THEY WOULD NOT CALL UPON THE LORD

We read in Mosiah 26:4 that those of the rising generation who could not, would not, and did not believe, preferring to remain in their carnal and sinful state . . . would not call upon the Lord their God. Even so - or perhaps because - parents still need to teach of Christ by precept and example. Even if they choose to reject our teachings, they still have them in their hearts to draw upon in times of trial.

So it was with Alma and his son, Alma.  Alma taught his son, a son who later chose not only to violate those teachings, but to persecute those who did and seek to destroy their faith.  But someone once said, "There are no atheists in foxholes."  Alma the younger found his foxhole when an angel of God shocked him with a voice like thunder.  Alma the Younger was so shocked that he fell to earth as if he were dead.*  

Harrowed up by the memory of my sins

For three days, he was tormented with what he called the pains of a damned soul. When he was on the brink of giving himself up to total damnation, he recalls what his father had taught him. Later, when relating this story to his son Helaman, he said:

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment and harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of god, to atone for the sins of the world.

Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. (Alma 36: 17-19)

Many sermons can be - and have been - preached on this one story.  I use it here to point out one point: Alma had taught his son, Alma the Younger, about Christ.  In young Alma's moment of despair, those teachings were still there in his mind.  They were a tiny glimmer of light in a tormented darkness of his soul.  He looked to that light and called upon Jesus for deliverance and he was delivered from the torments of death and hell.

It was Nephi who wrote: And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Nephi 25:26)

Sometimes we, as parents, can despair of our children ever hearing our words. They may make choices diametrically opposed to those things which we taught them.  As I look at the story of the two Almas I take heart. Alma the Younger became about as wicked as he could be, despite his father being the Prophet of the Church.  But, because his father had planted teaching about Jesus Christ in his heart, when Alma needed help the most, he remembered those words.  

When our children go astray, we can rest in the knowledge that they were God's before they were ours.  If we have taught them with love about the God of Love, they might one day fall into their own foxhole.  If our testimony is somewhere in their heart, no matter how buried it may be, they can draw on it in the time of need.

They won't have that testimony to draw on if we don't plant it for them.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

* Alma related his story on several different occasions.  I'd like to wait to deal with his full testimony at a later date.

GOD HAS NO GRANDCHILDREN

Many years ago when I was driving from Las Vegas back to BYU in Provo, of necessity, on a Sunday, I was listening to any radio station I could get. A program came on with a Minister, whom I assume was Protestant, whose name I didn't know.  But the topic of his sermon intrigued me.  It was the title I have given this blog - "God has no grandchildren."

If you are a student of the scriptures, you will know that there are hundreds of references in all four standard works referring to the Children of God; Children of the Lord; or Children of Christ.  In most cases, the referenced material talks about individuals' conversions - their coming to Christ, repenting, being born again, being baptized into His Church, etc. There are no scriptures that I could find that refer to the Grandchildren of God. This minister of so many years ago pointed out that conversion is an individual experience and not something that can be passed down through the genes like red hair or freckles.  God has no grandchildren because, as each person reach the age of accountability, he or she must, on his or her own, make a personal commitment to Christ and experience his or her own conversion and rebirth.  The parents can share their testimonies with the children, but they can't give their testimonies to their children.  Each generation must come to God on its own or, as my Grandmother Palfreyman used to stay, "Every tub must stand on its own bottom." (I never knew what that meant exactly, but spiritual self-reliance seems to fit!)

The people who had been present at King Benjamin's sermon and who had all felt the converting power of the Holy Ghost were now all dead. The rising generation did not personally experience Benjamin's teachings and, even though his words had been written down, somehow reading them instead of hearing them spoken didn't have the same impact.  In Mosiah 26, we read 

• Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of King Benjamin.
• Liken: Are their times when we don't completely understand what the scriptures are saying?  Understanding books like Isaiah, Daniel, or Revelation are not understood by simply reading.  It takes great prayer and consistent study to even begin to make sense of some of it.
  
• They did not believe the traditions of their fathers.
• Liken: Apparently, many parents tried to pass on these gospel lessons to their children, but their children did not believe them, particularly in their adolescence when they are smarter (in their own pride) than their fathers.  (I was amazed to see how brilliant my mother grew as I had my own children!)
  
• Because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened. (Mosiah 26: 1-3) They would not.
• Liken: This is a different could not from the first.  In the beginning, they couldn't understand the meaning of what they were hearing.  In this instance, they couldn't understand because they wouldn't understand.  They had hardened their hearts (and their heads!) so that nothing got it.

