In recent months the question of random mass-shootings has divided America. In the past, boys owning and learning to using firearms rarely led to the kind of violence we see today. Some see easy access to weapons as the main problem, and ask how to limit such access to the wrong individuals. That might help to some extent.
A better question might be: how did we raise young men that perpetrate such horrendous crimes?
Spiritual Roots
The natural tendency of those who rely on the arm of the flesh, human wisdom, tools, willpower, etc., is to look for causes of problems and their solutions in empirical things. Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, logic, reasoning—these are their primary resources in assessing problems.
The Gospel asks us to use an eye of faith and search in the light of Christ to see that which is invisible to the natural eye. There are spiritual roots to many of our problems, and legislators, pundits, and others who wish to be helpful, are effectively gagged, forbidden from mentioning any of them as they grapple with the issues that vex us.
It is helpful to recognize that, ultimately, virtues like love are gifts from God. Jesus Christ is “the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), and we feel the influence of that light and see the results as people exhibit kindness and altruism.
It is possible to dim this light within individuals, through sin, and nations, through normalization of sin. The degradation of the family is coupled with the acceptance of sexual sin.
“Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
“And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers” (D&C 93:38-39).
If we break one commandment, we are more likely to break others because we dim the light of Christ within us. That light empowers and promotes good behavior, and in its absence, cruelty will eventually proliferate.
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12). Sexual sin is rampant in America today, and it drains its participants generally of spiritual light. Acceptance of such sin is now as prevalent as sin itself. As a nation, we cannot help but expect to witness an increase in unkindness, contempt, bickering, even brutality. Some might ask—what’s the connection? Divine light we receive, or lose.
Warnings
The Book of Mormon does many things. One of its purposes is to warn the inhabitants of the Americas about God’s rules and expectations for this land.
Recent archaeological discoveries have shown that hundreds of buildings lay covered by the jungles of Meso-America. Advanced civilizations have a hard time getting and keeping a permanent toehold in North and South America. Asia and Europe and Africa each have examples of more or less permanently occupied settlements; why is that not the case in the Americas?
“And he had sworn in his wrath…that whoso should possess this land of promise…should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.
“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off” (Ether 2:9-10).
Lest critics declare that God is being cruel Himself, we can read further to discover how peoples are actually swept off from the face of this land: They destroy themselves. God simply gets out of their way, withdraws His Spirit, and Satan takes charge. And the people then begin to destroy each other.
Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. When we sin, we move ourselves further from His protection, and closer to the wolf, to Satan. When we reject the Lord through sin, we do not move onto neutral ground; another influence takes the place of His light—darkness. There is no such thing as a spiritual vacuum.
Led Carefully to Hell
Immediately when we come under Satan’s influence, he and his angels will encourage us to think, feel, believe, and behave in destructive ways. Health and hygiene and sleep patterns and order may disappear from our lives. Suddenly we cannot stand life or feel internal peace without various destructive substances and behaviors. Loud music damages our hearing, yet we crave it. Money seems to slip through our fingers. Honesty and kindness become ancillary to our personal aggrandizement. Patience melts into anger. Joy turns to sarcasm and mocking and depression.
“And he had sworn in his wrath…that whoso should possess this land of promise…should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.
“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off” (Ether 2:9-10).
Lest critics declare that God is being cruel Himself, we can read further to discover how peoples are actually swept off from the face of this land: They destroy themselves. God simply gets out of their way, withdraws His Spirit, and Satan takes charge. And the people then begin to destroy each other.
Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. When we sin, we move ourselves further from His protection, and closer to the wolf, to Satan. When we reject the Lord through sin, we do not move onto neutral ground; another influence takes the place of His light—darkness. There is no such thing as a spiritual vacuum.
Led Carefully to Hell
Immediately when we come under Satan’s influence, he and his angels will encourage us to think, feel, believe, and behave in destructive ways. Health and hygiene and sleep patterns and order may disappear from our lives. Suddenly we cannot stand life or feel internal peace without various destructive substances and behaviors. Loud music damages our hearing, yet we crave it. Money seems to slip through our fingers. Honesty and kindness become ancillary to our personal aggrandizement. Patience melts into anger. Joy turns to sarcasm and mocking and depression.
All these things are visible results of being under a negative spiritual influence—if, through sin, we forsake the good influence.
“For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction…” (2Ne. 26:11). There is a wrestling match between us and the Spirit of the Lord—trying to get us to accept God’s will. But perpetually refusing to follow those promptings means the Spirit will withdraw, and we are then vulnerable to Satan.
What is the spiritual origin of violence?
“For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish…” (2Ne. 28:19). Hot, irrational anger is our lot when we refuse to repent.
“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.
“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them carefully down to hell” (2Ne. 28:20-21).
