Here's my talk, if you're interested.
The battle between good and evil -- the battle for our very souls -- began long before we came to Earth, and continues in our day. The so-called “war chapters” in the Book of Mormon are some of my favorites. To me, there is so much in there that is applicable to us today.
For instance, Alma chapter 47 relates the story of the Nephite dissenter, Amalickiah, who, with some of his followers, had joined the Lamanites. Amalickiah succeeded in gaining favor with the king of the Lamanites, and with getting him all riled up against the Nephites. So much so,“… that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation throughout all his land, among all his people, that they should gather themselves together again to go to battle against the Nephites.” (Alma 47:1)
Most of the Lamanites, however, refused to obey the king’s command, being afraid for their lives. “Therefore [the king] gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto [him]”, and commanded Amalickiah to go and force the rest of the Lamanites go to battle, too. (Alma 47:3)
Amalickiah caught up with these Lamanite dissenters at the Mount Antipas where they had prepared for battle, “being fixed in their minds with a determined resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the Nephites.” (Alma 47:6)
“And it came to pass that when it was night [Amalickiah] sent a secret embassy into the mount Antipas, desiring that the leader of those who were upon the mount, whose name was Lehonti, that he should come down to the foot of the mount, for he desired to speak with him.”
“And it came to pass that when Lehonti received the message he [would] not go down to the foot of the mount.”
Remember, he was “fixed in [his] mind with a determined resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the Nephites.”
“And it came to pass that Amalickiah sent again the second time, desiring him to come down. And it came to pass that Lehonti would not; and he sent again the third time.
“And it came to pass that when Amalickiah found that he could not get Lehonti to come down off from the mount, he went up into the mount, nearly to Lehonti's camp; and he sent again the fourth time his message unto Lehonti, desiring that he would come down, and that he would bring his guards with him.” (Alma 47:10 - 12)
John Bytheway points out here, that, being unable to convince Lehonti to come all the way down the mountain, Amalickiah entices him to “come down just a little.”* Lehonti gives into this enticement, and is convinced by the cunning and evil Amalickiah to take control of Amalickiah’s portion of the Lamanite army, and to appoint Amalickiah as second in command. Now, Lehonti’s feeling pretty good about this decision; he has gained command of the entire army and he’s feeling completely in control of the situation . . . right up until he dies, having been poisoned “by degrees” by a servant of Amalickiah.
Amalickiah, much like Satan, “… offers a strange mixture of just enough good to disguise the evil along his downward path to destruction.”... “Nephi, an ancient prophet, [described the process this way]:
“For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Ne. 28:20–21). (Durrel A. Woolsey, “A Strategy for War,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 84)
Are there people like Amalickiah in our day, seeking to “stir [us] up to anger against that which is good”, or to “pacify, and lull [us] away into carnal security” all the while encouraging us to feel in control as we are slowly poisoned? Do we invite them into our homes, our cars, our schools? Do we watch, or listen to, or read their words?
Wendell Berry, a thoughtful contemporary writer on the family, has said: “TV and other media have learned to suggest with increasing subtlety … that it is better to consume than to produce, to buy than to grow or make, to ‘go out’ than to stay home. If you have a TV, your children will be subjected almost from the cradle to an overwhelming insinuation that all worth experiencing is somewhere else and that all worth having must be bought.” (The Gift of Good Land, San Francisco: North Point Press, 1981, p. 156.)
Doesn’t that sound like “pacify[ing], and lull[ing] . . . away into carnal security? Is that the message we want to send to our children and loved ones? Is that the “lull”aby we want them to associate with home and then to “sing” to their own children?
Elder Richard L. Evans has said: “Sometimes some parents mistakenly feel that they can relax a little as to conduct and conformity or take perhaps a so called liberal view of basic and fundamental things—thinking that a little laxness or indulgence won’t matter…. Some parents … seem to feel that they can ease up a little on the fundamentals without affecting their family or their family’s future. But,” he observed, “if a parent goes a little off course,”—coming down the mountain “just a little” –“ the children are likely to exceed the parent’s example.”
What can we do to safeguard ourselves and our families from the “Amalickiahs” of the world? How can we avoid “coming down the mountain just a little”?
We find answers to these questions as our story continues in Alma chapter 48.
“Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.
“Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.
“And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites.” (Alma 48:7-10).
Please note that Moroni’s preparations for protecting his people were two-fold: spiritual, “preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God”; and physical, “strengthening the armies,” “erecting small forts, or places of resort,” “enclos[ing] his armies,” “building walls of stone”, and increasing the number of men at their weakest points.
Just as Moroni was guided and inspired to know how to spiritually and physically prepare and protect his people, we, as parents, as brothers and sisters, and as Latter-Day Saints have access to the same source of inspiration as we seek to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the “Amalickiahs” of our day.
M. Russell Ballard reminds us, “Nephi taught clearly that the Holy Ghost ‘is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him’ and that ‘he that diligently seeketh shall find’ (1 Ne. 10:17, 19). The stunning reality, my dear brothers and sisters, is that you control how close you are to the Lord. You determine just how clear and readily available promptings from the Holy Ghost will be. You determine this by your actions, by your attitude, by the choices you make, by the things you watch and wear and listen to and read, and by how consistently and sincerely you invite the Spirit into your life.”
In addition to the Holy Ghost, the Lord has blessed us with living prophets and apostles and other General authorities to provide counsel to us.
