Chapter 60 of the Book of Alma is entirely devoted to this rant. With barely an introduction Moroni calls Pahoran under condemnation. Placing the deaths of his fallen soldiers squarely on the shoulders of the government, Moroni blames their greed and apathy (one could argue that this isn't too far from our current situation but I digress). The anger throughout is palpable,
Moroni is clearly building here. He has fought kingmen and potential despots his whole career and now he has developed the idea that Pahoran is yet another in a long line for him to take down.
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding? 23Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things?
27And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct.Interestingly here is yet another paradox in the character of Moroni. He threatens the legitimate government with the very sort usurpation of authority through insurrections that he accuses them of.
Now this is all interesting as another example of the humanity found in the Book of Mormon text but it is verse 33 that is most interesting:
Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and, ye shall go up to battle against them.This revelation however seems to be contradicted almost immediately. In the next chapter we learn that Pahoran, who was appointed governor by the people, has been deposed and fled to the land of Gideon.
Now one could easily read this to say that the Lord was commanding Moroni against the usurping governors he just misinterpreted the command. I don't think that's the case however. The term "appointed" is the key here. In no way could the usurpers have been appointed democratically according to Pahoran's account.
I would suggest an alternate interpretation that happens to all of us from time to time. Moroni was passionate about the corruption of the government. From the record he seems to have felt the death of every soldier under his command acutely. Undoubtedly he like Helaman had wondered at the absence of extended support from the central authorities.
Faced with the suggestion from Helaman, the son of a prophet and Church leader, he leaped to the most obvious conclusion. This conclusion, placed the blame squarely on Washington, er Zarahemla. Moroni is here placed in a difficult situation. He has for his entire career opposed those who have tried to overthrow the government. Now feeling his government overthrown, he sees the need to do that which he has opposed so vigorously his whole life. Yet without a special dispensation from the Lord, Moroni would be no better than any other revolutionary in Nephite society. So in his passion and haste he finds the words he desires from the Lord spoken to his heart.
Now I might be wrong and the Lord might have been referring to the other governors as I mentioned early. However I think it is the disposition of many of us, when we desire something with a great intensity, to convince ourselves that the will of the Lord is for us to have it. This in fact is one of the great lessons of life, learning to differentiate between the Spirit and our own desires. I think this passage in Alma 60 is simply one example of where someone mistook self for Spirit. It is a great lesson to us all and something hidden deep within the otherwise dry war chapters of the Book of Mormon.
4 comments:
Wife points out that the theme of the revelation might have been given correctly and that Moroni just put it into the words he understood given his information at the time. I suppose that makes a lot of sense.
I tried to post a comment here last week but encountered technical difficulties. I'll try now to re-create the gist of those thoughts.
I really like this entry, as it gets at some thoughts I have long considered. First, I've never been a big fan of Captain Moroni. Great patriot, sure, but a bit headstrong and overzealous. I tend to be deliberate in my actions, so his approach to leadership is very different from mine. not necessarily bad, just not a figure I can connect with well.
But I don't know that we can say his inspiration was false. The warning to be careful in acting on inspiration, to consider thoughtfully before acting (or writing that scathing email or making that comment in gospel doctrine) is valuable, especially for those of us whose political and social beliefs are not always in line with the bulk of church membership.
I have had to bite my tongue on many occasions, and I find in this episode a good reason to do so: my hasty words could spiritually wound an innocent party.
I think you're right in general however the specific claim to revelation here is troubling in that the wording Moroni uses does not reflect the circumstances as they stand in the following chapter.
I think we're left with three possibilities. First, the one I outlined where he sees revelation based on his passions. Second the one my wife gave of the revelation being true but framed by Moroni within the context he understood. Or third that Moroni here is acting as Moses with the rock and staff. That is to say that Moroni's revelation is correct but his zeal and patriotism drives him to overstep the bounds of the revealed truth.
A great modern example of this last is McConkie's "Mormon Doctrine". It is a great tool for many members of the Church and there is undoubted inspiration in many of its pages, but it overstepped the bounds of inspiration in many areas. A fact that the brethren consistently noted.
I think option #3 is the most fruitful. I agree with the point, and the observation re: Mormon Doctrine.
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