Dissension and War

What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Inequality? Series

The Book of Mormon contains some surprising insights concerning economic inequality.  This series explores several topics addressed by the LDS scripture and its insights for today.

What Does Dissension and War Have to do with Inequality?

Throughout all of the Book of Mormon, war is a constant; in some periods of the Book of Mormon there is a new war every couple of years, or at least every generation.  After the laws of Benjamin, Mosiah, and their judge successors are established, groups who dissent from the government and the dominant religion also become common.

The frequent dissensions and warfare are connected to each other, as well as connected to the cycles of inequality, iniquity, priestcrafts, and secret combinations discussed in this sub-series.

Dissension

The reason people dissent from the Nephite government and people is because they want to practice iniquities, and find that it would be easier outside of the strict laws of the land.  Mass dissensions occur as a reaction to expanded social pressures against iniquities - including the laws of King Benjamin and Mosiah, as well as Alma and Nephihah, discussed in the articles on Iniquitous Kings and Priestcraft respectively.  Throughout the books of Alma and Helaman, every time there is a mention of new laws establishing "justice and equity" there is thereafter another wave of dissenters.

Dissenters leave the church because its main function among the Nephite people is to preach against economic wickedness and to correct inequities.  Within the church and Nephite community prophets railed against the iniquities of the people.  Coinciding with each wave of dissenters in the Book of Mormon is a prophet preaching against economic wickedness, and preaching for equality.  While many repented of their economic sins in response to these teachings, others chose to reject the message; and leaving the church and its community made this rejection easier.

If the timing of their dissensions wasn't enough evidence, Nephite writers also always point out the inequality, persecution of the poor, and other iniquities that these dissenters are so quick to commit once they are away from the rest of civilization. 

War

And what about war?  What does it have to do with inequality?  And how is warfare connected to iniquity and dissensions?

In general, warfare affects those in poverty to a much greater extent than those who are wealthy.  Wealthy families have resources to mitigate the horrors of warfare, and wealthy locations are generally more sheltered from the economic effects of warfare.  One example from the Book of Mormon of this is in Mosiah 21, when King Limhi establishes a welfare program to assist the widows and children of those who died in the wars previous, who would have otherwise starved without the assistance (v. 16-17).

As for iniquity and dissensions - it is Nephite dissenters, driven by their greed and lust for power - that initiate the majority of the wars in the Book of Mormon.  Once Nephite dissenters leave their communities and their government, if they are not immediately destroyed, they end up joining the Lamanites and then riling them up to war against the righteous Nephites.

Why would dissenters do this?  In order to destroy the laws of the land which bound their greed before, and to establish themselves and kings and rulers over their peers - free to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.

War is connected to inequality because inequality is what every war in the Book of Mormon is about.  Most conflicts boil down to two polar opposite systems - on the one hand is a society with political and religious freedoms, and strong economic laws and beliefs which ensure those freedoms and equity among the people; and on the other hand is a society which wants to become rich and powerful through the disintegration of such laws and beliefs, and will sacrifice freedoms and will rob and plunder everyone, especially the poor, to do it.  

Examples of Wars and Dissenters

There are several dissenting groups listed below, but their story is all the same - the laws of the government and people prohibit economic wickedness, the people become wealthy and this wealth invites a desire to commit iniquities, iniquitous people dissent from the government in search of riches, and then they use the Lamanites to wage war on their own people to reach their goals. 

King Noah's Priests and Amulonites

Continuing with the story covered in Iniquitous Kings, King Noah and his Priests become so wicked and iniquitous that the people are left with only one option - violence.  King Noah is deposed and put to death, but his accomplices escape into the wilderness.  A good man named Limhi takes Noah's place as king (Mosiah 19).

The Priests of Noah, led by a man named Amulon, happen upon a group of Lamanite women bathing.  The women are kidnapped by the followers of Amulon, who again escape into the wilderness.  The Lamanites wage war on Limhi's people, thinking that it was Limhi's people kidnapped the women.  This misunderstanding is cleared, nevertheless the relationship between Limhi and the Lamanites remains poor thereafter, with Limhi's people essentially enslaved to the Lamanites (Mosiah 20-21).

