United We Stand

Stop the Demonizing

Ok, so this has been something I have wanted to really really talk about for a long time with my friends but have had trouble doing it because it is such an emotional and explosive topic: Party Politics. I warn you, if you keep reading I likely will offend you with my bluntness, but that doesn't make my message less true (even if you can find faults with the specific content).

In particular I want to talk about the way we see and treat each other. Over the last year I have as a Republican been accused of being heartless, a hypocrite, a chauvinist, a racist, a bigot, an idiot, stupid, unchristian, and pretty much every accusation you could ever make under the face of the sun. I have seen many Republican friends accuse Democrats of the same things. Now as much as this is a terrible thing: its politics, its media, its crazy people taking advantage of other crazy people.

The problem is how many of my smart, intelligent, and educated friends I see not only saying these things but actually believing them. Some of these friends were members of the other party not long ago and yet suddenly believe the craziest accusations against their former party. The crime and danger here is that once you actually believe the other side is stupid, you start assuming their every action is stupid. Lets stop and be honest. 47% of the nation is democrat and 47% republican. Do you really think that many people are off their rocker? Yes some of their leaders may say crazy things but that doesn't make everything any one of them says stupid. Actually, the only reason the leaders can get away saying crazy things is because we have allowed ourselves to demonize each other so completely that we actually believe what they say or at best feel what they say is better than the opposition.

I mean really, does any one actually think 47% of Americans would support stripping women's rights? No, but I know democrats who will never support anything a republican says because they think Republicans do. Does anyone honestly think 47% of people want the American Government to colapse? No, but I know some Republicans who will never support a democrat for fear of it. Worst as I said before, these are not crazies believing this stuff. These are very educated people many of whom I call friends. So why do they believe it? Why do YOU believe the terrible things about the other side that you do?

I think it is in part because we are so busy defending ourselves we don't stop to empathize with the other side. We don't stop and actually think. I believe another part of it is because there is so much politicking and maneuvering happening designed to deceive us. Are you aware that some bills are proposed that are not meant to pass? They are meant to create a media out cry; To force the other side to say no to something but claim they said no to something else in the bill; They are meant to show the other side the limits of their power; or even just so a feel can be gathered about who supports who and where the swing votes are. Once we are confused and on the defensive, the media then comes in and persuades us like sheep that these leaders are terrible people and everyone who supports them too. Even in politics everyone is just doing the best they can with the limited knowledge they have: presidents, congress, and voters. They aren't trying to rob you, or to destroy the country, and they couldn't get where they are without being fairly smart. If they are doing the best they can then maybe they might have legitimate reason for what they do? Maybe we might have something we can learn from them or do better by paying attention?

No one wants to think about it though and so we demonize each other and vote for representatives who also see the other side as nothing but raving lunatics foaming at the mouth. Is it any wonder there has been so much deadlock? (Democrats you keep screaming the Tea Party is what's done this but that very accusation puts you in the same boat). So now we are stuck seeing red all around and I actually find someone asking me "Wait you are a republican of your own choice?" Really? I find everywhere I turn, the ways we try to persuade each other is through shamming each other, peer-pressuring each other, fast talking each other into confusion, or just plain talking over each other.

I understand the media doing this. I understand this in propaganda. I understand people promoting it on Facebook. I do not understand this in my friends when I see them in person, not because they are my friends but they are educated and they should know better. Yet I still see this and not from only a few. These are the methods of mob rule and result only in bad decisions being made. This is how we end up in situations where democrats are calling republicans unchristian and hypocrites for being afraid to let refugees in and Republicans calling democrats stupid for trying to let terrorists in. Can no one see that these views are not directly opposite? Some people in congress did, but when republicans agreed to let refugees in so long as they were screened the democrats turned them down. Maybe the democrats had a good reason but instead of offering alternate ways to meet the republicans' desire for security the democrats condemn them for not letting through all refugees unconditionally. So we keep shouting insults at each other refusing to see the needs of almost every 2nd person in the country. This can also be applied to the healthcare bill: Republicans "it won't work", Democrats "people shouldn't suffer"; Gun control: Democrats "we need to stop mass killings", Republicans "Guns are our rights"; and plenty more that favor blindness from each side (note these are not the specific arguments but the motives of the arguments). Now there are some arguments that come to a moral line that can't be crossed, but even then more often than not we are hitting each other head on and demanding compromises of 50/50 where there can be none instead of looking for alternate solutions.

Granted most of these issues are being handled way above the ability for most of us to affect in the short run. So why does this matter to us? Because the way we treat each other and how we are seen to approach the issues determines how friends, colleagues, and children will treat issues. It will determine how they view the other side. It will determine who they vote for and who is willing to run for office. If we stop demonizing each other on the personal level - and even on Facebook - and start showing we value each others opinion, even when we disagree (remember 47% of people agree with the person you disagree with) then we can hope for politics to make a change for the better. However, even treating each other with respect won't be enough if we let ourselves believe those who are demonizing the other side and letting that influencing our voting and debates. We each need to stand where we are and try to understand the real reason why people say what they say and stop believing the propaganda we see floating around.

(End Note: I am not suggesting either party is right or better than the other. Nor am I suggesting that one party should roll over whenever the other has an idea. Both parties are fundamentally different philosophies and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure my republican view is understood and would hope any democrat would do the same in turn. However, being different and disagreeing doesn't mean we can't understand each other.)

