askandanswer

This is a previously unmentioned political position. I wander what the relationship is between a governor and a judge or chief judge. If they are the same person it suggests that the role of the chief judges went further than simply judging Alma 58:4 4 And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor f they couldn't attack the Lamanites who were in the cities, why not attack the Lamanites who were out of the cities, ie, those who were delivering supplies? Did they really have a secure supply line all the way from where these supplies started their journey up until where it ended? Alma 58:5 5 But behold, this did profit us but little; for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength from day to day, The Lamanites have gone from being a group of people who rebelled against their king in order not to fight, to having an innumerable and growing army. Alma 58:8 yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable. Why is is that none of the 2,000 newly arrived recruits could explain why their numbers were so small or explain the changed political circumstances in Zarahemla? Alma 58:9 9 And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; Pre prayer they were fearful and discouraged, after prayer they were courageous and determined. Their circumstances before and after prayer were unchanged but they felt differently. This is the difference that prayer can make. Alma 58:12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, This is just a larger version of the same strategy that Antipus and Helaman used in chapter 56 and the Lamanites fell for it a second time. Alma 58:22 Now this was done because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness. I thought that around about this time the king men were in control of Zarahemla and were in league with the Lamanites. It seems as if communications between different military groups, both for the Lamanites and the Nephites were quite poor. Alma 58:24 24 And when the Lamanites saw that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceedingly afraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction; Except for verse 21. Perhaps he means only Nephite blood. Alma 58:28 28 without the shedding of blood. They had just finished a march that took them towards Zarahemla. How hard would it have been to send two men on into the city to ask for more men for the army and to find out what was going on in Zarahemla? Alma 58:34 Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength; This sounds almost like complete victory in this part of the land. The Lamanites didn't flee to other Nephite possessions they held, but fled all the way back to their own lands. Alma 58:38 we are in the possession of our lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.

@Travelerif you ever get to an age where it becomes prudent to gradually transfer away from white-water rafting to something a little gentler and safer, but you still want the fun of a river, I recommend the Henley on the Todd Regatta, held in a southern part of our District. Rather than being a white water event its a dry water event. Join us for the unique Henley on Todd Regatta, the world's only dry river boating event in Alice Springs, Australia! Engage in Flintstone-style 'boat' races on the sandy Todd River bed, and participate in a plethora of activities suitable for all ages. https://www.henleyontodd.com.au/ The people of Alice Springs say that you're not considered to be a local until you've seen water flowing 3 times in the Todd River. Roughly, that equates to about 10 years.

Jericho was a walled city a thousand years before this and the walls were so strong that it took a miracle to bring them down. Jerusalem was also a walled city prior to Lehi's departure. There were at least two occasions when these walls saved Jerusalem from destruction. Numbers 13: 16 - 20. See also Joshua 2:1 16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the aland. And Moses called bOshea the son of cNun dJehoshua. 17 ¶ And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up athis way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes. And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named aRahab, and lodged there.

We see here the effects of Moroni's preparations. In Alma 16 the Lamanites had no problems completely destroying Ammonihah. Alma 49 The invading Lamanites are unable to take the fortified cities of Ammonihah It sounds as though its taken the Nephites 500 years to start constructing decent protections for their cities. Alma 49:2 And behold, the city had been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and they had cast up dirt round about to shield them from the arrows and the stones of the Lamanites; I'm sure if would have been an easy thing for the Lamanites to evaluate the strength of the city before sending an army to attack it. This is a significant lack of basic military foresight or planning. Alma 49:3 and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them. It seems unwise to take an oath without a more informed understanding of the situation about which you are taking an oath. Alma 49:17 nevertheless their chief captains had sworn with an oath to attack the city; therefore, they brought up their armies. No sign of grief at the loss of so many men who had given their lives trying to do what he commanded. This would have been an excellent opportunity for his soldiers to kill him. Alma 49:26 And it came to pass that he was exceedingly angry with his people, I'm not sure what is meant by this statement, or what we should take it to mean. Three chapters ago, and within the same year - 72BC - the Nephites were killing other Nephites who were politically opposed to them, there had been a major division within their society, with many breaking away, and now they were dealing with a major Lamanite invasion. Alma 49:30 Yea, and there was continual peace among them,

