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

Secret Combinations Pt. I

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 Are 'Secret Combinations'?

In the Book of Mormon, 'secret combinations' are organizations set up to ensure its members become rich and powerful.  Their strategies to become rich are always dark - stealing, robbing, deceiving, murdering, etc.  They are usually secretive - as their strategies are obviously highly unpopular - but at times they are strong enough, or society is wicked enough, for them to act overtly without consequence.  Their strategies cause, exacerbate, and perpetuate inequalities and the persecution of the poor, and are the essence of the iniquities that the God of the Book of Mormon hates the most.

Secret combinations are behind the destruction contained in most of the history of the Book of Mormon.  They are the downfall of the Jaredite people, as well as King Noah's people (Iniquitous Kings).  Nehor's priestcraft followers formed a secret combination called 'The Order of Nehors' (Priestcraft).  Secret combinations, and their concomitant iniquities and inequality, are the source of all the wars and dissensions among the Nephite people (Dissension and War).

And of course, the largest and most dangerous secret combination are the Gadianton Robbers, who will be addressed specifically in the companion to this article (Gadianton Robbers).

To the Nephites, the only social organizations that exist in their society are the government, churches, and secret combinations; and sometimes the government is controlled by secret combinations, and sometimes churches are secret combinations, or at least their priestcrafts ideologically guide the combinations. There is no economic organization, or for-profit institution or venture which does not fall under these three categories, with 'secret combination' being the broadest category.

Additionally, in the Nephite world everything is black and white - there are people and organizations which seek the welfare of God's Children, and there are the people and organizations which seek after money.  There are no people or organizations that are neutral.  There is no free market, no corporations, no non-profit organizations, no business ventures or institutions of any kind, aside from government, churches, and secret combinations.  There is nothing like our modern and complex economy, and there isn't room in the worldview of the book for there to be - any for-profit venture would probably be considered an evil 'secret combination'.

Now, my point here isn't to say that modern capitalism is just a large collection of vicious secret combinations - that's a discussion for another time - but to provide appropriate context for the phrase.

Activities and Characteristics of Secret Combinations

All secret combinations are united under their singular purpose - for their members to become rich - but their strategies to achieve this goal differ throughout the Book of Mormon.  At times they become rich simply by taking resources; and at other times they become rich not by stealing, but by lying, deceiving, murdering, and doing everything possible to ensure their own members end up in leadership positions as government officials, judges, and lawyers, and then use these positions to rob from the poor.

Let's take a look at some of their main and overlapping strategies.  Remember, the Book of Mormon carefully uses particular words to describe situations, trusting that the reader knows the meaning of the word from earlier context.  In describing the iniquities of secret combinations the Book of Mormon uses similar verbs - like steal, plunder, and rob - where each word has its own particular nuance.  

They Steal

For secret combinations, stealing is a pretty straightforward way to become wealthy.  Fortunately for the people of the Book of Mormon, it is not the easiest.  Strong laws exist against stealing - what civilization can exist without such laws?  For the Nephites, laws against stealing exist from the beginning as that is a part of the Law of Moses.  In Mosiah 29, king Mosiah also establishes more laws against this iniquity, which laws are enforced by the judges of the land after his passing.

In order to get around this, secret combinations seek out to alter the laws.  In Helaman ch. 6 a secret combination is formed by members who make covenants and oaths with each other that they will protect each other from the consequences of their iniquities.  They are called the Gadianton Robbers - who will be discussed in more detail in the next post.  This secret combination murders and deceives in order to obtain powerful government positions.  Once in power they change laws and remove punishments to make their iniquities more easy, including stealing, and destroy any justice and equality in the process.  Helaman 7:4-5

4 [the Gadianton Robbers] having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;

5 Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills."

They Plunder

Plundering is the forceful and violent extreme of 'stealing'.  Secret combinations plunder by introducing chaos to families or entire cities, and then taking resources by force.  This chaos is caused by disrupting government, murdering, and by causing warfare - either behind the scenes or by raising up armies themselves.

They Rob

Robbing is by far the most subtle form of 'stealing'.  To rob from someone resources do not necessarily need to be taken by force, but can refer to denying otherwise justified resources.  In the scriptures when the word 'rob' is used it generally refers to the withholding of resources unjustly.  The most famous use of this word is in Malachi 3, also repeated in 3 Nephi 24:

8 Will a man rob God?  Yet ye have robbed me.  But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee?  In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

The robbery here is that money, which should have been the Lord's, was not given to Him.  The Book of Mormon usage is consistent with this definition.

