Summary:
Lori Vallow allegedly claimed certain scripture passages justified her desire to commit murder, but her interpretation was obviously false. The Church and its scriptures teach peace and forbearance in interpersonal conflict and most cases of war.
Scriptures Don’t Justify Violence
Journalists have reported on a video that allegedly shows Lori Vallow using the scriptures to justify her past desire to “murder” her former husband Joe Ryan. She appears to say:
“If he comes against you once, if he comes against you twice, if he comes against you three times, then you can kill him.”
This is an apparent reference to Doctrine and Covenants 98:23-31. But the context in which that revelation was given is crucial, and invalidates Vallow’s interpretation. The context is not esoteric or difficult to find; it only requires reading the entire section instead of a few isolated verses.
Vallow also apparently said in the video that she would “go through the scriptures” with the intention to find justification for violence. A motivated reader can twist scripture to fit her desires, but that doesn’t mean her reading is reasonable or that the scriptures are to blame.
Context is Everything
D&C section 98 is not a guide for personal relations between a husband and wife, or any individual and any other individual, even if there is risk or harm or violence. Rather it was revelation to Joseph Smith for how the saints *collectively* should respond to violence from the *collective* Missouri mobs and militias. It provides instructions to a leader regarding public policy, not a license for any member to murder personal enemies.
Cautions Against Violence
And even if one does mis-interpret it to apply to personal relationships, it still contains a lot more cautions against violence than just waiting three times before resorting to murder.
For instance, in verse 2 it instructs the saints to “[wait] patiently on the Lord.” In verse 3, it says the saints’ afflictions (which included violent assault) will “work together for [their good].” That sets the stage for a revelation that counsels patience and forbearance, and leaving it to the Lord to deal with enemies instead of taking matters into one’s own hands through violence.
In verse 14, it even says that the Lord allows afflictions in order to prove us, if we will abide in our covenants, “even unto death.” That certainly counts against preemptive violence as a solution to danger from enemies.
Proclaim Peace
In verse 16, the saints are told to “renounce war and proclaim peace.” This emphasizes that, again, this revelation has to do with enemies against the saints collectively, to the point that it could be considered a “war,” and not abusive personal relationships. Church President Russell M. Nelson recently emphasized the commandment to “proclaim peace.”
Verse 16 also encourages “turn[ing] the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children.” That’s hardly a logical prologue to endorsing murdering your children’s father.
Observe the Words of Wisdom
Verses 20 and 21 also imply that the threats against Church members are, at least in part, their own fault, because they “do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them.”
Because of their wickedness, the Lord said he was going to “chasten them” by allowing their enemies to threaten them. This should give serious pause to anyone looking to justify murder as a response to mistreatment.
The Lord will Turn Away All Wrath
In verse 22, the Lord says if Church members are obedient, the Lord will “turn away all wrath and indignation from you.” So there’s no need for violence against enemies, because the Lord will protect the righteous.
Verses 23 through 31, the crux of Vallow’s justification for murder, are full of warnings against violence. This passage counsels Church members to bear their mistreatment patiently, revile not against their enemies, and not to seek revenge.
After the first three times the enemy attacks, the Lord still says that even if the enemy is delivered to them so they can violently retaliate, they should still “spare him,” and “be rewarded for thy righteousness.” (Though the singular pronoun “him” is used, it clearly refers to the collective noun “enemy.”) Only then, in verse 31, does it say that one would nevertheless be justified in “reward[ing] him according to his works” if “he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him.”
But it’s still crucial to remember–this refers to the public policy question of when it is justified to go to war against an opposing force, not a justification for extrajudicial murder by an individual against someone who has harmed or threatened them.
War vs Murder
This point is further emphasized in the immediately following verses: in verse 33 the Lord says “this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.” This is about war, not about vengeful murder. In verses 34-36, the Lord says don’t go to war until first offering peace three times, and then to go to the Lord and only “out to battle” if the Lord commands it.
Clearly, Vallow was totally incorrect to use D&C 98 as a license to murder Joe Ryan or anyone else. Section 98 doesn’t even consider the question of when an individual is justified in using violence. It only considers when the leadership of the Lord’s people can consider armed resistance against an opposing force.
There is even an account in the Book of Mormon of a people who allowed themselves to be slaughtered by a hostile army rather than defending themselves. The Book of Mormon does also contain accounts of justified defensive warfare, but there is absolutely no warrant for murder in circumstances like Vallow’s.
It is Better that One Man Should Perish
Vallow also referenced another story from the Book of Mormon as a justification for murder. In First Nephi chapter 4, the prophet Nephi is commanded by the Holy Ghost to kill Laban, a “ruler” who was refusing to sell a rare set of scriptures to Nephi.
Nephi and his family were about to leave Jerusalem to migrate to the Americas, and knew they wouldn’t be able to establish a successful religious society without a set of scriptures to use to teach their people. Laban had the “brass plates” containing portions of the Old Testament and other scriptures, but when Nephi tried to buy them, Laban stole Nephi’s money and sent his servants to kill Nephi. The success of Nephi’s family’s entire mission was at stake, so the Spirit told Nephi “It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.”
Vallow’s use of this passage is therefore invalid. There’s no reasonable way she could conclude murdering Joe Ryan or anyone else was necessary to ensure the success of an entire society. There was nothing she hoped to gain from the murder that is comparable to a uniquely rare metal book in a pre-literate ancient society that was her people’s only hope to maintain their faith in a distant new home. Moreover, if she truly feared hers or her children’s lives were in danger, she could have called the police, sought refuge in a domestic violence shelter, or taken other similar measures.
Peace and Charity are the Standard
It is a core Church teaching that thou shalt not kill. We also believe in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. Neither a revelation about the justification of war nor an ancient story about a crucial book overcome those principles. Lori Vallow’s scriptural interpretation was flagrantly inappropriate and myopic. The scriptures teach, and the vast majority of Church members believe, that peace and charity are commanded by God.
