As I'm reading through The Book of Mormon, I find many instances of peer pressure. Whether it's with Laman and Lemuel and the children of Ishmael or if it's with King Noah and his priests, pressure to act as (or because) others do is ever present.
While I've recently been reading through the middle of Mosiah, I have come upon the chapters with Abinidi. Abinidi was a great prophet in The Book of Mormon. He was not afraid of the gospel of Christ. He stood firm in his faith to the end of his life. He acted on what the spirit told him to do. He lived a righteous life. Abinidi was a great example of the type of person we should strive to become. His life most definitely was NOT easy. Do you think it was easy to know that he most likely was going to be killed for trying to do what was right? I don't. It's not easy for us in our lives either. There are temptations on every side trying to get us to leave a Heavenly Father and Savior that we love. We must stand strong and firm in our beliefs, no matter how hard the temptations may be.
An aside here... This reminds me of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis was a fantastic author and Christian. If you haven't read this book, I would suggest so doing. It truly opened my eyes to see how much Satan is trying to tempt us and in what small and simple ways.
I see many of these same principles in The Book of Mormon. After Abinidi told wicked King Noah and his priests that he could not touch him without being killed, they believed him and left hime alone. At this point, Abinidi expounded unto them the basic principles of the gospel. He let them know how they should and could change their lives from lives of selfishness and idolatry to lives of happiness and righteousness. For better or worse, King Noah and his priests listened to what Abinidi had to say.
Once Abinidi was finished, they bound him and cast him into prison. After three days, they told him that he would be put to death for saying that God was going to come on the earth. (Apparently, they didn't believe in freedom of speech or freedom of religion at the time... unless, of course, it benefited themselves.) Abinidi would not back down. He would not recant what he had said, all along knowing in his heart this would most likely mean death.
Now, I know that King Noah was a wicked man. But, I truly believe that he wanted to allow Abinidi to live. This is evidenced in verse 11 in Chapter 17: "And now King Noah was about to release him, for he feared the judgments of God would come upon him." He believed what Abinidi had said, even if he chose not to act on it. He believed it and feared it so much so that he was willing to release Abinidi. Here's where the peer pressure comes in...
"But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain. And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death." (verses 11-12)
Misery loves company and King Noah has it in spades with his priests. He allowed his priests to make up his mind for him. Was he trying to please God or man? The answer is obvious.
But, I ask myself... am I trying to please God or man? What is the purpose in my actions? Do I let myself get talked into believing or doing something I know is contrary to the gospel because the media or my friend says so? We must watch ourselves, our thoughts, our actions, and our deeds always. (see Mosiah 4:30) We must be cognizant of those inconspicuous, conniving, duplicitous temptations that Satan plants into our minds... be mindful in order to throw them out.