It's a puzzling contrast between Alma and his people and King Lamoni and his people who were prospered very quickly even though they had been in a state of greater wickedness for a longer period than Alma's people. I think that requiring the military to prop up or restore your government, not once, but twice, in five years, is indicative of a failure by the civil government

It seems as if the difference between how Amalickiah and the previous king tried to do the same thing - raise up an army to attack the Nephites - is that the previous king sought to do it just by commanding the people whereas Amalickiah took the necessary preparatory step of appointing propagandists to influence the opinions of the people. Alma 48:1 he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites. No pretense of an idealogical, political or religious motivation, just a plain old grab for power. Alma 48:2 2 he sought also to reign over all the land, yea, and all the people who were in the land I guess this speaks to the importance of an independent media. Alma 48:3 for he had hardened the hearts of the Lamanites and blinded their minds, and stirred them up to anger, I think it was only a few chapters back where there was an indication that there were far more Nephites than Lamanites. Alma 48:4 because of the greatness of the number of his people So a former Nephite is appointing Zoramites to lead a Lamanite army. It seems as if the Lamanites were content to be used as cannon fodder. Alma 48:5 5 And thus he did appoint chief captains of the Zoramites The tactics are similar. Both Moroni and Amalickiah used deliberate and calculated approaches to prepare the minds of the people and both killed others to further their purposes (Alma 46:35). The ends are different with one seeking for power and the other trying to protect. Alma 48:7 7 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. We need more Moronis. Alma 48:12–13 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. This is why Mosiah 23 is so puzzling. Alma 48:15 God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; This is the perfect combination - a man of Moroni's patriotism, faithfulness and military skills, coupled with the righteousness and faithfulness of Helaman and his brethren. With this kind of leadership and preparation its kind of surprising that the coming war lasted as long as it did. As we shall see, the military and religious leadership were let down by the political/civil leadership. Alma 48:19 19 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words. This reminds me of US foreign policy before 7 December 1941 - a reluctance to engage in warfare, and only choosing to do so when it became a necessity. Alma 48:23–24 Now, they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all—they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God.

This is great news! It looks like I can get rid of the sin tracker and that I won't need JAG

hmm, based on my age, life expectancy and frequency of sin I think I'd better cut back a bit on the slothfulness and gluttony for a while, I’m getting a bit too close to 70 X 7. It looks like I can safely afford to start being more wrathful and envious. If I can get @Just_A_Guy to represent me at the crucial moment, maybe I won't even need to cut back on the sloth.

@prisonchaplain I think as long as we have people on here like @Carborendum and @LDSGatorperhaps you could consider doubling your preaching or using the "extra strength" version.

