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).
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).