War in the Book of Mormon: Part III

Fortifying Your Life

So previously we talked about how you can protect yourself by wearing the Armor of God. This included righteous living and everything that goes with it.  We also talked about how armor, while great, is not a perfect defense and that you can still be overcome while wearing it. We also in my first post on the War Chapters discussed how different strategies could overcome us despite armor and a fortified life. I skipped the part where you first need to fortify your life though. I don't think that Mormon would have wasted so much time going into the details about the nephrite fortifications if they weren't important. So this topic centers on Alma chapter 48 through 50 where Moroni fortifies the Nephites' positions.

I admit this topic was hard to puzzle out. Like really hard. Not because its to see the symbolism but the opposite. It is soooo easy to apply and in soooo many ways that keeping it consistent and applicable was hard. So I actually asked several people for help and all of their advice helped steer me in the right direction. To start its important to stay focused on the idea of fortifying our environment to protect us as much as our actions/armor. The second step is to think of what each piece of fortification does by itself and how that adds to what the other pieces do - and its more than it all keeps the bad guys out.

Preparing the Mind

7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.

8 Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.

9 And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites.

These versus have a few things that should be considered before starting to build your fortifications. The first is that the minds of the people were prepared to be faithful. This is particularly important if your environment includes a family because if the family isn't behind you then your defenses won't work and may actually cause conflict. Even personally it is important though, because if you aren't ready to make the commitments then the fortifications are a waste. Another point in the previous versus is that the weakest fortifications were placed the greater number of men. Some areas of your life may not be as easy to fortify as others. In these cases it is important to have more support/people involved in your defense than in others. The last pre-fortification thing he mentions is that he was strengthening the armies. This is a simple one - build more relationships with spiritually strong people and also try to increase your own spiritual strength and those around you. No fortification is any good if there is no one capable of defending it.

Barriers

Now the first defense mentioned above are the banks of earth round about his armies - which are not walls because he also mentions those. These banks of earth and walls are described a little better in Chapter 50 vs 1-2. Here it calls them heaps of earth with works of timbers/walls on top of them. In chapter 49 vs 18 he also mentioned surrounding these with ditches/moats. This is a standard European castle design - castle/walls on high ground with moats around. But the question is how are each of these parts different?

The mounds/banks/heaps of earth serve the purpose of putting the defenses at a higher elevation. Even without any other defenses the high ground is the best place to fight for many reasons. Some of these reasons include: increased range for defenders and decreased for attackers, defenders have a better angle for swinging weapons that allow for more power at more vulnerable places (head/torso) than attackers (feet/legs), able to see opponents from further away, and many others. Most of the advantages gained from being on a hill are also gained while using a wall and then some. So why bother with a hill for your wall? Its because there is one really big advantage to being on top of a hill - your opponent is huffing, puffing, and tired by the time they get to you. This means it is much harder for them to effectively attack you and much easier for you to defend yourself.

Spiritually we can build our own homes and lives so they are more elevated and we are harder to reach. We can do this by filling our lives with good things that keeps our thoughts and actions uplifted - good music, pictures of Christ and Temples around our houses, clean conversation and language, clean houses, and regular habits of gospel discussion, prayer, and scripture study. These things help keep us conscious of our actions and how they bring good things or bad things into our lives. The enemy can still reach us but we will be more rested and their arguments far weaker if we keep our lives and environments on a higher plane.

So we mentioned that Walls and Hills have a lot of the same benefits but what do walls offer that hills don't? Well the wall keeps the enemy from reaching you altogether. In our own lives we should also have actual walls that keep things we don't want out. In a practical sense these can include firewalls and filters on our computers and personal devises that keep out porn, gore, and other unwholesome things. We place our walls on hills so that they are harder to climb over or destroy.

So now we have a big hill to climb and a wall at the top, what is the purpose of a moat? A moat offers the same advantage as the wall in that it keeps the enemy out but where the wall is a barrier, the moat/ditch does this by increasing the distance between the enemy and you without you needing to move. It does this by making them have to go around it, climb down one end and out the other, or if its filled with water - swim across it. A moat can even be enhanced and used as a trap by putting spikes at the bottom of it or carnivores in it. We can think of this as putting distance between us and sin. If you are addicted to alcohol than don't keep it in the house so that you have to travel further to reach it. If you have a spouse maybe add a trap to it by setting up a notification so she knows when you spend money to buy some. The moat is about inconveniencing sin and temptation. Its probably worth while noting that if you go look at castles and fortified walls, most never had moats or no longer do. They are awfully inconvenient and hard to maintain, but that doesn't mean they aren't effective.

In summary. Like Moroni fortified the Nephite cities with dirt mounds, walls, and moats, we too need to fortify our lives by building barriers to sin. We need to elevate our lives by filling them with uplifting things and removing the downgrading. We need to build walls to keep evil and temptation out of our lives. Finally we need to increase the distance between us and temptations and even add traps to make sin as inconvenient as possible.

Security

If we continue reading in chapter 50, after the barriers are all built the next things Moroni worked on was creating security for those barriers by putting pickets (guards) on the walls, building towers and security on the towers, and then securing the area around the fortifications. Barriers are no good without the security to make them work.

Pickets are guards that are placed in regular intervals around a camp/fortification designed to alert in case of attack but not in the same way a watch tower does. A Picket is to alert and defend against the sneak attacks that no one saw coming. They also are supposed to fight to delay the enemy long enough to allow the rest of the fort to mobilize. In our own lives this is like inviting those who share our environment (family and coworkers) to help us be on the look out for sin and temptation. Sometimes we don't even notice when we are walking the line and someone else could alert us. Its important to be willing to listen though even if you don't want to - or like a soldier are asleep and in bed when the alarm rings.

