Deliverance: Alma vs. Limhi

Elder L.Tom Perry, Apostle of Jesus Christ, during April 2012 General Conference, spoke of the great message and theme of deliverance in the Book of Mormon. Elder Perry compared and contrasted the peoples of Alma and Limhi which I have also done in several posts on this blog. The following are my thoughts and not necessarily those of LDS Church leadership

Nephi, the first prophet-writer in the Book of Mormon states in the first Chapter: "I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

Latter on in the Book of Mormon, another prophet named Alma the Younger says, "Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage."

So what of the captivity of the Father of Alma the Younger? If it was important for Alma the Younger to remember the captivity and deliverance of Alma, then surely is it important for us to remember his captivity and deliverance also.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
When the family of Nephi arrives in America, Nephi and those loyal to the Lord were forced to separate themselves from the older brothers Laman and Lemuel who coveted Nephi's position as leader over the family. Laman believed it was his right as the oldest son to rule. However, Laman was a wicked man and did not seek the will of God. Consequently, much of the family looked to Nephi for leadership and guidance because of his righteousness, faith, and gift of prophecy.

The envy and resentment of Laman and Lemuel toward Nephi led to a plot and scheme to have him murdered. Nephi was warned of the plotting and directed to take those who would follow him and separate themselves from Laman and Lemuel and those of family of Ishmael who supported them. This division and separation is what resulted in the formation of the nations of the Nephites and the Lamanites spoken of throughout the Book of Mormon.

The first place the Nephites fled to was named the "Land of Nephi". However, likely because of a higher birth rate and intermarriage with aboriginals, it wasn't long until the savage-like Lamanites had surrounded the more civilized Nephites who lived in the Land of Nephi. The Lamanites were hunter-gatherers and would often attack and plunder Nephite processions instead of producing them themselves or acquiring them through trade.

Because of the continual war and persecution, the Nephites were again prompted by God to pick up and relocate. This is when the Nephites discovered the Mulekites who lived in the City of Zarahemla. The Mulekites were Jews who had fled the Babylonian destruction of Jerusakem and fled to America. Mulek was a surviving son of King Zedekiah. The Nephites and Mulekites joined together for protection against the Lamanites threat and because the Nephites had preserved Hebrew scripture, law, tradition and priesthood authority.

However, there were a few Nephites who desired to risk going back to the Land of Nephi and the City of Nephi. Zeniff was the first king among those who had returned to the City of Nephi. Noah, the son of Zeniff, was a wicked king who burned a prophet of God Abinadi for calling him and the people to repentance. King Noah himself was later burned at the stake by the people for leading the men in a retreat from attacking Lamanites and deserting their wives and children.

After the demise of Noah, Limhi, the son of Noah, became king over the people at the city of Nephi. At this time Limhi and his people were placed into bondage and enslaved by the Lamanites. Limhi sent emissaries to Zarahemla to see if the Nephites there would come to their aid. However, due to some misfortune, these emissaries got on the wrong path and bypassed the City of Zarahemla. Instead of finding allies, the scouts of King Limhi found ancient ruins and records which they mistook for the fallen City of Zarahemla. Consequently, the people of Limhi believed they were completely alone in the world and hopelessly enslaved and surrounded by their enemies.

ALMA VS. LIMHI
At the death of Abinadi, a small group of believers led by Alma, one of the Kings priests; fled the City of Nephi and established the City of Helem. Both the people of Alma and Limhi were but into bondage by the Lamanites at the same time. And both were eventually delivered. However, the difference in the two examples was 1. How they reacted to enslavement, 2. how much suffering each group was made to endure before they were delivered. 3. The means of deliverance.

LIMHI
The people of Limhi reacted to bondage by continually going to war with the Lamanites. Limhi's people were beaten back again and again. At one point the Book of Mormon says: "And now there was a great mourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren.".

However, the people of Limhi were not delivered at this time. The Book of Mormon says the Lord was slow to hear their prayers until: "they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies".

Difficult as it is to realize, God's requirements for deliverance after they were in bondage: 1. patient submission to bondage, 2. humbling themselves before God, 3. caring for the widows, and 4. crying mightily to God for deliverance.5. studying how to deliver themselves from bondage.

ALMA
The people of Alma at Helem had a different experience during their bondage. Instead of continually fighting a losing battle, the people of Alma patiently submitted to bondage. humbled themselves before God, and continually prayed for their deliverance.

Enslavement was not easy for the people of Alma, but the Book of Mormon says that the people of Alma were blessed to the point that their burdens were made light upon their shoulders. Because of their greater faith, the people of Alma were eventually delivered by miraculous means.

April 2012 World General Conference

Last weekend, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints enjoyed our semiannual world General Conference. General Conference is when every 6 months, the LDS Church leadership including: the President and Prophet and Chief Apostle Thomas S Monson, members of the Quorums of the 12 Apostles and 70's speak.

LDS Church leadership around the world listen to the conference broadcast in person at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, or by TV, radio, satellite, cable, and Internet. I listened to Conference by a combination of iPhone Internet radio stream, Roku Box, and satellite transmission at our local meetinghouse In Augusta, GA. I also monitored the twitter feed #ldsconf during the proceedings.

