No Pride to Disturb Their Peace

When persecutions were taking place by the unbelievers against members of the church, King Mosiah “sent a proclamation throughout the land” saying that “they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself.” Here he connected peace with pride, or rather that pride destroys peace. Clearly Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah were examples of this as they destroyed the peace of the church because of their own pride, speaking “much flattery to the people” and leading them to do iniquity” (Mosiah 27:4,8). Mormon made the same connection when he described a later period in Nephite history: “There was no contention among the people of Nephi save it were a little pride which was in the church, which did cause some little dissensions among the people…. And in the fifty and first year of the reign of the judges there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to enter into the church…. And it came to pass that the fifty and second year ended in peace also, save it were the exceedingly great pride which had gotten into the hearts of the people” (Helaman 3:1,33,36). For Mormon, pride was the cause of contention and the destroyer of peace.

We see this same relationship in the great period of peace among the Nephites after the Savior visited them. Mormon recorded their incredible humility saying, “They had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.” They were so humble that they did not even claim things for their own but shared all that they had. The next verse then ties this to the peace they had as a society: “It came to pass that the thirty and seventh year passed away also, and there still continued to be peace in the land” (4 Nephi 1:3-4). This peace lasted until “there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride… and from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.” As pride entered, their peace was lost: “They began to be divided into classes…. They did persecute the true church of Christ” (4 Nephi 1:24-29). Their peace was destroyed because of their pride, and ultimately their pride became their downfall.

We may not be able to do much to bring about peace in the world, but surely this principle applies for us in our own homes and relationships. The write of Proverbs declared, “Only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10). If we want more peace and less contention, if we want less fighting and more love, then we need less pride and more humility. We have to have the humility to apologize, the humility to be wrong, the humility to put others’ desires ahead of our own. That’s how peace is fostered among us. And most importantly we have to learn to follow in the footsteps of Him who is the Prince of Peace, He who earned that title at least in part because He was perfectly humble.