Peace and Property

After several years of peace among the Nephites following Amalickiah’s first attempt to attack them, fighting again broke out but not with the Lamanites. Mormon recorded that there was “a contention which took place among them concerning the land of Lehi, and the land of Morianton, which joined upon the borders of Lehi; both of which were on the borders by the seashore.” He recounted that “the people who possessed the land of Morianton did claim a part of the land of Lehi; therefore there began to be a warm contention between them, insomuch that the people of Morianton took up arms against their brethren, and they were determined by the sword to slay them.” The people were led by a man of the same name, Morianton, and his greed for more land led to a fight between his people and Teancum’s army: “And it came to pass that the army which was sent by Moroni, which was led by a man whose name was Teancum, did meet the people of Morianton; and so stubborn were the people of Morianton, (being inspired by his wickedness and his flattering words) that a battle commenced between them, in the which Teancum did slay Morianton and defeat his army, and took them prisoners, and returned to the camp of Moroni” (Alma 50:25-26, 35). Morianton and others lost their lives just because they couldn’t let go of a desire for more property! How tragic that is, and how often repeated this story has been in one form or another throughout history—the obsession with obtaining more property and the riches of the world has led to people’s spiritual and sometimes physical ruin.

                Thinking about this account of Morianton and his people reminded me of a tragic story told in general conference by Elder David E. Sorenson many years ago. He recounted how two men in his small farming town growing up, whom he called Chet and Walt, shared an irrigation ditch to get water to their farms. They got in an argument about the use of the water, and Elder Sorenson related, “It was innocent enough at first, but over the years the two men allowed their disagreements to turn into resentment and then arguments—even to the point of threats. One July morning both men felt they were once again short of water. Each went to the ditch to see what had happened, each in his own mind reckoning the other had stolen his water. They arrived at the headgate at the same time. Angry words were exchanged; a scuffle ensued. Walt was a large man with great strength. Chet was small, wiry, and tenacious. In the heat of the scuffle, the shovels the men were carrying were used as weapons. Walt accidentally struck one of Chet’s eyes with the shovel, leaving him blind in that eye.” Unfortunately, that was not the end of the violence. Chet could not forgive what had happened. “One day, Chet went to his barn, took down the gun from its rack, got on his horse, and rode down to the headgate of the ditch. He put a dam in the ditch and diverted the water away from Walt’s farm, knowing that Walt would soon come to see what had happened. Then Chet slipped into the brush and waited. When Walt appeared, Chet shot him dead. Then he got on his horse, went back to his home, and called the sheriff to inform him that he had just shot Walt.” Chet was sentenced to life in prison, and essentially both lives were lost because their desire for property was greater than their desire for love and peace. How sad their story is! In a world that constantly tempts us to desire more than what we have, as followers of the Savior we must be vigilant that our pursuit of property or worldly things does not become more important than our quest to be a true disciple of Him.

                Abraham gave us a powerful example of choosing peace over property. After both he and Lot had settled in the land of Canaan, “There was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle.” Abraham quickly tried to amend the situation: “And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.” Abraham didn’t care what land he got as long as there could be peace between their families. He let Lot pick the better land: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other” (Genesis 13:7-11). Abraham preferred peace to the riches of the earth. As children of Abraham we should follow his example, always rejecting contention and pursuing peace before property and wealth.