Because they had, essentially, lost the Spirit with which they could have understood.  As a result, they made foolish, shortsighted, and even sinful choices.  They chose not to be baptized.  They refused to accept Christ.  They did not believe that He would come to redeem them.  That would have been bad enough, but the truism of today was true then: people can leave the church (and the faith of their fathers) but they cannot leave the church alone.  To rationalize (and thus excuse in their own minds) their many sins, they chose not to repent, but, rather, to alter the value system by attacking everything their elders had taught them. I don't need to believe in some savior because they things I do are my personal life choices and who are you to say they are sins? Therefore, if I'm not sinning, I don't require a savior anyway.

In the beginning, the believers outnumbered the dissenters. But as time passed, the dissenters grew in numbers and noisiness.  For they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit sins. . . (Mosiah 25:6) Not content to wallow in their own sins, they set out to convert others to their way of thinking so they could all sin together.

~ ~ ~

Can you think of groups today who are not content to live in their own sins,  but seek to proselytize for others to first, accept them; second, agree that they are blameless (it's not sin, its a lifestyle choice!); and then, sin with them.

~ ~ ~

Alma, as the high priest, had to hold Church courts for many taken in such sins and it broke his heart.  What broke him the most was the fact that his own son was one of the worst.  I'm sure that Alma had taught him about his own bondage to sin, King Noah, and finally Lamanite bondage; and of how God delivered them.  But Alma was having none of it.  His riotous living was screaming so loudly, he could not hear the still, small voice of the Spirit.

Perhaps the Spirit needed to speak a little bit louder?!

Why did the angel speak with a "voice of thunder?"


"No charge in the kingdom is more important than to build faith in youth.  Each child in each generation chooses faith or disbelief.  Faith is not an inheritance; it is a choice." Henry B. Eyring 2001

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL

We are coming to an event in Book of Mormon history that everyone who has ever read the book will remember: the conversion of Alma the Younger. I was watching Tyler and Taylor on Book of Mormon Central.

Book of Mormon Central


They introduced these chapters from Mosiah by quoting a nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty.  You recall:

HUMPTY DUMPTY

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

What a mess! If you've ever dropped an egg on the floor, you know that it seems pretty irretrievable. All you can do is clean it off the floor (a challenge in itself) and chalk it up as lost.

How many people feel like this broken egg? How many have chalked themselves up as lost? How many have avoided even trying to clean themselves up because they feel they are an irretrievable mess?

Far too many.

All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again - 

But then Tyler added an addendum:

But the King could. And the King would. And the King did.

After everyone in Zarahemla took upon themselves the name Nephite, they accepter Mosiah as their king and Alma as the prophet of the Church.  It was the first time the Church was seen as an organized entity, with seven branches meeting in different places but teaching the same gospel truths.  

As time went on, there arose dissenters in the Church who did not accept Alma's teachings (and often, not Mosiah's laws.) They led many away from the Church and huge problems arose as a result of their immoral and often illegal behaviors.  Alma found himself in the role of Judge in Israel and it was difficult for him.  If the person broke a temporal law, he was sent to the King for adjudication, but if he broke a moral law, the King sent him back to Alma.

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the most destructive of these dissenters was Alma's own son, called Alma the Younger. His four best friends and partners in disruption were the four sons of King Mosiah, Aaron, Ammon, Omner and Himni.  They were all broken eggs.  All had fallen and had fallen far and hard.  And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put these five back together again.  Even the Prophet was helpless before this challenge.  The good news is that in wisdom, this Prophet and many of his people fasted and prayed that God would somehow wake them up to the awfulness of their situation.  He knew that only God could put them back together again.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

As I was reading the twenty-fifth chapter of Mosiah, I stumbled upon verse 12 with new eyes.  I know I have read it before dozens of times, but never thought of the implications it had for Book of Mormon peoples.  In order to understand verse 12, I had to go in my mind to the days of King Noah.

In the above chart, you can see that the Nephites were spread out as the fled before the Lamanites. As you look at that oval, where do you think the most vulnerable people would be? Most likely, they would have been at the back of the bunch, closest to the enemy. A leader like Captain Moroni would have placed some of his strongest men in the back as a rear guard to protect the elderly and ill, small children and their mothers.  Where do you think King Noah would have placed himself and the strongest men?  I would guess that they were out if front, running the fastest they could.  I make this hypothesis based on the fact that, when Noah could see that the Lamanites were gaining ground, he counseled his priests and other strong men to leave their wives and children behind to fend for themselves, while they ran unencumbered.  As a result, the Lamanites captured this most vulnerable group quickly.  Some of the men had ignored Noah and stayed with their families.  Later, when the adrenalin wore off, most of the men who ran away felt ashamed of themselves and chose to return to their families.  Apparently Noah's son, Limhi was among this bunch.  The king and his false priests continued on, probably in fear of what the other Nephites would do to them even if the Lamanites didn't kill them.  