Using treachery, murder and intrigue are common techniques in somes times and places to gain power but Amalickiah demonstrated particular skill in the use of these techniques by becoming king of a people who were the enemy of the people from whence Amalickiah came. Alma 47 Amalickiah uses treachery, murder, and intrigue to become king of the Lamanites This is a bit surprising. Usually the Lamanites seemed willing to battle against the Nephites at the drop of a a hat. Alma 47:2 2 And it came to pass that when the proclamation had gone forth among them they were exceedingly afraid; It seems to be a rash move to give command of part of your armies to someone who has only recently made the move from the land of the enemy. And it seems like the king is not too interested in what his people think or feel. I'm a bit surprised that the king gave more weight to the words and wishes of one traitorous dissenter than he gave to the wishes of the majority of his people. Alma 47:3 And now it came to pass that the king was wroth because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms. It seems like the Lamanite king was a bit out of touch with his people. Alma 47:2 And it came to pass that they would not, or the more part of them would not, obey the commandments of the king. They kept their weapons in one particular place? This seems a bit inconvenient, particularly if they were ever needed in a hurry. Alma 47:5 therefore they fled to Onidah, to the place of arms. So they go to Onidah to get their weapons and then they go to another place for battle. If this is typical of their military practices it would help to explain why they so frequently lose to the Nephites. Alma 47:7 And it came to pass that they had gathered themselves together upon the top of the mount which was called Antipas, in preparation to battle. Amalickiah used the king's lust for power and control to end the king's power and control and life. The king (supposedly) loaned some of his power to Amalickiah in the form of control over part of his army in the hope or the intention that Amalickiah would use that power to gain control over that part of the population that was resisting him and he would then use all his population to gain control over all the Nephites as well. In the end, his lust for power led to the loss of his life. Clever Amalickiah, dumb king. And eventually, the same thing happened to Amalickiah, for the same reason, but only after years of war and death. Dumb Amalickiah. I think there are some lessons I can learn here if I ever choose to go into politics Alma 47:8 Now it was not Amalickiah’s intention to give them battle according to the commandments of the king; but behold, it was his intention to gain favor with the armies of the Lamanites, that he might place himself at their head and dethrone the king and take possession of the kingdom. If Amalickiah had seriously intended to engage the Lamanites in battle he probably would have chosen a better place to pitch their tents. In the valley, below the mountain occupied by the people you are supposed to attack doesn't sound like a good place. Alma 47:9 And behold, it came to pass that he caused his army to pitch their tents in the valley which was near the mount Antipas. Amalickiah's persistence, the fact that these communications were happening in secrecy, at night, and the fact that Amalickiah was offering to give up his men should have been enough to signal to Lehonti that something suspicious was happening. Alma 47:12 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. Now if Lehonti thought in the same way as Amalickiah, this was the perfect time for Lehonti to kill Amalickiah. He lost his opportunity to do so and was himself killed. Alma 47:16 16 And it came to pass that he delivered his men, contrary to the commands of the king. Lehonti failed to look a gift horse in the mouth. Alma 47:18 And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died. think a wise king would have retained his own secret intelligence sources within the army as a means of getting reliable information about the activities of his military leaders. Alma 47:21 And the king came out to meet him with his guards, for he supposed that Amalickiah had fulfilled his commands, and that Amalickiah had gathered together so great an army to go against the Nephites to battle.

My Branch no longer zooms our services but the neighbouring branch which uses the same chapel continues to do so because their branch boundaries stretch out a few hundred kilometers. And I think all our baptismal services are streamed to the Mission Office, although not the actual baptism. We streamed a funeral a few weeks back. I think, but I'm not sure, that these services are streamed live and not recorded.

Does anyone know anything about this? I thought the church generally discouraged the use of cameras inside chapels for Sunday services.

The promise a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, The condition when they hearken to my voice. The promise: 9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a apromise, that binasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall cprosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall dkeep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their einheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. THe breach of promise 20 And it came to pass that I beheld, and saw the people of the seed of my brethren that they had overcome my seed; and they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land. 11 And when they had gone through and hewn down aall my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.

This is an issue that puzzles me. My understanding is that God's gift of the land of Israel to the Jews was heavily dependent on a number of important conditions as set out in the Law of Moses. The Jews abandoned some of the central aspects of that law more than a thousand years ago and they have been practicing a false religion, worshipping an incorrect concept of God for even longer. Practicing a false religion or practicing a religion falsely was a contributing factor to the Jews losing the land under the Babylonian exile. In more recent times I would have thought that the Jews abandonment of the conditions on which the gift was made meant that the promise was no longer in place, in much the same way that the Jaredites and Nephites also lost the lands that had been conditionally given to them. Without that claim of divine entitlement, Jewish claims on the land of Israel are no weaker or stronger than other groups occupying that land. I have no doubt that God gave the land of Israel to the Jews. I am confident that that gift was conditional. I don't believe the Jews have abided by those conditions. So, as stated in the fine print of the deal between God and Moses, failure to meet the conditions on which the gift was given has led to the deal being revoked and the deal is now off. That doesn't mean that the Jews have no right to that land. But I think it means that they can't claim a divine right.

