Cool Role Models

One of the many amazing elements of the Book of Mormon is the number of great exemplary role models. These men and women are not perfect, but they repent of their sins, love the Lord and gives their lives in faith to Him. All of us (especially our children and youth) need strong roles models like these, can all receive great strength from these examples to help us do the same in our lives.

CONTENTS (A summary of each person and exemplary attributes are provided below list)

• Lehi

• Sariah

• Nephi

• Sam

• Enos

• King Benjamin

• Abinidi

• Gideon

• Alma

• Alma the Younger

• Sons of Mosiah

  • Amulek

• Zeezrom

• Queen, Wife of Lamoni

• Abish

• Ammon

• Anti-Lehi-Nephites

• 2000 stripling warriors

• Mothers of 2000 stripling warriors

• Helaman

• Governor Pahoran

• Captain Moroni

• Teancum

• Brother of Jared

• Mormon

• Moroni

LEHI: Lehi was a prophet of the Lord. He declared repentance to a wicked and dangerous people. When they would not repent, Lehi, at the command of the Lord, left Jerusalem (with just his immediate family) and took them into the wilderness even though that meant leaving behind great property, wealth and likely many extended family members.

SARIAH: Sariah followed her husband (a prophet of the Lord) in faith even though it meant that she had to leave their property, send her children on dangerous travels and give birth to two children in the wilderness. Though she had doubts at times (as we all do), she ultimately remained true to the Lord's will.

NEPHI: Nephi had to be an example to his wicked older brothers. When the prophet (his father) asked him and his brothers to do a very difficult and dangerous task, Nephi responded, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded". Nephi was often weighed down with strong temptations of the flesh, but through faith in the Lord he was able to overcome. "I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.... Why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?... Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation." (2 Nephi 4) He experienced many trials, struggles and tribulations in his life, but he remained true to the Lord, became a mighty prophet, record keeper and leader of his people.

SAM: Sam supported the divine callings of his Father (Lehi) and brother (Nephi) even when his older brothers (Laman and Lemuel) would not. As his brother Nephi recorded, "And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words". He, along with some of his brothers, is later referred to in the Book of Mormon as "just and holy [man]".

ENOS: Enos was raised in the faith by a righteous father who often taught his son about the gospel of Christ. However, that teachings did not seem to sink into his heart until one day, while he was hunting for beasts in the forest, he remembered the words of his father, as Enos recorded, "the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens". As he prayed, Enos heard of the Lord saying, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed". Enos was converted and strived for the salvation of his people.

KING BENJAMIN: Benjamin was a righteous and humble King, often exhorting his people to be humble and to give thanks to God for what they have. Even while he was King, he worked for his own living instead of loving off of the taxes of the people. King Benjamin preached an amazingly detailed revelation (which he received from an angel) regarding the future coming of the Messiah from a tower that he build near the temple. "And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name" (Mosiah 3:8-9)

ABINIDI: Abinadi, at the command of the Lord, preached repentance to a wicked people. When brought before the wicked King Noah and his wicked judges, Abinadi did not shy from his task and, glowing with the Spirit of God, preached repentance and salvation through Christ. Abinadi was burned at the stake for his testimony, not even knowing that one of Noah's judges, a young man named Alma, believed his words and would eventually lead thousands to salvation in Christ.

GIDEON: Gideon was a faithful Nephite leader, a man of great strength and courage, and a man that knew God's and defended word. As a younger man, he confronted the wicked King Noah and also proposed a plan for escaping from Lamanite bondage. As an older man, he defended God's word against the false teachings of Nehor until Nehor, frustrated with Gideon's successful defense of the word, killed him with the sword. "And [Nehor] met a man who belonged to the church of God, yea, even one of their teachers; and he began to contend with him sharply, that he might lead away the people of the church; but the man withstood him, admonishing him with the words of God. Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God. Now, because Gideon withstood him with the words of God he was wroth with Gideon, and drew his sword and began to smite him. Now Gideon being stricken with many years, therefore he was not able to withstand his blows, therefore he was slain by the sword." (Alma 1) During Nehor's trial, the Chief Judge Alma referred to Gideon as "a righteous man, yea, a man who has done much good among this people".

ALMA: Alma was a wicked priest, but believed the testimony of Abinadi. When he tried to persuade King Noah to spare Abinadi. guards were sent to kill him. Hiding for his life, Alma wrote down the testimony of Abinadi and, preaching the gospel to the people, led to the conversion of thousands.

