The Golden Rule of Moses

Once again, observations about the last two weeks of Book of Mormon reading when no one only the intellectual elite are interested in them anymore.

By Antiquary – This file was derived from: St Michael and All Angels, Brighton, stained glass 6.jpg, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77509103

We are hitting on everything from the flaming sword that blocked the tree of life to Alma’s take on how the Law is the schoolmaster (somewhat different from Paul’s).

Fascinating that Jacob, an enemy Zoramite, is described as having an unconquerable will. Is this an element of sneaking admiration? Or would this have seemed like a bad thing to a Nephite?  Alma 52:33

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I wonder how the king-men would have described themselves. I bet it wasn’t “king-men.” If you read it carefully, the text doesn’t say that they were directly calling for a king. It’s not really important to recall when reading the Book of Mormon, but we are in fact reading one faction’s view of the Nephite factional struggles.

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Nephite losses are always due to dissensions. In a non-inspired historical record, no reader would take this claim seriously for a moment, it would clearly be cope.

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It’s fascinating to read Captain Moroni’s strong commitment to Nephite non-aggression principles, but then also read about what he did. He invaded the east coast area and establishing colonies there (“imperialism”), expelled the local Lamanites (“ethnic cleansing”), violently suppressed internal dissent (“authoritarian oppression”), put POWs to forced labor (“slavery”), used tricks and fortifications to “cheat” at war . . . I think Captain Moroni was sincerely a man of peace and goodwill but he had more than a twitter slogan level understanding of what justice is in society and between societies.

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There is all this fascinating Lehi’s Dream imagery in Alma’s discourse to his son Corianton. The tree of life, the waters of life (both powerful images in Lehi’s Dream. Alma 42. Now what’s curious is that access to the tree of life in Alma’s account lies through a flaming sword and access to it in Lehi’s account is through a rod of iron. Are those related symbols? Alma makes a big point about how the function of the sword is to make sure that you die before reaching the tree of life—is there symbolism here about baptism and the death of the natural man?

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Is America blessed or cursed? Yes. Alma 45:16.

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Alma 41:7  “[You] are [your] own judges“

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Something really fascinating. Alma is talking to his son about what happens after death. He first describes what we would recognize as spirit prison and spirit paradise. This is in chapter 40, staring in verse 6 where Alma says he is going to talk about what happens to the soul after death and before resurrection. Alma says that wicked souls are consigned to the devil and punished by him. Then, in chapter 41, in the context of the resurrection, he shifts to talking about self-punishment and self-judgment and being rewarded according to their desires. It almost seems as if potentially spirit prison is worse than it has to be inherently, because of the devil’s control, and it does have a straightforward element of punishment to it—but that like all of the outside chastisements God allows someone to experience, the goal is to get them to repent and purify their desires.  Then in the context of the Resurrection Alma starts talking about how we are our own judges and are given what we have desired and worked for.

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The reconciliation of justice-in-law and mercy is to make repentance the law. There is still a standard for good and evil, but one in which mercy is built in.

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Resurrection is the repentance of the body.

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Paul thinks the law of Moses prepared people for Christ by showing them their inadequacy to follow the law. Alma has a different angle. He sees the eye-for-an-eye principle as preparing you to understand the concept of restoration (“you get back what you put out”) and therefore to practicing Christ-like behavior so that you can have Christlike behavior extended to you by God. Eye for an eye ? mercy for mercy.

Under the law you start by thinking you need to do to others what they do to you. ‘Eye for an eye.’ Then you start seeing things from other people’s point of view and start acting towards them the way you hope they will reciprocate. This is still an eye for an eye but with you now giving full consideration to its implications. Then you realize that everything is God’s, and you start acting towards everyone and everything the way you want God to act to you. Mercy for mercy.

The golden rule and Christ’s famous ‘inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren’ are the culmination, fulfillment, and perfection of the Mosaic law.