It's Alive! Alive!

Hi folks,

I'm pleased to resurrect this blog after a few years' hiatus. I originally created this as a space for my multidisciplinary approach to the multiple media, cultural, political, and quotidian inputs that dominated my consciousness.

For about 6 months several years ago, I shifted to layman scriptural exegesis of the Book of Mormon.  I wanted to reclaim the book from the conservative interpretations of the book that dominated my faith community. When that fell off, I transferred to a different blog, where I most recently aired my angst about my faith transition away from orthodox (or at least nearly orthodox) Mormonism.

That shift in my worldview has opened up a surprising number of vistas that I'm currently working to understand a little more, and part of that is freeing up some mind space by regularly writing down my experiences.

So, what will follow (at least for the time being) will be a weekly log of my experiences and thoughts prompted by current events, books, philosophy, music, and media. With full disclosure, I've learned that I write furiously in periods of transition between jobs and studies (one of which I just happen to be in the middle of again). When I later start the next big thing, writing tends to lose out to other types of intellectual stimulation. So, no promises about longevity, but I'll write while it lasts.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

ME&C: All the People Gathered (Alma 43)

For several months, I took a hiatus from this blog to concentrate on other matters. My reading of the Book of Mormon continued, though, a few verses here and there. Since I have much to read and study before the end of the year, I won't post on every chapter. But I look forward to coming back for them next year.

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Alma 43 is a watershed moment. It begins a two chapter introduction to the "war chapters," and does so in meticulous fashion. I call it the first epic battle of the Book of Mormon--not because it's necessarily larger in scope or casualty or importance--but because it is the first time a battle is described in such detail and with such little (apparent) focus on spirituality.

Hence the watershed. For generations, members of the church have defined themselves by how they interact with the next 20 or so chapters of Alma. Some skip over them. I admit to doing this myself more than once. Others revel in the change of pace, and are inspired by the intimate details of troop movements and the iconization of freedom fighters and arch villains. I've done that, too. I don't think either method is wrong.

Today, though, I've reflected a great deal on war. Life is a daily struggle to meet so many obligations, and the stakes are high. Salvation and exaltation for ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, and the thousands of strangers who cross our paths all the time. Sometimes, in this seemingly eternal conflict, we are dealt a blow that breaks us, like the savage blows the Lamanites rained upon the Nephite soldiers, "for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates" (v. 44).

Even after all the Nephite soldiers' preparation, their enemies brought them down and endangered their cause.

Last week, some friends lost a newborn baby without warning or time to say goodbye. The loss was devastating. Despite taking all the precautions and notwithstanding their great love for their child, in a few moments they were separated, albeit "only" for this part of their existence. This blow should have broken them. There's no pain that can match it.

But it didn't. Or hasn't. The battle still rages, but instead of additional casualties, there are a few soldiers who fight on despite receiving what should have been mortal wounds. How did this happen? Most importantly, through the peace, comfort, and knowledge that only comes through the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement. But they had something else going for them that I believe helped.

In Alma 43, there is a key to the Nephite victory that has nothing to do with strategy, surprise, or stealth. It has to do with numbers. Alma points out more than once that the Nephite force is woefully outnumbered. To even achieve a critical mass of soldiery, Captain Moroni takes an extreme action--conscripting an entire city. "And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land should gather themselves together to battle against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites" (v. 26).

Everyone came to battle. Not just the strong twentysomething men. Everyone. Without this action, there would not have been enough soldiers to absorb the Lamanites' ferocious blows before the tide of the battle could turn.

As our little branch and members of the church throughout our area heard of one couple's tragedy, they volunteered to absorb a few blows and buy a few precious moments for those whose hearts were pierced with tragedy. To hug and bake, plan and prepare, scrub and vacuum, clasp hands and dry tears.

Can you imagine the sight of thousands of men, women, and children joining together to fight in a battle of seemingly imminent extinction? I can. I've seen it. I've seen the children, youth, men, and women in our little branch rise up in single purpose to defend those most precious to them. It is a sight marvelous to behold. 

ME&C: They Hushed Their Fears (Mosiah 23)

Mosiah 23 is a special chapter. It sows the seeds of great doctrine that are taught in the next 2 books in the Book of Mormon. Verses 9 - 11 anticipate the great chapters of Alma 26 and 29. We learn about godly government on earth, the importance of priesthood authority, and why bad things happen to good people.

