Some Things Never Change
This week in the Book of Alma, we covered the stories of Korihor and the initial contact with the Zoramites. In each case, we have prototypes of atheists and deviant religions. In both cases, the ideas about God are wrong. In each case, pride and elitism raise their ugly heads. It makes you wonder if there is ever anything original in their thinking.
The profile of Korihor is that of a person of superior intelligence who can speak convincingly. He had a revelation, probably self-induced, that convinced him that reality can only be objective-based and observable using our sensory functions. According to him, the future is unknowable, and that hope in things to come is foolish. Korihor is what we may call a secular humanist, thinking that humanity is at the pinnacle of existence. But people like him are not content to live in their dilution. They feel compelled to go around and see how many others they can convince to live in their little world.
Modern-day atheists are precisely the same. Many intellectuals consider faith and religion a fallback position for the masses. They have sophisticated arguments and use debate techniques that make those unprepared for their tactics appear naive. Their willful ignorance of spiritual matters is replaced by philosophical musings that tap into enough truth to satisfy their rational minds. However, if confronted by someone articulate enough to point out the weakness of their position, they become defiant and try to talk around themselves.
The Zoramites are another thing altogether. They were religious zealots who were rigid and dogmatic to a fault. You could say that they were spiritual elitists who excluded those who didn’t fit the mold, so to speak. They built their holy stand with the auspices of being an approach to God, but I suspect it was a means of self-aggrandizement. Their prayer was not to be deviated from. Anything outside the scope of their doctrine made one unworthy. They shunned those who were not allowed in the club.
Today, we have the creedists who do not allow anyone with a differing view of God and Christ to participate in what they call salvation. What is ironic about that position is that the creed falls outside of what they call the word of God that cannot be added to.
Having said that, we all need to take care how we take the name of God on our lips. If pride is allowed to creep into our souls, we will fall under the same condemnation reserved for the unrepentant soul.
That’s it for this week. Short and sweet.