The watch towers I think are really interesting though. So watch towers are designed to let you know when you are being attacked. They are not spies that go find out what the enemy is up to and let you know in advance. They are in a sense alarms to let you know when you are in danger. In our own lives we can think of these as things like For the Strength of Youth, alerts if filters are turned off, accountability with friends when trying to overcome addictions, and any other system you can think of to alert yourself if you are approaching sinning (or failing to recover). The next part is equally important, he built securities for his towers to protect the people in them. This means whatever alerts we set should not expose us to sin. As an example, watching a movie or show to decide if its good for our family to see. This exposes us to the very thing we think our family shouldn't see. Better to look up reviews and ratings instead to determine the content of what you will watch.

Finally Moroni removed all the enemies from the wilderness around the Nephites and sent Nephites to live there/secure the land (vs 7) and then built a network of forts/defenses (vs 10) to protect the land. This I think is pretty straight forward. We should surround ourselves with other people who have also fortified their lives. That way we can go to them and use their fortifications and they can be safe in ours and in general be strengthened by nearby support. We should also get rid of friends that are a bad influence on us. That is not the same as getting rid of all non-righteous friends, but some friends do affect us negatively and those should be removed.

Miscellaneous

So that pretty much covers everything I got on fortifying your life. Sorry if its a little more vague and short than the other portions I wrote. Like I said though it was hard to wrap my head around and in truth I am tired and ready to be done with this. So I am going to just wrap up with some other random tidbits taught in the war chapters.

Alma 53 vs 1-5: Prisoners of war were kept and used to strength the fortifications and they were watched. In our own lives these are people who go to church but don't really want to. They likely view themselves as prisoners. As we reach out to them and work with them we can use those opportunities to strengthen ourselves and our faith through service and charity. However we don't want to let them loose in our lives to influence us and our households to do evil and so they should be watched. Its important to notice in Ch 62 vs 29 all of the Prisoners joined the Nephites. So just because someone is a prisoner now doesn't mean they always will be.

Alma ch 56 vs 16-17: Here a city under siege receives some reinforcements and even though it is not nearly enough they are strengthened and over joyed by it. We can take this as a lesson that trying to reach out and help someone is worth it even if we know it isn't really going to help much.

Alma Ch 56 vs 29: Continuing from the one above, as support is given attacks increase. We should be aware that in ours lives and in the lives of others things will likely become harder in the short run when support is given. This is not to say things were better without it, they still were going to be over run, but that we can expect increased opposition even as we receive help.

Alma ch 60: vs 23: In this Moroni expresses the importance of cleansing the inner vessel then the outer vessel. As when Christ taught this, we need to make sure our own motives and directives are pure before we try to help others.

With that I end my exposition on the War Chapter of Alma. I again would like to say that my interpretation is in no way the only one available nor my examples the limit to which these things apply. Nor am I claiming that there are no other jewels to be gained than the things I have listed. I have just worked to show how all the military aspects of the war chapters, that many people overlook as only story telling, have many very important symbolisms that can be used to help us be the victors in the spiritual war we are fighting on this earth.

If you want to read the other two articles they are the previous two before this one. The ones posted in August and September of 2015.

War in the Book of Mormon: Part II

How to Defend Yourself

 

About time I do the next part of my analysis of the War Chapters in the Book of Alma. I still need to discuss the other strategies in the War Chapters  besides the ones dedicated to taking out forts. Which really means this should be part 1 not part 2. The other part I just felt was given less attention and so I wanted to discuss the importance of knowing the strategies to defeat a good defense first. However the first few chapters, and sporadically throughout the rest of the War Chapters, there is a lot of emphasis on how to defend yourself against an army that outnumbers you. Which is very similar to the spiritual war we fight today. There are far fewer people wanting to do what is good and right than not. So we are going to discuss the other strategies in the Book of Mormon. The ones that focus on defense. I have categorized these as follows: Personal Defense and Environmental Defense. This post will only discuss Personal Defense because it is such an important topic, even if it is less complicated and has less chapters dedicated to it. The next post will discuss the Environmental.

 

Armor of God

The War Chapters start in Alma 43 with Moroni preparing the Nephites with armor, and also their battle with the Army of Zerahemnah. The armor the Nephites wore guaranteed them the victory. As it says in Alam 43:38  

 

38 While on the other hand, there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their armshields, and their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.

 

This defense is probably the most commonly referred to and interpreted war symbol in the scriptures - the Armor of God. Paul referencing it often in the New Testament (particularly Ephesians 6) and it also being referenced in the Doctrine and Covenants (section 27) probably helps with its popularity and how well its understood. That said I wanted to talk about it a bit more in depth than most people think about it. I feel most people I talk to think of it in terms of "do what's right and your good - got it". There are specific armor types mentioned though with specific names. These were not random and it is important to consider what each part of armor is supposed to do and how its name has you apply it.

 

Lets start with the least defensive sounding. The Sword of the Spirit (its not the Sword of Truth) is easier to understand in spiritual terms when you see it in other scripture.

 

D&C 1:2 Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word

 

This scripture reminds us of two things. One, the Word of God and the Spirit of God are pretty much inseparable. While they are not the same thing, the Word always has the Spirit and the Spirit always speaks the Word. In other words, the Sword of the Spirit depends on knowing and using the Word of God. The second thing this scripture reminds us is that a sword's purpose is to divide things - normally a physical body of joints and marrow. In spiritual terms what do we need to divide that the Spirit and Word of God can help us with? Good from Evil, Right from Wrong, Truth from Falsehoods. The Sword of the Spirit is to be used as a weapon of discernment to defeat the lies and temptations of this life. Note it is not the Spear or Dart of the Spirit. Those are used for attacking and piercing to the heart of issues. While there may be times we need to pierce people with the Spirit as commanded by God, our primary defense is to use the Spirit to discern.

