Alma 5

This chapter is a favorite with its call to do a self-examination to keep you on course. At our morning devotional today (still on Zoom) our stake president reminded us to live by covenant and not by convenience.

The first covenant I remember ever making with the Lord was to never accept money when I used my musical abilities to serve him. I wanted those occasions to be true service - not a job. That is not a problem usually since the LDS church is a lay church with no paid positions here on the local level. However it has come up occasionally regarding weddings and funerals. I always chose to live by my covenant.

A covenant is much like setting a goal. We either float through life aimlessly or we make decisions about what we hope to accomplish and what we hope to become. Some call this living with a purpose.

"A purpose sets the entire context for our lives. It is a master plan that defines our goals and expectations. It can make life much more enjoyable and effortless. Purpose is not something that others choose for us; rather, it is something we must choose for ourselves."

Living on Purpose by Brad Klontz, September 23, 2013 Psychology Today

I believe this is what Alma was asking the members of the church to do. As members they had already committed their lives to the Savior. He is now asking them to check and see if they are living by that commitment.

In a series of questions he shares what he feels is important:

Have ye spiritually been born of God?

Have you received his image in your countenances?

Have you experienced this mighty change of heart?

if you have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can you feel so now?

I find it interesting that his ministry began as a response to a crisis in his community. He was seeing contention and inequality among his people. He see some "turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted."

"There were envying, and strife, and Malice, and persecutions and pride." And he goes on to say he is talking about those who profess to follow Christ and that they were exceeding "the pride of those who did not belong to the church."

I cannot help but compare this to the crisis that is taking place in the United States right now. A black man, George Floyd, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis - an out-and-out murder while other officers stood by watching.

The black community is outraged. There is a long history of racial profiling and the unjust treatment of black men in particular in our communities across the nation.

Protests have begun everywhere. Many of those have led to violence and looting. Our major cities have had to set curfews to protect their citizens and businesses.

How will it end? Thankfully there are sane voices among our leadership who are reminding people that the cause is just but violence is not. There is a call out to get serious about America's unresolved racial discrimination. 

We like Alma are beginning to ask questions. It is a time for self examination.

Can we use our anger to find solutions instead of inflicting violence?

And that takes us back to covenants and purposeful living.

What covenants does a nation make to its citizens?

Is the Constitution a covenant?

Is it time to ask whether those covenants are reflected in the lives of all its citizens?

And to the white population is it not time to ask if we are living purposely as those who have been in the positions of leadership for most of America's history? 

Or are we just going along not caring about others, turning our backs on their needs, while our "white privilege" has afforded us such good lives?

Alma's questions later in chapter 5 are also applicable to our present situation.

Are you stripped of pride?  (Are we ready to listen to our black neighbors?)

Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother or that heapeth upon him persecutions? (How do we as individuals help to insure this doesn't happen?)

Yea, will you persist in supposing that ye are better than one another?  (Do we truly see all others as our equals?)

Alma 4:6

In Alma 4:6 it says . . . The people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and they're fine silks, and they're fine twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things which they had obtained by their industry. . .

This last phrase is significant: (which they had obtained by their industry. . . ). It is so easy to believe that we by our own doing have created the life we are living.

My husband and I had to study the book Bridges out of Poverty when we were working in a church welfare program in southeast Michigan. We learned in our training to define poverty as "the lack of skills, knowledge and resources to become self-reliant".

Those three words (skills, knowledge and resources) are keys that can keep us humble. They come to us so often as gifts from the adults in our lives.

I used to think of myself as self-made. Now I am better at thinking of all the people in my life who helped me along the way.

When I think of my parents, they taught by example but also by mentoring and teaching me how to do things - often things I hated at the time. Case-in-point - I hated working in our vegetable garden. Waiting was a never-ending job. It was dirty, buggy, and hot.

My other Nemesis was sewing. You had to be so precise with everything you did. I made so many mistakes and spent more time ripping out seams and starting again.

but today I garden and I so. I am an expert at following directions when assembling anything! I eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and am healthy as can be. All gifts from my mother.

