“Nephi observed that the righteous who hearkened unto the words of the prophets would not be destroyed. These observations by Nephi deal with an interesting spiritual law regulating this mortal earth, showing that the behavior of human beings can affect and influence the so-called ‘natural’ phenomena. The language of the scriptures also suggests that God uses these ‘natural’ occurrences to punish or at times to reward his children” (Matthews, “Two Ways in the World,” 151).