The Conference was wonderful. I really felt and enjoyed a spirit of unity and uplifted and strengthened in my resolve to try a little harder to be a little better. Some of the memorable thoughts conveyed during the Conference included:

"No cause, no force in the entire world can stop the work of God. Despite what comes, this great cause will go forward."-Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Come back!, Come up! Come in! Come home! Come unto me."

In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for meditation?

“we enter mortality not to drift through the waters of life. We have the power to reason, think and achieve…”

Many of us are active in the Church of Jesus Christ, but are we active in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

The spirit housed the the body can manifest divine attributes: love, virtue, patience, and integrity.

A perfect physical body here on Earth is not a requirement for Eternal Life and Exaltation.

Heaven is filled with this kind of people: they are forgiven and they forgive.

Pres Uchtdorf 2-word sermon on resentment and envy: "STOP IT!"

Bumper Sticker Wisdom: "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."

Do the right things, even when they are hard.

LDS Doctrine is not based solely on scholarship, hermeneutics and exegesis, but inspiration and revelation by the Holy Ghost.

LDS Priesthood authority and sealing keys to perform baptism and seal families together for eternity were given to the prophet Joseph Smith by the laying of of hands by heavenly messengers.

If you come across a person who is drowning, would you ask if you can help? Don't ask, just act.

Deliverance is a major theme of the Book of Mormon. Why was God slow to deliver the people of Limhi but quick to deliver the people of Alma in a more miraculous manner?

The attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual.

You can't be right by doing wrong. You can't be wrong by doing right.

Elder Nelson on the Big Bang Theory of Creation, "Could an explosion in a printing shop, produce a dictionary?"

“wise parents raise their children to get along without them…ultimately children need to depend upon the Lord, not their parents.”

"Are you a Mormon? If not, you should be!”. Elder Perry quoting his friend 'Scott'

Elder Christofferson quoting Joseph Smith, "a prophet is a prophet only when acting as such:" and Brigham Young, "This morning you heard what Brigham Young had to say…now you will hear what the Lord has to say”.

"There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets the unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition."

"We are not diminished when someone else is added upon."

"It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines."

"There are those who are in tune to the music of faith. You know who you are. You love the Lord and His gospel and continuously try to live and share His message especially with your families. You are in harmony with the promptings of the Spirit, awaken to the power of God's word, have religious observances in your homes, and diligently try to live Christ-like lives as His disciples."

"Pres. Monson has specifically asked us to have the courage to refrain from judging others. He has also asked every faithful member to 'rescue' those who have tasted the gospel fruit and then have fallen away as well as those who have not yet found the strait and narrow path."

"There are some principals and practices that enhance revelation…. Yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost... Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit...Careful, quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation... Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep and good eating habits increase our ability to receive and understand revelation... One must ever be mentally and physically clean and have purity of intent so that the Lord can inspire... For spirituality to grow stronger and more available it must be planted in a righteousness environment... Humility is fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do... When we are acting as instruments in behalf of others, we are more easily inspired than when we think only of ourselves... Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation."

"Our Father in Heaven did not put us on this earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously."

"Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling - from which they will never be released is to one another and then to their children."

"One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents."

Sacrifice of Jesus Christ has been called "the most transcendent of all events… ended the requirement for sacrifice by the shedding of blood, but did not end the requirement for sacrifice... Sacrifice is the central message of all the prophets."

"Christians have voluntarily given sacrifice motivated by faith in Christ and the desire to serve Him... For most followers of Christ our sacrifice involves what we can do on a day-to-day basis in our ordinary personal lives."

Salt Lakes City Creek Center Opens

Salt Lake's City Creek Center has recently opened. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been criticized by some for using investment income and not tithing to further invest, restore and revitalize the failing mall across the street from the church's world headquarters and temple. Many people think any money invested in the immediate neighborhood of downtown Salt Lake City could be better spent helping the starving in Africa. Thinking about the issue of starving in Africa vs the City Creek Center, I realized something important.

I used to work in the old Crossroads and ZCMI malls. The place was a serious dump and a serious seismic hazard. These malls were seriously falling apart and could not be saved. No amount of whitewashing could have saved the many structural problems with Crossroads Mall. If you havnt worked there, then you have no idea.

The LDS Church has rescued Salt Lake City yet again. Just consider the alternative. Crossroads mall was about to close, Anchor store Nordstrom was about to jump ship, and the entire mall area was going to just get closed down and condemned. The Temple would be left with a run down, unkept, delapidated neighbor.

Now look what the LDS Church has helped to bring about. Instead of a dead downtown, the downtown area has been revitalized and transformed into a prosperous and beautiful environment.

We have a responsibility to help our families first, and neighbors second. People posting pics of starving Africans have no idea the political and tribal reasons for the suffering.

Giving money to the poor doesn't help the poor. Most US money and NGO resources end up being hoarded by warlords and corrupt politicians and never trickle down to the people intended.

Many people criticize the LDS Church for bailing out Salt Lake City from the disaster of a failing Crossroads Mall. These people think the money would be better spent sending it to save the starving in Ethiopia. What the critics don't know is the political and tribal issues that is leading to the starvation.

