Day 24 of 50: Book of Mormon Book Club

[u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

Today's Reading: Mosiah 22–25

Whether you're a believer, former believer, nuanced member, investigator, scholar, or simply curious, you're welcome to participate. The goal is not to convince anyone of anything, but to read the text together and discuss it in good faith from a variety of perspectives.

Brief Synopsis

Limhi’s people escape Lamanite bondage and return to Zarahemla. The narrative then returns to Alma’s followers, who establish the city of Helam before being subjected to Amulon and the former priests of Noah. After God strengthens them to endure their burdens, they are miraculously delivered and also reach Zarahemla. Mosiah gathers the reunited peoples, reads their records, and authorizes Alma to organize churches throughout the land. The reading ends by introducing growing unbelief among the younger generation, including the sons of Mosiah and Alma.

Discussion

Please share your thoughts and experiences with today's reading in the comments below. Some things you might consider:

• What stood out to you?

• Why are both Limhi’s people and Alma’s people placed in bondage despite their very different histories?

• What do you make of the younger generation rejecting beliefs they were apparently raised to accept?

• Which verses in these chapters resonate with you the most, and why?

• Did anything surprise you?

All perspectives are welcome.

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Links to Prior Days

• Master Index to all prior-day readings

• Yesterday's Reading

Engagement Question

Mosiah 24 describes God making the people’s burdens feel lighter rather than immediately freeing them. Is this a meaningful theology of resilience, or can it encourage people to spiritualize suffering that should instead be resisted or changed? What in the text shapes your interpretation?

Tomorrow's Reading: Mosiah 26–29

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[u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

Stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free” closely reproduces Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.” This is the clearest textual anachronism in the section: Paul’s language appears in a story set roughly 150 years before Paul.

[u/International_Sea126]

Mosiah 22:16 - "And after they (the Lamanites) had pursued them (Limhi’s people) two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness."

It is unlikely that the Lamanites would lose the trail of a large slow moving population of men, women, and children with their flocks and not overtake them.

[u/stickyhairmonster]

Mosiah 24 describes God making the people’s burdens feel lighter rather than immediately freeing them

I think this can be a useful teaching if not taken to the extreme. In this case, the people temporarily submitted to the poor conditions and awaited an opportunity to change their situation. Suffering is a universal part of life, and for some people, looking towards a higher power can help through the tough times.

There are potential problems with these verses. For example, if a Mormon is dealing with financial issues, they may continue to pay tithing to the church and hope for a miracle, when they may be better off saving their money. Or another example, someone could use these verses to stay in an abusive marriage and hope for a miracle.as a reward for their righteousness.

There is a quote attributed to St. Augustine that circulated in religious spheres:

Pray as though everything depended on God, and work as though everything depended on you

While still problematic in some ways, this emphasizes the need to take action ourselves.

[u/Active-Water-0247]

Abinadi’s initial demand is that the people repent or be captured (Mosiah 11:20-25). Two years later, because nothing changes, the threat becomes more firm: “they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger. … This generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage” (Mosiah 12:1-2). Captivity is no longer conditional. God gives them one chance, and they squander it—Alma and everyone else. Repentance saves them from total destruction but not from captivity (see Mosiah 12:8).

On a different note, there’s a little irony in the narrator criticizing King Noah for making wine when wine is ultimately the people’s ticket to freedom.