Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte
Alma concludes by teaching Corianton that we are our own judges and that our happiness or misery in the next life is contingent on our actions in this life. Alma taught, "and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil" (Alma 41:7). Often when we thing of the final judgment, we think of God determining our eternal fate and assigning us to a kingdom of glory. In truth, we are our own judges and self-select based on what we desire most. If we have come to truly desire righteousness, we will be most comfortable among the righteous in the presence of God. If have desired unrighteousness, we will shrink from God's presence, and will be more at home away from the searing glory of God. In fact, Alma specifically warned his son Corianton "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness " (Alma