Why did Moroni
start his epistle with calling Amaron out for his wickedness and telling him he
was going to hell unless he repented. And then it wasn’t even a loving call to
repentance, because he followed that with saying he knew he would reject it. It
is interesting to me, though, that Moroni wasn’t wishing for Amaron and his
brother to go to hell. He still saw repentance as an option for them if they
were willing to take it. The imperfect human reaction, like being cut off is
hoping someone crashes. But Moroni wasn’t hoping they would go to hell, just recognizing
the reality if they didn’t change their path. Although he does call him a child
of hell.
I always assumed
Amaron was talking about the government being robbed from the Lamenites,
because I thought he was responding to Moroni’s allusion in his letter. However,
it makes more sense that he is talking about the king-men, here. Amalikiah
though he should have been the Nephite king, is that who Amaron thinks was
robbed?
It is interesting
that Amaron rejects the idea of obedience as a requirement for God’s protection
and blessings. He isn’t sure there is a God, but if there is, says he made us
as well as you, which Moroni would have agreed with, if they were having a real
conversation. The thing that Amaron, and people today don’t want to
acknowledge, is that God requires anything of us. God is a God of love, but
that love desires our growth and progression. Just like the love of earthly
parents truly requires them to set boundaries and make rules for the protection
and progression of their children.
It always strikes
me how much pain Amaron is feeling at the loss of his brother. It comes through
so clearly in his return letter, especially in his response to Mornoi’s hinting
that he has gone to hell.
Oh, wait, I was
wrong, Amaron claims that the war is for the Lamenites to reclaim their rights
of government. It is a strange claim, since the Nephites never tried to rule
over the Lamenites, they just left. It is a strange idea to think that you get
to force people to be your subjects, though I suppose that is the way most of
the world has worked throughout history, and even a lot of it today. It makes
me grateful to live in a free country, with grand ideas of democracy and
self-determination. It also makes me think about my right to “rule” in my
family. I often want to rule by force, but that doesn’t feel like the best way.
Just the easiest.
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