One lower light shining

I was relaxing last Sunday afternoon when I had this overwhelming desire to read from the Book of Mormon in Arabic.  When I was in Jordan last summer with BYU’s study abroad program, I set a goal to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety.  Surprisingly, I lasted pretty long with that goal: I got to about 2 Nephi 9 before other things came up and I fell out of reading from the Kitab Mormon every day.

The Kitab Mormon is definitely a formidable text, even after three years of studying Arabic.  However, one advantage to reading it is that if you’re familiar with the Engish text AND you understand vowel casing and grammar, you can pick up the meaning of almost every new word from context.  I very rarely have to use a dictionary if I read the Arabic with the English side by side.

The coolest part about reading the Book of Mormon in Arabic is reciting it out loud.  Arabic is a very poetic beautiful language, and when you read it out loud it has a rhythm and sound to it that is very enchanting.  The Kitab Mormon includes all of the vowelling (unlike most modern texts), so you can really get a feel for the sound as you read it.  You can also get a headache if you’re not used to reading Arabic like that (so many markings!  so much to pronounce!) but after some practice it starts to come naturally.

I was actually surprised with how easy it was to read this time.  I’ve attempted the Kitab Mormon a few times before, and each time it would take me almost half an hour to read the first chapter.  This time, I did it in about ten minutes, and most of the time I was able to get the meaning even without looking at the English!

Yesterday I read 1 Nephi 2, and that’s where the title of this post comes from: “wa ‘aqaama ‘abii fii khaymatin”–”and my father dwelt in a tent.” I definitely think it’s within my ability to read this book, in Arabic, cover to cover, and so I’m going to take a shot at it.  Last time, I had it all figured out down to a daily schedule, how many pages per day I needed to read to get it done by April, etc, and that’s probably what made me drop it–as I fell further behind, making it harder to catch up, I lost motivation and just dropped it altogether.  This time, the only goal I’m going to set is to make some progress every day, and finish it whenever I finish it.

I think I’m going to have a really cool experience reading this book.  Here’s what I wrote on my other blog about it:

The best part about this, however, is that reading The Book of Mormon in Arabic forces me to pay a lot closer attention to the text. It’s not just the Arabic that’s getting me excited–it’s noticing all the little things that I used to skip over. I’ve read The Book of Mormon many times before, and there isn’t a page in that book that isn’t familiar to me, but it’s been a long time since I’ve focused this intently on it before. When you read the same words over and over, it’s natural to become innured to them. However, I have NEVER read Kitab Mormon before, so each new verse is a new experience. And by helping me to focus on the text a lot closer than I have in a long time, reading Kitab Mormon is helping me to read The Book of Mormon without missing anything. It’s really a lot of fun.

I’ll be sure to post my insights and interesting experiences from the Kitab Mormon as they come up.  I’m sure there will be plenty to write about.

I can’t get enough of the Book of Mormon.  I’m doing a quick read through of the entire book, and right now I’m in 1st Nephi, finishing up with Lehi’s Dream.

Last semester I took a class on Western Political Heritage.  It was a fascinating class.  We went through a history of ancient and midieval political thought, from Homer and the ancient Greeks and Israelites through Plato, Aristotle, the Romans, and finally up to Augustine, Aquinas, and Dante.  It was eye opening to see how each empire led into the other, and how western philosophy grew and developed over history.

The Book of Mormon also has a tour of Western Civilization, from a very different perspective than we usually hear.  It’s found in 1 Nephi 11 through 1 Nephi 15, it runs from Jesus Christ’s birth to our current day–and beyond. The really cool thing about this tour of Western Civilization is that it all takes place within the narrative of one of the Book of Mormon’s richest and most complex allegories, Lehi’s dream.

The elements of Lehi’s dream are fairly simple: there is a tree with luminous white fruit that gives pure joy to those who eat it.  The people in the dream are all trying to get to the tree in order to obtain the fruit.  However, great mists of darkness rise up from the ground, causing the people to get lost.  Some people find a rod, or railing, of iron, that helps guide them through the darkness to the tree.  When they arrive and eat the fruit, however, some of the people become ashamed because there’s an enormous building full of people mocking and deriding those who have eaten the fruit.  In response, many people leave the tree; some of them drown in a river that runs between the tree and the building, others make their way into the building, and others find themselves lost on forbidden paths that take them away from everything.

