Contention, My Thoughts on the Matter

Luke 12:3

“Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” 

D&C Section 1:2 For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.

3 And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed.

4 And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.

Who knew that social media social media would play in the last days. Literally, our works are shouted from the rooftops whether they be good or evil. Our homes declare our works. I've been very distraught by the amount of contention that exists on the internet. Both sides are guilty of contention. I've seen it everywhere, on every site (except for the sites owned by the Church), about nearly every topic. Yesterday, I was very sad when I saw a post on our neighborhood Facebook page. A family in our neighborhood, who are not members of our faith, were mourning the loss of their son. Their son was the fifth confirmed suicide at Queen Creek High School in less than a year's time. They're calling it an epidemic. This family decided to hold a candle light vigil on the Hastings Farms soccer field. It was announced on Facebook and someone responded that the family may need to get permission from the HOA to hold such an event. I read her comment as one of concern about parking and police being called out, not that she didn't want the vigil held there. People in the neighborhood felt differently and bullied her relentlessly about it. Several mean and hateful comments were made to her, and she acted defensively. It got bad enough that the post was taken down by the one who wrote it originally. I was sad to see that I had recognized some of the names as people from our ward. Contention is not of the Lord, rather it's a tool of the adversary. No matter how righteous the cause, contention is rarely, if ever the answer. Contentious words do not change hearts, it does not invoke useful conversation. This was on my mind as I read my scriptures yesterday. Ironically, I was on Alma 47. Amalickiah was a wicked man who had obtained the kingdom by fraud and deceit. He had gone up to battle place to place until he was recognized as king throughout the land. At the end of the chapter, it recounts the character of the dissenters of the Nephites. Having the full knowledge of the gospel, and having been instructed in the ways of the Lord, after they had dissented, they had become even more ferocious and wicked than any of the Lamanites. They had completely forgotten the Lord their God. We see that so often today. Those who have fallen away after having been blessed and endowed in the temple, they seem to not be able to leave members of the church alone. They become anti-"Mormon" and seem to desire to destroy the testimonies of those who belong to the church. Perhaps this isn't always the case, but I have seen it many times over the past few years. Once they decide to leave the church, it does not take very long for them to adopt the ways of the world and become a very hardened people. 

After Amalickiah is made king, he cannot leave the people of Nephi alone. He stirs his own people up to anger against the Nephites, so much so that they go to battle against them with the desire to bring them all into bondage.

Meanwhile, Moroni is fortifying his people. It says in verse 7 that Moroni had been preparing the minds of his people to be faithful to God and his commandments. So, not only was he fortifying his people in a physical sense, ie their boundaries and lands, but he was encouraging them to fortify themselves spiritually. He was uniting them in Christ. 

Likewise, in our day, the enemy of all, Satan, is stirring as many of Heavenly Father's children as he can into anger, and contention through deceit and fraud. Our prophet is encouraging us to not be contentious but to be as Christ, showing charity and compassion to those around us who may try to anger us. Contention divides, love unites. No wonder the Book of Mormon was written for our day.