Dad was the ultimate DIY guy. We laughed at his original way to fix things. But fix them he did. When you have a lot of money you hire people to make your repairs. When money is scarce you learn how to do things yourself.

I will tackle any home repair not because dad taught me all his techniques. Rather he taught me we can do anything if we set our mind to it.

Another group I think of are all those families who allowed me to babysit for them. It wasn't until I was a parent that I realized what it means to entrust your children into the hands of a teenager for an evening. It means a lot to have adults in your life who trust you that much. I learned to be trustworthy. No future employer would ever have to worry that I was not doing my job when they weren't looking.

My teachers at school were also supportive. I was introduced to books in my elementary school and a whole world opened to me. There at school I was encouraged to do my best and I excelled. I loved school work. I saw it as fun.

These teachers trusted me, encouraged me, believed in me and I thrived under their tutelage.

I also had an extended family who did the same for me. With so many cheering me on, I learned I could succeed. Doors were opened for me, money was made available and I was college bound.

There are so many to whom I owe so much. Yes, I worked really hard to succeed but I had so much support.

These Nephites forgot to look back and see the tapestry of their lives. They saw themselves as a single bright thread when in fact none of us are.

Alma 2 &3

Alma chapters 2 & 3 are the story of a man named Amlici and his efforts to overturn the government.

Simply put the story is this: the Nephite society at this time was governed by a political system of judges who were elected by"the voice of the people".

Amlici gathers a large following who want to establish him as king. And election is held. Amlici loses the election.

There is, as it were, a civil war that follows involving large numbers. Just in the first battle 12532 Amlicites die and an additional 6562 Nephites.

The story continues with ongoing battles. Then the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites and these two groups the Nephites and the Lamanites continue their centuries-old feud.

There are so many ongoing conflicts in our world between groups like these. They can never get past their grievances and the hatred is passed from generation to generation.

Is it not so in the United States today where our political parties are so polarized that they cannot even work together during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis?

The lessons of these chapters are many and ought to lead to good discussions.

1. How should you respond when your group loses an election?

2. How do you fight against unjust laws in a Democratic society?

3. How do biases get passed from one generation to another? Read Article of Faith 2. Do children sometimes get punished for the sins of their fathers? What are the implications here?

4. What is the responsibility of political parties in a Democratic society?

5. How does this story relate to the contention we see in our country today?

*What other questions would you add?*

A word about Alma 3:6-8 and 19.

These verses lead to some essential discussions. People tend to use physical appearances for identity. Therefore groups are often persecuted and individuals in those groups identified by their physical appearance.

Think of all the ways you have seen this or read about it in American history. Some examples might be:

1. Slavery and the resulting discrimination against black Americans

2. The treatment of Japanese-Americans during World war II and the many ways that Americans white Americans later made fun of them.

3. Name-calling against certain groups

4. Gangs and how they dress and create their identity

Verse 19 as an important point of doctrine. God is blamed for a lot of things and many believe he actually puts curses on people or groups.  But take note of what this verse says:

Now I would that you should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so. Every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation.

Here are some good discussion questions for this verse:

1. What is the curse that is referred to over and over again in the Book of Mormon?

2. What does it mean we reap what we sow or what goes around comes around?

3. What specific teachings of Jesus in the New testament would solve the problems these people were having in these two chapters?

And the last questions which we should all ask ourselves are these:

1. Are we getting caught up in such thinking? 

2.  Do we identify with one group and have antagonistic feelings towards another group?
    3.  How are you dealing with diversity in your own community?

Alma Chapter 1

Alma chapter 1 is the ongoing story of diversity and conflict in the Nephite society. A man named nehor begins to preach his own religion. The specifics are not important here. What is important is that when Gideon argues with Nehor over points of doctrine, Nehor draws a sword and kills him. As a result Nehor is condemned to die for murder. 

