Not Your Usual Message on Gratitude

What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Inequality? Series

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


I have been working on the next two chapters of this series, and will hopefully publish them soon.  In the meantime, in honor of Thanksgiving I thought I would write about a message on gratitude from the Book of Mormon - one that is not your usual message on gratitude.

Heresy of the Zoramites

Alma 31 - 35 contains one of the more important stories from the Book of Mormon, the heresy of the Zoramites, depicted in the picture above.

As we covered in the articles on Priestcraft and Dissension and War, the Zoramites are Nephites who have separated themselves from Nephite government, religion, and society in order to more easily commit iniquity.  Their iniquity is in the form of systematically robbing and persecuting a poor class of people among them.  They are able to justify rejecting the law of Moses, the inequality among them, and their horrible treatment of the poor through their twisted new religion - hence their inequality, in addition to being iniquity, is also a priestcraft (or a process of using religion to make oneself rich).

The only aspect of the Zoramite religion that is in the form of anything that could be considered virtuous is their gratitude.  Once a week the wealthy Zoramites gather together and one by one stand atop a tower and declare their thanks to God.  The Zoramites had manipulated the poor into building the very tower and synagogues which the wealthy used, but the poor were religiously barred from entering and worshiping themselves.

Of course, their "gratitude" is not actually genuine, humble, or anything at all virtuous.  This is what they say in Alma 31:

"16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren... but we believe that thou has elected us to be thy holy children... ...

"18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen."

After their prayer, they go about their week without any thought to their God or their fellow man - only to themselves.

There are several errors which the Zoramites make in these chapters.

First, their religion is not genuine, it is only designed to enrich themselves.  Genuine religion of the Nephites recognized inequality as 'iniquity and abomination' (Jacob 2), and that a primary tenet of religion is to assist the poor, not persecute them and rob from them.  By twisting the gospel to teach that they were chosen and exalted above others it became easier to accept and perpetuate inequality.

Second, they thank the Lord that they are chosen and better than their fellow men, but the only difference between them and the poor in their camp is their wealth - wealth which was created by robbing the poor, and certainly was not bestowed by God.  Their gratitude, without a correct recognition of where their "blessings" and "chosen" state came from is iniquity.

In the end, this iniquity of the Zoramites is unforgivable.  They reject the message of Alma and his missionaries, and throughout the rest of the book of Alma they are destroyed.

Avoiding the Errors of the Zoramites

I think there are some lessons we could learn from the allegory of the Zoramites.  Unfortunately, Thanksgiving has some similarities to the Zoramites - we gather once a year in ostentatious displays of our wealth in the form of decorations and food, and then we give thanks for our many blessings.  Afterwards we go out the next day and buy, buy, buy!

Gratitude, if done correctly, can invite a sense of humility and a desire to share prosperity with those less fortunate.  But gratitude to God, as with the Zoramites, can also fan pride, and create a sense of 'chosen-ness'; at worse, it can perpetuate the illusion that the distribution of blessings in the world is justified, as if God willed it to be so.

But inequality is not the will of God.  In the next chapter of this series we will cover what the Book of Mormon teaches about prosperity - or why some people are wealthy and others poor.  In short, just like in the story of the Zoramites, God does not create inequality, it naturally occurs, or is created by humans.  It is our privilege and responsibility to use our blessings to raise up all those less fortunate, and by keeping this commandment we prosper as a people.

Thanking God for blessings is appropriate, but it must be combined with a humility forged from recognizing the source of economic inequality in the world today.  God does not create or justify inequality, and in fact condemns it. 

So in this Thanksgiving season I would invite you to consider these things:

• What does your gratitude inspire you to do?  
• Does it inspire you to give to others?  
• Or Do you feel envy and anger at the charity and other social assistance which others receive?  Or feel threatened by those who are needy - the poor, homeless, refugees, etc? 

• If you believe that you are blessed and/or a chosen people by God, what does this belief inspire you to do or be?  
• Do you utilize your wealth and other blessings to lift others?
• Or do you see others as undeserving of receiving the same blessings that you have enjoyed?

• If you believe that God has blessed you and others - which I and many others do - how do you juxtapose this idea with unjust inequality in the world today? (the next chapter in this series will cover this question via the Book of Mormon in detail)
• Do you recognize to what extent your social and economic opportunities and ease have come from your privileges - the country that you live in, the wealth and education of your family, the wealth and safety of your community, and your race?
• Do you recognize the many millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide who work at poverty wages to facilitate low prices, low prices which ultimately increase the value of our wealth?

