28 Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors.
29 Now, among those who joined the people of the Lord, there were none who were Amalekites or Amulonites, or who were of the order of Nehor, but they were actual descendants of Laman and Lemuel.
30 And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things.
This is very interesting. The most hateful and murderous of the attackers were Amalekites and Amulonites, the majority of which were of the faith of Nehor. And thus we get to the root cause of the matter. For surely it was those Nehorites who instigated the rebellion to begin with.
I need to find that quote from brother Joseph wherein he stated that the most dangerous of all men are those who believe they are serving God, but are actually serving the devil. Such was the case with the Nehors, who thought they were justified in forcing their beliefs on others, and even killing those who disagree with them.
Not one of the Amalekites or Amulonites joined the people of God, nor one of the Nehors, who were the majority of those so hardened. And Mormon actually tells us the reason why! Because they were direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel, and thus having once been enlightened by the Spirit of God, they were more hardened and darkened for having rejected the truth.
The lesson and warning to us as members of the Church is that we must be careful to not be overcome by the devil, because if we fail to be true to the light we have received it would have been better for us if we had never known the truth. We will be even more darkened and miserable and in captivity to the devil. We have seen this in our early church history, as the most bitter enemies of the church were those who were once enlightened by the truth and then rejected it.
Now the curious thing is this. The more hardened people were direct blood descendants of Laman and Lemuel, who had once been enlightened by the truth and then rejected it. However, those direct Lamanites descendants were born many generations after Laman and Lemuel. They had never been taught the truth in their lifetime. This is about 100 years BC, so it has been about 500 years since Laman and Lemuel, so enlightened, had been on the earth. So how could their children, 500 years later, suffer because of the choices of their forefathers?
As it says,
“And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things.”
I understand how someone, individually and personally, is hardened more after having once been enlightened and than rejecting the truth. But these descendants of Laman and Lemuel never had the truth in their lifetime. Well, actually that’s not true! They had been taught by Ammon and his brethren and even their own king. So they were taught. But they were more hardened to begin with because of being direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel. But what about the other Lamanites among them who were not direct direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel? They were taught the same false traditions as the direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel. Why didn’t they harden their hearts as much as the blood Lamanites? Was it a generational curse? Like that which we read about in scripture, unto the third and fourth generations?
I do not know. But there is obviously some connection related to being literal (meaning blood) descendants of those who had turned from the truth. And perhaps in other ways as well. We know that physiological genetic weaknesses can be passed down from generation to generation. Is it possible that other weaknesses could be passed down? Such as emotional weaknesses? Weaknesses of character? Spiritual weaknesses? intellectual?
There are those who believe so. And there have been scientific experiments that actually bear this out. One I recall had to do with mice. They would electrically shock mice whenever they introduced the smell of cherry blossoms, causing an automatic fear reaction in the mice.
They then took the offspring of those mice, who had never been treated in such a way, and whenever they exposed the next generation to just the scent of cherry blossom, the mice reacted with panic and extreme fear and anxiety. Succeeding generations all reacted the same way. So is it possible negative emotions and and thoughts and ideas and beliefs, on a subconscious level, could be passed down from generation to generation? And could not these types of genetic inheritances be called a curse?
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24677-fear-of-a-smell-can-be-passed-down-several-generations/
Something to think about.
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Additional note:
A good friend read this note, and asked an excellent question, as follows:
“Alma 24:28-30
It’s where when one has been enlightened by the spirit and then turned away, they were more hardened and darkened.
You explained it so well and I was fascinated with the idea of emotional, spiritual and intellectual weaknesses, also possibly weakness of character being passed down from generation to generation. I certain that it happens.
My question is, if I was one of those people who had ancestors who had been enlightened by the spirt but turned away and became dark, and those flaws were now part of me because of being passed down generation to generation, how would that be fair in my own judgement if I started out cursed in some way? It seems like a real disadvantage doesn’t it? I’m punished for my own transgressions, not for Adams.
My compassion level for those people who just had hardened hearts because of a ancestry is huge. Im worried about them! Am I thinking correctly?
The question forced me to think deeper about my notes, and how and why those Lamanites who were direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel were at a greater disadvantage than those who were not. While I still feel that the answer is deeper, our conversation may have shed a little more light on the subject. At least from the perspective of those of us who have seemingly inherited challenges from our progenitors. The following are some speculative replies.
“Those are very good questions! And I don’t know that I have the answer to any of them! LOL. I remember when I was making those notes- which were really just thinking out loud… or rather thinking on paper… and I was thinking, “Oh boy… not sure these unsubstantiated, speculative thoughts should be published! And there ya go, bringing it up! Lol.
“Frankly I don’t get any of it! I am with you- that I answer for my own sins, and not for Adam’s transgressions. But how is that reconciled with curses passed down to the 3rd and 4th generations, as we are told in scripture? And how is that reconciled with the curse that followed the Lamanites who were born after Laman and Lemuel, and who had no choice but to be raised in the false, hateful traditions of their fathers? I’m not sure I know. That’s why my comments were so speculative in that note, because I have the same questions that you have.
“The only thing that I can liken it to is how we either bless or curse (as it were) our children, depending on how we raise them. It seems to me that that is part of agency as well. We not only answer for our own sins, but the sins of our children if we fail to teach them correct principles. Right? Sins of the children on the heads of parents if we do not teach them faith and repentance and right and wrong by the age of 8. So, if we have the power to bless our children, do we not also have the power to curse them by teaching them false traditions, or neglecting to teach them the truth? And if they suffer because of our neglect or misuse of agency, or false teachings or bad examples—even though the sin is upon US— do THEY not suffer the consequence of our sins? It seems to me they surely do. Will they ultimately be held accountable? Only according to the degree of their knowledge of the truth. That’s why the wicked Lamanites were allowed to survive, and the wicked Nephites were destroyed. The Lord had mercy on them because to a degree they sinned ignorantly because of the false traditions of their fathers. So, I guess the bottom line may be that our children can suffer because of our choices, and in that sense it is a curse, but ultimately the sins, at least in degree, will be answered upon the heads of the fathers. Does that make sense? Do we not truly bless or curse our posterity with the legacy we leave them? Is that fair?
