Episode 111: Job

Ben and Shiloh finish with the sad discussion of Ammonihah. What were Alma and Amulek trying to open up a space for with the people? Could it be that they were offering the people of Ammonihah nothing less than a Zion-type community? The angel of the Lord had sent Alma back because the people of Ammonihah were studying to destroy the liberty that God had given, as Alma and Amulek take this charge and bring a message of true liberty, justice, and mercy to the people. The response to this Christ-centered message reflects the injustice of Calvary, as we discuss the relationship between witness, testimony, and martyrdom that is seen in Alma 14 and as practiced by the earliest Saints after Christ’s ascension. ...

Ben and Shiloh move into discussing the destruction of the Nephite nation and of Mormon's graphic description of their final extinction. What can we learn about who Mormon is, his life, and his experiences in these chapters that go into framing and contextualizing the rest of the Book of Mormon? Ben observes that Mormon 2 is basically describing the "Anti-Beatitudes," as Mormon witnesses the depravity, pride, and wickedness of his people. Mormon leaves evidences for us that he's trying to recreate Captain Moroni's defense of the Nephites, but Mormon soon realizes that too many elements in his own society and civilization are missing to be successful even to Captain Moroni's time. Even in Mormon's commentary of detailing the end of his people, we can also learn how to see God as kind, benevolent, and always proactively running towards us to reconcile, heal, and protect us. Mormon observes that the "day of grace" had passed by the Nephites, but while the wicked may observe their state as divine abandonment - this was not God abandoning them. The Nephites exhibit the unrepentant lives of God's children who willfully reject seeing God's glory as he has always been: full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers (Alma 9:26). Therein is the real tragedy of the Nephite destruction. ...

Shiloh and Ben discuss some historical context and the memorial passage from John Taylor dedicated to Joseph Smith after his death in Carthage, IL. How we remember and memorialize those who have come before us are powerful tools in how we frame current identities, and how we remember and memorialize Joseph Smith still speaks to the strong identity that Latter-day Saints have to the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is an interesting shift between Joseph and Brigham between Sections 135 and 136, and in 136 we see Brigham taking practical advice and standards that the Saints should keep and observe along the long journey westward and adding a sacred modality and meaning to these standards. This says much in how we, today, add meaning to our own observances and in we choose to have gratitude in seeing God in the little and big things in our lives. ...