Elder Ballard teaches, “In today’s world, where 24 hours a day, television and radio commentators spew forth conflicting opinions, where marketers compete for everything from your money to your vote, there is one clear, unpolluted, unbiased voice that you can always count on. And that is the voice of the living prophet and the apostles. Their only motive is “the everlasting welfare of your souls” (2 Ne. 2:30).
He continues, “I make you a promise. It is a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Women of Righteousness,” Liahona, Dec. 2002)
Our living prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has advised us: “Use that most remarkable of all tools of communication, television, to enrich your [family’s] lives. There is so much that is good, but it requires selectivity.” (Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 39.)
Elder Wirthlin advises: “Though we live in the world, we must not be of the world. For members of the Church, seeking the good is more than a lofty ideal. It is an obligation we accepted when we entered the waters of baptism; we renew it each time we partake of the sacrament” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Seeking the Good,” Ensign, May 1992)
He continues, “In a day when broadcasters and publishers have rather free access into our homes, we must seek clean, uplifting entertainment, whether on television, videos, movies, magazines, books, and other printed material. We should be very selective and choose only those things that meet the test of being virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. If it is questionable, we should avoid it.” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Seeking the Good,” Ensign, May 1992)
“We can fill our lives with good, leaving no room for anything else. We have so much good from which to choose that we need never partake of evil.” (E. Wirthlin)
Elder David R. Stone states, “We can have our own standards for music and literature and dance and film and language. We can have our own standards for dress and deportment, for politeness and respect. We can live in accordance with the Lord’s moral laws. We can limit how much of Babylon we allow into our homes by the media of communication.”
“We do not need to become as puppets in the hands of the culture of the place and time. “
“Wherever we are, whatever city we may live in, we can build our own Zion by the principles of the celestial kingdom…. Our homes can be places which are a refuge and protection, as Zion is.” (David R. Stone, “Zion in the Midst of Babylon,” Ensign, May 2006, 90–93)
Brothers and Sisters, if we will heed the counsel of our Prophet and other leaders, if we will actively seek out and fill our lives with the “good” that is so abundant, and if we will hold to the standards and principles of the celestial kingdom, our children will benefit from the clear contrast between our example and that of the world. They will know that we know right from wrong. Indeed, our faith will become a “place of refuge” to which they can turn for protection from the influences of those who would lead them astray. Then they, like the Stripling Warriors of Moroni’s army, can say “We do not doubt our [parents know] it.” (Alma 56:48)
Jeffrey R. Holland has said, “If in matters of faith and belief children are at risk of being swept downstream by this intellectual current or that cultural rapid, we as their parents must be more certain than ever to hold to anchored, unmistakable moorings clearly recognizable to those of our own household….” And he warns, “…we can hardly expect the children to get to shore safely if the parents don’t seem to know where to anchor their own boat.”
Elder Durrel A. Woolsey teaches that some of these clear, “unmistakable moorings” include, “… daily individual and family prayers with a family home evening at least weekly.” He says, “You may say, “I don’t have time.” Brothers and sisters, you simply cannot afford not to take the time. It is amazing how much time suddenly becomes available with the television off. This prescription continues the same as it has always been—keep the commandments; follow the prophets; read, understand, and even ponder the scriptures.” (Durrel A. Woolsey, “A Strategy for War,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 84)
Brothers and Sisters, when Amalickiah’s armies showed up, ready for battle, they supposed that the Nephites would provide “easy prey.” Alma 49 verse 4 tells us, “But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance.” (Alma 49:4)
Think of that, . . . no one could come in to the Nephite lands and cities without the knowledge of the Nephites. Their fortifications were so strong, that the stones and the arrows – the weapons of the enemy -- could not “take effect.” There is a lesson there for us in making our physical preparations. We must do what we can to limit the ways that the “world” can enter our homes and lives so that the weapons of our enemy cannot take effect in our lives or the lives of our loved ones. Do not confuse our right to be selective about what we allow to enter our homes and places of security as censorship. As parents, and even as siblings, we have the responsibility to monitor our “place of entrance.”
Years ago, there was a man, who, late one night chose to watch a film about Jesus Christ’s life and His sacrifice. As he watched, he was moved to tears by the gratitude and love that he felt for his Savior. Afterward, he knelt and poured out his feelings of thankfulness to Heavenly Father. Years later, he found out that, unbeknownst to him, his young daughter had witnessed this scene from just beyond the door, and had been greatly influenced for good by her father’s example ever since. Think how different the outcome may have been had this father chosen to watch something that did not “meet the test of being virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.”
Let us do all in our power to follow Moroni’s example in protecting ourselves and our loved ones from becoming “easy prey.” Let us do all we can spiritually to prepare our minds and the minds of those we love “to be faithful unto the Lord [our] God.” Let us take every physical preparation within our power to strengthen one another, and to build strong fortifications, that we may each find “places of security” where we can be safe from the stones and arrows, from the cunning and deceit, of those who seek our destruction. Let us never kid ourselves about being in control as we are ‘poisoned by degrees’, but let us stand firm on the Rock of our Redeemer making the choices that will allow Him to assure our deliverance and our triumph! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
(* I borrowed this insight, about coming down “just a little”, from John Bytheway.)
I forgot to take pictures before the kids went to bed. So, I tried to get a few of just Dolly, but she wasn't very cooperative for her photo shoot. This was my best picture, unfortunately, it shows the awful condition of our deck. Hopefully that will be fixed by the end of summer!