(In the picture below, Alma is represented as the ponderous man on the left)

ALMA THE YOUNGER & THE SONS OF MOSIAH: Alma the Younger (son of the High Priest Alma) and the sons of righteous King Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, Omner & Himni) were a group of rebellious and wicked youth that were purposefully leading many to leave their Christian faith and lifestyle for a life of riches, selfishness and pride. One day, however, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and called them to repent. Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented of their sins and traveled around the land to try to right the wrongs that they had done and spent the rest of their lives preaching the gospel throughout the land.

QUEEN, WIFE OF LAMONI: The queen (wife of Lamoni) was a wonderful example of a loving, faithful wife who stayed by her husband's side while he was unconscious. When the prophet Ammon promised her that her husband would rise the next day, she answered, "I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said. And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites. And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise." Later, after her husband had woken up and after experiencing an amazing witness herself, she proclaimed, "O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people! And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy" (Alma 19)

ABISH: Abish was the servant of King Lamoni and the Queen, and having been converted to Christ years earlier, she was instrumental in helping her people come to see the hand of the Lord in the conversion of the King and Queen.

ANTI-LEHI-NEPHITES: After converting to Christ, a very wicked and violent people (who later are called the anti-lehi-nephites or Ammonites) bury their weapons of war and make a covenant of God that they will never kill again. Later, when they are attacked by an army of wicked men, instead of fighting, these men bowed down to the ground and prayed. Many were killed, however, seeing their faith, many of the wicked army (even more than the number of Anti-Lehi-Nephites) were converted to the Lord. Scripture confirms that the souls of those that died were received into heaven.

2000 STRIPLING WARRIORS: "Two thousand stripling warriors" is a name given to approximately two thousand young men that exercised great faith in volunteering to go to battle to protect the lives of their people. They were the sons of the Ammonites or Anti-Lehi-Nephites that had covenanted to never again shed blood. Many had been raised solely by their mothers since many of their father had be killed. Regarding these boys, the record says, "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them." Miraculously, every single one of these boys survived the battle. They have also been known as the "Sons of Helaman", Helaman being the righteous general that lead them in battle. Of these boys, Helaman wrote, "And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites" (Alma 56:45)

MOTHERS OF 2000 STRIPLING WARRIORS: These faithful women taught their sons that "if they did not doubt, God would deliver them". Their sons believed in their mothers words, trusted in the Lord and were spared in battle.

HELAMAN: Helaman was the oldest son of Alma the Younger, a prophet and a military leader. He was entrusted by his father with the records of his people and with the plates of the Jaredites. He continued to write a history of his people, reestablished the church, and (at the request of the young men) lead the two thousand young Ammonites to a miraculous victory in which none of the Ammonities were killed. He called those young men his "sons". Helaman gave the glory of the battle to God and to the faith of his sons: "And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power".

GOVERNOR PAHORAN: The third Nephite chief judge in the Book of Mormon. Even when he was falsely accused of grevious sins by Captian Moroni, Pahoran, instead of being offended, he rejoiced in the Moroni's righteous desires. Responding to Moroni's accusatory letter, Pahoran wrote: "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free." (Alma 61)

CAPTAIN MORONI: Captain Moroni was a righteous Nephite military commander. To help inspire the Nephites to fight for their freedom, he created a "Title of Liberty" out of a piece of cloth upon which he wrote, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children". Of this man, the Book of Mormon record reads: And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood... Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (Alma 48)

TEANCUM: Teancum was a great military leader of the Nephites. Not just one, but twice, Teancum had snuck into the campsite of the enemy and, entering the tent of the leader, had killed the leader in his sleep. The Book of Mormon describes Teancum as "a man who had fought valiantly for his country, yea, a true friend to liberty".

BROTHER OF JARED: The Brother of Jared was a large and mighty man, a prophet and highly favored of the Lord. He and his brother (Jared) founded the Jaredite nation when they led a colony of people from the Tower of Babel to a promised land in the western hemisphere. Because the faith of the brother of Jared was so great, "he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him". "Because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things" (Ether 12:1) "Never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared" (Ether 4:4)

MORMON: Mormon was a Nephite prophet, military general (at age 15), and record keeper in the Book of Mormon. After recording the history of his own lifetime, Mormon abridged the large plates of Nephi on the plates of Mormon. He later turned this sacred record over to his son Moroni. These plates were part of the record from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. He was a man that loved his people and who loved the Lord.

MORONI: Moroni finished the record compilation that would become the Book of Mormon and buried it in the Hill Cumorah (where it was later discovered and translted by Joseph Smith Jr.) In Moroni's writinngs, he preached on faith, hope, charity, the principles of the gospel of Christ. Moroni protected the plates (the Book of Mormon) which his life and exhorted us all to study it and to come know of it's truthfulness ourselves through study, prayer, meditation and by the power of the Holy Ghost.