REPENTANCE ISN'T GOD'S BACK-UP PLAN

It is more than saying I'm sorry; it is a mighty change of heart

After my morning prayers, I felt inspired to watch the daily Conference Report on BYU TV.  This morning, the speaker was Lynn G. Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy.  His address was given on March 31, 2018. His topic was repentance, as God's second chances.

One quote I loved was this: Repentance isn't [Christ's] back-up plan in the event that we might fail: Repentance is His plan, knowing that we will.

I am a flawed human being. The natural woman in me is constantly at war with the spiritual woman God knows I can be. I become frustrated when I realize the many times I commit what are the same basic sins wearing different costumes. I am grateful that the Savior is more patient with me than I am with myself.  I feel to say, like Nephi, O, wretched man that I am. . . It would be so easy to get discouraged enough to become cynical and stop trying.  It is a constant, daily struggle to keep my head above water, so to speak, as physical trials and depression seek to pull me down to drown.

The Book of Mormon is one of the most encouraging examples of the power of true repentance. Alma, one of Noah's wicked priests, recognized truth when he heard it from the lips of the prophet, Abinadi. He searched the scriptures and prayed and experienced such a mighty change of heart that he not only repented of his own sins, but led others to repent of theirs.

Elder Robbins said that for repentance to be efficacious, it must be sincere.  It must lead us to become closer to God in our thoughts, words, and actions. Said he, Repentance isn't going from failure to failure; it is growing from failure to failure. It doesn't matter if I slide back three steps if, in the overall scheme of things, I move forward four steps.

Alma turns over the judgement seat to Nephihah

Alma the Younger is probably the quintessential example of sincere repentance. He became a new man and dedicated his life to serving the Lord and his neighbors.  For eight years, he served as the chief judge in Zarahemla as well as being the prophet and high priest of the Church. He was exposed, probably on a daily basis, with the weaknesses and sins of his people. After fighting with antichrists such as Nehor and apostates such as Amlici - to say nothing of ubiquitous wars with the Lamanites, Alma realized that you can't save people from themselves by making tougher laws.  Only through the gospel can people truly grow and society be healed.  It was as if preaching - the pen - was mightier than the sword. He stepped down from being the head judged to devote his full time and effort to preaching the gospel.

I love the Book of Mormon.  I sometimes feel burdened with the weight of the people's collective sins as they try to rationalize away those sins by claiming they are simply differences in political opinions and not sins at all. My heart is heavy as I recognize patterns of behavior that appear in my nation today.  One recent example is occurring because of one man's heinous act; my countrymen are literally burning down our nation in protest. What does that solve? Nothing. Would that we could get beyond rationalization and revenge and find our way to love God and our neighbors. As Martin Luther King once said, Only light can drive out the darkness. Hate cannot drive out hate.  Only love can drive out hate.  

Why would Alma walk away from political power in order to preach Christ?  I think he made the right choice.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

ALMA 3 - DARKNESS; MARKS; AND CURSE

One of my favorite Come Follow Me resources found at Book of Mormon Central are the Church videos, the Know Whys, and the John W. Welch* notes.  They, along with prayer and the scriptures themselves, open my understanding and often help me see a particular word or verse in a new light. 

This week, I have been reading the Welch notes on Alma 3. Here are the verses directly from the Book of Alma.  I will highlight words and phrases we need to address if we want to understand the true context of the Mesoamerican/Hebraic references.  We tend to read it with our modern interpretation of those words and miss the real connotation in which they were written.

