God Never Commands Killing

I know, I know. A very controversial topic. =)

My whole relationship with God was tranformed when I learned this truth. I hope that by sharing it with you it will strengthen your relationship with him, too. This can only be learned through the Spirit. I offer only pointers that can help you on your journey of discovery.

God never commands his children to murder eachother. Now, I am not saying there aren't times when it isn't reasonable or justified. What I am saying is that the Eternal Father does not command it.

I believe that all the stories of "God commanded killings" are either to be understood symbolicly and/or stories of people who are not One with God.

I'd like to start by looking at the story of Nephi and Laban. This story is actually one of the least offensive because we are dealing with a man who reportedly is wicked and tried to kill Nephi and his brothers. The reason I want to start with this story is because I believe we have strong evidence that it was not commanded by God.

The account is in 1 Nephi 3-4.

We have Lehi tell his sons to go and get the brass plates from Laban back in Jerusalem. The brothers return and draw lots. Laman goes and asks Laban for the plates. Laban calls him a thief and tells his gaurds to kill him. Laman gets away and returns to his brothers.
Next, the brothers all go to their estate and get everything worth money to attempt to purchase the plates. Laban is greedy and takes their stuff and orders his gaurds to kill them. Again, the brothers escape and hide.

Nephi decides to go back to Jerusalem alone. He records that he believes the Lord will help him obey this command (to get the plates). He compares Laban to the Egyptians.

1 Nephi 4:6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.
8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.
9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.
10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.
11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.
12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;
13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.
14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.
15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.
16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.
17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.
18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.
19 And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.

There are a few oddities in this account. First, Nephi picks up and admires Laban's sword. Laban is passed out and now unarmed. Laban is not a threat.
The "still small voice" tells Nephi he should kill Laban. Nephi hesitates and then goes through the justification process in his mind. One of the reasons he uses is that his people need the law/commandments or they will dwindle in unbelief. Nephi is breaking 3 commandments to secure the plates. So how important are the commandments? It appears that following anything the Spirit says trumps them. That makes this an unreasonable justification.

The other problem with this idea is that God could easily have Nephi write the law himself. We believe in revelation and inspiration, so this can easily be remedied.

He also can't know that his people will dwindle in unbelief or not. And, as history would have it, his people DO dwindle in unbelief even with the brass plates!

Nephi chops off Laban's head using the sword then he removes Laban's clothing and puts it on. The clothing would be drenched in blood. Ew!


There is absolutely no reason to believe that Nephi couldn't have stripped Laban and gotten the plates without killing him. Many will argue that Laban would have sent his men after Nephi and his people. Since we know that Nephi and his brothers were successful in getting away 2 other times this is not a valid arguement. It is also not valid if we believe that God can do anything.

I was reading another blog yesterday and it was pointed out that Nephi uses nearly the same wording and same reasoning for killing Laban as was used to put Jesus to death! Yikes! That seems a bit odd. Is Laban to be understood as a Christ symbol? Compare to verse 13 above.

John 11:49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

Now, there are many scholars who have studied ancient culture and found parallels. I think that is neat, however it shows a cultural bias and does not make a case for a "God commanded" murder. Here is a paper by John W. Welch on the legal perspective of this slaying.

The problem for me is that they all use the 613 laws of Moses as their guide. We're told that many of these laws were given to the children of Isreal because of the hardness of their hearts (see Matt. 19:8).

We also have no evidence that the Nephite people used all the 613 laws of Moses. In fact, one could make a case that they didn't follow all of them. For sure, they didn't follow the ones that governed polygamy.


What do we know? We do know that they were governed by the 10 commandments. We also are told of another law given to Nephi in the Doctrine and Covenants.


D&C 98:23 Now, I speak unto you concerning your families—if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.
25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundredfold.
26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;
27 And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.
28 And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.
29 And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands;
30 And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.
31 Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.
32 Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.


God revealed this law that was given to Nephi through Joseph Smith. What does this law tell us about how to deal with our enemies? You must bear him coming upon you 3 times, forgiving him each time. Then, you must warn him in the name of Jesus Christ to leave you and your family alone. IF he comes upon you a FOURTH time, you may do what you wish. Killing is justified, but sparing him will be rewarded for righteousness.

1 Nephi 3:13 We have our first encounter with Laban. He tries to have Laman killed.

1 Nephi 3:25 We have our second attempt to get the plates-this time by purchasing them. Laban tries to have them killed.

1 Nephi 4 we have Nephi going alone to retrieve the plates. He does not warn Laban, since Laban is passed out. He kills Laban and uses deception to steal the plates.


Nephi did not follow this law as outlined in D&C 98. Laban only "came upon" Nephi and his brothers TWO times. Plus, there was no warning given.

The scriptures also give us a warning and a lesson regarding the whisperings of the Spirit.

Ether 4:11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

2 Nephi 15:20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

There is nothing good about the shedding of blood. Any soldier will tell you that even justified killing has long lasting psychological consequences.

