39:2-4<\/a>, Alma lists the sins of Corianton: They include:<\/p>\n\u2013 Not giving as much heed to Alma\u2019s words when among the Zoramites
\n\u2013 Boasting in his own strength & wisdom
\n\u2013 Forsaking the ministry (mentioned in both v 3 and v 4)
\n\u2013 \u201cgo[ing]\u2026after the harlot Isabel\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cthese things\u201d in v 5, therefore, could be one or all of the above. The plural suggests that it is more than one thing\u00a0 \u2014 Alma says \u201cthese things\u201d rather than \u201cthis thing,\u201d which he might have done if he meant being unchaste. However, the remainder of the chapter suggests that unchastity was not the sole concern or even major concern of Alma, because three more times Alma ranks his concerns about Corianton\u2019s behavior \u2013 and each time, it is not unchastity that tops the list.<\/p>\n
Verse 11:\u00a0Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots. Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words.<\/em><\/p>\nHere, Alma indicates the implication of Corianton\u2019s sexual sin: not that it only led him away, but that it hurt the missionary work. Corianton\u2019s lack of chastity was of concern, but not of as great concern as the impact on missionary work. Just in case we didn\u2019t get that message, Alma states it twice more, with divine endorsement:<\/p>\n
Verse 12-13:\u00a0And now the Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the hearts of many people to destruction; therefore I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your iniquities; That ye turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly; but rather return unto them, and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done.<\/em><\/p>\nNote what the Spirit of the Lord tells Alma to emphasize to his children: don\u2019t lead others away. Chastity is not what the Spirit commands Alma to command Corianton about, but rather to avoid leading others astray. Twice in these two verses Alma states that his major concern is that Corianton\u2019s conduct will \u201clead away the hearts\u201d of others. His emphasis is not about personal morality, but rather about group salvation.<\/p>\n
When reading verse 5 in its proper context of the whole chapter, Alma and the Spirit of the Lord rank the most worrisome behavior, the thing to avoid, the single most important focus, as ensuring that one does not lead others away from God.<\/p>\n
This idea is very well supported by the totality of Alma\u2019s life and teaching:\u00a0He and the four sons of Mosiah are referred to as \u201cthe very vilest of sinners,\u201d (Mosiah 28:4) not because they had committed sexual sins, but because they had led so many away from God. What sin is the most vile? It isn\u2019t sexual sin, but leading others away.\u00a0Furthermore, a few chapters earlier, Alma reminded Corianton\u2019s older brother, Helaman, that he, Alma, had \u201cmurdered many of his [God\u2019s] children, or rather led them away unto destruction.\u201d (36:14) Alma classifies his own earlier apostate teaching of others as murder, and states that because of these sins he suffered pains so severe that \u201cthere could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter\u201d (36:21). Sexual sin is very serious, but not as serious as what Alma did. This fits very closely with Alma 39:6, in which Alma states the two worst sins: denying the Holy Ghost, which is \u201cunpardonable,\u201d and murder; note that Alma then puts an interesting context for murder, suggesting the metaphorical usage that he employed with Helaman: \u201cwhosever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God,\u201d has particular trouble, \u201cit is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness; yea, I say unto you, my son, that it is not easy for him to obtain a forgiveness.\u201d The autobiographical nature of this, when juxtaposed next to Alma 36:14, is striking and clear.<\/p>\n
Thus, the whole of Alma\u2019s messages to Helaman and Corianton point out that Alma sees that the worst sin, next to murder \u2013 indeed, a form of murder \u2013 is leading others away, by words (e..g, Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni) or behavior (e.g., Corianton). The Spirit of the Lord reminds Alma to command his children about this (39:12), and so he does. The repeated stories of corruption and priestcraft \u2013 Sherem, Noah, Korihor, the Zoramites, etc., also all endorse this primacy of the sin of leading into apostasy over any other sin, even over chastity. The Book of Mormon is far more concerned about \u2013 it spends far more words, stories, and effort on \u2013 the risks of false teachers than it does teaching about the serious and real risks of sexual sin.<\/p>\n
Corianton\u2019s most major sin, then, the sin next to murder according to Alma, is not going after harlots, but rather the sin that Alma committed and spent the rest of his life making up for: leading others away from God.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[Note: In analyzing the passage describing Corianton\u2019s sins, I do not seek to undermine in any way the Church\u2019s emphasis on sexual purity. The benefits of chastity are marvelous and ineffable.] I\u2019d like to consider Alma 39:5: Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":456,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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