 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red on their foreheads like unto the Lamanites. (v. 4)

And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon theirs fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their . . . rebellion. . . (v. 6)

. . . and the Lord God set a mark upon them . . . that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. (vs.7, 8)

Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him. (v. 10)

. . .  [the Amlicites] had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads. (v.13)

Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them. . . they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation. (vs. 18, 19)

WELCH ON INTERPRETTING WITHIN CONTEXT

In the words of Dr. Welch:
Alma 3 is often cited as evidence of racism in the Book of Mormon. However, when reading ancient historical texts, such as the Book of Mormon, it is absolutely essential not to impose modern ideas of race and cultural identity onto the people of the past.**

Mormon appears to couch the issue of the Lamanite curse in terms of religious and cultural identity, not merely skin pigmentation . . . He records that any person who was “led away by the Lamanites” had the same “mark set upon him.” . . .  the curse of the Lamanites included the ultimate outcome that they would believe "in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction."**

~ ~ ~

The first mention of a mark placed upon a person by God is the mark placed upon Cain after he slew Abel. (Genesis 4: 13) But if you read the story carefully, Cain's punishment was to be cast out from his family. Cain said to God, My punishment is greater than I can bear. He was afraid others would try to slay him, so God set a mark upon Cain, least any finding him should kill him. (See Genesis 4: 13-15) From this it appears that the marking, whatever it was, was for Cain's protection.

A BLACK MEMBER'S PERSPECTIVE***

In Meridian Magazine (Feb. 3, 2020), Latter-day Saint Marvin Perkins, himself of African heritage, wrote:

I grew up using the term black in reference to people of African descent, because it was widely accepted [as such] by all cultures. It's understandable that many would read the scriptures and associate the word "black" . . . in reference to race, nationality, or color of skin.

Brother Perkins then went on to say that a study of Hebrew idiom shows that black is a reference to an emotional or spiritual state of an individual, not his skin color.  Blackness is defined as gloomy, dejected, spiritually dark and spiritually blind, cut off from the presence of God.  In the same way, the "darkness" or "blackness" in the Book of Mormon references to the Lamanites makes use of this Hebrew idiom.  Perkins pointed out that verses such as Alma 55: 1-9, give evidence to this interpretation.  In the war chapters, the Nephites were able to infiltrate the Lamanite camps without being detected.  According to Perkins the Lamanites did not have their skin color changed; the passages are referring to spiritual darkness."

As to the use of the word curse, we think of curse such as a witch's curse or the like.  In Hebrew idiomatic use curse meant a separation from God, His path, and His way, due to our choice to sin. . .  Distance from God, due to transgression, cannot impact skin color. (Perkins)***

~ ~ ~

Another LDS scholar noted that Modern notions of "race" are and artificial social construct dating only to the late 18th Century in Western . . . It was certainly foreign to ancient Hebrew and Mesoamerican culture.****

Toni Morrison - a well known and respected author of many books and articles relating to  the black experience -  came to the same conclusion. It is a social construct designed to promote enmity.

~ ~ ~

One final note that impressed itself upon my mind as I read this verses 7 and 8 was God's  apparent motivation in so marking the Lamanites and any others who willingly joined them: that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.

Solomon and his pagan wives

 God was more concerned with the spiritual state of His people than in their skin color.  Likewise, other Book of Mormon words such as white, light, and delightsome was a reference to their spiritual state in relationship to God than a reference to skin color.  Thus, when Nephi said that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was fair,  he was referring to her purity and not her physical appearance. (1 Nephi 11: 15)

There are certainly precedence in Israelite history for an entire kingdoms polluted by the introduction of one evil person.  Ahab was bad on his own, but by taking Jezebel to wife, his entire kingdom was wicked.  Both David and Solomon married wives outside the covenant.  Solomon even allowed his foreign wives to bring images of their own "gods" and place them in the temple!  

~ ~ ~

The bottom line is that none of us is God.  I can but scratch the surface as I try to understand His mind and will.  He can see what is in a man's heart; I can't.  Therefore, I have no accurate context in which to discriminate against any person of group of people. I love to study and research the words and ideas of good men and women, but I make any final decision based upon prayer and the Spirit.  I don't know how and why God marked Cain; I am only beginning to understand why He marked the Lamanites and I certainly don't know how.  I loved Toni Morrison's comment that the only reason we have a social construct of race is to promote racism, a sad excuse to divisiveness  and hatred. God always tries to protect His children from each other and themselves.  

