Canker

In a plant, a canker is a fungal disease that causes rotting.

Similarly, on human flesh, a canker is the disintegration of the tissue.

What would be a canker to our spirit? Something that eats away at our relationships, deteriorates our affections, and disintegrates our faith and trust in God?  I believe one of the biggest spiritual diseases that rots away at our soul is contention.

We just finished Alma 19 as a family. This is the part where Ammon teaches King Lamoni the gospel of Jesus Christ, redemption from sin and death, and the plan God has for His children on earth. King Lamoni feels the witness deep in his soul of everything Ammon teaches him. The king is so overjoyed with the gospel of our Savior that he collapses into a sleep of heavenly visions. But when he doesn't wake up for a while, some of the people around him begin to think Ammon must have harmed the king, that he might be dead, or that the king is under a curse because of the murders he had committed before the gospel had ever been preached to him. Whatever their ideas were, a sharp contention rose among the people as they debated back and forth. 

The arguments and fighting that stirred among the people caused one woman in the crowd to be "exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears." Her spirit was pure and humble and the angry atmosphere injured her heart. Contention is not of God and never will be. It cankers our souls and brings into our lives a deep and penetrating sorrow.  

In regards to the passages we read as a family this morning, we asked our children what they thought the cause of all the contention was, especially around an experience so sacred and spiritual for Ammon and King Lamoni.

Chandler gave a really good answer. He said, "The people started to fight hard with each other because they were trying to explain things with their own understanding. When we try to analyze miracles or spiritual experiences with our own mortal understanding, it will lead to our downfall."

(I am really proud of Chandler for that answer. He doesn't like to show a spiritual side around us but with our new way of scripture study over this past year, it has really helped him open up. And let me tell you, he can share some very profound thoughts!)

After our family study, I dug a little deeper and searched "contention" on scriptures.byu.edu and discovered a talk in 1989 by Elder Russel M. Nelson. I selected a small portion of it below:

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"Divine doctrine of the Church is the prime target of attack by the spiritually contentious. Well do I remember a friend who would routinely sow seeds of contention in Church classes. His assaults would invariably be preceded by this predictable comment: 'let me play the role of devil’s advocate.' Recently he passed away. One day he will stand before the Lord in judgment. Then, I wonder, will my friend’s predictable comment again be repeated?

Such contentious spirits are not new. In an epistle to Timothy, the Apostle Paul gave this warning, 'that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.'  1 Tim. 6:1

'If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to [his] doctrine … doting about questions and strifes of words, … supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.'  1 Tim. 6:3–5 see also  Isa. 29:21  2 Ne. 27:32  D&C 19:30  D&C 38:41  D&C 60:14

Dissecting doctrine in a controversial way in order to draw attention to oneself is not pleasing to the Lord. He declared:

'Bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.'

'And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them.'  D&C 10:62–63

Contention fosters disunity. The Book of Mormon teaches the better way:

'Alma, having authority from God, … commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.'  Mosiah 18:18, 21 see also  Mosiah 23:15" - Russel M. Nelson - April General Conference 1989 - The Canker of Contention

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MORE THAN EVER in our world today, WE NEED UNITY.  We need to come together in a spirit of gentleness, forgiveness, gratitude, in the Spirit of our Savior. Contention fosters the opposite, creates discord and disintegration of relationships, it eats away at our faith, fellowship, and family like a ulceric canker. It's an erosive disease and sows nothing but sorrow - especially the kind of contention aimed at the core doctrines of the Gospel.

“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”  3 Ne. 11:29–30