Pride Cycle

Today, I finished the Book of Mormon (not the whole Book, just Mormon's book in the Book of Mormon). Here we see the beginning of the end. After Christ has visited, the people all convert to the gospel, and they have all things in common. For years and years they live in happiness and harmony. All is well. But then, after a couple centuries, pride starts to swell in people. They start thinking more about themselves, and putting on costly apparel, and looking good. They start contending, and people start thinking they're better than others. Suddenly, the people are on a quick downward slope. Before you know it, there are wars going on. Mormon is asked to lead the Nephite army against the Lamanites. There is blood and carnage. Mormon feels great sorrow for his people, because he and his son appear to be the only righteous people left. He sees that, after much death and bloodshed, his people are sorrowful, and he gets hopeful because he thinks they might remember their God, and repent. But, they don't. They simply have pity for themselves. This makes Mormon, once again, very sorrowful. As he continues to lead the armies, they grow in strength, and are able to defeat the Lamanites. As they do this, they boast of themselves, saying they did it themselves, and swearing by the heavens and God's thrown that they will kill their enemies. Mormon is not having any of that, so he resigns as their leader. He eventually comes back to lead them again, but they are all killed, every Nephite, except for Mormon, his son Moroni, and 22 others. The Lamanites are now pretty much the only survivors, and want to finish off the Nephites once and for all. Mormon, who has the plates containing the record of the people, gives it to his son Moroni. Mormon is eventually killed, and Moroni finishes the record before sealing them and being killed. It's just amazing to see how, in the span of 400 years, and entire people can go from being righteous and happy to being so wicked. The pride cycle is seen all throughout the Book of Mormon, where the people are righteous, get blessed, grow prideful, become wicked, are punished, repent, are righteous, get blessed, grow prideful... etc. etc. But, never has it been seen where the cycle doesn't... well... cycle. This is where it all ends. There is no upward climb, now. There is no returning to righteousness. There is no remembrance of their God. This is where the cycles stops, because the people have become so wicked, prideful, greedy, and vain. They have completely turned on the ways they have been taught. They have dug themselves into so deep a hole that there is no climbing out.
It's interesting that this happens after Christ comes. He introduces to them the Gospel and sets in order the way they should live. He ordains his disciples, and gives them the charge to teach. Everything is going so well for so long. It really makes you wonder what exactly happened to make this happen. How is it that the people of that time were just so wicked and vile that nothing, not even the words of Mormon exhorting them to repent, could bring them from the brink of destruction? What was different about those people?
The world has moved so far away from God. We see it everywhere. Things like drug use, sexuality, and language are viewed as everyday things, part of our normal lives so it's no big deal if they're displayed on TV or in magazines or wherever. Because of this, we become desensitized to things that should bother us. There are so many things out there that Heavenly Father doesn't like, that we think are just normal things. We too often have the "it's no big deal" mind set about it, and aren't bothered by the things we see. Let us always remember our Lord, and never ever be like the Nephites, where we forget Him and turn on Him. We need Him in all aspects of our life, and if we remember that, and keep his commandments, He will protect us.

Unity, as One Stand Together!

"And it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land; for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.

"Therefore, all the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty." (3 Nephi 2:11,12)

Throughout the history recorded in the Book of Mormon, we see lots of wars and contentions amongst the Nephites and the Lamanites. The feud started back when Lehi first brought his family out of Jerusalem into the wilderness, when Laman and Lemuel, his oldest two sons, were angry. Then, when they came to the promised land, what is now known as the American continents, Laman figured he would receive his birthright, being the oldest son. But, Nephi, the youngest and most righteous son, got it instead. This furthered the contention that already existed amongst the brothers, and caused a rift between them, and created the two classes: Nephites and Lamanites. The Nephites were usually the more righteous, having the gospel with them, whereas the Lamanites took after the wicked traditions of their fathers. However, Nephites were not immune to temptations, and would often fall into wickedness, whereas Lamanites weren't immune to the Spirit, and many converted to the gospel, and were righteous. It was often said that, come the judgment, it would be better for the Lamanites because they didn't have the light and knowledge that the Nephites had, and sinned in ignorance. This rivalry kept up until the bitter end, when Moroni alone was righteous amongst the people. 

However, despite this long standing rivalry, they put aside their differences when a problem arose. They were sick of the Gadianton robbers and all their pillaging and plundering. The Lamanites were righteous, as were the Nephites, and they banded together and put their faith in the Lord, crying out in prayer for his help, and they were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers, though it took a few years.

