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Proclaim Peace: The Restoration's Answer to an Age of Conflict
This book is a spiritual journey by two believing scholars of peace. In a world plagued by violence, Mason and Pulsipher believe, with President Russell M. Nelson, that "peace is possible" and that the "descendants of Abraham...are in a pivotal position to emerge as peacemakers" ("Blessed Are the Peacemakers," Ensign, Nov. 2002). This book is an effort to lift up the Restoration's distinctive principles that invite us to renounce violence and proclaim Christ's good news of love and peace to a world that desperately needs it. Proclaim Peace seeks not to promote any particular ideology, but to invite readers, especially the rising generation, to reflect on the interpersonal, ethical, and social dimensions of Christian discipleship.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2021
36 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 5, 2022
I don’t like to say that everyone should read a book, but this book should be read by any thinking LDS person AND every open-minded person of any creed.
I listened to it this time, now I’m going to read and study it.
I listened to it this time, now I’m going to read and study it.
January 6, 2023
Excellent book about the non-violent Gospel of Christ. Proposes the difference between justification and sanctification of violence- violence may be justified, but it is never sanctified, it will never make anyone a better person. This book helped me reconcile why so much violence happens throughout scripture (and especially the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ). It demonstrates how choosing to engage in violence leads to negative consequences for generations afterward. It finishes by discussing peace building, and the obligation of Latter Day Saints to be peace builders.
May 1, 2022
This well-researched and beautifully written book is revolutionary! It helped me see scripture that includes violence and conflict in a new light, to think about how peace can be worked for from a personal and community level, and how all of this relates to the way I live my religion, vote, pay taxes, and respond to war and conflict in all its forms. David and Patrick are both amazing writers, thinkers, and humans. Their collaborative work in this book is hopeful, empowering, and practical, showing me that in every facet of my life and the world around me peace is possible.
November 21, 2021
4.5 stars. This book helps reconcile the violence and conflict we find in scripture, with the compassionate, peaceful God we actually connect with. There were many insightful gems that expanded my understanding, the kind that make me feel enlightened by truth and inspired to act. I especially liked learning about what turning the other cheek actually means (empowering), the need for conflict, justification and sanctification as related to conflict, the economic conditions of peace, and the power of assertive love. In between these gems were sections that were not as interesting to me, but the gems were so great that I fully recommend the book.
-“Non-violent movements are twice as likely as their violent counterparts to successfully achieve their goals…[and] their methods for engaging the struggle are also better at creating conditions for sustainable peace afterward.”
-“Rather than being a justified response in which our less than celestial actions can be excused, nonviolent forbearance is a sanctified (and sanctifying) response that not only helps make us more holy but also blesses future generations.”
-**Love this**“The Lord’s decision to help the Nephite armies after they opt for war may be an instance of how the Lord works within the limits of our moral imagination. One of the hardest things for any individual or community to do is to see beyond our own finite perspective, to imagine a path other than the one we are currently on. The scriptures record rare occasions in which God suddenly intervenes and explodes the boundaries of his people’s understanding. The vast majority of the time, however, God works within the limited bounds of what we are capable of considering. When he does expand the boundaries of our vision, it is most often with a nudge rather than a shove—gently, slowly, ‘line upon line; here a little, and there a little.’”
-I love the example of the “Pure Religion Committee” coordinating more efforts to serve in the community. Speaking of service organizations (that service the homeless, the imprisoned, the needy, etc…): “If those are the places our Lord would be, then that is where we need to be.”
-“A call to Zion should also inspire disciples of Christ to embrace ambitious goals for saving and transforming our society. God gifted us this Church not to be merely a club for members, but as a means of structuring and scaling up Christ’s injunction to ‘love one another.’”
-“Non-violent movements are twice as likely as their violent counterparts to successfully achieve their goals…[and] their methods for engaging the struggle are also better at creating conditions for sustainable peace afterward.”
-“Rather than being a justified response in which our less than celestial actions can be excused, nonviolent forbearance is a sanctified (and sanctifying) response that not only helps make us more holy but also blesses future generations.”
-**Love this**“The Lord’s decision to help the Nephite armies after they opt for war may be an instance of how the Lord works within the limits of our moral imagination. One of the hardest things for any individual or community to do is to see beyond our own finite perspective, to imagine a path other than the one we are currently on. The scriptures record rare occasions in which God suddenly intervenes and explodes the boundaries of his people’s understanding. The vast majority of the time, however, God works within the limited bounds of what we are capable of considering. When he does expand the boundaries of our vision, it is most often with a nudge rather than a shove—gently, slowly, ‘line upon line; here a little, and there a little.’”