If you have ever taken a public health course, you would learn the issue with starvation in Africa is not one of scarcity of resources, but the problem of tribalism and corruption. Truth is there are very fertile lands in Ethiopia next to very barren land. Unfortunately, if you are a member of the wrong tribe, you are cast out and have to eak out a subsistence in the barren land. Furthermore, when government and NGO assistance arrives, it is usually hoarded by corrupt politicians and warlords and tribal chieftains and doesn't make it to the people who need it.

In fact, much of the abject starvation we see in pictures is real but set up as propaganda. Groups will starve out a tribe, take pictures of starving children, and then guilt the west into sending them millions which never ends up going to the people in the picture.

The reality is that the LDS Church's example of helping out and rescuing their neighbor is exactly the example and message that would save the starving in Africa.

United Order: Free Market Inspired Neighborhood Insurance Program

Most people recognize the problems with Socialism and Communism. Socialism makes the false promise of equality. However, in reality, socialism can never be equal because a socialist society requires rule makers and rule enforcers.

On the other side of things, capitalism is no less problematic. Instead of an economic system controlled by an appointed ruling class, we have a ruling class set up by inherited generational wealth and insider loan approval. Capitalism is a system ruled by the "golden rule:". He who has the gold makes the rules.

That said, anyone who confuses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints concept of the United Order with Communism is very misled. Similarly, anyone who believes the United Order is not "free market" is also mistaken. The differences between The United Order and Communism are many that they do not resemble one another in the least aspect.

# 1 The United Order respects property rights.
#2 In the LDS United Order there is not an absolute equality. Claim on property varies depending on family size, talents and abilities, wants, and needs (D&C 82:17-19). While Communism chokes our creativity by limiting people to a specific labor in the system, the United Order embraces and supports individuals who seek to develop and magnify multiple talents, skills and abilities.
#3 Think of the "all things in common" system as an insurance system. Money and resources in excess of wants and needs put into an immediate neighborhood/ward insurance fund to only be applied for the assistance of: A. family first, B. Second, widows and fatherless, sick and afflicted that live next to you, C. Third, the whole church.
#4. There is no "retirement" in the United Order. There are no pentions. Men eat their bread by thr sweat of their brow all the day of their lives and not until retirement (Gen 3:19). In our "retirement and pension" system, men without any real productive skills idol off the system in their later years and feel fully justified. During life planned retirees hoard away excess money for a hoped future retirement instead of using those resources now for the benefit of family and neighbors.
#5. The United Order believes in a separation of Church and State (no theocracy)
#6. There is no slave and ruling class.
#7. The United Order is Free Market.
#8. Jesus Christ will reign personally on the Earth but will administer government via his priesthood.

“That Jesus will be a resident on the earth a thousand [years] with the Saints is not the case, but will reign over the Saints and come down and instruct, as he did the five hundred brethren [see 1 Corinthians 15:6], and those of the first resurrection will also reign with him over the Saints.” TOPJS

Imagine a system where excess money is not hoarded away into investments for a future retirement and instead put into a common insurance pool to assist immediate family and neighbors. Because they are neighbors that are potential beneficiaries, the donors see that the funds are used appropriately for your family and your neighbors (D&C 82:19).

Because, potential beneficiaries are your immediate neighbors, you have continual interaction with them. This makes it less likely that there will be those who free-load off the system. However, seeing how the Early Christians, Puritans, and Early LDS Saints failed at maintaining the Order, successful implementation may not be possible. Yet, I think we may yet see its implementation with divine assistance before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Reading D&C82, I am surprised how "free market" the united order really is. In Communism, subjects are arbitrarily assigned as a potato peeler unless they have money or influence. In capitalism, an inventor cannot get investment funding unless his invention can maintain or expand the power of the current establishment.

On the contrary, the United Order states that all members "have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just—And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church"

In other words, members are given stewardships in the economy (doctor, electrician, dentist, plumber, builder, retailer etc) and all have equal claim for for assets and credit. Furthermore, members are free to expand and develop other talents, abilities for the benefit of the community.

Meritocracy?

Opposition to the current elite-controlled establishment have been using the word "meritocracy" to describe an alternative system of government.

I don't like nepotism or the "good 'o boys system" that we see today. But what about "meritocracy?". Who decides what has or who has merit?

I am not against merit. However, I was taught that our Constitutional representative government was intended to select representatives based on virtue and not merit. Only a "return to virtue" can save our country.

Alma 50:20 "Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land."

Imagine if all politicians needed a bishop's endorsement (according to 1Cor 5:11) to run for office?

However, as a friend pointed out, a bigger issue is "who selects our leaders": elite vs people. The issue of who selects our leaders is more important than by what criteria they are selected: merit vs virtue. The Book of Mormon teaches that the business of government should be conducted by the voice of the people because the majority usually tend to desire that which is right.

For many, virtue is merit. However, that gets back to the subject of this post. Who decides what is of merit? If we follow the "voice of the people" the Book of Mormon promises that the greater portion tend to desire that which is right.