The War Chapters

Today I read Alma 43, the beginning of the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. As a teenager, I had never really thought about it much, because I was a teenage boy and enjoyed them, but as I've gotten older I've often wondered why in the scriptures did Mormon include the war chapters? Moreover, why THESE war chapters? As we read the rest of the Book of Mormon, there are other wars, some that went on longer and were much more involved, so why did these war chapters get included?

The answer is because they are unique and we can learn something from them. A part of me doesn't wonder if it might also be because Moroni was one of Mormon's heroes. I mean he even named his son after him. But I think that is a very small part of it. Because no matter how much he liked and thought of Moroni, Mormon would not have included these chapters if the Spirit had not prompted him to do so.

So the real question we have to ask ourselves is what can we learn from these chapters? Well, for starters, there are some VERY remarkable men in these chapters and during these years of the Nephite history. Moroni, Lehi, Teancum and Pahoran for starters. Also I believe it is important for us all to know that it is ok for us to defend our lands from those who would seek unrighteous dominion over us.

There is another aspect too. Unrighteous dominion does not only come in the form of physical power. Think about what is happening in the world today. We are being bowled over by those who would subject us to their ideals and their whims. We are under fire because of our morals and our believes and some even dare to call us bigots because we do not engage in what they term "tolerance". I think we are to learn from these chapters that we are to stand up for our rights, for our liberties and our religious freedoms. We are to be the city on the hill and to be the light shining into the spiritual darkness of this life and this world.

In a few chapters hence we will discuss the character of Moroni himself. I do not wish to steal my own thunder by doing it here. But these men in this particular chapter, did not stand idly by when their ideals and freedoms were threatened. Nor did they allow themselves to be called bigots because they stood up for what is right.

We are currently under fire in this world and being pushed ever closer to the cliffs of destruction and people, instead of standing up to the evils of the world and being united as the Nephites were, are going along as docile as a herd of cows to the slaughter! I think these chapters are meant to remind us that we are meant to stand up for what is right and to fight, in the appropriate channels of course, for what we believe in and for what we know to be right! Hopefully we can expound on this thought in the coming weeks. Until tomorrow.