Of course, we know the rest of the story of Noah and the priests.  Noah had been put to death, probably by the group that returned to their families, and his priests continued in their flight.  They came upon the Lamanite daughters dancing and captured many of them to be wives to this priests.  

But - and this is not something I'd thought about until today - what of the wives and children they already had? The ones who had been left behind?  What happened to them?  The only logical thing to suppose is that they were among the people who remained and were governed by Noah's son, Limhi.  When Limhi's people escaped after 24 years in bondage, those children of the priests would have gone with the group to Zarahemla.  Once there, they joined the people of Alma and the Nephites and Mulekites already living there. 

King Mosiah called a conference to unite his people

King Mosiah convened a great conference of all the people.  One of the items on the agenda was to read aloud the records that Limhi kept. They also read aloud the records kept by Alma and his people.  

These two groups had been gone from Zarahemla for 80 years, but there were those living among them who had families in Zarahemla who had mourned them. (Remember when Amaliki wrote that his brother was among those who left and he never knew what happened to him? - See Omni 1: 30)

What happened next?  I'll refer to the text: 

And now when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who had tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. For they knew not what to think. … And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren [the priests of Noah] were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites. (Mosiah 25: 12)

What's in a name? Shakespeare didn't think much when he said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." That may have been the case in Mr. Shakespeare's day, but in the Semitic cultures of the Middle East and in Mesoamerica, a name meant a lot. The name of Nephi was an honored name.  These people were ashamed of their father and grandfathers and no longer wanted that familial association.  In taking the name of Nephi, they showed respect for Nephi himself as well as for the righteous ideals he held and taught to his children.*

I am grateful that I bear an honorable family name and can look upon my own father and mother with great love and respect.  But I, along with my parents, have taken upon myself another name - that of Jesus Christ. I never want shame brought to His name because of things I do. I have had sore need to repent whenever I have forgotten that.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

*  The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword  of Laban in their defense, and having labored in all his days for their welfare—Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would. (Jacob 1: 10 - 11)
A bit of an FYI - My sister once asked me what it was like living in my brain? If you read my blog, you can learn a lot about how my thoughts connect disparate pieces of information.  Today, for example, I read one verse of scripture that intrigued me enough that it sent me on the trail of an important concept I would never have otherwise researched.  I have found that, for me, studying the scriptures thematically helps me understand them better.

FALSE TRADITIONS, AND ENEMY OF UNITY

Over the weekend, I wrote about unity as it relates to us in our day.  Let's now segue into this week's study of Mosiah 25-28 by looking at the cultural diversity of the people living at that time.  These differences had impact on the political as well as spiritual life of these people.

The largest group in terms of population were the Lamanites.  I suspect that they may have married among indigenous people to have doubled their population so quickly.  I've already discussed some of their identifying characteristics, such as not knowing God, and their ongoing hatred of the Nephites.  Multiply Laman and Lemuel by thousands and you will see that nothing much changed in almost 600 years.  One of the leaders made a comment in General Conference a few years ago.  He said that if the parents are off by a few inches, their children will be off by miles. Not only are nonbelieving parents unlikely to teach concepts and precepts they don't understand, don't accept, and don't live to their children, but they are likely to teach and model things that are inaccurate and misleading. This was the case with the Lamanites who were taught the "traditions of their fathers" until they knew nothing else.

The next largest group were the people of Zarahemla, who were descendants of Mulek, son of Zedekiah. The rights of kinghood in ancient Israel rested with the tribe of Judah.  As a body, they had united with the Nephites under King Mosiah, but I'm sure there were many among them who questioned Mosiah or any Nephite's right to rule since they were of the tribe of Joseph and not Judah. Although we don't know for sure, they could have been among those who continued to lobby for a king instead of the system of judges set up by Mosiah. These were referred to as Kingsmen in the Book of Mormon. Many an apostate group who left the worship of Jehovah did so to seek the power of king. (One such man was named Amalakiah.  We will meet him at a future date.)

