Book of
Mormon Lesson 47
Moroni
1–6
Still Writing after Translating Ether
When he
ended his abridgment of Jaredite history, Moroni supposed that he finished
writing. But since he had not perished yet, he recorded additional truths he
hoped would be of value.
Moroni
was alone and hiding from the Lamanites (Moroni 1:1–4). If they captured him they would kill him
unless he denied the Christ, which he would not do.
We do not
know where Moroni was at this point. We know that he wandered for at least 21
years after his father's death in 400 AD.
We know that he ended up at the Hill Cumorah in New York, where he
deposited the plates to wait for the restoration of the gospel (Mormon 8:14.)
But we do not know what happened to him after he deposited the plates, nor
where he wandered during those 21 years of wandering after his father's death.
Sidney B.
Sperry said, "Moroni wandered alone over this continent between the years
AD 400 and AD 420. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that he traveled
through our Utah valleys during those years and dedicated for a temple site the
spot where the Manti Temple now stands."1
Moroni
dedicated the Manti Utah Temple site. Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: "At a conference held in Ephraim,
Sanpete County, June 25, 1875, nearly all the speakers expressed their feelings
to have a temple built in Sanpete County, and gave their views as to what point
and where to build it. . . . Early on the morning of April 25, 1877, President
Brigham Young asked Brother Warren S. Snow to go with him to the Temple hill.
Brother Snow says: 'We two were alone; President Young took me to the spot
where the Temple was to stand; we went to the southeast corner, and President
Young said: 'Here is the spot where the prophet Moroni stood and dedicated this
piece of land for a Temple site and that is the reason why the location is made
here, and we can't move it from this spot; and if you and I are the only
persons that come here at high noon today, we will dedicate this ground.’”2
Moroni
dedicated the St. George Utah Temple site.
"The site for the temple at St. George was swampy, but President
Brigham Young insisted that it be built there because the spot had been
dedicated by ancient Book of Mormon prophets.”3
Moroni
also dedicated the Jackson County, Nauvoo, and Kirtland temple sites.
"William McBride, patriarch from the Richfield Utah Stake, spoke at a
prayer meeting in St. George in January 1881. After recalling many experiences
from the Nauvoo period and quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith on many issues,
Patriarch McBride referred to the Route the old Nephites took travelling to
Cumorah from the south and south west; of having to bury their tr[e]asures as
they journeyed and finally burying the Records and precious things in the Hill
Cumorah; of Moroni dedicating the Temple site of what we now call St. George,
Nauvoo, Jackson Co., Kirtland, and others we know not of as yet.”4
Moroni
clearly crossed the continent, either before or after burying the plates in New
York. Indian legends all across Northern America, too many to mention here,
speak of the visit of a lone white prophet with a beard who wandered into their
villages and taught them concerning Christ and his visit to their ancestors on
this continent.5 The legends concerning this prophet, and concerning the white
God who visited the Americas, are remarkable for their consistency across
numerous cultures. It is at least possible that the prophet who taught them was
Moroni as he wandered across North America between the Utah temple sites and
Palmyra, New York.
Moroni Teaches about Essential Gospel
Ordinances
Bestowing
the Gift of the Holy Ghost (Moroni 2:2–3). This ordinance is not optional, as
some churches believe. Wherever the Apostles went, if they found any who had
been baptized but not confirmed, they immediately laid their hands on them and
bestowed the Holy Ghost. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "Being born again
comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances."6 Elder Boyd K. Packer
said, "Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel will neither
redeem nor exalt mankind; covenants and ordinances are essential."7
Proper administration of the sacrament
(Moroni 4–5).
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks said, "In partaking of the sacrament, we can renew the
effects of our baptism. . . . The renewal of our covenants by partaking of the
sacrament should also be preceded by repentance, so we come to that sacred
ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit (2 Ne. 2:7; 3 Ne. 12:19;
D&C 59:8). Then, as we renew our baptismal covenants and affirm that we
will ‘always remember him' (D&C 59:8), the Lord will renew the promised
remission of our sins, under the conditions and at the time he chooses. . . .
