As a part of the class discussion in Book of Mormon, we talked quite a bit on Alma 36. This chapter is an example of Chiastic writing. It is designed to point toward a main topic in the middle of the text and fade back to the points at the beginning as the text goes on. This is quite an advanced form of writing and could definitely not be done by a boy who has a 3rd grade education level such as Joseph Smith. This goes to show that Joseph Smith merely translated the plates and could not have conjured them given his education level.
I wanted to share a story of a friend that is dear to me. For animosity, I will refer to my friend as Bill. Bill is perhaps the best person I know. He is extremely kind and very generous. There are many occasions where I think to myself that I should aspire to be more like Bill and less like myself. Bill is not perfect though. It pains me to see my friend Bill suffer with the consequences of his sins. Without going into details, I would like to share that my good friend Bill rests in the back of my mind while I read through Alma 36. I have heard Bill tell stories that pull at the fibers of my heart and to see the pain he goes through makes me want to weep. I want so badly to help and do everything I can to help Bill. What makes me happy about Bill’s experience is that he meets with the bishop often and works every day to become a better person. I am excited for Bill to progress and have happiness as Alma did when he exclaimed “My soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain” I love Bill and want nothing more than to see the happiness he could have from following Alma’s path and actively seeks to become a better person.
No comments:
Post a Comment