User:BenBeckstromBYU/sandboxViolenceinBoM
According to John W. Welch, "John L. Sorenson has identified approximately one hundred instances of armed conflict in the Book of Mormon." The Book of Mormon also contains depictions of violence ranging from physical beatings to genocides. About ten percent of the volume is occupied with the Amalickiahite wars alone. Violent acts depicted in the Book of Mormon include extrajudicial killing, murder, genocide, sexual assault, cannibalism, execution, and war, among other categories. The Latter-day Saint Movement contains a diversity of approaches to interpreting this content. Modern impact of BoM violence https://muse.jhu.edu/article/881744/pdf
Definition
Narrative
First and Second Nephi
Destruction of Jerusalem
Laban
Laman and Lemuel
Lehi Death Threats
War in Promised Land
Jacob, Enos, Jarom, and Omni
Words of Mormon and Mosiah
Alma
Helaman
Third and Fourth Nephi
Mormon and Moroni
Ether
Interpretation
Significantly different readings of the Book of Mormon's take on violence have been propounded in a variety of venues. It has also proved to be a key point of differentiation among the churches who use the book.
Atonement Theory
Nathan B. Oman's essay "'Standing Betwixt Them and Justice': War And Atonement in the Book of Mormon" argues that Abinadi and Mormon present an "inversion of the ideology of holy war," particularly in the context of atonement theories. For Oman, the "arc" of the volume's "attitude towards holy war" is illustrated in both Abinadi's sermon in Mosiah 15, which is preceded by a war between Zeniff's people and the Lamanites, and by the "mature writings" of Mormon during the twilight of Nephite civilization. Oman thus evaluates the evolving concept of Christ as a defending warrior, and concludes that it was an early Nephite point of view that Mormon implicitly rejected while maintaining the concept of Christ as deliverer.
Extremism?
Heroism
Human Condition
Just War
Pacifism
Pride
We're gonna have a MONSTER of an interpretation section. The debate between what I've mentally labeled as the 'Hawks' (Sorenson, Reynolds, among others) and the 'Doves' (Nibley, England, etc) is gonna be significant.
Off the top of my head, we start off: -Nephi beaten by Laman and Lemuel -Laban and Nephi -Conflict re and on boat -WoM "wars"-Mosiah through 3rd Nephi-Mormon-Ether-Criticism-apologetics-etc
http://www.cocsermons.net/zions_advocate/Zions_Advocate_2002_01_January.pdf Church of Christ (Temple Lot) pride and war
Consult Violence in the Bible and Mormonism and Violence as guide.
https://eugeneengland.org/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/1982_e_001.pdf
Is Duane Boyce a reliable author
The Book of Mormon and The American Revolution by Richard Bushman has an interesting perspective on how tyranny, once established, is expected to have deliverance, not revolution. Stephen D. Ricks "Holy War": Sacral ideology of war
Brant Gardner has an excellent look at Laban in Second Witness I pp119-121
John Tvedtnes Sons of Mosiah Emissaries of Peace
John Welch "Why Study Warfare..." quotes Sorenson as having IDed 100 wars
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2324&context=byusq
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5890&context=facpub
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/2733972.pdf
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3273&context=facpub
https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/20%20The%20Atonement.pdf