In Part 1 of this series (available at Meridian Magazine and in my recent post here), we considered why secret combinations, one of the most pervasive themes in the Book of Mormon, are so rarely discussed. We discussed widespread sensitivity to the popular stereotype of “conspiracy theories,” explaining that this common caricature has little relevance to the reasonable and practical teachings of the Book of Mormon. We discussed conflicts of interest as a core aspect of serious corruption and reviewed the need to hide or censor related information. Then we reviewed King Mosiah’s remarkably concise summary of documents he had read on the dangers of corrupt rulers. Here we consider some of the specific details in the Book of Mormon on these topics, focusing on clearly identified secret combinations.
Early Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon: Jared Gains the Throne and Loses His Head
The book of Ether, the most ancient book within the Book of Mormon, describes a secret combination formed in the early days of the Jaredite civilization. In Ether 8, we read of a power-hungry son of a king, Jared (not the famous first Jaredite king but a descendant), who yearns for the throne. His daughter draws upon her knowledge of secret combinations from those 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. (On the relationship to the biblical account of Salomé dancing to gain the decapitation of John the Baptist, see Alan Goff’s study, “The Dance of Reader and Text: Salomé, the Daughter of Jared, and the Regal Dance of Death” in Interpreter.) Akish accepts the deal and gathers 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” (v. 15). The plot worked, in a sense, for Akish weds the daughter of Jared and Jared quickly gains the throne (Ether 9:4), though not through assassination. Instead, the Lord warns Omer and his family to flee to safety (v. 3). Though Jared gains a vacated throne, his plot did not give him the lasting control he desired. In fact, in one of the many instances of irony in the Book of Mormon (see other examples in Robert A. Rees, “Irony in the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies [2003]), he suffers the very fate he had intended for his father as Akish, the would-be assassin, obtains 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 ascends to the throne, but lives in well-deserved fear that his fellows might next turn on him. Thus, he imprisons and starves 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, exploit 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 in not just the assassination of a leader or two, but in a civil war that destroys nearly the whole kingdom except for 30 survivors who fles 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 the region.
Secret combinations and totalitarian rulers may aspire to unlimited success and total control, but the practical reality of their reign, as shown so clearly in the Book of Mormon, is disaster, suffering, and failure, just as the totalitarian urge to control everything in an economy has often resulted in mass famine and poverty for all but the elite.
The national catastrophe described in Ether 9 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 survivor from each of the two battling armies, 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 those final gruesome scenes (Ether 15).
In the most ancient parts of the Book of Mormon, we already learn lessons that are still valuable in our day. We learn of lust for power, murderous conspiracies, their corrupting influence on a people, the willingness of conspirators to kill or abuse even family members to maintain that power, the importance of networks and alliances forged by the love of money or lust for power, and the devastating disasters that selfish secret combinations can bring when they seek or gain total power. Secret combinations bring disaster. This is a key message of the Book of Mormon and a reason why we must oppose them in our day.
In parallel to the lessons from the book of Ether, it may be instructive to review a modern example of the disasters that totalitarian power can bring—and how the courage of a few can sometimes make a difference. It is well known that China’s brutal collectivism under Communism led to the deaths of many millions, even killing many farmers with starvation especially during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The economic miracle of China that began in 1978 came not by Marxist-Leninist plots but by a daring “virtuous combination” of brave but desperate farmers in the small village of Xiaogang in Anhui Province. They risked their lives to defy collectivism and pursue a form of economic freedom. The stunning success from their version of “Capitalism 101”–harvests suddenly more than tripling–inspired Deng Xiaoping to repudiate collectivism, another feat that took personal courage and difficult political battles. He would change their Constitution and open doors for the economic revolution that made China vastly more prosperous and successful, though the nature of that economic revolution has been obscured by the depiction of the economic system as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Long live those beautiful Chinese characteristics!
I made a pilgrimage to Xiaogang during my years in China and reflected on the miracle of that daring and rarely discussed revolution, which I discuss in “How Eighteen Hungry Farmers Beat Collectivism and Helped China Succeed: Lessons from the Village of Xiaogang,” Foundation for Economic Education (FEE.org), 2022. China remains a nation without the liberties for all that I wish it had, but abandoning the economic tyranny of collectivism made it vastly better off and much more free. There are lessons for us to learn from the heroism of the once-hungry Xiaogang farmers who helped China throw off the disaster of collectivism and institute a life-saving measure of economic liberty.
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 unnecessary 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 “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.
Centuries after the civil war in which wicked Akish fought the 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). Famine following great corruption in government has been a persistent danger in history. Such corruption can lead to insane war, misallocated resources, the confiscation or destruction of food and resources, and erosion of the ability or incentive to produce.