Religious divisions continue with some unfortunately seeing opportunities to get money and honor but even they are considered legal as long as they did not break the law.

The law created by Mosiah still stood - it was illegal to persecute another for their religious beliefs. But this becomes a most serious problem as people not only argue but actually physically attack each other.

I love this next section of chapter 1. The faithful choose to go about their daily business as always - living the gospel, helping each other and even helping those not of their faith. And then it says they prospered.

Now in the scriptures the word "prosper" is a problem word for me because the stories too often define prosper in terms of wealth.  I have learned that not everyone who lives a good life becomes rich. And I have learned that it is more important to prosper in relationships, emotional health, and in the simple pleasures of each day. 

Those essentials are always disrupted when there is contention. And I don't know about you, but I find I can only take so much of the news in politics up today's world. I then turn off the TV and like these faithful few and Alma chapter 1 I retreat to my world and the things that bring me peace and happiness.

As I was thinking about this whole chapter I just started thinking about this whole problem of religious contention in our world. I have grown up in the United States where we have had religious freedom and we have been basically free from religious persecution. But as I look at the history of the world it is absolutely disgusting and unbelievable how many wars and conflicts developed because of religious persecution.  It is estimated that 7% of all wars had religion as their main cause.

If you look at Europe in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, conflict was a constant following the Protestant Reformation. There was what was called the Knights Revolt in 1522. Protestant German knights revolted against the Roman Catholic Church; it was all out war.

Then in 1524 the German Peasants War began. It is estimated that upwards of 300,000 peasant's died in that war. It was radical religious reformers that led the revolt.

In Europe the Thirty Years War that went from 1618 to 1648 began as a war between Protestants and Catholics. That war led to the decline of Catholicism in Europe as religious liberty for Protestants finally began. Sadly 20% of the German population died during those thirty years - over eight million people.

In 1524 King Christian of Denmark converted to Lutheranism. Wars began and by 1536 (12 years later) the last of their religious wars were over and Lutheranism was established in Denmark. Catholic bishops were imprisoned and all Catholic church properties confiscated.

The same King Christian in 1537 by force established Lutheranism in Norway then on the Faroe islands in 1540 and on Iceland in 1550. Similar stories are found in England and Scotland after the Reformation.

But of course even before then there were the Crusades in the 11th century. The Iberian Peninsula had constant wars between Christians and Muslims from 711 all the way until 1492.

On the other side of the world the same was taking place. In Japan it was Buddhism vs. Shintoism in 552-2587.

In Pakistan and India from 1906 to 1947 there was a battle between Muslims and Hindus. They never did learn to live together. The war ended with a partition creating Pakistan as a separate nation from India.

In Nigeria the Igbo versus the Muslims fought from 1953 to 1966. In the same country in 1980 it was the Christians versus the Muslims and then again in 2010.

In 1936 China massacred their Muslims.

1958 was the Lebanese Civil war.  It was a conflict between three groups the Sunni Muslims, the Christian Lebanese and the Shiite Muslims.

The Croatian war from '91 to '95 and also the Bosnia war from '92 to '95 were both conflicts between the Eastern Orthodox Church the Roman Catholic church and the Muslim populations.

In Sudan there was a civil war from 1983 until 2005.  It led to the independence of South Sudan; Sudan itself being Muslim and South Sudan being established as a Christian nation.

America has had its own struggle to learn to live by the principle of religious freedom. Before the Constitution was ratified there were constant conflicts between religious groups. Some states even abolished churches. 

Then during the 1800s there was much violence against the Irish Catholic immigrants. The strong Protestant values that had permeated the US were so ingrained that Catholics were just not welcomed. In 1844 gun battles took place in Philadelphia. Martial law had to be declared.

The second religious group that was openly persecuted in the United States were the Mormons. That persecution lasted from the 1830s until 1896 when Utah finally became a state.

