Mormon’s call to repentance is timeless. The destruction of the Nephites serves as a reminder that rejecting God’s commandments leads to spiritual destruction. Each of us is called to repent and come unto Christ.

“How important is repentance? Alma taught that we should “preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord.” 7 Repentance is required of every accountable person who desires eternal glory. 8 There are no exceptions. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord chastised early Church leaders for not teaching the gospel to their children. 9 Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path. Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man. 10 The Savior loves us always but especially when we repent. He promised that though “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed … my kindness shall not depart from thee.” 11 If you feel you have strayed off the covenant path too far or too long and have no way to return, that simply is not true. 12 Please contact your bishop or branch president. He is the Lord’s agent and will help you experience the joy and relief of repenting. Now, a caution: Returning to the covenant path does not mean that life will be easy. This path is rigorous and at times will feel like a steep climb. 13 This ascent, however, is designed to test and teach us, refine our natures, and help us to become saints. It is the only path that leads to exaltation. One prophet 14 described the “blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven … [and] dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.” 15 Walking the covenant path, coupled with daily repentance, fuels positive spiritual momentum.” President Russell M. Nelson, The Power of Spiritual Momentum

1-5: Ammaron (see 4 Nephi 34-37) tells a young Moroni where he has hidden the Nephite records and instructs him to retrieve them in approximately 14 years. 6-12: Mormon and his father travel to Zarahemla. The Nephite civilization had expanded such that the “whole face of the land had become covered with buildings.” Wars between the Nephites and Lamanites continue. 13-19: The Nephites have completely hardened their hearts. Though Mormon has remained faithful, he is forbidden to preach due to the Nephites’ rejection of God. Open in Gospel Library 🡒

1-9: Though he is only 16, Mormon is chosen to lead the Nephite army. Fighting continues, with the Lamanites forcing the Nephites to retreat. They regroup in the land of David, finally gathering enough force to withstand the Lamanite army. 10-16: Mormon hopes that the disastrous circumstances facing the Nephites will compel them to repent, but unfortunately it has the opposite effect. They curse God. Many Nephites are killed and they are forced to retreat again. 17-19: Mormon details his updating of various Nephite records. 20-29: After several years of retreating from the Lamanites, Mormon inspires the Nephite army to fight valiantly. They are victorious, reclaiming much of their land and cities. A truce is declared. Open in Gospel Library 🡒

1-8: During the ensuing 10 years of peace Mormon tries to call the Nephites to repentance, but to no avail. The years of peace end and the Lamanite army twice tries unsuccessfully to conquer the Nephite strongholds. 9-16: Because of their victory over the Lamanites, the Nephites boast of their own strength and blaspheme God and their sacred heritage. Disgusted by what they have become, Mormon refuses to lead their armies. 17-22: Mormon focuses his efforts on his record, hoping to communicate to both the Gentiles and the House of Israel that they will one day stand before God to be judged for their works and their faith in Jesus Christ. Open in Gospel Library 🡒

1-15: The Nephite/Lamanite wars continue with both armies experiencing occasional victories. However, the end result was great loss of life, depravity, and blood and carnage on both sides. 16-23: However, in approximately the 375th year the Lamanites gain an advantage from which the Nephites never recover. Mormon, recognizing their eventual defeat, retrieves all the plates stored by Ammoron in the hill Shim. Open in Gospel Library 🡒

1-7: Mormon agrees to again lead the Nephite army, though without hope of eventual victory. While they are able to withstand several Lamanite advances, within five years they are forced to retreat. Those who are healthy and swift escape. Those who are overtaken by the Lamanites are slaughtered. 8-13: It saddens Mormon to record on the plates the devastation he is witnessing, but he knows that in the latter days a remnant of the house of Lehi, along with the Gentiles, will come in contact with this history. They will profit from the sad history of the Nephites and the Lamanites. 14-24: In that day, the Gentiles will discover that the remnants of Lehi’s family have been scattered and have lost all contact with the Spirit. The Gentiles will teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them to regain their promised covenant blessings. Open in Gospel Library 🡒

[1] Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, July 19, 1868, p. 6, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/discourse/1868-07-19. Punctuation standardized.

FAIR Resources for Come, Follow Me – Book of Mormon

Mormon 1-6

Week 43: October 21-27, 2024

“I would that I could persuade all…to repent”

“We Rejoice in Christ”

Scripture Focus

Book of Mormon Chapters: Mormon 1–6

Historical Context: Mormon takes on the mantle of leadership as a young man, witnessing the increasing wickedness of his people and their ultimate destruction.

Discussion Questions

– How can we respond to the calls for repentance in our own lives?
–Why is it important to heed prophetic warnings, even when the consequences seem distant?

Doctrinal Focus

Key Doctrinal Points: Repentance, the consequences of rejecting God’s teachings, and the role of prophets in warning people of impending destruction.
Potential Doctrinal Challenges:

How can we reconcile God’s justice and mercy when entire civilizations are destroyed?

