In my Book of Mormon daily study I’m in
Even before Lamoni and his family and household converted to the gospel, Ammon already showed them the greatest love and respect. As I was reading this time, Ammon struck me as an amazing example of fealty at its noblest, of pledging one’s life to the service and desires of a royal (and hopefully just) man. As I thought about that, it seems like that’s a really cool way to look at how we should treat everyone—we should give them fealty as sons and daughters of God, as people with a divine and royal birthright. Not fealty in the sense of swearing an oath to do whatever the people around us might order us to do, but fealty in the sense of respect and recognition of worth—respecting and recognizing each person around us as the king or queen their divine inheritance gives them potential to be. Whether an emaciated street cripple or a prime minister, all of us are children of royalty. Thinking that way makes it easier to understand why the worth of each soul is great in the sight of God (D&C
3 comments:
Absolutely. I think there's a reason why "I am a Child of God" is so powerful--a lullaby I intend to always sing, because the message embodies the foundational truths of our personality and relationship with God. In a world where validation is scarce and people grasp for whatever they can that makes them feel good (be it drugs, alcohol, adultery, new cars, boats, toys, etc.), it's key to me that I treat people with the honor and respect they deserve. That they know that as children of God they do indeed deserve that, they can get such validation from Him...I've found that reading one's patriarchal blessing is a sure way to feel that inheritance and validation as a child of royalty, capable of great things. I hope that more people would be willing to pull that out and read it when they need such validation--reading about the Atonement is another one, "greater love hath no man than this, than he layeth his life down for his friends...*Ye* are my friends."
This has always been a favorite passage for me too. It's Ammon's willingness to hand over his whole life (not to die -- his living life) to the king that touches me. We do the same thing in the temple of course. We tell God, "It's all yours, my life. Do what you want with it. Help me to figure out what you want." It's powerful.
I've always found it interesting to see how SCA people get all misty about "swearing fealty to the king" even though it's just grown-up geek pretending. There's some deep archetypical thing inside of us that's touched by the idea.
On the other hand, there are plenty of lessons from secular history with refrerence to the misuse of this deep instinct. The lesson being of course, Watch out what kings you swear fealty to -- lots of them don't deserve it. (I think it's one of the things C. S. Lewis is getting at in _That Hideous Strength_ [written, after all, when Hitler was still in power] in that
scene where Jane Studdock finally meets Ransom and thinks of King Solomon and feels a rush of awe [and maybe a little lust]. He can see what's happening in her face and tells her, "Don't do that!")
The king-and-retainer archetype is powerful stuff, all right.
That's my slightly off-angle version of my reaction to the passage with Lamoni and Ammon.
Love,
Mom
You were actually the first person I thought of, Mom, when I started looking at that passage in terms of fealty. When I was little, I never really got the notion of fealty, it always seemed kinda hand-your-mind-over-ish and stupid. Talking the whole idea over with you was what first got to start appreciating that, at heart, it's a noble impulse, to want to dedicate your whole being to something bigger than yourself--like we do in the temple, like you said. And in a way that, in the gospel context, focuses on our own divine inheritance and potential, like you said, Kristy--rather than being as humiliating and abasing as most human sires.
Ah, the benefits of being a medievalist's son. Whose comments were not at all off-angle, by the by--at least in my completely biased I-love-my-mom eyes. :)
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