A Practical Guide to the Book of Mormon’s Most Neglected Theme, Secret Combinations: A Source of Surprising Evidence and Urgent Modern Value

One of the most common themes in the Book of Mormon is also the one we discuss the least, or rather, are most embarrassed to discuss. This topic, however, demands our attention. It demands our attention not just because it provides some of the strongest evidence for the Book of Mormon’s authenticity and for its inspired relevance for our day. Rather, this neglected topic demands our attention because the welfare of our families, our communities, and our nation may depend on learning and applying its urgent message for us. That message gives us keys to recognizing and opposing great evil in ways that can protect the ability of the Gospel to be preached and the freedom of others to raise their families with the blessings the Gospel brings. We need to have a practical and realistic understanding of a pervasive Book of Mormon theme that we are so afraid to discuss: secret combinations.

In this post, I’ll contrast the practical teachings on secret combinations in the Book of Mormon with the widespread caricature of secret combinations by some very powerful organizations. We’ll see that the Book of Mormon’s broad spectrum of information on the diverse forms and operations of secret combinations actually fit well with historical reality and what we can learn from credible scholarship on how modern secret combinations work. Toward that end, we’ll explore the issue of credible sources on secret combinations, where I argue that the best way to avoid irresponsible, crazy speculation and rumor is to trust the reports from those who have firsthand experience with such operations. One such recommended source was written by a noted scholar who was an enthusiastic supporter of a very proper and gentlemanly secret society that differs superficially from Book of Mormon secret combinations, but gives delicious insights into their operations that can be compared favorably with the Book of Mormon’s very practical and pragmatic guide to secret combinations.

The Trouble with Conspiracy Theories (and Their Caricature)

Unfortunately, there’s a good reason why many faithful members of the Church are reluctant to discuss the Book of Mormon’s “secret combinations.” Though they were the cause for the downfall and destruction of two great civilizations in the ancient Americas (Ether 8:19-21), and are prophesied to be a dire threat in our day (Ether 8:22-26), we have been trained in recent decades to be wary of crazy “conspiracy theorists.” These are, after all, dangerous people who have been shunned, deplatformed, or cancelled for their harmful and surely ludicrous views, whatever they are. There are some genuinely crazy, unhinged theories out there. If we start talking about “secret combinations,” we’ll embarrass ourselves and our Church by being associated with the lunatics. It’s much safer to just skip over those numerous passages in the Book of Mormon than to risk being painted as one of those people, the loathsome “conspiracy theorists.” Sadly, this may be the modern equivalent of stripping out some of the most “plain and precious” parts of the sacred record (see Nephi’s description of that ancient censorship work in 1 Nephi 13:24-34) that was written to help us in our day “that evil might be done away” (Ether 8:26). There has been enough censorship of truth from the enemies of righteousness. Should we be helping them out even more?

But what is a “conspiracy theory” anyway? The United Nations, perhaps frustrated by those who question its agenda, helpfully issued guidance on this topic during the pandemic on their “Stop the Spread of Conspiracy Theories” page at UNESCO.org (archived link — UNESCO now offers a more extensive guide for teachers, “Addressing Conspiracy Theories“). The first infographic there, shown below (attributed to the Commission of the European Union) tells us that conspiracy theories are “The belief that events are secretly manipulated behind the scenes by powerful forces with negative intent” and that a key characteristic of such harmful theories is that “They falsely suggest that nothing happens by accident and that there are no coincidences; nothing is as it appears and everything is connected.” That is genuinely frightening. Who but a madman would really think that there are no coincidences is a world filled with obvious random chance? But this is the common stereotype applied to “conspiracy theorists,” suggesting that they think there is one mysterious all-powerful evil group controlling the whole world and all major events.

The Commission of the European Union, in lockstep with the UN, provides the same information on their page warning against conspiracy theories. This spin on those who sometimes doubt official government narratives is not a foreign innovation, but has been part of the mainstream narrative for a long time in the US.

What is the cause of dreadful conspiracy theories? It’s doubt. Suspicion. A lack of trust. As the UNESCO infographic explains, “Conspiracy theories often start as a suspicion. They ask who is benefiting from the event or situation and thus identify the conspirators.” So if something government does seems fishy, if there’s a chance or even a certainty that someone or some group is actually profiting from trillions being spent in a 3,000-page spending bill passed without time for scrutiny, or from massive piles of weapons being sold to allies or handed over to enemies, or from medical products being mandated, or from medical treatment being withheld (as in the Tuskegee Experiment or numerous early treatments for COVID), you are a conspiracy theorist and a bad person if you don’t simply trust. As Jimmy Carter taught us in 1979, the great crisis America faces is above all a lack of confidence, including a lack of faith in government and confidence in the future that our government is shaping for us. So please, you conspiracy theorists, just trust. That’s how we save our democracy.

In 2009, Time magazine highlighted the silliness of conspiracy theories with a series of 10 short posts on various ridiculous conspiracy theories, where #5, “Secret Societies Control the World,” promoted the standard caricature of conspiracy theorists:

If you were really a member of the global élite, you’d know this already: the world is ruled by a powerful, secretive few. Many of the rest of us peons have heard that in 2004 both candidates for the White House were members of Yale University’s secretive Skull and Bones society, many of whose members have risen to powerful positions. But Skull and Bones is small potatoes compared with the mysterious cabals that occupy virtually every seat of power, from the corridors of government to the boardrooms of Wall Street.

Time goes on to sarcastically cite several bogeymen of conspiracy theorists: the Illuminati, the Freemasons, and the intellectuals of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a small but public group of highly influential people (but unlike Gadianton’s band, the CFR publishes a roster of its elite members). Apparently critics who question the actions and motives of the CFR or any (approved) government group all fit neatly into the category of the clinically paranoid who see the shadow of a secret cabal that controls every seat of power and guides all that happens in the world. That would be a terribly depressing and utterly hopeless world. But yes, for the record, this is the same Time magazine that later published a surprising article in Feb. 2021 that caused a slight ruffle by seeming to support some wild claims made by conspiracy theorists. That article admits to and even rejoices in the existence of “a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information” to achieve a noble political result. The reader will recognize, of course, that this was a good cabal. The end always justifies the means in the world of political combinations.

Fortunately, while I’ve met a lot of people with crazy ideas over the years, and some very sane people with good reasons to doubt some official narratives, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone whose views were so dark and cynical that they really believed that everything or even nearly everything was being controlled by an all-powerful group. Even those critical of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) or the World Economic Forum and their globalist vision recognize that these groups are not entirely unified and represent only a part of the diverse influencers among the elite of our nation or other wealthy nations. As far as evil secret societies go, if the CFR were one, then they aren’t doing a very good job on the secrecy front. After all, how many secret societies go about publishing a membership roster? (That roster, though, is a fascinating read. Also see Wikipedia’s list of notable CFR members.) Also weighing against the secret society hypotheses are their journal publications (Foreign Affairs) and the occasional televised broadcasts of some CFR events.

The WHO is another case to consider. Perhaps you saw my Aug. 2023 article for Meridian Magazine, “How WHO May Corrupt Your Children,” discussing WHO’s dangerous policies on sex education for children under four. There I pointed out that WHO’s questionable actions may be influenced by dangerous schemers, but the public organization itself doesn’t qualify as the kind of secret combinations or secret societies described in the Book of Mormon, though the public group can certainly have hidden ties to other organizations. There could also be an internal cabal with a secret agenda that deliberately pursues corrupt paths.