-I love the example of the “Pure Religion Committee” coordinating more efforts to serve in the community. Speaking of service organizations (that service the homeless, the imprisoned, the needy, etc…): “If those are the places our Lord would be, then that is where we need to be.”
-“A call to Zion should also inspire disciples of Christ to embrace ambitious goals for saving and transforming our society. God gifted us this Church not to be merely a club for members, but as a means of structuring and scaling up Christ’s injunction to ‘love one another.’”
March 7, 2025
I just read it for the second time.
Lots of good ideas. Very heavily based on Mormon theology. I wish more people would give peace a chance
Lots of good ideas. Very heavily based on Mormon theology. I wish more people would give peace a chance
August 9, 2022
Mason and Pulsipher do some incredibly important and heavy lifting in terms of coming to terms with violence, both in the world and society in general, but perhaps more importantly for an LDS audience, within scripture itself. Their detailed reading of several Book of Mormon passages humanizes both the violent and peaceful tendencies of prophets, and provides a much-needed counterpoint to the prevailing orthodoxy of prophetic and scriptural infallibility. I disagree with some of their positions, such as the discussion about agency and their justification for divine violence in scripture. I disagree that God ever uses divine retributive violence, but that's only a few issues with an otherwise great book. The liberation theological reading of Jesus’s crucifixion that Mason presents for an LDS audience is long overdue and an excellent introduction to a more expansive way of viewing the cross.
Overall, a necessary and timely exploration of violence and nonviolence and what it means to be a true disciple of Christ, including discussion of our responsibility to transform unjust societies as a fundamental aspect of a life of discipleship. All the more important because it was published by Deseret Book, and so will be carefully considered within the Church by its membership. Mason is one of the foremost voices pushing the envelope in gentle but extremely important ways. As he says in the Epilogue, this conversation is just beginning.
Overall, a necessary and timely exploration of violence and nonviolence and what it means to be a true disciple of Christ, including discussion of our responsibility to transform unjust societies as a fundamental aspect of a life of discipleship. All the more important because it was published by Deseret Book, and so will be carefully considered within the Church by its membership. Mason is one of the foremost voices pushing the envelope in gentle but extremely important ways. As he says in the Epilogue, this conversation is just beginning.
November 18, 2021
Really enjoyed this book. It would be a fun one to discuss. Seems like he makes some assumptions in there but overall it was an interesting read.
January 31, 2022
A lot to love here. No warnings needed.
You can tell that this is the culmination of much thought and work and time.
In particular, I loved the introduction and chapters one, two, five, nine, and ten. That’s not to say the other chapters aren’t good; however, I particularly loved those ones, and particularly one: “Power and influence.”
I love how they set out different types of peace (personal, interpersonal and inter communal) and violence (direct, structural, and cultural). I also love that it centered around building Zion or as King said “the beloved community.”
There is a lot of research and work here.
I thought at times they tried to hamstring some points. However, like they said, this is an invitation to more fully dive into this topic not the end on the topic. And what a wonderful start it is. I hope other writers take up the invitation to further the inquiry.
The idea of proclaiming peace and non-violence is so crucial.
I have further reflection to do. But it’s been a long time since I marked up a book this heavily. And that in and of itself, is a sign it’s worth reading.
You can tell that this is the culmination of much thought and work and time.
In particular, I loved the introduction and chapters one, two, five, nine, and ten. That’s not to say the other chapters aren’t good; however, I particularly loved those ones, and particularly one: “Power and influence.”
I love how they set out different types of peace (personal, interpersonal and inter communal) and violence (direct, structural, and cultural). I also love that it centered around building Zion or as King said “the beloved community.”
There is a lot of research and work here.
I thought at times they tried to hamstring some points. However, like they said, this is an invitation to more fully dive into this topic not the end on the topic. And what a wonderful start it is. I hope other writers take up the invitation to further the inquiry.
The idea of proclaiming peace and non-violence is so crucial.
I have further reflection to do. But it’s been a long time since I marked up a book this heavily. And that in and of itself, is a sign it’s worth reading.
October 11, 2021
LOVED this book. Patrick and David offer a compelling and pleasantly provocative take on peace and conflict, rooted in Restoration scripture and Mormon teachings more broadly. Can't wait to see what work and peacebuilding is inspired by their words here (I'll have a longer review up with the Association for Mormon Letters soon!).
November 2, 2021
For me this the most important piece of research, thought and writing, in the cannon of study of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, since Talmadge’s Jesus the Christ! I highly recommend it to everyone!!!
