The phrase ‘spiritual movement’ includes a number of components that are dynamically related. Movement can occur by choice, or involuntarily. It can transpire in positive and uplifting directions or in negative and spiritually diminishing ways. And the source of the moving power can be manifest outwardly or inwardly. Alma’s mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites illustrates many of these movements and their relationships.
When preaching among the Zoramites, Alma discovered the poor and cast out condition among a certain group of the Zoramites, who had experienced the involuntary spiritual movement. He described their movement as those who were “brought to a lowliness of heart” (Alma 32:12), and also used the term compelled. He then said: “And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?” (Alma 32:14). “Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed – yea, much more blessed than they who are compelledto be humble because of their exceeding poverty” (Alma 32:15 – emphasis added). Alma clearly demonstrates that both types of spiritual movement are good, but voluntary movement (toward righteousness) is best. This echoes the doctrine taught by Nephi who spoke about “things to act and things to be acted upon” (See 2 Ne. 2:13-14). Relating Nephi’s doctrine to the impoverished Zoramites, their humble condition was a condition of being acted upon, and Alma’s counsel to them was to live in the same humble condition but by the power of their own acting, or being things that act.
That state of acting,and not being acted upon, is voluntary movement. Voluntary movement toward God is pleasing to him as he promises blessings to those who willfully bring about good. “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward”(D&C 58:27-28).
Involuntary movement occurs by a power from without. This use of the word involuntary does not imply that the power is forceful, or unwelcomed, but simply means that there is extra power from a source beyond our own powers. Consider the phrase, ‘moved upon by the holy spirit’. During those involuntary spiritual movements in life our actions warrant the blessing of having the spirit act through us. Peter explained this in terms of the spiritual gift of prophecy when he said “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:21, emphasis added) The Greek word for moved from this passage is phĕrŏ, and means to bear, or carry, and signifies that they were “impelled by the Holy Spirit’s power; not acting according to their own wills” (NSEEC – #5342, pg 262). This is essentially the same principle Joseph Smith taught but in reverse: “The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” The reverse then is that when we resist anything from the devil, the Holy Ghost takes power.
There is a common expression related to involuntary movement which is often used to describe a feeling or sensation that takes place deep within the soul following an inspiring or touching event. The expression can take a few forms but generally follows the pattern of “the speech moved me”, or “it was a moving performance”. The verb move has a number of implications. First, that such movement is good; or else it wouldn’t be worth talking about. Second, that the event or performance generated enough power to cause something within the soul to move. I have experienced this sensation when I listen to Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet symphony. This 20 minute experience carries the listener through emotional highs and lows, moments of sadness and happiness, love, passion, and tragedy. The collective experience moves me every time. I believe I have also experienced similar movement during educational, spiritual, or motivational based speeches. Another movement experience with a different flavor happened when I experienced the power of the Thunderbirds at an air show at the Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane Washington. The speed, power, loudness, and delicate precision the pilots use as they whoosh past each other only feet apart stirs emotion from within.
The moving power triggered by each of these events was involuntary and generally led to a higher emotional position than I had been in previous to the event. But not all moving experiences produce that elevated effect. My sister and I went to watch a movie at the theater when I was in high school. The language and gestures in the film caused a drop in my emotion, while lifting me out of my seat and out of the theater. I believe it was the Holy Spirit’s whisper that moved me. Then a second movement quickly followed: the feeling of elevated reward, knowing I had made a good choice. On the contrary, I recently watched a popular PG-13 rated movie. After a short time into the film I felt a bit off, and recognized it was likely the spirit prompting me to turn it off. I finished the movie anyway. I experienced a depressed emotional state for about a month following. I am confident that my emotional drop had little to do with the movie’s content, and had much more to do with my failure to give heed to the spirit’s voice, especially when I was sure of its legitimacy and source when I received it.
Sometimes we voluntarily cause movements in our outward conditions in order to more easily facilitate inner movement. One wicked Book of Mormon King validates this point. King Noah “did not walk in the ways of his father.” One of his first moves as king was to “put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.” This outward movement “changed the affairs of the kingdom” (see Mosiah 11:1-5), and facilitated a collective inner movement in the hearts of the people toward sin.”And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots. And he built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people” (v 14-15). Then following a victory over the Laminates in battle, “they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength” (v19). Their wickedness knew no limits, and eventually led to the hardening of their hearts against a prophet of the Lord and his ultimate execution at their hands.
Their spiritual downfall was swift and deliberate. It seems that their sins were numerous, creative, and knew no bounds. Elder Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described people with this mindset as “those few in deliberate noncompliance, including some who cast off on intellectual and behavioral bungee cords in search of new sensations, only to be jerked about by the old heresies and the old sins” (Settle This in Your Hearts, October 1992). Their collective spiritual movement graph was opposite to the Savior’s who moved from grace to grace, as they moved from “one piece of iniquity to another” (Alma 4:11). This pattern is typical and predictable in anyone who renounces their faith. The moment they do so, they begin to align their outward circumstances to facilitate their inner rebellion and there becomes no limit to what sins they suppose they can commit.