I sometimes forget, though, that there are human beings, children of God, who act out this gospel smorgasbord. While I rejoice in the hard truths taught in this chapter, they lived them. One verse in particular stands out to me.

Alma's people in the land of Helam are trying very hard to establish a godly land. They follow the precepts of the gospel, work hard, choose good leaders, and put their faith in their Heavenly Father. And then the Lamanites come as part of the Father's perfection process.

Although they are initially "much frightened," Alma's exhortation focuses their concerns. "Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites" (v. 28).

What greater act of faith is there than this? While seeing a dangerous enemy march quickly toward you, you swallow your fear and turn to the Lord. There is no guarantee that you will live, or that your loved ones will make it through. But rather than waste your breath crying out in desperation, you fall to your knees and pray for guidance and strength.

The people of Alma are an example to me in many ways, but perhaps this above all. When the going gets tough, they shut their mouths and start to pray.

ME&C: Lost in the Wilderness (Mosiah 22)

The Lamanites in this chapter play a comic foil to the earnest people of Limhi. Not only do they allow themselves to be tricked by the old here's-some-wine-that-I'm-giving-you-because-I-like-you-not-because-I'm-about-to-escape-out-of-this-joint trick, but once they go in pursuit of the escaped group, "after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness" (v. 16). Losing the tracks was undoubtedly the handiwork of the Lord, since I doubt this army of Lamanites contained the all-star sorriest bunch of trackers of all time (Limhi's people had flocks and herds with them for crying outloud!). But lost in the wilderness? While it's possible that the Lamanites all simultaneously whacked their heads and got amnesia, I think the term "lost in the wilderness" refers to an absence of purpose rather than an absence of directional memory.

After all, it's likely the Lamanites knew the terrain of the surrounding land very well, at least that amount of land covered in two days' pursuit. Not only that, but I'm sure at least some could have retraced their steps, so a literal intepretation of the Lamanites' situation makes little sense.

However, reading "lost in the wilderness" as the loss of purpose brought on when their primary goal was no longer tenable, I can quickly relate to the Lamanites' situation. In fact, I feel like I'm in a similar quandary right now.

For the past year, I have  bent my efforts towards a singular goal. I spent long hours after work and on weekends preparing for what I assumed was an obvious next step in my life. In a matter of just a few weeks, however, I've lost the tracks of the future I once pursued. I can still see and evaluate my surroundings. I know the path I've taken. But like the Lamanites, retracing my steps is neither tenable nor attractive. As time marches inexorably forward, I cannot relive my year; there is no do-over.

So if the tracks are gone, now what?

When the Lord somehow destroyed the tracks and waylaid the Lamanite army's primary purpose, he began to actively use them as a tool to progress his work of his children's salvation and exaltation. Now, I certainly don't want to become the same type of instrument in his hands that the army becomes (stay tuned for the next chapter), but I can hope that the disappearance of the tracks I once followed is part of my Father in heaven's plan for me, and that the next opportunity I stumble upon as I wander in the wilderness without purpose is similarly contrived to aid the Lord's work.

ME&C: Solitude and Madness (Mosiah 21)

Reading this chapter tonight, I was struck with the insanity of Limhi's people. Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, they attack a larger and entrenched enemy not once, but three times, driven by some inexplicable madness. As I continued to read, I caught a glimpse of what made them go through with their bloody farce of desperate revenge.

Imagine hearing from a band of men you've sent to find your long lost cousins, the only people in the entire world who might hear of your plight, identify with your cause, and come to your rescue, that nothing remains of your one hope against an all-encompassing solitude except "a land which was covered in bones" (v. 26). How quickly must the adversary have darkened the minds of Limhi's poor people! If the great and powerful Zarahemla is no more, than what could possibly be left for a beaten and chained city?

In chapter 11, two generations earlier, Zeniff's people had restored and prospered in two cities (Shilom and Lehi-Nephi). At this point in chapter 21, between wars, internecine squabbles, and desertion, Limhi's people do their best to band together in one, unspecified settlement. And so, my rough math tells me that Limhi's people were half as numerous as Zeniff's.

Imagine a couple who lived at the time of Zeniff. They had 4 kids, and their 4 kids had 4 kids, bringing the total family tree to 22 (not including 2nd and 3rd generation spouses). By the time chapter 21 rolls around, only 1 member is left.

Between the deaths of family members ("the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren") and the news of no friendly community on the other side of the jungle, a feeling of absolute loneliness surely sank into their hearts.

