In the Church we are not neutral.

We are
INTRODUCTION
one-sided. There is a war going on> and we are
engaged in it. It is the war between good and evil, and
we are belligerents defending the good. We are therefore
obliged to give preference to and protect all that is
represented in the gospel ofJesus Christ, and
11Je have made covenants to do it.
Why are there so many wars in the Book of Mormon?
That's a good question, and there are several good answers.
-BOYD K. PACKER, MEMORABLE STORIES AND PARABLES BY BOYD K.
,v-e know that the Book of _Mormon was written for our time
PACKER LAKE CITY: BOOKCRAFT, 1997), 23.
and that the ancient prophets saw what life would be like for
us in the latter days. Let's think about that for a minute-if
they saw our day, what did they see?

Centur�es of Confhct
The Book of Mormon was unearthed and translated a
few decades after the Revolutionary War and published
eighteen years after the War of 1812 (when was that?). The
.Mormon Battalion went to assist the U.S. Army in the
Mexican War in 1846. The Civil ,var (1861-65) followed
fifteen years later, and the Spanish-American War (1898)
came three decades after that. vVorld vVar I (1914-18) was
fought during my grandfather's time, and World War II
(1941-45) and the Korean War (1950-53) occurred when

1
 RIGHTEOUS WARRIORS

Nephites. When Moroni "saw their terror" he "commanded

his men that they should stop shedding their blood"-a clear
evidence of Moroni's merciful nature (Alma 43:54).
Can you imagine the drama of the moment at the end of
Alma 43? The fighting had ceased, and the Lamanite armies
were in Moroni's hands. Moroni was surrounded by fallen
and wounded Nephites who had fought to protect their fam­
ilies and their right to worship God as they chose. Did the
sight of his own people among the dead fill Moroni with
anger and revenge? Did the thought of returning home to
face the widows and children of these valiant defenders make
Moroni want to finish the job against the Lamanites?
Amid the blood and carnage, youthful Captain Moroni
stood face-to-face with Zerahemnah, who was in his hands
and at his mercy. Wouldn't we have empathized with Moroni
had he wanted to wipe the Lamanites off the face of the
earth forever? We'll see what happens in the next chapter.

Lessons from Alma 43

1. The Lord is concerned with the desires of our hearts (why
we do what we do).
2. Faith and works: We do what we can do, and the Lord
will help us with the rest.
3. The prophets know where the enemy will strike, so listen
up!

16