-Laman
and Lemuel were so wrapped up in the temporal viewpoint/orientation of life that
they couldn’t see even two weeks past their own noses. We should be careful about becoming so caught
up in worldly affairs, even if they are worthwhile, honorable or genuinely
important (like making a living) that we don’t miss the forest for the trees.
-was
Jerusalem, “that great city”, destroyed independent of the beleifs of two of
its obscure residents? Was it destroyed
contrary to the beliefs of its most promienet socialites or its most learned
scholars or its most powerful military figures?
Yes, it was! It does not matter
the social or intellectual status of pundits, God’s words –however far fetched
they may appear to man—have and will always come to pass. The fact that Laman or Lemuel did not
believe in some future condition had no (zero) bearing on reality.
“neither did
they believe”
-we live
in a world of belief. In the religious
world we call this faith. We are very
upfront about possessing faith, that our beliefs and subsequent actions are
built on faith. Make no mistake, all men
and all their worldviews (be it science or otherwise) are also based on
belief. There is just as much faith
required to believe in science as there is in God even though it is not
presented as such. We think because we
can see, touch, feel, measure, hear or intellectually deduce and induce things
that those things are absolute, understandable and lasting. Granted, we know a lot: science has taught us about the world and
we’ve been able to tame and harness it to some extent but so also has religion
taught us about morality, law and civility.
Love, not a scientific absolute, is a primary driver of human behavior
and relationships. Beyond a whole host
of similar, non-rational emotions, attitudes and beliefs, the most advanced
scientists and scientific questions admit that we really don’t know much
(consider dark matter, quantum physics, the gaping holes in the evolutionary theory,
constant –alpha, etc.). We live by
belief and our belief can be in us or it can be in God. One is self-proclaimed to be omnipotent, the
other has at times claimed himself to be great but the trackrecord of human
history suggests otherwise.
“Jerusalem, that
great city”
-the
history of the world is filled with accounts of once great cities that have
fallen and become mounds of dirt. For
us, who are more versed in human history, to think that somehow we are
different and not subject to similar potentialities –ths is the height of
narcicism and arrogance. Do we not read
in the writings of every previously great civilization a claim to their own
greatness and their vaunted immunity.
The claim, but we are different has got to be the most tired and
pathetic claim spanning the history of mankind.
There is no city, there s no state, there is no people great enough who
will not be reduced to the dust heap of history. This truth is independent of any technology,
any political or social system, any denomination of currency or measure of
wealth. The common theme of this
temporal world is that all things of this world are temporary.
“And they were
like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of
my father.”
-it is unlikely
that Laman and Lemuel would have placed themselves in the same company as the
Jews who tried to kill Lehi and the other prophets. It is rare that wickedness and evil is so
self-aware. In fact most of the time the
wicked have a tremendous amount of self-delusion even thinking that they are
doing good. Consider Saul of
Tarshish. Self-awarness is nota quality
of evil. In fact the wicked frequently
project evil motives on those who oppose their actions. Others become “close minded”, “oppressive”, “intolerant”,
“judemental” and obstructors of their freedom to do and act as they wish. After all, it is the righteous who promote
and abide by moral boundaries and behavioral constraints I(also known as
“commandments”).
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