 

Next is the Shield of Faith. It is interesting that Faith is a shield. It is also interesting how few people use it as such. A shield has three general purposes: it's stronger/thicker than armor, it is a mobile defense, and it can be used as a weapon. I find Faith being a shield so interesting because it is stronger than the breastplate of righteousness; you will continue to believe and act on your beliefs long after you made mistakes and sinned. Faith also is a mobile defense. Faith is an action word and requires you to act to enable its power. Just having/wearing Faith will not protect you. You have to actively strive and use it to stop the enemies strikes before they can land. In modern life it is similar to serving your neighbor or acting on a feeling you think is from God. These small acts of Faith do more to protect you then simply knowing the Gospel is true. Finally as a weapon, sometimes we can't discern what's right and it seems we  are going to be overwhelmed and so we just turn solely to the fact that we know the gospel is true and swing-out with/hold-on to that knowledge with everything we have. That is when we are fighting with our Shield of Faith, not the most effective method but sometimes it is what is needed. Sometimes those moments are what sway others to turn and do what is right also.

 

Next we already mentioned, the Breastplate of Righteousness. This one is pretty simple. A Breastplate is something you wear  all the time to give you minimal protection from anything that can come from anywhere. It is not designed to protect you completely, but as described with the Nephites above, it is designed to protect the more vital parts of the body. In spiritual terms we can think of this as living a righteous life. If you live righteously, the times your faith fails you and you don't know what is right you won't fall completely. You might be weak and shaken but your righteous habits and patterns of life have kept you from doing any serious damage. Good examples of these are living the Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom. Someone who has kept these commandments will continue to do so for a time (not indefinitely) even when they waver, and so they can thereby avoid the longer term addictions and heartbreaks that do so much more damage.

 

Speaking of the Law of Chastity, next is to have your loins Girt about you with Truth. What are the spiritual loins you are trying to protect? Your chastity, your children, your spouse, your family, and everything else that part of your body creates, builds, and holds together. I find it interesting how overwhelmingly obvious the recommended protection is: Truth. Be open honest with your spouse and yourself. I can't imagine someone cheating on their spouse without having to lie or hide something first. I could go on about this and how you can read anywhere on the internet how important communication is to a relationship, but I think it speaks for itself. If you don't buy it being the greatest defense, try denying that dishonesty isn't guaranteed death to the trust families depend on.

 

Next you need to have your Feet shod with the Gospel of Peace. What are shoes and feet for? They take us places. So you can rephrase this as walk in the ways/paths of the Gospel of Peace. As we strive to live the Gospel, and in particular the more peaceful aspects of the Gospel, we will find we can do more and travel further in this life than if we try to live an aggressive life trying to compel all people to bend to our will. I think it important to note this is not implying pacifism which would get you walked all over - we are talking armor after all, and it also is referring to travel in a Godly sense. So yeah, the aggressive guy might get more money and might rule most of Europe for a short time but that is a worldly success.

 

Last is the Helmet of Salvation. What is the purpose of a helmet? Its is to protect your brain/thoughts, and a well designed helmet will protect you from even being stunned or disoriented from a blow to the head. As we surround our thoughts and minds with the knowledge and desires of salvation, we similarly will be less susceptible to being stunned or falling  to the deceits of the adversary. Sometimes we haven't discerned yet with our sword of the spirit. Sometimes something comes we weren't ever expecting and our shield of faith isn't in place. Sometimes its not targeting our vital ways of life that the Breastplate of Righteousness protects. Sometimes it is targeting our very thoughts and understandings of what is right and wrong, of whether the church is true, or if our leaders are inspired. These can be things like the Prophet revealing something you did not expect and seriously disagree with (like when Joseph Smith revealed Polygamy or President Woodruff recanting Polygamy 50 year later), learning something in church history you didn't know about or expect (like the Mountain Meadow Massacre), or perhaps a strong member or leader in the church falling away. If we can maintain our desire for salvation and remember the way it can be obtained as witnessed to us through the scriptures and the spirit, then these things will not defeat us or stun us with surprise, but we will be protected until we can bring our Sword and Shield to bear and again be protected by the Spirit and Faith.

 

I know most people probably have an idea of what the Armor of God is and how it works but I have wanted for a long time to write it in detail. I think it is easy to forget how to wear it and as a result we easily become complacent thinking that having one attribute is enough. That thinking on our Faith will protect our thoughts. That walking in Faith we will travel furthest. That we can wear Faith and be protected. As important as Faith is, it is only a portion of the armor and we weaken ourselves when we forget the details.

 

Knowledge

So the Armor of God is not the only method provided for personal defense given in the War Chapters. Granted it is the most all encompassing, applicable, and probably important one. However that doesn't make the others unimportant. One method of personal defense that is mentioned in those first chapters is the importance of knowing what the enemy is doing. Now it doesn't seem such a personal defense issue because Moroni gathers it for the armies and the armies are then positioned by Moroni using the information. Stop and think for a second though, what if you were the guy who didn't pay attention to the knowledge Moroni passed on to you? Wouldn't it be terrible to think the enemy was a long way away and suddenly realize they are right in front of you? Similarly in our own lives we need to use the knowledge in our personal lives to understand why we are given our orders, determine where we'll stand, and when we should move.

