I've been reading (part of my normal reading thru the BoM, by chance, not by choice) the wars in Alma. I noted something this time that I hadn't noted before, probably because I was looking closer, given the discussions the past few weeks. Capt Moroni used aggressive tactics to ensure safety for his people. He was "pre-emptive" by clearing out the wildernesses of Lamanites, and building new cities in those areas to help keep the Lamanites out. These were areas unused by Nephites, perhaps a "no-man's land", but still occupied by the Lamanites. Without any threat from those idle Lamanites in the wilderness, he chased them out and built cities. Kind of reminds me of the Israelites in the West Bank... Anyway, Moroni saw the need to do pre-emptive actions to ensure the safety of his peoples against a known tyrant- Amalickiah. Amalickiah and his brother Ammoron were not Lamanites. They were Nephites, but took upon themselves the cause of the Lamanites in order to justify their attempts to take over the Nephite lands. This sounds similar to Saddam Hussein, who is not religious per se, but is co-opting Islam in order to become the next Saladin-emperor of an Arab/Islam empire. And, Marc, he DOES use religion for his purposes. Why else would a Baathist be paying $25K to the families of Islamic suicide bombers in Palestine? He shouldn't have any interest whatsoever in that conflict, nor anything against Israel, per se. However, he uses his funds to stir up conflict in Palestine, in order to get the Islam nations to rally around his actions and see him as the good guy.
Although we don't have neighboring wilderness areas with Iraq, we live in a world where everyone can quickly get into each other's backyards and do some damage. Do we not have the same right as did Capt Moroni to be pre-emptive? I suppose it depends on our attitude. Are we doing it because we don't like Saddam and enjoy crushing other world-power-wannabees? Or is it because we cherish freedom and democracy and see him as a clear and present danger to that freedom? How about Teancum? Was he righteous in his actions? Or will he burn in hell forever for assasinating Amalickiah and Ammoron? Just where does one draw the line between righteous action and unrighteous action? Clearly it isn't just in what one does, but why one does it. WWMD? What Would Moroni Do? He hated bloodshed, but wasn't shy about using force when necessary. K'aya K'ama, Gerald/gary Smith gszion1 @juno.com http://www .geocities.com/rameumptom/index.html "No one is as hopelessly enslaved as the person who thinks he's free." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
