Fly Your Title of Liberty

We are warned by the Savior: "Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6.) At times, therefore, silence is the appropriate response, and we must keep our pearls in our pockets. But the Spirit may move us to make a stand when the circumstances merit one, and then we must be willing to fly our titles of liberty.

In a critical moment in Nephite history, Amulickiah threatened to destroy the freedom established by King Mosiah. His flattery had even succeeded in causing many to dissent from the Church in support of his values and plans. Mormon said of this period, "Thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi EXCEEDINGLY PRECARIOUS AND DANGEROUS." (Alma 46:7.) Mormon then drew the conclusion, "We also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men." (Alma 46:9.)

If Lucifer can wreak havoc through the influence of "one very wicked man," cannot the Lord, in turn, promote great righteousness through the influence of one very good man? Amalickiah's foil at this period is Captain Moroni. Seeing the growing strength of Amalickiah, "he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it--In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children--and he fastened it upon the end of a pole...He went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, THAT ALL MIGHT SEE THE WRITING WHICH HE HAD WRITTEN,...crying...Whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, LET THEM COME FORTH...And...when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, THE PEOPLE CAME RUNNING." (Alma 46:12, 19-21.)

Spiritually speaking, we live in a "precarious and dangerous" time also. Our values, standards, ethics, morals, and programs are often mocked, debunked, or ignored by the world. In such times it is often difficult to write our beliefs on our coats and wave them before the world. But there are times when our own personal titles of liberty must be waved if we are to survive our own precarious era.

Lucifer's mist in such times is the fear that we are alone in our beliefs. When we wave our titles, will anyone rally around us, as did Moroni's people? What if they don't come running to our support? That is the chance we must take, but defeat is assured if someone does not stand up. Often we will be surprised at how many share our values but lack the courage to wave their own titles.

Michael Wilcox