Do you skip or rush through the Amalickiah chapters?

In “The Book of Mormon,” Amalickiah is arguably one of the greatest villains.

You may not like the Amalickiah chapters, but the Lord put them in “The Book of Mormon” for a reason. Please don’t skip over them. Knowing the difference between good and evil is essential to our salvation. Without the bitter, we cannot truly understand the sweet. Without understanding Amalickiah and recognizing who he was, we don’t fully appreciate Captain Moroni (one of the greatest heroes of “The Book  of Mormon”).

As a horror novelist, I write villains all the time. Without a well-written villain, the story falls flat. A well-written villain must be believable. You may abhor his or her motivations, but you can at least understand how he or she got there (and pray that you never get there yourself). As the writer, I have to get into the villain’s head and understand what makes him or her tick. Some days, that is easier than others. Some days, it is… a struggle.

For me, at least, it is easier to understand the depravity of those who actually commit horrific acts of evil than it is to understand those who support and enable them. The supporters and enablers know what the villains have done, but cheer them on anyway. People actually march in the streets in support of monsters who commit unspeakable acts against innocents. Unspeakable, even for me.

Amalickiah had many, many supporters. They were ordinary people who enabled a monster. Without his supporters, he wouldn’t even have been a footnote.

Now, before I go on, I have to state unequivocally that I am NOT comparing any current political candidate to either Amalickiah or Captain Moroni.

Last night, I read a social media post by a woman who said she was GLAD that one of former President Trump’s supporters was murdered by the would-be presidential assassin. If she couldn’t have Trump dead, she’d take the death of an innocent man as a consolation prize because of the victim’s political views. As the many horrified and angry responses came in, she showed absolutely no remorse. She dug in. She mocked those who expressed shock at her reveling in depravity.

And sadly, she is not alone.

I’m struggling to understand that level of hatred, that level of evil, that level of callous disregard for human life, and that absence of empathy for the devastated family of the victim. There was no remorse, no compassion: just evil. It doesn’t matter what your politics are or who you are going to vote for. This is beyond politics. This is satanic.

There truly are monsters out there. They smile and have no remorse as they embrace evil. They walk among us. And that terrifies me.

It should terrify us all.

But the very fact that we are terrified means there is hope for us. It means that the Spirit of the Lord has not “ceased striving” with us. It means that we can still distinguish good from evil. It means, that with God’s help, we can still stand up against evil.

I don’t care who you vote for. That’s up to you. Pick the candidate you think is best, or at least, the lesser of two evils. I can respect you even if your choice is different from mine. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as a people, as individuals, as children of God. This is about recognizing evil and standing against it. This is about choosing to be on the Lord’s side.

This is about becoming Captain Moroni.

And that means we have to read about Amalickiah.