In our society, the term “conspiracy theory” is often used as a way to quickly shut down discussion on an uncomfortable topic. Accused of wrongdoing? Wave it off as a “conspiracy theory.” If the media is on your side, you’re in good hands. It’s a term mused to demonize, much like the word “heresy” was applied long ago. That is exactly the point made by Professor David Coady in “Conspiracy theory as heresy,” Educational Philosophy and Theory, vol. 55, no. 7 (April 2023). Coady explains that our current usage of this phrase doesn’t quite make sense:

The bad reputation of conspiracy theories is puzzling. After all, people do conspire. That is, they engage in secretive collective behaviour which is illegal or morally questionable. Conspiracies are common in all societies throughout history, and have always been particularly common in politics. Most people conspire some of the time, and some people (e.g. spies) conspire almost all the time. Since people conspire, there can’t be anything wrong with believing they conspire, hence there can’t be anything wrong with believing conspiracy theories…. Conspiracy theories, like scientific theories, and virtually any other category of theory, are sometimes true, sometimes false, sometimes believed on rational grounds, sometimes not.

There sometimes are dangerous schemers in the world, far more than just Hitler — that’s actually a basic lesson world history. Megalomaniacs, however rare, regularly storm onto local, national, or world stages, trying to gain power or wealth. And they rarely start by being totally open about their agenda. Murderous would-be emperors and kings, corrupt generals and businessmen, cartel lords, war lords, petty gangsters, and many others have followed popular but often cruel patterns for worldly success. They scheme, they lie, they gain influence, they gather henchmen, they eliminate enemies and barriers, and then, in some cases they finally succeed and take the throne or the helm of an army or corporation or whatever target they have been lusting for. If they can maintain momentum and power, they may seize ever more power and bringing more people under their control or into their conspiratorial circles. So often, though, everything eventually falls apart. Sometimes forces of justice stop them. Perhaps more often, there are other psychopaths willing to overthrow them by forming their own schemes, often murderous ones. The result can be chaos such as war and economic disruption, even famine, and the state or organization may be shattered or taken over by a new gang. The map of history offers many ugly landscapes where violent, greedy plots fail or rise only briefly and then lead to disaster. It’s the history of Europe, the Ottoman Empire, the empires of China, the peoples of Mesoamerica, and it’s also what we see repeatedly in the surprisingly instructive Book of Mormon.

“Conspiracy Theories” of All Powerful Groups Controlling Everything: Not What the Book of Mormon Teaches

The secret combinations and related movements that were found among the Nephites and the Jaredites in the Book of Mormon do not fit the world’s caricature of “conspiracy theories.” Those who believe such theories, we are often told, are deluded extremists who imagine that all-powerful secret groups control everything with brilliant, irresistible plots. Rather, secret combinations in the Book of Mormon are much more like the brutal but often clumsy thugs and pathetic con artists that afflict numerous societies in our day. The Book of Mormon depicts diverse forms and business models of these illicit operations, including megalomaniac traitors, secretive circles of elites infiltrating the upper ranks of government and committing secret assassinations, brutal gangs and robbers in the streets, and highly organized external militias including guerilla armies. When they gain power over a nation or some part of a government or people, the result is not total, intricate control by brilliant masterminds, but decay and corruption that often leads to chaos and bloodshed driven by moronic rage and gargantuan pettiness. Those loyalists supporting the combination are disposable and even the leaders at the top often end up facing a violent death, with the only winner being the ultimate loser, Satan.

Fueled by their unquenchable thirst for power and lust for gain, the dysfunctional secret combinations in the Book of Mormon bring the same kind of poverty and disorder that we see in our era from corruption in government across the world, large-scale fraud in business, the violence and greed of organized crime, and the horror of bloodthirsty, tyrannical movements seeking ever more power at all costs. They are rarely brilliant in ruling, but always ruthless in seeking and seizing more power.

People combining to hide a dirty secret for their benefit is the essence of secret combinations or “secret works of darkness” in the Book of Mormon. It doesn’t require a widespread mysterious network, vast financial empires, or profound genius. All that is needed is just a few greedy people, sometimes including a megalomaniac or two, who want cover and mutual aid for something unseemly or illegal. Nor do secret combinations always require murder, but the classic secret combinations of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses are grounded in murder and greed or lust for power, and if unchecked, have a corrupting influence on society that can spread like cancer.

The lessons of the Book of Mormon on secret combinations and “secret works of darkness” provide a masterclass in the dangers of corruption in the modern world. Indeed, when compared to modern scholarship related to secret societies and conspiracies, Book of Mormon teachings appear surprisingly reasonable, accurate, and even prophetic. Rather than an embarrassing digression based on overwrought concerns over Masonry in Joseph’s day, we may find that the Book of Mormon’s teachings on secret combinations go far beyond Joseph’s experience in giving us realistic and valuable insights into very real dangers in our day. We shall soon explore key characteristics of these diverse groups as taught in the Book of Mormon. First, a note on related scholarship to consider.

The Book of Mormon’s Teachings on Secret Combinations

Early Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon: Jared Gains the Throne and Loses His Head

Consider the detailed account of a secret combination formed in the early days of the Jaredite civilization as reported in Ether 8. We read of a power-hungry son of a king, Jared (not the first king of the Jaredite people found but a descendant), who yearns for the throne. His daughter draws upon knowledge of secret combinations of old who “by their secret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory” (Ether 8:9). She offers to dance to win the heart of Akish, who will be given the daughter of Jared as a wife if he will bring Jared the head of his father, King Omer. Akish accepts the deal and gathers all his kinsfolk to gain their support in a secret combination, administering “unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning” (Ether 8:15). The plot worked, in a sense, for Akish wedded the daughter of Jared and Jared quickly gained the throne (Ether 9:4), though not through assassination. Instead, the Lord warned Omer and his family to flee to safety (Ether 9:3). Though Jared gained a vacated throne, his plot did not give him the lasting control and worldly success he desired. In fact, in one of the many instances of irony in the Book of Mormon, he suffered the very fate he had intended for his father as Akish the would-be assassin obtained the head of a king after all:

And it came to pass that Akish sought the life of his father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he had sworn by the oath of the ancients, and they obtained the head of his father-in-law, as he sat upon his throne, giving audience to his people.

For so great had been the spreading of this wicked and secret society that it had corrupted the hearts of all the people; therefore Jared was murdered upon his throne, and Akish reigned in his stead. (Ether 9:5,6)

Akish then ascended to the throne, but lived in well-deserved fear that his fellows might next turn on him. Thus, he imprisoned and starved to death a son whom he suspected might be a threat (Ether 9:7). His other sons, although they were part of the secret combination and had sworn to follow Akish, exploited the growing corruption and lust for gain among the people by offering them money, drawing away a majority of the people to favor them (Ether 9: 11). This might mean that they bribed community or tribal leaders, the elders or heads of clans, rather than offering money to the general population. With that popular support, the sons of Akish would take on Akish himself, resulting not just in the assassination of a leader or two, but in a civil war that destroyed nearly the whole kingdom except for 30 survivors who fled to the house of Omer (Ether 9:12). Thus, the result of a secret combination becoming entrenched in Jaredite government was not rigid order but a genocidal civil war that spared only those who had fled. This was the first time the Jaredites were destroyed by secret combinations. Centuries later the influence of secret combinations would lead to another insane civil war whose bloodshed would culminate in two lone generals, one from each army, staggering for loss of blood as they struggled to complete their all-consuming mission of vengeance. A prophet in hiding, Ether, would observe and record that final gruesome scenes (Ether 15).