Fortunately, the people began to repent, but a few verses later, the people are again rejecting the prophets “because of their secret society and wicked abominations” (Ether 11:22), and eventually their society would erupt in another catastrophic civil war that began as a result of “secret plans of wickedness” to overthrow King Coriantumr (Ether 13:15). Soon it was “every man with his band fighting for that which he desired” (Ether 13:25). Orderly government collapsed, leaving a divided people of tribes and gangs fighting for their own goals. More chaos followed as Coriantumr’s opponent, Gilead, who has support from secret combinations (Ether 14:8), was slain by his own high priest (Ether 14:9). Importantly, there was not just one secret combination controlling everything, but multiple competing combinations that can turn on one another. Of the murderous high priest, we learn that “one of the secret combinations murdered him in a secret pass,” and thus a mighty man named Lib took the throne and continues the insane battle. His brother, Shiz, took Lib’s place when Lib was killed, bringing us to the gruesome closing scene of Jaredite society with only two warriors left, Shiz and Coriantumr, where Coriantumr managed to decapitate Shiz. Millions perished and the Jaredite civilization collapsed, courtesy of the geniuses behind the Jaredite secret societies. Such stories of 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
The rise of secret combinations in the scriptures predates even the Jaredites. It appears that the brass plates of the Nephites had ancient records giving important information about secret combinations. In fact, the pervasive language about secret combinations in the Book of Mormon even seems to draw upon the brass plates.
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), where strong connections to terminology about secret combinations were noted. Reynolds observed that the language used to describe conspiracies by Cain and his associates with phrases such as “works of darkness” (Moses 5:55; cf. v. 51), “secret works” (Moses 6:15), and “secret combination” (Moses 5:51), are used in the same context in many parts of the Book of Mormon with the fuller connotations of the detailed account in the Book of Moses.
About 30 years after Reynolds’s publication, Reynolds and I collaborated to add further parallels, including some with apparent “one-way” connections where parallels in the Book of Mormon seem to allude to a backstory that we can find in the Book of Moses, rather than the Book of Moses appearing to have been influenced by language from the Book of Mormon. An initial report 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. Later 36 more parallels were found, bringing the total to 133. See Jeff Lindsay, “Further Evidence from the Book of Mormon for a Book of Moses-Like Text on the Brass Plates” published in 2024 in Interpreter. Another paper exploring the distribution of these parallels in the Book of Mormon with further analysis is in progress (the count is now 134).
In light of such connections, added insights into the Book of Mormon’s language around secret combinations may be obtained by considering the Book of Moses. Moses 5 discusses a secret combination formed by Cain as directed by Satan. The objective was “getting gain” and covering up the murder of Abel. Secret oaths were made and Cain, the leader, rejoiced that he became “the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain” (Moses 5:33). A hallmark of many secret combinations in the Book of Mormon is secret murder to get gain and political assassinations. 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. The cousins of chaos are rage, wars, and bloodshed, with political assassinations being an early warning sign of especially dangerous secret combinations.
One parallel between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon is the use of the term “abomination” coupled with secret combinations (discussed in a forthcoming paper). The Book of Moses 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. We now return to the Book of Mormon account and review its most famous secret combination brand.
The Rise of the Gadianton Robbers
The Gadianton robbers, introduced in Helaman 1, are a classic secret combination. They arose among followers of Paanchi, angry that the voice of the people had appointed Paanchi’s brother Pahoran as the new chief judge. He was about to start a treasonous rebellion, but was caught, 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, responded by sending an assassin, Kishkumen, to slay Pahoron. Just as the anger of Paanchi and his followers led to a murderous plot, so it was 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 to become “Master Mahan,” glorying in his wickedness (Moses 5:28-33). The conspirators then made a formal covenant, conspiring to cover their crime (Helaman 1:11). A skilled and eloquent leader, Gadianton, arose as the leader of the group (Helaman 2:4), later called “Gadianton’s robbers”—not ordinary thieves, but influential people seeking to steal control of the nation. Importantly, though they were extremely dangerous, they were also highly vulnerable and could be eradicated.
Paanchi’s other brother, Pacumeni, one of the three sons who had contended for the judgement seat, gained power after Pahoran’s murder, but was killed when a surprise Lamanite invasion attacked the capital city. That invasion was led by a treasonous Nephite dissenter, Coriantumr, who had impressed the new king of the Lamanites, Tubaloth, the son of another Nephite dissenter, Amalickiah. 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 conspires for power and gain. With all three contending sons of the former chief judge having been killed, Helaman3, the son of Helaman2, became the chief judge and was soon the target of another assassination attempt. Gadianton sought to obtain the judgement seat for himself, promising his followers positions of power (Helaman 2:4). Offering lucrative appointments to power is a valuable tool for conspiring men.
