The Nephites experienced a period of great peace.
What happened the last time they had a period of peace? (Nehor)
Who was Nehor?
What affect did he have on the people?
Alma 30:6-12
What laws of the Nephites allowed the people to preach against the coming of Christ?
What is an anti-Christ?
What was the name of the anti-Christ?
Alma 30:12-18
What were the teachings of Korihor?
• No man can know of anything which is to come (v13) (You cannot believe the prophets or their prophecies)
• These things which ye call prophecies…are foolish traditions (v14) (The scriptures are not true)
• Ye cannot know of things which ye do not see (v15) (Unless you have physical evidence of religious truths, you should not believe)
• There is no remission of sins (v16) (Since there is no Christ, there can be no atonement for sin)
• Every man [fares] in this life according to the management of the creature (v17) (People prosper by their own efforts alone, not by God’s blessings)
• Whatsoever a man [does is] no crime (v17) (There is no such thing as sin).
• When a person dies, that is the end of him (v18) (There will be no future accounting of judgment since there is no life after death)
What might seem appealing about these teachings?
Alma 30:18
What affect did his teachings have on the people?
Have you heard any of these teachings today?
Why do some many of these teachings continue to be popular today?
What has the Lord provided today to help us dispel these teachings?
President Ezra Taft Benson:
“The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Ne. 3:12.) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time” (Ensign, May 1975, 64)
George A. Smith shared the following Chinese fable in 1857
“A man travelling through the country came to a large city, very rich and splendid; he looked at it and said to his guide, ‘This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city.’
“The guide replied, ‘You do not understand, sir. This city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation, and abomination of every kind, that it requires but one devil to keep them all in subjection.’
“Travelling on a little further, he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hill side, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse-looking devils.
“’Why,’ says the traveler, ‘this must be a tremendously wicked old man! Only see how many devils there are around him!’
“’This,’ replied the guide,’ is the only righteous man in the country; and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path, and they all cannot do it.’” (in Journal of Discourses, 5:363-64).
What does this fable teach us?
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