The secret combination - the Order of Nehors - among the people of Ammonihah, as well as the Zoramites, rob by vilifying the poor in their priestcraft, and thereby convincing the people that there is no need to give resources to them (and instead should give money to the Order).

King Noah and his priests rob the people - not only because he forcefully taxes them, but when those taxes are used on himself and not on the welfare of the people where the funds justly belong.

The Gadianton Robbers (aptly named) rob the people when they take over the government, and then use their new found powers to disrupt the regulations of the government and to change laws, the new transformation which persecutes the poor.

They Lie and Deceive

Whether it's false priests, lawyers, royal family members, or politicians, every secret combination in the Book of Mormon practices some form of deceit in order to find themselves on the top.

The most dangerous lie they tell is that the iniquities that they commit - the stealing, murdering, and robbing - are not wrong, but are normal.  At times, as with the Gadianton Robbers, they even manage to convince the righteous to practice iniquities with them - to the detriment of the poor.  As iniquities in society increase, so too does the power of secret combinations.

Another dangerous lie many secret combinations practice is priestcraft.  King Noah and his priests, as well as the Order of Nehors and the Zoramites, are a few examples of secret combinations employing this strategy, where they lie about religion in order to deceive people into giving their money willingly, as well as providing justification for the inequality which results from the craft. 

They Take Away Rights and Freedom

The only freedoms secret combinations care about is the freedom to commit iniquities and other wickedness.  When in power they change the laws and social/religious rules which put limits on their economic wickedness, while on the other hand removing freedoms from ordinary citizens.  Moroni warns in Ether 8:

25 For it cometh to pas that whoso buildeth [secret combinations] up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies...

The freedom most targeted is the freedom of worship.  This is because religion can be a very effective tool against iniquities and inequality, as well as an effective tool of galvanizing the government and people into hunting and destroying secret combinations. 

We will discuss more about strategies to combat secret combinations and inequality later in the chapter on Solutions to Inequality.

They Murder

Murder is a constant tool used by secret combinations; used directly in order to more easily plunder and terrorize, or indirectly to facilitate political maneuvering.  Laws are altered, and deceptions made, to make it easy for their members to murder and get away with these murders.

But there is a deeper connection that secret combinations have to murder.  Between Helaman 6 and Ether 8 we learn that the first secret combination was between Satan and Cain, when Satan put the idea of murder into Cain's heart, and so he killed his brother Abel.  Cain then became the master deceiver and murderer in order to get gain, or become rich. All secret combinations thereafter are built from Cain's plans and Satan's whisperings, and have murder at their heart.

But this verb 'murder' does not only refer to the act of Cain's violent slaying of his brother, but to any secret plan which leads to the deaths of human beings.  Secret combinations also murder by stealing, plundering, and robbing - and thereby taking away life-giving resources from those in need.  They murder by creating lies and priestcrafts which corrupt morality and government into justifying death and war in the pursuit of economic development.

Murder is at the soul of secret combinations, and death follows them wherever they go.

Consequences of  Secret Combinations

There are several obvious consequences of secret combinations.  Their attempts to become rich, and the spreading of iniquities throughout the land, causes serious economic inequality, and its concomitant pride and persecution of the poor.  The inequality found during several Pride Cycles are caused by the activities of secret combinations, including Mosiah 11, Helaman 3,4,6, and 13, and 3 Nephi 6.

Any equality in justice is also lost when secret combinations become powerful, as laws and morality is eroded away to facilitate the quick generation of wealth for a few, and the many iniquities which accompany that process.  Justice comes down hard on the poor, and their resources robbed, while the rich get away free because of their money.

If secret combinations and their iniquities become omnipresent then there is economic collapse.  Helaman 13, Ether 14, and Mormon 1 each chronicle events of serious economic recession and collapse in association with the iniquities of secret combinations.  In each case it is described that a 'curse' has come upon the land, where every treasure that is hidden up then disappears, and thieves infest the land.  Then everyone becomes paranoid and poor.  For example, Ether 14:

1 And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or is sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land.

2 Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defense of his property and his own life and of his wives and children.