This happened 72 years before the birth of Christ. Its interesting that the name was Christian rather than Christite. In Jeruslame, it didn't happen until after His death. Alma 46 True believers are called Christians Given the prominent role of the tribe of Joseph in the restoration I think much more than a remnant was preserved. Alma 46 A remnant of Joseph will be preserved This sounds extreme. Its like killing someone over a difference in political or religious beliefs. Alma 46 Those who will not support the cause of freedom are put to death. This is another example of religious preaching causing deep social/political divisions. It really makes me think more about the idea that preaching the word is a good way to resolve social/political disunity. In somes cases it seems to but in other cases it just seems to make things worse. We see later in this chapter, in verse 35, that this is exactly what Moroni did. One difference here is that Amalickiah and his supporters wanted to kill those who were opposed to them, and Moroni actually did kill or cause to be killed, those who were opposed to him. Alma 46:2 they were exceedingly wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them. It might not be too far-fetched to trace Amalickiah's rise to political power, and the years of death and warefare that followed, to his leadership of those who were opposed to the preaching of the workd. Alma 46:3 3 Now the leader of those who were wroth against their brethren was a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah. The strategy for those seeking power seems to be to appeal to the many people who have a small amount of power and encourage them to support a person's bid to become all-powerful, and if that person is sucessful in their bid, that person will then increase the power of those who previously only held a small amoutn of power. Alma 46:5 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if they would support him and establish him to be their king that he would make them rulers over the people. I suspect there is a connection between, on the one hand, the speed with which these people turned from good to bad, and on the other hand, the efficacy of their religious teachers, priests, and practices. I suspect that better teachers and leaders might have been able to slow this turn. Alma 46:8 Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one. Would the early assassination of Amalickiah meet the test outlined in 1st Nephi 4? His early death may have prevented the deaths of tens of thousands. 13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief. Alma 46:9 Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men. One man was all it took to undo the work of many, many priests and teachers and the long-established religious and political structures that held Nephite society together? Perhaps those structures had shallow roots or were planted in poor soil or they were not well cared for. Alma 46:10 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; It seems as though Moroni had concluded that the preaching by Helaman and his brethren was no longer sufficient to unite the nation and protect the people and that force of arms would be required. They moved from relying primarily on the word to reliance on the sword. But then, we also see that this man of arms relied on God, as evidenced by his mighty prayer. Alma 46:13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land

