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‘Come, Follow Me’ for Oct. 28-Nov. 3: What have Church leaders and publications said about Mormon 1-6?

This week’s study guide includes the entire destruction of the Nephite civilization

This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Mormon 1-6, which includes the entire destruction of the Nephite civilization.

Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters in the Book of Mormon.

Mormon 1–3

“To assure that we will be clean before God, we must repent before the Final Judgment (see Mormon 3:22). … The Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the only way to achieve the needed cleansing through repentance, and this mortal life is the time to do it.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, April 2019 general conference, “Cleansed by Repentance

“[Mormon] stands as one of the greatest examples of righteously enduring in dark and dangerous times.

“He lived in a time of war and iniquity. In his own words, ‘A continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man’ (Mormon 2:18).

“And yet, despite his full knowledge of his people’s wickedness, he still loved them and served them with all his might (see Mormon 3:12). When he believed they had begun to repent, he rejoiced (see Mormon 2:12). When the Nephites continued to sin, he sorrowed (see Mormon 2:13–15). We have no record of Mormon ever railing against the Lamanites, the Nephites’ enemy and the cause of their destruction. We do know that when the Nephites began to desire to kill the Lamanites for vengeance’s sake, Mormon refused to lead them any longer (see Mormon 3:9–11). …

“Mormon spoke extensively about faith, hope and charity. His words to the few faithful Nephites left in his time are treasures of wisdom to help us survive our own days.”

— Leah Welker in the February 2018 Ensign article, “Perfect Love Casteth Out All Fear

“If we ever feel like we live in a world that embraces evil, then we have some small idea what Mormon and his son Moroni must have felt. As the final contributors to the Book of Mormon record, they witnessed their once-great civilization fall into total chaos and horror. (Mormon 1–2). In an epistle to his son, Mormon described some of the Nephites’ and Lamanites’ abhorrent crimes. Nevertheless, Mormon reaffirmed his hope. He had faith in the integrity of his son, and he had hope that although the people might be lost, their descendants might one day be saved through the power of the Lord. Through their conviction, these two great prophets gave us an example of how to keep our hopes alive in even the darkest of circumstances.”

— Christopher Fosse in the December 2012 New Era article, “Scriptural Messages of Hope

“There are many historical figures with whom we are all familiar who went forward with faith in challenging times. …

“Moroni grew up in a time when his society was crumbling. (See Mormon 1–8.) The people rejected God and were on their way to destruction. It was a time of slippery riches, great violence, sexual immorality and war. Moroni’s father, Mormon, almost single-handedly staved off the destruction of his people for a time. Both Mormon and Moroni lived in extremely difficult times but fulfilled their destinies. …

“They went forward with faith, and through the blessings of the Lord, [they] became what they were meant to become.”

Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson, then a General Authority Seventy, in the January 2011 Ensign article, “Make Yours a Great Life

"Mormon, Age 10," is by Scott M. Snow.
"Mormon, Age 10," is by Scott M. Snow. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“When God entrusts you with His sacred priesthood, He shows great confidence in you. He knows He can trust you to use the priesthood to serve others, just as He has trusted other young men to do some of His most important work.

“For example, the world would not have the Book of Mormon’s powerful witness of Jesus Christ if it had not been for two young men whom God trusted. Mormon, the prophet who compiled this sacred record, was just 10 years old when he was assigned to observe and later record the history of his people. At age 15, he was ‘visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus’ (Mormon 1:15). …

“As you fulfill your duty to God, you will be a force for good at all times and in every circumstance. Your righteous example and your faithful priesthood service will be a powerful way to invite all who know you to come unto Christ.

“In their most critical time, the Nephites looked to a young man, Mormon, for leadership and inspiration (see Mormon 2:1–2). Today, we look to you to be a great strength to the Church and a force for good on the earth. This is what the Lord expects.”

— Brother David L. Beck, then the Young Men general president, April 2010 general conference, “The Magnificent Aaronic Priesthood

“The prophet Mormon, for whose great work of abridgment the Book of Mormon is named, experienced the destruction of his people. Like his son Moroni, he clearly directed his writings to a future era when the Lord would bring those records to light. Mormon said that he stood by as an ‘idle witness to manifest unto the world the things which I saw and heard’ (Mormon 3:16). In his abridgment, he chose sermons and stories from his people’s past that would directly apply to our circumstances. He instructed those of a distant day about what to do to find true happiness and concluded his work with his witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The distant day to which he spoke is our day. Moroni completed the sacred record with the hope that we would be grateful for it and that we would ‘learn to be more wise’ than his people had been (Mormon 9:31).”

— Byron R. Merrill, professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, in the January 2000 Ensign article, “They Wrote to Us As If We Were Present

“The great prophet Mormon set another example worthy of emulation. He lived at a time that was hopeless. Imagine this: ‘There were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief’ (Mormon 1:14).

“In spite of this hopeless situation Mormon led their armies, for, in his words, ‘Notwithstanding their wickedness I … loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them’ (Mormon 3:12).