The Corrupting and Violent Influence of Secret Combinations

Moroni tells us that secret combinations were the cause of the horrific bloodshed that more fully destroyed the Jaredites centuries later and that terminated the Nephite civilization (Ether 8:21). Secret combinations are repeatedly associated with war, including civil war and war with foreign adversaries that may even be started or aided by treasonous actors. Further, their existence and influence has a corrosive impact on the attitudes and behavior of society in general. As we see with Akish in the early days of the Jaredites, his secret society grew so much that “it had corrupted the hearts of all the people” (Ether 9:6). Such corruption and greed can leave a nation unprepared to cope with natural or man-made disasters. This not only increases the burden of poverty that comes from a corrupt regime, but can result in severe famine and destruction. Centuries after the civil war in which wicked Akish fought supporters of his corrupt sons, another “great calamity” befell the Jaredites (Ether 11:6). Moroni says it was “because of their wicked combinations” that they people refused to hearken to the voice of the Lord, thus foregoing the many blessings that could have been theirs. “Wherefore, there began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth” (Ether 11:7).

Fortunately, the people began to repent at that time, but a few verses later, the people are again rejecting the words of the prophets “because of their secret society and wicked abominations” (Ether 11:22), and eventually their society would erupt in a another catastrophic civil war that began as a result of “secret plans of wickedness” to overthrow King Coriantumr (Ether 13:15). As this lasting war breaks out, it is “every man with his band fighting for that which he desired” (Ether 13:25). This suggests that orderly government had collapsed, leaving a divided people of tribes and gangs fighting for their own chaotic goals. More chaos follows as Coriantumr’s opponent, Gilead, who has been gaining great support from secret combinations (Ether 14:8), is slain by his own high priest as he sat upon his throne (Ether 14:9). Importantly, there is not just one secret combination controlling everything, but multiple competing combinations that may turn on one another when appropriate. Thus, we learn that the murderous high priest who slew his superior, Gilead, in turn was slain when “one of the secret combinations murdered him in a secret pass,” and thus a mighty man named Lib takes the throne and continues the insane battle for total control over the Jaredite people. It his his brother, Shiz, who would take Lib’s place as leader when Lib was killed, and take us into the gruesome closing scene of Jaredite society when as warriors left, Shiz and Coriantumr, who manages to decapitate Shiz. Millions perished and the Jaredite civilization essentially was no more, courtesy of the geniuses behind the greedy Jaredite secret societies. Such stories of bloodshed and calamity echo across human history as corruption and lust for power leads to assassinations, murder, and senseless war.

A Useful Combination: The Book of Mormon Plus the Book of Moses

In discussing secret combinations, it is helpful to understand that the language regarding secret combinations that is so pervasive in the Book of Mormon appears to draw upon the brass plates. Intricate connections in language between the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses were explored by Noel Reynolds in his 1990 paper, “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis” (recently republished in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 34 (2020): 63-96), where strong connections to secret combinations were noted:

Describing the infernal conspiracies hatched by Cain and his associates, Enoch said that “their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother” (Moses 5:51). From that time, he observed that “the works of darkness began to prevail among all the sons of men” (Moses 5:55). Nephi spoke repeatedly of those whose works were “works of darkness,” using the precise phrasing of the Moses text (see 2 Nephi 25:2; 26:10, 22; Alma 37:21, 23; Helaman 6:30; Mormon 8:27). His younger brother Jacob and a later Nephi also complained of the “secret works of darkness” (2 Nephi 9:9; 10:15; Helaman 8:4; 10:3). Enoch also refers to these conspiracies as “secret works” (Moses 6:15). This phrase is also used repeatedly in the Book of Mormon to refer to the same kind of conspiracies (see 2 Nephi 9:9; 10:15; Alma 37:21, 23, 25; Helaman 8:4; 10:3; 3 Nephi 3:7) and has New Testament parallels (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:11).

The other phrase used in Moses to refer to these conspiracies is “secret combinations,” for “from the days of Cain, there was a secret combination” (Moses 5:51). The phrase occurs throughout the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 9:9; 26:22; Alma 37:30–31; Helaman 2:8; 3:23; 6:38; 3 Nephi 4:29; 5:6; 7:6, 9; 9:9; 4 Nephi 1:42; Mormon 8:27; Ether 8:18–19, 22, 24; 9:1; 11:15; 13:18; 14:8, 10; cf. Helaman 6:30; 11:10, 26; Ether 8:9; 9:26; 13:15) in exactly the same contexts as “secret works” and always carries the much richer and fuller connotations of Enoch’s descriptions than do the Old Testament accounts of murderous conspiracies. (Reynolds, “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis,” Interpreter, 77-78. Scriptural citations in several footnotes are inserted here within brackets.)

About 30 years after Reynolds’s publication, I was delighted to collaborate with him to add further parallels, including some with apparent “one-way” connections such that the parallels in the Book of Mormon may be best explained as allusions to the backstory or more detailed information given in the Book of Moses, rather than the Book of Moses borrowing language from the Book of Mormon. The result was “‘Strong Like unto Moses’: The Case for Ancient Roots in the Book of Moses Based on Book of Mormon Usage of Related Content Apparently from the Brass Plates,” published in 2021 in Interpreter, adding over 60 additional parallels. This was followed by a paper with 36 more parallels, bringing the total to 133: Jeff Lindsay, “Further Evidence from the Book of Mormon for a Book of Moses-Like Text on the Brass Plates,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 61 (2024): 415-494. Another paper exploring the distribution of these parallels in the Book of Mormon with further analysis is in progress.

In light of such connections, added insights into the Book of Mormon’s discussion of secret combinations may be obtained by considering the Book of Moses. Moses 5 in particular discusses a secret combination formed by Cain as directed by Satan. The objective was “getting gain” and of covering up the murder of Abel. Secret oaths are made among the participants, and Cain, the leader, rejoices that he is “the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain” (Moses 5:33). Thus the hallmark of secret combinations in the Book of Mormon becomes secret murders to get gain. For example, Nephi speaks of “secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness” (2 Nephi 9:9); Helaman writes of the Nephites beginning “to commit secret murders, and to rob and to plunder, that they might get gain” (Helaman 6:17); and Mormon writes that the Book of Mormon would come forth “in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness” (Mormon 8:27). Cain’s combination began to spread among mankind (Moses 5:52), growing to the point that “Satan had great dominion among men, and raged in their hearts; and from thenceforth came wars and bloodshed; and a man’s hand was against his own brother, in administering death, because of secret works, seeking for power” (Moses 6:15). Chaos is the fruit of secret combinations in the Book of Moses, just as it is in the Book of Mormon, ultimately leading to the collapse of Nephite civilization and of the Jaredites. The cousins of chaos are rage, wars, and bloodshed, with political assassinations being an important early warning sign of secret combinations at work.

One relevant parallel between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon is the use of the term “abomination” coupled with secret combinations (to be discussed in a forthcoming paper). The Book of Moses clearly associates “abomination” with the secret combination started by Cain and perpetuated by others (see Moses 5:25, 51-52; 6:28). This association is found abundantly in the Book of Mormon. In fact, a case can be made that when Nephi speaks against the “great and abominable church” (e.g., 1 Nephi 13 and 14), he is not ranting against any religious denomination but against the abomination of corrupt secret combinations that gain the political power to do the evil works Nephi opposes.

In general, the background material in the Book of Moses can help us better appreciate Book of Mormon’s guidance on the dangers, tactics, and the Satanic origins and operations of secret combinations.

The Rise of the Gadianton Robbers

The Gadianton robbers, introduced in the book of Helaman, are a classic secret combination. The Book of Mormon shows them not as an all-powerful, unstoppable force, but as both extremely dangerous but also highly vulnerable. They are vulnerable to being exposed and to being destroyed by military action or more creative methods. For example, after widespread conversion among the Lamanites, the righteous Lamanites refused to tolerate the influence of wicked robbers in their midst. The Lamanites were able to “utterly destroy” them in a surprising way: “the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites” (Helaman 6:37). How they handled the impenitent robbers is not clearly stated, but what an incredible fruit of missionary work to help put down a powerful band of gangsters in the midst of the Lamanites.

