Is the Book of Mormon Anti-war?

IS THE BOOK OF MORMON ANTI-WAR?

By Matthew D. LaPlante

The Salt Lake Tribune

By Matthew D. LaPlante

The Salt Lake Tribune

It's a story of blood and battle "” of mighty soldiers and brutal wars.

But for all the Book of Mormon's violence, Josh Madson is convinced that the seminal text of his religion actually is a divinely inspired anti-war allegory.

He is out to prove that point to others in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "” and that's a battle of its own.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ... a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8)

Like many Christians seeking to balance the Bible's sometimes-conflicting messages, Mormons have a complicated relationship with war.

The Old Testament is full of stories in which God orders his followers into battle with their enemies. But, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ calls upon his disciples to love their enemies and to refuse opportunities to meet violence with violence.

Some LDS scholars say the Book of Mormon serves as a tiebreaker, of sorts, offering clarification on issues left unresolved by the Bible.

"For us, the Book of Mormon carries such weight and gravitas,"� said Madson, a lifelong Latter-day Saint who lives in Highland. "So what I am suggesting is that we look at it and ask ourselves, "�What is this text telling me? What are the best ways to address conflict and respond to enemies?'"�"�

Madson conceded that there is no shortage of instances in the Book of Mormon when people went to war for reasons that appeared just "” and in which those warriors were glorified by God in doing so. (LDS researchers Stephen Ricks and William Hamblin identified 85 instances of armed conflict in the book.)

"But, in the long run, the use of violence never leads to a lasting peace,"� the 33-year-old attorney said. "What you see in the Book of Mormon, again and again, is that war doesn't solve anything. It just leads to more war."�

As U.S. forces continue to withdraw from Iraq, polls show that most Americans now believe the 2003 invasion was a mistake and the war there hasn't been worth its costs. The fight in Afghanistan also has grown increasingly unpopular as it stretches into history as the longest U.S. war on record "” but the decision to invade in the wake of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, remains roundly supported.

Madson recognizes that it would be easier, then, to attack the Iraq war as unjust and unnecessary, while the fight in Afghanistan, in comparison, is a "good war"� in the minds of many Americans.

But the former missionary, who spent two years spreading the Mormon message in Brazil, likes a good challenge. At August's Sunstone Symposium, an annual gathering of LDS intellectuals, Madson argued that the war in Afghanistan never met the requirements "” spelled out in the Book of Mormon "” for a just war.

First, he argued, it was not a purely defensive war. U.S. forces did not stay on their own land to defend their homes and families, he said, but instead encroached on another country in an ill-conceived attempt to subdue the nation's enemies overseas. Nine years later, he noted, the fight in Afghanistan has grown more violent.

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Hinckley on war

"Let it be understood that we have no quarrel with the Muslim people or with those of any other faith. ... But as citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national leaders. They have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally. Those in the armed services are under obligation to their respective governments to execute the will of the sovereign. When they joined the military service, they entered into a contract by which they are presently bound and to which they have dutifully responded.

"One of our Articles of Faith, which represent an expression of our doctrine, states, "�We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law' (Articles of Faith 1:12).

"But modern revelation states that we are to "�renounce war and proclaim peace' (D&C 98:16).

"In a democracy we can renounce war and proclaim peace. There is opportunity for dissent. Many have been speaking out and doing so emphatically. That is their privilege. That is their right, so long as they do so legally. ...

"It is clear from [LDS scriptures] and other writings that there are times and circumstances when nations are justified, in fact have an obligation, to fight for family, for liberty, and against tyranny, threat and oppression.

"When all is said and done, we of this church are people of peace. We are followers of our redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the prince of peace. But even he said, "�Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword' (Matthew 10:34)."�

President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2003

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