I know a little of that dark solitude. My work often has me travel, and while I do my best to spend time with coworkers, our divergent standards inevitably lead to me spending much of my evenings alone in hotel rooms. More often than not, I play the radio and turn on the TV just to hear human voices. I thrive on companionship. So it is no surprise that in those evenings of solitude, I am at my weakest. It is in those evenings that seeing my wife and daughter on video chat (a perfectly timed technological miracle) or grabbing dinner with a friend who lives in town is a precious countervailing force against the shadow of oblivion.

So I understand, to some small degree, the lonely despair that drives people to irrational actions, and I can understand the excitement Limhi and his people felt in learning of Zarahemla's continued existence. And since the scripture tells us that this good news came only a short time after the prior news of societal solitude, I think we have to chalk up some credit to the mercy apparent in the Lord's timing.

ME&C: The Value of Life (Mosiah 20)

In two separate instances, the people of Limhi show how much they value life.

The first instance is typical. When confronted with the immediate danger of an invading army, these people fought "like dragons" to preserve the lives of the innocent (v. 11).

More interesting to me is the second instance which occurs when the king of the invading army has fallen into Limhi's hands. Gideon counsels Limhi to humble himself before the invading king and establish peace again. Not only is it admirable that Limhi refrains from vengeful execution, especially after the Lamanites broke the peace treaty without warning and killed many of Limhi's people, but it is also admirable how Gideon explains the preeminence of preserving life above most else.

"And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the oath which we have made unto him; for it is better that we should be in bondage than that we should lose our lives; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood" (v. 22).

Gideon displays a wisdom that counterbalances his anger in chapter 19. Life is more precious than glory, pride, or wealth. It is more important than honors, revenge, or satisfaction. Life is the moment in which, as Amulek will teach the next generation of Nephites, we prepare to meet god. Snuffing our or other's lives out prematurely in the pursuit of some moral high ground or global hegemony is a most serious crime, for we cut our brothers' and sisters' precious time short.

Keeping in mind that any ideological bent can find phrasing in scripture to support a particular world view, I have to make the point here that verses like this confirm my belief in pacifism. I abhor the amount of blood shed by my country to prove a point that, so far, remains unproven, chasing a shadow enemy across the lives, livelihoods, and souls of both innocent and guilty. It sickens and worries me, for we know what happens to those who live by the sword.

We are not even close to being in bondage, and yet we rain fire from the sky, and if children die, at least we can say they were within the limits of acceptable collatoral damage. I'll cut my rant short by posting a paragraph from a June 1976 talk by President Spencer W. Kimball. You can read the full text of his remarks  here.

We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)

ME&C: Principles of Organizational Decay (Mosiah 19)

In my last post, I briefly explored the principles that Alma laid out as requisite to restore the power and authority lost as a result of the apostasy during Noah's (and to some extent, Zeniff's) reign.

Many of these principles were set forth to ensure integrity in the church's leadership so that the people's confidence in their leaders would never waver.

King Noah's actions (and those of his closest followers) succintly illustrate the poisonous leadership that will cause any organization, from kingdom to church to corporation, to decay. I'll highlight just a few that stand out.

1. Requiring more than you give in return: King Noah takes from those he manages, rather than making sure he gives them at least as much in return. His policies are unpopular enough that he needs to ensure compliance with force. As soon as the army begins to wear thin (v. 2), division erupts.
• On an interesting sidenote, the scripture never explains why "the forces of the king were small, having been reduced," but a combination of desertion associated with Alma's exodus and budget cutbacks seems a perfect storm that would fit with the story.
2. Running from important and urgent problems: Taking an idea from Stephen Covey's priority quadrants, King Noah ignores the very area that should be his focus. Rather than standing fast and meeting the threat of Lamanite invasion, he runs. Both a managerial and tactical mistake, as regaining an abandoned position is much more costly than fighting to keep it in the first place.
3. Making decisions with selfish motives and encouraging those closest to you to do the same: When women and children slow King Noah's retreat, he orders them abandoned. Those closest to him obey, sacrificing the long-term good (and moral decency) for the exigencies of self preservation. In the end, Noah preserves his life for a few moments, but destroys the credibility and souls of his inner cadre forever.

Most importantly, poisonous leadership does not stop with the death/assassination/exile/sacking of the poisonous leader. The effects recur with such frequency that only a visionary leader with a motivated following can work to reset cultural rules. Which just happens to be the way God works.