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This devotional address, entitled, Protect Our Homes, Renew Our Powers, was given on April 5th of 2005 by Shirley

R. Klein, then a BYU associate professor of family life.

Brothers and sisters, I love the Book of Mormon.

I first read it from cover to cover the summer that I turned 13.

There was a lot I didn't understand exactly, but I remember distinctly that I did not enjoy the descriptions about the wars.

Since then, I have read the book many times. Usually I have skimmed the parts

about the wars, especially the lengthy section in the last 20 chapters of Alma. I have wondered,

why does someone like me need to know all of this detail about the wars between the

Lamanites and Nephites? This past year, as I taught the 16 and 17-year-old

Sunday school class, we came once again to Mormon's account of these fierce wars. This time when I

studied, I came across Mormon's map by BYU Professor Emeritus John Sorenson and decided to follow

Mormon's descriptions of the geography

of the wars. As I did so, I noticed several important patterns. First, the wars were between the

people who were either for or against the kingdom of God. Second, the enemy attacked the edges

before the main center of Zahimla was finally captured. Third, the enemy attacked the edges before the main center of Zahrahemla was finally captured.

Third, the attacks were unrelenting over a period of time.

Also, dissenters from within the Nephites were most effective in helping the enemy succeed.

And finally, the attacks initially gave the Nephites a cause, but eventually they lost

sight of their goals. Why did Mormon include this long history of warfare at this important

time just before the Savior's birth and subsequent appearance on the American continent?

...