The Amlicites Provoke War

Book of Mormon Notes - Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Alma 3

This was a time of great slaughter among the Nephites, and the Lamanites as well. So many people died at one point that they stopped counting the numbers of their dead. And it wasn’t just men who were killed. The Lamanites slaughtered women, children, and cattle, and they even destroyed many of their fields of grain. No wonder that later Nehor and desolation were so closely associated.

There is a lot of interesting detail about Book of Mormon geography in this chapter, including references to the river Sidon. I favor a North American geographic model for the Book of Mormon, but I don’t want to lose sight of the main purpose of the Book of Mormon by delving too much into details about geography. Wherever the River Sidon was, many dead Lamanites were cast into that river. It must have been an awful scene, perhaps foreshadowing some aspects of the American Civil War.

Mormon’s description of the Amlicites and the Lamanites also leads me to believe that the North American model of Book of Mormon geography makes much more sense than any other model. The Lamanites shaved their heads and only wore a skin that was girded about their loins. They wore armor and they used bows, arrows, stones, and slings for weapons. Their skins were dark.

Early in the Book of Mormon, Nephi explained why the Lamanites were cursed, and what the mark upon them was:

And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. (1 Ne. 12:23)

Nephi had also prophesied concerning the purpose of the mark and the fulfillment of God’s word:

Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them.

And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also.

And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed.

And again, I say he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed. (Alma 3:14-17)

Many people have noted that the curse of the Lord was the separation from the Lord, and from Nephi and his seed, whereas the mark of the curse included the dark skin:

And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. (2 Nephi 5:21)

Since our modern democratic American culture is obsessed with race and racism, I recommend Brant Gardner’s assessment of this phenomenon in the Book of Mormon as a starting point. Needless to say, the Nephites and the Lamanites were not obsessed with race and racism like we modern democratic Americans are. But certainly Mormon foresaw that we would be obsessed with race and racism. Thus it is interesting to consider these passages of scripture in light of what Mormon foresaw, and in light of the message that he wished to communicate to his future audience.

I would also like to note that contrary to much popular opinion about tradition, there is such a thing as righteous tradition. Some current members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suppose that they are more righteous than the average member of the Church because the average member of the Church adheres in a pharisaical manner to “traditions of the fathers”. Clearly there are righteous and unrighteous traditions, and it matters which traditions we choose. The would-be mystics who imagine that they have simply transcended all traditions because they believe in Jesus Christ in a mystical way haven’t really studied or understood the scriptures or anything else as thoroughly as they need to. Listen to how Mormon describes the correct traditions of the Nephites in this chapter:

And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the ^atradition of the Lamanites, but believed those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, who believed in the commandments of God and kept them, were ^bcalled the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth—

And it is they who have kept the records which are ^atrue of their people, and also of the people of the Lamanites. (Alma 3:11-12)

Thus we see that the righteous Nephites adhered to correct traditions of their fathers and lived according to the commandments of God that were and are contained in the true records. These passages indicate to me that there may have been Lamanite records that were kept that contained false traditions, or a kind of revisionist history that was built upon Lamanite resentment towards Lehi, Nephi, and their posterity. The Lamanite record, if such was kept, therefore, may have been the earliest version of the kind of mendacity that is typical today in the writings of Howard Zinn or the 1619 Project. But at least the Nephites didn’t teach the Lamanite records in their schools in order to undermine their own civilization!

Nevertheless, the Nephites in Zarahemla had already begun to undermine their own civilization in a different variety of ways. Nehor’s influence was particularly destructive, and after the death of the great King Mosiah and the great Alma the Elder, the reign of the judges had a rocky start. The Nehor-influenced Amlicites caused great destruction and provoked war. They were war-mongers. Modern Amlicites might include those who provoked and promoted the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now in easter Europe and Russia. The Amlicites provoked external conflict, but they also caused great internal damage to the people of Zarahemla. Alma the Younger’s people had begun to grow in iniquity, perhaps because of too much peace and prosperity under the reign of King Mosiah and the righteous leadership of Alma the Elder.

Meanwhile, Alma the Younger was afflicted with a wound from the previous battles. After all that Alma the Younger had already been through - escape from King Noah, escape from Amulon, conflict with Nehor, conflict with Amlici, etc. - it must have been devastating to him to watch his people get slaughtered by the Lamanites. As more Lamanites began to attack the Nephites, Alma the Younger sent his armies to resist the Lamanite onslaught. The Nephites were victorious for a while. But already by the fifth year of the reign of the judges, much trouble was brewing in the Land of Zarahemla.

Mormon, the main narrator of this story that is based upon Alma the Younger’s record, interjects for a moment to explain something that he wants his modern audience, namely us, to learn from all of this conflict, destruction, warfare, cursing, and marking:

And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their ^arewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one.

For every man receiveth ^awages of him whom he listeth to ^bobey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges. (Alma 3:26-27)

This language of wages and listing to obey hearkens back to King Benjamin’s teachings:

But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.

For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge. (Mosiah 2:32-33)

Thus Mormon encourages us to receive wages and to list to obey a good spirit, the Lord’s Spirit, the same Spirit that the Lord encouraged Hyrum Smith to obey:

And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. (D&C 11:12)