Pahoran

2021/09/07 07:35 PM Filed in: Offense

In the following, Capitan Mornoni digs in deeply to Pahoran, the Chief Governor of the land. I have cut out much of the rebuke and heartache that Capitan Moroni gives for brevity, but being on the receiving end of all this would be very difficult, to say the least.

I recommend reading these two chapters and doing your best to really be in Pahoran's position and giving your own reply to Captain Moroni's epistle (letter). Keep in mind you have lost your land, been kicked out, and have not been guilty of all the crimes that he is accused of; Capitan Moroni said God has told him what to do after accusing you of trampling God's laws under your feet.

Alma 60
2 For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of condemnation....
5 But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state.
9 But behold, this is not all—ye have withheld your provisions from them, insomuch that many have fought and bled out their lives..., because of your exceedingly great neglect towards them.
10 ...Ye have neglected them insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads for vengeance...
11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones...
12 ...I say unto you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it is to your condemnation;
13 For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked;
18 ...We know not but what ye yourselves are seeking for authority. We know not but what ye are also traitors to your country.
19 Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded by security?
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us. ...behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our government.
27 And I will come unto you, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct.
29 ...The sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
30 ...Except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, ...and smite you with the sword...
33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country.

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The follow-up reply is absolutely amazing and is what has caused me to make this website in the first place. He first states who he is and who he is sending this to. Pahoran clarifies that he did not want them to have these great afflictions.

I suggest replying how you think you probably would naturally respond, then again the best you could possibly respond and see how your replies compare to Pahoran's reply to Captain Moroni. I don't think there is one right way to do this but this is an excellent example of application shown in the Book of Mormon.

Alma 61
2 I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army. Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul.
4 And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you.
5 And behold, they have driven me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as it were possible that I could get.
6 And behold, I have sent a proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold, they are flocking to us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their freedom, and to avenge our wrongs.
9 In your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart.
12 We would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do.

Willing to submit to the will of the Lord.

13 But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.
14 Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God.
19 And now, Moroni, I do joy in receiving your epistle, for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.

He was in a conundrum and not sure what to do but he still had faith and recognized God gives revelation quite often without giving all the details. Just because he was wrong that it wasn't Pahoran who was the slothful one doesn't mean that God didn't reveal to him what to do and how to act. He recognized that Captain Moroni was a valiant and good man but drew wrong connections in the revelation he received.

It would have been next to impossible to respond that way if Pahoran had not had his own personal experience with personal revelation and searched and studied the scriptures to know how God works and reveals his will and knowledge to man.

20 But ye have said, except they repent the Lord hath commanded you that ye should go against them.

Tags: Offense, Forgiveness