Quick, Book of Mormon scholars, what kinds of weapons did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies lay down, as described in Alma 23? Well, most people would think, “I don’t know, swords, spears, shields, weapons of war in general.” That is of course what I thought.

But that’s not what Alma 23:7 says. It says they laid down their “weapons of rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.”

So, it appears that the primary weapons that these now pacific people laid down were the weapons that separated them from God.

What kinds of weapons of rebellion do you need to lay down?

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Well, it’s 80 degrees and brilliantly sunny here in Hawaii. Believe it or not, I am working here — my company participates in a January conference every year. Yes, life is tough.

I brought my family this time — usually I come alone because I have been to Hawaii more than 10 times now and seen all the tourist spots. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and to the local ward on Sunday. Here are some random thoughts that occurred to me.

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Before I joined the Church I had this idyllic view of Family Home Evening. Respectful, attentive children listening as Mother and Father discuss the joys of the Gospel. And then: the children themselves happily leading the discussion as they grow older. Beautiful singing. Wonderful treats. Peace and harmony.

Then reality took over.

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Here’s what Mike Huckabee had to say when visiting Utah this week:

“Boy, do I ever know” that he is not well-liked in Utah, said Huckabee. But, he added, “I have never said anything unkind about Mormons.”
When “11 words were completely misconstrued” when spoken about the LDS religion in a long New York Times profile of him, Huckabee said he “immediately” apologized publicly to Romney and church members in general.

So, I’m reading the (subscription-only) Wall Street Journal yesterday and there is a front page article on the suicide of a German billionaire.  Right next to it was a story of a real estate CEO who shot himself.  Right next to that was a list of other suicides of prominent businessmen, some of whom are mentioned in this article.

Two thoughts came to mind:  this is like the Depression when businessmen jumped off of buildings after the market crash.  And the other was of the line from Clarence the angel after he jumps into the water to save George Bailey in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life:  “Ridiculous of you to think of killing yourself for money.”

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