Moroni 9

This is Mormon's last letter to Moroni. Whether Mormon and Moroni meet again, we do not know. In this chapter, Mormon talks about how far Nephites have sunk. He describes them as angry, without love, blood thirsty, murderers, like wild beasts, depraved, without order, without mercy, perverted, brutal, without principle, and past feeling. The greatest sign of their brutality is their killing men and then feeding the women the flesh of their own husbands and fathers. They too are eating the flesh of the Lamanites. They are raping and then torturing the women until they die.

There are two key phrases in this chapter to me. One is Mormon's encouragement to Moroni where he says, "notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God." In spite of how terrible things are, they are not going to quit. I can't imagine a better example of enduring to the end, not just for the Nephite's sake, but for themselves also. Regardless if Satan has won the hearts of the people, Mormon is not going allow any kind of a victory by Satan in his own life.

The other statement by Mormon comes in his description of the Nephites raping the Lamanite women. He says that they deprived them "of that which is most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue." If morality is more dear and precious than anything else in a person's life, this is probably why Alma said that sexual impurity and immorality "are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost." President Kimball said chastity is "our most valuable possession... dear and precious above all things." As the Savior said, a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, and a bad tree can't bring forth good fruit. Immorality has never brought forth good fruit. It has destroyed families, individuals and nations. Like drugs, immorality sets people in motion on paths they would not have chosen in hindsight. There is more involved than just an expression of love in physical relationships. I have seen too much of what immorality has done to people's lives. It is far better to be on the moral path, or to put one's self back on it if necessary, than to allow the festering addictions of immorality to rule one's life and take them to places they would not have chosen.

On the other hand, moral and chaste living brings self control which in turn brings personal strength and peace. It brings a level of intelligence, sensitivity, and empathy not otherwise possible. As one lives a more chaste life, the influence of the Holy Ghost is more easily recognized and felt, leading to a greater understanding of true principles and wisdom. In the end, you experience more miracles, greater faith, and perhaps more important than anything else, you experience what deep and abiding love truly is, something that is far deeper and more meaningful than the love portrayed by the world today.