Meanwhile, Amulon is able to ally his people to a different group of Lamanites using the very women he kidnapped.  They discover Alma's equitable society, and true to their nature they enslave Alma's people, and set themselves up as rulers over them (Mosiah 23-24).  Fortunately, Alma and his people eventually escape from Amulon and his Priests, and then join Mosiah's people and help form an equitable church.

Over the next several decades, Amulon and his priests remain among the Lamanites.  They set up a false church among the Lamanites in order to rob them, and eventually join the Order of Nehors when they too dissent to the Lamanites.  They and their descendents, as well as other dissenters, convince the Lamanites to initiate several wars with the Nephites (Alma 21; 22; 24; 25; and 43).

The Order of Nehors - Amlicites, Amalekites, and Zoramites

After Nehor is killed in Alma 1, a secret combination called the "Order of Nehors" continues the priestcrafts and money-making strategies of Nehor.  Laws are established to limit the iniquities and inequality of priestcraft, thus beginning the first wave of dissenters from the government.

In Alma 2 a man after the Order of Nehors named Amlici seeks to change the law in order for himself to become king, and therefore have the economic and ideological power of the iniquitous kings of the past; as well as to reverse the laws which placed limits on the greed of him and his secret combination.  He fails to gain the votes of the people, so he takes the people that follow him and set to take power by force.

The Nephite armies drive the Amlicites out of the land.  The Amlicites then rally with an army of the Lamanites and convince them to go to battle with the Nephites.  After much bloodshed in Alma 3, the Nephites are eventually victorious.

The Amalikites are a dissenter group first mentioned in Alma 21, which is presumably some time after their dissension.  While there is no record of their initial dissension, it is mentioned that they are after the Order of Nehors, so they most likely dissented in order to practice their inequality-causing priestcraft, like the Amlicites.

The Amalikites, along with the Amulonites mentioned above, set up false churches among the Lamanites in order to rob and swindle them.  These churches are the primary reason the Sons of Mosiah had such a difficult time on their mission (Alma 21-22) - and also the primary reason the Lamanites go to war with the Nephites in Alma 24.  When the Sons of Mosiah do find converts in the Lamanites, and establish an equitable society among them, it is the Amalekites that convince the Lamanites to go to war with their own people (Alma 27).

The Zoramites also dissent from the Nephites in order to practice priestcrafts, as detailed in the article on Priestcrafts (Alma 30-35).  Once the preaching of Alma and his missionaries destroys the Zoramites' ability to take advantage of their poor, they dissent from the Nephites, joining the Amulonites and Amalekites in initiating war after war with the Nephites (Alma 43).  These dissenters and their descendents become as numerous on their own as the remaining Nephites,..

Because of the fierce hatred that the Amalekites and Zoramites had of the Nephites, they are appointed as captains in each conflict against the Nephites.  They ensure that the Lamanites continue their warfare, even when the majority of the Lamanites oppose the war (Alma 43; 48).  They also force the Lamanites to conduct their warfare without any armor, while they themselves were protected in the best armor available.

The church which the Ammulonites, Amalekites, and Zoramites set up among the Lamanites exists long after the dissenters are gone gone, and plays a part in convincing many Lamanites to join the Gadianton Robbers in 3 Nephi 1.

Amalikiah's Dessenters
 
In Alma 45 a pride cycle occurs, leading to a division among the people between those that followed the religion, and those who grew proud because of their riches.  In the following chapter it is revealed that the leader of the prideful is a man named Amalikiah - not to be confused with the Amalekites mentioned above.  Amalikiah seeks to be king, and so he flatters many people to dissent from the church of God, and to seek to change the laws of the land in order to remove the liberty and equality of the people by making him king.

Captain Moroni - the most well known military hero of the Book of Mormon - rallies the believers in God against Amalikiah in defense of the freedoms of their country.  Note that Captain Moroni marches in defense of the government and laws of the land, and against greed, iniquity, and the secret combination of Amalikiah which sought to destroy the law of the land, and the freedom in the land to practice religion (Alma 46).

Amalikiah and his people flee from Captain Moroni's army, but are caught before reaching Lamanite territory.  Amalikiah and a small number of people escape to the Lamanites, but the majority are taken by Moroni and punished according to the law.  Although the remnant swear to support the cause of freedom, they likely later become the 'King-men' mentioned below.

