God Gathers, The Devil Divides
By: Nat Tucker
Tags: Social, Divisiveness, God, Religious, Unity

And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them.

from the Book of Mormon, Helaman 10:2

The rising sun

The Family of Mankind

I believe in a life that extends before and after our time on Earth. I believe in a God who is our Heavenly Father, the Father of all people who have lived, do live, and will yet live. It follows, and is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, numerous other faiths, and even some secular groups, that we, all humankind, are members of one colossal family.

The belief that we are all brothers and sisters has the power to transform us inside and out, shaping our thoughts, feelings, and actions. I am not talking about one of those beliefs that we read on Sunday or religious holidays but fail to remember during the week or the rest of the year. This needs to be something that we feel and know deep within our soul, something that we remember every single day.

I believe that so many faiths and secular groups or institutions gravitate toward this “family of mankind” concept because it truly is that important and powerful. I will admit less familiarity than I would like with other religions’ foundational texts, so I point to the New Testament as the evidence most personal to me, specifically Matthew 22:36–39.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Two other instances with almost the same exact wording are found in the gospels of Mark and Luke. In Mark, the King James version of the Bible states the question as “Which is the first commandment of all?” In Luke, the question is “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” and the parable of the Good Samaritan clarifies that “thy neighbour” means anyone and everyone.

The great two commandments, the first and second commandments of all, the commandments to follow that one may inherit eternal life. How many ways does Christ need to give it to us? Love toward God and our brothers and sisters is paramount to everything, forming the core of Christianity and many other religions and ideologies the world over.

A Sea of Libraries

Now, more than any other time in the history of the world, people have access to massive amounts of information. This is both wonderful and terrible if we do not approach that information with care. There are so many words from so many sources that we are adrift in a sea of libraries into which anyone can drop their own mess of words.

With so much variation of thought, we risk drifting apart, each to our own little raft of information and ideas in this sea. Diversity of thoughts and opinions is most certainly an invaluable asset to humanity, but we must be wary of division, a “disagreement between two or more groups, typically producing tension or hostility” (definition 2 from Oxford Languages through Google). Our diversity does not have to divide us, and yet many seem to conflate these two concepts.

Some sources of information seek only to drive wedges between us and our brothers and sisters. Books, news broadcasts, and social media posts from politicians, pundits, and just your everyday anger-filled people can so easily succeed in demolishing bridges of common ground and erecting walls of fear and misunderstanding. Division is their primary goal because the divided are weak and easily used. They speak always in terms of competition rather than cooperation, a sharp distinction between “us” and “them.” If there is mention of unity, then it is only couched in a rallying cry against an enemy who threatens our very way of life.

As the verse of scripture from the top of this page reads, “there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways” (emphasis added). This division and anger that we see in the world today is not a new problem. It is, however, more accessible through the vast sea of libraries. We live in a storm of words from all directions, and we can be drowned in the depths if we do not watch and protect ourselves from divisive narratives.

Division, hatred, fear, and misunderstanding are all tools of Satan or the Devil in Christianity, and they are certainly recognized as negative by just about anyone. When we see these rough patches in the sea of libraries, let us all, myself included, strive to avoid them like the whirlpools and storms of negativity that we should all easily recognize them to be.

God Gathers, The Devil Divides

We have a choice. I do not believe that every choice is all or nothing, a binary with no going back, but our choices are ever important and have very real consequences for ourselves and others.

We may choose to gather together as children of God, in unity and love despite our differences, as brothers and sisters of the human race. This path, if we stick to it, can lead us to right so many wrongs of the past, to a present that makes us glad to be alive, and to a future that is brighter every single day. We will rejoice together in this life and the next.

We may choose to divide, go our individual ways, and care not what happens to our neighbor. This path, if we do not leave it as soon as we can, leads us to contentious clashes with our fellow man and ends with our brothers and sisters corpses laying in a nearby field, their blood on our hands. We will attempt and fail to excuse ourselves from the condemnation of God and our own conscience as Cain did asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).

Most of us are not too far down the path of division to make the choice today to turn to love and to unify. Most of us are not too far down the path of unity to make the choice today to turn to apathy and to divide. It is a choice, or rather many choices, that we have to make every day to work our way farther down the path toward the best us and the best world we can make.

Just Try, Brothers and Sisters

Of course, nothing is ever as ideal as our hopes and dreams, and it can often be disheartening to think of ideal love and unity when there is so much hatred and division in the world. I again plead with each of us to try. I do not know your individual path, what exactly you must do, or even all that I must do throughout my life to embrace and share love and unity. It is easier for some than others to be motivated by love, to act in love, but I believe there is some good in everyone. There is a spark of love and light in every heart if we choose to nurture it instead of snuff it out.

I do not pretend to know everything. I do not pretend to be wise. I am as deeply irrational and emotional as anyone. You can ignore me, but please listen to whatever light and goodness you have in your life.

For if we do not listen to the great lessons of love and unity preached by gods, angels, women, and men that we claim to believe in and follow, the central tenets of our faiths, then what hope is there for us as individuals, communities, nations, or a world?

And it came to pass that they would not hearken unto his words; and there began to be contentions, insomuch that they were divided against themselves and began to slay one another with the sword.

from Helaman 10:18

The setting sun

Pictures were taken by and owned by me. Any words not quoted from the Book of Mormon, Bible (King James Version), or Oxford Languages (provided through Google) are wholly my own and are not endorsed or approved by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any other organization I may have mentioned or with which I am associated.