•  How will you dedicate yourself this Thanksgiving and Christmas season to ensuring that the blessings and gratitude you have felt can be experienced by all?

I am thankful for all that I am blessed with this Thanksgiving holiday.  I also recognize that I was privileged to receive these blessings because I was born in America, because I am white, and because I grew up in a wealthy and educated family and community.  I recognize the contributions of all those millions who do not share my blessings.

I will show my gratitude to God by using my blessings and privileges to dedicate my life to ensuring that others can feel the gratitude which I feel.  I would invite you all to do the same.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and travel in safety!

Systematic Inequality in the Book of Mormon and Today

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.
Table of Contents

The historical narrative of the Book of Mormon contains a powerful message about the dangers of economic inequality, and also has many similarities to patterns of inequality today.  This article will be focused on the ideologies and organizations of the book and today that orchestrate and create inequality, and a comparison of the two can offer new ways of looking at the present.

This article will apply principles from these previous articles:
Priestcraft
Secret Combinations
Secret Combinations - Gadianton Robbers
Dissension and War

Also, in Beginning to Apply the Historical Narrative I offer a short note on my philosophy in making applications of the Book of Mormon which may be helpful.

Priestcraft - Ideologies Which Create and Sustain Inequality

In the Book of Mormon, it is priestcrafts that serve as the ideological underpinnings of inequality.

In practice, priestcrafts are methods for a few to become rich, famous, and/or powerful by deceiving and stealing from the masses through taking advantage of, or manipulating, Gospel principles.  This is done directly by deceiving people into giving money to practitioners of priestcraft, and indirectly by convincing the people that there was nothing wrong with inequality, and that the poor deserved their fate, thereby eliminating the need of the wealthy to meet the needs of the poor.

The religion of the Book of Mormon counteracts priestcrafts by preaching an ethic of equality; the government of the book counteracts priestcrafts by creating laws against deceiving people, stealing, etc., although they maintained laws which protected the freedom of belief.

There are many similarities between Book of Mormon priestcraft, and ideologies and strategies today.  What do you think of using this Book of Mormon terminology to describe these ideologies and practices today?

• Today many religious practitioners have turned their churches into effective money-making schemes, sometimes called "mega churches", and other times just called schemes.  These schemes are priestcraft because they inequality by massively redistributing money from the masses, to a megalomaniac few, and use the Gospel of Jesus Christ to do so.  I think that most would agree this is priestcraft at its finest.

• It is a common practice among politicians today to flaunt their religiosity in an attempt to be voted into office, and thereby profiting directly from the Gospel.  Some politicians appear to be genuine, but a frightening number come under criminal investigation for their business practices, or "iniquities", while others in is revealed that their purported "family values" only apply outside of their own family, as they come to apologize for their affairs, drug use, etc.  Regardless of whether the politicians religiosity is genuine or not, this practice falls under the category of priestcraft; the revelation that the religiosity was not genuine simply adds an extra level of egregiousness.  

• In the Book of Mormon, all cultural beliefs fell under the umbrella of religion - there appears to be nothing similar to our modern concept of a division between religious and secular knowledge.  With this in mind, perhaps priestcraft can also apply to taking advantage of cultural beliefs, that may or may not be religious in nature.  What do you think about these potential priestcrafts?
• Politicians who capitalize on common beliefs, or popular rhetoric, in order to become elected, when the rhetoric is known to be untrue, or when the politician has no intention of acting according to the rhetoric
• Business practices which capitalize on existing cultural attitudes of what is good, right, or desirable, in order to increase sales, especially if there is a measure of deceit involved.  For example, taking advantage of body image, holidays, desire for education, family values, etc.  I suggest that deceit is a requirement to be a priestcraft, but do you think there is an argument for any profiting off of cultural ideas being considered a form of priestcraft?  Why and why not?
• Deceitful business schemes, especially pyramid schemes (particularly those which employ religious or moral messages to encourage their workers)

