I remember sitting in my seminary class in Utah as a teenager and listening to my teacher tell us the story of Zion’s camp. They were camped on Fishing River, almost to Independence, MO, when they were confronted by a large group of armed men on horseback, intent upon violence. Bloodshed was prevented by a sudden rainstorm that caused the river between the two parties to rise thirty feet in a short period of time, and which caused the mob to disburse. I remember thinking, as my teacher told the story, that maybe he was stretching it a little. Thirty feet? C’mon! The only rivers I had encountered were Utah rivers, and they never fluctuated that much.
Yesterday I saw this warning, issued by the government:
930 AM CDT MON MAY 07 2007 THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FISHING RIVER NEAR MOSBY * UNTIL LATE TUESDAY NIGHT…
The story goes on to note that flood stage for the Fishing River is 29 feet.
Moral of the story, at least for me: It is very, very, difficult to understand our history or our scriptures without an understanding of the time and place. Any efforts I have made to situate myself chronologically and geographically have always been worthwhile.
May 9, 2007 at 7:44 am
I wonder if people back then ever had flooding problems with their cellars? I doubt they had sub pumps. Anyway, I agree with the importance of context. Just imagine how far removed we are from ancient times in the middle east or central America. Anything we can glean from those times and places is a miracle.
May 9, 2007 at 7:55 am
I had a similar experience with the rapidity with which Nephite civilization fell apart before the Savior came. I could not imagine that a society could fall apart so rapidly after being so highly centralized and organized only a few years before. Then I read about the Khmer Rouge.
May 9, 2007 at 8:09 am
How many people reject the darkness described in the Book of Mormon after the destruction following the crucifixion of Christ – simply because they can’t imagine intense darkness for three days. How many of those same people were awestruck by their view of NYC (or more properly, their lack thereof) when the towers came down? Multiply what happened architecturally on 9/11 by at least hundreds of buildings and add earthquakes, hurricanes with their dark clouds, volcanic ash, etc. Perspective is an amazing thing.
May 9, 2007 at 8:54 am
I know exactly (or approximately) how the Nephites felt. I was under the ash cloud after Mt. St. Helens exploded. Darkness does not adequately describe what we experienced. Because of the falling ash, at noon it was difficult to even see the streetlights (which were on) just a few yards away. We knew what was going on and we were terrified. I can’t imagine what the Nephites were feeling. Fortunately, our darkness only lasted one full day–not three.
May 10, 2007 at 1:46 am
I used to wonder how all the great cities of the Nephites could disappear with little to no trace of them. Sure they are finding some of them, but there are many more lost than found.
Anyway, when I visited Far West, MO, I realized that yes a whole city can be torn down to nothing but a field. It really opened my eyes.
May 10, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Utah rivers in flash flood stage can easily rise that high in seconds. Possibly more.