Alma 46-50

Following the right leader

 

Throughout history we have seen examples of great leaders who have the unique ability to influence many others, sometimes by just their sheer presence and charisma.

 

Winston Churchill - He was the British Prime Minister and leader during the WW II. He was an able leader, an emotional man but his greatest victory was in his motivation for others to defend themselves against the Nazis

Alexander the Great - Known as the Man Who Conquered The World, Alexander the Great is often said to be the greatest military leader of all time.

Julius Ceasar - a Roman military commander and a genius, to say the very least. He played a critical role in the death of a Roman Republic and the rise of the strong Roman Empire.

Franklin D Roosevelt - Also called FDR, was an American statesmen and a political leader who helped America during some of the worst years like The Great Depression.

Napoleon Bonaparte-A French military leader who rose to power after the French Revolution which overthrew the monarchy.

 

 Whether or not these people use their talent for good things has always been a nature vs nurture debate. Take for example:

 

Adolph Hitler - Many people will argue and disagree with the fact that a man like Hitler is called a great leader but you would have to say that although his actions and deeds were not good, his leadership skills were matched only by few in the world.

 

 

 

 

Or, what about:

 

Consider what the scriptures say about righteous leaders:

 

Colossians 3:23-2

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

 

Proverbs 16:12

 12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

Matthew 23:11

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty

 Alma 46–50

 

Alma 46–50 in The Book of Mormon tells a story of the difference between wicked and righteous leadership. Mormon told about differences between Amalickiah and Captain Moroni

 

Alma 48:7

7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.

 

Alma 49:25–28

25 And it came to pass, that when the Lamanites saw that their chief captains were all slain they fled into the wilderness. And it came to pass that they returned to the land of Nephi, to inform their king, Amalickiah, who was a Nephite by birth, concerning their great loss.

 

 26 And it came to pass that he was exceedingly angry with his people, because he had not obtained his desire over the Nephites; he had not subjected them to the yoke of bondage.

 

 27 Yea, he was exceedingly wroth, and he did curse God, and also Moroni, swearing with an oath that he would drink his blood; and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people.

 

 28 And it came to pass, that on the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.

 

 

 Amalickiah wanted to “destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted” to the Nephites (sounds a lot like some leaders today), and Captain Moroni wanted to preserve it (Alma 46:10).

 

Unrighteous men like Amalickiah who drive themselves into power may succeed for a while by the world’s standards, but ultimately they bring failure upon themselves and their followers. In comparison, leaders like Captain Moroni inspire people with honorable desires that will ultimately overpower evil intentions.

 

Elder Gene R. Cook has said “Some men are confused or deceived and follow strange voices. They believe in unworthy causes or men or embrace untrue principles.”

 

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of righteous leadership. Those who truly believe Him follow His example by loving and serving those they lead. By striving to be faithful disciples, we can then help others develop strong testimonies and draw nearer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

 

Alma 30

There will always be those who try to convince you other than what you believe or to contend with you.

It’s normal for people to have different views, and there are times when we need to stand up in the face of opposition for what we believe. But we need to state our positions in a positive and factual way without becoming angry, bitter, or insulting.

Alma chapters 30-31 in the Book of Mormon discusses people and ideas opposed to Jesus Christ. Korihor sought to destroy the faith of the Nephite people with lies and half truths. The same type of philosophies and arguments exist today to try to shake the faithful.

 

Joseph Smith taught “Avoid contentions and vain disputes with men of corrupt minds, who do not desire to know the truth.”

 

It fascinates me about how so many people base their beliefs and actions on so little information, lies, or no information at all. They also will profess to have knowledge when in reality they have little or none.

"Truths" some tell themselves are merely fragments of the truth and sometimes they are not really the truth at all.

 

This is a great quote from Dieter F Uchdorf; "The 'truths' we cling to shape the quality of our societies as well as our individual characteristics. All too often these 'truths' are based on incomplete and inaccurate evidence and at times they serve very selfish motives."

 

It is apparent to me that the great deceiver is making great strides to spread lies, mistruth and to divide people at every opportunity - and I am referring to the one mentioned in the scriptures, not in Washington.

 

 

To better understand the evils of lying, Robert J. Matthews, a former dean of religion at BYU, explained that “the seriousness of lying is not measured only in injury or pain inflicted on the one deceived. Lying has a devastating effect also on the perpetrator. It robs the liar of self-respect, and deadens his ability to recognize the difference between truth and error. When a lie is told often enough, even the one who knowingly spread it may begin to believe it. This was the case with the antichrist Korihor in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 30:52–53)”


Remember that the truth as we know it is not always the truth. The reality is that the truth is true even if nobody believes it.

So how do we avoid contentious conflict?

You’ve probably heard we can “disagree without being disagreeable.” Avoiding contention begins with your motives and desires. The scriptures say that “only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10). If you care more about “winning an argument” or “being right,” a spirit of contention is almost certain to follow.

 

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught some ways to avoid contention: (1) “show compassionate concern for others”; (2) “bridle the passion to speak or write contentiously for personal gain or glory”; and (3) “in humble submissiveness, truly [love] God.”¹ Then we can have the Spirit of the Lord with us, not the spirit of contention.

 

 

Elder Marvin J. Ashton related this true experience:

When he visited one mission, the elders asked him how they could best respond to some anti-Mormon publications in their area. He answered: “We do nothing. We have no time for contention. We only have time to be about our Father’s business.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1978, p. 9; or Ensign, May 1978, p. 7.)