They rise of the Gadianton robbers is described in Helaman 1. The recently decreased chief judge, Pahoran, had many sons, three of whom engaged in heated contention for the judgement seat. Pahoran’s son Pahoron is appointed by the voice of the people to be the new chief judge, but his brother Paanchi is angry and is about to lead his followers in rebellion, but is caught in this treason, tried and condemned to death, “for he had raised up in rebellion and sought to destroy the liberty of the people” (Helaman 1:8). Paanchi’s followers, likely a small group of elite conspirators, are angry with his execution and respond by sending an assassin, Kishkumen, to slay the new chief judge or governor, Pahoron. Just as the anger of Paanchi and then the anger of his followers leads to a murderous plot, so it is the anger of Cain (Moses 5:21, 26) that seems to have given Satan the opportunity to tempt him into forming a secret combination to murder his brother for gain and become “Master Mahan,” glorying in his wickedness (Moses 5:28-33).

Kishkumen employs a disguise of some kind and carries out the assassination of Pahoran. With great speed he escapes from Pahoran’s guards. He returns to those who sent him and has them covenant to not tell others what Kishkumen has done (Helaman 1:11).

One of the three contending sons, Pacumeni, gains the judgement seat after Pahoran’s murder, but only for a short while, since a surprise and rather foolish Lamanite invasion into the heartland of the Nephites brings Lamanites into the capital city, where Pacumeni is slain after his brief tenure. That invasion was led by a treasonous Nephite dissenter who had impressed the new king of the Lamanites, another Nephite dissenter who has gained power among the Lamanites through his collaboration with Amalickiah (now deceased) and Amalickiah’s son, Tubaloth, now king of the Lamanites. Here we see external and internal secret combinations — some among the Lamanites as wicked Nephites stir them up for their political gain in a quest to conquer the Nephites, and some among the Nephites as one group strives for power and gain through secret actions within Nephite society. All three of the contending brothers have now been killed. Helaman₃, the son of Helaman₂, becomes the chief judge.

Kishkumen’s band soon becomes Gadianton’s band as he rises to influence among them, for he “was exceedingly expert in many words, and also in his craft, to carry on the secret work of murder and of robbery; therefore he became the leader of the band of Kishkumen” (Helaman 2:4). He also “did flatter them, and also Kishkumen, that if they would place him in the judgment-seat he would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in power and authority among the people; therefore Kishkumen sought to destroy Helaman” (Helaman 2:4). The ability to hand out rewards in the form of lucrative appointments to power is a valuable asset for secret combinations, and commonly associated with corruption and conflicts of interest in our day.

The vulnerability of a secret combination is shown when Kishkumen takes on his next assignment, to kill the new chief judge, Helaman₃ (Helaman 2:2-11). One of Helaman’s servants had managed to infiltrate the band and, meeting Kishkumen on his way at night, offered to take Kishkumen directly to Helaman to facilitate the murder, but this spy deftly slays Kishkumen with a dagger on the way. He alerts Helaman₃, but by the time a strike force is organized to apprehend the robbers, Kishkumen has grown worried and has led his followers swiftly out of Zarahemla. This was a major setback for this criminal gang, but they would set up operations elsewhere and continuing spreading their influence. Seven years later, at a joyous time as the Nephite faith is growing strong with numerous converts, we read that “there was continual peace established in the land, all save it were the secret combinations which Gadianton the robber had established in the more settled parts of the land, which at that time were not known unto those who were at the head of government; therefore they were not destroyed out of the land” (Helaman 3:23). At this point there are apparently multiple branches of his organization operating in multiple highly populated parts of the nation, still undetected to the government at the time. Subversive, steady growth in their corrupt and murderous schemes is a feature of secret combinations.

The Gadianton robbers began in the 42nd year of the reign of judges, and they were briefly mentioned again in the 49th year as still undetected in multiple population centers. There may be a hint of their influence in the 62nd year when the Nephites recognize “that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted” (Helaman 4:22). This problem of laws becoming corrupted is listed in the reasons why Nephi₂ chose to give up the judgment seat to preach to his people (Helaman 5:1-3). But the Gadianton robbers aren’t explicitly mentioned again until the 66th year of the judges, 24 years after being founded (Helaman 6:15, 18), when they murdered Cezoram, the chief judge whom Helaman₃ appointed in his place when he decided to focus on his ministry to preach against the rising wickedness of his people. Cezoram’s son succeeded him, and he was soon murdered by the Gaddianton robbers in the same year (vv. 15-19). These murders accompany growing greed, corruption, and murders among the Nephite population (v. 17).

Around this time, perhaps in the 67th year, a year when the Nephites seemed to make dramatic turn toward increased wickedness (vv. 31-32), the growing role of the Gadiantons among the Nephites and the Lamanites became known. With this discovery, the Lamanites were alarmed and “exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy them” (vs. 20), apparently with a successful emphasis on preaching (v. 37). The Nephite society, on the other hand, generally supported the robbers and joined their business model and even directly joined their band (vv. 21-24), taking upon themselves oaths that resulted in defying laws of the land (v. 24). These oaths came not from the hidden portions of the Jaredites’ record but were given into the heart of Gadianton by Satan (vv. 25-30), and the text refers us to the Genesis/Book of Moses story of Satan’s role in the very beginning with Adam and Eve (v. 26) and with Cain (v. 27). Satan, “the author of all sin,” carries out “his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men” (v. 30). The pervasive, enduring nature of Satan’s works means that we can expect the same in our day. To overlook that is to miss one of the most emphatic objectives of Mormon and others in writing for our day.

By the end of the 68th year of judges, the Nephite situation had become dire:

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.

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. (Helaman 6:37, 38)

Sole management of the government had been achieved. With wicked elites in charge, it was the poor, the humble, and the faithful believers who were trampled upon and exploited most, just as the the poor were the ones ultimately excluded and persecuted by the wicked elites ruling the Zoramite society (Alma 32:2-4), corrupt hypocrites who praised themselves for their enlightened virtues (Alma 31:8-25). The result of gaining sole management of Nephite government was growing injustice in the land:

And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats — 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;

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 — (Helaman 7:4-5)

There had been a corruption of the laws and the judicial system, effectively creating a two-tiered system. Those cooperating with the elite could get away with almost anything. This is a dangerous state for a civilization.

In spite of their success in gaining control of the government, the vulnerability of the Gadiantons is soon exposed. First, in Helaman 8 after Nephi (technically, Nephi₂, not the brother of Laman, Nephi₁) turns to the Lord in prayer on his tower in Helaman 7, he speaks to the crowd that has gathered, including some wicked judges who are part of the Gadianton band, and exposes the murder of the chief judge that has just occurred, who was murdered by his brother (Helaman 8:27-28). The chaos within the ranks of the Gadiantons is evident, for Nephi also announces that “they both belong to your secret band (v. 28). When this is confirmed to be true, fellow Gadiantons use a common tactic of stirring the people up in anger with misinformation, accusing someone of the very crime they are guilty of. Here, they accuse Nephi of conspiracy to kill the chief judge to bring attention to his pretended prophetic role and win converts (Helaman 9:16). They then apply their lawyerly skills to not only question Nephi aggressively in hopes of tripping him up, but also offer him money (v. 20) and amnesty if he will confess (as Zeezrom did to Amulek in Alma 11:21-22). Nephi further exposes their fraud by giving precise instructions on what to ask the brother of the slain judge, including a question about the blood still on his garment, which results in a fearful confession as he is exposed. This prophetic win reminds us that a small amount of accurate information, whether obtained prophetically or by other means, can expose criminals with powerful secret combinations. This win was not enough, however, for many people remained in their wickedness and the secret combination continued. As a result of their influence, more chaos occurs as the people become divided and begin to “slay one another with the sword” (Helaman 10:18), for “there were wars throughout all the land among all the people of Nephi” (Helaman 11:1). “And it was this secret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness” (v. 2).