Anti-Semitism reached its heights between 1933 and 1939. In urban areas like New York and Boston Jews were violently attacked. There was much social and political discrimination. The KKK was anti-Jewish as well as anti-black. It wasn't until the 1950s that Jews in the United States were allowed membership in country clubs, allowed to attend colleges, to enter the medical profession and political offices.

We are not totally free from acts of religious violence yet. After September 11th 2001 hate crimes against Muslims in the United States increased by 1600% from the previous year.

Alma chapter 1 is an important chapter because it gives us an opportunity to talk about what it is to live in a diverse community and to learn to live together in unity.

Mosiah 29

Kings vs Judges

The problem of who should be the next king arises because none of Mosiah's sons are willing to take that role. This worries Mosiah because if the people choose the next king from outside his family there is always a chance that later one of his sons might change his mind and there could be civil war or contention.

The more he thinks about it, he decides it is time to have a new form of government. He suggests elected judges and compares the two systems.

This story gives us an opportunity to think about our own responsibility as a citizen of the communities where we live.

In the United States, we are governed by elected officials in a system that has become too often dominated by the money of special interest groups. All too often we feel we are choosing the lesser of two evils - there are no "good" men and women running. Money buys power and those in power surround themselves with friends or with those who have financed their campaigns. Corruption in Washington has become so common we are no longer surprised.

But we can only blame ourselves. Look at what it says in Mosiah 29:27

And if the time comes that the voice of the people choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you...

Or in other words, we can't complain when this is what we elect.

My husband and I try to do our best in every election at every level of government to research each candidate and decide not only their qualifications but their character. We try to always vote for the men and women who have demonstrated integrity and who we believe are good people no matter which party they belong to.

Mosiah 27

PART 1:  This chapter continues the story that began in chapter 26. This group of people is no longer unified by its religion. The Nephite society has become diversified and the groups of people are persecuting each other.

Mosiah sends out a proclamation - a new law - that the "unbelievers" should know more persecute those who belong to the church.

Then a command is sent through the churches that there should be no persecutions among them! He calls for equality among all men.

This section takes me back to my youth - the days of the Civil Rights movement. America's history of persecution is deplorable. Considering we are a land settled by people seeking freedom the hypocrisy could not be more shameful. Each group wanted freedom for themselves only and denied it to others. A civil war ensued and leftover 620,000 soldiers dead. Slavery was abolished and yet the persecution continued. And this in a nation that claimed to be founded on Christian principles.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was similar to Mosiah's proclamation. It was a statement that in a diverse society "there should be equality among all men." It was also a statement that sometimes the government has to intervene when religious institutions are not able to provide that equality.

PART 2:. The Story of Alma the Younger

The story of this mighty change of heart that we see in Alma the Younger has always been a favorite of mine. It is a story of a man who has been touched by divine love and who never will be the same again.

Yes, there is an angel that precipitates the change. That isn't going to happen to most of us. You and I are going to learn our lessons from the simple consequences of our own actions.

For that reason, I'm grateful for mirrors. Every day as I get myself ready, combing hair and brushing teeth, I see myself in the mirror. I have the opportunity to look at that reflection and decide if I like what I see. I'm not talking about hairdos and complexions although I have learned that when you don't like yourself, a beautiful hairdo doesn't make any difference and when you do like yourself a bad hair day doesn't matter.

If you are at all like me, you've had the experience of now and then not liking what you see. Something is amiss in your life. You are not being your true self.

Alma shows us what to do at such a time. You have to go to Alma chapter 36 to hear his full account. His vulnerability in sharing his story is an amazing gift to us.

"I cried within my heart, O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death." Alma 36:18. He knew that awful pain that comes when you have done something you truly regret.

And then forgiveness came. In verse 20 he says "And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!"

This is the promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do that can not be forgiven. Nothing. When we are sincere in our desire to change, we can go to the Lord and not just be forgiven but be cleansed and healed. His love will fill us and cleanse us. We will be filled with joy.

It has been my own personal experience that when I am at my worst and totally out of integrity with the person I know I should be, I can go to the Lord with my sorrowing heart and come away filled with His love. He has never chastised me. He has just helped me to become a better person. Those have been my most precious prayer moments for which I am most grateful.