As the cartoon character, Pogo, said: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* Dr. Welch is a renowned Book of Mormon scholar and one of the founders of Book of Mormon Central.  When he was a young man on his mission in the early 1960s he discovered the ancient Hebrew poetic form called chiasmus in the Book of Mormon.  Since then, dozens and dozens of poetic forms and other Hebraisms have been noted throughout the Book.
** All Welch quotes are to be found at https://bookofmormoncentral.org/
*** All Perkins quotes are from https://www.ldsliving.com/How-We-Misinterpret-Black-and-Curse-in-the-Scriptures-Insights-from-a-Black-Convert/s/88562
**** https://www.christopherrandallnicholson.com/the-lamanite-curse-in-the-book-of-mormon.html

JUDGES VS KINGS

It was the fifth year of the reign of the judges in Zarahemla.  Nehor was dead, but his false church was not, and the people who accepted his ideology became a thorn in the side of the Church of God.  Like Nehor, many of them became so fanatical that they began resorting to violence to spread their doctrine.  We read in Alma 1: 22, they began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows, yea they would smite one another with their fists. It doesn't take long for anger to turn to hatred and hatred to turn to violence.

One who subscribed to the  doctrine of Nehor was a man  named Amlici.  He acquired many converts and they, who were called Amlicites, were violent in the persecution of the Church of God. 

Under the reign of the judges, laws were established and enforced by the voice of the people (2: 3) Like Lucifer desired in the pre-existence, Amlici sought to talke away the God-given agency of the people, for it was his intent to destroy the church of God. (2: 4) The Amlicites did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblling, and in enveying and strife;. . . lifted up in pride . . . persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoedomes, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness. (2: 32) 

Amlici was proud and ambitious he wanted to be king and destroy the system of judges in the land.   When Alma brought it before the people for a vote, the majority of the people voted against Amlici.  The followers of  Amlici appointed him king over their own people.  He encourage his people to take up arms against their brothers.

The Nephites got wind of the plot and under the directions of Alma, began to arm themselves for defense in a conflict they knew was coming.  The Amlicites moved forward and began to attack the Nephites near the Hill Amnimu just east of the River Sidon.  The Nephites prevailed in battle, but lost many men in the struggle. The Nephites camped in the Valley of Gideon.  Alma (who was serving with his people) sent out spies to see what the Amlicites were doing.  The spies came back in fear because the the  Amlicites had joined forces with a large band of Lamanites they found in the area. 

Battle at the Sidon River by James Fullmer

The Nephites left their camp in the valley and prepared to return to Zarahemla. As they were crossing the River Sidon, the enemy attacked. During the conflict, Alma found himself in hand-to-hand combat with Amlici himself.  He prayer that the Lord might deliver him so that he could continue to lead God's people.  God delivered Amlici into Alma's hands and Alma slew him.

This was just the beginning of wars and conflicts between the Nephites and their enemies.  Like a pebble in the stream sends out a ripple that soon covers the surface of the water, the evil machinations of one wicked many, Nehor influenced other wicked men, including Amlici, and destroyed the peace.  Tens of thousands were killed in the first year alone, including many women and children.  Alma wrote that every man receiveth wages of him who he listeth* to obey.  As Paul later wrote to the Romans, The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6 23)




Satan's war on agency that began in the Heavenly Council continues on earth today.  The system of Judges among the Nephites was designed to allow the voice of the people to choose.  It provided both agency and accountability.  Kings seemed the lazy way out to many people.  The king will tell you what to do so you don't have to do the work of choosing for yourself and accepting the consequences of your choices.

~ ~ ~

I'm including 2 links to Book of Mormon Central Know Whys that related to these Chapters in Alma. They give much food for thought as to why our fight for freedom, agency, and accountability are so vital today.

Judges Instead of Kings


Warfare in the Book of Mormon

Was Amlici a Mulekite who traced his lineage through Zarahemla back to the line of kings from Zedekiah via Mulek.  Author:  John B. Welch

Who was Amlici and why would he be able to persuasively convince a large number of people that he should be king? In Hebrew, the written language does not have vowels. Therefore, (m-l-k), (m-li-ki) and (ma-lik) are based on the same root word in Hebrew, meaning “king.” Mu-lek may also have the same meaning of “king.” This leads to the linguistic possibility that “Mulekites” were “king-ites” and were among the “king men.”  