March 1, 2022
A fantastic Christian (and specifically Latter-day Saint) look on theology and perspective when it comes to peacebuilding and overcoming conflict. I would roughly describe it as the Latter-day Saint version of Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks. This has timely relevance to both international disputes (such as those raging in Eastern Europe) as well as conflict in our communities and our own hearts.
A few major takeaways for me:
- power and influence can be created through coercion, but cannot be maintained except by principles outlined in D&C 121, a critical difference.
- "turning the other cheek" doesn't mean becoming a punching bag - it's resisting in such a way as to make our "enemies" treat us as equals (e.g. MLK, Ghandi)
- we may be justified to use violence in self-defense in certain circumstances, but those actions will never sanctify us. Just because it's not considered a sin doesn't mean we'll be any better because of it.
- peace is not merely the passive absence of violence; it is a proactive effort to build a Zion community
A few major takeaways for me:
- power and influence can be created through coercion, but cannot be maintained except by principles outlined in D&C 121, a critical difference.
- "turning the other cheek" doesn't mean becoming a punching bag - it's resisting in such a way as to make our "enemies" treat us as equals (e.g. MLK, Ghandi)
- we may be justified to use violence in self-defense in certain circumstances, but those actions will never sanctify us. Just because it's not considered a sin doesn't mean we'll be any better because of it.
- peace is not merely the passive absence of violence; it is a proactive effort to build a Zion community
January 26, 2022
Mason draws on the scriptures as well as excellent examples from the Civil Rights movement, Ghandi and other organizations to promote the role of true religion for actively building peaceful communities. This message is particularly meaningful in our currently hyper divided political and social climate. It was powerful to read about God's call for each of us to love one another in an active and positive way that will promote universal well being. My book is filled with notes and highlights and I think there's a lot more to explore here as the reader (hopefully) moves from the philosophical ideas presented in the book to seeking out practical application in their own lives.
August 27, 2023
This book certainly presents the gospel's views on peace, war, violence, and love in a way that resonates with me much better and more satisfactorily than anything I've read or heard before. I do wish the final points on peace at the ward and individual level had been a bit more fleshed out, but otherwise a completely beautiful and worthwhile read. My only regret is that I listened to instead of read it. This is one I'd like to have a hard copy of on my shelf to flip through and return to often. So....I'll have to remedy that.
November 25, 2021
I don’t agree with all of his assumptions or interpretations, but it was an interesting set of ideas that I believe in the overall premise behind.
January 31, 2022
Compelling case that peace and active love not only are morally superior to coercion or violence, but in fact are the ONLY durable, efficacious options on a purely pragmatic level. I’m convinced. And I’m inspired to dive more deeply into the project of peace-building our way to Zion, as a person, as a family, as a ward and community.
June 3, 2023
A deep theological study of peace and the Restoration. It requires thinking and discussion to truly digest it, so it was perfect for our discussion group. It will inform my next reading of the Book of Mormon thanks to its abundant examples of peace and violence in that book.
April 13, 2023
So many of the concepts laid out in this book feel deeply under-emphasized by modern Latter-day Saint communities. Specifically, the concept of Zion. Though it wasn't addressed in the book, it seems like the emphasis on community that once defined Latter-day Saint theology has largely been substituted for alternatives. I'd love to see a resurgence of that idea.
This book builds upon long-standing Christian ideals by summarizing what Restoration scripture adds to Christ's command that we all be peacemakers.
This book builds upon long-standing Christian ideals by summarizing what Restoration scripture adds to Christ's command that we all be peacemakers.
July 7, 2025
First half was 5; second half 3; averaged to 4. I love Patrick Mason and the deep thinking he puts into his books. I LOVED the beginning especially when the authors delves into D&C 121. Then is started to become more cumbersome for me to read as it turned from discussing peace on an individual level to worldwide peace and peace within communities and neighborhoods. I felt like that part of the book could have been more condensed. I did appreciate his take on war and peace within scripture.
Nuggets:
*Enduring influence, for both gods and mortals, can be established only through love because at its core, enduring influence can be built only through trust.
*As independent [souls], [we] should shoulder ultimate responsibility for what [we] become -- a reality that is both liberating and terrifying.
*The fundamental nature of this premortal council was thus not a battle between armies but rather a contest of ideas, and epic clash between two irreconcilable visions of human freedom.
*We humans are essentially the same species as God, differing only in our degree of perfection and glory.
*God's purpose for creating and populating this world was for it to become a laboratory in which we might learn to use and constructively harness the same power that he possesses and exercises.
