Amalickiahs in Our Day

I finished today listening to a short novel of historical fiction (Winter Sky) that describes some of the terrible suffering of the Polish people in World War II.  They were brutally treated by the Germans and Soviets who occupied their country, with an unfathomable six million Polish people dying in the war.  The book was a stark reminder to me of the absolute ruthlessness and depravity of some who have lived.  Having lived such a comfortable life compared to so many, it is hard to even begin to imagine the suffering that some, like the Polish in WWII, have endured because of the inhumanity of others.  It’s no wonder that the Lord would weep and lament at the wickedness of Enoch’s day, “I unto man his agency; And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood” (Moses 7:32-33).  Surely the Lord weeps just as much today because of those who are also “without affection” and who “hate their own blood.”

               The Book of Mormon gives us the example of one who likewise was without affection, hated his own blood, and used all means possible to gain power: Amalickiah.  Surely Mormon was inspired to include the terrible story of the wars and the evil deeds of this man not to give us enjoyable reading, but rather to help us recognize these same types of dictators in our day.  The awful leaders of WWII were all after the order of Amalickiah, murdering their own people to gain control and power over others.  Mormon also showed us how we are to respond to such absolute wickedness: not with passivity but with pure devotion to God and family and freedom.  It seems to me that at least one of the purposes of the war chapters of Alma is to show us the kind of determination and righteousness that Moroni had and to encourage us to be like him.  Few commendations of someone in scripture are as definitive as Mormon’s praise of Moroni: “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men” (Alma 48:17).  To be like Moroni is how we much contend against the wickedness of our day: preparation, purity, and an absolute determination to not let the enemy conquer us.  Most of the battles we fight of course are spiritual as we seek to “come off conqueror” against Satan, but the lessons for survival and victory are the same (D&C 10:5).  And given the wickedness of the last days which are ahead, there are surely many more Amalickiah’s who will be seeking power by vicious means.  Indeed we know that “war will be poured out upon all nations” and “with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn” (D&C 87:2, 6).  Our spiritual safety and temporal safety as nations lie in being, like Moroni, absolutely committed to our God, to our families, and to the preservation of our freedom.  And then we must trust in the Lord that whatever happens, all will ultimately be made right for those who love God.