The Philosophies of Men

President Benson said that the Book of Mormon helps us to “expose the errors and find the truths to combat many of the current false theories and philosophies of men.”  He also stated that the Book of Mormon “exposes the enemies of Christ” and helps us to “see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.”  I think that we see this in particular in the stories of those wicked men—such as Sherem, Korihor, and Giddianhi—who opposed the things of God.  We see not only what they taught and how they tried to lead astray the righteous but also how the faithful defended themselves against them. 

                One of the false teachings that we see through the words of some in the Book of Mormon is the argument that one cannot know the future.  This was the main reason that Sherem denied the coming of Christ.  He scolded the Nephites because they had turned the law of Moses “into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence.”  He argued that “no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come” (Jacob 7:7).  Korihor made a similar argument, saying of the future prophecies: “How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ” (Alma 30:15).  How did Jacob and Alma respond to these arguments?  Jacob responded to Sherem by bearing witness of what he knew to be true: “It has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost” (Jacob 7:12).  The Lord “poured in his Spirit” into Jacob and through that he was able to withstand the words of Sherem and not be moved.  Alma likewise bore testimony of what he knew by the power of the Spirit.  He questioned Korihor, “Will ye deny again that there is a God, and also deny the Christ? For behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come.”  He also made the argument that the burden of proof is in not wholly on the believer: “And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only” (Alma 30:39-40).  Alma pointed out that he had countless witnesses of the truthfulness of the coming of Christ including the scriptures and the many other disciples with him.  The world today would likewise have us think that it is the responsibility of believers to prove that God exists.  But we have many sources to turn to as evidences that God lives and Jesus is His Son, and ultimately we must each learn this for ourselves; we will never “prove it” in the way Korihor wanted.  Like Alma and Jacob we must rely on our testimony gained through the revelation of the Spirit.    

                Another false teaching that we see from the wicked in the Book of Mormon is that it is one’s possessions, popularity, and money that matters.  Giddianhi, the Gadianton robber, seemed to have been making this argument to Lachoneus when he said, “Yield yourselves up unto 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” (3 Nephi 3:7).  He thought he could somehow convince Lachoneus to surrender by offering wealth (which surely he wasn’t really going to give).  Zeezrom tried a similar thing when speaking to Amulek, “Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being” (Alma 11:22).  Nehor taught the Nephites that they “ought to become popular,” and he himself “[wore] very costly apparel” and founded a church after this kind of thinking (Alma 1:3, 6).  These ideas are of course prevalent today as the world constantly seeks to convince us that it is money and prestige and material things that matter.  Lachoneus and Amulek showed us that the way to defend ourselves is complete refusal; we can’t entertain the thought of sacrificing the spiritual for temporal gain.  Amulek didn’t bat an eye at the offer of Zeezrom and Lachoneus went straight to the Lord for strength against his enemies.  Unfortunately in the days of Nehor there were many who believed him and even after his death “there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor” (Alma 1:16).  We must guard ourselves in our day against those same false teachings—for they are certainly all around us.  Our safety lies in following the examples of Amulek and Lachoneus as we “combat false… concepts of our time.”