*We are to fulfil our divine destiny, then as both individuals and societies we must learn and practice the key attributes that define the heavens, beginning with those characteristics outlined in the Liberty Jail letter: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness, knowledge, and most of all "love unfeigned."
*And durable power or influence over independent moral beings requires their consent and participation.
*The essence of enduring power, in both heaven and earth, is trust.
*In a universe of free agents, the ultimate and only enduring form of power is to invite (sometimes in the form of a command) and be freely obeyed.
*Endowed with freedom, human personalities must necessarily give their assent to be led or governed, and so enduring power in this world is likewise inseparable from character.
*"Interferences with our freedom do not deprive us our our ... agency. When Pharaoh put Joseph in prison, he restricted Joseph's freedom, but he did not take away his ... agency."
*God may at times restrict certain freedoms, constraining the range of choices to an individual or group, but he can never totally eliminate their agency. Nor can such constraints ultimately win the loyalty of his children. At best restrictions might gain their attention. But once he has his children's attention, an enduring appeal to their hearts and minds can come only through love and faithfulness, all the while protecting the very agency that allows them to reject those appeals.
*Compulsion, no matter how powerful and seemingly total, can be merely temporary. Only trust, gained through persuasion and reciprocity, is enduring.
*Satan could not and cannot wield enduring influence and command obedience without true "honor."
*Satan was asking to borrow (or steal) God's character -- not realizing or appreciating that honor, like most personal qualities, is a nontransferable good.
* God no more forced Satan out of heaven than he forces anyone in.
*In this millennial age, "Satan shall be bound, "not with physical fetters or any other manner of coercion or violence, but rather because no one will pay him any heed nor allow him any influence in their lives.
*Contemporary philosopher Cornel West has observed that "intellectual power, moral power, spiritual power, those are the 'weak' and 'feeble' kinds of power, which in the end could be the more powerful."
*As with all forms of lasting influence, the heart of the Atonement's transformative power is love.
*His insistent talk of a "kingdom" should immediately point us to the fact that God's work has a political dimension. Kingdoms are not a matter of people's hearts or homes -- they refer to the social and political organization of society. What Jesus offered his followers, therefore, is more than a path to personal redemption, however important that is. God's kingdom is a stark alternative and thoroughgoing challenge to all existing social and political regimes.
*Christ's "perfect" and "infinite" atonement, punctuated by his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, redeems and transforms both our personal and political worlds.
*Power and influence accumulate to those who absorb violence rather than inflict it, love their enemies rather than revile against them, and exert compassion rather than coercion.
*One possible reading of events suggests that Jesus's atoning work in the garden may have targeted our individual sings and woundedness, while his intentional choice of dying on a violent cross may have focused primarily on our collective sins and the wounds we inflict on others.
*None of his enemies ever claimed that Jesus was organizing an armed revolt -- a telling fact in itself, when they were busy making up all kinds of false claims to convict him.
*Christ's suffering in Gethsemane was an intimate, private, deeply personal event in which he connected, in ways that remain largely mysterious, with every child of God in their infirmities, their pains and sicknesses, their sins and sorrows. Christ chose the cross as a means of making a "public spectacle" of what sin looked like on a social and political scale and of what looked like on a social and political scale and then demonstrating the godly alternative.
*Conflict is inevitable in this life, as Nephi knew all too well. How we respond to that conflict will impact not only our own lives, but potentially generations to come.
*"Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." Seen through the lens of conflict-as-contention, this would discourage any kind of disagreement and encourage avoidance at all costs. This type of conflict avoidance often leads to passive aggressive attitudes and behaviors.
*"By proving contraries, "Joseph Smith once observed, "truth is made manifest."
*Conflict is a necessary aspect of our existence to be embraced and harnessed for its creative capacities rather than avoided or vilified.
*Rightly understood and engaged, conflict is one of God's great gifts to humanity.
*To view all conflict only through the lens of its destructive aspects is to fail to appreciate its creative and regenerative capacities, on both the micro and macro scales.
*The way that Adam and Eve engage this first and foundational moment of human conflict is exemplary. Rather than entering a spiral of mutual blame and recrimination, they transform the conflict with love.
*When we engage conflict lovingly, it is more likely to be creative, and when we engage conflict selfishly or fearfully, it is more likely to be destructive.
*One of the key lessons to learn in mortality it how to engage conflict creatively.
*Contention, then is not simply holding different opinions or seeing the world in different ways, but rather engaging that difference in a spirit of anger.
*It is easy for many people to equate disagreement and conflict with anger and contention.