 

The first method Moroni used to gain knowledge on the enemy was through spies (Alma 43:23). Remember when talking about spies here these are not CIA or James Bond type spies. In war spies are less often people who pretend to be one of the enemy than people who try to be ninjas. They try to see what is happening without ever engaging the enemy. In our own lives this would be us learning about the things of the world without ever participating. This could include research, talking to and being friends with worldly people, and general observation. This is how we learn that people spike food with drugs, we learn about rape pills, we learn kids are using their friends' smart phones to view porn at school, and the rationales people use for committing different kinds of sins. If you don't know there is something bad out there you are bound to be caught off guard when it comes for you or your family. This is not the same as immersing yourself in it however. In Mosiah 9 we read about how when Zeniff was sent to spy on the Lamanites he fell in love with their culture and ended up turning the Nephites against each other and getting the whole army killed. Spending time studying anti-Mormon literature is very bad for you. We need to know the enemy movements but we can't let ourselves become one of them.

 

The second method of gaining knowledge Moroni used was to ask the Prophet (Alma 43:23). This can be taken in our own lives in several different ways. It can mean to literally ask the prophet which can be done through praying for an answer and then listening at general conference to the words of the prophet. It can mean  to search for an answer from the prophet's wors which we can do by studying old conferences and the scriptures. It can mean seeking direct revelation from God through an intermediary which can be done by seeking a blessing from a priesthood holder. Finally it could mean just seeking for revelation from God which can be accomplished by fasting, pondering, and praying. In Moroni's case he did seek actual prophetic revelation and not just personal revelation, but he was also leading an army to protect his entire people. On the other hand, we are talking about personal defense still. In the sense of gaining information on your enemies through this manner it probably would be best to think of this in terms of finding your weaknesses or the dangers to your family.

 

The last method of gaining knowledge was already mentioned briefly, your leaders - like Moroni, tell you it. Simple enough when you think about it but sometimes much harder to apply. No one likes being told what to do or what their weaknesses are. Especially if they don't know why they are being told to do something - like not watch rated R-movies even though there isn't a commandment about it. However, in Alma 57:21 we read in a different battle about how the two-thousand Sons of Helaman all survived a battle where many older, stronger, veteran soldiers died. 

 

Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them

 

So too if we follow the orders and listen to the knowledge of our leaders we will be preserved according to our faith - even if it might not make the most sense or even be good council.

 

As we obtain knowledge of our enemies and follow our leaders we will be protected much as the Nephites in Alma 55:29-32

 

29 Many times did the Lamanites attempt to encircle them about by night, but in these attempts they did lose many prisoners.

 30 And many times did they attempt to administer of their wine to the Nephites, that they might destroy them with poison or with drunkenness.

 31 But behold, the Nephites were not slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction. They could not be taken in their snares; yea, they would not partake of their wine, save they had first given to some of the Lamanite prisoners.

 32 And they were thus cautious that no poison should be administered among them; for if their wine would poison a Lamanite it would also poison a Nephite; and thus they did try all their liquors. 

Just Cause

Even with their armor, preparation, and knowledge the Lamanites actually start to get the upper hand in the battle at one point (Alma 43:43-45 & 48)

 

43 Now in this case the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceedingly great strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning.

 44 And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger

45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

 

 48 And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.

 

I find it interesting the importance the Cause is in the success of the Nephites. After Moroni encourages them they then cry to God to protect these things and shortly thereafter they again have the upper hand. We see in Alma 46 this theme played out again with the Title of Liberty. Its easy to skip this step in be like "I'm a member of the church and so God's cause is my cause" and think you are good. Is it really though? Have you ever thought of what is really motivating you to go to church on Sunday? Are your motives really what you think they are? Is your cause just? If not you might find that the fierceness of the opposition overwhelming you.

In many ways this is like the Helmet of Salvation in the Armor of God, but more. The helmet will protect you from a surprise blow, but the cause is what pushes you to raise your shield and sword again. The cause is what pushes you on after you have been damaged. I have heard of many families where their cause was solely to do what was right for their children's sake. For some that was good enough to limp by until they found a new cause. Others however dissolved as soon as the kids were old enough to leave the house.

 In our own lives we should find a Just Cause we can use to push ourselves spiritually. The challenge of this is twofold however. The first part is actually committing to a Cause. Just because its a good cause doesn't mean you are ready to commit to it. If you aren't the person who wants to sacrifice everything for others than don't commit to one that will have you do so; it is worse then no cause at all because it will wear you down. Maybe with time you can work up to such a cause but it won't motivate you at first. The second is remembering your Cause after you have committed to it. Moroni's Title of Liberty is the perfect example of how to make a cause, commit to it, and then remember it.

The first thing he did was pick simple but essential things that mattered to him: God, Religion, Freedom, Peace, Wives, and Children. (Be honest with yourself. These may not be your prime motivators. Your peace and freedom may never have been at risk and so they might mean less. Pick YOUR motivators).  He then ripped his coat in half and wrote these motivators on them. This step might seems strange to a lot of people but if you read in Alma 46:21 it explains that this was him making sacrifice (his coat) and an oath/covenant that should he turn away from these things that he should be torn in two like the coat. This is how we commit ourselves to our cause.  Make a sacrifice of something important to you and then place a punishment for failure. Remember your punishment, sacrifice, and cause should be proportional. If your cause is something like your family the sacrifice and punishment should similarly reflect how important they are and how drastic failure would be. This is not a recommended weight loss program since we are talking about Just Causes and Spiritual Personal Defense but you could use it for one if you keep things proportional. The Punishment and Sacrifice first prevent you from making a weak commitment, because you won't sacrifice for something you aren't committed to, and second, they push you to keep your commitment.

