Alma 14:8-11

This is a difficult story. Alma and Amulek have been preaching in Ammonihah and have quite a following. They personally have been arrested by the leaders and put in prison. Zeezrom, who is now convinced they are men of God, is pleading their cause but he and those with him are cast out and have stones thrown at them.

The people of Ammonihah are riotous at this point and they take all the women and children of the believers along with their records and scriptures and destroy them by fire.

This is the first time we are allowed to see the degradation of Ammonihah. They are indeed evil at this point.

Amulek and Alma are dragged out to watch the massacre. Amulek pleads with Alma to call forth the power to save them. Alma replies that the spirit constrains him; that their deaths will stand as a witness of those evil people at the Judgment Day.

I cannot imagine having the power to stop evil and having the "spirit constraineth." Alma has to live with that decision, not me.   What we need in today's world is people who do everything they can to root out evil and it causes.

We see evil around us all the time and it shall ever be so. Agency allows man to choose to do terrible things. I would like to think that we would never walk away from a chance to confront the evil.  What we need so badly in today's world is people who do everything they can to root out evil and it causes.

I find great hope in the Black Lives Matter movement. America's streets have been filled with demonstrations - people protesting the murder of George Floyd by a police officer. They saw evil and spoke up.  It takes courage to face evil, to name it and to speak up against it.

I was watching a PBS special about Maya Angelou the American poet and activist. She shared a story of a young rap singer she met who used so much vulgar language. She was fearless in confronting him and letting him see how derogatory that language is.

Another time a young woman meeting her for the first time called her by her first name, Maya. She stopped the girl flat and said, "Young lady, you have not lived long enough and experienced enough life to call me by my first name. You may call me Miss Angelou."

Speaking up for decent language and respect for elders is not the same as speaking out against systemic racism or misogyny. But if we are afraid to confront the small stuff how will we ever be courageous enough to face the big stuff?

Here are some quotes by Maya Angelou that I found inspiring.

Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. 

We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest.

Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, 

but has not solved one yet.

Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself 

and then stand up for someone else.

Only equals can become friends.

We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.

The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. 

The desire to reach hearts is wise.