Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. In preparation for that holiday, I have been thinking about some of the things I am thankful for. Here are some ideas that occurred to me as I studied the Book of Mormon today: I'm grateful to be alive (Mosiah 2:20-21, Mosiah 7:12). I'm grateful for food and... Continue Reading →
When Is Violence Justified?
"Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). The sixth of the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai is clear and uncontroversial. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expanded the commandment: Not only is it wrong to kill. It's wrong to be angry. It's wrong to call people names. These small... Continue Reading →
What Should I Do When I Feel Guilty?
Today, I spent some time looking at the passages in the Book of Mormon that talk about guilt. Here is what I learned: There is a human tendency to suppress feelings of guilt. We know intuitively when we have done something wrong, but because feelings of guilt are unpleasant, we often ignore or deny them... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Harden Your Heart?
Shortly after Nephi's family left their comfortable home in Jerusalem and began camping in the wilderness, Nephi prayed to understand "the mysteries of God." In response, he tells us that God visited him "and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did... Continue Reading →
How Should We Respond When Others Threaten or Attack Us?
As I wrote yesterday, we need to forgive others in order to be forgiven by God. That's because an unforgiving heart is unable to receive God's healing power. But what should we do when we, or the people we are responsible for, are in danger? How can we protect and defend ourselves and them without... Continue Reading →
They Become More Hardened – Alma 24:30
30 And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known... Continue Reading →
The People of God Were Joined…by More Than the Number Who Had Been Slain – Alma 24:26-27
26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.27 And there was not a wicked man slain among them;... Continue Reading →
Rather Than Spend Their Days in Idleness – Alma 24:18
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own... Continue Reading →