Once Amalikiah escapes to the Lamanites he uses treachery, murder, and intrigue to become king of the Lamanites.  He uses his new-found power, his followers, and all of the previous dissenters to wage the longest war in the Book of Mormon, covering Alma chapters 46 to 62.  His goal in waging a war is simple - destroy the government, laws, and religion of the Nephites, and become rich ruler over the entire land.

King-men

Amalikiah's war against the Nephites initially was disastrous for him.  Although his army and people were far larger than the Nephites, the Nephites were a righteous people - in other words the antithesis of the greed, iniquity, priestcrafts, and inequality of Amalikiah and the Nephite dissenters - and their righteousness translated to more confident, capable, and happy troops, effective and equitable defense strategies, and strength from God.

As the war progresses however, the Nephites begin to lose the war.  It is revealed that the cause of their failure is wickedness among the Nephites in the form of a secret combination referred to as the 'King-men'.  The King-men are wealthy people of 'high birth' who, like Amalikiah, seek to change the law of the land to allow themselves to be kings.  The Chief Judge of the land refuses their request, and the King-men rebel by refusing to take up arms in defense of their country, hoping for the Lamanites to come and destroy the other Nephites (Alma 51).

Captain Moroni's army arrives to settle the problem with the King-men.  There is a vote put to the people, granting him emergency powers to deal with the King-men.  He and his army then march out against the King-men and "pull down their pride and their nobility" (Alma 51:17-18).  I am not exactly sure what that means, but I am guessing it involves breaking up their secret combination and tearing town their displays of wealth, iniquity, and inequality.  Some King-men are killed, and the rest are imprisoned.

Unfortunately, about five years later it appears that the King-men broke out of prison and grew even more powerful until they had taken over the capital of the land, led by a man named Pachus.  The Chief Judge and Captain Moroni combine their forces and combat the King-men.  Laws are established to punish secret combinations and those who refuse to fight because of their secret combinations.  Those dissenters who do not harken to the laws are put to death (Alma 60-62).

The war with the Lamanites ends soon after the Nephite's inner conflicts are resolved.  The people prosper and become more wealthy, but, remembering the iniquity which caused the recent war, did not set their hearts upon wealth, and instead humble themselves, creating a prosperous and equitable society.

Gadianton Robbers, the New Antagonists

The books of Helaman and 3 Nephi have several more examples of dissensions.  In Helaman 3-4 it is again Nephite dissenters, leaving during a period of intense inequality and a government establishing laws supporting "justice and equity", that manipulate a war-fatigued Lamanite people to declare war on the Nephites.  Because of the iniquity and inequality of the Nephite people they lose the war, and their lands are taken by the Lamanites.

The Nephites are humbled and repent of their iniquities.  Eventually, they are rescued by a miraculous conversion of the Lamanites to the religion of the Nephites - all of the Lamanites except the remaining Nephite dissenters that is.  The Lamanites, now converted, are thereafter no longer the antagonists of the story.

With nowhere to dissent to, wicked Nephites instead turn to the creation of secret combinations, including the Gadianton Robbers.  The rest of the book of Helaman and 3 Nephi chronicles the dissensions and wars with the greed and iniquities of the Gadianton Robbers, which has already been reported in Secret Combinations Pt. I and Secret Combinations Pt II.

Conclusion

The wars in the Book of Mormon are caused by greed, iniquity, and inequality.  The majority of the wars are initiated by dissenters who leave the Nephite society because religious beliefs and laws exist which limit their ability to become rich.  Once they leave the Nephite society, they manipulate the Lamanites into destroying the religion, government, and laws which they came to hate.

Why is this important?  These chapters reveal that Nephite wars are really about economic freedom.  They fight over whether one should be free to commit iniquities - to steal, rob, deny resources, persecute the poor, deceive, practice priestcraft, murder, to form secret combinations, and whether it was right that people were unequal - without interruption from religion or government.

To be clear, the righteous side of these conflicts deny such freedoms, and establish laws which promote economic justice and equity.  They are decidedly pro government, pro economic laws, and pro religion, so long as the governments were not secret combinations and the religions priestcraft.

On the other hand, it is the wicked who seek to disrupt and destroy government, laws, and religion, and dissent from the government and religion when they are unable to.

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