Actions speak louder than words...or do they?

I often find myself judging people for not doing anything about issues they profess to care about. In my mind, ranting on Facebook about how terrible the government is doesn’t really achieve anything – it doesn’t make a difference.

This whole idea I’m talking about is called slacktivism – people on the internet trying to support or not support some political or social or religious cause, but it requires so little commitment and involvement that you never really know if they’re serious about it. Slacktivism sucks us all in, myself included, so I probably shouldn’t judge. It lulls us into thinking that “liking” a post about stopping religious discrimination is doing our part, or putting a “sad face” on a friends’ post will make their cancer all better. Sometimes, people get so hyped up they comment, or even make a post of their own, but will that really have an effect? I thought actions spoke louder than words, so do words even make a difference?

These thoughts of mine were mostly sparked by Pahoran’s epistle to Captain Moroni in Alma 61:14: “…let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords…” The whole idea here is that sometimes, words won’t be enough. Words can resist evil, yes, but there appears to be some kind(s) of evil that can only be vanquished by the sword. The sword could represent a number of things here, such as action, war, even violence or force, in some cases. The message remains, however – actions are greater than words, just like I’ve always thought.

My musings regarding this matter brought me to a scripture in the New Testament, Hebrews 4:12, which reads, “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Now we’re talking about the word of the Lord, not just any old words. Apparently, His word is “sharper than any two-edged sword” and capable of piercing and dividing the “soul and spirit.” It seems to me that the word is greater than the sword, in this instance. God’s word can penetrate the soul when the sword is too dull.  

That’s not the only instance I found where the word trumps the sword. Back in the Book of Mormon –  Alma 31:5, to be specific – we see the following words:

“And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” 

What is going on here? The narrator (Mormon) says that “the preaching of the word…had a more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword…” Once again, God’s word pierces when the sword – “or anything else” – cannot.

What implications do these findings have for our online interactions with the world? Does posting and commenting online about things we care about actually make a difference? Sure it does, in some ways. Nevertheless, we should always couple our words with activism – “vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change,” according to Google's definition. In everything we do to bring about change, let’s remember: according to the scriptures, the only word that’s greater than the sword is God’s.



Additional resources:

-A slacktivism slam poem: "Who cares?"

(composed and performed by myself, Chandra and Claire)