Similarly, by removing the vowels in the word “Amlici,” we are left with (m-l-c) or “king.” Was Amlici a Mulekite?  He certainly was a king-ite by ideology and his name reflects his desire and political platform. If Amlici was a Mulekite, he may well have been a descendant of King Zarahemla with a legitimate claim to be king because of his lineage. This may be why Amlici was able to convince many people that he had the right to be king and that he should be king.

Quote from https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/welch/2020-05-22/mosiah_29_-_alma_4_formatted.pdf

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

NEHOR INTRODUCES PRIESTCRAFT

Satan's substitute for priesthood; claiming authority when one has none; the creed of antichrist; ministries set up to glorify oneself and not God. 

Before his death, Mosiah had put in place laws designed to protect freedom of religion.  Non-believers had begun to persecute the believers.  After the law was passed and the people agreed to it,  it became illegal for anyone to persecute another for his or her beliefs. This law also meant that non-believers could not be prosecuted for a teaching a different religious philosophy if, in fact, they believed the philosophy themselves.  A man could not be punished for his beliefs.

After the king's death, the system of judges which he had created became the chief adjudicators in Zarahemla.  Mosiah's sons were away on a mission to the Lamanites in the Land of Nephi and Alma, the Younger, was the Chief Judge in the Nephite governing body. 

During the first year of the Reign of the Judges, a man was brought before Alma.  He was a big man, attractive, strong, and charismatic.  His name was Nehor.  

And he had gone among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church.(Alma 1: 3) 
  

He taught things such as these:

• Priests and teachers should become popular (like celebrities)
• They shouldn't have to work, but that they should be supported by the people (a paid clergy)
• All men would be saved in the end because God redeems all men that he created
• Therefore, there was no sin and the people should be able to do whatever they wanted without fear or guilt; they should rejoice.

Many people believed him because he excused their sins and offered cheap salvation. He taught what the people wanted to hear, so he became very popular and very rich and full of pride.  He organized his followers into a church built around his beliefs. (See Mosiah 1: 3-6) Because he claimed to be teaching something which he truly believed, he could not be prosecuted under the law, even though he did great damage to the people of God.

One day, as he was out preaching, he confronted an old man who was a teacher in the Church of Jesus Christ.  That man was Gideon, the man who led the revolt against King Noah. Nehor argued with him, but Gideon held his own and bore pure testimony.  This infuriated Nehor because he could see that some of his own followers were listening to Gideon.  In his rage, he drew his sword and began to strike Gideon.  Because of his advanced years, Gideon could not hold his own in a physical fight and he died at the hand of Nehor.

Many people witnessed this and took Nehor to Alma.  He argued his case boldly before Alma, but Alma cut him short.  He cited the wrong he had done:

1.  He was guilty of introducing priestcraft among the people (for which he could not have been tried) but 
2.  He sought to force his beliefs with the sword and, in the process, had murdered an old man. For that crime, he would be punished.

There were so many witnesses of the crime, the Nehor was sentenced to death.  He was taken outside the city and executed.  Just before he died, Nehor was allowed his last words.  He did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had taught the people was contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered and ignominious death. (Mosiah 1: 15)

Nehor's death did not put an end to his "church" and the people increased in wickedness.  They set themselves up as priests and teachers to gain wealth, all the time being sure they to stay inside the law; they didn't lie or steal or murder. Even so, they did great damage because they began to look down on the people of God, even though they technically had not committed "crime."  By practicing priestcraft in opposition to the priesthood of God's church, they led many people away. 

Nehor was an antichrist and he set in motion a system of antichrists, the first time a formal antichrist, priestcraft church, among the Nephites. (See Mosiah 3:12)  It is frightening the amount of damage one evil man can do. 