The 'curse' in each of the chapters are the natural consequences of rampant dishonesty and the erosion of economic justice - cooperation and trust between people ends.   When laws are eroded for the pursuit of riches, and wealth is robbed from the people, it dispels trust in the economic system and invites further dishonesty and theft.  In a desperate attempt to survive economic chaos, people hide up their treasures instead of sharing them with those in need, but find later that these are lost anyways. 

The treasures do not magically disappear, but are stolen - stolen likely by people who have been driven to desperation, and who have followed in the footsteps of the Gadianton Robbers in doing the only economic action which the law now facilitates - iniquity.  All thoughts of justice, equality, and charity are thrown out the door as everyone then embraces the idiom 'every man for himself', and society devolves into desperation, selfishness, iniquity, and violence.

This article will continue with a special look at a particular secret combination, the Gadianton Robbers.

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

 

Secret Combinations Pt. II - Gadianton Robbers

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.

Who are the Gadianton Robbers and Murderers?

There are many groups of secret combinations in the Book of Mormon - a list of which is at the end of this post - but the greatest detail is given to the worst of the bunch, the Gadianton Robbers.

The Gadianton Robbers practice every strategy mentioned in the last article - in fact that list is largely generated from details about Gadianton - but they use different strategies at different times in Nephite history.  Their activities are markedly different in the book of Helaman than 3 Nephi, so let's take a look at each of those books separately.

Gadianton Robbers in Helaman

The beginning of the book of Helaman contains an election for the new chief judge.  Pahoran II wins the election, but one of his opponents, Pahoran's brother Paanchi, is so angry about his loss that he forms a secret combination of his friends and supporters and they secretly plot Pahoran's death.  His plans are discovered and he is punished by the law, but his combination nevertheless sends an assassin to kill Pahoran who is successful.

The government hunts the assassin, and his secret combination, but are only partially successful at seeking them out and destroying them over the next several chapters.  A man named Gadianton takes over the band of murderers and robbers, and the secret combination is called after his name thereafter.  Throughout the book of Helaman these Gadianton Robbers act subtly - conducting secret murders, taking advantage of weak government and laws in order to rob and steal, and always seeking to put their own members in powerful positions.

In Helaman 3 economic inequality grows as a result of Gadianton's secret activities - and social contentions, iniquities, and dissensions accompany the inequality.  The new chief judge, Helaman, diligently acts to reduce the contentions and to hunt Gadianton, but the Robbers flourish in settled parts of the land and where the government is unaware of their existence (Helaman 3:23).  Eventually, the inequality is so great that even the members of the church become prideful and begin persecuting the poor - which has been discussed in the article on the Pride Cycle.

A ten year war humbles the people, and even results in the conversion of the Lamanites, during which time the Gadianton Robbers lose power.  Once the fighting ends in Helaman 6, both the Lamanites and Nephites become wealthy through trade with each other, and the people begin to set their hearts upon riches and to support the Gadianton Robbers.

Initially, the Gadianton Robbers are most numerous among the Lamanites, but the converted Lamanites are so ashamed of the iniquity among them that they hunt down and destroy or convert the Robbers among them, until they cease to exist (Helaman 6:20,37).  The Nephites, on the other hand, do just the opposite:

38 And it came to pass on the other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them, beginning at the more wicked part of them, until they had overspread all the land of the Nephites, and had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils, and to join with them in their secret murders and combinations.

39 And thus they did obtain the sole management of the government, insomuch that they did trample under their feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the poor and the meek, and the humble followers of God.

The lies of these robbers were so convincing that they managed to persuade the righteous to practice iniquities with them, and even to join in their murders (probably not overt murders - these were still the "righteous" people - but deaths caused through withholding resources).  Once in power, they used their political leverage to immediately persecute the poor, as they had been doing all along through their robbing and priestcrafts.

The prophets Nephi and Samuel address the iniquities of the people in the rest of the book of Helaman.  Some listen to their words, but most only repent after a serious economic collapse and a famine.

Gadianton Robbers in 3 Nephi

In 3 Nephi the Gadianton Robbers try some new tactics.

In chapter 1, they make defensible strongholds in the mountains, and then convince dissenters to leave in droves from both the Nephites and the Lamanites.  The people throughout the land are wicked and iniquitous, and these iniquities strengthen the Robbers.

In chapter 2, the Robbers become powerful enough to leave their strongholds in armies in order to murder and to pillage, and even to destroy entire villages, and then to retreat back to their strongholds, where the governments of the Nephites and Lamanites could not touch them.

