Today's Favorite Verse: Helaman 9:7-9

Today's Favorite Verse: Helaman 9:7-9
"And behold the people did gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment-seat—and behold, to their astonishment they saw those five men who had fallen to the earth.
And now behold, the people knew nothing concerning the multitude who had gathered together at the garden of Nephi; therefore they said among themselves: These men are they who have murdered the judge, and God has smitten them that they could not flee from us.
And it came to pass that they laid hold on them, and bound them and cast them into prison. And there was a proclamation sent abroad that the judge was slain, and that the murderers had been taken and were cast into prison."

As I was reading this chapter what stood out to me is how quick people were to judge before they received the full story. They assumed motives and guilt. We are seeing conspiracies theories being bought into.

Nephi had prophesied that the chief judge had been killed upon the judgment seat. Five men ran to see if this was in fact true. When they arrive they find the chief judge dead lying in his own blood. They were so astonished that the five fell to the earth. The servants of the chief judge had witnessed the actual murder and they ran to tell the people. When the multitude arrives they find these five men fallen to the earth. Because they knew nothing about what Nephi had prophesied in his garden and why the men were there, they convinced each other that these were the men that murdered the chief judge. Saying, God had smitten them so they couldn't flee. First off I see an issue here. Why didn't the servants speak up that these men were not there when they saw the chief judge murdered? Yet somehow the multitude comes up with another theory of what happened and falsely accuse the wrong men.

The five are cast into prison and it wasn't until the next day at the chief judge's burial that those that were with Nephi wondered where the five men were? They finally realize the men that were cast into prison were the same sent to confirm Nephi's words. But the judges that were asking, now came up with another conspiracy theory and twist the story that somehow Nephi was confederate with the murderer and was using a fake story to appear to be a prophet.

At this point I realized that Mormon that abridged the record isn't speaking of assassinations in our day. He's telling us there will be conspiracy theories. That we have to have discernment on what we believe as news. We need to study out the full story and not jump to conclusions. Lives are at matter when we get things wrong.

This made me think of the recent "Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults" given on 3 Nov 2024 by Elder David A. Bednar and his wife, Susan K. Bednar. He gave a 2.0 version of his "Things as They Really Are" address at a Church Education System fireside at BYU-Idaho on 3 May 2009. He reminds us that...

"The Savior has warned us repeatedly to beware of deception by the adversary:
“Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you; …
“For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. …
“And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived”
(Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:5, 22, 37)."
"Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception—and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, and to remember things as they really are."

Both of Elder Bednar's talks are excellent, and should be studied.

Day 3516