The secret band of robber would soon be extinct, however, for the Lord then gave Nephi the power to call calamity upon the nation to motivate repentance. Nephi asks for a drought that leads to widespread hunger and does motivate the people to repent. As a result, the people “swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct” (Helaman 11:10). This is followed by several years of peace and great prosperity. One inspired man can be largely credited with this major victory, though a famine was a terrible price to pay to delay the destruction that secret combinations bring. Sadly, this extinction was not the end of Gadianton species.

A New Gadianton Band Rises from the Ashes, and Also Collapses

Helaman 11 reports that just a few years after the extinction of the Gadiantons, a new secret combination is formed by dissenters among the Nephites who have left to team up with the Lamanites. These former Nephotes stir up the Lamanites unto anger and start another war against the Nephites (v. 24). They seek out the secret plans of Gadianton and pursue that course, becoming “robbers of Gadianton (v. 26). This time they are an external force that acts as a guerilla army striking the Nephites periodically while seeking security in mountain retreats that make it difficult to defeat them (see the discussion of Daniel Peterson’s scholarship on this topic above). Nephite attacks fail and the marauding robbers grow stronger as other Nephites join them, flattered away by their words.

The wickedness of the Gadianton robbers may not have been much worse than the wickedness of the Nephites they threatened. During this time of decay among the Nephites, Samuel the Lamanite was sent by the Lord to Zarahemlah to preach repentance. Efforts to censor his speech with arrows and stones failed. He gave a prophecy of the birth of Christ to come in 5 years when the sun would go down but the sky would remain bright through the night (for one theory on how this might have occurred, see Charles Dike, “A Comet, Christ’s Birth, and Josephus’s Lunar Eclipse,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 52 (2022): 279-320). Later, before the sign is given, the murderous rulers of the Nephites trample upon their law and the freedom of belief in Nephite law, setting a date for the execution of all believers if the sign does not come by their appointed date (3 Nephi 1:9). “A great uproar over all the land” was part of this process (v. 10). One can only imagine what slogans and memes were used by the pro-government forces to justify the mass murder of all believers, but it must have been top-notch. Perhaps something like “From River Sidon to the sea, soon of Christians we’ll be free!”

The sign was given and many were astonished and repented. But corruption and wickedness continued. The external threat of Gadianton armies comes into play again with a dreadful ultimatum given by Giddianhi, leader of the guerilla armies, who demands surrender of the people. The Nephites gather together with provisions to withstand a long siege, and ultimately prevail. The letter of Giddianhi reveals the victim mentality that is part of their ideology, as if the robbers were victims whose rights have been unjustly taken by the Nephites (3 Nephi 3:10). In this account, another weakness of the Gadianton’s is exposed for their business model requires plunder for survival, since agricultural work would spread them out and leave them vulnerable to attack. Thus, “there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites” (v. 5) and “because of the scantiness of provisions among the robbers — for behold, they had nothing save it were meat for their subsistence, which meat they did obtain in the wilderness; And it came to pass that the wild game became scarce in the wilderness — insomuch that the robbers were about to perish with hunger” (3 Nephi 4: 5, 19, 20). This forced a direct attack on the Nephites, bringing victory to the Nephites, resulting in the end of the band of Gadiantons, for they either confessed and repented or were executed. “And thus they did put an end to all those wicked, and secret, and abominable combinations, in the which there was so much wickedness, and so many murders committed” (3 Nephi 5:6). This great victory brought lasting peace and with it, lasting prosperity — here “lasting” is defined as about eight years. Can you guess what happened then?

The Collapse of Nephite Government from Yet Another Secret Combination

In spite of the many miracles the Nephites had experienced, including he dramatic fulfillment of Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecy of the birth of Christ and the New World sign of light throughout the night, wickedness remained among the Nephites and, naturally, infiltrated the government. The wicked prefer to go into government for the same reason bank robbers prefer to go into banks — that’s where all the money or power is. We get a hint of trouble brewing when we read of great pride and even persecutions rising among the Nephites (3 Nephi 6:10), “For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers” (v. 11). A bureaucratic class was rising, perhaps in close association with scions of business and law. What mischief might grow in such an incubator? The persecutions and divisions among the Nephite grow, and in turn, the Lord sends many inspired men to preach repentance and teach of the coming of Christ (v. 20). Many of the chief judges, high priests, and lawyers are angry at these voices and decide that action must be taken to stop their “misinformation.” They then take (arrest?) and secretly execute many of these preaching against wickedness (v. 23), preventing knowledge of these executions to reach the governor of the land, who, by law, must approve any capital punishment. This was completely illegal. Fortunately, some people learned of these crimes and filed a complaint, and at least some of the judges who had murdered messengers of the Lord were arrested and brought up for trial (v. 26). You can probably guess what steps these elites took next to cover up their crimes and prevent justice from being carried out:

Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law.

And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.

Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law.

And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings. (3 Nephi 6:27-30)

Yet another internal secret combination is formed by some of the most powerful elites among the Nephites. And once again we see the importance of networks of friends and relatives joining together, in this case many social and family circles of the murderous judges.

The initial goal was to cover up their murders and avoid punishment, but they also saw a need to murder the governor of the land who was obviously a key enemy. And then they sought to set up a king over the land — meaning a complete revolution was planned. But the governor and the government was not the only target: they also sought to destroy the people of the Lord. This is a chilling lesson about the dangers of totalitarians: seizing power is not enough. Known or prospective enemies must be purged, even if it means the mass murder of a group seen as a threat. Tyrants are not lovely people. They may take control with promises and kindness and equality, but that is never their goal. Those who are ready to sacrifice the freedom of a people will gladly sacrifice large portions of the population.

The plot worked to some degree as the governor is assassinated as planned, but the chaos they unleashed could not be channeled as intended. Instead, after the assassination, the people end up divided one against another and separated into tribes, “every man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land” (3 Nephi 7:2). The secret combination that killed the chief judge becomes a tribe led by a man named Jacob, but they are hated by the other tribes for the destruction of the government. They fled to the north part of the land, biding time for more dissenters to join them (v. 12). This wicked society, now an external threat, would persist until the great destruction at the death of Christ in which their wicked city would be destroyed (3 Nephi 9:9).

Circumstantial Evidence in the Book of Mormon on the Tactics and Goals of Secret Combinations

Some of the most important events in the Book of Mormon that help us understand “secret combinations” and evil “works of darkness” by corrupt leaders and avaricious elites don’t explicitly use those terms. This may be because Mormon as meticulous historian who paid great attention to the sources he relied on may have lacked documentary evidence for such a combination, but the circumstantial evidence presented seems intended to raise the issue of secret combinations nonetheless.

The Amlicite Rebellion and Collusion with an Enemy

In Alma 1, we are introduced to Nehor, a demagogue seeking power and wealth who has formed his own “church” that teaches that everyone will be saved, no repentance needed. His movement appeals to many who gladly give him money. As he rails against the Nephite religion, he is opposed by faithful Gideon. Nehor cancels elderly Gideon with his sword. Nehor defends himself boldly when taken before Alma, the Chief Judge, who says that Nehor is seeking to establish and enforce priestcraft by the sword, and that if priestcraft were “to be enforced among the people, it would prove their entire destruction” (Alma 1:12).