To remember his cause Moroni had the Title of Liberty raised for every flag and on every tower. He put it where it could always be seen as a reminder. Once you have found your cause, you need to find a way to see or remember it always. Maybe your cause is represented by a picture of Christ or the temple. Then hang the picture all over your house, put it as the background on your computer, and put it in your wallet. Maybe you need to create your own personal symbol, like a CTR, and have a ring made with your symbol on it. If you really are committed to your cause, and you have a sacrifice and punishment, you will not dare risk your cause so long as your remember it.



These are the examples of Personal Defense I found in the War Chapters of the Book of Mormon; armor, knowledge, and a just cause. By expanding out the armor to the Armor of God and learning how to use it we can protect ourselves from deceit and temptation. By knowing our enemies we can avoid traps, snares, and surprises that could overcome our personal defense. Finally by having a Just Cause to fight for we will push ourselves to be better at everything and not shrink in fear. However we can't constantly be in the midst of the fight and so we need places of retreat. The Next post will talk about Environmental Defense through fortifying our lives. The same fortifications which we learned how to defend in my previous post (I am doing this backwards I know but this is how I felt like studying it).

War in The Book of Mormon

Life is a War

 

So, I had a lot more time this Sunday than I normally do so I thought I'd spend it working on something that has bothered me for a long time. Whenever the Book of Mormon is taught or read there always comes  a point where you go through 19 chapters about war (Alma 43-62). For a book about Christ and the Gospel of Peace this causes a lot of people serious boredom and they tend to skip it or think it is just for entertainment. How does this apply to us today and the Gospel of Peace? Life is a War. We are in a grand war of attrition against the Father of Lies and his fiery darts

 

The greatest thing about the War between the Nephites and Lamanites is how it reflects our spiritual war - its almost completely defensive. Spiritually we don't need anything the World has to offer because our All-Powerful Father in Heaven has offered us everything. Occasionally we need to go on the offensive like the Nephites to reclaim lost lands/strongholds (our homes, families, or lives)  or to help free prisoners (people who are not living free of sin through the atonement)

 

However, when the war chapters are taught the discussion focuses on the 'Armor of God', 'Fortifying our Lives', and maybe sometimes the importance of 'The Title of Liberty'. Great stuff (and I plan to write about those in other posts later) but those take a grand total of 5 chapters. So this is the part that bugs me: why does everyone ignore the other 14 chapters?

 

I think people ignore these chapters because no one really stops to think what they are teaching. The first 5 chapters of the war chapters are dedicated to how we protect ourselves with armor and fortifications. The next 14 are dedicated to strategies used to kill people in fortifications and wearing armor.

 

   To quote Captain Moroni when he was just a little upset: (Alma 60:11-12)

 

 11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your [fortified] thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain.

 12 Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have been killed it is because of their wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto you, there are many who have fallen by the sword;

 

Or in other words, the armor and forts aren't enough on their own and you are mistaken if you think you are safe just because you insulate yourself,\ or if you think everyone who falls away from God does so because they were going to from the beginning.

 

 

So without further ado I present the ways we can be defeated despite wearing the Armor of God and Fortifying our Lives. This post will later be followed by some additional defensive strategies taught in the war chapters.

 

Three Ways to Defeat a Fortified Armored Opponent

Ok just for starters so we are clear. Nephites aren't the good guys and Lamanites aren't the bad guys in this whole deal. Both use armor and both have fortifications that need to be defeated. The strategies are the important point

 

Also armor, no matter how good, is not impenetrable. In Alma 43:44 is reads:

 

44 And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.

 

The Lamanites still lost and the armor is great but no one wants to be the person who falls, which is why fortifications were built. A careful study of the war chapters will show there are three main ways to defeat a fortified opponent; draw them out, defeat them from within, or cut their support. Of course combinations can be used and there are examples of that too. I am going to try to give a comprehensive explanation of every tactic used in the war chapter supporting each of these categories.

 

  It should be noted that every situation I propose can be applied to your life personally only, to your life in relation to friends and family, or to a church unit as a whole. Also my examples and interpretations are no where near absolute.

 

Draw Them Out

So there are four ways fortresses are described as being taken by luring the enemy out.

 

1. The first is the city of Mulek in Alma 52:21-31. The Nephites send a small army that could easily be defeated. The Lamanites rush out to defeat the army, chase it forever, and while they are gone the city is taken by another small army and then they are pinned between two armies that are bigger than expected.

In our own lives this can be seen as the easy to avoid temptation we decide to flirt with just because we can. A good example of easily an defeated sin I can think of is going to watch an inappropriate movie. However when we do this our place of retreat is vulnerable without our strength; our families may now encounter the same threat without us and may not be prepared for it. Or lets do an example of working just a little longer and then a little longer still to finish that annoying task and letting it lead us on so we don't return to our families or let it interrupt the habits we used to fortify our lives making us vulnerable. Or you go to a bar knowing you won't drink but suddenly find yourself surrounded by porn, which happens to be a big weakness, and suddenly you are confronting a much larger threat then expected.

2. The second city defeated by drawing them out was Antiparah in Alma 56 & 57. In this scenario the Nephites created a threat to lure them out by appearing to be a small force going to reinforce another city. Again the Lamanites chase them until they are trapped between the two armies and defeated. Though in this case however the Lamanites left a large enough army behind to protect the city but the people in it fled after the main army was destroyed.

In our own lives this could be an example of having a dear friend or family member who seems to have someone being a bad influence on them or perhaps a temptation in our own life is getting support. So we try to stomp it out - often in a more controlling, desperate and forceful way than we should. Not being careful we may easily find in the attempt that we have left the habits and patterns in our lives that allow us to be safe and close to the spirit. In the end we may find we had no good effect, that our family has fled from us, and we ourselves are more vulnerable as a result than we'd like. 

