Riff This Vibe

This is the case of Paanchi from Helaman 1:7 . Was Paanchi guilty of insurrection? Is insurrection or rebellion ever the correct course of action? There has been a lot of talk about insurrection in the USA since January 2021, so this story and other stories in the Book of Mormon are very relevant. While the Book of Mormon' s main purpose is to bring us closer to Jesus Christ, can we do that withou...

Today topic is so crucial to the survival of our nation and to the well-being of individuals, but it is hard to get excited about it. Our topic is religious freedom. Today's Book of Mormon verse is Alma 30:7 and if you don't like being told what to believe, you'll like this verse. But there's more to religious freedom than the freedom to just believe. That's because for most pe...

What is the greatest threat to the survival of any nation? What does this threat have to do with the parable of wheat and tares or to the Book of Mormon? See Helaman 2:13

It's great to have friends in high places unless your friend is a wicked king. You don't really want the perks he's giving out because they're probably going to come back and bite you in the end. King Mosiah in The Book of Mormon convinced his people to upgrade their government to a system of judges, which gave them more freedom. But what does having more freedom mean for the citiz...

Today we're talking about how much a leader can influence the people he or she leads. I cite Mosiah 29:40 from the Book of Mormon, which tells of a truly great king, and describes why he's held in such high esteem. There are lessons for our day in that single verse, but also in contemplating one of the Savior's parables in Luke 16 and how it relates to the moral agency we have to choos...

Have you ever thought about your own voice? Not how it sounds when you speak or sing, but how important it is for your ideas, experience, and questions to be part of the conversation? How have you used your voice to influence the world? How reflective of your voice is your government? Which comes first, morally sound people, or morally sound government? The Book of Mormon highlights the crucial na...

We all know about consequences, but this episode takes a closer look at the role understanding consequences plays in our decision making process. The concepts of intent and legal minimums are also mentioned. For more information study Alma 41:3

There is a lot of anger in society. Last week an angry man took the innocent life of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. This episode explains a better way to handle social conflict and asks the questions, what are the purposes of law and government? Does The Book of Mormon and do other scriptures help us navigate injustice and unfairness on a societal level? See Doctrine & Covenants 134:2...

The need for an Infinite Atonement performed on our behalf by an innocent godly being, Jesus Christ, comes from the eternal nature of laws and the necessity of penalties for broken laws. But there is another law that is required for God's plan to fully work in our favor. That is the law of agency. But it's not just agency, or the ability to freely choose, it is moral agency. Here are some...

What is the law of atonement when it comes to Jesus Christ and God's plan for the salvation of humanity? Why was it necessary? Couldn't God have planned a different way to accomplish His purposes? Here's a starting point for more study on this topic from 2 Nephi chapter 2 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng&id=p7#p7

This story is too deep for just one episode. This episode recaps the legality of Nephi's actions, but more importantly opens the door to an entirely new understanding of the story as it relates to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Why would God command Nephi, an innocent teenager, to kill a defenseless Laban? Why is this story in the beginning of the Book of Mormon? What is the point? To ponder a key verse from this story see https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/4?lang=eng&id=p10#p10

Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian takeover in 587 BC could be describes as sour grapes. This episode focuses on why we break covenants. See 1 Nephi 1:19-20 to find out how covenant breakers react to prophetic warnings. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/1?lang=eng&id=p19#p19

1) Do you see the need for us to have a record of the stories of how people forget or remember God? 2) Can you see the benefit of learning how God deals with his people to help them remember their covenants by sending prophets to teach, remind, and warn people about the consequences of breaking covenants with God? 3) Is there some aspect of society or some personal hardship that is making it diffi...

How important are promises and promise keepers? How important are the details or terms of the promise? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is a real person and that he has invited or wants to invite you into a covenant partnership with him? Does it make sense that this covenant relationship is governed by laws? Do you believe that God will keep His end of the covenant? Title Page of the Book of Mormo...

How to riff a vibe and why you might want to try it.