Eight (1813)creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the
children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger
and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the
whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a
strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and
fetters of hell.^56Few words have ever described better the damning effects of religious traditions and beliefs
than these spoken in the midst of a true messenger’s suffering, which, as Joseph exclaimed:
“is the very mainspring of all corruption.”
Rending the Veil of Unbelief
Consistent with its purpose, the Book of Mormon provides the following astute
scenario based on the phenomenon of mortal human nature that profoundly entrenches
ignorance in the mind because of traditional beliefs (i.e., “inherited lies”). Described in the
following story is an example of what it means to “do unto others” and “love thy neighbor
as thyself” compatible with the true gospel of Christ.
The scene opens within the context of two traditional enemies, known as the
Nephites and Lamanites, around the first century B.C. in the Americas. In short, the
Lamanites hated the Nephites because the Lamanites were taught by their traditions that the
Nephites were bad people^57 and had wronged them in many ways. A Lamanite king,
Lamoni, took a Nephite by the name of Ammon prisoner, who wanted to be caught so that
he could be instrumental in helping the Lamanites see that the Nephites were not so bad.
The king liked Ammon and made him one of his servants.
Ammon served the king in humility,^58 even better than any of the other Lamanite
servants. After Ammon had saved the kings flocks from robbers with exceeding strength,
the king asked Ammon if he was the “Great Spirit”^59 because of what he did. Ammon said
that he was just a man and a servant to the king, “therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which
is right, that will I do.”^60 This impressed the king enough to open his mind,^61 so that
eventually “that dark veil of unbelief was...cast away from his mind.”^62
Because of the goodness of Ammon, the king began to reconsider the traditions of
his people, and that notions about the Nephites and their own beliefs might be false and
incorrect.^63 Ammon devised a way to get the Lamanites to open their minds to the
possibility that they were being deceived by the traditions of their fathers. This led to the
“convincing [of the king and his people] unto peace and life eternal.”^64 But it would have
been just as easy for the king and his people to be delivered to “the hardness of their
hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity,
and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually.”^65
The Book of Mormon presents a recurring theme centered around “the traditions of
their fathers”;^66 and these traditions are always presented with a negative connotation,
showing how they caused many societal problems for the people who embraced them.^67 The
Old Testament of the Bible, excluding some of the esoteric words of the prophets, contains
the traditions of the fathers of the Jews. The intent of the Book of Mormon is to get the
people thinking about the possibility of new ideas that are not a part of the “traditions of
their fathers.”^68