It looks like I need to pay closer attention to the readings for the week. I remembered that this week started with Alma 40, yesterday, so I figured that todays' reading, without checking, would be Alma 41 and that's what I read this morning. The happiness may indeed be endless but I anticipate that there will be different degrees of happiness. We will probably all feel happy but will everybody feel as happy as everybody else? I think its only a tiny minority who will come forth to endless misery. Alma 41 In the Resurrection men come forth to a state of endless happiness There are certainly times when wickedness seems like happiness. A lot of people seem to enjoy their wickedness. This is referred to in Proverbs 9: 16 - 18 16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of ahell. Alma 41 In the Resurrection men come forth to a state of endless happiness or endless misery—Wickedness never was happiness This is imprecise. In a well-lived life, throughout that life, a person should be consistently and successfully working to change characteristics and attributes, to develop new ones and discard old ones. Presumably the ones we end up with after the resurrection are the ones we had at the time of death rather than the ones we had earlier in life. Alma 41 Every person receives again in the Restoration the characteristics and attributes acquired in mortality. It seems like the resurrection, and associated events, must have been quite a topic of discussion amongst some of Alma's associates. Alma 41:1 for behold, some have wrested the scriptures, and have gone far astray because of this thing. This verse might provide some insight into an aspect of justice. Alma here seems to be saying that it is a requirement of justice that the soul of man be restored to its body. This restoration is part of the deal that was agreed to between God and His spirit children that we now call the Plan of Salvation. The implication of what Alma is saying is that if there is any variation from the Plan of Salvation, any change to the deal that has been agreed to, such as the soul, or more correctly, the spirit, not being restored to the body, that would be unjust. This suggests that there are some aspects of justice that are local and variable, and relative to a specific set of circumstances, rather than justice being absolute and unchanging. If there had been no Plan of Salvation, then it would have been not unjust for there to be no restoration of spirit to body. However, there is a plan, based on an agreement between God and His spirit children, and because as part of this agreement our bodies and spirits will be restored and reunited, then it would be unjust if this restoration did not happen. So the unjustness stems from not keeping one's word, possibly with little or no regard to the specifics of what the deal actually is. If we took things a little further, perhaps we could look at this as an example of how God interacts with the universal law that even He is subject to. Perhaps the universal law says you have to keep your word, but its up to you, in your own local and specific context, ie, for this God, in this universe, and under this particular plan of salvation, to decide what your word is. Ether 3:12 might offer some support for this idea: 12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. Alma 41:2 2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself. In the same sentence, Alma refers to two different criteria by which we will be judged. He starts off by saying we will be judged according to our works. And then he immediately adds that we will be judged according to our works and the desires of our heart. So if we are judged according to our works and our desires, why did Alma start this sentence by suggesting that we will be judged only according to our works? Did the second part of the sentence, where he mentions about being judged according to the desires of our heart come to him as inspiration, as a prompting from the Spirit while he was in the act of talking? Or was it perhaps added when the record was being written, or engraved? Alma 41:3 3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, This is interesting. According to verse 3 we are judged according to our works and our desires, if they are good. In verse 4, when it talks about those whose works have been evil, there is no reference to desires. Alma 41:4 4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. It sounds like everyone gets what they both want and deserve. If we all get what we want, I don't see why one kingdom is considered to be better than another. The focus of this verse is on desires rather than actions. Alma 41:5 5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh. There are several verses in here referring to the importance of desires in the judgement process. Alma 41:6 6 If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, Joseph Smith used very similar terminology for describing a very similar situation. Here, Alma is describing those who will be delivered from that endless darkness of night. In doing so he uses the phrase "These are they." In Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith describes those who will receive the various degrees of glory. In doing so he repeatedly uses the phrase "they are they." Alma 41:7 7 These are they There seems to be many different ideas floating around about the final judgement. Here, Alma is suggesting that we will judge ourselves. Elsewhere in the Book of Mormon, in 3rd Nephi, we are taught that the people of the American continent at this time period will be judged by the 12 disciples who Jesus chose, who in turn will be judged by the 12 apostles He chose in Jerusalem. And in other places it is suggested that Christ will be doing the judging. More recently, in his closing address during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 General Conference President Nelson suggested that we make our own decisions about where we will end up after this life. Alma 41:7 for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil. Doctrine and Covenants 56:4 would seem to suggest otherwise. Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord. Perhaps the fact that Alma 41:8 is talking about decrees, and Doctrine and Covenants 56:4 is talking about commands makes something of a difference. Or perhaps the reason why some need to be revoked is because they are unalterable. Maybe decrees or commands can be revoked or replaced but not altered. Alma 41:8 8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; This is another example of imprecision. How much sin does it take before it can be said that one is wicked? It seems to be that there is an ability to repent in between death and judgement. No person is perfect, or without sin at the time of death, but no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven and God cannot look on any sin with the least degree of allowance. So somewhere along the way there must be a way of removing through repentance, the sins we are guilty of at the time of death. I think this is interesting. I believe that most, and more likely all, who inherit the telestial kingdom will be both sinful and happy. They are unlikely to be as happy as they who inherit a kingdom of greater glory, but I think that neither are they likely to be unhappy. I think that they who inherit the telestial kingdom will be restored from sin to a degree of, or form of, happiness. Alma 41:10 10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. There might be something tricky going on here with the way Alma is defining and using the word restoration. These verses, to me, seem to suggest that Alma is defining the use of the word restoration to mean to bring something back to its original condition, without any change. Alma in these verses seems to be talking about a restoration of our character, our personality, our traits and behaviours and desires. He is saying that whatever our character, personality, etc, we have now in mortality will be restored to us in the resurrection. In these verses, the restoration is used to refer to a process of returning like to like. I'm comfortable with that use of the word restoration. However, previously in this chapter, in verse 2 he used the word restoration to refer to the body being restored to the soul. This is inconsistent with how he has used or defined the word restoration in these verses because the body to which the soul is being restored is a resurrected body, different in many key ways from the body which we have in mortality. The way Alma uses the word restoration in verse 2 - to describe the joining of spirit to an immortal, resurrected body - is different from how he has used it in these verses - to describe a situation of returning like to like, with a continuation of the same characteristics from mortality into immortality. Alma 41:12–13 And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?13 O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