I don’t know. I guess in God’s eyes it’s all part of our learning and growing process, and things only become completely fair at the judgment day when everything will be weighed out and balanced with justice and mercy, and we receive our just reward. Is it fair that people are mistreated and abused, and then suffer their entire lives because of the choices of others? Perhaps not. But if anything, this life is not fair. This life is a free-for-all, where we all can do whatever we choose with our agency. We can choose to be our brother’s keeper, or our brother’s weeper. And if we teach our children wrong, they will suffer because of it. So perhaps in that sense our children can be cursed because of the fathers. But perhaps its not the Lord’s curse! Sadly, perhaps it is our own! I have always assumed that the generational curse to the third and fourth generations spoken of in scripture was a curse from God! How unfair of me to put that upon Him! Perhaps it is unto the third and fourth generations— perhaps— is because God in his tender mercy sends someone into that family at the third or fourth generation to break the chain. Does God do that as a matter of practice? Send someone into a family to genetically wipe the slate clean for that family line? I don’t know. Perhaps. And is so, does that person always succeed? And even if he succeeds, is it not possible his posterity will return to the curse of his fathers and perpetuate it?
“But, there is good news! We can, with wise use of our agency And repentance, and the Gospel and the Priesthood and Temple ordinances, break the cursed chain. By our redemption through Christ, we have the power to stop the curse, and to help heal BOTH the roots and branches of our family trees. Isn’t that amazing and wonderful? Truman Madsen spoke to this very thing in a talk he gave. I will try to find his quote. Truly, we can bless or curse- not only ourselves, but others. Especially our family line.
I then shared the following quotes and talk from an article on the web:
“[F]orgiveness is the very nature of Christ’s way. I suggest that it may be difficult to forgive your enemies, but it is even more so to forgive your loved ones. … It is harder to forgive your loved ones because you care about them and you have to go on living with them, or struggling to, and they can go on hurting you over the years and the decades. But our hearts will never turn to our fathers in the way this spirit of which we have been testifying motivates us to do unless we forgive.
“You see, we have inherited all kinds of things… [W]e willingly chose to come into the world, likely in this time and circumstance. And when a young person says to his parents in deepest animosity, “I didn’t ask to be born,” if they give the proper, prophetic answer they will say: “Oh yes, you did. You not only asked for it, you prepared for it, trained for it, were reserved for it. …”
“[T]his, I take it, is one of the profound meanings of that long, laborious allegory in the book of Jacob, the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. If you take a wild branch and graft it in to a tame one, if the branch is strong enough it will eventually corrupt and spoil the tree all the way to the roots. But if you take a tame branch and graft it into a wild tree, in due time, if that branch is strong enough, it will heal and regenerate to the very roots.[9] You will then have been an instrument in the sanctification even of your forebears. …
“To be that kind of branch and achieve that kind of transformation backward and forward is the greatest achievement of this world. But to do it… one must be linked, bound to the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Why
No matter what things you may have suffered at the hands of your family, no matter how thoughtless or faithless or even cruel they may have been to you throughout your life, if you have been privileged to receive any of the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant you are called to help save them — and this is surely a calling to which you were foreordained in the
In a former era, the Lord sent a flood to destroy unworthy lineages. In this generation, it is my faith that he has sent numerous choice individuals to help purify them. …
God actively intervenes in some destructive lineages, assigning a valiant spirit to break the chain of destructiveness in such families. Although these children may suffer innocently as victims of violence, neglect, and exploitation, through the grace of God some find the strength to [neutralize] the poison within themselves, refusing to pass it on to future generations. Before them were generations of destructive pain; after them the line flows clear and pure. Their children and children’s children will call them blessed. In suffering innocently that others might not suffer, such persons, in some degree, become as “saviors on Mount Zion”[11] by helping to bring salvation to a lineage.
Here a link to a wonderful talk by Truman Madsen where those quotes come from.
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/truman-g-madsen/elijahs-mission/
Once again, I don’t believe I have a complete understanding of these things. But at least it seems to be an explanation as to how someone can be negatively impacted by the sins of others without actually choosing the sin themselves. In other words, not being punished for Adam’s transgression. We are not punished for Adam’s transgression. For Adam’s transgression was part of the plan, and what we suffer as a result of that transgression, physical and spiritual pain and death, is part of the plan of our personal growth and testing.
Perhaps the same is true for the sins of the fathers that we suffer as a result of— like the literal descendants of Laman and Lemuel did by virtue of their blood lines. Perhaps there are literal “things” passed down from generation to generation other than just false teachings. peehaps negative emotions. Perhaps negative energies. Perhaps even curses from Satan.
Those Lamanites who were not direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel, but dwelt among them and were taught the same false teaching, did not suffer as much as far as having their hearts hardened. There must be a reason. Surely there must be something passed down through blood lines that has an impact on us, in spite of us never choosing it ourselves to begin with.
However, the good news is the good news! We can break the chains of the “curse” by choosing to rise above our inherited weaknesses. And so sanctified and cleansed by the Atonement of Christ, having forgiven others and our ancestors, we can be instruments in God’s hands in healing the roots and the branches of our family trees. And some of us have been placed on earth and in specific families for that very purpose. I believe that with all of my heart.
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