The Associated Press reports today that Dr. Noel Gardner testified that Brian David Mitchell, Elizabeth Smart's alleged kidnapper, has a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but he is mentally competent to stand trial. I got to thinking about this, and a comparison to Nephi came to mind.
Mitchell claims to be a prophet. He kidnapped Elizabeth Smart with the intention of making her a plural wife. In the Biblical time of Nephi, when women and children were chattel, this would be stealing -- a violation of the eighth commandment. Not common among the Jews of that time, but not unheard of in the time when there were "bride prices."
Nephi claimed to be a prophet, he tells us this in his autobiography, I Nephi. He admits that he killed Laban in cold blood (I Nephi 4; sixth commandment) so he could steal the plates of brass (eighth commandment).
With Mitchell, we have competency hearings to determine if the man is connected enough to reality to understand the charges against him. If he isn't competent, then he will be locked up in the state mental hospital until he is returned to sanity, an open ended sentence that will probably be for the rest of his life. If he is competent, then he will stand trial for kidnapping, probably be convicted, and likely spend many years in prison.
With Nephi, we deem him among the most righteous of men and revere him as a prophet, and take moral and theological counsel from his writings. We believe all of his exaggerated claims of self importance. And we consider his brothers, who had a bit of a problem with being accomplices to Nephi's crimes, as sinful and lacking in faith. Nephi's defense and justification? "God told me to do it."
Can Mitchell use this defense? Would anyone in their right minds believe him?
Should we believe Nephi?
Lets take Nephi's story to its logical conclusion. God -- the same God who created the universe, created man and woman and put them in Eden, who flooded the entire Earth, who confused the languages of men at Babel, who parted the Red Sea, provided manna for the Israelites while they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, stopped the sun in the sky for Joshua, and so on, and who also gave us the ten commandments, including "Thou shall not kill (murder)" and "Thou shall not steal" -- commanded Nephi to kill Laban and steal the brass plates -- a book of genealogical records.
What does this say about the God of the Book of Mormon? This God can't deliver the genealogical records to Nephi without sanctioning a murder? Part the Red Sea, sure, no problem. Pick up a book of brass plates and hand it to Nephi? Pretty wimpy god if you ask me. I mean, didn't God have the ability to just duplicate the genealogy for Nephi in a vision or revelation or something? Couldn't he have "softened Laban's heart?" Was a book of genealogy records for Nephi and his kith and kin so important, especially since they were leaving and wouldn't intermix with any other part of the gene pool, that it justified killing a man to get them?
And what's up with God commissioning Nephi to break God's own rules? Are the commandments just a game of "Father May I"? "Thou shall not kill... unless I tell you to." Not only is this god wimpy, but he's wishy-washy and he's got a serious integrity problem. Does the word "righteous" apply to this god? Is such a god really worthy of our worship and veneration?
Fortunately, I think Nephi probably had a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and he made up the whole story about God telling him to kill Laban to keep Laman and Lemuel and the rest of the band of thieves from turning him in to the authorities. Don't think the brothers bought the story, but Father Lehi did.
Which brings us back to the question of whether or not we should take moral or theological counsel from a confessed and unrepentant murderer, thief and liar suffering from a Personality Disorder?
None for me, thank you.
Mitchell claims to be a prophet. He kidnapped Elizabeth Smart with the intention of making her a plural wife. In the Biblical time of Nephi, when women and children were chattel, this would be stealing -- a violation of the eighth commandment. Not common among the Jews of that time, but not unheard of in the time when there were "bride prices."
Nephi claimed to be a prophet, he tells us this in his autobiography, I Nephi. He admits that he killed Laban in cold blood (I Nephi 4; sixth commandment) so he could steal the plates of brass (eighth commandment).
With Mitchell, we have competency hearings to determine if the man is connected enough to reality to understand the charges against him. If he isn't competent, then he will be locked up in the state mental hospital until he is returned to sanity, an open ended sentence that will probably be for the rest of his life. If he is competent, then he will stand trial for kidnapping, probably be convicted, and likely spend many years in prison.
With Nephi, we deem him among the most righteous of men and revere him as a prophet, and take moral and theological counsel from his writings. We believe all of his exaggerated claims of self importance. And we consider his brothers, who had a bit of a problem with being accomplices to Nephi's crimes, as sinful and lacking in faith. Nephi's defense and justification? "God told me to do it."
Can Mitchell use this defense? Would anyone in their right minds believe him?
Should we believe Nephi?
Lets take Nephi's story to its logical conclusion. God -- the same God who created the universe, created man and woman and put them in Eden, who flooded the entire Earth, who confused the languages of men at Babel, who parted the Red Sea, provided manna for the Israelites while they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, stopped the sun in the sky for Joshua, and so on, and who also gave us the ten commandments, including "Thou shall not kill (murder)" and "Thou shall not steal" -- commanded Nephi to kill Laban and steal the brass plates -- a book of genealogical records.
What does this say about the God of the Book of Mormon? This God can't deliver the genealogical records to Nephi without sanctioning a murder? Part the Red Sea, sure, no problem. Pick up a book of brass plates and hand it to Nephi? Pretty wimpy god if you ask me. I mean, didn't God have the ability to just duplicate the genealogy for Nephi in a vision or revelation or something? Couldn't he have "softened Laban's heart?" Was a book of genealogy records for Nephi and his kith and kin so important, especially since they were leaving and wouldn't intermix with any other part of the gene pool, that it justified killing a man to get them?
And what's up with God commissioning Nephi to break God's own rules? Are the commandments just a game of "Father May I"? "Thou shall not kill... unless I tell you to." Not only is this god wimpy, but he's wishy-washy and he's got a serious integrity problem. Does the word "righteous" apply to this god? Is such a god really worthy of our worship and veneration?
Fortunately, I think Nephi probably had a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and he made up the whole story about God telling him to kill Laban to keep Laman and Lemuel and the rest of the band of thieves from turning him in to the authorities. Don't think the brothers bought the story, but Father Lehi did.
Which brings us back to the question of whether or not we should take moral or theological counsel from a confessed and unrepentant murderer, thief and liar suffering from a Personality Disorder?
None for me, thank you.
Comments
That is not to say that I believe that God used what Nephi did for good-I frankly don't believe the man existed-but I do know that He can and does.
However, when we do mess up, no matter what good God makes of it, God calls us on it. There is no way God would allow this murder to be glorified. There was no repentance for Nephi-at least that I know of-and yet he is still revered. Look at Abraham or David. They both messed up-Abraham took Sarah's servant and has a son and David took Bathsheba. Both situations were sinful and messed up, God did use them for God (if I remember right the line of Jesus came from Bathsheba) but they both paid serious consequences and knew the guilt and remorse of their actions. Both men are revered today but not because of the sins they committed but for their humble repentance.
Thank you for the insight you gave into a story that was created and how it contradicts with who God really is.