In chapter 3, Giddiani, the new leader of the Gadianton Robbers, writes to Lachoneous, the leader of the Nephites demanding the surrender of their possessions:

6 Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you.

7 Or in other words, yield yourselves up onto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us - not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance.

This is an invitation for the Nephites to abandon their economic laws and beliefs and to join in the economic system of the Gadianton Robbers.  It is not a direct lie, those who join would be partners, but they would lose whatever measure of equality they previously created by their laws, as well as their freedom of worship and their church, which preached against the iniquities of Gadianton.

The righteous Nephites and Lamanites see that in order to defend their freedoms and liberties, as well as their very lives, they would need to ban together to defeat the Gadianton Robbers.  All the righteous are gathered into one part of the land, and the people share their resources and build fortifications and armies.  The Gadianton Robbers come to battle, but are repulsed by the courage and renewed ethics of equality and liberty of the Nephites and Lamanites.

The righteous wait in their fortified land for seven years, having plenty of resources once they combined against the Robbers.  The Robbers on the other hand, having never had a sustainable economic system as they relied on robbing and plundering, eventually starve, and their combination collapses. 

The Nephites and Lamanites then are able to return to their lands and to enjoy prosperity purchased through law, renewed economic morality, and their warfare with the Robbers.

Unfortunately, the prosperity and peace do not last.  In chapter 6 the people become unequal and prideful, and a pride cycle ensues.  This pride cycle was detailed in the second article concerning the pride cycle - it features not only inequality of wealth, but serious inequality in access to education which leads to many social problems.

This instance of pride and persecution of the poor is so bad that it leads to the breaking up of the church of God among the people for the first time since its organization with Alma and King Mosiah.  The wickedness also gives the last remaining secret Gadianton Robbers enough power to destroy the government and its laws once and for all in chapter 7:

6  And the regulations of the government were destroyed, because of the secret combination of the friends and kindreds of those who murdered the prophets.

The government collapses, and for the rest of the history until the coming of Jesus the people are divided into tribes.  The Gadianton Robbers thus had finally managed to destroy the laws of the land which limited their ability to steal, rob, murder, and commit other iniquities.

The Nephites and Lamanites gave the Robbers the power to destroy the government because of their love of money, and after only a few short years since they had sacrificed everything in order to defeat them.

Save for the complete destruction of the Nephites at the end of the Book of Mormon, this episode is the greatest tragedy of the book.  It was all thanks to the greed and iniquities of secret combinations, and the inequality and other disasters that ensue when their lust for money is accompanied with political power.

Chapters about the Gadianton Robbers and Other Secret Combinations

Online Scriptures
Ether 8-11, 14-15 - Secret combinations among the Jaredites
Mosiah 11-12, 23-24; Alma 24-25, 43  - King Noah and his priests
Alma 1,4, 8-16, 21-22, 31-35 - The Order of Nehors - Amalekites, Zoramites
Alma 37 - Concerning the Jaredite Record
Alma 46-48  - Amalikiah
Alma 51, 61-62 - The King-men
Helaman 2-13 - Gadianton's secret society
3 Nephi 1-7 - Wars against the Gadianton Robbers
4 Nephi, Mormon 1 - Reemergence of Gadianton


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

Twilight of the Nephites and Conclusions

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.

Highlight and Twilight of the Nephite Civilization

In this article I would like to conclude the historical narrative of the Book of Mormon, which is best done by sharing what may be the most illuminating chapter in the Book of Mormon on inequality - 4 Nephi.

4 Nephi covers nearly 300 years of history in unfortunately only 4 pages.  But first we need to finish up the history of 3 Nephi.

After the crumbling of the church and government described in the post on Gadianton Robbers, those who destroyed the government so that they could more easily become rich are destroyed by earthquakes and storms, while many of the righteous remain safe and gather in another part of the land.

Jesus appears.  He heals the sick, teaches the gospel, and establishes a church among the people similar in organization to the church of the Apostles in the New Testament.

He institutes the Law of Consecration among them (which will be discussed further in the chapter of Solutions to Inequality).  In short, the Law of Consecration, or "having all things common" among the people, means that there is no socio-economic inequality - all resources are shared.  The same system was established by the Apostles in Acts 2.

The effects of this equality are tremendous.  4 Nephi:

3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift. ...