God’s justice requires that sin be punished, but His mercy is extended through repeated warnings and invitations to repent. Mormon’s account highlights how the Nephites rejected every opportunity to turn back to God. The destruction of the Nephites serves as a warning to future generations of the consequences of prolonged rebellion against God’s commandments.

How can we tell if our sorrow is leading us closer to Christ, rather than turning us away from Him?

This passage shows the difference between godly and worldly sorrow through the example of Mormon’s people. While godly sorrow prompts self-reflection, humility, and repentance, leading us to Christ, worldly sorrow centers on negative self-focus and can even cause us to resist divine influence. This sorrow might lead to frustration with God rather than growth. One approach to fostering godly sorrow is to focus on humility and recognize personal accountability in a spirit of faith. We can look to 2 Corinthians 7:8–11, which highlights that godly sorrow “worketh repentance to salvation,” while worldly sorrow “worketh death.” By turning to Christ in humility, our sorrow transforms into a vehicle for lasting change, as taught by Michelle D. Craig in “Divine Discontent.” In doing so, we align with God’s purposes for us and find hope rather than despair in our moments of sorrow.

Why is prosperity, a blessing from God, often linked with pride and spiritual decline?

Elder Bednar warns that prosperity, if not managed with care, can breed a sense of pride that distances us from God, as illustrated by the rapid decline of the Nephites. Their example teaches that pride begins subtly, often through a focus on wealth and status, and ultimately leads to spiritual blindness, causing individuals to forsake divine guidance. The antidote lies in maintaining a humble and teachable heart, consistently doing the “small and simple things” that align our hearts with God. Elder Bednar’s talk suggests regularly examining our priorities and motivations to ensure we’re following Christ and not placing our trust in worldly possessions. As we “beware of pride,” as Moroni cautions, we safeguard our spiritual integrity and remain open to the guidance of the Spirit.

Historical & Doctrinal Challenges

Is there any archaeological evidence for the battles described in Mormon?

While direct archaeological evidence for specific battles may be sparse, the Book of Mormon’s accounts of warfare, including tactics and locations, are consistent with what is known about ancient warfare in the Americas. Mormon’s narrative is more concerned with spiritual lessons than with providing a detailed military history.
Resource:
Question: Are the large population counts described in the Book of Mormon during the final battle at the Hill Cumorah accurate?
The Book of Mormon and Archaeology

Were There Two Cumorahs?

How could there be two different locations referred to as “Cumorah”? Many assume that the New York hill where Joseph Smith retrieved the golden plates is the same Cumorah where Mormon hid all the Nephite records, yet some scholars argue that these are distinct locations. How can these two ideas be reconciled?

Response:
The idea of “two Cumorahs” suggests that the hill in New York—where Joseph Smith found the plates—was named Cumorah later, possibly by Moroni himself, in memory of the original hill where Mormon deposited the Nephite records in preparation for their final battle. The Book of Mormon narrative places the final battles in a land with geographical features different from those near the New York hill. The Book of Ether also describes Omer traveling past the hill Shim and a battlefield where the Nephites were destroyed, suggesting that these sites were not thousands of miles from each other, which aligns more with a Middle American setting than with New York.

Sidney B. Sperry and other scholars highlight that the geography surrounding the hill where the Nephites were destroyed is “in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains” (Mormon 6:4), which matches descriptions of Central America’s landscape. This historical evidence suggests that while the hill in New York became associated with Cumorah due to Joseph’s retrieval of the plates, the actual “Cumorah” of Nephite history may have been in a different location, closer to the primary settings of Nephite and Jaredite civilizations.

Resource:
For an in-depth examination of this topic, see Sidney B. Sperry’s article, “Were There Two Cumorahs?” in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, which details scriptural and historical evidence supporting the Middle American location hypothesis. The article is available at BYU ScholarsArchive.

Did Joseph Smith Use Captain Kidd Stories or a Map of the Comoros Islands to Invent the Names “Cumorah” and “Moroni”?

Challenge:
Critics argue that Joseph Smith may have taken the names “Cumorah” and “Moroni” from the Comoros Islands, as pirates, like Captain Kidd, were known to operate nearby. Some say Joseph, influenced by Captain Kidd stories, could have seen the names on maps or in tales of the time. Does this argument hold up?

Response:
The claim that Joseph derived “Cumorah” and “Moroni” from Captain Kidd stories or maps of the Comoros Islands is an argument from silence and lacks supporting evidence. Records of Captain Kidd’s tales do not mention the names “Cumorah” or “Moroni.” Even in the 1724 book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Charles Johnson, a major influence on pirate lore, “Comoros” and “Moroni” are absent. Although the Comoros Islands appear on some maps, no documented link shows that Joseph saw these maps, nor do records indicate he had access to such resources.

Additionally, the settlement named “Moroni” did not become the capital of the Comoros until 1876, well after Joseph’s death and the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830. Moreover, the Book of Mormon names “Cumorah” and “Moroni” align with other ancient-sounding names within the text, suggesting a linguistic consistency rather than a random borrowing from obscure, unrelated geographic sources.

Resource:
For an in-depth response to this issue, including insights on the lack of historical evidence linking Joseph Smith to pirate lore and maps of the Comoros, see the FAIR article “Joseph Smith, Captain Kidd, and the Comoro Archipelago”. This source explains why such claims rely on speculation without historical basis.