Its always a numbers game. Saving 5 or 4 or 3 or 2 lives at the cost of killing one is a simple decision to make if the alternative is killing five or 4 or 3 or 2 lives to save one. Its a no brainer unless you're the man on the lever. Fortunately not having a brain is one of the benefits of AI because it doesn't have to deal with all the messy emotional aspects that come with having a brain. And if you are the man on the lever, well I hope you are very well paid for those rare moments when you may have to make a life and death decision. Just a random thought - wouldn't it be interesting if there was a direct correlation between the price you paid for the AI controlled car and the quality of the software that drove the car? The high priced cars get software that always puts driver protection above every other consideration and cheaper cars get software that always follows the road rules no matter what. I guess we already have a version of that with higher priced cars like Volvo and Mercedes offering much more safety and protection than lower priced cars such as Toyota or Chevrolet.

What did the Lord mean by this verse? I thought by the time this revelation was given, in 1839, many former close friends of Joseph had betrayed him, contended with him, and charged him with transgression. 10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy afriends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

Thanks Carb, this is the last clue that I needed to confirm my calculations about the location of the land of Antionum.

This is quite a famous, well-known and frequently used chapter among members and missionaries. Of all the chapters in all the scriptures, this is the one that is used the most to explain the nature and development of faith. Missionaries love to use this chapter when meeting with people seeking to learn more about the church.

@Backroads, you can't do this to me, you've got me sitting on the edge of my seat and now I'm probably scaring @Vort WHAT HAPPENED AFTER 1:59?!?!?!

t would be concerning if people thought that this is all there is to faith and if people accepted this explanation without thinking any further about its limitations. This definition reduces faith to being just a particular type of hope. Faith is much more than that. I think it was Joseph Smith who said that faith is a principle of power. I think it is entirely possible to have faith in something which is not true. I think that hundreds of millions of Muslims have a very deep faith in their religion. Alma 32 Faith is a hope in that which is not seen which is true— This sounds like a very class divided society, with a lot of emphasis attached to material wealth. Normally it takes a bit of time for class divisions this deep to develop. How long had it been since this society separated itself from mainstream Nephite society? And what impelled the lower classes to remain as a part of a society where they were treated so poorly? Alma 32:3 3 Therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; There is no particular reason why poverty should make you poor in heart, but I understand that there is generally a close relationship between the two. I think the relationship between poverty and being poor in heart is less likely to be close if you have the gospel in your life. Alma 32:4 4 of whom were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world The idea that you can only worship God in a particular place is a bit silly. In general, no particular place is needed although particular types of worship do require a particular place, such as a temple. Alma 32:5 5 and we have no place to worship our God; t was certainly my experience, and probably the experience of many missionaries, that the poor were more receptive to the gospel than the rich. I think that is one of the reasons why missionary work is so hard in Australia - because many people are so comfortable that they don't feel the need for anything else. I think that it is only in a society that places a high value on material wealth that people will be despised because of their poverty. In a society that highly values sporting achievements it will be the unsporting, uncoordinated people who are despised. In a society that values intellectual achievement, it will be the intellectual underachievers who are despised. Alma 32:12 it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble. The idea of goodness by compulsion is not entirely consistent with Moroni's teachings in Moroni 7:6 about the importance of real intent. Alma 32:14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?