*Conflict is inevitable in human relationships because we live in a crowded, diverse world where our own personal and group boundaries cannot be maintained without encroachment by others.
*Our choices will often (though not always) determine whether the conflict will tend toward a creative or destructive dynamic.
*Even inaction is a decision with consequences.
*Just because our opponents may be choosing a path that leads to destructive engagement does not mean we are constrained to respond in kind.
*At its core, creative conflict is about a recognition of the full humanity of others and a love born of the realization that we are all children of God.
*Violence needs distance, meaning a disconnection between those who use violence and the people who are their targets. This distance might be physical, but more crucially it entails a psychological or emotional dissociation that overcomes humans' hardwired connection with each other -- what scriptures refer to as "natural affection."
*God does not dispense "cheap grace."
*Violence is always a choice.
*God's law endeavors to make us not only Christians but eventually Christlike.
*Enemy is best used to describe a person's actions, not his or her nature.
*A person can believe in God as an isolated individual, but building Zion happens only in community.
*Sometime peace comes from the top down [leadership], but more often than not it emerges from the bottom up [grassroots].
*God gifted us this Church not to be merely a club for members, but as a means of structuring and scaling up Christ's injunction to "love one another."
Nuggets:
*Enduring influence, for both gods and mortals, can be established only through love because at its core, enduring influence can be built only through trust.
*As independent [souls], [we] should shoulder ultimate responsibility for what [we] become -- a reality that is both liberating and terrifying.
*The fundamental nature of this premortal council was thus not a battle between armies but rather a contest of ideas, and epic clash between two irreconcilable visions of human freedom.
*We humans are essentially the same species as God, differing only in our degree of perfection and glory.
*God's purpose for creating and populating this world was for it to become a laboratory in which we might learn to use and constructively harness the same power that he possesses and exercises.
*We are to fulfil our divine destiny, then as both individuals and societies we must learn and practice the key attributes that define the heavens, beginning with those characteristics outlined in the Liberty Jail letter: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness, knowledge, and most of all "love unfeigned."
*And durable power or influence over independent moral beings requires their consent and participation.
*The essence of enduring power, in both heaven and earth, is trust.
*In a universe of free agents, the ultimate and only enduring form of power is to invite (sometimes in the form of a command) and be freely obeyed.
*Endowed with freedom, human personalities must necessarily give their assent to be led or governed, and so enduring power in this world is likewise inseparable from character.
*"Interferences with our freedom do not deprive us our our ... agency. When Pharaoh put Joseph in prison, he restricted Joseph's freedom, but he did not take away his ... agency."
*God may at times restrict certain freedoms, constraining the range of choices to an individual or group, but he can never totally eliminate their agency. Nor can such constraints ultimately win the loyalty of his children. At best restrictions might gain their attention. But once he has his children's attention, an enduring appeal to their hearts and minds can come only through love and faithfulness, all the while protecting the very agency that allows them to reject those appeals.
*Compulsion, no matter how powerful and seemingly total, can be merely temporary. Only trust, gained through persuasion and reciprocity, is enduring.
*Satan could not and cannot wield enduring influence and command obedience without true "honor."
*Satan was asking to borrow (or steal) God's character -- not realizing or appreciating that honor, like most personal qualities, is a nontransferable good.
* God no more forced Satan out of heaven than he forces anyone in.
*In this millennial age, "Satan shall be bound, "not with physical fetters or any other manner of coercion or violence, but rather because no one will pay him any heed nor allow him any influence in their lives.
*Contemporary philosopher Cornel West has observed that "intellectual power, moral power, spiritual power, those are the 'weak' and 'feeble' kinds of power, which in the end could be the more powerful."
*As with all forms of lasting influence, the heart of the Atonement's transformative power is love.
*His insistent talk of a "kingdom" should immediately point us to the fact that God's work has a political dimension. Kingdoms are not a matter of people's hearts or homes -- they refer to the social and political organization of society. What Jesus offered his followers, therefore, is more than a path to personal redemption, however important that is. God's kingdom is a stark alternative and thoroughgoing challenge to all existing social and political regimes.
*Christ's "perfect" and "infinite" atonement, punctuated by his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, redeems and transforms both our personal and political worlds.
*Power and influence accumulate to those who absorb violence rather than inflict it, love their enemies rather than revile against them, and exert compassion rather than coercion.
*One possible reading of events suggests that Jesus's atoning work in the garden may have targeted our individual sings and woundedness, while his intentional choice of dying on a violent cross may have focused primarily on our collective sins and the wounds we inflict on others.