•  In addition to directly causing inequality, priestcrafts are popular among the rich because they are designed to eliminate the requirement to help the poor; this is done by justifying inequality and vilifying the poor.  Consider these modern examples of the same process, and let me know what you think of calling them 'priestcraft':
• Economic philosophies which claim that inequality is necessary and good; or that claim greed is a good thing.  "Trickle-down" economics (which could be included in the schemes above), or any philosophy that sees widening economic inequality as natural, normal, or a necessary method for economic growth.
• The exaggeration of the sins which the poor are more likely to commit, while de-emphasizing the sins which the rich are more likely to commit.  For example, having high punishments for drug use, but no punishment for white-collar crimes, ie iniquities. 
• Pointing out the sins of the poor, but obscuring the same sins in others; and demanding a higher level of morality from the poor than others for them to be deemed worthy of economic assistance.  For example, many religious charities will require their beneficiaries to prove some measure of self-reliance, or to work for their benefits, while their is no expectation for wealthy church members to demonstrate qualities of self-reliance.
• The Prosperity Gospel - a modern Christian concept which claims that God rewards people with wealth according to their righteousness, concluding that the poor are in their poverty because of their degenerate natures.  Connected with this thought process is the idea that inequality is merit based, and one can pull oneself out of poverty simply by working harder, or being a better person.  (we will cover this very non-Book of Mormon prosperity theology in detail in the next sub-series)
• Philosophies and attitudes which suggest an injustice has occurred when assistance is given to those in need when such assistance was not given to everyone.  Read the article on envy if you haven't already for more on this.
• Any philosophy which attempts to erode the moral, religious, and civil necessity to assist the poor by suggesting that the poor have deserved their fate

Secret Combinations, Dissension, and War

As was mentioned above, at times the inequality in the Book of Mormon is orchestrated by groups of people driven by greed; these groups are referred to as secret combinations.

Secret Combinations steal (direct taking of resources) and rob (indirect withholding of resources), murder, deceive and manipulate, and commit all manner of other iniquities in order to enrich their own members.  Their primary foe is the government and laws of the people, which stands as a bulwark against iniquities and inequality.

When the government fails to stop the largest secret combination, the Gadianton Robbers, the robbers take control of the government with their money and murders.  They then persecute the poor, dissolve any equity in justice, convince even the righteous with their priestcrafts that their iniquities are not evil, and eliminate governmental regulations and laws which limit iniquities.  All of these things cause economic inequality to skyrocket.

When secret combinations fail to alter the laws and minds of the people, they dissent from the religion and government of the Nephites.  They then convince the Lamanites to go to war with the Nephites in order to destroy the government and religion which punished their iniquities, and limited their wealth.  Most of the wars in the Book of Mormon then are between those who want the freedom to commit iniquities and become rich, and those who have constructed as society to limit those very freedoms.

With these paragraphs in mind, let's consider similar items today:

• Today, economic and cultural theories alike all vary on their explanation of why inequality occurs.  Like the Book of Mormon, many of these theories are priestcrafts designed to misdirect the populace from the real culprits of inequality - powerful, and often secret, interest groups who exert their economic and political power to ensure that their few members benefit over the rest of the populace.

• In the Book of Mormon, it is secret combinations and dissenters - the bad guys - who are anti-government, anti-laws, and anti-regulations, and who persecute the poor.  There is a lot of praise in our culture for anti government and anti regulation philosophies, especially in my home state of Utah.  If we were to compare history today to the Book of Mormon, then the anti-government rhetoric would be priestcrafts designed by secret combinations.

• "Secret Combination" is a general term used to describe any group unified by greed, although the strategies and characteristics of each group differ throughout the book.  What do you think of the following list being considered modern secret combinations?
• Special interest groups, corporations, political groups, etc. who are willing and able to pay millions of dollars to ensure that public policies are enacted which economically benefit them over the rest of the populace
• Criminal, drug, and terrorist organizations - the mafia, drug cartels, ISIS, dictatorships and their cronies, etc.
• Corporations, businesses, and any 'for profit' organization which steals, robs, and withholds resources from their customers in an attempt to enrich their shareholders.  Which "commit secret murders" by knowingly allowing products and biproducts damage public health, or by robbing people of needed life-sustaining resources.

•  Although there are religious elements in the wars of the Book of Mormon, it is clear that the cause of war in the book is money, iniquity, and greed, with the conflict ultimately divided between those who wish to freely commit iniquities on one side, and equality, morality, and laws on the other.  Modern warfare is similar - it is caused by greed and economics, by a few attempting to wrest economic power from the many.

So what do you think of these possible examples of priestcrafts and secret combinations?

