⚔️ Contending Without Contention

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⚔️ Contending Without Contention

We’ve all heard it a hundred times in Church halls and manuals: “Contention is of the devil.”
And sure enough—it is… when fueled by pride, anger, and division.

But somewhere along the way, we Latter-day Saints swallowed a softer poison: the idea that all contention is evil. That to be “nice” we must never stand up, never push back, never call out corruption, never lift our voices in defense of truth.

That’s not what Jesus did.
That’s not what the prophets did.
And that’s not what the Book of Mormon or the Nemenhah Records teach.

💡 The Spirit of Contention vs. Righteous Contending

Christ Himself declared: “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil.” (3 Nephi 11:29).

But the same Christ also sent Abinadi before wicked priests. He told Nephi and Lehi to cry repentance until prisons shook. He warned that His word divides—the narrow gate admits few (3 Nephi 14).

The difference?

🛡️ The Armor Wasn’t For Decoration

Paul told us to put on the whole armor of God.
Armor isn’t for Sunday parades—it’s for battle.

Discipleship means conflict. Not because we seek it, but because truth itself is divisive. Light always exposes darkness.

The Nemenhah prophets saw this clearly: Ayahtsuhway (the Peacemaker) never sought quarrel, yet his very presence stirred anger in those whose authority rested in robes and councils. Mohrhohnahyah warned that in the last days, we’d need to contend against the “lying priests” not with fists, but with plain words and steadfast hearts.

🌍 The Slow Stain

If we shy away from all conflict in the name of “niceness,” the stain spreads unchecked. A slow stain of falsehood creeping into Zion, darkening hearts one compromise at a time.

The Book of Mormon warns the Gentiles (that’s us) will stumble because of pride, false teachers, and secret combinations. The Nemenhah Records confirm the same—when the people will not contend against lies, the lies become law.

🕊️ Contending in Love

Here’s the key: contention must always be rooted in love.

  • Love for God’s truth.

  • Love for our neighbor’s eternal soul.

  • Love that says, “I cannot stand by while the stain spreads.”

Abinadi contended with fire, but he wept for their souls. Nephi shook the earth, but he pleaded with his people to repent.

Christ Himself, the Prince of Peace, was also the Great Contender—calm, fearless, loving, but never silent.

✝️ The Call for Us

So, no—we are not called to be quarrelsome.
But neither are we called to be doormats.

We are called to contend, but not to be contentious.
To rise up, but not to tear down.
To defend the faith, clothed in meekness, girded with truth, burning with charity.

The world may hate us for it.
Some in the Church may resist us for it.
But discipleship without contention is discipleship without Christ.

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