*None of his enemies ever claimed that Jesus was organizing an armed revolt -- a telling fact in itself, when they were busy making up all kinds of false claims to convict him.
*Christ's suffering in Gethsemane was an intimate, private, deeply personal event in which he connected, in ways that remain largely mysterious, with every child of God in their infirmities, their pains and sicknesses, their sins and sorrows. Christ chose the cross as a means of making a "public spectacle" of what sin looked like on a social and political scale and of what looked like on a social and political scale and then demonstrating the godly alternative.
*Conflict is inevitable in this life, as Nephi knew all too well. How we respond to that conflict will impact not only our own lives, but potentially generations to come.
*"Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." Seen through the lens of conflict-as-contention, this would discourage any kind of disagreement and encourage avoidance at all costs. This type of conflict avoidance often leads to passive aggressive attitudes and behaviors.
*"By proving contraries, "Joseph Smith once observed, "truth is made manifest."
*Conflict is a necessary aspect of our existence to be embraced and harnessed for its creative capacities rather than avoided or vilified.
*Rightly understood and engaged, conflict is one of God's great gifts to humanity.
*To view all conflict only through the lens of its destructive aspects is to fail to appreciate its creative and regenerative capacities, on both the micro and macro scales.
*The way that Adam and Eve engage this first and foundational moment of human conflict is exemplary. Rather than entering a spiral of mutual blame and recrimination, they transform the conflict with love.
*When we engage conflict lovingly, it is more likely to be creative, and when we engage conflict selfishly or fearfully, it is more likely to be destructive.
*One of the key lessons to learn in mortality it how to engage conflict creatively.
*Contention, then is not simply holding different opinions or seeing the world in different ways, but rather engaging that difference in a spirit of anger.
*It is easy for many people to equate disagreement and conflict with anger and contention.
*Conflict is inevitable in human relationships because we live in a crowded, diverse world where our own personal and group boundaries cannot be maintained without encroachment by others.
*Our choices will often (though not always) determine whether the conflict will tend toward a creative or destructive dynamic.
*Even inaction is a decision with consequences.
*Just because our opponents may be choosing a path that leads to destructive engagement does not mean we are constrained to respond in kind.
*At its core, creative conflict is about a recognition of the full humanity of others and a love born of the realization that we are all children of God.
*Violence needs distance, meaning a disconnection between those who use violence and the people who are their targets. This distance might be physical, but more crucially it entails a psychological or emotional dissociation that overcomes humans' hardwired connection with each other -- what scriptures refer to as "natural affection."
*God does not dispense "cheap grace."
*Violence is always a choice.
*God's law endeavors to make us not only Christians but eventually Christlike.
*Enemy is best used to describe a person's actions, not his or her nature.
*A person can believe in God as an isolated individual, but building Zion happens only in community.
*Sometime peace comes from the top down [leadership], but more often than not it emerges from the bottom up [grassroots].
*God gifted us this Church not to be merely a club for members, but as a means of structuring and scaling up Christ's injunction to "love one another."
November 2, 2021
I enjoyed this book overall. I found some of it quite redundant. On the other hand there were some wonderful insights into Nephi and his pain in the pursuit of peace with his dissident brethren. I highly enjoyed the theme of the principles of righteousness found in D&C 121 connected to principles of peace and the righteous use of power. The absence of peace and violence are most always connected to a misuse of power in the form of coercion upon other souls and nations. I see the dynamic of peace and power differently than before.
October 28, 2021
Probably the best Church book I've read.
October 26, 2023
A 3.5. I admire Patrick Mason as a religious scholar. He’s thoughtful. He’s inclusive. He’s thorough. The premise of the book, to follow in the footsteps of Christ by creating non-violent, peace-seeking communities is valid and well supported by scripture and scholars. That being said, the book was more academic than I expected and focused less on application. Also, it’s easy to make the argument for peace, most people want that, but it’s harder to actually discuss the real individualized and collective work of creating peace. I liked the last chapter best and the prologue that felt like the “how to” as well as the “call to action.” I especially loved the reminder that Christ’s ministry was in the doing, not in the pews, and how some wards have people who are solely responsible for organizing specific and regular community outreach. I also loved the discussion surrounding the stagnation in membership and how making more of a concerted effort at actively pursuing peace in the community would bring life and necessity to those struggling to feel the applicability of the gospel in their life and in the lives of others. Phew. Forgive the run-on.