The threat of destruction, even total destruction, is an important theme associated with secret combinations. It echoes what Book of Mormon writers may have known from material related to the Book of Moses on the brass plates, for in the Creation story in the Book of Moses, we learn that in the premortal realm, Satan had sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:3) and in tempting Eve, had “sought to destroy the world” (Moses 4:6). Destruction and chaos is the goal, not an unfortunate side effect of Satan’s plots nor the sad consequence of not having enough funding to do the job correctly. It’s why giving his agents more more power, more funding, and even bigger weapons and armies is never going to bring the peace they promise. Destruction is not a mere hypothetical threat, for secret combinations caused the complete fall of both Nephite and the Jaredites.

The phrase “entire destruction” in Alma’s warning about the risk of Nehor’s movement (Alma 1:12) is also how Mormon describes the fate of the Nephites that he supposes his son will see (Words of Mormon 1:2). That term also echoes Mormon’s later observation after introducing the Gadianton robbers:

In the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi (Helaman 2:13):

The book Mormon referred to is likely the overall book he was preparing rather than the book of Helaman alone. See Brant A. Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 5, Helaman through Third Nephi (Salt Lake City: Kofford Books, 2007), 57-59.

Mormon again uses “entire destruction” after giving more details about the secret combination of the Gadianton robbers and their corrupting influence on government and society in Helaman 6, when he identifies the source behind such schemes as Satan (vv. 26-28), and warns of the consequences of the corruption that comes when Satan gains sway:

And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell. (Helaman 6:28)

Turning back to Nehor, Alma’s concern was not limited to the murder of a good man by Nehor, but included the danger to Nephite society in general by the corrupt movement he has launched. It was a movement that does not hesitate to censor speech with force. Nehor, their elite leader, grew angry “because Gideon withstood him with the words of God,” and thus he drew his sword and killed him. It was not merely censorship of speech, but religious persecution as well. Nehor and his followers would gladly stamp out the Nephite religion, by force or any other means, making this movement a threat to Nephite liberty. We don’t know if there were secret plans behind the obvious organizing work behind the formation of their “church” and Mormon apparently did not have documented evidence of that, but we are told that their their teaching was “for the sake of riches and honor” (Alma 1:16), falsely disguised as if they were simply expressing their beliefs, taking advantage of the Nephite law protecting freedom of belief (v. 17).

Nehor was condemned for murder and executed, but his movement continued to spread and gained many followed who left the Nephite church (Alma 1:16-17, 23-24). While claiming freedom of belief for their work, those of the order of Nehor did not hesitate to “persecute those who did belong to the church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ” (vv. 19-20).

The order of Nehor grew quickly and soon presented one of their own, Amlici, as a candidate for king. This movement sought to overthrow the Nephite rule of law under the reign of judges and go back to a monarchy with a wicked man as the king, one who “would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the church; for it was his intent to destroy the church of God” (Alma 2:4; cf. Moses 4:6). Amlici is described as “a very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world, he being after the order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword” (Alma 2:1). “Cunning” is a word most often used in the Book of Mormon to describe Satan and corrupt rulers and tyrants and suggests plotting for evil. Indeed, it seems to be a synonym for “subtle” as used to describe the serpent in Genesis 3 and in the Book of Moses, where the serpent, acting as a tool of Satan, was very “subtle” and “had drawn away many after him” (Moses 4:5-6). Similar language is used to describe Amlici:

Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be king over the people. (Alma 2:2)

If the Book of Moses’ version of Genesis 3 were on the brass plates, then Mormon’s language in describing Amlici can be understood as an allusion to Amlici as a Satanic figure. If so, we should also suspect that Satanic secret combination may be involved in Amlici’s attempt to seize power. After the voice of the people rejected Amlici’s proposal, it was surely a “work of darkness” and fruit of an evil combination that he had the people consecrate him as king and, after stirring them up to anger — the proverbial tool of tyrants in the Book of Mormon — and leading them in a civil war to subject the Nephites to their illicit rule.

After this war breaks out, the Amlicites face serious setbacks and are at risk of defeat. Conveniently, on the morning after their war began, a large Lamanite army shows up and joins them in fighting the Nephites. Though Mormon, likely lacking evidence from witnesses, does not state that the Lamanites were acting in a secret combination with the Amlicites, the events as described seem to demand a treasonous conspiracy as the only plausible explanation for well-timed arrival of a foreign army that seemlessly collaborated with the Amlicites. With the Lord’s help, the Nephites still prevailed. After Alma personally fought against and slayed Amlici, we see him next in face-to-face battle with the king of the Lamanites as if he had been with Amlici and in obvious coordination with Amlici’s forces.

The story of the Amlicites shows some of the tactics that can be used by would-be tyrants:

Using anger as a tool to stir people up against an opponent.
Relying on freedoms protected by law for your benefit to spread your deceptive message, but suppressing the same freedoms for others, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
Seeking to gain power by legitimate means but when that fails, trampling on the law and pursuing their goals by any means necessary, including a violent uprising.
Engaging in treasonous collaboration with an enemy for one’s own gain and power, putting many lives at risk. In this case, an enemy army was invited or brought into the heart of the Nephite nation to join in the violence to overthrow the legitimate government.

Alma’s inspired leadership plus wise military preparation (Alma 2:12) and watchfulness, including the use of spies (Alma 2:21), helped the Nephites turn the tide and resist the revolt. Many Amilicites were killed or driven out, some joining up with the Lamanites, where members of the Order of Nehor would long be found.

The Order of Nehor in Ammonihah and the Plot to Destroy Nephite Freedom

About ten years after the failed rebellion of the Amlicites, the movement associated with Nehor’s name had gained full control in Nephite society in a corner of Nephite territory at Ammonihah, whose wicked and tyrannical chief judge was “after the order and faith of Nehor” (Alma 14:16). Here we have more clear indications of the conspiratorial plots of those in the order of Nehor there. The primary evidence for this comes through revelation to Alma. An angel in Alma 8:17 also warns that wicked people in Ammonihah “do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people,” suggesting that they are pursuing Satanic plots to obtain power over the Nephites and destroy their freedom and faith. The word “study” may imply educated elites who were developing theories and schemes that could corrupt the Nephite people and their government, affecting both their liberty and their religion, thereby creating a subtle path that did not require going to battle, one that could work by undermining their faith and offering deceptive alternatives to the principles of freedom. This might be compared to some aspects of the rise of Marxism, for example, where we see careful theoretical work laid down by founders of the movement such as Marx and Lenin, and then further developed by new generations of academics (e.g., the Frankfurt School and the professors formulating Critical Theory).

While preaching, Alma implies that the iniquity of the people there threatened “to destroy his (the Lord’s) people” (Alma 9:19). He then declares that “the foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges” (Alma 10:27). Wicked plots for tyrannical power and combinations to destroy are afoot and they are coming from wealthy and influential elites. The tyrannical nature of the elites leaders in Ammonihah is revealed in their corruption and their violence against the innocent.