Yes, our actions define us but we are human beings with the power to change. And so our past actions never do define us. It is the present and what we are making of ourselves now that truly matters. We only need learn from the past; we need never look back and sorrow because of it.

PART 3: A word about Mosiah 27:14

The angel is telling Alma that he (the angel) was sent because of the prayers of his father. "for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of truth. Therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee..."

I used to think that when my prayers in behalf of others weren't answered it was because I didn't have enough faith. If Alma the senior could bring about such a miracle through his faith, surely I could. So how could I show the Lord I had such faith? Should I fast more often? Did I need hours and hours upon my knees? Should I pay more offerings, do more service, etc etc?

I would find myself angry that the Lord was not interceding in the lives of those I loved.

It has taken me a while to learn to trust the Lord and allow others to choose their own course in life. The book "Healing Through Christ" has helped me a lot. I have had to learn that I don't know what others need. My faith that God will do for others what I want Him to do is not faith at all.

"We put our faith into action and make a decision to completely surrender our desires, our will and our lives and the lives of our loved ones to the care of God". (page 33 Healing Through Christ)

I have come to have faith that God is in charge, His love for all of us prevails, I can trust Him. Now I am free to just love.

Mosiah 26

I find this to be a confusing chapter. I also believe that such chapters need to be dealt with. No matter what the source, we condone what we don't talk about with our children.  That is true for things they see on the TV or hear in music.  I want my family to know there are truths that they can count on.  One such truth is that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that His work and glory is to help us fulfill our divine potential which He describes as having "immortality and eternal life".  I want them to know key scriptures to support that understanding and to challenge or figure out what is going on with scriptures that don't. 

Here is one such key scripture: Isaiah 49:15

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

So let's look at this chapter and try to deal with the confusion. It begins with a reversal. In chapter 25 we see the church growing and they are called "the children of God".

Now we have a "rising generation" that doesn't believe, who never join the church and are defined as "carnal and sinful". These people begin to "deceive many with their flattering words".

So these are the children of members and they are choosing to lives in opposition to the values their parents have taught them.  They are found "in sin" and are brought to Alma who doesn't know what to do so he sends them to Mosiah who basically says this is a church problem - not a legal matter - he sends them back to Alma.

By this interchange we can imagine the issues. They have not broken the law but by the standards of the church they were in iniquity. Comparing that to our day we can surmise: drunkenness, sexual immorality, swearing, cheating, lying, no attempt to live the gospel. So what should Alma do?

The answer found in this chapter is that any who are repentant belong in the church. Those who won't repent need to be removed.

The most difficult verses for me are verses 27 and 28.

And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Therefore I say unto you, that he will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.

This sounds a lot like the old paradigm "Do as I say or else". It's hard to see the loving God in these verses.

Compare this to an understanding of the God who always has His door open, always beckoning and inviting, always hoping His children choose to come home and grieving when they don't. The decision is the child's alone. And anytime this "prodigal" chooses to change his mind, the fatted calf will be ready.

How we understand and view God is going to become the model for our lives. I cannot understand what life must have been like for these Nephites. They had a difficult existence. War was always just around the corner. Survival was always on their minds. Dissension was catastrophic for them. They needed unity so they could survive.

I just don't see how the excommunication of errant members creates anything but more contention and division. And in chapter 27 we see that that is exactly what happened and Mosiah has to intervene.

Quote for today:

Mosiah 25

May 18th 2020 – Come Follow Me - Mosiah 25

Come Follow Me this week is based on Mosiah chapters 25 through 28. Starting with chapter 25 I find there to be several verses that were meaningful to me.


Mosiah 25:4
And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies.

I take that to mean that the people of Nephi were one body and the people of Zarahemla were another body. I find that very interesting. It would be good to check the dates and see exactly how long the Nephites under Mosiah’s leadership had been merged with the people of Zarahemla at this point. 