Beginning to Apply the Historical Narrative

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.
Table of Contents

The historical narrative of the Book of Mormon contains a powerful message about the dangers of economic inequality, and also has many similarities to patterns of inequality today.  This article will be focused on the general message the book has about inequality, and how the book offers new ways of looking at the present.

This article will apply material in the Book of Mormon from these previous articles:
Understanding Inequality in the Book of Mormon Pt. I
Understanding Inequality in the Book of Mormon Pt. II
The Pride Cycle Pt. I
The Pride Cycle Pt. II
Twilight of the Nephites and Conclusions

Some Notes on Applying the Book of Mormon

Most of the articles which I would like to write about applying the Book of Mormon message about inequality will require the full material of this series.  However, I think it would be helpful and interesting to introduce some potential applications now, using a few of the articles that have already been posted.

Before I do so, let me share the philosophy which I will use in applying this book.

Book of Mormon as a Scriptural Allegory

The Book of Mormon is an allegory - or a complex story from which one can derive hidden and applicable meaning.

Allegories are stories with settings that can differ wildly from the setting of the application.  It is understood that most of the details in an allegory are supportive, while only some of the details have similarities to the present, and thus can be used to create meaning and applications. 

The meaning that is derived from allegories is up to the interpreter.  There is generally no right or wrong way to apply allegories - their interpretations are founded by the creativity and persuasiveness of the interpreter.

Since allegories do not often produce one unified official message, they can be frustrating.  Complex allegories, can even be used to create and defend completely opposite conclusions, with the right creativity.  The only way to really create a 'right' or unified interpretation of an allegory is to simply convince everyone that an application is correct.

In addition to being an allegory, the Book of Mormon is also scripture, which complicates the application process a little. There can be a zeal with scriptural allegories to assume that every aspect of the scripture must be applied, because the scripture is true.  I think this is an error, and will not be my philosophy in applying the Book of Mormon content on inequality.

For example, in Alma 51 Captain Moroni executes everyone who refuses to take up arms to defend their country.  I think we can all agree that this detail should not be emulated in the present.

But there are many details in the Book of Mormon about inequality that do deserve discussion, and perhaps emulation.  But we will approach applying the Book of Mormon as an allegory with many potential applications, rather than an authoritative treatise on economics.  This means that every application that I will write are potential applications, and open of course to any of your own interpretations and insights.  If you see me write an application which you believe is economically wrong, religiously heretical, or logically flawed, then share your thoughts.

You may remember from the introduction to this series that I stated that I believe political opinions about economics and social life should be founded on facts and observations that everyone can share, and not only on religious belief.   I stand by that.  We should not initiate some new progressive policy only because that policy was used in the Book of Mormon.

But the Book of Mormon is a powerful allegory that can be used to see the world in a different way, or to illustrate a topic that can also be founded outside of the scripture.  Economics and inequality are topics which, as concerned citizens, we should have political opinions on, and are also topics which are addressed powerfully in the Book of Mormon allegory.

The Book of Mormon on General Inequality

With the above thoughts in mind, let's dig right in to some potential applications.  Let me know your thoughts on these.

The Evils and "Abomination" of Iniquity and Inequality

As we discussed in Understanding Inequality in the Book of Mormon Pt. I and Pt. II, the God of the Book of Mormon is most often concerned with immoral actions that affect social, and especially economic, justice and life.  This kind of immorality even has its own word, 'iniquity', which is used far more often than any other word describing wickedness.  This God views iniquity, and the economic inequality such actions cause, as 'abomination'.

Throughout the history of the Book of Mormon, the people frequently fall into patterns of inequality, leading to all sorts of social and economic problems.  Because of this, the God in this book instructs his prophets, priests, and all good people to act against inequality, and to address the needs and wants of the poor as a necessary part of his Gospel.

Considering these aspects, what do you think of these questions and statements?

• Why does the God of mainstream Christianity differ so much from the God of the Book of Mormon?  Why does iniquity, social injustice, and inequality rank so low in sins which are talked about in modern Christian discourse, or even just modern cultural discourse? This needs to change, and the Book of Mormon provides a lot of content which can be discussed.

• Religion played a major role in confronting iniquity, injustice, and inequality in the Book of Mormon.  American religion today, with some exceptions, has either shied away from opinions on economics and inequality because the topics are too political, or has embraced inequality, injustice, and even iniquity as necessary, unavoidable, or righteous.  This is in error, and could even be considered a priestcraft.