The sad part of the tale is that this was only the beginning of a culture of war and bloodshed. We are told that the very sword that beheaded Laban was then used as a model for the weapons of war the Nephites made to kill their Lamanite brothers (2 Nephi 5:14). The culture of violence continues throughout the rest of the BoM ending in the anihilation of the people.

That's all I've got on the Laban slaying. I may do a part two focused on some of the genocide of the Old Testament at another time.

Jesus Points out Two Ways

Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

There are some amazing lessons in this parable. I am not going to write too much about it because I don't want to detract from the simplicity and beauty of these scriptures.

I think the concept of working for our "exaltation" is a dangerous one.

One of these men was seeking to be justified by the law. The other was justified by the mercy of the Lord. Jesus called the sinner justified for his confession and humility. The man who obeyed the law did not go home justified.

We also have this beautiful account of the woman, a sinner, who washed the Savior's feet with her tears.

Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Mercy
Forgiveness
Love
Humility
Charity
Faith
Hope

These are the keys to salvation. It is by faith that we are made whole. Faith in what? The Atonement of Jesus Christ. If we rely upon the merits of he who is mighty to save.

2 Nephi 31:19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

Alma 22:14 And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

Moroni 6:4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.


I hope we all will feel the love of our Savior and learn to rely on him. If you want to listen to one of my favorite Christian worship songs on youtube click here. It is called "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong United.

The Woman taken in Adultery

John 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jesus Christ is my hero. My soul sings at the tender mercy he offers all mankind.

John is the only gospel that contains the story of the woman taken in adultery. It is such a beautiful story, I am grateful we have it. I know this God, he is my Eternal God and Savior.

This woman was taken in the very act of adultery. There are some disturbing things about this. First, where is the man she was with? He, too, is guilty. Second, this is daytime, I smell a set-up. Those are the results of the law.

According to Jewish law (which was a curse) she was to be stoned. Jesus says that he who is without sin should cast the first stone. Being under the law, they were all sinners and could not do it.

Then, in the most beautiful act of mercy, Jesus condemns her not and tells her to go and sin no more. Perfect! The only way she could sin no more is if she is no longer under the law. I believe that her trust in Jesus Christ released her from the bondage of the law (sin) and made her free.

I find it so confusing that Jesus would deal so mercifully with this woman and have so much wrath towards Emma and the early female saints. It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't even sound like the same God. The confusion melts away when I come to the knowledge that D&C 132 is a cursing, just like the law of the Old Testament.

There is a choice to be made. We can live the law of justice, carnal commandments and cursings OR we can be claimed by mercy, walk in the light and be free in Christ.

The Law

During this marvelous spiritual journey I find myself on I have thought a lot about The Law part of the gospel.

The scriptures are full of references to laws. There are laws for different kingdoms, the Law of Moses, fulfilled laws, etc. Some of these laws are in opposition to each other!

As I've been striving to learn what law God wants me to live, I feel I have learned something very profound. So simple.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

LOVE.

Now, before you comment that it isn't that simple and we have a billion other rules to follow, just stop and let this truth flow over you. Love. Love fulfills ALL the laws.

Now, you can go to dictionary.com and see the different definitions of the word "fulfilled." It means to complete, finish, to satisfy or to bring to realization. All that can be done by LOVING our neighbor as ourselves. This is such an amazing thing!

I used to think that by loving God and neighbor I would automatically live (works) all the other laws, rules and commandments. Now my understanding has shifted. It is the love of God and neighbor (and self) that FULFILLS all the law.

In this way, the laws that do not really come from our Father will naturally fall away. For example, we can easily see that how many steps we take on Sunday or what color shirt we wear to pass the Sacrament in doesn't matter to God.

Just to be completely heretical, I believe that according to scripture there are those who are NOT under the law. They are not bound to it and do not have to abide by it. Shocking, I know!

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

And if you are not under the law, you are FREE. No longer a prisoner of sin.

But, how do we know if we are walking in the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

You will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit! The Light of Christ will shine for all to see. God will work through you.

Those who are not under the law are claimed by Mercy on the day of judgement. This is something that makes my heart sing, but makes many others cringe. Yes, I believe that there are scriptures to support this idea that those claimed by mercy will escape judgement of their own works. I don't pretend to fully comprehend this wonderful promise of God, but I do put my faith in it.

I don't think a person claimed by mercy will be judged by their own works because they will not be doing their own works!

Going back to the law for a minute:

Alma 42:17 Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law save there was a punishment?

It is because there is a law that there is sin! If there was no law, there would be no sin. So, if one has fulfilled the law through love (charity) he can no longer sin. Why? Because he is not under the law.

Joseph Smith taught a sermon in 1843 about the priesthood and talked about how the Levitical priesthood was only able to administer cursings and the carnal commandments! I highly recommend reading the notes on this because it contains several amazing tidbits of information about the law and the priesthood.

I interpret what I read in that sermon to mean that the carnal commandments ARE a curse. However, I believe that they serve a purpose. They frustrate and humble us enough that we come unto Christ for release.

Our works can NEVER save us. We cannot earn our salvation.

The Toscano's say it perfectly in their book Strangers in Paradox:
"Jesus brought closure to salvation by law and initiated salvation by love."