And Alma knew. . ..  

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

A PERSONAL NOTE

I saw the neurologist today.  The medication he gave me isn't helping.  He has doubled the dose.  He has also written a referral for a lumbar puncture test.  I am not looking forward to it, but it will let me know if relieving some of the pressure will help my dizziness.  If it does, I will probably have surgery to install a shunt.  If it doesn't, I'll just have to live with this misery.  Sorry for grousing.  Not able to write blog today.

Prayers requested.

DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION

Blessed Memorial Day everyone.  On this day I feel such gratitude for those men and women who gave "their last full measure of devotion." (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)

Valley Forge

Lincoln and Washington and many other founders and protectors of our nation understood that we in America have a covenant with God.  When we have honored it, He has protected and guided our nation.  Any close study of the Revolutionary War leads to only one conclusion: there is no way a little upstart group of colonies (who couldn't even agree among themselves) should have defeated the greatest military and naval force in the world except that they be protected by God.  They did it again in 1812 . 

Lincoln with his officers

In the Civil War, the South actually had better generals than the north.  Robert E. Lee was the most brilliant military strategist in the land.  Had the south not lost Stonewall Jackson, Lee's good right arm, the south may have won the war.  But Lincoln knew that if slavery was to continue and proliferate, we would have broken a divine covenant.  U. S. Grant had a similar philosophy. The north had to win to break the back of the institution of men owning other men, and so they won.

General "Black Jack" Pershing

In World War I, when the American Doughboy went "over there" to France shouting, "Lafayette, we are here!" God's protective hand was at work.  Although He hates contention and wars of aggression, but as Captain Moroni knew, when one if fighting to defend his wife, children, liberty, and religion, God will bless them.  With that, and the wisdom of the leader of the American troops, General "Black Jack" Pershing, who insisted that American troops stay together instead of filling in the "holes" in the trenches, as the European allies wanted.  He kept his troops together and they helped turn the tide of the war.

"Skipper"

World War II was also a defensive and defensible war to protect all humanity from the evils of the Nazi ideology. My father flew a "Flying Fortress" B-17 bomber for 37 raids over German occupied territory.  Before he left, he received a letter from the First Presidency confirming his moral right to fight and that if he lived, he would live in the Lord and if he died, He would die in the Lord.  I am grateful that he lived. He was a great patriot and raised me to love my country and its God-given rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. 

Patton and the Prayer

One of the stories from that war involved American General George Patton.  Patton was, by all reports, a hard living and hard leading man.  But on the eve of a major offensive, it began to rain, and rain, and rain.  The weather was so bad and the roads so impassible that Patton knew the entire operation would have to be scratched at a huge strategic cost. He knew that, despite his tough guy persona, he was helpless against the weather, so he called on one of the army chaplains to write a special prayer to God asking Him to moderate the weather.  The chaplain, though hesitant, wrote the prayer, and it was read out loud to every unit in the campaign.  On the morning of the schedule advance, the rain had stopped and the army moved forward to success.  

~ ~ ~

The war between good and evil began in our pre-earth life and it continues today on multiple fronts.  For the most part, it is not a war of tanks and bombs, but was war of words and ideology.  It is disguised as a simple "differences of political opinions, but don't fool yourself.  We are all warriors in this water.  Every time we say a prayer, study the scriptures, love our families, and serve others, we are striking a blow for freedom.  I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan says, "Oh, no.  She's awake!"

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

LEARNING FROM HISTORY: MAKING PLANS

We all have heard the term "feasting on the Word." For the past 30+ years, I have felt like a feaster and not a nibbler.  But I have never had a feast such as the one I have enjoyed for the past 17 months as I have embarked on the Church's Home Centered, Church Supported curriculum.  I marvel at the prophetic nature of the program which as introduced by President Nelson almost 2 years ago, but which - I believe - was begun many years before that under President Monson.  I have done enough curriculum design in my professional life that I know that is not something you throw together in a couple of months. I call it prophetic, but it goes beyond that to revelatory and visionary.  Who knew when we embarked on this program in January 2017 that we would be having home church meetings a year later?