“This prophet had Christlike love for a fallen people. Can we be content with loving less? We must press forward with the pure love of Christ to spread the good news of the gospel. As we do so and fight the war of good against evil, light against darkness and truth against falsehood, we must not neglect our responsibility of dressing the wounds of those who have fallen in battle. There is no room in the kingdom for fatalism.”

— The late Bishop Glenn L. Pace, then the second counselor in the presiding bishopric, October 1990 general conference, “A Thousand Times

Mormon 5–6

A scale model of the original gold plates as described by Joseph Smith and Orson Pratt on display during the Crandall Historical Printing Museum's 2nd annual recognition banquet at the Provo Marriott in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005. | Keith Johnson, Deseret News

“When we enter a covenant with God, we have made a covenant with Him who will always keep His word. He will do everything He can, without infringing on our agency, to help us keep ours.

“The Book of Mormon begins and ends with reference to this everlasting covenant. From its title page to the closing testimonies of Mormon and Moroni, the Book of Mormon makes reference to the covenant (see Mormon 5:20; 9:37). The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill the covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2022 Liahona article, “The Everlasting Covenant

“When Mormon saw that his Nephite people were about to be exterminated, he set out to ‘write a small abridgment’ of their records (Mormon 5:9). This project began at the last location where the Nephites camped before they finally gathered to the land of Cumorah. The subsistence conditions the Nephites were enduring could not have been anything but harsh; the people were refugees with uncertain sources of food, clothing and shelter. Mormon’s writing activity probably extended into the four-year period of preparation for the final battle agreed to by the Lamanite commander, but in any case the abridged history was completed and the archive was buried in the Hill Cumorah well before the final conflict (see Mormon 6:6).

“It is clear that the creation of the Book of Mormon was a daunting feat, especially given the ‘field’ conditions in which Mormon had to work and his competing duties in commanding his forces as they prepared for the final battle. And understandably, the final product isn’t without imperfections.”

— The late John L. Sorenson, then an emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University, in the February 2016 Ensign article, “Mormon’s Miraculous Book

“In the eyes and hearts of many people in the world today, there is evidence of doubt, fear and hopelessness. Much of the insecurity in the world has filtered into our homes and personal lives. No matter what our age or circumstance, we all have a need to know that we have power in the present and hope in the future.

“Listen to the words of Mormon: ‘Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power?’ (Mormon 5:23).

“Hands are one of the symbolically expressive parts of the body. In Hebrew, ‘yad,’ the most common word for ‘hand,’ is also used metaphorically to mean power, strength [and] might. Thus, hands signify power and strength. …

“To be in the hands of God would suggest that we are not only under His watchful care but also that we are guarded and protected by His wondrous power.”

— Elder W. Craig Zwick, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2003 general conference, “The Lord Thy God Will Hold Thy Hand

“Enduring and submitting are not passive responses at all but instead are actually more like being braced sufficiently to report for advanced duties, while carrying — meekly and victoriously — bruises from the previous frays.

“What are a few fingers of scorn now anyway, when the faithful can eventually know what it is like to be ‘clasped in the arms of Jesus’ (Mormon 5:11)?”

— The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2001 general conference, “‘Plow in Hope’”

"Battle" is by Jorge Cocco.
"Battle" is by Jorge Cocco. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Another event which strikes fear and apprehension into the hearts of many is death. The prophet Mormon speaks of ‘that awful fear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked’ (Mormon 6:7). This particular fear arises from misunderstanding the purpose of life and lack of knowledge of the plan of our Eternal Father. It is vital to come to an understanding that death is not the end but a new beginning, a necessary stage in our eternal progression. Fear of death accomplishes nothing if we are righteous, for ‘death is swallowed up in victory … victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:54, 57).”

— The late Elder Derek A. Cuthbert, then a General Authority Seventy, in the November 1985 New Era article, “The Futility of Fear

“At Mormon’s request, the Lamanites let the Nephites gather in the land of Cumorah (Mormon 6:2–4) to wage ‘the last struggle’ of these peoples (Mormon 6:6). Mormon, now old and hoping only to protect the record, hid in the Hill Cumorah all the plates with which he had been entrusted, save the brief abridged record that he gave to his son Moroni (Mormon 6:6). In fearful anticipation and finally horrible realization, Mormon and Moroni fought as the remaining Nephite men, women and children fell before the oncoming armies of the Lamanites. Mormon himself fell wounded, but his life, for a time, was spared as the Lamanite armies swept on. Only he, Moroni and 22 other Nephites remained; 230,000 of their nation had fallen.

“The scope and significance of that horrible slaughter may be seen more readily when we realize that the great American Civil War of the 1860s, the costliest war, in terms of human life, that the United States has ever known, took the lives of 140,000 men in a five-year period. Here, 230,000 fell in a single day.

“Looking out over that carnage, Mormon cried:

“’O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! …

“’O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!

“‘But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return’ (Mormon 6:17, 19–20).”

President Jeffrey R. Holland, then the commissioner of Church Education, in the March 1978 Ensign article, “Mormon: The Man and the Book, Part 1

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