In the end, it will avail us little to try to teach kindness in an environment where other forms of sin are so enthusiastically endorsed, if not tacitly approved. We can teach each other to be kind and empathetic, but if we leave the door open to sin, violence will still be our societal lot.
“…others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains…” (2Ne. 28:22). In the name of reason, we are being asked to throw our faith overboard; once dispensed with, the mounting problems will baffle the very people who demanded eliminating that solution.
“For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction…” (2Ne. 26:11). There is a wrestling match between us and the Spirit of the Lord—trying to get us to accept God’s will. But perpetually refusing to follow those promptings means the Spirit will withdraw, and we are then vulnerable to Satan.
What is the spiritual origin of violence?
“For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish…” (2Ne. 28:19). Hot, irrational anger is our lot when we refuse to repent.
“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.
“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them carefully down to hell” (2Ne. 28:20-21).
In the end, it will avail us little to try to teach kindness in an environment where other forms of sin are so enthusiastically endorsed, if not tacitly approved. We can teach each other to be kind and empathetic, but if we leave the door open to sin, violence will still be our societal lot.
“…others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains…” (2Ne. 28:22). In the name of reason, we are being asked to throw our faith overboard; once dispensed with, the mounting problems will baffle the very people who demanded eliminating that solution.
The Arm of Flesh
How do we prevent violence?
Some advocate stricter regulations and controls for deadly weapons, and this entails the destruction of freedom. Is safety more important than freedom? Shall we ban and regulate anything that can be weaponized or is potentially lethal? Following this line of thinking leads us down a dark path. The only perfectly safe environment we can imagine resembles a prison. Is physical safety worth creating a dystopia?
Limiting weapon access of mentally disturbed individuals is wise; how can we do that without disarming everyone?
Others insist that distributing more weapons, arming everyone, is the solution. Again, following this line of reasoning to its ultimate conclusion leads to potentially unsavory scenarios. Is this the world we want?
This highlights the attempt to solve spiritual problems through worldly, human means. It leads us down blind alleys and contradictory dead ends. If the problem is comparable to a weed, these types of proposed solutions amount to hacking at the leaves.
The Solution
Repentance and faith in Christ are the way individuals experience a change of heart, receive the Spirit. These things cannot be enforced; they must be chosen of an individual’s own free will.
“…redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth…
“…Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth…” (2Ne. 2:6, 8).
He alone has the power to change our individual natures, and thereby create a society free from violence and sin.
Voluntary Disarming
Ammon and his brothers went to the Lamanites, a murderous and violent people, to teach them the Gospel. Some people rejected their message, while others accepted it. Those who accepted this message were purged of their hatred and violent tendencies to the point that they became pacifists, totally disposing of their weaponry, lest they be tempted to kill again.
“Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not.
“Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.
“And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts…
“…And now it came to pass that…all the people…took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth” (Alma 24:6-7, 17).
The people disarmed themselves willingly, at their king’s request. No legal compulsion needed; no hypocrisy of enforcing non-violence with threats of violence.
Hate is a horrible burden to carry; seeking revenge can lead to a cycle of retaliation. Ammon reflects on the burden the Lord took away from the Lamanites:
“Blessed be the name of our God…
“For if we had not [taught them the Gospel], our…brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God” (Alma 26:8-9).
A “rack” inflicts pain. Hate is a burden, even when the feeling is justified. Hurting the people who hurt us might be just or fair, but it does not heal our wounds.
Forgiveness keeps the ripples of hate from spreading. Hate ends when any party decides to relent their death-grip on justice, and offer forgiveness.
The Lamanites who disarmed paid the ultimate price. Theirs was no cheap lip-service extolling kindness.
They “prostrated themselves before [their enemies] to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when [their enemies] began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword” (Alma 24:21).
A thousand and five died without any resistance. But it softens their attackers:
“Now when [they] saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.
“And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.
“And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved” (Alma 24:23-26).
Without faith in the afterlife, in the justice and mercy and plan of God, we will be incapable of ridding ourselves as a society of retribution. Valuing our own physical safety above all else makes it harder to show the courage that is a prerequisite for real forgiveness and kindness.
As Satan tells the Lord, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life” (Job 2:4). Satan’s notion is still sold and believed by many today—that rational thought leads to the disbelief that we are eternal beings. Only those with faith and hope in the next world (the life Lord has prepared for us) are able to effectively forgive and not retaliate.
Job is known for his patience, not lashing out or blaming God or anyone else for his misfortunes. Where did his immense forbearance originate?
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God…” (Job 19:25).
To eliminate violence, we must repent of other gross sins, receive the Spirit, and experience a change of heart ourselves to remove hate and retribution. Then we can offer authentic forgiveness and patience to others. Those who receive such kindness will be more likely to reciprocate it.