The call of a prophet is not so much to foretell, but to forthtell the gospel and testimony of Jesus Christ.  As revelator reveals things as they are, have been, and will be in the future.  A seer (think see-er) is one who actually sees the prophetic sweep of the world's history, such as Nephi or John the Beloved. That is why I said the program was prophetic, revelatory, and visionary.  I'd also like to apply those terms when speaking of Kings Mosiah I., Benjamin, and Mosiah II. In our study for the past week, we have seen an example of King Mosiah fulfilling a prophetic role because he had been taught the language of prophecy by his father. He was able to interpret the plates of the Jaredites. 
Why is a Seer Greater than a Prophet? 

In their first general assembly as a united people in Zarahemla, Mosiah read aloud from these records:

And it came to pass that Mosiah did read and caused to be read,* the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again. And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again. (Mosiah 25: 5-6)

Scholars believe the Olmecs were the Jaradites

Mosiah also studied the history of the Jaredites from the records the Mulekites had.  Between the bloody history of wicked Jaredite kings and the more recent history of a similarly wicked Nephite king, Noah, Mosiah understood the damage an evil king can do to his people.  Having access also to the brass plates of Laban, he also knew of Israel's fallen kings from Saul to David to Solomon, all the way down to Zedekiah, and of the system of judges in ancient Israel before the kings when the people acknowledge Jehovah as their true king. When Mosiah's sons refused the throne, the king proposed that they set up a system of judges similar to the ancient system, to become enforced at the time of Mosiah's death.  

Mosiah explained it this way:

Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to His commandments . . . even as my father, Benjamin . . . if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. . . 

Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just, it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you.  For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, ye, and what great destruction! (Mosiah 26: 13, 17)

As Pharaoh Rameses is quoted in the movie, The Ten Commandments: "So let it be written.  So let it be done."

And it was.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* Caused to be read probably means that these words were sent out to the congregations who were not close enough to hear the king's voice so that all of the people had a chance to know the histories.  

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR: ROSES WITH THORNS

A story is told of a man going to see his minister about problems with his wife.  After confessing all her sins, he told the pastor, "I want a divorce."  The pastor quoted from Paul: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church. . . (Ephesians 5: 25) The man responded, "She no longer feels like a wife; she is more of a roommate or neighbor." His  minister responded: Love thy neighbor as thyself . . . (Matthew 22: 39)  Exasperated, the husband declared: "But she's not a good neighbor; she has become my enemy" to which the pastor responded: But, I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, go good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you . . .  (Matthew 5: 44) The man was left without an argument.

~ ~ ~

The  Sons of Mosiah followed divine direction.  They truly loved their enemies, the Lamanites.  Their hearts were broken at the thought that these distant cousins might be eternally lost due to the false traditions of their fathers, all the way back to Laman and Lemuel, about 500 years before.  After their experience with the angel, they remember how Jesus Christ had turned their bitter sorrow into joy and they wanted the same for their brethren in the Land of Nephi.

This could have been a dangerous idea because the Lamanites truly did hate the Nephites and had spent all those years persecuting them, warring with them, and enslaving them.  Much Nephite blood had been shed at their hands.  Their father, the king, went to the Lord in mighty prayer to know if they should go and if they could go and be safe.  Mosiah was given that peace which passes all understanding and he know that they would be protected. After much fasting and prayer, they courageously set out for the land of Nephi.  Were they afraid?  I'm sure they did feel apprehensive, but they took great courage in the knowledge that they were on God's errand, not their own. 

Contrast that to Jonah who was called to preach to the Assyrians in Nineveh, a terrifyingly cruel people.  Jonah was afraid, but instead of fasting and praying, he tried to run away.  He learned to his sorrow that you cannot run away from God and it took him 3 days in the belly of a great fish to fully recognize the importance of his mission.  Lesson to learn: No one can run away from God or himself.

~ ~ ~

How often are we called to serve the Lord by taking on a burden that seems overwhelming.  I once received a calling through the Holy Ghost and a priesthood blessing that terrified me.  But I took the calling and did my best to labor for four years.  I ended up broken hearted, not because I failed, but because I was abandoned by the very person I was serving.  I have struggled for over three years since then (four in October) to deal with my grief and sorrow.  That mission's success (and it was successful) almost cost me my life.  I won't go into details, other than to say it's been an uphill and very painful, sad, battle.  The one thing that kept me spiritually safe through it all was the fact that I had been called of God and that I had done my very best.  I knew it; the two brethren who pronounced the blessing upon my head knew it; and God new it.  I could not deny it, neither dared I. I have suffered physically and emotionally to the edge of my endurance, and other people, including many in my own family, added their disbelief and lack of validation to my burden; but the Lord has never abandoned me. Because He has walked by my side (and, I suspect, many times carried me!) I have become a more humble person.  I am still able to love without condition or pretense, when it would have been so easy to become hard and cynical.  If I praised my Savior with every breath for the rest of my life, it could never express my love and appreciation for His peace which passes all understanding.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING: BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH, I TOO MUST GIVE

In 1934, a man people know as Bill W. entered the offices of Dr. Bob, seeking help.  He was an alcoholic who had destroyed his career, his family, and his life.  He'd tried on his own for years.  He finally realized that he would never become sober on his own.  He needed help.

As he worked his own recovery, Bill - with the help of Dr. Bob - began to codify the process that seemed to be working for him.  Those 12-Steps led to Bill's sobriety and to the founding of a spiritually based self-help program that we know as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Since then, many treatment programs have arisen using those original steps.  They have been used to address other addictions, such as drugs, gambling, and pornography.  The Addiction Recovery Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses a 12-Step model. It differs in that, in AA, the spiritual helper is addressed as a higher power or God, as you understand him. In the ARP program, that higher power is specific: Jesus Christ.

When Alma the Younger spent those three days in torment following the angel's visit, it was like a horrendous crash course in Repentance 101.  To me, that is what the 12-steps are all about: repentance. 

Here are the steps:

1. Recognize that my life is out of control; I am powerless
2. Believe that there is a power in the universe greater than I
3. Turn control of my life over to God
4. Take a fearless and honest moral inventory of sins
5. Admit to God, myself, and one other person the exact nature of my sins.
6. Be ready to have God help me overcome my sins and change my life
7. Ask God to remove my shortcomings
8. Make a list of people I have hurt
9. Make direct amends when I can; be willing to make amends to everyone
10. Conduct an ongoing personal inventory; when I find sin, acknowledge it
11. Continue to make improvements and learn from my mistakes
12. Having had a spiritual awakening, I will share it with others.

Most of us won't be called to repentance by an angel as was Alma. But as I read the most complete account of Alma's experience, I recognize elements of this process in his experience.  It wasn't the angel that converted Alma: it was the pain and weight of his sins that finally drove him to reach out to Christ. If you read this account in Alma, chapter 36, you will note that it is a complete chiasmus*.  There are a series of statements listed, then the most important part of the testimony, followed by a review of the original statements in reverse order. 

Which verses were the key concept being taught? Verses 17 and 18:

I remembered Jesus Christ, son of God

I cried, "Jesus Christ, son of God."

It was then that things turned around for Alma. For 16 verses, he has confessed his sins and suffered torment for them.  In the last 16 verses, he is released from his toment, finds forgiveness for his sins, and finds a blue print for his future: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This was certainly the case with Alma, but he didn't bask in his joy. He reached out to help others, first those whom he had hurt and then anyone among the Nephites who had turned from God.  His friends, sons of Mosiah, went through a similar process and they reached out to the Lamanites. Those were superb examples of step 12.  In AA they say (referring to recovery) "If you want to keep it, you must share it."  That is a corollary on "If you don't use it, you lose it," or "To keep your testimony, you must share it" or "Because I have been given much, I too must give."

Because I have been given much, I too must give

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* Chart from Book of Mormon Central