The people of Ammonihah were still considered "Nephites". Typically throughout the Book of Mormon, we think of the Nephites as the Lord's people and the Lamanites as fighting against them. In other words, we think of Nephites as "good" and Lamanites as "bad". The people of Ammonihah were Nephites, but they were very wicked.
One message that Alma shared with them was this:
"14 Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord. Now we see that the word of the Lord has been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land.
15 Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.
16 For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land.
17 And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." (Alma 9:14-17)
So Alma talked about the Lamanites as a people who had been cut off from the presence of the Lord because of their wickedness. This probably made a lot of sense to the people of Ammonihah, because growing up as a Nephite, I imagine you were pretty much raised to think of Lamanites as bad, wicked, or at least "worse than us" by comparison.
We get that way sometimes, right? People who are not members of the LDS church are sometimes looked at by members as "bad" people. Sometimes, maybe especially in Utah, where the population of LDS people is pretty dense, we might have parents who don't want their kids mixing with the "wrong" crowd of non-LDS kids. Sometimes we compare ourselves to them, and while we know we're not perfect, we at least can look at a group of people as doing "worse than us".
What Alma points out here, though, is that sure, many of the Lamanites are wicked. They do bad things. They have been cut off from the presence of the Lord, or in other words, they don't have the Spirit with them because of their transgressions. However, this is because they don't really know any different. It was the way they were raised. The people of Ammonihah should know better, because they were part of the "good guys", so they have access to the gospel. Alma points out that those who know what is right and choose to be bad are in way worse shape than those who don't know what is right in the first place.
Alma is making particular mention of the Lamanites. They had specific promises made to them, but I think it's a good lesson to remember. We need to take care of making sure we, ourselves, are on the straight and narrow path. I think once we do this, the Lord obviously expects us to expand that circle, to our family and friends and others, but if we are not making good choices, it would be very easy for the Lord to say "it shall be more tolerable for [non-LDS people] in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins".
I hope I don't get blinded by comparing myself with others. I've got plenty to work on.
So Alma talked about the Lamanites as a people who had been cut off from the presence of the Lord because of their wickedness. This probably made a lot of sense to the people of Ammonihah, because growing up as a Nephite, I imagine you were pretty much raised to think of Lamanites as bad, wicked, or at least "worse than us" by comparison.
We get that way sometimes, right? People who are not members of the LDS church are sometimes looked at by members as "bad" people. Sometimes, maybe especially in Utah, where the population of LDS people is pretty dense, we might have parents who don't want their kids mixing with the "wrong" crowd of non-LDS kids. Sometimes we compare ourselves to them, and while we know we're not perfect, we at least can look at a group of people as doing "worse than us".
What Alma points out here, though, is that sure, many of the Lamanites are wicked. They do bad things. They have been cut off from the presence of the Lord, or in other words, they don't have the Spirit with them because of their transgressions. However, this is because they don't really know any different. It was the way they were raised. The people of Ammonihah should know better, because they were part of the "good guys", so they have access to the gospel. Alma points out that those who know what is right and choose to be bad are in way worse shape than those who don't know what is right in the first place.
Alma is making particular mention of the Lamanites. They had specific promises made to them, but I think it's a good lesson to remember. We need to take care of making sure we, ourselves, are on the straight and narrow path. I think once we do this, the Lord obviously expects us to expand that circle, to our family and friends and others, but if we are not making good choices, it would be very easy for the Lord to say "it shall be more tolerable for [non-LDS people] in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins".
I hope I don't get blinded by comparing myself with others. I've got plenty to work on.
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