If you have questions on this week’s reading, please email your questions to us here.

Application for Today

There are many principles to find in Mormon 1-6. Some are highlighted in the lesson outline, but you will find others. Let Heavenly Father, through His Spirit, teach you what you need right now.

Faithful Insights

Mormon’s call to repentance is timeless. The destruction of the Nephites serves as a reminder that rejecting God’s commandments leads to spiritual destruction. Each of us is called to repent and come unto Christ.

Testimonies

“How important is repentance? Alma taught that we should “preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord.”⁷ Repentance is required of every accountable person who desires eternal glory.⁸ There are no exceptions. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord chastised early Church leaders for not teaching the gospel to their children.⁹ Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path.
Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man.¹⁰ The Savior loves us always but especially when we repent. He promised that though “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed … my kindness shall not depart from thee.”¹¹
If you feel you have strayed off the covenant path too far or too long and have no way to return, that simply is not true.¹² Please contact your bishop or branch president. He is the Lord’s agent and will help you experience the joy and relief of repenting.
Now, a caution: Returning to the covenant path does not mean that life will be easy. This path is rigorous and at times will feel like a steep climb.¹³ This ascent, however, is designed to test and teach us, refine our natures, and help us to become saints. It is the only path that leads to exaltation. One prophet¹⁴ described the “blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven … [and] dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.”¹⁵
Walking the covenant path, coupled with daily repentance, fuels positive spiritual momentum.” President Russell M. Nelson, The Power of Spiritual Momentum

Chapter Summaries

Mormon 1

1-5: Ammaron (see 4 Nephi 34-37) tells a young Moroni where he has hidden the Nephite records and instructs him to retrieve them in approximately 14 years.
6-12: Mormon and his father travel to Zarahemla. The Nephite civilization had expanded such that the “whole face of the land had become covered with buildings.” Wars between the Nephites and Lamanites continue.
13-19: The Nephites have completely hardened their hearts. Though Mormon has remained faithful, he is forbidden to preach due to the Nephites’ rejection of God.
Open in Gospel Library 🡒

Mormon 2

1-9: Though he is only 16, Mormon is chosen to lead the Nephite army. Fighting continues, with the Lamanites forcing the Nephites to retreat. They regroup in the land of David, finally gathering enough force to withstand the Lamanite army.
10-16: Mormon hopes that the disastrous circumstances facing the Nephites will compel them to repent, but unfortunately it has the opposite effect. They curse God. Many Nephites are killed and they are forced to retreat again.
17-19: Mormon details his updating of various Nephite records.
20-29: After several years of retreating from the Lamanites, Mormon inspires the Nephite army to fight valiantly. They are victorious, reclaiming much of their land and cities. A truce is declared.
Open in Gospel Library 🡒

Mormon 3

1-8: During the ensuing 10 years of peace Mormon tries to call the Nephites to repentance, but to no avail. The years of peace end and the Lamanite army twice tries unsuccessfully to conquer the Nephite strongholds.
9-16: Because of their victory over the Lamanites, the Nephites boast of their own strength and blaspheme God and their sacred heritage. Disgusted by what they have become, Mormon refuses to lead their armies.
17-22: Mormon focuses his efforts on his record, hoping to communicate to both the Gentiles and the House of Israel that they will one day stand before God to be judged for their works and their faith in Jesus Christ.
Open in Gospel Library 🡒

Mormon 4

1-15: The Nephite/Lamanite wars continue with both armies experiencing occasional victories. However, the end result was great loss of life, depravity, and blood and carnage on both sides.
16-23: However, in approximately the 375th year the Lamanites gain an advantage from which the Nephites never recover. Mormon, recognizing their eventual defeat, retrieves all the plates stored by Ammoron in the hill Shim.
Open in Gospel Library 🡒

Mormon 5

1-7: Mormon agrees to again lead the Nephite army, though without hope of eventual victory. While they are able to withstand several Lamanite advances, within five years they are forced to retreat. Those who are healthy and swift escape. Those who are overtaken by the Lamanites are slaughtered.
8-13: It saddens Mormon to record on the plates the devastation he is witnessing, but he knows that in the latter days a remnant of the house of Lehi, along with the Gentiles, will come in contact with this history. They will profit from the sad history of the Nephites and the Lamanites.
14-24: In that day, the Gentiles will discover that the remnants of Lehi’s family have been scattered and have lost all contact with the Spirit. The Gentiles will teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them to regain their promised covenant blessings.
Open in Gospel Library 🡒

Mormon 6

1-6: All the Nephites gather in one location, around the hill Cumorah, to prepare for a final battle with the Lamanites. Mormon hides the Nephite records so they will not be destroyed.

7-15: The last battle kills all but a few dozen Nephites, with Mormon and his son Moroni both surviving.

16-22: Mormon grieves for the Nephite nation, destroyed because they “departed from the ways of the Lord. . . who stood with open arms to receive” them. Their outcome could have and should have been entirely different.

Open in Gospel Library 🡒