Nephite Lamentation

K. Douglas Bassett

Relief Society Magazine, VI, No. 6, June 1919, pp. 369-370; Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, Ludlow, p. 303; Journal of Discourses 10:287

“The tragedy of the Book of Mormon is not what became of the Nephites but what the Nephites became.” (Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah)
“A story is told about the great Lincoln in the dark days of the Civil War. As the president paced the floor wondering who would be the victor, North or South, his secretary said, ‘Mr. Lincoln, I hope the Lord is on our side.’ To this, the president answered, ‘I hope we are on the Lord’s side.’ What a difference in point of view. When the whole world is in turmoil, we can all ask are we on the Lord’s side?” (Gilbert Charles Orme, The Four Estates of Man, p. 121)
“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” (Abraham Lincoln, 1838, as quoted in the preface of Civil War, Ward)
“Great nations do not fall because of external aggression; they first erode and decay inwardly, so that, like rotten fruit, they fall of themselves. The strength of a country is the sum total of the moral strength of the individuals in that country.” (Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 95)
“The gospel is the only answer to the problems of the world. We may cry peace. We may hold peace conferences. And I have nothing but commendation for those who work for peace. But it is my conviction that peace must come from within. It cannot be imposed by state mandate. It can come only by following the teachings and the example of the Prince of Peace.” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.705)

Latter-Day Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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