I’m beginning to build a long list of examples of what I believe to be a major theme in the Book of Mormon--light and darkness. I believe this was closely associated with faithfulness to God. You can expect to read a lot more about this over the coming weeks as I gather more and more examples, but to give a glimpse of what I mean, let’s take a look at one chapter, Alma 37.
I love this chapter for a lot of reasons. It gives us an “insider’s view” into the type of instructions that came with the sacred records.
References to “light” or "brightness" in Alma 37:
5
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The records will “retain their brightness”
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23
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“I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me”
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25
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"I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land."
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In each of these examples, “light/brightness” is associated with God’s plans for His children.
References to “dark” in Alma 37:
21
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“Works of darkness...secret works” led to destruction
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22
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“His people began to work in darkness”
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23
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“...that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations.”
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25
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"I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land."
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26
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"...their secret abominations have been brought out of darkness and made known unto us."
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27
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"...all their signs and their wonders ye shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed."
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28
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"...For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those workers of darkness..."
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30
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"...thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness and secret combinations."
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31
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"Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe."
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In all of these examples, “darkness” is associated with elements such as sin, a curse, secret abominations, and destruction.
More and more of these examples will pop out as you study. Think about the “mists of darkness” and the “white” fruit of the tree of life, for example. For me, this theme is a far more thorough and compelling explanation for the difference in the appearance of the Nephites and Lamanites, rather than the skin color theory. More about that in the near future.
