Book of Mormon 2020 - Alma 30-31

In 2016, I first wrote about the scriptures found in Alma 30 and 31. If you would like to read this post, click on: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-of-mormon-27-all-things-denote.html

In this post, I discussed the anti-Christ Korihor and how his teaching paralleled the modern philosophical movement called Naturalism, defined by Google as, “the philosophical belief that everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted”. In the Bible dictionary an anti-Christ is defined as “anyone or anything that counterfeits the true gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly is set up in opposition to Christ”. I can think of many anti-Christs in my own environment. I have interviewed the leader of a large local church, who decided to start the church because of a bet with his brothers about who could become a millionaire before the age of 25 years. He is a charismatic man who has a large following, but he scares me. He has taken many of the doctrines of the church and changed them to suit his own purposes. Although he professes to believe in Christ, it is something to which he pays lip-service. Many members have been led away by his lies.

The Anti-Christ Korihor (painting by James Fullmer)

I have a friend who is another Korihor. That sounds awful but it is true. We worked on the same team when we received government funding for a virtual world research project. Although he treats me well and is kind and caring, he professes knowledge that there is no God, no life after death, and no purpose to this life. He has a lot of influence as a retired journalist with a large following on social media. He mocks religion and people who believe in God. I do not try to argue with him. He knows what I believe, and we do not discuss religion (or lack of). I feel quite sorry for him. He has been deceived and will receive a huge shock when he dies and finds things have not really ended but are just beginning!

First moments in heaven (painting by Karen Gunnell)

There are so many things in today’s world that are anti-Christ. I know the power of Satan’s influence. We see it all around us in politics, entertainment, and the media. I am stunned by some of the leaders in the world today who are themselves anti-Christs, who profess to believe and live Christian lives but do everything in opposition to the truth and the will of God. It is no wonder that there is so much dissatisfaction, hatred, and evil in the world. I have spent time thinking about how I can protect myself and my family. There is no protection outside of the influence of the Holy Ghost. I worry for my children who are not active in the church.

I loved the scripture in Alma 30:22 when the high priest Giddonah asked Korihor, “Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings?” This made me realise that rejoicing is something we should be doing as members. We have the gospel, we know the truth, we have our own testimonies, we have a prophet who leads and guides us, we receive personal revelation according to our worthiness, we have knowledge of the Atonement, and for these blessings we should be rejoicing. Satan does not want us to be happy. Anything anti-Christ will pull us away from the source of rejoicing.

The source of rejoicing

Korihor asked Alma for a sign to prove that God exists (Alma 30:43). We know that this is a wicked request. In Matthew 16:4 we read, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign…” He was given a sign and was struck dumb. He then recognised the power of God (Alma 30:52). He claimed that the devil, in the guise of an angel, had deceived him and taught him what to preach to the people. He had repeated lies so often that he had started to believe them himself. This was well described in a chapter heading in a book by Sheri Dews called No one can take your place (2004). The chapter is called ‘Sin makes you stupid and it costs a lot too’.

Sheri Dews

Here is a delightful story told by President Boyd K. Packer, in his talk, The quest for spiritual knowledge (1982). The full talk has been linked below.

I will tell you of an experience I had before I was a General Authority that affected me profoundly. I sat on a plane next to a professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my testimony to him. “You are wrong,” I said. “There is a God. I know He lives!”

He protested, “You don’t know. Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!” When I would not yield, the atheist, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. “All right,” he said in a sneering, condescending way, “you say you know. Tell me how you know.”

When I attempted to answer, even though I held advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to communicate.

When I used the words Spirit and witness, the atheist responded, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The words prayer, discernment, and faith were equally meaningless to him. “You see,” he said, “you don’t really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me how you know.”

I felt, perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then came the experience! Something came into my mind. And I mention here a statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith: “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas … and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”¹

Such an idea came into my mind, and I said to the atheist, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”

“Of course I do,” was his reply.

“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”

After some thought, he said, “Well, I, uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.”

“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.”

After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!”

As we parted, I heard him mutter, “I don’t need your religion for a crutch! I don’t need it.”

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In chapter 31, Alma leads a group of missionaries to the Zoramites. In verse 1 we read, “The Zoramites were perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, who was their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols”. We have a living, breathing, powerful God. Idols do not have any of the attributes of a God. There is a delightful scripture in Psalm 115:4-8 that reads, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.” It makes you realise the huge waste of time and energy spent by those who worship idols!

There is a very famous Seminary scripture in Alma 31:5, “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God”. The word of truth found in the gospel is more powerful than the sword.

 As seen in the quote below, President Boyd K. Packer stated that “The doctrines of the gospel will improve behaviour quicker than a study of behaviour”.  

Even though Alma and his companion missionaries knew beforehand that the Zoramites were corrupting the truth, they were still shocked to witness the prayers offered on the Rameumptom. This was a tall podium in the synagogue from which the Zoramites would pray every Sabbath. The prayer was full of corrupted doctrine (a God of spirit, the doctrine of election, no belief in a Messiah) and delivered with self-pride and aggrandisement. After visiting the synagogue, the Zoramites would forget their worship until the following Sabbath.

Prayer from the Rameumpton

In complete contrast to this prayer is the humble, powerful prayer of Alma (verse 26 onwards). Alma calls out to the Lord ten times. The reason for this is well explained in the little Knowhy video below (Book of Mormon Central). His prayer is on behalf of the Zoramites and a desire for the mission to be successful. He prays for all the missionaries and they receive the full strength of the spirit with the laying on of hands (verse 36). The last verse reads, “And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith” (verse 38). There could be no more powerful contrast then that between the vain, foolish, prideful prayers from the Rameumptom and the humble, powerful prayer of Alma filled with faith and strength.