We must be willing to do the same. The work cannot progress singlehandedly. No one person can save the world, it takes a team. Even Batman teamed up and joined the Justice League, and even Wolverine was part of the Avengers. But besides just teaming up, we have to be willing to work with anyone, so long as the goal is common. If you have a similar goal, who cares how you're different. One of my former companions was pretty much my polar opposite: he loved sports. Sports was his life. He watched, he played, he talked about... pretty much the only thing he watched on TV was ESPN. And he didn't know a thing about music. Music is to me what sports was to him: my life! Music was the center of pretty much everything for me. How could we possibly get along? Well, we did. Very well, too. For 3 months we were companions, and now I definitely count him as one of my best friends. 

A common goal must unite us all, despite our political views, despite our differing tastes in music, movies, etc., despite our social and economical standings... let nothing tear us apart and keep us from reaching that goal. Let us put our differences aside, and work together!

The Book of Mormon

A lot of people we talk to, when asked if they've ever heard of the Book of Mormon, will say yes. However, when we ask if they know what exactly it is, they'll say no. So, what exactly is the Book of Mormon? Well, by just looking at the name, we can obviously assume it is a book. True. But it is so much more than that. The full title is "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ". Now, as the subtitle implies, it is another testament, not a replacement testament, not a better testament, not a more accurate testament, another testament. The Book of Mormon goes hand in hand with the Bible, they both witness of God's love for his children, both have accounts of prophets dealing with the people, and both testify of the divinity of Christ and his role as the Son of God, and the Savior of the whole earth.
What exactly is in the Book of Mormon? Well, the Book of Mormon is an account of a man named Lehi, who was a prophet, and was warned by God to leave Jerusalem before it was destroyed (which it was when Babylon took it over). He took his family, his wife and four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Samuel, and Nephi, and headed for the wilderness. They also brought Ishmael and his family. After time in the wilderness, where they experienced trials and afflictions, the Lord commanded them to build boats, and, just as with Noah, the Lord gave them specific instructions. They built these boats, and followed the logical next step, they set off on the open seas. After a long trip, they arrived in the promised land as was told them by God. This land was what we know now as the American continents. They settled there, and after Lehi died, he left Nephi, the youngest son, in charge. He did this because Nephi was the most righteous and faithful of his sons. The oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel, were both very angry with this. They were not righteous, and did not follow God's laws. The anger amidst the family resulted in two major groupings to be formed: The Lamanites (those who followed Laman) and the Nephites (those who followed Nephi). The Lamanites were typically more wicked people, and the Nephites were typically more righteous, but throughout the account, we see a kind of roller coaster with the Nephites, seeing them being righteous, then prideful and wicked, then righteous again.
As time elapses, we see accounts of numerous prophets, such as Alma, Abinadi, Ammon, etc. We see their dealings with Nephites who have gone astray, and Lamanites. They taught the word of God, just as prophets did in the old continent (like Moses, Noah, and Abraham). And one thing that all the prophets prophesied was the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. All the believers awaited in great anticipation the coming of the Lord. Around the time he was to come, the nonbelievers were really sick of the believers, and threatened that if the sign didn't come (a day, a night, and a day where there was continual light, as if there were no night),  then they would kill all the believers. But, the sign came, and many were converted.
Several years later, following Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, during the 40 days he tarried on the earth, he taught his disciples on the old continent, and visited his people on the new continent. He called 12 to preach the gospel, just as he did in Israel, and he gave them a sort of abridged version of his ministry. Again, many were converted, and Christianity swelled. However, shortly after, the people fell victim to pride and became wicked, so much so that they were all killed, until the only Nephite left was a man named Moroni, who had been given the records of the people, which had been abridged, keeping all the most important parts, and compiling them on a set of gold plates. He knew he wouldn't survive for much longer, and that the plates needed to be protected, so he sealed them up in the earth, where they would remain until the time came for them to be discovered.
These plates remained buried for about 1400 years before a man named Joseph Smith was led to them by an Heavenly Messenger, the man who had hidden the plates himself, Moroni. Joseph Smith then set about to translate the plates, and that has become known as the Book of Mormon (so named for Mormon, Moroni's father, who had abridged the plates).
Besides just being a book, it is another volume of scriptures, and it is the fruits of the Prophet Joseph Smith's labors. It is convincing evidence of the truth. If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church restored again, and all the men following Joseph Smith are prophets.
I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that we are still guided by a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's restored church. I know this because I have prayed about it, and God has told me, through the Holy Ghost, and I know that the same can happen for you, if you read the Book of Mormon, and sincerely pray about it.