A Study of the Book of Mormon

Alma 31:21-23 In the last entry, I drew my own conclusion on what their prayers sounded like to me. Perhaps they were alittle unkind. Verses 21-23 give us the author's interpretation of their prayers. There are a couple of phrases that strike me in this, the author's, interpretation. Twice it is stated that the Zoramites did "give thanks after their manner." As conditions of their gratitude are explained, it reads that they did give thanks that they had not been "stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about ." ( vs. 22 , emphasis added) This reads to me almost as an indictment of their perversion, that because of their gross wickedness which had kept them from a knowledge of the truth of things to come, they were giving thanks for their ignorance. Today's Action Item - Consider, or even reconsider, the value and weight of the knowledge that you have obtained through your own diligence and obedience to God's command...

Alma 9:14-17 This set of verses presents a interesting observation on the Lamanites in their ignorance. There is a contrasting here of the people of Ammonihah against the Lamanites. While the cause of the ignorance of the Lamanites was their parents' disobedience, which caused them to suffer a spiritual death (separation from God) as a people, their ignorance also was grounds for tolerance at the day of judgement. We also learn something of the merciful characteristics of the Father in prolonging the days of the Lamanites, though they exist in a state of disbelief, until the time that they would believe and repent. Parenthetically, I find a parallel between the promises extended to the Lamanites and those covenants and promises extended to the House of Israel and the Jewish nation.  Then at the end of this passage of scripture, there is this eternal nugget of truth: "Many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." (emphasis adde...