November 3, 2021
I couldn't finish the book. I love the beginning message of the book, and the idea of the book, but I felt the authors filled in a lot. There was a bit of assumptions for why the savior did what he did, or assumptions of how he felt in a moment, I wasn't comfortable with the author's claiming to know things that they could not have known. Maybe they didn't claim it, but when they're writing the savior felt blah blah blah, and the scriptures don't say that, they're leading the readers to the conclusion they want, to paint the narrative they want. I had a few other issues with the book, but I don't want to say them cuz it's unfair I didn't read the whole thing.
December 14, 2021
ALL the stars. This book was hugely influential for me, and I hope it is for many more in the Church. I found it well reasoned and well written and answered many of my "but if . . ." questions and settled me happily in place as a pacifist Church member. Now when I'm challenged with the "But . . . " I know where to point people for an excellent explication of peacemaking. Loved this book and will reread it again and revisit all my notes.
May 4, 2022
This was a real thought-provoking book on finding peace through non-violence and other methods. I'm going to have to re-read to digest further.
July 5, 2023
This is not a self-help book. It's more of a help-the-world book. Two academics wrote this. It's about peace from a restoration-scripture approach. It's good. And I fell asleep reading it more than once. But I'm going to give it four stars because it says some important things about non-violent responses to violence, about peace building, and about building Zion.
The authors admit there aren't a lot of suggestions in this book for day-to-day, practical, or personal application. It's more of an important, religious explanation of peacemaking concepts and theory. The last two chapters out of ten are the most accessible.
I like what they say about Zion, "Zion is an aspirational community that is not yet fully present but is nevertheless attainable, to one degree or another, to anyone who seeks it with purity of heart." Zion has been achieved on earth in the past, which can give us hope. It's expected of us to become a Zion people, especially before/as the Savior returns.
I really like the chapter called "The Conundrum of Divine Violence" which attempts to explain and understand how a perfectly loving and just God can permit, condone, and sometimes instigate destruction among His children. I know He has perfect understanding and power over death. It's easy to attribute the attributes of man to God, but He clearly is on a much higher plane. What is expected of us (non-violence and forgiveness) is not necessarily expected of Him. I feel less troubled about the apparent contradiction that God can be loving and has also cause violence as necessary.
It was particularly interesting to read this book at the same time as I read a book about slavery full of injustice and violence of one level or another. It provided a specific example of cultural and societal harm, bias, violence, and mistreatment of others which illustrated some of the authors points for me.
I don't think I'd widely recommend this book, but it is educational.
The authors admit there aren't a lot of suggestions in this book for day-to-day, practical, or personal application. It's more of an important, religious explanation of peacemaking concepts and theory. The last two chapters out of ten are the most accessible.
I like what they say about Zion, "Zion is an aspirational community that is not yet fully present but is nevertheless attainable, to one degree or another, to anyone who seeks it with purity of heart." Zion has been achieved on earth in the past, which can give us hope. It's expected of us to become a Zion people, especially before/as the Savior returns.
I really like the chapter called "The Conundrum of Divine Violence" which attempts to explain and understand how a perfectly loving and just God can permit, condone, and sometimes instigate destruction among His children. I know He has perfect understanding and power over death. It's easy to attribute the attributes of man to God, but He clearly is on a much higher plane. What is expected of us (non-violence and forgiveness) is not necessarily expected of Him. I feel less troubled about the apparent contradiction that God can be loving and has also cause violence as necessary.
It was particularly interesting to read this book at the same time as I read a book about slavery full of injustice and violence of one level or another. It provided a specific example of cultural and societal harm, bias, violence, and mistreatment of others which illustrated some of the authors points for me.
I don't think I'd widely recommend this book, but it is educational.
February 10, 2022
Wow. I have often had many questions on how to approach War and Peace. I have posed so many questions in my mind about national military topics, when and how to approach aggressive violence, when and how to act in self-defense. I have thought about the actions and teachings of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. as they tried to affect change without the use of violence. This book proposed so many new ideas to ponder, many backed in what they term “restoration scripture” referring to teachings in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. They also reference many verses in the Bible. They differentiated between justified actions of self-defense, but emphatically point out that this does not mean those actions are sanctified. I loved that distinction. They clarified the difference between descriptive and prescriptive accounts of war and how BOM leaders handled different war situations, prescriptive being the way the Lord would approve of handling a situation according to gospel teachings whereas descriptive would be referring to the retelling of a how a leader acted in a war account, but for learning purposes, not because he actually sanctioned the way it was handled. There are SO MANY deep thoughts to ponder in this book; I would love to discuss it with others who read it. I’m not sure I agree with all of the points made, but I loved how it challenged my thinking and confirmed or clarified other concepts that I have been pondering over the years. I listened to it this time; I’m going to need to purchase it and study it more in depth.