Alma and his new companion in the ministry, Amulek, a prominent resident of Ammonihah, preaches in that wicked city and are soon opposed. Alma finds that the hard-hearted people there are quickly angry with him and are prepared to use violence to silence him (Alma 9:7), but his boldness gains him time to continue preaching. He warns them that they must repent, for the Lord “will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people” (Alma 9:19), perhaps again echoing the intent of Satan to destroy (Moses 4:6) and also suggesting that many of the people there are going along with whatever dark schemes are underway in Ammonihah that could lead to the loss of liberty among the Nephites in general. His message of repentance and condemnation of their evil is not well received. Rather, the locals are angry and sought to lay their hands upon Alma and cast him into prison (Alma 9:32), apparently confident that their weaponized system of justice would be swift to punish one who dares to call out their wickedness and defy the reigning narrative — no trial or plausible legal charges needed. Before they can do that, they are stunned to find that one of their own, Amulek, steps forward to speak out in support of Alma.

Amulek speaks as a brave second witness presenting a compelling case of evidence and testimony in support of Alma’s prophetic words. In what may be another subtle instance of irony in the Book of Mormon, “the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused” (Alma 10:12), using language indicating that this episode was, in a sense, a fair legal proceeding against the people of Ammonihah. This was in contrast to their lawless intent to imprison Alma through a completely corrupted local legal system that would punish a man for his words and faith, or even burn women and children along with their scriptures. The irony would continue as both witnesses ended up imprisoned and at risk of death, though ultimately delivered, while those leaders who gnashed their teeth at them and asked, “How shall we look when we are damned?” (Alma 15:22) would experience ultimate irony, Book of Mormon-style.

After Amulek astonishes the people, the professionals step in to maintain order and carry out fact checking. They are described as cunning lawyers who have corrupted their legal system in order “to get gain” (Alma 10:32), a key characteristic of secret combinations and perhaps an allusion to Cain and his murderous secret combination, who killed Abel “for the sake of getting gain” (Moses 5:50; also see Matthew Bowen, “Getting Cain and Gain” in Interpreter). The intent of the lawyers was that “by their cunning devices they might catch (Alma and Amulek) in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them” (v. 13). Like Satan who “sought to destroy” in Moses 4:6, those lawyers “sought to destroy” Alma and Amulek (v. 4), trained in “all the arts and cunning of the people” (v. 14). Exactly how the order of Nehor guided them and what secret plots they had laid through their obviously corrupt works is unclear and was likely unknown to Mormon, but Amulek declared that they were “laying the foundation of the devil” and “laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous” (vv. 17-18).

We can see some of that perversion in Zeezrom. After his introduction on Alma 10:31, we have what for some people is the most inexplicable, even laughable part of the Book of Mormon, Mormon’s lengthy aside in Alma 11 where he explains the monetary system. For many, it seems like an unnecessary diversion from the plot whose only purpose is to tell us that “six onties” — the bribe Zeezrom will offer Amulek

Amulek teaches Zeezrom and Zeezrom begins to tremble as he becomes aware of his guilt (Alma 11:46). Alma then steps forward and twists the knife (Alma 12:1-7), but with surgical precision, seeking to heal rather than injure. He explains that Zeezrom has lied unto God (v. 3), and that his “plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out” (v. 4) and that Satan “hath exercised his power in thee” (v. 5). The use of “subtle” and “subtlety” in v. 4 echoes the role of the serpent in Genesis 3:1, who “was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Thus, a reader familiar with the KJV Bible can see that Alma might be making an allusion to the wicked serpent of Genesis 3. But the allusion to Satanic influence through Zeezrom as Satan’s tool is much more pronounced when we look to Moses 4 instead of Genesis 3, especially Moses 4:3–6:

3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.

5 And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made.

6 And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world.

Especially significant is the application of Moses 4:4, which, as Reynolds pointed out in “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis” (pp. 69-70), appears to be one of the most influential Book of Moses passages, one that seems to be invoked many times in the Book of Mormon. From that short sentence, we see parallels in the lying and deceiving of Zeezrom in Alma 12:1 and again in v. 4, revealing that the devil’s plan was “to lie and to deceive this people,” with both “subtle” and “subtlety” (see Moses 4:5) also being used in Alma 12:4 to emphasize the allusion to the source that influenced the serpent, Satan (Moses 4:6).

Alma then adds further references from the Book of Moses as he warns Zeezrom and the people of Ammonihah that Satan’s plan is aimed at bringing them down to captivity, again echoing Moses 4:4, coupled with a reference to Satan’s chains (see Moses 7:26, 57). Moses 4 differs from Genesis 3 in making Satan the driving force behind the actions of the serpent, just as Satan exercised his power in Zeezrom as his agent. Zeezrom is beginning to realize that he has been exploited and has been using his skills to advance a Satanic purpose. Mercifully, Zeezrom will repent and exit from his wicked career track, and many of the people also repent and begin studying the scriptures to understand what they have been taught. The majority, though, stirred up by the wicked elites among them, are angry and accuse the preachers of of having “reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges” (Alma 14:2). Mere censorship was not enough for such an insult. Many believers, presumably largely men, are chased away as wicked men hurl stones at them. Crueler still, many of their wives and children were gathered and cast into a fire. The reigning gang of corrupt lawyers and judges easily trample on the basic laws of Nephite society as they slaughter many in a terrible fire as Alma and Amulek are forced to watch in horror. The chief judge of the land, a member of the order of Nehor (v. 16), mocks Alma and Amulek (vv. 15-21), mocking their lack of power to stop the slaughter, and asking if they will again preach about the wicked being cast into a lake of fire and brimstone when it was the believers who were burned. From this perverse man and his peers, we can better understand the characters of those who pursue secret combinations: they only care for their power and their gain. They have no qualms about imprisoning innocent men or even burning alive many righteous women and children — anything is justified if it advances their power, adds to their wealth, or satisfies their lusts. These are wicked, deranged, demonic beasts who crave for and obtain seats of power. There were such people in Nephite society, as there surely are in our day. When they rule, laws are trampled, rights are violated, the innocent are abused, and destruction sooner or later is likely to follow. In this case, it came suddenly, thanks to an angry Lamanite army looking for an easy target (Alma 16).

From the scenes at Ammonihah, we learn more about Satanic works of darkness:

There are elite people who are part of networks or movements like the order of Nehor. They share corrupt ideologies rooted in wicked, materialistic ideologies. Using their wealth, their networks, and their skills or ambition, they may ascend to high levels in society where their greed and corruption can adversely affect society.
Their lust for power may lead some of them to develop plans aimed at overthrowing the freedom of a nation and stamping out true religion.
When in any position of power, they may abuse their positions for gain, such as taking actions to stir up crime or other misbehavior to increase their wealth or influence, a classic case of conflict of interest.
Such people, though they may have social graces and present themselves as praiseworthy public servants, are essentially amoral, such that they do not hesitate to imprison the innocent or even to slaughter women and children if it advances their agenda.
Censorship was an important tool to stop the spread of knowledge or belief that threatened their power. Burning scriptures along with the believers themselves, even children, shows how dangerously fanatic the elites were in stopping ideas they didn’t like.

The rapid rise of that order and faith may be understood in light of the apparent underlying divisions in Nephite society among those of Mulekite descent. See A. Keith Thompson, “Apostate Religion in the Book of Mormon,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 25 (2017): 191-226. Thompson explains that some Mulekites may have grown weary of Nephite rule and wanted to return to their “rightful” status as ruling elites. This reminds me of the common ploy in the Book of Mormon when wicked leaders manipulate people to think they are just standing up for their rights when trying to seize power or destroy a hated enemy. Consider, for example, the letter of Gidgiddoni, leader of the armies of the Gadianton armies, to the Nephite commander, Lachoneus in 3 Nephi 3. Gidgiddoni asserts that his people are victims who have been deprived of “their rights and government (over the Nephites)” by the “wickedness” of the Nephites (3 Nephi 3:10). As with various forms of Critical Theory today, his people were manipulated into thinking they were victims, with their anger constantly being stirred up with rhetoric.