Alma must have had such a great love, for the gospel, for his God, and for the people. Alma 31 Alma heads a mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites The Zoramites denied Christ, as Korihor also appeared to, and yet it was the Zoramites who killed Korihor. The Zoramites appear to be pretty strong in their religious beliefs, I wander if the cause of Korihor's death was due to religious differences? Alma 31 The Zoramites deny Christ, This is the first mention that I can recall of idol worship in the Book of Mormon. At this point, not even the Lamanites have been associated with idol worship. Alma gives us a detailed description of the religious practices of these people, which seems to consist of nothing more than attending a synagogue and reciting a set prayer, after which he says they didn't give any more thought or practice to their religion until the following week when they did the same thing. The prideful, empty reciting of false prayers does not constitute idol worship unless we use the very broad, modern definition of the term. Alma 31:1 1 Now it came to pass that after the end of Korihor, Alma having received tidings that the Zoramites were perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, who was their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols, So the "instinct" to gather together for religious purposes was not limited to the Church of God. There are several accounts of large scale groups of people in the Book of Mormon for religious purposes, and all of them, except for the Zoramites, were about the people of God moving from one place to another, typically under the direction of God's chosen leader. Alma 31:3 3 Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves together in a land which they called Antionum, The gospel here seems to be being used as a tool of diplomacy. This seems to have some similarity to the missionary practices of the Catholic church centuries ago, particularly on the American continent where the priests and preachers preceded the soldiers and bureaucrats and that particular version of the gospel was used to placate a people and reduce their hostility. We see from Alma 35: 3 - 11 that carrying out their plan to preach the gospel caused exactly the outcomes they were trying to avoid. Alma 31:5 5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. This is a very powerful group of seasoned missionaries. It speaks to the hardness of the hearts of the Zormaites that such powerful missionaries had so little impact. Alma 31:6 he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church in Zarahemla; but the former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, who were at Melek; and he also took two of his sons. The Zoramites knew the word of God and had rejected it. They then accepted a set of false teachings. Then they had this group of powerful missionaries come and preach the word of God to them again and they still rejected it. It seems as if some of the possible explanations for this continued rejection of the Word are that a) there is something unappealing about the Word, or b) there is something more appealing about the word, or c) some deficiency in the hearer that makes the word seem more attractive than the Word. Perhaps if mortality and the plan of salvation were being played on a level playing field, both the Word and the word would hold the same level of appeal to all. Sometimes, when looking at how few accept the Word compared with how many reject it it seems as if we are playing with a dice loaded against us. It makes me ponder whether the overarching purpose of mortality and the plan of salvation is to sift rather than refine or perhaps to sift by refining. Whatever its purpose, I am confident that I am playing by rules that I agreed to. Alma 31:8 8 Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had had the word of God preached unto them. So far, this matches the religious practices of the Latter-Day Saints. Alma 31:12 12 Now, when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; And this sounds like the pulpit that features in every chapel. Alma 31:13 For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person. And this sounds like a testimony meeting. Alma 31:14 whosoever desired to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying: Part of this still sounds like a testimony meeting, whereby people are free to approach the pulpit and state their beliefs, which are mostly the same. The difference here is that the Zoramites all held precisely the same belief as each other and that their belief, in essential aspects, are different from ours. Alma 31:15 Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. Just as we saw with other dissenters, one of the first truths to be lost is the nature of God. Alma 31:15 we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, Both the Zoramites and the Latter-Day Saints under Brigham Young seperated themselves politically, geographically and religiously from the mainstream of their society, and neither group believed in the traditions of their brethren or their fathers. Alma 31:16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren Latter-Day Saints occasionally refer to themselves as a seperated, peculiar people, called out of the world and chosen by God. Alma 31:16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; An interesting part truth. Some believe that Latter-Day Saints are God's elect people, on the path to being saved but we do not believe that the unelected are to be cast down to hell. There are other places that are quite nice where the unelected, and even some elected, could end up. This vaguely reminds me of the Jehovah's Witnesses belief that 144,000 are elected to be saved and no one else. Alma 31:17 and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell This aspect of their understanding of God is correct. Alma 31:17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; So perhaps they were a thankful people, or at least they were thankful to God for this one thing. Interestingly, the thing that they were thanking God for did not come from God. Alma 31:18 And again we thank thee, O God,