• Using the Book of Mormon, I would argue that the most socially destructive type of wickedness is iniquity - or social injustices which create inequities.  As concerned citizens, and as moral people, our concern about iniquities today should rank higher than our concern for sexual immoralities on the social stage, including the high profile, low utility, debate on homosexual marriage.  By obsessing with sexual sins we are missing much more dangerous economic sins.
• Consider Robert Reich's similar argument
 

Cycles of Inequality

The people in the Book of Mormon experienced many cycles of wealth inequality.  This inequality led to pride, the persecution of the poor, serious social problems, and the creation of inequities in education and justice.  The church of God, and the government of the people, were created in large part to combat economic inequities, and actively pursued this cause.

At times, inequality was orchestrated by a greedy few - ideologically orchestrated in the form of priestcrafts, and criminally orchestrated in the form of secret combinations and dissenters.  Their activities created severe inequities in wealth, political power, and justice, in addition to eventual economic recession.

When economic inequalities were eliminated in 4 Nephi, the social problems and inequities which had existed before were also eliminated.  In addition, other types of immorality, which had festered in times of economic inequality, were also eliminated.  Once economic inequities returned, so to do many social problems and immorality, as well as the devastating effects of organized inequality.

With these insights in mind, consider these items:

• The cycles of inequality described in the Book of Mormon have many similarities to cycles of inequality today.

In the U.S., economic inequality today has many similarities to the "gilded age" of America's late 19th and early 20th centuries.  During the gilded age and today, the consequences of inequality were and are serious social problems, money and power concentrated in the hands of a (often secret) few, ideologies that justify inequality and vilify the poor, inequities in education and justice, and economic recession (especially the "great depression" and the "great recession"). 

Does this sound a little like the patterns in the Book of Mormon?

• In the Book of Mormon, the poor were persecuted because the rich became prideful, came to hate the poor, envy them, and to believe in ideologies which vilified the poor, while exonerating the rich.  This process also created strife, contentions, and malice among the people.  These same terms and process can and should be used to describe today in religious discourse.  Furthermore, like in the Book of Mormon, the social, political, criminal, and racial contentions of today also have roots in economic inequality. 

• The people of the Book of Mormon use their church and their government together to combat inequality (we will cover more details how they did this in a later sub-series), and doing so was a primary focus of both organizations.  Many today argue that the government has no business correcting economic inequalities and social injustices.  I believe this is opposite of the Book of Mormon message.

What are your thoughts?

Historical Narrative - Pride, Priestcrafts, and Secret Combinations

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.

This article will serve as an introduction to the historical narrative portions of the Book of Mormon which address the topic of inequality.  This history also builds the stage for the following sub-series on the Book of Mormon.

As it turns out, the majority of the book's narrative speaks to inequality in some form or another.

Economic Elements of the Historical Narrative

As was stated in Understanding Inequality in the Book of Mormon - Pt I, the Book of Mormon rarely talks about economic inequality as we would today, and instead uses religious terminology and themes to address 'iniquity' - which is a type of wickedness usually involving social inequities.

Before we take a look at the economic elements of the narrative it would be useful to describe as best I can the general economics of the book.

From what I can tell, most people in the narrative appear to practice subsistence agriculture - this is to say small farms with the purpose of feeding one's family.  At times the narrative specifically mentions the rise of specialists - lawyers, merchants, weavers, politicians, craftsmen, etc - but the abundance of these specialists appears to be the exception to the norm during certain periods of wealth.

In the narrative, there are no businesses, no corporations, or really anything similar to our complex modern economic system.  The only "for profit" organizations are "secret combinations" - cults which seek to deceive and murder to become rich and powerful.

With such a simple subsistence economic system there are only three quick ways to become rich - to be a king and tax the people, to use religion in order to deceive people, or to rob the people by stealing from them directly, or otherwise ensuring that resources are not distributed to them.  As all of these methods are considered 'iniquity', the Book of Mormon addresses the "rich", and those that "set their hearts upon riches" and commit iniquities, very harshly.

The narrative generally describes 'rich' and 'poor' in relative terms, with only a few clues as to the absolute wealth and poverty of the people.  One clue that is offered is that the rich separate themselves from the poor by wearing "costly apparel", which to me signifies that the rich were simply wealthy enough to pay specialists for their needs, rather than to make clothing themselves.  My guess is this means that the absolute inequality in the narrative was, for the most part, probably pretty minor, with the average rich likely only having a few times more the resources as the average poor.