3. The third city defeated was Manti in Alma 58. In this case the threat was increased still more. A large army of the Nephites moved close to the city and acted like they were going to cut the city off from support. In response the Lamanites charged out with everything and chased the Nephites when they retreated. They were so desperate they didn't notice the small threats on either side hiding. When the army returned it found its fortification captured and turned against them.

 

 In our own life this is again a situation where we see a threat to ourself - a job trying to have us work on Sunday, we run out of money,  someone scamming us, our life is in danger - and us throwing everything we have in desperation to protect ourselves without thinking about what compromises and little sins we are making along the way. We may well find when the dust settles that we lost far more than we thought we would.

 

4. As mentioned before with Antiparah there is a way to lose our fortifications even when there is still the strength to keep it - just leave it. At the end of the war in Alma 62:31-32 the Lamanites flee city after city and don't even try to defend them.

There are many motives we may have to flee our fortifications. Fear being the one most commonly used in the Book of Mormon. It is very easy to think you can run from your problems by leaving your fortress and the war behind. Don't be deceived, you are only safe until the enemy has made sure your fortress no longer is able to support you before it resumes the battle and you find yourself exposed.

 

 

 

Something important to remember in all of these examples, the threat is real and the war won't let you just stay holed up in your fortress.  In every example given the best solution may not be to avoid or ignore the problem. Many need to be confronted. These scriptures are here to show us the dangers and to help us avoid them. The important thing is to not let yourself be lured out too far or leave your defenses abandoned.

 

 

Defeat Them From Within

The stories of how people were defeated from within are far more varied than the lures used previously. I will try to describe them as best I can starting from an internal and progressing to a more and more external angle.

 

1.To start the easiest example is how dangerous fatigue and exhaustion are. In Alma 51:33-34 and in Alma 62:36 the Lamanites armies were exhausted from marching very fast and fighting. As a result they were not able to be as vigilant as they should have and Teancum snuck in and killed their leaders. Further in Alma 56:51 the army of Antipus was nearly wiped out because they were exhausted from marching through the night.

 

In our own lives this is the exact same principle. When we are tired we are not as alert and let our guard down. We are more prone to sin and to losing the habits and actions that fortify our lives. This is a particular vicious tactic since all of us will often find ourselves sleep deprived. In these cases it is important to make sure we keep someone rested around who can help us.

 

2. Similar to the previous example is the case of the fall of Nephihah in Alma 62. In this case the city was well fortified but no one was guarding the back and so the Nephites using ladders climbed over the walls while the Lamanites slept.

 Again here is an example of not being sufficiently vigilant and letting our guard down because we are tired. A good example of this in our own life is having the little sin we like to ignore and not noticing as it invites more and more bad habits into our lives until things are out of control.

3. The next method is by feigning friendship. The first example of this is Lehonti and Amalickiah in Alma 47. Lehonti was well fortified and safe but Amalickiah convinced him to leave his fort and then take Amalickiah back with him as a friend, where he then slowly poisoned Lehonti to death over time. The next example is the fall of the city of Gid in Alma 55, where the Nephites sent a lamanite descendent to get the guards drunk so the Nephites could then arm the prisoners inside.

 

Besides the obvious issues of getting poisoned and drunk these examples show how we can be deceived by people who appear to convert or who once were converted and gain our trust but in truth do not share our values at all and will by degrees either bring us down to their level (slowly poisoned) or will desensitize us and surround us with others like them (wine and prisoners) before we realize the path we have taken.

 4. By far the most effective method of destroying the fortresses from within was contention. In Alma 51: 16 it says:

16 For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction.

 

and again in Alma 51:22-23

 

22 Behold, it came to pass that while Moroni was thus breaking down the wars and contentions among his own people, and subjecting them to peace and civilization, and making regulations to prepare for war against the Lamanites, behold, the Lamanites had come into the land of Moroni, which was in the borders by the seashore.

 23 And it came to pass that the Nephites were not sufficiently strong in the city of Moroni; therefore Amalickiah did drive them, slaying many. And it came to pass that Amalickiah took possession of the city, yea, possession of all their fortifications. 

 

and that continues on for the next several versus to describe the loss of several more cities. In fact there are several wars and uncounted occurrences of the Nephites having contentions and dissenters throughout the Book of Mormon and it always resulted in more death and destruction.

 

It is the same in our own lives. If we let anger and contention into our lives we will lose the spirit and all our efforts to fortify our lives will be useless. Not to mention the damage we will cause to other lives close to and around us as well.

 

 

5. The next method is to destroy the leadership which the war chapters give a few ways to happen. One is in Alma 56:51 the Army of Antipus not only was exhausted but they were confused because all their leaders were dead. In Alma 60:14-15 Moroni discusses how slothful and selfish leaders can destroy them. Finally in Alma 61:3-5 we read about a rebellion that overthrew the government thru flattering others, stealing the hearts (loyalty) of the people from their leaders, daunting their opponents (peer-pressure), withholding their support from the government, and finally driving the leader out.

In our own lives we may begin to doubt our leaders (or be the leader to cause doubt). We may leave others without a leader or be slothful in our responsibilities. All of these things will damage those around us and end up leaving us unprotected as well. We need to be especially careful about challenging our church leaders in such a way that we either literally or figuratively drive their leadership out or cause a wedges between them and those who follow. While I am not suggesting blind obedience, it does say that bad leadership is bad. I am saying that trying to publicly force or undermine spiritually guided leadership is destructive to your spiritual wellbeing and all those around you.