The smallest group but the most politically and spiritually powerful were the Nephites. They had separated themselves from the Lamanites early in the history of the Book of Mormon to avoid being destroyed by those who followed the false traditions of Laman and Lemuel.  They may have been chosen to lead because they were literate.  At least one Nephite king, Mosiah, had the power to translate ancient records from other cultures written in a different language.  The most important distinguishing characteristic was that they had taught their children in the learning of their fathers.  While they needed leadership, they did not need or want a king because God was their King. They had prophets to guide their spiritual well being and to help them stay on the covenant path.  On civil matters, they had a system of judges chosen from among the most righteous segment of society.  The Lord governed His Church through prophets and wise men whom the prophets called.

~ ~ ~

Imagine being Mosiah or Alma and trying to bring unity to such a diverse group of people. From this point on, the story became one of dissention and warfare as these differences poured over into violence. Among those who brought the most grief to the Nephites, both politically and spiritually, were the son of Alma and the four sons of King Mosiah. How does a parent deal with a child who has gone so far astray?  How does that parent carry on with his appointed responsibilities when his own child is setting such a bad example?

Stay tuned! Likening this section of the Book of Mormon to our day is a simple task as we see groups seeking to destroy the work of God through their licentious behavior, their greed for power and wealth, and their hatred for anyone or anything that stands in their way. Sometimes all we can do is to keep on keeping on with those things we know to be true, and to pray fervently for those who have been so led astray by the values and desires of Babylon.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE

Yesterday I spoke of macro-unity, citing the millions of people who are part of the Covenant of Abraham.  Today, I'd like to bring that closer, micro-unity on an individual basis, by lookin at those relationships in which we have a part.  

Speaking of unity, President Henry B. Eyring said:

[God] cannot grant it to us as individuals.  The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary.  We must seek it and qualify for it with others. . . . To the Three Nephites, the Savior promised joy in unity with Him . . . He said, 'Ye shall have fulness of joy. . . (President Henry B. Eyring, October General Conference, 2008)  Our Hearts Knit as One

It is only through unity that we can experience a fulness of joy. Let's look at some of our relationship in which unity is important.

One with Christ and the Father

In Jesus' great Intercessory Prayer for His apostles, just prior to His death, He pled with the Father that they may be one, as [He and the Father] are one . . .Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17: 11, 20-21) Each of us are included in this call for unity, for we are among those who believe on Christ through the words of prophets and apostles. Therefore, the first relationship we must nurture is the one we have with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

One with our eternal companion

The next relationship we should nurture is the one with our spouse. Several years ago, my bishop asked me to speak with the young married couples in the ward on this topic. Without sharing any confidential information about individuals, he said that he was seeing too many marriages where the partners were "mean to each other."  It was difficult for me even to picture this because my husband was my best friend. While we had differences and moments of discord, I could not imagine my ever wanting to be "mean" to him.

President Eyring gave guidance for such situations. One of those principles is revelation. . . . It is the only way we can know who to follow the Lord together.  It requires light from above.  The Holy Ghost will testify to our hearts .  . . . what He would have us do.  
A second principle to guide our progress to become one is to be humble.  Pride is the great enemy of unity. C. S. Lewis taught that pride always means enmity: enmity with the other person and enmity with God.

One with our children

The same spiritual guidance and humble attitude are required for unity with our children.  One thing that makes this challenging is the fact that whereas we are equal partners in a marriage, there is a different relationship with our children.  We are taught that if we have children, it is incumbent upon us that we raise to be covenant keepers themselves.  (See Doctrine and Covenants 68: 25)  In order to do this, we may have occasion to correct them.  The best single treatise on correcting in love is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 141: 41-46) The Holy Ghost should guide our correction.  We should reprove with clarity as soon as we see a child taking a dangerous path, but we do so when moved by the Spirit, not when prompted by our own anger.  Clearly presented expectations, along with patience and forgiveness go a long way in avoiding conflicts.  Be a good-finder, not a fault-finder with others, particularly our children.

One within our ward and community

First and foremost, we must see with Christ-like eyes, the child of God within everyone you meet.  President Eyring taught that we should look for those things upon which we agree and build on those.  Don't judge.  Don't gossip.  Speak well of one another. Don't criticize.  Be a peacemaker. If you struggle, ask the Lord to give you that new heart that you need.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf told the Saints that if they find themselves doing those things that build disharmony, he had a two-word sermon for them: 

STOP IT! (General Conference, April 2012

One with those who differ from us

Elder Eyring said that the same principles that apply with our families and friends also apply as we seek unity with people from different backgrounds. The children of God have more in common than they have differences. . . . we can see a difference in someone else, not as a source of irritation, but as a contribution. (Eyring)

I once attended a professional conference with many people of diverse backgrounds.  One of the presenters was a woman from Africa.  She was petit and very pretty and very professional in her demeaner. I could not see at a glance that she had much in common with me.  The first exercise she had us do was to write down a list of things that can describe us.  I can't remember my list exactly but I know it included being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint; being a single mother of four; widowed very young; went back to school after my husband's death to get a Master's degree and a Doctorate.  I was a teacher and a counselor.