The narrative is simple.  It’s the symbolism and the allegorical parallels that make the vision so rich and complex.  In the basic, classic interpretation, we have such connections as the luminous fruit = the love of God; the rod of iron = the word of God, the mists of darkness = the temptations of Satan, etc.

When you dig deeper, however, and you ask yourself “what does this symbol really mean?” you start to see some fascinating parallels.  You start to realize that everyone in this world can be placed somewhere in that dream.  EVERYONE.

And when you think about where you would be if you were in the dream, it gives you this fascinating perspective on life.  Where you are in relation to spiritual things.  Why people insult and reject the truths that you hold most sacred.  What you need to do in order to find happiness and fulfillment.

The really interesting thing for me this time was to see how Lehi’s dream provided the context for this tour of Western history and civilization.  Everything fit!  The tree, the fruit, the mists, the river, the building–everything was there, explaining something about the course and progress (or regression) of the Western world.

(I won’t give you a line by line explanation, though–for that, I invite you to read it for yourself. )

The thing that probably struck me the most was how this Book of Mormon approach to Western Civilization led to some very different conclusions than the ones we usually hear.  The last couple of chapters–14 and 15–emphasized how our modern era is an era of tremendous conflict.  Unlike modern political theory, however, they didn’t say anything about the clash of civilizations, or the rise of political Islam or China, or the many explanations for World War I or World War II–they had a very different take on the source of our modern conflicts:

10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth.

(1 Nephi 14:10-15)

In other words, the ultimate cause of war and armed conflicts in this world is the wilfull rejection of Jesus Christ (ie the Lamb of God) as our Savior.  When people reject Him, refuse to repent, and actively oppose His teachings (moral, ethical, doctrinal, etc), peace becomes a scarce thing in our modern society.

This also means that the greatest conflict of our age isn’t between the West and Islam, or the West and China, or Terrorism and the civilized world, or the developed and the developing worlds, Democracy and Communism, etc etc.  It’s between the saints of God, the disciples of Christ, the members of the church, and those who deride, belittle, mock, denounce, or otherwise detract from the message of the gospel and the teachings of Christ’s church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It’s not the kind of conflict you hear about on CNN, FOX News, Al-Jazira, MSNBC, BBC, or any of the other major news outlets, but even so, it is the defining conflict of our times.  And even though it sometimes can seem overwhelming, even though it sometimes feels like you’re an outsider for being Mormon, even though you see the world falling apart in so many ways all around you, there is that promise that we can be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”

I’ve seen and felt that power, both as one receiving it and one through whom it works.  I know that it comes from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and not from any other source.  I also know that it is here, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Whether you’re in the LDS church or out of it, I hope that you also come to know that power, and know that you can rely on it to bring you peace in today’s conflict-ridden world.

Here’s a thought I had while reading Nephi’s version of Lehi’s dream.

1 Nephi 11:25:

25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

The prevalent view in our contemporary culture seems to be that churches and organized religions are dark, stodgy, impersonal, puritanical, and hypocritical. Our modern culture also portrays religious, church-going individuals as self-righteous, power-hungry, hyper-critical, anti-social, and closed-minded. This is the sense I get from the way the mass media portrays religious life.

Not according to Nephi and Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, however. According to that vision, true religion leads to the deepest, purest, and most fulfilling love that any of us can find. The rod of iron, a representation of the word of God as found in His church, leads us to the fruit of the tree of life, which “fills [our] souls with exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:12).

In other words, through religion–true religion–we become a loving, gentle, kind, patient, merciful, accepting, listening, and optimistic people. None of this stodgy, puritanical stereotype that our culture sometimes projects upon us. Through Christ’s church–his true church–we are filled with the “love of God and of all men” (2 Nephi 31:20).

1st Nephi 4:8-10:

8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.
9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.
10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.

Nephi faces a tough ethical situation in 1st Nephi 4. The Lord, who gave the commandment “thou shalt not kill,” commands Nephi to slay Laban in cold blood in the streets of Jerusalem.

Most of the time, when we discuss this scripture story, we talk about the Lord’s rationale for killing Laban (v13: “it is better that one man should perish…”), or we talk about how what the Lord commands is always right, even if it contradicts a commandment he gave us earlier. That’s not what interests me about this story, though. What interests me is how it marks an important point in Nephi’s personal growth.