6. The last method of causing internal damage is to make use of the "prisoners". The Nephites used prisoners of war to fortify and strength themselves.  In Alma 57:13-14 the Nephites ended up with too many prisoners so that it was taking all their efforts to control them and the prisoners were constantly rebelling and killing people along the way. In versus 20-32 it reaches a climax when the prisoners here of a potential danger and rebel in mass.

We have "prisoners" in our lives too. Family and church members who want nothing to do with the God but are going through the motions anyway. They would probably consider themselves prisoners at least. More details about how these prisoners are potentially only temporarily prisoners and are good for us will be discussed another post about other defensive strategies. However in the current scenario this is pretty self evident. If we fill our lives with too many insincere people, when they decide they are done with it all they could well take us along with them. Especially if some major thing comes out that no one was expecting - like a new prophet, someone got excommunicated, or people get the priesthood who couldn't before.

 

Across all of these methods for infiltrating our spiritually fortified homes and lives there are just a few things to do to protect yourself. Don't wear yourself out, make sure you have good friends in your life -  and that they are good, don't be contentions, and to listen to and follow the spirit/spiritual leaders in your life. Again the applications I gave are not comprehensive but just an example of the lessons that these chapters have to offer us.

 

Cut Off Their Support

The last method of defeating a fortified position is the classic siege and it is very clear that this is by far the most dangerous threat to he Nephites at all times. At least every chapter, normally before or after every battle, there is something said along the lines of  'they continued to bring supplies provisions, reinforcements, and fortify their position. It was said far too many times to bother recording the versus. Similarly there was constant fear of being surrounded because then their support and retreats would be cut off.

 

The best example of all of this is the capture of Cumeni in Alma 57:8-12. The Nephites surrounded the city and captured the supplies. After several days the city surrendered. Likewise we can read in Alma 58:7-9 we here of the Nephites when the rebellion overtook the government and all support stopped being sent.

 

7 And it came to pass that we did wait in these difficult circumstances for the space of many months, even until we were about to perish for the want of food.

 8 But it came to pass that we did receive food, which was guarded to us by an army of two thousand men to our assistance; and this is all the assistance which we did receive, to defend ourselves and our country from falling into the hands of our enemies, yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.

 9 And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear, lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction.

 

The next chapter the Nephites lose several cities because they had not received the needed reinforcements and food to fight.

In Alma 50 we also can read about the desperate race to stop Morianton from escaping to the north and leaving the Nephites surrounded. In chapter 52:9 we read about how important securing that northern passage was to keep them from being surrounded. Finally we can read about how the Lamanites feared to advance further in Alma 56:22-26 because they feared leaving enemies behind them and being surrounded.

In our own lives we can not think to go alone. If we allow ourselves to be surrounded completely with those of lower standards we WILL fall no matter how fortified we are. This is a constant through all the scriptures. The only exceptions are the occasional prophet who is the last righteous person in the population, and they almost always gets extra support from visitations of angels and even Christ himself. That is why God has established his church and organized it so that we can have support and help. The greatest danger to use is if we allow ourselves to be cut off from spiritual support. This can happen because we stop going to church, we feel anti-social and so stop talking to good people, our jobs keep us from church or religious activities, and more ways than I can count. It was the single most important thing to the Nephites in their war and it should be of equal importance to us.

 

 

Conclusion

Well I hope you enjoyed my little research project. I have had these ideas floating in my head for years but never did a comprehensive study of it till today. I think if we all were to work as hard on applying these strategies to our personal, family, and church lives that our efforts to fortify our lives against the fiery darts of the adversary will be much more effective. I plan to write another post about the other defensive advice in the War chapters as well, including the ways to fortify our lives, the armor of god, and the importance of remembering our cause/title of liberty. Hopefully it won't take all day like this one did. If I missed any or you have better examples I'd love to hear them. 

 

 



Walls

Here is one for a dear friend of mine who I can hardly call friend any more because of the walls that have been built between us.

Walls

There is a wall between you and me

As real as any I have ever seen

There is a door but I have no key

I know it was not built to be mean

We planned our wall with good intent

Both working hard to keep what we had

You placed the bricks and I the cement

It was not meant to make us sad

Now even when we stand together

We see each other through clouded glass

Though oft we speak to each other

Its as good as the wind in the grass

It feels awkward, strange, and even wrong

To be open, friendly, and kind

To such a stranger for very long

When its easier to just act blind

Because strangers we are to each other

Unable to express our thoughts

All our feelings we try to smother

As our lives are tangled in knots

I know no reason why you would try

To break the wall that stands between us

All I know is how I want to cry

At how the world is so unjust

I put my desire on the block

I told you all and asked for nothing

So that we could still just talk

That despite it all we'd keep something

But you ran and we built this wall

Are you sure it is what you want?

Where to start

So I admit I have wanted to write again for a while but its been so long I fear I have lost the feel for it. My mind is just a jumbled mess with a lot of half ideas but nothing that I really feel I can form words of much less poetry. So lets start and see what comes out eh?


Where to Start

On the long road to eternity
We often wander aimlessly
Who knows where we started
Who knows when we parted
Forever is funny thing

In our constant quest for our true love
We are hopeless looking above
Wishing we were not lost
Seeking help at all cost
Romance is kinda silly

Our career paths are not much better
We just hope to not get wetter
As daily we pay bills
Always climbing new hills
Work is so bizarre

At some point we need to make a change
A start to set us on our path
But where can we find it?
How do we get on it?
Crazy life