When we had finished, our group leader read her list.  She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; a single mother of four, widowed very young; went back to school after her husband's death to get advanced degrees including a Masters and a Doctorate.  She was an educator and a counselor!  Aside from the fact that she was born in Africa and could speak five languages fluently (I speak mostly English and understand very little French and Spanish) our lists could have been a duplicate of each other.

My Grandmother Rawlings was my mentor and best friend when I was growing up.  Even though she died when I was 17, I have consciously tried to model my life after hers.  She had two sisters and several friends who were a gossipy bunch, always pointing out the flaws in the person about whom they were gossiping.  She would just listen, never contributing anything negative.  Then at the appropriate moment (and she had incredible timing!) she would say something like this, "Well, that may be, I don't know, but I do know that she has pretty eyes." 

She taught me so much.  I will have lead a good life if, when I'm gone, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say the same about me.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

COVENANTS OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB

Man's relationships with God are all about making and keeping sacred covenants.  God made a covenant with Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and that all the world would be blessed through him.  His son, Isaac, renewed the covenant with the Lord as did Isaac's son, Jacob.  

Abraham, Issac , Jacob

Abraham had descendants through Isaac and Ishmael through Hagar and Sarah, as well as other descendants through his third wife, Katura.  His progeny through Esau, Jacob, as well as his other descendants, became the peoples of the lands we refer to as the Middle East.  The Arab nations are his descendants as are the Tribes of Israel.  Because our line came through Jacob/Israel, we know more about Israel than we do many of the others.

The Nephites and the Lamanites were among Israel's descendants, through Ephraim and Manasseh.  The Mulekites were also of Israel through Judah.  They joined with the Nephites under the rule of King Mosiah and were numbered among them, even though the Book of Mormon tells us that they were more numerous than were the original Nephites. (See Mosiah 25: 2, 3)  There were even more Lamanites.  All were children of the Covenant by birth descent.

Just because they were all children of the Covenant, not all kept or even remembered  the covenant.  The Mulekites, because they brought no records with them, had lost touch with their Jewish ancestry and the Covenant.  Only Nephi, who kept and treasured the records of their genealogy and covenants and it was they who taught the descendants of Mulek who God was and who they were in relationship to Him, i.e., the Covenant.  Of course, Laman and Lemuel rejected both God and the Covenant and were filled with hatred for their brethren who kept their promises to God.  They kept no records and, being taught to hate as their fathers hated, they asked, like Pharaoh of Egypt, "Who is God that I should worship Him?"

Muslims worldwide recognize both Christians and Jews as People of the Book, referring to their connection through birth or adoption to Abraham. Which begs the question: if we are all covenantally related, why is there such enmity in the world? For the same reasons that there was enmity between Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers; Laman and Lemuel. Family discord that leads to a perpetuation of the discord generationally is to blame.  Part of that discord has to do with those who keep and those who reject the original covenant. The illogical original premise of the argument is forgotten in an atmosphere of hatred and vengeance.

A few years ago, I was writing a biography of a friend from Afghanistan.  Because he was Muslim, I got a copy of an English translation of the Koran for background study.  The translator, an Islamic scholar from Tucson, addressed this very issue.  His conclusion was that we have all fallen so short of the Covenant because we don't really live it.  He said that if Moses returned today, the Jews would stone him; if Mohammed returned, the Muslims would behead him; and if Jesus returned, the Christians would crucify Him. I don't think he was too far off the mark.

I may not be able to bring peace to the world, or to moderate millennial-long animosity in the Middle East, but I can do my part by:

• Studying the Scriptures and learning all I can of those things God expects of His children.
• Praying constantly for the Spirit of testimony, understanding, and discernment.
• Doing my daily best to keep the Covenants I have made and daily repentance when I fall short.
• Loving and serving God by loving and serving His children, without anger, enmity, or judgment, recognizing in each the child of God he or she is.

I know that I'll have to work on it the rest of my life, beginning within my own family.

© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson