Monday, July 26, 2010

Alma - Chapter 47

I can't help but wonder how much better life might have been like for the Lamanites if dissenters from the Nephites hadn't kept showing up and messing things up.  Truly, the evil ones among the Nephites were more so than the Lamanites.   I can barely imagine the burden of guilt men like Hitler or Amalekiah take upon themselves as they lead thousands of innocents to war, deprivation, suffering and even evil.  That level of selfishness is unimaginable to all but a few of us.  How many personal crises of courage and faith did these men cause.

Only God can tell whether the choices of their followers were also evil or merely a matter of having been caught in the stampede of fear that their evil leaders caused.  My heart is inclined toward the latter.  Clearly these Lamanites didn't want to go to war.  And only the treachery of an evil man could make it otherwise.  Looks to me like The Book of Mormon is warning us to be discerning and to watch for such treachery in our leaders.

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