The vulnerability of their secret combination was shown when Kishkumen took on the assignment to kill Helaman3 (Helaman 2:2-11). One of Helaman3’s servants had managed to infiltrate the band and, meeting Kishkumen on his way at night, offered to help but deftly killed Kishkumen with a dagger as they were on the way. The servant then alerted Helaman3. By the time a strike force was organized, Gadianton had grown worried and led his followers swiftly out of Zarahemla. Kishkumen’s failure was a major setback for this criminal gang, but they would set up operations elsewhere and continued patiently spreading their influence. Seven years later, in the 49th year of the reign of judges, at a joyous time as the Nephite faith was 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 were apparently multiple branches of his organization secretly operating in several parts of the nation. Subversive, steady growth in their corrupt and murderous schemes is a feature of secret combinations. They can be very patient.
Thirteen years later in the 62nd year, there may be a hint of their growing influence 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 corrupted laws is one reason why Nephi2 chose to give up the judgment seat to preach to his people (Helaman 5:1-3). The Gadianton robbers aren’t explicitly mentioned again until the 66th year, 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 rising wickedness. Cezoram’s son succeeded him, and was soon murdered by the Gaddianton robbers (vv. 15-19). These murders accompany growing greed, corruption, and murders among the Nephite population (v. 17).
Around this time, the growing role of the Gadiantons among the Nephites and Lamanites became known. The Lamanites were alarmed and “exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy them” (vs. 20) – and they succeeded! How? 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). The preaching of the Gospel, coupled with actively “hunting” (and thereby exposing) the Gadiantons became a powerful weapon against the Gadiantons. No wonder the forces of wickedness and secret combinations so despise religion (‘the opium of the people” as Marx put it) and religious freedom, as well as the freedom of speech that allows people to share the Gospel freely—and to oppose or expose criminals in their midst.
The Gadiantons were vulnerable to good law enforcement, vulnerable to exposure, and vulnerable to the preaching of the Gospel. Against all these threats, their only hope for success is to remain hidden and to oppose the spread of the truths that can destroy them.
While the Lamanites showed us how vulnerable the Gadiantons were, Nephite society showed us how dangerous and powerful they can be if not actively opposed and exposed. The Nephites generally supported the robbers and their business model, many even taking oaths to join their band (Helaman 6: 21-24). 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 Moroni.
By the end of the 68th year of the judges, the Nephite situation had become dire, for with Nephite support, the Gadiantons “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! With wicked elites in charge, it was the poor and the humble who were most exploited, just as occurred in the wicked Zoramite society (Alma 32:2-4) where corrupt hypocrites engaged in virtue signaling about their enlightened virtues (Alma 31:8-25). For the Nephites, the result was growing injustice:
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.
Still, the Gadiantons were still vulnerable, for a lone prophet of God caused a significant setback. After Nephi2 prayed on his tower in Helaman 7, he spoke to the crowd that gathered, including some wicked judges who were part of the Gadianton band, and exposed the murder of the chief judge by his brother (Helaman 8:27-28). Nephi2 announced that “they both belong to your secret band” (v. 28), putting the Gadiantons at risk. When this was confirmed to be true, the Gadiantons used the tactic of stirring people up in anger with misinformation, accusing their enemy of the very crime they were guilty of. Here, they accused Nephi2 of conspiracy—more Book of Mormon irony—to kill the chief judge to win converts (Helaman 9:16). They then applied their lawyerly skills to not only question Nephi2 aggressively in hopes of tripping him up, but also offered him money (v. 20) and amnesty if he would confess (as Zeezrom did to Amulek in Alma 11:21-22). As with Zeezrom’s offer of cash in Alma 11, the bribery attempt by the Gadianton’s shows how poorly they understand, and how greatly they underestimate, a truly honest and courageous person. The righteous power of integrity is something that those engaged in cynical corruption simply cannot grasp. In such subtle details, the Book of Mormon is strikingly accurate.
Nephi2 further exposed his opponents’ 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. Note how a small amount of accurate information, whether obtained prophetically or by other means, can expose the criminals in powerful secret combinations. In spite of this miraculous exposure, many people remained wicked and the secret combination continued. In fact, internal war and chaos soon erupted (Helaman 10:18, 11:1). “And it was this secret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness” (11:2).
The secret band of robbers was still vulnerable and would soon be extinct. The Lord gave Nephi the power to call calamity upon the nation to motivate repentance. Nephi asked for a drought that leads to widespread hunger and but also repentance. As a result, the people “swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct” (Helaman 11:10). This was followed by 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 the Gadianton species.