If Korihor believed that what he was teaching was true, should he be punished for that, or should he just be re-taught? Perhaps there may be some similarities between Korihor and Paul - both were acting to the detriment of the church and in accordance with what they believed to be true, yet Paul saw an angel and was re-educated, while Korihor was struck dumb and killed by the crowd. Alma and the sons of Mosiah were behaving in a manner similar to Korihor but they had a very different experience. Alma 30 The devil had appeared to Korihor as an angel and taught him what to say—Korihor is trodden down and dies. So now they are the people of Ammon - not the people of Lamoni, or of Aaron, or the people of Lamoni's father, or the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's but the people of Ammon. And its only now, after having read the Book of Mormon many times, that I've noticed that Lamoni's father is not named. Alma 30:1 1 Behold, now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, Is the prefix Anti here being used in the same way, or have the same meaning, as Anti-Nephi-Lehi? Alma 30:6 and he was Anti-Christ, I wonder if there were any new prophecies in here or if they were just repeats of old, known prophecies. Alma 30:6 he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ. This seems to be very advanced and enlightened. I suspect that in England up until maybe even the 19th century, discrimination on the grounds of religious beliefs was still legal and widely practiced. Alma 30:7 Now there was no law against a man’s belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds. On the other hand, to conclude that all men were on equal ground simply because there was no law against a man's belief suggests a very simplistic or narrow kind of thinking. Alma 30:11 11 For there was a law that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man’s belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds. What total nonsense! God can reveal anything to any person. The Nephites knew that if you dropped a stone, the next thing which was to come was that the stone would fall. If you released an arrow from your bow, the next thing that would come was that the arrow would move forward. There were a great deal of things to come that the Nephites, and Korihor, knew of. Perhaps Koriohor's complaint had more to do with ways of knowing what would come to pass rather than the content of that knowledge. Alma 30:13 13 O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come. Did Korihor provide any evidence of this or is it just a claim he asserted, with no support? Alma 30:14 behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers. This claim that you cannot know what you cannot see leaves absolutely no room for things worked out solely on the basis of logical deduction. Most of what we know about the quantum world and sub-atomic things is about things we cannot see. This idea that you can only know what you can see advocates a very narrow, restricted way of knowing. There are more ways of knowing than just seeing, or what we can discover through our senses. And as Descarte pointed out, our senses are not completely accurate or reliable. And no doubt many Nephites knew of Jerusalem, despite having never seen it. Alma 30:15 Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; In fact, I would go further and say that Christ, and the things of the spirit cannot be known through our senses, they can only be known through the workings of the spirit. Alma 30:15 15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.

This seems to be inconsistent with how the prefix anti is used in Alma 30:6. 6 But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was aAnti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people bagainst the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.