the over all sentiment of this chapter is how the women and children are the biggest victims in societal collapse. We've already seen the rape, torture and murder of the Lamanite daughters, now Mormon tells of the "many widows and their daughters who remain" being robbed of all their food by both Nephites and Lamanites, there's no loyalty there, and they are left "to wander whithersoever they can for food; and many old women do faint by the way and die." No wonder Jesus Christ is the ultimate champion of women, we are so vulnerable and exposed in almost all circumstances! Mormon even says it directly when describing his armies, "and they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written." The suffering of the women and children "doth exceed everything." Makes me wonder what a righteous woman is to do, because surely this wasn't or isn't the only instance of abuse and neglect of women during the history of the world, no, in fact, it's quite the opposite, most instances of war or rebellion or upheaval of any kind, ends in the suffering of women and children the most. They are the ones who pay the price for everything, so what is a righteous woman to do? How does she safe guard against that? Can she? Something to think about.
9:20 - Mormon decides to give it a rest, because Moroni already knows "that they are without principle, and past feeling." To rob an old woman of her food so that you can eat it yourself, as a younger man, you have to be past feeling in order to be able to do that, heart of stone is the only way. The IM quotes Elder Neal A. Maxwell as commenting on being "past feeling" saying, "Our capacity to feel controls our behavior in many ways, and by inaction when our feelings prompt us to do good, we deaden that capacity to feel. It was Jesus' striking sensitivity to the needs of those about him that made it possible for him to respond in action. At the other end of the spiritual spectrum are individuals such as Nephi's erring brothers; Nephi noted their increasing insensitivity to things spiritual; '(God) hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.' When we become too encrusted with error, our spiritual antennae wilt and we slip beyond mortal reach. This can happen to entire civilizations. In his lamentation to his son Moroni, Mormon notes the deterioration of the Nephite society. The symptoms include a wickedness so profound that Mormon's people were described by him as being 'past feeling.' The Apostle Paul lamented the destructive lasciviousness of Church members in Ephesus because they had developed such insensitivity in their satiation that they were 'past feeling.' A sex-saturated society cannot really feel the needs of its suffering members because, instead of developing love that looks outward, it turns man selfishly inward. Imperviousness to the promptings of the still small voice of God will also mean that we have ears but cannot hear, not only the promptings of God, but also the pleas of men." The IM continues by quoting President Boyd K. Packer as teaching, "The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Raucous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth... This trent to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless. The first issue by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both ming and spirit." I love that Elder Maxwell equated an obsession with sex to an obsession with self, thus making other people objects to be used, instead of children of God to be loved. The focus is shifted from others to self, and any message from the Spirit regarding another person's needs wouldn't even be recognized because other people aren't real to us. Interestingly, I was listening to the October 2009 general conference talk entitled "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance," in which Elder Scott addressed this very topic in which he said, "I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you... The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeno pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit. Sin is addictive; self-degenerating; conducive to other strains of corruption; deadening to spirituality, conscience, and reason; blinding to reality, contagious, destructive to mind, body, and spirit. Sin is spiritually corrosive. Unrestrained it becomes all-consuming. It is overcome by repentance and righteousness." I loved the comparison of the jalapeno to the grape, and the overpowering of the Spirit by emotions, so true, in our case as well as that of the Nephites.
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