A New Gadianton Band Arises and Collapses
Helaman 11 reports that just a few years after the extinction of the Gadiantons, a new secret combination was formed by dissenters among the Nephites who have left to team up with the Lamanites. These angry, selfish former Nephites stirred up the Lamanites unto anger and start another war against the Nephites (v. 24). They sought out the secret plans of Gadianton and pursued that course anew, becoming “robbers of Gadianton (v. 26). This time they organized as an external force that acted as a guerilla army striking the Nephites periodically while seeking security in mountain retreats that made it difficult to defeat them (see Daniel Peterson’s work on guerrilla warfare in the Book of Mormon). The robbers grow stronger as other Nephites joined them, flattered away by their anger-inducing words and promises. There might always be something one can say to stir up resentment toward one’s religion, heritage, or nation, preying upon unfairness, encouraging others to blame others and feel victimized by society or religion, stirring a desire for power or for vengeance and destruction.
However, the wickedness of the new Gadiantons may not have been much worse than the wickedness of the Nephites they threatened. During this time of Nephite decay, the Lord sent Samuel the Lamanite to Zarahemlah to preach repentance. Efforts to stop 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. Before the sign was given, the murderous rulers of the Nephites trampled upon their law and Nephite freedom of belief, setting a date to execute all believers if the sign does not come by their appointed date (3 Nephi 1:9). The masks of their rulers came off. “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.
The sign was given and many Nephites were astonished and repented (3 Nephi 1:19–23). But corruption and wickedness continued. The Nephites soon had to gather and prepare for a long-term siege from the Gadianton robbers, led by Giddianhi. The letter of Giddianhi to the Lachoneus, the Nephite ruler, reveals the victim mentality in their ideology, as if the robbers were victims whose rights have been deprived by the Nephites (3 Nephi 3:10). Ultimately, the robbers, having depleted available game and unable to persist without robbing, must risk a direct attack on the concentrated Nephite forces and are defeated. The Gadiantons then could either confess and repent or be executed. “And thus they did put an end to all those wicked, and secret, and abominable combinations” (3 Nephi 5:6). This great victory brought lasting peace – for about eight years.
The Collapse of Nephite Government from Yet Another Secret Combination
Wickedness remained among the Nephites and infiltrated the government. We get a hint of trouble brewing when we read of great pride and even persecutions rising among the Nephites (3 Nephi 6:10) and of the influence of dangerous elites and bureaucrats, “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 the scions of business and law. Soon persecutions and divisions grew, and in turn, the Lord sent many inspired men to preach repentance and teach the coming of Christ (v. 20). Many of the chief judges, high priests, and lawyers were angry at these voices and decided that action must be taken to stop their “misinformation.” They then secretly executed many of those preaching (v. 23), hiding knowledge of these executions from the governor of the land, who, by law, needed to approve capital punishment. 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 avoid justice:
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)
Thus, yet another internal secret combination was formed by powerful elites. We again see the importance of networks of friends and relatives joining together, likely fueled by the power and influence of the elites mentioned earlier in 3 Nephi 6. The initial goal was to avoid punishment, but they also sought to murder the governor and establish a king over the land—a complete and violent revolution. But 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. They must protect it by removing potential threats. Religion, especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is often a threat to them. You cannot give full loyalty to a totalitarian government if you put God first. Those who are ready to sacrifice the freedom of a people will gladly sacrifice large portions of the population to maintain power.
The plot worked to some degree as the governor was assassinated, but the following chaos could not be channeled as intended. Instead, with the government in chaos, the people 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).
Summary
The Book of Mormon depictions of secret combinations and their impact on society is nuanced, complex, and consistent with many aspects of human history. Rather than gaining total control with unstoppable power and great genius, able to manipulate everything, secret combinations bring chaos and disaster upon their participants as well as their subjects. They are to be feared and opposed, but are always vulnerable. They can be opposed through exposure and law enforcement, but especially through the preaching of the Gospel. For that reason, religious liberty and freedom of speech are essential blessings that must be preserved.
Here we have considered secret combinations that the Book of Mormon clearly identifies as such. But there is an extensive portion of the Book of Mormon that discusses other groups and movements which can also be identified as potential secret combinations or related “works of darkness” based on circumstantial evidence. Much can be learned from their behavior and characteristics to round out the Book of Mormon’s teachings in this complex field. The circumstantial evidence for other related groups and movements will be considered in Part 3.
Then in Part 4 we will explore how calm scholarship on some genuine secret societies or secret combinations verifies the accuracy of many of the Book of Mormon’s teachings and warnings. Because corruption is real, secret works of darkness and secret combinations are real, not just delusions of the unhinged. Some are at trivial scale, but others may be more significant. As we consider unfolding events in our day, there may be benefits to comparing Book of Mormon lessons and teachings to our world.
