Stir Them Up to Anger

Nephi made this prophesy about the last days: “For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good” (2 Nephi 28:20). We certainly see that fulfilled today as voices online seek to stir up others to anger against things that are good and true, and it happens just as described in this Book of Mormon passage about a group of lawyers: “Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money” (Alma 11:20). That sounds like a good description of the purpose of much that is online today. Another warning in the Book of Mormon is that we must not listen to those voices that stir us up to anger and violence against good things. This happened repeatedly throughout the Nephite history. For example, after Abinadi had preached to Noah, the king was about to release him, but “the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain” (Mosiah 17:12). The priests stirred him up to anger through their lying words, and Abinadi was put to death. On another occasion, after Amlici didn’t win the voice of the people, he sought to inspire his followers through anger, ultimately leading them to fight: “Amlici did stir up those who were in his favor to anger against those who were not in his favor. And it came to pass that they gathered themselves together, and did consecrate Amlici to be their king” (Alma 2:8-9). Later when many of the Lamanites were converted unto the Lord through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, the other Lamanites were stirred up to anger against their brethren by the Nephite dissenters: “And it came to pass that the Amalekites and the Amulonites and the Lamanites who were in the land of Amulon, and also in the land of Helam, and who were in the land of Jerusalem, and in fine, in all the land round about, who had not been converted and had not taken upon them the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, were stirred up by the Amalekites and by the Amulonites to anger against their brethren” (Alma 24:1). Many of these new converts lost their lives because of the rhetoric of Nephite dissenters which stirred up anger against that which was good.  

Later another Nephite dissenter, Amalickiah, sought to stir up the Lamanites to anger to get them to go to battle against the Lamanites: “And now it came to pass that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites. And thus he did inspire their hearts against the Nephites…. Therefore he had accomplished his design, for he had hardened the hearts of the Lamanites and blinded their minds, and stirred them up to anger, insomuch that he had gathered together a numerous host to go to battle against the Nephites” (Alma 48:1-3). It was through his angry rhetoric that the Lamanites were convinced to go against the Nephites where so many of them lost their lives. Mormon later summarized in similar language, “For behold, Amalickiah had again stirred up the hearts of the people of the Lamanites against the people of the Nephites, and he was gathering together soldiers from all parts of his land, and arming them, and preparing for war with all diligence” (Alma 51:9). Even after this great war, the same thing happened again: “And it came to pass also in this year that there were some dissenters who had gone forth unto the Lamanites; and they were stirred up again to anger against the Nephites” (Alma 63:14). Without the Nephite dissenters stirring up the Lamanites to anger, many of the wars in the Book of Mormon would not have happened. The same thing took place again many years later: “And it came to pass that in the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites, and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites, and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore they commenced a war with their brethren” (Helaman 11:24). All of these stories stand as a warning to us against messages whose purpose is to stir us up to anger and lead to us to fight against that which is good. We must be vigilant against the adversary who in our day does “rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.”