In chapter 2, Lehi leads the family into the wilderness and Laman and Lemuel start their complaining. Nephi prays to get a testimony of his father’s call as a prophet, and he receives an answer to his prayer. In chapter 3, Lehi commands his sons to return to Jerusalem and get the brass plates (the only written scriptures available) from Laban. Nephi, full of enthusiasm, declares “I will go and do…”

But then things start to fall apart. They go to Laban and ask for the plates, only to be chased out. Nephi’s brothers want to give up, but he convinces them to try again. Just like we’re counseled to “study it out in your mind” (ie do everything within your power before asking the Lord to solve your problem), Nephi does the rational thing and tries to barter for the plates. Then, Laban steals their goods and drives them out of the city as common thieves. As if that weren’t enough, Nephi’s own brothers get angry and beat him up.

At this point, Nephi doesn’t really have any options. He doesn’t give up, though–he’s still determined to follow the Lord. He sneaks back into Jerusalem by night with absolutely no plan, trusting that the Lord will help him find some way to accomplish the impossible.

And he does. There, lying drunk in the streets, is Laban.

And then the Lord gives Nephi the most difficult commandment of all.

It’s not easy to take a life, especially when you grew up in a religion that taught you that murder is one of the worst possible sins you can commit. That’s basically what the Lord was commanding Nephi to do–murder Laban in a back alley. Remember how Nephi said “I will go and do…”? Well, this is one commandment he can’t bring himself to keep. Not at first, at least. The Lord has to command him three times before he gets up the nerve to do it.

The Lord obviously doesn’t command us all to take a life in cold blood (this church isn’t a street gang, after all! ), but I do think that all of us eventually have to face a similar test of our faith. Neal A. Maxwell said the following:

If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each one of us to do those very things which are most difficult to do.

(Maxwell, Neal A. 1972. A Time to Choose. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, p 46.)

We look to Nephi as the quintessential example of obedience, but where did that obedience come from? From his decision that night in a back alley in Jerusalem. Even though it looked like cold blooded murder–something any self respecting do-gooder could never bring himself to commit–Nephi obeyed God’s command and took Laban’s life. After that, what was building a ship and sailing to a new world? Piece of cake.

Nephi’s test was to take a life. For us, it will probably be different, but I think it will be just as difficult for us as it was for him. The choice we make at that moment will forever define us, just as Nephi’s choice defined him.

One of the things that makes the LDS faith unique is a belief in modern prophets. What is a prophet? A prophet is a righteous person to whom God gives a divine message for a group of people (a city, a nation, the entire world); basically, a person who is fond of the phrase “thus saith the LORD.”

In ancient times, prophets seemed to use this phrase all the time. In the early days of the LDS church, prophets like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and others also used the phrase quite often. However, our prophets today don’t seem to use the phrase quite as much. Why is that?

Well, first of all, a prophet doesn’t necessarily have to say the exact phrase “thus saith the LORD” for his words to have prophetic authority. Ezra Taft Benson made that point back in the 80s. A prophet’s words can still be as binding as scripture, even if he doesn’t explicitly say “this is what the Lord commanded me to tell you.”

Second of all, it might have something to do with the audience and the context of the prophecy.

In ancient times, the covenant people lived in a much more homogeneous community. They were a single nation: a confederation of tribes, living up in the Judean hills and on the whole not mixing a whole lot with their contemporaries down on the coastal plains. When a prophet spoke, he spoke to a society that shared a common religious heritage. This was the same in the old days of the LDS church, back when we lived in isolation in Utah. Mormonism was the mainstream; active or not, just about everyone was a member of the church.

Nowadays, however, we’ve done a lot of mixing. The days of converts leaving everything for the command to immigrate to Utah are over, and Utah is a secular state in a secular country. The covenant people are no longer a nation to themselves; they are a minority living in the midst of a secular society. In a society that shares a common heritage with the covenant people, a prophet who says “thus saith the LORD” will be understood, even if he is reviled. In our modern, heterogeneous, secular society, that kind of language is more liable to confuse people.

Is it possible that the prophets today choose their words differently because of this? I may be wrong, but I think it is possible. It’s just a random thought that occurred to me as I read 1st Nephi chapter one, about all the prophets in Jerusalem calling the people to repentance.

Regardless, however, the message has always remained the same. Prophets ancient and modern have all taught about the divine mission of Jesus Christ, and that only in and through him can we be saved. Likewise, all prophets, ancient and modern, have called the people of the world to repentance in no uncertain terms. When I read the words of Gordon B. Hinckley or Thomas S. Monson, I might not read the exact phrase “thus saith the LORD,” but I know from the timeliness, the truthfulness, and the unwavering honesty of their words that that’s what they mean.