We know it had to have been quite a while because when they first discovered each other they could not even communicate, their languages were so different. Mosiah then taught his language to the entire Mulekite nation! Imagine doing that and how long that would take. We also know that there were a lot more Mulekites than there were Nephites so isn't it interesting that the Nephite language was the one they chose to adopt? Then the expeditions went looking for their land or origin and it had been several years since Zeniff and his party took their leave. So after all of this time, why would they be meeting now as two bodies and not as one? 

How is this a reflection of the problems we have today with cultural, racial and ethnic diversity? 

Why is it so hard for diverse people to merge their lives and become one? 

Why are these statements by the church so important?

Race and the Church: All are Alike Unto God

The Church unequivocally condemns racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church. In 2006, then Church president Gordon B. Hinckley declared that “no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church. Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children.”

Tuesday, August 15, 2017  The Church has released the following statement: 

It has been called to our attention that there are some among the various pro-white and white supremacy communities who assert that the Church is neutral toward or in support of their views. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the New Testament, Jesus said: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39). The Book of Mormon teaches “all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33).

White supremacist attitudes are morally wrong and sinful, and we condemn them. Church members who promote or pursue a “white culture” or white supremacy agenda are not in harmony with the teachings of the Church.

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Mosiah 25: 7-10
And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that have been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy. And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

1- My first thought about this section is that life is just filled with situations where rejoicing and sorrowing come together as a pair. Think of situations in your own life where these opposites of rejoicing and sorrowing have both been present at the same time. 

Do we sometimes feel guilty when choose to have a celebration when at the same time there is also a reason to grieve, and do we sometimes let the sorrow take precedence and then neglect to support a loved one who deserves a celebration?

2- My second thought about this section relates to the idea of record-keeping. At this meeting the records of both Zeniff and Alma are read. The people are struck with wonder and amazement. Some of what they hear makes them so happy, some makes them so sad. Let me share a story from my own family history.

My grandfather's first wife died shortly after the birth of her seventh child. That was 1918. Her children were then ages 13, 12, 10, 8, 6, 3 and lastly the newborn.

Grandpa was grief-stricken but immediately faced with the reality that he could not care for these children. The baby was taken by a niece who was newly married. About a year later they went to California. The family lost contact with them.

The only daughter was taken by another family who lived nearby. They adopted her yet lived locally in Pike County so the family always knew where she was.

Grandpa was at the store in his little Missouri town one day talking about his situation to the clerk. As the story goes, a neighbor overheard him and went up to him and said “I could take these two that you have with you.” And so on that day this good man took a 6 year old and an 8 year old home with him and presented his childless wife with two sons. And so this "Aunt and Uncle" raised two of the brothers. They always knew who their family was.

The older three boys remained with their dad.

Over the course of years, Over the years the family lost touch with three of the boys.  One moved to Oregon, one joined the merchant marines and was never heard of again.  The one in California refused any contact with the family. 

As times changed,  I was counting on the internet to help me. I was able to locate a woman who I thought was the daughter of one of my missing uncles.  A Google search came up with an address so I took a chance. I sent an introductory letter with my email contact information.

Bingo! I struck gold! I was so happy to find this cousin.

But – and here is where the connection to Mosiah 25 takes place. It was not a happy story. In a family plagued by alcoholism another life was ruined.    Life can be so messy! Here in the story of my mother’s half brother we see the bitter with the sweet just as we see it in Mosiah 25 as those records were read. Life is like that. (Compare Doctrine and Covenants 29:39) 

Where in your family or in your family histories do you see the sweet and the bitter together?  Love is a bitter-sweet thing isn't it?  We love our families and yet there we find some of our deepest sorrows.

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Mosiah 25:11–12
And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.

And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took it upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites.

How did these two verses reflect the idea that it is easier to forgive and feel compassion for a stranger than it is for a family member who does something wrong? 

Why is it that family has the power to hurt so deeply? 

Why are gospel principles so important when we are facing such family discord?

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.