Shiloh and Ben move into talking about the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. Nephites who were baptized into the Church because they had seen signs did not experience deep conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nephites and Lamanites combine forces to thwart the Gadianton Robbers. While Mormon explains that "it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy" and that "Gidgidoni was a great prophet" (3 Ne 3:19), there is still ample evidence that the depth of the Nephite "righteousness" may not be as deep as perhaps we generally read into it. Ben brings up, once again, a rather poignant possibility that the Nephites/Lamanite duo had a great missed opportunity (once again) of how to reclaim the Gadianton's prior to the seemingly necessary need to kill them. The Nephites and Lamanites triumph over the Gadiantons but ultimately everything crumbles into tribalism, as the Reign of the Judges comes to an end just prior to the destruction of the land.
Ben and Shiloh continue their discussion on the first half of the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon. There is a lot to say about the the Nephite narratives and identities in how they view themselves and the Lamanites that frame and contextualize the discussion and that are sometimes taken for granted in analyzing the text. Were there missed opportunities for the Nephites to end war through other non-military means? Were the Nephites always truly expressing the seeming justness of their cause? Did the Nephites always live up to their standards of belief concerning war? Just how much like the Nephites are we today, and can we gain any insight into our own individual and national characters so that we do not have to meet the same fate as the Nephites of old? These and many other ideas are discussed in the podcast. We hope you enjoy! If you missed your chance to listen to the first podcast, you can listen or download it here: https://latterdaypeacestudies.org/podcast/episode-11-alma-43-52/ ...
As Abraham’s heir, Isaac models the same values of peacemaking and hospitality as his father. Rebekah is an example of these values and is sought as a wife for Isaac. Previous themes of Genesis re-emerge in these chapters. Jacob receives the birthright even though he is the younger son. Jacob and Esau echo the story of Cain and Abel. ...
Shiloh and Ben embark on discussing a favorite topic: The Beatitudes and the Sermon at the Temple (equivalent to the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew in the Gospels) . The Beatitudes are the Preamble to the rest of the Sermon at the Temple, and it is impossible to really understand the rest of the Sermon if we miss the importance and setting of the Beatitudes. In both the Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew) and in the Sermon at the Temple (3 Nephi), the settings are symbolically the same: a high place / the temple. Whereas we often glance over the Beatitudes are simply random and unconnected virtues, they are infinitely more than that. In fact, within the story of the Beatitudes is the entirety of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the rest of the Sermon at the Temple are little vignette's of what a Beatitude-type person (i.e., someone who walks the path of the "Christ") is like in various situations. The coming of Jesus Christ is the most important story in the Book of Mormon, as it is the apex of the Book of Mormon's reason for existence. Central to that message is the Sermon at the Temple, and, for that reason, we've made two parts out of this week's Come, Follow Me. There was just too much great stuff to talk about! We hope that you enjoy! ...
