Captain Moroni and the War in Iraq

The book of Alma is full of many accounts of wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites. Captain Moroni, leader of the Nephite armies during that period reminds us of the difference between the Nephites and Lamanites. I believe that difference reflects the situation we find ourselves in today in Iraq and Afghanistan and, indeed, throughout the world in the war on terrorism.

At the beginning of Alma 44, a Lamanite army that sought to conquer the Nephites has been surrounded by the Nephite army. God has strengthened the Nephites and delivered the Lamanites into their hands. In verse 2, Moroni declares the following to Zerahemnah, the Lamanite commander:

"Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion."

The U.S.-led coalition finds itself in the same situation today. We have no desire to conquer and control Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather, like Moroni, we are trying to defend free people from those who wish to bring the world into "the yoke of bondage."

Marcus Luttrell, a heroic Navy SEAL who fought in Afghanistan, confirmed this when he stated:

"Just like always, warlords were trying to drive out the usurpers. Us. And we weren't even usurping, just trying to stop another bloody tribal upheaval and another regime change from the elected to the dictators." (Lone Survivor, page 73)

Of course, we should always seek for peace. Jesus Christ taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). However, we are also taught to defend freedom "even unto bloodshed" if necessary:

"And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion." (Alma 43:47)

Pray for peace, but be willing to fight when necessary to defend God-given freedom.

Message of Hope from Iraq

Too often we hear only bad news coming out of Iraq. Here's a message of hope and success. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with local Iraqi authorities and workers to increase electrical generation capacity that will provide power for an additional 180,000 homes. This is just one example of many showing how Americans and Iraqis are sacrificing much together to bring a bright future to the people of Iraq who want and deserve the freedom we enjoy. To read the story, follow this link:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48089

Indifference Concerning the Freedom of Their Country

I just finished reading Alma 59 and found the last few verses quite interesting probably because they appear to apply to our situation today. In verse 9, Captain Moroni is lamenting the success the Lamanite armies are having against the Nephites. Because the Nephites have smaller armies than the Lamanites, Moroni notes that it's easier to maintain their cities than to reclaim them from the Lamanites.

Moroni identifies two reasons why the Nephites have suffered these losses. First, verse 11 reveals that Moroni "was exceedingly sorrowful ... because of the wickedness of the people," and he "began to doubt ... whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren." The Book of Mormon makes it clear that when the people are righteous, the Lord delivers them from the hands of their enemies. That raises the question whether we could be more successful in the global war on terrorism if all the peoples of the free world were more righteous and more reliant on the Lord. I suspect the answer is yes.

Second, verse 13 indicates that Moroni "was angry with the government, because of their indifference concerning the freedom of their country." Clearly, Moroni placed some of the blame for their losses on the lack of support from the Nephite government. Moroni believed that if the Nephite armies had been strong enough, they could have maintained the cities they possessed, but because the government withheld support, they lost some of their cities. How does this apply to us today? I'm not sure, but I believe that all free peoples who believe in God should stand up and be willing to defend "their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, their rites of worship and their church" (Alma 43:45).

It appears Moroni understood that our freedom from tyranny is composed of two parts: 1) doing all we can do to defend ourselves, and 2) living righteously and relying on the Lord.

Amalickiah and Islamic Extremists

While Islamic extremists are the greatest threat in the world today, many people think it fashionable to argue that the U.S. is the real source of evil. Take for example a poll conducted in Europe in June 2006. More than one-third of respondents identified the US "as the greatest threat to global stability" (Financial Times, 18 June 2006).

These people are misguided. The Book of Mormon teaches us how to identify good from evil. The story of Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty lists the criteria by which we can tell who is on the Lord's side and who is not.

We read in Alma 46 about a wicked man named Amalickiah. Contrary to the law of the land, Amalickiah sought to become the king of the Nephites. He used flattering words to persuade people who wanted power to follow him and make him their king. Many members of the Church dissented because of his flattery.

Verse 10 describes his ultimate goal. He used cunning and flattery to lead "away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them."

In response to this threat, Moroni, the leader of the Nephite armies, rent his coat and wrote upon a piece of it, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (verse 12). Fastened upon a pole, this Title of Liberty became his motto and represents his ultimate goal in start contrast to that of Amalickiah. Moroni then "prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren" (verse 13).

While Amalickiah lead many away to do wickedly including some of the Church who dissented, many others flocked to the standard of Captain Moroni. Those who chose to stand for liberty entered into a covenant saying, "We covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed ... if we shall fall into transgression" (verse 22).

How can we tell where the evil in the world truly lies today? All we must do is compare the situation today to that faced by the Nephites in the days of Moroni:

Amalickiah	Islamic extremists (e.g., Ahmadinejad, bin Laden)
Wants power over Nephites	Want power over free nations
Uses cunning words and flattery (dishonesty and vanity) to persuade	Uses controlled state press, liberal media, and the Internet to persuade with no regard for the truth; also use lies and threats (e.g., beheadings) to achieve goals
Promises power to followers	Promise virgins in the afterlife and other unrighteous desires to followers
Seeks to destroy the Church	Seek to destroy religious freedom and tolerance
Seeks to destroy liberty	Seek to take away all freedoms (e.g., free press, free speech, voting rights)

Moroni	U.S. and its Allies
Focuses on God and religion	Founded on principles of faith in God
Seeks freedom	Ultimate goal of U.S. military is to maintain freedom from outside control
Desires peace	The U.S. does not use war to force other nations to become Christian or to take away their freedom
Focuses on defending the family	Many in the U.S. seek to protect marriage and the unborn; wives and daughters have equal opportunities under the law
Prays for liberty	Many pray for freedom from terrorism
Followers covenant to keep God's commandments	Many strive to follow the laws of God embodied in the 10 commandments

Note the warning of the prophet Isaiah: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). This prophecy certainly applies to the practice of labeling President Bush and the U.S. as the greatest threat to world peace today. Satan wants to deceive us into thinking that if we do not fight terrorism, there will be peace in the world and we will be able to say "All is well in Zion." That belief will only allow Satan greater freedom to take away our freedom to worship God.

Land of the Noble Free

We're approaching that time of year when we sing our national hymns of patriotism. They remind us that our land is full of noble people and that we should be noble in our freedom. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" reminds us that we live in the "land of the noble free." In "America the Beautiful" we sing, "America! America! May God thy gold refine, Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!"

I recently read of a wonderful example of success becoming nobleness. A graduate of the University of Chicago anonymously donated $100 million to the university. This donation will provide 800 full and 400 partial scholarships lower-income students. Click here to read more.

Ronald Reagan once said, "We are a humane and generous people." Later, he declared that "With all our faults, we're the most generous people in the world." May we live up to his vision of America and follow the example of this great benefactor in using our freedom and success nobly.