10 And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people. ...

15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

Equality in temporal things leads to a removal of social problems, or spiritual iniquities, and the people are happy.  All of their previous problems - the iniquity, the strife, the lies, the murders, and the warfare - came because of inequality, and the priestcrafts and secret combinations that created the inequality.  When the inequality is removed, so too are all of their problems.

Their peace lasts 200 years, until the equality ended.  Somehow, although everyone theoretically should have had equal resources, some are able to flaunt their wealth and pride, and then everything falls apart.

 24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.

25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.

26  And they began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ. ...

28 And this church did multiply exceedingly because of iniquity, and because of the power of Satan who did get hold upon their hearts. ...

34 Nevertheless, the people did harden their hearts, for they were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many churches, and to do all manner of iniquity. ...

42 And it came to pass that the wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton.

46 And it came to pass that the robbers of Gadianton did spread over all the face of the land... And gold and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic.

Once economic inequality is reintroduced the people quickly return to their iniquities - their priestcrafts, robbing, dissensions, persecutions, strife, envyings, and secret combinations.  Throughout the last books in the Book of Mormon, the iniquity of the people led to all the usual consequences - more inequality, social strife and contention, all manner of wickedness, the erosion of government, recession, murder, chaos, and war, as well as other serious consequences including the removal of the Church which Jesus establishes.

The people, now all of them wicked and iniquitous, divide themselves into tribes based on their race - or their family line.  Year after year, battle after battle, war after war, hundreds of thousands of people are killed on both sides of the conflict.  Unlike earlier wars, this bloodshed is not a conflict of iniquity vs. righteousness, or freedom to commit iniquity vs. regulation - but is a free-for-all of iniquity, greed, and unnatural hatred.

Eventually, the entire culture of the Nephites, and the remnants of their government and religion, which fought for so long against iniquity and inequality, are completely destroyed, leaving only a record which speaks from the dust as a warning against unfettered iniquity, and unaddressed inequality.

Conclusions

There are a lot of important lessons I feel the historical narrative of the Book of Mormon can offer regarding economic inequality, but here is a summary of the highlights:

• Under the reign of kings the people of the Book of Mormon are frequently, and fiercely, unequal.  The iniquities of these kings also often leads to the iniquity and general wickedness of all the people.  The church of God, and the government of the land, are formed in response to this inequality - and thereafter remain as a bulwark against inequality and iniquity.

• Even with a religion and civil laws which restrict iniquity, economic inequality still at times afflicts the Nephites.  The sharp divide between the rich and poor creates pride, the persecution of the poor, further inequities, strife, malice, and severe recession.  It also leads to other forms of inequality, including inequities in education and justice.

• Most of the time, inequality exists among the Nephites because of organized or systematic iniquity - or calculated actions of a few to rob the people.  The Nephite religion and government is designed to fight individual and organized iniquity, and by so doing limit inequality.

•  Systematic iniquity comes in a few main forms:
• Priestcrafts - or the twisting of religion in order to enrich a few, or to justify iniquities and inequality
• Secret combinations - or secret groups which rob, murder, steal, lie, and disrupt/control government in order to enrich a few
• Dissensions - the breaking away from culture, religion, and government in order to practice iniquities without interference

• Iniquity and greed - especially through dissensions - are the primary cause of war in the Book of Mormon.  These long and bloody campaigns can be boiled down to a conflict between anarchy, dissension, inequality, and unrestricted greed on one hand, and laws, government, justice, equity, liberty, society, regulation, and religion on the other.

• Economic inequalities in the narrative may be connected to racial inequities and tensions.  It is possible these tensions are used to further the agenda of organized iniquity.

• When the Nephites experience equality then there are no signs of social problems, iniquity, and other forms of wickedness among the people.  When the Nephites experience inequality - especially orchestrated inequality - then iniquity, wickedness, and chaos abounds.  Eventually, it is inequality which leads to the destruction of an entire civilization.

So, what do you think?  I hope I have been clear in my presentations, but I am bound to have forgotten to include my reasoning for thinking a certain way somewhere in these articles.  Please civilly let me know if you have any questions, comments, and concerns.

The next two chapters in this series, on Teachings of the Book of Mormon and Solutions to Inequality, will be posted soon.  In the meantime, read the lists of highlighted chapters I included after several posts.  Better yet, just read Mosiah through 4 Nephi, and then let me know your thoughts.


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