Reading the whole Book of Mormon in July

With fewer teaching hours this summer, I knew that boredom would reign if I did not set up a worthy project for myself. So I read the entire Book of Mormon in July. Calculations came down to 8 chapters each day (with one day to spare), and I spread those chapters out between listening and reading on my tablet. I felt this project was worthy for two reasons: (1) I wanted to see the big picture of this book of scripture, and (2) I knew it would force me to spend a good chunk of time each day immersed in the scriptures. Some days, it was half an hour. Other days, it was an hour or longer. Regardless, I spent a lot of time thinking about the prophecies of Christ, his visit to the Americas, and his Second Coming. And I learned something interesting.

I started reading expecting to read a book about the Nephites. After all, Nephi kicked the whole thing off. He was the first political leader and one of the first prophets of the Book of Mormon. Everything that followed made reference to his decision to leave Jerusalem with his father. But this speed-read took my expectations and flipped them onto their backs. You see, during my reading I felt like the Book of Mormon wasn't a book about the Nephites: it was a book about the Lamanites.

After all, the Nephites are essentially defined by their contrast to the Lamanites. Under that logic, any book about the Nephites would have to also be about the Lamanites, and I'm always a sucker for underdog characters. The marginal. The invisible. The silent. The forgotten. Those are my favorite characters in fiction; why don't I have more charity for them in non-fiction?

With that inspiration, which luckily came to me early in the month, I read and learned several things about the Lamanites.

1. God loved the Lamanites. This truth was evident to me through the examples of the prophets. When the Nephites were truly righteous, they sought to help the Lamanites, even during war. It was as if righteousness = loving the Lamanites. The whole purpose of the Book of Mormon, found on the title page, is to convert and bless the Lamanites. How could God not love them? Furthermore, if God loves the Lamanites, then it is clear that God loves us even when we sin. For so much of the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites were considered to be God-less, inhumane sinners. Yet, God still loved them and continually sent messengers to them to speak of His love. How could God not also love you?
2. The Lamanites were good people. They are often described as being more righteous than the Nephites, only lacking the truth. It was the decision of their predecessors that brought a curse upon them, so refrain from judging them. After all, they were worthy of being loved by God. That should tell us something about their true natures. The same goes with the people who we think are our enemies or at least who are different from us. Refrain from judgment. They are worthy of God's love, too.
3. Curses can be lifted. Many Lamanites were converted throughout the Book of Mormon, and God took the curse of the Lamanites away from them. Whatever your curse may be--grudges, addiction, sin, etc.--it can be removed. And the errors of your generation, of your community, of your family do not need to be reflected in you.

Those lessons combined form the big picture of the Book of Mormon: we are redeemable.