The Virus of Censorship (and Religious Persecution)

While censorship is most dramatic in the scene at Ammonihah as scriptures are being burned along with believers, it is a common motif in the Book of Mormon. Alma’s people at Helam were forbidden to pray by the Amulonites, threatened with death if caught praying (Mosiah 24:11). Abinadi is executed for his words to the king. Stones and arrows are hurled at Samuel the Lamanite to stop him from preaching to the Nephites, and later the believers are threatened with death if the sign of Christ’s coming doesn’t occur by a specific date. In fact, the threat of censorship (an important aspect of religious persecution) is found literally from the beginning to the end of the text. It begins in Jerusalem when Lehi’s message is viewed as such a threat that the leaders of the Jewish establishment sought to kill him (1 Nephi 1:20). Then, after the gathered Nephite people and army is destroyed at Cumorah, the surviving and presumably scattered Nephites are reportedly put to death by the Lamanites if they won’t deny their faith: “because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ” (Moroni 1:1).

Since secret societies are founded on principles that the people would object to if they knew, they strive to maintain secrecy. Severe punishment, typically death, is threatened for those who reveal their secrets. Thus, the Book of Moses, which seems to inform Book of Mormon writers about the operations and origins of secret combinations, indicates that after Cain’s secret society was formed, his descendant Lamech would slay one of his ancestors, Irad, for revealing the existence of the secret combination (Moses 5:49, 50). Violent censorship was at the heart of that secret combination. We see that mentality in the corrupt Nephite government that was anxious to execute all believers if Samuel the Lamanite’s sign of Christ birth did not occur by a set date, and the later secret combination that arose from corrupt judges seeking to get away with their crimes of secretly murdering messengers from God. We see Satan’s servants always stirring up the people to anger against preachers of truth, always seeking to silence their voices. When we learn of those in government today seeking power to censor speech they do not like, the history of the Book of Mormon and world history is consistent: the people seeking to censor others are not the good guys. When faces with such efforts, an ultimate agenda of silencing truth and crushing freedom, especially religious liberty, must be assumed, no matter how lofty the purported goals of the censorship program.

Secret combinations seek to censor voices and messages they dislike or fear, partly because they are inherently weak and vulnerable. Truth is never on their side, and when truth is properly presented, when their goals and works are revealed, when the public becomes informed and the need to repent from wickedness is proclaimed, secret combinations face an existential threat. They are vulnerable. Resisting censorship and making truth available may be one of the best strategies for thwarting secret combinations.

Summary of Key Characteristics of Book of Mormon Secret Combinations

Our survey of the traits and activities of secret combinations in the Book of Mormon yields a variety of characteristics to note:

Secret combinations are far from irresistible. They are vulnerable to disclosure and public awareness. They can be resisted effectively by law enforcement or military action when needed. They are also vulnerable to competitors seeking to take their power. Most importantly, righteous people teaching the Gospel is an extreme threat to their power and can even shut them down.
Secret combinations often are initiated or run buy elites with wealth, education and influence, such as the lawyers and merchants of Nephite society or those already in positions of power such as judges.
Secret combinations may not be monolithic organizations but can rely on multiple networks and social circles for support.
Secret combinations have a demoralizing impact on society, stirring up selfishness, greed, anger, and corruption.
Secret combinations rely on public influence to deceive and flatter people or to stir up anger, hate, and a sense of victimhood. This is done to manipulate and exploit those they deceive for their own gain.
The leaders of secret combinations are far from geniuses who can reign with total control of everything. In spite of great erudition and eloquence in some cases, they are typically greedy, selfish thugs whose actions can lead to the destruction of the kingdoms they seek or the toppling of their own thrones, with chaos and poverty for all.

In the Modern World, Do Secret Combinations Exist? Are “Conspiracies” Real?

As long as there is greed and corruption among men, there will be illicit cooperation for gain and power. From the Mafia to the corruption of Enron Corporation, from drug lords to organized cheating in sports or the stock market, from petty schemes to embezzle money to the rise of totalitarian dictators, veiled collaboration is common and often the key to illicit worldly success. In other words, of course conspiracies exist. They exist because crime, greed, and the lust for power exist in human society.

Combination with others is what makes business grow, whether it is legitimate or criminal. There are lone criminals and there are lone CEOs of one-man businesses — usually very small businesses with limited prospects. Successful criminal activity with long-term prospects requires a team or a “secret combination,” obviously working under strict confidentiality agreements (oaths and covenants). To be really successful today, large-scale criminal activity requires the help of effective attorneys, accountants, lobbyists and marketers. Some illicit operations may have many employees who think they are working for a legitimate organization when only a small fraction at the top is aware of the corrupt aspects of the operation. For example, most employees of Enron had no idea how corrupt the company was.

Secrecy per se is not the problem. Confidentiality agreements and trade secrets are essential for competitive businesses and can be a vital part of legitimate business practices. Religious and civic groups can also qualify as “secret societies” while being quite benign, just as the rituals of the Latter-day Saint Temple are meant to be relatively secret while also being divine and wholesome, in my opinion. It is the “secret works of darkness” and evil “secret combinations” described in the Book of Mormon that are my focus here.

Secret societies can be a fascinating social, political, and economic force in many lands. These entities, both benign and malignant, have long been a topic for dispassionate scholarship, especially in anthropology. For example, a search of academic publications at Jstor.org using terms such as “secret societies” or “organized crime” reveals many fascinating papers exploring the function and influence of these secretive orders across the centuries. Compilations of related information can be found in works such as Arkon Daraul’s Secret Societies: A History (New York: Barnes and Noble, 1961, 1989) But in recent years, it’s become very unfashionable — if not dangerous — to use the word “conspiracy.” Even if you don’t explicitly say that word, asking questions about potential corruption in government can get you branded as a “conspiracy theorist,” a despised misinformation spewer who thinks there is an all-powerful cabal of Satan worshipers who control every aspect of society. That’s a caricature of the remarkably accurate, insightful, and practical teachings of the Book of Mormon that give a much more realistic insight into less dramatic, legitimate dangers that can be opposed and exposed.

In my next post, we’ll compare a credible source on the workings of secret combinations to the principles we see in the pragmatic guide we have in the Book of Mormon. Meanwhile, I hope this rough survey will serve some readers by helping show how complex and nuanced the Book of Mormon is on this theory, and how many lessons there are to be learned in exploring something that is actually vitally important for our day.

A Practical Guide to the Book of Mormon’s Most Neglected Theme, Secret Combinations: A Source of Surprising Evidence and Urgent Modern Value

The Trouble with Conspiracy Theories (and Their Caricature)

“Conspiracy Theories” of All Powerful Groups Controlling Everything: Not What the Book of Mormon Teaches

Related Scholarship and the Question of Credible Sources on Secret Combinations

The Book of Mormon’s Teachings on Secret Combinations

Early Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon: Jared Gains the Throne and Loses His Head

The Corrupting and Violent Influence of Secret Combinations

A Useful Combination: The Book of Mormon Plus the Book of Moses

The Rise of the Gadianton Robbers

A New Gadianton Band Rises from the Ashes, and Also Collapses

The Collapse of Nephite Government from Yet Another Secret Combination

Circumstantial Evidence in the Book of Mormon on the Tactics and Goals of Secret Combinations

The Amlicite Rebellion and Collusion with an Enemy

The Order of Nehor in Ammonihah and the Plot to Destroy Nephite Freedom

The Virus of Censorship (and Religious Persecution)

Summary of Key Characteristics of Book of Mormon Secret Combinations

In the Modern World, Do Secret Combinations Exist? Are “Conspiracies” Real?

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