Out of the seemingly small act of consciously and reverently renewing our
baptismal covenants comes a renewal of the blessings of baptism by water and by
the Spirit, that we may always have his Spirit to be with us. In this way all
of us will be guided, and in this way all of us can be cleansed."8
MORONI
TEACHES CONCERNING CHURCH PRACTICES
Fellowshipping New Converts
Fellowshipping
new members (Moroni 6:4). They were numbered among the members and their names
were taken. They were then nourished by the good word of God.
President
Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Any convert whose faith cold is a tragedy. Any member
who falls into inactivity is a matter for serious concern. Christ left the ninety and nine to find the
last sheep. His concern for the dropout
was so serious that He made it the theme of one of His great lessons. We must constantly keep Church officers and
the membership aware of the tremendous obligation to fellowship in a very real and
warm and wonderful way those who come into the Church as converts, and to reach
out with love to those who for one reason or another step into the shadows of
inactivity."9
"With
the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly
substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them
needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with `the good
word of God."10
Focusing on Christ and His Atonement
Christ is
the author and finisher of our faith (Moroni 6:4). Whether we are new members
or are well along in our journey toward exaltation, Moroni said we must all
learn to "rely . . . alone upon the merits of Christ."
The
"Author" of Our Faith:
McConkie and Millet said: "In some translations of the Bible this
term author is translated as captain. Our Savior is indeed the captain of our
salvation and the prime mover of our faith and the source of all righteousness.
Another word for author is father. Jesus is truly the father or author of the
salvation of all who come unto him and are 'born again' and thus become his
children. (Compare Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 12:2)"
The
"Finisher" of Our Faith: No
one can return to the presence of God by virtue of his own works, but only when
he relies on the merits of Christ and remains faithful to the Savior unto the
end of his life. McConkie and Millet said: "Christ is the finisher of our
faith in that, through our faith in him, he perfects our faith and perfects us.
Through his grace we are saved or, in other words, spiritually finished as to
immortality and eternal life. It is upon Christ and his infinite atonement that
we should focus our hearts, minds, and strength. He is [the one whom]. . .the
scriptures command us to consider as 'the end of your salvation' (D&C
46:7)."11
Conducting Church Meetings
The
Church "did meet together oft" (Moroni 6:5–6).
To
"partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus."
President Spencer W. Kimball said, "We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be
entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is
an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit,
if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do so by
attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the
beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No
one can worship for you."12
Church Discipline of Transgressors
Treatment
of sinners in the Church (Moroni 6:7–8).
Church
courts and the policies that govern them serve three general purposes:
— To protect the sacred name of the Church
— To clear the name of the innocent who are
falsely accused
— To provide an opportunity for the guilty to
repent.
Ronald E.
Poelman said, "Church discipline . . . is not for the purpose of
punishment only, but is intended to heal and renew."13
Notes:
1. Book of Mormon Compendium, 21.
2. Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball
[1945], 436.
3. Statement by David H. Cannon, Jr., Oct. 14,
1942, quoted in Kirk M. Curtis, History of the St. George Temple [Master's
thesis, Brigham Young University, 1964], 24–25; In Daniel H. Ludlow, ed.,
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. [1992] 1452.
4. Diary of Charles Lowell Walker,,2:525-526; in
Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Fourth Nephi through Moroni:
From Zion to Destruction [BYU Religious Studies Center, 1995], 244.
5. See for example L. Taylor Hansen, He Walked
the Americas [Amherst Press, 1963].
6. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel.
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 162.
7. In Conference Report, October 1984, 105.
8. Ensign, November 1996, 61.
9. Church News, 8 April 1989, 6.
10. In Conference Report, April 1997, 66; or
Ensign, May 1997, 47.
11. Reynolds & Sjodahl, Doctrinal Commentary
on the Book of Mormon, 4 vols., 4:330.
12. "The Sabbath—A Delight," Ensign,
Jan. 1978, 4–5.
13. Ensign, November 1993, 85.