Nothing like today where something like the richest 50 families own more than the poorest half of the planet.

But the absolute inequality is not what matters in the narrative - it's the relative inequality that causes problems.

What is Contained in this Sub-Series

With the above items in mind, let's look at some of the elements which we will address in this sub-topic series:

The Law of Moses - Throughout the Book of Mormon, it is mentioned that the people strictly follow the Law of Moses, but we are not given details about what this means.  There are several aspects of the Law of Moses that theoretically regulate the economy in ways which limit inequality, including the law of the Sabbath Day and Jubilee.

Iniquitous Kings - In the first half of the narrative, as well as the book of Ether, the people are ruled by kings.  At times, these kings are terribly wicked, and exact harsh taxes on the people in order to live lavish lifestyles.  These taxes are very hard on the people, and are the primary cause of inequality in the early half of the Book of Mormon.

Because of the economic inequality which iniquitous kings cause, kings are abolished, and the Nephites form a new church and a new government dedicated to correcting inequalities, and a renewed interested in justice, equity, democracy, and the Law of Moses.

The Pride Cycle - Throughout the narrative, the Nephites go through cycles, where economic inequality is introduced, leading the rich to become prideful and to begin persecuting the poor.  In these cycles, 'pride' is a consequence of inequality, and is manifested through inaction on correcting iniquities, justification of the poor, and persecuting the poor by withholding resources.

Consequences of Inequality and Pride - This article takes a closer look at the consequences of economic inequality, including the creation of new inequities in education and justice, and serious social problems described as 'strifes', 'envyings', and 'malice'.  In order to counteract the inequities and their consequences, the church of God and the government of the people act to counteract inequality.

     A Note on Envy - The Book of Mormon frequently mentions 'envy' as a emotion coinciding
     every instance of pride and inequality in the book, however it provides little details about what is
     meant by the word.  This article explores a possible explanation of the word using modern
     examples.

Priestcraft - Priestcraft refers to anytime religion is used to make individuals rich and/or famous.  It is manifested by people twisting religion in order to deceive people into giving them money directly, or to convince them that economic inequalities are not wrong, and therefore there is no moral obligation to correct it.

Priestcraft is a serious problem all throughout the narrative, but especially from the book of Alma on. Eventually, priestcrafts become the ideological underpinnings of all economic inequality in the Book of Mormon.

Secret Combinations Pt I - Secret combinations are cults of people who will do whatever they can to become rich - generally through deceit, robbing, and even murder.  At times they work in the shadows and put their own members in powerful political positions and then become rich through robbing the poor; and at other times they use warfare and chaos to plunder the land.  With every strategy they seek to destroy the government and laws of the land that put limits on their greed and punish their iniquities.

In Secret Combinations Pt II - Gadianton Robbers we look at the most dangerous secret combination, the "Gadianton Robbers", who sought to become rich by destroying the government which combated inequalities.  Once that was accomplished, they enriched themselves and persecuted the poor.

Dissension and War - Throughout the narrative, laws and religious principles are put into place to limit kings, priestcrafts, persecutions, strife, and secret combinations - but the wicked who would do anything to become rich simply dissent from the church and from their own government in order to practice commit their iniquities more easily.  When the Nephites act to limit or stop these dissensions, the dissenters join neighboring peoples to wage on God's people to destroy the government once and for all.

Most wars then in the Book of Mormon are fought over the whether the few should be free from laws and morality to commit iniquities, at the expense of the rights of the many, or whether a strong government and religion should exist to punish iniquities and to correct inequalities.

Racial Inequities - Most of this series will focus on economic inequality, following the predominant content of the Book of Mormon, but there are a few insights concerning racial equality which could be interesting to address here.

This article explores the possibility that racial tensions between those belonging to the tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh fueled the priestcrafts, secret combinations, dissensions, and war mentioned above.

Twilight of the Nephites and Conclusions - This concluding article to this chapter recaps the principles provided above through reading 4 Nephi and the concluding saga of the Nephites.  The people finally obtain peace when economic inequality is completely done away with.  Once inequality returns, and along with it pride, persecution, priestcrafts, and secret combinations, the people are eventually destroyed.

I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment.

What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Inequality - Table of Contents

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.

What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Inequality - Table of Contents