Warnings of the Consequences of Pride and Power Seeking

Over and over again, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been told that the Book of Mormon was written for our times. In the book itself, it explains how the prophets who were recording the history of their people had "seen our times" and that the book was written for people in the future to read. It was written to help and warn people in our time, and particularly, to warn the people living here in the Americas. 

I've felt how the Book of Mormon has helped me to come to know Christ more deeply, and I've appreciated how clear the gospel of Christ is explained in its pages. The thing I haven't understood is why so much of the book is spent telling about the people's government conflicts and struggles. Why is all that included in this book of scripture? 

We know that the prophet/historian, Mormon, went through hundreds of years of both secular and religious history carefully choosing those things that would be of "greatest worth" to us.  I've wondered how all these details of political intrigue, dissension, and civil unrest applies to my life today, and really haven't seen it, until these last few weeks. 

Now I'm taking another look at this record of a whole civilization which sadly allowed themselves to be destroyed by their pride and materialism. We have been given the opportunity to learn and change. In his last few words, after Mormon has witnessed the destruction of their civilization, he hauntingly warns us to "give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. " Mormon 9:31.  

Let us take a look at a few of the events which are included in the Book of Mormon and see what warning we need to "heed" so that we can avoid their fate. 

Pride, Selfishness, and Greed of the People

• The people became consumed with pride. They treasure their wealth above all and refuse to share their possessions. They no longer help the poor, the widow, and the infirm. In fact, they oppress them, use them, and even steal their property, all in the name of "doing business".
• The people divide themselves into classes. Those who have more opportunity for education, and more wealth view themselves as "superior beings" and flaunt their wealth in "power dressing".
• In their pride, the people no longer "need" the help of God and look to "mighty men" to save them instead of praying for God's help. 
• The people no longer make an effort to read their scriptures, pray, or follow the voice of the prophets who warn them of their impending destruction if they do not change their behavior.

Leaders Seeking for Power and Dissension

• Pride is also destroying their government. Though the people have a democratic form of government where law is administered by a system of higher and lower judges (or magistrates), a "large and strong man", tries to take over the government and proclaim himself king. 
• He uses flattery to gain supporters and promises to "make them rulers over the people". Most of these supporters are "lower judges of the land" who are "seeking for power" See Alma 46
• When the prophet commander of the armies learns about the dissension, he fears that their enemies will take advantage of the  division and take over their country. He rallies the people waving a banner saying, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" Alma 46:12 
• When the man who wanted to take over the government saw that most of the people had united with the commander to defend their freedom and government by law, and "he also saw that his people were doubtful concerning the justice of the cause in which they had undertaken—therefore, fearing that he should not gain the point, he took those of his people who would and departed into the land of their enemies.

Attempts to Take over the Government

• The would-be king then uses flattery, treachery, and murder to gain control of the armies of their enemy and become king over them.
• Five years after leaving his homeland, he learns that there is going to be a change over of power in the government (the Chief Judge has died). He also learns that there is still a group of dissenters who want a king (king-men), so he returns to conquer his former land. 
• The people vote to support their new Chief Judge and their rule by law, but the king-men refuse to accept the election results.
• When the king-men, mainly people of "high birth" who "sought power and authority over the people", learn that their their old would-be king is coming back with the whole enemy army, "they were glad in their hearts; and they refused to take up arms" to defend their country.  Alma 51:8, 13
• Though the dissent was put down, it is too late. Their enemy had taken   over part of their land. Alma 62
• Eventually, the government disintegrates into tribes. "Enemies" continue fighting each other until, finally, none are left. Their once great civilization comes to an end - destroyed by pride and hate. 

May we listen to Mormon's haunting warning to "learn to be more wise"  than they, the previous inhabitants of this land, had been. May we choose to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ, allowing our hearts to be filled with His love. May we turn from pride, materialism, dissension, power seeking, deception, and hate, and find again the faith, integrity, and strength which has always been the source of America's greatness. 

I wrote this poem a few months ago about the destruction of civilizations.

Long Gone

by Cheryl Merrick

In a day of growing darkness

when hearts have hardened past feeling,

Shouts of revenge,

born from frenzied minds,

shatter the peace,

as hoards waving banners

spill into the street

seeking to destroy all those

who refuse to follow

their current cause.

Now, the shouts have 

     died away to nothingness.

Now, the streets lie 

     shrouded in eerie stillness.
Now, their causes fade, 

     forgotten, into oblivion. 
Now, only history remembers 

     this once great civilization
     sadly recounting the fatal flaws 

     of a people long gone.