November 17, 2025
My favorite part of the book was when the authors shared the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' official position on war, delivered in April 1942. I was not aware that there was one. It grapples with members' obligation to be good citizens versus their obligation to love God's children. The official position says, "Thus the Church is and must be against war....It cannot regard war as a righteous means of settling international disputes; these should and could be settled--the nations agreeing--by peaceful negotiation and adjustment."
Recognizing that nations do not always agree, however, the Church dictates that bending to the civic duty to go to war is necessary, but only when the government is "acting within the framework of Constitutional law, namely 'supporting the principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges.'" Anything less than this is "evil" and members "have no obligation to heed it."
The book also does a good job of explaining how people can be indirectly complicit in generational sin/systemic and collective sin through our social structures. And there is good discussion of "signal communities," much like the beloved community or Zion. Worth reading.
Recognizing that nations do not always agree, however, the Church dictates that bending to the civic duty to go to war is necessary, but only when the government is "acting within the framework of Constitutional law, namely 'supporting the principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges.'" Anything less than this is "evil" and members "have no obligation to heed it."
The book also does a good job of explaining how people can be indirectly complicit in generational sin/systemic and collective sin through our social structures. And there is good discussion of "signal communities," much like the beloved community or Zion. Worth reading.
February 24, 2022
A well-developed outline of a theology of peace based on Latter-day Saint restoration teachings and scriptures.
Professors Mason and Pulsipher don’t claim to have all the answers but provide ideas on how to understand violence in the scriptures, giving several faithful lenses through which Christians could interpret such scriptures. (Pastor Greg Boyd’s “cruciform view” explained in depth in his books is probably the one that makes the most sense to me, and I get the impression that Mason and Pulsipher see a lot of value in that view as well.)
This deserves a full review which I promise to come back and write, but for now I will say this book answers a lot of questions that I suspect many Latter-day Saints have about war and violence. I appreciate that Brothers Mason and Pulsipher provide a framework to take on all the violence in life, not only war but misogyny, domestic violence, racism, discrimination, ecological, and other forms of systemic violence that can benefit from disciples of Christ being willing to examine more carefully their relationship with such systems.
Professors Mason and Pulsipher don’t claim to have all the answers but provide ideas on how to understand violence in the scriptures, giving several faithful lenses through which Christians could interpret such scriptures. (Pastor Greg Boyd’s “cruciform view” explained in depth in his books is probably the one that makes the most sense to me, and I get the impression that Mason and Pulsipher see a lot of value in that view as well.)
This deserves a full review which I promise to come back and write, but for now I will say this book answers a lot of questions that I suspect many Latter-day Saints have about war and violence. I appreciate that Brothers Mason and Pulsipher provide a framework to take on all the violence in life, not only war but misogyny, domestic violence, racism, discrimination, ecological, and other forms of systemic violence that can benefit from disciples of Christ being willing to examine more carefully their relationship with such systems.
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September 26, 2022While I completely agree with the need to proclaim peace, and appreciate the effort to prove the methods Jesus Christ employed to establish peace, I cannot help but respectfully take issue with the implication that Nephi, Captain Moroni, and Mormon were racists and warmongers. I believe their motivations were more pure. I prefer to take their own words at face value rather than speculating on what their perceived intentions may have been. Someday when we meet them, we will have a more certain knowledge of these things. Until then, I have to withhold my judgement. That said, I hope to become a “Zion” person. I know it will take getting out of my “comfort zone” by my own choice and not through coercion. That we agree on!
November 29, 2022
4.5. Mason’s exploration of the sanctifying power of peace in scripture and history shines a light on the secret weapon that could, if we chose to employ it, solve all the world’s problems. He lays out a case for peace, and not just on the International Day of Peace or from December 1st-25th. The problem is, peace is…complicated.
“In a thuggish world, following Jesus’ hard sayings, not to mention his message of non-discriminate love, universal forgiveness, selfless servant-hood, undeserved suffering, and non-violence will get you hurt.” Yikes.
The last two chapters provide applicable examples for proclaiming peace as individuals, congregations, and communities. Worth sending to my church leaders for some consideration.
“In a thuggish world, following Jesus’ hard sayings, not to mention his message of non-discriminate love, universal forgiveness, selfless servant-hood, undeserved suffering, and non-violence will get you hurt.” Yikes.
The last two chapters provide applicable examples for proclaiming peace as individuals, congregations, and communities. Worth sending to my church leaders for some consideration.
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